Messenger Above The Fold

Something Doesn't Seem Quite Right

Story.

North Texas Taking You Into The Weekend

No Wonder They Didn't Draft Him -- They Couldn't Find Him

Story.

Sports: Good Old Days Syndrome

This is the 30th Anniversary of "The Catch" where the 49ers beat the Cowboys to advance to the Super Bowl.

I was always proud of myself for knowing that Dallas almost won that game despite that play.  Danny White, on the next drive, hit Drew Pearson across the middle who almost got away.  Conventional wisdom is that Pearson would have scored if Eric Wright had not got a hand on his collar.

That play can be viewed here. When I went back and looked at it I didn't recall  #22 being downfield.  Yeah, he might have been blocked if Pearson had broken away, but it is no foregone conclusion that Pearson would have scored. History keeps changing on me!

But, man, it was fun to care back then.

North Dakota Visitors Bureau Gets Creative

"Arrive a Guest. Leave a Legend."

At Least Those Pesky Playoffs Won't Interfere With Practice Right Now

You White People Better Step It Up

I mentioned that the overall figure was 43%, but I had no idea the Caucasian faith was smaller than a mustard seed.

Source.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Bridgeport's Colin Jones has moved to wide receiver for 49ers playoff game. I'm not sure he'll see any action, but it's something to look for. 
• I've decided not to coach softball this Spring (although Mrs. LL has signed up for an assistant coach position for some team.)  It was fun, but I also missed out on a lot of our own private practices with the Girls In The House as well as missed some of their games due to scheduling conflicts.  I didn't like that. 
• The would-be Paradise model.
• There were reports yesterday that Delta was eyeing an American Airlines takeover. That just seems, well, unAmerican. 
• I'm not that big of a Facebook guy, but it drives me crazy when I see a post of some child in a hospital bed with a caption of "If this picture gets 1,000,000 'likes', his life saving surgery will be free."  Really? You falling for that?
• I feel fat. 
• The Office just isn't the same since Steve Carell left, but we knew that would happen. 
• Styx is at Billy Bob's this weekend. Fifteen years ago I saw them play two songs outside of The Today Show studios in New York City. I guess I was literally outside of "30 Rock."
• I would absolutely love for the Tebow Bronco's to beat New England this weekend. The aftermath would be absolutely entertaining. (43% of Americans believe that God is helping Tebow win.)
• I could have sworn I saw what  looked like a bobcat (or something) out of the corner of my eye when I was jogging in the dark a couple of weeks ago. Never thought I would need to jog with a pistol. Who's crazy enough to do that? 
• On my DVR is last night's  new documentary  from  HBO on the "The Memphis Three."  Mrs. LL is staring at the remote right now doing all she can not to hit "play" since she promised me we'd watch it together. (I think the gal is obsessed with whodunit-death.)
• You can feel the passion being sucked out of right wing talk radio as they all come to terms with the fact that the Spartan that will lead them into battle against President Obama is Mitt Romney. Freakin' Mitt Romney. I think they fear this will be like 300 without the resistance. 
• ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski was on WBAP this morning to promote his new book about the Duke/Kentucky game 20 years ago that ended with the famous Christian Laettner turn around jumper -- a shot that some people think is the greatest moment in college basketball. WBAP's Hal Jay started the interview by saying he wasn't familiar with it. 
• Former ESPN spare Craig James apparently went off (and I mean really off) on a questioner during the Senate debate last night in Austin for asking a "gotcha" question of "Do you know who the Secretary of Defense is?"  I'm looking for the video.

"The Rhome PD Motorcycle"

At least that's what an emailer sent me.

(Thanks, Shannon.)

I'm Changing My Views On Police Chases

Me advocate a "no chase" policy? Not anymore.  The second the cops pulled out the rocket launcher/hand cannon, I was locked in.

If this doesn't become the new DPS Training Video by the end of the year, it is proof positive that we no longer care about keeping our roads safe.

Irony. She Haz It.

I've been dogging the Tarrant County D.A.'s office for its new PR person's press releases/tweets.

