What's Past is Prologue

2009-08-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to update in nearly two weeks. I've been traveling, building a deck and maintaining contract responsibilities.

I promise a long overdue post about that baby Jarvis Moss is coming shortly, but for now ... jam out to this CD.

Fantasies - Metric

2009-07-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

TV on the Radio "Me-I" - Behind the Scenes from Mixtape Club on Vimeo.

Cover letters in 140 characters...

2009-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

A service provider in the UK is asking those interesting in a marketing position to skip the cover letter and send in a text to apply for the gig.

Good riddance.

With the ridiculous number of applicants for each opening, it’s all a game of chance at this point anyway – isn’t it?

After months of unsuccessfully applying for entry-level job, rewriting cover letters and tweaking my resume, I’m positively open to the idea of charming employers through text – or Twitter, for that matter.

What would my 140-character tweet say? How about…

Bright, driven, balanced, and low-cost wordsmith seeking challenging position in upbeat and inspiring environment. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I like the sound of that. What do you think?

Christmas at Dove Valley

2009-07-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last week, the Detroit Tigers treated their fans to the annual “Christmas in July” ticket promotion but weren’t able to deliver a win, losing 2-1 to Seattle. While the gimmick probably helped ticket sales and definitely bolstered good will for the franchise, the best part of the promotion was the cleverly named “Santa Paws” mascot.

This story is distantly relevant to Broncos fans because, as rookies report to training camp this afternoon, it feels a little like Christmas in July for Bronco Country. Months have passed since the 2008 NFL season, and I’m categorically ready to learn what Pat Bowlen got us in the off season. Like 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wishing for the official Red Ryder air rifle, all I want this Christmas (in July) is a 3-0 start to the 2009 NFL season.

All ominous predictions aside, change in all things is sweet. Whether you’re a Broncos fan or not, this season has drama written all over it, and I’m supremely excited to see it all play out.

Check out this NFL Films profile on Brian Dawkins:

Thought of the Day...

2009-07-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Boy meets girl...

2009-07-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I had heard pretty good thing about The Wackness, so I finally watched it last night. Without burbling, let me just briefly say I enjoyed the film.

When I got on the movie review sites, though, I was disappointed to see that the film generally received mixed reviews. Some loved it, some hated it and some felt indifferent.

One of the reviews said something to the effect of “been there; done that,” which with I disagreed. But I think I'm starting to understand what the reviewer meant.

The Wackness plays on a motif commonly used in movies:

The shy/nerdy/poor/naïve/awkward/conservative/quiet/innocent boy falls for the pretty/popular/outgoing/free-spirited/good/confident/rich girl. Match up one adjective from the first sentence with one from the second.Once you get that story line, throw in a first-rate soundtrack and you got yourself a Sundance-worthy Indie film.

While I agree that The Wackness capitalized on this tired theme, the movie itself was mad unique and I still love it.

If you don’t believe my little theory, check out the trailer for assuredly acclaimed “(500) Days of Summer,” which opens Friday in Denver. I'd pick "naive" and "outgoing" for my adjectives, and soundtrack is going to be sweet.

'Playing to the Frat House'

2009-07-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

“On the Erin Andrews situation, a quick thought for those who have asked: There are hundreds of women covering sports in this country who haven’t had this happen to them. I wish it didn’t happen to Erin, but I also would suggest to her if she asked (and she hasn’t) that she rely on her talent and brains and not succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house.”
– USA Today’s Christine Brennan

So many things about Brennan’s opinion bother me; I don’t even know where to begin.

Let me back up and explain the Erin Andrews situation for the non-sports fans and the unread. Ms. Andrews is a legitimately talented sideline reporter for the ESPN family of networks. She also is breathtakingly beautiful, well versed in sports knowledge and as humble and cool as they come. She’s basically Cameron Diaz’s “Mary,” but with longer hair. It should come as no surprise, then, that nearly every man in this country would sell his soul for a shot at love with the desirable reporter.

Or… if you were a member of the twisted wing of society, you’d just sell your soul for a shot of Erin naked. Like it has with so many other beautiful women, this faction went to great lengths for an unsolicited view of Andrews’ body and somehow videotaped her naked in her hotel room. The full story is here.

There are multiple facets of this story, but I want to discuss fellow female sports journalist Christine Brennan’s take on the story. For what it’s worth, Brennan is a seasoned veteran in sports journalism and is widely regarded as one of the best in the business. But I can’t help but disagree with her stance on Andrews’ predicament.

To open, Brennan states matter-of-factly that “hundreds of women” cover sports, yet none of them has ever been secretly videotaped naked before – a fact we’re justly assuming is (probably) true. Brennan goes on to paint this scandal as a cautionary tale for others in the field, advising Andrews to “rely on her talent and brains” rather than “succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house.” In other words, “You had this coming, Erin.”

Right – as if having faith in hotel room privacy is a cardinal sin. Or better yet, that she somehow at fault for being beautiful and interested in sports. Or even better yet, that being good enough at your job to be employed by ESPN is a punishable offense.

