This is what all celebrities should be like...nerds, having a good time. This is definitely the life to live, making millions and just hanging out and having a good time.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Artist of the week pt. 2-eBoy
This is a piece of work from eBoy, if you don't know who eBoy is then you can look them up. This work is kind of their own city made up of different famous monuments, structures and building from major cities around the world. It's not an amazing masterpiece or anything but I like it, it is the background on my desktop, that is why I'm putting it on here. Enjoy.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Haha...Poor guy.
Yea I admit, I steal a lot from this place, but like I said before I don't think anyone here looks at the site I get it from so you have to see it somehow.
This one was entitled "DENIED!"
This one was entitled "DENIED!"
Artist of the week-David Garibaldi
I know I haven't done one of these posts in a while, along with a Grinds my Gears session(it's coming Gallagher, don't worry), but I saw this and thought it was pretty cool and worth posting. David Garibaldi paints to Kanye West's "Stronger."
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Pretty cool idea if you travel a lot.
I saw this on another blog that I doubt anyone here looks at, so I figured I'd show you guys.
With 80% of travelers using electronic check-ins, airports & airlines are looking for other areas to implement technology to speed up boarding times. The New York Times points to a test by Continental where their customers can pass through security and board their planes by flashing their mobile phones. Security and airline staff can scan barcodes that are displayed on a phone in the same way they scan paper passes today. The NY Times reports:
The mobile check-in may well be the first step in direct communications between airlines and passengers as they travel. Ultimately, Henry H. Harteveldt, a vice president with Forrester Research, said he expected airlines would use mobile messaging to communicate with passengers about on-board services, rebooking options, baggage pickup and ticket purchases.
"It's clear that mobile is the gateway to how airlines will interact with their customers in the future for almost anything," he said.
…As mobile devices become more sophisticated and applications for smaller screens evolve, airlines expect passengers will be able to use their phones, BlackBerrys and other mobile devices for a growing number of services, like rebooking a ticket after a missed connection, switching seats, checking standby status or seeking an upgrade.
"We kind of like the idea long term of having a kiosk in your pocket," said Mark Bergsrud, senior vice president for marketing programs and distribution with Continental.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
With 80% of travelers using electronic check-ins, airports & airlines are looking for other areas to implement technology to speed up boarding times. The New York Times points to a test by Continental where their customers can pass through security and board their planes by flashing their mobile phones. Security and airline staff can scan barcodes that are displayed on a phone in the same way they scan paper passes today. The NY Times reports:
The mobile check-in may well be the first step in direct communications between airlines and passengers as they travel. Ultimately, Henry H. Harteveldt, a vice president with Forrester Research, said he expected airlines would use mobile messaging to communicate with passengers about on-board services, rebooking options, baggage pickup and ticket purchases.
"It's clear that mobile is the gateway to how airlines will interact with their customers in the future for almost anything," he said.
…As mobile devices become more sophisticated and applications for smaller screens evolve, airlines expect passengers will be able to use their phones, BlackBerrys and other mobile devices for a growing number of services, like rebooking a ticket after a missed connection, switching seats, checking standby status or seeking an upgrade.
"We kind of like the idea long term of having a kiosk in your pocket," said Mark Bergsrud, senior vice president for marketing programs and distribution with Continental.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Friday, March 21, 2008
Can your Tyco do this?
Dr. James Brighton from Cranfield University has transformed the Hummer H3 into a remote controlled vehicle. Using the real car (right-hand drive H3) instead of downscaled version, this took about a month to be transformed. As Dr. James says "The results are clear – all controllers will be amazed by the handling ability – the best any radio controlled vehicle has had to date. The vehicle is capable of climbing a 407mm vertical wall, traverse a 40% side slope and operate in up to 610mm of water.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Takeover
As the Scurvy Squad has stated many times before, despite all of the doubters, Oh-Eh is taking over the world. It started in Fenton, gradually move over to my hometown of Grand Blanc, has started in Ann Arbor with the help of Jamie The Great, The Incredible Kit, myself, Dump, I haven't heard Kessel say it but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, also people I have met through Dump. Now that McBest has traveled back to his homeland of Australia, he will without a doubt spread it amongst his friends. Now, with the help of a Musketeer across the pond, KMFP, Oh-Eh is starting to take over France. This is why I love KMFP.
