BB9: The Goodbye Girl.......

.....will be Chelsia or Sharon.

Let's see, Chelsia got so "ga-ga" over being with James, and now she's realizing that it was a mistake to let him back in.

A little late to figure that out, I'm afraid.

Sharon, on the other hand, is nothing more than a puppet. Tonight she said, "There is no "I" in team."

WHAT?!? Memo to Sharon: They broke up the couples weeks ago and NO ONE wants to help you get to the $$$!!! Joshuah has her drinking serious Kool-Aid.

But I think she will get the reprieve. Chelsia goes, because:

1) James is actually easier to deal with than Joshuah
2) James can't win everything

P.S. to CBS: If you're going to bring anyone else from Big Brother history back, PLEASE make it Erika!! :) :) :)

25 Years Ago: March 26, 1983 was a GREAT day!!

It was a Saturday. A beautiful Saturday. My Dad took me up to Charlottesville so I could participate in the Virginia High School League's Annual Forensic Competition.

Two weeks previously, just before NC State's miracle run to win the ACC Tournament, I finished a surprising second in the regional competition, qualifying me to go to the state tourney. I was pleasantly stunned!

So, I worked and worked and poured over my 3 X 5 cards containing what few notes you get, and it was best to do it from memory, so that you tell a compelling story and make a compelling argument as to whatever your speech's premise may be.

Mine was an expose on the trials faced by college sports regarding graduation rates, drugs, and the "failure" of the student-athlete due to outside forces (and sometimes inside).

The event was held at the University of Virginia.

NC State beat Virginia 81-78 two weeks earlier to win the ACC Tournament and get the automatic bid into the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

So I, a HUGE Wolfpack fan, give this speech, on the UVA campus, on THE DAY NC State and UVA face each other for the 4th time that season; this time in the West Regional Final with a trip to the Final Four at stake.

After the speech I remember listening to some of another game (Louisville/Kentucky)on the radio. Then Dad and I went to the award ceremony, and I was STUNNED to hear my name called as winning 3rd place in the Original Oratory category. I got up, went down the aisle and picked up my medallion (which I definitely still have!!!), then went back, sat down, and looked at Dad. He looked at me. It was a "proud" moment and neither one of us had to say a word. :)

Then, headed home, I'm trying to decipher Dick Stockton's call of the frantic final seconds of the game on CBS......then I hear the best sentence of the day:

"NC STATE WINS!"

I went nuts! We're going to the Final Four!!!!! AND BETTER YET, WE ENDED UVA'S SEASON AND THE CAREER OF OUR FOUR-YEAR NEMESIS, RALPH SAMPSON!!!!

To this day I've never taken credit for my presence at UVA that day having anything to do with that 63-62 final score. Don't plan to. I went to UVA and did my job, then THE CARDIAC PACK went on the same floor as UVA and did theirs, too.

What a great day. :)

I'm a sub! Quicker than I thought!!!

....I "officially" became a substitute teacher in my home county's school system yesterday, after completing their orientation.

A long-time friend is in administration at one school and told me with Spring Break next week, most teachers will be around afterwards, not having vacations or doc appointments scheduled, etc....except for the sicknesses, you know.

The phone rang at 7:52 this morning. It was my friend.

"Can you be here at 11:30?"

"When does the day end?" (I had a 3:15 doctors appt. across town)

"2:30."

"I'll be there."

...and I proceeded to nervously attempt to nap for a couple of hours, even dreaming of being at a school which was connected to a local record store (as in next door to each other, and when I picked up some checks from an employee thinking they were the school's, come to find out after walking out the door, they were for the record store, and that's when I woke up....)

Go figure!

Three hours with 20, 21 fourth-graders. I got everything from:

"You sweat alot!"
"You sound like you worked in the circus!"
"You sound like a voice that should be on a computer!"

to.......

1) the usual one kid attempting to "fall ill" around test time (who magically felt great 45 minutes later upon time for recess to commence). :)

2) the several who attempt to tell you in their spin how their teacher would handle everything (politicians start young!)

....and overall it went fine!

Though, after only three hours with them, I WAS BEAT!!

NOTE TO SELF: Wait until you spend ALL day with a group of them!!! Hee hee......

