The SoapBoxers

The college football season is roughly at the halfway point and many conference battles are starting to sort themselves out. The arguments are flying each and every way as to all the possible BCS scenarios, which team is the best, who has the toughest schedule and it goes on and on.

This week I will look at Johnny G’s Heisman candidates.

Everyone has Andrew Luck on top of their list. I do not buy into that hype. While I am a guy that fully understands his current talent, and NFL future potential, I think the Heisman trophy should be awarded to the person that is most valuable in all of college football, who is a person that is a complete difference maker as part of their teams success, and a person who basically single-handedly is a reason that teams is winning more games than they should.

1. I go with Russell Wilson – Wisconsin – The free agent hired gun who played most of his career in the SEC graduated thereby not having to sit out a year in order to transfer and winds up at the land of cheese and honey. The Badgers have no chance to be in the National Title hunt this year with a first time Freshman or redshirt Freshman quarterback. Wilson also provides an element of elusiveness that has never been seen before for WISCO. This guy is the reason they will go undefeated this year and he gets my vote.
2. Robert Griffin III- Baylor – What is Baylor without Robert Griffin? They are bad. He makes them a top 25 type of team. His statistics are sickening with a 78% completion rating. 22 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions and a passer rating of 200….yeah…I said 200. If you didn’t see this guy when we was a Freshman- pre knee injury, you just don’t get it . While Griffin is fast, before the injury he had world class speed (actually was at Baylor for Track and Field as well as football).  His “slower” abilities are still eye popping.
3. Andrew Luck – Stanford – Hey the guy is good, but I am not sure he adds as much for his team as the two guys I have mentioned above. Not trying to slight Luck as in the media’s eyes (and hey isn’t it the media ( errrrr…..ESPN….. that basically “announces” to the world who should win the Heisman anyway?) He is the poster child this year. Something special in reality will have to happen for someone to overtake him.
4. Kellen Moore – Boise State – I think Moore is good, really good, the problem is he gets to pad stats against teams that are mainly soap scrimmage caliber while he is surrounded by a lot of NFL talent on his roster. His games are like the varsity playing against the jr high teams. This makes it tougher to put him any higher up on the list.
5. The Medical staff at the following Universities – Oregon, South Carolina, and Michigan – Players that were on “the list” including Le Marcus James, Marcus Lattimore, and Denard Robinson all get moved off of the list due to getting nicked or dinged up, (some worse than others) James and Lattimore’s immediate future is in question and Robinson proves again that he is fast, he is cagey he can put up huge stats against MAC teams, but when it hits BIG 10 conference time, he is somewhat of a glass Joe.

6-10) In no particular order some folks to keep an eye on include: Trent Richardson from Alabama – Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State – Case Keenum from Houston (everyone has forgotten about this statistical hound) Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M – and Frank Broyles from Oklahoma who this past week set a number of career receiving records and still has many games to play.

Until next time – Stay Classy Roseville, Minnesota!

There is a lot of praise and condemnation of the Occupy Wall Street group and other groups like them springing up around the country. Even in my small middle America town there is a group, although they go home at night and to their jobs on week days. There is a lot to like and dislike about them. They are not the demons or saints that the various bloggers, reporters and talk show host make them out to be. They are typically law-abiding people with a complaint that they do not think is being addressed by our governmental leaders.

First, the name of 99%ers. The right wing complains because they have defined that label as a claim to represent the views of 99% of the population. This claim and accusation are equally absurd. The people have identified themselves as part of the 99% of people below the highest wealth group of American society. This is an accurate description.

Second is the message. They are mad about the bailouts of companies that have outrageous bonus and pay structures for their executives. They are also complaining about a lot of other perceived injustices that can hardly be considered a cohesive or comprehensible message. I agree with the complaint about the bail outs. A lot of our tax money was spent to save failed businesses. If you are rewarded for taking risks with large salaries and bonuses, then why are you rewarded when there is no risk? A risk is an action that could result in loss. In these cases, the “risk” was to spend someone else’s money, but get paid whether you succeeded or failed.

I find it interesting that the targets are just some of the executives, not all, and that the decision makers, our elected officials, are not the targets. These protests are very similar to the Tea Party protests last year, only the identified enemy is different.

I have seen signs complaining about large loans. Why did you take out the loans in the first place? I have seen signs complaining about large debts from college. Why is that the fault of the banks? I agree that there is a problem, but the problem seems to be in our own ability to identify the root cause. If you are deeply in debt, it is you fault. You never have to take out a loan. If you college education cost a lot and you can’t get a job, blame the university, not the bank.

