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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Saturday Night Open Thread

Saturday Night Open Thread

by John Cole|  September 5, 20098:17 pm| 107 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Sports

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This is from last night:

closerandcloser

Not feeling very bloggy today, and Alabama v. Va. Tech is on. I want to root for Alabama because VA. Tech dissed the Big East, but at the same time, I hate pretty much everything about the state of Alabama. I’m rooting for injuries.

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107Comments

  1. 1.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 8:19 pm

    Product Description for Glenn Beck’s new book Arguing With Idiots

    “It happens to all of us: You’re minding your own business, when some idiot informs you that guns are evil, the Prius will save the planet, or the rich have to finally start paying their fair share of taxes…

    The next time your Idiot Friends tell you how gun control prevents gun violence, you’ll tell them all about England’s handgun ban (see page 53). When they tell you that we should copy the UK’s health-care system, you’ll recount the horrifying facts you read on page 244. And the next time an idiot tells you that vegetable prices will skyrocket without illegal workers, you’ll stop saying “no, they won’t” and you’ll start saying, “actually, eliminating all illegal labor will cause us to spend just $8 a year more on produce.” (See page 139.)

    Idiots can’t be identified through voting records, they can be found only by looking for people who hide behind stereotypes, embrace partisanship, and believe that bumper sticker slogans are a substitute for common sense. If you know someone who fits the bill, then Arguing with Idiots will help you silence them once and for all with the ultimate weapon: the truth.”

    h/t http://www.amazon.com/Arguing-Idiots-Small-Minds-Government/dp/1416595015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252195033&sr=1-1

  2. 2.

    robertdsc

    September 5, 2009 at 8:19 pm

    Tunch! Noooooooo!

  3. 3.

    maddie

    September 5, 2009 at 8:22 pm

    Cuuuuuuuute! Fast friends.

  4. 4.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 8:27 pm

    Just recieved the American movie version of State of Play so it’s movie night. It is discouraging that there are so few good recent movies coming out. Maybe this will be one.

    And what was the ransom Tunch extracted to share a seat on his Throne.

  5. 5.

    QDC

    September 5, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    Say John: Was the “Liberty” team that WVU beat today *the* Liberty University?

  6. 6.

    Demo Woman

    September 5, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    Best picture ever. One more inch and they will definitely be the best of friends. Are we sure that Lily weighs more?

  7. 7.

    madmommy

    September 5, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    Awww…inter-species futon lounging!

    Watching the Bama/Va Tech game. Why in the hell are they playing in the Georgia Dome?

    Wow, Brent Musberger has gotten old suddenly.

  8. 8.

    John Cole

    September 5, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    @QDC: Yes. Not going to be a good year for WVU football.

  9. 9.

    RedKitten

    September 5, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    We almost have interspecies snorgling! Yay!

  10. 10.

    asiangrrlMN

    September 5, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    Interspecies (almost) snuggling is teh cuteness. Happy sigh. They are becoming BFF!

    P.S. More Tunchiecam, please.

  11. 11.

    Linkmeister

    September 5, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    BYU – OU is also on if you can’t work up a rooting interest in the ‘Bama – Va Tech game.

    Looking at Glenn Beck, it’s painfully clear that he doesn’t eat produce at all, so why should he care enough to claim it would only cost $8 more/year if all illegal workers were used to fertilize the fields it grows in deported?

  12. 12.

    demkat620

    September 5, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    What was the over/under on spooning?

  13. 13.

    Wile E. Quixote

    September 5, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    Man, if the Army had this kind of capability when I was in

    http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/44713

    I could have downloaded porno and watched YouTube videos of cats.

  14. 14.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    @JK: Do you suppose he has any reliably sourced, uncontested, unskewed actual facts to support his assertions? Someone is going to have to do verification run through the book, which requires (shudder) actually reading it. Won’t be me who does it.

    Is there any information about whether Beck writes his own books?

  15. 15.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    @RedKitten: Good God, don’t let Rick Santorum know!

  16. 16.

