The Evolution of Friends

It's been quite a while since I've posted an article on here that had no reference to sports. Maybe it's because for the most part, life has been static - still no work (although I feel like I'm getting closer to getting work). No work equates to lessening of doing much on the social end of things - less going out to eat, less bar visits, and sadly, the elimination of being a regular member of a bowling team (I am a sub this year instead). So yeah - not much going on that's sparked my mind to write.

But just now, an idea sprung up as I was staring at my Twitter account 10 minutes shy of 4am local time. I was reminded of one avenue of my life that has probably occupied way too much of my time in the past few months, yet has had a great effect on my daily life - and that is Twitter itself.

And it got me to thinking about the evolution of my friendships, starting all the way from my early years as a 4-5 year old to now and how it's all somehow merged into the current life that I live.

I've found seven distinct times in my life of friendships. For the purposes of this blog, I have not mentioned family specifically (even though I consider many in my family to be friends), for I was born into it - you are assumed to be in the range of ages 0 thru current.


1. The Mister Rodgers Friends (ages 4 thru 8) - This is the group of friends who I grew up with, the guys who lived on the block or within a few blocks of my house. The neighborhood friends. Playing ball in front of the house, running around with endless energy, and the random games played, these friends defined the first part of my life. While I still have a couple of friends who I still talk to from this time in my life, unfortunately many of these friends moved away from my neighborhood at a young age before I could get to know them as teenagers and eventually adults. Maybe it was for the better - they could be raging douche bags right now for all I know. The others I lost touch with from this time were usually the product of changed social circles in future school years.

2. The Sports/Club Friends (ages 8 thru 18) - This span of time includes an "amazing" athletic career that spanned glorious Little League seasons and a few less-than-glorious basketball seasons (go ahead, look at the trophies I won, hell if I even know where they are). These seasons ranged from sitting on the bench for the majority of a travelling All-Star team (at the age of 8, I learned very quickly on how badly adults want to win Little League games) to prouder moments, such as a game-winning hit in one of the first night baseball games I ever played (an All-Star match-up between neighboring towns). In between all of these moments developed my second group of buddies. With each baseball level spanning two grades, the only group of kids you ever got to play with every year were the guys in your grade, but I still got to know the kids a year older and a year younger fairly well.

Looking back on it, I don't think I kept many friends from this era of my life either, except when you head into the latter half of the time frame and you focus on the limited clubs I was in during high school. In lieu of athletic talent that translated to making a high school team, I was a Mathlete. I'm not really sure how I managed to go through junior high and high school as a Math nerd while avoiding being picked on or bullied, but here I sit, glad I don't have the mental scars that may come from that. A few friends of mine from Mathletes (Nick and Chris) are important figures in my life - for they inspired my participation in Fit Happens, a weight loss contest that spanned the first half of the year and led to me losing about 35 pounds (sadly, I've probably put back 15-20 since the contest ended). We also interact constantly during the NFL season, even if it's as indirect as participating in a year-long NFL contest for a few years running now. Outside of them though, no friends from this era remain.

3. The Work Friends (Ages 16-17) - While I didn't know it at the time, when I was applying for jobs in the summer of 1999 in hopes of landing my first job as a teenager with a license, I was actually applying for who I was going to spend my adulthood with (and basically applying for the rest of my life). Had another company other than Jewel/Osco (a Chicago-based grocery story) called my parent's house and interviewed me before they did, I doubt I'd have 95% of my current friends (assuming I took the job). In fact, I remember a pizza company calling a day or two after my interview with Jewel - who would my friends be if they called before Jewel and I took that job?

My friend and his wife (I'm two guys away from the groom)

With this group of friends, I drank my first full beer. I've gone on road trips and vacations. I've seen them start serious relationships, have them end, and have others start up. I've stood up in their weddings. I will see them start families. And all the in-between - the cosmic bowling, trips to Beggars Pizza, Monday Nights at Buffalo Wild Wings or a local pub.

And all of this occurs thanks to a thankless job of pushing carts (which was actually my favorite thing to do) and bagging groceries for depressing customers.

