Big Blue Huddle

PAC-12 rebuilding, Mountain West decimated

The Pac 12 is not throwing in the towel and has pilfered Boise St., Colorado St., Fresno St., and San Diego St., from the Mountain West Conference. That gives them 10 members, but they need two more to reach the NCAA conference minimum

Quite amazing story. The Pac 12 lost 10 members to the Big 10, Big 12, and the ACC, and being a two college conference meant that it pretty much ended any viability for the future. But they went out and pilfered Oregon St., and Washington St., last year and now four more schools. They might want to change their name to the Pac State 12...just joking

Under consideration for two more schools are UNLV, Utah State, New Mexico, San Jose State and Hawaii

Looks like the conference will survive

The United States Post Office spent 40 billion dollars to replenish their fleet of delivery vehicles, replacing the Grumman Long Life Vehicle that was designed 37 years ago in the 80's era. The new trucks are ugly as hell, but built for functionality, aesthetics be damned! Carriers love them because they can stand up in them, alleviating back problems from hunching over all the time, plus they have rear cameras, and especially that the new vehicles have air conditioning - the most common complaint among drivers...especially in southern states

Anyway, here you go. Strange looking thing...looks like a duck bill with a massive window and bumper that is outrageously large

I'm just curious. For the last couple of years, there were a whole lot of threads about Saquon and a lot of people believed it was time to move on. Dittos with many of the talking heads. My closest friends who are die-hard Giants' fans told me over and over that we need to cut Saquon

Then...he goes to Philly and looks like the stud he rarely was as a Giant. Now I hear many people say we should have worked out a deal with him that it was a "huge mistake" to let him walk

Are we all that fickle? Would it have been a wise decision, IYO, to match Philly in salary commitment to keep him? Don't get me wrong, I loved Saquon and was one of my favorite Giants of all time. Yet, personally, I think it was a no-brainer to let him walk. We are rebuilding and still have work to do. Even though he was effective at times for us, he was oft-injured, and we weren't exactly dominating (or even winning) games nor did we have a rosy future. We just couldn't build our team around him anymore, IMHO. We proved we couldn't win with him because we were missing the critical pieces for him to thrive in our system and we had a weak supporting cast for him

What say you?

I haven't wanted to post today because my emotions aren't all that steady...going to a funeral in a few minutes for a good friend, then just read that James Earl Jones died, and Ed Kranepool...just a day filled with death for me...and that, on the heels of an embarrassment for my team

My hope: That we come in dead last this year with only two wins...one against the cowboys and one against the eagles. Then we're at the top of the draft order in a year with a sensational QB class. And there's only two ways to get a QB with real game to him...draft at the highest position and a little luck, or just flat out get lucky as winning the lottery with a late pick. It sucks to be in this position, but that is what I wish for now. Maybe it will all change during the season, but right now that is not how I feel

I don't have the answers...I'm just a fan. I've read a thousand solutions that also come from fans, but their opinions are no different than what gets said in every sports bar in town. I just don't want to come in just good enough that we have no way to get a top shelf QB. Lose em all, I don't care...just don't win enough to take us out of the draft where we can get a QB. Oh well...sad day. Gotta go to a funeral now 

I've been waiting for a threat to start for today's game and haven't seen one, so started it anyway.

GO GIANTS
        


Changes from last season:

Hottest rumor in New York that's talked about in every bar and barbershop in NYC, yet nary a hint of it on this board. It's probably false, as DJ is in a "serious relationship?", or so I've heard...and Kay is married (as if that meant anything these days). Yet there is a ton of scuttlebutt going around that DJ and Adams got a thing going on, but they are keeping it on "the down low"...LOL

Heck, if I was with Kay Adams, I'd want the whole world to know, even if she is a little cocky and full of herself. She knows her football and she's hot! Apparently, while interviewing DJ, Kay started stuttering and acting like a school girl with a crush who couldn't gather herself when meeting face to face. Who knows...it's just all over the internet and on the streets. If DJ is on that, I tip my hat to the guy



https://twitter.com/UpAndAdamsShow/status/1831007996366754029

My thinking all started when I watched Elijah "Baby Bison" Chatman chase down a RB 40 yds from the line of scrimmage and haul him down. That's beyond crazy, but that is also why Chatman made Bruce Feldman's Freak List last year

At a hair under 6-0, and 280 lbs of solid muscle, he manages to bench press over 500lbs, does 42 reps of 225lbs (daily, I heard/read), and get this, does "dumbbell rows" with 185 lb weights on each arm...which is friggin insane. These are dumbbell rows:



So, there is no question the kid a strong as an ox and has speed for his size. What I didn't know, is that he was a RB in high school as well as played some FB in college for a while. So he is certainly not unfamiliar with blocking or taking the rock and running with it

Here's my thought: We're in the red zone, and it's "3rd and goal"...why couldn't we use Baby Bison to take the ball and punch it in as a RB/FB. It worked for the "Fridge". IMO, that is an awesome tool in the team's toolbox. Many a time, there is a clogged-up line that requires brute force to win the scrum. What better tool that a 280lb RB that can lift 500lbs in his sleep to push the scrum over the line???

Great idea, or did I stay out too late last night and drink more than I should have. Is this a crazy thought?

