Catch Of The Day

Ride Me High

RIDE ME HIGH

The Cast

Date: 14 Dec 2019

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:  This is written on my couch while my wife is getting her hair done on Saturday morning.  This seems more fun than yard or housework, and I have to take advantage of times when my wife isn’t home.  Plus, Oregon and Michigan are playing in hoops, Army and Navy are playing football, and I need to research both basketball teams since they will be in the Final Four conversation in March, and just ENJOY the football game for all that it is.  This will be speedy though, because if I clear this in the morning, I can spend her girls’ brunch time tomorrow Christmas shopping, which is kind of needed.

I just heard “get your puppies organized” and it made me very, very happy.  Right after,

  1. EVERGREEN 1:  Maybe your team is in the playoff.  Probably, it isn’t.  So, you need to find SOMETHING on one of the four teams to root for, right?  Let’s break down why you should root for each team.  Choose your horse.
    1. LSU:  Well, this is one of two things.  First, you can root for the coach.  And maybe their run will spurn everyone to talk in that gravel-ly, weird voice that Ed Orgeron speaks with.  He is literally Waterboy coming to life in a new, real way.  E just SOUNDS like a football coach in every way.  Second, it is Joe Burrow.  Folks, this guy had dreams of playing for Nebraska, got dissed, went to Ohio State for a little while, and then landed at LSU.  He doesn’t slide, he does that cool four finger thing when they go into the final period with a lead, and he is as cool as the other side of the pillow.
    1. CLEMSON:  They can’t help that the ACC stinks.  They aren’t in charge of the other schools’ recruiting.  They just beat who is in front of them, and they haven’t lost since 2017.  And Trevor Lawrence reminds us of Sunshine from Remember The Titans.  But, he runs THROUGH and BY people when scrambling.  Dabo is a religious guy who brings along great kids.  They just get the job done, people, and are here again.
    1. OKLAHOMA:  This one is easy, folks.  Jalen Hurts gets demoted at Bama for Tua, he transfers, and takes his new team to the playoff, while Bama sits on the sidelines.  Now, this story would be cooler if Bama would have made it too and Hurts could beat them, but still a cool story regardless.
    1. OHIO STATE:  Maybe Justin Fields and his transfer?  Maybe….ummm…actually, there are no good reasons why someone outside of Columbus should root for Ohio State.  Just lose.
  2. EVERGREEN 2: Janoris Jenkins used the “retard” word when talking to a fan (in house) on social media.  So, there are TWO issues here.  One is the word.  Who uses that word anymore?  I am 47, and vaguely remember using it in grade school, but that phased out quickly.  If you are intelligent in any way and have any bearings of the lives of less fortunate people, you don’t use this word.  Two, there is the issue of interaction with fans.  You HAVE to let everything go with no feedback.  You HAVE to understand their allowance is more than yours.  You HAVE to be numb to the negativity.  You HAVE to be better than them.  In situations like the Marcus Smart one, you can REPORT the exchange and let others handle it, but you are missing the point if you are replying to a specific fan about a specific comment.  Let it go, Janoris.  Not sure if YOU will get another shot, but I hope others learn from this incident.
  3. NFL:  I am biased for the Steelers obviously, but that Kyler Murray end zone interception last week was puzzling, both on the play call and the QB read.  I was not buying into the Pats demise, and the Chiefs are a great team, but dropping a game in Foxboro to anyone HAS to concern everyone who doesn’t pronounce the letter “r” in sentences.  First time in 21 tries.  By the way, say what you want about Mr. Brady, but pretty classy that he did NOT call out the refs postgame.  Did you watch the New Orleans-San Fran game?  Drew Brees driving the field with two minutes left, and scoring with :53 left, and THEN losing still because of bad TE coverage and a face mask?  Wow.  In their OWN crib to add insult to injury.  I want to give Broncos fans a hug, since the happiness in this town because of two good QB games is just adorable.  John Elway won’t give the finger to the fan base, but you know he is THINKING about it.  I thought the Ravens might get tested more by the Bills, I thought the Jets would cover the 17 points, I thought the over on that Jets game was the easiest bet ever (45), and I think my hatred of the Ravens is affecting where my money goes.  It is crazy that the Ravens might SIT people in the final game against the Steelers.  Congrats to them.  I don’t like ultimatums in anything, but I guess saying that Garrett being fired barring a playoff run sets the bar pretty realistically for an organization that looks at things very black and white.  