Oh, first the good news about my car: The sound I was complaining about a couple weeks ago was gone the next day. So, onto the bad news ... which, well, I've covered repeatedly lately.
Today marks the first time the Check Engine light has been on on back-to-back days, and what's worse, it's getting to be on more consistently. My first car trip this morning was when I woke up around 8 and decided to pop out of the house, and the light went on on my way to the coffeeshop -- just a quick jaunt to the coffeeshop, and the car wasn't even warm yet, and boom! the light was on. And it went on from the mall to Taco Bell, and then from the community center to the railroad tracks, where I turned off the car while the trains rolled by. Now, for really short trips -- from the coffeeshop to the mall, from Taco Bell to the gym, from the track so O'Reilly's to try and buy some radiator fluid but they were closed, and finally from there to home -- it didn't come on. But anything else, as soon as I accelerated to between 40 and 60, it popped on.
Now about getting warm ... the past two days has been cold. Well, relatively cold; temperatures are in the single digits and teens at night, but it's not like it's fucking -16 -- you know, it's been a hell of a lot colder, but it's typical Minnesota cold, and certainly cold for mid-to-late March. It's also been windy. Therefore, it's possible that both the cold and the wind contribute to jerking the light on. Then again, the Check Engine light didn't come on all those teens-below-zero mornings weeks ago. I hope it's something like a sensor. I mean, the car is driveable ... well, except that is has a hell of a hard time accelerating. Could it be something worse? I'm supposed to worry if it comes on more consistently, so tomorrow, I will reserve a spot to bring it into My Other Mechanic Saturday -- assuming the light continues to come on, and also assuming my cars stays in one piece, as I begin the test scorer job a longer drive away.
---
But I'm really bummed about the University of Minnesota women's hockey team, which failed to three-peat after getting upset in Sunday afternoon's NCAA women's hockey championship final to Clarkson, 5-4. This Clarkson team ain't no pushovers; they were seeded third. But the Golden Gophers were seeded first and were by far the best team in top-flight women's college hockey. Just not when it counted.
What a bad day for women's hockey teams I root for. First it was the American women's Olympic hockey team choking on a two-goal lead and losing to the Canadians in the Gold Medal Game, and now this. Yes, two in a row is a hell of a run, and no one will ever take away the completely undefeated 2012-3 season. But this was an upset, a bad one, and you never know when you'll be NCAA champions again.
So now there's nowhere to go but down. That, and back into the stultifying grind of The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey.
I lost North Carolina, one of my picks for the Final Four, and still that doesn't hurt my heart as much as knowing the U. lady icers are losers.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
NFL Anti-Picks Summary
Record, Super Bowl XLVIII: 0-1
Overall Record: 49-67-2
Total Outlay, Super Bowl XLVIII: $1,350.00
Total Winnings, Super Bowl XLVIII: $0
Loss, Super Bowl XLVIII: $1,350.00
Overall Loss: $2,564.75
Well, that sucked.
First of all, sorry I haven't updated this until now. I hope you can understand partially why I decided not publish the results of this until now, although I also have been busy.
First of all, checking back at the score (Seattle 43, Denver 8) I don't realize until now how close I was to winning my bet of Under 48. I remember my heart sinking when I saw Peyton Manning finally break the end line, score a touchdown for the Broncos and break their cherry. But that was not the score that pushed the total of the Super Bowl above the O/U; it was the ensuing touchdown on the next possession, when Seattle Russell Wilson threw to Doug Baldwin, that did that.
Well, with the way Seattle kept scoring at will before then, I kind of thought I was in big trouble. I, and I'm guessing everybody else in the entire world, didn't expect a shit-kicking, although with the way every Super Bowl in the past two decades or so have been at least mildly intriguing through the fourth quarter, I guess we were due a clunker. But I did not expect the game to be decided when Manning had the ball. That matched up Denver's offense against Seattle defense -- strength vs. strength. I thought that particular theater would be played to a draw, and therefore the Super Bowl would turn on either the Seahawks offense or the Broncos defense.
Instead, the Legion of Boom just detonated all over Manning and his Wide Receivers. Although Manning passed for 280 yards, Seattle's D picked him off twice, one a 69-yard pick-six by Sam Smith. The LOB also recovered two fumbles and stripped Denver of two more that the Broncos recovered. Although Demaryius Thomas caught for 118 yards and was on the receiving end of that touchdown, and Wes Welker racked up 84 yards, the Denver WRs had little to no daylight to get those Yards After Catch they relied on all season. And the offense just weren't firing on cylinders all game. That safety on the first offensive play of the game, giving Seattle the early 2-0 lead, seemed to send Denver on a downward spiral.
Oh, and I shouldn't forget Percy Harvin's second half-opening kickoff return for a TD. If Super Bowl XLVIII wasn't over at halftime, it certainly was 12 seconds into it. Seattle's defense and special teams accounted for 16 of Seattle's 43 points, doubling Denver's total. I guess that was the story of the game.
Not to say that Seattle's offense was totally out of the picture. They scored three touchdowns, two of them on passes by Wilson, but he only threw for 206 yards. Two field goals in the first quarter Steven Hauschka were indications that the Broncos D was able to bend, not break. But Seattle's D stifled Manning and the offense, and the ensuing turnovers and ensuing points ensured that Denver was done early.