There's a couple of traditions in my community that I think are great. The first one is my old school, where each year, the H.S. seniors take the kindergarten kids out and together, they plant a tree for each kindergartener. We have a huge flat field with basketball courts, tennis courts, six soccer fields and four ball diamonds, and a lot of free space being developed into a massive park, so the trees help build the future park. The older kids help the younger kids, but allow the young ones to use a shovel and any other tools needed, and to carry a bucket of water from the river to water the tree after it's planted. When done, they shake hands and move on. Now, when the kindergarten student becomes a senior, he or she gets to see how much the tree has grown that they planted 13 years ago, and the whole circle comes back around. And for those who don't move away after graduation, they can point out a tree to their kids or grandkids and let them know they planted that tree. Personally, I think it's great

The Syracuse Orange football team has a tradition each year, called "The Burning of the Shoes". Each player has to bring the shoes they wore the previous year and throw them into the small bonfire. The coach speaks about "nothing that happened last year matters...it's a fresh new start, even if you had a great year before, this one is going to be different and even better...etc." I think it's cool. Although, as I watched each player take their turn throwing their shoes in the fire, some looked a little disappointed as they threw in a 250.00 pair of fancy Nikes that looked new...LOL

Family traditions: My parents had 6 children, 29 grandchildren, and many more great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren. We have a big family (over 60 1st cousins, several I've never met). Each of my brothers and sisters had plenty of children, as did I (4 to be exact). Because of it, the cost of buying Christmas presents around the horn was too expensive, so each year we held a "White Elephant Christmas Party". It was only among adults, as some of the gifts were pretty perverted. The idea was to find something around the house you no longer needed or wanted, and wrap it up nice and pretty (with no name tag or who it was from of course...which meant a lot, because everyone knew who to avoid...LOL) and put it under the tree. We'd sit around in a big circle and each person would take a turn and pick a present, one person at a time. The rules were, that if you already had a turn and got a present, then you could demand to trade with a person that just got a gift. Rarely happened, as most of the gifts were crap gifts that would later be thrown away. I once got a plastic Santa Claus figurine that when you pushed his head down, his hands would throw open his robe and an erect member would pop up...lol. Good ole Uncle Joe. Anyway, we'd laugh until our sides hurt over each gift being opened. Saved us a ton of money and was one of the most fun things we did as a family. Note: if you try this at home, the prettiest packaged gift is probably the worst one...lol

A few of my crazy gifts...a rubber chicken, and one year, shorts with a plastic bare ass and a coconut carved like a monkey





Another family tradition, is that we all have to bring a specialty dish for Thanksgiving. I've been bringing my caramelized mashed buttered-rutabaga every year for close to 40 years. And everyone insists that I bring it

Ex-Giant Matt Peart is turning heads and is one of the best tackles this preseason with a PFF rating of over 90 

He is now a Denver Bronco and has been turning heads all preseason and put on a dominating show against the Packers this past week

Did we give up too early? Bad coaching? Bad luck? And last of all, will we do the same with Neal and give up just as he's about to turn the corner and be an elite RT???

I've taken up playing guitar, and I am enjoying it very much. However, as a pianist who reads music, the fret board is a little confusing, nothing like the piano which is burned into my brain when looking at a sheet of music. I also used to sing in choir and a barbershop quartet (baritone/2nd tenor), and can read music like reading a children's book and always knew where my voice belonged according to the sheet in front of me, and how to blend. But with a guitar, it's a completely different animal. I'm not sure if it's to my advantage to be able to read sheet music like I do. Most guitarists I know...who are good...can't read a lick of sheet music, but usually only read "tabs", or simply learned by ear. And that's not how my musical mind works

Anyway, I have three beautiful guitars and want to put them to good use before passing them on to my son. I have a 20-year-old heirloom flame maple Gretsch 6120, a 5-year-old Takamine P4dc, and a vintage pure black Fender strat called a "limited edition Blacktop". I love them all, and I am determined to get as good on them as I am on the piano. I'd love to hear from other guitarists who became good players and how they took the next step in getting better

Someone on here a couple years ago or more, turned me on to author Carl Hiaasen (Steve?, aka "Sem" perhaps). Anyway, Hiaasen writes great detective stories based in Southern Florida. He uses a good mystery into every plot, but always finds a way to constantly inject humor into murder, greed, sex, and mayhem that only takes place in Florida

Anyway, I read his book, "Striptease" (or maybe it was "Skinny Dip" - can't remember) and was hooked and have since read most of his books, including "Bad Monkey". So imagine my elation to hear that a new series has dropped on Apple TV called "Bad Monkey" and lo and behold, it's based on the book by Carl Hiaasen. I haven't started it yet because like many new series, they drop the first three episodes, and then you have to wait each week for the next episode...ala "Fargo", "Only Murders in the Building", etc. Very frustrating after getting used to watching a series anytime I want. Spoiled I guess. I remember the days that if you missed an episode because you had to be somewhere more pressing, you missed it and you missed it forever

Anyway, here's the trailer

Bob Newhart passed away last night at 94 yrs old. One of my favorite actors and comedians of all time
https://decider.com/2024/07/18/r-i-p-bob-newhart-elf-the-bob-newhart-show-comedy-icon-dead-94/

Something we all take for granted is electricity...and when it's gone, it's agony. A tornado touched down a few miles from my home, hundreds of trees twisted like pretzels and stripped of leaves and bark. And to no surprise, power went out

So, it was out yesterday until 10:45 last night. So, I was fairly happy this morning able to make my coffee and throw together some breakfast when, "Bam!", lights out again. They just came back on (7PM)

