The road to the Final Four

Once again college basketball is upon us; the greatest time of year. A time where we all begin to wonder just how good Marquette will be this year. For this season it looks like there is the potential to rival the 2002-2003 season in success. This will only be fitting for all of us. We were one year to early to watch D-Wade, and most of us may be one year( or one semester) too late to watch Fitzy and the boys take us deep into the tourney again. It doesn't matter though as we are still fanatics and will probably have a better chance of making it to a tourney game or two.

Looking on ESPN i laughed at seeing the first segment of bracketology. However, it did get me excited seeing Marquette seeded as a No. 2, something that may not be too far off. My biggest concern is going into the season with much too high expectations. However, I think this year we have such solid talent to back this up. Our bench is deep as well. We have Acker, and Cubillan both backing up James. We also have Lazar who should really show his potential this season. The loss of Mbakwe is not that bad, since he would most likely have had a mediocre season as Lazar had. Now he has more time to get bigger and develop his game. Finally we have Fitz who will be reigning threes all day long( or atleast we can hope). 4 more days till season opener...I can't wait...

Phenomenom

It's here. The newest unexplainable phenomenom is back here once again. We've seen 'em all. From Nalgene Bottles to Live Strong Bracelets to North Face Jackets to Tennis Skirts and Goucho Pants. The latest and greatest fad is here with all of us on campus. Sadly, this may actually be the last great phenomenom I am able to experience here on campus, but I guess as George Harrison might say, "all things must pass". What I am talking of is the new fashion style of wearing the black tights/spandex pants. Now, we all know this began months back, but girls actually wore skirts or dresses over them which seemed presentable. Now it seems people are just wearing these tights. Since when did this pass for a pair of pants. I am not one to complain about this new style as it actually looks good on some girsl, but that was at a time when they wore dresses over these tights. Now, you can see girls walking around campus just in these tights. So, would it be ok for me to show up wearing a pair of spandex running shorts to class displaying the buldge between my legs? I think not. People might actually be apalled. Rob, I am sorry you are not able to experience this first hand, but I felt it was necessary to share this in order for you to still feel connected to campus.

Holla Atchya BOI!

I'm Famous

Check out this link at the Marquette website. I knew my tuition dollars would be worth it in the end!

http://www.marquette.edu/parents/

A Growing Problem at MU

As Rob mentioned earlier, and as I think we can all agree, there may be a problem with the newest recruitment class here at Marquette. Just today I witnessed something of great concern via facebook. Brace yourself, as this is not easy to read...

Trevor Mbakwe states:
"Get off of facebook an do your hw"

Patrick Hazel replies:
"chill son, u gay lol u be on it more than me!!"


I can't decide which is more alarming to me. Is Mbakwe too serious and not focused enough on dunking and biddies?
Or, is Hazel simply "chilling and not being on it more than Mbakwe?"
Hopefully, Crean can replace study hall with another practice. That way we can all be a little more at ease.

Holla atcya BOI!

Serious problem at MU?

Now that I'm pretty much best friends with Trevor Mbwake and Pat Hazel (holla atcha boi Trevor!) on Facebook, anyway, you can learn a lot of things. In fact, it looks like the two were Facebooking each other, during study hall, which is against the rules. I think this is a very serious problem. I'm almost speechless with anger, but I will let it out: What are these two doing in study hall!?!!? I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone improved their vertical or free throw shooting by learning about George Washington or whatever the hell they're doing over there. In this post, I promise to do their homework for them, so they can hi the floor of the Al a little more often. Hey, everyone can be good at academics, but not everyone can dunk a basketball. Let's get our priorities straight.

Stuntman Review

Review

Thoughts?

First of all I would like to say that about 3 minutes ago I passed nearly the entire Basketball team. Is it sad that I still get excited even when I see them on campus? I mean, c'mon I am close to 3 years older than most of them! Either way it not only shows that they are being studious, but also proves they are not always banging biddies as we all like to think. The actual point of this blog was to discuss a possible time to visit Osh-gosh WI. I was looking at the NFL schedule and not until week 4 do the bears and Pack play at the same time.( which is what we were hoping for so we could watch the games in some townie bar at the same time.) This coming sunday the Pack plays at noon and the bears play at 3:15. Both games should be broadcasted because they are at different times and on different networks.

I deally I think the best time to go would be when they play eachother, but I have the marathon that day so that would not be the best time. For me, I would be down with this upcoming weekend, as classes have not really picked up with tests and homework yet. Maybe we can hit the bars and biddies after Rab gets off work on Saturday night andf then watch some excellent NFL action on Sunday.

What is everyone's thoughts? Any other suggestions?
Holla attchya BOI!!!

Odds of landing Top 5 recruiting class next season

It seems like just yesterday when Brian and I discussed how many points freshman Dominic James would score per game for MU, considering he averaged more than 30 for his high school team. Of course, he was merely runner up in Mr. Basketball to Indiana "Superstar" Luke Zeller of Notre Dame fame.

We wound up with James when we lost out on Bobby Frasor to North Carolina. I was wondering what everyone thought on the odds of adding either both Frank Bez-Eze or Iman Shumpert along with verbally committed Alabama swing guard Nick Williams.

I have joined both Facebook groups advocating that they come to MU, I'm not sure what else I can (legally) do.

