November 2007 Archives

26 November 2007

Chinese Olympic Yell Practice

Chinese learn to clap and chant for Olympics (Richard Spencer, Telegraph)

They clapped, they waved, they chanted in happy unison - and the Olympics does not even start for eight months.

The 200 dairy workers gathered with their stick-shaped drumming balloons were among the first Beijing citizens to undergo Olympic cheering practice, the latest initiative by the city government to ensure its citizens prove themselves deserving of the Games next year.

Dairy workers?

They should have imported some Aggies to teach them how to yell!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/26/07 10:12 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)

25 November 2007

Big 12 Wrap: Week 13

This week's games mark the end of the regular season (and the end of some Big 12 coaching careers). Here are the games:

Missouri 36, Kansas 28
Mizzou just had too much talent for Kansas in this one, and now moves on to the Big 12 title game in an effort to avenge its only loss (to Oklahoma, in Norman). Mark Mangino consistently got more than any coach in America out of his talent, so here's hoping a nice bowl is in KU's future.

Oklahoma 49, Oklahoma State 17
Oklahoma got physical in manhandling its in-state rival, with a power running game that might have kept it in the national title hunt had the coaches remembered it a week ago. Oklahoma State ends a frustrating season in which Mike Gundy's most notable "win" was beating up a female reporter.

Texas A&M 38, Texas 30
This one was disappointing to Texas fans, who had started talking BCS bowl despite mediocre play from the team most of the season. Dennis Franchione departed shortly after the game, which was not disappointing to many A&M fans.

Colorado 65, Nebraska 51
The fact that looks like a basketball score is one of many reasons Bill Callahan gets to go away. Finally.

Fresno State 45, Kansas State 29
No bowl game for Ron Prince's crew this year.

And, that's that. The Big 12 title game matches Oklahoma against Missouri in San Antonio next week. For weeks, Missouri has looked very impressive. Oklahoma has looked very impressive at home, and has been unpredictable on the road. So who knows how this one will turn out?

Speaking of not knowing how things will turn out, this is kind of a fun look back at the Houston Chronicle's Terrance Harris's predictions for the Big 12 this year:

South Division

1. Oklahoma State

-Offensive weapons galore and just wait until you see Bobby Reid do his Vince Young impression this season. Look for the Cowboys to stun the Longhorns come Nov. 3.

2. Texas A&M

-Aggies have the toughest road to go in the Big 12 South, but they also arguably have the most talented offensive cast of any of the division opponents. Look for a combination of ball control offense and outstanding defensive play to carry the day in key road games against Tech, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

3. Texas

-Colt McCoy will be a year wiser and with the help of Jamaal Charles and Limas Sweed should take another huge step forward this season. But there could be questions along the offensive line and in some key defensive areas.

4. Oklahoma

-The Sooners are more than able to replace Adrian Peterson in the backfield, but who's at quarterback? Not much was settled this spring between Joey Halzle and redshirt freshman Sam Bradford.

5. Texas Tech

-The Red Raiders will again put up staggering offensive numbers, but one day Mike Leach will learn this game is really about how you play defense.

6. Baylor

-How can we say this? It's been real coach Morriss.

North Division

1. Nebraska

-The Cornhuskers have the pieces in place to take last season's North title run to the next level. Some might be concerned about who replaces Zac Taylor, but Sam Keller steps in and the offense doesn't miss a beat with the double-threat backfield of Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn.

2. Missouri

-Chase Daniel and the Tigers have the North Division title in sight. Circle Oct.6 showdown with Nebraska as a must-win game.

3. Kansas State

-After stunning Texas last season, Ron Prince has the Wildcats believing the hype. Now, if only their opponents will buy it.

4. Kansas

-The Jayhawks have a solid defense with stalwarts like defensive tackle James McClinton and linebacker Mike Rivera back. But they still may not have enough offense to get over the hump.

5. Colorado

-Dan Hawkins will find out what his former boss, Dirk Koetter, found out when he left Boise State for Arizona State: This is a whole new level.

