If you have a few minutes this a great video......and a lesson to never miss a day of work.....or Miss a Game with the Cobra Kai!!!! Plus, If this guy didn't go down what would Rich or Reger ever talk about??? Click Here

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. On to our next adventure. I would like to extend a very hearty invite to everyone to attend our New Years Eve Party to continue the lively dojo discussions. My wife sent out an evite but I know sometimes those can get lost in the shuffle. Thus, mark your calenders for the New Years Eve Bash at the Greiveldingers!!!

So now that the fine fans of the Milwaukee Brewers were being bruised and battered by the fans of other teams, what do you have to say now after the Brewers have controlled the baseball airwaves with their shocking acquisition of one Zack Greinke.

All I hear about is how the Brewers are totally irrelevant and never do anything. What do you have to say now?

If you don't know a whole lot about Greinke, that is ok. He was only the guy who beat out the "great" CC Sabathia for the 2009 Cy Young award.

95 mph fastball, 88 mph slider, knee-buckling curve, and a devastating change-up. That gives the Brew Crew their first legit number 1 starter since the great Peter Dennis Vuckovich was mowing down batters.

Now, with a starting rotation that rivals only the Phillies of Greinke, Gallardo, Marcum, and Wolf, it is time to send Fielder off with a ring.

A special Top 10 Christmas movies edition of "Reel Reviews with Koko," has been posted for your reading pleasure.

Huh.....Has New York fallen by the wayside in professional sports? The Yankees and the Mets just got a double stomach punch from the Cliff Lee signing. Is it the taxes, the management, or something else that is making NY less and less desireable of a free agent market? I mean Amare Stoudamire is your best signing in the last couple of years? I am not tryinig to incite a riot with the BroKo's just making a valid observation. What is wrong with the Yankees that even Cliff Lee passed on them? Does he not feel comfortable with Jeter as his SS?

OK...that last line was a little incendiary......I did read that Lee has a son that is in remission from Leukemia and Philly has the best childrens hospital in America....so that might have something to do with it.

But, with this signing by the Phillies it begs the question is this the best for baseball? Yes, it is great to have another powerhouse stacked with big names that aren't the Yankees or Red Sox but if you named the top 20 players in MLB I would suffice to say at least 15 of them are in the NE and on the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies. Is that really the best formula for a professional sport?

The Top 20 NFL and NBA players are spread out across the nation and each market has a representation....some less than others (insert Brewers joke here). But, seriously have you ever had such a concentration of stars in one area and the other areas so famished?

Also, I am not sure the Crime fits the punishment in the Jets assistant coach tripping of the dolphins gunner. Yes, I agree the NFL has to come down on a coach affecting the outcome of a game but suspended for the rest of the season for sticking your knee out. I agree it is a horrendous and cowardly act but Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan got into an all out brawl and didn't get suspended? Special Teams phenom Steve Tasker said it is common practice for coaches and players to form that wall to prevent gunners from running too far out of bounds. In fact Tasker said he used to run waaaay out of bounds around benches etc...and was tripped often by opposing benches even by Sean Landetta once....a punter really????
But aren't you suppossed to do everything in your power to win..isn't that the name of the game???

Lastly, before I leave you for the day it was great seeing everyone at Festivus last Saturday even though I don't remember saying Goodbye to anyone and it wasn't me that left like Batman.......Did anyone Say goodbye or did everyone just dip out?????

And....just to let you know an inmate in California asked for Kosher meals due to his Festivus Beleifs.

And PS....Once again I am just making some observations based on facts please don't let these simple truth rile you up Koko and force you to make insensitive and pointless personal attacks on me or my beliefs....it's the Holidays for Crimeney Sakes!

Donavan posted this on facebook. Thought you guys might get a kick out of it since it involves a lot of that Snarf thing. I don't even remember a bunch of the characters in it. Might leave you speechless...watch!

Winter of Discontent.

In our modern world we have become a nation of ADD stricken Instant gratification sycophants and seem to be immintitnetly and constantly wanting more quicker and faster yet inevitably leaving us ultimately unsatisfied. Right there is the reason so much Prozac and Quaaludes are sold on a daily basis…..or whatever home remedy you chose.

For Instance look at Urban Meyer. The Guy was a God at UF won two national championships In six years and restored a once proud university back to major glory. However, after one tough year he walks away to hang out with Stan Van Gundy and his family…….errr I mean his own family. Yes, walking away to spend time with your family is very admirable but one has to wonder if he would have done it if UF was not in tough shape and he didn’t have the same drive to rebuild UF as he did to build it originally. Success is the first step towards failure and failure is the first step towards success….it happens over and over again in history. Rome rises to greatness…..than it falls.

You will never see Joe Paternos or Bobby Bowdens again because that is not the way this uber eccentric world works anymore.

Will we ever see a Brett Favreian streak again ? Take respected Colts Announcer Bob Lamey…….well don’t know if he is still respected but this is what he said last week intended to be off air but caught on air:

Lamey’s rant was talk of NFL defenses having “figured Manning out” and that the Colts should start looking for his replacement in the 2011 draft. Lamey also expressed that he thought No. 18 should be benched in favor of Curtis Painter. That’s right, Curtis Painter. Manning has been horrible lately and thrown 11 picks in three games.