So was I. My last-ditch effort to escape the red hole failed because I fell in love with the image of a cold, outdoor setting shutting down offenses and scoring. The Meadowlands site was a rousing success in part because there wasn't any precipitation. Hopefully that means many more cold-weather Super Bowls outdoor, which Nature intended.
Nevertheless, I finish the year losing $2,500. I at least am heartened by the fact that I in reality did not bet this money, therefore I didn't really lose $2,500. What I do have, however, is the shame that I would have lost that amount of money if I were so bold/stupid in making these picks all season long.
Overall Record: 49-67-2
Total Outlay, Super Bowl XLVIII: $1,350.00
Total Winnings, Super Bowl XLVIII: $0
Loss, Super Bowl XLVIII: $1,350.00
Overall Loss: $2,564.75
Well, that sucked.
First of all, sorry I haven't updated this until now. I hope you can understand partially why I decided not publish the results of this until now, although I also have been busy.
First of all, checking back at the score (Seattle 43, Denver 8) I don't realize until now how close I was to winning my bet of Under 48. I remember my heart sinking when I saw Peyton Manning finally break the end line, score a touchdown for the Broncos and break their cherry. But that was not the score that pushed the total of the Super Bowl above the O/U; it was the ensuing touchdown on the next possession, when Seattle Russell Wilson threw to Doug Baldwin, that did that.
Well, with the way Seattle kept scoring at will before then, I kind of thought I was in big trouble. I, and I'm guessing everybody else in the entire world, didn't expect a shit-kicking, although with the way every Super Bowl in the past two decades or so have been at least mildly intriguing through the fourth quarter, I guess we were due a clunker. But I did not expect the game to be decided when Manning had the ball. That matched up Denver's offense against Seattle defense -- strength vs. strength. I thought that particular theater would be played to a draw, and therefore the Super Bowl would turn on either the Seahawks offense or the Broncos defense.
Instead, the Legion of Boom just detonated all over Manning and his Wide Receivers. Although Manning passed for 280 yards, Seattle's D picked him off twice, one a 69-yard pick-six by Sam Smith. The LOB also recovered two fumbles and stripped Denver of two more that the Broncos recovered. Although Demaryius Thomas caught for 118 yards and was on the receiving end of that touchdown, and Wes Welker racked up 84 yards, the Denver WRs had little to no daylight to get those Yards After Catch they relied on all season. And the offense just weren't firing on cylinders all game. That safety on the first offensive play of the game, giving Seattle the early 2-0 lead, seemed to send Denver on a downward spiral.
Oh, and I shouldn't forget Percy Harvin's second half-opening kickoff return for a TD. If Super Bowl XLVIII wasn't over at halftime, it certainly was 12 seconds into it. Seattle's defense and special teams accounted for 16 of Seattle's 43 points, doubling Denver's total. I guess that was the story of the game.
Not to say that Seattle's offense was totally out of the picture. They scored three touchdowns, two of them on passes by Wilson, but he only threw for 206 yards. Two field goals in the first quarter Steven Hauschka were indications that the Broncos D was able to bend, not break. But Seattle's D stifled Manning and the offense, and the ensuing turnovers and ensuing points ensured that Denver was done early.
So was I. My last-ditch effort to escape the red hole failed because I fell in love with the image of a cold, outdoor setting shutting down offenses and scoring. The Meadowlands site was a rousing success in part because there wasn't any precipitation. Hopefully that means many more cold-weather Super Bowls outdoor, which Nature intended.
Nevertheless, I finish the year losing $2,500. I at least am heartened by the fact that I in reality did not bet this money, therefore I didn't really lose $2,500. What I do have, however, is the shame that I would have lost that amount of money if I were so bold/stupid in making these picks all season long.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
NCAA Tournament Anti-Picks, Round Two
Record, Round One: 3-8
Total Outlay, Round One: $675.00
Total Winnings, Round One: $404.35
Loss, Round One: $270.65
So, my usual tact in the beginning round of March Madness of concentrating on the upsets has once again failed. I got Harvard, thank goodness. But Nebraska wasn't even close; they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn while getting blown out by Baylor until inexplicably coming on strong when it was way too late. Meanwhile, N.C. St. had Saint Louis by the shorthairs until the Billikens started fouling and the Wolfpack validated the "Hack-A-Pack" strategy by continuing to miss free throws until they choked away the entire lead at the end of regulation. N.C. St. then lost in overtime.
Not for nothing, I made the mistake of listing the Wolfpack as three-point favorites when they were three-point underdogs. No one had them favored, but by rule with these Anti-Picks I have to follow by what I wrote and published. I would have escaped with a push and got $100 back, but since I typed in a "-" instead of a "+," I have to dock myself that Benjamin.
---
Got a long and scary day ahead of me, so I'll present my picks without explanation:
1) Dayton +7 $50
2) UConn +4 $50
3) Louisville -9 1/2 $100
4) Oregon +5 $100
5) Oregon M/L +193 $50
6) Mercer +8 $100
7) Mercer M/L +355 $50
8) Stanford +6 $50
9) Kentucky +2 1/2 $50
10) Iowa St.-North Carolina Under 159 $100
11) Stephen F. Austin +8 1/2 $100
12) Stephen F. Austin M/L +355 $50
13) Gonzaga +6 $50
14) Parlay 3) with 6), for $150.
15) Parlay 5), 7), and 12), for $100.
16) Parlay 1), 2) and 3), for $50.
17) Parlay 6), 8), 9), 10), and 13), for $25.