The Panthers fire their coach, the Panthers are shopping an MVP winner, and you have to question whether they know what they are doing and whether they are just the poor man’s version of the Cowboys in decision making abilities.  Well, HELLO, Rams offense from last year.  Good to see you again.  Mad you didn’t let me know you would show up before I laid money on the Seahawks.  I feel bad for the Cowboys this week, who host them.  Is it weird that I am HOPING that the Eagles or Cowboys win their division with a losing record?  But, no, Mr. Fangio, getting rid of divisions WON’T solve this problem, as the fan bases STILL need two matchups per year against rivals.  Eli Manning’s return proved to us what we already knew-flashes of brilliance, flashes of not even showing up, and losing a non-playoff/ rivalry game…if only he could just play the Pats every game, he would be just fine.  Just…watch the weird walk, Doggamit.  https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1204402523202899972  NOT saying Jameis Winston is Peyton Manning by any means, but if you compare stats at age 25, the stats are pretty much identical.  I personally WANT to see Josh McCown play a play or two at WR, and he IS the next one in line for the hobbled Eagles.  Congrats on your alleged 251 in bowling, Mr. Bell, I hope your career plummets, and now you have a jet ski AND a bowling alley as your career highlights.  Not sure if Josh Gable is part of the Patriot Way, but his videos are sure as heck priceless.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlXRDpnhvqQ  I never expected a total scam, but let’s just say I wasn’t totally surprised that Joe Horn and Clinton Portis were involved in something negative with their post-NFL careers.  I feel like the Sean Payton-butcher thing (meat jokes) didn’t get a full media run, and I am still trying to picture Sean Payton doing his own grocery shopping after a loss. 
  4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL:  First of all, this is one of my sad days of the year.  No college football, except for Army-Navy.  The Sooners have not lost in 52 tries of being up after the third quarter.  Tell your friends.  IF the Sooners would have lost to a third string QB in a conference title game, Norman would have had riots.  LSU is really, really good, in case you live in a tunnel, cavern, or vacuum.  I still am taking OU all day with the points in that matchup, as the Jalen Hurts story is just too adorable to ignore.  UVA is a good team on the up and up, but I knew that game was done as soon as they drove the field and Perkins threw the INT in the back of the end zone.  You need to catch ALL the breaks when beating a much, much better team.  If you think about why Clemson is favored over OSU, just remember that they haven’t lost a game, soft conference or not, in quite a while.  At least we are not Wisconsin fans, as I can’t imagine what THEY are thinking after being up 21-7 at half against OSU.  Hate the SEC.  Love the SEC.  Whatever.  Lane Kiffin being back in that league is just plain old FUN.  Divertido, in Espanol, according to my Dualingo teachings.  Did Norvell accept the FSU job RIGHT after he said “he is just focused on his kids today” after the Memphis win?  I hope everyone enjoys their time in NYC, but we all know that Joe Burrow is writing the speech that will be actually used.  If you care, and you should in my world, Tre Brown did this:  https://heartland-sports.com/2019/12/09/oklahoma-sooners-football-tre-browns-mph-clocked-during-big-12-championship/?fbclid=IwAR1Dv1tbmf9zz_KsN0pQhDXs_pUxHCmR4iy9KsUZtw6gneHPHnn4gT8X7cQ  Finally, if you have never stopped your life for three hours to watch the Army-Navy game, do it.  Pregame, postgame, actual game.  All special.  I was in the Navy in real life, but betting is betting and can’t have emotional ties.  I took the 11.5 points.
  5. COLLEGE BASKETBALL:  Not sure what the UNC-UVA game proved.  Both teams got rocked in the game before, UVA won decisively, so I guess UNC fans can go listen to Jim Carrey sing Jumper.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGjxPXekFEs  Butler lost to Baylor, but proved they belong in the process, as it was at Baylor’s crib.  I texted my buddy that I smelled an upset in the Texas Tech-Louisville game.  He is a Tech fan.  He told me to back off.  I still took the EIGHT points, but really wish I would have followed my gut and done the gutsy money line.  I SAW that coming.  I was starting to believe that Maryland was a contender, and it is early in the season, and Penn State is feisty bunch at home, but losing at PSU really set me back on any MD expectations.  JJ Culver, brother of NBA player Jarrett Culver, scored 100 points in an NAIA win, and his stat sheet is simply mesmerizing.  Oregon got a great win on the road today at Michigan.  Definitely a resume booster that could make them a 2 seed instead of a 3 seed at end of season.  Big difference.
