Beilein. Busted!

In case you haven't heard the news, the fiery John Beilein was busted at the Pittsburgh Airport for disorderly conduct. Apparently, he wouldn't move his car as instructed by the airport security. He thought he should wait for his bags to be delivered. When the security ran the plates, it was a University car and they questioned him about that and then cited him.

Well, I for one welcome this citation. Beilein has caused enough problems. His reputation as a trouble maker obviously caused him to get this ticket. How many times have we seen him go on a rampage on the sideline? Beilein has a bad temper. He makes Bobby Knight look like a well-mannered gentleman. I can't believe it has taken him this long to get in trouble with the law. I thank the law enforcement official for not backing down to the intimidating Beilein. Now if only our A.D. had the same guts.

Anyway, in other news, if you haven't been watching the NBA playoffs, you are missing some great basketball. I am not the biggest fan of the NBA but these playoffs have been some of the best I have seen. All the series have been entertaining and there are 4 really enjoyable teams left. How can you not enjoy cheering for Nash, Dirk, Shaq and Wade...and, of course, the Pistons? And Raja Bell...what a gutsy performance last night. All the hated players have long since been eliminated making this really fun...no Kobe, no A. "we're talking about practice" I., no Starbury and no Trailblazers. Just good basketball players and I have enjoyed it. Still hoping for that Mavericks/Heat finals.

Lastly, the Yankees have pulled even with the Red Sox in the AL East. That's some really good news. Also, it is being reported that Clemens will go to the Astros and not the Sox...even better news. The Yankees were out of the running for Roger because they wouldn't bend to his schedule "aka, I'll play when I want to play."

715 *yawn*

Wow...Barry Bonds hit his 715th homerun and passed Babe Ruth for 2nd all-time on the homeruns list. Did you see that huge celebration? Did you see how excited everyone around the country is? No? Yeah...me either. I've said it before but it needs repeated: No one (except ESPN) cares about Barry Bonds and his phony records. Hopefully Pujols will pass his regular season homerun record this year and someone will eventually pass him for 2nd all-time. I don't believe he will catch Hank Aaron. Oh, and don't tell me Barry's head hasn't gotten bigger...


On to better news...the Indy 500 was actually entertaining. The first 450 miles were pretty much a bore but the last 50 were pretty awesome. I was really hoping one of the Andretti's would win...Marco almost pulled it off but a fabulous last second pass by Hornish ended that hope. But, on the positive side, it was the 2nd closest finish ever for the 500...pretty cool I guess.

The Pirates played a game that lasted 18 innings last night. And won. How odd. Then they woke up this morning and decided that it was fun to play extra innings...so they did it again today. But only 10 innings. And they lost...

Lastly...NYY is 2 games behind the Sox. Still a long season left. And my favorite NBA player is injured...go figure.

Barbaro is a Horse...

Despite what some people may want to believe, Barbaro is a horse. Not a human....a horse. Barbaro can't read or write. But, well, that hasn't stopped people from signing a message board that was setup by the hospital that performed Barbaro's surgery. And, well, before they started moderating it, there were some really good entries...like the following:

“Please don’t give up. We all love you. What happened to you is a sin. Using you to win money is evil. But your spirit rises above all that. Love Vinnie, Creature, Gus and Craig.” — Los Angeles, CA.

Dear Barbaro: My cats, Merlin and Annable, and I are praying for you. We are doing a novena for your recuperation. We love you, Cynthia, Merlin, AnnabelCynthia Powell, 55; Washington, DC, USAposted on 2006-05-25 11:47:56

Hope to see you soon!! Elmer's Glue Factory, 28; Indianapolis, IN, USAposted on 2006-05-25 13:49:23

"Hey Barbaro, I hope that you go back to your ground-breaking cancer research once you're healed up again. I can't even calculate your contribution to our planet." - age 39; Vancouver.

