Posted on

Between the Texans and the Bengals this Saturday, I pick …

Let’s talk sports. Why? Why do I always ask myself that? I don’t know. I really shouldn’t be talking to myself while writing “my blog.” But after all, it is “my blog.” Enough said? Stop that!

The Houston Texans make their playoff debut this Saturday at Reliant Stadium. If I had a few hundred bucks to throw around I would buy a ticket and try to find a hotel close to the MetroRail. But I don’t. So I will have to watch it on television. That is probably just as well. Even though the noise level will likely be turned up in Reliant by Texans fans, I am uncomfortable screaming profanities out loud in public, even if no one can hear them. I expect a few profanities from my way.

Many folks, both those learned in sports and those who just shoot off their mouths seem to think that the three losses the Texans suffered since they beat Saturday’s opponent, the Bengals, have something to do with whether Houston can rise to the challenge in their first post-season game in history. This is while others compare them to or see them an offshoot of the Oilers, that once-beloved team that left long ago to become the hated Tennessee Titans. Well, let’s take this sordid history apart.

1. The wicked, wicked Bud Adams took the Houston Oilers franchise to Tennessee in 1996 after he was unable to extort a new stadium out of the Bayou City.

2. The Oilers became the Tennessee Titans.

3. A new franchise called the Houston Texans started up in 2002.

4. The Texans languished in sometime-mediocrity and sometime-not-so-bad until this season.

5. This year’s Texans were viewed with great anticipation by a number of the country’s sports pundits. The team, indeed, had its best season despite an unfortunate string of injuries that left the team as a synonym for a MASH unit. Probably the best receiver in the NFL, Texans’ Andre Johnson was plagued most the season with first, one Achilles heel problem and then another on the other leg. Starting quarterback Matt Schaub went out for the season with a broken foot in week 10. The next game saw backup Matt Leinart with his first start, which lasted all of the first half after which he went out for the year with a broken collarbone. Third-string rookie T.J. Yates then took over. Yates has looked impressive, but he suffered a separated shoulder in the last regular season game. More on that.

6. The Texans lost three straight games after winning the AFC South. The last loss was to the Titans, during which Yates went out with the shoulder problem. Fortunately, the injury was not to his throwing arm and Yates has reportedly “looked good” in practice. Still, one has to worry about some Bengals linebacker intentionally trying to turn the young Yates’ non-throwing shoulder into a piece of battered meat. Jake DelHomme, who was signed after the Houston quarterback battering began, started for the first time as the Texans’ fourth-string quarterback last Sunday. DelHomme is a Ragin’ Cajun who played for University of Louisiana-Lafayette and led the Carolina Panthers to a one-point Super Bowl loss in 2003. He steered the Texans, during the meaningless game with Tennessee, to a last-second comeback. However, the Texans lost when they failed to convert a two-point conversion.

Houston has, for several years, had the reputation of failing to seal the deal. That has been an occasional problem this year although they finished the regular season with a 10-6 record. Still, the Texans can often make one’s blood pressure travel in directions that it shouldn’t.

Andre Johnson should be back Saturday against Cincy as should Yates and Arian Foster, who is one of the NFL’s tip-top running backs with almost 1,225 rushing yards this year. “Depth” be thy name of Houston’s backfield, what with Foster, Derrick Ward and Ben Tate, the latter who was just shy of rushing 1,000 yards during the regular season. Other major offensive threats to the Bengals will include receivers Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and Joel Dreessen not to mention the Pro-Bowl-snubbed Houston offensive line.

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will, for the second week in a row, call defensive plays from a press box as he is still recovering from kidney and gall bladder surgery. News accounts say his dad, coaching legend Bum Phillips, told friends the defensive coordinator and former Dallas Cowboys head coach had a tumor “the size of a volleyball” removed from his kidney and gallbladder. Coach Gary Kubiak said the younger Phillips is doing well but would like a more comfortable chair in which to sit on Saturday. If anyone deserves a better chair, it’s Phillips. A lesser-experienced, more ego-involved coach might have felt deflated after being cast adrift by Somebody’s Team — Dallas. But Wade P. bounced right back in Houston and has put together one of the top three defenses in the NFL. While that defense may have faltered a slight bit in the past couple of weeks, they still are solid and have seen Bengals QB Andy Dalton and his offensive squad before.

