Fast Food Corner

There just aren't enough Sonic's near my house ... in fact, the closest one is more than an hour away ... and that's just not fair. I mean, we see many, many Sonic commercials ... commercials that tease us ... sure, they're not really that funny, but the food looks fantastic. Plus, Sonic harkens back to the days of drive-in diners - you can pull your car up, place an order, and eat the food right in your car ... I think some Sonic waitresses even have roller skates.

But, getting back to the commercials - I remember seeing a Sonic commercial that featured "happy-hours" in which their fountain sodas, drinks and slushies are all 50% off ... before I went to Sonic, I didn't understand what all the hub-bub was. After trying one of these fountain drinks, I fully appreciate the "happy hour" concept. No, there is no alcohol in the drinks ... but they are SO GOOD. The happy hours run from 2-4 pm, which isn't really optimal "bar" happy hour time, BUT, maybe you can stop there and get a fountain drink before you head to the bar ... just a suggestion.

My favorite fountain drinks include - Lemon, Watermelon, and Pineapple ... I also like the slushes (of course, who doesn't!). The real fruit slushes are my favorite, although I'll drink any of these.

Check out the site here for more information (and for the love of God, Sonic - you need to overtake the Philadelphia area!).

Worlds Colliding!

A recent Sports Illustrated article almost made me throw up in my mouth repeatedly. Apparently Notre Dame is interested in playing a college football game in Yankee Stadium ... So many thoughts went through my mind. Here are just a few of them:

* First, for those who don't know, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football team is one of those teams people either love or hate ... pretty much the same as the New York Yankees. Both are high profile, get an obscene amount of press coverage, and have been very successful through the years.

* With the above said, the perfect team to play Notre Dame would be the Dallas Cowboys ... these two teams have to be the most hated teams in football. It would be fitting to have these teams play in Yankee Stadium. Just for giggles, the Boston Celtics and Detroit Red Wings should play some sort of paintball tournament prior to the game.

* Notre Dame suggested playing Army for this game ... really? Is the reason you want to play Army because this is the only team you are reasonably confident that you could beat at this point? Grow some balls, Irish - play a real college football team. Why not play USC there? Or maybe Penn State?

* My hope is that Notre Dame gets blown out so badly on such a public stage that the school will have to realize that they are no longer the "legends" they thought they once were. Maybe all of those fake Notre Dame fans who have no direct attachment to the school will finally pick a different team to follow.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment! Mama Kat actually has 6 prompts this week ... I'm so glad she added the last one - sharing a sleepwalking story. I used to sleepwalk a lot back in my younger years ... not sure why. I don't think I've sleep-walked in years, though. I figure I'd share a handful of sleepwalking stories that I remember (in no particular order):

1. One night, I went into my older brother's room, and asked if he'd like to throw the football around with me ... normally not a big deal ... however, this was at around 3:00 in the morning. My brother cursed me out and told me to go back to sleep.

2. Another time, I walked into my brother's room and asked if he could help me move the bed so I could play baseball ... again, he cursed me out and told me to go back to sleep.

3. I went into my mom's room one night, screaming that the storm-troopers were chasing me. She calmed me down and got me back into the comforts of my bed, and assured me the storm-troopers were not hiding out in my room. The next morning, she asked me if I remembered any of the "nightmare" I was having ... of course, I remembered none of it (This, apparently happened numerous times ... not the stormtrooper dream, but nightmares I had that I couldn't remember the next morning).

4. One time, I walked down the steps, walked outside, and started yelling for mom ... apparently, I had a dream that she ran away, or something like that ... mom once again, assured me that she had not run away and that I should go back to sleep.

5. Once, I got out of my bed, walked downstairs past my parents in the living room, and walked into the closet, and closed the door behind me. My parents were perplexed, and after I didn't come out after a few minutes, my mom opened the door to find me sleep-standing. She shepherded me back to my bed (like she did so many times).

Stoppage Time ...