I was lucky, I got an education back when it was reasonably priced. I lived in my parents’ home, went to the state college, and got a degree that had the potential of resulting in a job opportunity. I have kids in college right now. Both my wife and I are working to help keep the final debt to a minimum, but it is not easy. The cost of a college education has gone up many more times than the potential income boost of having that education. Since we do not live near the state school that has the career degrees that my kids are perusing, they live in a dorm. They do not have cars, TVs, IPods, IPhones, IPads or spending money. They work every summer and some during the school year. They have cell phones, the cheapest on a family plan. They do not have texting or unlimited anything.

We own a home. We did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that the bank suggested, instead we looked at what we could afford. We own a car, but we did not start off with a new one and we drive our cars until they are too expensive to repair, not until they are out of style.

So I do agree with the 99%ers. We should not be bailing out the banks, car companies, investment firms, or governmentally sponsored mortgage organizations. I disagree with them in other ways, and I cannot tell how many I actually disagree with because of the confusion of demands. I do not believe that we should forgive any loans. I was distressed that I had to explain to my youngest child why that was a bad idea. I believe that I will repeat it here, since many of the protesters do not understand how basic banking works. If we forgive the loans, we are stealing from every depositor to that bank. That’s right, stealing. Every dollar that is loaned out comes from the pool of money that depositors have put in the bank. Apparently, the protestors think that the banks just have the money from some magical source. So if we forgive the loans, grandma suddenly has no savings.

I do agree that college costs too much. I do not agree that this is the fault of the banks. The only people you can blame are the colleges themselves. The banks do not set tuition rates. I am especially aggravated with state schools, which take tax dollars and still raise the rate at more that inflation. I am not in the business of education, but there seem to be a lot of courses and degrees that do not lead to employment. Sure you may feel good about yourself for delving into some niche group study, but if it forces up tuition that much, is it worth it?

To keep my message at least somewhat coherent, I will not even address some of the other complaints.

Cheryl sighed, and pulled herself out of the soothing bubble bath.  If she stayed in the bath much longer, the wrinkles in her skin would become permanent.  She dried herself off and changed into a pair of comfortable sweat pants.

This was the life, she thought.  She didn’t have to wait tables, didn’t have to waste time putting on makeup, and could sleep in as late as she wanted.  All she really needed to do was kill time while the rich boys tried to figure out where Nate has stashed her.

Where had he stashed her?  That was a good question – and one that Cheryl didn’t have an answer to.  Toward the end of the long plane ride, she had been blindfolded before being shuttled to a secret location.  While she had been getting comfortable in her new home, Nate made his escape … but she had no idea how.  She hadn’t been able to find a door, nor were there any windows.  She was essentially trapped within the building.

It made sense, she admitted grudgingly.  If she could just pop out and waltz around town, it would destroy the integrity of the game.  She would be forced to spend the duration of the game inside.’

The freezer was stocked with food.  Not just TV Dinners and frozen pizzas – although Nate had included some her favorite junk food items.  The bulk of the freezer contained meals that could be popped into the oven with no prep work.  Defrost for a day in the fridge, pop in the oven for 45 minutes, and she had a nice “home cooked” meal.

There was no internet in the house, since this would be an easy way for Cheryl to cheat by contacting one of the players.  Cheryl admitted that she could probably do without Twitter for a little while – especially with the amount of money she was being paid.  There was a TV, but no cable connection.  She was limited to watching DVDs.  This wasn’t as much of a hardship as it seemed, as there was a massive collection of movies.

Finally, Cheryl had brough about a hundred books with her.  She’d been trying to catch up on her reading for years.  This seemed like an optimal opportunity.  She lay down on the couch with the book she had been reading.  With any luck, she could stay in the same position until she was hungry for another meal.  Whether the next meal would be breakfast, lunch, or dinner was up for debate.  After a couple of days, she had tossed her watch into a drawer.  Time was of no consequence here.

The light in the corner of the room flickered before turning a bright red.  This was an indicator that the video cameras would turn on in a minute, unless she reset the timer.  Cheryl got up from the couch and set the timer to 180 minutes – the maximum allowable time.  If she failed to reset the time, the video cameras would be activated and Nate would be able to see her every move.  The exception, naturally, was the bedroom, where the time could be set to ten hours. 