I’m still not sure what Brennan means by “playing to the frat house,” but this underhanded and nasty proclamation is clearly a result of misdirected bitterness. Rather than condemn Erin Andrews for being talented and beautiful, maybe Brennan should take up her beef with ESPN for employing Andrews.

Or – and I know this seems like common sense but – maybe Brennan should criticize the pervert sick enough to secretly film a woman naked.

Remember Wasilla?

2009-07-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

The town made famous by 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has now given me another reason to smile. No, I’m not talking about Bristol’s Baby-Daddy, Levi Johnston. Rather, I’m here to gush about my new indie-rock favorite and Wasilla-born, “Portugal. The Man.”

Hard to describe exactly what PTM sounds like, so bear with me. Imagine ‘Indie-Rock’ having intercourse with ‘Blues’ while ‘Folk’ films. Occasionally, ‘Electronic Funk’ will drop in with suggestions, but typically it’s just the three of them in the dingy motel room.

For the evil scientists of the world, I’d say the formula looks something like this:
White Stripes + My Morning Jacket x Mars Volta / Cursive = Portugal...
(Remember to utilize the Order of Operations to ensure positive outcome)

My math might be off a little here, but I think the formula works to an extent. Anyway - motivation for this posting comes from an afternoon session with its newest album “The Satanic Satanist." I hope you enjoy!

The Satanic Satanist [Deluxe E...

This Day In History...

2009-07-20T11:50:00.001-07:00

No … I’m not going to reprise the 1969 Neil Armstrong moonwalk, though that also occurred on July 20. Instead, I’ll take this opportunity to wish 36-year-old “Foppa” a happy birthday. An equally giant step for mankind, Swedish hockey great Peter Mattias Forsberg entered the world on this day in history.

Happy Birthday, Peter! Beyond your breathtaking ability and Hall of Fame career, you’ll always have a special place in my memory for a legendary hook-up story that featured Foppa and my barely-legal friend from high school. Haha, still makes me laugh.

Video Clip of the Day

2009-07-16T12:10:00.001-07:00

Reporter Slaps Drunk Fan - watch more funny videos

Look what I found...

2009-07-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Thank gosh for the internet. I give you the 'Zapruder film' from Tuesday night... Much respect to Albert Pujols for saving Obama's hide.

Sweet PR move, Obama

2009-07-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Quick thoughts on last night’s MLB All-Star Game:

The game lasted 2 hours, 31 minutes – the fastest since 1988 – and the fans deserved it. After suffering through the meticulously long HR Derby on Monday, I only had about 2.5 hours to give before I turned on baseball.
Due to Rockies success in the 2008 All-Star Game, I was fully expecting Brad Hawpe and Jason Marquis to show up big – and Hawpe almost delivered. With the game tied 3-3 in the seventh inning, Hawpe launched a homerun ball deep into left-center field, only to have it thieved by Carl Crawford’s leaping, over-the-fence grab. … It’s OK, Brad. We still love you.
Congrats, AL squad. The AL is 12-0-1 in All-Star games since 1996. More ammunition for Sports Guy Bill Simmons to bash the National League… great.

Finally, let’s talk about the throw that never was: President Obama’s ceremonial first pitch.

Let’s be honest, there was a lot riding on this pitch. Americans put a lot of stock into our leaders’ athletic ability - and deservedly so. I’m still convinced this photo had more to do with the 2004 Presidential Election than Ohio ever did. Moreover, President Bush’s iconic first pitch after 9/11 brought this country together and made us all proud to have ‘W’ at the helm (if only for a moment).

That’s why I resolutely believed that Obama must deliver a clear-cut strike to calm our country out of this recession (hyperbole-pending). To add to the mounting pressure, it seems like nobody has thrown a strike in these situations since Bush. How was America going to react if Barack conjured famed first-pitch fool Marky Mark?!

Fortunately, some FOX executive avoided the situation all together by not showing the pitch. OK, that’s not exactly fair. They aired the pitch from a snail’s-eye view, making it nearly impossible to gauge Obama’s arm strength or pitch location

Like the rest of my liberal brethren, I’d love to place all the blame on Rupert Murdoch and FOX. But… I think Obama’s staff may have had something to do with the imperfect camera angle.

It’s basic PR: control the message. From that camera angle, any dreadful pitch (short of a 2000 Rick Ankiel toss) would have looked serviceable.

So, we are stuck with this, and it is probably for the best. Had President Obama gone Trent Edwards last night, the fate of the Free World would undeniably be in danger. Well done, Obama PR team, you sidestepped major disaster.

Say Hello to ESPN on YouTube

2009-07-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

It’s about time: ESPN finally has launched a YouTube channel. ESPN's mega-agency Wieden + Kennedy created this official welcome message for YouTube, and I must admit... it's pretty damn good.

