Sports Weekend

A great scene before the kickoff of the Penn State-Nebraska game. Both teams took a knee at midfield and said a prayer for the victims of Jerry Sandusky. The reporting on the teevee is that it was the idea of the Nebraska players.

Nebraska is one of the class acts of college football as PSU has always been. When I was stationed in Omaha, Nebraska in 1979 a pal of mine scored 2 tickets to see the Lions play the Conrnhuskers in Lincoln. Dressed in my Penn State gear we headed into Memorial stadium not knowing what to expect as I had been treated rudely at other sporting events for wearing the "wrong" colors. A man and a woman decked out in Go Big Red attire yelled at us "hey Penn State fans" and I thought "here we go." I shied away not wanting to get into it but they came up to us, offered a handshake and said welcome to Lincoln. After chatting for bit about where we from we told them we were stationed at Offutt AFB then things got really good. They called over a couple of students who took us to our seats and the people sitting around us were great. We didn't pay for a soda or a hot dog that day. The price we paid was some good natured ribbing as Nebraska won big 42-17.

Well the Lions came up short yesterday as the defense played great again but the offense came up short missing a 1st quarter FG that came back to haunt them. Final Nebraska 17 PSU 14. All is not lost because if the Lions can win the final 2 games they will be in the Big 10 Championship game. Next week's game is against a Ohio State team that lost to Purdue but they finish against the Wisconsin scoring machine.

In Baseball news the Phillies signed Jim Thome to a 1 year deal giving them a home run threat off the bench. He hasn't played the field in a few years but gives them an option at 1B waiting for Ryan Howard to recover from surgery. I like it. They also signed Jonathon Papelbon to a 4 year $50 million deal to be the closer after not being able to agree to terms with Ryan Madson that has some fans howling. I always thought that Madson would be the closer of the future as he proved his worth this year. The Phillies don't have a good history dealing with his agent Scott Boras remember the JD Drew thing.

The Eagles blow another 4th quater lead and the Stillers win.

Sports Weekend

Bad times for Philadelphia sports team.

The Phillies get knocked out of the playoffs losing a pitchers dual 1-0 in the 5th game of the NLDS. Ironic that a team built on pitching can't hit the other guy.

The good news for the Eagles is that they didn't collapse in the the 2nd half and came storming back but it's awfully hard to win a game when you turn the ball over 5 times.

The good news

Mrs. G is happy that her Stillers won big today and I'm happy that Penn State won a defensive battle 13-3 vs. Iowa. The Lions will be favored to win the next 2 against Purdue and Northwestern to get bowl eligible but November will be tough. Now that Nebraska has joined the Big 10 (11,12, etc) we get to play them every year. Oh joy.

It hasn't rained in Texas for most of the whole summer but as soon as the Rangers make the playoffs the skies open up. When teams build new stadiums in the future they should consider retractable roofs. The melting of the polar ice caps has resulted in more moisture in the atmosphere that is causing more frequent and severe storms according to most climate scientists.

My pick for the World Series is Tigers vs. Brewers.

Baseball, Football, Painting, Politics and Religion

Pretty much a complete Sunday.

While watching the Eagles beat the worst team in the the NFL, the Red Sox getting eliminated from the playoffs and as of right now it looks like the Evil Empire will knock off the Twins we somehow got most of the living room painted. New carpeting and furniture is next.

My post yesterday about Gina Nevenglosky 's Day of Prayer at the courthouse resulted in a spirited discussion and I would thank everyone (especially Rene and Steve)for joining in the banter with some thoughtful comments. I will concede that I may have overstated that this was violation of the establishment clause of the 1st amendment as many of you pointed out but when I read the agenda for the event it came across to me as a church service on public property masquerading as a political rally.

Religion is a good thing that motivates many people to do good things such as making sure their neighbors have enough to eat but when it gets into the political realm it can be destructive. How many wars have been fought because one tribe thought that the one next to them worshiped the wrong god or didn't worship god in the right way? I think Jesus had it right, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”

I'm not religious but I have always tried to live my life according to the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." If only politicians could live up to that.

