A blog a day

People who didn't make it through the year

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/30/2006 09:54:00 PM

With Saddam Hussein and Gerald Ford recently gone, I decided to make a list and categorize (via wikipedia) of all of the people who died this past year that I considered noteworthy in some way (either famous or infamous). In many cases, they were well known. In some cases, they were related to the well known. And in still other cases, they really fit more than one category, although I forced myself to limit them to just one.

I didn’t realize how many entertainers we lost this year.

Anyways, without further adieu, here’s my list of people who didn’t make it through this year. Here’s hoping that all of you make it through this year and next!

- Bob

Aerospace:

Brady, Charles E. Jr., 54, American former astronaut. July 23
Crossfield, Scott, 84, American X-15 test pilot, plane crash. April 19
Finley, John L., 70, American astronaut under the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program September 19
Hall, Edward N, 91, U.S. Air Force rocket expert, father of the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile program. January 15
Petrone, Rocco, 80, American NASA engineer, director of Project Apollo and the Marshall Space Flight Center. August 24
Van Allen, James, 91, American space physicist, heart failure. August 9

Business:
Anderson, Robert, 85, American president and chairman of Rockwell International Corporation. October 28
Bass, Perry, 91, Texas oilman and philanthropist. June 1
Bronfman, Andrea, 60, philanthropist and wife of Charles Bronfman, hit by car. January 23
Cassini, Oleg, 92, fashion designer. March 17
Comer, Gary, 78, founder of the clothing chain Lands' End, and philanthropist, prostate cancer. October 4
Farb, Harold, 83, developer who expanded Houston by more than 30,000 apartments over the course of his career, heart attack.. October 10
Hunt, J.B. Sr., 79, American trucking executive and founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., head injuries from a fall. December 7
Lacoste, Bernard, 74, French clothing magnate of Lacoste, unspecified illness. March 21
Lay, Kenneth, 64, former CEO of U.S. energy firm Enron, later convicted of fraud, heart attack. July 5
Mattus, Rose, 90, Polish-born co-founder of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, natural causes. November 28
Rockefeller, Winthrop Paul, 57, American billionaire and Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas since 1996, myeloproliferative disorder. July 16
Shugart, Alan, 76, American pioneer of the disk drive and co-founder of Seagate Technology, complications from heart surgery. December 12
Werber, Jack 92, Polish-born Holocaust survivor, American manufacturer of coonskin caps during the 1950s craze, heart attack. November 25
Wilson, H. Donald, 82, founder of LexisNexis, heart attack November 13
Wooldridge, Dean, 93, American physicist and co-founder of TRW. September 20

Economics:
Friedman, Milton, 94, American monetarist and free-market economist, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize, heart failure. November 16
Galbraith, John Kenneth, 97, American economist and author (The Affluent Society), natural causes. April 29
Rukeyser, Louis, 73, business and economics expert, multiple myeloma. May 2

Entertainment
Albert, Edward, 55, American actor, son of actors Margo and Eddie Albert, lung cancer. September 22
Allen, Elizabeth, 77, American actress (Donovan's Reef, Do I Hear a Waltz?, The Jackie Gleason Show). September 19
Allyson, June, 88, Hollywood actress, pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis after a long illness. July 8
Altman, Robert, 81, American film director (MASH, Nashville, Short Cuts), complications from leukemia. November 20
Ballantyne, Joyce, 88, artist best known for creating the "Coppertone Girl" ad, heart attack. May 15
Benchley, Peter, 65, American author best known for Jaws, pulmonary fibrosis. February 11
Bergen, Frances, 84, American actress, wife of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and mother of actress Candice Bergen. October 2
Boyle, Peter, 71, American actor (Young Frankenstein, Everybody Loves Raymond), multiple myeloma. December 12
Brown, James, 73, American rhythm and blues singer and bandleader, heart failure related to pneumonia. December 25
Buttons, Red, 87, American comedian, vascular disease July 13
Cockrum, Dave, 63, American comic book artist (X-men, Legion of Super-Heroes), complications from diabetes. November 26
Corbett, Ed, 74, American actor. April 13
Davidson, Ross, 57, former EastEnders actor, brain tumor. October 16
Douglas, Mike, 81, American talk-show host and entertainer. August 11
Downie, Gary, South African psychotherapist and television production manager (Doctor Who, Star Cops), cancer. [91] January19
Evans, Mike, 57, American actor best known as Lionel Jefferson on the television series The Jeffersons, throat cancer. December 14
Fender, Freddy, 69, Mexican-American singer ("Before the Next Teardrop Falls"), lung cancer. October 14
Ferguson, Maynard, 78, Canadian jazz trumpeter, kidney and liver failure. August 23
Ferguson, Robert “H-Bomb”, 77, American blues singer, complications of emphysema and cardiopulmonary disease. November 26
Fleischer, Richard, 89, American film director (Tora! Tora! Tora!, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Soylent Green) March 25
Flores, Danny, 77, American saxophonist and vocalist on the Champs' 1958 hit "Tequila", pneumonia. September 19
Ford, Glenn, 90, Canadian-American actor (Blackboard Jungle, Cimarron). August 30
Forsythe, Henderson, 88, American actor (As the World Turns). April 17
Franciosa, Anthony, 77, American actor, third husband of Shelley Winters, stroke. January 19
Hart, Bruce, 68, American lyricist for TV's Sesame Street, lung cancer. February 21
Hayward, Chris, 81, creator of Dudley Do-Right and co-creator of The Munsters, illness. November 20
Jackson, Johnny, 54, former drummer for The Jackson 5, stabbing March 1
Jagger, Basil (“Joe”), 93, father of Rolling Stones' vocalist Mick Jagger, pneumonia November 11
Johnson, Tommy, 71, session musician best known for his work on the Jaws theme, complications of cancer and kidney failure. October 16
Jones, Robert Earl, 96, American actor, father of James Earl Jones. September 7
Kelly, Emmett Jr., 83, clown and son of Emmett Kelly, complications from pneumonia. November 29
Kirby, Bruno, 57, American character actor (The Godfather Part II, City Slickers), complications from leukemia. August 14
Knotts, Don, 81, American actor (The Andy Griffith Show, Three's Company), complications from lung cancer. February 24
Lewis, Al, 82, American actor (Grandpa Munster on The Munsters), Green Party political candidate, restauranteur, and radio host. February 3
Lutz, George, 59, owner of the Amityville Horror house. May 8
Mako, 72, Japanese-American film, television, and Broadway actor; esophageal cancer July 21
Maloney, David, 72, British television director and producer for Doctor Who and Blakes 7 July 18
McFerrin, Robert, 85, first African-American to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera and father of Bobby McFerrin, heart attack. November 24
McGavin, Darren, 83, American actor (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story), natural causes. February 25
Murray, Jan, 89, American Borscht Belt comedian July 2
O'Day, Anita, 87, American jazz singer, pneumonia November 23
Owens, Buck, 76, American country music star, heart attack. March 25
Palance, Jack, 87, Oscar-winning American actor (Shane, City Slickers), natural causes. November 10
Peyton Denis, 63, British saxophone player for The Dave Clark Five, cancer. December 17
Pickett, Wilson, 64, American soul singer, heart attack. January 19
Preminger, Ingo, 95, Hollywood talent agent and producer (M*A*S*H), brother of Otto Preminger. June 7
Preston, Billy, 59, American musician ("You Are So Beautiful", "Nothing from Nothing") known for his work with the Beatles, malignant hypertension leading to kidney failure. June 6
Rawls, Lou, 72, jazz and blues singer, lung and brain cancer January 6
Redman, Dewey, 75, American jazz saxophonist, father of Joshua Redman, liver failure. September 2
Reeve, Dana, 45, activist, widow of Christopher Reeve, lung cancer. March 6
Rockwell, Dick, 85, American cartoonist, assistant on Steve Canyon, nephew of Norman Rockwell. April 18
Rooney, Tim, 59, American actor, son of Mickey Rooney, dermatomyositis. September 23
Shalleck, Alan, 76, American TV writer, director (Curious George animated films), murdered. February 7
Spelling, Aaron, 83, American television producer (Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch, Beverly Hills 90210), complications of stroke. June 23
Spillane, Mickey, 88, American author, creator of Mike Hammer detective fiction, cancer. July 17
Stapleton, Maureen, 80, American actress, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. March 13
Stewart, Don, 70, actor (Michael Bauer on The Guiding Light), lung cancer. January 9
Tucker, Boe, 79, father and manager of country music singer Tanya Tucker, lung cancer. November 23
Waldman, Myron, 97, American animator for Betty Boop and Superman cartoons. February 4
Warden, Jack, 85, Emmy Award-winning American actor, heart and kidney failure. July 19
Weaver, Dennis, 81, American actor (Gunsmoke, McCloud), complications from cancer. February 24
Wild, Jack, 53, British actor (Oliver!, H.R. Pufnstuf), oral cancer. March 2
Winters, Shelley, 85, American actress, heart failure. January 14
Wyatt, Jane, 96, American actress (Father Knows Best), natural causes. October 20

