I have always been a rabid college football fan and used to do really well in the office pools. This year, I haven’t paid nearly as much attention. But here are my picks (in bold). I won’t hazard a guess as to point spread or score, but feel free to record yours for posterity in comments:
Capital One Bowl, Georgia vs. Nebraska (Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ABC)
Outback Bowl, Michigan vs. South Carolina (Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ESPN)
Heart of Dallas Bowl, Purdue vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 1, 12 p.m., ESPNU)
Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 1, 5 p.m., ESPN)
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Northern Illinois (Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Louisville (Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Fiesta Bowl, Kansas State vs. Oregon (Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Cotton Bowl, Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 4, 8 p.m., FOX)
National Championship Game, Notre Dame vs. Alabama (Jan. 7, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Also, what are you cooking?
JPL
I’m going to make a pot of chili and cheer for Georgia.
go dawgs!
Raven
Our picks are the same. I bailed on the tamales and made a turkey pecan cranberry salad. It’s hard to put in tons of work for a brunch party where they don’t fool with football. I’ll go right up until kickoff and then skeedaddle home.
Yutsano
GO TREES!!
Have a friend coming into town for the day so no cooking tonight. Tomorrow though it’ll be beans and greens for sure, then a leftover turkey casserole on Thursday. Haven’t figured out Friday yet, but something decent.
The Ancient Randonneur
As a lifelong Husker (mom and dad were US citizens, so I too am one, but the FSM made me a Husker! Oh, and the fact that it is my alma mater) but I have to agree with your pick. The only upset will be if the Huskers can hold the Dawgs to less than 50 points. I’m not exaggerating.
I’m picking Notre Dame over the Tide and K State over Oregon. Other than that I agree with your picks.
Raven
@JPL: Great Dawg Blog.
dr. bloor
Same picks. Good year to go with the chalk.
Raven
@The Ancient Randonneur: The Georgia coach has deep Nebraska roots, they are called the CornDawgs!
double nickel
Breakfast this morning:
16 slices whole wh bread with crusts removed
16 slices bacon, pre cook
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup red pepper chopped
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
3 cups whole milk
dash tabasco sauce
1/4 pound butter
Special K or Corn Flakes
16 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
In a 9 inch by 13 inch buttered glass baking dish put in 8 pieced of bread. Add pieces to cover dish entirely. Cover bread with slices of bacon. Lay slices of cheddar cheese on top of bacon and then cover with slices of break to make like a sandwich. In a bowl beat eggs, salt and pepper. To the egg mixture add dry mustard, onion, green pepper, worcestershire sauce, milk and tobasco. Pour over the sandwiches cover and let stand in fridge overnight. In morning melt 1/4 lb of butter and pour over top. Cover with Special K or crushed Corn Flakes. Bake uncovered 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
Linnaeus
Going to a friend’s place and he’ll be making chili with Wolverine Lager. Go Blue!
Ben Cisco
Can’t argue with the picks. ROLL TIDE!
Mudge
Let’s see, SEC and PAC 12 win every game they play and the Big Ten loses every game it plays. Florida State-NIU ruined unanimity.
I’m assuming you’d pick Mississippi State over Northwestern in the Gator Bowl
Phylllis
Hubby is a member of a Volunteer’s chat board and they do a college football pick’ems game each year, that includes all 35 bowl games. So far I’m in 3rd place, would be at two, but picked LSU over Clemson (what a great game, and can’t complain about Clemson making Les suck it). Stuck with Notre Dame all season, and sticking with them over ‘Bama. Other than that, we’re pretty much on the same page. Go Cocks!!
Dinner is ham, hoppin’ john, and veggies roasted in the ham drippings (got the idea from a commenter here-wish I could remember who).
Raven
@Mudge: So did Clemson beating LSU last night.
Schlemizel
My dad used to buy the numbers when I was a kid. You pulled open the little ticket and there would be 2 numbers inside, one for home & the other for away. Depending on the board it might pay off by the quarter or the half & final score with “the house” (probably a bar since these were quite illegal at the time) keeping 10%. You took the last number of each teams score (so 0-0 and 10-20 etc. would pay off if you held 0-0)
It made games you didn’t care about (like any of the above mentioned one) exciting because you could cheer for missed PATs or curse teams for trying a field goal instead of going for the TD and not care who won!
Raven
@Schlemizel: Like the 100 square boards where intersecting numbers picked after the squares are filled payoff.
Raven
Why in the fuck does gameday stick with those assholes Big and Rich?
Schlemizel
@Mudge:
Not sure about the PAC 10 or SEC but it is safe to assume the Big10+ can put up an oh-fer every year. The once proud division has certainly proven itself inadequate ever since MI & OH dominated the thing.
p.a.
No rooting interests except Michigan (like the hats, hated Woody Hayes).
Braised rabbit with polenta.
Raven
@Schlemizel: Colin Cowherd pointed out that three all big ten players are WALK-ONS!
Mudge
@Raven: I was only discussing Betty’s picks. Clemson-LSU was the best game so far. The PAC 12 has not done well this season. I especially enjoyed USC’s loss. Kiffin’s success at Tennessee has carried over. Perhaps Barkley will be as good as Sanchez in the NFL as well.
Violet
Cooking baby back ribs for dinner. Cornbread and blackeyed peas as well. Probably some greens out of the garden.
Schlemizel
@Raven:
Exactly like that but with paper tickets like pull tabs.
I hadn’t thought of that, I have not worked at a place were anyone put together one of those boards in over a decade. Don’t know why, if they are not as popular or if I just work with a lot of prudes.
General question: How many of you have or know about a number pool where you work?
Punchy
KState gunna get SMOKED by Oregon. Also, too, see Nebraska getting their ass handed to them.
Linnaeus
Would love to see Wisconsin beat the Stanford 1%-ers, but I don’t see it. Were it not for lax oversight at Ohio State, they wouldn’t even be in that game, even if OSU got picked to go to the national championship.
Peregrinus
When she gets back from work, the ever-lovely Peregrina is making black-eyed peas, because she’s from TX and her mother wouldn’t let it slide.
I missed my chance at lucky food last night – I don’t know if it’s Puerto Rican or Cuban but back home I’d learned to eat a white grape for each toll of the midnight bell.
And because it is 24 deg with snow flurries and I just walked a mile in a headwind, I’ve got biscuits and baked beans on the mind.
Raven
@Schlemizel: Yea, since I left the bar scene I don’t see them. I always try to put one together for our superbowl party but the artsy-fartsy weenies we have over can’t figure it out!
Linnaeus
@Punchy:
I’d pick Georgia over Nebraska, but I don’t think that’s a sure thing.
Schlemizel
@Raven:
So what do you make of the fact that they are walks-ons? Are the coaches not recruiting well? Do some kids come on late, after high school? Any idea how rare that walking on is?
Food:
We tend to be New Year nibblers. Have some fabulous cold cuts and cheeses (St. Agur Blue, if you like blues this is one you need to try, a truffle studded brie and the 5 year aged gouda) and sundry stuff. We graze most of the day.
