Wednesday Link-Off: WOW!

olivia-wilde-gq09-2Speaking of things that make you go “WOW,” here’s Olivia Wilde.

Bill Simmons is on my daily “Must Listen” list. Sadly, while listening to the Subway Fresh Take Hotline, I’ll miss his Miller Lite Great Call of the Week. (Slate) By the way, we have a radio show (slash podcast) that is offering cheap advertising opportunities though I can’t technically sell ad time. I can sell ad time and naming rights to Lowdown Extra, though.

Folks that know me know that I’m a huge Michigan Wolverines fan. If the big win over Notre Dame wasn’t big enough, it was even sweeter when I found out what Tate Forcier’s big concern was before the game. (Sports Illustrated)

If he didn’t win his first professional game, this article about Jets QB Mark Sanchez would have made him the laughing stock of the NFL. (NY Daily News)

After the jump, the only team that the Detroit Lions could hope to beat, Kanye West is a jackass, and the best play/call from the NFL’s Week 1. Continue reading

Saturday Link-Off: Ready For Some Football

Jackie has gone AWOL so I’ve had to step in to save the day. jennifer-walcott1To celebrate the real start of the NFL season, here’s NFL WAG Jennifer Walcott.

One of the greatest videos ever in the history of the internet: Oregon Trail Meets the NFL. (Kotaku)

Speaking of great videos, Rick Reilly made his first ever appearance on SportsCenter. Just another reason why ESPN’s SportsCenter is better than TSN’s SportsCentre. (Deadspin)

The NFL season brings out all sorts of prognosticators, including those that read tarot cards. Maya Angelou has thrown her expertise into figuring out the 2009 season. (Splog)

After the jump, more football links, Canada’s next superstar, and the Detroit Lions got some special visitors at training camp. Continue reading

The Humanoids: Loose Ends

The theme behind this week’s Humanoids is tying up loose ends. Or at least that’s generally the idea.  Everyone has loose ends that need tying up at some time or other. Most of my subjects of ridicule had some loose end that is being tied up or just coming to light. I know that I have some loose ends that need tying up. Actually, I can’t find enough time to tie up all of my loose ends. Despite their public loose ends being tied up, that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg for my victims.

Just a reminder that The Lowdown radio show returns next Tuesday at 6:30 PM on 94.9 FM in London, ON, and on CHRWradio.com. It’s going to be a fun half-hour of laughs and excitement that you don’t want to miss. We’ll have the downloadable versions of the show online around 7:00 PM including the first ever Lowdown Extra broadcast. Continue reading

Sunday Link-Off: Welcome Back

gisela-dulko-11Ana Ivanovic was dropped in the first round of the US Open. Let’s hope that Gisela Dulko lasts longer.

University and college is starting across Canada this week. Frosh Weeks are also kicking off today, tomorrow or they might be under way. So now’s the time for some advice on how not to need to not drop the soap. (Musings on Greenwood)

New York Mets star David Wright is back. He’s in that really safe helmet I mentioned ages ago. I can hear the sales pitch now: “The new super safe batting helmet. Fashion sense not included.” (The Sports Hernia)

I mentioned on Friday that Erin Andrews would be making an appearance on Oprah. Well, FOX Sports’ Jason Whitlock has uncovered the way that other sports media personalities are plotting to get on Oprah. (Sportress of Blogitude)

After the jump, embarrassing injuries, the best of Jeopardy, and The Beatles’ new video game. Continue reading

The Humanoids: Back to School

It’s that time of year again. The kids are back off for another 10 months of having their heads crammed with stuff that they’ll quickly forget over the intervening two months before the next school year. That is unless you’re at college or university. Then you’re learning stuff that is generally useful to you. Actually, at least around my neck of the woods, the kids aren’t in school today. Teachers are already burning a day off today because school had to start early because Labour Day was later this year. Universities and colleges don’t need to start the year earlier to get in all the teaching they need. I’m sure elementary school and high school teachers would protest my insinuation that they are wasting their and the kids’ time by starting school early. They’re wrong, though. The whole first week of school is a waste anyway. Why not start the Tuesday after Labour Day and actually get down to business right away? And don’t get me started about the waste that is the month of June. Anyway, the subjects of today’s series of skewerings need to go back to school or have to their associates back to school. It’s an amazingly eclectic lineup that I’ve got today. Something for the whole family here.

This week’s radio show news is good news. Jackie and I are taping the season premiere on Saturday. Our new boss at CHRW wanted to hear the show early. The news will be a little dated but we’ll manage somehow. We’re still waiting to hear back from Activision and Harmonix about getting games to review but no dice so far. I was hoping to make GH5 and The Beatles: Rock Band the centrepieces of a music special but those dreams are disappearing quickly. By the way, have you checked out the new car wall index we put up on the blog? Continue reading

Western Mustangs 2009 Season Preview

Western-Mustangs-LogoThe 2009 Canadian university football season is kicking off in less than a week. Seeing as I was a member of the Western Mustangs broadcast crew for the last three seasons, who better to examine the Mustangs chances of winning their third-straight Yates Cup championship than me? Mind you, I wish I was still in London because it’s shaping up to be a good year at T.D. Waterhouse Stadium. Continue reading

Wednesday Link-Off: Going Long

ana-ivanovic-fhm08-5It’s the first week of the U.S. Open so here’s Ana Ivanovic.

College football is kicking off on both sides of the border. The rules might be different on either side of the border but the fans are all the same. (National Lampoon)

Keeping with football, guess which ex-NFL star has decided to restart his career north of the border. Can you actually make it rain in Manitoba? (Sports Illustrated)

Guitar Hero 5 came out yesterday. They still haven’t answered our request for a copy of the game to review so I don’t want to give them too much free publicity. IGN is doing a good enough job of that. You can’t find a word about The Beatles: Rock Band anywhere on their site. Anyway, here’s the Top 25 must-play Guitar Hero tracks. (IGN)

After the jump, some “Only in America” stories, lots more football stories, the best fictional mobsters, and Artie Lange. Continue reading

Football Night In Canada: Week 9 Wrapup

Week Nine of the CFL season was the last of the two bye weeks. However, just because there was less action on the field doesn’t mean that the action wasn’t any good. Both games this week were nail-biters that came down to the final minutes. Continue reading

Football Night In Canada: Week 8 Wrapup

Week Eight of the 19 week CFL season brings us to the first of two bye-weeks. Each team will get one bye this season. The four teams (Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton) with byes this week will face each other during Week 10’s rivalry week on Labour Day. The other four teams were in action this week looking to get some momentum heading into their bye-week and the stretch run. Continue reading

Sunday Link-Off: Performance Enhancement

brooklyn-decker-si09-02Brooklyn Decker may be in the latest GQ but her SI swimsuit photos are better.

It turns out that it’s not just your normal athletes who are believed to be using performance enhancing drugs. Senior athletes are too. And I’m not just talking about Viagra. (Deadspin)

The NCAA’s rules are absolutely ridiculous. Teams are allowed to feed their players bagels but they aren’t allowed to give them cream cheese or butter to go with the bagel. Hell, even those cheap bastards at Timmy’s give you butter for free. (Sports By Brooks)

Good news: There will be damage in Gran Turismo 5. Bad news: It likely won’t be on all cars. (Top Gear)

After the jump, the best TV intros, all sorts of football links, and money can’t buy you a high enough video board. Continue reading