Good luck!
Total Outlay, Round One: $675.00
Total Winnings, Round One: $404.35
Loss, Round One: $270.65
So, my usual tact in the beginning round of March Madness of concentrating on the upsets has once again failed. I got Harvard, thank goodness. But Nebraska wasn't even close; they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn while getting blown out by Baylor until inexplicably coming on strong when it was way too late. Meanwhile, N.C. St. had Saint Louis by the shorthairs until the Billikens started fouling and the Wolfpack validated the "Hack-A-Pack" strategy by continuing to miss free throws until they choked away the entire lead at the end of regulation. N.C. St. then lost in overtime.
Not for nothing, I made the mistake of listing the Wolfpack as three-point favorites when they were three-point underdogs. No one had them favored, but by rule with these Anti-Picks I have to follow by what I wrote and published. I would have escaped with a push and got $100 back, but since I typed in a "-" instead of a "+," I have to dock myself that Benjamin.
---
Got a long and scary day ahead of me, so I'll present my picks without explanation:
1) Dayton +7 $50
2) UConn +4 $50
3) Louisville -9 1/2 $100
4) Oregon +5 $100
5) Oregon M/L +193 $50
6) Mercer +8 $100
7) Mercer M/L +355 $50
8) Stanford +6 $50
9) Kentucky +2 1/2 $50
10) Iowa St.-North Carolina Under 159 $100
11) Stephen F. Austin +8 1/2 $100
12) Stephen F. Austin M/L +355 $50
13) Gonzaga +6 $50
14) Parlay 3) with 6), for $150.
15) Parlay 5), 7), and 12), for $100.
16) Parlay 1), 2) and 3), for $50.
17) Parlay 6), 8), 9), 10), and 13), for $25.
Good luck!
Friday, March 21, 2014
Fuck You, Warren Buffet And Dan Gilbert
Advertising works, first of all. A couple weeks ago, tantalized about looking forward to thinking about my NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket, I listened to who I usually listen to in the 7-8 a.m. hour, my first hour at work, Evan & Phillips In The Morning on Sirius XM Mad Dog Sports Radio 86. Their commercial touted that this Warren Buffet Billion Dollar Bracket that he announced a couple months ago, and to which I thought to myself, "Shoot, what's the website so I can sign up for that?" was finally up and running. And it was at a site I was familiar with. Yahoo! Sports struck a deal with Buffet and partner (and Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers) Dan Gilbert to be the company overseeing their billion-dollar prize. I've had an e-mail account with Yahoo! for a couple decades, and I funnel all my fantasy sports dealings (including March Madness) through them, so all I had to do was login and sign up.
When Monday rolled around, I was busy. Very busy. Between working, winding down work as I move on to my next job next Monday, researching my bracket, celebrating my birthday, and preparing for this charity event I'm organizing for Saturday, I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to make any picks at all. (That was one reason why I decided to put off the auction for my fantasy baseball league till the weekend after this, even though it technically begins this weekend when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks play a series in Australia.) Besides, I decided to employ a new strategy in filling out my bracket. Since I think my biggest weakness is picking too many upsets (I'm a Pisces so I have a soft spot for underdogs), I decided I would just set aside two minutes, get into the Billion Dollar Bracket, and pick all the higher seeds all the way to the final, and then go by the rankings of the #1 seeds in the Final Four. That meant that Florida, which would beat Virginia, would also defeat Arizona, which would beat Wichita St., in the title game. Just to do it as a placeholder.
When I like something, I will find the time to indulge in it. Like Internet porn. Or doing my bracket. I did all the research, with an emphasis on advanced statistics like Kenpom. I also have to give a hat tip to this two-year-old Bleacher Report compendium of what seeds usually advance in the tourney. Finally, after spending my Wednesday evening at Pizza Luce to ruminate over my bracket (over an appetizer sampler that stuffed my stomach only a couple hours after I had dinner and, to put things gently, did not agree with me at work Thursday), I settled on Florida (which would beat my surprise team, North Carolina, in the Final Four) over Arizona (which would beat Louisville) in the national championship game.
So a bit before midnight, I swear, I finally make it home and enter my picks. But when I loaded it up and started click-and-dragging like you can do whenever you edit any bracket, I was taken aback that I couldn't. I went to my other Yahoo! bracket that I'm doing with my friend, and not only could I move and delete teams, the layout was kind of different. That's when it dawned on me. There wasn't a glitch. The Billion Dollar Bracket doesn't allow you to edit your picks. To which I say, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!
I checked the fine print. It said something about making picks before "the Entry Window closed," whatever the fuck that means. Look, I don't see anything about being able to change your picks once you enter them. But I didn't see anything about not being able to change your picks once you enter them. And then, of course, there's that nagging crutch called common sense. Why in the hell wouldn't I be able to change my mind on my bracket? What bracket ever in the history of cyberspace makes you etch your bracket in stone once and only once? It's the Internet -- you can change shit all the time. But not a bracket?
My friend told me that you could change your bracket up till 1 in the morning Eastern Daylight Time. But I swear that I got to it before midnight and I couldn't move anything. And no, I would not have gotten the billion dollars because I, like 90% of the rest of the 15 million entrants, picked Ohio St. and so got bounced in the first "real" game of the NCAA Tournament Thursday. But remember that there is a "consolation" prize of $100,000 going to the top 20 finishers in the contest. As of press time, I have dropped four teams (Ohio St., N.C. St., Oklahoma and Arizona St.), none of them I have advancing into next weekend. That's really good, and even though the tough choices won't happen until Friday, I am in good position right now, something I doubt I have ever been able to say. But I'm not even in the running for the $100,000 because I picked the chalk, and that's not going to win, that's for sure.
