"The Bridge"

I just finished the documentary called "The Bridge."

I think I'm kind of disturbed by it - but for reasons different than I expected. Basically, the director rolls tape on the Golden Gate bridge for a year and catches footage of several people leaping off. (90% of the film consists of interviews with friends and family members of the dead.) It was so disturbingly riveting to see people (up close - thanks to a high zoom lens) pace up and down the bridge before going over the rail onto another platform and then leaping over the edge.

But after a while I was kind of caught up with the ethics of the whole movie. Cops and emergency personnel are always nearby because it is apparently the suicide capital of the country. (We see the cops talk at least two people off the ledge.) So the camera man watches a guy climb over the rail and sit there for 15 minutes and they don't call anyone to help the despondent guy before he jumps? Time and time again? They're more interested in getting the footage?

Dark.

Hey, Now

Every Year We See This

LAS VEGAS - Showman Jerry Lewis raised nearly $64 million on Monday during his annual Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, topping last year's event by $3 million.

And, not to sound harsh, but are we even close to a cure?

Edit: And the man is going crazy.

My Head Is Spinning

A faithful reader saw this sign in Sunset outside of a "statue business", snapped a pic, and emailed it to me this weekend.

Random SMU/Tech Thoughts

- I really like that stadium. It's small, but that sure makes every seat in the house a good seat. Thumbs up. But the skyboxes-to-seat ratio is out of whack.
- There were probably more Tech fans than SMU fans, but it was difficult to tell since both wore red.
- Amazingly, this wasn't even close to a sell out. Both SMU and Tech should be ashamed.
- SMU has a great pre-game scene going. Over the last 15 years, "tailgating" has gone from a 2 hour affair to an all day affair. SMU lets everyone set up tents along the "Boulevard" that run right through campus. It's a great scene. (Couple of pics above.)
- The SMU bands first song was Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl." SMU is uppity.
- Uh, I forgot to mention parking is a mess. I did what the SMU web site told me to do: Park across Central near Mockingbird Station. There was a shuttle, but I'm a walking guy. That was quite the walk.
- Tech fans had an entire parking lot near Mockingbird Station reserved for their own tailgate party. It was full of happy Tech fans.
- End zone seats were priced oddly at $47.
- SMU has a tight end named "Vincent Chase." That's funny if you are an Entourage fan.
- I didn't notice, but there may have been a lot of hot women at the stadium.
- If you'll look closely at one of the pics above, you'll see SMU players taunting Tech players as they enter the stadium. Not-a-good idea.
- A very disturbing fashion trend: I bet over half of the SMU girls wore a white dress that is hard to describe. It's stretchy around the buxom and then is straight and "full" to about three inches above the knee. I'll swear, every girl could be eight months pregnant and you'd never know it in these dresses. This trend must be stopped.
- Tech coach Mike Leach (above) has some crazy hair. And is he drinking coffee before the game?
- I saw The Ticket broadcasting with Bob Sturm at the helm. (The original source of the phrase, "Hey, now!")
- That's smiling Tech quarterback Graham Harrell above. And that's before the game.
- The line was 7. Tech won by almost 40. Either Tech is really good or SMU is really bad. Or both may be true.

Not a bad place to watch a game

Watching People Get Their Guns Up

Sheesh. It's a holiday. Tech is playing SMU in Dallas. I never been since they built the new stadium. I think I'll go.

Baylor, I'm About Done With Ya

27-0. And it wasn't that close. I refuse to go through this again. Year after year. Loss after loss.

I sat in the 1981 Cotton Bowl with my brother as Baylor played Alabama after winning the SWC. If I had had an idea that the moment would be the high point for the next 26 years, I probably would have put my Baylor pennant in the trash and walked away forever.

I've sort of adopted Oklahoma over the last 10 years. I think I'll seek full custody.

Edit: I forgot to mention that general admission end zone seats were $50. You gotta be kidding.