Look back on your current base of friends, and try see if you can pinpoint a turning point in your life like this. Before writing this, I didn't realize how mind-blowing this part of my life is in hindsight. I am glad Jewel called me back for an interview, and then hired me. For that $5.45 an hour, I got a whole lot more away from the job.

4. The College Friends (Ages 18-22) - Compared to the previous era of friends, this one pales in comparison. I have a few people I still speak to from U of I that are great friends, but this was a place and time that is remembered in a totally different manner. I have great memories of the dorm days, nights spent on endless hours of Mario Kart and Ladder Matches on the WWF games on my Nintendo 64. When the dorm setting transformed into an apartment life, so did the type of entertainment. Instead of video games, the prime form of fun was the small parties I threw, primarily in my junior year. Those who were lucky enough to see the dances on the mini-fridge will never forget those moments. Strangely, I think I speak with more people who came to those parties (people who went to school at the neighboring Parkland College) than I do with dormmates/classmates from UIUC.



I quickly learned after college that most of these people, especially the guys who I lived in the dorm with, were situational friends - which was probably perfect looking back.

5. The Work Friends, Part 2 (Ages 24-27) - My first professional work setting was during this time. I got this job thanks to a lead from one of my few friends from UIUC. The people I met through this time in my life saw me go through quite the transformation as a young adult, particularly towards the end of my time there. While I'd say I retain a few more friends from this point in my life than college, I would say that many fit in the same position as the college friends, where many of us were friends while working together but completely lost touch when my time there ended.

And I should stress - the situational friends should not be looked at negatively. It's a part of life actually. After all, it's impossible to remain close to that many people when you no longer see them on a daily basis. Remaining close to every person you've had at every school you've been to, every job you've had, is not possible. If you're lucky, some of the ones who are no longer on your daily/weekly routine of work/school will want to get together on a random Saturday afternoon.

6. The School Friends, Part 2 (Age 27-28) - This sequence was a shorter one, as there were fewer people involved in this specific situation. With the broadcasting program I took only occupying 10 months, the time of fraternizing was much limited compared to a 4-year university setting. I knew that I would likely never talk to many of the people I had in class with (about 20 people) once the program was over. And for the most part, it's been accurate. I set up a Facebook group for us to keep in touch, which we do occasionally. I like hearing the good stories that some of them share about work successes that are related to the radio/TV broadcasting classes we took there. And if that's the main part of our relationships going forward, that's ok. I've tried a few times after our program ended in April 2011 for us to get together, but only a few people will even show. I hope all of my friends from this era succeed in broadcasting or whatever it is they decide to do.

7. The Online Friends (Age 28 - current) - While I worked a job at this time, my office settings were such that I did not have opportunities to meet new people and participate in happy hours and other social occasions with co-workers. This also applied to my dating life. The limited number of relationships I had up until this age in my life had been of the traditional "meeting a friend of a friend and dating that person" that has probably occurred throughout time. The problem with this approach is - once you're single again, and your friends no longer have friends to introduce you to, the well dries up. And if you live in a smaller population (i.e. not a huge city like Chicago) like I did, even your options at the bars to meet new people are very limited. If you go into the same bar on the same day of the same week in the Chicago suburbs, you will notice similar faces in the bar every week. Once I noticed this fact, I knew I had to try a different approach to meeting women.

Me and Jen as Peg & Al Bundy for Halloween 2011

You all know the story now -> guy joins online dating website -> guy goes on a few dates -> guy falls in love with a girl -> guy's family/friends become girl's family/friends and vice versa. And with meeting Jen, I have been introduced to my latest group of friends...her friends. With as long as we've been dating though, I don't think there's debate now that they are OUR friends. There's been several times in our time dating where I will actually hang out with some of these people without Jen around. I don't feel any differently around this group than I would my own group of friends.

Also during this time, I have joined Twitter and found a limitless number interesting characters among the 140-character-limit confines of the website. I have found a niche of using Twitter to share my thoughts on sports, as well as some other random material that I normally wouldn't post on Facebook.