This is a ripoff. I feel I got screwed. I want to grab Mr. Buffett and/or Mr. Gilbert and ask them why theirs is the only bracket where I couldn't enter or change my picks up till the first tip of the first game on Thursday, something every other bracket in the fucking universe lets you do. What I thought was a great, mouth-watering idea really is nothing more than a goddamn confidence game.
When Monday rolled around, I was busy. Very busy. Between working, winding down work as I move on to my next job next Monday, researching my bracket, celebrating my birthday, and preparing for this charity event I'm organizing for Saturday, I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to make any picks at all. (That was one reason why I decided to put off the auction for my fantasy baseball league till the weekend after this, even though it technically begins this weekend when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks play a series in Australia.) Besides, I decided to employ a new strategy in filling out my bracket. Since I think my biggest weakness is picking too many upsets (I'm a Pisces so I have a soft spot for underdogs), I decided I would just set aside two minutes, get into the Billion Dollar Bracket, and pick all the higher seeds all the way to the final, and then go by the rankings of the #1 seeds in the Final Four. That meant that Florida, which would beat Virginia, would also defeat Arizona, which would beat Wichita St., in the title game. Just to do it as a placeholder.
When I like something, I will find the time to indulge in it. Like Internet porn. Or doing my bracket. I did all the research, with an emphasis on advanced statistics like Kenpom. I also have to give a hat tip to this two-year-old Bleacher Report compendium of what seeds usually advance in the tourney. Finally, after spending my Wednesday evening at Pizza Luce to ruminate over my bracket (over an appetizer sampler that stuffed my stomach only a couple hours after I had dinner and, to put things gently, did not agree with me at work Thursday), I settled on Florida (which would beat my surprise team, North Carolina, in the Final Four) over Arizona (which would beat Louisville) in the national championship game.
So a bit before midnight, I swear, I finally make it home and enter my picks. But when I loaded it up and started click-and-dragging like you can do whenever you edit any bracket, I was taken aback that I couldn't. I went to my other Yahoo! bracket that I'm doing with my friend, and not only could I move and delete teams, the layout was kind of different. That's when it dawned on me. There wasn't a glitch. The Billion Dollar Bracket doesn't allow you to edit your picks. To which I say, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!
I checked the fine print. It said something about making picks before "the Entry Window closed," whatever the fuck that means. Look, I don't see anything about being able to change your picks once you enter them. But I didn't see anything about not being able to change your picks once you enter them. And then, of course, there's that nagging crutch called common sense. Why in the hell wouldn't I be able to change my mind on my bracket? What bracket ever in the history of cyberspace makes you etch your bracket in stone once and only once? It's the Internet -- you can change shit all the time. But not a bracket?
My friend told me that you could change your bracket up till 1 in the morning Eastern Daylight Time. But I swear that I got to it before midnight and I couldn't move anything. And no, I would not have gotten the billion dollars because I, like 90% of the rest of the 15 million entrants, picked Ohio St. and so got bounced in the first "real" game of the NCAA Tournament Thursday. But remember that there is a "consolation" prize of $100,000 going to the top 20 finishers in the contest. As of press time, I have dropped four teams (Ohio St., N.C. St., Oklahoma and Arizona St.), none of them I have advancing into next weekend. That's really good, and even though the tough choices won't happen until Friday, I am in good position right now, something I doubt I have ever been able to say. But I'm not even in the running for the $100,000 because I picked the chalk, and that's not going to win, that's for sure.
This is a ripoff. I feel I got screwed. I want to grab Mr. Buffett and/or Mr. Gilbert and ask them why theirs is the only bracket where I couldn't enter or change my picks up till the first tip of the first game on Thursday, something every other bracket in the fucking universe lets you do. What I thought was a great, mouth-watering idea really is nothing more than a goddamn confidence game.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
NCAA Tournament Anti-Picks, Round One
I'm tired and need to go to bed, so I'll make this quick:
1) N.C. St. -3 $100
2) N.C. St. M/L +136 $50
3) American +14 $50
4) Harvard +3 $100
5) Harvard M/L +136 $50
6) Kansas St. +6 $50
7) Nebraska +3 1/2 $100
8) Nebraska M/L +157.5 $50
9) Iowa St.-N.C. Central Over 143.5 $50
10) Parlay 1), 4) and 7), for $50
11) Parlay 2), 5) and 8), for $25
Good luck!
1) N.C. St. -3 $100
2) N.C. St. M/L +136 $50
3) American +14 $50
4) Harvard +3 $100
5) Harvard M/L +136 $50
6) Kansas St. +6 $50
7) Nebraska +3 1/2 $100
8) Nebraska M/L +157.5 $50
9) Iowa St.-N.C. Central Over 143.5 $50
10) Parlay 1), 4) and 7), for $50
11) Parlay 2), 5) and 8), for $25
Good luck!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
#-1: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -6). In this time of the year, where seasons end in time with the (alleged) end of winter, the summer pastime of baseball grabs the top spot, albeit due only to numbers. They took two of three at Sacramento St. over the weekend (they won the series with a ten-inning 5-3 win Sunday), then began their two-game midweek set at St. Mary's with a 15-11 victory.