New adventure! We're off and running! Now, I wonder if the phone will ring tomorrow.......

Matt leaves the Big Brother house before climbing the "roof of victory"....

Matt...roofer from around Bah-ston (I can do that because my father's side of the family is from Maine, and they talk like that.).....

....controller of Natalie's emotion on Big Brother since moment one......

....who, honestly, put up a good last defense to his housemates showing that Ryan shouldn't be getting "free passes" for what he's done to them during the game....

....still was voted out last night when the six remaining houseguests split 3-3 (deft move by Sheila, not wanting to be the "decider", thus having Natalie go off on her).

James? Your move? Precious moment of revenge! And it was done.

Matt was genuinely disappointed he didn't win, which was interesting to see, as was his comments on Natalie (she needs to realize he ain't the one).

I immediately told wifey that Matt leaving will empower Natalie, because she'll take all her energy of sadness and channel it into getting James or one of his cronies out of the house ASAP.

Sure as I said it, I turn on the late night feed overnight, and Natalie is on, roughly, a 45 minute diatribe to Adam, the new HOH, about who to evict. It got to the point where it wouldn't have surprised me to hear Adam simply yell, "SHUT UP!"

Anyway, Adam was packing for his new digs and decided to already speak to the others and get the "pulse" of the house.

Adam winning HOH is the best thing that could happen in this game right now, as he has been, to me, the strongest player. Don't play your cards until you're forced to. Now we will begin to understand what makes Adam tick.

Who are you ready to toss out?

James or Joshuah are on my clock.

P.S.----Julie Chen.....were they a wild pair of boots or what? I honestly wondered how much her feet sweat during an hour wearing those things under the lights....

Thank you Final Four and ESPN!!!

WOW!

"Kinda live" blogging ESPN's tourney special Sunday night and posting the Final Four choices of their experts has EXPLODED the number of visits to ATW!

Thanks to all of you who have come by, and I hope you found the information accurate and helpful.

Come back often! You never know what goodies are in store!

P.S.----Dang! Kent State? 10 points in one half?!? That's got to be so disappointing.....

Obama, his pastor, his race, and Ashley.....

Senator Barack Obama made what some pundits thought had to be "the speech", to try to put the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his pastor, and his extremely controversial pulpit rants found all over the media, "behind him", as behind him as possible, of course.

The entire transcript can be found here, so you can decide for yourself. I do urge you to read it, then make your own decisions. And the questions brought up by Obama's speech are deeper, more profound than, "will you disown Rev. Wright?"

I'll make one observation:

Ted Kennedy had Chappaquiddick.
Bill Clinton had Monica Lewinsky.

When history writes its chapter on today's Obama speech, I believe the following will be said

When history is written, Senator Obama won't be looking "vis-a-vis" at the two previous sentence.

Barack Obama will NOT have Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Today Obama's superior oratory skill contained much, much more. Whether you agree with him or not, today, he brought substance. Period.

---------------------------------

P.S.---I am a pastor. Do you honestly think every member, every parishoner in the church I pastored agreed with everything I said or preached??? Heck, no!!! No, I cannot compare my actions to Rev. Wright's (thank goodness!), but I can say that I understand it's perfectly plausible....expected honestly....for people to disagree with their minister!

Now, the REAL question: who gets the million dollar interview with Rev. Wright???

Got fingerprinted lately?

I haven't. Until tomorrow. :)

It's part of the process of becoming a substitute teacher! Hope to be helping the kids of our world very soon.

Stop laughing. I can help them. Really. Honest!

I said stop laughing!!!

Thank you.

Fed cuts, bulls buy, tech winners.....and Liz Claman

When the Fed announces a rate cut, I call my wife at 215pm at her workplace (a credit union) to inform her of the amount, then get her take on it. When the 3/4 point cut was announced today, we watched the Dow go from up 300 pts. to up only 150 in a matter of ten or fifteen inhales and exhales. We both figured it would not get much better, and could be worse.

Oops.

Dow finishes today up 420 points! Good day for tech stocks, even real estate companies had a good day (that's gotta give someone some hope somewhere!)

Now, time for the overseas ripple effect and see what 9:30am tomorrow brings. Meantime, those of us STILL unemployed just want to cut through all the speculation, figures, et al, and get a job. It's a great feeling to know you are feeding your kids.