This race for bigger, better, faster can bring you down just as quickly as it can raise you up. Also, see the New York Yankees. The Red Sox have absolutely out-gunned the Yankees this off season. Acquiring Carl Crawford and arguably the best hitting First baseman in baseball Adrian Gonzalez juts the Sox waaayy ahead of the Yankees whom haven’t done much but overpay for an aging SS. The Yanks are paying for the past while the Sox are preparing for the future. Yes, the Yanks will most likely land Cliff Lee and if they don’t they will force some team to Choke on overpaying him that it will absolutely cause the collapse of the team until they have to trade Lee to the Yanks in two years and beg them to take them off their hands……Yes I’m looking at you Texas…don’t swallow the bait.

Whatever happened to building something? Rocky Balboa worked his tail off for many years just for one shot that he had no idea would ever come. And now…he is being inducted into the Boxing Hall Of Fame…..Kudos to Sly as it is well deserved.

One last interesting tidbit from the past week. Anybody hear Pete Rose’s interview describing Joe DiMaggio’s Man-thing????? Great Read:

Pete Rose spoke with Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia and told a wild story about a trip he took to Vietnam in 1967 with baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.

Rose explained that when they were in the middle of the jungle, DiMaggio said he needed to take a shower.

"And the only way you can take a shower, Mike, is they have these big bamboo bags, like, and somebody's got to get on a chair and pour the water and pull a rawhide thing and the water comes through and the guy takes a shower," Rose said. "So I saw everything that Marilyn Monroe saw."

Rose went on to say that the best way to describe the former Yankee is that "he was a penis with a man hanging from it."

I have heard Richard described in this way from JW and Mikey....but I can't confirm that.

Have a Great Friday

My brothas. I came up on this article and was wondering your thoughts. I'm up for redesigning the currency but I don't know about putting Obama in the new bills. Althought it won't matter in a few decades anymore for our country's economy seems to be turning to shit with all the money they ar pumping out.

The Upshot

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be writing movie articles for the Examiner. I own all my own content so I'll still be able post the same reviews on The Dojo, but I'll be writing some different articles on the Examiner as well.

If I could ask you guys a small favor and just click on this link and hit the "subscribe" button I would be most appreciative. It doesn't cost anything, it will just let you know when I post something new and it's important for me to get subscribers to succeed on the site.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-orlando/jason-kokotoff

Thanks a lot.

I'm siding with Coach Spo!! LeDouche is just that, a douche. Sad to see DWade be his lap dog.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lebronspoelstra112910

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/shaun_powell/11/30/heat-cavs-lebron-return/

For you non-facebookers, Lindsey & I went to the Heat @ Magic game last Wed night. I let me anger towards LeDouche & Chris Douche spew. I have never (not that I remembered anyway) been so vulgar or obscene at a game before (and that is saying something.)

We sat in the last row of the upper bowl in my $120 face value seat and let loose! Funny, it didn't even bother Lindsey as she even got into it later on. We screamed lots of obscenities towards the Heat. "Chris Bosh is a fag!" "LeBron sucks dick!" "Bosh sucks LeBron!" Lindsey even came up with "South Beach guys take it in the ass!" When the guy in front of us turned around a couple times, Lindsey questioned his manhood and basically called him a fag also. It was pretty effin great. Of course we boo'd every time LeDouche touched the ball. Oh, there was a game going on? Ya damn right the Magic took care of business on the court!

The above articles have it nailed. LeDouche is trying to take the heat off of himself. It's the players' fault the team hasn't won more games. They're throwing the coach under the bus. DWade will quickly lose respect around the league with his quote “I’m not going to say he’s ‘my guy,’ but he’s my coach.” I've heard DWade say exactly the opposite before when he said something along the lines of 'Spo is my guy.' Spo has done a lot without a lot of talent in his past 2 years as head coach. People are coming to the arenas to watch the Heat fail. I did, but moreso to watch my team win...but I sure gave the Heat and everybody around me an earful of hate.

Ok, so this blog has been kind of lacking lately so I have some random thoughts to throw out there. Please feel free to discuss any/ all topics (not just Koko, although his thoughts are apreciated as well)

- Could the BCS be more stupid? I literally was on pins and needles on Sunday waiting to see if my beloved Badgers were going to get passed by Ohio St (a team that has the same record as us, whom we beat handily). The reason some "experts" gave is because LSU lost, it moved Ohio St 1 spot closer to the Badgers in the human polls and therefore could catapult Ohio St ahead of us in the BCS. To recap, even though the Badgers beat a bowl team by 50 points the previous day, they almost lost their Rose Bowl berth to a team they beat because LSU, a team neither played, lost.

- Is there any actor in history who has had more repeated funny "one liners" than Leslie Nielson? Most of his best movies are well over 10 years old, but his lines are still just as funny today. To this day, every time somebody says the word "surely" in a sentence, my brain immediately shifts to "and don't call me Shirley" mode.

- After all of our arguing (mostly Keith and Koko) about Derek Jeter, it has become blatently obvious that he is showing his "true colors" with his ridiculous contract demands to the Yankees. He is essentially saying " You know it would be a PR nightmare if i left, so pay me $15 million over my worth, or else". Holding the team who has already paid him $189 million over the last 10 years hostage like this is disgraceful. The Yankees made a very generous offer of $15 million per year and he is just thumbing his nose.

