Sportsmanship

It showed up yesterday.

It's horrible to see bad things happen to good people. In addition to being an All-American football player, Marcus Lattimore is an All-American nice guy. He worked so hard to get back from last year's knee injury, which makes this injury seem so much worse. The guy just can't catch a break. I was at the game, and it felt like the entire game came to a stop, and no one cared about the score. Lots of things are more important than football, and this moment illustrated it.

The most important thing in recovering from an injury is never to lose heart. I don't know if that's true, but I'd like to believe it.

Gone Fishin'

Have a good weekend.

Maybe This Blog is a Bad Idea

Hmmm. I like this blog, but maybe it's not worth the risk.

Post Debate Thoughts

Don't worry, unlike some celebrities, there are no curse words here. (I used all mine up last Saturday anyway.) The debates were pretty interesting when viewed in the context of each other. The final debate was most interesting as to what the candidates thought about the state of the race.

First a little recap. In the first debate, Romney came out hard, attacking, playing the prosecutor. At the same time, Obama thought he could just show up, recite his stump speech and win. Alas, it was not to be.

The first debate showed two things. One, Romney wasn't the evil guy that all the attack ads made him out to be. He actually had a plan for the future, and he could explain it. Two, Obama just didn't have the fire that he did four years ago. He was just "checking the box" of the debate, and his plan is to continue with "investing" in roads, bridges, and the same stuff he's been saying for four years. Romney ate his lunch, and everyone knew it. Well, almost everyone.

I think that Obama was playing a prevent defense too early. He knew he had a good lead in some important swing states, and he was simply going to show up, recite his stump speech, not make any major errors, and keep the election on it's current trajectory. As John Madden once said, "All a prevent defense does is prevent you from winning." That's exactly what happened. Romney scored touchdowns, and Obama wasn't even trying to play offense.

The second debate was what everyone thought the first debate was going to be. Both candidates came out of the gate hard, challenged each other, and at one point, I actually thought they were going to start hitting each other with the cordless microphones. Obama to his credit, responded well, showing that he still wanted the job. The energy debate centered on who was more in favor of drilling, which must have driven the environmentalists insane. In any event, basically a tie. However, the damage had been done in the first debate. The people who tuned in for the first debate had formed their impression. Relevant quote for this debate: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

The final debate was on foreign policy. Or at least it was supposed to be. At a few points in the debate, both candidates decided that they were just going to talk about domestic policy. Bob Sheiffer decided that he wasn't going to interrupt and get them back on the topic of foreign policy (or maybe he fell asleep) and the candidates talked about domestic policy for at least 10 minutes each in a 90 minute debate. Oh well, when the economy and domestic policy is as important as it is this election cycle, there aren't many votes to be had going into detail about foreign policy. Just kill the bad guys, which both candidates are in favor of.

Very differently than before, though, Romney came across as not the prosecutor, but the calm guy who was reasonable. He wasn't going to be the "Cowboy" President, unlike that last Republican in the White House. Romney agreed with Obama more in 90 minutes than he did in the entire campaign. Romney didn't attack Obama when given chances. On the contrary, Obama attacked Romney. All I can take away from this is that Obama thought he was behind (which he is) and Romney thought he was ahead (which he is). It was just the flip side of the first debate. The question is, does Romney's prevent defense work at this point, or does the Romney momentum fade too soon?

Ultimately: Most people voted for Obama last time. Why? Remember where we were four years ago? The outgoing Republican incumbent was toxic, and Obama was such a great story. It was a great combination that created a tidal wave of support. The landscape today couldn't be more different. The economy has been mired in the doldrums for four years, and the inspirational candidate from four years ago isn't here. This version of Obama is petty and condescending.

People desperately want the economy to get better, and they have a binary choice: Government continues to try and solve the problem, or government gets out of the way. We'll know in a few weeks. It's going to get more intense before then, so brace yourself - especially if you live in a swing state.

Tweets from Celebrities on the Final Debate

At some point (hopefully tonight) I'll get a chance to give my post-debate thoughts. In the meantime, and for comparison, here are some Tweets from celebrities on the Final Debate. [Note: Sarah Silverman's is not exactly safe for work.]

The Rules of Bacon

Report from the Carolina/LSU Game

Last weekend, I took my first trip to LSU. We drove the whole way because airline tickets were only slightly less expensive than hiring a private jet. Seriously, don’t even get me started on air-travel, but I digress. I had heard all sort of stories about how horrible LSU fans were. I had heard they threw AA batteries down on opposing fans from above, threw pee-filled water-ballons, and were generally rowdy, rude drunks. I wasn't really worried about a confrontation, but I was slightly apprehensive that I would face a bunch of rude folks who would spoil a great tailgate and game.