Cheryl knew that this was a safety mechanism, alterting Nate to possible trouble she may be having.  Cheryl wasn’t sure how much good it would do to alert him three hours after a heart attack, but sometimes life had risks. 

TO BE CONTINUED

I think we all remember the time from our childhood playing games with that one kid who changes the rules in games. You’d be playing 4 man baseball and while your ghost runners could only take one base at a time, all of the sudden -when it suited him the most- he’d say his ghost runner was able to score from 2nd on a single. Or that game of tag would suddenly become freeze tag because he didn’t want to be “it” when you tagged him. That’s not unlike what’s going on right now with voting rules across multiple states.

A little pertinent history lesson: Right now with the US Electoral College system, the individual citizen doesn’t truly, technically, vote for the president. When you vote, you are, more or less, telling your state’s electors who you want to vote for president, and they in turn cast the actual votes that are given.  Since 1964 the United States has had 538 electors, with 270 of them being required to win the presidency (giving a winner with exactly 270 votes a 50.2% share of the vote). The theory is that in a Republic where states’ power is important, even a small population state can have an important outcome.

Currently, in 48 states, any presidential candidate winning the largest share of the votes simply gets all of that states electoral votes – a “winner take all” system. The 2 remaining states – Nebraska and Maine – essentially go by congressional district to determine who gets the individual elector’s votes with the remaining 2 elector votes in each state being decided by the overall popular vote of the state. It’s actually a fairly convoluted system that needs multiple constitutional amendments and stacks of state laws to function “correctly.” It’s not exactly a popular system, either, in both 2001 and 2004 the majority of Americans in a Gallup poll supported eliminating the electoral college system and going with a pure popular vote system.

Ok, got all that? If you find it interesting at all, there are many, many books and articles on it. As I said, only 2 states don’t use the winner-take-all system where the winner of that state’s popular vote gets all the electoral votes. In fact, not using that system is actually a fairly recent change. Maine moved away from it in 1972, and Nebraska in 1992 (gee, both election years. How strange). I’m not here to argue about which method is better, merely to point out that continuity in rules is fair. I personally think either all states should use the same method.

After the last presidential election, surely our most partisan and bitter election, Republicans in Pennsylvania decided that they didn’t really like ALL of their state’s 21 electors voting for who won the popular vote. Barack Obama won 54% of the popular vote yet he got every last one of those 21 electoral votes. The GOP there realized that by moving away from an all-or-nothing system when most states were not moving away from that system they are essentially giving votes to any Republican candidate. Pennsylvania would join Nebraska and Maine, making it 47 states that used one system and 3 states that used another.

But wait! Nebraska actually saw a vote for Obama in 2008. That’s rather astonishing for such a right-leaning state; Nebraska has only voted Democrat in 7 of the last 36 elections. But Republicans there are very aware that in such a partisan atmosphere every last vote counts, especially when there are only 538 votes. They’re actually looking to reverse their 1992 decision to leave the winner-take-all system. They want back in to get their one vote back.  Hmmm, put in the simplest of terms this really seems like the people in power are changing the rules to make it easier for their side to win. Imagine if where you worked suddenly everyone had to start paying for their own electricity used, but your boss turned around and said that since he’s in charge, he only has to pay 50%. You’d be pretty ticked off, huh?

The election tinkering actually doesn’t stop there. 14 states are looking at changing voting rules, ranging from cutting the time allowed for early voting, to requiring state-issued ID cards, to enacting laws that forbid anyone with a criminal history to vote – people who have justly served their time and are once again tax paying citizens. As a general rule, early voting has favored democrats. In fact, on election day in 2008, my current home state of North Carolina actually voted in majority for John McCain, but so many people used early voting to vote for Barack Obama that he won the election here – the first time in decades that North Carolina went blue. This isn’t a trend isolated to this state either. Demographic data shows that in almost every single state early voting came out for Obama, often with a wide margin.

In addition, early voting featured a much larger percentage of minorities than the overall voting population as a whole, and it is widely known that on average minorities vote Democrat. While I’m in favor of eliminating voting fraud – the usual excuse of those looking to implement state-issued voter IDs – fraudulent voting by individuals is less than .0001% of all voters.