International
Al-Rahman, Sheik Abd, spiritual adviser for Al-Qaeda in Iraq, US military strike. June 7
al-Zarqawi, Abu Musab-al, 39, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, US military strike June 7
Basayev, Shamil, 41, Chechen rebel leader, terrorist, explosion. July 10
Batista, Martha, 82, First Lady of Cuba (1952–1959), second wife of President Fulgencio Batista. October 2
Botha, P.W, 90, South African politician, Prime Minister (1978–1984), State President (1984–1989), heart attack. October 31
Fallaci, Oriana, 77, Italian journalist and writer, breast cancer. September 15
Gemayel, Pierre, 34, Lebanese Minister of Industry, shot. November 21
Hussein, Saddam, 69, President of Iraq (1979–2003), execution by hanging. December30
Litvinenko, Alexander, 43, former Russian spy and critic of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, poisoning November 23
Mussolini, Romano, 78, Italian jazz musician and painter, son of Benito Mussolini. February 3
Pinochet, Augusto, 91, ex-president of Chile, complications from heart attack. December 10
Revel, Jean Francois, 82, French philosopher April 30
Rugova, Ibrahim, 61, President of Kosovo, lung cancer. January 21
Sgorbati, Sr. Leonella, 65, Italian nun, gunshot wounds. September 17
von Stauffenberg, Nina, 92, widow of Hitler's would-be assassin April 2

Journalism/Writing:
Apple, R.W. Jr., 71, American political journalist and food writer for The New York Times, thoracic cancer. October 4
Bennett, Winnifred, 71, American amateur historian, suggested DNA testing to establish a relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. October 7
Bradley, Ed, 65, American CBS News journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, leukemia. November 9
Brolan, James, 42, CBS News sound technician, injuries sustained in car bombing in Iraq. May 29
Carlson Richard, 45, American author (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff), heart attack. December 13
Douglas, Paul, 48, veteran CBS News cameraman, injuries sustained in car bombing in Iraq. May 29
Glenn, Christopher, 68, American CBS News radio and television news anchor, liver cancer. October 17
Murray, Jim, 76, news photographer, photographed aftermath of the JFK assassination, cancer. January 25
Rosenthal, Joe, 94, Pulitzer Prize winner for photographing United States Marines raising their flag on Iwo Jima, natural causes. August 20

National:
Bentsen, Lloyd, 85, American Vice-Presidential candidate, Senator, and Treasury Secretary under Clinton. May 2
Browne, Harry, 72, American libertarian writer and presidential candidate for the United States Libertarian Party, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. March 1
Byrd, Erma Ora James, 88, wife of US Senator Robert Byrd. March 25
Connally, Nellie, 87, widow of Texas Governor and Treasury Secretary John Connally, shared the automobile with John F. Kennedy when he was assassinated September 1
Falotico, John, 82, NYPD detective who arrested David Berkowitz March 11
Ford, Gerald, 93, 38th President of the United States, heart failure. December 26
Herbert, Don, 44, American firefighter who awoke from a 9-year coma in 2005, pneumonia. February 21
King, Coretta Scott, 78, American civil rights leader, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., ovarian cancer. January 30
Kirkpatrick, Jeane, 80, former American U.N. ambassador, congestive heart failure. December 7
Koster, General Samuel W, 86, highest ranking United States Army officer charged in My Lai massacre, renal cancer January 23
Lawford, Patricia Kennedy, 82, sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and ex-wife of actor Peter Lawford, pneumonia. September 17
Lutwak, Dr. Leo, 77, American biochemist and nutritionist for the US Food and Drug Administration, raised concerns about fen-phen February 23
Nader, Rose Bouziane, 99, President of the Shafeek Nader Trust for the Community Interest, mother of US Presidential candidate Ralph Nader, congestive heart failure. January 20
Nofziger, Lyn, 81, press secretary for Ronald Reagan March 27
Richards, Ann, 73, former Governor of Texas, esophageal cancer. September 13
Studds, Gerry, 69, first openly homosexual U.S. Congressman, Democratic Representative for Massachusetts (1973–1997), pulmonary embolism. October 14
Weinberger, Caspar, 88, U.S. Secretary of Defense 1981-1987 under Reagan; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1973-1975 under Nixon and Ford March 28
Zapruder, Henry, 67, American tax lawyer who helped establish Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts programs, son of Abraham Zapruder, brain cancer. January 24