One of the most different features of Twitter that Facebook has somewhat installed on its end is the ability to follow someone without them having to follow you - or to more accurately describe the benefit, the opposite should be mentioned - someone can choose to follow your content and what you say, but the follow back is not necessarily a given (while in a Facebook "friendship", you have equal access to their profile as they do of yours [unless you set up some customized security stuff on the side]).  Why is this nice? Personally, I get a kick out of someone, anyone, giving two craps about what I think or say about a subject. Some might be following me just to see who I like in the weekly slate of NFL games - and hey, that's fine too, but maybe it's the narcissistic element of "hey, someone gives a damn what I think about something, and I've never met them face-to-face or even talked to about 90% of these people" that makes me pause and realize the power that this social media has.

Football Twitter Guide - from A thru Z

Since I'm at that point where I can't get enough of football items, I figured I would go through all the people I follow on Twitter and offer some names of folks whose tweets I will be looking forward to reading throughout the season by group. I will amend/add names to this as the season goes. Please provide your own folks for these subjects. Also, if I forgot your name, don't be afraid to tell me and I'll use my discretion on recommending you!

Fantasy Sports:

@CDCarter13 - Just started following him, but based on the few days I have, will be a valuable resource for those looking for fantasy football thoughts/advice. His affiliation with XNSports (formerly SportsJerks) is enough for me to recommend him.

@LordReebs - Originally started conversing w/ Rich last year through our 49ers affiliation, but soon grew to learn of his fantasy football knowledge. Writes for XNSports (formerly SportsJerks), which has a much different take on fantasy football than your average fantasy sports site.

Investors (Most of these people I've followed thru at least one NFL season - at the very least thru one or two betting seasons):

@andrewssports - Offers a bookmaker's perspective, which is something I enjoy hearing. Will occasionally tweet out some of his picks.

@behindthebets - If you are looking for a good capper who uses his powers for good (accessing most of his picks @BTBPicks requires proof of donation to charity), you'd be hard-pressed to get a better one.

@beatingthebook - His weekly podcast (released on Fridays) is worth the follow alone. While his actual picks are on a site which requires paid membership, Gill usually has some good guests on the NFL podcast which get you thinking about different aspects of NFL betting.

@bettingtalk_ - While I'm not sure how their new site will be, their old site/handle (Beyond The Bets) was a great window into the Vegas community - information galore. This recommendation is based on reputation of old site.

@Big_East - Not sure how his tweets will be now that he has joined forces with a site that requires paid membership for picks, but anyone who has followed his history knows that Big_East is the real deal.

@DavidPurdum - Solid writer who covers Vegas/gambling biz. Provides useful information that can help with your wagers.

@ESPN_Colin - One of the strongest public advocates for sports wagering. His Blazing Five picks were "Off The Charts" hot last year. You may find his radio show annoying, but don't take his takes on Vegas lightly.

@FlopFlippity - Doesn't tweet as much as he should, but does offer occasional picks. Unofficial member of #BolekMadness

@HeHaithMe - One of the few guys recently who has gone the way of paid services for picks. He was absolute money on MAC games last year.

@hustledouble - well-rounded capper who has a writing itch that needs to be scratched like yours truly. Offers good insight on his picks. Becoming one of my more frequent daily conversationalists on Twitter.

@JoeFortenbaugh - A writer for the National Football Post, provides solid capping and fantasy football thoughts. A frequent contributor to the @beatingthebook podcast.

@kalind_totals - the master of the totals (NFL/NCAA). Kalind & I will occasionally appear this season on @SportsMula, an up-and-coming sports site for sports fans.

@KegsNEggs - Head college writer for Bleacher Report. He always has a few bets going on any given Saturday.

@lindetrain - Another guy in Vegas who tweets a lot about the industry. I don't recall him tweeting much about his picks, but does provide good gambling info.

@NotTheFakeBruce - Just started following him, but based on who recommended him to me, I can put my recommendation on him. Look for Bruce and myself to provide some NFL picks on @SportsMula.

@notthefakeSVP - Along w/ Cowherd, the voice of the gambler for ESPN. Frequently discusses gambling angles through Twitter as well as his nationally syndicated show.