I have a backup power system for my PC that lasts about an hour, but of course, there's no internet. Nothing works until the power is back up. I hear stories of people going without electricity for over a week and I think that would be as close to torture for me, as much as waterboarding, lol

Anyway, it's back, but I have no idea if it won't go out again because I still see trees over that are laying on electric lines. Oh well...got that off my chest   

The game of football was on the verge of being banned back in the early 20th century. Players weren't only getting crippled for life, and getting severe brain damage, but there were double-digit deaths as well, culminating in 1904 with 16 deaths in one season

Teddy Roosevelt's son, Teddy Roosevelt Jr., was a football player at college during the hard fought debates. Ted Jr. was an interesting character, who at 56 years old was a retired soldier who insisted on being able to join the D-Day invasion. He was promoted to Brigadier General and insisted against all push back as it was a suicide mission to lead the first wave hitting Utah Beach. George Patton and Omar Bradley called Ted Jr., "the bravest soldier I ever saw". He died of a heart attack a week or so after the invasion at Normandy (great story for military buffs if interested https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/medal-of-honor-recipient-profile/theodore-roosevelt-jr/

Meanwhile, President Teddy Roosevelt took up the sword to save American Football: https://www.history.com/news/how-teddy-roosevelt-saved-football

They just don't make men like that anymore

I love old art deco buildings and when I visit other cities, I tend to study architecture. I just wondered what everyone else thinks

Empire State Building



Chrysler Building



Wrigley Building



Niagara Mohawk Building



Bank of America Building

Netflix is loading up with heavy hitting dramas from a few years back

Anyone who hasn't seen LOST, will find it one of the most intriguing stories of the early 2000's, nearly 20 years ago...can't hardly believe it 

Prison Break is actually a very interesting show

And Suits got me hooked, but was disappointed that Netflix had the audacity to show the first 8 seasons and then not broadcast the season ending 9th...duhhh. Great show if you like legal shows. I found it incredibly addicting; hence, my addiction to "Lincoln Lawyer", "The Good Wife", etc

Getting in shape doing pull-ups. Keep in mind he weighs about 320, and I don't know if the resistance bands on his legs increase the weight or if they are there to hold his legs from going forward as he works out

https://x.com/Rubenfvargas/status/1806012369564475637

He looks scary



Hopefully he doesn't get injured like in the first game last year against Dallas that cost him a large part of the season. He's a critical piece to this team

I know there are some Knicks fans on this board, but there's been almost no banter about the last couple of days that have been the most amazing time since the NFL draft IMHO. The Knicks have gone all out to turn the team into a contender and going for the whole enchilada NOW
Prior to the draft, the Knicks traded for Mikhal Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby 

The draft: Knicks had three draft picks - two 1st rd picks and one 2nd rd pick (24, 25, and 56), but moved all over the board and ended up with 4 draftees, a plethora of additional future draft assets, while managing to free up a ton of money in cap management. In the words of respected NBA Insider & Reporter for ClutchPoints, Brett Siegel, "The New York Giants won the draft...getting Tyler Kolek and Kevin McCullar Jr. today won New York this draft". Another well respected analyst asked the question, "when was the last time you heard that the Knicks' front office was the smartest in the NBA, and by a large margin?"

Pre-draft rankings:



The Knicks wanted Kolek with their first of two first round picks, but they needed cap space to sign IHart, so they traded that pick away for future draft capital and freeing up money instead as signing IHart is priority one

With their second first round pick, instead of taking Kolek (who would eat up cap and hinder singing IHart), they chose an 18-yr-old European player with huge potential who they can stash in Europe, again...freeing up cash and cap

Then luck fell out of heaven and into their laps as they still got their two targeted primary players they really wanted in the second round, which of course, doesn't count against their cap like the first round players. Both players were considered first round talents and McCuller was considered a potential lottery pick until he was injured late in the season

Round 1 (25) 6'9" Pacôme Dadiet SF/PF- 18 yrs old with 2 years of professional ball under his belt against men ten years older, and nicknamed "Baby Durant". In one game last season, he went up against the no.1 overall draft pick fellow Frenchman, Zaccharie Risacher and flat out burned him three times. Risacher could not stop him. He's a natural-born scoring machine and needs to develop better defensive skills. But keep in mind, he's a teenage boy playing against seasoned professional men. Regardless, he's a "draft and stash" player to save money and a developing project. A blank slate and a ball of clay for the Knicks to mold into whatever they want


Round 2 (34) 6'3" PG Tyler Kolek - plug and play backup PG to Brunson - style of play is eerily similar to Brunson. Has incredible vision and high IQ that keeps track of every player and uses "no look" passes that made him the assist leader in the NCAA. Last player to get that many assists in college was Brunson...also considered a "backup" guard, and we know how that went. Plays with a chip on his shoulder. Opposing crowds booed and taunted him as the "bad guy"...especially Nova fans who were ruthless on him...mainly because he single-handedly beat them every game they played. Hung 34 point on Nova in one game under a chorus of boos. Note of interest: The Celtics tried to move up in the second to snag Kolek, a local boy (Rhode Island) who would fit their system. Also, the 76'ers wanted both Kolek and McCullar according to their fan board 


Round 2 (56) 6'5½" OG/SF Kevin McCullar Jr. - defensive stalwart in the mold of Grimes but with better numbers and better defender, but also a two-way player. He is also compared with Josh Hart because of his energetic style of play

Round 2 (58) 7'0" C Ariel Hukporti - athletic big from Australia whose interior play is relentless, but his perimeter value is nonexistent. Great shot-blocker, and insane rebounder. Another "draft and stash" player

The only two players likely to see playing time this season is Kolek and McCullar. If Deuce is traded (as is rumored - to free up cap to sign IHart), the Kolek will see time on the floor very quickly

Off Season:

- Will IHart sign for less than market value to stick with the Knicks?
- Is there a chance we can keep both Mitch and IHart? If so, we are ready for a run to the top
- Will we have to sacrifice Deuce to manage the money game?
- Where are our biggest weaknesses?
- Is there a single player out there that you feel should be on the Knicks...and why?