Sports:
Auerbach, Red, 89, American coach of the Boston Celtics (1950–1966), heart attack. October 28
Berbick, Trevor, 51, Jamaican former heavyweight boxing champion and last boxer to face Muhammad Ali, homicide. October 28
Brown, Chris, 45, American baseball player, injuries from a house fire December 26
Geoffrion, Bernie “Boom Boom”, 75, NHL player with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, stomach cancer. March 11
Gowdy, Curt, 86, American sports broadcaster, leukemia. February 20
Harmon, Dick, 58, American golfer and golf instructor. February 10
Heyward, Craig “Ironhead”, 39, NFL fullback, complications from a brain tumor. May 27
Hickey, Red, 89, NFL coach of the San Francisco 49ers, inventor of shotgun formation, natural causes. March 30
Hunt, Lamar, 74, American owner of Kansas City Chiefs who coined the term Super Bowl, complications from prostate cancer. December 13
Kimbrough, John, 87, College Hall of Fame American football player with Texas A&M and state legislator, pneumonia. May 8
Mathias, Bob, 75, decathlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals, and former United States Representative, cancer. September 2
Nelson, Byron, 94, professional golfer. September 26
Niekro, Joe, 61, American Major League Baseball pitcher, brain aneurysm. October 27
O'Neil, Buck, 94, American baseball player and manager in the Negro leagues,heart failure and bone marrow cancer. October 6
Puckett, Kirby, 45, Hall of Fame MLB player for the Minnesota Twins, stroke complications. March 6
Schembechler, Bo, 77, former University of Michigan football head coach, heart problems. November 17
Snow, Jack, 62, former National Football League player and radio announcer, complications from a staph infection. January 9
Uribe, Jose, 47, Dominican baseball shortstop, mostly with the San Francisco Giants (1984–93), car accident. December 8
Wagner, Dick, 78, American former President of the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros, injuries from a 1999 car crash October 5
Waters, Andre, 44, former American football player, most recently Fort Valley State University assistant football coach, suicide. November 20
Woods, Earl, 74, father and former coach of U.S. golfer Tiger Woods, prostate cancer May 3

How 'bout those Coogs!

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/29/2006 10:46:00 PM

Well,

As some of you know, I'm a graduate of the University of Houston Cougars, and I follow their major sports programs.

This year, we watched the football team take on several teams (at Rice, at home against Oklahoma State, Tulane, Grambling, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Central Florida). The team had its ups and downs, but overall, was a very talented team, finishing 9-3 in regular season play.

As a result of their conference record, UH hosted the Conference-USA Championship Game versus Southern Mississippi, for the right to represent the conference at the premier C-USA bowl game, the Liberty Bowl, in Memphis, Tennessee. On a memorable night, UH came out on top, 34-20.

We just finished watching the Liberty Bowl, where UH took on the University of South Carolina, who is a part of the larger Southeastern Conference. Unfortunately, the Coogs (yes, that's how we spell it - not "Cougs"!) came up just shy, losing 44-36.

Even though we lost, both teams played a clean game, there were no significant disputed referee calls, and no significant injuries. Both teams and sets of fans represented their schools well, as evidenced by a lot of the postings I've seen at coogfans.com (link requires registration but no $) over the past several weeks.

It was a tough loss, but the senior players (and the entire team and staff) played well and have nothing to be ashamed of.

UH has always been a place of good potential - for its football program, for the students that attend it, for the city itself, and for the University as a whole. One football game's outcome does not change that.

I've been promising a few blog entries about UH football attendance (and some other somewhat-related topics) ... stand by for those entries!

Blog entry that appeals to my "inner geek": Entry #2

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/29/2006 10:45:00 PM

Here is the top ten goofy things you can find in an index in a technical book, from http://tech.cybernetnews.com/2006/11/20/computer-geeks-can-make-jokes-too/

1. In the index: “pitfalls, see traps” and “traps, see pitfalls.”
   
2. In the index: Scooby Doo, pronouncing “Windex” 166
   It is supposed to be the rindex function but we all know Scooby Doo has a hard time pronouncing his r’s.
   
3. In the index: pun, really bad 152
   On page 152 talks about Bird and Penguin classes and says “Yet we’re not finished with these fowl matters.”
   
4. In the index, which is on page 269 it has: recursion 86, 139, 141, 182, 202, 269
   
5. At the bottom of the last page: Any inaccuracies in this index may be explained by the fact that it has been prepared with the help of a computer.
   
6. In the index: recursive loop See recursive loop
   
7. A dedication at the beginning of the book:
   To Joanna,
   My brilliant and beautiful wife without whom I would be nothing. She always comforts and consoles, never complains or interferes, asks nothing and endures all, and writes my dedications.
   
8. In the index of a Fourier Analysis book it says: fractals: not mentioned, 112
   Sure enough there is no mention of fractals on that page.
   
9. In the index: Fibonacci numbers, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610
   and then it goes on to give a “prime numbers” entry that lists every prime number from 1 to 826 (takes up 20 lines) which is how many pages there are in the book.
   
10. In the index: IndexOutOfBoundsException: 30, 196, 210, 596
    The book only has 595 pages.
    

Maybe my "inner nerd" is not "inner" enough?

;*)

Hat tip: Fred Kiesche/The Eternal Golden Braid

"It's a Wonderful Life" ... and the lost ending

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/25/2006 10:18:00 PM

On this day (of all days), I'm reminded of Frank Capra's classic "It's a Wonderful Life".

It's a classic tale of a man who does the right thing all his life, and then has a cruel twist of fate that leaves him doubting why he ever existed, believing that he is worth more dead than alive. In the end, he is able to see how his right actions throughout the life impacted the lives of those around him. The final scene is a classic tear jerker, showing the power that he had in the relationships of those around him.

But hey, this is my blog.

So in my usual smart-aleck thinking, I'm also reminded of a skit that was performed on Saturday Night Live quite a while back. In it, they "discovered" the "lost ending" to the movie ... quite an alternate ending, eh?

;*)

This is just wrong ...

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/17/2006 09:17:00 PM

I like soda. I don't like green peas. Putting green peas in soda will not make me like green peas.

Oh, and who is buying the fish taco sodas and salmon sodas?

This is just wrong ...

Blog entry that appeals to my "inner geek": Entry #1

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/12/2006 09:25:00 PM

Here's a graphic that appeals to my "inner geek" ...
(Hat tip: Fipi Lele, via Boing Boing/Cory Doctorow)

Funny stories from the console: Watch what you put in your lunch sack!

Written by Bob McCormick on 12/10/2006 06:30:00 PM

A couple of years back, I was slated to support Space Station operations (much like I am now).

Before I head to work on those kinds of days, I pack my lunch, much like a lot of people do. Of course, this was late evening/early morning shift work. I normally pack a few Diet Cokes (they help quench my thirst and give me a little caffeine boost), so I went to the frig & packed a few in my lunch sack. I was running a little late, so I did things quickly.