OH!
EH!!!
Also, watch ESPN this summer because I do still plan on going to a Tigers' game with the Scurvy Squad(and whoever wants to attend history). Hopefully it will be when they are losing, with the crowd down in the dumps, and a drunk Scurvy Squad stands up pumping and screaming "OH-EH OH-EH OH-EH" as the crowd jumps on their feet and joins in helping the Tigers rally to a win. Watch for it, it WILL happen.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
OH!
EH!!!
Also, watch ESPN this summer because I do still plan on going to a Tigers' game with the Scurvy Squad(and whoever wants to attend history). Hopefully it will be when they are losing, with the crowd down in the dumps, and a drunk Scurvy Squad stands up pumping and screaming "OH-EH OH-EH OH-EH" as the crowd jumps on their feet and joins in helping the Tigers rally to a win. Watch for it, it WILL happen.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Just sayin'
It has been a few days since I have last posted and I am sorry to inform you all that I have very little interesting things to talk about but I'll just write things until I'm done.
So I think my last post was Thursday when I was drunk and made up some malarky about how camp people drive me just to make Kit, Gallagher and the gang feel special. Ha, kidding.
Friday...well Friday I didn't do much besides turn in early and actually caught a Bob Sagat stand up on HBO. That man is NOT Danny Tanner in anyway and it killed me both emotionally and with laughter because he told about how him and John Stamos were at a night club and both went to the bathroom at the same time and decided to mess with some drunk kid and start acting out like they were their characters in Full House and the drunk thought he was actually in the show and freaked out. I thought it was a bit humorous.
Saturday...Well Saturday my friend from high school, Steven Bowling, called me and said he was having a party at his place because he is on the swim team and their season just ended so they can finally drink. Huge mistake on my part. We get there at like 5 and there are about 4 people there already drunk and passed out snuggling with a 40 oz. or King Cobra. There are 4 of us awake so they suggest we play a game I have never heard of before called Nazis vs. Jews(Note: I had nothing to do with the name or how the game is set up, so if it offends you, I'm just telling you my story and I'm sorry.) The way the game is set up it kind of like beer pong but it is 45 cups on each side. On one side the cups are in the form of a giant Star of David and on the other side, well I'm sure you can guess what the Nazi side was shaped like. To my disadvantage I had another friend from high school on my team. He is a 5'5" 110 lbs. Asian kid. Every time they made a cup he would look at his stack of 2 empty cups, and then size up my stack of 10 empty cups and still insist it was my turn to drink since he can not handle much in his tiny Asian frame. So needless to say, the game got me buzzing. Then after that my friend Steve and I went 9-0 in beer pong, then I left at midnight because I had work at 730 am.
My friends came to pick me up and we went home and went to bed. Apparently my alarm was going off at 330 am and my friend was calling me, texting me saying TURN THAT FUCKING BEEPING OFF but I didn't even move, I was comatose. So he comes in my room and turns it off, still don't wake up. I wake up for work the next morning and completely forgot to turn my clock 1 hour ahead so I woke up at what I thought was 630 am, but was really 730 am. So I had to call into work and say I was sick and throwing up which made me feel bad. Yes I was really really hung over, but I don't puke I just had a headache.
Later on Sunday I went to visit my friend Koutro in Auburn Hills. Mapquest gives me directions to merge onto every damn expressway in Michigan before it got me to his place and led me to a street in Livonia that DOESN'T EXIST! So I stop at a gas station and the guy points me i the right direction and 20 minutes later, I get there. Nothing exciting there, that is the end of my Sunday.
Monday I went to GB for the day to hang out with some friends. Nothing too exciting. We did go see 10,000 BC. My advice is to not see it, I thought it was slow, boring and the acting pretty much sucked. Total disappointment, but hey, if you're into that stuff then go see it anyway.
