Barrett over Miz
The Shield over Orton, Show and Sheamus
Team Rhodes Scholars over Team Funk, or whatever there name is.
... ADR over Jack Swagger
Undertaker over CM Punk
Lesnar over Triple H
Ryback over Mark Henry
Fandango over Chris Jericho
Team Hell No over Big E. Langston and Dolph Ziggler
John Cena over The Rock
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
What's a bargain this week?
I've decided to try something different. I've noticed a lot of people on tv talking about saving money with coupons etc. The thing is I dont think I saw any bargains that I would like. I decided that I will try something different which is give you what I think are bargains that you see in the ads every week. I hope you support it and like it. This is kind of a test run so I may have to work out somethings. Here we go:
CVS Pharmacy:
Dawn, 9 oz., 0.99 with your CVS card.
Very good if you need to pick up some dishwashing liquid before this storm hits. You know the stores are going to be packed.
Puffs or Puffs Plus, 0.99 with your CVS card.
I believe its 2-Ply and 95-100 ct. for Puffs and Puffs Plus is 48-68 ct. This isnt bad for the price as its cheaper than buying toilet paper. CVS usually prices there toilet paper between 1.19 and 1.37. Only problem I would have buying Puffs is that I would be worried it would get clogged in your toilet. I would be safe than sorry and if you dont need to put the Puffs in the toilet, then you shouldn't.
VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner, 15 oz., 0.82 with your card.
Shampoo for less than a dollar. Always a good deal. VO5 is a good brand.
Irish Spring, 3pk. or Softsoap, 8.5 oz.- $2.99 with your card plus a 1.00 extrabucks rewards for next purchase.
Whenever you find soap on sale at CVS, I would always grab it just because soap is rarely on sale. Figure Irish Spring is a dollar a bar. Thats pretty good.
Bengay, 3 to 4 oz., $8.99.
The reason why I put this down is that there was a four dollar coupon in Sunday's paper so with that it would be 4.99 including your card. Thats cheaper when CVS has it at its regular price.
Just the Basics Paper Towels-8pk., $3.99.
This is a really good deal because its only 50 cents a roll. I dont think you could go anywhere and find Paper Towels 50 cents a roll. An 8 pk. for another brand would be 6 or 7 dollars.
Peeps, 3 to 12 ct., 2 for $2.98 with your card.
The kid in me thinks this is a great bargain. Who didnt grow up having Peeps for Easter? I dont think you can find Peeps any cheaper anywhere else.
Pepsi, 0.99 with your card.
Pepsi for only a dollar for 2 Liters. Also there is a limit of 5 and I believe you can get Mt. Dew as well as Pepsi but the limit is still 5.
To me these are all the bargains at CVS Pharmacy. Now make sure you check the CVS ad to double check because I could always make a mistake. I want to assure you these are what I think are bargains and your opinion might be different than mine.
CVS Pharmacy:
Dawn, 9 oz., 0.99 with your CVS card.
Very good if you need to pick up some dishwashing liquid before this storm hits. You know the stores are going to be packed.
Puffs or Puffs Plus, 0.99 with your CVS card.
I believe its 2-Ply and 95-100 ct. for Puffs and Puffs Plus is 48-68 ct. This isnt bad for the price as its cheaper than buying toilet paper. CVS usually prices there toilet paper between 1.19 and 1.37. Only problem I would have buying Puffs is that I would be worried it would get clogged in your toilet. I would be safe than sorry and if you dont need to put the Puffs in the toilet, then you shouldn't.
VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner, 15 oz., 0.82 with your card.
Shampoo for less than a dollar. Always a good deal. VO5 is a good brand.
Irish Spring, 3pk. or Softsoap, 8.5 oz.- $2.99 with your card plus a 1.00 extrabucks rewards for next purchase.
Whenever you find soap on sale at CVS, I would always grab it just because soap is rarely on sale. Figure Irish Spring is a dollar a bar. Thats pretty good.
Bengay, 3 to 4 oz., $8.99.
The reason why I put this down is that there was a four dollar coupon in Sunday's paper so with that it would be 4.99 including your card. Thats cheaper when CVS has it at its regular price.
Just the Basics Paper Towels-8pk., $3.99.