6. Iowa State

-The Cyclones team could be so bad that it almost seems unfair that Bret Meyer can't claim hardship and transfer to another Division I-A program without penalty.

Well, at least he nailed Baylor and Iowa State -- the really tough ones to predict! :D

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/25/07 21:42 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (1)

21 November 2007

A case of the Natty and a pack of your cheapest menthols

On our way to visit the Center of the Universe (really!) in Tulsa yesterday, we made a pit stop at a convenience store in Cleveland, OK (or CLE, as the boys on the Hardline might say).

There was a worn, older woman in front of us at the store.

Really worn.

She plopped down a case of Natural Light, and proceeded to tell the cashier,

"Gimme a pack of your cheapest menthols."

She then took these necessities out to her truck, and went off on her way.

I'd like to think she was listening to Merle Haggard. Or maybe some Okie band.

That would just about make it a trifecta.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/07 21:14 | Other | Technorati | Comments (5)

20 November 2007

I Heart my ThinkPad

Two and a half years ago, I bought a ThinkPad largely based on the bombproof nature of the product and the customer support reputation.

It wasn't clear at the time if Lenovo would maintain IBM's legendary support (although it was hard to imagine why they would acquire the Thinkpad brand only to destroy it, but hey, sometimes new management does dumb things).

I just got off the phone with ThinkPad support because of an issue I'm having with my UltraNav touchpad (the left click button is going bad). In less than 15 minutes start to finish, the support rep determined that it's a user serviceable part, had the part ordered, and had given me detailed instructions on how the process works (the part should arrive in a few days, and I can either replace it or take the part and machine to a local service center for complimentary replacement -- and she looked up the local service centers for me and gave me info so I could determine which was most convenient, just in case I do that route).

At the time I bought it, the ThinkPad model wasn't the flashiest (and certainly wasn't the cheapest) as 14 inch WinXP laptops go. It was solid, but not cutting edge, in terms of the hardware. But the machine has largely been bombproof, Lenovo has maintained frequent software updates that are easily accessed with its update utility, and as I've just experienced, customer support remains first class.

ThinkPad users are famously loyal, and I think it boils down to the fact that IBM/Lenovo has long managed to do the little things right, and to act like they give a damn, even for a guy with a machine that's nearly three years old. It will probably be time to replace this machine as it approaches the end of the three-year warranty period next summer. Can you guess what company will be getting my business?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/20/07 11:37 | Tech | Technorati | Comments (2)

18 November 2007

Big 12 Wrap: Week 12

Only one real surprise in the conference this week. Here are the games:

Kansas 45, Iowa State 7
Mark Mangino's team continues to demonstrate that it is the best coached team in the conference. But will it come out on top next week against super-talented Mizzou?

Missouri 49, Kansas State 32
Missouri has tons of talent on offense, but can be prone to mistakes, making next week's matchup with Kansas even more interesting.

Texas Tech 34, Oklahoma 27
Without its two best players (quarterback Sam Bradford and defensive end Auston English), Oklahoma looked very average. The coaches' strange decision to stay pass-happy with Bradford's struggling, inexperienced backup instead of leaning upon the team's three excellent running backs didn't help. Maybe they forgot how they won the Big 12 with an average QB last year.

Oklahoma State 45, Baylor 14
The Cowboys should be feeling very confident heading into their Bedlam matchup with OU. Baylor, meanwhile, has fired its coach, and has even floated Houston Nutt's name. Who says the Baptists don't have a sense of humor?!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/18/07 22:10 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)

13 November 2007

What would Jesus drive?

While listening to the Richard Justice show on KGOW-1560 earlier, I heard the crew talking about how one of them had seen a celebrity dropped off by a huge Hummer at the big Hannah Montana show.

It was none other than Joel O$teen, so they said.

I guess that answers the question, What would Jesus drive?