Also, where, oh where has my little Dump gone? I haven't seen him in what seems like a month and I miss him. I'm informed him of the camp job Matt mentioned in his blog and we are both very interested. I just sent out an e-mail to the lady asking for details on the jobs and if they are still available. I hope they are because it really sounds like a great summer. What do you guys think? Are Dump and I the right men for the job? Please feel free to be as brutally honest as you want to.
Something else to keep in mind. If we DO go to New Jersey and work at this camp, Oh-Eh will be taught, Oh-Eh will be embraced and eventually Oh-Eh will spread across the world. First it was Michigan(we aren't working there this summer but I guarantee Oh-Eh still lives and McBest will make sure of that) next it will be Jersey(if we get the jobs) after that France(when we visit KMFP) and after that Australia(either when McBest goes back or when we go visit him). It is going to be a world wide phenomenon, just wait and see.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
So I think my last post was Thursday when I was drunk and made up some malarky about how camp people drive me just to make Kit, Gallagher and the gang feel special. Ha, kidding.
Friday...well Friday I didn't do much besides turn in early and actually caught a Bob Sagat stand up on HBO. That man is NOT Danny Tanner in anyway and it killed me both emotionally and with laughter because he told about how him and John Stamos were at a night club and both went to the bathroom at the same time and decided to mess with some drunk kid and start acting out like they were their characters in Full House and the drunk thought he was actually in the show and freaked out. I thought it was a bit humorous.
Saturday...Well Saturday my friend from high school, Steven Bowling, called me and said he was having a party at his place because he is on the swim team and their season just ended so they can finally drink. Huge mistake on my part. We get there at like 5 and there are about 4 people there already drunk and passed out snuggling with a 40 oz. or King Cobra. There are 4 of us awake so they suggest we play a game I have never heard of before called Nazis vs. Jews(Note: I had nothing to do with the name or how the game is set up, so if it offends you, I'm just telling you my story and I'm sorry.) The way the game is set up it kind of like beer pong but it is 45 cups on each side. On one side the cups are in the form of a giant Star of David and on the other side, well I'm sure you can guess what the Nazi side was shaped like. To my disadvantage I had another friend from high school on my team. He is a 5'5" 110 lbs. Asian kid. Every time they made a cup he would look at his stack of 2 empty cups, and then size up my stack of 10 empty cups and still insist it was my turn to drink since he can not handle much in his tiny Asian frame. So needless to say, the game got me buzzing. Then after that my friend Steve and I went 9-0 in beer pong, then I left at midnight because I had work at 730 am.
My friends came to pick me up and we went home and went to bed. Apparently my alarm was going off at 330 am and my friend was calling me, texting me saying TURN THAT FUCKING BEEPING OFF but I didn't even move, I was comatose. So he comes in my room and turns it off, still don't wake up. I wake up for work the next morning and completely forgot to turn my clock 1 hour ahead so I woke up at what I thought was 630 am, but was really 730 am. So I had to call into work and say I was sick and throwing up which made me feel bad. Yes I was really really hung over, but I don't puke I just had a headache.
Later on Sunday I went to visit my friend Koutro in Auburn Hills. Mapquest gives me directions to merge onto every damn expressway in Michigan before it got me to his place and led me to a street in Livonia that DOESN'T EXIST! So I stop at a gas station and the guy points me i the right direction and 20 minutes later, I get there. Nothing exciting there, that is the end of my Sunday.
Monday I went to GB for the day to hang out with some friends. Nothing too exciting. We did go see 10,000 BC. My advice is to not see it, I thought it was slow, boring and the acting pretty much sucked. Total disappointment, but hey, if you're into that stuff then go see it anyway.
Also, where, oh where has my little Dump gone? I haven't seen him in what seems like a month and I miss him. I'm informed him of the camp job Matt mentioned in his blog and we are both very interested. I just sent out an e-mail to the lady asking for details on the jobs and if they are still available. I hope they are because it really sounds like a great summer. What do you guys think? Are Dump and I the right men for the job? Please feel free to be as brutally honest as you want to.
