Best Sporting Weekend Since 19-something-and-5, a Retrospective

2-2, yes.

But in the grand scheme for 2008-09, easily the most two important victories of the four, and that speaks nothing to whom I cheer hardest for.

Penn St. Winner. Which will ultimately put them directly into the BCS Championship January 8th. Joe Pa wins out. Alabama or Texas lose at least once, with much tougher games looming, including respective conference championship games. Watching Terrell Pryor fumble the game away was even more gratifying.

Liverpool (see Winner!!!!). 3 points clear of Chelsea who has a superior goal differential. Another Man Utd draw on Saturday vs. Everton was just as sweet, so +2 on them is always a good time.

Pens. Still way too early in the season to be too crazily concerned. Although blowing another 3rd period lead was disturbing. But chemistry is still building, so I expect the Pens to be back atop the Atlantic by January 1st.

Steelers. Yeah, that sucked. But kinda the same story we've been preaching on these pages for a month. Two great defenses going at it. The Beloved are decimated by injuries. But the difference maker again...the O-Line. The Giants may have the best in football. We may have the worst. Santonio loving the Mary Jane didn't help. But we'll still easily win the pathetic AFC North, and there's really no one else that scares me in the AFC, including the undefeated Titan. Winning the Superbowl as we said back after Week 2? Not without a complete overhaul of the O-Line...and that's not bound to happen, at least in the next 2 months. Hopefully Ben can stay healthy and we'll win a playoff game. Best case scenario: after an early exit this season, we finally realize that this issue needs to be addressed.

Bottom line...the reason I say the loss isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme: It'll have no effect on the final outcome. Anything can happen when you get into the playoffs, so we'll still have a puncher's chance...but no more or less than what we had prior to this Week 8 game.

THIS, was the glorious glorious 'W' that I was referring to...

1-Nil Liverpool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wankers from Chelsea knocked from atop the table. 86 Game unbeaten streak at Stamford Bridge goes bye-bye! REDS ALL ALONE AT THE TOP!!! And looking in fine fine form...Back 4 has been superb...Carragher's a beast, Danny Agger is back...Mascherano & Xabi holding down the midfield, Kuyt is frickin flying all over the place, Robbie Keane's giving us quality up front, Ryan Babel providing pace off the bench...and Pepe's a frickin stud!!!! 6 points in 2 matches vs. Man U and Chelsea, both without our lad from sunny Spain, El Nino! And Stevie G is simply the best. Clicking on all cylinders, boys!!! THE PREM IS OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of those 3 against Man Utd, this would be too much fun...

Winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Sporting Weekend Since 19-something-and-5?

7:00 Tonight: Pens v. Rangers
8:00 Tonight: Penn St. v. Ohio St.
9:30a Sunday: Liverpool v. Chelsea
4:00p Sunday: Steelers v. Giants

So by @ 7:00 Sunday evening, the Pens will be a mere 2 points outta first in the Eastern Conference, and ROLLING. Joe Pa will be one step closer to another National Championship. The Reds will be walking alone atop the Prem. And the Beloved will be on top of everyone's NFL power rankings.

And Santonio Holmes had to go ruin it by smoking the pot.

How High Can You Go!?
How High Can You Go!?
How High Can You Go!?

ps: Congrats to the Philadelphia Flyers, who became the last team in the NHL to finally notch a win for the season. Don't fret Flyers fans. As I've said in the past, simply take the Conference Standings...flip them upside down...and pretend your in 1st place.

pss: Danny Briere (you pussy) is out 3-4 weeks with what is believed to be a pulled crotch.

Boston Spaceships at the Blind Pig

slowly churning these out. Leg 2...



Probably one of the best shows we saw on the tour, with thanks to Canada, Bob's Big Boy, and perhaps the happiest cab driver on the planet. Also ran into John Sellers, and enthusiastically1 introduced myself. I believe we'd met back in 2004 at a NY show, but that was before I'd read his book Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life, which is a tremendously funny and refreshing read for anyone that thinks us indie "hipsters" are too cool for school. I don't think he believed me when I said I read the footnotes, as well. I did2.

Dorothy one more time. This one's pretty good, I think...



It's another busy day...(WARNING: very shaky cam at certain points, tuff times shooting this down close)...


Oh, then there was this dude Eric from San Fran, who we'd run into 3 more times in the next 4 days. Nice dude. Hope you got home safe, partner.

More PIX here

1 translation = drunkenly
2 seriously

You! You've got a Love Theory!

About me!!

Not sure if I know Daemion83 or not, but dude's got, like, 8 Nashville videos up. Props, for that...

Good times...

So you say you had a bounty on the back-up RB, after he gets injured?

How convenient. And how terrifying.

And so the circus act that is Ray Ray and the Baltimorons continues.

Next up on the "bounty list" is Hines Ward. One look at a Raven message board says all you need to hear..."He'll get his." "Hines will get what's coming to him." Better hurry up dildos. He's only been in the league for, like...i dunno...11 years.

Unless this is your definition of "Hines getting his"...

