Blogging Inside, Toto-ly
Blogging Inside, Toto-ly
The Cast
Date: 09/29/19
FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN
BACKGROUND: This started as a long-winded numbered blog. It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog. Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain. I lack time. So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing. Let’s see who makes the cut. Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness. I feel the need…the need for speed. Let’s turn and burn.
SETTING: Started on my couch watching Sunday afternoon football, with the Steelers being on Monday this week. Topped off, and released during the Sunday Night Game.
- EVERGREEN: I feel like this is an annual session/ rant/ monologue, but whatever. What do I love about the MLB playoffs? Rotational pitchers coming into play. The finality. Using every single player. Changing pitchers for single batters. Things are just different in the postseason. The announcers are the best outside of hockey announcers. I love the MLB playoffs so much. The bad? I HATE the one game playoff for the wildcard. HATE it. Sure, it is exciting, but what did we play 162 games for? A one game playoff is just stupid. Go one way or the other. Forget timelines and when you need to be done. Either do a best of five series or just have one wildcard (the better answer and previous answer). I get it. Ratings. Excitement. Etc. But, we are forgetting what baseball is known for. It is known for a long season to filter out the weak. Go back to the one wildcard format or do a series. I will of course WATCH the one game playoff, but I will hate it without a doubt. Predictions? I don’t see anyone in the National League being able to win a best of 7 versus the Dodgers. So, they will lose, yet again, to the American League victor. Love the Yankees, will root for the A’s, and respect what the Twins have done this season with the long ball. But, I think the best team, top to bottom, pitcher to batter, is the Astros. They beat the Dodgers to win it all again.
- EVERGREEN 2: In the last three days or so, we have heard updates on health for several big-name NBA players. It got me thinking about how odd this year is. If you were to name a top 15 or top 20 for NBA players, they would all be on this list. The fan base of that team obviously will miss their skills. But, so will NBA fans overall. We are starting this season with many absentees, and it is kind of a downer. KD is out most likely for the entire season. John Wall is out for the season. Paul George won’t be back until November. Kyle Lowry’s future is uncertain. Jusuf Nurkic won’t be back until February. Klay Thompson? March. You don’t have to worry about DeMarcus Cousins fun this season. Kyle Kuzma’s maturity of skills will have to wait for a while. Kyrie Irving will have a tender face to start the season off. That is a pretty big list of pretty big names. Sure, the overall state of the game is good. But we enjoy your skills on the floor, and always are looking for who will make the next step towards stardom. Hurry, back, guys.
- NFL (in fluid style): Going back to last week’s MNF, the Skins are really bad. Adding this Sunday’s jewel versus the Giants, the Skins are really bad. If you haven’t seen Prince Akamura make a straddle attempt look silly last week, you should probably look that up and it might summarize their season thus far. I think Case Keenum has seen his last regular starting action. I hope the future looks brighter under the watch of Haskins. The Skins are so bad that they misspelled London Fletcher’s name during a ceremony honoring him. Going into Lambeau and winning is hard enough. Going into Lambeau as beat up as the Eagles were and having to have TWO goal line stands to win the game is just gutsy and impressive. When Davante Adams left the game on Thursday, it really showed how young the rest of the Pack’s WR’s are. It is really a shame that Josh Allen got hurt late in today’s Pats-Bills game, as the close game would have been better with the two QB’s both healthy. The Bills showed they can play with the Pats though, and that their savage defense is real. The biggest bet of the football season occurred last Sunday, with some poor soul losing $500k on a statement Browns game they believed would happen, but didn’t. I don’t know what Lisfranc is exactly, but they probably might be sitting Cam even when he gets better. How can you not love Baker Mayfield? He calls out Rex Ryan in an interview, says some really funny stuff to AB on social media, and wins emphatically at Baltimore. Speaking of AB, he must be broke. Fighting for money with NINE different grievances. J-Lo and Shakira will co-headline the Super Bowl. I now know I can eat a hearty meal during halftime to limit missing commercials at other times during the game. The Broncos are still looking for their identity. I will tell you this. My Steelers being 0-3 is painful enough. But, I feel for the Broncos fans today. They were playing against a backup QB with an All-Pro corner sitting out. They were at home. They were up 17-3, and then 24-23 again late. And they let the unthinkable happen. Painful. Finally, yes, Hoodie, we know you don’t need analytics because you are so football-smart. Released during the Cowboys-Saints game. Go, Saints.