@ScottinVAN - Frequent tweeter who often posts about his gambling goings-on. Wears his wager on his sleeve as his bets are going on (not a bad thing).

@SheaInIrving - Known best for his calls into the DP Show, provides just as much entertainment with his tweets about gambling and sports.

@SportsInsights - While maximizing their site would require payment (which I haven't done), you should still get a lot out of following the occasional posting that they offer. Big proponents of reverse line movement.

@Stuckey2 - While many don't like him for his occasional brashness, Stuckey is a solid, steady capper. Almost always want to be on the same side of him when it comes to Baltimore Ravens games (p.s. he likes Denver in Week 1 & Baltimore Under 8.5 wins)

@ToddFuhrman - Vegas insider who knows his stuff. He provides solid gambling advice and thoughts on ToddsTake.com.

@tomf_18 - While he doesn't post picks, Tom does make me laugh my ass off with some of his takes on certain aspects of betting and life. The person who I've gone on the most Vegas trips with.

@twolf2123 - While he doesn't tweet all that often, I recommend him if and when he does tweet. Very good personal friend of mine.

@WagerMinds - My favorite WagerMinds tweets are ones where he tells people to "Tear Up Your Ticket". For the first time last year, one of those alerts ended up causing bettors to paste together their picks. Has a good site for those who want to dip their feet into gambling waters w/o actually gambling.

Just Football:

@AndrewPerloff - Dan Patrick's go-to guy for NFL matters and occasional writer for SI. Weekly segment on DP Show (usually on Fridays) of Against the Grain is almost always entertaining (especially when it involves props) and occasionally informative.

@Ben_Jones88 - Been following him since the Sandusky trial. Reports on Penn State matters. Provides different takes on matters; will be a future sports voice, whether it be in college sports or otherwise.

@BerserkHippo - A personal friend of mine. College football is his sport - a lot of tweets on Big Ten teams, especially his favorite team Michigan. Also, check out his podcast on his site of the same name, where he and co-host @LionEsquire will occasionally discuss football matters.

@Brad_Zoe - He changes his handle every now and then (this is what it is for right now). Loves tweeting up his thoughts on sports - definitely some interesting takes on certain things. Probably the most sporadic tweeter I know, so be ready for some tweets on other subjects that a male in their young 20s will tweet (you've been warned).

@HubbuchNYP - Has the NY/NE angle of sports covered. Never afraid to be critical, at the expense of people calling him a homer of (insert rival team here).

@JasonLaCanfora - Provides solid NFL news for CBS Sports.

@JayGlazer - If there's a scoop, Jay knows about it. Also handles Twitter trolls as well as anyone I know.

@LionEsquire - Another personal friend of mine. He doesn't tweet often, and pending marriage stuff will likely inhibit this further. You can catch his football thoughts on Berserk Hippo's podcast from time-to-time.

@LostLetterman - Frequent posts/news on college football matters.

@MikeFreemanNFL - Just moved from CBS Sports to Bleacher Report. I enjoy his posts/takes on NFL matters, and like Glazer, enjoy his handling of trolls.

@PFF - For the more sophisticated, analytical football fan. PFF grades every position on a +/- scale and are relied upon by just about every respected football expert.

@RichEisen - master of the NFL Network. Also has a highly-acclaimed podcast with high profile guests.

@SI_DougFarrar - Writes about NFL-related items for Sports Illustrated, with a long history of writing about the same subject for Yahoo. My favorite tweets of his involve hypocrisy of NCAA.

@SportsMula - A site I just started contributing to recently. The site has strong aspirations to give a different take on sports with writers who are looking to make a name for themselves.

Niner Nation (Grouping us all together - since it is a Nation, after all)

@AdrianPorterfi2

@GafflezMalone

@JedYork

@Kokopelli_49ers

@LordReebs

@TheDopeyOne

@Woods49ers

Goals vs. Resolutions

Four days into the new year - how's your New Year's Resolution looking?

Did you set a concrete goal - like losing 20 pounds this year as opposed to abstractly saying "lose a lot of weight"?