I am making a shrimp risotto later tonight
Omnes Omnibus
I’m taking the Badgers to beat Stanford. Because I live in Madison and I have to.
MikeJ
Deciding if I’ve got the energy to go break in my new state park pass.
Linnaeus
@Omnes Omnibus:
Any Stanford loss is a win for truth, justice, and the American Way.
The Dangerman
I have the same picks and what a bunch of dogs; really, the only interesting one is KSU vs UO (and I rather expect a Baylor style blowout for KSU). I suppose the only thing of interest is if NIU can stay closer than ND in the final scores.
ruemara
Fooball, blech. Watching ParaNorman after all the parades. Bit of a medicine/sat up too late/had alcohol headache from last night, but I already made most of what is for today yesterday:
Breakfast-Shakshuka, cranberry orange sweet rolls and homefries.
Lunch-veggie pizza, hot sauce marinated wings
Have a happy new year, BJers. May it be bright & wonderful.
Emma
Brunch will consist of: lentil and sausage soup, shrimp in vodka sauce over linguini, green salad with garlic-parmigiano dressing, and a dessert of my sister’s choice.
Football watching to be controlled by my BIL.
Raven
@Schlemizel: The talent level in the Big Ten simply sucks.
Betty Cracker
@Mudge: You are correct about my pick for the Gator Bowl; should have included that one too. Since I haven’t paid as much attention this year, I’m going with my gut on the picks. I’m an SEC gal, and I think it’s by far the best conference in the NCAA, so I generally pick the SEC team unless I have evidence the other way. The others are more or less guesses. I don’t have any affinity at all for the PAC 12 and would rather see the Big 10 win some of those games, but I’m just going with what I think is more likely from what little I know.
Mark S.
@Linnaeus:
I think it’s a sure thing, since Nebraska has some serious problems on defense.
Not having cable, I used to just watch these things on ESPN3. Now ESPN3 sucks and doesn’t show anything unless you already have a cable subscription.
Raven
@Linnaeus: Nothing is a sure thing. Our great nose tackle is ineligible and you just don’t know about the motivation factor. It would be great to finish in the top 5 and we have sucked it up in the last 2 bowl games so hopefully, as they say, we’ll get it up.
Raven
@Mark S.: The Dawgs are on ABC.
jurassicpork
I don’t follow college sports at all and with the Mrs. gone for another week, there’ll be no cooking. Just leftover Chinese food from last night. Today’s just another day for me and the cat, which includes the usual worm’s eye view of politics for the amusement (or bemusement) of dozens.
My Fiscal Cliff Notes on last night’s Senate vote. Even those of us who’ve been critical of the president have to give him and Biden some props on their back room dick-twisting.
Linnaeus
@Raven:
As a Big 10.2 fan, I have to say that this is sad, but true. But Hoke at Michigan and Meyer at Ohio State have been doing some crazy recruiting. Things could get better in the next couple of years.
Raven
Krugman:
Raven
@Linnaeus: As an Illini I could not give a flying fuck about either of them, especially Michigan.
4tehlulz
@Raven: HE DIDNT DO IT THE WAY I WOULD HAVE WORST PREZNIT EVA
Linnaeus
@Raven:
From a fandom standpoint, no. Trust me, I don’t want to say good things about Ohio State ever. But sometimes I have to be somewhat objective.
Mark S.
@Raven:
And for some reason I can’t get ABC. My life sucks.
Are the big bowls still on FOX?
Schlemizel
@Raven:
Thats sort of what I assumed but I didn’t know. Thanks
Mudge
I watched the Music City Bowl yesterday and wondered why Vanderbilt got punished by playing in a game in Nashville. They should have given them a California bowl so Aaron Rodger’s brother could have played in front of a home crowd. Playing in SF in the Fight Hunger Bowl against ASU would have been a very good match-up. So many bowls are just terrible these days. No fun at all. Yes I know it’s all about money.
Schlemizel
@Mark S.:
We know the big bowels are on Fox
Raven
@Mark S.: Only Cotton.
Raven
@Mark S.:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/schedule
Mudge
@Linnaeus: My son went to OSU and I went to Wisconsin, so I have Michigan hating credentials, but the job he has done at Michigan might just get Hoke an NFL offer. He has cleaned up the Rodriquez mess extremely well. O’Brien at Penn State also greatly exceeded expectations and I think they will do well in coming years (unless he leaves). We’ll see if Meyer is able to recruit what he needs. It is fairly well established he is a good x and o coach. The Big Ten bowl line-up suffers mightily without OSU and PSU. I’ll root for Michigan, but largely due to long term dislike of Holtz and Spurrier rather than any affection for Michigan.
Mr Stagger Lee
I grew up on the Big Ten, but they will get slapped down,Georgia, South Carolina,Oklahoma State wins. The Florida Schools win(Northern Illinois? Really?, no wonder the big networks took a pass on the bowl games today.) Oregon vs K-State is a toughie, I will go with the Pac-12 and the Ducks.
Oklahoma-Texas A&M will be a good game, I will go for Johnny Heisman and the 12th man. As for the BCS championship(next year there will be playoffs) I am going for the Crimson Tide, because I am sick of the knob slobbing of Notre Dame(a good team sure but Jebus, Joseph and Mary)Thank goodness CBS sports radio will debut this week, or is it?
Linnaeus
@Mudge:
Oh, I get it. If you’ve got ties to another school in the conference, that’s reason to get your hate on. It’s part of college football fandom, though it seems that SEC folk do the intra-conference solidarity thing more.
Steeplejack
@double nickel:
What do you call that?
Linnaeus
@Mr Stagger Lee:
Yeah, that’s a tough one for me. Notre Dame is a traditional rival of my school, but I’d like to see some SEC teams take a few lumps. I guess I’d just like to see a good game at this point. I think Bama has the edge.
Gwangung
@Linnaeus: Hey! I resemble that remark!
(Yes, we’re 1% ers, but we’re nicer, but with the same patronizing attitude)
Go Trees/ Robber Barons!
Mark S.
@Raven:
Oh shit I’m screwed. Oh well, I still don’t want cable. I still remember when I got some 200 channel package and about 130 of them were just advertising channels.
Schlemizel
Back in the 50’s & 60’s when the Big 10 was actually winning national championships a few of those teams were integrated. The University even had the audacity to allow a colored fella quarterback their team in 1960! Somehow the team managed to overcome that handicap & win the national championship that year. (BTW – 60 & 61 may have been the last decent year the MN football program had).
The Big 10 was winning a lot of games with integrated teams. The story I read was that Alabama supporters asked what they needed to do to help the Tide win a championship. The story goes that his reply was “Ya gotta let me recruit niCLANGs”
Baud
@Raven:
I’m sure I’ve read that post before…
Oh yeah, it’s the one that gets written by somebody every time Obama does anything.
Linnaeus
@Gwangung:
Heh. I attended a couple of other Pac-12 schools and several of my friends are Cal alums, so a bit of their loyalties rubbed off on me.
gene108
Pasta with broccoli, a tomato and mushrooms, with a bit too much olive oil and some garlic.