I managed to get to the console on time, & got to work.

As things normally go, I got a little thirsty about an hour or two into the shift. So I pull out the first can, and start to open it. That's when I noticed something was wrong with the logo on the can. Very, very wrong.




The can was not a Diet Coke Can.








The can was a Coors Light Beer can!



Apparently, in my haste, I had pulled two Coors Light Beer cans that had been sitting right next to the Diet Coke cans, and I hadn't noticed. Instantly, my flight controller training kicked in.

Don't. open. The. Beer. Can.

Put. The. Beer. Can. Down.

And most importantly,

Hope. That. Nobody. Saw. That. On. NASA. TV!

December 22, 2006: Keep the hankies ready

Written by Bob McCormick on 11/08/2006 11:43:00 PM

As y'all know, I blog quite a bit about football stuff, & I cover Conference USA.

One of the newer C-USA colleges, Marshall University, suffered an indescribable loss back in November 1970. On November 14th of that year, Marshall's football team looked forward to heading back to Huntington, West Virginia, and celebrating their win over East Carolina University.

They never made it home. Their plane crashed on approach to the local airport. All 75 passengers on their chartered plane perished in the crash.

On December 22, Warner Brothers will release "We Are Marshall", the story about the experiences of the town, University, and Program that had to put itself back together.

Here is a USA Today writeup about the film, and here is the trailer (warning: misty eyes moment ahead).

Politics “back in the day”

Written by Bob McCormick on 11/07/2006 10:16:00 PM

With Election Day going on here in the US, my latest trip to the polls reminded me of one of my earlier trips back when I was in college.

Back in 1984, I was still a wet-behind-the-ears college student, constantly on the lookout for some spare change. My across-the-street neighbor happened to be the Democratic Party Precinct Chairman, and needed help running the Primary elections. I would net about $20 or so for my work signing up people (per the election rolls), and giving them minor directions on how to vote.

Here in Texas, as in most of the US, each of the major parties holds primary elections to determine their full slate of candidates – everything from President all the way down to local county judges. The positions that are part of each election depend on the term of each office – President/Vice President is every 4 years, Senate seats are every 6 years (2 per state, with staggered terms that usually preclude both seats being up for grabs), Representative seats every 2 years, and so on, with most of the remaining spots as 2 year terms. 1984 was a Presidential election year - with Reagan as the incumbent, the Democrats had to come up with a viable challenger.

At the time of the Texas primary elections (different states hold them at different times), Walter Mondale, Jesse Jackson, and Gary Hart were the main candidates. Others had been candidates but had dropped out due to losing state primaries before Texas held their primary.

The odd thing about the primary elections that year was that you did not actually vote for a Presidential candidate. Instead, each precinct had to form a caucus AFTER the elections closed (which was 6 PM or so on a Saturday), from which the people who had voted would form voting blocs to determine how the precinct would vote at a State district convention a week after the primaries. (Later, I was to find out that this feature of the primary voting was actually due to the “Jim Crow” heritage of some of the Texas state laws.)

I managed to stick around after the general primary election for the caucuses. I decided I wanted to vote for Gary Hart – I was suspicious of Jesse Jackson’s politics (and still am, to this day), and I was unsympathetic to Walter Mondale’s currying of the Big Labor blocs (which would ultimately bring him the nomination anyway). I was sympathetic to Gary Hart’s promise of “New Ideas”, even if he was vague about what those ideas are. Granted, this was all before Hart’s “Monkey Business” episode, which basically ruined his political career. (Note that Bill Clinton turned out to be a protégé of Gary Hart … but this was all way before then.)

I went to the State District convention, which, for our part of the greater Houston area, was actually held in the Webster Intermediate School auditorium (ironically, near where I live now). I remember the day distinctly because there was a torrential downpour most of the day. I also remember the convention as the first place where I really started to sour on the Democratic Party. I sat through about 6 hours of ridiculous delays in a stuffy auditorium as the convention tried to organize itself. Each group of voters (Mondale, Hart, and Jackson) had to organize themselves in a particular part of the auditorium. At one point, the district chairman suggested that the Jackson caucus form itself in the back of the auditorium, which would have been a pretty good place as it was about the only area with adequate ventilation. But the Jackson supporters took this suggestion as an insult, inferring that the suggestion was telling them to go to the “back of the bus”. He quickly changed his mind and suggested they caucus on the stage.

With the numbers that showed up, the Mondale caucus eventually had the votes to swing the convention (as they later would at the state and national level). However, what really started turning me off was everything else that was going on. In one area, there was a group calling for a Nuclear weapon rollback (obviously with the USSR). Their catch phrase was that the rollback would be a “Total, Verifiable” rollback – and if you didn’t agree with them on the spot or asked a question to help clarify what they meant, they would simply repeat their catch phrase 3 db louder. This was one of the party platform planks they would have. And as I sat through their railroaded party platform amendments, with each proposition more left-wing than the next, I had the almost uncontrollable urge to club a gay baby whale with a nuclear warhead, while searching for stem cell research funding. In my mind, the Democratic Party had “lost it” … and in my opinion, they haven’t found it yet.

OBTW – don’t ask me how I voted, ‘cuz I won’t tell you (I even directly mislead the exit pollsters at today’s polls). I’ve decided being an Independent is the way to go, and I don’t vote & tell anymore than I kiss and tell.

The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated ...

Written by Bob McCormick on 11/06/2006 10:18:00 PM

Well folks,

It's been quite a while - too long, really - since my last non-football related post.

I have been tied up in quite a few things which have prevented my desire to get to "A Blog A Day".

Part of this has been due to console manning. Over the past 2 months or so, I've been on console three times. once, pinch-hitting for one day, another time, for a full week (or as much as I could while supporting more Japanese/NASA meetings); and finally, this past week (on the graveyard shift). Amazingly, each time I was on console, we seemed to be involved in either fixing or activating the Russian Elektron system (which is capable of converting water into breathable oxygen and venting hydrogen overboard). The crew was finally able to get it running this past week, which is a relief on having to provide oxygen by other means (i.e., it decreases crew stay time limits). Now all they have to do is get ready for a Russian EVA and the next Shuttle flight. No problem. ;*P

The other part of my delay in getting back to you was based on good news ... my parents sold their house and found a new place near where I live! This is good news, but it created a short term burden for myself and my brother and sister - my parents needed help in moving out of their 5 bedroom house, down to a 2 bedroom townhouse. (As George Carlin so aptly put it, it's all about the stuff.) I am glad to report that they have sucessfully moved, with no fatalities and few serious injuries. ;*)

In all seriousness, I will miss the old house we lived in. I remember moving into it when I was in Intermediate School, and I basically grew up there. My family - or at least, my parents - lived there for 31 years, and it will be hard not to think of it as the place I need to go to to see them. However, I must admit - my parents haven't been in their new place for 1 week and I like the convenience.

