Archive for November, 2007

The Spurs Are Back…And So Are The Haters

With the NFL and college football coming to a close, my focus on them only grows stronger. But I do manage to develop an appetite for my San Antonio Spurs. Last night, the boys in silver and black ran though the Lakers…as they have most opponents thusfar. Having lost only to the Houston Rockets, the Spurs sit confidently at 7-1.

Courtesy GETTY IMAGES

Last night, Bruce Bowen put his lock down defense on Kobe Bryant holding him to just 18 points. Bruce Bruce also managed to add 23 points to the mix. Impressive for a 36-year-old veteran. Unlike this guy who thinks Bruce should retire already, I’m confident he won’t skip a beat. And to say that Bruce tends to “grab and hold [his] man” is just ridiculous. He’s lockdown. And although he likes to occasionally lay the smack down, his penchant for “white on rice” defense is frustrating to most players…and often mistaken for dirty play. Ok, so it doesn’t help matters when he decides to kick someone or throw the clothesline. But he does get the job done, and better then any defensive guy currently in the NBA.

Either way, it’s early in the season and most teams are just getting used to all of the off season changes. Luckily, the Spurs are operating under the same guise as last season. Hopefully, that simply means the team will be that much better come playoff time. Itwill be a necessity with the Western Conference as tough as it is.

Brokeback Mountain?
It should come as no surprise that Lakers coach, Phil Jackson, said something that stirred the pot. After sinking 13 three-pointers in last night’s contest, the Spurs’ performance led to questions about too much penetration creating open shooting opportunities. Phil Jackson’s reply?

We call this a Brokeback Mountain game, because there’s so much penetration and kickouts…

Brilliant, Phil.

Popularity: 4% [?]

A Few Pictures From RETOX

Well, we finally opened the place up this weekend. RETOX has been fortunate to receive rave reviews from our patrons, and the bands love the setup as well. Anyway, here are just a few pictures that my friends snapped this weekend (Leo isn’t the only one with hot friends). More to follow.

Click here

Popularity: 8% [?]

New BCS Rankings Released

Courtesy GETTY IMAGES

It should be no surprise that LSU has regained the pole position in the latest BCS rankings. After a strong 5-0 start, LSU escaped the BCS guillotine by putting together some last-second tactics to get the necessary “W”. This weekend, the Tigers were back in early-season form putting away Louisiana Tech, 58-10.

My early season favorite, Oregon, fought its way to #2 after beating Arizona State two weeks ago. They could conceptually run the table for remainder of the season and earn its place in the BCS championship game.

Kansas may be the spoiler. Depsite boasting an unbeaten record, the Jayhawks haven’t found the respect they believe they deserve. However, with a win against Missouri in two weeks and a Big 12 Championship win, it would be no surprise that they leapfrog Oregon in the rankings. Assuming both teams run the table, Kansas and #4 Oklahoma would simultaneously battle it out for a BCS Championship and Big 12 Championship bid.

BCS Rankings

1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
6. West Virginia
7. Ohio St.
8. Arizona St.
9. Georgia
10. Virginia Tech

Water Under The Bridge?
A month ago, I made some implausible college football observations one of which included a nod for Illinois and Kansas.

Will someone rank Illinois already? They feature an all-purpose running back in Rashard Mendenhall and a secondary equipped with radar. Speaking of underrated teams, get Kansas in there too.

Both have lived up to mt expectations. Illinois has become one of the premiere spoiler teams after knocking off top ranked Ohio State, and Kansas eased its way into the top by remaining unbeaten. If there is any season to use as an argument against the BCS and for a playoff system, this is it!

College Football Tickets

Popularity: 2% [?]

Save Money With LED Christmas Lights

The holidays are hands down my favorite time of year. In fact, I’m so passionate about it that I can’t stand it when department stores sell and/or decorate early. Despite the commercialism, I still look forward to seeing all of the decorated homes; it never gets old. This year, my friend, Eddie, will be drenching his house with over 10,000 lights…all of which are LEDs. Good thing. I can just see the smoke coming from his meter.

Traditional incandescent holiday lights consume 80% (mini-lights) to 99% (C9) more electricity than LED holiday lights. LED Xmas lights will also last for more than 50,000 hours v. only 2000 for incandescent lights. Not only will you save money on electricity but you will save money on replacement lights too. LED holiday lights also operate at only 1 degree above ambient temperature so they do not heat up and become a fire hazard like most incandescent lights. Finally, LED lights are encased in a nearly indestructible epoxy plastic bulb, which can withstand abuse unlike fragile glass bulbs. Go to HolidayLEDS.com for more info.

