brettorically speaking

A matter of opinion

2009-09-05T11:39:00.011-06:00

So I, along with many other BSU fans, are done with the Blount punch. It's over. Now after the dust has settled I find myself extremely disgusted with sports analysts. They are overpaid "experts" who supplement the sports media outlets with contrite opinions that are gobbled up by the masses.
To get to my point I was sickened by the overshadow of the punch when there was actually a hard fought game on the field that got NO coverage other than the regurgitation of "what a horrible game that was to watch." I will agree to an extent. They are correct in their synopsis that it was indeed a horrible game to watch given the following conditions:

The "experts" told everyone in the country this was a must see game because both teams have such dynamic offenses.

The "experts" told us the first quarter was going to be a high flying extravaganza of quarterback VS. quarterback.

The "experts" think their opinion is right and if something else happens than it had to be due to horrible team play.

Well, here is why I am so ticked off right now. If you get past all of the hype and take the "experts" opinions out of the picture and take another look at the game, it was by my accounts a pretty good game. Here is why:

BSU's defense should come out of this weekend with one of the best ratings the program has ever seen. Watching the game from a defensive perspective it was AMAZING!

The offense suffered two major blows that ruined it for the Boncos as far as getting any respect for the "experts": two great series that ended with blown field goals and a couple of late game turnovers. Removing those two factors from the rest of the offensive game that was played they were playing like a top 15 team on the premier of their season. Do you think USC would get the same criticism if they blew a couple of field goals against San Jose? Of course not, they scheduled a gimme game to work out the kinks. So for Boise and Oregon to put themselves out there on opening night says an awful lot about both programs.

Finally look at this one number; 42:32. Out of 60 minutes, BSU had the ball for 42 minutes and change. You can win just about any game you enter with that kind of number. Talk about controlling the game. I believe that the analysts are all disgusted with the game because THEY WERE WRONG IN THIER PRE-GAME ALALYSIS!! Nice job Broncos and Coach Pete, in my modest opinion (not an experts) you played a game worthy of a "W" in the win column.

Golf

2009-08-16T16:08:00.008-06:00

From the standpoint of someone who has never been a "golfer" that is to say, someone who has tried on many occasions to golf and has not considered any of his ventures a success, I do truly enjoy golfing movies. I guess some precedence needs to be set. I wanted to golf, I even lettered in golf in high school. (Looking back on this post I will presumable regret inserting that detail.) But I could never do well enough to enjoy my time on the links. Even most people that know me would say I was doomed from the start simply because I set my expectations to high but that being said, I really stink at the game of golf.

Maybe that is why I enjoy golfing movies so much, from one extreme to the other. I can relate to most every character on some level. From Happy to Roy McAvoy to Bagger, the list goes on and on. Come to think of it, there really hasn't been a bad golf movie that I have seen. (Caddy Shack II discluded.) It's hard to think of a time when Caddy Shack (the only Caddy Shack) hasn't been on and I stopped to watch a few minutes of it if not to it's finish. "It's no big deal." Cracks me up every time I see it.

The mystique that surrounds golf in movies like Bagger does engross me and draws me in although I do recognize it as bupkis and see no reason anyone, even the great Bobby Jones himself, could believe that "a shot finds him." Come on now, your hitting a little white ball with a stick three hundred yards to a hole barely bigger than the ball itself. A challenge worthy of great discipline yes but hardly a life altering affair. But, if your a young Rannulph Junuh chasing a skirt like Adele, well I guess you will believe just about anything you are told.

Tin Cup however seems to capture what I would depict as golf in it's best form if I were ever capable of adapting myself to life as a golfer. Everyone can relate to Roy, I mean come on, he's the anti-hero, from movies beginning to the end. Giving up the Open to fulfill his own needs rather than opting to impress those around him with a come from nowhere win, what more could you ask for?

I could go on but whats the point. I could ramble on and on about these great movies but all you need to do is watch one, any one of them and you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Boise Beer Fest (Review?)

2009-08-09T17:15:00.006-06:00

Well. Well, well, well. First of all, kudos where kudos are due. Congratulations Boise on making a festival that is finally worthy of the afore mentioned title. Now, let me begin with two primary observations.

1) Nice job on the handling of the pricing index. Your "best deal" including the mug and 17 tokens was perfect to cover the hopped cravings of my Sara and myself. A suggestion to whom-so-ever would dare to indulge in the $20 special on their own may very well have included a $10 delivery charge to drop you off at your origin after drinking yourself into a stupor.

2) The other finding was that given the nature of the name, I was surprised to find that out of the 100 or so beers to be tasted, I only found about 5 that I had never had before. The good news: I had a couple of beers that I subsequently enjoyed and am looking forward to having again. The bad: Where the hell is all of the new summer brews that the breweries brag about let alone the tongue tantalizing promises of the fall hop harvest where true-blue beer lovers are gifted their annual requiem of oo's and ah's?