Assuming they are able to sign IHart:

First team

PG Brunson
OG Bridges
SF Anunoby
PF Randle
C IHart

Second Team

PG Deuce or Kolek (depending on Deuce's future with the Knicks)
OG DiVincenzo
SF Hart
PF Precious
C Mitch

Subs

Sims
McCullar
??? Obi's little brother 

Not only Brian, but his wife as well

Before:



After (Taken last night):



He doesn't explain how he or his wife managed to lose weight, but they both look much healthier because of it.
Good job Daboll family   

https://nypost.com/2024/06/21/sports/super-fit-brian-daboll-and-wife-beth-stole-show-at-giants-100-event/

Okay, I constantly hear (actually read) the term JAG   

I know that in the military it has something to do with Army lawyers or military court or something like that. But I see it a lot on the internet, and I've even seen it on this board (not lately, but I just thought about it when seeing JAG advertised on TV), but it has nothing to do with the military

For instance, football player "A" is called a JAG (apparently, a negative connotation). I've been interpreting that in my head as "Just Another Giant"  , but considering the context for which it has been used, it doesn't make sense...not to mention, what is "just another Giant"? Is that a bad thing to some fans?

I know it colloquial for something, I just don't know what it is. I try to keep up with the latest acronyms and lingo, at least the most common ones. But I'll be damned if I know what a JAG is if it isn't about military law and its court system

The newly formed Space Force is shrouded in mystery. The biggest mystery is the X-37B space plane, which just spent 908 days in space. It is unmanned (although there is a configuration where 6 astronauts could sit in the bay like passengers, but not control the plane). Boeing has built two of them, and they are battle tested and seem to by a viable spacecraft; however, it is rumored Boeing is building more of them while also developing a next-gen space plane. Whatever the case, it is the most highly secretive project going right now (probably other projects that are just as secretive...I don't know)





Supposedly, using vectoring propulsion, it can steer the ship anywhere it wants, and is not limited to close orbit missions. It can push satellites back into orbit that are slowly getting close to the earth's atmosphere, and can maneuver to a spot in orbit in order to have long time espionage using super cameras

The big questions: Is it fitted for warfare? Can it...more like...will it be used to carry some kind of bombs? Will it have the latest laser technology to knock out enemy satellites? Will it be used to capture and steal enemy satellites? When "Space Force" was created in 2019 as an official arm of the U.S. military, it was put on the same footing as the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, etc., so it must have an offensive/defensive plan for its use, otherwise, it'd just stay NASA, with the goal of space research. So...just what are we developing for our new Space Force??? Are we witnessing the beginning of Star Wars?

Ever since the favorable initial launch of a drone, it is becoming more and more clear that having pilotless planes to do battle are hugely advantageous. We build super sophisticated fighter jets, but their incredible maneuvers are limited to a pilots' ability to withstand incredible G-Forces as well as fatigue and vertigo. It is why most newer fighters like the F-35 and newer versions of the F18 Super Hornet and the F15EX can be flown without a pilot if necessary. Even private jets like the 5 passenger family jet, the Cirrus "Vision Jet", has a red button in the ceiling between the front and back seats so that if the pilot had an extreme problem becoming incapacitated, someone in the back seat can push the emergency button and the plane's computer immediately takes over control of the plane, searches for the nearest airport, and communicates with the radio tower, and then automatically safely lands the plane. If it runs out of gas or is crashing, another handle releases a parachute that allows the jet to safely drift to the ground and save the crew. And now with AI, who the hell knows where it's all going

Anyway - hard to keep up with advancing technology, but it is interesting



If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to get my pilot's license and get me one of those Vision Jets. I am fascinated with them. They take "smart technology" to a whole new level

Not really jokes, but not sure where to post them without starting another thread...sooo, another thread. Things that make me laugh is poop scenes, and body-switching scenes - especially when the person discovers they're in another body

Anyway, funny clips from "A Million Ways to Die in the West", "Hall Pass", and "Changeup", and other movies of body switching. A million ways to die in the west doesn't quite rival "Blazing Saddles", but that was its intent. Some knee slapping scenes, and some duds in the movie...good for a few laughs. But here's the best of them. I loved seeing Ned Beatty in a film. Last time I remember seeing him in a movie was "Deliverance" while he was climbing up a hill naked and squealing, with a toothless hillbilly on his back telling him to squeal like a pig, and John Voigt tied to a tree with another hillbilly admiring his mouth, but I digress. Some hilarious scenes:

The yearly fair:

The gunfight:

Trailer:

