Ringing In The New Year

The last game of the regular season in the NFL.

For some teams, the last game should end on a high note, especially if their season has been complete blah or if they want to atone for being a bunch of underachievers...your call here.

But for some, this last game is do or die when it comes to playoff implications. Yes, yesterday was kind of a big deal for teams like Washington, Cleveland, Tennessee, etc. scrambling to get that last coveted postseason spot & dang if they didn't.

Well, Cleveland's sitting at home. New Orleans & Minnesota are wondering what might have been. What about the other folks who made it into the playoffs?

(1) Washington, after facing every hardship & adversity under the sun & especially the loss of one of their own, paid their dues to get in & right now they're the hottest team in the NFL...take that Green Bay & Dallas!!
(2) Tennessee...man, did they have luck on their side or what? Well, Indy decided to rest a slew of their starters last night & I wish they could have won...then again, the Browns today felt the exact same way too, glued to the screen in hopes that the Titans would lose but nope, it wasn't meant to be. If they made a resurgence of any kind, it was a rather small one & their opponent for next weekend, San Diego, will see to it in short order that Tennessee's journey into the playoffs is just as brief.

Brian Billick, after 10 years at Baltimore, was given the boot. I don't know what happened to the Ravens this season; sure, they had injuries left & right (& with that, a key defensive player's move to those hated New England Patriots - you know who!!) but Baltimore's front office felt something had to give; they must have surmised his players couldn't see him eye to eye or he wasn't on the same page as they. At any rate, he's now out as head coach & may the best candidate for this vacancy take all!!

That's all as far as my musings about Week 17 in the NFL are concerned. Next weekend is like a whole new season altogether & may the team who's most prepared to play & most determined to get their point across to the doubters win it all this year...did I just forget to say go Colts...hahah.

Until the start of the New Year, peace out!!

The Rest of the Story

The last game of the regular season in the NFL. Can things get any better than this?

Well, from the looks of things, they just can't. But for two teams vying for a chance to get into the AFC playoffs - the Cleveland Browns & the Tennessee Titans - it's do or die; the stakes are already high as it is.

With the Titans, the stakes are definitely high. After stumbling through much of the last frame of the regular season, Tennessee is making a resurgence of sorts. But did their resurgence as a playoff-bound team come at the right time? Well, they had help with the Browns losing to the Bengals last Sunday so that in itself was a plus, a boost they so desperately needed to stay in the playoff hunt. But the one way Tennessee will have to stay alive (& hope that Cleveland croaks against the 49ers) is by beating the Colts. And folks, as any opponent who has played the Colts this season has learned all too well, taking on a formidable team like Indianapolis is not an easy task by any means.

Cleveland is just as eager to get back to the playoffs as well. Losing to divisional & intrastate rival Cincinnati didn't help their cause; hopefully they can bounce back from last weekend's loss by being ready to play against San Francisco. The Browns sure can't get complacent here or else it'll be last Sunday all over again & instead of the playoffs they'll be sitting at home wondering what might have been. And at a time like this, they sense what's on the line as much as the Titans do but even more so; the Browns franchise for much of their time back in town has been a running joke both for the home fans & for the opponents' fanbase...Hopefully a win on Sunday will make believers out of skeptics who feel that Cleveland is all about baseball & Lebron James...go Browns!!

For the Browns & Titans, things can't get any better than this weekend. It's all or nothing, do or die, win or lose: there is no middle ground for that last playoff spot & may the best team be granted a victory & with it a trip to the postseason.