Week 7 Personal Fantasy Football roundup

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/24/2006 10:56:00 PM

This week, my "money" team (the Local Yokels), after essentially a Bye week, took on th Tomahawks. Here's the results ... Tomahawks get scalped! We're 5-2!

Points Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual
QB E. Manning (NYG - QB) @Dal W, 36-22 16.68 15.55
RB T. Bell (Den - RB) @Cle W, 17-7 12.18 18.60
W/T M. Harrison (Ind - WR) Was W, 36-22 11.10 19.30
W/T E. Parker (SD - WR) @KC L, 30-27 5.48 3.90
W/R T. Glenn (Dal - WR) NYG L, 36-22 10.01 4.10
K L. Tynes (KC - K) SD W, 30-27 8.96 7.00
DEF Denver (Den - DEF) @Cle W, 17-7 10.44 14.00
Total 74.85 82.45

Points Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual

QB P. Rivers (SD - QB) @KC L, 30-27 16.88 17.50
RB R. Johnson (Cin - RB) Car W, 17-14 11.98 10.50
W/T S. Smith (Car - WR) @Cin L, 17-14 12.92 12.60
W/T P. Burress (NYG - WR) @Dal W, 36-22 8.45 15.40
W/R W. Parker (Pit - RB) @Atl L, 41-38 11.26 2.70
K J. Scobee (Jac - K) @Hou L, 27-7 7.70 1.00
DEF Atlanta (Atl - DEF) Pit W, 41-38 10.68 6.00
Total 79.87 65.70


Non-money league (ESPN) Dork results ...How I won with 3 guys on Bye week is beyond my comprehension. Apparently Aqua Tears needs more help than I do!

THE DORKS SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Peyton Manning, Ind QB Was 36-22 F 26
RB Clinton Portis, Was RB Q @Ind 22-36 F 5
RB Corey Dillon, NE RB @Buf 28-6 F 16
WR Donald Driver, GB WR P @Mia 34-24 F 10
WR Josh Reed, Buf WR NE 6-28 F 1
WR/TE Antonio Bryant, SF WR P ** BYE ** --
D/ST Redskins D/ST, Was D/ST @Ind 22-36 F 2
K Shayne Graham, Cin K Car 17-14 F 5
TOTAL POINTS: 65


TEAM HARRIS
SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Carson Palmer, Cin QB Car 17-14 F 12
RB Dominic Rhodes, Ind RB Q Was 36-22 F 2
RB Mike Anderson, Bal RB P ** BYE ** --
WR Marvin Harrison, Ind WR Was 36-22 F 15
WR Ernest Wilford, Jac WR @Hou 7-27 F -1
WR/TE Joe Horn, NO WR ** BYE ** --
D/ST Falcons D/ST, Atl D/ST Pit 41-38 F 10
K David Akers, Phi K @TB 21-23 F 3
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: 1
TOTAL POINTS: 42

C-USA Football roundup: Week 8

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/23/2006 10:58:00 PM

Tulane 13, #8 Auburn 38
Ouch. Tulane was overmatched in this contest.

East Carolina 38, Southern Methodist 21
ECU is sneaking up on people - ask SMU.

Rice 40, UCF 29
Rice is sneaking up on people also, although defending East Divsion champ UCF is nowhere near last year's form.

Marshall 31, UAB 24
A battle between two evenly matched (albeit poor) teams.

Houston 34, UTEP 17
The McCormick family had a previous engagement at our church's Oktoberfest, which didn't allow us to go to this one. It is the first UH home game I missed, and I regretted it as I suspected I would. UTEP is not up to last year's form, and they were not playing this in El Paso this time. The combination favored the Coogs, although they apparently struggled in the first half with play reminiscent of their previous 3 loss streak.

Virginia Tech 36, Southern Miss 6
Ouch #2. I expected a closer game than this from Southern Miss, but I guess playing this on the road was the difference.

Tulsa 35, Memphis 14
Two teams headed in opposite directions. Tulsa looks to be in good form for at least a bowl game while Memphis still misses DeAngelo Williams. Results are as expected.

Week 6 Personal Fantasy Football roundup

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/16/2006 10:59:00 PM

This week, my "money" team (the Local Yokels), who are now officially so banged up they are being sponsored by Ace Bandage Co., took on Naked Boot Leg. Here's the results ... I shoulda just had everyone on Bye week!

Points Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual
QB E. Manning (NYG - QB) @Atl W, 27-14 11.71 13.00
RB T. Bell (Den - RB) Oak W, 13-3 14.74 15.40
W/T A. Toomer (NYG - WR) @Atl W, 27-14 6.17 1.80
W/T A. Crumpler (Atl - TE) NYG L, 27-14 6.83 6.60
W/R T. Glenn (Dal - WR) Hou W, 34-6 10.67 4.70
K L. Tynes (KC - K) @Pit L, 45-7 9.91 1.00
DEF Denver (Den - DEF) Oak W, 13-3 11.05 14.00
Total 71.08 56.50

Points Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual
QB C. Palmer (Cin - QB) @TB L, 14-13 15.37 17.15
RB C. Portis (Was - RB) Ten L, 25-22 17.15 19.50
W/T C. Johnson (Cin - WR) P @TB L, 14-13 8.92 9.90
W/T L. Evans (Buf - WR) @Det L, 20-17 9.28 8.20
W/R J. Jones (Dal - RB) Hou W, 34-6 14.72 10.60
K J. Wilkins (StL - K) Sea L, 30-28 11.33 4.00
DEF Buffalo (Buf - DEF) @Det L, 20-17 7.40 8.00
Total 84.17 77.35

Non-money league (ESPN) Dork results ...How I won with 3 guys on Bye week is beyond my comprehension. Apparently Aqua Tears needs more help than I do!

THE DORKS
SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Peyton Manning, Ind QB ** BYE **--
RB Clinton Portis, Was RB Ten 22-25 F 17
RB Corey Dillon, NE RB ** BYE ** --
WR Donald Driver, GB WR P ** BYE ** --
WR Josh Reed, Buf WR @Det 17-20 F 1
WR/TE Antonio Bryant, SF WR P SD 19-48 F 3
D/ST Redskins D/ST, Was D/ST Ten 22-25 F 6
K Shayne Graham, Cin K @TB 13-14 F 8
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: 1
TOTAL POINTS: 36

AQUA TEARS
SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Brett Favre, GB QB ** BYE ** --
RB Edgerrin James, Ari RB Chi 23-24 F 3
RB Thomas Jones, Chi RB @Ari 24-23 F 4
WR Randy Moss, Oak WR @Den 3-13 F 4
WR Santana Moss, Was WR Ten 22-25 F 7
WR/TE Anquan Boldin, Ari WR Chi 23-24 F 12
D/ST Jaguars D/ST, Jac D/ST ** BYE ** --
K Jeff Wilkins, StL K Sea 28-30 F 4
TOTAL POINTS: 34

C-USA Football roundup: Week 7

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/16/2006 10:14:00 PM

Pittsburgh 52, UCF 7
Ouch. UCF did not represent C-USA well against Big East competition. Of course, Pitt had won 4 going into the game.

