I'm Gonna Get You With A Kodak Disc!

The brilliance of Family Guy is often the obscure pop culture references that make you remember a long ago time. Last night was a great new episode, with alot of those types of references, including Mike Tysons Punch Out. But my favorite was one I had completely forgotten- the Kodak Disc Camera. It came out in the early '80's and was supposed to be an innovative camera (it was in some ways). But the biggest memory of it was the catchy jingle, "I'm gonna get you with the Kodak Disc." When Peter starting singing that last night, I nearly lost it. For you young-ins, here is the original commercial:

Old School Video

Enjoy yourself some Talking Heads:

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AL West Preview '09

This may be the easiest division to predict, but everyone thought so last year and got burned(damn you crappy Mariners!). Let's see if this year plays out any differently:

1. ANAHEIM Angels- When Jered Weaver is your #4 starter, you know you're doing well. The Teixiera-less Angels will struggle on offense again, and they will definitely miss K-Rod to anchor the bullpen. But lackey & crew will lead the way. And Bobby Abreu is a nice addition.

2. Oakland A's- Giambi, Holliday and No-Mah were added this offseason. Young pitchers like Duscherer and Eveland are a year closer to being stars, and Brad Ziegler is a closer in waiting.

3. Seattle Mariners- Junior is back! I don't know how many wins that will equate to for this under-achieving team, but it should at least boost morale. Erik Bedard should bounce back, if just a little. The lineup is solid, which will be need to score extra runs and avoid a mostly awful bullpen.

4. Texas Rangers- Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, and Michael Young anchor a powerful lineup. And Kevin Millwood and Vincente Padilla are decent starters, but should be leading a staff. No depth, very little pitching = no chance.

AL Central Preview '09

The most division likely to flip-flop, and has for the past several years. The Twins, Tigers, White Sox and Indians all have legitimate chances of winning the Central, and the Royals aren't far behind. So here goes on what can only be described as an educated wild guess.

1. Minnesota Twins- A team that always loses big names, is under the radar, and still finds a way to contend. Francisco Liriano heads a young but talented pitching rotation, and Joe Nathan is one of the best closers in baseball. the addition of Joe Crede solidifies the infield and the M&M boys (Morneau and Mauer) continue to superstardom.

2. Detroit Tigers- Was last year's debacle an aberration? With this much talent, you have to think so. The Tigers made few changes this offseason, adding 4th starter Edwin Jackson and closer Brandon Lyon. But both moves solidify weaknesses in the '08 team. The lineup and rotation are solid. Now, if they can play some defense...

3. Chicago White Sox- Many predictions will have the ChiSox winning this division. I am not convinced. Buerhle and Danks lead a good rotation, which, if Colon and Conteras are healthy, will be the best 5 in the division. That's a big if. The lineup has too many holes, and Carlos Quentin will come back to earth.

4. Kansas City Royals- KC is sooo close to being this year's DEVIL Rays, but right now they look closer to a 2010 run. So many good young players, such as Aviles, Gordon and DeJesus, with just the right amount of wily vets in Guillen, Crisp and Meche. Joakim Soria (above) is the door-closer, and he should have just a few more chances this year.

5. Cleveland Indians- Now that everyone has abandoned ship on the Tribe, they will probably put together a fantastic season. And this is a team that was one game away from the World Series just 2 years ago. But alot of those players are gone (CC, anyone?). Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona are studs, but when Carl Pavano is penciled in as your number 3, you could be in trouble. Sizemore doesn't have alot of protection in the lineup, either. Might be a long year near the Lake...

American League East Preview '09

After 3 weeks of WBC coverage, it's hard to believe that MLB's regular season starts in just 11 days. So it's time to begin my predictions for the upcoming season. I start with the AL East.

1. Boston Red Sox- It's so hard to pick against these guys. They have arguably the best pitching staff, 1 thru 12, in the majors. A rotation that goes 7 deep, and a 7th (Saito), 8th (Okajima), and 9th (Papelbon) that will keep them ahead or close in every game. Thier lineup is none too shabby either, with the only real question mark at shortstop. Reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz lead the way. Their only problem is staying healthy (Ortiz, Penny, Saito, etc).

2. Tampa Bay Rays- Expect a bit of a comedown from last year's surprising AL Champs. But not too much- a lot of young talent is a year wiser (Upton, Navarro, Longoria). Troy Percial may stumble as closer, but Grant Balfour is there to pick up the slack. The biggest question mark is the back of their rotation, but if David Price is the real deal, that won't much matter.

3. NY Yankees- Sabathia! Burnett! Teixiera! Umm...great, but some glaring weaknesses still missed on this All-Star laden team. Bullpen is very questionable besides HOF'er Rivera. And the Yanks overlooked one of their glaring problems- this team got really old, really quick last year, and guys like Damon, Matsui, and Posada are even longer in the tooth. Oh, and that whole A-Rod thing...even if he comes back healthy in June, how will he deal with the steroids issue?