    Wile E. Quixote

    September 5, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    @JK

    Idiots can’t be identified through voting records, they can be found only by looking for people who hide behind stereotypes, embrace partisanship, and believe that bumper sticker slogans are a substitute for common sense. If you know someone who fits the bill, then Arguing with Idiots will help you silence them once and for all with the ultimate weapon: the truth.”

    Does this mean that irony is dead?

  17. 17.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    Special Ed reports on the catastrophic example of Obama incompetence that not all schools will be open on Sept. 8, for the brainwashing attempts via telling kids to stay in school.

    Mark Tapscott picks up the thread of yesterday’s Obamateurism and follows it back through the first seven months of the Barack Obama presidency. The failure to check with school districts on start dates before scheduling a national address to “schoochildren” is not an isolated fumble by the administration headed by the novice executive. It’s becoming a pattern of incompetence, which can be seen at all levels:

    Ed lists several schools who won’t be open then, which illustrates clear evidence of Obama’s failed presnitcy after 8 months. I think Obama should enlist the tykes to search for Bush’s WMD’d and to go down and clean up after Katrina. That would fix Ed’s wagon.

    Please, somebody just shoot meh.

  18. 18.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck: Not only that, but I’ll bet they didn’t check to see that the schools would have no absences on the day they chose, either. Bunglers!

  19. 19.

    xj - not the auto

    September 5, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    Glenn Beck’s new book Arguing With Idiots – Is it because only idiots would bother to argue with him? Is the title self-referential? Did he argue with himself,ala Stephen Colbert? Answers, we need answers…

  20. 20.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 8:56 pm

    Check out the cover photo on Beck’s book. It’s on display at Amazon.com.

  21. 21.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    Does this mean that irony is dead?

    No, just not applicable to BeckWorld. The Truth? Beck can’t handle The Truth! Or recognize it, or understand it.

  22. 22.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 9:06 pm

    Does this mean that irony is dead?

    Hell no. Irony drives the Peak Wingnut Clown Car. Therefore, eternal.

  23. 23.

    TX Expat

    September 5, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    I’m getting ready to watch the LSU/UW game. 9:30 pm kick-off and according to what I read in the sports page (first time reader!) my school is about whip out a can of whup ass on the Huskies.

    But I think that Seattle is proving to be a bit of a culture shock to at least one of my buddies who’s up there for the game. This is the last text I got from him this afternoon:

    “Seriously TX Expat, I’ve just been hit on by the 4th transsexual in as many days, what’s up????”

    My reply:

    “Maybe God is trying to tell you something punkin’.”

    Geaux Tigers!

  24. 24.

    gnomedad

    September 5, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    @JK:

    “It happens to all of us: You’re minding your own business, when some idiot informs you that guns are evil, the Prius will save the planet, or the rich have to finally start paying their fair share of taxes…

    But, but Glenn, what do I do when some idiot informs me that Obama is a Kenyan, climate change is a hoax, and tax cuts will balance the budget?

  25. 25.

    asiangrrlMN

    September 5, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    @gnomedad: You nod your head and say, “Good points, all.” Then you punch ’em in the neck.

  26. 26.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Precisely

  27. 27.

    PurpleGirl

    September 5, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Not to agree with Special Ed that President Obama is incompetent but the WH should have checked about starting days in various areas. They should have checked at least the larger districts: For example, NYC’s schools open on September 9th. That’s more than a million kids who won’t hear the speech live.

  28. 28.

    PurpleGirl

    September 5, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    Great critter pix.

  29. 29.

    South of I-10

    September 5, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    @TX Expat: Ha! How is the Tiger turnout? Lots of purple and gold? In case anyone cares, UL 35 Southern 12 in the third. I hear that Southern’s band was awesome as usual, with a Michael Jackson tribute, complete with Thriller dance.

  30. 30.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 9:25 pm

    @PurpleGirl:

    And some won’t open until the 10th or 11th, and some not till next week. But most around the country I’m fairly sure will open on the 8th. But I get your point about big cities. They just won;t see it live, but on VCR or digital recording when they do return. I don;t think being live is something kids pay much attention to. And certainly not something to hammer on a main stream blog as some kind of giant importance, Though wingers are mostly desperate and insane, and that is lost on them.

  31. 31.

