Please respect my rights

This work by Sean A. Donahue is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

What’s on my mind

Let the rebuilding begin…

Folks, we had our shot at UT this year and though we didn’t win , we at least didn’t finish dead last in the Big 12 South. It was a year where we wanted to take two steps forward and yet we took two steps back.

Yes, my friends, I bet against the Red Raiders.

You see I knew that I would LOVE them to win by more than 9 and the gifts that I would have to pay my wife would be mere inconvenience to me.

But my heart wasn’t there.  How many Red Raider fans showed up to the game? Probably more than the Northwestern Wildcats for sure, but they didn’t show up as they had in the past.  Maybe it was almost having to be bowl qualified by the use of a FBS win that spurred the alumni.  Maybe it was the $75 ticket prices that hurt them too.  Maybe that the students didn’t get a discounted rate hurt.  If I was someone who paid $75 and heard about the discounting to $25 that the bowl officials made before game time, I’d be asking for my money back.

I wanted to go to the game. I just didn’t think I would get any decent seats even at $75.  Boy, I was wrong.  ESPNU knew this game was going to be a disappointment by the camera angles that showed mostly full portions of the stadium.  Anytime someone looked at the end zones they showed what really was happening, empty seats. Why did the empty seats happen?  Because they overpriced an 11:00 A.M. game between 2 7-5 schools.  I thought a ticket broker would have known better.

Was I disappointed about not going to the Ticket City Bowl?

No, it was this season.  It didn’t feel like football at all during the season.  We faced our arch-nemesis’ and got beat down by both A&M and UT.  We won games against Colorado and Missouri that Coach Leach could never get done.

But the season didn’t feel like fall.  It went from summer to winter and there was no falling leaves or anticipation of the game day experience.

It fell flat this year.

But 2011 is a new year and we have the spring to look forward to. We will be looking at a new starting QB with a tough opening game away versus TCU before home stints with New Mexico and Nevada before hitting the Big 10 play, I mean 12. Sorry, ironic that we only have 10 and we still call ourselves 12, never mind.

I am looking forward to seeing year 2 of the four year plan.

Because every coach has 4 years to see his recruits come in and make an impact.  Some people think that we have a top 30 recruiting class this year.  I’ll believe it in 2013-2014 when the freshman that will enter in the fall of 2011 come back as Juniors making an impact on the Big 12.

Yes, we won but didn’t cover.  And yes, my wife is doing dishes as we speak penalty for her flawed optimism of a 7-5 team.

But I have optimism for 2011.

Either that or I can wait for hell to freeze over.

Where did it go?

The Browns have lost their # 7 draft pick!

I love when people make moronic mistakes.  NBC Sports has the Cleveland Browns passing their 7th pick.  What maroons.  Imbeciles!  Check your work morons!

I swear the Browns had the 7th pick in the NFL Draft on Friday!!!!

Weeding…

My lawn looks like a green and yellow patch of well, you know.

I’ve been weeding my life lately.  I’m someone that doesn’t let go of things easily. Recently I’ve been lucky to start letting things in my life , well just go like a dandelion in the wind.

Now in the past I’d be letting all the wonderful dandelions begat more dandelions, but it just isn’t happening now.

I’ve got too much to do and too much to see.

So I started today by paring down the Facebook friends list.  Am I really friends with 500 people? No. I started by weeding that down to under 300.  It may be weeded again soon.

If you didn’t talk to me in the past, or you added me because of some friend of a friend you probably didn’t see the notification of your weeding on FB.

You were just gone.

I’ve taken 2 truck loads of stuff over for a garage sale this weekend at my friend Kerri’s house.

What happens if they don’t get sold? The stuff gets donated to a prison ministry.

I don’t need stuff. I have stuff, lots of stuff.

But in reality, all the stuff is are weeds.

They don’t have deep roots, they can be eliminated with proper care , and in the end don’t have meaning for me.

The stuff that has emotional meaning is put up where it needs to be. The rest just found its way to places that aren’t my garage.

My heart isn’t into keeping things that don’t have meaning anymore.

And I’ve been making changes at home, work and everywhere.

Maybe when I’m finished weeding I’ll see the green grass.  The big lawn picture that I need to see.

Or maybe, I’ll just have to start weeding again.

My wife is now happy!

We have the car and now she will stop the 21 daily calls to me.

I can relax and prepare for Radiothon.

Own the podium? How about PWNED!

The 1960 throwbacks works as it takes 50 years, but it is a sweet 5-3 U.S.A win over Canada guaranteeing at least a 2 seed in the knockout portion of the tourney.

Canada will have to win 4 games in 4 days to win the Gold.

U.S.A. will have to win 3 games in 4 days to win the Gold.

Canada starts with Germany in a 6-11 match up.

USA will either play the winner of Slovakia / Belarus or a Swiss / Norway depending on the Finland / Sweden game.  Because of the 5-3 victory against Canada the US needs a Sweden victory or a Finland victory in overtime to gain the # 1 seed.  I’d rather see them play as the 2 seed and let Finland play the Slovakia / Belarus winner.  We’ve won against Swiss / Norway, and I’d rather play Norway.

Tonight’s game was a tale of 5 sections.

Section 1 : Quick US Score followed by Canada equalizer then the lead back for the US.

The US in the first period used counter attacking to a T and whenever Marty Brodeur decided to get away from the crease, he was punished with shots and two goals.

Section 2: Canada attacking with organized attacks as the US fell into the trap of defending a lead.  They gave up the equalizer and so many times Canada had open looks and Ryan Miller shut them down.

Section 3: The key of the game was here… ACTUALLY scoring on a Power Play.  The US can’t let the man advantage go away with bad passing and barely any shots with a man advantage.  Canada played inspired until the last PP.

Section 4: The Brick Wall of Miller.  You can’t see the Miller Time logo on the back of his helmet but Ryan was IMPRESSIVE! The Buffalo Sabre goalkeeper was everywhere in the crease and made several incredible stick and glove saves.  At any time Canada COULD HAVE tied it up, but every time they had a chance, Ryan just got enough of the puck to send it somewhere else.  By using the Brick Wall of Miller the US had enough counter attacking to change the tempo and momentum of the game.

Section 5: Empty Netter and celebration. Laying down to score a 5th goal may have seemed without value but that 5th goal could be the difference in seeding for the US team.  Now they sit back and get to ice down those injuries.

For the entire game I kept trying to explain penalties and players to Joanna.  All she wanted to talk about was pretty boy Sydney Crosby, and with the exception of the one goal was a  non entity in the game.

My three stars:

3. Chris Drury  Goal and overall attitude!

2. Ryan Miller 42 saves Nuff said.

1. Brian Rafalski 36 year old grandpa of the US team with 2 goals.

In other Olympic news, the US Curling team still sucks.  My favorite goat still found a way to blame everyone else but HIMSELF!  He even had the gall to challenge Brian Smith to make a tough shot and bet him $20 if he couldn’t make it.

Win consistently and then have fun with the side bets GOAT!

But then , that’s my opinion and I’m still waiting for the Goat fanclub to show up and tell me what kind of great guy he is.

AH here they are.