Old School Wednesday

Whodini - I'm a Ho -- (buy)

Whodini - Friends

Treacherous Three - Body Rock -- (buy)

Spoonie G - Love Rap

Kool & the Gang - Get Down on It -- (buy)

Gap Band - Party Train -- (buy)

Gap Band - You Dropped a Bomb on Me

...And there was much rejoicing.

DiAllo Johnson taught him this move



Have a nice life, Jim Herrmann!

Oh Leon....

Playmakers.mp3

Bueno / No Bueno 2/10/06

Bueno: Techno-remixes of cartoon theme songs:

Alpha Team - Speed Racer

No Bueno: Tayshaun Prince's hurt feelings

Bueno: Parodies of ESPN.com

No Bueno: My January Detroit Edison bill

Bueno: Season 5 of 24

No Bueno: Having to wait for Season 3 of Deadwood

Bueno: DC Ron English

No Bueno: You just know Herrman is going to light up the NFL now.

Bueno: Some music to usher in the weekend...


Mos Def & Massive Attack - I against I - (buy)

Eric B & Rakim - Don't sweat the Technique - (buy)

Eric B & Rakim - Casualties of War

Diamond D & Psychotic Neurotics - Sally got a one track Mind - (buy)

Pearl Jam - Hard to Imagine - (buy)

Steve Winwood - Valerie - (buy)

Eric Prydz - Call on Me

Rhymin' and (not) Stealin'

So during the course of my occasional posts here, I've realized that the method of posting audio and video is far from user-friendly. Having to download each track is frankly a pain, especially if you're at work and trying to do it on the D.L. I've arrived at a solution: links that lead directly to the tracks themselves (assuming you have WMP as your default.)

My lack of CSS expertise leads me to list the following disclaimer here, rather than in the sidebar:

Tracks posted here are intended for the promotion of the artists and the music itself. If you represent any of these artists, and you would like the content in question removed, email me. It will be done with the quickness.

Otherwise, check out some of the songs I post. If nothing else, this blog affords me the opportunity to share some of my eccentric musical tastes, and maybe turn some people on to artists they've yet to discover.

I should also mention that many of the videos I link to were originally posted at a couple of great blogs for hip-hop videos:

The Video Crates

&

Old School Music Videos

So go ahead and stop by once in while. And make sure your computer at work has speakers.

Gangstarr - Jazz Thing (video)

D-Nice - Crumbs on the Table (video)

Pep Love - T.A.M.I. - (buy)

RJD2 - 1976 - (buy)

Beware the Rockbiter

Yeah. I don't have anything clever to say today. Just needed to share this ridiculous picture of Graham Brown.


Speaking of ridiculous, how about some more catchy flash animation?


Steve Spacek - Dollar - (buy)

Aceyalone - Fire - (buy)

Xmas 2006 wishlist....

Actually, yes. Diddy does love TiVo....

It looks as though TiVo has announced the release of their Series 3 DVR in late 2006. Check out this video from CES.

General Elektriks - Tu M'intrigues - (more free, legal downloads)

Wordsworth - Shoulder - (buy)

Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens...

'Tis the season y'all. Time to Celebrate with Run DMC. Make sure to turn up the speakers in your office so everyone can enjoy.

Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis

Friday Morning Music

3-plus weeks between posts. Not bad. At least I am updating with greater frequency than Ryan and Sujay.

I haven't really got anything clever today, so I'm posting some music for everybody. In different categories, no less!

Humerous International Music Videos

-Yatta!

-Daler Mehndi: Tunak Tunak Tun


Contemporary Rock (as seen on SNL last week)

-James Blunt - Goodbye my Lover - (buy)

-James Blunt - You're Beautiful


Hip Hop Videos
(courtesy of The Video Crates and Old School Music Videos)

-Funkdoobiest - Dedicated

-Buckshot Lefonque - Music Evolution

Fun at Work 11/14/05

Although I have some great coworkers, there are some dim bulbs that work here as well. Case in point...