Current playlist #5

Well, here's my last playlist before the new year rolls around. Hope everyone loves what's on my list:

The Sea and Cake, "The Fawn," The Fawn
Radiohead, "15 Step," In Rainbows
Boards of Canada, "Satellite Anthem Icarus," The Campfire Headphase
Boards of Canada, "Tears From The Compound Eye," see above
Prefuse 73, "I Knew You Were Gonna Go," Preparations
Autechre, "Acroyear2," LP5 (aka Autechre's White Album)
Neu!, "E-Musik," Neu! 75
Stereolab, "Parsec," Dots and Loops
Tortoise, "Monica," Standards
Tortoise, "It's All Around You," It's All Around You

My favorite CDs of 2007

I felt that this'd be a perfect opportunity to spill the beans on my favorite releases from the year 2007 so without further ado here goes, the occasional late entry included of course:

The Sea and Cake - Everybody
Minus The Bear - Planet of Ice
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Interpol - Our Love To Admire (sure, Interpol may have made the jump to a major label but deep down I feel they haven't lost a beat at all)
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Culture - Two Sevens Clash (3oth anniversary edition)
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures, Closer (re-issued & remastered!!)
Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
Prefuse 73 - Preparations
Andrew Hill - Compulsion (what on earth took Blue Note so long to get this CD back out? Well, now that it's re-issued as part of the Rudy Van Gelder series, I'm not complaining!!)

If anyone has their share of fave CDs from 2007, feel free to respond in kind.

Eeks!! Can things get any worse?

Before the world of Major League Baseball just recently got hit with a major bombshell that who knows how many of its marquee players used steroids or performance drugs, I was bound to think that Barry Bonds was the only big namer out there who did plenty of both. And I thought that Bonds was the only player who could MLB such a bad name, tarnish its very image as a national pasttime, & if that's not enough, break the MLB's Home Run record (which BTW should have an asterisk written all over it).

Was I ever wrong to harbor such thoughts.

This latest report has big-namers like Roger Clemens & Andy Petitte on the list. Who's next? A-Rod? Kerry Wood? Not to be funny but if anyone has had the chance to check out some of the names of the latest MLB players who have used roids/performance drugs at some point in time or other, some of those names will make folks roll their eyes. Or worse, make them wonder why they're rooting for them in the first place.

All the while, Bud Selig is MIA. I'm wondering what he's thinking about all this; I'm still amazed that he didn't take the time & effort to weed out those players who were using 'roids/enhancement drugs for the longest time, of which Bonds is one of the standouts. As the MLB Commish, you'd think he wouldn't fall asleep on such issues as steroids but he did. For far too long, he swept the issue under the rug like it was nothing to get hyped up about. That is, until Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron as baseball's all-time HR leader...even then, a lot of folks were wondering, "Why didn't he step up to the plate & take action like he was supposed to?"

At any rate, things can get no better than hearing the latest news on the MLB grapevine. And from what we've heard, things don't look too swell/promising for some of the folks involved.

No Rest For The Weary

For the Indianapolis Colts, life seems to be looking good right now, what with the fact that they've pretty much secured the #2 seed in the AFC. Sure, they're banged up & none more so than on the defensive front; yet somehow, someway they were able to defeat the Raiders last Sunday. This should give Tony Dungy reason to rest his starters for the last two games of this regular season, right?

Hope not.

If so, rewind to 2005-06 when in doubt. Most of the starters didn't play in the last two regular-season games; of course, when they entered the playoffs, they were going to feel a bit rusty & out of sync. And Pittsburgh took advantage of the Colts' rustiness in the best way possible as they marched their way on to the Super Bowl (& if that wasn't enough, grabbed all the hardware which comes with being Super Bowl Champs). Lest this should happen a second time (& what with Jacksonville & San Diego being two of the hottest teams in the AFC as we speak), the starters who are on the up & up status-wise should keep playing & for those starters who are honestly injured there's no pressure to put them out on the field at all. That's just one of my suggestions if Indy wants to work their way back into another Super Bowl.

True, the Colts have it made & are in control of their own destiny. But by resting their key starters, they're bound to lose some of the momentum which has won some key games for them all season (& the playoffs are no exception either). Dungy knows what's at stake here; only he & he alone can see to it that history doesn't repeat.