Or maybe it just answers the question, What does Victoria insist upon?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/07 13:01 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (9)

11 November 2007

Big 12 Wrap: Week 11

Things went mostly according to form this week in the Big 12. Here are the games:

Oklahoma 52, Baylor 21
The Sooners come up with more big plays than the Bears in this blowout, but Bob Stoops can't be happy with his defense giving up 450 yards as offensive powerhouses Texas Tech and Oklahoma State loom.

Missouri 40, Texas A&M 26
A&M sorta, almost tried to make a game of this one, but Fran's plodding offense just couldn't pull it off against explosive Mizzou.

Kansas 43, Oklahoma State 28
There is no coach in the Big 12 (and perhaps in the country) who is getting more out of his talent this year than Mark Mangino. His team makes just enough plays to win, they are disciplined, and they rarely make mistakes. Mike Gundy could learn something from his example.

Texas 59, Texas Tech 43
Mike Leach has already fired one defensive coordinator. It sounds like he'd like to fire the Big 12 officials. Maybe he's just frustrated because it's hard to beat good teams when you don't give a damn about defense and your wacky offense isn't perfect.

Nebraska 73, Kansas State 31
Does anyone think that perhaps Clueless Callahan was playing the wrong quarterback most of this season?

Iowa State 31, Colorado 28
Don't look now, but Iowa State is starting to resemble a Division I-A football team! They might even be ready to avenge that early-season loss to Northern Iowa at this point.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/07 23:03 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)

Coach Leach loses it

'Incompetence or bias?' (Mark Rosner, AAS)

Steamed with the officials after his team's 59-43 loss to Texas on Saturday, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach couldn't settle on a proper description for their work.

"It may be incompetence. It may be bias. I don't know," Leach said. "The level of officiating in this game was a complete travesty."

Leach seemed primarily angry about one drive and one official. During the drive, early in the third quarter, two replay reviews resulted in rulings against Tech.

As for the official, Leach would not name anybody, but he referred to "an Austin resident." Randy Christal, the head referee, lives in Austin.

Christal could not be reached for comment Saturday night. Big 12 Conference spokesman Bob Burda said the league would have no comment Saturday.

Leach's gripes involved four incidents in a span of six snaps.

The first was a 28-yard pass from Tech quarterback Graham Harrell on which freshman receiver Michael Crabtree made a spectacular attempt to catch a ball with one hand at the Texas 6. The officials ruled no catch, confirming the call on replay after Leach made a challenge. Three plays later, an 18-yard pass from Harrell to Eric Morris was originally ruled a touchdown. But Longhorn coach Mack Brown challenged the call, and replays confirmed that Morris did not secure the ball.

Two plays after that, Harrell hooked up with Danny Amendola for a 13-yard touchdown. But officials called holding on Tech guard Louis Vasquez, who grabbed Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle. The refs did not call an apparent late hit by Longhorn Henry Melton on the play.

"After that, they have the temerity to call us for holding," Leach said.

Tech finished the drive without scoring; Leach finished the game an angry man, although he did not raise his voice while criticizing the state of Big 12 officiating for more than 17 minutes.

I tend to agree with Coach Leach on the late hit on his QB, but it was close and a judgment call. I don't think he has much of a complaint on the other calls, though.

And if he's going to point fingers at anyone for Tech's inability to win most big games, he might start with himself. I loved Coach Leach's work at OU and think he's a breath of fresh air as a head coach, but his teams rarely beat the best teams because 1) they don't play defense and 2) his offense often isn't up to the task. Indeed, that last probably stings a bit.

That's not to defend Big 12 officiating. I watch a lot of conference games, and the officiating often seems like something more fitting for CUSA than an alleged power conference. But the officiating didn't cause Coach Leach's team to get trampled (again) yesterday.

UPDATE (11-12-2007): As Tom Kirkendall reminds, Coach Leach didn't have a similar meltdown after dubious officiating gave his team a rare win against Oklahoma in 2005.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/07 13:19 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)

10 November 2007

Tramel: Never forget she was 12 years old

Never forget she was 12 years old (Berry Tramel, Daily Oklahoman)

She was 12 years old.