As I walked past one of my colleague's desks yesterday, I noticed why he hadn't said much in the previous few minutes. He was busy Googling the word "Google." Knowing Mark, he probably expected some sort of IT paradox to rip apart the space-time continuum.

Brilliant.

Tipoff 2005

Welcome to the best time of year for sports fans. College Football and NFL seasons are in full swing. Hockey is back (hooray!), and Pistons' fans will get their fix starting tonight.

• Here's ESPN's take on the 05-06 Pistons. Their one-sentence analysis of Ben Wallace:

"Who else could make Ron Artest back up like traffic?"

Who indeed.

Lions Report 10/24/05

Lions win today, so Detroit fans should be happy, right? That depends on your perspective on this season. As I see it, there are two choices we have at this point:

• Hope for an 8-8 season that will probably be enough to win the division, followed by a hasty exit in the wild-card round.
• Hope for a whole bunch of losses in order to usher in the Matt-Leinart-in-Honolulu-Blue-Era.

As it stands now, we're realistically looking at 6-10 or 7-9, followed by using the 8th pick to take another WR. Charles Rogers will be carpooling with Joey on their unceremonious departure from the Motor City in January. So long, guys. Have a nice life.

Still, it was nice (although somewhat strange) to have some confidence in the offense while watching Sunday's game. If Garcia can do this well with Vines and Martinez, well, that's good. Still, he's not the long-term solution. Too early to tell if Orlovsky is, either.

Here's a few takes on this year's team thus far...

Quarterback

See above. Joey Harrington is a nice guy. He plays the piano pretty well. Too bad he also has an anxiety disorder. He should write a thank you note to Jeff Tedford for his millions of dollars, and proceed to live out his days as a third string player for the Giants (or some other team where he has no chance of ever seeing the field.) Don't feel too bad for the guy - it's a good gig.

The length of Garcia's tenure will be dictated by his health. I anticipate that a high draft pick will once again be spent on a QB. Unless perhaps a quality free agent becomes available. Billy Volek? Matt Schaub, anyone?

Running Back

Kevin Jones is Kevin Jones. No need to worry about this position. I've definitely been encouraged by the increased PT for Artose Pinner. He's the type of guy who can keep the chains moving as long as he has good blocking. He would get 1300 yards in Denver, to put it another way. Jones, on the other hand, has the ability to make something out of nothing. Bryson rounds out this stable of backs rather nicely. Until Jones further refines his pass-catching game, he remains the best receiver out of the backfield. With the return of fullback/bulldozer Cory Schlesinger, the running game should only improve as the season continues.

Receivers

Charles Rogers appears to be a bust. Somebody apparently forgot to tell him that medicinal cannabis is not an approved treatment for osteoporosis. And I still think he looks like Osmosis Jones. If (if) Roy Williams could stay healthy, he'd probably make the Pro Bowl, or at least Plays of the Week on a semi-regular basis. Mike Williams looked decent against Cleveland, but it's still too early to tell how he'll do. Something tells me he'll be playing TE in three years. Considering all the drops by Pollard & friends, this might not be a bad thing. Scottie Vines has filled in admirably when called upon, but he's a #4 receiver at best. Kevin Johnson was supposed to be the veteran leadership at this position this year. It looks as though he's spending the rest of the season in street clothes and one really large boot. Glenn Martinez has apparently won a raffle drawing of some sort where the prize is an NFL roster spot. Good for you, Glenn.... now please assume your position next to the Gatorade cooler. And I just realized he kind of looks like Jesus.

Offensive Line

After watching Sunday's game, I'm not sure what to think of this unit. Either: a.) They looked good because they were playing, well... Cleveland. or b.) They are awesome, they all hate Joey, and let the pass rush upfield for their (and our) collective amusement. Hahaha.

Defensive Line

Rogers and Wilkinson are bueno. Shaun Cody appears to be solid as well, but he needs a nickname. How about Big Poppa or something. Hall and Redding, while not spectacular, round out the starting unit. Many thanks to whoever woke up Kalimba Edwards from his three-year nap.