  6. NBA:  Gordon Hayward could return soon, and I truly hope his injury isn’t why we remember him on the court.  News flash.  The Rockets lost their “dunk appeal.”  They shouldn’t have given up that lead to a lackluster team with eight minutes left, dunk or not, but thanks for trying.   I complain about NBA salaries every single year, and just know that Nic Batum from the Hornets is averaging 3.3 PPG and has a 27 million OPTION after this year.  The Warriors FINALLY were giving points to a team this year, and they still lost…to the Knicks.  Hey, Trae Young, go home on your couch and watch the Houston-Buffalo NFL game in 1993.  NOTHING is over until…it is over.  I hate the NFL TD celebrations enough, but the Wizards doing a CPR celebration after a three pointer is insult to injury…AND it is the Wizards doing the celebrating.  I think that Zion’s injury is like the main headliner taking their time in coming onstage.  He will be special and possibly unstoppable.  The Kawhi return to Toronto was cool and the video before the game was nice, and, as expected, Kawhi, didn’t even bust out a smirk.  PG and KL went for 40 a piece this week, and that probably won’t be the last time that happens.  Finally, if you like hoops, I pledge to you that this should be your favorite article to read…every single week.  https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28243840/ten-nba-things-like-including-miami-motion-blur
  7. MLB:  I get wanting to keep talent after you win a title, but I think the Nationals paying Strasburg 7/245 is ridiculous.  Even if I thought that paying a guy who plays every five games big money was warranted, I didn’t see that paycheck for a guy who just finished his first injury-free season ever.  But, that set that stage for Mr. Cole and the Yankees.  After Strasburg got HIS paycheck, you KNEW that something like 9/324 was going to happen.  By the way, don’t say the Yankees are back to being the old, overpaying Yankees.  They have stockpiled talent, not paid mad money over the last five years, and basically set the stage for this payday.  They have their guy now. 
  8. MISCELLANEOUS:  Joshua dominated Ruiz as much as you can dominate in a boxing match, and we kind of knew this would happen after the weigh-in.  Stenson hasn’t won (until last week) in two years???  Never would have guessed that.  So, not only is Patrick Reed the most unlikable guy in golf.  And, he cheats when in sand.  And now, his caddie punches a person in the gallery?  Glad he picks up people like himself.  I would like to go to a Presidents Cup someday.  Sounds fun.  So, let me get this straight.  Russia is banned from the Olympics and World Cup, and they are boycotting the Olympics?  Isn’t that redundant?  EDITORS NOTE:  I got excited when talking about Klaus last week.  I typed Oppenheimer several times.  It is Obermeier.  My bad.  I write this VERY quickly, I hope you know, and don’t look up things while writing.  I am not even sure that my correction IS the right spelling.  Not checking though.  Moving on…
  9. THIS AND THAT:  We started The Irishman.  It is 3.5 hours, so we are doing it in 2-3 sittings.  It is very good.  While watching it and enjoying the “reunion,” I was very disturbed to find out a little something about my wife.  She has never seen the movie Casino.  I plan on fixing this next week.  I like gambling, I sell to casinos, I love Deniro and company.  This is just horrible.  Not sure how I ended up on this article, but I found out the three most popular names for females and males these days.  Want to know?  Liam, Jackson, Noah.  Sophia, Olivia, and Emma.  I feel like female names are spinning back to the 20’s.  Maybe Hildegard and Gertrude will make a run at it next year.  The SNL skit in the cafeteria with Trump at the nerd table was pretty funny.  Watch it.  I think if I saw an art exhibit priced at $120k with banana and duct tape, I would have eaten the banana too.  The Miss Universe pageant happened last week, South Africa won, and I am confused which pageant bans the swimsuit competition.  American Elm on 38th is a good brunch place, but they don’t open until 11am, and don’t really have any special pricing that draws you in.  Cool atmosphere though, and they have TV’s with football on them, so that basically embellished what I though of their food, I think.  If you need an edgy holiday or birthday card, walk into Wordshop on 32nd Street in the Highlands.  It is magical.  I dare you to walk out of that place with JUST a card.  New Jersey is trying to pass a bill that requires cursive, and this is old people hanging on to the thing THEY had to get through in grade school.  Dark Waters is a great movie.  Based on a true story.  As good as the movie was, I think it was more educational than anything.  