And in closing, Fox Business brings me the information I need and the personality and looks of Liz Claman. CNBC's loss is Fox's gain. Whoo hoo!

March Madness Games on Richmond 3/20/08

Click HERE to see the schedule from CBS6 in Richmond for our local game broadcasts on Thursday. AND, read the info on the page, too, so you don't end up calling the poor receptionist on Broad Street.

Remember to get your VIP Pass (if it's not too late) and watch games not aired locally online!!!!!!!

Your Announcers for this weekend's games in the Big Dance!!!

Thanks to our new friends at Awful Announcing......

Click here. Also note the extra shout-out to fans of Gus Johnson, in case you are a big fan. Having him with Len Elmore is excellent!

I also look forward to Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner. Bonner is a local boy (UVA grad) who CBS has used for many years in the first two rounds, then normally has him do the Division II championship game. Maybe one day, he'll make the Sweet 16!

Verne and Raf hit the air Friday (MMMMMAN TO MAN!!!), and I must admit, the fact that I don't see James Brown's name on the roster for this weekend is a good thing. He didn't do well as play-by-play guy at the regionals last year. :( But I do love JB!

Gary Hart: Wrestling Loses Another Great One

I knew him as the nasty manager of the Great Kabuki, the Great Muta, and for his time in World Class Championship Wrestling (we got their weekly show for a time in the 80s).

Read this, and you'll learn more about Gary Hart, who sadly passed away Sunday at 66.

Big Brother: Is there any beer left???

Sheila, for the first time that at least I have witnessed, may have let a little too much about her slip out last night.

And....maybe it's because she may have let herself have a little too much to drink.

She was rather bold in her thoughts about herself, her game-playing techniques, and even her past to a few fellow houseguests, which surprised me. The closer she has played to the vest the better so far, in my view. You know, "let 'em think I'm just a middle aged woman in a game with all these 20-somethings and I have nothing to offer in the wisdom or strategy department....".

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!! (Don't want Power of Veto results? Stop here!!)
Or, finally, maybe it was because she was celebrating the fact that James won the Power of Veto, and TOOK HER OFF the chopping block.

James replaced Sheila with Matt. So, indeed, one of "the boys" will go home Wednesday, unless that stupid alarm sounds again.

The alarm needs to sound at 1am ET one night, with people waking up to check the 24/7 feed or reading blogs for spoilers to find out that something huge happened and they missed it!

Oh, well. It is the "ratings alarm" after all. In TV, aren't they all?

More Final Four Picks.......

From ESPNU's version of Bracketology......

Adrian Branch: Louisville, Kansas, Memphis, UConn (wow!) He didn't get to give us his final.

Andy Katz: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA (all four ones again!) UCLA over Kansas.

SHOCKER!!! Laurie Dhue and Fox News part ways!! NO!!!!

Read here.

She has now completed the "Cable News Trifecta", working at MSNBC, and CNN before that. Where does she go now???

ESPN Heads Make Their Final Four Picks.....

C'mon guys! Too many ones! For most of you.....

Jay Bilas picks ALL FOUR Number one seeds! Kansas to beat UCLA for the title.

Digger Phelps picks ALL FOUR Number one seeds! Memphis over UNC for the title.

Hubert Davis picks Carolina, Kansas, TEXAS (a #2!!) and UCLA. Kansas beats Texas Monday night.

Bobby Knight picks UNC, Kansas, Pittsburgh and UCLA, with PITT upsetting ??? He said Kansas, but the graphic read Carolina.

and Dickie V picks UNC, Georgetown, Texas, and UCLA, with Carolina defeating UCLA.


AND RIGHT NOW ON ESPN2, IT'S THE NIT SELECTION SHOW!!! WHOO HOO!!! If you watch THIS show, like I am, you ARE college hoops CRAZY!!

Another look at the hour of Selection Sunday....

....from one of our NEW blog links, Awful Announcing, is another look at how the 6pm hour went down tonight and how some teams got into the bracket, and others did not.

Live Blog on Selection Sunday.....after the announcement.....

Okay. First, sorry for the absence and glad to be back on the ol' blog.