There is really nothing in particular that points toward why the Texans should lose Saturday but the Bengals are a slight favorite. I think most are expecting another close game between Houston and Cincy. So I should join the crowd and likewise expect something like a 24-20 game in favor of the Bengals. But what the heck, if you can dream, why not dream.

I pick Houston in a 45-12 screen pass/ground attack fest. And if I’m wrong? I don’t really know anything about football anyway.

 

Posted on

The Caucuses: Okay, but keep an eye out in the Middle East

Yes, there is a political race — of sorts — taking place today. The Iowa Caucuses are important why? Well, supposedly it is important to the people of Iowa although not so much those of the Democrat stripe during this presidential election. Surely millions of dollars will have been spent before this first step on the road to the Republican presidential nomination begins. Perhaps that is important. Still, something is brewing that could prove of major consequence to not just the 2012 elections but likewise the worldwide economy.

That would be the tensions between the U.S. and Iran. At the present, the Iranian government is engaged in major saber-rattling amid new sanctions signed Saturday by President Obama which are aimed at Iran’s central bank. The sanctions come amid growing nuclear ambitions in Iran that Western leaders say are meant for developing weapons. Already the rial, Iran’s currency, has reached a record low against the U.S. dollar as of Monday. The Tehran government said the falling rial — which has lost a third of its value since September — is unrelated to the sanctions although that is open to speculation, one might say.

The Iranian Navy is engaged in a large-scale exercise off its coast near the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. A new cruise missile known as the “Ghader” was test-fired Monday, leading the Iranian Navy head to boast of “proof” the Islamic republic controls the petro-strategic strait that Iran has threatened to close. Such a blockage of the strait and thus idling petroleum tankers could cause dire consequences, according to foreign policy experts such as the Brookings Institution’s Vali Nasr.

“Iran notes that Western economies are under stress and predicts they could not afford higher oil prices. Even the threat of disruption in oil supply would send energy prices spiraling sky high, and that would plunge the already struggling economies of the United States and Europe into deeper recession. Iran is hoping to change the conversation in Western capitals from how tightly to squeeze Iran to what could be the cost of doing so.

 “Nor would economic woes caused by conflict in the Persian Gulf remain limited to the West. Persian Gulf exports already account for 60% of Asia’s energy consumption. Economies from India to China would be impacted by a Persian Gulf oil cutoff and higher energy prices. Iran is in effect threatening global economic crisis.”

Still, U.S. officials say they have no intention of letting any government impede shipping in the vital Gulf area even though the Iranians have warned the U.S. to not replace the carrier USS John C. Stennis which recently departed the area.

The U.S. Navy operates under international maritime conventions to maintain “a constant state of high vigilance to ensure the continued safe flow of maritime traffic in waterways critical to global commerce,” said Pentagon spokesman George Little.

It is clear the Strait of Hormuz is a volatile area right now although the Iranian Navy has only a few destroyers and corsairs in addition to a fleet of speedy patrol craft. In short, Iran’s Navy is no match for that of the United States or perhaps even a carrier or carrier task force.

Although the Tehran saber-rattling is pesky it is still preferable to what would be the first sea battle since the 1983 Falklands War between Great Britain and Argentina. Nonetheless, an itchy-trigger finger or mistake by either Navy could set the whole Gulf on fire, disrupt oil shipments and most importantly, would likely result in casualties. A battle might also prove the right time for Israel to take out the Iranian nuclear facilities. While there are some hawks who would like to see the latter, another war is not what the U.S. needs at the moment. Neither does the economy need a war or even more threats. The price of oil in the U.S. jumped $4 per barrel today just over all the Iran-U.S. rhetoric.

So, let Iowa have its day in the sun. But keep an eye toward the Strait of Hormuz. If something happens there then all bets are off on the state of the economy and the presidential election. Significant changes affecting either should not be a cause for great expectation nor a general state of great joy.

 

 

Posted on

What passes for reality in “Election 2012” a.k.a. “The Twilight Zone”

What is reality?