Another poop scene that makes me laugh from "Hall Pass"...a funny movie where two wives give their husbands a weeklong hall pass to do whatever they want, including finding and having a one-night stand with no repercussions. One of them finally get a woman to go to a motel with him (Jason Sedakis)

What the heck, another from "Changeup" where happily married Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and player/bachelor Dave (Jason Bateman) switch bodies, so David goes to bed with Mitch's wife after being told by Dave not to touch his wife...anyway
But first...discovering they've switched bodies from a freak occurance as they were pissing in a fountain

An old movie that I loved, starred Ellin Barkin as a sleazebag/womanizer (Steve) who is killed by angry women, but God sends him back to earth to prove a female can actually love him...but the caveat, God sends him back to earth as a woman (Barkin)

And one of the best body switch comedies ever is "Hot Chicks"

His dream last year ended with an injury before the season even started. But he's back and in full health and apparently impressing in practice. Hard to ignore a 6-3 WR who ran a 4.38

He's had a year to study the route tree and the way the Giants prepare for battle each week. At least he's gotten a year of mental exercise under his belt that all rookies have to go through. I think it's great to have youngsters in the system ready to step up when another player goes down. I'm hoping he's a hidden gem

https://gmenhq.com/posts/forgotten-ny-giants-wr-turning-heads-otas-great-sign-brian-daboll-01hz7kgcvbs9?sc=be165671da3b347e2b57f31b3de62ada4335dd4eb041bc409f5188d150192a90

Fifth-year Titans CB, Joshua Kalu (played for Bowen)

https://gmenhq.com/posts/ny-giants-reportedly-bring-former-titans-cb-potential-shane-bowen-reunion-01hz2mst3e4q?sc=be165671da3b347e2b57f31b3de62ada4335dd4eb041bc409f5188d150192a90

The R&RHOF has become a joke. Whilst leaving out highly successful rock and roll bands, they manage to induct old-school country twangers, like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, or rappers like Eminem and pop singers like Donna Summers. They even inducted one-hit wonder Percy Sledge  Don't get me wrong, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was a classic, but it's still his ONLY hit. I'm surprised they don't have "Snoop Dog" in there  They even have a huge section dedicated to Taylor Swift (not in the HOF...yet) and she does not sing rock and roll. What's going on? I think it's time to remove the words, "Rock and Roll" from the name and call it "Music Hall of Fame" with a caveat in parentheses ("many far more popular and successful musicians are excluded")



Country music stars already have their own hall of fame, the Grand Ole Opry, and it inducts actual country stars, and fans of country music go there to pay homage to their favored genre's superstars

Willie Nelson gets in the Rock and Roll HOF by singing off key through his nose, "On the Road Again" and is forever enshrined as a "rock and roll superstar"  WTF

Who isn't good enough to ever get in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...the list seems endless:

Three Dog Night - had 21 consecutive Top 40 hits, including 3 #1 singles, 11 Top 10s, 18 straight Top 20s, 7 million-selling singles and 12 straight RIAA Certified Gold LPs. They sold more records and had more hits than R&B group, Temptations. Not knocking the Temptations, as I love them. But they aren't rock and roll. Three Dog Night and Tommy James and the shondells had more hits and sold more records in '68 and '69 than any other singer or group...including the Beatles

Tommy James and the Shondells - 23 gold records, 9 platinum albums and over 100 million records sold worldwide, in addition to their 32 Billboard hot 100 charting hits, many have been covered by artists around the world including Bruce Springsteen, Prince, REM, Joan Jett, Billy Idol, Dolly Parton, Carlos Santana and even The Boston Pops. Tommy James and the Shondells sold more than twice as many records as Three Dog Night and ruled the billboards for the last 3 years of the 60s. The Doobie Brothers got inducted and sold a third as many records and had a much shorter and less glamorous run

Monkees - With international hits, four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs ("Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer"), they sold more than 80 million records worldwide...more than the combined record sales of the Temptations and Willie Nelson (two non-rock and rollers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Boston - Dominated charts from '76 - mid-80s and sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 17 million were the band's debut album and seven million copies of the band's second studio album, Don't Look Back (1978), placing the group amongst the world's best-selling music artists. Their song "Amanda" alone sold more records than many top singers in the HOF

Pat Benatar - has 15 top 40 hits, 5 platinum albums, 2 multi-platinum albums, and four Grammys to her credit. She was nominated for induction in 2020, but the HOF said "nope, not worthy" (My bad, she was inducted last year after being snubbed before. Apparently, a lot of fans went nuts on the inside team of people who make decisions)

There are so many others more worthy of being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so I'll just start listing them, without comment:

Paul Revere and the Raiders
Procol Harum
Bad Company (Paul Rogers - favorite singer of multiple superstars like Freddie Mercury, and the Doors recruited him after the death of Jim Morrison, etc.)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Jethro Tull
Kansas
Guess Who
Grand Funk Railroad
Turtles
Styx
Deep Purple
Ozzie Osborn
Iron Maiden
Ronnie James Dio
Warren Zevon
Badfinger
Sting (Police)
Joe Walsh
INXS
Blood Sweat and Tears
Lenny Kravits
Dianna Ross
Peter Frampton

I like to try and keep my punctuation right, and don't always get it right. But I try

So I ran into a new punctuation mark that is now acceptable...but don't try to find it on your keyboard. It's the first new punctuation mark since 1671. It's called an "interrobang" and it means to ask a question, but "with emphasis"

It looks like this:

