September 16, 2005   It’s been a wild and crazy week for me, so that’s why I’m a little late with the column.  And since it’s been so hectic, I haven’t had much time to think about what to write about, so I’ll ramble for a little while about random crap.   That’s right, it’s just like every other column I do.  Here goes… Sunday was a pretty good day.  First Sunday for football season is always an exciting time.  Redskins won their opener, but I can’t get too stoked about it because they were playing the Bears and only scored a measly 9 points.   Now kneel down with me and pray to the football gods that they open up a can of whoopass on the Dallas Cowpatties on Monday night.  That’s right NickyBoy and Shumpy.   I’m having a hard time with so many journalists and sportscasters calling the Saints “America’s Team” now.  No offense to Saints fans or the people of New Orleans, but this isn’t the team America really wants to get behind and call THEIR team.  America can’t handle that kind of heartbreak.  A few Aaron Brooks backwards passes, aka fumbles, and America won’t care anymore.  I give them props for playing a hell of a game against Carolina who plays very well at home.   Another thing announcers are doing that really pisses me off is calling certain teams “playoff contenders”.  It’s week one, what team isn’t a playoff contender?  That’s the great thing about the NFL, you never know from one season to the next who is going to be great.  Of course, it’s looking like the Patriots are going to go about their winning ways, but injuries could take a toll down the road.  But I don’t like how the announcers keep saying that the Panthers are a playoff contender and they were losing.  Right now, the two teams the “experts” have picked to play for the NFC title are both 0-1.  But it's week one and a lot can change.   Monday was back to the grind at work.  I played softball that night, double headers in fact.  I ended up hitting a 2RBI double to finish off the run rule on the other team.  So I played well enough to make an impact.  The problem came later that night.  During the game, my leg locked up running between 2nd and 3rd.  I didn’t think much of it until after I went to bed.  I got up to do my business and I just about fell over.  I had strained my groin muscle.  I don't think I slept a wink for the rest of the night.  I’m better now, but man it hurt for a few days.   Wednesday was a very good day.  I like to play Texas Hold ‘Em up at the pub called Rocky’s Grille near my apartment.  They do an early game and a late game.  It’s free poker, but the 1st and 2nd place winners get to take home some cash.  Also, top 16 players on the night win points and the top 16 point getters at the end of the month play in a special tournament where the winner gets a free trip.  Last month it was a trip for 2 Kitty and I did some karaoke action last night at Rocky’s.  Even though it’s a sports bar type atmosphere with the TV’s, the people there really get into the singers, good or bad.  You don’t feel like an ass for getting up and Pace.  Nice.  One guy apologized in advance, but I still think he owes us way more than that.  He sang Nine Inch Nails’ Closer.  And I pose this question to you.  If you had no singing talent, and probably have no clue who Diamond Dave is, would you sing Just a Gigolo?  I wouldn’t, but hey, that’s me.  I think the funniest moment of the night was a guy singing Culture Club’s Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.  The KJ got on the mic while the guy was still singing and said “Dude, that’s so gay”.  It’s one thing to sing 80’s, but when you sing a song by possibly the gayest guy from the 80’s and it was made fun of in a movie making fun of the 80’s, I’d call that song So today is Friday and that’s always a good thing.  Lots of college football to watch (go Irish) and more NFL action.  Hopefully, I’ll have time to think about something worthwhile and do another quick write up.  There’s more karaoke tonight, so who knows.   A few random thoughts: Katrina will NOT be a popular name for newborn girls for the next 2 years. There’s no way Britney Spears kid can turn out even remotely normal unless he runs away from home as soon as he can crawl. That song by Enigma, Principles of Lust, was WAY cooler in the early 90’s after listening to it today. Rico Suave by Gerardo and Informer by Snow are tied in my book for worst songs of all time not by Dave Matthews. Roger Clemens is a stud and deserves the Cy Young.  He pitched a great game in a tribute to his mom who passed away earlier that day.   Daunte Culpepper will get death threats from crazed Fantasy Football players if he doesn’t light it up against Cincinnati.   That’s it for me droogies.  Questions? Comments?  You know what to do.   Throw up a “T” for… T-BONE! Here’s a little treat:   http://www.smithappens.com/video_celebrityjeopardy12.php

More Randomness

The Bone Pile

to Vegas.  Well, I played well in my first game and just
didn’t get the cards in the end.  So I finished 6th.  The
second game is a different story.  I played my most
perfect game I’ve ever played and didn’t lose one hand
that I went deep into the betting.  I won and walked out
with a slightly heavier wallet.  Teddy KGB, here I come.  
Now I’m pretty much a lock for the end of the month
tournament and a free trip would be awesome.  

singing when people really just want you to shut
up so they can watch the game.  Boy, there were
some stinkers there last night, too.  One guy
sang 2 Adam Sandler songs, which shows you
that on top of being very mature and intelligent,
this guy has some pipes.  Just in case you were
wondering, he sang Ode to my Car and Medium

off limits.  Oh, and Kitty and I sang.  Kitty’s a
very good singer.  I’ve pretty much figured
out what I can and can’t sing and I stick to
certain songs.  Kitty sang Me and Bobby
McGee, Dreams (Fleetwood Mac), and Killing
Me Softly (Fugees).  I sang Chattahoochee,
Come as You Are, Outside (Staind), and
Smells Like Teen Spirit.  Great crowd.  

