dash acoustic: hands down

(this video was taken 6 inches in front of me)

aaaaaaaah, tiebreakers

Can't believe I finished 1 game behind first place in the standings!
Can't believe I finished 1 game behind first place and didn't make the playoffs.

Started 0-4. Finished 7-2.

And I still don't think that might team was that good over the last 9 weeks. Which is why I'm not upset about this. But geez, who knew that I would finish with a playoff worthy record? If you look at the team that lost to Stevo in week 9, that team was terrible...and then I won the next 4 division games. Technically I finished 6th in the 10-team league, which isn't that good. But was so close to getting tied with the best record. Strange league. Also, for the second straight year, Mark has dominated the points. Geez. Start testing this guy. Steroids.

- - -

Also, how about those total points in Me vs. Mark, including our bench this week? We blew up! 449.5 between our rosters. For comparison, our rosters put up 350 in week 1, and Kirat/Niraj put up 315 this week.

homemade pizza throwdown

On Saturday, I made two homemade pizzas. It was a Throwdown!

First up, I made my own crust using this recipe. I topped it with Trader Joe's pizza sauce. Then I sliced half of a 8oz. ball of Trader Joe's fresh mozzarella and topped half with pepperoni and all of it with peppers and onions.

It was barely edible. Hmmm, perhaps that's the wrong way to start. It looked like pizza. It sort of tasted like pizza. Basically the crust was really bad. Doughy, and bland, it was not suitable for guests. The sauce, also bland. It added nothing. But the cheese and toppings were fresh and delicious.

So armed with that knowledge, I kept the same toppings, but this time used Trader Joe's pizza dough and my own personal recipe for Italian sauce.

Here's what it looked like covered with the remaining 4oz. of fresh mozz: (you can see my homemade pasta sauce next to it)




Here's what it looked like right before I put it in the oven, topped with a 3-pepper blend, onion, and 1/2 pepperoni.



And here's what it looked like after it was finished baking:


The verdict: the cheese and toppings are right on. I could have tried using shredded mozz, but the fresh stuff really popped with flavor. The sauce...made all the difference. I gotta say , my homemade sauce (that I used last night to top angel hair) works just as well on pizza as it does on pasta. As for the Trader Joe's ready to bake pizza dough? It was pretty good. Not great enough to say I won't try other crust options, but it did make a damn good pizza. Mrs. Hoagie Central approved.

fuck you, CBS graphics department

Since when does the graphics department get to make jokes? It should be noted though, that all those miscues had occured in the first 35 minutes of the game! And despite all those the Chiefs were only down 8 at halftime. Sheesh.

I started watching the game. KC got an INT in the endzone and on the ensuing drive had a wide open Bobby Wade past the defense. The pass was an inch too long, and he only put out one hand for it. We punted. On the next drive, down 7-0, KC got to first and goal from the 1 and couldn't get it in. Game over. I stopped watching at 14-3. At least the Lions lost. With back to back home games against the Bills and Broncos coming up, I'm feeling good enough about this burger bet.

2010 Edition - Fymbo Formula™: A College Football Playoff That Works

Actual BCS Schedule
Rose: Ohio State (Big Ten) vs Oregon (Pac-10)
Orange: Iowa (At-Large) vs Georgia Tech (ACC)
Sugar: Florida (At-Large) vs Cincinatti (Big East)
Fiesta: TCU (Automatic) vs Boise State (At-Large)
Championship: #1 Alabama (SEC) vs #2 Texas (Big 12)

- - -

Fymbo Formula 1.1a BCS Playoffs

This iteration is based on rankings, restricting each conference to maximum two teams, and including at least one non-BCS team if they are in the top 12.

January 1st, Friday
Sugar: #1 Alabama (SEC) vs #8 Ohio State (Big Ten)
Fiesta: #2 Texas (Big 12) vs #7 Oregon (Pac-10)
Orange: #3 Cincinnati (Big East) vs #6 Boise State (At-Large)
Rose: #4 TCU (non-BCS automatic) vs #5 Florida (At-Large)

This 8-team playoff pits the top 8 teams in the country (as decided by the BCS rankings) against each other. The only conference champion left out is Georgia Tech with two losses--who aren't in the discussion for national title anyways. They would still get the next best bowl, Capital One or Gator or what have you.

