Happy Spring to You! Belatedly

I hope your Spring is off to a great start.  Mine has been OK thus far as the temperatures are starting to rise.  The only problem at this point is it seems to rain everyday.  The drought we had been experiencing where I live seems to have come to a halt with the many inches of rain we have experienced in the month of March.  We have had so much rain that water stands in my backyard in spots that never had any water problems in the past.

But, hopefully the rain is over for now.  Today was a beautiful 60 degree day and the sun shone all day long.  Perhaps it is just a harbinger of Spring as there is a chance of snow on Easter Sunday.  But soon enough we will be experiencing one of my favorite seasons.

Thanks for reading and I will be updating my blog as time permits in the coming days.  Have a great weekend!

And Like That...The Games are Over

The two weeks since I posted about the opening ceremonies of the Pyengchong games went by in a heartbeat.  I watched much more than I care to admit, because, well they are the Olympic games and there really wasn't much more on the telly during this fortnight.

As I write this I'm watching the closing ceremonies and the Chinese promotion for the 2022 games from Beijing.

These games have been entertaining and the South Koreans have been great hosts.  At this point in time I am ready to move on and get back to normal, but for the next few days I will miss seeing the 23rd Olympic games from Pyeongchang on my television 12 hours a day.  I know it sounds somewhat sarcastic but I really will miss the athleticism and competition.

So long Soohorang, you were a wonderful host.

It's been fun, so let's do this again in 2022 in Beijing.  It will be here before we know it!

"Let the Games Begin"

The 2018 Olympic Games are now officially open after today's ceremonies in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

I am a casual fan of the Olympics, especially the Winter games.  I don't watch most of these events outside of Ice Hockey at any other time than during the Olympics.  But, I am a sucker for the Opening Ceremonies.  I was out earlier tonight but did see the last couple of hours of the tape delayed event from Korea on NBC.

Here are a few thoughts on what I saw...

-The combination of athletes from North Korea and South Korea was lauded by the TV talking heads.  Tonight those TV heads were Mike Tirico and Katie Couric.  Yes, it would appear as if there is hope for the two Koreas if you watched TV tonight.  But, in the long run this is just a PR stunt by North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.  Remember how Vladimir Putin made nice four years ago at Sochi and then a week or two later his troops invaded Ukraine.  I don't trust Kim any further than I can throw him.

-Speaking of talking heads, it seemed strange not to have Bob Costas hosting NBC's coverage.  Couric has been there before and is steady.  But, Mike Tirico?  I have always though of him as a Sports Center host on ESPN.  This should have been Brian Williams, oops, Matt Lauer's, oops, chance to shine at the opening ceremony.

-What is this Athletes of Russia thing or AOR as they will be listed during the games?  If they cheated in the Putin games at Sochi why are they being allowed to compete this year?  If you failed your drug test no one wants to see you again.  Stay home.

-The torch relay reminded me that baseball is just around the corner.  The torch used in the relay and to light the cauldron reminded me of a Louisville Slugger.

-One thing I thought was really cool was the way the Korean organizers utilized Intel drones to animate the opening ceremonies.  What a great use of technology.  NBC reported the light show was pre-recorded but still, it was amazing.

Photo courtesy of Zeno Group

Hopefully, the next fortnight in Pyeongchang will be without incident and "Little Rocket Man" will behave himself while his fellow citizens are competing at the Olympics. Time will tell.  Keep your eyes on this blog for updates.

Moronic TV Commercial for Volvo

Someone needs to tell Volvo to get a new advertising agency.  The company is running an ad so much louder in volume than everything else that you have to turn down the volume on your monitor.  This was supposed to have been prohibited by a congressional act six years ago, yet the practice continues unabated.

Volvo also needs to get a new commercial.  The one that is loud enough to wake the dead portrays a young woman driving her car and texting.  What the heck?  Most states in the US have already banned this practice.  And then it goes on to portray the car slowing itself to keep from running over a small child who appears to be walking from school.  What kind of message are you sending Volvo?  Is the message people who want to drive these supposed luxury cars can do as they please without consequence for their actions?  Whoever wrote this spot and whoever approved it for Volvo should be fired and then get the crap kicked out of them.  Volvo wake up!

Congrats to 'Bama

Congratulations to the University of Alabama football program and its winning the national college football championship last night.

To be honest I was cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs because they're from the same division of the Southeast Conference as my beloved Missouri Tigers.  I was pleased to see the Bulldogs jump on 'Bama 13-0 at the half, but as we all know they don't pay off on the halftime score.  You know the rest, the Crimson Tide rebounded and came out in the second half much different than in the first half winning the game in overtime 26-23.

Give 'Bama Head Coach Nick Saban credit as he replaced starter Jalen Hurts with true freshman Tua Tagovailoa.  Tagovailoa gave the Alabama offense a badly needed spark and was able to move the offense when Hurts couldn't.  The Tide outscored Georgia 20-6 in the second half and could have won in regulation had it not missed a FG as time was running down.  And it was Tagovailoa who threw the game winning 41 yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith in overtime after Georgia had taken a 23-20 lead on its OT possession.

Georgia played well but not quite enough defense to be national champions.  Congratulations to Saban on his sixth national championship and fifth at Alabama.