The NFL in 2015 (if not sooner)

The following will be a call heard on the field:

"We have offsetting penalties on the play. On the offense, #86...15 yard personal foul for blocking. On the defense, we have a personal foul on #92...15 yards for tackling. By rule, the penalties offset, and we will break for commercial."

Hey kids...it's another Pavement Reissue!!!

My 2nd favorite Pavement record (after Slanted & Enchanted), Brighten the Corners, gets the royal treatment from Matador. Pre-order now, and get a bunch of free goodies!!!!

Release Date is November 18th. I'd say someone should buy it for me for Xmas, but I've already gots mines.

Embassy Row!! The fumes they lay low...

I needed a visa - I bought off a geezer.

Yeah, we got a lot of losses!!

Probably the most brutal regular season of loss of the past two seasons. Up 3-Nil, and up 3-1 in the 3rd, we don't even get a point?!?!? And to see Ovechkin, who was too busy trying to take cheap runs at people to play an effective game, chirping after a game that he had really little nothing to do with...that hurt.

Not sure why Therrien didn't send someone after Ovy. Oh, well. Next time, he'll get his. Bissonnette kicked ass though...



KO, Biz Nasty.

I could watch this all day...

thanks to Fried Chicken's Hockey Fights for that clip.

Another Riley Cote Beatdown

The Pens enforcer has changed names, but Flyer goon Riley Cote receives the same slapdown. Only thing better then beating the scum bag Flyers is beating them up in the process...



Clear win Godard. HockeyFights.com voters registered an 82.9% win for EG, as well. 14.6% ruled it a draw. 2.5% delusional Flyer fans chimed in.

3-2 Pens win in the process, keeping the Dirtballs winless on the season.

Boston Spaceships - Grog Shop

I know. About time. These weekend jaunts around the great Midwest are as exhausting as they are good times. Slowly catching up here, hope to upload Ann Arbor, Dayton, Chicago stuff soon. But first, a final date in Nashville awaits this weekend. To the PATH!!!

Not a ton of great shots from this particular show, as we started at the back of the pack, and the stage was sorta low. Eventually made it to the front, by which time, we had consumed a couple of Miller Lites.



(Advanced warning on all these vids: the sound is not that great from my camera. Just trying to capture the spirit of the whole thing, Reg.)

"Dorothy's a Planet", beautifully shot by Tirpak, whom as much as I'd like to say I've influenced towards the Bob / GBV thing, I'm fairly certain he wasn't familiar with this Suitcase tune. How he knew to shoot this (I believe I'm still further back at this point), I have no idea...but very nicely played.

YOU SUPPLY MY MIND WITH POLLUTION!!!!!!



I cheated, saw the Southgate set list from the previous night, so I admit I wasn't surprised...but excited to hear, nonetheless "Sensational Gravity Boy" (a couple seconds late on the trigger, sorry), which I had never heard live. Confirmation from gbvdb.com shows that it was never played prior to this tour?? True?? Anyways...



Followed by "Crutch Came Slinking"!! Slushy and Narducy rawkin the Nate side...



Brown Submarine ROCKS live, and has been on even heavier rotation since seeing BS play. Probably the best Bob backed band since the GBV days, imho. Bob appears to be having a blast, and we love the inclusion of Jason and Tommy for the live sets. Since it wasn't played the previous night in KY, I was afraid this would be my first ever Bob show where "Game of Pricks" was not played. It wasn't. We got Pricks, as well as a kick ass Cheap Trick cover of "Hello There" (which oddly and coincidentally enough, is the new opening theme song for the Crow and Paulsen radio show on ESPN Pittsburgh).

Glorious times. A ton of great friends on hand. Yost got his first taste. Nebraska was represented. The O'Shea's were represented. Canada was in the house. And there was a Todd and Tim sighting. Beers. Bob. EVERYTHING.

More pix HERE.

Gonch out 4-6 Months

Someone. Must. Pay.

I think it should be this ass clown, provided he even makes the Tampa Bay roster...

hint...it's not Chara, but the amateur getting his face punched in above.  Hopefully, Eric Godard gets another chance to pound on David Koci...

To the path!!

Psych Threat!

How high can you?!?!?!

how high can you go?
how high can you go?

I Apologize in Advance

Yes, serious lack of RP content on these pages the past week, especially in light of the Boston Spaceships sighting last week. Still need to peruse and download hundreds of pix and vid. Weak, I know. Upon return from our Midwest travels, I promise.

All I know is Sensational Gravity Boy will be played live tonight in Ann Arbor...

and this guy is SO THERE!!!!

RAWWWWK!!!!

Hey, Look. It's another Deerhoof Video...

The single off the new Offend Maggie LP, due for release next week from Kill Rock Stars, "Fresh Born"...

It's official. Jim Thome is the only thing left about baseball that I like, or root for.

Once Jim is gone, so am I.

Hope the Sox play the Cubs so I'll have a bunch of happy friends...at least until one of them loses. Happy is nice.

461 feet?!?! Bomb. Datta boy, Jim.