Something else to keep in mind. If we DO go to New Jersey and work at this camp, Oh-Eh will be taught, Oh-Eh will be embraced and eventually Oh-Eh will spread across the world. First it was Michigan(we aren't working there this summer but I guarantee Oh-Eh still lives and McBest will make sure of that) next it will be Jersey(if we get the jobs) after that France(when we visit KMFP) and after that Australia(either when McBest goes back or when we go visit him). It is going to be a world wide phenomenon, just wait and see.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Camp folk drive me.
I am really happy that I have the amount of camp people around me in my new venue. I really think they are what helps me cope with being away from everything I loved and was comfortable with. When I say loved and comfortable with I don't mean I'm a Momma's boy and can't stand not living with my parents because to be honest if I was still in the Greater Flint area I would be moved out with friends in an apartment. I mean, well yea being away from family, but also being away from most of my friends, the gym I used to work out at and the places I used to be able to go whenever I wanted. I admit being here was really hard at first, but what has always helped me since being here was being able to hang out with camp people whenever I wanted/needed to. I really hate to make their heads bigger than they already are, but I really don't know that I would be living in Ann Arbor still if it wasn't for them. I'm not a homebody in the least bit, but I am a person who hates leaving something he loves and that is exactly what I did, but camp people have helped me to love where I am now.
Today, I had a shitty day in class and was on my way to face what turned into a shitty day at work. When I was leaving class I was pulling away in my car and stopped when I looked in my rear view window and noticed Dunch randomly shouting "Oh-Eh" and doing the pumping dance that goes with it behind my car. That moment and that moment alone was the highlight of my day, a very shitty day. Another thing I really enjoy is playing Halo with them online. Since I don't get to see them as much as I did when I was unemployed, playing video games with them online on occasion has really helped me to keep in touch and not miss a beat in hanging out with them.
So, yes, I have admitted it, I enjoy the company of Kip, Gallagher, and Kessel and am glad they are here with me. Dump too. Also, this blog and being in this community have helped it as well. So thank you to every single member in the Artichoke community. This is going to be the end of my post seeing as how I have to get up for work in 3 hours. Goodnight.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Today, I had a shitty day in class and was on my way to face what turned into a shitty day at work. When I was leaving class I was pulling away in my car and stopped when I looked in my rear view window and noticed Dunch randomly shouting "Oh-Eh" and doing the pumping dance that goes with it behind my car. That moment and that moment alone was the highlight of my day, a very shitty day. Another thing I really enjoy is playing Halo with them online. Since I don't get to see them as much as I did when I was unemployed, playing video games with them online on occasion has really helped me to keep in touch and not miss a beat in hanging out with them.
So, yes, I have admitted it, I enjoy the company of Kip, Gallagher, and Kessel and am glad they are here with me. Dump too. Also, this blog and being in this community have helped it as well. So thank you to every single member in the Artichoke community. This is going to be the end of my post seeing as how I have to get up for work in 3 hours. Goodnight.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
At Kit's request.
To be honest, if you don't play Halo, you probably won't appreciate this photo as much as the parties involved did. So Erk will probably be the only one, I would say Head Artichoke but I think he is the only person alive that owns an Xbox 360 and does not own/play Halo 3.
We had a Team Slayer game on Valhalla and I jumped on a quad bike for a faster way across the map. Kit decides to jump on my back and ride around and shoot people. Across the way someone jumps on the turret gun and starts shooting at us. Kit insists we retreat, I had a better idea, some would call it an American idea.
Dialog of the moment:
Kit:Oh shit! stay away from the turret gun!
(I turn around and start to drive away as he requested, but have a change of heart, stop, and imagine something way cooler in my head and decide to make it a reality. Once I'm turned around, I rev up the engine and haul ass towards the ramp on the opposite side of the river the turret gun is on.)
Me:(In the air, as Kit is shooting) AAAAMMERICAAAA!!!!
*Click on the image for a larger view.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
We had a Team Slayer game on Valhalla and I jumped on a quad bike for a faster way across the map. Kit decides to jump on my back and ride around and shoot people. Across the way someone jumps on the turret gun and starts shooting at us. Kit insists we retreat, I had a better idea, some would call it an American idea.
Dialog of the moment:
Kit:Oh shit! stay away from the turret gun!