Did you set a reasonable goal? This goes a long way in how hard you decide to go forth with a resolution.

I think a lot of times, New Year's Resolutions are people setting goals that they have no intention on meeting. It is procrastination at its finest.

Why are people compelled to make goals at the beginning of the year moreso than any other time of the year? Do they feel the need to change with the change of the year?

As with any change in life, you have to want to do it, not force yourself to do it because the calendar year changes.

Saying you are going to change something in your life on June 21st is just as good as saying it on January 1st. There's no reason to delay these major changes for the beginning of years.

If you want to run a marathon, you don't expect to just run one without some training. You have to build up to that goal over a set of monthly goals. Likewise, with other goals, you need to pace yourself with accomplishing some things.

I've learned that if I set unreasonable goals or goals I'm not really committed to, much of this short-term work to accomplish it will go to waste.

Just because you don't accomplish a goal doesn't make it a failure either. If you set out to lose a certain amount of weight and you lose 5 less than that in say a 6 month period, that's not to say you can't keep at it and try readjusting goals.

My Own Goals

Not all of them are important or life-changing goals.

1. 100+ blogs again - I'd like to keep my writing sharp and keep getting better at my craft. I'd like to write about variety of topics, although I'm sure I'll continue to weigh in more on sports topics.
2. 3000 Tweets & Gain 50 Followers (Go over 100): I had 1022 Tweets in 7 months last year & got 58 followers, so the goal is 4022 total Tweets and 108 followers by the end of the year. The reason for these goals is to gain a larger following for my blogs and like the blog goal, to keep my mind fresh. (It's @BrianBolek, to keep pushing this)
3. Get a Mac Computer & Become Solid at Final Cut Pro again:  I want to get back into video editing. I already know of one editing project that I have to do - editing the pre-video of pictures/music for my brother's wedding. I'm hoping this leads me to get back into editing other videos and uploading some videos that get me some notice.
4. Listen to all 4500+ songs on my I-Pod at some point this year: I have yet to accomplish this in the several years I've had my I-Pods. Usually what happens is I end up skipping songs. I'll see how long I can go without skipping songs. So far, through 22 of 4506. Currently listening to Lucky Boys Confusion "Mr. Wilmington".
5. Learn to design a website: I need to market myself more. Even if it doesn't help with finding a job in video editing or whatever, it can't hurt to have some self-created content (a la these blogs, YouTube videos, etc). I'm not sure how easy it will be to do this, but I will put forth effort to learn at some point.
6. Keep getting better/more knowledgeable about sports gambling:  As much as I'd love to become a professional gambler, I know that I can't handle the ups and downs of it. To see whether this goal is going well, I suppose I'd look at profit - or perhaps this is one of those subjective goals that is more about gaining knowledge than actual profit. Over the past couple years, I've gotten better at staying disciplined as a gambler, knowing my limits & executing research before placing most of my bets.

I hope you're able to achieve your New Year's Resolutions, but make sure you're constantly making reasonable goals throughout the year, not just saving it for January 1, 2013.

Good night to you all.

Blog about NFL General Managers/Coaches and Playoff picks to come either tomorrow or Friday.

Putting the "Networking" into Social Networking

I don't remember the majority of statuses I posted on Facebook this past year, but I distinctly remember one that was posted on Day 1 of the year. It had to do with not cursing on Facebook as much this year as a New Year's Resolution.

Funny thing was, it was my mom who posted that when I left my Facebook up after getting a slice of pizza at Nonna's. I laughed it off and commented on my status that it got hacked and proceeded to curse to contradict "my" New Year's Resolution.

Time passed, and I didn't give this status much thought. Then, my company trip came around in March. I befriended some folks from work on Facebook afterwards. While it may not have hit me right away, I realized that I needed to present myself better on these social networks - as it is a reflection of myself and who I am.