To put that in practical terms, voting fraud is quite literally a one-in-a-million thing. Any given district is more likely to experience a mass shooting spree than have people try to cheat the voting system. It has been reported by multiple news organizations (almost any of the links above) that these new voting changes will disenfranchise 5 million voters. But hey, it’s worth it if we screw the 4,999,995 people voting to get those 5 cheaters, right? Well, that’s what the Republicans will probably try to sell you to your face, while in reality it’s done in the name of reducing the chances of Democrats winning. 

It’s ironic that a nation so bent on shedding light in other countries’ fair elections is so shady under its own surface. Remember that kid who would use the Monopoly board game house rule of getting money for landing on free parking when he landed on it, but then point out that’s just a house rule and say you got nothing when you landed on it? Yeah. That’s your modern Republicans.

If you ever take time to notice my mug shot with the articles (I hope you don’t spend TOO much time) you can’t miss the ball cap for my alma mater and favorite team. The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

So to celebrate my 100th article on this site, I am going to write about my gameday in Lincoln to open the Big 10 Conference at home, and a player that ALL of you need to know about…if you don’t know already.

First off, this past weekend in Lincoln was a big day. For you non-husker types – – every day that is a football game on the schedule is a big deal. The downtown Lincoln area is packed with a couple hundred thousand people – many who travel from well out of state and far off lands – – known as wherever the visiting team is from.

This Saturday was special. It was the first home Big 10 Conference game for Nebraska. Excitement was in the air. The forecast was for wind and rain. Poncho sales were brisk. I had all the good intentions to provide live “Tweets” from the tailgate and the game for the matter. Unfortunately for me, Verizon, who happens to be the “official” phone of the Huskers somehow cannot provide cell phone service that is worth a darn anywhere near the stadium (and coincidentally worse IN the stadium) on a game day, so no live updates on game day.

Our tailgate was our largest ever, we had the neighbors in the parking lot who bring their mobile brick pizza oven share in the fun to have one seriously large combined tailgate. It was borderline out of control at times, and we were over-run with people as kick off neared. We ran out of beverages well before planned. A thirsty tailgate party is not necessarily a happy tailgate party. …but no uprisings occurred for us on South Stadium drive.

The game was an electric atmosphere. The Buckeyes got off to an early lead, milking half of the first quarter away. The teams traded blows, in the first half Nebraska was not the better team and found themselves in a large hole to start the 2nd half. They promptly got behind by yet another touchdown to trail 27-6 and the outlook for the Cornhuskers seemed bleak.

The defense made a couple of big plays. The Ohio State quarterback, Braxton Miller got injured, the momentum had swung. The crowd was back in it. The defense was playing with more and more confidence and reckless abandon. The offensive line was starting to make better blocks. The passing game was clicking and the running game was churning out on a gutsy performance in the 4th quarter on the legs of a guy wearing #22.

Too many times fans (me included) get too caught up in the wins and losses on the field. Sports provide a lot of excitement for those of us who are fans. At the end of the day we need to remember and reflect that the players that we idolize and that we emmulate and root for are people just like you and me. This is true weather you are talking professional sports or college sports. At the end of the day, there are bigger things than wins and losses on the field of play. But sometimes a player is special both on and off the field, and one Nebraska player deserves special mention in my mind.

For those who have watched or follow Nebraska you know all about Rex Burkhead. He played quite a bit as a true freshman, he was an integral part of the squad last year.

Burkhead is a fan favorite. He is not the biggest guy, not the fastest guy, my guess is if you met him on the street you likely wouldn’t peg him as a Division I football player.

Husker Faithful love this guy. He is scrappy, always play hard, he runs tough. He hands the ball to the official when he scores touchdowns. He smiles alot. He is humble and softspoken in front of the press.

What’s not to like?

There is a lot more to like than most of you know.

Recently Randy York who writes for Huskers.com wrote an insightful article on Rex Burkhead. I would suggest you read it by following this link, and I would encourage you to share it with your friends. 

 I know there are hundreds of similar stories on many college campuses and pro sports towns around the country. The problem is we hear about all the times players get in trouble, or they play poorly, or they say something to the media that they might regret later.

I vividly remember Charles Barkley saying that “I am not a role model” on Nike commercials in my much younger days.

My son is a huge Rex Burkhead fan – mainly because he is 5 1/2 years old and has a Burkhead jersey (#22) . But after reading York’s article I am going continue and try to raise my son in a way so he might grow up to be like Rex…not as a football player, but as a person.