But then again, Dungy knows what's best for the Colts at this juncture. As one of the league's most respected coaches ever, he knows the routine & so does the rest of his ballclub. Like the old saying goes, there's no rest for the weary. For the inactives, there is rest & time to heal up just right until they're good to go. But for the starters who can play, they've got to suck it up & keep forging ahead; to settle for anything less is just wrong.

Current playlist #4

Four playlists down, possibly one more to go before 2007 is over & done. Anyways, here's my 4th round of tunes I'm currently listening to:

Andrew Hill, "Subterfuge," Black Fire
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, "Free For All," Free For All
Joe Henderson, "Inner Urge," Inner Urge
Wayne Shorter, "Penelope," Etcetera
Kenny Dorham, "Straight Ahead," Una Mas
McCoy Tyner, "Contemplation," The Real McCoy
Larry Young, "The Moontrane," Unity
Wayne Shorter, "Dance Cadaverous," Speak No Evil
Herbie Hancock, "Little One," Maiden Voyage
Freddie Hubbard, "Breaking Point," Breaking Point

For Now...

Several more days before Christmas; I've just about finished up my shopping in earnest & am now hoping to chill out, relax, catch my breath & focus my energies on the next bonafide post which I'm planning to write in a short while.

All of my dealings with sending out Christmas cards are now out of the way & that's been the case for a week now. So far, life is good; life is looking up...for now.

In regards to music, I'm well-stocked with plenty of great CDs to listen to; I may not buy another CD until after Christmas but I wouldn't mind, even if I deliberated over this issue for the thousandth time: So far, life is good, life is looking up...for now.

I'm still thinking about those folks I miss the most back @ Ball State or wherever they may be, keeping them in my thoughts & prayers. Life is all the better when I can take time out of my day to keep them in mind. Life is all the better when I go out of my way to do the little things which cheer them up, which brighten up their day, which are living proof that they're still appreciated, that they're still cared about. Life is all the better because of this & I wouldn't have it any other way...& that's for always.

Year-end update

I've got to admit, I've come a long way in so little time.

We're about midway through December & already I've completed post #206 (about to be #207 real soon). Four score & seven months since my humble beginnings in the world of blogging, it's been an awesome feeling to post on all those issues which I love dealing with most, whether it be music, sports, Greek life or miscellany; that's what makes blogsites like this one so fun to get into in the first place. Sure, there was a dry spell here & there but that was to be expected, what with a hectic schedule or a slight case of writer's block or even a seriously awful cold bug I caught a couple months back...lol. Digressions aside, I'm starting to hit my stride once again & I'm as focused & confident as I could possibly be right now. I'm regaining my touch & that's a good thing.

Recently, I've been in the habit of mixing things up just to keep things fresh & full of variety. My current playlists & quotes of the day & even a few poetics here & there are just three ways which I'm breaking from the routine of doing lengthy posts all the time; I feel that I'm doing a cool job in this department & will only get better in this aspect.

Look forward to another post coming your way TBA; until then, take heart that yours truly has hit a milemarker for the ages (& for the moment) by completing 200+ posts in just several months...man, is he that good or what?

The number 23

The number 23.

For Michael Vick, the number 23 isn't a very lucky one as he'll be holed up in the clink for a good 23 months (or almost 2 years). It seems that 2 years isn't a very long time for some folks but when you come to think of Vick & all the bad decisions which he made prior to his dogfighting charges, those 2 years mean a whole lot.

Sure, the man says he's going to turn his life around, that he wants to redeem himself. And we want to believe his good intentions, right? But he can't turn back the hands of time in hopes that he can make things right again, in hopes that he can somehow get off scot-free. No, that time has already passed & now the day of judgment has arrived, however suddenly it may have come.

This isn't to say that all is lost. This isn't to say that he can't play in the NFL again (although I among countless others feel that he shouldn't). This isn't to say that Michael Vick won't change his ways; I mean, in 23 months, anything can happen. People change in 2 years time; so can Vick. You can't rule out that his life could make a turn for the better.