Since I have to research my bracket, I'm going to leave this entry short. Besides, there's not much about the baseball team to write about, at least right now. They play another game against the Gaels Wednesday before finally ending their six-week season-opening roadtrip by, ironically, beginning Big Ten play with three games at Northwestern on the weekend.
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2). Ending the regular season with a 6-2 shellacking at the hands of Michigan wasn't good. However, I can understand Head Coach Don Lucia easing off the gas pedal because on Friday, Kyle Rau scored in overtime to give the Gophers a 3-2 win in the opening game of the two-game set, and in the process gave the U. three points (only two were necessary) that clinched them the first-ever Big Ten hockey regular season championship.
This club received a tidal wave of accolades upon the year's conclusion. For the week, Brady Skjei was named conference Third Star for scoring three goals in the series against the Wolverines, including being the only source of scoring in their loss Saturday. For the season, congratulations go out to the following: Don Lucia for being named B1G Coach Of The Year, Mike Reilly for being named B1G Defensive Player Of The Year and, most of all, Adam Wilcox for being named not just B1G Goaltender Of The Year but also B1G Player Of The Year. Both Reilly and Wilcox were named to the All-Big Ten First Team as well.
They gear up for the inaugural B1G hockey tournament taking place this weekend at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Since they won the six-team league, they get a bye to Friday's semifinals, where they await either Ohio St. or Michigan St. The championship game will be played Saturday night at 7, and I expect to be there.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -8). A 2-2 week, but they ruled over New York City. A shootout loss at home to Columbus and a 4-1 drubbing at well-oiled Boston are counterbalanced and sandwiched by a much-needed 2-1 win over the Rangers (which helped wipe away the bad taste of three straight losses) and a very confident 6-0 shit-kicking at the Islanders. While lines 2 through 4 remain unable to generate points (the rout over the Isles notwithstanding), Head Coach Mike Yeo continues to keep the top line of Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville intact. Do you risk chemistry in order to provide balance to the other lines? This week: At New Jersey and then a weekend home-and-home with Detroit.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4). See, weeks like this make me wonder how far along the Woofie Dogs are. They had only two games against middling opponents. I would think that a team led by Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic would be able to win both games, but they lost at Charlotte by a dozen and then barely held on to defeat Sacramento at Target, 104-102. And so they are stuck in tenth place in the Western Conference, 5 1/2 games behind eighth-place Memphis. So yeah, there's no hope.
This week they're a lot busier. They do a Texas two-step tonight (Dallas) and tomorrow (Houston), then a torturous back-to-back: Home to Phoenix Sunday, then at Memphis.
#-5: Swarm (Last Week: -7). This is mind-boggling. Despite dropping to 2-9 in the NLL after Sunday's overtime loss to Toronto at the X, they remain just a half-game behind Philadelphia and one game behind Vancouver for the final spot in the playoffs. The Smarm remain viable because the league this year is in extremis: Edmonton has already secured a postseason spot because they're 10-0, while Buffalo is 8-2 and Rochester is 9-3.
But how many chances will the other shitty teams in the league give to Minnesota before it chokes it away for good? And will they finally win a game at home when they host the Buffalo Bandits this Sunday afternoon?
#-Infinity (tie): Gopher men's and women's basketball (Last Week: -1 and -5, respectively). It should be noted, even though it can't be verified, that it's likely both Minnesota teams were the Last Team Out, also known as, respectively, Team 69 and Team 65.
For the men, it looked bad starting the last couple weeks of the regular season, when the latest bracketology predictions ushered the Goofs out of the field. They had one final chance to make a good impression at the B1G tournament, but the blowout lost at the hands of Wisconsin probably was the final nail in the coffin. That the NIT named the U. their #1 overall seed makes me believe either they or SMU are the NCAA bridesmaid. That appellation, however, should not be considered a good thing, especially after the squad had sort of a tough time putting away High Point Tuesday evening.
On the other hand, even though I didn't think they were world beaters, I thought Minnesota was in. Charlie Creme, women's college bracketologist for ESPN.com, was right, however. Despite not losing their first game in the conference tournament, they in fact did have to beat Nebraska in order, probably, to make it into the NCAAs. And so the drought for Pam Borton's club, and for Pam Borton, reaches five years.
Tonight awaits a fan-induced conundrum. I wouldn't blame the lady Goofs if they lose their WNIT first-round game at Williams Arena tonight to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Like the men, they're in the consolation tourney. If it's not the real Big Dance, who gives a shit? But then, if they lose to the Phoenix, I'll be the first one going, "Why the fuck did you lose to Wisconsin fucking Green Bay?!"
Well, there's one good thing about them reaching only their respective National Invitational Tournaments: I don't have to write about them anymore. And now begins the part of the year where the WMNSS shortens, thank God.
Since I have to research my bracket, I'm going to leave this entry short. Besides, there's not much about the baseball team to write about, at least right now. They play another game against the Gaels Wednesday before finally ending their six-week season-opening roadtrip by, ironically, beginning Big Ten play with three games at Northwestern on the weekend.
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2). Ending the regular season with a 6-2 shellacking at the hands of Michigan wasn't good. However, I can understand Head Coach Don Lucia easing off the gas pedal because on Friday, Kyle Rau scored in overtime to give the Gophers a 3-2 win in the opening game of the two-game set, and in the process gave the U. three points (only two were necessary) that clinched them the first-ever Big Ten hockey regular season championship.