    Jen R

    September 5, 2009 at 9:27 pm

    Rachel Alexandra does it again — this time beating older colts. And all she had to do was duel for the lead while running wide early, then put away the other speed horses, and then hold on while the closers took their shots at her.

    No problem!

  32. 32.

    TX Expat

    September 5, 2009 at 9:30 pm

    @South of I-10:

    I can only speak to law school turnout, but we were definitely representing. I’m getting ready to turn on the game here shortly so we’ll see how our fans are holding up. Well, more accurately how *their* fans are holding up under a full on crazy-ass LA turnout.

    I’m sorry to have missed the Southern game. The band performance sounds amazing!

    I’m going to my first LSU game in a couple of weeks. I’m a little scared…too many years in Seattle have made me a bit timid, I fear.

  33. 33.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    September 5, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Good one

  34. 34.

    Zuzu's Petals

    September 5, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    Best wingnut attempt at a witty Obama nickname:

    Obamoleon

    Seriously. Obamoleon.

  35. 35.

    madmommy

    September 5, 2009 at 9:38 pm

    @South of I-10:

    The Southern band always brings it, never fails. The Bayou Classic halftime show is always worth the price of admission.

    Can anyone explain why, if I’m talking to my mom in Alabama while we’re watching the same football game, it is about 20-30 seconds slower on my dish than it is on her podunk cable system? This only happens with sporting events, but it’s very odd.

  36. 36.

    Zuzu's Petals

    September 5, 2009 at 9:38 pm

    @Chad N Freude:

    And what about those schools that were open in AUGUST, for cryin’ out loud! Sheer incompetence!

  37. 37.

    Delia

    September 5, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    Actually, this whole Obama kiddie speech tempest is sort of like when some group decides a movie is particularly sacrilegious and must be boycotted and picketed and fussed over. Said flick immediately becomes a hit no matter how bad it is.

    I mean, who remembered G.H.W. Bush giving a TV speech to schoolchildren until this whole thing started? I’m sure just about every kid whose class watched it snored through it. I’m sure if nobody had made a fuss about Obama’s speech it would have been pretty much the same. “Yeah, yeah. Study hard. Get good grades. Finish school. Go to college. Is this over yet?” Whereas now it’s front page freakout news for weeks and everybody in the country, including the kids, is going to be poring over every word he says.

  38. 38.

    Zuzu's Petals

    September 5, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    It’ll be online at the WH website whenever anybody wants to see it.

  39. 39.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    @Wile E. Quixote: @gnomedad: @xj – not the auto: @Chad N Freude:

    Maybe Beck is hoping to get Comedy Central into a bidding war with Fox News when his contract is up for renewal.

  40. 40.

    gsp

    September 5, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    “I’m rooting for injuries”…..Fuck that made me laugh.

  41. 41.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    Obamoleon.

    That must be a reference to Chameleon, or Leon Spinks.

  42. 42.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 9:42 pm

    @JK:

    Sorry John, I forgot about the 4 links reminder.

  43. 43.

    Demo Woman

    September 5, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    @John Cole: God works in mysterious ways.

  44. 44.

    Jen R

    September 5, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    @Delia: Not only that, but some of these kids who are kept out of school are bound to watch the speech later on YouTube or something. And they’ll wonder what was so dangerous about that, and maybe start to wonder whether their parents’ Obama-hatred might not be a little, shall we say, ill-founded.

  45. 45.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Republican Gov. Gary Herbert supports President Barack Obama’s plan to deliver a televised back-to-school speech to the nation’s students on Tuesday, saying he sees “nothing but good coming out of this.”

    h/t http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13278256

  46. 46.

    Jen R

    September 5, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck: Or oleomargarine?

    I got nothin’.

  47. 47.

    Zuzu's Petals

    September 5, 2009 at 9:48 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    Well, there seemed to be a dictator thing going on, so I was guessing Napoleon.

    Maybe he reminds ’em of some kind of margarine spread or … floor covering … or yeah, Leon Spinks.

  48. 48.

    Zuzu's Petals

    September 5, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    @Jen R:

    Even better, try pronouncing it.

  49. 49.