The New Orleans Saints are a
National Football League team
based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Due to damage caused by Hurricane
Katrina to the New Orleans area, the
team is temporarily headquartered
and trains in San Antonio, Texas.

Founded: 1967 as an NFL expansion
team
Home field (2005): Due to damage
caused by Hurricane Katrina, games
are split between:
Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge)
Alamodome
Previous home field:
Tulane Stadium (1967-1974)
Louisiana Superdome (1975-2004)
Uniform colors: Old Gold, Black, and
White
Helmet design: Gold helmet with a
black fleur-de-lis
Division titles won: 1991, 2000
Conference championships won: none

World Championships: none

After Hurricane Katrina devastated
the city of New Orleans in August
2005 and caused $400 million in
damages to the Louisiana
Superdome, the Saints will not play
any home games there for the entire
2005 NFL season. Although the
league announced that the Saints'
first home game on September 18
against the New York Giants would
instead be played at Giants Stadium
at 7:30 p.m. EDT on September 19,
other home games will be split
between Tiger Stadium at Louisiana
State University in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana (80 miles/130 km from New
Orleans) and the Alamodome in San
Antonio, Texas (540 miles/869 km
from New Orleans). However, a site for
a potential home playoff game has
yet to be announced. For the time
being, the team has set up their
temporary headquarters and practice
fields in San Antonio.

Beyond 2005, the Saints' future is
even more uncertain, and they are
rumored to be the next franchise to
relocate. There is speculation that
the Superdome may need to be
demolished due to the extent of the
damages from Hurricaine Katrina. A
decision should be made on the
Superdome's fate by the end of the
year following a complete assessment
of the structrual soundness of the
building. If it is torn down, it is
unknown if the city's economy, also
ravaged by the hurricane, would be
able to support the construction of a
new stadium. The most prominent
rumor has the Saints moving to San
Antonio for good. Tom Benson has
strong business and personal ties to
the San Antonio area, and rumors
had circulated even before the
disaster that he wanted to relocate
the franchise there. Another scenario
has the team moving to Los Angeles,
who lost both the Rams and Raiders
in 1995.

Currently, the Saints are the oldest
team in the NFL to never play in
either a Super Bowl or any other NFL
championship game.

Rocky's Grille is a leading full-
service, casual dining restaurant
concept that emphasizes great
appetizers, chicken wings, home
cooked daily specials, salads and
Rocky’s specialty pizzas. Guests enjoy
a high-energy dining room and bar
that features state-of-the-art multi-
screen entertainment offering exciting
sporting events, network programming,
important business news and
interactive games.

Rocky's has been a Valley Ranch
mainstay since 1997, proudly serving
and catering freshly prepared food to
the neighborhood and business
community. The Pool Room at
Rocky's Grille offers a smoke-free
environment suitable for any business
or private affair. The Pool Room
includes six billiards tables, foosball,
shuffleboard, air hockey, games and
much more! If you have 10-40 people
to accommodate for your private
event... Rocky's Grille can help.
Rocky's Grille is also the best place to
watch all the hard-hitting football
action. With up to 13 NFL games
each Sunday, we offer the biggest
selection of marquee match-ups
throughout the 17-week regular NFL
season.

Not only can you watch all of your
favorites sports on our 4 Big Screen
HDTV Plasma TV's, you can join in
the action as well. Choose from NTN's
interactive system QB1 during football
season, pick your favorite sports games
with our new Xbox game consoles, or
simply bring in your laptop and get on
the Internet wirelessly from anywhere
in the restaurant!  With all this new
technology you can either work or
play as long as you like.

If you prefer a mental challenge, trivia
is the name of the game. NTN offers
unique, interactive games, featuring
new questions nightly. You’ll be
challenged by categories like
common knowledge, news, sports and
current events. Go head-to-head with
someone across the bar, or players in
thousands of restaurants and bars
throughout the nation. Countdown,
Abused News, Nightside, Playback,
Six and Showdown are just a few of
the games you can play while you are
enjoying the best in food and sporting
events.