(I turn around and start to drive away as he requested, but have a change of heart, stop, and imagine something way cooler in my head and decide to make it a reality. Once I'm turned around, I rev up the engine and haul ass towards the ramp on the opposite side of the river the turret gun is on.)
Me:(In the air, as Kit is shooting) AAAAMMERICAAAA!!!!
*Click on the image for a larger view.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Monday, March 3, 2008
It's just not worth it.
So I get an e-mail from my school today to inform me of a bomb threat that was issued last week to the school. The set date was for Tuesday, March 4th, which is tomorrow. They tell us that classes are going to go through their regular schedules as if nothing was going on and campus security was going to keep an eye out.
Ok, call me a pansy, but I don't think I'm going to be going into class tomorrow. I think I would rather sacrifice 2.5 hours of learning spanish than I would my life. Even though most bomb threats are just that, threats, is it really worth the risk? Gallagher is one of the people who believes 100% that it is just a threat and is going to go in tomorrow anyway. I, on the other hand am going to stay in the comfort of my bomb free apartment in bed.
Also, I don't really trust campus security to get the job done if there is something serious going down. Maybe if they called the actual police, or even bomb squad, then maybe I would consider going but as long as WCC's finest is on the duty, I'm staying home.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Ok, call me a pansy, but I don't think I'm going to be going into class tomorrow. I think I would rather sacrifice 2.5 hours of learning spanish than I would my life. Even though most bomb threats are just that, threats, is it really worth the risk? Gallagher is one of the people who believes 100% that it is just a threat and is going to go in tomorrow anyway. I, on the other hand am going to stay in the comfort of my bomb free apartment in bed.
Also, I don't really trust campus security to get the job done if there is something serious going down. Maybe if they called the actual police, or even bomb squad, then maybe I would consider going but as long as WCC's finest is on the duty, I'm staying home.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Sunday, March 2, 2008
When horny cows attack.
This is probably the greatest 100th post ever. I saw this on T.V. and had to put it on here. Hilarious.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
Faithful to the Lions
Warning: This post is 100% all about Detroit Lions football. This wasn't really a post that I expected a lot of comments, or even people to read because I can't name anyone in Artichoke Land that likes American football. Whether you're an Australian who says his Football is better, or if you're an Englishmen who says football is soccer, I don't think a lot of you will care for this post. Feel free to read, even comment if you have an opinion on the matter. Maybe I'm wrong, their could be a whole community of closet Lions fans reading this, if so, I'd be happy to read your comments and share my ideas. But sports is what I know, it's what I love, so you may want to get used to posts like this. Enjoy...
I, for some reason, always have and always will have undeniable loyalty to the Detroit Lions. Every game they play I believe they can win and every season I believe they can make it to the playoffs(except for the obvious part of the season when you already know who has made it and who hasn't.). They have a habit of getting a bunch of no name players to fill position needs, which I am not against because most of the time when they sign players who were stars with their previous team, they kind of slump with the Lions(i.e. Dre Bly and Marcus Pollard). It seemed like no players they could find could fit in with their team or their system. During the 2006 season when the only wide receivers they had were Roy Williams and Mike Furry, Roy Williams made it to the Pro Bowl and also collected more than 1,000 yards receiving, Mike Furry(who was previously a safety) collected over 1,000 yards receiving and Jon Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards. So it led all fans to believe their offense was solid. 2007 draft rolls around and the pick up the top rated receiver in the draft and Lions' Nation is going wild. They have an offensive genius calling plays with Mike Martz, they have 2 1,000 yard receivers and a smart, but no Tom Brady, quarterback in Jon Kitna and now get a rookie receiver at 6'4" about 230 lbs. and ran a 4.3 in the 40(wearing someone elses shoes) during the combine. Things were looking great at the midway point of the season when the Lions were 6-2. Well they ended 7-9. Shaun Rogers was a great defensive lineman but he was constantly overweight therefore couldn't make it throw a whole season without sucking on an oxygen tank on the side line. Our starting corner was Fernando Bryant. I don't care what his stat sheet said I swear he was 5'5" 120 lbs. because that is what he looked like on the field and previous seasons he was always hurt because of his size and getting knocked around. This year, they released him. They traded Shaun Rogers to the Bengals for a 3rd and 4th round pick which infuriated me because I know he is worth more than that. The next day I see the deal fell through and he ended up going to Cleveland(which