On a lighter note the best way to see me at church is to sit by the window and I will wave to you as I drive by.

This has floating around for a while and I don't know how true it is but it gave me a chuckle and is a good critique of religion:

Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic (Boyle’s Law)

Bonus Question of the mid-term exam: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
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One student, however, wrote the following:
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“First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let’s look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities: 1. if Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, and then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it?


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If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my freshman year that “it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,” and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is, therefore, extinct…leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being, which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting “Oh my God.”

Phargon Phillies Phinish in Phirst

The unsung hero of the team this year was Jason Werth. He came up just short of the century mark for RBI's (99) and runs scored (97). Jason got a hit when they needed one and finished with 36 HR's and 20 stolen bases. He also made the All-Star team for the first time in his career.

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I'm not too optimistic about the Phillies chances this post-season but anything can happen in baseball. The last 2 years they had to fight their way into the playoffs and were red hot in September but this year the Sept/Oct record is 19-16. Let's hope that this resting the starters strategy works. But if your closer gives you a heart attack every time he takes the mound the only thing you can do is put a towel on your head and hope for the best.

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In other sports news the Eagles were off this week and the Cowboys lost. Penn State took care of business clobbering Illinois 35-17 and will play cupcake U next week then they get into the meat of the Big Ten schedule with Minnesota coming to Beaver Stadium and a trip to the Big House after that to play Michigan.

Don't Panic

So Penn State lost to Iowa. They always lose to Iowa. I thought that the offense was suspect after the first 3 games and it was shut down by Iowa after the first quarter and made some mistakes in the fourth that cost them the game.

Remember that in college football it's better to lose a game in September than in November. Many one loss teams have played in the Rose Bowl and for the national championship. If Penn State can win out through the rest of the schedule they will climb back in the polls. I know it's a tall order with a trip to Ann Arbor and the Buckeye's at home but it is possible.

The Phillies continue the heart attack September and this guy keeps reminding us of the 1964 collapse. The previous 3 years they were hot red hot in September but this year they are playing .500 ball because of late inning bullpen meltdowns and will probably limp into the playoffs.

The Eagles are running that funky high school offense with direct snaps to the running backs and option plays. It worked well this week as they downed the mighty KC Chiefs 34-14. All eyes were on Michael Vick but he was mostly a decoy playing only 11 snaps. Kevin Kolb threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, LeSean McCoy had 84 yards rushing and one TD, and DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek each had 100-plus yards receiving. The defense was solid limiting Matt Cassell to just 90 yards passing and held Larry Johnson in check.

Back to Michael Vick. He committed unspeakable crimes against animals but I believe in redemption. He paid the price by going to prison and remember that there are 2 players in the NFL that were involved in the murders of human beings that are allowed to play. Mrs. G and Quincy are not so forgiving of Vick.

Sports dilema

The Eagles are playing the opener against Carolina while at the same time the Phillies are in a pennant race and facing the Mets. My 2nd TV crapped out in the living room but I have picture-in-picture down in the Gort42 Command Bunker.

Hide your Beagle, Vick is an Eagle

The news that the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick was met with howls of protest in the Gort household. Mrs G and Quincy think that he should be given the same treatment as the dogs he tortured and killed with his own hand and ordered the torture and killing of other dogs. Electrocution. Hangings. Drowning. Repeatedly slamming their bodies into the ground. All because they weren’t winning his illegal gambling ring enough money.

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Who is the animal here?

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But he served his time for his crimes and America is a land of 2nd chances. He should be able to make a living after being released from prison. Too bad so many other felons aren't given the opportunity to get a job and contribute to society and clean up their acts.

So much for that

The Steelers made it but the Birds came up short. It tops off a great weekend. Our Jeep had a flat tire that I replaced with the spare that has been never been used since we bought it in 1996. It also went flat. I also left the back door open which turned on the dome light resulting in the battery going dead. And I think I broke my thumb. On the bright side I won a dollar in the Cash 5.

Road to the Steagles Bowl

Starts Now

Pennsylvania Super Bowl

The Birds win and the Stillers go on to the next round. One more game for each and we get the Super Bowl of our dreams.