Just a few odds and ends ... a kind of recap of the awesome Memorial Day weekend!

* Did some awesome fishing both on Friday and Monday ... probably the best freshwater fishing of my life. First, on Friday, I caught about a 25 inch Rainbow Trout at the bottom of Swarthmore Falls (couldn't believe a giant like that would be living in such a small hole). On Sunday, I pulled in two 4-lb large-mouth bass (never caught a bass that big). I did so well, I didn't even mind the sunburn that I got.

* I finally got to taste the cream ale that my brother and I brewed .... let me tell you, it turned out PHENOMENAL! It was nicely carbonated, and had a real smooth taste. We'll be starting our next brew in a couple of weeks!

* Lots of barbecuing, which means lots of burgers and hot dogs. I had burgers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ... and let me tell ya, I didn't mind!

* My friend Slant and I decided to play tennis on Monday ... it was probably a good thing for me to work off a bunch of that beer and food from the weekend ... although I'm suffering now.

* It was great to see the Phillies take two of three from those hated Yankees this weekend.

*Great, now back to the grind ... sigh.

Song of the Week

There was a time when most people thought that Guns and Roses would easily punch it's ticket to the rock and roll hall of fame, and would eventually become one of the top 5 greatest American rock and roll bands ... how couldn't they? Appetite for Destruction - their first effort - was an awesome album, filled with great rockin' guitar riffs, brain-damaging guitar solos, and the ridiculous sound of Axl's shrieks (somehow, it worked). They followed that up with a more "acoustic" album "GNR Lies," and so on, and so on.

Axl unfortunately became a nut-case, threw out just about every original member of the band, took about a dozen years trying to put together a new GNR album, all the while continuing to shuffle the band members as if they were a deck of cards. Sadly, all of this instability (not to mention Rose's complete mental breakdown) has evaporated any chance of a Hall of Fame nomination.

Still, that first album ... man, did it rock! Not a bad song on the entire thing in my opinion. I was thinking of choosing a deeper cut to blog about on this album, but how could I? Welcome to the Jungle - what an opening cut! You get that cool guitar intro, followed by the howls of Axl Rose, and then the build up to the actual song. The words are fun, yet a bit uncomfortable ... yet, I still want to scream them at the top of my lungs (of course, I'll never sound like Axl).

The song catapulted Guns and Roses into the mainstream, and probably provided the band with more money than they'll ever know what to do with ... unfortunately, the band never realized their potential.

Take a walk down memory lane and watch the video one more time:

Fast Food Corner

If you're hungry for a burger, you have lots of options ... sure, you can go to McDonalds, Burger King, Hardees, Wendy's ... choices are endless. However, if you have some time, and you enjoy actually eating the food AT the restaurant, may I suggest Red Robin? Sure, they're not nearly as abundant as the other "fast-food" restaurants, but if you have one within 1/2 hour of your home, you HAVE to go ... trust me, you'll thank me later.

The fries are steak fries ... which are not really my favorite. But, they are bottomless, so if you really like steak fries, you'll love Red Robin.

But, the burger choices are fantastic - from the Banzai Burger (marinated in Teriyaki and pineapple slices as a topping), to 5 Alarm burger with many different types of peppers, you'll never get tired of the burgers. My personal favorite is the Royal Red Robin Burger - "This is the aristocrat of all burgers because we crown it with a fresh fried egg. In addition, topped with three strips of hickory-smoked bacon, American cheese, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and mayo." I took that directly from the menu.

Also, they have a tower of onion rings ... which is a nice appetizer if you have a group of people. The only annoying thing is the actual Red Robin mascot ... we ate there about a year ago, and this mascot was there as some sort of "promotion." Apparently, the Robin took a liking to our table and would not leave us alone ... but, the food more than made up for it.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the prompt of "Memorial Day Weekend Plans?? Do share!

I gotta busy weekend planned ... probably won't even feel like a "vacation" weekend ... but what better way to celebrate the unofficial start of summer than to hang out with friends?