    South of I-10

    September 5, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    @TX Expat: One of the people who is parked in front of my house has an Ohio State plate on the front of his truck. We just made a “Tiger Bait” sign, took a picture with the Ohio State plate and sent it to my brother. He has a masters in accounting from LSU, and he loved it. He is the super Tigers fan. He is in S. Florida, and is probably mainlining caffeine so he can stay awake for the game.

  50. 50.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    @Zuzu’s Petals:

    so I was guessing Napoleon.

    Yea, sounds about right. But who knows what horrors lie in the steamy swamps of wingnut gray matter, or whatever they use for brains.

  51. 51.

    Demo Woman

    September 5, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    @JK: Tom Price of GA thought it was a great idea but when he was asked why some parents objected, he said it was Obama’s fault because of his extreme policies.
    Now for the good news, when I heard that yesterday on the news, I did not break my tv.

  52. 52.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    @JK:

    I expect a big walkback and claims of musing from the good gov./ The nutters are out for blood and won’t tolerate this kind of heresy.

  53. 53.

    Zuzu's Petals

    September 5, 2009 at 9:58 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    Obamalini!

    Obamitler!

    Obamolpot!

  54. 54.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 10:08 pm

    @Demo Woman:

    Reminds me a little of David Brooks. Give Obama a compliment in one breath and take it back in the next breath.

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    I expect the Repub governor of Utah to be bullied mercilessly by the wingnuts until he cries uncle and claims that he was misquoted.

  55. 55.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 5, 2009 at 10:11 pm

    Wingnut Moms no want scary secret mooooslim talk to kids.

    Makes them cry.

  56. 56.

    4jkb4ia

    September 5, 2009 at 10:21 pm

    Gawk
    I would also like to mention that I TURNED ON THE TV to see this (at 6 pm on Friday) and they cut away to the Tennis Channel at 4-4 in the first set. This is very wrong.

  57. 57.

    4jkb4ia

    September 5, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    Yes, it was punishment.

  58. 58.

    4jkb4ia

    September 5, 2009 at 10:24 pm

    I hear that Pitt won and Albert Pujols hit a home run in the 10th inning.

  59. 59.

    4jkb4ia

    September 5, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    As I searched for Pitt score, Sam Bradford hurt his shoulder! This is a shame.

  60. 60.

    Comrade Darkness

    September 5, 2009 at 10:35 pm

    @PurpleGirl: Too bad no one’s invented time shifting for video signals. Or some kind of recording device. Man, that’d be nice.

  61. 61.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 10:35 pm

    @JK:

    Maybe Beck is hoping to get Central into a bidding war with Fox News when his contract is up for renewal.

    For Beck, they should start a new network called Tragedy Central.

  62. 62.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    @Chad N Freude: Note that there’s no comedy here.

  63. 63.

    Chad N Freude

    September 5, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck: You know, this really isn’t funny. I’m beginning to think that the movie “Idiocracy” was a documentary.

  64. 64.

    Comrade Darkness

    September 5, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    @madmommy: It does take a few seconds to bounce the signal off the satellite (no, joke, it really does. Geosynchronous orbit is a hella long way off, 22,000 miles from the earth’s surface). Add in a few more for the dish people to do their own compression/encoding of the feeds they get from their provider… 30 seconds would be excessive for all that, 20 maybe forgivable…

    We used to have satellite, and now that you mention it, I couldn’t have the radio on with the game, it’d be a play out of sync.

  65. 65.

    Comrade Luke

    September 5, 2009 at 10:47 pm

    @TX Expat:

    Ask your buddy how the woman situation is in Seattle.

    (I live here – I know the answer)

  66. 66.

    madmommy

    September 5, 2009 at 10:57 pm

    @Comrade Darkness:

    It’s just freaky, if it was 5-10 seconds that would be one thing. But it’s more like the play is over on her TV while the ball hasn’t even been snapped yet from where I’m sitting. We actually timed it with the gameclock once and it’s at least 30 seconds, sometimes a bit more. I guess I just figured that the dish would be ahead of cable. Especially middle of nowhere bumfuck Alabama cable.

  67. 67.

    BCHS 1980

    September 5, 2009 at 11:02 pm

    Yep, that Liberty and I fear for the season as well. Jarrett has the same long looping delivery as Byron and that in football as in baseball is bad news.