Will cook some asparagus and mushrooms later.
Then I’ll cook some green beans Indian style.
Simple yellow dhal or sambar (can’t decide).
Rice
Chana Masala
****************
Also, starting out my new years resolution, which is to clean regularly. I let things pile up, so this is something I think I can manage, unlike losing weight.
Shalimar
@Raven: The Clemson coach was an Alabama walk-on back when I went there. Sometimes, being a walk-on just means you have enough money to pay to go to a big school yourself instead of accepting the scholarship from a lower-level school. It doesn’t mean you have no talent.
Mudge
@Linnaeus: The hate is largely Ohio State-Michigan. I have always felt a bit sorry for Michigan State, who are underhated. They won their bowl game and if Betty is correct, it will be the only Big Ten win. They won’t get much glory for it, of course.
Mr Stagger Lee
@Schlemizel: Supposedly Bear Bryant sick of the intransigence of Alabama boosters facing the truth about their segregated teams scheduled a game with USC that featured some AA kids from Alabama. Long story short the Tide was beaten and all of a sudden, Tide Fans realized they has talent going somewhere else. Same story with the Texas schools in the old Southwest Conference.
Linnaeus
@Mudge:
Michigan State had a bit of an underwhelming season – they were supposed to contend for the conference championship.
MSU should get some more exposure – Dantonio is a good coach. I can assure you that on U-M/MSU game day, the hostility flows freely in Michigan.
Evolving Deep Southerner
Man, I’m starting to wonder just how bad Mississippi State’s second-string quarterback must be. If it weren’t for interceptions, this kid couldn’t throw at all.
HinTN
@Mudge: Kiffin’s success at Tennessee was in getting rid of the best defensive coordinator in the SEC (Les sez thankyouverymuch) and then running for So. Cal, leaving UT sucking wind. I do wish him continued failure at USC. MEANWHILE, GO DAWGS!
Schlemizel
@Mr Stagger Lee:
I had heard that story about USC also. I think it was football more than the National Guard that integrated a lot of the old South. No idea how the coach felt about race but he knew his fans
Mudge
@HinTN: My use of the word success was somewhere between ironic and sarcastic.
Kent
Is it just me or are the bowl match-ups especially sucky this year? Looking at the schedule there are really only 3 games that I would put down as must-see.
Notre-Dame vs Alabama
Oregon vs K-State
A&M vs Oklahoma
The rest of them? Meh….although I will admit that the LSU-Clemson game last night was unusually entertaining. But seriously now.
ROSE: Stanford vs Wisconsin. This is the weakest Wisconsin team in 3 years back to lose it’s 3rd straight Rose Bowl. Seriously, how did Wisconsin manage to win 3 straight Big-10 titles?
ORANGE: FSU vs Northern Illinois? Huh? No way is Northern Illinois the next Boise State. Even Boise State isn’t any more. We now have several years worth of experience of what happens when the top BCS-busting teams have joined actual real conferences. Utah was a perennial top-10 BCS-busting team until they joined the PAC-12 and had to play a real 10 game schedule and now they are just middle of the road despite the apparent new advantages of more money and better recruiting. Same thing with TCU which went from a top-5 MWC team to a middle of the road Big-12 team despite now rolling in more $$$, better stadium, and better recruiting. Put Northern Illinois in a real conference and they are a 500 team at best. What happened to the days when we would see those great Nebraska vs Miami type games in the Orange Bowl?
SUGAR: Florida vs Louisville? Whey does the BIG EAST even have an automatic invite? This one should be Florida vs Oklahoma.
Frankly I don’t think I remember a less interesting bowl season. Only about 25% of these match ups are even interesting. The whole bowl system jumped the shark years ago when they invented the BCS, now it’s just a pathetic corporate-sponsored fraud.
weaselone
@Linnaeus:
I think their was a little too much hype going into the season for MSU. The defense was solid and kept the team in every game with the exception of the Notre Dame match-up. The offense was severely handicapped by the graduation of several key players, and the line which should have been the strong point was crippled by key injuries. The team just couldn’t generate the points needed to be truly competitive.
Punchy
Theres a bowl called Heart of Dallas Bowl? Have the names officially jumped the shark?
Evolving Deep Southerner
@Kent:
They’re especially sucky this year. It’s not just you.
Liquid
DONNA
You owe me a hundred dollars.
JOSH
For what?
DONNA
I entered you in a college football pool.
JOSH
Without telling me?
DONNA
Well, it’s kind of a surprise.
JOSH
How did I do?
DONNA
You lost a hundred dollars.
JOSH
On who?
DONNA
On Central Indiana State.
JOSH
What was the line?
DONNA
It wasn’t really that kind of a pool.
JOSH
What kind of a pool was it?
DONNA
You just pick the winner.
JOSH
You picked Central Indiana State?
DONNA
The Fighting Okies.
JOSH
Who are they playing?
DONNA
Notre Dame.
JOSH
You picked Central Indiana State against Notre Dame?
DONNA
Well, technically, you did.
Betty Cracker
@HinTN: Did Lane Kiffin drag his daddy along to California? If not, I can’t imagine why on earth they hired the no-talent toad. I cannot abide that POS.
@Mr Stagger Lee:
“I am sick of the knob slobbing of Notre Dame…”
That’s why I’m hoping ‘Bama crushes them like a rotten walnut. Which I am confident they will.
Evolving Deep Southerner
Bratwursts are soaking in a beer/onion bath right now getting ready for grilling. Chicken wings. Had a BLT for breakfast. Miller Lite for my 1 p.m. game with the Dawgs. Flying Dog Farmhouse IPA ready as victory brew.
Shalimar
There’s a bowl called the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl. The shark was jumped decades ago. Though I am still waiting for the “Our Store Is Better Than Your Piece Of Shit Store Bowl”.
gelfling545
It’s my sister’s birthday & since her childhood birthdays were pretty bad (no money right after Christmas & nobody awake right after NYE) I’ve tried to make up for it a bit over the years. The menu is always pretty much the same: crepes stuffed with various fillings: asparagus & cream, chicken with pesto, ham & duxelles, ricotta & diced tomato today with a couple of sauces. This year the choices are mornay sauce or fresh tomato. With it goes onion soup gratinee, salad & a buche de Noel birthday cake; lots of champagne. My daughter is bringing a new game for us all to play called “Fact or Crap” which promises to be interesting. The second batch of crepe batter is “resting” now so I am too, for a few minutes.
gene108
@Raven:
How do you negotiate with terrorists, who can kill the hostages – i.e. American economy/people – but will in no way harm themselves in the process?
Instead of progressives wetting themselves over Obama, they need to figure out how to beat incumbent Republicans and beat them badly.
I hate to say it, but right-wing ties to corporations helps them. They have guys, who understand marketing and how to nudge people from thinking something isn’t necessary to thinking it is (a) essential and/or (b) at least a good idea.
I don’t know of any liberal PR types, who can change the conversation and tilt things against Republicans in the short term. Meanwhile Republicans work in overdrive to keep beating the drum about Obama’s the worst President ever.