This is a really good deal because its only 50 cents a roll. I dont think you could go anywhere and find Paper Towels 50 cents a roll. An 8 pk. for another brand would be 6 or 7 dollars.
Peeps, 3 to 12 ct., 2 for $2.98 with your card.
The kid in me thinks this is a great bargain. Who didnt grow up having Peeps for Easter? I dont think you can find Peeps any cheaper anywhere else.
Pepsi, 0.99 with your card.
Pepsi for only a dollar for 2 Liters. Also there is a limit of 5 and I believe you can get Mt. Dew as well as Pepsi but the limit is still 5.
To me these are all the bargains at CVS Pharmacy. Now make sure you check the CVS ad to double check because I could always make a mistake. I want to assure you these are what I think are bargains and your opinion might be different than mine.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
...And what about Pro Wrestling???
Unless your living under a rock, you know that The Super Bowl will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. this year. There is so much history there. Final Fours, Super Bowls, Sugar Bowls etc. have been played there. Funny thing is I was on nfl.com and saw the 23 greatest moments in Superdome history. Now some of them deserved to be there. Super Bowls and obviously when the Saints came back to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Those are no brainers. Here is the link: http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap1000000131155/the-best-of-the-superdome?campaign=Twitter_essays_superdome#photo=1
If you go through the slideshow, you will see all these great moments but to me, maybe I'm missing something. Where are the wrestling moments? Pro Wrestling has been a staple at The Superdome for over 30 yrs. How about all those shows that Mid South Wrestling used to have? They showed Starrcade 85 in that building after a Mid South show. The first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held in The Superdome in 1986. And who can forget about the epic classic Ric Flair/Ricky Steamboat match at the Clash of the Champions 6, Ragin' Cajun in the Superdome which went up against Wrestlemania 5. Also it was the home of a Monday Nitro headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant (Big Show). That was the infamous "Robin Hood" match in which the Hogan/Giant match went off the air on Nitro and you had to watch Robin Hood and wait for when Robin Hood went to commerical to see the conclusion of the Hogan/Giant match. By the third commerical break, I think the match finally ended but there was no way that Hogan and The Giant went 45 mins. Hogan had hardly broken a sweat.
There is a lot of pro wrestling history in New Orleans Superdome. Like I mentioned earlier, Mid South Wrestling drew 33, 000, I believe, for a match headlined with Stagger Lee, the late, great Junkyard Dog. My point of all of this is that there have been moments where wrestling was extremely popular and I wonder why to this day why the Superdome has never hosted more wrestling events like a Royal Rumble, Summerslam or even a WrestleMania. There has been talk that WrestleMania 30 might be in New Orleans but I'm a little surprised there hasn't been one there yet. Maybe a Monday Night Raw or Monday Nitro during its heyday.
I was just a little bit surprised that in this nfl.com article there wasnt a mention of pro wrestling. 33,000 was pretty unheard of for a wrestling event back in the early 80s and remember this was right before WrestleMania was born. Now, 33,000 for a wrestling show isnt that uncommon if your talking about WrestleMania attendance. You think I'm reading too much into this? Do you have any pro wrestling memories from The Superdome that I left out?
If you go through the slideshow, you will see all these great moments but to me, maybe I'm missing something. Where are the wrestling moments? Pro Wrestling has been a staple at The Superdome for over 30 yrs. How about all those shows that Mid South Wrestling used to have? They showed Starrcade 85 in that building after a Mid South show. The first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held in The Superdome in 1986. And who can forget about the epic classic Ric Flair/Ricky Steamboat match at the Clash of the Champions 6, Ragin' Cajun in the Superdome which went up against Wrestlemania 5. Also it was the home of a Monday Nitro headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant (Big Show). That was the infamous "Robin Hood" match in which the Hogan/Giant match went off the air on Nitro and you had to watch Robin Hood and wait for when Robin Hood went to commerical to see the conclusion of the Hogan/Giant match. By the third commerical break, I think the match finally ended but there was no way that Hogan and The Giant went 45 mins. Hogan had hardly broken a sweat.