“Barbaro, you are a horse. You can not read. These will not be read TO you. Nevertheless, show everyone how brave and noble you are for wanting to go out there and start mounting some mares. May your colts have firm and sturdy legs.” — age 23, St. Louis.

“Stay Strong Barbaro!! I ‘shattered’ all the bones in my ankle in Aug ‘05. I was told I’d limp for 6 mos to 1yr, maybe always. By Oct ‘05 I was back playing tennis, no limp. So there IS hope!” — age 38, Destin, FL.

And my Personal Favorite:

"A Haiku:
Run Barbaro, Run
You're going to win! Oh Snap!
You're now adhesive"Maya A., 29; wilmington, DE,posted on 2006-05-24 17:37:46

I just want to remind you that Barbaro is a horse. A horse...

Quickie Update...

I have a recertification course that starts in like 10 minutes so this is the hit list from last night...real fast like:

• Taylor Hicks wins American Idol. Well, duh. But, was it just me or did like almost everyone who sang sound really, really bad? Like, Meatloaf was scary bad...
• Yankees beat Red Sox, pull within .5 game of the AL East. Well, Johnson didn't look good but they won and that's all that matters.
• Suns beat Mavericks. Uhhh...yeah...well, I wasn't real pleased but that's life. I think it's going to be a good series. I still like Rajah for the Suns...but I'm hoping the Mavericks move on.
• If you think the Pirates are bad, consider yourself lucky you're not a KC Royals fan. They lost their 12th straight last night. 12 games in a row. Gives the Pirates something to shoot for.
• Of course, the Pirates lost too...so, no biggie.
• Oh, and the economy of the US is booming. Up 5.3% in Q1 of 2006. That is pretty major growth, especially considering the gasoline issues in this country.

And, that's the quickie update because I gotta go...later.

More NBA Lowblows...

I wrote the other day about about the hits below the belt in the NBA...well, it's not over. Even the coaches are getting involved now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLV3a4CgYLE

Idol of America

Tonight the winner of "American Idol" will be announced. Yes, I will watch...I watched last night and, well, I've watched all season I guess. I'm not ashamed to admit that. Really, I'm not. Well, alright...maybe I'm a little ashamed to admit that but, the fact is, I have watched. And so don't a lot of other people. Over 21,000,000 people watched American Idol last night. So, obviously I am not alone.

Anyway, what kind of show is better than people doing something that everyone can do...but some do it better than others. I mean, you can sing. I can sing. It's just that I clearly sing better than you. And, well, is there anything better than having Randy, Paula and Simon sitting there and telling you that I sing better and America should vote you off the show? That's why American Idol does so good...it's humiliating and entertaining because it's not you getting humiliated but you can sit there and say "Well, golly gee, I could be on that show." But, deep down, you know you can't...I could though.

But, I digress. Tonight a new American Idol will be crowned and, unless it is a stunning upset, it will be Taylor Hicks. Taylor's a pretty cool dude...gray hair, purple jacket. Sings a little like Joe Cocker...likes to go into seizures on the stage. I can dig it. He was probably my favorite from the beginning because he was most insane...and now, he is going to be the American Idol. Who knew? Oh, yeah...I did.

The Poor Pirates...

I don't even know where to begin with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's just so, so sad. They are currently 14-32. 14-32!! And there are no signs of life whatsoever. They could easily lose 100 games this season...in the same season they host the All-Star Game. Obviously Jim Tracy, the new Pirate manager, can't do anything to help this dismal club. They have one of the most beautiful ballparks in all of baseball but who wants to go watch a team that is out of playoff contention by the end of April? For the past 13 years? Of course, if you go watch them at PNC, you have a better chance to see them actually win...they are 10-11 at home. An abysmal 4-21 on the road. There is something definitely wrong in Pittsburgh...

I don't know who to feel more sorry for...the Pittsburgh fans or the actual Pittsburgh Pirate. I mean, he tries to keep a tough exterior but you know deep inside he's crying...he's crying. Well, I guess we all are...