But will he truly redeem himself, will he walk out of his cell a honestly changed man? I'm at a loss to say for sure. Only Vick can answer that question; 2 years from now & only then will we know with certainty if he's really turned a corner in his personal life.

Until then, we can only stop to think about Vick's reputation forever tarnished, a NFL career gone down the tubes & with it numerous endorsement deals...everything good we thought we knew about the man himself gone bad because of dogfighting charges.

Quotes of the day

"It's not very often that you can find someone who will go the extra mile to show he cares about his fellow Greeks & actually keep it real. But thank heavens I'm one of those folks who does just that: going above & beyond my expectations, breaking from my routine as it were, to continue supporting the Greek system. And that to me is absolutely amazing." - yours truly

"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there." -John Wooden

"The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it." -Carl Jung

3rd time's the charm

The best of the best.

When The Band set about making their 1970 album Stage Fright, the pressure definitely was on them to live up to their last two efforts, their debut Music From Big Pink & 1969's eponymous masterpiece (aka The Brown Album). Somehow, despite the stress & strain, the constant touring & hard partying, The Band came up with another release which, although it may not have matched the achievements of its predecessors, is still pretty awesome & if I must concede downright powerful music.

Stage Fright also marked a shift in tone especially from a lyrical aspect, which makes this effort a more challenging listen from the get-go. Whereas Big Pink & The Band offered the listener rootsy yet oh so mysterious images & figures of Americana, Stage Fright revealed Robbie Robertson & company dropping their masks & telling it like it was to their audience. If this wasn't enough, this approach was far more personal & harrowing; to say this was a downshift into darkness is way beside the point. To be honest, SF is where The Band let loose & created a portrait with every possible color they could find, a far cry from the rootsy, old-timey vibe which defined a vast majority of their best-known songs ("The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" just to name a couple).

If there were an underlying theme which connects SF so strongly, it would be self-destruction in its various obfuscations: alcohol, fear, isolation & refuge. More so than ever, this album would be Robertson's brainchild but the artistic heart & soul of the group was definitely Richard Manuel, beyond any doubt. Manuel was not only a brilliant multi-instrumentalist but also one of The Band's go-to guys in the songwriting department; he either had a hand in or was the primary writer for their more familiar compositions. He had a hand in writing "Sleeping" & "The Shape I'm In" on SF but his love for booze & lack of motivation in certain respects kept him from playing a bigger role for the group. It was on Robertson to smooth things out, to iron out the rough spots Manuel may have run across, especially if Richard had issues completing certain songs; if anything, when all else failed, Robertson wrote songs in hopes that he could reach his fellow bandmate & colleague. Unfortunately, even though Richard Manuel still had plenty of bright moments ahead of him but after Stage Fright he didn't write any more songs which is not only sad; it's a harrowing glimpse of one of this album's primary themes: being in the Band was not only the premise for his self-destruction via alcohol but The Band proved to be a refuge he could turn to, something that made him keep on keeping on.

So without further ado, the opening track, "Strawberry Wine," with drummer Levon Helm at the mic, kicks off the festivities which have come to define Stage Fright. Though it is upbeat & fun it also sounds desperate, capturing a drunk whose existence revolves around his wine, that is to say, around feeling good all the time. "Sleeping" is not just a portrait on what it's like to be out on the road as a musician but the isolation & need for hiding which comes with this lifestyle as Manuel points out so brilliantly in one of his more heartfelt performances. "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" could serve as a modern-day lesson of selling out; at the same time, this song also reveals Robertson making an unpromising assessment on the price he & his bandmates (Manuel in particular) were paying for being in a band. "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" takes the 19th century medicine show & puts it into a modern-day interpretation, where the rock and roll touring lifestyle was seen as a cure-all - which in a sense it was. The title track points out what it's like to be out there in the spotlight, trying to cope with who knows how many screaming fans, the press & man knows who else & not feeling comfortable about any of the above. "The Rumor", SF's closer (& a moody one at that) is, depending on your outlook, a song of hope & redemption or a song chock full of uncertainty.