Drove from my home in Upstate, NY to Neillsville, Wisconsin (more than a thousand miles) non-stop on Friday, then drove back non-stop on Sunday, arriving this morning about 7AM. I am getting too old for this stuff. Been sleeping almost all day

For those of you who travel RT 90 and have been to Cleveland, you are aware of the 90 degree turn on a major highway where people have been averaging 80 MPH for hours. All the warning signs, flashing lights, and rumble strips and there was still a major car accident early this morning that set me back an hour. And Google Maps kept feeding me "alternate routes" that didn't work because officers with flashing lights stopped traffic from going the direction Google (and Garvin...tried them both) told me to go. They were all giving out false information. Getting lost in Cleveland at 2:00 in the morning is an adventure in itself. Going through Chicago in the middle of the night on Friday worked well...especially since it's Memorial Day weekend. Still, quite a bit of traffic, but nothing like I've dealt with in the past. I timed it so that I would go through at 3:00 in the morning. On the way back, Google warned of an accident in Chicago and gave an alternate route that worked, albeit about an hour longer

Anyway, just felt like bitching...friggin beat and my age is showing     

I long wondered how the Dallas Cowboys ended up in the NFC East, which from a geographical position makes zero sense. So I did some research and found a few tidbits of interest

From Gene Williams on Quora

Why won't NFL move Carolina Panthers to NFC East, and Dallas Cowboys to NFC South? From Gene Williams on Quora

"The Cowboys have a long-standing agreement with the NFL stretching back to the mid 60s. The agreement was consummated by Pete Rozelle and his long time friend Tex Schramm, then President and General Manager of the Cowboys.

The impetus of the agreement was centered around Rozelle's desire for a late afternoon game on Thanksgiving as a compliment to the traditional 12:00pm CST Lions' game. Rozelle (and Schramm) were former CBS executives with keen vision concerning the symbiosis between TV and the rapid ramp up of the popularity of pro football going on at the time. The majority of team owners resisted an additional Thanksgiving game for fear of disruption of any circadian rhythm, so to speak, for teams in the playoff hunt in what at the time was late in the season.

Schramm seized the opportunity for nationwide exposure of the young Cowboys franchise and approached Rozelle with a deal. The deal was that in exchange for willingly hosting a late Thanksgiving game each year, the Cowboys would be assured a positioning in the NFL/NFC East or it's equivalent indefinitely. The NFC East is home to 4 of the top 10 TV markets in the US. The rest is history.

Is the agreement contractual? I do not know. Would the NFL break the agreement? I do not know that either. But if at some point the NFL through whatever science or emotional mechanism were to convince itself that realignment of the Cowboys would better feed the bulldog, then I'd see the league doing it.

The NFC West would make sense in that it contains 4 of the top 12 markets and, if you are to include Dallas/Ft Worth, 5 of the top 12..."

I have long wondered how this happened, and I guess this answers the question. My question to everyone else is, "What can fans like us do to force (or at least encourage the possibility) this to happen?" I suspect the Cowboy fans wonder the same thing about why they are stuck in the NFC East requiring a heavier travel log than if they were in the south with Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans

It makes too much sense to ignore. I know that the NFL plans on expansion of more teams in the future; however, in international cities (Mexico City, UK, Germany, etc.), but I don't know if they are thinking in the U.S. But it would seem to me that, as the NFL ponders expansion, they would also consider realignment. I'm sure Mexico City would prefer to be in a division with Dallas and vice versa

This old "gentleman's agreement" over cocktails between two buddies who are long dead (Rozelle nearly 30 yrs in the grave and Schramm 21 yrs ago buying the farm), should not be the "gold standard" of how football teams are aligned. And the argument that it "fits the time zone standards for two games on Thanksgiving", is no longer relevant in any possible reasoning. And as far as market reach goes, television has made that argument irrelevant. Regardless, nothing would make me happier than to see Carolina be a part of our division and be gone with the miserable Cowboys. I suspect Philly and DC would heartily agree...maybe even Dallas as they'd probably dominate the NFC South

And the other thing I'd love to see go to the grave is the moniker "America's Team" as it insults every fan who loves their home team that isn't in Texas. That started because many years ago, now retired sports writer and analyst Bob Ryan (who I actually really like his take on things) inadvertently mentioned that you'd think this was America's team the way the fans cheer. Then Pat Summerall (who overheard Ryan mention it that one time) repeated the sentiment on a Monday Night Football televised event and the Cowboys' marketing team latched onto it like a pond full of blood suckers and proliferated it all over the airways for the next several decades

Now I'm a guy who loves nostalgia and tradition (one of the reasons my love of baseball has waned, but I digress), but why are we staying loyal to a bunch of past talking heads and drinking buddies who made backroom handshake deals over glasses of 20 yr old scotch while smoking Cuban cigars, when it's frigging 2024???

There! got that off my chest. I just felt llike bitching about an old problem I've been annoyed with for years   

Any thoughts?