Alas; I enjoyed my first tour of the Boise Festival but in retrospect I am first given ponder to what a true festival-de-brue should entail. I submit the following. We were overheated at a mild 85 degrees today. Enjoying a beer should not be misconstrued as chugging down a cold one because I am so flippin' hot! That is what beer in a can is for. (or water, your choice.) Next, let's do this right. The passage of the common beer drinker and beer lover seems to follow a relatively modern trend although it began with the origin of beer itself. Beer was originally brewed during the harvest. The harvest of barley and hops. This constitutes a brewing cycle that starts around late August and early September. The result? A tasty brew arriving post fermentated early to mid October. Can anyone say "Oktoberfest?" I guess that is where my heart lies is with the breweries that understand it. Every fall a handful of these masters begin the ritual of brewing the newest, greatest , most tasty, malted beverages our taste buds can allow and call it their "seasonal." Bravo to the great modern brew-dogs of our generation. You understand why we huddle in masses at our favorite co-op or brew shop awaiting your fresh-hopped ales. Thank you for your relentless pursuit of perfection realizing that freshly brewed batch hits your pallet you are already considering your changes to improve your work of art for the following season. Thank you for not giving in to the conception that bigger is better and subsequently your quality must suffer. Your small gracious following of true beer lovers will never fall off the wagon.

Football? Already?

2009-07-25T09:54:00.007-06:00

I really don't watch that much football. Not much at all, unless it is BSU vs. "?" In fact I can say that I don't think I have missed a BSU game on TV since 2002. Furthering this fact I can easily say that I have seen more WAC football on TV in the last 2 years than NFL games in the last 10. So what is my prediction of '09 BSU football? Well, do you want it biased or unbiased? Suffice to say it would probably be impossible to remain 100% unbiased but I can tell you my initial thoughts without going over the top. WAC champs but not undefeated. BCS birth? Tough but still a threat seeing how BSU will probably end up very close to a top 15 pre-season ranking in several polls. BSU and Oregon. Hmmm... I think Brocks xbox grudge match sums it up "Brock Bedard just played Boise on NCAA 2010 (xbox360). lost in a 41-34 overtime thriller as Oregon. came back from a 24-7 deficit. uh oh."

Fair weather fans. Can't stand you. If you find yourself reading the following (and know who you are) I apologize but at least I kept you anonymous. 2006, BSU was to play Wyoming and Cable One did not carry the Mountain West Sports Network. Uh,oh. After last minute negotiations with the network it was carried on the digital tier. The BSU masses lined up outside of the doors to get a digital box for the game. I heard a colleague of mine say the following "What is the big deal, who cares about one football game?" The verbal beating that ensued was not pretty.

Now if you recall this same season led us to the Fiesta Bowl. On the Monday following this game, who do you think showed up to work with his own commentary on how incredible the game was and how amazing the boys in blue were?

Fair weather fans, I can't stand you.

HOPS!

2009-07-22T18:15:00.006-06:00

A watched pot never boils and a watched rhizome never sprouts. Did you know that hops will not come out of he ground if you look at them every day? I know! Hard to believe! That is the only conclusion I could come to as far as my Cascade's go. Actually I had one sprout after about 3 weeks but Myale broke it off. Yes I clinched my teeth and closed my eyes while it happened right in front of me but it did make a recovery so Myale can savor her youth for awhile longer. Perhaps some cones by fall but I am certainly not banking on it.

Next.

2009-07-15T18:56:00.005-06:00

Remember Magnum PI? I do. One of my all time favorites when I was a kid. Random? Stick with me for a minute. I was thinking about what to post to my shiny new blog. After all, when you have a new toy you just can't wait to play with it right? All throughout the day I have these conversations with that little voice inside my head, (thank you Thomas Sullivan Magnum III) and I tell that little voice, "you know, that was the kind of thing I want to put on my blog!" The problem, you see, my little voice doesn't seem to grasp the concept of communicating with my memory. If only I could convince my little voice to actually turn his head to my memory and say "hey, memory, could you remember this, I really think he's onto something!"
Next.
Can you believe it? Eight years I have been indebted to wedded bliss with my wonderful wife Sara. This seems to be no mere feat in this day and age as the divorce rate seems to sway higher than ever over the success rate. I actually did hear some news regarding the slow down of divorce. The media was speculating on what may be causing this trend. The first thing that popped into my mind was that there just seems to be less people willing to commit to marriage to begin with so when they do separate, viola, no messy divorce! Yes, you will find an absorbent amount of sarcasm and cynicism here, make no mistake. Back to Sara for moment if you will indulge. I have to take this moment to thank her for putting up with me for these 8 years and I know there will be many more to come, even in light of her toasting our betrothal last week with the following: "Cheers! And here is to God knows how many more years!" I do love that girl.

And so it begins...

2009-07-13T17:02:00.003-06:00

I surmise that to give ample consideration for the genesis of my blog I should sit in ponder. Well, that didn't work. As I stared at the monitor to give me some profound inspiration, I noticed that my computer was informing me that it was shutting down. As I looked down to see what had happened a happy little elf that doubles as my 18 month old daughter made a bee line out from under my legs down the hall. And so it begins...
I won't make any promises to anyone who finds their way to this blog that they will find anything profound however I do wish to achieve one thing; a simple acknowledgement of knowing. Knowing that if you find yourself reading something here that gives you a smile or a nod of the head or perhaps even a "yup", then I consider this a resounding success.