I normally don’t ask people who read my article to forward it on, but in this case I urge you to do so. Spread the story of a nice young college athlete, it doesn’t matter if you are a Nebraska fan or not, but we should all aspire follow the example set for by Rex Burkhead.

Sorry Chuck. I’ll take my chances with guys like number twenty two for the scarlet and cream. He IS a role model.

Until next Time – – – Stay classy Plano Texas!

I don’t know about you, but fall is my favorite season. Sure there is a lot of work to do around the house, getting ready for winter and cleaning up mostly. Raking leaves out in bright sun shine with a good breeze is invigorating. Cutting back the perennials, pulling up the annuals and just looking up at the majesty of the trees establishes the boundary between summer and winter. The squirrels and rabbits dodge about gathering what they can for the days to come, and the kids rejoice in spreading the leaves that you have so carefully piled. This is not a one day effort. Every couple of days there is a new vista and more work. First the Ashes drop their bright yellow leaves, then the aspens and maples drop orange, yellows and reds, and finally the mighty oaks add their dazzling array of color to the mix.

The smells and sounds of the season are so rich. The maple leaves have the strong aroma of whisky barrels, the pines add their heady tar, and the final harvest of vegetables are a medley of smells. There is always at least one person in the neighborhood with an open pit fire going to add the feel of a campout. Everyone is out, talking about the year, talking about sports, worrying about the coming weather. When you have had enough (you are never truly done), you can head inside for more evidence of change.

There are football games, baseball games and cooking. Every house I enter this time of year is filled with the smells of wondrous foods. Some are canning for the winter, others are making pies, cookies, tailgate snacks, or other goodies. It is a good thing there is so much work to do, or we would all pack on extra pounds. We relish these days because we know that they are few. Soon, the World Series will be over, Halloween will be upon us, cold and rainy weather will dampen our spirits. We will still have football, good food and camaraderie to keep us going, at least through January. But for now, this is good season.

“The problem with money,” Lawrence Peters opined, “is that the ability to buy anything you want takes away the thrill of the chase.”

The others at the table nodded their agreement. None of them had yet reached forty-five years of age, and all of them had wealth measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars and growing steadily with each passing year.

Nate Bolton took a long sip of his Irish coffee before responding. “You know what I enjoyed as a kid? A treasure hunt. It’s too bad they don’t have treasure hunts for adults.”

Barry Julian snorted. “And what would the prize be? A car? A house? Some cash? That doesn’t seem like much incentive.”

“I could be the prize,” came a voice from behind them. Cheryl set down fresh cups of coffee and cleared away the empty ones. The four men gazed at her as they tried to absorb what she had said.

Marc Billups was the first to recover his composure. “What, exactly, are you proposing?”

Within an hour, the idea had been fleshed out. The young waitress would become a pawn in their game. The goal would be to hide her somewhere within the continental United States. One of the four men would pick a location, stash Cheryl there, and develop a treasure hunt that would lead the other three to the location. If everyone was stumped by a particular clue, the answer would be revealed one week after the clue had been given. The first to arrive at the destination would get three weeks alone in Honolulu with Cheryl.

For her part, Cheryl would be well compensated. There was a $250,000 signing bonus just for agreeing to the deal, and a salary of $1 million per year, deposited into her account in monthly installments. Her hideouts would be designed to be very comfortable – a luxurious bed, fully stocked kitchen, and cable TV among the amenities. The only limitation was her contact with the outside world. Cheryl would be forced to remain within her hiding spot, and she would only be able to communicate with the organizer of that particular game – to avoid her tipping off any of the players.

Cheryl would get six weeks in Hawaii at the conclusion of each game. The winner would leave after three weeks, setting up the next game.

Cheryl made it very clear – she was no prostitute. She was being paid for her companionship and for her time in isolation as the game’s prize. The four men readily agreed with her.

A month later, the game was ready to begin. Cheryl had been sequestered in a hidden location, and Nate Bolton was ready to kick off the great treasure hunt.

“OK, guys. The first clue is –“

And he promptly dropped dead.

 This is the first story in a new series.  New chapters will be added periodically (and I’ll include a table of contents once there is more than one chapter).  Where is Cheryl – and how long will it take the guys to find her, now that Nate isn’t around?

Its Playoff time both in politics and baseball, are you paying attention?

The weather is beginning to cool, the leaves are falling, the MLB playoff games are occupying the networks (irritating my wife) and the political ads and debates have begun (again, irritating my wife).