Liberal whining doesn’t help build the sort of support Democrats need to help push the agenda to the Left.
The only thing Democrats/liberals have going for them is that Republican policies, once implemented and allowed to function for a few years, are so god awfully unpopular and dangerous people will have a pique of rage and vote Republicans out, like they did in 2006.
Also, too I thin Obama’s Presidency has helped change the conversation in this country towards the Left. Gays can openly serve in the military. We’re going to have the closest thing to universal healthcare in U.S. history starting in one year. And finally the issue of income inequality and how the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer has started creeping into the conversation.
Evolving Deep Southerner
@Betty Cracker:
It takes a lot – I mean a lot, as in I did not think it was heretofore possible – for me to cheer for Georgia Tech to win anything. But by God, the Laners made it happen.
ETA: What was that outfit he had on on the sidelines yesterday? I can only describe it as “Unabomber chic.”
Betty Cracker
@gelfling545: Any particular crepe recipe you favor? I’m thinking of venturing into the land of crepes. You are an exemplary sibling, BTW.
quannlace
Winding down from all the holiday baking and cooking. Tonight will be soft scrambled eggs and a salad.
Steeplejack
Just watching the ESPN segment on Stanford running back Stepfan taylor and his alter ego, Kulabafi. Hilarious. Another clip.
Mnemosyne
We are not football watchers, but the next rerun of the Rose Parade starts in about 15 minutes. It’s cheesy, but it’s a tradition around here.
The Savory Bread Pudding with Goat Cheese is in the oven and I’ll be putting the Aidell’s chicken apple breakfast sausage in the toaster oven in a few minutes. It’s just the two of us, which is how we like our New Year’s Day. We probably won’t even shower until about 5:00 pm and just have a pajama day.
Elizabelle
Snacking on a cup of Hopping John now, without rice (yet).
Turned out pretty well.
Thinking some of that Chipotle Tabasco sauce would make what’s already good perfect.
Watching the Rose Bowl parade, fitfully.
B2 bomber flyover just happened.
That is an amazing plane. Belongs in a Batman movie.
Mostly, sensing cheap manipulation of emotions in NBC’s show.
There was a soldier reunited with his toddler and wife.
(Al Roker kept jawboning on about “the emotion.”)
Ten minutes some (heterosexual) couple just got married. On a parade float on national TV. Big release of pink balloons.
Big whoop.
MikeJ
@Elizabelle:
Now legal for gay people in Maryland. The mayor of Balmer opened up city hall at midnight for seven couples.
Yutsano
@Betty Cracker: Betty, I’m French Canadian, and a big ass coward when it comes to crepes. My ancestors weep. I make a real mean latke though.
Corner Stone
@Elizabelle:
Don’t let the good be the enemy of the perfect.
Not Sure
I’ll be brewing up a batch of the White House Honey Porter this afternoon. Mmmmmmmmm, beer!
Oh, and the Cardinals are so going to pwn the Gators.
Corner Stone
@Elizabelle: You wouldn’t happen to be commenting out of Colorado or Washington State, would you? I’m sensing some “I’m torched” in your comment.
Or it could be that I naturally distrust anyone who uses extra line break spaces in a blog comment for no good reason.
Corner Stone
@Phylllis: Go Cocks!
ETA, I’ve never noticed the extra L in your handle before. Gives it a certain jenny say kwah.
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
I like the guys who exhibit a sense of humor and aren’t so ponderous and solemn in every interview.
Robert Griffin III on his leg injury.
JPL
@Elizabelle: ABC announcers also drooled. Hannah Storm is on with a bandaged hand but otherwise looking pretty good with the addition of hair pieces. She had a propane tank explode while grilling outside in early December and she recognizes she is lucky.
Punchy
Hoooolllleeey shit does that MissSt QB suck ass. Good lord….passing into quadruple coverage? WdaF?
Tommy D
pea soup
Mr Stagger Lee
Frankly speaking the bowl season is too long. And lot of those teams had no business being in there, but it is money. The Bowl games should always end on January 1st, and not compete with the NFL playoffs. I know on Mike and Mike show, Mike Golic will blather about his Fighting Irish, but 90% will want to hear about Bengals-Texans, Colts-Ravens, Vikings-Packers and Seahawks-Redskins.
Mark S.
I keep hoping some toilet manufacturer will sponsor a bowl, so we can have the Kohler Toilet Bowl.
gogol's wife
@double nickel:
You guys are making me hungry. We’re just eating what we would eat any other day. We’re so boring. We’re working too. A whole day to stay home and work? Great!
gogol's wife
@Baud:
Amen.
Betty Cracker
@Yutsano: They do seem scary, but with all the eggs I have lying around, I figure I’ve gotta give ’em a shot…
JPL
@Betty Cracker: I buy fresh eggs from a local farmer and love to make egg salad. There is one slight problem though, how do you peel the hard boiled eggs.
gogol's wife
@Yutsano:
The Times had a recipe for buckwheat blini, which is my favorite thing in the whole world, so I started reading with interest, but BOY was it a complicated recipe. I can’t believe that’s what my Russian friends had to do every time. There must be a simpler way. But I’m too lazy to try to find it.
Mnemosyne
@Elizabelle:
Caught the very end of the last rerun and waiting for the next one to start. I have no idea who Coco Jones is, but she was on the second-to-last float.
jeffreyw
Mmm… steak
Mnemosyne
@Mnemosyne:
Can I please be released from moderation? Apparently the random moderation fairy has returned for the New Year.
Mnemosyne
The opening ceremony of the Rose Parade seems … under-rehearsed. The flag girls don’t seem to know where they’re supposed to stand.
Phylllis
@Corner Stone: I meant to do that. Yeah, that’s it, I meant to type it that way.
And Gamecocks get on the board first with a beeyuutiful 57-yard throw from Connor Shaw.
dr. bloor
@Mnemosyne: Betty’s not letting you out until you agree to watch all the bowl games AND root for all the SEC teams.
Yutsano
@Betty Cracker: Soufflés, omelettes, Spanish tortillas, frittatas, all are good egg recipes that are fairly simple. I suppose right now the biggest issue I have is lack of good heat control, which is vital for proper crepe construction. That plus a very good non-stick skillet, of which I require a new one.
@Mnemosyne:
I can assure you this is not at all unusual.
Badmoodman
Hey, where’s my Northwestern Wildcats!? GO CATS!!!
Nom de Plume
Good lord, why the fuck is the Georgia coach smiling and clapping? That was the biggest fuckup of an easy fumble recovery I’ve ever seen. That fumble was literally impossible not to recover. That’s 5 points that Georgia is going to want later on.
Betty Cracker
WTF, Dawgs? Flop on that gott-damn ball next time. Sheesh!
Morbo
@Raven: Michigan State also beat TCU.
Corner Stone
I love it when my Cocks strike deep and hard for the score!