Home Run Derby Predictions

2009-07-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here’s what is going to happen: I’ll make my prediction, brag when I guess correctly, delete this post if I get it wrong. Fair enough, right?

First, let’s look at the field (alphabetical):

Nelson Cruz, Rangers
Prince Fielder, Brewers
Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
Ryan Howard, Phillies
Brandon Inge, Tigers
Joe Mauer, Twins
Carlos Pena, Rays
Albert Pujols, Cardinals

You figure Pujols is the odds-on favorite because he’s on a tear and the game is in St. Louis. Ryan Howard and Joe Mauer are also probably a safe bets. I’d love to see Adrian Gonzalez take home the title for some NL West love.

But my money is on the darkhorse, Carlos Pena. The guy can mash, and he’s pretty streaky (which can be a good thing). We see it happen every year: One of the participants gets red-hot, puts up a huge total, only to fall in the later stages due to fatigue. For no reason other than a hunch, I think Pena outlasts the fatigue and goes the distance.

Faux Voyeurism

2009-07-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Tip of the hat to The Denver Egotist for this video. It profiles The Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis, which installed a "security camera feed" in its hotel bar and displayed live footage to create some buzz for the fledgling watering hole. As the video explains, the footage isn't real and was created by Barrie D'Rozario Murphy, a creative agency in Minneapolis.

Long story short: It's absolutely brilliant. HBO launched a voyeur project last year, which allowed its audience to drop in on eight fictional apartments, and my guess is voyeurism campaigns are here to stay. Unlike HBO's project, however, guests at the Chambers bar may have actually believed the feed to be real - making the false voyeurism authentic to the audience.

We live in a society that values voyeurism, yet ideas like this are seldom utilized. And while it's very doubtful the folks at BDM will ever read this, I felt compelled to give the Chambers project the CJ seal of approval.

We will miss you Joe...

2009-07-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

No longer in denial, I am officially saddened by the retirement of Avalanche captain Joe Sakic. He was the model of consistency on the ice - and a model human being off of it. Joe was one of those athletes you wanted your kids to look up to, and you knew you could trust Joe with that type of responsibility. As Boston Globe columnist Jackie MacMullan said earlier this week, “Joe was one of the good guys.”

Which is why this loss is especially crushing. Sure, the Colorado Avalanche will have to endure this bereavement for a time, and replacing a leader like Joe will be particularly difficult. But what about sports fans? Who can parents tell their children to look up to now?

Fortunately, Denver places a great deal of importance on character, and our city has two possible heirs to Joe’s respected throne.

I suppose the obvious choice is Rockies’ first baseman Todd Helton, who has been the backbone of our MLB franchise for nearly a decade. Helton is a 5-time All-Star, a 3-time Gold Glove winner and boasts the third-highest career batting average of all active players. In a sport where nobody is clean, Todd has never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug - even threatening to sue Wayne Hagin after the former Rockies sportscaster suggested otherwise. He also has spent his entire career with the Colorado franchise, much like Sakic.

We now can also consider Nuggets PG Chauncey Billups, who carried our deprived NBA franchise to just two wins from the Finals. Unlike Joe and Todd, Chauncey has called six different cities home during his illustrious career. Still, The Thrill from Park Hill has done more for Colorado sports than arguably any modern athlete. We all know his story: Homegrown basketball prodigy turns down NCAA powerhouses nationwide to play for the puny-house Buffaloes, a decision many questioned. Well, Chauncey answered. And ever since the Nuggets front office swapped The (wrong) Answer for the Smooth one in November, Denver fans finally have a respected leader in the locker room and model human outside of it. He also gets bonus points for being credited with the astonishing maturation of career-underachiever Carmelo Anthony.

Still, Chauncey is 32 years old. And Todd is 35. These two icons are capable of filling Joe’s right and left shoes, respectively, for maybe five more years. Then what?

John, Joe, Todd, Chauncey … and then who?

There is no clear standout, and a lot can change in five years. Will it be Broncos WR Eddie Royal who fills the void? Can Paul Stastny stay healthy enough to become The Man for the Avs? Will Rockies’ SS Troy Tulowitzki drop the ‘tude and become one of the good dudes in sports? Has Carmelo Anthony finally turned the corner and matured into something Denver fans can admire? Or have we even met Denver’s Next Top Model (of Human Decency)?

In an industry so bereft of role models, I’m proud to live in a town that can reasonably claim a handful of true quality human beings in sports.

Still, it sure won’t be the same without Super Joe Sakic. Grab a box of tissues, shut your office door and watch Joe say goodbye at his heartfelt press conference yesterday.

Blog 3.0

2009-07-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

I started at Virb – didn’t offer much for a blogger.
Moved on to Wordpress.com – the overbearing parent of the blogosphere.
Now I’m here at Blogger – so far so good…

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to upload any of my past posts. I’m legitimately upset because there were some gems at my last two sites. But alas, the future is bright here at Blogger. I’m still in the middle of beautifying this site, so give me a few days on subject matter.

I’ll be back stronger than ever...