Look what she just tweeted. When are they going to do something about crime down there?????

What is this thing?

Mrs. LL sends this dispatch from Fort Worth Highway 287 in Wise County:

• 12 axles (approximately)
• "looks like some motorized contraption designed by the pigs from angry birds" (Editor's note: What the heck is this crazy lady talking about?)
• There are two motorcycle cops in front of it and a long line of vehicles behind it unable to get on the freeway because he's blocking the on-ramp. 

Edit: She tracked the thing down later at Harmon Road and 287, and I enhanced the photo in the Liberally Lean Laboratory.

This Guy Will Not Let Court Interfere With Sleep

Not the best picture, but this guy at the Wise County Courthouse this morning didn't budge for 30 minutes as he slept with a jacket over his head. (The red is a kid I cropped out -- momma was up there, too.)

The funny part is that a new Grand Jury was empaneled today and they had to walk past him to get to the jury room.  I'll bet they'll be in an indicting mood now.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Now that's a cold wind out there.
• New controversy: U.S. Marines urinating on the dead bodies of the Taliban. We're better than that. Or at least I think we are.
• Rhome PD has a motorcycle? Hearing reports that the answer is "yes". 
• Saw a headline where a guy in Lubbock pled guilty to capital murder to avoid getting the death penalty. He had met his victim through a "dating service", it said, so I had to see what it was. The answer: BootyCall.com. What could possibly go wrong?
• People's Choice Awards observations from last night: (1) Adam Sandler is no longer funny, and (2) Faith Hill has discovered botox.
• The Tarrant County DA's office has turned into Pravda. Their PR person tweets yesterday, "Eddie Dorris [sentenced] to maximum 20 yrs in prison this afternoon for aggravated assault for brutally beating his ex-lover."  They failed to mention that they had charged him with, but failed to receive a conviction for, Attempted Capital Murder which carried with it a maximum of life in prison. 
• Paying for a product or service on the spot with your cell phone makes a lot of sense. I'm just not sure how it will work.
• Hot water heater issue: Mine seems to not be producing as much hot water. I checked it last night and the pilot light was on, and I saw the full flame kick on once someone was taking a bath. The only thing I can think of is that its internal temperature gauge is screwed up by reading the water as hotter than it actually is. I mean, if the full flame stayed on longer the problem would be solved, right? (The temperature knob/doohickey was set to "Very Hot.") ........Edit: I never knew that my readership was 100% composed of the Ghost of George Carlin. 
• Comment on "tankless hot water heater" in three, two, . . . 
• Today's Update oddly informs you about what dumps are closed for MLK Jr. Day:  "MLK DAY CLOSING – Wise County Development Services and the Decatur dumpsite will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. The Boyd, Chico, and Cottondale dumpsites will close Wednesday, Jan. 18, for their holiday."
• Fox 4's "Job Of The Day" yesterday was Landmark Industries in Decatur which was looking for welders. 
• Who would have ever thought the Republican nominee would be a Mormon Gordon Gekko but without the personality? (Now if I can only find where to buy stock in Teldar Paper.) 
• "Super Agent" Leigh Steinberg declares bankruptcy and blames it on alcohol. I'm not buying it. I'm guessing he simply lived beyond his wage.
• My flimsy basis for that opinion: Back in the 1990s, I used to watch The Ricki Lake Show. Every wheels off guest who didn't have a job and screwed up every relationship he had would say, "I really had a problem with alcohol back then." They may have but that didn't prevent them from getting up and going to work. It was an excuse. 
• A lot of people are upset with the Dr. Pepper/Dublin news yesterday, but I have no idea what the controversy is about. 

Fun While It Lasted

Official as of the 3:00 p.m. press conference.

Rush Limbaugh Went Crazy Over This Today

But since I don't understand 95% of what Rush says, I'm not sure why he went nuts.

Story.

Tuesday Morning Pick Me Up (Edit: I Have Confirmed It Is, In Fact, Wednesday)

That's Rita Rusic (I have no idea), and she's 51 year old. Killing it. Absolutely killing it.