4. Toronto Blue Jays- It really was only a year ago that this team was everyone's "dark horse" pick. Not so much this year- Roy Halladay and pray for 4 days of rain doesn't work when you play indoors. Batting lineup is solid- Wells and Rolen make a nice combo when healthy. And BJ Ryan should be saving games like he used to- but how many leads will the Jays have in the 8th and 9th innings?

5. Baltimore Orioles- Help is on the way, allegedly. Alot of young bats, including phenom catcher Matt Wieters (above), who may be on the team sooner rather than later. A young outfield of Pie, Jones, and Markakis gives them some hope, but thier pitching is woeful- Jeremy Guthrie is your best starter, really? Maybe in 2010, O's fans..

Coming up next- AL Central..

MTV & Hitler

A hilarious but sad animated short on the death of MTV. Some not-for-work language. 30-somethings, take note:



And Hitler loses his mind over the Bills' latest free-agent signing. Thanks to Paul for this find.

My 1st Career Day

I spent my entire morning at Weems Elementary School, where I spoke at their Career Day. I only found about this two days ago, and I cannot recall the last time I felt so nervous. I am fine with public speaking, when I have a speech in front of me. Flying mostly by the seat of my pants- not my forte. But it went well, and the 4th graders that I was talking to seemed mostly interested in what I had to say. But when I opened it up for them to ask questions, I got some very interesting ones:

- "Does Uncle Slam sweat alot when he dances?"
- "Do you get to eat alot of hot dogs at work?"
- "Who brings water to the players when they're thirsty?"
- "Do you play on the team?" (my favorite)

And when I handed out reading bookmarks, where if they read 4 books they get 2 free tickets:
- "Do comic books count?"
- "If I read 10 books, can I get 5 tickets?"
- "Can I read the same book 4 times?"

But, there were some good questions and while the overall knowledge of baseball was lacking, there were a couple of kids who really knew alot and reminded me of a ten year old Billy that would have loved meeting someone in baseball.

Mascot Madness...Just For Staci!

Screecha and Uncle Slam go head-to-head..and my hatred for the "new" Screech grows by the minute...

Alanah's Birthday Video- Finally!

After trying in vain to get these uploaded on the crappy desktop, I finally gave up and did it on Staci's laptop. The rest of the videos for Alanah's birthday can be found on YouTube under "billyk73." Enjoy:

TWIB Notes- WBC Round 1

I have to say, I am watching alot more of the WBC than I was in 2006. Games have been close and exciting, and while there haven't been alot of upsets, there have enough, especially the Dutch beating the heavily-favored Dominican Republic not once, but twice. The comparison of the two teams is completely one-sided: Netherlands has 2 players with MLB experience, while the DR has 23. And the salaries? Netherlands had $400,000 in 2008 MLB salaries, while the DR had $80 million. So take heed, Yankees & Sox- money doesn't win everything, and good pitching wins almost all of the time.

As for other matchups, the US redeemed itself from its horrible '06 showing by making the 2nd round. Japan, Cuba and Korea easily moved on as well. There should be some really good matchups for Round 2, which start on Saturday. I know I'll be watching.

Bat Fight & Chili Peppers

Will Ferrell & Craig Robinson duel-

BAT FIGHT with Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell

Another literal video- this time it's the Chili Peppers-

Under The Bridge: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos

Best. Sports Day. Ever.

I knew about Manny finally signing before I went to bed last night, but when I awoke with insomnia at 5 AM, I tuned into Sportscenter just to see the news again. And what to my wondering eyes did appear- that the Cowboys had released T.O!!!! While it's hard to quantify which makes me happier, getting a player back that makes my team so much better (Manny), or getting rid of the only player I have ever hated that was on one of teams, I am going to call it a draw.

And the cherry on top of this sports sundae? Karma had a table for one- A-Rod is out for 8 weeks- 4 months. Shoulda stayed on the 'roids.

New (And Old) Minor League Nicknames

The baseball season is fast approaching, and you will be seeing some new, and old, logos and nicknames all around Minor League Baseball. Here's my two cents on some of them.


Bowling Green Hot Rods (A, South Atlantic)- I like this logo and name, despite the fact that it's replacing a great name/logo (Columbus Catfish). It's flashy, but not over the top. I rate it: B+




Salem Red Sox (A, Carolina)- I not only can't stand when a team adopts its MLB affiliate's team name, but when it gets rid of one of the best nicknames (Avalanche) in the Minors, well, that's even worse. I didn't like it when my current employer did it in '05(Cannons became the Nationals), and I don't like it now. Rating: C-




Quad Cities River Bandits (A, Midwest)- This is a team that realized the error of its ways and returned to a classic. Quad Cities was known as the River Bandits until '04, when they became the Swing of the Quad Cities. Horrible name, and 5 years later, a return to the way it should be. Rating: A-




Gwinnett Braves (AAA, International)- Okay, so despite the MLB name, I actually like this logo, and the fact that we didn't lose a good nickname in the deal (Richmond Braves), I guess it's okay. Rating: C+




Winston-Salem Dash (A, Carolina)- Awful. Just awful. This is exactly why you don't let fans vote on team names. We lose the unique Warthogs name and logo, and we're left with this atrocity. No character, no relation to the team, nothing. Rating: F