Linebackers

Here's the position with the most quality depth on the team. Boss Bailey (welcome back) has enough range to possibly play SS in a pinch. Holmes is a force in the middle, and Teddy Lehman continues to improve. Curry and Rainer are valuable special teams contributors, and James Davis has one of the coolest nicknames in the league. Check out his website. Alex Lewis will add to the group when he returns from injury.

Secondary

Did anybody know that Dre Bly was going to be this good? My only complaint is the hot-potato antics on interception returns, but I'll take it as part of the package. Fernando Bryant weighs 120 pounds, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at his fragility. As I correctly predicted, R-dub has been a great addition at CB and KR. Goodman got a pick Sunday as well. Time will tell if Keith Smith and Stanley Wilson pan out. Terrence Holt has been solid if unspectacular thus far in his first year as a starter, and Kennoy Kennedy is a league-imposed-fine waiting to happen. Just ask Jake Delhomme.

Special Teams

A coworker asked me today what life would be like without Jason Hanson. Amazing how much we take him (and the kicking position in general) for granted, isn't it? Here's hoping that his successor has a similar 15 year run. As an aside, what do folks think his Hall of Fame chances are? People have mentioned Eddie Drummond in the same breath as Dante Hall from a couple years back, but he needs to stay healthy.

Coaching

Am I the only one who feels like Steve Mariucci is too nice of a guy to coach the Lions? After the last six or seven seasons, what this team needs is a no-nonsense results-oriented guy. I'm not sure if Mooch is the guy to maximize the results from this team's talents. If somebody tells me that Parcells and Dungy are holding bocce tournaments during the off season as well, then I'll gladly retract these comments.

Management

Perhaps people were too quick in their praise of Millen's draft success. We'll see.

El Gato Volador

I ran across some great pictures on the internet following the PSU victory, including my favorite right here. I'm all about the "sad kitten" look. Check out some more photos here.

A co-worker with minor mental illness (I'm only half joking) sent me a link for people who do really strange things to their pets. Don't worry, it's work safe. Hopefully, this doesn't give any of you with cats any bright ideas.

On a somewhat sad note, Furry Tractor is still winless in the Fantasy Football League. Let the fire sale begin.

In other randomness, I happened upon Alex Bird this morning while surfing around on Friendster. And Joby.

Lords of the Underground - Madd Skillz - (buy)

Main Source - Fakin' the Funk

Drop the puck!

Thankfully, hockey has returned. Even if televised hockey hasn't. By the way, what channel is OLN on Comcast? Anyway, here's a pic of one of my favorite Wings. He looks happy.



I'll also leave you with some chilled-out British rock. If you dig these tracks, check out Starsailor's website. It's got videos and additional songs as well. Enjoy.



Starsailor - Way to Fall - (buy)

Starsailor - Four to the Floor (remix) - (buy)

Reasons for Optimism - MSU week

No doubt some will view this as a naive exercise in denial of the inevitable, but on any given Saturday, blah blah blah. Sparty's going down, and here's why.