Earlier this week, I read an article I found from someone I follow on Twitter (@beyondthebets for those on Twitter), and he went into describing a speech he gave to a college class full of seniors. He was telling the kids that the concept of sending resumes to employers are becoming more obsolete. (Here's the link to the article). With all of the searching abilities on the Internet & virtual footprint that many people leave, a lot of candidates can be eliminated with a simple Google investigation.

Likewise, someone who leaves a positive impression can boost their chances of getting hired. Looking at a website that someone has created (highly recommended to these college seniors by the guy) can give employers the chance to see what kind of work this candidate is capable of producing.

With this in mind, I think one of my goals moving forward is establishing my own website. I'll need to learn how to design a site, and I'd like to have a theme to it, rather than the randomness of my blog. I could promote it on social networks and hopefully get a following of people.

Step one in this process is getting my own personal laptop - an Apple most likely. I'll get back into video editing and possibly start creating my own content for a webshow. This is something I will do at the beginning of 2012.

I may look to reach out to people on how to best do this. I know a few friends who I might ask for help - it's always good to have people you know who can help you out.

While it wasn't my intention to clean up my social networking posts, it was (and is) in my best interests to maintain them with some level of professionalism. That doesn't mean I won't post something that ruffles feathers from time to time, but it does mean I am more conscious of it.

So let this be a lesson to those of you who post pictures of yourself doing a beer bong or update your status with incoherent drabble about "This girl is a whore/slut". People are watching you, some who could decide your fate when it comes to getting a job recommendation down the line. When looking at these social networks, people often forget the word "network" in this equation.

I guess I can say "Mama Knows Best" when it came to my initial Facebook post of the year. Thanks Mom.

Social Network Alert

Last night, I posted my 1,000th tweet in my 7th month of being on Twitter, which I started on my first Vegas trip in 2011.

I'm predicting that I will have about 3-4K tweets in 2012 as I wean myself off of Facebook more and more. I think Twitter will surpass Facebook some day. News is broken on Twitter faster than any other medium. I get a lot of news that I wouldn't have ever found on Facebook, much of which is specialized in the areas of life that I like to have as much information as possible (i.e. sports gambling info).

If you decide to go over to Twitter this year, my name couldn't be any easier to remember (@BrianBolek). Most of my posts are sports-related, but I do have some outside observations from time to time that may get you to laugh.

Anywho, hope everyone has a Happy New Year. And once again, thanks for reading.

People That Need to Shut Up

The title is pretty self-explanatory. I'm just gonna go through some instances of late where people should have just kept their mouths shut. Several of these stories have to do with the infamous "My Twitter account was hacked" excuse.

Just a hunch...this wasn't Edwards yearbook picture from senior year of high school. I could be wrong.

Braylon Edwards (San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver): At the beginning of the month, Edwards, already on probation for random dumb things he has done off the field, was at the scene of a brawl that left several people with injuries. During the time that the fight was taking place, Edwards tweeted the following statements:

"Damn. Get ya knuckles ready."
"Don't fight if [y]ou don't know how."

You can see where this is going...Tweets were deleted and then Edwards gives the classic "Someone else was using my phone" excuse.

Trust me, the newest player on my favorite team, I've tried that before. Doesn't work so well. So please, catch us some touchdown passes and....shut up.

Time to Play The (Blame) Game!

The Game (a rapper, not Triple H): Friday afternoon, he posted from his Twitter account a phone number that was to lead his 500K fans to obtain information for some internship, but it was actually the number of an important LA emergency dispatch. The prank tied up lines for hours and actually prevented certain emergencies from being tended to.

Naturally, the hack defense was in play. The Game, who removed the tweets after someone in the police dept found the Twitter connection to the calls told him to stop, stated "It wasn't me (Shaggy voice)" on his tweet, and then proceeded to blame someone with the twitter name wackstar.

I believe you, Mr. Game, just as much as I listen to your music - not really. Sure, I've heard you on a few collaborations that I enjoyed, but perhaps you should treat your phone like a solo act (assuming you are telling the truth). How do all these people end up having their phones in the wrong hands? Must be a coincidence.

Time for a rainout on this game. Shut up. Game over.

I get a feeling this is how Zambrano's shrink visits go - at least he's consistently nuts.