Yes, it’s fall in the United States and we have just over one year until we vote for the new president of the United States. The Conservatives want to unseat Barack Obama making him a one term president and the Liberals are chanting four more years.

I believe that Obama has a really good shot at winning this election. I think he will definitely follow in George W Bush’s footsteps and serve the two terms that he is eligible for. After all, why wouldn’t he be elected? Think of all the successes his regime, I mean his administration has had:

• A drowning and failing economy
• Largest Federal deficit ever (2008 was $458 Billion while 2011 $1,645 Billion)
• Billions of dollars given to a companies like Solyndra that he believed were “exemplary” when they were really crooked and destined for bankruptcy. The emails WILL be released and will tell all.
• The closing (ok, actually not closing) of Gitmo
• The passing of the unaffordable Obamacarewhich has yet to be reviewed by the Supreme Court for its Constitutionality.
• Trying Gitmo detainees in civilian US Courts rather than the military courts
• Joe Biden
• Iran is refining plutonium and readying to build a nuclear device. So much for Barack’s diplomacy that he felt would work. We delayed and missed the chance to destroy this facility.
• Did I mention Joe Biden?
• He promised that the $787 Billion Stimulus would keep unemployment below 8%
• Eric Holder accused of lying about Operation Fast and Furious, special counsel requested to investigate
• Obama accusing Cambridge police of acting stupidly…really? You know what about officer safety?
• Jimmy Hoffa while introducing Obama speaks of Republicans and says that they need to “take these sons of bitches out”. Obama didn’t correct him?

There has definitely been a lot of hope and change over the last couple of years. I see the positive spin that Obama has put on things. I see that he has eliminated pork in bills, merged the gap between conservatives and liberals, gotten away from the unions and the party lines. Hope and change is abounding and who wouldn’t want four more years of this? The experience that Obama has in dealing with budgets, payroll, etc…those are priceless. His leadership has certainly kept a short leash on Joe Biden and he’s done an excellent job of foregoing expensive and unnecessary parties at the White House. He started with the most expensive inauguration party in history and hasn’t stopped.

My question is why would anyone want an experienced business man like Mitt Romney to try and get a handle on the economy? He has had four years of political experience serving as the Massachusetts Governor (enough to understand politics but not be an insider). Nahhh, why would we want an effective President?

What about Herman Cain? Cain worked at several large organizations such as Coca Cola, Pillsbury, Burger King and Godfather’s Pizza. He later worked for the National Restaurant Association (no, not THAT NRA) and served on the Board of Directors at the Federal Reserve. What is the 9-9-9 plan anyway? Again, someone with fresh ideas that isn’t an insider and isn’t bought and paid for by the unions.

Maybe you’re right, maybe we should stick with the “hope and change” that someone elected in 2008 and forget changing things. Well, maybe we could change a few things, like the debt, the tax code, the new mandatory health insurance plan, Joe Biden, pork bills, lobbyists. Then again maybe I’m nuts!

What are you going to do in the Primaries? The first primary is (as of now scheduled for January 21^st) is just a few months away, who will you be voting for? Who has your eye for now? Please tell me it isn’t Barack Obama. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Squeaky…

Anyone but Obama 2012

This sticker can be found at the following website:

http://www.zazzle.com/anyone_else_2012_bumper_sticker-128098147264477395

With everyone, including Barack Obama, painting the sitting president as an underdog, I feel compelled to suggest that everyone is wrong. In fact, the Republicans can’t win – and here’s a candidate-by-candidate breakdown of why they will fail.

Sarah Palin – The rest of this article is intended to be taken as satire, but my words about Palin are my true beliefs.  I feel that she does not really want to be the president.  I think that she craves publicity, money, and power.  You can get this from the presidency, but you can also get it from the sidelines – and with far fewer restrictions on your actions.  You can even argue that a non-politician can influence voting patterns more than a president.  Who has done more the shape the ideology of the current Republican party  – George W. Bush or Rush Limbaugh?  I think Palin will continue to write books and continue to pop up on the TV – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her sliding into that role.  I don’t, however, see her as a serious presidential candidate.

Ronald Reagan – He’s dead and has already served two terms as president.  In spite of these obstacles, it seems that there are some in the party who feel that he’d be the best man for the job.

Mitt Romney – The most interesting thing about Mitt Romney’s first name is that it is not Mitt.  Yes, Willard Mitt Romney chooses to go by his middle name of Mitt rather than Will or Bill.  While this demonstrates toughness, especially in the face of schoolyard bullies, it does bring into question his decision-making process.