This club received a tidal wave of accolades upon the year's conclusion. For the week, Brady Skjei was named conference Third Star for scoring three goals in the series against the Wolverines, including being the only source of scoring in their loss Saturday. For the season, congratulations go out to the following: Don Lucia for being named B1G Coach Of The Year, Mike Reilly for being named B1G Defensive Player Of The Year and, most of all, Adam Wilcox for being named not just B1G Goaltender Of The Year but also B1G Player Of The Year. Both Reilly and Wilcox were named to the All-Big Ten First Team as well.
They gear up for the inaugural B1G hockey tournament taking place this weekend at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Since they won the six-team league, they get a bye to Friday's semifinals, where they await either Ohio St. or Michigan St. The championship game will be played Saturday night at 7, and I expect to be there.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -8). A 2-2 week, but they ruled over New York City. A shootout loss at home to Columbus and a 4-1 drubbing at well-oiled Boston are counterbalanced and sandwiched by a much-needed 2-1 win over the Rangers (which helped wipe away the bad taste of three straight losses) and a very confident 6-0 shit-kicking at the Islanders. While lines 2 through 4 remain unable to generate points (the rout over the Isles notwithstanding), Head Coach Mike Yeo continues to keep the top line of Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville intact. Do you risk chemistry in order to provide balance to the other lines? This week: At New Jersey and then a weekend home-and-home with Detroit.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4). See, weeks like this make me wonder how far along the Woofie Dogs are. They had only two games against middling opponents. I would think that a team led by Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic would be able to win both games, but they lost at Charlotte by a dozen and then barely held on to defeat Sacramento at Target, 104-102. And so they are stuck in tenth place in the Western Conference, 5 1/2 games behind eighth-place Memphis. So yeah, there's no hope.
This week they're a lot busier. They do a Texas two-step tonight (Dallas) and tomorrow (Houston), then a torturous back-to-back: Home to Phoenix Sunday, then at Memphis.
#-5: Swarm (Last Week: -7). This is mind-boggling. Despite dropping to 2-9 in the NLL after Sunday's overtime loss to Toronto at the X, they remain just a half-game behind Philadelphia and one game behind Vancouver for the final spot in the playoffs. The Smarm remain viable because the league this year is in extremis: Edmonton has already secured a postseason spot because they're 10-0, while Buffalo is 8-2 and Rochester is 9-3.
But how many chances will the other shitty teams in the league give to Minnesota before it chokes it away for good? And will they finally win a game at home when they host the Buffalo Bandits this Sunday afternoon?
#-Infinity (tie): Gopher men's and women's basketball (Last Week: -1 and -5, respectively). It should be noted, even though it can't be verified, that it's likely both Minnesota teams were the Last Team Out, also known as, respectively, Team 69 and Team 65.
For the men, it looked bad starting the last couple weeks of the regular season, when the latest bracketology predictions ushered the Goofs out of the field. They had one final chance to make a good impression at the B1G tournament, but the blowout lost at the hands of Wisconsin probably was the final nail in the coffin. That the NIT named the U. their #1 overall seed makes me believe either they or SMU are the NCAA bridesmaid. That appellation, however, should not be considered a good thing, especially after the squad had sort of a tough time putting away High Point Tuesday evening.
On the other hand, even though I didn't think they were world beaters, I thought Minnesota was in. Charlie Creme, women's college bracketologist for ESPN.com, was right, however. Despite not losing their first game in the conference tournament, they in fact did have to beat Nebraska in order, probably, to make it into the NCAAs. And so the drought for Pam Borton's club, and for Pam Borton, reaches five years.
Tonight awaits a fan-induced conundrum. I wouldn't blame the lady Goofs if they lose their WNIT first-round game at Williams Arena tonight to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Like the men, they're in the consolation tourney. If it's not the real Big Dance, who gives a shit? But then, if they lose to the Phoenix, I'll be the first one going, "Why the fuck did you lose to Wisconsin fucking Green Bay?!"
Well, there's one good thing about them reaching only their respective National Invitational Tournaments: I don't have to write about them anymore. And now begins the part of the year where the WMNSS shortens, thank God.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Four Lights
So, my oil level light has been going on-and-off for years now, but for the past several days it's been on a lot. I put some oil in on Tuesday and then Sunday, but it hasn't seemed to work. Sometimes it shuts off while I'm driving, but on Monday, when I went from work to that interview I alluded to in my last blog post to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) to home, it was more often than not.
On Sunday, while driving to Wendy's before heading off to the storage facility to look for my passport, I pump my brakes to back the car down the driveway, and I notice that the taillight warning light is on. Again? Shit! Didn't I change one of these back in the fall? I don't know which one it is, so I have to find the time to back my way up to a mirror to see which of the six in the back have to be changed. I hope it's not the one I replaced back in the fall. In the meantime, though, I have to leave with seeing that warning light on ... including all the way home on Monday.
What has behaved itself, sort of, is the Check Engine light. It had not been on for some time, maybe two weeks or so ago it was on when I went to have coffee at Caffetto, then it came on again when I drove home. But I hadn't seen it since -- until the drive home on Monday.
So let me take you to that drive home. I'm on the highway, driving withe taillight warning light on. Suddenly, the Check Engine light comes on. Then, the low oil level light comes on. I've seen the latter two amber lights on side-by-side, but never three. But there is a fourth: Because I'm waiting to get gas on Double Discount Tuesdays, I'm driving with a near-empty fuel tank, and with the huge drive I had on Monday, it dipped low enough to slowly warm up the low gas light, too.