The class of DJ, McSteal, and Mr. Basketball (which usually means nothing in Wisconsin) Wes Matthews, will go down as one of the best in MU history, and pretty much guarenteed four straight NCAA berths. I was wondering if everyone thought the trend would continue with next year's class? Shumpert would be Crean's top recruit of all time, as he will likely be a McDonald's All-American and in the Top 15, Top 10 high school players in the nation. Ben-Eze must decide between us and Harvard. If BE joins, we will finally have the formidable front line (along with Top 50 forward Mbwake) MU has always desired.

Thoughts?

New video game review

Tiger

My apologies Rob

After the scrimmage, I assumed you would be checking marquettehoops non-stop which is why I did not post anything until now. My impressions:

Being an early scrimmage it was sloppy at times, but there were still some great moments. James had a nice ally oop in the beginning of the scrimmage.

Mbakwe was bigger than I expected. He does not look like a freshmen and should serve as a great threat off the bench. He has some pretty sweet up's, so between him and Hazel I see no room for D-Burke Da Star. Hazel impressed me too with his dunking abilities.

We should be very deep at the 1 position this year. Acker hit some nice 3's and had some good penetration, although his height will certainly be an issue over the course of the season. hopefully he makes up in speed for what he lacks in height. Cubillan seemed to be very sharp just coming from playing in his home country of Venezuela. James also looked good hitting some deep shots.

All in all I was impressed with the performances for the night. This team is going to be so deep I can't decide on the starting 5 quite yet. Here is my prediction:
James
McNeal
Matthews
Fitz/ Hayward
Barro

I truly beleive Mbakwe will add some great talent to the table as well. What does everyone else think. I also predict we will be losing James, McNeal, and Matthews to the NBA after this season once we reach the final four.

What the deuce?

Just thinking of the scrimmage helped me get through the day yesterday. Images of sugar plumbs and Justin's promised video of the event made me feel like having a pants party. But when I get home, no details on the scrimmage from you guys! Now it's noon ...

Dominic James

Today was the first day of class for sports and society, and already we touched on Marquette Basketball. I am hoping we focus on MU basketball or atleast college basketball the entire semester, since we all know that it is the most important, exciting, and enlightening sport of all. One topic today was on Dominic James. More specifically the question was asked, "Why is James such a poor free-throw shooter." Being the fanatic I am, I had to calm myself before I shot out the first thing to come to mind. Luckily for me some other fool had spoken before he thought and the teacher simply ignored his response. Dr. Jones explanation was very interesting, which is why I wanted to share it will all of you. He explained the reason James was such a poor free-throw shooter was due to him leaning back before each shot. We can all picture this in our heads, as James does this every time. James also flicks his wrist more than most on his free-throws which causes inconsistent spin on the ball after each attempt. The professor went on further asking why do you think James leans before each shot? I think the biggest reason is due to his shorter height on the court. Any shot he takes while being defended he will have to create some room between him and the defender, so he almost has to lean to get an open shot. But, this should not be part of his form during a free throw. Another reason can be due to the more agrresive play on the playgrounds in which James grew up? I think we would all agree that playing defense was not the most important part of the pick up games we were part of growing up. It was more about the offense and more specifically the shooting( remeber white men can't jump, but they can shoot damn well...thank you Travis and Steve). I strongly hope Prof. Jones speaks with Crean and explains to him the bad habits James has picked up from his childhood such as leaning back before each free-throw, a shot that is the only guaranteed un-defended shot during the game. There is no reason for him to lean back as to be moving away from a defender. All in all, I think Dr. Jones gave a pretty interesting explanation as to why James is not the best of free-throw shooters. Let's go Marquette!

BIOSHOCK review

Forum with link to review here

Time Magazine feature on Rudy

The President of 9/11 knows what will get him elected.

Whole store here

First page to get you started:

"Islamic terrorists are at war with us," Rudy Giuliani told about 300 people at a synagogue in Rockville, Md., one evening in July. He likes to say it that way — that they are at war with us, not the other way around. "They want to kill us," he warned a group in New Hampshire the same month. "They hate you," he told a woman in Atlanta.

Giuliani says he understands terrorism "better than anyone else running for President," and he certainly talks about it more than anyone else. "Basically, what he's selling is, 'As dangerous a world as this is, I can make it safer,'" says G.O.P. pollster Frank Luntz. So far, it seems to be working. Giuliani has been the consistent front-runner of the Republican candidates in most national polls through August.

By framing his campaign this way, Giuliani has raised an interesting question. What does it actually mean to understand terrorism? His supporters might find the question absurd. He owns terrorism, they say. The entire world watched on television as Giuliani led New York City through the aftermath of a terrorism attack. To his opponents, the answer is equally plain: he has no foreign policy experience, and he talks about terrorism as if it's an enemy country on a continent only he knows how to find.

But being a victim of terrorism, or the steely leader of a recovery, is not necessarily the same as understanding terrorism. Nor is foreign policy experience all that matters. So how would Giuliani actually prevent, contain and respond to the next major terrorist attack in the U.S.? What is his vision for what he considers the existential challenge of our time?

This much is indisputable: Giuliani knows what it means to be a victim of terrorism, to lose old friends in an avalanche of violence and spit the dust of a skyscraper out of his mouth in a new, blackened world. He understands the urgency of speaking to the American people after an attack — and not circling above the ruins in Air Force One. He knows how to grieve and go to work at the same time.

