Boulder's On Fire, Better Throw Her in the Water

Just a micro-update today...

The Bad News: Boulder, CO is on fire. I hope all my old friends and colleagues are safe. I especially hope the flames don't spread to the campus and, more specifically, to the University of Colorado's office of debt collections. If all records of my outstanding student loans were burned to ashes, I just don't know what I'd do.

The Good News: The Colorado Buffaloes (1-0) are on fire too! Well, if one dominating performance against lowly CSU counts. Maybe this season won't feel quite as long as last year's.

More soon!

And now some titular Brian Eno!

Everbody Relax, I'm Here

The new stickers for my license plate came in the mail today!

TLF graciously loaned me her Scion six nights a week to drive to work but the arrangement was far from ideal for each of us. For a variety of reasons (e.g. I live in the sprawl capital of the U.S.), I am so very relieved that my hoopdie is once again fit for public consumption.

In other news, The U destroyed FAMU 45-0 last night. I know this is tantamount to a scrimmage game for the ‘Canes, but Jacory Harris looks may have a beastly fall campaign. I can hardly wait to watch them exact revenge upon OSU (a.k.a. the Cheating Cheaters of Cheatville) next Saturday. The Buckeyes are my least favorite college football team that doesn’t rhyme with “mortar shame.”

I should be more pumped up for CU/CSU tomorrow morning, but I just can’t get that excited about the Buffs until they fire Dan Hawkins. Out of a cannon, preferably.

I don't even think the game will be nationally televised. ::sadface::

And the Miami Dolphins, what's up with this lackluster looking squad? Is it time to panic? Not just yet. Say it with me, "the preseason does not matter."

Week 1 at Ralph Wilson Stadium will matter, however. And this season's success is dependent entirely upon Chad Henne's growth at quarterback. He has a solid running corp, a stud left tackle, last year’s most prolific wide receiver, and absolutely no excuses. If he can’t make the leap now, I'd wager he never will.

At the moment I’m cautiously optimistic. We can revisit my mood again after next weekend.

Setting down the pigskin, I haven’t written nearly enough these past few days. I missed a deadline for an album review and couldn’t in good conscience devote much time to my personal projects before making good on my external commitment. I finally sent out the review this morning, though, and I expect to spend most of tomorrow working tinkering with the current script. After I get my hairs cut.

While we’re on the subject of things long overdue, I just put a placeholder up at travisreilly.com. I haven’t decided whether or not to link that site to this one but stay tuned.

So kiddies, when some wild-eyed eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that:

"Fuck ‘em up, fuck ‘em up, go CU!”

Notre Dame sucks and so do you

Growing up, my favorite college football team was the University of Miami. I went to most of their home games in the Orange Bowl (it was a half an hour from my house) and they were the most consistently dominating team playing the game so it was pretty easy to become a huge fan.

Eventually, I went to (and many years later finally graduated from) the University of Colorado at Boulder*. The ‘Canes and the Buffs very rarely play each other, so I’m mercifully spared from choosing sides. The tie would go to CU, but it helps knowing that Miami would always kick their ass.

My third favorite? Well, that’s reserved for whichever team is playing Notre Dame. Yup, I’m an Irish Catholic and I hate the shit out of Notre Dame. (And I hate ABC for force-feeding me their games versus Navy instead of giving me ranked match-ups.)

Notre Dame is playing Michigan right now and I could give two shits. Yeah, every catholic in America roots for the Fighting Irish but they also drink the blood of their savior every Sunday. They aren’t to be trusted.

ABC inexplicably renews their broadcast deals with those non-conference nancy-boys regardless of performance or schedule. Actually, the Disney/ABC/ESPN mega-empire may be smarter than I originally thought. If you were a network and you had to pick your pony, why not affiliate yourself with the team whose fan base considers birth control to be a mortal sin? Even if the team sucks, the fans are will procreate so much that your base will never dry up. I see what you did there, Mickey Mouse.

Notre Dame, like USC, Michigan, and Florida, get so much media hype that almost every one of their NFL potentials gets drafted two rounds too early and ends up disappointing.

Who is the best current NFL player to graduate from Notre Dame?

Brady Quinn? Um, no, he hasn’t done shit yet (and I wager he never will).

Julius Jones? Nope, he sucks. He can’t stay healthy.

David Givens? He got his ring, but was only above average.

Ryan Grant? A solid starter, but he will never be a top ten back.

Justin Tuck? He’s good, and one of two current alumni with a Pro Bowl berth, but that pretty much is the result of playing on an already excellent New York Giants defense.

Give up? It’s Craig Hentrich. The punter for the Tennessee Titans. Yup, Notre Dame’s most prolific NFLer kicks the ball five times a game. Compare that to Miami or Florida State or OSU, all of which have great players all across the NFL at almost every position.

Notre Dame has no business being ranked after beating Nevada. Their QB1 Jimmy Clausen is no doubt going to be drafted a round or two sooner than he should. And I’ll say it—it’s going to happen because he’s white and he’s on ABC every Saturday.

Fuck the Fighting Irish, fuck the media, and fuck Charlie Weis.

P.S. – Michigan sucks too

* -- Colorado was humiliated and destroyed by the Toledo (Mud Hens?) last night. We shall never speak of it again.