I tailgated over by the law school and walked all over campus. Everywhere I went, people were nice, polite, and after a "tiger bait" chant, which was not really in a mean spirit, I had great conversations with folks. LSU fans were generous with their food, were knowledgeable about the game, and were really polite. One student even gave me a koozie right off his beer because he wanted me to keep it as a souvenir. Off his own beer.

I walked all over the parade grounds, went to the student union, and over to The Chimes before heading to the stadium, so I got a good cross-section of the fans. Young, old, everyone. They couldn’t have been nicer. Now granted, I wasn’t out there talking a bunch of trash. Mostly, when I would ask advice on where to go, the LSU folks really wanted me to feel at home and have a great time. One little old lady (who was drinking a Bloody Mary the size of a small car) kept telling me “You’re in the Old South now, dear. You’re our guest.” It was certainly borne out. Everyone was great.

As for the game experience – the stadium was loud. Wow. I was sitting way up in the cheap seats and I had to scream to Mrs. Permanent Press (sitting right next to me) to discuss the plays. I cannot imagine how loud it must have been down lower where the sound would concentrate. That stadium came alive that night, and the energy went right to the LSU players.

I wish that we could have stopped LSU's first down running more, but we couldn't. That was the difference in the game (overall), and that's how it usually goes in the SEC. If you win the battle in the trenches, you win. That's what happened. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the other team.

If any LSU fans make the trip to Columbia next time, I'll be sure to check back here and offer my thoughts on where to go and what to do. Heck, I may even give an LSU fan my ol' Gamecock Koozie. Maybe.

Thanks to all the great LSU fans for making my first trip to Tiger Stadium a great one.

The view from my seats.

SC District Court Approves Voter ID Law

The law goes into effect after the election, so no big deal. I actually think that's a pretty good compromise. If you can't get your ID by 2016, you're not trying. Heck, you still don't need an ID anyway.

If you read the opinion, you realize that you still don't actually need an ID to vote. If you sign an affidavit that you have a "reasonable impediment" to obtaining an ID, you still get to cast a provisional ballot. As long as the affidavit is true, you get to vote. Funny, you never hear that in all the rhetoric surrounding this issue.

The law sounds pretty darn reasonable when you get beyond sound-bites actually get into the details.

Full text here.

Early Weekend Open Thread

Mrs. Permanent Press and I are hitting the road for Baton Rouge, LA to see the Gamecocks take on the Tigers on Saturday night and see the best of Baton Rouge. Posts will resume on Monday, but twitter will be active.

Holland and Holland Range Rover

This Range Rover has a custom-integrated gun cabinet,a console/fridge, and a liquor cabinet. It's everything that a growing boy needs.

You can drool over more pictures and details here.

Obama Thought He Won the First Debate

If you watched the first presidential debate between President Obama and Mr. Romney (and you weren't totally in denial) it was clear that Mr. Romney got the better of President Obama. And when I say "clear", I mean, 72% to 20%. That's a Clemson vs. West Virginia in the Orange Bowl kind of win. Which leads into this: When Obama walked off the stage after the debate, he thought he had won.

Here's my take: If the President didn't prepare for the debate, slacked off playing golf because he thought he was going to win, that's one thing. It's overconfidence, and it can be forgiven. It's easy to see why he thought he was going to win. Everyone around him for the last four years has been telling him how great he is, how awesome he is, how he's the smartest guy around. So it's understandable that this happened:

'President Obama made it clear he wanted to be doing anything else - anything - but debate prep,' the Democrat said. 'He kept breaking off whenever he got the opportunity and never really focused on the event.

 But here's the thing that is more problematic than laziness/overconfidence:

 Obama believed he had actually won.

It's one thing to not study for the test because you think you're going to ace it. It's one thing not to practice hard before a big football game because you're playing a school from a lower division. However, if you flunk the test and lose the football game, you have a much bigger problem than laziness/overconfidence - you're out of touch with reality and/or you're so incompetent that you don't even recognize what competence looks like.

I don't want a lazy president, but hey, it happens. What I really don't want is a president who can't tell when he's just gotten his butt kicked.

Surprise Welcome Home to Military Family at UGA/USC Game

Caution: This video contains dust, pollen, and other eye irritants.