There is a lot of pro wrestling history in New Orleans Superdome. Like I mentioned earlier, Mid South Wrestling drew 33, 000, I believe, for a match headlined with Stagger Lee, the late, great Junkyard Dog. My point of all of this is that there have been moments where wrestling was extremely popular and I wonder why to this day why the Superdome has never hosted more wrestling events like a Royal Rumble, Summerslam or even a WrestleMania. There has been talk that WrestleMania 30 might be in New Orleans but I'm a little surprised there hasn't been one there yet. Maybe a Monday Night Raw or Monday Nitro during its heyday.
I was just a little bit surprised that in this nfl.com article there wasnt a mention of pro wrestling. 33,000 was pretty unheard of for a wrestling event back in the early 80s and remember this was right before WrestleMania was born. Now, 33,000 for a wrestling show isnt that uncommon if your talking about WrestleMania attendance. You think I'm reading too much into this? Do you have any pro wrestling memories from The Superdome that I left out?
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Starrcade 1997-The End
Starrcade 1997 was the culmination of year long hype between Hulk Hogan and Sting. I believe Starrcade 97 did the highest buyrate in WCW's history. Too bad when it was all over it would be one of the signs of the beginning of the end. What was a somewhat loaded card on paper turned out to be everything but and by the end of the night, you were not really cheering as much as you were eyerolling.
First thing off the bat was a great Crusierweight match between Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. These two could have good matches in there sleep. Very good way to start off the show. Something that I didnt understand was that The Giant vs. Kevin Nash was a heavily hyped match and it didnt take place. Scott Hall came out and was beaten up by The Giant and that was it. No match or anything. Randy Savage had wrestled in a 6 man tag match with Scott Norton and Vincent against The Steiners and Ray Traylor. What I would have done is have Savage against The Giant and have Norton, Vincent and whoever else was in the NWO against the Steiners and Traylor. Now Kevin Nash was injured or not medically cleared to wrestle which is fine. I think a wrestlers safety comes first but not having a heavily hyped match left a bad taste in peoples mouth. At least have a replacement guy. Either Savage or Scott Hall who were not even on the card.
Now I cant complain about the US Title match between Curt Henning and DDP. No problem with that because I think Henning and DDP are two great wrestlers. They had good matches with each other and DDP won the US Title so a title change is good on a PPV. Now after this, it gets really interesting. Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff. Another match that I was looking forward too. It was a match for control of Monday Nitro. Zbyszko fighting for WCW and Bischoff for the NWO. If Bischoff won, the NWO would have control of Monday Nitro calling NWO Monday Nitro. In fact, the week before Starrcade, the NWO took over Nitro. Not just any old take over but they changed everything. They changed the sets, the banners, the graphics, everything to the NWO. In fact, they must have spent about 20 mins. doing all this in fact, I believe they actually lost that quarter hour to Monday Night Raw. I believe this takeover was a dry run to see how NWO Monday Nitro would pan out. It didnt and the quarter hour. At the time Bret Hart who left WWE would be the special referee. Zbyszko won but it looked guy each guy was spent afterwards. I dont even think there was a pinfall, Hart just awarded the match to Larry. Bischoff hit Zbyszko with a steel plate and thats when Bret Hart attacked Scott Hall and Bischoff. The point is that Hart raised Larry's hand but you didnt know why. I dont think it was ever announced that Bischoff was DQ'd, thats what was a little confusing. I dont even think Bret Hart ever even saw Bischoff hit Larry with the steel plate. Just very confusing.
Now, the main event. Hogan and Sting had a big fight feel to it. You could see why as it was a year in the making. The ending might go down as one of the worst endings I've ever seen. First off, Nick Patrick makes a fast count to Sting only it was a regular count. There wasnt anything fast about it. Just a regular 3 count. No sooner does that confusing scenerio happen, Bret Hart is already at ringside. To me, he got there wayy to fast as he wouldnt let them ring the bell as a playoff of the Montreal Screwjob. So now, you have Bret Hart down at ringside way to fast plus the fast count which wasnt. Bret Hart was a legal referee that night and as soon as Sting got the Scorpion Death Lock on Hogan Hart rang the bell and I dont even think Hogan tapped out.Between the fast count, Bret Hart being at ringside and Bret signalling that Sting was the new champion happened way too fast. Something that might take 5 mins. to convey happened probably in half that time. Just a very lethargic ending to what should've been WCW in there finest hour.