What do you say we don't forget that? What do you say we don't let that drift off into the margins? What do you say that remains front and center as the Chris Collins case makes its way through the Oklahoma State administration?

Berry Tramel is a fine writer, and that's a fine column.

Mike Gundy has his defenders (for reasons I truly cannot fathom), but in my view he regularly shows highly questionable judgment in many areas. This would be one of them. Maybe keeping Boone Pickens happy creates pressures that normal people just don't understand.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/10/07 13:43 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (1)

07 November 2007

Clueless chimes in with weekly "I won't resign" comment

Callahan says he won't resign (AP)

If Nebraska interim athletic director Tom Osborne wants Bill Callahan out as football coach, he'll probably have to fire him.

Callahan said Tuesday he would not resign before the season ends, even if he were offered a buyout worth more than he is entitled to by his contract.

"That term 'resignation' is not in our vocabulary," Callahan said.

The term "fired" is going to be soon enough.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/07 22:18 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)

I now have mad, company-provided SKILLZ!

At BigCo, we are getting ready to switch over to a web-based HR data system for the next fiscal year.

It may actually be pretty slick, if BigCo manages to implement it properly (always the question for BigCos everywhere).

Of course, these sorts of things bring about that fun circumstance known as "mandatory training."

And so today, in a two-hour session, I learned useful new things, like how to enter my phone number in a web-based form.

Seriously. I now have mad skillz! Envious?

I understand that BigCos do need to educate employees on new systems. But these sorts of overly-long sessions can just be torture for reasonably competent, intelligent, creative people. Especially when there are numerous not-really-relevant questions from people who seem to specialize in those sorts of questions, and the sessions devolve into brain-cell-killing tedium.

I think it's these slices of life from Big Corporate America that help explain the popularity of shows like The Office and Office Space (and also make me wonder how Big Corporate America manages to get a damn thing done on any given day).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/07 10:37 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)

06 November 2007

Ten Seconds, Please?

It strikes me that I never announced the rollout of Ten Second News here (even though I added it to the sidebar). Whoops!

Anyway, not-retired-for-long-from-blogging Alex Whitlock and I have launched what is intended mostly as a linkblog on politics, books, and culture. By linkblog, we mean the focus will primarily be on linking to writing on politics/books/culture that we find interesting, as opposed to the same old tedious commentary on the same old news that is available all over the blogosphere. We may occasionally offer a few comments on the articles, but the focus really isn't our commentary.

It's sort of a resurrection of the old Reductio Ad Absurdum linkblog we had going some years ago (without the e-zine format, since people seem to prefer a blog format) and a fusion of our respective furl links.

Mr. Whitlock wrote about TSN here, and there is some more info here.

Give the thing a read and follow some of the links if you're so inclined. We'll try not to bore!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/07 09:21 | Web Stuff | Technorati | Comments (0)

04 November 2007

Big 12 Wrap: Week 10

It was another crazy week in the Big 12, so let's get to the games:

Missouri 51, Colorado 10
This one stayed close. For a few minutes. Then it wasn't any more.

Oklahoma 42, Texas A&M 14
This one was never in doubt, just a workmanlike blowout for the Sooners against a plodding, overwhelmed team that should have a new coach next season.

Kansas 76, Nebraska 39
Mark Mangino decides to score like Bill Self's team! Will Clueless Callahan make it through the week?

Texas 38, Oklahoma State 35
Oklahoma State cruises for most of the game, only to suffer another miraculous Texas finish. The term "lOSUr" may need to be broken out for this latest effort.

Iowa State 31, Kansas State 20
Gene Chizik's team has been looking better in recent weeks, and finally gets a W to show for it.

Texas Tech 38, Baylor 7
Anyone want to crank the Graham Harrell Heisman campaign up again after this one? Nah, didn't think so. Surely these are the last games of the Guy Morriss era at Baylor.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/04/07 22:57 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (1)

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