- For how ridiculous I think the BCS is, unfortunately some of what it stands for has merits. Namely making the regular season extremely vital to the elite programs. Unfortunately with the way the NCAA basketball is run, with its new proposed expansions, the regular season means virtually nothing. I just can't get into the so-called hype games that occur early in the season when the winners and the losers are both going to the dance anyways. I think we need fewer at-large bids so we avoid sending teams that didn't even win half of their games into the tournament.

- The NFL has to do something about their playoff format. I'm sorry but when the "butt-rams" finish 7-9 and go to the playoffs and the 10-6 Giants don't, there is a major problem. You need to just pick the top 6 teams in each conference to go. In theory, this still gives teams from weaker divisions an advantage because they still get to play the other lesser teams in their division twice.

- And finally, I am still very much in favor of having a "minor sports" espn. Fans of these sports get offended when I say that, but let's face it. Every wins. Number 1, the real sports fans don't have to deal with hearing about last nights' hockey, nascar, soccer, ect highlights. Instead these sports would have their own station dedicated to them where a Sidney Crosby game winning goal could be the lead story or Jimmy Johnson driving a car a bunch of time in a circle could get more air time. The baseball/basketball/football fans would be thrilled, trust me.

That's all for now... we will save politics for next time.

Good job America, so now the GOP is holding the middle class tax cuts hostage. What a great decision we made. The Bush tax cuts which favor the top 2% of the country were all set to expire at the end of this year, but now with this lame duck session of congress, the good 'ole boys are not willing to separate the cuts for families making under $250,000/year. With them it's all or nothing. So now Obama is probably going to have no choice but to accept some kind of extension of the Bush tax cuts just to keep in place the tax cuts for the middle class.

So just in case any of you out there actually had the slight notion that the Republican party was going to have the middle class' back this time around . . .

WHOOPS!!! Silly Americans, Trix is for the rich!

Congratulations to Derek Jeter and another Fine year including his Gold Glove. He is certainly one of the all time greats. However, With that being Said.....and for the sake of friendly discussion I wanted to weigh in with a few points.

Again, as a Disclaimer I firmly agree Jeter is one of the Greatest SS and/or Players in the history of Baseball. I am not here to diminish his career or bash it. However, what Yankee fans and BroKo keep dismissing and turning into "Yankee Hating" Chatter is all we are trying to point out is that he is in the twilight of his career and his skills are slowly eroding and declining as evidenced by all stats he puts up. It's not hating it simply mother nature...it happens to all of them.....Except Rocky Balboa.

Anyway, Since you guys love stats how about this from a New York Sportswriter: Here are some great excerpts:

You really don't need to consult any statistics or advanced fielding metrics to know what your own eyes told you if you watched enough Yankees games this season, which is that there can really be no argument that both Teixeira and Cano are among the best, if not the best, at their respective positions.
And neither did you need any numbers to tell that Jeter is not.

This is not to say he is a bad shortstop. Far from it. At 36, Jeter remains sure-handed and rifle-armed. His instincts, as always, are perfect -- his fundamentals rock-solid. Along with Cano -- and some would say, because of Cano -- he still turns a terrific double play.
Any ball hit right at him is a guaranteed out.

And that is both a compliment and an indictment. Because if it isn't hit right at him, and I mean right at him, then it's a base hit.

That is why, when you look at the American League shortstop rankings according to conventional (read: your grandfather's) wisdom, you will see Jeter's name right at the top. According to those numbers, Jeter had a phenomenal year in the field in 2010. He made just six errors in 151 games, handled 547 of 553 chances flawlessly, and ran up a fielding percentage of .989, the best in the league.

The reason that error total is so low, and the percentage so high, is because at 36 Jeter doesn't get to nearly the number of balls he once did -- or as many as most of his peers do regularly.

A half-dozen AL shortstops handled more chances than Jeter did this season. Some, such as Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox and Cliff Pennington of the Oakland A's, had as many as 200 more in just a handful more games (Jeter played 151, Ramirez and Pennington 156). Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers got to 100 more balls than Jeter in three fewer games.

Every one of them, of course, made more errors than Jeter -- in fact, Ramirez made 20, Pennington 25 -- but the reason should be apparent. Shortstops who get to more balls are going to make more errors.
Jeter gets to comparatively fewer balls, and consequently makes fewer errors. Again, the ones that are hit right at him, he gobbles up. Anything more than one giant step to his left or right is a base hit.
So does that really qualify him as the best shortstop in the league? Probably not.

In fact, those who swear by many of the advanced fielding metrics currently in vogue will try to make the case that he is in fact one of the worst.

One such rating system, the Fielding Bible, ranked Jeter 32nd out of 35 shortstops rated in 2010 based on his diminishing range. According to its measurements, Jeter's numerical score was a minus-12 on balls hit to his right, a minus-11 on balls hit to his left, and a plus-8 on balls hit straight at him.
That means the "average'' shortstop will get to 12 more balls to his right and 11 more to his left than Jeter will. However, Jeter will stop eight more balls than Mr. Average provided the ball is coming straight at him.