So between:
1)Kevin Nash not wrestling and not having his scheduled match with The Giant
2) The confusing way the Bischoff/Zbyszko match ended.
3) The fast count that wasnt
4) And Bret Hart being at ringside way to fast
ruined Starrcade. And it left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm sure a lot of people who paid good money to see Starrcade. Now granted, WCW started Thunder and had good ratings for both shows in 1998 but I think a very successful Starrcade 1997 could have put the WWE further back and who knows what would have happened.
First thing off the bat was a great Crusierweight match between Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. These two could have good matches in there sleep. Very good way to start off the show. Something that I didnt understand was that The Giant vs. Kevin Nash was a heavily hyped match and it didnt take place. Scott Hall came out and was beaten up by The Giant and that was it. No match or anything. Randy Savage had wrestled in a 6 man tag match with Scott Norton and Vincent against The Steiners and Ray Traylor. What I would have done is have Savage against The Giant and have Norton, Vincent and whoever else was in the NWO against the Steiners and Traylor. Now Kevin Nash was injured or not medically cleared to wrestle which is fine. I think a wrestlers safety comes first but not having a heavily hyped match left a bad taste in peoples mouth. At least have a replacement guy. Either Savage or Scott Hall who were not even on the card.
Now I cant complain about the US Title match between Curt Henning and DDP. No problem with that because I think Henning and DDP are two great wrestlers. They had good matches with each other and DDP won the US Title so a title change is good on a PPV. Now after this, it gets really interesting. Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff. Another match that I was looking forward too. It was a match for control of Monday Nitro. Zbyszko fighting for WCW and Bischoff for the NWO. If Bischoff won, the NWO would have control of Monday Nitro calling NWO Monday Nitro. In fact, the week before Starrcade, the NWO took over Nitro. Not just any old take over but they changed everything. They changed the sets, the banners, the graphics, everything to the NWO. In fact, they must have spent about 20 mins. doing all this in fact, I believe they actually lost that quarter hour to Monday Night Raw. I believe this takeover was a dry run to see how NWO Monday Nitro would pan out. It didnt and the quarter hour. At the time Bret Hart who left WWE would be the special referee. Zbyszko won but it looked guy each guy was spent afterwards. I dont even think there was a pinfall, Hart just awarded the match to Larry. Bischoff hit Zbyszko with a steel plate and thats when Bret Hart attacked Scott Hall and Bischoff. The point is that Hart raised Larry's hand but you didnt know why. I dont think it was ever announced that Bischoff was DQ'd, thats what was a little confusing. I dont even think Bret Hart ever even saw Bischoff hit Larry with the steel plate. Just very confusing.
Now, the main event. Hogan and Sting had a big fight feel to it. You could see why as it was a year in the making. The ending might go down as one of the worst endings I've ever seen. First off, Nick Patrick makes a fast count to Sting only it was a regular count. There wasnt anything fast about it. Just a regular 3 count. No sooner does that confusing scenerio happen, Bret Hart is already at ringside. To me, he got there wayy to fast as he wouldnt let them ring the bell as a playoff of the Montreal Screwjob. So now, you have Bret Hart down at ringside way to fast plus the fast count which wasnt. Bret Hart was a legal referee that night and as soon as Sting got the Scorpion Death Lock on Hogan Hart rang the bell and I dont even think Hogan tapped out.Between the fast count, Bret Hart being at ringside and Bret signalling that Sting was the new champion happened way too fast. Something that might take 5 mins. to convey happened probably in half that time. Just a very lethargic ending to what should've been WCW in there finest hour.
So between:
1)Kevin Nash not wrestling and not having his scheduled match with The Giant
2) The confusing way the Bischoff/Zbyszko match ended.
3) The fast count that wasnt
4) And Bret Hart being at ringside way to fast
ruined Starrcade. And it left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm sure a lot of people who paid good money to see Starrcade. Now granted, WCW started Thunder and had good ratings for both shows in 1998 but I think a very successful Starrcade 1997 could have put the WWE further back and who knows what would have happened.
How to help the NBC Sports Network?