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL (in fluid style): I think everyone outside of the A&M fan nation was rooting for an Arkansas upset. Jimbo would have had a very long week if that upset had happened. I am not mad about UVA losing at Notre Dame. I was mentally prepared for it. What I AM frustrated at is HOW they lost. It was basically two big defensive plays and the sacks with normal rushes. Aside from that, Notre Dame definitely didn’t run over the Cavs. I think Maryland is bipolar. It is one thing to lose to Penn State. But show a pulse at least. I think Nebraska showed a pulse against Ohio State, but a faint one. Gone are the rumors that Nebraska football is back to any degree. We can talk about it next year, and they better just focus on making a bowl game…any bowl game. I love Mack Brown’s strategy of going for two against a better Clemson game, but not THIS game. My general rule is if you are on the road, do it. If you are home, take your chances in OT. Baylor got me to raise my eyebrows this weekend with a big win over Iowa State. I remember reading many articles about how Iowa State could challenge Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12. Not so. Not even close. Hey. SMU is pretty good, everyone. Who would have thought? Man on a mission. Oklahoma is averaging over 10 yards per PLAY, they rolled over Texas Tech this weekend, and Jalen Hurts was on video working out RIGHT after the game. Man, the Texas-OU game I am attending in a few weeks is going to be a big game. And back to the usual. Bama moved back to #1 after Clemson’s scare with North Carolina.
- MLB (in fluid style): I attended the Rockies game on Friday. I am pretty sure the Rockies are 9-1 when I go to a game. Adorable and fitting end. The Phils got Harper, the Nats make the playoffs, and the Nats are the team that actually eliminates the Phils. I was watching the Red Sox game the other day, and Mookie Betts made an unbelievable throw from the corner to third base to stop a triple. Jaw dropping arm strength. MLB broke the strikeout record for the 12th season in a row, and oddly at the same time HR’s are at record levels. The pitchers and hitters are both having some fun. Odd fact about the Yankees you probably don’t know. Sure, they are looking like the best team in MLB, but they have oddly had the MOST amount of IL stints for its players during this season. They are winning and they aren’t even ever at full strength. Another Yankees fact. They have 14 players with at least 10 HR’s, which is an MLB record. Rust? Nope. Jose Ramirez came of the IL and hit 2 HR’s and 7 RBI’s in a game. The Reds are about 30 runs to the positive for the season, yet they are more than 10 games UNDER .500. Weird. The Indians pay for players and are out of the playoffs. The A’s and Rays are traditional cheapskates and analytics franchises, and the A’s and Rays are IN the playoffs. That is why they play the games. The Cubs and Joe Maddon part ways. I am not a fly in that room, but I wouldn’t let him get away. He got you a freaking World Series. Let him ride it out a few more years.
- MISCELLANEOUS: Just a few things. An Ohio high school football player lifted a car to save a man’s life. That makes me feel bad about being on the couch, being lazy, and writing this. Nick Kyrgios is banned 16 weeks from tennis and will see a specialist. This is on point, and maybe AB can do the same thing and follow suit. Tony Romo is getting even better at golf. Shot a 70 in an event the other day before ending up four over. Finally, do you know how much Rocky the mascot for Denver makes annually? $625k. Not a bad gig.
- THIS AND THAT: The Spotted Cow Brewery had 16 animals visit them at midnight last week. All spotted cows. USA Today released it annual top casino list. The Northeast ruled this time around, with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods take the top two spots. Pechanga, always near the top, rounded out the top 3. Allstate’s new cat commercial is my favorite one they have done thus far, since the original first couple. In Germany, they have ruled that hangovers are technically a sickness. Boston Dynamics has released a robot dog, in case someone doesn’t feel like the drive to the shelter to save a real animal. I am starting to dislike the Pavilions area of Denver downtown. Every bar is expensive and/or a hotel bar, Bayou Bob’s doesn’t exist anymore, and there is no cheap place unless you walk out of that area. You have to walk to Uptown to get to a dive bar. Gwen Stefani didn’t know who Blake Shelton was before he became a judge on The Voice. Facebook is testing hiding likes, and that confuses me, as I thought likes were very important to Facebook people. The Irishman trailer has me even more excited than I was for that cast. It looks stellar. I was so pumped for the new SNL with Woody Harrelson. I was very much let down. Not real movie or television jokes, the monologue stunk, and it was weak across the board if you ask me.
- TOTO: I went to see the band Toto the
other night. I thought they would play
through their songs as is, and open with one of the big three, and close with
the other two. I was wrong. The show was amazing, but for unexpected
reasons. My thoughts:
- I am not putting the time into this to post a video, so you just have to trust me.
- They have EIGHT people in their band.
- Lead singer has his voice still and then some. He sounds like an opera singer singing rock and roll.
- They have NEW songs. Like brand new. One of them sounded ok.
- They have two keyboardists and two drummers.
- They sort of do a light show, which I didn’t expect.
- Finally, they had at least three songs or interludes, where they were a jam band. It was cool, and I didn’t realize the skills of the guitarist and the keyboardist. Mind blowing. They just went crazy with solos.
- Go see them if you get a chance.
- Africa was actually the one song that they played boring and start to finish like the radio.