Friday night is the big tasting of the beer we brewed ... if you haven't been following, my brother and I, along with a couple of friends, decided to try our hand at brewing beer. About 5 years ago, I won a beer-brewing kit and it had been sitting in my attic collecting dust. About 2 months ago, we went to the Dogfishhead brewery for a bar tour, and immediately got the itch to give beer-brewing a shot. We chose to do a cream ale - a relatively easy first attempt. Well, after more than 4 weeks, the beer is ready to be tasted, and what better night to try it than Friday night?

On Saturday, I'll probably wash the car in the morniing (yeah, majorly exciting). In the evening, we head up to the Avon Grove area to hang out with my friend Ray-Ray and his wife, and do a modified bar tour (thank goodness for friends who don't drink!).

On Sunday, my friends Rich and Mark and I are going to do some freshwater fishing in the morning, and then barbecue in the afternoon ... sounds like the perfect day to me ... I'm guessing we'll be spending evening and night there as well.

On Monday, it's probably more or less a recovery day ... unless somebody else has plans for us. Here's to hoping the weather cooperates!!!!

Song of the Week

AC-DC is kind of like Liverwurst ... either you love them or you hate them. Most of their songs employ a shrieking/screaming lead singer voice, a traditional four-on-the-floor beat, with a heavy dosage of guitar riffs. People who criticize AC-DC say all of their songs sound the same ... and to an extent, that's probably true.

But, this group rocks ... great guitar riffs, songs filled with references to drinking, and sex ... choruses you want to scream at the top of your lungs ... just true party music.

I love a lot of AC-DC songs, but my favorite one has to be TNT - how can you go wrong with a song that starts off with a chorus of "Oi ... oi ... oi ...." which is supported by a very cool guitar riff? The answer is that you can't. This song would probably be the song I'd use as an entrance theme if I was a professional wrestler (yes, I've put some thought into that in the past).

It also includes a very memorable line - "Lock up your daughter, lock up your wife, lock up the back door, run for your life ..." Probably a little on the "tasteless" side, but a true rock line if there ever was one.

In case you're interested, here's a "live" video of the song:

The Unforgettable Guppy Trout

Growing up, my parents subjected me to a variety of sports on TV - whether it was tennis, golf, Soccer Made in Germany, or even ABC's Wide World of Sports, I was watching it ... loving it. I couldn't get enough of Karl Heinze Ruminiga, or pool tournaments featuring Minnesota Fats and Willie Mosconie ... or classic McEnroe vs. Borg matches ... if there was some kind of "sporting" competition, I would start to salivate.

And yes, this even included the Professional Bowlers Tour on Saturday afternoons. I would watch bowling legends like Earl Anthony, Marshall Hollman, and Mark Roth ... My parents would cheer the "traditional" bowlers (also known as bowlers who had no charisma), and would boo the bowlers who wore funny clothes, or showed too much emotion. I would cheer and boo with my parents, but I secretly liked the over-the-top bowlers.

One specific bowler I absolutely couldn't get enough of was a bowler by the name of Guppy Trout ... let me repeat that - Guppy Trout. The guy had a red-afro, would wear sun-glasses, and always wore plaid pants, and a plaid shirt that was a different color and had different patterns than the pants. It was fantastic, he was like the clown-prince of the PBA ... he seemed to make the cut about once a month, but would never win any tournaments ... obviously, he was more concerned with his Krustacular appearance as opposed to bettering his skills and ability.

Here's the depressing thing .... in the age of the internet, wikipedia, and You-tube, there is not an image or video of this guy around ... how does this happen? I didn't think this was even possible. I was so hoping to be able to show you this guy .... now, you'll just have to take my word on him.

Political "Incorrectness"

As most of you probably know, I try not to talk politics ... I have my own beliefs, but respectfully try not to push them on people ... at the same time, I don't mind having intelligent conversations regarding politics from time to time. Unfortunately, it seems that most people (at least the vocal ones) have really strong (blind, stubborn, etc.) beliefs, and refuse to engage in intelligent discussions, choosing instead to belittle others who don't agree with their "party."