It has come to my attention that the NBC Sports Network isnt doing well in the ratings. Now, not having the NHL did hurt NBCSN but considering that this NBC SPORTS NETWORK, you would think that just the name NBC would pull in some viewers. I mean on NBC Sunday Night Football, they do plug the NBC Sports Network with there shows "The Lights" and "The Dan Patrick Show" but nothing seems to be working. The ironic thing is that considering that how much people have turned off "SportsCenter" and how many dont like what "SportsCenter" has become you would think that the ratings for "The Lights" would be a little higher. Frankly, I would change the name of the show. "The Lights" really doesnt work for me. There not lights, there highlights. Its like if you want to tell somebody to watch ESPN, you wouldnt tell them to watch PN, you'd tell them ESPN. They have cancelled "NBC SportsTalk" do to lousy ratings and will replace it with a show hosted by Michelle Beadle and Dave Briggs called "The Crossover." It starts Jan. 28 at 6pm and hopefully it will be a rating success. They do have the NHL, College Basketball and College Football. I do wonder how the college football games do because they dont have the big conferences like ESPN or even FOX. Hopefully, the NHL and "The Crossover" will help NBCSN but if it doesnt, I do have a couple of ways to help them out.
1) Use the NBC Sports Vault. This too me is a no brainer. I would think that there are a lot of people who like the old days of NBC Sports with Curt Gowdy and Dick Enberg? How about the "NFL '84"? Who wouldnt like to see the old days of the NBA on NBC or the MLB on NBC? The MLB Games of the Week on NBC were events at that time. And lets face it, who wouldnt want to see the NFL on NBC from its heyday? Use everything in the NBC Sports Vault. They could air Super Bowls, NBA Finals. What about a history of the NFL on NBC? There is a lot of history that they could uncover. I mean I would think they would do the same rating as if they had live sports maybe even a little better.
2) Get the Sports Packages. Now they've lost the MLB package to FOX and ESPN and I dont think they could be able to get the NBA until 2022 or around there. I would really pay and even overpay for anything I could get my hands on. Problem is that I dont think anything is available right now. They did pick up soccer but I think that a niche sports, honestly. I guess they could get the Big East package although its probably getting less appealing by the day Maybe try to get a bowl game or two from ESPN. Obviously, not the BCS but maybe even some of the lesser bowls.
3)Bring Wrestling/MMA or both to NBCSN. I know that's a stretch and there might not be many fans of either sport out there but it couldnt hurt putting either wrestling/MMA or both on NBCSN. Even though I'm not a fan of MMA it does draw and there are a lot of fans. Pro Wrestling isn't drawing the ratings it did back in 1998 or 1999 but people do watch including yours truly. Pro Wrestling does draw and the WWE is already on USA Network and show 2 specials on NBC so I would think even though people might not respond to it, it would still do a decent rating.
4)Broadcast the niche Sport. What made ESPN have a cult like following when it first started was because they would broadcast sports that nobody ever televised or even heard of. How popular did Austrailian Rules Football become when it aired on ESPN? NBCSN should air some of that. Air some badminton or whatever niche sport has a cult like following. I dont know which sports do but I do some research on it.
So those are just a couple of ideas. Do you guys have any ideas as to help NBC Sports Network?
1) Use the NBC Sports Vault. This too me is a no brainer. I would think that there are a lot of people who like the old days of NBC Sports with Curt Gowdy and Dick Enberg? How about the "NFL '84"? Who wouldnt like to see the old days of the NBA on NBC or the MLB on NBC? The MLB Games of the Week on NBC were events at that time. And lets face it, who wouldnt want to see the NFL on NBC from its heyday? Use everything in the NBC Sports Vault. They could air Super Bowls, NBA Finals. What about a history of the NFL on NBC? There is a lot of history that they could uncover. I mean I would think they would do the same rating as if they had live sports maybe even a little better.
2) Get the Sports Packages. Now they've lost the MLB package to FOX and ESPN and I dont think they could be able to get the NBA until 2022 or around there. I would really pay and even overpay for anything I could get my hands on. Problem is that I dont think anything is available right now. They did pick up soccer but I think that a niche sports, honestly. I guess they could get the Big East package although its probably getting less appealing by the day Maybe try to get a bowl game or two from ESPN. Obviously, not the BCS but maybe even some of the lesser bowls.