In better news, the Yankees beat the Red Sox last night and pulled within 1.5 games of the AL East lead. That's pretty remarkable considering the injuries and the lack of pitching. If Sheffield comes back and they can pick up a pitcher, I would say the Yankees could dominate. I don't think offense should be an issue...

Now, seriously, who would you trust? The nice, cleancut guy on the left or that hippie scum on the right? Correct...the dude on the left is much, much better. I would feel safe buying a car from Johnny Damon now...not last year. Oh no, not last year.

And, I think that's about it for this morning. Oh, and I think I'm getting sick...sore throat, stuffy head thing...all the signs of a good ole cold...just in time for real summer weather. You know what...no stickin' illness is going to stop me from doing what I do. I just don't know what that is...

An Update on the Spurs

In case you happened to miss all the crying the Spurs were doing last night, check out this site...I find it quite funny:

http://theassociation.blogs.com/the_association/2006/05/photos_vacation.html

Hey, it's the NBA

Well, the Eastern and Western Conference Finals are set. Heat vs. Pistons...not all that exciting. Really hoping the Heat can win but it doesn't hold the same interest for me as the Suns vs. Mavericks. I can't tell you how happy I was to see San Antonio eliminated. I am about sick of Tim Duncan's constant whining. Every single play that a foul wasn't called, he cried. Every time he had a foul called on him, he cried. I don't know when it happened, but Duncan is just a big baby and I'm glad he was eliminated. And, I like Dallas...so double bonus on that.

As for the Suns and Clippers...well, I liked the Clippers but it didn't matter...both teams are cool. By the way, is it just me or does Sam Cassell and Gollum look strikingly similar?

Anyway, I didn't necessarily care which one won. Of course, I didn't stay up to watch the whole game because they don't end until like 1:00 a.m. Why do they have the games so late? That's insane. But, I am excited for a Suns/Mavericks matchup. High speed and lots of action. Even though my new favorite player is Raja Bell, I hope the Mavericks win and play the Heat in the championship. Sorry Raja...

Anyway, that's about it for this morning...more later

Congrats Class of 2006

Hey...before I forget I want to congratulate the terrific Class of 2006. I know a lot of people graduating this year and, I must say, it's a really great class. I've really enjoyed getting to know you...it's always a pleasure. And I hope you'll stay in touch and keep me updated on your progress in whatever you decide to do. I wish everyone the best of luck...

Well, with that said, I will now give you a server room update. I must say, the progress has been remarkable...if you don't remember the old pictures, they are here:
http://mswisher.blogspot.com/2006/01/server-room-progress.html

Anyway, here goes:





Obviously there is still more work to be done but that is progress...and more than I would have expected. So, that's my update...

More Bonds...

I figure I love the guy so much, I should write a little more about good ole Barry Bonds. After Barry and his performance enhancers hit out 714, he was interviewed by about every sports outlet in the world. Anyway, is it just me or is Barry really starting to sound more like Michael Jackson everyday? High voice...kinda whiny. It's really amazing...

ESPN, naturally, is trying to give a positive spin on Bonds feat. They spend much more time talking about the "cheering fans" rather than the multitude of fans that can't stand Bonds at all. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that ESPN produces a show called "Bonds on Bonds"? Could ESPN be trying to artificially raise Bonds positives to improve their own ratings? Nah...couldn't be possible.

Along the same lines though, why is Barry all the sudden a little humble and a little more media friendly? Just a few years ago he was telling the media that he would hit 715 and everyone could forget about Babe Ruth. Now he's talking about what an honor it is to be in the league as Ruth. Could Barry be trying to rehabilitate his image? Maybe he's looking at post-baseball and wanting to become an announcer? There's something amiss here. He's being insincere.

Anyway, Bonds will probably hit 715 in the next few days (or a week or so) and then we (if you want, I know I do) can forget about Bonds for the rest of the year. If he plays next year, we'll have to prepare for the potential of him catching Hank Aaron. I don't see if happening...I don't think his steroid-enhanced body can last that long. At least I hope it can't...

