Sunday Hangover: Louisiana-Lafayette

As is the Tide is wont to do in these kind of match ups, they did not cover the spread. It was looking likely that they would, but two touchdowns against the second and third team defenders did certain betters in. 

I'm not talking about myself. I don't bet on sports except for fantasy baseball and football. If you even consider that betting...

Regardless, the Tide did what it needed to do. Hurts got a big hand for playing in his fifth game of the season, which thereby burned one year of eligibility if he chose to transfer after he graduates unlike the certain quarterback at a national powerhouse who chose to transfer after finding out he was not the starter. 

But about the game: The Ragin' Cajuns got taken out behind the wood shed. 

There are lots of offensive highlights to the game, but Jaylen Waddle's performance stands out: 3 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown. 

Henry Ruggs III had another excellent also. He had 5 receptions for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

Music Friday: "Birth Ritual"

Man, I wish Chris Cornell was still alive and making great music. He is easily one of top five favorite lead singers. 

Here's "Birth Ritual" from the Singles soundtrack. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In a surprising development that surely is angering the White House, Moscow Don's tariffs on solar panels hasn't had the impact that many advocates of alternative energy had feared. It's hurting the sale of natural gas though because instead of buying from America, China is purchasing natural gas from Russia and Qatar. Read all about it from Juan Cole on Informed Comment: "Trump's China Tariffs on Solar Backfire: American Natural Gas Hurt, as US PV Sales Soar." 

I would imagine this Kavanaugh character getting accused of sexual harassment now from more than one woman makes the GOP fearful for how their defense of him is going play out in the midterm elections. At least from the early polling I've seen, the Republican Party has a problem with wooing a substantial portion of the woman vote. 

I don't know how this Supreme Court nominee confirmation is going to play out, but I'd keep my eyes on Collins (Maine), Murkowski (Alaska), Flake (Arizona), and Corker (Tennessee) if they are going to be any defections and no votes. 

I still believe Anita Hill, 

Sunday Hangover: Texas A&M

I didn't get to watch the game in real time until the second half because I was coaching a fifth grade junior football game. 

The Tide gave up some big runs to Mond, the A&M quarterback, but for the most part the defense played adequately. It was not dominant like the butt-whooping that was Ole Miss, but it was a decent performance. 

What I've been consistently impressed with so far this season is how Irv Smith Jr. is becoming a major weapon for the offense. And heck, the other main tight end, Hentges caught two passes, both for touchdowns. 

As a running game goes, the running backs and offensive line had a fairly pedestrian day. 

Look for that to change when Alabama hosts the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayetter this coming Saturday.

Music Friday: "Holding On"

I've been digging The War on Drugs this past year since I purchased a couple of the band's albums. 

Here's "Holding On" from A Deeper Understanding.

Random Notes from a Crank

In the latest of installment of Moscow Don acting like the moron he is, it's pretty clear the US is going to lose this trade war. As the article "Trump's Nasty Fight with China's Middle Class Could Extend Trade War" notes, "As the trade war between the world's largest economies unfolds on the international stage, analysts say Trump's brash approach to try to win concessions from Beijing has provoked a public fury that could ultimately thwart his efforts." 

Also, as a scholar at the Brookings Institution informs us, "The middle class has been critical of the Chinese government, but now that anger is shifting to the United States. Chinese media has portrayed Trump as greedy and crazy." Emphasis should be placed on the latter adjective because economists think what he's doing is downright stupid.

The other day I was walking down the hall of the building in which I work. I had picked up a free book and was curiously reading through the table of contents of a book, interestingly enough, that is about reading instruction. As one of my colleagues was about to pass me by as I was reading and walking at the same time, he said, "Hey, that's the old school version of someone walking and staring at his phone." 

I like the old fashioned technology better. 

I haven't been in a fantasy football league for over a decade now, but I joined one with some folks this season. I'm enjoying it, but Sunday night's game brought out my rotowhoreness. 

I was up on my opponent by 30some points going into the Giants-Cowboys game, but the guy I was playing had Ezekiel Elliott on his starting roster. Late into the fourth quarter Elliott scored a touchdown to accrue six points. I lost the fantasy matchup 177.9 to 180. 

Damn it. 

Sunday Hangover: Ole Miss

Apologies for my lateness. 

But that was an ass whooping. 

If you're an Alabama fan, that first play of game made you wonder what kind of night it was going to be. 

That sickly feeling didn't last too long because the Tide offense came out and picked apart the Ole Miss D with precise passing and basic running plays. 

I was kind of surprised that no back amassed 100 yards from scrimmage, but as is typical of these type of games, eight players gained over 200 net yards. 

The passing game shone brightly once gain with 306 yards receiving from various receivers. This offense has many weapons at receiver, and the quarterbacks are using all of them. The offenses in the past that tended to target one stud receiver -- Jones, Cooper, Ridley -- is no longer with us from what I can tell. 

Quinnen Williams led the team and tackles and is quietly becoming one of the best players on this team. In fact, he's played better, from what I can tell, than the highly touted Raekwon Davis. Christian Miller also had an outstanding game. 

Next up is Texas A&M at Bryant-Denny. 

Music Friday: "I Stay Away"

I've been listening to Alice in Chains all morning. 

In honor of great music made in the glorious 90s, I give you "I Stay Away."