- THE FILLERBUSTER: I think the band Disturbed thought they were writing better, more mass-friendly music on this latest album, but I think they failed and the music is not as good as past stuff. Our compromise show in the marriage is The Voice, as I have mentioned, and I am enjoying this season, but Adam’s absence has really changed the show. They have to watch and not manufacture side stories to replace the hilarious Adam-Blake back and forth. I think my new standby is Shane McConkey IPA by Crazy Mountain. We used our Passbook at The Courier downtown, and the service was just ok, the atmosphere was energy draining, but the food was really, really good. Not rushing back though. I need to clean more. I found $100 cleaning the kitchen cupboards. I was a bartender who opened up Hayters downtown back in the day, and the owner surprised us with two four packs of Rockies tickets behind the dugout, for both Saturday and Sunday. Nice of him. Avelina is a bar that has a nice open-air concept, but their happy hour only is Coors Light and that is weak. I went to the Milk Market downtown, and I had no idea of what I was walking into. GREAT concept and cool place. I didn’t realize it was a bunch of places IN the Milk Market, as I just thought the Milk Market was it. The happy hour at the Moo Bar for food was ridiculously cheap (we had a $4 burger and a $5 cacio e pepe pasta). I also recommend The Stranded Pilgrim in there, which is a tiny cool place in a corner. Anyway, happy to know we are getting this same concept in very soon at 38th and Lowell, blocks from my house. At The Stranded Pilgrim, I ran into Luis, who used to work for my company. And he is still the same Luis. Over-dressed for simple events, New York accent dripping from every word, and much talk about kicking people’s asses and how Denver Broncos fans are stupid in comparison to Jets fans. The fireworks after the Rockies game Friday were pretty cool, and I always recommend Refinery, Sidecar, and Herbs as the coolest places downtown that don’t irritate me. I had my first sandwich at Stacks in Belmar on Saturday, and was impressed. The list of toppings is better than a Subway, but free to add and delicious. Again, it looks like silly packaging because it says “world’s best” on it, but Beechers mac and cheese is better than 90% of restaurants and you cook it in the microwave. Go get it. I am not lying. Got a new pullover this weekend. I tried not to buy North Face or the color blue, but I didn’t succeed. Finally, we had brunch at Senor Bear today. Highly recommend it. They change their menu a lot, it is all great stuff, but know it is not the cheapest place for food or drink, so eat in the rest of the day. Nice open concept also at this place.
- THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK
(because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now): I haven’t done this one in a while. I just researched, analyzed, and downloaded a
new batch of workout songs, which I am also religious about. Very serious process for me. Anyway, here is the best of the new batch of
songs if you like angry, rock workout music like me. Relatively ranked:
- Breaking Inside (Shinedown): I have listened to this song so many times in the last week that I decided to have it in my blog theme. Breaking Inside. Blogging Inside. Whatever. They both have the same amount of syllables and start with the letter b. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEx-HYsmOQ8
- Beast (Saint Asonia): I had never heard of this band. Now I have, and I love them.
- Blurry (Crown the Empire): The verse music is so cool of guitar.
- Dynamite (Any Given Sin): Not sure how these guys haven’t hit it with another song.
- Rise Above It (I Prevail): Right at the top level before music gets a little too heavy for me.
- The Hunted (Saint Asonia): There will be more by these guys on this list.
- Right Now (Fire Down Below): Right in line with The Veer Union and Sevendust sound.
- Dragonfly (Shaman’s Harvest): The song would be higher ranked, but they get rid of the hard baseline and I like it more with it.
- Disguise (Motionless In White): Probably won’t like anything else by these guys, but this one is good.
- Heavy Is The Weight (Memphis May Fire): Catchy, lyrics are good, music is on point.
- TWEET OF THE WEEK
ALTERNATE CATEGORIES NOT MAKING THE CUT
- QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
- TRAVEL
- THIS WEEK’S LIST
- MY NUMBERS
- GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
- PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
- LIFEGUARD ENTRY
- COLLEGE BASKETBALL
- NHL
- NBA
The theme? Combo of Breaking Inside, the Shinedown that has taken over my life, and Toto…because they were awesome and not what I thought live.
And our weekly reminder of the greatest sequel ever made coming out next summer… Top Gun 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqVVswa420
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. Remember two things. First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf. Second, if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.
| THROW IT BACK IN THE POND |
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| Jerry |
| lorenzo |
| Boris Johnson ruled unlawful |
| boras rips mlb over wet bases-bryant injury |
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| lonzo lavar-love at the end |
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ramsey heading to denver
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Cole Anthony intro unc
Dak cowboys not close to deal
Spence drops porter in 11th
Leach calls players fat dumb
Pirates fire hurdle
Rutgers fires coach
Lebron high school jersey up for auction
| Steelers trade for tight end Nick vannett |
| ramsey sitting out-back injury, baby born, etc. |
| melvin Gordon comes back |
| tarik Cohen streams from bears locker room Kyle long naked |
| Minshew mania |
Wash over usc by 14
| bucks fined 50k for talking giannis extension |
| kyrie facial fracture pickup game |
| g league testing a free throw |
| harper complains heckling |
| Brewers hot |
| twins hit record 300 hrs |
| Garnett Francesca in new Sandler movie |
| trump impeachment impressed this long it has taken |