Arkansas State 26, Memphis 23
Ouch #2. As I said before, Memphis has fallen a long way since the days of DeAngelo Williams (OK, those days were just last year, but you get the point). They fell to a Sun Belt team! Of course, I won't rub it in too far - I saw the Coogs blow it to ULL ...

Marshall 21, Southern Methodist 31
You can never tell about SMU. Ask Marshall.

UAB 33, Rice 34
Being a Houston "homer", I always root for Rice ('cept when they play UH). Glad to see them pull this one out.

Tulsa 31, East Carolina 10
The Golden Hurricane juggernaut rolls on. ECU was not up to the task.

Southern Miss 31, Houston 27
I had always suspected UH would lose this one - Southern Miss is tough at home. The score was not quite as close as it looks (Houston's last score was just beforethe final gun - the refs did not let them play for the last point as it would not have affected the outcome). Still, it's tough, as there are now 3 losses in a row. However, losing to Miami and Southern Miss - in their stadiums - is nothing to be ashamed of. Losing to ULL at home is another matter.

UTEP 34, Tulane 20
Ho hum. I don't think UTEP is as good as they were last year. We'll see next week when they take on UH.

October 7, 2006 - Can I have a "do over"?

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/13/2006 10:07:00 PM

For me, October 7 was a perfect example of when a plan goes bad.

My day started off with a series of home viewings for my parents - they are moving from the west side of Houston to the Clear Lake side where I live. They have an offer on their house and are anxious to find a new house over here. However, they were scheduled to attend a wedding of one of my cousins in Chicago, so they enlisted our aid (my wife and I) in taking a look at some houses over the weekend. So, armed with internet listings of various features of about a half dozen townhomes and houses, off we went with the real estate agents.

Disappointment #1: the houses

Without going into detail, I need to ask: when people are trying to sell their house, what are they thinking? I realize the real estate market is becoming more of a buyers market ... which is why it makes sense for someone who is trying to sell their house to be ready at any time. This would mean cleaning up the house - it's not about you, it's about your house and the fact that you want to sell it. Examples: One homeowner answered our request to view the house in their bathing suit. Most of the houses we saw had various features that just wouldn't work for my 70's-ish parents - unnatural step ups and step downs, too much foliage in the back yards, one which obviously had a smoker in it and would need a through fumigating. I realize that not every house is built for someone in their 70's, but sheesh!

(Anyways, we spent about 4 hours spinning our wheels on the houses we saw. Oddly enough, as we were looking at one townhouse, a lady came out of the adjacent townhouse and told us that she might be selling hers. As we went on to look at the other houses, she apparently got in touch with our real estate agent's office and put hers on the market. So, we went back and briefly looked at her townhouse - it was in good condition! So I told my parents, who looked at it last week, gave her an offer, and are now in the process of closing. This, all for a townhouse that wasn't even in the market last week. Just goes to show you what can happen if you are ready and have the right product at the right time!)

Disappointment #2 - older son

So we start to get ready to go to the UH football game. I had bought a "mini-series" of tickets for the 4 of us - 3 games. We had already seen the first two (vs. Grambling and vs. Oklahoma State), and both times, the good guys won. In both instances, my older son had given us a bit of grief before the game, telling us he did not want to go - only to have a good time at the game. But today, he ABSOLUTELY did not want to go ... he "had" to do homework.

While I'm certainly sympathetic to making sure the kids do their homework, I really thought this was just an excuse. But as a result of the last minute begging and pleading and cajoling session I had with him, we started to get late to make it to the game on time. My wife (bless her), made the sacrifice of staying home, as we did not trust him to do his work on his own. She realized that my younger son and I were more tuned into the game, so she told us we should go. So after we quickly grabbed our stadium folding seats and gobbled our festive, healthy McMeals on the road :*/, off we went to UH.

Disappointment #3 - the game

So we get to the outer parking, pay $5 to the 5 Star security rental people, and pull into our slot. But since we had only made it there 10 minutes before kickoff, I made sure to hurry up to get to the Stadium (about a 10 minute walk) - and in the process, forgot the stadium folding chairs. We get to our seats, and watch the game - which UH developed a 21-0 lead to Louisiana-Lafayette, only to fold in the 4th quarter and lose, 31-28.


Can I have a "do over"?

C-USA Football roundup: Week 6

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/12/2006 11:17:00 PM

Southern Miss 6, Tulsa 20

Tulsa gets almost double Southern Miss's yardage, and roughs up USM in Tulsa.

Central Florida 23, Marshall 22

UCF gets a late field goal and barely escapes with a win against a beaten-up Marshall team.

Rice 24, Tulane 38

Rice finally has its starting QB, but Tulane plays inspired ball as they start playing in the Superdome again

Virginia 21, East Carolina 31

East Carolina jumps out early and takes out a weak ACC team.

Memphis 29, UAB 35

It's official - the loss of DeAngelo Williams has taken the heart out of Memphis. Tigers fans are wondering when basketball season starts.

Louisiana-Lafayette 31, Houston 28

Ouch. My personal story behind this game gets its own blog listing.

SMU 21, UTEP 24

SMU hangs tough with UTEP before falling to a late UTEP rally (not sure if this says more about SMU or UTEP).

alt.space - background

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/10/2006 10:49:00 PM

This is the first of a series of blog entries I will be devoting to a general topic called "alt.space". In this series, I hope to touch on the history of alt.space, who is involved, and what they are doing. I'll also be interjecting my thoughts/opinions into where I think things are headed. (Hey - it's my blog, so it's my rules!)

For those of you who don't know, "alt.space", as defined in wikipedia, is "...a community of relatively new aerospace companies working to develop low cost access to space or spaceflight technologies, and low cost spaceflight technical and policy advocates". This is the first of (hopefully) a series of alt.space blog entries, where I'll attempt to share what I know (which may not take long!).

The alt.space community is a relatively small, but perhaps the most important, aerospace community in the United States. These companies are collectively and individually working in areas that could potentially significantly lower the cost of launching payload weight to orbit. Current costs for payload weight to orbit vary by the payload and by the vehicle it's flown on. However, a good estimate for payload weight cost to orbit is approximately $10,000/lb - which is more than what a pound of gold costs. Historically, excluding commercial telecommunications companies, only government agencies (e.g., NASA an Dept. of Defense in the US) have been able to justify the cost.