    As in VT vs ‘Bama, I actually had some sympathy for VT during that episode even though it nearly eviscerated the Big East. As I recall, Miami & BC were the drivers; Miami was always a mercenary school and I have NO idea what BC was thinking. Travel costs from Boston must be hell for the minor sports. I heard the Syracuse was briefly involved out of self-preservation and then VT came in at then-Gov Warner’s insistence. But it always seemed to me that VT belonged in the ACC and was essentially blackballed by UVa. Of course the Big East is what killed the natural northeastern all-sports conference in the first place…

  68. 68.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    September 5, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Aaaawwww! Stopping by here for Tunch and Lily pix is worth wading through the rest of the maddness. That Tunch, he plays tough, but he’s obviously a softy. Kinda like the guy who feeds him, huh?

  69. 69.

    jl

    September 5, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Interesting pic of the Lily The Dog and Tunch The Cat.

    I think this clearly shows that Tunch is the Alpha Mammal of the house. Lily is emulative the Great Tunch’s example. The expression on her face is one of ‘Am I doing it right’ Tunch is signaling that ‘Yes, you are, very excellent canine” by deigning to remain in Lily’s general vicinity.

    If only a certain impertinent owner could follow Tunch’s example.

    Tunch and Lily seem to have very good characters, and I trust will be kind to the lowly Gamma Mammal, if he displays good behavior and serves his masters well and faithfully.

  70. 70.

    valdivia

    September 5, 2009 at 11:06 pm

    @General Winfield Stuck: maybe this is too late but the BBC version was 100% better.

  71. 71.

    bedtimeforbonzo

    September 5, 2009 at 11:08 pm

    I had a shitty, shitty day.

    Then I saw the picture on Tunch and Lily, which could be covered with a one-word caption:

    “Happiness.”

    P.S. Speaking of Pujols, as much as I’d like to see my team’s key guy — Ryan Howard, who has been excellent down the stretch for the Phillies — win the MVP, it would be ignorant of me not to acknowledge that Albert Pujols is having another season for the ages.

    I don’t know much about St. Louis. But I know it is a great baseball town, so I guess it is fitting that they get to enjoy such a great player.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    September 5, 2009 at 11:13 pm

    August 13, 2009.

    John Cole: I give it another two months before they spoon.

    Steeplejack: Not spooning, but they will be sleeping back to back within a month.

    You can call me the pet whisperer.

  73. 73.

    Steeplejack

    September 5, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    @Wile E. Quixote:

    Dead and buried in a shallow, unmarked grave.

  74. 74.

    bedtimeforbonzo

    September 5, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    And speaking of Brent Musberger, I am old enough to remember when Brent, Phyllis, Irv — and Jimmy “The Greek” — put on THE pregame show.

    In fact, it almost seems to me that they practically invented the genre with their “NFL Today.”

    As for today’s NFL pregame shows, I turn to ESPN. They seem to have the right blend of interviews, frivolity, news and Xs and Os.

    For some reason, I have never liked the Fox pregame. Seems to me they come on too strong and are always yelling at you.

    I guess John will have Lily all dressed up for Thursday’ s Very Special Opener: Tennesee at Pittsburgh.

    That’s a good rivalry game to start the NFL season. FWIW, I just can’t take a team seriously that has Kerry Collins as its starting QB.

  75. 75.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    Irony is on a respirator but it’s fading fast.

  76. 76.

    JK

    September 5, 2009 at 11:20 pm

    @bedtimeforbonzo:

    Seeing all those names brings back good memories. CBS had a great NFL pregame show.

  77. 77.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    September 5, 2009 at 11:24 pm

    @Steeplejack: I peeked in on last night’s open thread and listened to Edwin Starr on youtube – you seem to have pointed out a large deficiency in my music collection. Have any recommendations to fill that void?

  78. 78.

    Molly

    September 5, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    Since it’s an open thread, wanted to say how sweet it is that when ya’ll are griping about the idiots in my home state, you throw in a “Texans on Balloon Juice, no offense.” Reminds me of the “not that there’s anything wrong with that”Seinfeld episode.