I am not in that faction, but even without using advanced mathematics it is impossible to deny what your eye can clearly see. Jeter simply does not have much range anymore -- nor does his partner on the left side of the Yankees infield, Alex Rodriguez. Anything hit fairly sharply between the two of them is a base hit. Period.

That doesn't make him a bad shortstop, just a limited one -- limited mostly by the one factor that will eventually get all of them: age.


Huh.....Interesting Points? Again, Please don't take this as Yankee Bashing just pointing out his age and decline. Would I want Jeter on My Team....Of Course! Is he better than Robin Yount......probably. However, if my goal was to win championships would I want a 38 or 39 yr old Jeter whose skills are steadily declining each year.....Probably Not. I am not trying to diminish his career or say some Brewer was better than him...cause that is clearly not the case. Just trying to make some interesting observations.

Do you ever make mini deals with yourself and/or the Fates? I know we have all made pacts with God at some point and usually after he comes through we fail. I think I should have gone into the ministry to make up for all the pacts I made with God when I was in College. Please God, get me out of this jam and I will never do it again?? Please God let the Cop just give me a warning and I will never drink again? Or when you blow by that cop at 90 MPH.....what are you saying in your head?

Or pacts with yourself. I'll just watch two more quarters of this game and then do my homework. I will down two cans of jolt and study all night. Maybe just one more game of Madden and I will make up for it by studying extra hard.

More interestingly pacts with Fate? For instance, I was called to my civic duty of Jury duty today. I was dreading it all week as you have to be downtown at the Courthouse checked in by 8 AM. It's one thing to wake up for work and be at a meeting early but going into the courthouse to hang out with a bunch of strangers and for no real purpose sounds downright brutal. Interesting side note but every person I spoke to the last few days when I mentioned I had jury duty most responded with the statement..."That's Why I don't Vote." Hmmm Is America losing voters to the threat of Jury Duty? If so are they voters we didn't want anyway? Sorry...back to my story.

Well, last night before calling the number to see if I must report I wrestled with the idea of would I trade a fantasy loss to Richard and Team Snarf to get out of Jury Duty? I actually battled back and forth in my head and weighed the pros and cons before finally coming to the conclusion I would in fact trade a fantasy loss to be excused for Jury duty. I made the deal so to say. Then I called the number and to my delight I was Excused!!!! Thus, I had to endure the Monday night game knowing I pretty much cost myself a win. This is not to say Team Snarf didn't win our ugly game on his pure skill and effort, it by no means takes away from his win. However, just curious to hear the dojo's feedback on if they would make a similar choice. Now, also you must keep in perspective this was about as critical a game as gets in Lombardi's Party. I was playing a division rival and I am in the middle of the pack at 4-4. It's not Like I am Blaze and already out of it or like the GOAT and have some cushion to absorb a loss or two. Did I make the right choice? Would you make the same one?

Personally, I firmly believe in these faiths/pacts. I think Brett Favre circa 2010 is simply the afterbirth of all the Sports pacts I made with somebody back in the day begging Brett to bail my team out....and most of the time he did in a miraculous way. What pact did Richard and Koko make with the fates before the Helmet Catch?

Anyway, as I sit here enjoying my coffee at home in some ways I am happy with my choice...but I know in the long run this might cost me a shot at the playoffs. Did I make the right choice? I think I did......or does it not even matter considering I have the worst set of WR's in the history of Fantasy Football. Either way...I am going to sit back and enjoy some Coffee Time at home not at the courthouse....Make it a good one Dojo!

The much anticipated "WE DID IT," edition of "Big Fish Recap with Dinger," has been posted for your reading pleasure.

So Obama and the Democrats took a real beating in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

I've heard much analysis from both sides. Some say it was more of a vote against Obama than a vote for the republicans. Some say it was due to the youth vote completely disappearing in this election. And some say this was not a completely unusual circumstance as many other presidents have gone through this exact same senario, including Bill Clinton.

I think they are all valid points which equally contributed to Tuesday's result.

As I get older, I just find the human condition fascinating. We can be so ingenious in some facets and completely primitive in others. Of course I can only speak of the people in this country because it's the only place I've ever lived.

As a whole, our microwave lifestyles have now invaded our decision making as well. We no longer have patience or the ability to put things into perspective. Our "big picture," view has become a tunnel. No matter the circumstance, if we don't get drastic results fast, we move on to the next option. Even if the next option is something that's been tried and failed.

Putting the Republicans back in power of The House was a completely reactionary statement made by this country. I do not believe it's a vote of confidence at all. Just a vote of frustration. Frustration that it may take longer to put Humpty Dumpty back together again than it did to smash him into a million pieces.

If the USA was an NFL team, and it just went through 8 straight losing seasons, and in the next 2 years it did a little bit better with a new coaching staff, let's say a net gain of 3 wins per season, should we fire the new staff and bring back the one from before?

How many times have we seen that work in sports?

Now of course I know running the country is not the same as running a sports team. If it was, pure Capitalism would actually work. I was just making a small point.

To tell the real truth I'm not that upset about what happened on Tuesday. In the long run it actually could be the best thing for Obama. Perhaps now the Democrats will actually grow a backbone now that it's against the wall.

I just wish the Democrats were as good at promoting their achievements as the Republicans are at creating fear and doubt. I mean have you really listened to some of the new congressmen and women? It's nothing if not unnerving.