January 9th, Saturday
Semifinal #1: Sugar winner vs Rose winner (likely Alabama vs TCU/Florida)
Semifinal #2: Fiesta winner vs Orange winner (likely Texas vs Cincinnati/Boise State)

January 18th, Monday: BCS Championship

The beauty of this system is that all five undefeated teams get their shot to settle it on the field. Boise State already showed they could beat a top BCS team in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Why shouldn't they get their shot to play for the championship? Cincinatti has an even bigger beef. They went undefeated in a major conference just like Alabama and Texas. So why are they left out? And fans of Alabama and Texas can't complain either. If they both win two more games, then they get their beloved #1 vs #2 matchup. The only difference is that they will have proven they belong.

- - -

I've heard the theory that the BCS controversy is good for college football because it gets people talking about college football. That is bullshit. I have no interest in watching those bowl games, I have had little interest in the regular season and when everyone is talking about stupid AND unfair the structure is, it's bad for the sport.

Plus, who's ever in charge is missing the boat: more and better bowl games equals more money, more interest. What's stopping this?

BCS in an Alternate Universe

"This is presentation of CBS Sports...Welcome to College Football's Selection Sunday, I'm Bryant Gumbel. Let's get right to it. Yesterday, Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati and Texas all completed their perfect undefeated seasons. And they are anxiously awaiting to see where they get slotted in the BCS Bowl Playoffs! [cut to local campuses, players arm in arm] Thank goodness the BCS wised up a few years--with FIVE undefeated teams, there's no way to have a legitimate national championship without an 8-team playoff, which is exactly what we have to look forward to. Plus, because we kept the tradition of all the other bowls, and in effect have only added three new games, it's brought in even more money and positive attention! Of course, the BCS doens't care about money, it's just about getting to decide who's the best on the field. These four teams have played their hearts out, but only one of them can emerge from the BCS Bowl Playoffs as National Champions!"

- - -

[Further analysis to come after BCS is announced.]

memory lane

This is the Chiefs video that pumps me up the most.



I was walking back from lunch and thinking about it. And of course when I think about Dante, all that really comes to mind is this game:

NFL Highlights: Chiefs vs Chargers, 11/24/04

Seriously watch those highlights, what a game. That was the first game that Brit and I went to together (also the first one of my modern fandom; previous was early 90's when I lived there). From the reference point of the main camera, Brit and were seated on the far side, upper deck. So when Dante ran back the kickoff to start the 3rd quarter, he was running from my left to right, fumbling right in front of me (!).

That game had LJ's first touchdown. Also in that game, Drew Brees and Gonzo, vintage Tomlinson and Gates, and of course, oooh Fujitas.



The image of that kickoff return fumble is burned into my brain, except it's the reverse angle of the above picture. I know he redeemed himself with a KOTD in the 4th quarter, but still. That would have made it 24-14 with a huge momentum swing...sigh.

recap: 40-day dry aged, 13-dollar burger from David Burke's Primehouse

To date, the notable Chicago burgers I've had include:

Rosebud
Paradise Pup
The $19 Rockit Burger
Goose Island (Burger Bet 07)
Gaslight (Burger Bet 08)
Hop Haus
Five Guys
Milwood
Grand Lux (with short ribs)
Boston Blackies

- - -

Today I ventured one block to Burke's Primehouse to try their 40-Day Dry Aged Prime Steak Burker (sic: a play on the owner's name) for twelve dollars. I ordered it medium and with cheddar ($1 extra) and passed on the fried egg on top ($4 extra). It comes with garlic spinach, crispy shallots, and bacon mayo, on a toasted potato bun with a side of asiago truffle fries. Got all that?

I've been in nice, expensive steakhouses before (Capital Grille, Gibson's) but this one carries an element of chefery, a foodie air about it. Before the food came an odd, crispy roll accompanied by a pat of butter with super-coarse brown salt sitting on top.

The menu didn't say how many ounces the burger was. It's not small by any means, it was a good size, but I think I was expecting a taller, rounder burger. Here's a good picture, not taken by me. Imagine this with cheddar between the burger and spinach:


It was definitely juice and definitely not overcooked. The center was absolutely RED, while the ring around it was a nice meaty pink before getting to a fully cooked age. There was too much spinach for my taste, so I scraped off a bunch and left a little.

About half-way through I remembered that this was a dry-aged burger. So I bit into again and again trying to discern the dry-aged flavor. I couldn't. Perhaps someone with a more refined palate could, but I couldn't. It tasted good, just not any different than my usual high-quality beef.