JPL
@Betty Cracker: Do you have a secret for peeling a hard boiled egg. I find the fresh eggs require more patience than I have. My son’s SO boasted that she just let them soak a few minutes in ice water and then presto until yesterday. I guess she never had not actually tried with fresh eggs and planned on having deviled eggs at the nye party. whoops
Betty Cracker
@Mnemosyne: Sorry…on my phone so I can’t get to the dashboard.
@JPL: it really is hard to peel fresh eggs. Some say adding baking soda to the water helps, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Violet
@Mudge:
Typo of the day. Or not a typo?
Betty Cracker
@Mnemosyne: Sorry…on my phone so I can’t get to the dashboard. @JPL: it really is hard to peel fresh eggs. Some say adding baking soda to the water helps, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Yutsano
@JPL: Fresh eggs are REALLY tough. The problem is there’s a membrane that separates from the shell as the egg gets older that is really well-attached fresh from the bird. I don’t really have any good tricks for getting that undone well except sometimes cold running water and cracking the bejeezus out of the shell.
Corner Stone
Big sack on that last defensive stand by the Cocks.
Corner Stone
Yes! Cocks for the score!!
Morbo
Well shit.
Mark S.
The Cocks are really pounding them.
Betty Cracker
@Nom de Plume: You are a prophet. Le sigh…
Violet
@JPL: Try this method for peeling really fresh eggs. You cook them, then cool, then reheat the for ten seconds. They say the hot/cold contracts the molecules and allows the eggs to be peeled.
Phylllis
@Mark S.: They’re keeping Denard Robinson pretty wrapped up so far.
JPL
@Yutsano: They make the best egg salad though. Yesterday when my son called in desperation, I suggested they just make egg salad cuz the deviled eggs wouldn’t be so pretty. They ended up going to the store to buy more eggs.
Good news/bad news with the dawgs maybe Murray won’t leave early for the draft.
JPL
@Violet: wow thanks
Violet
@JPL: Let us know if it works.
Corner Stone
Suck it! Cocks on the score!
Svensker
@JPL:
You have choices:
1. Let them age a few weeks. The PH changes, making the egg not cling to the shell so tightly.
2. Boil them with some baking soda added to the water.
3. Steam, rather than boil. (Just like broccoli, on a rack over boiling water, covered tightly.)
Some people also swear by peeling the hot egg under cold running water as soon as you can handle it, but I can’t vouch for that.
WaterGirl
@Liquid: So easy to actually hear their voices while reading that. Fun.
WaterGirl
@gelfling545: I have played Fact or Crap. A fun family game, with a little bit of attitude.
@Mnemosyne: Would that be the NEW toaster one? You put that in, seemingly as a throwaway detail, but I’ll bet you are really excited to be using it. :-)
How’s your dad today? Sounds like maybe you’re sticking around a bit rather than rushing off?
Svensker
Split pea soup with ham on the stove.
Bedding all getting washed, mattresses turned.
Flipping between the Dawgs/Huskers and the Cocks/Wolverines. Don’t know much about college fb these days. The hub will tolerate NFL games but isn’t really a fan — but he’s away today so I got snacks and football games, the best combo ever.
geg6
Too many Southerners and fancy pants cooking today! Never even heard of Hopping John or whatever the name of it is. Can someone explain? I’m assuming it’s a Southern dish like the black-eyed peas are (another dish I’ve never eaten and would have no clue how to make). Crepes sound great, but that’s more NYE food than NYD in my mind.
Here in Western PA, it’s all about the pork roast and sauerkraut. John just put ours in the oven. A seared pork loin roast, homemade Bavarian-style (w/caraway seeds), potatoes, onions, garlic, beer and apples all in the best roasting pan ever made (All-Clad or nothing!). Some wax beans we canned this summer and some roasted carrots for sides. Should feed us at least twice more after today.
Schlemizel
Those of you that are complaining about the crappy bowl match ups should read todays Arlo and Janis. He has the best bowl name ever:
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2013/01/01
WaterGirl
@Yutsano: @Betty Cracker: Get yourselves a nice little crepe pan. That helps a lot! When I say “nice”, I don’t mean expensive, the nice is just a term of endearment for my handsome crepe pans. Two nice little crepe pans are good if you are cooking for more than one or two.
CaseyL
I tried watching the Rose Bowl parade last January, and couldn’t stand it: the announcers pimped network shows non-stop, hardly talked about the floats and marching bands, and half the time you couldn’t even see the parade.
I don’t watch parades much, so maybe that’s standard coverage? Is it any better this year?
ETA: It’s a gorgeous sunny day here in Seattle, and I’m feeling bad I didn’t sign up for a hike. Then again, I got to sleep in, instead of getting up early to go hiking. So it’s all good, I guess.
Corner Stone
@geg6:
Say what now?
Mr Stagger Lee
@geg6: You ought to be glad I don’t live in Northeastern Ohio (Mahoning Valley to be precise), because I would be coming over for dinner! Yum Yum! :-)
Susan K of the tech support
Champagne and popcorn for morning parade viewing on the tee gee. Then: leftovers (lotta cooking last week).
I fell in love with the Stanford Marching Band during the Rose Parade telecast. While beau watches the game (he: MS n PhD fr Stanford), I will test his Nexus 10 to see how it records audio, I will watch halftime to see what those Stanford peeps do on the field.
Champagne in the morning always makes for a day that is a title bent.
Maude
@geg6:
John Cole asked on Twitter if everyone was having pork and sauerkraut just now.
Schlemizel
@Betty Cracker:
Here is my recipe \
6 ounces (3/4 C) milk
4 ounces (1/2 C) water
2 large eggs
1 C flour
3 TBS melted butter
pinch salt
Place the ingredients in a blender in the order listed. Pulse 30-45 seconds, scrap the sides of the blender once and pulse maybe another 15 seconds to make sure you have no lumps.
Refrigerate the batter for a minimum of an hour and up to 48 hours. What you really want here is for all the bubbles to get out of the batter – bubbles = bad crepes. If the batter separates during its rest, stir it gently.
I use a 9″ nonstick skillet or crêpe pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, quickly brush on a little melted butter. Remove the pan from the heat and pour a scant 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and promptly swirl it around to coat. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the crêpe is lightly browned on the bottom, about 30 seconds. Flip the crêpe (I have a pair of wooden tongs that work really well for this) and cook another 30 seconds. Slide the finished crêpe off the pan and onto a plate.
Svensker
@Betty Cracker: Crepes are really easy — they’re just skinny pancakes. You can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge (use wax paper or cloth towels between them, so they don’t stick together), then stuff them and heat the next day.
Here’s a basic recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-crepes/
You can make them richer by using some cream instead of all milk or upping the butter. For dessert, you can add vanilla or grated orange or lemon rind, whatever works for your purposes.
But seriously, they are a snap to make. The first one might be funky as you get the pan temp just right, but that’s also the cook’s snack so it’s all good…:)
WaterGirl
@jeffreyw: I have already over-commented on this thread, but since no one else has said it…
Damn, that’s one good looking plate! Steak looks perfect. What am I saying, it all looks perfect! I’m only 3 hours away. Next time I’m down your way, I will call ahead. :-)
Susan K of the tech support
Gah.