3)Bring Wrestling/MMA or both to NBCSN. I know that's a stretch and there might not be many fans of either sport out there but it couldnt hurt putting either wrestling/MMA or both on NBCSN. Even though I'm not a fan of MMA it does draw and there are a lot of fans. Pro Wrestling isn't drawing the ratings it did back in 1998 or 1999 but people do watch including yours truly. Pro Wrestling does draw and the WWE is already on USA Network and show 2 specials on NBC so I would think even though people might not respond to it, it would still do a decent rating.
4)Broadcast the niche Sport. What made ESPN have a cult like following when it first started was because they would broadcast sports that nobody ever televised or even heard of. How popular did Austrailian Rules Football become when it aired on ESPN? NBCSN should air some of that. Air some badminton or whatever niche sport has a cult like following. I dont know which sports do but I do some research on it.
So those are just a couple of ideas. Do you guys have any ideas as to help NBC Sports Network?
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The New USA Today
I figured I would take a couple of minutes to review the new USA Today. As you may know, the USA Today recently turned 30 yrs. old on Sept. 14 and with that they decided to give there newspaper a new design. To be honest, I really dont like it.
It seems like that the paper itself has gotten smaller. I know in 2012 reading a newspaper seems like a foreign concept to people but people, like myself, still read them. In this day in age with I-Phones, I-Pads, and Apps, newspapers seem to be going the way of the encloypedia. I have also noted that the headlines are more bolder although I didnt have a problem with the old format. It seems like the print has gotten smaller as compared to the old days. I mean you really have to squint to see it now. I believe USA Today were touting at the fact that there was more color in the new USA Today but that doesnt mean its better. One of the sections that I like, the Life Section, seems to have gotten smaller in length as well. I have the USA Today paper for the weekend of October 5 to October 7. The Life Section is 6 pages. Thats not really a lot considering that the Sports Section is 14 pages. Also, when you look at the tv section giving you all the listings for the weekend, you could hardly see it. I mean you want to talk about squinting. I think its even smaller than before. If they wanted to expand there Life Section, they could expand there tv listings by giving a more detailed description of the tv shows your watching. Thats what I would do. Also, the headings for each section isnt really appealing. It will say "USA Today-Money" and it will show a person's hand inside of a circle. "USA Today-Life" just has a big circle which I'm assuming is the earth. The USA Today heading itself isnt really appealing. For example, for this weekend it will say "USA Today" 10.05.12 and it has a circle next to it. Thats not that appealing or catchy or anything.
Despite some of the negatives that I have described, I will still by the USA Today because they still do a lot of good things. I like there sports section. I love the NFL Preview section they have each year before a season starts. I like each week they go through the college football and NFL previewing each game. Even though you could get them anywhere on the internet, I have always loved when the USA Today would give you a preview of each NFL game with the announcers that will announce the game. For some reason, I've always liked that and they have always done a good job. Another old favorite of mine is listing the college football games with what channel they are going to be on. Now, I know I can find the announcers and the television listings anywhere on the internet but I think I do it out of tradition more than anything else. I also think I do it just to support newspapers.
They also do a great job with all there preview sections. NBA, NHL, College Football, College Basketball, MLB. They also do a great job previewing various championships. World Series, Super Bowl, NBA/NHL Playoffs, NCAA Tournament etc. Very in depth and very interesting. I dont think that part of the newspaper has declined at all.
But its not just sports previews. They do a great job with the Fall Preview section as well as the Academy Awards. Very in depth and interesting. Also a personal favorite of mine is they do have some nice stories about Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving. I find that interesting and they do a good job. USA Today previews holiday movies and its very good because they preview each season and everything about that season.
So in closing, even though Im not too keen on the new look, I would still buy a USA Today. I would do it because my Grandfather introduced me to the paper about 20 yrs. ago, to the point where I wouldnt have to even describe it, every Friday I would have to get "The paper." I would buy it to support newspapers considering that newspapers might be or are becoming more and more extinct. I would do it out of tradition of seeing what announcers are doing what NFL game even though I know a day and sometimes a week before in advance. I would buy a USA Today because they do very good jobs previewing just about anything that people will do or watch. It could be Holiday Shopping, Holidays in general or it could be the Super Bowl. To this day, they do a great job with it. I mean not only that, how can you go wrong? After all, it only costs a dollar.