Oh ye of little faith and bandwagon hoppers.

Eagles 13 Bengals 13

Cincinnati Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, right, scores (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

For the first time since 2002 a NFL games has ended in tie. The mighty 1-8 Bengals matched the Eagles in mediocrity. Donovan McNabb had 3 interceptions and they dropped a bunch of passes. The defense played well enough to win but just like last week the lack of a running game sunk them. Well, maybe not sunk but like Joe PA said, a tie "is like kissing your sister." On the up side Mrs. G has found her new favorite name of a player, Houshmandzadeh. She said it's right up there with Vladimir Guerrero.

The Phillies parade

Chase Utley will forever be remembered for his eloquence.


"World Champions! World Fucking Champions."



The fans erupted and cheered for several minutes.


I know how you feel pal. I'm still riding a Phillie's high.


This a pretty good sports year. The Phillies win the World Series and Penn State is still undefeated with a shot at the National Championship. Now if we can get a Eagles-Steelers matchup in the Super Bowl that would be sweet. And in my other favorite contact sport it looks like the Democrat's will win the White House.

Phils up 2-1

You never know with baseball. The worst hitter on the team this season has been the Phillies best hitter in the World Series. Carlos Ruiz hit a dribbler down the 3rd base line that scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. He also hit a home run. The "old man" Jamie Moyer went into the 7th still throwing his slop and the bullpen gave up a run. Just win baby. We have Blanton going for us tonight and the big bats came alive yesterday.

In other sports news the Pennsylvania State University football team defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 13-6 for the first win in Columbus in 7 tries. Defense wins. Now we need Alabama or Texas to lose to get into the national championship game. The rest of regular season schedule looks like it favors the Lions with only Michigan State playing well now. We should blow through Iowa and Indiana then win the (bleh) Land Grant Trophy.

The Eagles have knocked off the Falcons 27-14 and now we need the Stillers to beat the Gints to make it a successful Pennsylvania sports weekend.

Eagles pre-game live

I'm watching the pre-game show and they did yet another feature about some fans tailgating before the game. The revelers sent some omelets over to the crew and before Michael Brakann even got done with the thank yous Rapid Edward had already scarfed his down. Later they did a bit with Andy Reid giving the injury report saying the Guv sustained 3 mustard stains on a new jacket in the 3rd quarter. I haven't seen it myself but I've been told is that when you're at an event you don't want to get between Rendell and the buffet table.

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Now about that property tax reform.

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All the prognosticators are picking the Eagles to win the NFC but I find it hard to predict pro football. A couple of key injuries and your season is in the toilet.

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The Eagles just took the kickoff and marched right down the field with Westbrook scoring from the 1 on a shovel pass.

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2 drives 2 TDs. After forcing a punt on the Rams first touch they score again on a pass from McNabb to TE LJ Smith. 14-0

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Mrs G is on the porch watching her favorite team, the Stillers, and they're up 21-0. I just heard that Tom Bady is hurt and out of the game.

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In other news the Phillies are playing the Mets in the 1st game of a doubleheader. Pedro was always a fastball pitcher but now he is now throwing slop. He's up against the King of Slop, Jamie Moyer and the Phils lead 2-0 in the 2nd.

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90 yard TD pass McNabb to Baskett. 21-0.

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Another Birds TD. PSU alum Tony Hunt punches it in. 28-0.

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A big punt return by Jackson leads to a Aikers FG 31-0.

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Dobbs smacked it out. Phils 5-0 in the 4th. Pedro is out of the game.

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Stillers are up 35-10.

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Another TD for Westbrook. 38-0.

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Finals

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Eagles 38-3

Stillers 38-17

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Phils win 6-2.

Sports weekend

Penn State eeked out a victory against Temple 31-0. It shouldn't have been that close and JoePa wasn't happy with his defense and he let loose on his long time defensive coach Tom Bradley.

Does anybody know how you swear in Italian?” Bradley would ask after the game, just after his meeting with the media. “Because I think that’s what he said to me. I didn’t quite understand it. If anybody knows how to speak Italian...” Someone in the back of the packed room in Lincoln Financial Field’s catacombs yelled out, “What’s the word?” “I don’t know,” Bradley laughed. “It wasn’t good.”