Tee vee.
Little bent.
Between the iPad’s DYAC and FYWP, it takes far more than the allowed 5 mins to reload the comment to correct it.
Never mind.
Schlemizel
@Svensker:
The first one is ‘jeter’, French for ‘throw away’ and I always have it for myself.
But Betty – have no fear! crepes are really easy. You will figure them out very quickly and the mistakes are still very edible
WaterGirl
@Susan K of the tech support: Try opening the edit box in a separate window – I find that helps tremendously on the iPad.
I assume you know how to do the new window thing on the iPad, but just in case…
Hold your finger down on the link instead of just a quick touch, and you’ll get a little pop-up window where you can select “open in new window”. (or something like that. not on iPad at the moment to check what it’s called.)
JPL
@Susan K of the tech support: I assumed that it was because of the champagne.
also, too what the heck GA…
S. cerevisiae
I have 8 moose meat brats soaking in Spaten Optimator getting ready for the grill. In Minnesota we don’t let little things like single-digit temperatures keep us from grillin’.
dexwood
@Svensker: Fresh eggs should be refrigerated a minimum of five days before hard boiling them if you want to easily peel them. I have hens and learned this little tip from a local chicken raising forum. It works.
Sorry, my comment was intended for jpl.
burnspbesq
Does peeling slices off a Boar’s Head spiral-sliced ham count as “cooking?” If not, I’m not cooking. And I’m done watching football for today; I watched Man U demolish poor Wigan. Playing with my new audio toy and cleaning up the inbox on my work computer.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
How did you guess? ;-) We really are enjoying having a small oven that actually cooks things properly, unlike our old one.
@CaseyL:
Do you get Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks as your commenters, or is it someone else? Those are the local folks here in LA. They usually do a pretty good job of showing the floats and talking about them, though Eubanks is a little too obsessed with every horse that goes past.
@Susan K of the tech support:
The Stanford band is one of the most entertaining ones out there, so they will definitely be worth watching. I went to USC (which also has a very good and famous marching band) and people would go to the USC/Stanford game just to see the battle of the bands at halftime.
Mnemosyne
Okay, it’s super-cheesy for them to have a guy just back from Afghanistan surprise his wife and son at the Rose Parade and take them onto the float, but it still made we weepy.
(But I still do not forgive the float’s sponsor, Natural Balance, for killing my cat Boris with melamine-laced cat food.)
Schlemizel
Crepe story:
Mom had a catering business so I was a third cook most of my childhood. We were doing a fairly large wedding (about 400 people) and the brides family asked for Crepe Suzettes for dessert & that the brides uncle be allowed to make them (the story was he was a professional chef). Mom agreed but on the big day uncle showed up & thought he should run the whole kitchen. Nothing was as it should be according to him & he told my mom how no pot was where it belonged and nothing was being cooked the way it should be. I got stuck with the task of following him around to clean up after him & not let him do too much damage. For instance, he grabbed a big handful of spoons and proceeded to taste everything dropping the spoons on the floor when done. I had to pick them up & get them cleaned because we didn’t have that many extra spoons for the tables.
At some point I tried to guess what he would do next and hand him a tool. He chewed me out pretty well & said “you do not hand me anything until I ask for it!”
He did make all the crepes ahead but planned on a huge show with flaming booze for the crowd before we served it. He had a table set out and the whole kitchen had to stand behind him in out whites. It was all very dramatic, they dimmed the lights (HEY! it was around 1966 and Crepe Suzette was tre’ exotic) he heated the liqueur and was going to make a big flourish when he ignited it. It splashed up on him and he became a human torch! His side towel was no use because it was on fire. I was standing next to him with a side towel that probably would have actually helped him put out the fires spreading across his polyester pants but he didn’t ask so I just stood there & tried not to smile!
Steeplejack
@burnspbesq:
What is the new toy?
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
What make/model is the new toaster oven?
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
Yep, that’s the classic local broadcast with Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks. They have their flaws, but they really do try to concentrate on the floats and the participants (bands, equestrian groups, etc.)
If anyone is ever in the LA area around New Year’s, the floats are put on display for 2 days after the parade starting on New Year’s Day so you can get a close-up look at them. (They start rotting after 2 days because they’re all required to be made from natural materials, so they can’t stay on display for very long.) It’s definitely worth seeing them if you’re in the area.
Betty Cracker
@Schlemizel: LMAO! I wish justice were always meted out so appropriately and expeditiously (assuming the putz didn’t actually perish in the crepes conflagration).
Schlemizel
@Mnemosyne:
I saw that & there was no way the wifey was surprised by his being there. I hate that they tried to hammer my emotions that way. F them. Plus, he was could have been home with his family instead of waiting who knows how long and then being stuck on a parade float.
As long as every company in the world gets so many of their raw ingredients from shady operators in China we will have the constant risk of that sort of thing happening. All those pet food companies got the same poison crap from the same sources. At least we don’t get milk (yet) from China. The killed or injured thousands in china by sneaking melamine into the milk supply
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
It’s a Cuisinart, but I can’t get the model number because Charlotte is napping on my feet. I had the Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Toaster and Convection Oven on my wishlist, but it was way more expensive and too tall to fit on our countertop, so G used his own judgement.
Schlemizel
@Betty Cracker:
Nah. Mostly 1st degree with a few blistered 2nd degree spots. I wanted to tell him why I didn’t hand him my towel but mom forbade it. She was smart & I was young.
I have heard stories of assholes in the kitchen but he was the worst. I see those ones on TV & wonder why anyone would ever work for them
Mnemosyne
@Schlemizel:
She was probably surprised at being told that morning, but she was obviously prepared since she and their son were waiting along the parade route. But the family’s obvious happiness overrode the annoyance of the cheesiness.
The wedding on the Farmer’s Insurance float was just lame, though.
Corner Stone
@S. cerevisiae:
I’m moving in.
JPL
@Schlemizel: Can one be horrified and giggly at the same time? I think so.. lol
@Schlemizel: The military likes this type of stories. He probably would not have been home any sooner and like you I hate that the big brass does this.
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
Essentially, yes. There’s a reason why Rose Parade Float Dismantler got its own episode of “Dirty Jobs.”
Phylllis
@efgoldman: That’s what HGTV used to do. Apparently not anymore as I learned this morning. I’ll make a note of that for next year.
Sandia Blanca
Stanford doesn’t get to the Rose Bowl as often as we should, so of course this is a big day for us. As a Californian transplanted to Texas (and married to a Southerner), I am fixing the traditional bean soup with greens and cornbread. And because we don’t have cable, we’ll go join a game-watching party later.
JPL
What the heck happened to the Dawgs? They should be up at least by two touchdowns.. ugh
Earlier I did not make a prediction, the only game that I still think will be an upset is Wisconsin. I guess it’s to late to vote for Nebraska…pffttt
Schlemizel
@Mnemosyne:
Supposedly she was told she had won a contest & didn’t know a thing. But her response when she saw him either said “I was expecting you” or “Eh, so you’re back, big whoop”. The kid was surprised though.