That is a question asked by those whose station in life run from philosopher to stoner as well as folks who meet at the intersection and on the edges. As we enter into a presidential election year the inquiry seems particularly appropriate. That is due, in part, to the wildly unreal race during 2011 for the person who will become the Republican nominee this year to run against President Barack Obama.

A week or so ago, I spoke to my friend Paul in a Skype conversation in which this very topic emerged. Paul, who is an educator in Tokyo and a former journalism classmate of mine at Stephen F. Austin in Texas, said the whole shebang might just as well be one big TV “reality” show. That begs the question then, what form would that show take? “Dancing With Republicans?” Well, maybe not. At least Newt Gingrich has made his feelings known about reality shows, in his particularly cynical and hypocritical way.

In fact, Gingrich — whose star hopefully has fallen in the GOP race once and for all — illustrates just how unreal is our daily reality show that has become the Republican race and has been egged on by the national media.

The former Speaker of the U.S. House and veteran pol has in the past couple of weeks whined about the attack ads unleashed upon him by the likes of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The Newt claims Romney is attempting to “buy the vote.” The charge of Gingrich’s “Romney-boating” is made, of course, because Gingrich has not yet accomplished the funds he needs to buy the vote.

In what most people see as reality there is little difference between the negativity of campaign ads and the viciousness Newt has let loose among his colleagues while House speaker. Gingrich has shown himself adept at both. Then there is the speaker’s problems with marital fidelity in between the periods he decries the national lack of family values caused by liberals.

As the Iowa Caucuses come to a head Tuesday one could find in that state more two-faced politicians than in a circus freak show.

Rick Perry is as guilty as they come in the “do as I say, not as I do” brethren. Here we have our good-haired governor of Texas who can both assassinate a coyote while jogging and shoot off his mouth about his state seceding from the U.S. Perry decried the federal handouts to help the economy but had a hissy fit when he could not get more government largess for Texas. All through the campaign, Perry talked tough until suddenly during an autumn New Hampshire speech he acts like a cow who stumbled upon loco weed. Ol’ Good Hair wildly gesticulated, cradled a bottle of maple syrup and just generally acted a fool leaving many wondering if the governor himself might have been into to the loco weed.

Speaking of acting a fool, the Godfather of Pizza Herman Cain had some wondering if his presidential campaign was not itself an act. Liberal msnbc host Rachel Maddow seemed convinced that the Cain campaign was a piece of performing art. Just think, not in terms of a presidential campaign itself but rather a compendium of bizarre acts — quoting from “Pokeman,” Uzebeki, beki-stan-stan, his 999 economic plan being written by a guy who works in a Wells Fargo bank. Art? Perhaps.

Then there is the reality of Ron Paul who many in his own party find him too real. He wants to bring all the troops home — from everywhere. When’s the last time that happened? In 1812, maybe?

The list goes on. Santorum. Bachmann. Two evangelical right-wingers who would really like to rule a Christian theocracy.

Finally, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. How real is he? Romney has pulled off the “being for it before he was against it” act to a degree that exceeds his fellow Bay Stater, former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry. Romney is opaque to the extent that if George W. Bush was to look into his eyes, he’d likely see Vladimir Putin’s soul provided Putin was standing behind of Romney.

The reality show will roll into high gear later this summer once the television networks attempt to pull some entertainment value out of the national political conventions. Then, here come the zingers!

The story starts out real-ish, then along the way one wonders if reality is what one is actually witnessing, until finally one questions their own sanity. Like that wise old sage Rod Serling said: ” You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone!”

Except one probably shouldn’t expect substance.

Posted on

They beat me to it

This has been the week from hell at work, computer-wise. My usually slow computer and its ancient dial-up modem grew even slower this week, plus it seemed that failure of some program lurked at every corner. Fooey, with an e-y.

Already in a magnificently pissy mood, my being seemed as if it would ignite through some kind of emotional spontaneous combustion when I heard the news that Verizon Wireless planned a new $2 monthly fee for paying your bill with plastic. Looking deeper into the news, I saw it didn’t affect the old-fashioned bank checks, an automatic payment online or an electronic check. Verizon did something awhile back, perhaps maybe a year or more, that made it more difficult to use your credit or debit card. I can’t remember what it was, but it pissed me off mightily and I started using the electronic check option.