First, let me say that both sides of the aisle unfortunately participate in this idiotic pissing party ... from politicians, to radio talk show hosts, to newspaper writers, to bloggers, and even my friends - heck, I have friends who are republicans and democrats ... for the most part, they can speak, and more importantly, listen intelligently when discussing political issues ... however, I do have a couple of friends who are phanatical about their politics, and unfortunately, are unable to participate in intelligent political discussions ... I remember a party at my house where two of my best friends got into a fist-fight over politics ... folks, that's just ridiculous. Those two friends are no longer permitted to talk politics when they are in my presence.

Recently, I heard of a political spat among some of my blogger friends (I won't divulge any names) - instead of using the forum as a place to discuss each ideology in an intelligent manner, some of these bloggers chose to act like complete imbeciles. If you can't participate in a "smart" discussion on politics, where you are able to at the very least listen to the other side's perspective (so that you can get a better idea where they are coming from), maybe you should at some point try and grow up. It's a free country folks - you're allowed to have your own beliefs, and they don't necessarily have to be the same as another person ... that's what makes this country great. Otherwise, it would be a dictatorship ... or maybe a cult, right?

Why call it that?

There's been a lot of hype surrounding the new Star Trek movie, and for good reason. First, J.J. Abrams, the mind behind the smash TV show Lost directed this blockbuster. And, hey, it's a Star Trek movie, it has a large cult following to begin with.

I'm not a "Trekkie," and I'm kind of excited to see this flick. And, apparently, there are many, many people like me - which means that Abrams hit the mark with his portrayal.

One thing that bothers me - he calls it a "reimagining" of the Star Trek story. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely HATE that term. Really, it's a prequel, isn't it? Why can't it be called this? Why do directors have to use terms like reimagining and rebooting (like the Batman movies)?

Seriously, why not create your own movie with your own Sci-Fi storyline? I mean, isn't this what Star Wars was? Couldn't Star Wars have theoretically been a "reimagining" of Star Trek? Heck, all gangster movies could probably be a rebooting of The Godfather, right? Was Adam Sandler's football movie, The Longest Yard, a "reimagining" of the classic? No - it was a remake.

Reimagining or Rebooting is like screwing with the past, isn't it? Can the Bible be "rebooted?" What about history? Can the Civil War be reimagined? Wait, I think the South has already done this, right? Nevermind.

I'm Sorry, What's Your Name?!?!?!?

Philadelphia has had a "storied" history when it comes to professional soccer - outdoor teams like the Philadelphia Atoms, and Philadelphia Fury graced our area for at least a couple of years. Indoor teams like the Fever and the Kixx had a little bit more success. But really, Philadelphia never really embraced soccer - that's why it came as kind of a shock when I heard the City of Brotherly Love would once again give it a go with soccer.

Just for the record, I'm a soccer fan - I've played it since I was a little tyke, and I enjoy watching it. I'm sure I'll probably attend at least a few games next year when the franchise starts playing.

Here's the thing though. I'm really not thrilled about the name. Certainly any of the previous names that Philly used for it's soccer team would've been better than this. That's right, folks - the new name of the Philadelphia soccer team is the "Union." Really? Union? Is this the best name to choose, considering how the UAW helped to sink the auto industry in the U.S.?

Hey, I think unions serve a good purpose ... but only until they get far too big and bloated for their worth. Understand, absolute power corrupts asolutely ... and sadly, we've seen it with just about every "big" union ever created. In Philly, we have so many unions, nothing gets done ... unless you have tons and tons of money (or friends in the local political offices).

I'm interested in finding out more about why this name was chosen. I mean, if they wanted to symbolize Philadelphia, why not use "Cheese-steaks," or "Soft Pretzels," or better yet, "Meter Maids."