worked for me because I have an unspoken loyalty to the Browns, being from Ohio and all...Go Bucks!) for two 3rd round picks and starting corner Leigh Bodden. No, Leigh Bodden is not a pro bowl caliber corner back(yet anyway) but he is an upgrade from Fernando Bryant in my eyes. He is 6'2" which is the average wide receiver height and not too much smaller than the taller wide outs so he won't have the problem Bryant and many other corners have of having receivers like Randy Moss hopping up and catching a ball way over their head. So I believe that is an upgrade. Also they got Safety Dwight Smith who was very solid for the Minnesota Vikings last season. Another plus with that is he was drafted by Tampa Bay and played in Rod Marinelli's(Lions Head Coach) Tampa 2 defense, which we use now, and was very productive in that defense. So I believe although it isn't completely solved, the Lions secondary problem is fixed. Another thing I wanted them to do in Free Agency was bolster than D-Line with the departure of Rogers, and definitely before anything, fix their offensive line. With the D-Line, they may have missed their chance. They already have a solid DE in Dewayne White, and a solid DT in Cory Redding but a D-Line in our defense consists of 4 linemen. Kalimba Edwards has been somewhat of a disappointment since we drafted him and we don't exactly have another solid DT after Redding. They missed out on signing top Free Agent DE Justin Smith, Jared Allen was franchise tagged by his team, and Chris Clemons from Oakland signed with the Eagles(which I am pumped about because after the Lions I am a die hard Eagle) so it appears DE is out of the question. But, I do believe pro bowl DT Rod Coleman is on the market still. Although he is on the wrong side of 30 he is still a very solid pick up and a quick fix until the future so we can concentrate solely on the offensive line. I believe with a good O-Line and a good D-Line any team can be good because their are two keys in football. Protect your quarterback and get at their quarterback. I don't care how bad your receivers are(which ours are amazing) is a quarterback has time to dissect a defense they can hit any receiver they want for an easy catch. I don't care how great your receivers are(the Lions have been a good example of this) if you can't protect your quarterback, they can't throw the ball to anyone and if they rush it, the only one getting it is the other team. So since a DE is out of the question, resign Edwards to keep him for another season, try to get Rod Coleman and just let him, Redding, and White do what they do best and just hope Edwards finally develops into what we all thought he would. Once that is done, get some offensive linemen. We already have Damien Woody who is solid. Our Center is solid enough. We need help at RT, LT and LG badly. So that needs to be addressed ASAP. My suggestion is definitely spend your draft picks on an O-Lineman. Even try to trade up in the draft to have a better shot at getting Jake Long who has had way better combine stats this year than Joe Thomas last year who was outstanding in his rookie season and was a major part of Cleveland's productivity this past season. Hopefully in the preseason Drew Stanton can show that he learned a lot in his rookie season since all he could do was observe while recovering from knee surgery. I believe he could be the QB of the future for the Lions. Jon Kitna is a smart and experienced QB that Stanton could learn a lot from and Stanton has a very strong arm which is good with our 3 and 4 wide receiver set because he can really stretch the field if we need to, which we will against teams like the Eagles that now have 3 pro bowl caliber corner backs. So if Stanton is fully recovered, is in shape, and has done his homework, I believe he can be a great leader for that team. Just look what he did for a talentless Michigan State team while he was there. They weren't great, but he was.
Another problem, a small problem, they need to address is linebacker. Ernie Sims is a freak. He is great. He was named defensive team captain at the start of his sophomore season. So ROLB is not a problem for us. Our other two linebackers are OK, they aren't great, aren't good, they are OK. Boss Bailey does have unbelievable speed and is still youthful so I wouldn't mind keeping him, but he needs to start lifting weights with Ernie Sims and learning how to tackle from him because tackling is one of Detroit's major problems and a lot of RBs these days are starting to out weigh linebackers so a lot of teams are investing in power backs. So Boss, you have an intimidating name, but it is time to live up to your brother Champ Bailey who has been nothing but solid for the Denver Broncos. Paris Lenon, our middle linbacker, who is pretty decent, but lost us a game against Dallas last year when a fumble was right in front of him with less than a minute to play and we had the lead. All he had to do was fall on top of if and end the game but instead he ran after it and kicked it to a Dallas player. Then Dallas went down and scored and the game was over. He has his moments and has good games, but we need a consistent MLB. Earlier in the offseason there were talks of Al Wilson, pro bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos, was visiting with Detroit and both parties were very interested, I don't know what happened on that, hopefully talks are still going on.