• The guy on the right here is pretty darn good, and keeps getting better each week. The coaching staff seems to be recognizing this, and Mario's becoming a bigger part of the gameplan. And the Ranchero Crew assigned him a theme song. 'Nuff said.
• Lamarr Woodley has one and only one purpose on Saturday: to break each and every one of Drew Stanton's ribs. At least twice in the first half, look for Jim Herrmann to call the infamous Sawin "fire drill" blitz, with all 11 guys rushing upfield (finally, a play that Shawn Crable can understand). If Stanton is once again taken out to the Woodleyshed, good things will follow.
• The run defense has improved somewhat since the season opener, and none of MSU's tailbacks are as good as Brian Calhoun.
• Even if Stanton stays healthy, I'd like to think that the UM defense has a better handle on defending rushing QBs than last fall. Much has been made of Michigan's inability to defend QBs with scrambling ability, and for good reason. It's similar to the '98 season and our inability to defend the option: It sucked, but Herrmann and the defense finally figured it out. That will be the case here as well, and hopefully it will start to materialize here on Saturday as opposed to much later.
• Ryan Mundy will not play.
• Michigan will have better athletes on the field. Period. Argue about mental toughness and poor coaching all you want, but you can't dispute this fact.
• Michael Hart is reported to be back in action. No negative rushes + no fumbles + pressure off Henne = less ulcers for Michigan fans. You've got to wonder how much the hamstring injury has contributed to Henne's regression.
• Intangibles. How will each of the teams respond to media expectations for this showdown? MSU showed us something by not suffering a let-down last week after a great victory for their program. What happens when you now find yourself heavily favored over your biggest rival? From the other side of I-96, we get to see how well the UM program (not just the team) responds to adversity. This game will be the turning point that either leads to 9-3 or 6-6.
• Unless Henne is denser than dense, he's got to realize that his grip on the starting job is loosening pass by underthrown pass. Gutierrez has looked decent in limited action thus far, and coaches and teammates have consistently raved about his understanding of the game. If this doesn't light a fire under Chad, I'm not sure what will.
• I think it would make a cool birthday present for Sven if Lloyd & co. pull this off. After he's done walking around southeastern Ann Arbor Saturday afternoon, hopefully he can return home with a really nifty gift waiting on the TiVo.

Little Brother - Lovin' It - (buy)

Soul Coughing - Super Bon Bon - (buy)

Bueno / No Bueno 9/26/05

Pretty self-explanatory. Here Goes.

Bueno: Mario Manningham

No Bueno: Take your pick of anybody else that happened to be wearing maize and blue at Camp Randall over the weekend.

Bueno: New fall TV shows!

No Bueno: Having to delete all the old episodes of "I love the 90's" to make room on the TiVo.

Bueno: The NFC Central-leading Detroit Lions.

No Bueno: The inevitability of reality setting in.

Bueno: Defeating Ryan in fantasy football by three points.

No Bueno: Getting immasculated by Sawin the following week. (I'm now one-for-Ranchero).

Bueno: Hockey season is almost here.

Extra Bueno: Stevie Y and Pavel Datsyuk on the roster.

Bueno: Funny pictures of Michigan coaches.

No bueno: Results said coaches have exhibited thus far this season.

Bueno: A night at work that's slow enough to update the blog!


P.O.D. - Boom

Nappy Roots - Aw Naw (remix)

Undefeated!

KMD & the Ninja Posse

Allmusic has always been great. Music + Internet makes Homer something something. If you don't know, check it out.

Well, it just got better. Allmusic is collaborating with Singingfool, and they now have music videos. What makes this so nifty is the fact that they're much better organized than on Launch or Blastro, and they have a much more extensive library. I just spent the majority of my workday listening to Wu-Tang and Skee-Lo. Boo. Yah.

Enjoy some old school jams, my friends.


Lords of the Underground - Tic Toc

Kool Moe Dee - I go to Work

Addition by Subtraction

College Football News is reporting that Trev Alberts has been fired; later confirmed by Sports Illustrated. Apparently, he didn't show up to work on Sunday morning because he's not "happy with his role." Amen, brother. Now let's just hope Mark May follows suit.

AC reports that Notre Dame will not be bringing their band to this Saturday's game. Apparently, the athletic department informed them that the available space for the band was less than the full number that they had planned on bringing. Rather than bringing slightly less than their full numbers, they elected to take their kilts and stay at home. I don't expect this to have any substantial impact on the game, but it certainly doesn't hurt. No word yet on how this affects the leprechaun's plans for the game. Maybe he'll head down to the west sideline and hang out with Chuck Winters.

Pep Love - T.A.M.I.

Gang Starr - Skills

Song of the Day 8/31/05

Three cheers for ebaumsworld! Not quite as cool as "Peanut Butter Jelly Time," but close.

The Hippopotamus Song