Most alt.space companies are working on projects that decrease payload weight to orbit costs by an order of magnitude (that is, down to approximately $1000/lb). At these costs, it is envisioned that many more customers will be attracted to launch payloads to orbit. This method was useful in development and promotion of the Ansari X-Prize. The X-Prize was to be given to the first company which could develop a vehicle which could deliver a standard payload (with pilot) to orbit, and perform the same feat within two weeks, without removal of a significant portion of the vehicle. Burt Rutan and Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) formed Mojave Aerospace Ventures and won the $10 million prize on October 4, 2004. They are currently forming a joint venture with Sir Richard Branson, forming a new company called Virgin Galactic. The State of New Mexico has pledged approximately $200 million to develop an area between Las Cruces and White Sands as a Spaceport that Virgin Galactic can use to develop a suborbital tourism industry, with regular suborbital flights into space. Their efforts will be regulated (under special regulations) with the FAA.

I personally think that alt.space community holds quite a bit of economic potential. I'll be blogging more about where I think alt.space is, and where it's headed - so stay tuned!

Week 5 Personal Fantasy Football roundup

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/10/2006 10:12:00 PM

This week, my "money" team (the Local Yokels), who are now officially so banged up they are being sponsored by Ace Bandage Co., took on the turtles. Here's the results ... turtle soup!

Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual
QB E. Manning (NYG - QB) Was W, 19-3 16.93 17.40
RB T. Bell (Den - RB) Bal W, 13-3 11.39 7.90
W/T M. Harrison (Ind - WR) Ten W, 14-13 12.12 8.90
W/T B. Edwards (Cle - WR) @Car L, 20-12 7.03 2.70
W/R T. Glenn (Dal - WR) @Phi L, 38-24 8.38 6.10
K L. Tynes (KC - K) @Ari W, 23-20 8.77 13.00
DEF Indianapolis (Ind - DEF) Ten W, 14-13 9.75 7.00
Total 74.37 63.00

The turtles

QB P. Manning (Ind - QB) Ten W, 14-13 25.98 15.10
RB T. Jones (Chi - RB) Buf W, 40-7 12.20 12.20
W/T D. Mason (Bal - WR) @Den L, 13-3 7.20 4.50
W/T J. Shockey (NYG - TE) Was W, 19-3 6.65 1.30
W/R L. Betts (Was - RB) @NYG L, 19-3 2.43 1.70
K A. Vinatieri (Ind - K) Ten W, 14-13 8.08 0.00
DEF Baltimore (Bal - DEF) @Den L, 13-3 9.99 9.00
Total 72.53 43.80


Non-money league (ESPN)

Dork results ...The Dorks are now not even worthy of being called the Dorks. It's so bad, we're calling them the Anemic Dorks now. Good thing there's no money in this league!

THE TEAM-FORMERLY-KNOWN-AS-THE-DORKS-NOW-KNOWN-AS-THE-ANEMIC-DORKS

SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Peyton Manning, Ind QB Ten 14-13 F 9
RB Clinton Portis, Was RB @NYG 3-19 F 7
RB Corey Dillon, NE RB Mia 20-10 F 4
WR Donald Driver, GB WR StL 20-23 F 1
WR Josh Reed, Buf WR @Chi 7-40 F 0
WR/TE Antonio Bryant, SF WR Oak 34-20 F 1
D/ST Redskins D/ST, Was D/ST @NYG 3-19 F 2
K Shayne Graham, Cin K ** BYE **
TOTAL POINTS: 24
TENNESSEE MUDDCHICKENS
SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Marc Bulger, StL QB @GB 23-20 F 13
RB Deuce McAllister, NO RB TB 24-21 F 18
RB Ahman Green*, GB RB StL 20-23 F 0
WR Terrell Owens, Dal WR @Phi 24-38 F 2
WR Larry Fitzgerald*, Ari WR KC 20-23 F 6
WR/TE Reggie Wayne, Ind WR Ten 14-13 F 7
D/ST Panthers D/ST, Car D/ST Cle 20-12 F 21
K Josh Brown, Sea K ** BYE **
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: 1
TOTAL POINTS: 68

My first podcast!

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/06/2006 06:50:00 AM

How exciting!
Gabcast! For "A blog a day" #1

This is cool technology!

...but also, a solution looking for a problem ...

Upon further review - this is a better way to accomplish the same thing. The old way required a script that was bringing my PC to its knees.

(Note to self: tell gabcast that theire method for having folks link to thier podcasts ain't making it ...)

White and Nerdy

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/02/2006 11:36:00 PM

Must be seen to be believed. I don't have cable, and I think this has been on there some time, so I guess I'm behind the times ... again ...(sigh)

Folks at work were reminded of each other when they saw it.

Thanks for sharing, Ms. Minimiles!

Last week's funniest ISS console ops story: "Sucky Pants"

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/02/2006 11:00:00 PM

Well,

I managed to survive another week of ISS console ops. As I said in an earlier post, I had to work the "graveyard" shift. The major thing that occurred last week was the overlap of the next Expedition crew. Expedition 14 - Michael Lopez-Alegria and Mikhail Tyurin), and their visiting crewmember, Anousheh Ansari, arrived with the Soyuz launch and docking during the previous week. The previous Expedition crew (Expedition 13 - Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams), along Anousheh Ansari, took the existing Soyuz back down to Earth this past Friday. Thomas Reiter, who came up on STS-121 and was with the Expediton 13 crew, will stay with the Expedition 14 crew but will return to Earth before them, and be replaced by Sunita Williams (no relation to Jeffrey Williams) on a later Shuttle flight.

The funniest thing happened before my Wednesday shift. As FCT shifts hand over from one shift to the next, each Flight Controller develops log entries during their shift and note the significant work and operations that the next shift will have to execute. As a part of that process, I asked my counterpart what were the significant events that were to occur on orbit during my shift.

As it so happened, some of the Expedition 13 crew were undergoing something called a "Lower Body Negative Pressure" protocol, for a period of time. It looks something like the picture here. The idea is for the crewmember to jump into a kind of "bag" which has some of its air pressure taken out, relative to what the upper body is experiencing. This helps draw blood down to the lower part of the body, which helps crewmembers on long-duration zero g flights, as their circulatory system hasn't had a gravitational pull on it, and helps their acclimation to the regular gravitational pull on their circulatory system when they arrive back on Earth.

Anyways, the LBNP has a legitimate technical need. Nevertheless, as I reviewed the activities on the plan, I mentally shortened the LBNP activity to "Sucky Pants".

Problem is, I said that with my outer voice.

The Ops Planner I took the handover from thought it was the. funniest. thing. ever. And come to think of it, she was right! She shared what I said with our back room support (on a private voice loop), who agreed.