But before 9/11, Giuliani spent eight years presiding over a city that was a known terrorist target. A TIME investigation into what he did — and didn't do — to prepare for a major catastrophe is revealing. In addition to extraordinary grace under fire, Giuliani developed an intimate knowledge of emergency management and an affinity for quantifiable results. On 9/11, he earned the trust of most Americans; one year later, 78% of those surveyed by the Marist Institute had a favorable impression of Giuliani. This magazine also named Giuliani its Person of the Year in 2001. Assuming he can keep it, trust is a priceless resource in psychological warfare.

The evidence also shows great, gaping weaknesses. Giuliani's penchant for secrecy, his tendency to value loyalty over merit and his hyperbolic rhetoric are exactly the kinds of instincts that counterterrorism experts say the U.S. can least afford right now.

Giuliani's limitations are in fact remarkably similar to those of another man who has led the nation into a war without end. Some of the Bush Administration's policies, like improved intelligence sharing between countries and our own agencies, have made the U.S. better at fighting terrorism. But others, from the war in Iraq to the treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, have actually made the task much more difficult. The challenge for the next President will be focusing on and adapting the good tools and jettisoning the bad. Whether you conclude Giuliani can win this war depends ultimately on whether you think we are winning now.

New Marquette Eagle

http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/marq/genrel/auto_pdf/gr_goldeneaglegraphic

Marquette has officially reworked the Golden Eagle graphic (see link above). In my opinion this is somewhat of an improvement over the old eagle graphic, however after so much logo/mascot/nickname discussion, I am wore out. Yet another change provides little excitement for me. Although, it is still better than this:

http://pressthebuttons.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/goldbar.jpg

Madden review

My first article for The Northwestern:

Review

Forum here:

Forum

MU Home Schedule!

The much anticipated list of home opponents has been announced. As I am sure you are all aware, we will now switch to an 18 game conference schedule as opposed to the past 16 games. What does this mean? Two more games for McNeal to steal, two more times for Rob to oggle Sir Tom Crean on the court(yes he was recently knighted by Father Wild), and finally, two more nights for Nic to sleep with lil biddy's. It looks like everyone will be happy. We will play the following opponents both home and away:
Louisville, Notre Dame and Seton Hall
Sounds as if there should be another road trip through Gary again. Only this time we double our intake of McGriddles.
The 9 home opponents include:
DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall and USF.
Here is the link to the article:
http://gomarquette.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/071307aaa.html

JS update on MU practice

By Todd Rosiak from http://www.jsonline.com/blog/?id=308

On Tuesday, the Marquette Golden Eagles used the first of their 10 allotted practices to prepare for their Labor Day trip to Vancouver.

The most impressive player in the three-hour session not named Jerel McNeal?

Lazar Hayward.

The 6-foot-6 forward, who missed all of MU's workouts last fall after enduring an investigation into his transcripts by the NCAA Clearinghouse, looked like a completely different player than the guy that spent most of his freshman season playing catch-up.

Hayward shot the ball well from the perimeter over the course of the afternoon but more important, displayed a confidence and aggressiveness down low that MU was sorely lacking last season.

Now up to a sculpted 221 pounds, Hayward spent much of the time in 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 drills in the post and at times was unguardable with his back to the basket. He scored on a variety of moves with both hands, drew fouls when he wasn't able to get the ball to go down and also rebounded on the offensive end at a good rate.

During one portion of practice Hayward had his way with 6-8, 241-pound Dwight Burke, and then scored on McNeal - the team's best overall defender - immediately after the junior guard offered to try his hand at slowing him down.

"We always felt like once his skills and conditioning were able to catch up at the college level that he would have a real chance to take off," coach Tom Crean said. "He's certainly showing his capabilities. Where that goes when the season starts, we'll see, but he's been a great worker, he's got great toughness, and I think he's very comfortable with his game and where his body is going. He's in a shape that he's never been in in his life."

When I asked McNeal who he'd name as the team's most improved player since the end of the season, he didn't hesitate.

"Honestly, it'd probably go to Lazar," said McNeal. "He's been working on his game so much. He's starting to get the attitude about himself that he knows he can be a player, that 'No one can stop me' attitude. He's going to help us so much next year. He'll definitely be a key factor for this team."

Another youngster that opened some eyes was sophomore point guard Maurice Acker.

The 5-7 transfer from Ball State shot the ball well in drills but excelled once the Golden Eagles shifted into the 5-on-5 portion of practice. Twice Acker took the inbounds pass and made his way upcourt as if the opposition was standing still, finishing both times with coast-to-coast layups.

The second was the most striking; Acker literally burst from midcourt to the basket before three different defenders even had a chance to turn around and offer resistance.

Acker also displayed an ability to finish in the paint despite his lack of height when he knocked down a pretty runner in traffic.

"It was truly you blink, you missed it," Crean said. "We haven't had that in a while. Change of pace. There's so many different lineups that we hope we're going to be able to play, and you would factor him into quite a few of them. He's a one-man press break in press offense and a one-man fast break at the end of a game."

Other observations:

-- The MU players were in noticably good shape for early summer, and made it through the intense workout without any problems.

Roughly the first two hours were dedicated to shooting and pick-and-roll drills before teams were formed for 4-on-4 half-court and 5-on-5 full-court play.

"We were in a transitional phase last year when Scott (Holsopple) left," Crean said. "We did a good job of getting stronger, but I'm not sure we did a good enough job of getting in shape. You want to be in year-round shape. They've done a good job of that under Todd (Smith)."

-- Deputy athletic director Mike Broeker made a good point midway through the afternoon, after watching Steve Novak step in and take a charge on a driving McNeal. "How many NBA players with a three-year guaranteed contract are taking charges on July 3?"