Instead of making a list of progress that we've seen since Obama took office, I'm going to take the Republican approach since it seems to correlate with people in a deeper way.

A wave of the magic wand I stole from the Universal Studios Harry Potter billboard and "POOF," Obama never happened.

-We are losing 316,000 jobs each month instead of gaining 95,000 each month.
-Health insurance companies can deny sick children.
-Health insurance companies can cap payouts.
-Medicare solvency is cut by a dozen years.
-Health insurance companies can deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
-GM and Chrysler go out of business - Over 1 million jobs lost.
-40 million Americans do not have health care.
-No TARP act, 16 million jobs lost instead of 8 million.
-100,000 more troops are still at war and still in Iraq.
-Student loans are controlled by corporate lobbyist. $36 billion in grants lost.
-Credit card companies can change your rate without notice or if you're late with just 1 payment.
-Credit card companies can apply all your payments to lower interest balances while keeping the high ones accumulating at the bottom.
-Banks can charge you overdraft fees, one on top of the other, without any opt out.
-We now have restrictions on stem cell research.
-The stock market is on the verge of a crash not seen since the Great Depression.


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Ok, This is not a barb thrown at MLB or meant to disrespect the Yankees as Koko and Scott will surely turn it into. But.......Here is the Ratings for The DECISIVE World Series Game Monday Night on Fox VS the Monday Night Telecast of a Regular season Game of Indy vs Houston on CABLE.

World Series Rating: 10.6
MNF: 8.7


Wow. That says something about the state of baseball doesn't it?

We learned last week that we live in a different society one that is in the midst of a massive self correction. For too long people have behaved irresponsibly and were seemingly rewarded for it.
Greedy bankers, juicing ball players, petulant Stars, Corrupt Politicians, Arrogant Softball teams, Etc. Etc……The list can go on and on.

But now our society seems to be in a cleansing of these evils….or so I hope. Turbulence and pain is so often the starting point for something better. The Randy Moss dilemma seems to be another great example of Karma coming full circle. If you look into it Brett Favre’s break-up with the Green Bay Packers all started because the team did not want to bring on Randy Moss and his petulant attitude to disrupt the team. However, this is the move that ultimately lead to Brett Favre leaving the team and leaving behind such a great legacy. For What?

Look ahead to this season…….the Great Favre that was always excused from any situation finds himself in an in-excusable one with Jenn Sterger. Then he gets his wish of landing Randy Moss……..which ultimately is the final straw to break the camel’s back when he goes down in flames and is literally carried off on a cart.
Well, it looks like we might not have to endure this with Jeter and the Yanks. Maybe Jeter after all does not have an evil karma cloud hanging over him. Much to the chagrin of our group they might think I am a Yankee hater which is quite the opposite.

I have written many times that I admire the Yankee organization but just think it is an unfair practice in MLB…….even though Koko and now Scott might not believe me. Reports are that the Yankees have a Cuban Defector and a Venezuelan SS in their sights to replace Jeter whom is obviously losing a step every year he ages. Then, they hope to move A-Rod to DH and kindly move Jeter over to the 3rd. Glad we can all rest easily now knowing there won’t be a Favrarin controversy seeing Jeter play out his days in a Tigers, Royals, or even Worse a Red Sox uniform.

Well, let’s see if my theory on self-correction plays out and if Alan Grayson and others get ousted from office today. Oh and in case you didn’t hear…..The Cobra Kai beat the Sharks…The Kai Beat the Sharks!!!!

If History has taught us anything it is that ANYTHING can and will happen. Throughout the thrones of time we have had ruling empires that on the surface appeared to be un-beatable and would control the world forever.

However, the basic human greed starts to take over and erodes these ruling empires allowing a new “Hero’ to emerge out of nowhere to win the battle. The story is the same whether it is written in Greek Myth, Luke Skywalker emerging as the Hero, or the Boston Red Sox overcoming years of futility to finally slay the evil beast and fulfill their destiny. The only hiccup in this life tale is there is a patient fan base on the Northside of Chicago eagerly awaiting their hero to arrive.

Rome fell because Roman Senators were selfish and self-absorbed, determined to hoard the huge wealth of the empire and determined to promote empire to enhance their wealth even further. The common people lost all power and were lucky if they had enough to eat. Sounds a little like America and the fall of our Economy? The Roman Empire fell because it was bankrupted by its leaders.

Either way, the story of the rise and fall of heroes and empires is a similar message about a hero’s journey to overcome the dark side and the hero symbolizes our ability to control the irrational savage within us. Our computers, I-phones, crackberries, and other machines are not enough. We have to rely on our true intuition, our true being……discovering “The Force.”

“The Fates lead him who will: Him who won’t they drag”

Ok, Sorry about that I was getting a little bit off topic and I blame it on my third cup of coffee…..but I digress. My point being today this theme has never been more prevalent than in the world of sports. The Yankees with all their greed and money could not buy a trip to the world series. They could not overcome a band of mis-fits from Texas aptly named Rangers or saviors. The San Francisco Giants vs the Texas Rangers is underdog vs underdog. The Giants didn’t even make the playoffs until the last day of the season and because of the pure and intoxicating will of human strength they look UNSTOPPABLE!