Well, I said it last season and I'll say it again. I believe this is a year where the Lions will make the playoffs. They have a couple things left they need to adjust in FA and the draft and if they do that, they can definitely make a splash in the playoffs.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
P.S.-Kit, I'm sorry, if you read this, half way through I was deep into this post and realized I wasn't spacing my paragraphs. If you notice, I realized it half way through and started to do it but I didn't feel like taking the time to go back and fix it. So I'm just going to apologize and try to do better next time. Although you probably won't read this because you don't even like American sports.
I, for some reason, always have and always will have undeniable loyalty to the Detroit Lions. Every game they play I believe they can win and every season I believe they can make it to the playoffs(except for the obvious part of the season when you already know who has made it and who hasn't.). They have a habit of getting a bunch of no name players to fill position needs, which I am not against because most of the time when they sign players who were stars with their previous team, they kind of slump with the Lions(i.e. Dre Bly and Marcus Pollard). It seemed like no players they could find could fit in with their team or their system. During the 2006 season when the only wide receivers they had were Roy Williams and Mike Furry, Roy Williams made it to the Pro Bowl and also collected more than 1,000 yards receiving, Mike Furry(who was previously a safety) collected over 1,000 yards receiving and Jon Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards. So it led all fans to believe their offense was solid. 2007 draft rolls around and the pick up the top rated receiver in the draft and Lions' Nation is going wild. They have an offensive genius calling plays with Mike Martz, they have 2 1,000 yard receivers and a smart, but no Tom Brady, quarterback in Jon Kitna and now get a rookie receiver at 6'4" about 230 lbs. and ran a 4.3 in the 40(wearing someone elses shoes) during the combine. Things were looking great at the midway point of the season when the Lions were 6-2. Well they ended 7-9. Shaun Rogers was a great defensive lineman but he was constantly overweight therefore couldn't make it throw a whole season without sucking on an oxygen tank on the side line. Our starting corner was Fernando Bryant. I don't care what his stat sheet said I swear he was 5'5" 120 lbs. because that is what he looked like on the field and previous seasons he was always hurt because of his size and getting knocked around. This year, they released him. They traded Shaun Rogers to the Bengals for a 3rd and 4th round pick which infuriated me because I know he is worth more than that. The next day I see the deal fell through and he ended up going to Cleveland(which worked for me because I have an unspoken loyalty to the Browns, being from Ohio and all...Go Bucks!) for two 3rd round picks and starting corner Leigh Bodden. No, Leigh Bodden is not a pro bowl caliber corner back(yet anyway) but he is an upgrade from Fernando Bryant in my eyes. He is 6'2" which is the average wide receiver height and not too much smaller than the taller wide outs so he won't have the problem Bryant and many other corners have of having receivers like Randy Moss hopping up and catching a ball way over their head. So I believe that is an upgrade. Also they got Safety Dwight Smith who was very solid for the Minnesota Vikings last season. Another plus with that is he was drafted by Tampa Bay and played in Rod Marinelli's(Lions Head Coach) Tampa 2 defense, which we use now, and was very productive in that defense. So I believe although it isn't completely solved, the Lions secondary problem is fixed. Another thing I wanted them to do in Free Agency was bolster than D-Line with the departure of Rogers, and definitely before anything, fix their offensive line. With the D-Line, they may have missed their chance. They already have a solid DE in Dewayne White, and a solid DT in Cory Redding but a D-Line in our defense consists of 4 linemen. Kalimba Edwards has been somewhat of a disappointment since we drafted him and we don't exactly have another solid DT after Redding. They missed out on signing top Free Agent DE Justin Smith, Jared Allen was franchise tagged by his team, and Chris Clemons from Oakland signed with the Eagles(which I am pumped about because after the Lions I am a die hard Eagle) so it appears DE is out of the question. But, I do believe pro bowl DT Rod Coleman is on the market still. Although he is on the wrong side of 30 he is still a very solid pick up and a quick fix