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment - click here to find out more. I chose the prompt "I remember when ..."

I remember when the Commodore 64 was the coolest "gaming" system around. I remember when it would take 5-10 minutes to load a game on the Commodore 64 ... and we didn't even complain about it. Now, we get pissed when we have to wait 30 seconds to load a game on one of the next-gen systems! We'd normally either eat a sandwich for lunch, or possibly even have a catch with the football out front while we waited for the game to load.

Most of the time, the game loaded, but there were some games, like Bruce Lee or Dr. J. vs. Larry Bird One on One ... basically, 10 minutes of loading was wasted ... sure we'd get pissed, but we'd try to reload the game.

The best thing about the Commodore 64 was the whole "pirate hacking" culture. Basically, there was some sort of "network" of hackers, who hacked a bunch of games, and created copy disks - I was lucky enough to be plugged into this network, and was able to "acquire" quite a few copy disks - as well as a ton of games ... so many, in fact, that I was never able to play all of them ... a wonderful problem to have! One of the funny nuances I remember was buying a bunch of floppy disks, and using a hole puncher to make them "double-sided," which meant we could copy games onto both sides of the disk.

In fact, my friend BT did a podcast about the Commodore 64, and I made a "special" guest appearance - check it out here (episode 9).

Song of the Week

I like a lot of bands that nobody else knows about (or probably even likes). One of my favorite "personal bands" is a Canadian rock group from the early 1980's (actually, they were together until the early 90's) is Platinum Blonde. Their early sound was very similar to Duran Duran - in fact, they were known as the Canadian Duran Duran. How did a kid from Philly ever find out about this band?

Well, as luck would have it, my parents had friends in Canada, and they sent me the "Standing in the Dark" cassette for my 11th birthday - it was probably the first "rock" album that I owned - so I immediately took a liking to them. The first song on the album, "It Doesn't Really Matter" still resounds in my head after so many years.

The opening features a female voice saying "Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin." This is followed by a catchy guitar lick. The lyrics apparently are very political, talking about political officials who ignore the best interests of their own people. Some pretty powerful drums and a strong base fill out the background of the song. If you like Duran Duran, you'll probably enjoy this song ... and most likely, the rest of the album (even if it is a bit more intelligent than Simon's stuff).

Fast Food Corner

I am blessed to live near Philadelphia ... and, no, it's obviously not because of the mostly inept sports teams that call the City of Brotherly Love home. Actually, it's really because of cheese-steaks! People outside of Philly can't understand all the hub-bub (yeah, I went with that word) over cheese-steaks, and there's one major reason - PHILLY ROLLS!

You HAVE to use the right roll when making a cheese-steak - it's probably the most overlooked item in the making of a cheese-steak - and that's really the main reason why these "Philly Cheese-steak" joints outside of Philadelphia don't measure up. Seriously, the other ingredients are important - you need a high quality beef, good cheese, perfectly sauteed onions, but if you fail to use a good roll, you will fail.

If you ever visit Philly, you HAVE to get a cheese-steak, and here are just a few of the fine restaurants in Philly that serve fantastic ones (in no particular order):

1. Pat's - probably the most famous of the cheese-steak franchises, this sits in the heart of South Philly on 9th and Passyunk, complete with gaudy neon lights, and beef that is chopped finely. Can't go wrong here.

2. Geno's - A close (and not so friendly) neighbor of Pat's - steak that is not chopped, but tastes fantastic. Most Philadelphians say you either love Geno's or Pat's, but you can't love both. I say, bull!

3. Jim's - This restaurant is conveniently located on South Street. Generous portions of steak, and a 2nd floor that provides a great view of South Street. Lot's of pics of famous people too.

4. Ishkabibles is also located on South Street, and has good cheese-steaks. They also have really good fries and wings ... in case you aren't in the mood for cheese-steaks ... for some weird reason.

5. Leo's - This one's not in the city. Actually, it's located in Sharon Hill ... but, it's one of the best in the area.... large amounts of beef, great rolls, and local (for me).