This is a great example of the most powerful force on this planet IS the human spirit. The Giants payroll is one of the lowest in the NL and they are full of castaways and no-names that right now look like the greatest team ever assembled. Well, quite the contrary they are just peaking at the right time and the momentum of their high is carrying them to new levels. Have you noticed when they score they score in huge bunches……..because momentum is stronger than any $100 Million third baseman could ever be.

Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.
Butler a tiny underdog from Indiana played in the national championship for basketball. Boise State for all the heated arguments look like they just might be headed to the National Championship in College Football this year. Boise State????? When Americas most talented players get the choice between Southern California, Sunny Florida, or any other beautiful campus in the South why would they ever choose Idaho??? Do you know anyone that has ever been to Idaho? Have you ever met someone from Idaho? Do you know anything about Idaho other than they make great potatoes?

Ok….so what is my point? My Point being that the Cobra Kai are the real hero’s of Red Bug Lake. We have perserved through many ups and downs together and yet our “Core” has remained true to the game and to each other. The team has learned so much about the game and about each other. When we are playing up to our potential we are the deadliest team in Central Florida. However, when we don’t have the power of the Team concept and human will driving us we have seen the evils that can take us down.

Well, Tonight we face another of many crossroads together. We face an aging empire that has dominated Red Bug Lake and the Cobra Kai for one season too many. There are many chinks in the Sharks armor and the damn has many leaks. I believe now is the time for the Cobra Kai to rise up and Strike with fury and show not only the Sharks but Red Bug Lake just exactly whom we are . The Sharks are too old, too slow, and too arrogant to see this coming. So, Let’s go out there as a team and Strike First, Strike Hard, and Have No Mercy!!!!!!!!

See You Under the Friday Night Lights!!!!!

This Video Gets a Thumbs Up!

What up Kai guys? I was about to announce my much anticipated return from the DL to the legen...wait for it...dary Cobra Kais Softball Team & Red Bug Field would be this Friday night, but I have to delay my return one more week as I was given an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I instead will be heading to the St Stimes Forum to watch my

take on the hated and these douchebags.

Last weekend the Sunday night football game between the 49ers and the Eagles beat out the Giants/Braves playoff game in the television ratings.

There's no denying the NFL is a perfect media machine. The NFL promotes their sport like no other, attaching their moniker to anything with or without a pulse. And since the games are only once a week and have the added caveats of gambling and fantasy football, even the weakest contests are crowbarred onto fans' radars.

But is football the greatest game? Many will give you a definitive "yes," before you can even finish that question. However, after further review, the ruling on the field does not stand, baseball is the greatest game . . . FIRST DOWN!!

Now of course the triumphs of baseball and football can be argued until Favre decides to retire or baseball installs full instant replay. I'm going to skip over all the usual suspects like "football has more action," or "the hardest thing to do is hit a baseball," no one can ever describe the subtleties between the two better than the late, great George Carlin. There is one true practical reason why baseball stands alone over all team sports . . . the inability to impose will.

What do fans talk about right before a rematch between a great team and the team they shouldn't have lost to their last time around? "Oh this time, they're gonna kill 'em," "No way they get pushed around again," "It's gonna be a massacre." And usually this can be a factor in sports like basketball, football, or hockey. A pissed off team with superior strength and speed in these sports can use emotions to impose their will over a lesser opponent. Defenses can hit harder, forwards can rebound more aggressively, and a hockey line can decide to plow their opponents into plexiglass for 60 minutes.

In baseball though, all that bravado loses its heft. The only thing an angry baseball team can work their frustrations out on is the baseball itself. In fact, 9 out of 10 times the team that's more emotional is also the team that loses. Pumping Eminem or 'Lil Wayne in your head right before game time isn't going to help with a Cliff Lee knuckle-curve.

Baseball makes its players face off with their greatest opponent on a nightly basis . . . themselves. If golf were a true team sport, it would be baseball. Concentration is king on the diamond. Lose track of the situation on the base path and an inning can go from busting out a possible 4 or 5 runs to leaving the field with nada. No amount of pent-up revenge can help a batter lay a perfectly placed bunt with runners on 1st and 2nd, or a pitcher paint the outside corner of the strike zone on a 3-2 count. The nature of the game is a restrictor plate on just how angry or pumped up a team can get. Pure skill will always rise to the top.

Sure you can say a batter is going to get mad and swing for the fences, but if they’re a home run hitter that was the intention anyway. Who could tell when Gary Sheffield was angry or not? It's just the way he hit. Pitchers pitch with the same amount of intensity that helps them throw strikes every time out. Any more or less can take them off their game completely. How many times have you seen a pitcher come on to the mound in a big situation and throw 95 mph to everywhere but the strike zone?

Baseball remains the greatest sport because the game is impervious to the persuasions of its illogical participants. On any given day in team sports the worst team can beat the best one. However only in baseball, the "want," to beat that team counts for nothing.


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Hey brothas. I am going to Wednesday's game instead of Thursday's game. It's a 1:30pm game so leaving around 10am to go. Any of you guys want to go? $55 for the tickets.

Is this a line-up of Johnny's Ex-Girlfriends or Strippers??