-- Senior forward Ousmane Barro and sophomore guard David Cubillan were visiting their native countries of Senegal and Venezuela, respectively. During his trip home, Cubillan will be trying out for the Venezuelan National Team.

"It's a great opportunity for him, something that means a lot," Crean said of Cubillan. "He'll have as long a summer as anybody if that happens. I think they hit six different countries and then finish it up in the U.S. if they make it this far, and play in Las Vegas. He's excited about that and they're excited to have him."

-- Freshmen Scott Christopherson and Patrick Hazel are on campus but can't participate in team workouts until the fall semester begins. The 6-7 Hazel's measureables, in particular, impressed Crean.

"Hazel's got a plus-8 wingspan and the biggest hands I've ever seen come through here," Crean said. "I thought Dwyane Wade had the biggest hands. I think Pat Hazel can cup them. Unbelievable how big his hands are."

-- MU will next practice on Thursday afternoon.

Heady company: McNeal returned last week from Kobe Bryant's Nike Skills Camp in Los Angeles.

"It was a good deal," said McNeal. "It was 10 of the top guys - Chris Lofton, Wayne Ellington, Chase Budinger, Bryce Taylor. Basically we went out there and worked on a lot of different drills, skill work, a lot of the same stuff Kobe does. We'd get in the gym in the morning, then come back in the afternoon. Basically like two-a-days. It was a lot of good work."

McNeal said Bryant was on hand for each workout and approachable.

"He came and watched us work out and gave us guys tips and pointers and things like that," McNeal said. "He was a pretty good guy. An intense, competitive guy. Very confident in his abilities. But at the same time he's probably the hardest guy in the NBA, too. He was telling us he's working out right now, Monday through Friday, five hours a day. He's definitely earned the right to be more confident than everyone else."

McNeal did not, however, get a chance to measure himself 1-on-1 against his favorite player.

"I wish," said McNeal, laughing. "I was going to get into him. He might not have liked me too much after that."

Some things never change

Here you go boys, enjoy, Ben's first post of his life.

Glancing through jsonline.com the other day I decided to take a peek at the Golden Eagles section to see if anything new has been brewing in the land of the ex-Warriors. When reading the first title I thought I was mistakenly on the NFL page as the link read "Recruit arrested on drug charges." Damian Saunders from the East coast was busted for possession. You'd think that a recruit who hasn't even been guaranteed a scholarship would keep his act clean to help his case. What is it with Crean and only finding punk players to man the court. It was only a shimmering hope that 'Neek would disappear into the NBA as nothing but an afterthought, but he's comin back and may not be the worst of the whole gang.

Congratulations guys! According to a new blog rater, SportsPoliticsBeer is officially rated G based on the language used. This may make some of you happy, but I am somewhat disappointed. In a blog where the title includes two subjects that could cause some stir, we can't even pull of a PG rating? I think we might need to spice it up a bit.

Bill Maher on Iraq

The analogy in the last 30 seconds in priceless. Sometimes you just need to pull out.

CBS Sportsline Debuts Top 25 for this year

Marquette is at #10.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10229862

Other Big East schools include #5 Louisville, #8 Georgetown, #12 Villanova, and #24 Pitt.

We'll probably split with L'Ville like we have for the last 5 years. It's Georgetown that worries me the most. Everyone knows Hibbert will go for at least 30 points and 15 rebounds whenever we see them, and look really ugly doing it. Hopefully we only play them once.

We can take Villanova. Reynolds will drop 40 on everyone else but we have a McSteal to put on him.

I'm suprised that Syracuse isn't ranked or even UConn for that matter. UConn didn't lose anyone of signifance, and Syracuse had a Top 5 recruiting class to complete one of the top badasses in the Big East: Eric Devendorf.

Get used to it: Predictable coverage of MU b-ball

Despite the annoyances of certain message board members (or...should I write...annoyances...of certain...) I get more information from the MU message boards than from any journalistic enterprise. Rosiak at the JS is good, but he basically just relays and confirms information. There is never ANY in-depth discussion of rotations, break-down of plays (HELLO DJ's three at Valpo), or really in-depth breakdowns of opposing teams.

And to think, he's the best.

MU is returning it's top 8 players from last year, so expect more of the same lazy journalism from those across the nation. It's already starting. Andy Katz on MU's team this year:

James' return means the Eagles' four guards -- James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and David Cubillan -- are all back to cause havoc in the league. The key will be the continued development of forwards Ousmane Barro, Dan Fitzgerald and Lazar Hayward.

...With a loaded slate of home games the Eagles look ready to repeat last season's success and weakness -- tough to guard off the dribble and able to defend, but still looking for that consistent play in the post.

You mean to say MU will have good guards with questionable play in the post???

YAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

Be prepared to see that same article re-written about 500 times this year. But don't worry, I'll be spending an inordinate amount of time discussing each minute aspect of the game. The way it should be.

God Given Talent To Return

Hello Everyone.

I am glad to finally be a part of the blog. I thought I would make my first post about something near and dear to all of our hearts (and beer bellies), MU Basketball. I read today that Dominic James has pulled his name from the NBA draft. We have discussed this occurrence before with I think the final consensus being that we did not need James back on this years up coming team. However, my perspective is this, hopefully the, not so stellar, reaction from NBA teams will tell something to James, that he needs to improve. I heard on the news that he actually tested as the third best athlete at the pre-draft camp (testing things like vertical jump, full court sprint, etc.), so he is full of athleticism, I just think he needs to build his game knowledge and an appropriate level of game time cockiness. So, I'm thinking he will return with new motivation and a desire to be a better leader. What are your positions on Jame's almost certain return?