If you are like me, you watched the movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", and thought it was "okay, but nothing compared to other Tarantino movies". Boy was I wrong. Probably everyone has seen it, but not everyone begins to see the hand of Quentin Tarantino's masterful touches. It is filled with brief scenes that are filled with meaning; hence, the reason movie aficionados consider the movie Tarantino's absolute masterpiece, an especially those who work in the movie business

The story is really about several things going on in 1969: an actor who is washed up...the dying film genre of western movies and the stars of those westerns...the Charles Manson ranch and group of girls...the power of Roman Polanski at the height of his film making...and of course, Sharon Tate's life and demise

Leonardo DiCaprio plays "Rick Dalton" (a washed-up actor trying to make a comeback in the dying western genre); Brad Pitt as Dalton's stunt double "Cliff Booth"; and Italian actress Lorenza Izzo who plays "Francessca", Dalton's wife. Margot Robbie plays the role of "Sharon Tate", worthy of an Academy Award, IMO

Tarantino did dozens and dozens of little things, that not only indicate his obsession with Hollywood and retelling the real history of film making and the stars "exactly as it happened", but also liked to use artifacts from his other movies as a tease to Tarantino fans

Here's a short list of some of the things in the film that he used to show actual history and tidbits from his previous movies:

Margot Robbie (playing Sharon Tate), worked hard at studying Tate's life by wearing Tate's original jewelry for the entire time the film was being made, as well as wearing Tate's perfume from a half full bottle left in Tate's bedroom taken from the house where she was murdered. Towards the end, Robbie is sitting in a restaurant El Coyote, the actual restaurant where Tate ate her last meal, and Robbie sat in the same booth in the same seat area as Tate on the night she was murdered (attention to detail by QT)



Dittos with the restaurant "Musso and Frank's Grill", where Dalton and producer Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) met. The restaurant closed because of COVID, but it was still open in 2019 when the film was made and the owner had kept everything in the restaurant in its original state since its opening in 1919. In the 60's, it was a main stay for movie stars to eat (more attention to detail by QT)

The cars used in the movie were the same used in previous movies by QT. Dalton's cream-colored Cadillac was driven by Mr. Blonde in "Reservoir Dogs". Booth's (Pitt) car was a blue Karmann Ghia that was also driven by Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill", and the 1950s MG TD driven by "Roman Polanski", was an exact replica of the car Polanski drove when he was married to Sharon Tate before her murder. Tarantino took a beautifully restored black 59 Ford, and turned it into a POS that was identical to Manson's beat up car. The museum offered the original Manson car to be used in the movie, but Tarantino thought it was too creepy to use anything that Manson had in real life


Charles Manson's original car


Fake car used in the movie - car was made exactly as Manson's car

The Playboy Mansion scene was actually shot at the real Playboy Mansion of Hugh Hefner and the Playboy bunnies were actual girls who lived at the mansion. Some interesting people at the party were Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis) sharing a joint with Michelle "Michy" Phillips (singer from the Mamas and Papas and "the purest soprano in pop music", according to Time magazine, portrayed by Rebecca Rittenhouse), and Jay Sebring (Hollywood hairdresser to the stars and fiancée of Sharon Tate before a last minute breakup so she could marry Roman Polanski, played by Emile Hirsch). Polanski and Tate show up to the party in his little hot rod, then Tate takes off with Michy Phillips and runs into "Mama Cass", Michy's female partner in Mamas and Papas. As they get their party on, McQueen is now with Connie Stevens (played by Dreama Walker) and he explains to her the relationship between 5'3" Polanski, 5'8" Tate, and 5'4" Sebring. Connie Stevens was an actress and songstress who sang a song written by George Gershwin his brother, Ira called, "About a Boy".


During parts of the film in which Dalton is either practicing or playing his role in an old "Ranch Setting", it is the same setting used in his film, "Django"

A bus passes by with a big advertisement on the side of it promoting the "Big Kahuna Burger", a fictitious burger used in the movies, "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs". Also, plants a sidewalk seat with 93 KHJ "the Boss", a radio station that was king of Hollywood in 1969 (more attention to detail). Even the advertisements on the radio played in the background throughout the movie were taken from old recordings from '69



When Brad Pitt is cooking a crappy meal at home, you might notice a big blue coffee pot on the stove in his crappy apartment. It's the same coffee pot used in "The Hateful Eight", that was filled with poison and served to everyone in the building in a remote wilderness



When Tate (Margot Robbie) goes to a bookstore to pick up a book for her husband Polanski, she stops and admires and fondles a sculpture of a falcon. It just so happens that it is the exact falcon sculpture used in the movie, "The Maltese Falcon", which had been missing for close to 50 years as someone stole it from the set. It turned up at a flea market and Hollywood paid 300,000 dollars for it to get it back.

Also, the book that Tate had ordered was a classic 1891 Thomas Hardy novel that Tate loved because it was close to how she had grown up. The novel told the story of the harrowing and tragic life of the beautiful Tess, born into poverty and raped after being sent to live and work with what are believed to be wealthy relatives. The book was called "Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented". Polanski made a film based on the book, which he named "Tess". In the opening sequence of the film, Polanski dedicates the film to "Sharon". The film was nominated for six Academy Awards and winning three, including Best Picture



Charles Manson was introduced into the film as Booth (Pitt) sees a girl on the side of the street who is one of Manson's girls called Pussycat" (Margaret Qualley), while waiting at a red light and blasting "Hang on Sloopy" on the radio. Staying true to script, Qualley lets her arm pit hair grow in order to stay in character for Pussycat (more attention to detail by QT)


They meet up again later and Booth gets to know all the girls at Manson's ranch.
The real Manson girls


The film's Manson girls (which includes Sydney Sweeney and Dakata Fanning as "Squeaky Fromme" who later attempted to assassinate Pres. Gerald Ford


During one scene, the group of girls from Charles Manson's ranch are singing a song a capella, called "I'll Never Say Never, to Always"...a real song that was actually written by Charles Manson (a bit creepy if you ask me). The girls sang this in court as Manson was being tried.