Not much commentary needed here but this is a photo of mug shots from a recent sting at Playmates Strip Club in Cocoa Beach. I think Neil wanted to take us there one time........I think saying we dodged a bullet on that one is an understatement. Is the lighting in these clubs that dark???

Click the Wayne Brady & Mike tyson video link at the bottom of the video viewer. Not sure why the link is bringing up Will Ferrell but that is funny shit also.

Ok, so we all know there is coffee time and oatmeal time. But how many know about t shirt time? Jersey Shore is a gem of a show and a guilty pleasure for me. You got to love it.

The defending Champion Cobra Kai needed only one inning Friday night to reestablish their dominance in Red Bug Lake. The Kai struggled in their road opener after a few weeks off and looked a little rusty. However, Capt. Tucci was not about to allow the team to fall to 0-2 for the first time in six seasons.

Well, the Kai came out swinging and batted all the way through the order and posted a whopping 11 runs in the first inning….that’s right 11 frickin runs in one inning. The whole team batted the ball around and it seemed to deflate the life in the H& Tattoos as the Swami tattooed “We Own Your Ass” on the Center fielder just for good measure.

Oil Can Sprague’s was ready to re-assert his dominance and H&H felt his wrath right from the get go as he was on his game stifling poor H&H hitters all night allowing 1 hit and 0 Earned runs in 3 1/3 innings before exiting to a standing ovation from the Red Bug Lake Crowd.

Oil Can then inserted himself into the Outfield to protect his shut out for the team and performed as rover and made a leaping catch to save the Shut out for the Troxinater in the bottom of the fifth. “I surely didn’t know the old man even had any legs left on him…..but when he leaped into the air I thought it was Superman flying through the red bug lake night” The Swami said after the game.

Trox and his brother in arms The Cliff Hanger both laid a beat down on the H&H pitching staff jacking two out and hitting the rest to the fences until the will of our opponents was nearly gone. The breaking of their back and the tipping point for the game came in the bottom of the 4th when Koko donned his “Giambi Pink G-Strings” and unleashed a game breaking GRAND FRICKIN Salami deep down the Left Field line to put a nail in the coffin for H&H. Koko Is surely turning into his true alter ego of Superman, he will be missed this week as he takes a trip back to planet Krypton.

"Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe. Well, I can’t do either but I did just hit my first Grand Slam” Koko said after the game.

“It wasn’t the best route I have ever seen, but I will take it” Johnnyblaze said after the game. Blaze was displaying his Miyagi Glove at the Hot corner snatching everything hit his way on this night much to the chagrin of the Tattoo artist hoping to get something going. DonJuan increased his all time league leading OBP % to .991 in honor of his wife’s birthday wishes.

“I just wanted to a get a quick win tonight as our thoughts were with one of our fallen teammates “Sully” whom was in the hospital battling a leg infection he suffered while rescuing a dog from a burning building” Capt. Tucci said after the game. The Game ball was awarded to Sully for his heroic efforts.

The Kai Take on their rivals the Sharks this Week in a defining game in this evolving rivalry. The Kai are primed and ready for battle with their new Weapons while the Sharks are smarting from a tough loss to Swim N Fun.

See You Under the Friday Night Lights for the Showdown.

I think "Oil Can Spragues" Could use this one.........

Here are the 2010 Lombardi's Party Pre-Season Power Rankings according to ESPN season projections.


Also below are the 2009 pre-season rankings and the regular season final standings.


2010 Lombardi's Party Pre-Season Power Rankings
1. Whaling City Clippers
2. Team Snarf
3. 40oz To Freedom
4. Jack Knows Thai
5. The Fighting Turtles
6. Disco Inverno
7. Orlando Drinkers
8. The Chedderhead Revival
9. The G.O.A.T.
10. Mr. Papageorgio
11. Team Stubbert
12. Johnny Blaze
13. Juan Jose's Pendehos
14. Clark Koko



2009 Lombardi's Party Pre-Season Power Rankings
1. Whaling City Clippers
2. Orlando Drinkers
3. Chedderhead Revival
4. The Fighting Turtles
5. Team Snarf
6. Juan Jose's Pendehos
7. 40 oz to Freedom
8. Mr. Papageorgio
9. Disco Inverno
10. Johnny Blaze
11. Jack Knows Thai
12. Team Stubbert
13. The G.O.A.T.
14. Clark Koko

11am at Neil's House this Sunday, 9/5.

Please bring your money, cash or check. Thanks.

With all the blown calls and drama queens in sports, at least 1 thing makes sense and feels right in the world of sports...Harry Doyle is back and doing great!

College Football is right around the Corner. Maybe Regs can give us his Pre-Season Report.............and with College Football comes Pro-Football.....and Fantasy....You have to love Fall!

My fave is the "FUK LBJ." Second fave is the "Ditka" shirt.

So it is finally here. Honestly, I was hoping to admit that I was wrong. I was hoping that there would be Change I could believe in. Sadly, though, I could not have been more right. Now that Obama is just about at the mid-point of his term, I feel it is time to give him a progress report. Now, things could change and I know some people will think it is too soon to judge, but I will be going off of not only performance, but also, in some areas, the trending that experts have given for the next 2 years.

