Happy Birthday Crispin Glover!

Forty-four years ago this day was born Crispin Glover, the actor who brought to life the character George McFly, who gives title to our ramblings.

Back to the Future made a deep impression on my life. Any time I'm walking down the street trying to get somewhere, I wish I had a skateboard on which to latch on to a car going my way. Any time I drive past an empty mall parking lot at night, I can't help but think of Doc Brown and how those Libyans found him.

When I was younger it was all about Marty - the guitar, the skateboard, the life preserver. When I matured I found the meat of the film not in Marty, but in his father. Clumsy, awkward, and unconfident, George McFly is the portrait of inadequacy. He has talent and a moral strength but is afraid of failure. Through the mentoring of his own son, ironically, he faces his fears and triumphs.

Facing life's challenges, I am inspired by George McFly's struggle. At GMLH we strive to open the car door of the world and yell, "hey you, get your damn hands off her!"

Crispin Glover went on to other outstanding performances. I find this video particularly inspiring.

LIVE BLOG POST FROM SAN DIEGO AIRPORT!

With the Pope's visit to the USA, the term "popemobile" is once again working its way into everyday conversation. I have always enjoyed hearing about the popemobile. As far as I know, there are only two figures in history who have demonstrated a consistent ability to maintain “mobile” status for their personal transportation. One of them is the Pope; the other is Batman. Sure, there are other Mobile's out there, like the BookMobile, and the Oscar-Meyer Wiener Hot Dog Mobile. The passengers of these vehicles, though, are either inanimate objects or just anonymous stiffs (with all due respect to librarians). Only the Pope and Batman can shoulder the weight of a Mobile bearing their title. Even the President of the United States doesn’t roll in a Mobile, although I think that the public would be accepting of a "George W-Mobile" to replace Air Force One.

Tampa Bay

Those who follow baseball may have noticed something different about the Tampa Bay organization this season: The "Devil Rays", no longer satisfied with mediocrity, have officially shortened the name of their franchise to just "Rays". Words like "deck chairs" and "Titanic" come to mind, but some people are pretty excited about the change, at least according to a story on the team's website. Reportedly, the name was announced during a big ceremony, attended by thousands, in St. Petersburg. Kevin Costner was there with his band and everything. "We are now the 'Rays' - a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida," said Stuart Sternberg, the team's principal owner."

This is where there comes to be some cause for concern. When I first heard the name Rays, I was thinking they still had some sort of fish as their mascot. It seems unclear exactly what Mr. Steinberg is now referring to when he mentions this "beacon that radiates". From what is known about the Rays organization, it is a troubling development. The Rays shouldn't be allowed to have a radiating beacon. The Governor should do everything he can to stop the radiation from contaminating his entire state, and pursue national relief particularly for the Tampa Bay region.

The Devil Rays placed last in their division in each of the past three seasons, and so with the new name, the Rays are now just two letters away from being exactly like the Royals. Maybe someone is trying to secretly clone the Royals. If, in the near future, there is some announcement about how Tampa Bay is going to be called the O'Rays, we will know.

The Fellowship of the Rings, as seen through Frodo's facebook newsfeed

Gandolph wrote on your Wall: "hey wats up frodoe i'm gonna be in the shire this weekend for bilbos party. you gonna be around?"

Gandolph, Sam, Merry and Pippen are attending the Event "Bilbo Baggins' Birthday Party".

Merry is chillin' with G-dolph this weekend.

Sauron added "hobbits" to his interests.

Sam has added you to his Top Friends. Click here to become Top Friends with Sam.

Sam, Merry and Pippen all left the group "The Shire".

Sauron has thrown a Nazgul at you using Superpoke! Add the Superpoke! application to Dropkick, Slap, Lick or Throw a Sheep at Sauron!

Pippen is sooooooooooo hungry right now.

Sam has bought a round of drinks for you using Top Friends on Facebook! Add Top Friends and buy the next round!

Aragorn has added you as a friend on Facebook. We need you to confirm that you are, in fact, friends with Aragorn.

Sauron has sent you an invitation to become a Wraith! Join the Wraiths and help fight everything good in Middle Earth! Do you want to become a Wraith?

Arwen has requested you to confirm the following friendship details: You know Arwen through Aragorn.

Pippen would like you to join his expedition on the Oregon Trail. Will you join Pippen on the Oregon Trail?

Aragorn is in a relationship with Arwen, and it's complicated.

Gandolph has invited you to join the Group "The Fellowship of the Rings".

Sam would like you to join his expedition on the Oregon Trail. Will you join Sam on the Oregon Trail?

Gimli is now friends with Legolas.

Gollum wrote on your Wall: "Give us the Precious!"

Sauron would like you to join his expedition on the Oregon Trail. Will you join Sauron on the Oregon Trail?

Sam added The Mines of Moria using the "Where I've Been" application.

Boromir added new photos to his album "Orks, Orks, Orks!"

Gimli has left the Group "I bet I can find 1,000,000 people who hate Elves!!!"

Sauron has invited you to put on the Ring of Power and then join him in a game of World Conquest. Click here to play World Conquest with Sauron.

Thoughts on the Toreros' Season

It sure was fun while it lasted, wasn't it? USD fans now face the return to harsh reality, as their beloved Toreros' wild ride to March Madness has come to an abrupt, heartbreaking end. There is an empty feeling that is impossible to ignore throughout the entire city of San Diego, as residents return to the minutia of the daily grind, left only with the memories of a special season...

Memories...