Illinois upset Ohio State's apple cart probably ending their nation championship hopes and Michigan went down to Wisconsin throwing the whole Big-10 bowl picture into a blur. With a lot of help Ohio State may make it to the BCS title game but it looks like that the showdown with Michigan next week will be for an appearance in the Rose Bowl. There is an outside chance that a second Big-10 team will get a BCS game but it's unlikely.The loser will probably get the Capitol One Bowl so the best PSU can hope for is the Outback on New Years Day. But Illinois has staked a claim to that game with PSU getting relegated to the Alamo Bowl provided they beat Michigan State and win the "prestigious" Land Grant Trophy. An interesting note is 10 of the 11 Big-10 teams are Bowl eligible.

The Eagles did everything they could do today to lose to the Redskins but the Skins gave them the game anyway. Sorry Oliver. The Stillers came back at the end are looking forward to ending the Pats undefeated season in a few weeks. The Cowboys continue their march thru the NFC for the honor of losing to the AFC team in the Super Bowl by knocking off the Giants. Sorry Mark.

The Phillies have made the first news of the hot stove season by trading for Brad Lidge from the Astros. They gave up 4th outfielder Michael Bourn and middle reliever Geoff Geary. The speculation now is that Brett Myers will be back in the rotation but unless they land a couple more starters that may not happen. They also signed J.C. Romero to a three year deal who was close to lights out at the end of the season despite getting cut by the Red Sox.

And the A-Rod sweepstakes is absurd and will probably end up in court.

Sports weekend

Quit your bitching about Anthony Morelli, he went 16 for 28-with 216yards, a TD and no interceptions. Penn state blew out Big 10 pre-season favorite Wisconsin 38-7 with a balanced offense, 221 yards rushing, and the usual bend but don't break defense that set up 3 scores with turnovers. Morelli has played great the last two weeks. Next week should be a thumping of Indiana followed by the showdown with Number One Ohio State. Maybe Michigan State will knock them off just like every other number one team this year, USC and LSU come to mind, or the Lions will dump them. No school is going undefeated this year.


The Rockies haven't lost a game in 3 weeks after sweeping the Phillies and taking the first 2 at Arizona. The Tribe and the Sox are tied at one after an unusual sub-par post season performance by Curt Shilling.

The Eagles beat the Jets and the Pats are leading the Cowboys at press time.

Update: The Pats win 48-27.

Sports weekend

Penn State righted the ship with a comfortable win against Iowa and Illinois showed they're for real by knocking off Wisconsin. We get the Badgers at home next week for a game that should indicate if the Lions will get a good bowl game or another appearance in the Alamo Bowl.

The Phillies raised our hopes then broke our hearts yet again. Good pitching beat good hitting, we'll get'em next year. The Phils pitchers seemed to get squeezed by the umps but that's baseball. Unlike some people, I'm not calling for a Congressional investigation. Now I'm focused on the Red Sox winning it all. The Phils and the Sox have provided a lot of pain in my baseball life. At least the Eagles won't lose this week.

Quick hits

The Phillies topped the Cards 7-4 in 14 innings. St. Louis used 11 pitchers (record?) and 53 players saw action for both teams.

The Eagles have hit the rocks.

Why does County Commissioner Steve Urban need 1,000 absentee ballots? The printer said "it's not unusual" for candidates, party officials or citizens to buy absentee ballot applications. But,"We make them pay first, before we ship them."

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski said he was unaware LCCC wanted to buy the Kanjorski Center, until he was invited to a recent press conference, in trying to justify his pulling the money for the project. But nobody believes him.

The saga of Judge Ann Lokuta continues. The mystery witnesses were not named and she was offered early retirement but refused. She has been accused of some bizarre behavior but her attorney assures us that she is not nuts.

Gotta love this headline: Arlen Specter likes virgins

And Gort42 made the list, at number 20, of Pennsylvania's Most Influential Political blogs. That's nice but they don't reveal how they decide on the rankings. I don't think I can trust a list that doesn't include Capitol Ideas.