It's Selection Sunday, and Baylor just got spot #65.

EAST: It's the UNC Invitational!! I really don't see anyone beating UNC when they don't even have to leave the state to play all four games. Tennessee and Louisville (seeds two and three) are both coming off conference tournament losses.

MIDWEST: What about KU? Rock Chalk Jayhawk?? Clemson has a chance to have something to say; Georgetown and Wisconsin should have switched positions. After all, the Badgers won their regular season AND conference tourney titles! Big Ten dissed.

SOUTH: Memphis has a gripe; their region is toughest. Michigan State, Pitt, Stanford, Texas are seeds 5 thru 2. Heck, Marquette is number 6!

WEST: UCLA owes the committee a thank you note. They're already in the Elite Eight. UConn? Ha. Drake? Nope. Duke? Not this year. There's no one in that bracket that will beat UCLA, so two of my Final Four picks are already mailed in.

---------------------------------------------

Two teams I think that SHOULD be going to the NIT but they're not:

Arizona (19-14)
Kentucky (18-12, only because they were 12-4 in the SEC playing all the weak sisters. Oh, and they LOST TO GARDNER-WEBB! Yes, with an RPI of #189.)

---------------------------------------------

Two teams that have EVERY RIGHT to be TICKED about not getting in:

Arizona State (19-12, lower RPI (83) but they SWEPT Arizona (RPI 37). Does head-to-head battle mean nothing??
Virginia Tech (19-13, WINNING record in the ACC, which is the NUMBER ONE ranked RPI conference, who BEAT Miami in the ACC Tournament and came within eight-tenths of a second from knocking off No. #1 North Carolina!)

---------------------------------------------

I want you to now look at the names of the teams Kentucky defeated to get their 18 wins.....

Central Arkansas, Liberty, Texas Southern, Stony Brook, Tennessee Tech, FIU, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida.

Two over Georgia, who meant nothing before their miracle ride this weekend. The BIG wins over Vanderbilt and Tennessee. That's all. Period. So, FOUR WINS over teams in the tourney.

NOW, the teams Virginia Tech defeated for their 19 wins.....

Elon, Eastern Washington, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, George Washington, Liberty, Hofstra, St. Johns, Charleston Southern, Maryland, Virginia, Boston College, Florida State, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest, Miami

Yep, just one win against a tourney team (Miami), but it was a convincing win. Two wins against a Maryland team who collapsed at season's end (nothing Tech) can do about that. One point loss to Clemson on the road, then the heartbreak to UNC. The loss to Richmond isn't that bad (it was at Richmond, who played surprisingly well this year in a tougher-than-expected Atlantic 10).

Virginia Tech from the ACC, the TOP ranked RPI Conference.
Kentucky from the SEC, the fourth ranked RPI Conference.

I think we know now that two losses by a combined three points in March on the road must be more damaging than losing to RPI Team 189 in November by 16 at home.

Biased? I'm sure I am. But I just can't believe Kentucky got in.

---------------------------------------

And don't EVEN get me started about Arizona.

Now, as for the Commonwealth, it's George Mason. Our only standard bearer. Go GMU!!

More to come; I'm going to actually go digest some bracket matchups now. :)

Christian Nymphos? Well, sure there are! :)

You just have to know where to find them! :)

My newest blog link is HERE.

Christians. Marriage. Hot sex. Serious *******!!!

Why, of course! God created it, didn't He??

A Friday Funny.......

Big Brother Changes!!

So, no more couples on Big Brother. Had I been paying better attention to their title graphic, I would've known it sooner (the "Til Death Do Us Part" portion was eliminated, I believe, before they made the announcement).

I actually liked Allison, so I wasn't happy to see her have to go through what she did.

My fave is still Sheila, and I'm rooting for Adam, too. I was hoping he would win HOH, for I thought the "unknowns" of Adam (he really has been under the radar, except for being a great source of nicotine) would make for a wild week of changes.

Ryan, on the other hand, I think will make the week more tranquil, though, you have to think he's stunned at today's developments.

--You could be out.
--You're out.
--Wait a minute.
--Everyone break up!
--You could be out again.
--You're not, and she is.
--I'm HOH?!??!!!?

