What has The Maximum Leader come to? Where's the action?
Truthfully, there hasn't been a lot lately. As Evil pointed out, I have been blogging about golf, yoga, and Becker (which is an under-rated sitcom.) And what's worse, it was a nostalgia piece about Becker! I don't even have cable up here!
Maybe it's time for a shake up.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Truth is a Lie #4
Yesterday I tried in vain to set up a blogger mobile account so I could send text and images from the Blueberry to The Maximum Leader. I wanted to post a pic of a radio station van with a large picture of Steve Harvey on it. But the mobile blog and the mail to address feature are either not working or I'm not doing it right. Damn. That was a cool Steve Harvey van.
The Steve Harvey Show was one of a number of "bad" sitcoms that I used to be into when I had cable. I would happen upon a syndicated sitcom that I missed when it was on the first time (I have no idea when the Steve Harvey Show was on originally) and, with the exception of the SHS, usually get pulled in by the presence of some cute girl or girls. Next thing I knew I was hooked. I was into Two Guys and a Girl, Ned and Stacy, and my all time Fave: Becker.
Becker gets run down a lot. People make fun of it. Some folks just plain hate it. And wonder how Ted Dansen could go from a great show like Cheers to Becker. Maybe I'm strange, but I like Becker a lot more than Cheers. I like Reggie (the original Reggie, the tall one,) and the office assistant chick is real hot. The other characters are good too. The blind guy is funny. So is the cab driver.
And Becker is funny. But you have to get into the rhythm of the show. And being on a six month vaction is really the best way to do that.
I don't have cable anymore, much less a DVR. And I go to work everyday, so I don't get to watch Becker for an hour like I used to when I got up at 10 or 11 every day. But maybe some day I'll have the chance again. And I can catch up on some shows I'm missing now.
The Steve Harvey Show was one of a number of "bad" sitcoms that I used to be into when I had cable. I would happen upon a syndicated sitcom that I missed when it was on the first time (I have no idea when the Steve Harvey Show was on originally) and, with the exception of the SHS, usually get pulled in by the presence of some cute girl or girls. Next thing I knew I was hooked. I was into Two Guys and a Girl, Ned and Stacy, and my all time Fave: Becker.
Becker gets run down a lot. People make fun of it. Some folks just plain hate it. And wonder how Ted Dansen could go from a great show like Cheers to Becker. Maybe I'm strange, but I like Becker a lot more than Cheers. I like Reggie (the original Reggie, the tall one,) and the office assistant chick is real hot. The other characters are good too. The blind guy is funny. So is the cab driver.
And Becker is funny. But you have to get into the rhythm of the show. And being on a six month vaction is really the best way to do that.
I don't have cable anymore, much less a DVR. And I go to work everyday, so I don't get to watch Becker for an hour like I used to when I got up at 10 or 11 every day. But maybe some day I'll have the chance again. And I can catch up on some shows I'm missing now.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
You're Kind of a NASCAR Snob
ESPN is reporting that Budweiser is in negotiations to sponsor Kasey Kahne and his red number 9 Dodge next year.
What does this mean for my beer drinking habits? I enjoy the King of Beers every now and again, but Coors Light is my number 1. (I have given up attempts to find a sub-premium brand that I like.) If my favorite driver is wheeling the Bud car I might have to drink the Fatweiser more often. (And increase my treadmill time.)
Budweiser used to have a policy that they did not use anyone under 30 to promote their products (at least in their commercials), but I guess that doesn't apply to race car drivers or maybe they've changed their minds.
It's been reported that Dale Jr. might be sponsored by Mountain Dew. Kasey used to have a Mountain Dew deal, and he'd have to drink one in the post race interviews. Sometimes he'd make a face like he really didn't like the Dew, but he had to get in his "chug points." He'll probably like an ice cold Bud a lot better.
What does this mean for my beer drinking habits? I enjoy the King of Beers every now and again, but Coors Light is my number 1. (I have given up attempts to find a sub-premium brand that I like.) If my favorite driver is wheeling the Bud car I might have to drink the Fatweiser more often. (And increase my treadmill time.)
Budweiser used to have a policy that they did not use anyone under 30 to promote their products (at least in their commercials), but I guess that doesn't apply to race car drivers or maybe they've changed their minds.
It's been reported that Dale Jr. might be sponsored by Mountain Dew. Kasey used to have a Mountain Dew deal, and he'd have to drink one in the post race interviews. Sometimes he'd make a face like he really didn't like the Dew, but he had to get in his "chug points." He'll probably like an ice cold Bud a lot better.