Herman Cain – Cain is unelectable, for one obvious reason.  He killed his brother, Abel.

Rick Perry – He couldn’t win the Iowa Straw Poll, even with his campaign being bolstered by TV ads from Stephen Colbert’s super PAC Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.  If you can’t win with Colbert Nation pushing you along, you certainly can’t win on your own.

Rick Santorum – He’s not even the most popular Rick in the race.  If Santorum can’t strong arm Google, how can he expect to force the legislative and judicial branches to do his bidding?

Michele Bachmann – First, there’s the name.  One L in Michele or two?  One N in Bachmann or two? Easier just to vote for Ron Paul.  Whenever I hear her name, I feel the need to take the 8:15 into the city.  Four years of Taking Care of Business stuck in my head would be four years too many.

Ron Paul  – Paul was the Pennsylvania state champion in the 220 yard run in high school.  Guess what, Ron?  The race to the White House is a marathon, not a sprint.

Newt Gingrich – Seriously, he’s named after a rodent.  Maybe Gopher Tillman or Squirrel McGee can run in ’16.

Chris Christie – Christie announced that he wasn’t going to run.  It’s probably for the best.  The GOP nominee in 2012 will likely try to sell themself as having new and original ideas.  It might be difficult for a guy with basically the same first and last name to hold himself up as the bastion of creativity.  Not that he named himself, but he has the genes of his parents.  (If you were hoping for some fat jokes, you won’t get any from me.)

One thing that really jumps out at me is all the candidates with first names masquerading as last names – Perry, Paul, and Christie (and Cain, if you’re old school).  I’m not sure what to make of this odd coincidence, except that it’s likely to be tied into the End of Days.

Johnny G will move from his normal run down of sports articles this week and take a quick look at what he enjoys on Sundays and Mondays

Fantasy Football

Here is a re-cap of some of the high and lows of the Fantasy season so far.

Biggest Fantasy Bust thus far:

There are always a lot of candidates here, mostly due to injury. Anyone who drafted Peyton Manning is still hating their pre-draft listing or wishing they had one less adult beverage at draft time.

Miles Austin the #1 wideout for the Cowboys has been injured and he was sure to go high in many leagues. Matt Ryan has been underperforming from a statistical standpoint as well. Most any Philadelphia player outside Michael Vick, has their owners talking as the defense, Jeremy Maclin, Deshaun Jackson, and yes even Kicker Alex Henery have not performed up to the hype of the dream team.

Biggest Surprise thus far:

Has to be Cam Newton. Not only are the Panthers competitive, Newton has put up gigantic numbers for fantasy owners, the jury is still out as he is only four games in, but in 20+ years of fantasy football leagues I cannot remember a rookie that has had this much impactful scoring right out of the gate.

The Safety Play that has worked the best:

Hopefully you took Aaron Rodgers high in drafts, and if you did, you have been rewarded mightily. The weather is still good in Wisconsin and the Packer Scoring juggernaut is in high gear. We shall see if this trend continues if the weather starts to get colder at the frozen tundra.

Best RB thus far – There is a lot to choose from but I am taking Matt Forte from the Bears. He has exceeded all expectations of all owners and is in a contract year. He wants to be shown the money and I am confident that he will continue to put up good numbers as long as the Bears give him the ball more than 15 times a game.

Rookies to keep watching:

Julio Jones and A.J. Green. Both guys are large receivers and seem to be quickly becoming the go to targets at the wide out position of their respective teams. Mark Ingram has not shown that the Saints have a good enough line to block for him so I would be an interested “seller” if someone was looking for him.

Throw Him the Ball More ….Please!

Ok in different leagues I have both Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant. Neither guy is remotely defendable. Would someone tell Stafford and Romo to throw them the damn ball (my best Keyshawn Johnson impersonation)

Still Sleeping….I like Daniel Thomas from the Dolphins. I think he could be poised to have a good year if he stays healthy and the fish can figure out an offensive identity. I also am encouraged by Curtis Painter as he stepped up in the Monday night game against the Bucs and will sure to have the waiver wire lighting up this week. Lastly how about Jacoby Jones with the uncertainty of Houston Texans Wideout Andre Johnson. Hamstring issues have a way of lingering, and Schaub has to throw the ball to someone.

Until next time..Stay Classy Battle Mountain Nevada