Way to Go Bonds!

Yeah...congratulations to Barry Bonds for tying (and soon passing) the Great Babe Ruth. He should be proud of his accomplishments. Why should he care that 90% of the country (outside of San Francisco) hates him? Why should he care that MLB wishes he would disappear (like Sosa, McGwire, Palmero, etc.)? Why should he be ashamed that he had to use steroids to tie (and soon pass) a man who accomplished the same feat before steroids even existed? Why should Barry care that he ruined baseball for many people? He's Barry Bonds and he finally passed Babe Ruth. Congratulations Barry...today, you're a man.

Anyway, other than Barry Bonds great accomplishment (and the Yankees awesome comeback in the 9th against the Mets), today has been pretty uneventful. I mowed the grass (for the first time in a couple weeks so it was pretty high) and got a headache...so, I didn't do much the rest of the day after that. Definitely a bummer...

Now I'm going to watch the NASCAR All-Star race and probably go to bed shortly. A very eventful Saturday indeed. And, of course, it's supposed to rain tomorrow so that will be nice too. Yep...real great.

Why, oh Why?

Why does everyone in the NBA insist upon trying to tag guys below the beltline? It makes no sense...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4veKEhpjb1c

I mean, aren't these guys supposed to be like "street". I don't think it's very "street" to tag a guy...I thought you were supposed to face the man to man. Where's Kobe?

Questionable Acting?

Ah, this is just great college baseball here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26axJdDKYWw

Nice try, pal!

Hawk out Cruising...

Hey, look. It's the Atlanta Hawk out cruising around on a motorcycle. I really did find this funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbswnoacwSg

What is Saban Thinking?

I can't believe Nick Saban is going to sign Michael's Little Brother as a free agent. What in the world is he thinking? I'm not sure how wise this really is...he would probably be better off just giving me the money really. If it works, Saban will look like a genius but I don't think Vick posseses the experience or the attitude to be successful. He only played one year at VTech and he wasn't even that good. I just don't see this ending well...

I'm glad Barry Bonds is struggling. If he never hits 714, I will be the happiest person in the world. Of course, he will. It's only a matter of time before he connects and knocks one out. And then he'll hit 715. But, I'm just sick of it. I'm sick of Sportscenter showing every Bonds at bat. I'm sick of the live cuts to his at bats to watch him strike out. It's overkill. And, well, I don't like Barry Bonds.

The Pirates continue to...ummm, well, not be good. They are now 11-27 and .003% better than the Royals, who are currently in last in MLB. Amazing. I don't even care anymore. If I go to more than two games this year, it will be remarkable. I just can't get excited for them at all.

And, the only other team I really support, the Yankees, well, they're iffy now too. Randy Johnson's arm looks like it's going to fall off and, well, there's a lot of injuries. But, like I've said before, if the Yankees can't win it, as long as the Red Sox don't, it's all good.

Lastly, the NBA playoffs are getting pretty good. The Cavs tied the Pistons and the Mavericks may take out the Spurs. If the Clippers take out the Suns, well, that's awesome. So, that has been entertaining...

And, that's about it for today I guess...more later.

About Time for an Update

Geesh...it's been too long since I last updated but it has been hectic around the workplace as I try to catch up from missing a whole 2 days. You would have thought I was out a month. But, anyway, here's what has been going on:

I have about 40 hours worth of video to digitize in the next couple weeks. That really eats time to do it it...it will probably take at least 40 hours to get that done so that is just a real pain. On Thursday I was supposed to do a library software upgrade. Well, in order to perform the upgrade, the machine needed SP2 installed. So, I figured I didn't have time to download SP2 so I would install it off a CD. Well, I put in the CD and the CD left the tray and slid all the way to the back of the CD drive. And was stuck.