Carlos Zambrano: Anyone who has followed sports in Chicago over the past 6-7 years know the type of drama (that word being a severe understatement) that comes with the headcase that has the name of Carlos Zambrano. From fights with teammates and random outbursts that have occurred in his time as the supposed Cubs ace pitcher, there's been enough material going on with Zambrano to employ a city-full of shrinks.

His latest outburst on Friday (imploding on the field and then clearing out his locker and saying he was retiring) should be the icing on the cake for his career with the Cubs, who put him on the 30-day disqualified list (which means he won't get paid). I'll be honest - I never heard of this list before. Thankfully, I can credit Big Z for allowing this list to enter my life in the sports realm.

Zambrano is protesting his suspension, claiming he was not serious about retiring despite the fact that he completely cleared his locker and Cubs GM Jim Hendry basically accepting his retirement statement as fact. He said to Chicago Tribune Live that his statements of retirement were meant to stay in the clubhouse, apparently not realizing that there's pretty much media scattered everywhere. I'm sure he wasn't whispering this stuff in the locker room either, so again, he has no one to blame but himself. But does he blame himself? Ha! - about as much as Edwards and Mr. Game did.

Carlos - how's about you go hang out with Chief, Nurse Ratched and the others at the Cuckoo's Nest, get some electroshock therapy, and live the rest of your life in a padded room? Please Big Z...shut up.

He may end up being "Our Quarterback", but Rex needs to leave the terrible predictions to Miss Cleo

Rex Grossman (Washington Redskins QB): I almost forgot about this idiot. He has gone on record as saying that Washington will win the NFC East. Doing a lot of talking for a guy who might not even be a starter. The infamous John Beck (who hasn't started a game since 2007) seems to have the inside edge at the moment. But it really doesn't matter who heads this ship.

I guess Grossman has nothing to lose by saying this (everyone expects the Redskins to suck and finish last in the division). There's a good reason they are a 150/1 shot to win the Super Bowl. If Shannahan could lead this team to a division title, it'd be more impressive than any of the Super Bowl wins that he got because of Elway & Terrell Davis.

But for now, Grossman seems to be writing checks that I don't think anyone, even their "Making It Rain" owner named Daniel Snyder, could cash.

Be content you still have an NFL job Grossman, and just shut the hell up.
I'm sure there's more knuckleheads to write about, but these are the one's I've come across in the past couple weeks that have provided the most unintentional humor in terms of just being stupid.

Thank you gents for the inspiration to write the Shut Up blog. Feel free to disregard my advice and keep talking (Big Z probably will ignore my words - so thank you in advance).

Meh...should I get Twitter?...and other crap

Sorry to my loyal following of readers (all 3 of you) for the lack of posts. I'm sure you've read most of the things I would post in here on facebook anyways. Which reminds me, facebook has this new option to merge texts, chats and emails into one thing- never used it, don't know how it would work or if I even have the need for it.

Also reminds me that I've considered starting a twitter account, but I'm not sure why I would or should. I'd probably subscribe/follow some friends' accounts and see if there's any gamblers through Covers who use it, but I'm not in any hurry to get one just yet. That twitter crap with the Bears game and everyone and their dog having an opinion on Jay Cutler is pathetic at best and just shows the worst aspects of social media and society merging together. I'm not sure if I'm ready to handle another virtual social outlet where I'm encountering dumbasses or dumbass comments/updates on a daily basis. And yes, I'm sure I'm guilty of this a lot- but my goal with facebook, as with my life in general, is to laugh and entertain.

Anyone have any thoughts on this shit? Is twitter a waste of your time in the same way facebook is? I waste so much time on computers (and now my phone) looking at facebook and seeing what people are eating and when they are brushing their teeth and taking a crap (now if you're doing all three at once, that's something I'd like to know about).

And gambling- I won't be doing as much of that now that football is done. But I am leaning toward the Super Bowl going to Green Bay and possibly betting them and/or the over of the game. I hate the wait for the game, but even worse, I hate the feeling I get after the game when there's no more meaningful football till September (and maybe longer in 2011).