I knew something about the Dupont-Teflon thing, but got very much in the know on it through the movie.  The movie is the 2019 version of every Grisham movie you have ever seen, with a little more realism and grounded-ness.  I give it a B+.    The singer from Roxette died last week.  Sad.  Some younger people will only know Listen To Your Heart and It Must Have Been Love, but The Look was a song back in the day where you couldn’t turn the dial to a radio station without hearing it.  Like cool pics  Here are the science pictures of the year, and some of them are really cool.  https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/09/world/royal-society-photography-competition-scli-intl-scn/index.html  I continue to be entertained by what people post on NextDoor.  Someone asked about license plates and expiration rules, and in half the time they took to write that post, they could have just Googled it.  I may or may not be looking for Xmas presents for wife, and stumbled upon this tidbit.  Jack Johnson is so cool that he donates ALL of his tour profits to charity.  I did NOT know that Adam Sandler’s new movie was about sports gambling, and I will be seeing that one promptly…right after Star Wars next Friday.  Curious about what is typed in on Google the most?  Here you go.  Some fun ones.  https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/11/us/google-year-in-search-2019-trnd/index.html  “They” is Merriam’s word of the year, and I obviously don’t understand the scoring system.  Boring.  Some dude is so rich and so cool that he bought the Grease jacket from Olivia Newton-John for $243k and then…gave it back to her.  I read articles about someone’s new yacht that turns into a submarine and I regret not finding another career path.  The Voice is down to the final four.  Katie will most likely win it.  Ricky is definitely the plus one, although he is good.  Rose is the feel good story that you can’t NOT root for, with her relationship with Gwen.  And Jake Hoot sounds like he is a professional country singer in the 70’s already, that is NOT on Blake’s team.
  10. THE FILLERBUSTER:  My wife thought Costco opened at 930am on Sunday.  She was wrong, and it is 10am.  But, in that experience, do you KNOW how many losers line up outside of the front door on Sundays to be the first people in??  It is downright scary.  Like 100.  I am going to a Festivus party tonight.  We have been traveling the last couple of years during this time, so it will be fun to live out a Seinfeld episode.  My wife didn’t support me in dressing up like Kramer, so I will let it go.  A co-worker owns every animal you can think of.  When he brings in lizards, tarantulas, and snakes, I don’t care, but does he know that some people are PETRIFIED of those things????  Kind of oblivious to life if you ask me.  The joke is building, now that Chad (Pete Davidson) made another SNL skit.  Apparently, I am him and just say OK to everything my wife says.  Want to go to New Mexico this weekend?  OK.  Want to ruin your day and go to bottomless mimosas this morning?  OK.  Want to go to Vegas in January for a weekend?  OK.  El Jefe has some pretty damn good food, and their happy hour should be checked out.  I went to a concert and got to go to my favorite old bar from when I first moved out here.  Goosetown Tavern is such a cool place.  Not doing the ultra-hardcore thing of going on Thursday late night, but I WILL be watching Star Wars on the normal Friday opening night.  Humboldt Farm Fish Wine has the best hamburger in Denver, if you ask me.  Try it.  Bacon is cooked INTO it.  Williams Tavern is one of the best dives out there.  I got in the pool line, won my pool game, wife wanted to go home, so I again come and go a winner at billiards there.  Love that place.  I actually got to team UP with the guy who is my main competition there, so it was a little unfair to the other two lads.  I went and saw Jojo Hermann and Jerry Joseph on Thursday.  Just the two of them playing on stage.  Intimate.  Personal.  Stories between songs.  Alternating song picks.  It was like Widespread Panic playing in my living room.  Amazing.  Jerry Joseph actually wrote SEVEN songs that Panic used.  Neat tidbit.  Jojo picked Ride Me High as a song choice and it is one of my top five of Panic.  The NEXT night, it was Lindsey’s guy, Billy Strings.  Bluegrass.  That is her thing.  Billy will NOT be playing Ogden again as the line was four blocks long to get in.  He will be playing Red Rocks as a headliner, if I had to guess.  But, that wasn’t the funny part of the night.  It was LINDSEY’s night, and guess what Billy Strings played two songs before ending the show??  Guess.  It was…Ride Me High.  I said “Babe, everyone loves Widespread Panic, and our worlds just collided.”  I guess you should listen to the song too.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_shPLOHmJ8
  11. TWEET OF THE WEEK