That's great...I had like 30 minutes to be ready and the CD was stuck in the CD-ROM. So, I postponed the upgrade (it is today at 10:00 a.m.) and started tearing apart the PC. I ended up putting a new drive in the machine...and I might have drop-kicked the case. Well, there's not might...I did. I was very frustrated...but I eventually got the machine upgraded. And, that's about how all of Thursday went. Taped the bands at the Great American County Band Showcase Thursday night and that went well except of the crying baby near the left mic. But, the CDs still turned out ok...more on that later.

Friday was about the same as Thursday...lots of work and no time to do it. Also Friday, I made 100 copies of the aforementioned Great American County Band Showcase and labeled them Friday night. I also prepared and labeled photo CDs...200 of them. So, I burned and labeled 300 CDs Friday and Saturday. And something about that label glue makes me ill...my eyes dry up...my lips dry up and I feel SICK. Lovely.

But, I got all the CDs done. Now, I have the library software upgrade today...I have a presentation to make to the attorneys tomorrow that I have done ZERO work on to date (hey, how hard can it be?) And I have a training session on Wednesday that I have not prepared for in the least. So, needless to say, I will be scrambling today after I finish this update.

Lastly, a quick Habib story. Abdul (the 3rd party Xerox repairman) was here on Friday. Abdul is a pretty nice guy...fixes our machines when they break. Well, we had a Xerox machine that wouldn't scan...so we told Abdul to work with Habib. I don't know exactly what happened but Abdul came storming into my office and said something like the following: "I can't stand that guy! I can't work with him. I don't mind worthing with you or Sarim but I can't stand working with him. He treats me like I'm stupid and that everything is the fault of my machines. Well, it's not my machine...it your network. I know it's not my machine. I know more about Xerox machines than Habib and I'm sick of this. Every time I come in he acts like it's my fault that something doesn't work and that's not the case. He is just a baby."

That was really a treat for me on Friday...more updates later...but probably not today...

More New York Stuff

Well, let's go back to Saturday I guess...first, the parading through the streets of New York was absolutely unbelievable. I'm not sure if everyone realized what an insanely unique opportunity that was. If they didn't, all they needed to do was talk to the tour guide who was in complete awe of it occurring. She immediately called her husband who was also completely in shock by that. It was just amazing...

And, the performance was great. A very good crowd showed up. We probably would have gotten a lot more if it wasn't for the road...I mean, couldn't they just shut down that street? I guess not...but, it was still cool. The "Top of the Rock" was very nice too. Quite a view...you could pretty much see the entire island from the top...it was really quite awesome. Got several pretty good pictures from there...but nothing compared to...

The HELICOPTER. Man, now that was a trip. Took a cab over to the helipad and waited around for a couple hours before traveling skyward around New York. Here's the helicopter and I'm in the front seat shooting pictures...

That was pretty amazing. If you go to New York, you can take a helicopter tour around the island for around $200 depending on how long you want to be up there. I would highly recommend it...it's worth the money...

And, Saturday night was The Lion King. It was excellent. The costumes and music were terrific. I would definitely enjoy seeing it again because I'm sure there's a lot of other things to watch during the show that I missed. It was just great. But, anyway, that's Saturday in New York, minus the traffic...

I'll finish the New York stuff by tomorrow and get back to the sports and whatnot soon...

Jorge Buccio

Well, first thing of the trip I'll mention is Jorge Buccio who played at Puglia's Restaurant when we had dinner there Sunday night. He was definitely a hoot...and everyone seemed to enjoy him. Some of us really wanted him to sing Copacabana and tipped him like $6 to sing it but it wasn't in his repertoire. Regardless, he was very entertaining.

Probably the highlight of his performance was the Napkin Song. If you'd like to listen to it, go here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jorge

And, if you'd like to learn a little more about Jorge, visit his site at: http://www.jorgebuccio.com/

And, yes, he was in Big Daddy...and he's probably done a lot of other cool things. He was excellent entertainment...that's for sure.

Back from New York

People Must Know...

