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