It seems like that the paper itself has gotten smaller. I know in 2012 reading a newspaper seems like a foreign concept to people but people, like myself, still read them. In this day in age with I-Phones, I-Pads, and Apps, newspapers seem to be going the way of the encloypedia. I have also noted that the headlines are more bolder although I didnt have a problem with the old format. It seems like the print has gotten smaller as compared to the old days. I mean you really have to squint to see it now. I believe USA Today were touting at the fact that there was more color in the new USA Today but that doesnt mean its better. One of the sections that I like, the Life Section, seems to have gotten smaller in length as well. I have the USA Today paper for the weekend of October 5 to October 7. The Life Section is 6 pages. Thats not really a lot considering that the Sports Section is 14 pages. Also, when you look at the tv section giving you all the listings for the weekend, you could hardly see it. I mean you want to talk about squinting. I think its even smaller than before. If they wanted to expand there Life Section, they could expand there tv listings by giving a more detailed description of the tv shows your watching. Thats what I would do. Also, the headings for each section isnt really appealing. It will say "USA Today-Money" and it will show a person's hand inside of a circle. "USA Today-Life" just has a big circle which I'm assuming is the earth. The USA Today heading itself isnt really appealing. For example, for this weekend it will say "USA Today" 10.05.12 and it has a circle next to it. Thats not that appealing or catchy or anything.
Despite some of the negatives that I have described, I will still by the USA Today because they still do a lot of good things. I like there sports section. I love the NFL Preview section they have each year before a season starts. I like each week they go through the college football and NFL previewing each game. Even though you could get them anywhere on the internet, I have always loved when the USA Today would give you a preview of each NFL game with the announcers that will announce the game. For some reason, I've always liked that and they have always done a good job. Another old favorite of mine is listing the college football games with what channel they are going to be on. Now, I know I can find the announcers and the television listings anywhere on the internet but I think I do it out of tradition more than anything else. I also think I do it just to support newspapers.
They also do a great job with all there preview sections. NBA, NHL, College Football, College Basketball, MLB. They also do a great job previewing various championships. World Series, Super Bowl, NBA/NHL Playoffs, NCAA Tournament etc. Very in depth and very interesting. I dont think that part of the newspaper has declined at all.
But its not just sports previews. They do a great job with the Fall Preview section as well as the Academy Awards. Very in depth and interesting. Also a personal favorite of mine is they do have some nice stories about Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving. I find that interesting and they do a good job. USA Today previews holiday movies and its very good because they preview each season and everything about that season.
So in closing, even though Im not too keen on the new look, I would still buy a USA Today. I would do it because my Grandfather introduced me to the paper about 20 yrs. ago, to the point where I wouldnt have to even describe it, every Friday I would have to get "The paper." I would buy it to support newspapers considering that newspapers might be or are becoming more and more extinct. I would do it out of tradition of seeing what announcers are doing what NFL game even though I know a day and sometimes a week before in advance. I would buy a USA Today because they do very good jobs previewing just about anything that people will do or watch. It could be Holiday Shopping, Holidays in general or it could be the Super Bowl. To this day, they do a great job with it. I mean not only that, how can you go wrong? After all, it only costs a dollar.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Remembering Steve Sabol
Very sad news today as Steve Sabol passed away from cancer at 69 years old. Anybody who is a true football fan knows who Steve Sabol is. He and his father Ed, created NFL Films in 1962. There first game they ever filmed was the 1962 NFL Championship Game between the Giants and the Packers. Over time, NFL Films became a soundtrack for what pro football is. It could be the music that they used and was created by Sam Spence or just the dialogue said by greats like Harry Kalas and John Facenda. I think to this day, there are goosebumps whenever you hear Facenda, Kalas or any of the popular NFL music. Its a part of the NFL just like the Super Bowl is.