Police Impersonator Demands Food

Authorities in Florida say a man flashed a fake gun and badge and demanded free fast food at a McDonald’s drive-thru.

Classic Florida, amirite?

Advice for Confrontations

Advice for political arguments. This would apply to litigation attorneys, as well.

First Presidential Debate

I was going to try and live-blog this sucker, but due to technical difficulties, I can't. So, instead I'm going to give you this cute kitten.

If you watch the debate, you're going to need this afterwards as a palate-cleanser.

Kitten below the jump.

Happy Octoberfest!

For some good actual Octoberfest beer info, check out this post from Another Pint Please. If you just want to see a nice collection of pictures from the real Oktobefest in Germany, fine. Here you go.

Steve Spurrier Fires Back at Ron Morris

Every Thursday night during football season, Steve Spurrier has a radio-call in show that gives him a forum to talk about the week’s upcoming football game, talk about how the football team is doing, and generally answer questions from fans. It’s not usually very newsworthy, as the usual comments about how the football team is doing aren’t exactly “news”.

Spurrier changed that last night.

During the show, Coach Spurrier went off on a little soliloquy about winners and losers. He specifically mentioned that there was a certain journalist in Columbia that was a “loser” and an “enemy”. Coach Spurrier never mentioned the journalist by name, but everyone knows that he was referring to Ron Morris of The State newspaper. At one point, Coach Spurrier quoted Attila the Hun. Here's what Coach Spurrier said that I want to get into:

"If Mike McGee (former USC athletics director), when he hired me, he would have said 'Steve, we're gonna give you a chance to run the football program at South Carolina, you hire your coaches, do your thing, but there's one thing you gotta put up with, the local media will try to trash you, they'll try to ruin your reputation, they'll try to portray you as a mean, evil, self-serving person.' And, I would have said, 'well you give that job to somebody else, I'll wait for the North Carolina job to open.' which was opening the next year. But, I'm glad it worked out."

"That is not part of being the head coach at any university, is to be the target of the newspaper to give a guy who obviously has an ax to grind. I'm not that mad at the guy. The guy is who he is, we all know who he is."

"But we need to make some changes and I really believe between President Pastides and the guy that runs the newspaper, that some good changes are coming forth and I encourage the people that canceled their subscriptions last year, when some of this crap started last year, to give the newspaper and our university a chance. I believe that our city is going to be better off."

Mr. Morris and Coach Spurrier have been in a feud of sorts ever since Mr. Morris wrote a column stating that Coach Spurrier “poached” Bruce Ellington from the basketball team and convinced him to play football. Coach Spurrier took exception to that characterization, and feels that he has been accused of dishonest conduct. Given the connotation of the word "poaching", I can't say that I blame him.

I thought the feud had reached the high point last season when Coach Spurrier actually refused to continue with a press conference while Mr. Morris was still in the room. Last night may have marked the beginning of the end of the feud. I'm all for having a strong, vibrant newspaper - but that's not what we have right now.

I don’t know what this all means exactly, but it sounds like the University is backing up Coach Spurrier on this issue. I know that Mr. Morris is in the business of writing controversial columns that generate page-views and circulation, but there’s a difference between writing an opinion and misstating facts that impugn someone’s character. Also, simply trolling the football program to get internet traffic isn’t exactly a great business model, and it should be beneath the dignity of our newspaper. It’s bush-league.

It’s fine for the newspaper to criticize the coach when he deserves it, give him praise when he deserves it, and offer insight into the sports program. I would welcome that. But that’s not what we have. Our local newspaper seems to perpetually criticize the football program, and doesn’t offer any great insight.

Heck, I don’t even go to The State for sports coverage anymore. It’s just not that good. In any event, there should be some sort of shake-up with either how USC Football is covered by The State. Maybe the end result could be some good journalism.

Black Sox Day

Today is Friday, September 28, 2012. On this day in 1920, the infamous 8 Chicago White Sox players were indicted for fixing the 1919 World Series. They were acquitted of all charges, however, they were still banned from baseball for life. They made a movie about it - maybe you've heard of it.

Modern Marvel: Banana Slicer

As if it wasn't funny enough on it's own: go read the reviews for this product. Hilarious.

Hutzler Banana Slicer

Seriously, go read the reviews.

Little Lebowski Urban Achievers

I think they became the replacement referees.

Not really being an NFL fan, I'm hoping for as much chaos as possible. This was a good start.