Also who were the douches who got married on a float during the parade? I muted the screamer on HGTV explaining it so didn’t hear the whole story. Could there be a lamer wedding story to tell?
We had to turn off NBCs coverage because Al kept making the lamest jokes & they both just yakked endlessly. HGTV was not a lot better, gave the mute button a good workout.
Mnemosyne
@JPL:
The only way for Stanford/Wisconsin to be an upset would be for Wisconsin to win. That seems … unlikely. And I say that as a USC fan who has had much entertainment making fun of “Leland Stanford Junior University” over the years.
Mnemosyne
@Schlemizel:
My vote for “cheesiest float” has to be the Lutheran church one. Really, Jesus standing at the Pearly Gates on your float? Really?
Morbo
Northwestern over Mississippi State makes it one more win for the Big 10 and one more loss for the SEC.
mir13
Allright, go ‘Cats, go! Hows about some luv for the Big 10 from you SEC handegg snobs? I’ll wait over here.
J. Michael Neal
Gophers are #1 in both polls. The men’s team beat #1 Boston College 8-1 on Sunday. It was nice to see them finally play like a bunch of girls.
Edit: Oh, yeah. The pituitaryball team is in the top 10 for the first time in either 15 or 30 years, depending upon whether you think the 1997 season ever happened.
JPL
@Mnemosyne: Where did you want him to stand?
lol
Betty Cracker
And the Dawgs tie it up. Sweet!
JPL
@Betty Cracker: Yeah, but the announcers are saying we are confused. Well I live in GA and I can attest to the fact that we are confused.
J. Michael Neal
Michigan is keeping it close. I’m just following the cores, though. No idea how well they’ve played.
Mnemosyne
@JPL:
They at least could have gotten the poor guy a better wig.
Speaking of poor guys in the parade, one of the floats for one of the Asian countries (can’t remember which one) had a couple of guys walking next to it in essentially sumo wrestler outfits. I know 40 degrees doesn’t sound cold to people in places where you get snow, but think of 40 degrees in nothing but your underpants and I think you will understand why I pitied them.
Schlemizel
@Mnemosyne:
Not only that but it looked like JC had put on a little weight!
I thought to poorest was the one that had Disneys latest pre-fab teeny bopper on it. Really WD? It looks like you spend $50 on that thing and about 2 hours throwing it together.
Mnemosyne
@Schlemizel:
Maybe they put all of their money and time into the float advertising Cars Land at Disney California Aventure and ran short when it was time to make Coco’s float.
Schlemizel
@J. Michael Neal:
I don’t know that I have seen the mens team play with that sort of intensity in many years. They struggled to even bother beating Canisius 1-0 just a few weeks ago.
It was also good to see that they didn’t fall into retaliation for the goon tactics BC was pulling. Those 4 PP goals should be more satisfying than any retaliation. Down side is Haula has a broken hand from a nasty slash. The problem with the men’s team is the same as it has been since the Woog days. They play when they feel like it and roll over when the going gets tough. I would have the words “Holy Cross” on the center of the locker room floor if it were up to me.
As for the womens team, forget for a moment that they are 20-0-0 this season. Understand that average game score is 6 – 0.6, they have been behind only once and then for only 29 seconds, but the most stunning? They are +5 SHORTHANDED! They have 9 SH goals & only given up 4. There is nothing anywhere in sports that I know of that compares to that stat
Schlemizel
@Mnemosyne:
Those were supposed to be Tartars I thought. Those are some kick-ass tribesmen. I thought it was funny that they are also known for their horsemanship but they had a cowboy walking along to keep the horse in line. I don’t think 40F is a temp that should scare them though.
J. Michael Neal
@Schlemizel: This team takes it as a deep personal insult if the other team tries to score. Another fun stat is that the Gophers have almost as many shorthanded goals (9) as the total of all goals they’ve allowed (12).
I think this team is what it would look like if someone really good at some hockey simulation on Nintendo decided to concentrate on defense.
J. Michael Neal
Now Michigan is up and Nebraska down. If the Big 10 splits these two games, that’s the way I’d prefer it.
J. Michael Neal
Looks like Raven can stop covering his eyes.
Schlemizel
@J. Michael Neal:
BTW – went to the National Team’s scrimmage. One line had the Lameroos with Jenny Schmigdal-Potter on wing. I called it the “All Traitor” line. Pops wasn’t there though & we didn’t boo anyone.
We sat next to the woman that keeps the running infield chatter up throughout the entire game. She didn’t do that for this one which was good. But she was very unhappy with me when I told her I didn’t like the Lameroos. She didn’t get that I was not mad because they play for the Sux but because they had manipulated that program by playing here one year.
J R in WV
I have never pulled for ‘bama to win anything in my life. The sole purpose of the state of alabama is to keep Georgia and Mississippi from slamming into each other, causing a fission/fusion explosion that would end the universe.
But now, with Our Lady of Perpetual Pedophilia ranked as the team is ranked, I find myself compelled to root for a Red Tide win, which is the worst thing ND could even have done to me, except for continuing to exist.
The Bowl “System” is terminally broken, and I can’t think why teams would accept offers from Bowls that sound and act like poorly thought out props in a terrible stand-up comedy routine [The Current Era Pinstripe Bowl?]. Oh yes, now I remember, $$$$$$$$$$$$ !!
The world is stranger than we can imagine, in terrible ways. I think sometimes that HP Lovecraft was right all along – we are all just fodder for the Ancient Gods.
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
Okay, Charlotte decided to wander off, so now I can tell you it’s a Cuisinart Custom Classic TOB-40.
mir13
@Schlemizel: @J. Michael Neal: Get a room, you clowns.
J. Michael Neal
@Schlemizel: Do I have to pick just one reason not to like them?
Raven
Arf fucking arf
Schlemizel
@mir13:
Sorry, your team not doing well today? 8-{D
Schlemizel
@J. Michael Neal:
Well, the funny thing is I think MN is better off without them. That the Sux have been able to use them to upgrade their own talent is incidental. I think they may be a better team without them too. We’ll see. I wonder how they fit on the National team?
J. Michael Neal
@Schlemizel: He’s just jealous.
Evolving Deep Southerner
GO YOU MULLAHFUCKING GEORGIA BULLDOGS! YES!
Evolving Deep Southerner
GO YOU MULLAHFUCKING CAROLINA GAMECOCKS, TOO!
Raven
@Evolving Deep Southerner:
It’s great
to
be
a
….
Raven
GEORGIA BULLDOG!
Betty Cracker
S-E-C!! S-E-C!! S-E-C!!
JPL
@Betty Cracker: Yes and thank you for having a game day post.
J. Michael Neal
Well, at least the Bog 10 looked a lot more competitive than I expected. I knew Purdue was a loser, but they’re the only ones that weren’t in the game late.
J. Michael Neal
@efgoldman: Yeah. They do it for two reasons. Well, three actually, since being delusional about turning a profit is a reason. They’re allowed an extra three weeks of practice, which they think helps them for next season. They also think it helps recruiting to be on TV. I have no idea if they’re right about either.