Stage Fright, despite all of its upbeat glory, is one of The Band's more intimate, more personal albums ever committed to tape. Some critics were taken aback that it didn't follow the same beaten path of the first two efforts but then again who can argue? In retrospect, The Band was being honest & being downright real with us; that was not only a good call on their part but a great way to make SF such a powerful album, period: A-plus all the way!!

Musical musings, part two

Just my luck.

Venturing through my pops' record collection as a little tike of a dude might have been the worst thing in the world - that is, from the parents' standpoint. For me, however, it was a feeling of liberation which forever changed how I not only listen to music, but also what types of music strike the most resounding chords with me & to which I can return from time to time.

Let's face it: a lot of bonafide music lovers came to be more open-minded about music in general along the same lines as me, though perhaps at different times (& with it, ages). And where, pray tell, were they most often going to find that newfound vibration of joy & happiness which couldn't be found elsewhere? Naturally enough, they'd find it in their parents' collection of albums, a smorgasbord of different genres & sounds which they either a) dug with all their hearts or b) couldn't quite get upon the first listen. But somehow if they made the effort, if they persevered with the credo "to listen & keep on listening", each album, each artist soon left a mark, an impress of some kind in their lives, consciously or no. Over time, the genres which they couldn't quite relate to at first would be the genres which they loved most & still do to this very day...I mean, if you were raised on classic rock, or on prog-rock, that's what you grew up on & came to have the utmost appreciation for. And with those first loves (as I prefer to call them), the way was open for them to embrace other genres like reggae or Afro-Beat or even Krautrock. Without a doubt, that's how any genuine music lover is born & made: 9 times out of 10, it's the vast assortment of vinyl that does them in.

Another observation of note before closing things out:

My playlist changes from time to time, not because I feel like doing this on a whim but because I'm keeping things fresh as well as opening myself up to genres which I may not ordinarily listen to in my car, at home, etc. That's another true sign of a sincere music lover when you see one: he's always deviating from his listening routine & doing a pretty awesome job in this aspect.

Until next time, throw some vinyl/CDs on & turn that stereo up!!

Current playlist #3

Here's my current playlist for the moment, done in the fashion of the last two but with a twist - I'm doing things in two-fer mode:

Pavement, "Gold Sounds," Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Pavement, "Rattled By The Rush," Wowee Zowee
The Band, "Stage Fright," Stage Fright
The Band, "Across The Great Divide," The Band
Bob Dylan, "Something There Is About You," Planet Waves
Bob Dylan, "You're A Big Girl Now," Blood On The Tracks
Grateful Dead, "Sugar Magnolia," American Beauty
Grateful Dead, "Uncle John's Band," Workingmans Dead
Wilco, "Kamera," Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco, "Handshake Drugs," A Ghost Is Born

Crooked Tribute

It seems that some groups in the world of alternative music never get the credit or attention which they deserve in their lifetime. Maybe the lack of acclaim is a good thing; maybe no. But one of indie-rock's best known groups (or depending on how you look at it, one of its best-kept secrets), Pavement, is (& has been) one of the most underrated bands known to man; perhaps they didn't sell records left & right but they made a statement of their own nonetheless as they forged a permanent name for themselves in the Indie Rock Hall of Fame & not for the reasons which you might expect.

Some call Pavement's music "slacker indie" or "alternative music for the slacker generation" (which the mid-90s were, in a sense, what with the Generation X deal). But I refute such observations outright: Pavement's music was the indie-rock equivalent of CCR/The Band, or a looser, more jammier version of its fellow alternative/post-punk counterparts (of which three come to mind: Sonic Youth, Wire & R.E.M.) -which BTW are apt but no-BS comparisons. What I just wrote might come across as an understatement of sorts but the above influences are definitely there; however, Pavement took those same wellsprings of musical inspiration & made them into something distinct & unique - a total antithesis of everything associated with alternative music in general.