All Star Game
I understand that Larussa needed to hold someone back in case the game went into extra innings. BUT how the hell can you not send Pujols up to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th!! There were two outs and the NL was down by one run. If Pujols gets a hit the NL wins and there's no extra innings to worry about. Larussa blew that one big time.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The Truth is a Lie G.C.
My golf game is really coming around. Don't know where that came from. Back in my pre-rock and roll days I played golf a lot and I always sucked. Just ask that dude who was mowing his lawn next to the Cordova Club. But these days I'm not playing bad at all. Must be the yoga.
I have a couple of friends back home who are really against golf. With one of them I suspect it's some kind of political/class thing. He has obiviously never played at the Shelby Golf Course in East Nashville where, like a lot of other places on the East Side, sleeves are optional. (Seriously, is it just here, or are men every where rocking sleeveless shirts this summer? I've been out sleeveless a couple of times myself---not to the golf course tho---and the first time I was a little self concious about it but the last time I didn't care at all. Of course it is hot as hell. That might be part of it.) And the fee for 18 holes with a cart came in at just under 19 bucks! Put a few CLs in the bag and that is a fun and affordable way to spend an afternoon.
I have a couple of friends back home who are really against golf. With one of them I suspect it's some kind of political/class thing. He has obiviously never played at the Shelby Golf Course in East Nashville where, like a lot of other places on the East Side, sleeves are optional. (Seriously, is it just here, or are men every where rocking sleeveless shirts this summer? I've been out sleeveless a couple of times myself---not to the golf course tho---and the first time I was a little self concious about it but the last time I didn't care at all. Of course it is hot as hell. That might be part of it.) And the fee for 18 holes with a cart came in at just under 19 bucks! Put a few CLs in the bag and that is a fun and affordable way to spend an afternoon.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Truth is a Lie #3
There's no topic that is burning me up today, like yesterday's post on the state of NASCAR. I'm not sure how I'm not keeping it real by questioning the rampant corporatizing of the sport. Maybe keeping it real would entail not thinking about it so much and just enjoying the racing. Which I could do if it wasn't all a big set up! Though, I used to really like WCW and that was a set up. So, who knows.
The Maximum Leader literary blog is suffering because its author has not read a whole book in a really long time now. I am, however, involved in a close re-viewing of Twin Peaks Season 2. And at some point I might have something to say about that.
CONFIDENTIAL is coming soon!
The Maximum Leader literary blog is suffering because its author has not read a whole book in a really long time now. I am, however, involved in a close re-viewing of Twin Peaks Season 2. And at some point I might have something to say about that.
CONFIDENTIAL is coming soon!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Is NASCAR Fake?
Something is going on with NASCAR. And I'm losing interest. For the last few years I have really enjoyed watching the NASCAR races and reading about the drivers and the drama and talking about it with other fans, but this year my devotion to the sport is really slipping.
It started when my favorite driver, Kasey Kahne, was caught with some kind of illegal part or modification at Daytona, docked 100 owners points, and had his crew chief suspended for 4 races. And then Kasey started sucking, and Jeff Gordon started winning every week (or Jeff Gordon II aka Jimmie Johnson.) Next thing you know, I just didn't care as much.
Then there was all of the Junior drama. The idea of Junior driving a red, Budweiser No.3 was pretty exciting. But I don't guess it was ever going to happen. Now Junior has joined up with Hendrick and will probably be racing a Sony No. 5. or a Visa No. 25. Will he win a championship? Does it matter? And if he does win a championship what will it be called?
Thanks to the tobacco settlement, Winston had to end its relationship with NASCAR several years ago. Nextel, a second tier cellular telephone company, scraped together the big bucks and bought themselves a Major League Sport. I'm sure this was supposed to help them sell telephones, but I haven't known anyone with a Nextel phone since I was a facility manager and had to call maintenance folks to come work on something at one of my buildings. Air conditioning repairmen and electricians needed the walkie talkie feature to communicated with their shops and their co-workers. Nobody else needs this. And nobody else bought Nextel phones. And I guess that's why they sold out to Sprint, a barely first tier cellular company. Sprint got themselves a cool walkie talkie cell system for electricians and air conditioning repairmen and a Major League Sport! So next year the drivers will compete for the Sprint Cup. Never mind that this sounds like a competition for sprint cars. And never mind that Nextel can change the name of the series to Sprint, but Cingular can't change its car to ATT to reflect their recent name change. A judge ruled in ATT's favor, so Sprint sued them back and now who knows how it'll end up. Though I would bet that ATT gets to keep its name on Jeff Burton's car. Yeah, Nextel had a deal with Cingular. But Nextel isn't Nextel anymore!
NASCAR has had sponsors and ads for a long time. It was the Winston cup forever. But it seems like the corporations are really running the sports part of stock car racing in the ground.