Seriously, Bret?

Seriously, Mr. Favre ... it's time to stay retired. We've put up with your act for quite a few years now ... teetering on the brink of retirement and coming back to the NFL ... We're sick of the circus atmosphere you've created and allowed to fester. We were ok with your act a few years ago ... heck, you were a legend in the sport, and you gave us many years of joy. But now, it's just plain sad, seeing a guy who no longer has what it takes to be an NFL player, trying to come back again and again.

We even were sort of ok with you coming back last year with the New York Jets ... many of us felt that you may have been unceremoniously released by the Packers ... we were all probably wrong. The Packers had enough of your "uncertainty" act. You became a diva who wanted the Packers to beg you to come back. When the Packers held you to your "retirement wishes," you got pissed off. You immediately acted like a baby who cries because he can't have his cookie.

The Packers allowed you to start all over with the Jets, but this wasn't enough for you. No, you want to get back at the Packers, and are now considering a move to play for the Minnesota Vikings, so that you can stick it to the team and city you used to "own." Seriously, Bret, it's time for you to grow up ... it's time for you to get over the fact that the Packers moved on. Why don't you just ride off into the sunset with a little bit of grace for once?

Jose, You Can't See ...

There was a story on ESPN.com a few days ago that steroid-injecting legend Jose Canseco will be fighting in a Mixed Martial Arts match. Really? At this point, Gene Simmons thinks that Jose Canseco has whored himself out too much. What's next, the Canseco Grill (a knock on the Foreman Grill for you slow readers)?

I'm pretty sure Jose made quite a bit of money as a baseball player, right? I'm also guessing he hauled in some cash with his books ... not too mention through speaking engagements and commercials, he's probably raked in many millions of dollars. How the heck is he broke at this point? Has he been buying gold toilet paper or something?

He did some "celebrity" boxing matches about a year ago, and got his bloated butt kicked. Obviously, he has no chance in the Octagon. I mean, will people buy the PPV just to see him get obliterated? I guess that's what the people running the show are hoping for.

Part of me feels sorry for the guy ... obviously, he lived beyond his means ... but, seriously, what the heck did he do with all that money? Steroids aren't that expensive, are they?

Whatever Happend to Boxing?

Remember those days when boxing mattered? I remember them well - I got into boxing around the end of Ali's run ... I remember the last embarrassing matches of the legend, but I also remember ABC's Wild World of Sports showing his classics against Foreman and Frazier. I remember the Thomas Hearns vs. Hagler fights, or the Sugar Ray Leonard matches. They were awesome. Heck, I even remember how big of an event it was watching the Mike Tyson PPV's with my friends, making bets on which round he was going to obliterate his opponent in. And then, starting in the 90's, the sport took a nose-dive. But why? I have a few theories:

* Don King - he made the sport popular beyond belief, but the blatant corruption he pumped into the sport ultimately took its toll. If you didn't fight for Don King, you probably weren't going to hit mainstream boxing. King usually had controlling interest in both main event fighters ... folks, that's never a good thing.
* The Rise of Mixed Martial Arts fighting - The shows are all over regular tv, and there seems to be a big PPV on a weekly basis. The fighting is real, and it's violent ... boxing looks like child's play compared to this. Fans who once got their "violence" fix from boxing, get it at a much higher rate watching UFC or Pride shows.
* Less athlete's are going to boxing - it seems like most of the talent are looking into other sports, such as football, basketball, and even baseball (not to mention MMA). Boxing no longer seems like a popular outlet for kids.
* Our society seems to be turning everyone into whimps - when I was a kid and played tee-ball, we actually kept score ... and one team won while the other team lost. As kids, we learned a valuable lesson that sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Unfortunately, I've heard that many of these youth clubs don't allow scoring in sports - what lesson is learned there? So much for competitiveness. Boxing could never work in this situation.