Certainly the best campaign video I've ever seen

Can't wait to see McCain's...

http://www.barelypolitical.com/

or here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU

Your favorite Marquette player of all time

Please post with your favorite MU bball player of all time. There are obviously the classics like Bo Ellis, Doc Rivers, Earl 'mini-bobble head' Tatum, Butch Lee, Rob Jackson, Scott Merritt, Cordell Henry, DWade, Diener, James, McNeal, Novak... just to give you a few options.

For me, my favorite player, and who I think was the best player to wear a MU uniform is Travis Diener. Those knowledgable about the famed 2003 Final Four run will remember Diener was the only reason we made it out of the FIRST ROUND. Before breaking his thumb in a "drill" (although everyone seems to know the real story by now) he would have led MU to another tourney appearance his senior year.

No one has ever played with the grit, tenacity and leadership Diener did. Crean spoke to my Sports class this past year and told a story about how Diener was the only one with the testicular fortitude to question or critize DWade, something that helped both of their games tremendously.

When I see video of Diener hitting a big-time three and raising his arm and showing three fingers, I get chills.

Plus his game is just like mine, except he's way better at everything.

DJames to decide in next few days

Via JS beat writer Todd Rosiak: http://www.jsonline.com/blog/?id=308

I found this bit particulary interesting: Considering James hasn't yet hired an agent, turned in a subpar performance at the NBA pre-draft camp and has conducted just one abbreviated individual workout for an NBA team, all signs would seem to point to his returning to MU for his junior season.

At first DJ said he would only go pro if he was going to go in the first round. Then it was the second round with a guaranteed contract (good luck there). Now it's just some hope of going in the second round.

I'm still split on whether it would be good for MU. Obviously he's a talented player, but he only utilizes it sometimes. He shot us out of a few games. Luckily at Pitt he had "ice water in my mind" to hit those free throws.

In conclusion: Why couldn't the Diener's have had more kids?

Unedited 'Superbad' Trailer

This is a college classic in waiting. Can I still enjoy it now that I'm out of college. Well, I re-watched 'Anchorman' for the 92nd time and it was still funny. So, yes.

Daily Show on Republican Debate

The only thing worse than Islamic terrorists? Gays in the military, stopping them.

The second half of this is must see TV.

The Third Republican Debate

It's going to be a full six weeks before the next one -- I may go into debate withdrawal. I can't stop watching them. Sorry I forgot to post on Sunday's Democratic debate, maybe I'll get around to that. But it's just not as entertaining. My favorite Republicans are Ron Paul and John McCain, and they consistently do the best. Although I disagree with McCain on the war, he is very heartfelt and legitimate. I also appreciate Paul's strict reading of the Constitution - we wants less government and less nation-building. Good ideas. Rudy continues to say "If you don't vote for me, the terrorists win."

Here's a breakdown of Rudy from HuffPo. I couldn't write it any better myself.

"By contrast, Rudy Giuliani seemed a tad unhinged. He tried to have it both ways when it came to terror and national security, claiming on one hand that the sacrifice of American lives in Iraq 'is one of the reasons we're safe now in the United States,' while on the other hand repeatedly raising the specter of Islamic terrorists who will do us all in if we don't put him in the White House."

McCain from HuffPo:

"This was vintage McCain. Perhaps energized by being in New Hampshire, home of his greatest political triumph in 2000, he provided the two most emotional moments of the night. The first came in his response to a question asked by Erin Flanagan, whose younger brother had been killed in Iraq eight days before he was scheduled to return home in December 2005.

McCain rose from his chair and, his voice choked with emotion, thanked her for her brother's service and offered 'a little straight talk' on the war, which he said had been 'badly mismanaged for a long time,' leading to 'unnecessary' deaths."

Fox News with a debate debate overview:

"The 10 candidates yielded Bush no quarter during a spirited two-hour debate Tuesday night, as they contrasted their positions on a host of issues with those of the unpopular president.

"It's a typical Washington mess," former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said of the immigration bill Bush wants Congress to approve.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said: "The president ran on a program of a humble foreign policy, no nation-building and no policing of the world, and he changed his tune."

"I think we were underprepared and underplanned for what came after we knocked down Saddam Hussein," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on the topic of Iraq.

"I never heard such a piling on of a sitting president who's of the same party," said Linda Fowler, a government professor at Dartmouth College. "They were as tough on him as the Democrats were."

Fowler attributed the criticism not just to polls, which show the president's popularity mired at 35 percent, but a recognition within the GOP that it must redefine itself if it is to avoid a clean sweep from power in 18 months.

"When parties are struggling with their identity, there is an attempt to go back to first principles, so in many ways, the most striking criticism was not just that the war had been handled incompetently, but that the party principles had been abandoned. That's the first step in positioning one's self to be the `true Republican,"' Fowler said.