The companies and their logos take precedent over anything else. When Michael Waltrip was caught using jet fuel in his car in qualifying was only docked some points and moved to the back! He was still allowed to run the race, and that had to have something to do with the major auto parts company with their name painted on his hood. That same major auto parts company is now very unhappy that Waltrip has not been able to get his un-jet fueled car into very many races. The sponsors are running the show.
And that's what brings me to my the point of my title. Is there a set-up going on? Do certain sponsors cut deals with NASCAR to have their driver win? Is it just coincidence that Jimmy Johnson's Lowe's car owned Lowe's Motor Speedway over the course of several races? Or what about this year when Casey Mears' and his National Guard crew were oh so proud that they could win one for the troops on Memorial Day weekend?
Today's newspaper story about Juan Pablo Montoya's victory at Infineon contained a brief mention, near the end, about the win being well timed and well placed with Montoya getting to celebrate in front of a large crowd of folks from Chevron, the parent company of his sponsor, Texaco, whose headquarters are relatively near the raceway.
NASCAR, more than any other sport, is about selling product. Hell, most things in this country are about selling product. And sports are no different. But the other big sports at least try to appear like it's about the game. They have resisted ads on uniforms, changed their minds about things like Spiderman bases.
Maybe it's just another example of consumer society run wild. Maybe it's just about a sport that is getting boring. Maybe when Kasey starts running better I won't mind so much.
It started when my favorite driver, Kasey Kahne, was caught with some kind of illegal part or modification at Daytona, docked 100 owners points, and had his crew chief suspended for 4 races. And then Kasey started sucking, and Jeff Gordon started winning every week (or Jeff Gordon II aka Jimmie Johnson.) Next thing you know, I just didn't care as much.
Then there was all of the Junior drama. The idea of Junior driving a red, Budweiser No.3 was pretty exciting. But I don't guess it was ever going to happen. Now Junior has joined up with Hendrick and will probably be racing a Sony No. 5. or a Visa No. 25. Will he win a championship? Does it matter? And if he does win a championship what will it be called?
Thanks to the tobacco settlement, Winston had to end its relationship with NASCAR several years ago. Nextel, a second tier cellular telephone company, scraped together the big bucks and bought themselves a Major League Sport. I'm sure this was supposed to help them sell telephones, but I haven't known anyone with a Nextel phone since I was a facility manager and had to call maintenance folks to come work on something at one of my buildings. Air conditioning repairmen and electricians needed the walkie talkie feature to communicated with their shops and their co-workers. Nobody else needs this. And nobody else bought Nextel phones. And I guess that's why they sold out to Sprint, a barely first tier cellular company. Sprint got themselves a cool walkie talkie cell system for electricians and air conditioning repairmen and a Major League Sport! So next year the drivers will compete for the Sprint Cup. Never mind that this sounds like a competition for sprint cars. And never mind that Nextel can change the name of the series to Sprint, but Cingular can't change its car to ATT to reflect their recent name change. A judge ruled in ATT's favor, so Sprint sued them back and now who knows how it'll end up. Though I would bet that ATT gets to keep its name on Jeff Burton's car. Yeah, Nextel had a deal with Cingular. But Nextel isn't Nextel anymore!
NASCAR has had sponsors and ads for a long time. It was the Winston cup forever. But it seems like the corporations are really running the sports part of stock car racing in the ground.
The companies and their logos take precedent over anything else. When Michael Waltrip was caught using jet fuel in his car in qualifying was only docked some points and moved to the back! He was still allowed to run the race, and that had to have something to do with the major auto parts company with their name painted on his hood. That same major auto parts company is now very unhappy that Waltrip has not been able to get his un-jet fueled car into very many races. The sponsors are running the show.
And that's what brings me to my the point of my title. Is there a set-up going on? Do certain sponsors cut deals with NASCAR to have their driver win? Is it just coincidence that Jimmy Johnson's Lowe's car owned Lowe's Motor Speedway over the course of several races? Or what about this year when Casey Mears' and his National Guard crew were oh so proud that they could win one for the troops on Memorial Day weekend?
Today's newspaper story about Juan Pablo Montoya's victory at Infineon contained a brief mention, near the end, about the win being well timed and well placed with Montoya getting to celebrate in front of a large crowd of folks from Chevron, the parent company of his sponsor, Texaco, whose headquarters are relatively near the raceway.
NASCAR, more than any other sport, is about selling product. Hell, most things in this country are about selling product. And sports are no different. But the other big sports at least try to appear like it's about the game. They have resisted ads on uniforms, changed their minds about things like Spiderman bases.
Maybe it's just another example of consumer society run wild. Maybe it's just about a sport that is getting boring. Maybe when Kasey starts running better I won't mind so much.
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