I'll be gone till Monday, so watch ESPN for your sports news. Bye till then
Well, I have gotten the sleep that I needed, so now you can get the lowdow on the Packers game, the first one that I have watched all season. It was worth the wait. Brett's father passed away on Sunday, and it seemed like he guided the ball to the Packers recievers. He had 5 or 6 tremendous throws, 4 into double and triple coverage. He finished with 399 yards, just short of a career high 402, which he accoplished versus the Bears in a loss. Incredibly, it was the first time that Brett had thrown for 300 yards all season. Ahman Green also had a great game, with 127 yards rushing and a touchdown. The defense was excellent too, giving up just a touchdown, and geting three takeaways. For what seemed like the first time this year, the Packers didn't commit any turnovers. Mike McKenzie's replacement, Michael Hawthorne, was expecting to have a lot of balls thrown his way. Well, he intercepted two of them. Kabeer Bjaga Biamla had thre sacks, giving him ten on th eseason. Overall, it was a great game. Looking ahead to next week, the Pack plays Denver in Lambeau. The Broncos have nothing to play for, while the Pack has everything. Hopefully, Denver rests some its starters. Minessota plays Arizona in the desert, which looks like a Cardinal upset. Seattle plays SF in SF, and the Seahawks are 1-6 on the road. Works for me.
Once again, my football teams betrayed me. Both the Seahwaks and the Cowboys won, meaning that the Pack will have difficulty getting into the postseason, even if they win out. The Gophers. though, continued to play well in all sports. Mens hockey beat UNH ina a rematch of last years NCAA final 4-2 in the championship game of the Dodge Holiday Classic. The Gopher women beat UWGB 75-55, meaning that they are now 8-0. Pretty nice, huh? Well, if the Packers win tommorow, then you'll get to read more of my ramlings. If not, then you can find me under a mound of rock slag come August. Bye now
The Johnnies, Wild, Gophers, and Wolves all won. That is good, but the Vikes also won, which is just tragic. Well, here's the rundown. St. Johns beat Mount Union in the Division III championship game 24-6, ending Mount Union's 55 game winning streak. The Wild won 5-2 over Columbus. The Gophers won 9-0 over Princeton. The Wolves had their 36 point lead over Indiana slip away, but they still won. Indiana had a 7-6 lead, but the Wolves still won 102-80. NIce. KG didn't have a double double, but he came close with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 blocks, and a bunch of assists. Sweet. The vikes are evil, so I won't dwell on that. Hey, there was a Wild, Vikes, Gophers, and Wolves game today, and they were all in MN. Isn't that nuts? Yeah. Bye
Well, the Wild blew another late lead last night, giving up a goal with 1.9 seconds to go in the game, as they got only one point in a tie with Edmonton. That really stinks. Manny Fernandez and Wez Walz contributed to the breakdown. Walz had a horrible clearing attempt, that went straight to the stick of some moro on Edmonton. He should have just sat down on it, which would have given MN the win. Manny didn't move at all, and the puck settled comfortably in the back of the net as time expred. It was the first time that I have ever seen, or actually heard a team score a goal with its net being empty. Too bad. Anyway, we are still doing pretty well, and hopefully we can win out and make it to the playoffs. Meanwhile, The Gophers womens volleyball team lost to undefeated USC in the Final Four. The score was 3-0. That looks bad, but Minnesota was within five points in each game, and had late leads that just couldn't hold up versus the #1 Trojans. Well, enjoy the Vikings loss, G. Mantle
The Wild held off the Aves last night 3-2, and are beating Edmonton 1-0 at the end of the 2nd period. The Wolves beat Dallas 114-109, KG getting a triple-double. We are now tied for first place. More later. G. Mantle
Okay then, the Wild lead Colorado 2-0 at the end of the fist period, which is pretty swwet. And guess what? Gaborik actually got an assist. Wow, isn't that amazing. I definitely think that it is. The man has been absolutely pathetic. I mean it was definitely not worth it to sign him. But, whatever. It really doesn't bother me that much. Ha! Anyway, the Packers are looking forward to Saturday, when the Vikings play the Chiefs. Anyone for 49-0 KC? I sure am. Anyway, have a good day, and rememeber that a CD wasted on a worthless head is a CD that's been ??????
That's right, wasted. Sorry, I realize that that was not very funny, but pease, don't blame me
Sorry, but something odd happened on the way to work, and I wrote nothing, as you can probably tell. Well, you've missed 2 nice Wild wins, two nice Wolves wins, and a beautiful Packers win and Vikes loss. That means that i am pretty happy right now. So you should be too, if you know what's good for you. Meanwhile, the Twins did nothing at baseball's Winter Meetings, which is unfortunate. Anyway, I should write more tommorow, so I'll be seeing you. Eventually, anyway
Well, it's 2:33 and nothing has happened. I got a haircut, actually, but it wasn't that exciting. It oculd have been, of course, if he had snipped off one of my ears, of course, but, of course, I have a tendency tu use of course way too often. Like waaayyy, as in Cali too often. That's Arnold's state for those not in the know. Well then, bye bye
At Duke University, there were four sophomores taking Organic Chemistry. They were doing so well on all the quizzes, midterms and labs, etc., that each had an A so far for the semester. These four friends were so confident that the weekend before finals, they decided to go up to the University of Virginia and party with some friends there. They had a great time, but after all the hearty partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Duke until early Monday morning. Rather than taking the final then, they decided to find their professor after the final and explain to him why they missed it. They explained that they had gone to UVA for the weekend with the plan to come back in time to study, but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn't have a spare, and couldn't get help for a long time. As a result, they missed the final. The professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up the final the following day. The guys were elated and relieved. They studied that night and went in the next day at the time the professor had told them. He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet, and told them to begin. They looked at the first problem, worth five points.It was something simple about free radical formation .Cool, they thought! All at the same time, each one in his separate room, thought, this is going to be easy. Each finished the lengthy problem and then turned the page. On the second page was written:
For 95 points: Which tire was punctured?
Well, I am sure that you thought that this was funny. Meanwhile, the Wild lost, so we won't go into that now. Well, have a good night.
It's past 4:00, where are your parents? Or kids, if you happen to have had a significant other at some point. But seriously, who is posting all these anonymous comments? There have been 3 in the past 2 days, and I haven't read any of 'em. Why? you ask? Well, because this hidden dude (or dudette) is posting them on like entry #87-return of the dead ninja turtles. Not exactly, but pretty close. I was never actually into ninja turtles, but I'm sure that you get the idea. Anyway, I am rather tired, so I'll terminate this blog in 3, 2, 1, bye.
Oh, remember, excercise is very important, even if it means suffering immesnely, which builds character
And the passing of the mantle has happened. The Golden State Warriors have come back from the dead are will now start to lose in the first round of the playoffs every freakin year, while the Wolves, who lost to them at Target Center, (By the way, pronounced Targay with a soft J) will start to stink up monumentally. Of course, if they don't, then I will be happy to admit that I was wrong. Anyway, the Gophers won by 30 points over Long Beach State, and let's hope that the Womens volleyball team can repeat the feat in Long Beach versus Pepperdine this coming Friday.
It's interesting, but Halo is finally coming for the back. What's that you ask? Well, it is a computer game that was supposed to come out in late 1999. Now it's late 2003. Pathetic. This may have something to do with the fact that Bungie, the company that originally was going to make it was bought by the dark side of the force, I mean Microsoft. Well, at least it's here. Have a good time with the snow, G. Mantle
I like to find a sports team that I half-care about every night that won, so that if I have nothing else to write, I can mention it. Well. No MN teams were playing. The Bucks lost. So, I go to college basketball. Nothing doing. But wait, there's womens basketball! Woohoo!!! So, Big Ten? No. Horizon? They lost. C-USA? (Conference United States of America Question Mark) Mazal Tov!! Marquette beat Wagner 67-59. Wow. I can't name a single person who has ever played on either team, but I am happy. Well, I would be anyway, because the Twins signed Shannon Stewart to a nice 3 year 18 million dollar deal, and still have a chance with everyday Eddie. Well, make big money, G. Mantle
The Packers, Wolves, Gophers women, and Vikes all won Sunday, meaning that I;m now 3 and 1 for the day. If the Twins make any moves tonight, then I will inform you of them tommowor, though the only likely stuff will be an offering of arbitration to Shannon Stewart, and Eddie G. has probably pitched his last game here. The Pack had a nice come-back win, and even though Ahman Green and Brett Favre didn't have great games, they did enough to get Rya Longwell four field goals. The Wolves trailed by 15 with 8 to go in the fourth quarter, and won on a KG FG at the buzzer in LA. Nice ues of contractions, eh? Speaking of Canada, the Wild blew another eminintly winnable game on Saturday night, as did the Gophers. The football team, by the way, is headed for Texas on the 31st, which should be pretty fun. Well, have lots of fun making hay out in the cornfield, G. Mantle
Well well well, I see that I have started to get alittle local attention in the media. Like try one mention. Seriously, am I not the reason that you continue to exist on this plane? I mean this level of being, not any references to a Boeing 757, which, by the way, has been retired. That is rather unfortunate, because the 757 was my favorite plane, chiefly because it had an amazingly amazing loo from the lower right corner. Too bad. I liked the B-17 also, but that was cancelled in 1945. I wasn't actually alive then, but who cares about that. Well, I will hopefully try to like provide a little more writing at a future time, like in two or three hours. Toodeloo
Aorry, but I don't have any time to write brilliant stuff right now. Suffice it so say that things are looking up.
I go online, and what do I find? Glenn has written criticisms of the Packers and the Wild, a justification for wasting vast sums of cash, and a pointer. First of all, that speech from yesterday was forwarded in an email. Don't worry, it'll get to you sooner or later. #2. The Packers might be absolutely pathetic, but so are the Vikes. Don't worry, at least we'll get a decent draft pick. And, on the Wild, this is just a natural regression from last years high. Next year we should be good. Oh, wait, there will be a strike next year. Too bad. The Twins traded high-priced pitcher Eric Milton to the Phillies today, which clears up some room for everyone else. Meanwhile, Laroy Hawkins left us for a big contract with the Cubs. I hope that he spontaneously combusts like he did three years ago. Well, have a good night, G. Mantle
Ruling by Judge William Young U.S. District Court
Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say.
His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record,
Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the
religion of Allah," defiantly stated "I think I ought not apologize for
my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country."
Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below, a stinging
condemnation of Reid in particular and terrorists in general.
January 30, 2003 United States vs. Reid.
Judge Young:
Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.
On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody
of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the Court
sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the sentence on each count
to run consecutive with the other. That's 80 years. On count 8 the Court
sentences you to the mandatory 30 years consecutive to the 80
years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you each of the eight counts a
fine of $250,000 for the aggregate fine of $2 million. The Court accepts the
government's recommendation with respect to restitution and
orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to
American Airlines. The Court imposes upon you the $800 special assessment.
The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the
law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go
no further. This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes.
It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.
Let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist
co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire
before. There is all too much war talk here. And I say that to everyone with
the utmost respect. Here in this court, where we deal with individuals as
individuals, and care for individuals as individuals. As human beings, we
reach out for justice. You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist.
You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that
reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether
it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or
that happens to be your view, you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate
with terrorists. We do not treat with terrorists. We do not sign documents
with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.
So war talk is way out of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you
are not that big. You're no warrior.I know warriors. You are a terrorist.
A species of criminal guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a
very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were
taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and
where the TV crews were, and he said you're no big deal. You're no big deal.
What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United
States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know
how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it
that led you here to this courtroom today? I have listened respectfully to
what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself
what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit
you are guilty of doing. And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you.
But as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I
know. It seems to me you hate the one thing that is most precious. You hate
our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we
choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we
individually choose.
Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom.
They carry it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize
individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom.
So that everyone can see, truly see that justice is administered fairly,
individually, and discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are
striving so vigorously on your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in
their representation of you before other judges. We are about it. Because we
all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid,is the measure of our own
liberties.
Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden, pay any
price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well.
The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. Day after
tomorrow it will be forgotten. But this, however, will long endure. Here in
this courtroom and courtrooms all across America, the American people will
gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual
justice is in fact being done.
The very President of the United States through his officers will have to
come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be
judged, and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence
democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice. See that
flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America. That flag
will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom.
You know it always will.
G. Mantle.
This was a great speech, and if it is actually true, will probably go down as a great defense of freedom. Rumpole would have hated it just the same. If you don't know who he is, then find out.