Stephen Malkmus not only as Pavement's frontman/most popular figure but also as a lyricist, had a penchant (& still does) for the oblique, cryptic & puzzling. This isn't to say that he didn't know how to sing to save his life or write a satisfactory song; he absolutely did both of the above to good effect with Pavement. Only catch is, he was reacting against convention, against the status quo which has sadly dominated much of today's popular music, but in an off-key, quirky way...with an intact sense of humor & irony in tow. And he didn't need to offer the themes of his songs with any straightforward flair to make things impressive.

Beginning with 1992's seminal Slanted & Enchanted, Pavement gradually found their footing & made a name for themselves in the pantheon of indie-rock greats. In 1994, their follow-up, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain built & improved on the strengths of its predecessor: not just great songcraft but also more jammier tendencies. Could it be that Pavement's star was on the rise? With this release, the group really hit their stride (& that, as a bonafide band).

Then in 1995, Wowee Zowee (my favorite Pavement album) served as a logical extension of the first two full-length efforts; to some, it's a bit uneven, rough around the edges. Others will concede that it's indie-rock's answer to the Rolling Stones' 1972 masterpiece Exile On Main St. & which it is, to a point. But in my own personal opinion, Wowee Zowee is an ultimate showcase for Pavement to branch out, further their confidence in their musicianship & other whatnot & have a blast recording, letting things hang loose as always, warts & all.

Brighten The Corners revealed Pavement maturing as a band but lyrically Malkmus could still make the listener fall into a state of puzzlement & surprise (as was always his forte). Their last effort ever, Terror Twilight, set the bar further & higher: more accessible songs, a more mature route which set the stage for each of Malkmus' solo efforts (& when's Steve going to come out with his next release? It's been 2 years & counting...lol...hoping that it hits the shelves soon if not another year from now-shades of Axl Rose already? please).

Pavement may not have gotten gold or platinum record sales on their group resume, but let's not forget that their popularity was the result of thinking outside the box, bringing the jam back into indie-rock & a good ol' DIY approach to their music. For all that, Pavement deserves credit & acclaim where it's rightfully due. Too much to ask? you say. Well, blare CRCR or WZ full-blast & jam along to one of indie-rock's most beloved darlings ever when in doubt; you'll be glad that you did.

No Guarantee

"Guarantee!! Guarantee!!"

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Anthony Smith felt that New England was due for an upset after playing like oh-so-much-crap against Philadelphia & Baltimore. And of course, like plenty of folks, we felt the Patriots were beatable, that they were bound to lose one game sooner or later.
Smith himself guaranteed that the Steelers would beat the Pats, right?

Wrong. His guarantee turned out to be a false hope in the making & his cheap talk really served as fuel for the Patriots' fire, an impetus to get them ready to play. As if this weren't enough, Smith was victimized by two long pass plays, one by Randy Moss & the other by Jabar Gaffney, & each of those TDs sent the floodgates wide open for New England & if I must say so they set the tone for the entire game.

If there is a lesson which Smith could learn from the comments he made earlier on, it would be that talk of that magnitude is cheap & is only going to get the opponents more pumped up, more ready to go & do damage. Also, if you're going to live up to your talk, be ready to play & ready to prove that your opponent is beatable through your overall performance on the field, something that Smith couldn't do to save his life against either of the two aforementioned dudes I brought up.

New England coach Bill Belichick himself remarked that the Pats have played better safeties than - guess who? - Anthony Smith. And from what we saw on Sunday, he's right. If the Steelers stood a ghost of a chance of beating Tom Brady & company, they'd have to play pretty much error-free football all four quarters. But Smith's "guarantee" proved to be a bad omen & the undoing of all our wishes that Pittsburgh would unseat the Patriots from the ranks of the undefeated for good.