One thing that was surprising, was that if you're going to dry-age your beef for 40 days, why bother covering up with crispy shallots, bacon mayo and garlic spinach, and especially with the fried egg offer? Perhaps with just a hint of fine mayo, the agey-ness would have been more apparent.

As for the fries, I was really excited to try my second batch of truffle fries after my having Rockit's fries. I couldn't taste the truffle oil. The fries were good and the asiago--most of which was under the fries and required me to scoop it back on--was nice, but I would never have known these were truffle fries except for the label on the menu.

I liked going there, and thought the food I had tasted good, but sort of felt like I was promised more: dry-aged beef and truffle fries.

- - -

So based on the burgers I've had in Chicago, here are my recommendations, not in a ranked order:

Rosebud (when you want a super steakhouse burger)
Rockit (when you want an exotic, wild burger and truffle fries)
Gaslight (when you want a classic merkt's, bacon and barbecue burger)
Paradise Pup (when you want that old school cheddar char-burger)

fun with maps

This map has 4 places marked: Grand Canyon, Boulder CO, Chicago, and Baton Rouge. Which trip do you think is less miles? Which is faster?


Here are the routes mapped:


It appears those pesky Rocky Mountains make that southwest trip a pain in the ass. So what's the verdict?


Well it is closer (by miles) to go from Boulder, CO to the Grand Canynon, but it will take you less time to drive from Chicago to Baton Rouge.

But what if you went on foot?


Walking to the Grand Canyon shaves off over 1/4 of the miles! And it only takes 9 days of walking. Awesome. Though it might be missing some pedestrian paths.

Walking to Louisiana doesn't cut down on that many miles, and now to the increased distance, walking takes considerably longer. Though honestly, if I had to walk either of these routes, I think I would chose the Midwest over walking through the Rockies.

- - -

The inspiration for this post was me hearing about a co-worker's vacation to the Grand Canyon, and my disappointment of how far it was from Boulder, a possible future home.

at least he didn't move before the snap

contender for tweet of the year

biggest comeback in school history

Update: BIG TEN highlights

ESPN highlights

Down 23 in the second half...on the road...to a ranked opponent...to win the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the first time...PUT IT ON THE BOARD!

Last year Clemson beat Illinois 76-74 and the ACC won 6-5.
This year Illinois beat Clemson 76-74 and the Big10 won 6-5.

A 28-4 run in the second half.

Davis was 9/11 for 22, Paul had 20, DJ was 3/4 from distance, and Tisdale had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and the game winner.

tynes in ny

The Giants are auditioning new kickers. To replace Tynes. Who they gave a 5-year contract prior to the '08 season, coming off a Super Bowl winning season. So he must be really shaky, right?


Ignore that ESPN highlights the Chiefs on every page when I'm logged in, the Giants are middle of the pack. Only one team has made more field goals than Tynes. Really, you're going to bring in new kickers now? The team that should be looking for a new kicker is Atlanta.

my team through 12 weeks

As Mark commented, it appears to be too little too late for my team. But how did I start 0-4, and get to 6-6?

Here are my scores graphed vs my opponents.

At first glance it looks like my team had a fairly up and down season. And it seems that perhaps it just comes down to matchups. Notice how close my last three wins were. In fact, except for week 6, every win I had was close.

Here is the same data graphed with linear trendlines:

What does tell us? Yes, I did improve on the season, but only by 1.15 points a game. My opponents did get progressively worse, by an average of negative 2.29 points a game. But the beginning was so bad that it took 10 weeks to catch up.

But is it really that complicated? Does it really come down to matchups? This is my weekly totals, sorted by score.


As you can see, I cracked the 100-point barrier 7 times. I won 6 of those. I lost all 5 that I didn't. So how did I go from 0-4 to 6-6? I started scoring over 100 a game. Of course, in week 3 when I scored 122.5 and lost, only one team outscored me. It was Kirat. And that's why he's got the inside track to the playoffs instead of me.

Actually, I don't feel bad about my playoff situation. Sure I would have liked to make it, but I don't feel as though my team has played that great, or that I would win any playoff games anyways. (Though I'll be sure to compare my hypothetical matchups, in case I had grabbed the #4 seed). I just didn't have it this year.

the epic battle of big ten vs acc

This "challenge" as they call it has been won exclusively by the ACC, 10 years running.

Will this be the year?

The Big Ten is 1-0 already, let's make it happen.