    Have a good Commie Labor Day, all.

  79. 79.

    madmommy

    September 5, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    @bedtimeforbonzo:

    Geez, I’m old. I remember that, too. Having Phyllis on was quite groundbreaking for the time.

    I prefer the Fox pregame, maybe because Bradshaw cracks me up and Howie is easy on the eyes.

  80. 80.

    Steeplejack

    September 5, 2009 at 11:30 pm

    @Bad Horse’s Filly:

    Just got in from work. Let me collect myself and get back to you in a bit.

    Are you just Edwin Starr-deficient, or did you miss that whole semester on late ’60s-early ’70s non-Motown soul?

  81. 81.

    Yutsano

    September 5, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    My Cougs got pasted, my Broncos won. Sometimes going to two schools can be so damn confusing. Sigh. At least BSU is gonna give the BCS massive heartburn again.

  82. 82.

    jl

    September 5, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    Hope some one here keeps track of whether, and how often, a certain impudent owner dresses up Lily The Dog in Steelers Gear.

    The karma will be unspeakable, and Tunch may throw in some revenge too, on the general principle of Violation of Dignity in His General Vicinity. But whatever it is, it will not be enough. There must be a record for history to judge, and it will judge harshly.

  83. 83.

    Keith G

    September 5, 2009 at 11:39 pm

    I have no reason to like ‘Bama, but for the most part they are playing good football. Still, the Hokies have a lot of fight in ’em; tho not enough talent.

    Football on Saturdays, yay!

  84. 84.

    TX Expat

    September 5, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    @Comrade Luke:

    I lived there for 15 years, don’t know about the woman situation but I can tell you the men weren’t half bad. ;-)

  85. 85.

    DRD 1812

    September 5, 2009 at 11:54 pm

    It takes the signal about an eight of a second to reach the satellite, traveling at the speed of light. The delays are all in processing.

  86. 86.

    DRD 1812

    September 5, 2009 at 11:56 pm

    Well, that didn’t work. Ah for the formatting controls and preview of yore.

  87. 87.

    Comrade Luke

    September 5, 2009 at 11:57 pm

    @TX Expat:

    Doesn’t surprise me, given that there are 10 times as many of us as women :)

  88. 88.

    TX Expat

    September 5, 2009 at 11:59 pm

    @Comrade Luke:

    If you ever went to the Crocodile (the old one, not the new incarnation) or Linda’s anytime between 1992 and 2005, I’ve probably served you a drink or two. Loved that town!

    Baton Rouge has its charms, but just can’t compare to the PNW…

  89. 89.

    gbear

    September 6, 2009 at 12:01 am

    I wonder if schools are going to compile a list of the students who are kept out of school because of Obama’s speech? The list would probably be a good indicator of kids that will need help in science and social studies (since their parents are probably a net negative in the homework help department). This speech boycott could provide a sample group for some interesting data in regard to how kids with extreme wingnut parents perform in comparison to kids with normal, resonable, sane, smart parents.

  90. 90.

    madmommy

    September 6, 2009 at 12:08 am

    @DRD 1812:

    The strange thing is it only happens with live sports. If we’re watching general broadcast shows there’s little difference between what she’s seeing and what I see.

  91. 91.

    4jkb4ia

    September 6, 2009 at 12:52 am

    PETRA KVITOVA, ladies and gentlemen! Ah well, Safina will always have Rome. And Madrid. This is not wrapping up the tournament and giving it to Serena as you might think since Clijsters and Pennetta remain in the way.

  92. 92.

    Lesley

    September 6, 2009 at 12:55 am

    Lil and Ton_ch.

    Synchronized Going Galting?

  93. 93.

    Comrade Luke

    September 6, 2009 at 1:03 am

    @TX Expat: I probably did get a drink from you. Sorry I was so drunk.

    :)

  94. 94.

    Steeplejack

    September 6, 2009 at 1:15 am

    @madmommy:

    Live stuff has to be processed on the fly. Canned stuff can be done ahead of time and merely transmitted at the required time.

    “Processed” = compressed, converted, reformatted, whatever they have to do to it.

  95. 95.