until the future so we can concentrate solely on the offensive line. I believe with a good O-Line and a good D-Line any team can be good because their are two keys in football. Protect your quarterback and get at their quarterback. I don't care how bad your receivers are(which ours are amazing) is a quarterback has time to dissect a defense they can hit any receiver they want for an easy catch. I don't care how great your receivers are(the Lions have been a good example of this) if you can't protect your quarterback, they can't throw the ball to anyone and if they rush it, the only one getting it is the other team. So since a DE is out of the question, resign Edwards to keep him for another season, try to get Rod Coleman and just let him, Redding, and White do what they do best and just hope Edwards finally develops into what we all thought he would. Once that is done, get some offensive linemen. We already have Damien Woody who is solid. Our Center is solid enough. We need help at RT, LT and LG badly. So that needs to be addressed ASAP. My suggestion is definitely spend your draft picks on an O-Lineman. Even try to trade up in the draft to have a better shot at getting Jake Long who has had way better combine stats this year than Joe Thomas last year who was outstanding in his rookie season and was a major part of Cleveland's productivity this past season. Hopefully in the preseason Drew Stanton can show that he learned a lot in his rookie season since all he could do was observe while recovering from knee surgery. I believe he could be the QB of the future for the Lions. Jon Kitna is a smart and experienced QB that Stanton could learn a lot from and Stanton has a very strong arm which is good with our 3 and 4 wide receiver set because he can really stretch the field if we need to, which we will against teams like the Eagles that now have 3 pro bowl caliber corner backs. So if Stanton is fully recovered, is in shape, and has done his homework, I believe he can be a great leader for that team. Just look what he did for a talentless Michigan State team while he was there. They weren't great, but he was.
Another problem, a small problem, they need to address is linebacker. Ernie Sims is a freak. He is great. He was named defensive team captain at the start of his sophomore season. So ROLB is not a problem for us. Our other two linebackers are OK, they aren't great, aren't good, they are OK. Boss Bailey does have unbelievable speed and is still youthful so I wouldn't mind keeping him, but he needs to start lifting weights with Ernie Sims and learning how to tackle from him because tackling is one of Detroit's major problems and a lot of RBs these days are starting to out weigh linebackers so a lot of teams are investing in power backs. So Boss, you have an intimidating name, but it is time to live up to your brother Champ Bailey who has been nothing but solid for the Denver Broncos. Paris Lenon, our middle linbacker, who is pretty decent, but lost us a game against Dallas last year when a fumble was right in front of him with less than a minute to play and we had the lead. All he had to do was fall on top of if and end the game but instead he ran after it and kicked it to a Dallas player. Then Dallas went down and scored and the game was over. He has his moments and has good games, but we need a consistent MLB. Earlier in the offseason there were talks of Al Wilson, pro bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos, was visiting with Detroit and both parties were very interested, I don't know what happened on that, hopefully talks are still going on.
Well, I said it last season and I'll say it again. I believe this is a year where the Lions will make the playoffs. They have a couple things left they need to adjust in FA and the draft and if they do that, they can definitely make a splash in the playoffs.
Oh-Eh,
Kal El
P.S.-Kit, I'm sorry, if you read this, half way through I was deep into this post and realized I wasn't spacing my paragraphs. If you notice, I realized it half way through and started to do it but I didn't feel like taking the time to go back and fix it. So I'm just going to apologize and try to do better next time. Although you probably won't read this because you don't even like American sports.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The birth of Family Guy
Does anyone remember from back when you were a kid and the Cartoon Network had a series of different cartoons called "What a Cartoon."? Well I do and I also remember this cartoon which I found out was sort of a pilot/test drive that eventually turned into Family Guy.
Larry & Steve
Larry & Steve
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