Guarantee, huh? Aping Jean Girard from Talladega Nights, imagine him saying that "I have come to defeat you." Unfortunately, the Patriots did just that & left Smith eating his words.

Turns out that his guarantee was no guarantee after all.

Memory

This writing was based on some awesome Bid Day experiences, listening to all these sorority cheers going on & all. At the same time, it is an affirmation of how strong my love & support for Greek life is. (Seriously, "Memory" is heartfelt stuff.)


Your songs have found their way
to the heart of me
Once again I can say
my life is truly complete
Your songs send me back
to a special place & time
I've come to know & love,
to memories I can't leave behind

This much is true
from the very start
all this time spent with you
holds a special place
within my heart

How could it be
that you were the one for me
all along?
My heart is now
bursting into song
constantly
from memory.

Once again I can say
my life's truly complete
Your songs have found their way
to the heart of me
& they won't let go
No
they're here for good (to stay)
I carry your love with me
every step of the way

No other could ever do
or replace a love this true
& I found it here with you

How could it be...

My heart is still
singing your songs
& melodies
from memory.

It's meant to be -
I knew it all along
when you burst into song
so gracefully
from memory.

Lucky #13

Playing 13.

For who knows how many collegiate football teams, getting to play in a bowl game is not only sweet, but one of the best things in the world that could happen should they accept a bid to play in one. Of course, it's easy for these very teams to bask in all the hype & excitement which are part of the bowl experience; that's to be expected. But in the state of Indiana, two ballclubs are a very lucky group to be playing 13 games this season.

First off, the Indiana Hoosiers, playing in honor of Hep, paid their dues to get this far & what better way to state their case that they belonged in a bowl by beating in-state & conference nemesis Purdue.

Secondly, the Ball State Cardinals are back in the bowl spotlight for the first time in over a decade. I, among many Cards football fans, was just wading it out in hopes that they'd actually get into a bowl (& like IU, their road to play 13 games wasn't exactly an easy one, what with the MAC Championship sorting things out at the 11th hour). But they've come a long way to reach this plateau & the Cards could once more be one of the MAC's most feared ballclubs once the 2008 season arrives.

As for Purdue, more of the same old, same old. And what better way to make their day than to play a rematch against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Go Boilermakers!! I believe they can find redemption after playing completely blah in their last bowl game against Maryland.

Notre Dame...don't even start...hahah. Their season was one of the most atrocious on record & the thought that they'd be playing 13 games is positively out of the question. Maybe next year, Irish, maybe next year. Not this year.

For Purdue, IU & Ball State, life is good now that their season is extended by one game. The next question is, will they be up for the challenges which their opponents (CMU, Oklahoma State & Rutgers) will bring on in short order? We shall see. But at any rate, they're one of the teams playing 13 & hopefully this number is a lucky one for sure.

Musical musings

When it comes to what types of music I enjoy listening to, I've always been a bit eclectic. And being eclectic is a good thing since to truly appreciate music in general, one has to have open ears, an open mind & most of all an open heart to match.


Ever since I was a youngster, that's been the case & always will be for the most part...lol. But seriously, I've been listening to practically anything I can get my hands on & loving almost every minute of time spent in rapture with headphones on or having my ears propped up against the speakers to capture every nuance, every little splash of sound that I couldn't get on the first listen (or second or third).

Whether it's reggae, post-rock, R & B, IDM (for those who don't know, short for Intelligent Dance Music), or jazz, I've always felt, as it were, rootless, always checking new genres out as I go along. To be a really genuine music lover, one has to be not only unbiased but also adventurous as well, even if you have a favorite style of music which you wouldn't pass up for anything else, a favorite genre which you basically grew up on. And that's how I came to be such a music fiend from the get-go: that sense of adventure, risk-taking, really wrenching myself free of every biased outlook which might come my way or far worse, into my own mindset.