    Linkmeister

    September 6, 2009 at 1:34 am

    It’s not just satellite. We’ve got HD on a tv in the family room and regular digital in the kitchen 20 feet away from the same cable company. There’s a noticeable difference between the two; audio & video are both slightly ahead on regular digital.

    Presumably it’s the same sort of thing, though: signal reprocessed for HD.

  96. 96.

    john F. Loehr

    September 6, 2009 at 1:39 am

    C’mon John, Alabama’s coach is from Fairview, just outside of Morgantown. And VPI is VPI.

  97. 97.

    Steeplejack

    September 6, 2009 at 1:51 am

    @Bad Horse’s Filly:

    I’m packing it in for the night. If you come back to this thread, let me know what deficiency you perceive in your music collection. Always happy to help, just need a little direction.

  98. 98.

    bedtimeforbonzo

    September 6, 2009 at 2:19 am

    madmommy: Bradshaw makes me laugh, too. I like his rendition of halftime highlights.

    I just caught the last 90 minutes of the movie, “Eagle Eye,” kind of a modern-day Parallax View.

    Not as good as that classic, but entertaining enough.

    I think that Shia Lebeuf kid has a future in the movies, although I’m sure I bleeped up the spelling of his name.

  99. 99.

    Nicole

    September 6, 2009 at 8:27 am

    @Jen R: JenJen, I was there- it was awesome. I had to apologize several times to the 10-year-old girl next to me in the crowd for yelling “Fucking wow! Fucking yes! Rachel Fucking Alexandra!”

    It was very unnerving when she started bucking in the post parade and Calvin had to get off (Macho Again cantered past her during the post and she tried to go with him and got mad when Calvin wouldn’t let her. That’s how I saw it, anyway). And then when the first quarter went in 22 and 4/5 seconds I thought, “She’s done. No way.” But the great ones figure out a way to win. What a runner.

    Jess Jackson is putting out a limited edition Rachel Alexandra wine. Which is completely cheesy and I’m going to buy a bottle.

  100. 100.

    Svensker

    September 6, 2009 at 8:42 am

    @gbear:

    I wonder if schools are going to compile a list of the students who are kept out of school because of Obama’s speech?

    Yes, but that would be PROOF that Obama is getting ready to open the internment camps. The crazy seems to have reached light speed but is still accelerating. God knows what will happen.

  101. 101.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    September 6, 2009 at 9:31 am

    @Steeplejack: Sorry, got a phone call and then never made it back. It’s the whole Motown era that seems to be missing from my collection. We’ll touch base in another thread. I look forward to it.

  102. 102.

    Jen R

    September 6, 2009 at 12:33 pm

    @Nicole: Man, I wish I could have been there. It’s not a concession I make lightly when I say that I think Rachel Alexandra is as good as Go for Wand.

    (Also, I’m not JenJen. :) I’m thinking of changing my handle to TooManyJens.)

  103. 103.

    ET

    September 6, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    As a Bama alum (though I only resided in the state for 4 years)…..

    ROLLLLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    We won. Ha!

  104. 104.

    SqueakyRat

    September 6, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    Stop watching sports. You’ll feel better.

  105. 105.

    Bill H

    September 6, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    @madmommy:
    Several people have touched on this, but to be clear: no it is not the satellite, both HD and regular are bounced off of the satellite, as is some radio, so the delay is all the same. HD has a huge number of pixels which have to be processed by the computer and encoded for transmission. It takes time to do all of that encoding for transmission.

    I got so fed up with the announcers for Chargers pregame football that I decided to listen to the radio and just watch tv with the audio off. The radio would finish calling the play before the players were even lined up on the tv. I got my buddy on the phone, who was watching the game without radio, and made a mint by placing bets on upcoming plays. He still thinks I’m some sort of football genius.

  106. 106.

    Nicole

    September 6, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    @Jen R: I realized my mistake when I went back to reread my comment. I’m sorry! I’d like to claim I was still drunk from the day before, but I didn’t actually drink while at the track, so I have no excuse for my poor reading skills the next day.

    Well, Jess Jackson is talking about her 2010 campaign, so I hope you’ll get a chance to see her in the horseflesh next year. :)

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