Popularity: 4% [?]

RETOX BAR is Almost Complete

For those of you that are curious to know how my bar is coming along…let’s just say we’re almost there. Needless to say< i've learned alot about this process. In a ense, we've made it longer than it should have been by cutting corners.

The bar is set and ready to go. However, there are 2 obstacles that prevent us from opening on time. We’ve encountered a finicky health inspector. He has found every little detail to shove back in our face. After disagreeing on several “requirements”, he kindly offered to bring his supervisor along, which I had no problems with. The supervisor was quick to notice our inspector’s behavior and set the record straight on a number of things. I was relieved. We’re addressing all of the issues, and let me tell you…RETOX will be the cleanest bar in San Antonio.

Second, and most importantly, our bar isn’t dry. Isn’t dry? Well, we chose a tile top covered with an epoxy which was supposed to take 48 to 72 hours to dry. It’s been 10 days and it’s probably 40% dry. Not good. Even as I type, my partner, Eddie, is removing it. At this rate it would take another 2 weeks to dry, and we don’t have that kind of time. The bad part is that’s about $600 down the drain. When put into perspective, each day we wait for it to dry is more expensive as we forego potential income. And each day we postpone our opening, we also put off bands and those aren’t relationships that we wish to mar.

RETOX Review
Last night while we worked diligently to address the health inspector’s checklist, our GM decided to invite a number of the bands in town to tour the bar. This proved to be a good move. You see…we took over an old “legend” bar called Iguana Bay. The place was known for having top notch bands and a great crowd…in the mid to late 90s. By early 2000, it had begun to take a dive, which led to its eventual demise. Many of the bands assumed that we did little to change the ambiance and layout of the place. So our GM, Dave, made a great decision to have them come see the new digs for themselves…something we should have done a long time ago.

One of the vocalists for one the bands decided to posit his own thoughts of our fair RETOX. Despite the fact that my partner and I got no mention as the actual owners, and that my Tour of Texas trip in which I treked down I-10 to El Paso round trip to pick up our blue velvet booths from Las Vegas, Scottie did us proud. Thanks for your detailed review of RETOX BAR in San Antonio.

…and don’t worry. Pictures coming soon.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Exotic Car Rentals in Miami

Last year when I went to Key West, I researched the usual things — hotels, car rentals, hot spots. Since we were landing in Ft. Lauderdale and making the drive down Highway 1 to Key West, I thought about what it would be like to do it in style. The closest thing I found was an Exotic Car Rental Miami. They rent exotic and luxury cars in Miami and throughout the Palm Beaches. The fleet included Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Rovers, and many makes of convetibles. Call Prestige Luxury Auto at 1-888-513-9711 for more information. Oh. And I opted for a Chrysler Pacifica. Maybe next year.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Oh, Oh. It’s Magic! NCAA Football Like You’ve Never Seen Before!

Like the great magicians of the past and present, college teams are pulling some tricks out of their sleeves. I mean…what else explains the fact that the usual suspects save for Ohio State and LSU are nowhere to be found on the weekly polls? And after that miraculous last ditch effort by Trinity against Milsaps, I’m certain my “magic” theory is correct. Let’s take a look.

• LSU (Houdini). Nine lives my ass. At the beginning of the season, I declared LSU the probable National Champion. In its first five outings, the Tigers devoured its opponents…looking nearly unstoppable. However, LSU has escaped defeat FOUR TIMES in a row to stay alive in the BCS hunt. In the most recent BCS rankings (released 10/04), LSU replaced Boston College as the #2 team on the planet. They better hope they don’t forget the art of escapology.
• Oregon (David Copperfield). The Ducks were one of my preseason sleeper picks. Despite being ridiculed for that claim at first, I stuck by my guns. Like Copperfield, Oregon has made the impossible possible. The Ducks blew up Michigan and made USC disappear. And although walking through the Great Wall of China isn’t something they care about, they walked through #4 Arizona St. They even have supermodelesque cheerleaders. They’re certainly the best one-loss squad left, and they arguably have the best player in the country, so they may not need magic.
• Kansas (David Blaine). Although its strength of schedule might be questionable, the Jayhawks have shown the endurance necessary pummel its opponents and garner some national attention. However, they still have alot of work to do to get higher than its current #4 spot. While David Blaine couldn’t find a paying audience, he did find a way to grab the spotlight, and so will Kansas. Maybe they could magically shrink Coach Mangino. Just a thought.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to race Jamaal Charles. I hope my car doesn’t run out of gas.

College Football Tickets

Popularity: 2% [?]

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• Milk Was A Bad Choice
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