Weekly Homework Assignment

My mom (on the right)

It's time once again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment. The prompt I chose this week is once again in my wheelhouse - "write a poem to your mother." Since I've posted a bunch of "Inga" stories from time-to-time, this should be easy (and hopefully, entertaining).

To my great German mother.
You are like no one other.
The English language you never really got.
Some of your quotes still make me laugh a lot.
You knew right away that a stubborn son you had.
When he refused to eat his spinach, and it made you really mad.
The lessons you taught your kids will never be forgotten.
They turned out super great, and avoided being rotten.
Even though your burgers and steaks always turn out gray.
I'll stop over to eat them any day.
You and dad always made us feel like a million bucks.
We love you so dearly for that, oh shucks!
Thanks again for everything, mom!
You really, really are the bomb!

Fast Food Corner

We used to have a Jack in the Box in our neihborhood - a suburb of Philadelphia. I remember it vaguely on the corner of Route 420 and Mac Dade Blvd - I'm guessing it closed down sometime in the late 1970's or early 1980's. I'm pretty sure my parents took me there on a couple of occasions, based on my love for hot dogs, but my recollection of any details fails me.

The place closed down, and there were all kinds of rumors that spread as to its demise ... rumors raning from them using real dogs in their "recipe," (probably not true), to the place being so unsanitary that it had to be closed down (who knows) ... I'm sure the chain just felt it couldn't survive in the Philadelphia area, based on lots of other successful family hot dog restaurants (like The Last Stand).

The chain still seems to be exhibiting some success throughout the country - its website claims that there are more than 2100 Jack in the Boxes operating nationally - mostly out west and to the south. In case you're interested, the closest one to me is in Statesville, NC ... a bit too far of a drive for a wiener.

You're Gonna Play the Super Bowl Where????

I heard a rumor today that London, England has put in a bid to host the Super Bowl sometime within the next 8 years ... I probably should repeat that ... but I won't. A comparison for those of you on the other side of the pond would probably be the U.S. putting in a bid to host the UEFA Cup final. On the surface, it probably doesn't make much sense.

However, Roger Goodell, the head honcho of the NFL, has stated repeatedly that he would like to eventually see NFL teams in Europe. Based on the ultimate failure of the World League of Professional football in Europe, I'm guessing this dream is probably more than a few years away from being realized. But, bringing perhaps the largest sporting event on American soil to England would certainly inject some fresh popularity in the sport overseas ... at least for a little while.

I have many questions. First, will this be played at Wembley Stadium? Second, will British people even be offered tickets (it's practically impossible to get Super Bowl tickets, even in the United States). Third, will the Queen be there? Fourth, what time will this game take place? I mean, London time is 6 hours different than East Coast time ... that could cause a potential problem, considering the NFL enjoys starting the big game at 6:00 pm east coast time ... this would make the start of the game in London around midnight ... I can't see that as a possibility. I'm sure Goodell has a plan in place, though.

Song of the Week

I like the Beatles ... I'm guessing most people have at least a little bit of love for the Fab 4, right? I mean, I'm not crazy about them, but I like their music ... usually in smaller doses. However, there is a song of theirs that I can't get enough of - and no, it's not really a "manly" song (which means, Paul must've written it). Everytime I hear it, a chill runs down my spine - there aren't really that many songs that can do that to me.

I'm talking about "The Long and Winding Road." I'm sure McCartney probably was talking, at least partially, about the imminent end of the Beatles, but it always reminds me of past "loves," and the unwillingness (or maybe, the inability) to truly give them up.

The music itself is hauntingly beautiful - violins, opera-style voices, and other instruments weaving together marvelously throughout the background of the song, building to an inspiring climax (hey-yo). It's a song that was made for McCartney's voice, and probably couldn't ever be properly covered (with the exception of the late Roy Orbison).

In my opinion, it would have to be in the top 10 greatest "slow songs" of all time, and an argument could be made for it being the greatest ... again, just my opinion.

You can read more about the song here: