My Super Bowl XLI Predictions

Super Bowl XLI is going to be a complete blowout. Every year we spend the two weeks before the Super Bowl and after the Conference Championship games talking up the underdog and convincing ourselves that the game will be worth watching. In reality, the odds makers are usually always right, and they have this one picked perfectly, if not maybe just a little too conservatively. The Indianapolis Colts are going to blowout the Chicago Bears in embarrassing fashion, by a final score of 38-20. Chicago will score a meaningless touchdown late, but the game will never be close. Peyton Manning will be the MVP, the Colts will throw for more than 300 yards and run for more than 150, and the Bears will commit 3 turnovers, including 2 Rex Grossman interceptions. At one point Indy will be up by more than 3 touchdowns and Manning will complete 6 straight passes. There will be a special team’s touchdown and a defensive touchdown, Billy Joel will do a sub-par job on the national anthem and Prince will steal the halftime show without baring either of his breasts. The commercials will get a low B grade, the pre-game show will go on forever and I will eat more than my share of chicken wings, potato skins and chili con queso. Those are my Super Bowl XLI predictions and I’m sticking to them. Enjoy the game. It’s doesn’t get any more American than this!

Go Pro When It Come to Biz Cards!

Professional business cards say so much about the person who uses them. I hate those cheap, one-color business cards printed on flimsy paper stock. My Dad always used to say that you can judge a person’s character by the strength of their handshake and the thickness of their business card. I completely agree!

It's All in the Presentation

In my work for Parts & People newspaper, I use quite a few presentation folders. For my presentation folder printing, I’ve been going online. Presentation folders that look professional are so much more effective than buying a folder from an office supply store and putting a sticker on there. Image perceived is image conceived is what I always like to say!

Online Business Card Printing: Easy and Affordable

By ordering your business card printing online, you can save mucho dinero. It’s a very simple process and saves you time as well as cash. The quality is high and you’ll save on short runs too. With the new high-end digital printing techniques that are out there today, it’s really the best way to go. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

A's Will Soon be The Cisco Kids

Welcome to the complete corporatization of major league baseball, America. The entire sports climate in this country has been moving in this general direction for the past few years, and now it’s finally here.

Cisco Systems, Inc. has reached a deal with the Oakland A’s in which the Northern California-based corporation will build the team a new ballpark in Fremont, a city about 15-20 minutes south of Oakland, depending on traffic, which, no doubt, is about to get a lot more congested in the very near future. The agreement would create a 32,000-35,000-seat stadium, which of course will be named Cisco Field, on a 143-acre parcel held by the company, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

If the plan is approved by the city, the A’s could be playing there as soon as 2011. A’s owner Lew Wolff declined to speak to reporters yesterday after he left a meeting with four Fremont City Council members, but you know he must be secretly grinning from ear to ear!

The City of Oakland blew it and never built a new stadium for the A’s when they should have done a long time ago. And then they let Raiders Owner Al Davis put that ridiculous wall of stands and luxury boxes in the place, so that now it looks more like an overpriced apartment building than a baseball stadium. I went there 2-3 times this season, and it’s an outdated, uninspiring stadium that can’t in any way compare to the exciting new baseball-only facilities of today.

It will be a good thing all away around for the A’s. Maybe now they can spend a little money on players. Even though Billy Beane has done an amazing job getting young rookies through the farm system and acquiring old guys via free agency, it just hasn’t been enough to assemble a team that can get into the World Series.
An influx of ca$h from a new stadium will mean Beane can throw a few bucks around to get exactly the type of team he’s looking for without worrying so much about the bottom line. This whole thing with companies owning and operating professional sports teams is the wave of the future, anyway.

It reminds me of the movie “Rollerball” where teams are owned by enormous corporations representing entire continents.

The only two things to ask now are: Will Fremont okay the deal? They’d be stupid not to. There will undoubtedly be a group of citizens from Fremont who will fight it and say the new stadium will be bad for the city. Those folks always exist. But, for a small town like Fremont to reject a deal like this – one that can bring them so much prestige, jobs and mucho dinero – would be municipal suicide.

The other question is: What do you name the team? The Fremont A’s? The Silicon Valley A’s? The Northern California A’s? How about the Cisco Kids!? It’s just a matter of time. I can see it now. The Apple Computer Antelopes. The Hewlett Packard Packers, the Yahoo Yankees and the Google Gophers.

This Week's Restaurant Review: Kuleto's in SF

San Francisco is a food lover’s paradise. You can pretty much throw a stone from any point in this city (unless, of course, you’re on the Golden Gate Bridge or in the deepest darkest regions of Golden Gate Park) and you’ll hit a good place to have a meal. I love exploring new places and trying out unique and different things to eat, and invariably a good or possibly great experience is the end result. Kuleto’s in San Francisco’s Union Square really wasn’t one of those instances – from what I had heard from friends and had seen on the Internet, I knew ahead of time that an evening at Kuleto’s was going to be a winner. The place offers Northern Italian cuisine featuring fresh and seasonal ingredients and highlights items like homemade pastas, traditional Italian salads, fresh fish and flavorful meats. The focal point of the place is a 40-foot-long intricately-carved Brunswick bar made in England that was brought around Cape Horn in a clipper ship and survived the 1906 earthquake while installed at the famous Palace Hotel. When I stop to think of how many drinks have crossed that bar, the mugs of grog, glasses of wine and pitches of margaritas, it almost makes me drunk just pondering it. The executive chef at Kuleto’s is Bob Helstrom and he’s been onboard for 12 years. He has worked previously at places like Ponzu in SF and the Jbar in San Diego, just to name a few. He has a total of 35 years in the business, and his influences are evident throughout the extensive menu. Kuleto’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, which in itself is highly unusual in this city. Most of your top restaurants don’t even bother serving lunch anymore, let alone breakfast. I figure if a place is good, why not do it all? Sometimes trying to find a decent breakfast in this town is like trying to find a gas station. I’m getting tired of Egg McMuffins and bagel sandwiches from Starbuck’s, so when I hear about a good location that serves breakfast, it always makes me happy. Hell, my needs are simple. When we went to Kuleto’s, we had a wonderful dining experience. The wait staff is highly skilled, and you can tell that the place is first-class from the minute you enter. But, the most important thing about Kuleto’s is that the food is superb! The appetizers, salads and desserts are all exceptional here, but because of time constraints, I will get right to the meat of the matter and focus on the entrees. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Tonno alla Griglia con Panzella ($23), which is a grilled piece of rare ahi tuna with a Tuscan bread salad served with salsa verde. Everybody makes a seared ahi nowadays, but this is head, shoulders, fins and gills above anything I’ve ever had. The Piccata di Vitello ($21.50), is veal scaloppini with capers, garlic, spinach and lemon. I know that veal is not an animal-friendly thing to eat, but I love it and I promise that the next time I see a calf I’ll apologize. Until they outlaw veal, I’ll be eating it. The meat dishes at Kuleto’s from the Filleted di Mango ($32), or as we call it in America -- filet mignon; to the Tailgate di Griglia ($28), a grilled hanger steak that will have you hanging on for more, are both equally excellent. I don’t usually like duck, but I saw the Anita al Forgo ($23), a Sonoma roasted duck with braised corona beans, rapine and grappa soaked figs, and it looked incredible. Kuleto’s also has a wide array of pasta dishes. I’ve tasted the penne and the linguini there, and I can say without reservation that they’re divine. Nothing beats a place that makes its own pasta. It’s like the noodles know they’ve been loved. Speaking of reservations, if you plan on going to Kuleto’s, you should definitely make them. Being in Union Square means that the place can get crowded during peak hours. Kuleto’s is located ay 221 Powell Street in San Francisco. Their phone number is: (415) 397-7720. For a great meal at prices that aren’t really all that high for San Francisco, where at some places you need to take out a small business loan to eat there, Kuleto’s is a wonderful experience and worth every dime.

SF Real Estate is a Complete Joke! People Here are Considering Raleigh!

With San Francisco housing prices going right through the ceiling, a lot of people are moving out of the Bay Area. Some of them are seriously looking at Raleigh North Carolina Real Estate. Raleigh is much more affordable, the North Carolinians are just much nicer folks, and it’s a great place to raise a family. San Francisco refugees – take my advice and consider Raleigh North Carolina Real Estate!

Barbaro: A Great Horse Who Will Be Missed

This is such a shame. I love horse racing, but when I see something like this it just breaks my heart. These beautiful animals are bred to be runners and although they’re treated fairly well, sometimes they get hurt just like human athletes and it’s sad. Barbaro was a great horse and made a valiant effort to live. He will be missed.

This appeared today on AOL.com:

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (Jan. 29) - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that prompted an outpouring of support across the country.
A series of ailments, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, proved too much for the gallant colt.Barbaro battled in his ICU stall for eight months. The 4-year-old colt underwent several procedures and was fitted with fiberglass casts. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external brace. These were all extraordinary measures for a horse with such injuries.Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson."I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so," Jackson said to Barbaro's fans.The news that Barbaro had been euthanized first was reported on the Thoroughbred Times Web site.On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles from Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, recovering from an injury most horses never survive. But Barbaro never regained his natural gait."We loved him. He was great," said Peter Brette, Barbaro's exercise rider and assistant trainer for Michael Matz. "He did everything we ever asked of him. He could have been one of the best. What a fighter he was."
Barbaro suffered a significant setback over the weekend, and surgery was required to insert two steel pins in a bone - one of three shattered in the Preakness but now healthy - to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.The procedure Saturday was a risky one, because it transferred more weight to the leg while the foot rests on the ground bearing no weight.The leg was on the mend until the abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's left rear leg, which developed laminitis in July, and 80 percent of the hoof was removed.Richardson said Monday morning that Barbaro did not have a good night."This horse was a hero," said David Switzer, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. "His owners went above and beyond the call of duty to save this horse. It's an unfortunate situation, but I think they did the right thing in putting him down."Brilliant on the race track, Barbaro always will be remembered for his brave fight for survival.The story of the beloved 4-year-old bay colt's fight for life captured the fancy of millions.When Barbaro broke down, his right hind leg flared out awkwardly as jockey Edgar Prado jumped off and tried to steady the ailing horse. Race fans at Pimlico wept. Within 24 hours the entire nation seemed to be caught up in a "Barbaro watch," waiting for any news.Well-wishers young and old showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts, goodies and even religious medals for the champ, and thousands of e-mails poured into the hospital's Web site just for him."I just can't explain why everyone is so caught up in this horse," Roy Jackson, who owned the colt with his wife, Gretchen, has said time and again. "Everything is so negative now in the world, people love animals and I think they just happen to latch onto him."Devoted fans even wrote Christmas carols for him, sent a wreath made of baby organic carrots and gave him a Christmas stocking.The biggest gift has been the $1.2 million raised since early June for the Barbaro Fund. The money is put toward needed equipment such as an operating room table, and a raft and sling for the same pool recovery Barbaro used after his surgeries.The Jacksons spent tens of thousands of dollars hoping the best horse they ever owned would recover and be able to live a comfortable life on the farm - whether he was able to breed or not.The couple, who own about 70 racehorses, broodmares and yearlings, and operate the 190-acre Lael Farm, have been in the horse business for 30 years, and never had a horse like Barbaro.As the days passed, it seemed Barbaro would get his happy ending. As late as December, with the broken bones in his right hind leg nearly healed and his laminitis under control, Barbaro was looking good and relishing daily walks outside his intensive care unit.But after months of upbeat progress reports, including talk that he might be headed home soon, news came Jan. 10 of a serious setback because of the laminitis. Richardson had to remove damaged tissue from Barbaro's left hind hoof, and the colt was placed back in a protective sling.On Jan. 13, another section of his left rear hoof was removed. After Barbaro developed a deep abscess in his right hind foot, surgery was performed Saturday to insert two steel pins in a bone.This after Richardson warned last December that Barbaro's right hind leg was getting stronger and that the left hind foot was a "more formidable long-term challenge."Even before the injury that ended his career, Barbaro had earned his fame for simply being a magnificent racehorse.Foaled and raised at Sanborn Chase at Springmint Farm near Nicholasville, Ky., breeder Bill Sanborn fought back tears Monday as he talked about "the privilege" of working with the colt."Everything was looking really, really good, and of course I honestly thought that the horse was going to pull it off," he said. "It just wasn't meant to be. It didn't surprise me that he fought so long. He was a great horse."La Ville Rouge, Barbaro's broodmare, remains pregnant at Mills Ridge Farm in Lexington with a full brother to Barbaro. The foal is expected to be born sometime in the early spring, according to farm spokesperson Kimberly Poulin.A son of Dynaformer, out of the dam La Ville Rouge, Barbaro started his career on the turf, but Matz knew he would have to try his versatile colt on the dirt. He reasoned that if he had a talented 3-year-old in America, he'd have to find out early if his horse was good enough for the Triple Crown races.Barbaro was good enough, all right. He won his first three races on turf with authority, including the Laurel Futurity by eight lengths and the Tropical Park Derby by 3 3/4 lengths.That's when Matz drew up an unconventional plan for a dirt campaign that spaced out Barbaro's race to keep him fit for the entire Triple Crown, a grueling ordeal of three races in five weeks at varying distances over different tracks.Barbaro won the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 4, but his dirt debut was inconclusive since it came over a sloppy track. After an eight-week break, an unusually long time between races, Barbaro came back and won the Florida Derby by a half-length over Sharp Humor despite an outside No. 10 post.The deal was sealed - on to the Derby, but not without criticism that Barbaro couldn't win coming off a five-week layoff. After all, it had been 50 years since Needles won the Derby off a similar break. But Matz was unfazed, and stuck to his plan, saying all the time he was doing what was best for the horse.Not only did Barbaro win the Derby, he demolished what was supposed to be one of the toughest fields in years. The 6 1/2-length winning margin was the largest since 1946, when Assault won by eight lengths and went on to sweep the Triple Crown.The 55-year-old Matz, meanwhile, was living a charmed life. Before turning to thoroughbreds eight years ago, he was an international show jumping star, and a three-time Olympian and silver medal winner who carried the U.S. flag at the closing ceremony at the 1996 Atlanta Games. He also survived a plane crash in Iowa in 1989 and became a hero by saving three children from the burning wreckage. The crash killed 112 of the 296 people on board United Flight 232.In Barbaro, Matz truly believed he was training a Triple Crown winner. He often said Barbaro was good enough to be ranked among the greats and join Seattle Slew as the only unbeaten Triple Crown champions.But two weeks later after the Derby Barbaro took a horrible misstep and one of the most extraordinary attempts to save a thoroughbred was under way. The injury was considered to be so disastrous that many thought the horse would be euthanized while still at Pimlico Race Track.Instead, Barbaro was transported that night to the New Bolton Center's George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals and was operated on the next day by Richardson.The injuries were as serious as everyone feared: Barbaro sustained a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint - the ankle - was dislocated. Richardson said the pastern bone was shattered in "20-plus pieces."Barbaro, who earned $2,302,200 with his six wins in seven starts, endured the complicated five-hour surgery in which Richardson inserted a titanium plate and 27 screws into the broken bones. After calmly awakening from anesthesia, he "practically jogged back to his stall" looking for something to eat.At the time, Richardson stressed Barbaro still had many hurdles to clear, and called chances for a full recovery a "coin toss."Afterward, though, things went relatively smoothly. Each day brought more optimism: Barbaro was eyeing the mares, nickering, gobbling up his feed and trying to walk out of his stall. There was great hope Barbaro somehow would overcome the odds and live a life of leisure on the farm.But by mid-July, Richardson's greatest fear became reality - laminitis struck Barbaro's left hind leg and 80 percent of the hoof was removed. Richardson recalled recently what it was like when he met with the Jacksons, and Matz, and his wife, D.D., to deliver the news."It was terrible," Richardson said. "I wouldn't have blamed anyone at that point for saying they just couldn't face the prospects of going on."But Barbaro responded well to treatment, and his recovery was progressing until a final, fatal turn.

Keep 'Em Wondering

I can’t believe countries are getting upset over the Seven Wonders of the World. Maybe it has to do with tourist dollars. And who said there has to be seven, anyway? Why not make it a baker's dozen? And why didn’t they include some of the great American Wonders -- like Dodger Stadium, the Golden Gate Bridge, Pamela Anderson and Stevie Wonder? Get real!

This was on Aol.com today:

CAIRO, Egypt (Jan. 28) - Egypt is scoffing at a global contest to name the new seven wonders of the world, saying it's a disgrace that the Pyramids of Giza - the only surviving structure from the original list of architectural marvels - must compete for a spot.
Top Egyptian officials have lashed out at the popular contest that urges people around the world to vote for their top sites from a list of 21 finalists including the pyramids, Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower and Peru's Machu Picchu. The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, recently said the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign had "no scientific or official stature." The pyramids are "living in the hearts of people around the globe, and don't need a vote to be among the world wonders," Hawass said, according to the state-run Middle East News Agency, or MENA. But contest organizers say the backlash in Egypt is unwarranted, claiming the competition's intentions are to renew international interest in culture and history, not strip the pyramids from their ancient status. "The controversy in Egypt has shocked us," said contest spokeswoman Tia B. Viering. "The contest is not about taking something away, it's about moving something into modern times." The Egyptian pyramids are the only surviving structures from the original list of seven wonders of the ancient world, that also included such places as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Choosing new world wonders has attracted ongoing interest over the years, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, list of World Heritage Sites includes 830 selections. Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber started the "New 7 Wonders of the World" in 1999, collecting nearly 200 nominations from all over the world to compete. That list was first whittled down to 77, before it was narrowed down to 21 by a panel of architectural experts, chaired by former UNESCO chief Federico Mayor. But Weber wanted the masses to pick the top seven, and opened the voting for the final round to the public. People can vote on the Internet, by phone or by sending a cell phone text message until July 6. The seven winners will be announced July 7 in Lisbon, Portugal, and half of the revenues raised by the campaign will go toward restoration efforts including the Bamiyan Buddha statue in Afghanistan , which was destroyed by the Taliban regime. As part of the campaign, Weber is visiting each of the 21 sites, which also include the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, Stonehendge and the Acropolis in Athens. Weber visited Egypt earlier this month for three days, but instead of receiving a warm welcome as he had during other stops on his world tour, he got the cold shoulder from Egyptian officials, who would not meet with him, Viering said. Weber tried to hold a press conference at a hotel near the pyramids, which are located on the outskirts of Cairo, but police shut it down, saying it was not authorized, she said.
"They have not allowed us any kind of dialogue," Viering said in a telephone interview from Belgium this weekend. "We think it's about ego, and we don't know why the hostility is there." Egyptian officials also have made statements discounting the contest to local media over the past month. Egypt's Culture Minister Farouk Hosni called the competition "nonsense," saying it was "meaningless to vote on the pyramids" because they are the most important and most ancient wonder. The contest is "an attempt to seek celebrity and their efforts to meet Egyptian officials to give the contest significance won't take place. They have to understand the archaeological and the historical stature of the pyramids," MENA quoted Hosni as saying. The reception in Egypt was a stark contrast to the one Weber received in Jordan on Jan. 16 at that country's ancient city of Petra, also one of the 21 candidates. During his visit, a ceremony was held to declare Petra a contender, with Weber presenting Jordan's Queen Rania with the site's official candidacy at the event. Though the reception at other tour stops, including the Eiffel Tower and Moscow's Kremlin, was more subdued, Weber appears to also have been warmly greeted with ceremonies at other sites including the Taj Mahal in India, Angkor in Cambodia and the Kiyomizu Temple in Japan, according to his blog on the campaign's Web site. But the cool reception from Egyptian officials may not hurt the pyramid's chances of making it on the new list. With more than 24 million votes so far, Viering said the more than 4,000-year-old tombs are in the top seven. "We know that people all around the world want the pyramids as part of this as do people in Egypt," Viering said. "I think this controversy is a bump in the road, and I hope they will get over it."

No Tailgating at the Super Bowl?

I cannot believe this. No tailgating at the Super Bowl? Fans are paying big bucks to see this game and tailgating is a huge part of the whole experience. What a bunch of party poopers! The city of Miami should be ashamed. I hope they never get to host another Super Bowl ever again. I’ve been to Florida. It’s uncomfortably humid and they have mosquitoes there that are so big they eat cats! Shame on you, Miami! And shame on the NFL for letting it happen. I’ll be having a much better time watching the game on TV with my buddy Meathead, enjoying some great cuisine and saving the $300-$400 ticket price in the process!
I saw this on AOL:
If you didn't already realize that the NFL shuns the real fans at the Super Bowl in favor of the corporate suits, here's all you need to know: Tailgating is banned at Dolphin Stadium.
"The parking lot and traffic flow will look a lot different than it will during normal season games," [NFL spokesman Brian] McCarthy said. "We're going to have a security perimeter so we can screen people coming in." Among the items banned: containers of any type, coolers of any size, backpacks, bottles, banners, noisemakers and horns."We'll have security people out in the parking lots," McCarthy said. "If they see something that's obtrusive to other fans, they'll say you should put that back in your truck."
To an extent, I can understand this -- the Super Bowl is a different event and different security rules make sense. But it really grinds my gears that the NFL makes all its money all year off the kinds of people who show up at games early with brats and beer, and then in the biggest game of the year, it turns its back on those people.