Verizon, of course, and other companies want you to use an automatic deduction from your account. I am not sure why, I know it isn’t because they want to make the consumer’s lives easier. I have been okay with the electronic check option. However, it irritated me to no end when the company announced the $2 fee this week. The simple truth is that the customer shouldn’t be forced into the car trunk and made to pay the way the company wants you to considering you have already had these options for no cost.

I had planned to write or call Verizon to complain about their new fee once this week was finally over. Now that I am officially into my New Year’s weekend, I’ve found out that Verizon has had its “Bank of America” moment. The wireless carrier announced today that because of “customer input” — make that of the loud, obscene variety — the $2 fee will not be implemented. It seems like a lot of other people mad as hell have already beat me to Verizon’s whipping post. Thanks ya’ll. You saved me some heartburn.

These large companies might just be getting the message that we, the public, are fed up with being nickle and dimed to death. The corporate giants have discovered, or at least are starting to discover, that “Gee, the customers might just decide to take their business elsewhere. That wouldn’t be so good.”

It’s something like that. Have a happy, healthy, prosperous 2012!

Posted on

Everybody loves a nut, except when it breaks your tooth

It is hard to imagine that a recently-discharged veteran would forget about his or her various benefits but I could see how it might happen. You are young. You just got out of the service. The world is your hot dog. You are going to party until the cow’s cows come home. Oh sure, you’re going to need a job or go to college the next semester. The point here, if you meet the qualifications, quite a few veterans benefits are available to you. You can find those out from the Department of Veterans Affairs, your local veterans service officer or state veterans agency.

One of the great benefits, which is very limited, is the dental benefit from the VA.  Here are the guidelines:

“Recently discharged Veterans whose

discharge record (DD214) clearly

indicates either that dental services were

not provided within 90 days of

discharge or that dental treatment was

not completed, who served on active

duty 90 days or more, and who apply

for VA dental care within 90 days of

separation from active duty, may receive

a one-time treatment for dental

conditions and follow up treatment for

that specific dental condition.

For more information regarding

services available to returning Active

Duty, National Guard and Reserve

service members of Operations

Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom

visit  www.oefoif.va.gov.”

My first job outside of the Navy, which you will know if you follow this blog, was as a firefighter. After I started working I had heard about the dental benefit. I didn’t know a dentist as I was still new in town. But my co-workers told me about a local boy who — as I would sort of end up doing — worked his way through undergraduate school at the fire department. The local boy, man, ended up going to dental school. I saw Sid for my “post-service, one-time dental appointment” as I suppose you could call it. I recall Sid had a very sweet and pretty local girl working as an assistant. No, I didn’t end up marrying her. I didn’t even date her. I did end up dating my physician’s nurse. She left me on a New Year’s Eve date to go off somewhere with some girl. That kind of sucked, actually. I can’t remember what all Sidney did on my “one-time” dental appointment. I knew that Sid and Holly, the pretty girl, cleaned and X-rayed my teeth. I think maybe Dr. Sid filled a cavity.

Less than a week after my having found a new dentist, I was sitting at home, minding my own business, when “CRACK” went one of my left side, lower molars. I broke a tooth while eating a Corn Nut. Yes, a freaking Corn Nut! Well, I went back to see my dentist. He said I needed a crown and that it was going to cost about $250. Say what? This was 1978. I just started my job. I was going through fire rookie school. I grossed $815 a month. I had taken out a small personal loan to get an apartment, well, it wasn’t even an apartment. It was a room in a boarding house owned by the town’s most infamous slum lords. I didn’t know whether I could get another loan for a crown.

Dr. Sid said that maybe the VA would pay for it. The eternal pessimist, I said that, no, this was a one-time deal. Sidney said, “Well, let’s just give it a try and if not, we’ll work something out.”

I don’t know what happened. Maybe the stars converged. Maybe Jupiter aligned with Mars. But the VA paid for my gold molar crown. I still got that sucker, too. Sidney had to re-cement it once. I’ve had it reset probably two or three other times.

But you know what? I never ate another Corn Nut.