ALTERNATE CATEGORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT:

  1. THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
  2. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
  3. LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
  4. TRAVEL
  5. THIS WEEK’S LIST
  6. MY NUMBERS
  7. GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
  8. PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
  9. LIFEGUARD ENTRY:
  10. NHL

The theme?  Ride me High rides away with it this week.  I assume next week will be a full breakdown of Star Wars.

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
panthers give lb thompson new contract
burrow breaks sec td record
bell misses jets game vs dolphins.
Vick being asked to not be pro bowl captain
Messi hat trick
trump toilet flushes
pats will not bring back wr brown
chiefs gear sent to jersey
volcanic eruption
North Korea missile test
impeachment
vinatieri season ending surgery
melo said he warned cp3
cowboys release kicker
frates ice bucket challenge dies
usf snags clemson’s co-OC
bengals questioning pats video
Sherman hurt, richburg done niners
rapinoe 2019 spoty
csu focused on butch jones
South Carolina qb xferring to utah
Paul George won’t boo Indy exit
rose hits game winner born to do
Navy base shooting terrorist?
skins rb guice out
belichick says they don’t do bad stuff KNOWLINGLY
cafardo spin award 2020
spelling bee reduces entrants after 8 way tie
bucs don’t expect evans to return in ’19
auburn hires ex-arkansas coach morris as OC
Utah State qb Jordan love declares
Papua New Guinea asks for independence
giannis quad injury
kawhi return to toronto
saints lose davenport
russians might boycott olympics
janoris Jenkins tweets to fan
fau is hiring ex-fsu taggart
csu hires steve addazio as new football coach
avs staffer who did blackface on leave
mlb says seams batting means more hr
lock buzz light year
ND oc part ways
roark signs with blue jays
goodell says NFL moved on from kaep
uk election
israel 3rd election of year
Boeing 737 max not cleared soon
IHOP opening flip’d
procello mets
howard had to let go of bitterness towards magic
yanks retain gardner
embiid accepts shaq and charles criticism
Stern hemmorage
waiters third suspension
Georgia shooting
lbgt Nigeria
Stern brain hemorrhage
Smith Schuster knee injury
ertz top female soccer player
Eli Manning will start again
burrow wins Maxwell
waiters suspended
ohl game postponed goalie cut
ertz soccer player of year

Cards release suggs, on waivers

fangio wants to get rid of divisions
eagles player hides concussion
oskar linblom flyers cancer

Jon jones might go heavyweight

Usc probe

mayfield criticizes browns handling of obj injury
steelers and titans in afc only pretty much
bengals pats video crew
eagles lose wr jeffery for season
Boise over hawaii
bowls set
all American football team
tarik black wr fourth um to enter xfer portal
baylor over undefeated zona
oregon michigan
gonzaga arizona
exam week
illinois player clobbers ref after basket
illinois beats michigan-magic is gone now

Michigan Oregon

stars fire montgomery-conduct
sharks fire deboer
phils get yanks did gregorius one year 14 mil
pot comes off “abuse” list
peloton ad
my man cave
bill to intro wolves back to co
golden globes
jersey city shooting
alamo weird openers before previews
Friday 13th
bald eagle saved from octopus death grip
yacht turns into submarine
Latimer lounge colorad
bets hit big, Brady Brees, Wilson screwed me
black Friday sonic
Mike Hart reunion
Jerry wrote break the. chain mac
brother of seller getting him over goal