Now in the art of full disclosure, I owe a lot to Steve Sabol and NFL Films. For those who know me and for people that don't, in high school I had a special talent. I could name all the Super Bowls. I can name when they were located, where, what year etc. My high school was dumbfounded when they knew I could this. Hey, it even made me popular with the ladies. I'll never forget that I was in my keyboarding class, sophomore year, 1997. Now to make a long story short, one of the people in my class was in my science class the year before. He was a grade or two higher than me. Well, anyway, he knew who I was and he was friends with a lot of people in my keyboarding class. I made an overture toward him and his friends one day and just started reciting Super Bowls. The location, the date, etc. One of the people I recited the Super Bowls with did the morning announcements on tv. So the next thing I know, I'm on the school tv reciting the Super Bowls and it changed me forever because people knew me after that. I would tell 2 friends about the Super Bowls and they'd tell 4 of there friends, etc., etc. The point of this story is that NFL Films, The Sabols, John Facenda, Sam Spence made that happen for me. I would come home from school and I would watch "Super Bowl Highlights" hosted by Steve Sabol and would be in awe of it. I just love when NFL Network shows those highlight shows every year because I enjoy so much. That's how I learned about the Super Bowls by watching those shows year after year.
It was Ed and Steve Sabol who laid the groundwork for NFL Films. They came upon and thought of a gold mine like NFL Films. They both are truly geniuses for what they did for people like me and the NFL in general. All these highlight shows you see now on ESPN or NFL Network wouldn't be possible without Ed and Steve Sabol. Sam Spence who did a lot of NFL Films music is a genius because of how good the music is and a lot of credit go to the Sabols for hiring him for making John Facenda and Harry Kalas the voices of NFL Films. If you want to know about a game or team, NFL Films was there. If you wanted to remember a game from the 1970s or remember a team from the 1970s, NFL Films was there to help you. Almost like a cliff notes for an NFL fan.
In closing, I'm sure Steve Sabol is talking football now with Art Modell, John Facenda, Harry Kalas, Pete Rozelle, Lamar Hunt and the countless others that helped build the NFL into a powerhouse that it is today. Steve, rest in peace and we sit down and watch the NFL on Sundays, Thursdays and Mondays, we will think of you. Its because of you we are able to do that. RIP.
Now in the art of full disclosure, I owe a lot to Steve Sabol and NFL Films. For those who know me and for people that don't, in high school I had a special talent. I could name all the Super Bowls. I can name when they were located, where, what year etc. My high school was dumbfounded when they knew I could this. Hey, it even made me popular with the ladies. I'll never forget that I was in my keyboarding class, sophomore year, 1997. Now to make a long story short, one of the people in my class was in my science class the year before. He was a grade or two higher than me. Well, anyway, he knew who I was and he was friends with a lot of people in my keyboarding class. I made an overture toward him and his friends one day and just started reciting Super Bowls. The location, the date, etc. One of the people I recited the Super Bowls with did the morning announcements on tv. So the next thing I know, I'm on the school tv reciting the Super Bowls and it changed me forever because people knew me after that. I would tell 2 friends about the Super Bowls and they'd tell 4 of there friends, etc., etc. The point of this story is that NFL Films, The Sabols, John Facenda, Sam Spence made that happen for me. I would come home from school and I would watch "Super Bowl Highlights" hosted by Steve Sabol and would be in awe of it. I just love when NFL Network shows those highlight shows every year because I enjoy so much. That's how I learned about the Super Bowls by watching those shows year after year.
It was Ed and Steve Sabol who laid the groundwork for NFL Films. They came upon and thought of a gold mine like NFL Films. They both are truly geniuses for what they did for people like me and the NFL in general. All these highlight shows you see now on ESPN or NFL Network wouldn't be possible without Ed and Steve Sabol. Sam Spence who did a lot of NFL Films music is a genius because of how good the music is and a lot of credit go to the Sabols for hiring him for making John Facenda and Harry Kalas the voices of NFL Films. If you want to know about a game or team, NFL Films was there. If you wanted to remember a game from the 1970s or remember a team from the 1970s, NFL Films was there to help you. Almost like a cliff notes for an NFL fan.
In closing, I'm sure Steve Sabol is talking football now with Art Modell, John Facenda, Harry Kalas, Pete Rozelle, Lamar Hunt and the countless others that helped build the NFL into a powerhouse that it is today. Steve, rest in peace and we sit down and watch the NFL on Sundays, Thursdays and Mondays, we will think of you. Its because of you we are able to do that. RIP.
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