The screams of Toreros basketball fans are still echoing in the rafters of Jenny Craig Pavilion. "GO TOREROS! GO!"

Yes, Jenny Craig Pavilion. Throughout the gloom of winter, San Diegans knew the one place to go where they could always find the heat; a place where they could forget about their daily troubles, and just catch a good game of ball. A place where they could come and be proud to be fans; a venue with a name which now haunts opposing coaches at night in their dreams; the Torero's cherished home ground: The Jenny Craig Pavilion.

If you're not a local, then you might not understand, but in a hard working town like San Diego, basketball means something. You see, in this part of the country, there's not always a lot to look forward to; most folks have taken so many hard knocks that it's hard to get excited about something so trivial as a game with a ball and a net; but the Toreros played their hearts out in spite of it all, and in so doing, they captured the hearts of a new generation of fans.

And for a little while, San Diego was a place to be. We were in the news. We were alive and united. We had smiles on our faces. We had hope...

Hope...

Playing in a little town like San Diego, it's difficult to get national respect. The world was shocked when the Toreros, OUR Toreros!, upset heavy favorite U-Conn in the first round. Yes, the big-shot talking heads on ESPN acted surprised, but the locals knew better. We knew our Toreros could do it all along - and that with any luck they'll do it again.

Next season - it seems like an eternity from now - the Toreros will be back, and they'll be improved. It's going to be a long wait for the first "midnight madness" practice of the 2008 season, but it will come. In the meantime, Padres baseball will be back soon, and with it, the crack of the bat that reminds us that somewhere, spring has arrived.

Some people will always find a way to complain. To those people, the Toreros are just another team from San Diego that couldn't win the big game. Yes, it's fun to dream of championships, but sometimes, you've just got to take what life hands out. This year, the Toreros showed us how fun it is to be a fan again. That seems like plenty to cheer about. GO TOREROS!

Thus concludes my best imitation of what a prominent Cleveland sports journalist would end up writing about, were he to be placed in San Diego.

Beowulf

Recently I had the urge, for some reason, to read early Anglo-Saxon epic poetry. So I picked up Beowulf, partly because it's pretty short. I figured I'd get through it rather quickly and still have that great sense of accomplishment of finishing a book.

I could almost immediately see the influence it had on Tolkien: monsters and dragons, the sounds of the places and names, the hardened but virtuous warrior embarking on a seemingly hopeless journey, etc. Tolkien was the scholar who opened up Beowulf to literary criticism, going further than the mere historical or linguistic attention it had received previously. I would like to take this a step further and dare to suggest that the anonymous author of Beowulf was prophetic. Specifically regarding Superbowl IV.

Superbowl IV was the timeless matchup in 1970 between my home team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Minnesota Vikings, team of our esteemed commenter, "anonymous."

The obvious connection is in the team names: Chiefs and Vikings. Beowulf was written in England, but it was written about events that took place in Viking Sweden and Denmark before some of these people relocated to the British Isles. The Vikings were not a monolithic entity. They were a collection of tribes with cultural unity but local loyalties to the strongest warrior, constantly fighting one another. Beowulf, the hero of the epic, through his prowess and sheer domination, became the Chief of the Geats.

Beowulf is referred to as a chief or chieftan multiple times in the poem. Here is just one example:

The chieftain went on to reward the others:

each man on the bench who had sailed with Beowulf

and risked the voyage received a bounty,

some treasured possession.

[Lines 1049 - 1052, Seamus Heaney translation]

How true - even now. The Chiefs have a 53-man roster. Only 11 can be on the field at a time. The players who spend most their career sitting on the bench still get paid.

Although the Vikings were 13-point favorites going into the game, it ended in a 23-7 Chiefs' victory. Quarterback Len Dawson was awarded the MVP (strikingly similar to Beowulf receiving the "MVP" from Hrothgar after killing Grendel). This passage from Beowulf accurately describes the defeat of Vikings, then and in 1970:

But when dawn broke and day crept in

over each empty, blood-spattered bench,

the floor of the mead hall where they had feasted [Tulane Stadium]

would be slick with slaughter. And so they died,

faithful retainers, and my following dwindled.

[484 - 488]

After the slaying of Grendel, the Danes held a celebration in honor of Beowulf. They sang and played music for the hero, and a poet recounted for the chief the fate of one Viking tribe:

The woman wailed

and sang keens,

the warrior went up.

Carcass flame

swirled and fumed,

they stood round the burial

mound and howled

as heads melted,

crusted gashes

spattered and ran

bloody matter.

The glutton element

flamed and consumed

the dead of both sides.

Their great days were gone.

[1118 - 25]

I admit we don't have conclusive evidence to support my thesis, and nowadays the Chiefs are no team to boast about, as hinted at in the last two quoted lines. But the inquisitive reader can't help but be perplexed by the similarities between this piece of literature saturated with mystery and Superbowl IV which took place over a thousand years later.

The issue is wisely signalling for a fair catch...

There is an interesting story on ESPN today about the demise of the NASCAR moustache, and the apparent direct relationship existing between mustaches and victory. The story goes on to suggest that goatees may be the new direction of NASCAR facial hair, and in support of this theory mentions that "many of our heroes sport goatees", and lists "Count Von Count" as an example of such a goateed "hero". Questionable reasoning, but I still recommend the story because I appreciate the author's extensive mustache-related vocabulary; for example, "cookie duster", "nose neighbor" and "soup strainer" are all there. You can also find a nice gallery of mustaches along with the story.

Hopefully this post will appease belligerent commenters.