Republican Battle Round 1: Ron vs. Rudy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhjfuBYw8Ko

We salute you...1990's

As I was being very productive at work as usual and getting my daily fix of facebook, I stumbled upon this group:
If you remeber this you grew up in the 90's
It made me declare that the 90's were, in fact, the greatest decade to ever have existed. Not only did it supply us with some of the greatest rock music of all time, it provided us with endless entertainment. Hopefully the link works.

http://marquette.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204285338

40th Annual Summerfest

As festival season approaches and as I dust off my tangerine speedo, I begin to think of the many bands that will grace our presence this summer. I ask myself, How many 90's rock bands will be here to bring me back to the glory days of middle school? A time where my parents seemed to think that big glasses were in and that the comb-over never went out of style. Why couldn't they just let me where over-sized Jynco's and Mossimo shirts? Then I would have been totally sweet. Here is a list of bands that I look forward to most:
Jack's Mannequin 6/28
Fuel 6/29
O.A.R. 6/29- although they strive too hard to be a jam band and occasionally put you to sleep.
Goo Goo Dolls 6/30
Lifehouse 6/30- probably for only one song
Local H 7/1
Weird Al 7/3 - yes, he is considered 90's rock
Plain White T's 7/4
Less than Jake 7/4
Reel Big Fish 7/4
Dashboard Confessional 7/6
Panic at the Disco 7/7

Looks like I may be spending a lot of money on beer/tunes this summer. The only band I refuse to see is Tool. I'd rather watch elton John bathe George Michael.

Let me know your picks...

East Coast Bias

First of all, I would like to welcome Brian back to the homeland. We all slacked on posting since we knew you wouldn't get to read our posts.

Now to the real stuff...I think its well known that I'm not much a fan of the NBA. I'll pay attention to the Bucks for the first month, but then I get bored of it. That being said, I did watch the NBA lottery to see if the Bucks would be able to get one of the big two in Oden or Durant. We all know how that worked out, but it also didn't work out for Memphis or Boston. The two winners of the lottery were Portland and Seattle.

The reason for my post is what happened the day after the lottery selection. The big question being asked on every sport show was "Is this good/bad for the NBA?" Sports writers on every show including Around the Horn and PTI all explained that this was bad for the NBA for Durant and Oden to go to Portland and Seattle and that they would get lost in the West. I feel this is absurd. Teams like Seattle and Portland also deserve to receive the same chance as any other team in the league to get players of this caliber. How could this be bad for the NBA??? If Portland and Seattle are able to become contenders because of players like Oden and Durant, I am all for that. This just evens out the competition in the West. I do agree that it isn't the best to make the West stronger than the East, but I don't think Boston deserves those players just because they are a larger market and it would be better for the NBA.

News I'd Like to F**k

This clip should get everyone watching the news, just a little bit more:

NBA chooses "Thanks for the Memories" as theme music; WTF?!!?!

This is a good for a laugh. It also gives me hope I have a future in television, as there must be a lot of incompetent people around.

I was watching the NBA playoffs the other day, and during highlight reels of the games, they played Fall Out Boy's "Thanks for the Memories." Seriously. On a basic level this is stupid, because they included the entire chorus, which goes "Thanks for the memories/even though they weren't that great." HAHAHA. So they're saying the playoffs kinda suck? Like sure, there were some memories, but you're better off watching the golf channel?

Not only that, but they let the song go on to the lines, "He tastes like you, only sweeter." I would hope there are no small children asking their parents to explain THAT one. Why would the NBA want that lyric playing over and over again?

Here's the context of the line: It's a quote from the movie "Closer." The Julia Roberts character has just cheated on her man. He finds out, they get in a fight, and he asks "Did you have oral sex with him? Did he cum?" Roberts says "yes" and then he asks, "How did he taste?" She responds: "He tastes like you, only sweeter"

Wow.

All Time Low: Bush's Approval Rating; Obama leading all

It will be interesting to see how Republican candidates differentiate themselves from Bush, as his administration is, in the words of Colbert, "soaring like the Hindenburg." I also wonder if it's having an effect on the latest poll numbers, which show Obama beating out all Republican candidates. I feel that as we get nearer the actual election, people will say, "You know what, Rudy McRomney (the official way to refer to the three Republican leaders) is not like Bush. I think I'll vote for him over Obama." So in my estimation, these numbers may be a little too positive for Democrats, as voters may just be letting their weariness with Bush cloud their judgement. Anyhow, here are the latest poll numbers, thanks to wire service Reuters via Newsweek:

Approval Rating: President George W. Bush's approval rating has fallen to 28 percent in a Newsweek Poll released on Saturday, an all-time low for Bush in that survey.

Next President: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) fares best against the lead Republicans so far in the race. Obama bested Republican front-runner and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani by 50 percent to 43 percent among registered voters who responded to the poll.

Obama topped Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) by 52 percent to 39 percent and defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 58 percent to 29 percent, Newsweek reported.

What Brewer Scares You Most?

I'm not sure how many of you caught the game last night, but there was a moment during the game in which I was pretty sure I was going to witness a benches clearing brawl. It started when JJ Hardy hit a three-run home run off Matt Capps. The next batter was Prince Fielder. Capps was obviously pissed off enough to throw at Fielder's head. Luckily, Fielder got his arm up to block the ball in time, but was noticeably ticked off as he laid on the ground staring back at Capps.

Here is a picture of the dugout following the pitch:



My question to you is who would you be most scared of if you were a pitcher and a Brewer was charging the mound. It was probably unwise for Capps to throw at Fielder, but I give him props for still taking on the big man.