So dig, if you will, the picture: Not just one, or two, or three amber lights. Oh no, not for this ambitious birthday boy who can't let go of a car which is giving him more problems than his psyche probably could tolerate. No, my dashboard had four warning lights on at the same time, a definite first. And the thing is, my heart rate didn't really go up all that much. I've had all of these lights on, just not on all at once. But my car seemed to drive fine all the way home.
Now I have to triage these lights. Obviously I can just gas up the car today, although I wonder if my stress level will force me to do it before I go to work or if my fatigue level pushes that back till when I come back from work. That taillight warning light will stay on till I'm out of work, damn it. I assume that the Check Engine light's on because of our recent cold spell; once we finally reach spring, if it's still on, then I'll really start to worry. But it's the low oil level light that bothers me. I've put in a lot the past week, and still the sensor's on. I don't want to be driving with the pistons grinding against metal. But on the other hand I don't want to overfill my engine, either. That sensor has to be unreliable, and I need to not panic and destroy the engine by dumping quarts of oil into it.
So that's why I embedding video of Captain Jean-Luc Picard screaming at the top of this blog post. You know that he specifically wanted an episode about him being captured and tortured because of his work in the past with Amnesty International, don't you?
Monday, March 17, 2014
Well, She Seems Psycho (Scheduled Post)
I don't know why I'm going out for an interview this afternoon. It's for a similar job in the healthcare industry, but I didn't have the heart to tell the temp agency that I've already lined up a test scoring project next Monday. Maybe it's because I want to make absolutely sure I take this in if these guys tell me it'd be good for me. If this company blows me away with, like, am $18/hour wage and a potential to be hired full-time, I won't regret taking in this interview.
But for now, I do, because I have to leave work early in order to get to the interview, which is across town. Although this is a temp job, these guys have been really good to me, so bugging out a half-hour or a full hour before the end of work because I'm trying to find another job doesn't seem right. (Never mind my hypocrisy about leaving these guys for a job I found myself, please.) And of course you have the futile act of driving all the way to a suburb just to take in an interview for a job that I probably won't take if offered -- a job, by the way that will be for a project that lasts through mid-May at the most. Why the hell am I interviewing for a six- or seven-week job?
Richest of all was the phone call I got preparing me for the interview. The guy at the agency "works" with the person who will interview me, and he was coaching me on Friday to concentrate on a few things that she likes. Three things he emphasized: Make sure you know what the job entails; give specific examples of any work experience in the past that you will need to do for this job; and, weirdest of all, don't go on about things. He told me that last thing first, then told me the second thing second, which confused me: So, I'm supposed to give short answers unless I'm supposed to give long answers? I guess I should give long answers when it comes to examples of work, but frankly, being told to not talk about yourself, while understandable, is a strange stipulation to ask of someone before a job interview.
I'll be honest: I have a very negative image of the person who is going to interview me. I have to cut short my workday, drive clear across town (possibly through snow) and sit down for someone who'll be my boss for no more than two months. And now I have to fucking watch what I say. I don't have such worries with the flu biller job. Hell, they hired me sight unseen, and I think it's gone very well, if I do say so myself. And this new job, the testing project job? I came in for an interview, but I'm starting my fourth season with them. That's why an interview with them was important. But two months? Are you kidding me? Oh, and the testing place doesn't have a dress code, thank Buddha. I have to suit up for this interview, for crissake.
I don't want to completely blow this off, and there is a chance that my relationship with my temp agency will be ruined if things don't go well, so I have to at least give this a shot. But ... this is a waste of my time. I'm doing this only for the people who find me jobs, but other than that, this is a complete waste of my time. What am I getting dressed up for? Why did I shave?
Oh yeah -- and I'm having this interview on my birthday!!! Oh, I so need a fucking lap dance once I'm out of there.
But for now, I do, because I have to leave work early in order to get to the interview, which is across town. Although this is a temp job, these guys have been really good to me, so bugging out a half-hour or a full hour before the end of work because I'm trying to find another job doesn't seem right. (Never mind my hypocrisy about leaving these guys for a job I found myself, please.) And of course you have the futile act of driving all the way to a suburb just to take in an interview for a job that I probably won't take if offered -- a job, by the way that will be for a project that lasts through mid-May at the most. Why the hell am I interviewing for a six- or seven-week job?
Richest of all was the phone call I got preparing me for the interview. The guy at the agency "works" with the person who will interview me, and he was coaching me on Friday to concentrate on a few things that she likes. Three things he emphasized: Make sure you know what the job entails; give specific examples of any work experience in the past that you will need to do for this job; and, weirdest of all, don't go on about things. He told me that last thing first, then told me the second thing second, which confused me: So, I'm supposed to give short answers unless I'm supposed to give long answers? I guess I should give long answers when it comes to examples of work, but frankly, being told to not talk about yourself, while understandable, is a strange stipulation to ask of someone before a job interview.
I'll be honest: I have a very negative image of the person who is going to interview me. I have to cut short my workday, drive clear across town (possibly through snow) and sit down for someone who'll be my boss for no more than two months. And now I have to fucking watch what I say. I don't have such worries with the flu biller job. Hell, they hired me sight unseen, and I think it's gone very well, if I do say so myself. And this new job, the testing project job? I came in for an interview, but I'm starting my fourth season with them. That's why an interview with them was important. But two months? Are you kidding me? Oh, and the testing place doesn't have a dress code, thank Buddha. I have to suit up for this interview, for crissake.