Edit: I counted 68 games involving Division I schools yesterday. Only one other team (Mississippi State) failed to score a single point.

Camera Phone From The Game

I'm Off To See Baylor vs. TCU

I might throw a couple of updates if I can. And I'll take my camera. Even though a beating is expected, I love this stuff.

Best Month Ever

July was down due to the week's vacation (and I soooooo want to go again.) June was down for a reason I can't explain.

But we're back on track.

Saturday Afternoon In The (Almost) Fall

,
"Now, honey, if you practice real, real hard someday you can be a USC cheerleader and stand in the water with your sweater on. Dream big, baby. Dream big."

In The Ghetto

Elvis and Lisa Marie singing together alongside babies with guns - all in one youtube.com clip.

Big 10 Network

I just discovered I get the new Big Ten Network on my satellite dish. (218-221 on DirecTV). When I was a kid, I was lucky to get two college football games on Saturday. I'll bet there are ten going on right now that I can watch.

And Michigan has there hands full. I can actually watch it on Channel 220.

Edit: The upset of the century. And I'm so glad I stumbled upon it while in progress.'

Edit #2: Head coach Jerry Moore of Appalachian has some Texas connections. From wikipedia: "Prior to coaching at Appalachian State, Moore served as the head football coach at the University of North Texas from 1979 to 1980, and at Texas Tech from 1981 to 1985. His record at Texas Tech was 16–37–2. His career record at the end of the 2006 season stood at 167–115–2."

Sportzzzzzzz

Football results from the Messenger here.

Friday Night Lights

I got a report that Decatur and Burkburnett are scoreless after 1. (Although I'm in no mood to do quarterly updates).

Edit: Decatur up by 7 with 10:03 left in the 1st.

Edit: The Burkers just scored with 40 seconds left in the first half. 7-7. What a barn burner!

Edit: Ok, I'm getting tired of this updating crap. But Burk kicked a field goal at the end of the 3rd to got up 10-7. I really don't care. But something in the back of my mind makes me think that Burk might be a 2A school. I'm off to the Internets to check that out.

Edit: Ok, my source is still at the game. Decatur kicked what is called a "field goal" and has tied the game at 10-10. Dear, lord, please don't let this go to overtime.

Edit: Ok, via text message I've learned that there are two minutes left and Burk has the ball. I'm so excited that I'm balled up in a fetal position in the corner. Or I may be sitting on the couch watching Jerry Springer. Either way, I'm happy.

Edit: With less than two minutes left, Burk has the ball on the 13 and the Eagles called a timeout. I might have just wet my pants.

Edit: Burk just kicked a field goal with 1:35 left. Burk up by 3. Oh, the humanity.

Edit: Decatur returns the kickoff to the 50. They then run a play that gets them down to the "thirty" although my source didn't give me any details. Remind me to divorce her tomorrow.

Edit: My source tells me "Burk intercepted it but we [Decatur] got it back. It's crazy."

Edit: Holy cow! Decatur gets down to the 2 (spiking the ball into the ground) but chickens out and tries for the field goal. It's good. We have a tie game. Freakin' overtime awaits.

Edit: Decatur has the ball first.

Edit: Decatur misses a field goal. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the Eagle stands. God is not happy with the Eagles apparently.

Edit: Sheesh, Will this game ever end? Those hookers in my kitchen are getting restless.

Edit: Game over. Burk scores a touchdown. A dark cloud falls over Decatur. The sun may not rise tomorrow. No funeral. Burk 19. Decatur 13.

The Most Difficult Job In The World

The President's press secretary, Tony Snow, announced he would be resigning in a couple of months. Snow, who has suffered from cancer over the last year, said the reason was "money" - he makes over $160,000 a year. Even though he could have picked a better reason, he was probably being honest - something I appreciate.

And I also think he did a tremendous job. I can't imagine being able to walk out in front of the Washington press corp every day, answer ever question, and never make a mistake. He served his president well.

"You Need A Three Day Weekend!"