My Three Would Be:

1. Prince Fielder - for obvious reasons
2. Johnny Estrada - he always looks pissed off at the world, so I'm assuming if he was actually pissed off about something, it would not be a pretty sight
3. Derrick Turnbow - just imagine seeing Turnbow barreling in from the bullpen, hair waving in the wind...yikes
   

Late Night Eats

It is exciting to be able to post on this board with the infamous karaoke stars! I will start out with stating "I am an accountant" and we accountants work with numbers, not words. So I apologize for grammatical errors and a lack of imagination in my writing.

Now that I got that out of the way, I can begin with my post. On the topic of "Beer" I thought of an idea to post and to see what you guys think.

Kris' Top Five Places to Eat After a Night Out

1. Buffalo Wild Wings - If I'm on Water Street and about to head home after a night out, there always has to be one more stop at BW3s to get some Spicy Garlic wings.
2. Real Chili - A nice hot bowl of noodles, chili, and cheese. Nothing better than waking up with the taste still in your mouth.
3. Dogg Haus - The new addition has become a favorite of mine. Two Wisconsin dogs to go please.
4. Jimmy Johns - It is tough to put the anchor down this far...and I know Jen will not like it all the way down at 4, but it is only here because the other three are that good.
5. Marquette Gyros - I've only gone here a handful of times. Why would I go here if it is only my fifth favorite place to eat at. The greasy burgers do hit the spot on drunk nights though.

The Flintstones (are real)

Being in the jouralism industry, I'm hoping I can use this blog to point out some techniques the media uses or answer any questions people might have.

Anyhow, I've been watching a lot of Fox News, because as anyone can tell you, I'm for listening to every side. Even though I identify with Obama, I watched the entire Republican debate -- I have a passionate distaste for those who only have one view and stick through it no matter the facts.

That said, the programming on Fox News is in such poor taste, I find it impossible to watch with an open mind. For example, one of their favorite tactics is known as "Attack the Quack." You bring on your show the opposition's most crazy or most poorly spoken person, ask them a question, and prove your superiority by how well you are able to "out-debate" them. Fox loves to bash the legitmacy of Al Sharpton, yet you see him talking on Fox News every other day. Why? Because then the station is able to say(without actually saying) "Al Sharpton represents all liberals, and look at what an idiot he is."

To clarify this example, let's pretend Fox News is liberal. After last night's debate, they should bring on Sen. Brownback, Huckabee, and Rep. Tancredo, who don't believe in evolution. They are creationists, believing the Earth was created by God 5 to 6 thousand years ago, and that either dinosaurs never existed or that mankind and dinosaurs walked the earth together (much like the Flintstones). These men are running for President of the United States. But, I digress. You could then bring on several well-published scientists on evolution, and several religious leaders that believe in God and evolution (Pope John Paul II's official position, if you didn't know, thank you Vatican II). The Republican candidates would look like complete imbiciles, and viewers would be left saying "What are Republicans thinking? They are just a bunch of religious zealot quacks."

Paul, Romney take debate

Some thoughts on the the Republican Debate last night:

First, Mayor Guiliani's failing's at the debate last night perhaps should not be quite so suprising. A quick summary of conservative blogs this morning contends that he was never that popular in the first place; voters simply know his name better than anyone else at this early stage in the primaries. Especially for the party's far-right base, he is not the right man for the job. They contend he is merely a RINO (Republican In Name Only), a man that before 9/11 was just a liberal mayor in a liberal city. Without 9/11 in the forefront of people's minds, he loses his most popular asset. Of course, he has raised the most money so far, so he can't be discounted entirely.

MSNBC voters gave Guiliani a 41% positive rating before the debate, and a 28% after the debate. With a staggering 34% of the vote, Guiliani won for having "avoided the questions." He did indeed seem quite unsure of himself.

In the minds of conservative's, Mitt Romney dominated the debate last night. Not only that, but the people who got George W. Bush elected, heavily conservative evangelicals, love this guy. With the support of James Dobson and the other "Jesus Campers" out west, I believe Romney has vaulted himself into first place after his showing last night. He did a good job of never mentioning that he was Mormon (although Chris Matthews did) because I think if people looked up exactly what Mormonism is, they would be quite turned off. Then again, I think that in literacy-challenged, deep south, Civil-War fighting states, a Mormon is still less scary than a black or a woman.

MSNBC voters awarded Romney as having "The most leadership qualities" and Romney came in second to Ron Paul as "stood out from the pack."

Outside of the Jesus Campers (everyone should watch that documentary, by the way, to see how Republicans get elected. Plus it reveals that GW got advice from Ted Haggard every Monday until Ted's gay-meth scandal) the clear winner was Ron Paul. With 26% of the vote, he was declared "the most convincing candidate." More telling was that before the debate, he had a 9% positive rating. After the debate, he was tied for first with a 31% vote.

In my opinion, he was the only candidate to stand out, and perhaps the most electable. He's conservative on all issues, and argues that getting out of Iraq is a conservative position. He believes it's always been the Repulican position to not play world police, and not play nation-builder. We should secure our own borders and defenses, and not expand our government and colonize Middle Eastern countries. Coupling this view with the extremely unpopular war, Paul may have struck a chord (well, he obviously did last night) What are Democrats going to run on, if their challenger also agrees we should leave Iraq?
Paul has vaulted himself into the national spotlight.

Overall, I think Texas Congressman Ron Paul is the best candidate on the Republican side right now.