In another scene we meet a guy named George Spahn (played by Bruce Dern), a real person who owned a ranch that he rented out to film production companies, and where the Manson family stayed at the time of the murders. He was blind and in his 80's around the time the Manson family moved in. Manson had offered Spahn sex with the women of his family in exchange for shelter. Booth is suspicious when he goes to visit Spahn and figures he might find him dead

Regardless, there are so many nuances to real history referenced in this movie, that it is almost impossible to truly get the gist of what Tarantino is trying to get across to the viewer. In short: the film is more of a tribute to those who work in Hollywood and know all the gory details of how Hollywood worked in the late 60s, as well as paying homage to his past movies by including cars, cooking pots, slogans on a bus, actors, etc., being inserted throughout the film. He has said it is his "last film" (we'll see) and he wanted it to be spectacular. In reality, it is...as long as you are a true history buff and are a fan of Tarantino's previous works
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Notes of interest: During the hippie movement of the 60's, the two hottest spots in the country were Haight Ashbury in San Francisco, and "Laurel Canyon" in LA. The song "Twelve Thirty" by the Mamas and Papas told of the love children moving to "the canyon". "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", staying true to exacting history, Tarantino shot the entire movie at Laurel Canyon


Kurt Russell is a true historian and helped Tarantino get everything right about the movie He received a small role in the film. Tarantino grew up in LA, so he had his own take on what was going on in 1969, but he admitted that Russell was a savant of history in LA at that time. In one interview, Russell says he grew up in the "belly of the beast" at that time in his life in Laurel Canyon, so he knew a lot of what was going on


Sydney Sweeney of recent rise to fame (especially in that SNL skit as a Hooters girl - LMAO - and the recent movie "Anybody But You") plays a role in the movie as one of Manson's girls.


Michael Madsen is one of Tarantino's closest friends and has been instrumental in picking music scores for QT's movies and gets to play in cameo roles in all his movies (except Kill Bill 2, in which he had a significant role). In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he is Sheriff Hackett. Madsen always gets killed in Tarantino's films, but he gets to live in this one

Tarantino tends to write himself into cameos in his films in which he gets to play a role. Although he didn't in this film, if you look closely at the opening poster for the movie, he is depicted in a small scene running a camera

Roman Polanski worked closely with Harvey Weinstein, and the two were the most influential people in the movie business, and to get into movies, you had to get their attention. Polanski/Weinstein controlled the film industary, while Phil Spector controlled much of the music industry. They were three peas in the same pod...one, three rapists, and one who murdered a young woman for fun by making her pretend to give a bj to a handgun not knowing he would pull the trigger just to feel what it was like to kill someone

When Sharon Tate was murdered, she was 8½ months pregnant. Her husband Polanski was in London at the time. Her baby was cut out of her and also killed. Also killed in the mayhem, was Jay Sebring (Tate's previous fiancée) and Abigail Folger, heiress to Folgers Coffee, as well as a friend and her boyfriend, and a housekeeper


Original picture of Polanski and Sharon Tate

Roman Polanski has been on the run for decades after raping a 13-year-old girl. He has lived in France and Poland since 1978 to avoid extradition to the U.S. where he'd face 50+ years in prison. He is now 90 years old and still alive

Though it wasn't broadcast in the headlines of news stories, the Giants' ST squad was poor the last few seasons. Fans knew it, but it was a side-note in the news. Apparently, judging by the changes, Schoen decided to fix it...knock on wood

Some of the changes I've noticed:

- Fired STC Thomas McGaughey and hired new STC Michael Ghobrial

- Resigned Gunner Olszewski (and true to his name, is a "gunner") who was our best gunner on STs since the retirement of David Tyree. Olszewski is also our punt returner, but that could change after the addition of WR/RB Tracy in the draft

- Signed Miles Boykin, one of the best gunners in the NFL...but as you know, we need two gunners, one on each side of the field

- Signed former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, on a cheap 1-yr contract. Should promote competition at the punt return spot between him and Olszewski (and probably Tracy)

- Resigned Carter Coughlin, our best STs player who led the team with nine tackles last season and has earned a reputation as a hard hitter https://www.giants.com/video/carter-coughlin-s-hit-stick-tackle-ends-patriot-kick-return-giants-vs-patriots-h

- Drafted shifty Tyrone Tracy as a RB, but is targeted to also be a returner who could be especially effective under the new kickoff rules

- Bryce Ford-Wheaton has spent the year and off-season practicing to make the STs squad as a "jammer" and possibly a "gunner"...he is apparently taking STs very seriously

- Drafted Darius Muasau who is known to be a special teams ace and an "unrelenting" attacker. He also played for our new STC Ghobrial. He is said to be an extremely hard hitter and a "film rat"

- hopefully, Graham Gano is back and in top shape as our place kicker

- Jamie Gillan "the Scottish Hammer" made impressive improvement last season and should be in even better shape this coming season

I'm sure there are other behind the scenes changes being made, but it certainly appears that Schoen and Daboll have not ignored the problem of the "Third Team", for which we have sucked, and have taken it very seriously to upgrade across the board. I suspect the biggest change is probably putting in a whole new system designed by our new STC Ghobrial