I don't want to completely blow this off, and there is a chance that my relationship with my temp agency will be ruined if things don't go well, so I have to at least give this a shot. But ... this is a waste of my time. I'm doing this only for the people who find me jobs, but other than that, this is a complete waste of my time. What am I getting dressed up for? Why did I shave?
Oh yeah -- and I'm having this interview on my birthday!!! Oh, I so need a fucking lap dance once I'm out of there.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
It's That Time Of The Year Again: Men's Tournament Speculation
This time of the year is why I follow blogs here on WAF. The vast majority of them have one goal: To predict who will make the annual NCAA men's basketball tournament. I may not see them but once a year, around now, but when that time does come around, boy, I'm on these sites constantly. That's why I love them.
ETA early Sunday morning that the Bracket Matrix has been updated, and for some reason, Iowa replaces Arizona St. as one of the Last Four "Truly" In.
This year seems to be different than most in that the bubble appears set and that in fact the field of 68 teams has largely been decided. The speculator sites have largely been in agreement on that, and most notably have settled in on a line of teams in which the cut line has not moved.
Instead of going through each of the sites, the handy Bracket Matrix adds up all the bracketologists and comes up with a collective mind hive master list of teams in and out. Ironically, however, they are no longer on my list of followed blogs. The Bracket Matrix was last year, but it looks as if it now has its own site free of Blogger.
So according to the aggregate Bracket Matrix, as of press time, here is the bubble:
Last Four "Actually" In, AKA The Last Four "Byes":
- Arizona St.
- St. Joseph's
- SMU
- Tennessee
- Xavier
- Nebraska
- Dayton
- BYU
- Southern Miss
- Minnesota
- Cal
- Florida St.
ETA early Sunday morning that the Bracket Matrix has been updated, and for some reason, Iowa replaces Arizona St. as one of the Last Four "Truly" In.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Me, A Leader? (Scheduled Post)
Oh yeah, I don't think I've posted this yet. A few weeks ago I got a call from the supervisor for the testing project I've done the past three years. Not only have I been asked back -- thank God, seeing that I don't think I was that fast last year -- but I was asked to be a team leader. A team leader??
What team leaders do is ... well, my team leader these three years basically had to put up with me pestering her with my incessant bullshit questions every day for the entire project. I'm also supposed to keep track of how fast and how accurate the scorers are and pat their behinds to tell them to get on their bike if they're being slow -- I'm imagining myself as a sheep herder -- and kind of call them if they're wrong. Finally, I have to oversee questions that might be used next year.
It's a step up, and frankly, I'm afraid. Being in a position of authority is one I'm not used to at all, mostly because I like being the underdog. There is no responsibility as a plebian, and all you get as a leader is grief, resentment and gossip of people hating and/or making fun of you behind your back. Besides, if you know me, I don't scream "leader." Finally, being elevated to a new position changes my perception of this project and the people I will be working with/for/over. Will I like the other team leaders, whom I looked up to the past three years but now will see as equals? How about my supervisor, whom I will now directly answer to? Will I chafe under or, dare I say it, scorn her authority? And will having control (for lack of a better word) over the scorers make me think of them less as guys just trying to do their best and more as sheep that can't think for themselves? In other words, would taking this new job make me hate this job that I love so much?
But then my supervisor told me about the bump in pay and I said OK.
This comes on the heels of being named (well, volunteering) to be president of my alumni club. Frankly, so far I've sucked at it. I haven't been on the ball, I've let things slide, I don't know if I'm keeping the right amount of contact with the members of the group, and there's this huge project coming up next week and I'm deathly afraid I'm not doing it right. And they call me a leader?
Is this called growing up?
What team leaders do is ... well, my team leader these three years basically had to put up with me pestering her with my incessant bullshit questions every day for the entire project. I'm also supposed to keep track of how fast and how accurate the scorers are and pat their behinds to tell them to get on their bike if they're being slow -- I'm imagining myself as a sheep herder -- and kind of call them if they're wrong. Finally, I have to oversee questions that might be used next year.
It's a step up, and frankly, I'm afraid. Being in a position of authority is one I'm not used to at all, mostly because I like being the underdog. There is no responsibility as a plebian, and all you get as a leader is grief, resentment and gossip of people hating and/or making fun of you behind your back. Besides, if you know me, I don't scream "leader." Finally, being elevated to a new position changes my perception of this project and the people I will be working with/for/over. Will I like the other team leaders, whom I looked up to the past three years but now will see as equals? How about my supervisor, whom I will now directly answer to? Will I chafe under or, dare I say it, scorn her authority? And will having control (for lack of a better word) over the scorers make me think of them less as guys just trying to do their best and more as sheep that can't think for themselves? In other words, would taking this new job make me hate this job that I love so much?
But then my supervisor told me about the bump in pay and I said OK.
This comes on the heels of being named (well, volunteering) to be president of my alumni club. Frankly, so far I've sucked at it. I haven't been on the ball, I've let things slide, I don't know if I'm keeping the right amount of contact with the members of the group, and there's this huge project coming up next week and I'm deathly afraid I'm not doing it right. And they call me a leader?
Is this called growing up?
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