Sunday Hangover: Arkansas State

Yesterday was something else on a number of different fronts, so I'm late to posting about Saturday's game. 

For Tide fans, a 57 to 7 victory is sweet news. Both quarterbacks played well. The dynamic three wide receivers of Jeudy, Ruggs, and Smith all had at least one touchdown (Jeudy had a couple). And then Irv Smith and Kief had touchdowns too. 

For the most part the defense played well, but they are going to have to tighten up their ship when they travel to Oxford for the next game. 

The Rebels are a bit mysterious. They waxed the floor with Texas Tech in their first game, and then in their second game they fell behind the mighty Salukis of Southern Illinois and finally pulled away in the second half. 

All I know is that the secondary will get properly challenged because the top three receivers for Ole Miss are NFL-ready talent. That is a scary prospect for a young defense. 

Band Names Gratis Part Seven

As I did once in 2012, a couple of times in 2013, another time in 2014, one time in 2015, and again in 2017 I'm providing some band names I've thought of. Because I've done these for long and because a man doesn't change all that much, there may be some repeats. If that is the case, I apologize. 

Here they are:

• Ceremonial Deists
• Dangerous Fallacy
• Tricksters
• Danger Zone
• Boop
• Obstructors
• Existential Angst
• Trade Warriors
• Shadows
• Hump Days
• The Piskies (cover band)
• Pathological Liars
• Don the Con
• Mad Sweeneys
• Bad Lawyers
• American Goddesses
• Colluders
• Successors
• Lot 48
• Orient Express
• Zipperheads
• Holy Ghosts
• Spirits
• Scheduling Panic
• Overbooked
• Over-Sharers
• Worshippers
• Agent Orange
• Imperialists
• Form Tacklers
• The Little Fundamental
• Bad Directions
• Poor Listeners
• Evolutionists
• Nickel-Plated Angels
• Walking Sarcasms
• Fugue State
• Nemeses
• Algae Blooms
• Learned Helplessness
• Hazards
• Growers & Showers
• Rakes
• Dog-Whistlers
• Hokum Spreaders
• Flapdoodlers
• Viruses
• First Drafts
• Bandits
• Lodestar

Music Friday: "East Bound and Down"

To honor the memory of the late Burt Reynolds, today's Music Friday post features the song from one of his most famous moves, Smokey and the Bandit. 

Stay Positive: Nike's Ad Campaign

As the Senate grills a hand-picked far-right probable Supreme Court justice, it seems more people are concerned about Nike's ad campaign that includes Colin Kaepernick. 

One of my Facebook "friends," a relative by marriage, immediately spread the following opinion piece among his social network: "Why I'm Boycotting Nike: Get Broke or Woke." 

A more measured and nuanced take on the whole situation is this article: "What Did Nike Just Do? Kaepernick Ad May Gain More from Gen Z than It Loses." 

It stands to reason that one of the iconic American brands probably did quite a bit of market research before unveiling this ad campaign. I'm sure they did some serious cost-benefit analysis before featuring Kaepernick in the campaign. 

As the second article relates, a number of companies have taken political stances, which is nothing new. I'm thinking Nike weighed short-term loses against long-term gains and went with the latter. 

As for me, I need some new athletic shoes. My pair of Saucony running shoes have lost some umph on their footboards. I haven't bought a pair of Nike shoes in ages, probably since the 90s, because I tend to like the styles and fits of Adidas and Saucony. When I do my next shopping spree for athletic shoes, I'm trying on some Nikes. 

Regardless, I still don't see how kneeling is a sign of disrespect. Not going out during the anthem or belligerently doing something else might be seen more accurately as disrespectful. 

People can stupidly burn their shoes or tear up their clothing all they want, but Kaepernick was advised by a veteran and 49ers fan way back when to kneel as a sign of respect. 

The rest of all this hokum is just dog-whistling.  

Sunday Hangover: Louisville

What an outstanding first start for Tua. 

The Tide lit up the Louisville defense with lots of big plays. 

The offense had 23 first downs with 10 via the rushing game and 12 via the passing game. Net rushing yards came out to 222, and net passing was 297. The Tide dropped 519 yards of offense on the Cardinals. 

The wide receivers looked good with Smith, Ruggs, and Jeudy being the main targets. Jeudy had two touchdowns. True freshman Jaylen Waddle had an outstanding long catch when he hauled in a slightly overthrown ball for a 49 yards. And I was quite happy to see Irv Smith, a tight end, have a couple of really nice catches. 

Waddle also had some solid punt returns, ones that reminded me of one of Alabama's best returners in recent memory, Javier Arenas. And Josh Jacobs showed what he can do on a 77-yard kickoff return for a TD. 

If I were going to be picky, I thought the highly regarded offensive line could have played better. The Louisville defense got too much pressure. 

The defense, in general, played okay. However, there were a number of times when receivers were running free for easy catches. They have to get that issue cleared up quickly. 

After watching Ole Miss tear up Texas Tech on Saturday with their three outstanding receivers, I'm leery of when we play them in a couple of weeks in Oxford. 

A player on the DLine who stood out in the game to me was Quinnen Williams. He had six total tackles with three of them tackles for loss for a total for 12 yards.

Next up is Arkansas State for the home opener. 

Music Friday: "The Rake's Song"

The other day I was reminded of the genre of the rock opera. So I started listening to The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists. 

Here's "The Rake's Song."