Today, one is fortunate if they can rake out dough for a CD with who knows how many songs on it & end up enjoying their latest buy in its entirety. Ever since the good ol' days of vinyl, I've come to believe that an album with a pretty simplified amount of songs (8-12) really says a lot more than say, a release with 4 or 5 good tunes & the rest are all oh so much crap. And I'm an adamant believer that an album with coherent, connected songs really works wonders & is music I can return to time & time again without having to find myself bypassing certain tracks. (Classic examples of dudes who knew/know how to make albums which are not only coherent & connected but also are chock full of outstanding songcraft/musicianship/group interaction are Steely Dan, The Sea and Cake, The Band (their 1st 3 efforts are the best of the best here), & I know I'm gonna hear from a lot of folks about this...lol...Led Zeppelin.)

Well, that's all for my musings about music. Hopefully, I'll pick up where I left off next time with a passion that can't be rivaled elsewhere. Until next time, hang loose & throw some music on!!

Those conquering Colts

Once again, when the going got tough, the Indianapolis Colts proved why they're in control of the AFC South. As it stood before Sunday afternoon, they led the Jacksonville Jaguars by a game in the division & if anything this game would determine one of two scenarios: A) a first place tie in the South division, or B) a chance for the Colts to get a little distance on the Jags & in the process a chance to gain control of their destiny for the remainder of the regular season.

When all was said & done, the final result was B, as Peyton Manning & company time & time again responded to any & every challenge Jacksonville dared to throw at them & Indy came away with a 28-25 victory. Go Horse for sure!! And Reggie Wayne showed the Jags secondary that though Marvin Harrison couldn't play, he & the rest of his receiving comrades were more than happy to pick up the slack.

But of course the Colts set the tone early in the game on defense when Jags QB David Garrard coughed up a free gift for defensive lineman Raheem Brock to have...if there was one play which helped maintain momentum in the Colts' favor for good, Brock's fumble recovery was that play. Kinda hard to beat Indy when you shoot yourself in the foot with too many turnovers as Jacksonville wound up doing. And no amount of challenges from Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio can take away the fact that Indianapolis was by far the better team; sure, the Jags battled back but too little too late to have a chance to make this matchup remotely close.

Not only does this win prove to be key for the Colts as they kick tail in the AFC South; it could also be the perfect boost which they need when it counts the most. And on Sunday, this win over Jacksonville was indeed much-needed, with the division on the line & all.

Go Colts!!

Current playlist #2

Here's my latest playlist (album titles are again in italics):

Keane, "Sunshine," Hopes and Fears
The Sea and Cake, "Four Corners," One Bedroom
Joni Mitchell, "Sweet Bird," The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Steely Dan, "Deacon Blues," Aja
Keane, "Is It Any Wonder?" Under The Iron Sea
Stevie Wonder, "You and I," Talking Book
Stevie Wonder, "Golden Lady," Innervisions
Sam Prekop, "So Shy," Sam Prekop
Shuggie Otis, "Inspiration Information," Inspiration Information
Sly & The Family Stone, "Family Affair," There's A Riot Goin' On

Finally!!

For the first time in over a decade, Ball State football fans really have something to be excited about: their beloved Cards are heading to a bowl game!!

It's one of the sweetest things that could happen to a football program which has had to endure numerous ups & downs just to make it this far. I sensed that that BSU would do some awesome things this year yet I never envisioned them reaching the point where they could play in a bowl game.

Now that they're finally going to be playing in a bowl game, though, I'm all the prouder & happier for the Cardinals & anyone who loves Ball State football should feel the same way too. Yeah, it may have taken 11 years to make it up to this plateau but some things in life are worth the wait. Who knows, Ball State could be a force to be reckoned with in the MAC again if folks like Central Michigan don't watch out next season.

Go Cards!!