Economy- F

This is the big one. With 500,000 new people filing for unemployment in the month of July alone, I think it is safe to say that the President's "plan" is failing miserably. Small businesses are worse off than ever and face added costs and taxes from this government. Unempoyment is at 10% and banks are tighter than ever with their lending. I said almost 2 years ago that if banks didn't change the metrics they use for lending, this disaster would only get worse. Did it change? No, in fact it got tighter. So to recap, the banks received money from the government to stay afloat and only padded their own pockets with the billion of dollars they were given. I just read that home sales are at a 15 year low.

I also read a report that people are investing at an all time low and choosing to just "sit on their money". This tells me not only that things are bad, but consumer and investing confidence is extremely low. If people with money do not invest or spend, everything comes to a standstill. I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the idea. More people are losing their jobs, the ones that have them are scared they are going to lose them, small businesses are failing at an alarming rate, and businesses can't get money from banks to grow. Horrific so far.

Middle Class- F
This group makes up by far the most Americans (even though lower class and poverty stricken is closing fast), but yet when you look at the actions of this government, nothing has been done to help this group out. I'm talking about people with jobs and insurance and for the most part live in a house/condo that they own. Once again, I predicted this. All I heard from Obama is "help is on the way". That's funny because almost all of my friends and associates and people I talk to belong to this group and not a single one thinks that they are better off now than they were when Obama was elected. The classic rebuttal is that Bush left the country in such bad shape that it will take time to fix. That is not a valid arguement because things should at least be getting better. Even if it is not a lot. I'm talking trends here. The trend is that the middle class has fallen the most out of any other demographic since Obama took over. Sure, if you don't have insurance or don't have a job, Obama has helped you with some of his programs, but percentage wise, those people don't make up a large portion of Americans, but they will if things don;t change fast.

Military- D
So, now that we have concluded the bloodiest month in Afganistan that we have seen in years, what are the anti-war Obama lovers saying now? We are finally out of Iraq (questionable decision), but are puting many of our Military personele in a much more dangerous situation in a country who clearly doesn't welcome us. By most expert accounts, any member of Al queda who is still alive has left Afganistan for other countries in the middle east. Most likely Pakistan. So the question becomes, why are we still here? I'll admit that I haven't followed this as closely as some other issues, but find it interesting that Obama went on and on and on while trying to get elected that he was going to get the troops out and he hasn't. And please don't use semantics and say "We are out of Iraq" because Afganistan is more dangerous. Who knows how this will turn out, but I don't like the way it is heading.

Eye on the Ball- F
It seems like the President has an opinion on everything. From whether or not a Mosque should be allowed at ground zero to whether police have a right to check citizenship in Arizona. To me, these are very minor issues compared to the big picture. Now Obama is taking an 11 day vacation in Marthas Vineyard to "recharge his batteries" before midterm elections. Are you kidding me? How about about recharging your batteries so you can fix the country. Not go on the fucking campaign trail. From studying college basketball brackets ( men and women) to sending his wife on lavish, overseas vacations, it sure seems like a guy who runs a country with this many problems has a lot of outside distractions.

Summary
You can argue any point that I have made and I know some of you will. The only questions that I would want you to consider are : Do you feel that you are better off financially right now than you were when Obama was elected and Do you feel things are moving in the right direction under his leadership? That is really all that matters. Mosque or no Mosque. ID or no ID. Vacation or no Vacation. Those are all minor. I have applied for many jobs in my life and I can tell you that for any upper managment job, you needed a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, along with many other qualifications. I said all along that Obama lacked the neccessary qualifications to be President and we should never have elected a first term Senator with no experience dealing with the issues that faced him. Now we are finding out the reasons why.

I am using the Dojo as a platform to test something and see if we can get a response from Glaceau Executives and to just rant. First off I want to say I thoroughly enjoy Vitamin Water Energy Flavor. I sometimes drink 2-3 a day....and I know Capt. Tucci is on board with me on this.

However, I have found that more often than not the gas station, grocery store, or Drug store I am shopping is simply out of this flavor in both the small and large version. It is not abnormal for me to visit 2-3 different locations in search of this flavor and they are all out. Has anyone else experienced this with any other soft drink they like to purchase? I can completely understand one place being out....but an entire area?????

Is this flavor really that popular that big company like Coca-Cola simply can't keep it in stock???? Or is the area sales reps in my town just not doing their job?

I have a task for Dojo members. Please take note the next time you visit your favorite gas stations, grocery store, and/or Drug store. Please check the Glaceau Vitamin water section and see if they have the Yellow Energy flavor in stock. I need to know if it is just me and the planet is playing a big joke on me or if there is a nationwide crisis on hand with a lack of Vitamin Water Energy flavor????


On another note......Can anyone please explain to me the premise behind the DirecTV commercials where the Old Man in a wheelchair and the Southern Bell next to him is talking about being a Cowboy fan but their neighbor is a Skins fan. Then, the dog goes and pees on the Skins fan rug.

Is the old man in the wheelchair her Sugar Daddy...or is that the neighbor??? If it is her Sugar Daddy....then how does the dog get into the neighbors house? But...if the old man is the Skins fan neighbor don't you think that is a little cruel to do to an old man in a wheelchair that looks like he is recovering from a stroke since he cant even talk??????? I simply don't understand the premise of the whole commercial???

That's all I got Dojo fans.......thanks for letting me rant and I look forward to the answers to your weekend assignments.