What a day. Looks like the game will go on for awhile, and I'm glad. I haven't followed BB since the first one.

P.S.----SOMEBODY HIRE ME!!!

Classic Feminist Speaks Volumes......as to how she has no brain or heart......

Thank you to Blonde Sagacity again for a great synopsis of the lunacy that is Gloria Steinem.

Yep, she's still in the public square.

And exposing herself as truly NOT being a feminist, just a supporter of certain members of the female persuasion.

Hillary: loves her.

Any female member of the U.S. Military, who her "tireless work" SUPPOSEDLY broke ground so said females could proudly serve our nation, breaking the "wretched male hold" on our proud soldiers: apparently can't stand them or maybe hates them.

Michelle Obama: I wonder.

Muslim women still living under ridiculous laws at the hands of zealot men: Got me.

READ HERE. You won't be surprised.

Oh, and I didn't even get into the comments about John McCain's POW years, vis-a-vis, what if he had been "Joan McCain"??

What if she were "George Steinem"?

She would have been drinking buddies with Archie Bunker.

David Tyree: A Changed Man, But Not For What You Think....

He made what can only be called, in Super Bowl terms, "The Catch".

But David Tyree will tell you there have been many more important moments in his life the past four years. Click here to read it all.

John Shand: 1917-2008

...if you live in Richmond at any time between 1948 and, say, 1990, you know the name John Shand.

You know he was the first voice ever heard on a television station in Richmond, Virginia.

You know he gave the first legal identification announcement in Richmond television history on April 22, 1948.

You know his legendary handlebar mustache (that put Rollie Fingers to shame).....

You know his work as "the South's First Anchorman", the voice of the Yellow Cab commercials, and the man who led WTVR-TV 6 to its prominence in not just Richmond television, but in the annals of local television station history.

Only 19 stations were on the air, none south of a line from Washington, DC to St. Louis, when WTVR hit the airwaves. So indeed it is "The South's First Television Station".

And it wouldn't be close to what it is today and what it has meant to Richmond for these 60 years without the presence of John Shand.

Article and links to video, including an interview done just two days before his death are at this link.

Ah, the caucuses...lesson one: Don't Let The Other Team Take Control

A few years back I was involved in the formation of a new parent-teacher group for a new school attended by my child. VERY long story short, the school community voted for one type of group, then, at the beginning of the second session to "form" the group, the minority who lost the election began, essentially, a coup, and systematically spent months changing the outcome of the will of the majority.

Ha! And you thought that only happened in party politics! :)

So, in the end, the noisy minority got what they wanted, and the kids in the 5th grade that year (their only year at the new school) lost out on support from a parent group because, for most of the year, it didn't exist.

Okay----that's history.

CLICK HERE to go to Politico.com, who reports the Dallas Morning News has obtained a copy of "talking points" from the Clinton campaign as to, basically, "how to perform a coup" at your local caucus, to make sure Hillary wins.....NO....I'm sorry, my bad, to make sure Hillary's supporters are PROPERLY REPRESENTED.

Duh. Double duh. Might as well taken this memo straight from the "how to take over a nation" playbook.

Now, for all we know, Obama has this covered, too. But, at this moment, we don't see any evidence.

Good Lord, WHY CAN'T PEOPLE ACCEPT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE??!!??

Live From New York, it's Hillary...and Hillary!

DEFT political move on the part of the Clinton campaign. Could be the best decision they've made since New Hampshire.

Click here for the "preview" article; I can confirm, she was on. Though she wasn't the greatest (after all, she's not an improv comedienne), her "Live From New York" intro was good and will be all over the news through Tuesday.

If it's 3AM and my children are asleep, I want WALTER to answer the phone at the White House!!

Clinton/Obama Unfair Media Weigh-In #1420

...this is the story of the "founder of a prestigious institute on media and politics..."

He's crying foul that Hillary Clinton has been unfairly picked on by the media.

He's also a long-time supporter of......

....you know who.

Click here.

I (selfishly) feel I have a pretty good synopsis of the whole Clinton/Obama media thing right here just a few posts down. Read it. Then tell me your thoughts....

February's Winning Numbers.....

....11, 14, 25......

Well, at least they come together to make a mathematical equation! :)