Somehow, the word must get around when I'm planning to take a couple days off work because we've gone nearly a month without any major things occuring and now, just two days before I leave town for 4 days, everything under the sun is happening here. There's a meeting on Friday that I can't attend. I mock trial type thing that I can't go to. Another meeting about databases. That on top of some other things that have to be done.

I think it must be some type of conspiracy to drive me crazy. I now have to prepare all these events and find people to take my place since I will be gone. Naturally, had they been Thursday or last week or next week, well, there wouldn't be a problem. But, it has to be this week. And they don't tell me anything until today...which is Wednesday. You have to love it...

Anyway, I'm going to go back to work. Habib is out and we're shorthanded because someone else is out too. That would be typical...I have work that has to be completed in a short time and we are missing people so I have support calls to take care of. So, that's about it for this morning. I doubt there's more today...

Statement for Release

While it has never been my philosophy to comment on job openings at other schools, the speculation today about me accepting another head coaching job is erroneous. It is true that North Carolina State offered me the job of head coach but I have joined Rick Barnes, John Calipari, John Brady, Steve Lavin, John Beilein, Bo Ryan, Mike Brey and Chester Cheetah in rebuking NC State's advances.

I am flattered by the interest and recognition that the basketball program...errr, I have received. I wish North Carolina State best wishes in finding a new coach before the next basketball season begins. If they don't, I hear Gale Catlett is available.

Progress?

You betcha. The work in the server room has continued but the progress has been slow. But, just to let you know, it does continue. And here are a few pictures to prove it...maybe not look like much but there are some real hours in there...




Yeah, not much but it's still better. You can't ask for miracles. Speaking of progress...check out this awesome commercial for Atari's Super Breakout. Super Breakout was the game of that time...I loved it so. And, with that...that's my update.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqJwWmzX7NU

YouTube is Awesome

I don't know where to begin with this one but YouTube.com is one of the greatest inventions ever. There are more awesome videos on there then I could even begin to go through. And, occasionally, I'll find something I think I need to bring to your attention and I'll post it. But, I haven't been doing that enough so I'll try to do better in the future.

With that said, I have to post this now because Wes included it in a comment earlier and I didn't comment on it even though it should have been mentioned in one of the good/bad things of the draft weekend. And, quite frankly, it could fit in both in some wierd way. For some reason, Reggie Evans found it necessary to grab Chris Kaman in a rather delicate area. And, well, Kaman shoved Evans down and got a flagrant foul. The fact Kaman didn't kill Evans on the spot is a miracle. Judge for yourself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcinlrgojk

I thought Kaman showed great restraint in not knocking Evans' block off right there. If the NBA has any integrity, they will withdraw the flagrant on Kaman (if you have multiple flagrant fouls, you're subject to suspension). I'm hoping the Clippers can win this series...

Oh, and if you didn't see Tony Stewart flip his car on Saturday, it's worth a watch too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDVm0ywSqWw

And, one last thing...I haven't been able to find a picture of it yet but if anyone can find a picture of the god-awful outfit Merrill Hodge was wearing on ESPN during the draft, please send it to me. It might have been the most hidious shirt, tie, suit combo I have ever seen.

The Good and Bad...

The good and bad of the draft weekend...

GOOD

• Marcus Vick went undrafted. That is good indeed...
• Leinart fell in the draft to #10. Had he left college earlier, he would have went #1. He lost approximately $40 million.
• USC had all kinds of trouble over the weekend. Dropping draft status. NCAA probe. Arrested players. Breaks my heart...
• Pittsburgh won a baseball game!
• Yankees caught the Red Sox in the AL East.

Now, for the BAD

• I was not drafted by anyone. But, at least I'm as good as Marcus Vick.
• Chris Berman ruined the draft for me. He gave away every pick before the commission made it. He ruined it completely.
• Michael Irvin is an idiot and also ruined the draft.
• Kobe Bryant. Man, I really don't like that guy.
• The Miami Heat are falling apart.

I'm sure there's more good and bad but I can't think of any. I have to get back to work unfortunately. It's been a rather busy day...more later. Maybe...