Raven
As much as I hate the evil genius I can never get enough heartbreaking Michigan losses!
Mnemosyne
@Schlemizel:
Okay, I watched another rerun just because I had to know — they are apparently from Tuva and are wearing traditional wrestling costumes. So I was not too far off when I compared them to Sumo wrestlers.
There was supposed to be some traditional Tuvan throat-singing from the guy on the horse (who was the star of the documentary Genghis Blues), but I don’t think the microphone was working.
They are not Tatars, who Wikipedia tells me are a different ethnic group from Eurasia/Russia.
Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin)
@Raven:
Hey, I know you’re into sports, and all so why haven’t you joined the fistfight on the other threads…?.:=)
Happy New Year
mir13
@Schlemizel: No, it’s not that. In fact, as a Michigan State Spartan I’m happy as a mug that those Arrogant Asses from Ann Arbor (that’s the University of Michigan for those who don’t know) found a way to lose today. Don’t much care for Nebraska either, so that’s a bonus.
No, it’s all the Hockey talk that just reminds me of the stupid lockout and how much I hate Gary “The Weasel” Bettman, ‘cos he’s obviously still working for Stern and the NBA trying to kill the NHL. And so I try not to think about it, ‘cos when I do I want to do things that society would frown upon. So, sorry, you guys just got caught in the radius of frustration.
And also too as a Spartan: even though you guys are having a great season, Minnesota blows, ya.
J. Michael Neal
@mir13: Way to lose the GLI.
Corner Stone
Cocks.
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack: I have a Krups that looks just like this one.
I bought mine about 3 years ago and it got great ratings on amazon then; now it looks like the ratings are pretty bad. So maybe this is a newer model that has the same design as the one I have?
But it works really well. I have a 10 x 10 casserole dish that fits in there perfectly. I can cook casseroles and bake peach cobbler and it works great as long as you reduce the heat 25 degrees from a normal oven.
Raven
@Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin): In a game like the Georgia Bowl game I have to log off.
Lancelot Link
If i had some ham i’d have ham and eggs, if i had any eggs.
I blame Obama.
Linnaeus
Tough loss by my Wolverines. They played hard, though. No shame in that.
burnspbesq
@Steeplejack:
Lynx Hilo. D to A and A to D conversion at 192/24, plus a great headphone amp. The sound quality is to die for. Does an amazing job of ripping vinyl.
mir13
@J. Michael Neal: Sure, rub it in. Kick a program when it’s down.
It is a wonderful Game, no? The Juniors have been kicking it at the Worlds in Ufa, Russia this week and next. We get some of that on the NHL Network, thank the Maker. It’ll do, for now.
Evolving Deep Southerner
@efgoldman:
You’ve lost your fucking mind, sir. Put the top five teams from any other conferences in the nation versus the top five SEC teams – your fucking dream matchups, not this shit the bowl system has meted out for us all – and imagine how that would go. LSU didn’t “represent” too well last night. But who else would you see losing among that top five versus the five other “best” college teams in the nation?
Linnaeus
Wisky just might make a game of it today.
JPL
ESPN is streaming the Rose Bowl for those without cable. Sometimes their streaming is blocked for non cable customers but not today.
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
I probably don’t have counter space for a toaster oven in my small kitchen, but I collect people’s recommendations for future reference.
My kitchen is fairly efficient. The weak point is the stove: electric burners, which I’m not crazy about, and when I use the oven the whole thing gets pretty warm. But it is accurate on temperature. I miss the unit in the previous apartment: ceramic cooktop, accurate oven temps and very well insulated.
Steeplejack
@burnspbesq:
Cool.
Betty Cracker
@Evolving Deep Southerner: Word!
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
Thanks for looking it up. Hope it works well for you.
J. Michael Neal
@mir13:
I may be a Gopher fan now but I grew up in Ann Arbor. I never pass up an opportunity to kick Sparty when he’s down.
So far your teams’ trips up here have been a lot of fun. You won the football game, but we’ve won everything else: men’s basketball; men’s hockey (twice); women’s volleyball. Maybe your wrestling team will do better.
Stan Davis
@Mr Stagger Lee: you’re absolutely right. The so-called Bowl Season is a ridiculous thing, and is way too long.
There’s some 35 bowls played in the 3 weeks from mid-December to the first week of January.
That’s 70 teams invited to these bowls. The majority of these teams are unranked and completely uninteresting.
Frankly, any bowl game that is played before New Year’s Day is a waste of time and money, and is almost guaranteed to be a dud.
(And a few bowls, knowing that most people only care about the ‘real’ bowls on Jan 1 and later, try to sneak into that part of the calendar. But they don’t fool anybody. Look at the ridiculously-named Heart of Dallas bowl for an example.)
Schlemizel
@Mnemosyne:
Ah! Thanks. I was going from memory. Those guys are tough too although I don’t know about their traditional horse skills.
Schlemizel
@mir13:
Wait! you can love hockey or you can love the NHL but I can’t imagine loving both of them. What the NHL does shouldn’t be called hockey as it cheapens the entire sport.
Being that you are an MSU fan I can understand you not liking Minnesota – too many bitter memories of having your Canadian imports sent home with losses.
Mnemosyne
@Schlemizel:
It’s one of the things that’s sometimes fun about the Rose Parade — you have these huge elaborate corporate-sponsored floats, and then suddenly in the middle of it you have three guys from Tuva who decided it would be cool to apply to be in the parade.
ETA: I suspect the standby cowboy is an insurance thing. The horses can get really freaked out by the huge crowd and the last thing the city of Pasadena wants is for a horse to try and bolt into the stands. I know at least a few horses have to leave the parade route early every year because their handlers decide they’re getting too worked up.
Laura Debniak
@Punchy: the names have jumped the shark in the same way that the games have jumped ’em.
I pity whoever tries to slog through watching the majority of these bowl games, which are mostly awful.
There’s no reason to have this many games. The vast majority of these bowl games lose money. Only the top 4 or 5 bowls actually make money for all concerned.
What really irks me is that many schools that are invited to bowls have to buy a big block of tickets well in advance of the game. This cost is borne entirely by the school (and of course, by extension, the students.)
Many of these schools can’t resell these tickets to their fans and students (because very few fans can spend thousands of dollars and travel thousands of miles during the holidays) so the schools are left holding the bag, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The worst hit are the lesser-known and smaller schools who can least afford the loss of money.
Kilkee
@Laura Debniak: As opposed to, say, Notre Dame. I entered the contributing alum lottery to possibly get two tix at $350 each. ND had been allotted 17,000 tix, with 2000 going to students. I did not win the lottery, so I got my money (already charged to card) back, MINUS a $25 entry fee. ND kindly reported that “more than 100,000” had entered the lottery, so they made roughly $2.5 million to tell fans they lost. Oh, and I hear they make some money on the game, too.
That said, far too much belittling here of a fine scholar-athlete program, as opposed to some I could name.