An additional note: I keep bringing up Sen. Obama's phrase "The Audacity of Hope" because it's so true. I've never seen such a "rule by fear" mentality before. The overwhelming feeling at the debate was: If you don't vote for us, terrorists are going to take out America. We need to be afraid of everyone, check the terror alert today, it will tell you how afraid to be. If you vote for a Democrat, the terrorists have won. As Ron Paul said "In the Cold War, Russia had thousands of nukes and the means to use them, and we stared them down. Now some third world country without an air force or a navy builds one, and we have to go in and invade them."

Well said.

Republican Debate

I was not able to watch the debate, but I found this article helpful in summarizing the show- down. It appears Guliani shot himself in the foot last night. I think it is unfortunate, though, beacause he is being criticized for his stance on abortion, which appears to be no stance at all. I think most of us are in the middle of the issue. I think we can all agree that taking the opportunity of life away from a fetus/baby is wrong, but we also can find situations where it might seem appropriate. So, for Guliani to be criticized i feel it is unfortunate since many people really cannot conquer the issue. Further, I feel the issue is weighed to heavily for many Americans when deciding their vote. There are many more issues of equal importance. Although, as a presidential hopeful and potential leader to the most powerful nation in the world you better be able to take a stance and be confident in that position. So, I take back feeling sorry for Guliani. If he expects people to believe he can lead this country he better convey that better in the future. What was everyone elses thoughts on the debate?

Summer Flicks

I can't speak for all of us, but I feel this will be a summer of many splendid movies. Here is my list of the 5 movies to see this summer.
1.) Spider-Man 3- We can only hope the 3 stands for the number of epic battles Spider-Man has against his villains.
2.) Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End- Will Keira Knightley dress a bit sexier in this movie rather than wearing the clothes of a man?
3.) Evan Almighty- Something about Steve Carell and building an ark makes me believe this will be a great sucess.
4.) Transformers- Was I the only one that struggled with these toys?
5.) Fantastic 4- Rise of the Silver Surfer- As lame as I felt the first one was, I cannot pass another opportunity to oggle a 20 foot Jessica Alba.

Laaaast Night

After much deliberation, I've declared that last night was the sweetest night ever, and not only because Brian Collar was there. Our rendition of 'Flagpole Sitta' was the best I have ever heard us do. Eve 6 was extremely tight as well.

Chipotle was delicious, Children Of Men was good, and Genuine Draft Light provided a lot of taste, and was less filling than the leading brand.

Not to mention Brian Sajdak is now the Mayor Of Bittieville after talking to beautiful ladies the entire night.

Democratic Candidates

I found this to be an interesting article on the consequences of deciding which side to take on the issue involving Bush's veto of troops withdrawel. I found it on
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Here is the link to the article:
http://thehill.com/dick-morris/obamas-moment-of-truth-2007-05-02.html

Dominic James

Even though midnight madness is still months away, I felt this topic still needed to be discussed. Before this past season started, I assumed James would be declaring for the NBA draft. However, as the season progressed and he faced many struggles his future was not as clear. Even after a tough season he still had his moments. So all of this lead me to wonder...Would we be better off without James? This of course makes me look back at the wonderful seasons we had with Diener and Novak. Why did I become such a fan boy of these two exquisite players? The simple answer I came up with is they stayed all four years. Just think if Diener decided to enter the draft as a sophomore. Sure, that sounds unrealistic, but we would be asking, what has he done for us at Marquette? This is the same question I ask about James. I realize he helped this team have a surprising debut season in the Big East, and allowed us to contend in this last season. But, he has not been here long enough for me to feel satisfied. In my opinion, I feel we need one more year with James. He has so much talent and all of the offseason to work on his shooting, there is no reason he should not be one of the better players in the NCAA's next season. So for us, I hope that the scouts feel he needs a little more experience. This will bring him back one more year, and bring Marquette closer to another final four appearance. After next season I wish him all the best in the NBA alongside Wade, Diener, and Novak. But for now he needs to sport his blue and gold.

Republican debate Thursday at 7 p.m.

I trust everyone received my email from Time magazine featuring former CIA director George Tenet. From now on I'll just be posting them on this blog, along with whatever new beers I've tried.

I've discovered that as much as I love sports and politics, one thing makes them oh-so-much-better: Beer. That's why I'm inviting everyone to drink beer with me as we watch the Republicans debate each other on MSNBC Thursday. Then the next morning we can find out which candidate Charlie Sykes wants to give an HJ, or possibly a ZJ, if he likes them enough.

Also, Brian: Did you post those news stories on Obama below? Or how are they getting there?

That's all for now.

Welcome

Gentlemen,

As graduation is upon some of us and not too distant for the rest of us, and our 4 years of freedom is coming to a close, I found it appropraite to create a site where we could share our thoughts on the things we hold dearest to us: sports, politics, and beer. Let's not think of this as an end to an era...let's think of this as a start of a new age. A time where we can talk politics all we want, a time where we can anxiously anticipate the coming of the college basketball season, and finally, a time where we can discuss what time we would like to meet for our next randition of "Hey Jealousy" at Murphy's Karaoke. I think I can speak on behalf of all of us when I say that these past four years have been ravishing, but there still are many more to come. Sure, we may move in opposite directions. Rob may move on to New York to write for the New York Times. I may move on to open a restaurant on the West Coast while pursuing my music carreer. And, Justin may move on to become Charlie Sykes right-hand man. In any case, we all must keep in touch and be sure to visit eachother no matter where we may be. So, let this be the start of sharing our opinions no matter how liberal, conservative, or simply outrageous they may be.

Cheers,

Brian