After our quick individual handover, the oncoming FCT shift normally spends a quick session on one of the FCT loops reviewing, Flight Controller by Flight Controller, the significant events and items the FCT needed to do for the shift. While I was doing my part, the offgoing Ops Planner and the backroom were triple-dog daring me to call the activity "Sucky Pants". I was tempted, but I did not want to make a career-limiting move.

So, I thought it would be better to share it with you, my steadfast and loyal blog readers.


"Sucky Pants" ... :*)

Viewers poll: The viewers have spoken ... I think

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/02/2006 10:30:00 PM

Due to technical difficulties, last week's viewers poll blogsite has been sacked. When I last had results for the poll, it looked like an alt.space summary was the leading vote-getter. So, I'll do my best to develop a set of blog entires on what I think the current state of alt.space is over the next week - maybe more.

This weeks viewers poll picks up essentially where the last one left off. Here are my proposed topics (in no particular order) ...

1. MSM (i.e., Mainstream Media) - what bugs me about it/them

2. Houston Cougars football attendance - a diagnosis and some suggestions

3. What is planning? My philosophy

4. Something I have not thought of, but maybe you have. (If you have any, leave comments for me to this blog entry - below).

You can see the poll over on the right hand side of my blog. The polls remain open from now through the 10th of October. Again - pretend you're in Chicago and VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN!

Week 4 Personal Fantasy Football roundup

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/02/2006 06:00:00 PM

This week, my "money" team (the Local Yokels), took on the Steel Panthers. Here's the results ...

Unbelievable! The Steel Panthers are rust!

Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual
QB B. Johnson (Min - QB) @Buf L, 17-12 11.33 15.15
RB C. Brown (Ten - RB) Dal L, 45-14 8.52 3.30
W/T M. Harrison (Ind - WR) @NYJ W, 31-28 11.68 7.90
W/T D. Stallworth (Phi - WR) Q GB W, 31-9 11.33 0.00
W/R T. Glenn (Dal - WR) @Ten W, 45-14 9.87 19.60
K L. Tynes (KC - K) SF W, 41-0 8.32 12.00
DEF Indianapolis (Ind - DEF) @NYJ W, 31-28 5.98 6.00
Total 67.03 63.95

The Steel Panthers

Pos Player Opp Status Projected Actual
QB D. Carr (Hou - QB) Mia W, 17-15 15.62 17.50
RB R. Bush (NO - RB) @Car L, 21-18 11.30 5.00
W/T R. Brown (Phi - WR) P GB W, 31-9 6.65 0.00
W/T K. Winslow (Cle - TE) Q @Oak W, 24-21 8.15 9.10
W/R Ro. Williams (Det - WR) @StL L, 41-34 7.70 13.90
K M. Stover (Bal - K) SD W, 16-13 10.22 2.00
DEF Seattle (Sea - DEF) @Chi L, 37-6 8.39 1.00
Total 68.03 48.50


Non-money league (ESPN)Pinhead results ...



The Pinheads have so badly disgraced their name (on THEIR HOME FIELD), I'm deciding to call them The Dorks. Take a good look at this logo ... it's going to be a collector's item soon.

THE TEAM-FORMERLY-KNOWN-AS-THE-PINHEADS

SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS

QB Peyton Manning, Ind QB @NYJ 31-28 F 14
RB Clinton Portis, Was RB Jac 36-30 F 18
RB Corey Dillon, NE RB @Cin 38-13 F 12
WR Donald Driver, GB WR @Phi 9-31 F 2
WR Josh Reed, Buf WR Min 17-12 F 2
WR/TE Antonio Bryant, SF WR @KC 0-41 F 1
D/ST Redskins D/ST, Was D/ST Jac 36-30 F 10
K Shayne Graham, Cin K P NE 13-38 F 9
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: 1
TOTAL POINTS: 69

TEAM RAINBOLT
SLOT STARTERS OPP STATUS PTS
QB Drew Bledsoe, Dal QB @Ten 45-14 F 9
RB Rudi Johnson, Cin RB NE 13-38 F 13
RB Julius Jones, Dal RB @Ten 45-14 F 18
WR Steve Smith, Car WR P NO 21-18 F 10
WR Eddie Kennison, KC WR SF 41-0 F 10
WR/TE Donte' Stallworth, Phi WR P GB 31-9 F 1
D/ST Eagles D/ST, Phi D/ST GB 31-9 F 11
K Neil Rackers, Ari K @Atl 10-32 F 4
TOTAL POINTS: 76

C-USA Football roundup: Week 5

Written by Bob McCormick on 10/02/2006 06:31:00 AM

Southern Miss 19, Central Florida 14

Southern Miss takes this one on the momentum of an interception returned for a touchdown early in the 4th quarter. Central Fla. helped by taking a long drive to the end zone - only to fumble. UCF also managed to miss a FG attempt.

Oh, and note to Central Florida fans - no trash talking from you about UH's football attendance. 23k at the Citrus Bowl, when you're the only game in town?!? Are you kidding?!? Yes, I know it rained ... so buy a poncho.

Memphis 7, Tennessee 41

Ouch. Tennessee is #15, but I was hoping for a closer game by Memphis (in Memphis). It's beginning to look like losing DeAngelo Williams to graduation leaves Memphis a lot lower than I'd thought. And where was the Memphis defense?

Rice 48, Army 14

Now that Rice is past the hardest part of their season (UCLA, Texas, and Fla. State back to back), and has their starting QB back, the rest of the country gets to see what we at UH and Rice already knew - Rice has some potential. Army (who fared well against Big 12 competition in barely losing to A&M and beating Baylor in OT - in Waco) was no match for Rice.

UAB 21, Troy 3

The injured UAB Blazers (sponsored by Ace Bandage Co.) managed to put away Troy with 9 of their starters sidelined by injury.

SMU 33, Tulane 28

This game gets wild at the end as both teams combine for 37 of their total 61 points in the fourth quarter. SMU manages to escape a last-ditch Tulane push in the Superdome (21k attendance, 70k capacity ... ugh).

UTEP 44, Mew Mexico State 38

UTEP survives this aerial attack at the Sun Bowl as New Mexico State makes a close game for these close (about 60 miles apart) rivals.

Miami 14, Houston 13

Well, the family and I did not go to this game, which is understandable, since it was 1000 miles away in Miami. Instead, we headed to a local bar/restaurant, and watched ESPN2 as the Coogs dropped this close one.

Miami did look like the more talented team that night, but they were managing to defeat themselves with sloppy play (a lot of illegal procedure penalties). That said, I think the Coogs were a bit robbed by the refs in this game, particularly that play ruled an incomplete pass that should have been ruled a fumble - the Coogs would have probably hung at least 3 more on Miami, which would have changed the outcome. Still, if you had told me preseason that we would be 4-1 at this point (with the 1 loss being by 1 point to Miami), I would have you to put down the crack pipe. Way to go, Coogs!