Music Friday: "Total Entertainment Forever" & "Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution"

I'm in for some weirdness, so today I"m providing the official video of "Total Entertainment Forever" along with a live performance of Father John Misty on Seth Meyers. 

Also, check out part of his interview with Meyers. 

Sunday Hangover: Texas A&M

The Aggies played the Crimson Tide tough last night. Besides a few big plays in the running game, Texas A&M played well against the Alabama run game. 

Texas A&M had two really nice drives, and their freshman QB hit Kirk for a TD on fourth down (if I remember right) by scrambling to his right and hitting the receiver perfectly. 

Hurts had a good game--56 yards running and 123 yards passing. 

Damien Harris had that long 75-yard scamper for a touchdown, but the more impressive run was when he got it to the 1-yard line in the first half. 

Isaiah Buggs was absolutely on fire on the defensive side of ball. He played just as well if not better than Hand, who he was filling in for. 

Coach Saban summed up the game well with this statement: “I don’t think we played very well in the second half. We didn’t do a very good job of controlling the ball on offense. We turned it over and gave them opportunities. You’ve got to give (Texas A&M) credit for hanging in there and playing hard at the end. We were ahead 24-3 in the game, and you’re supposed to go put the game away. We didn’t do it."

Next game is a home gig against the Razorbacks of Arkansas. 

Music Friday: "Brighter Days"

This fine tune came across my iPod on shuffle this afternoon. 

It's a great track from the first album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Having a teenage girl in middle school has made me realize that some of the meanest people on the planet are middle school girls. I'm trying to sort of why this is, but I only have speculation and conjecture. However, I'm glad I didn't have to deal with all that drama when I was in junior high school. 

Mean girls...

Senator Chris Murphy has a good column in the Washington Post people should read: "Mass shootings Are an American Problem. There's an American Solution." 

But then again, consider this editorial cartoon.

Sunday Hangover: Ole Miss

Wow, I was feeling good about Alabama's chances versus Ole Miss, but damn, that was a severe ass kicking. By the time it got around to the middle of the second quarter, it seemed as though the Crimson Tide had broken the Rebels' spirits. 

The offensive game plan showcased a balance of run and pass. Hentges (TE), Ruggs (WR), and Jacobs (RB) all caught passing TDs. It's great to see Jacobs back because he is a serious threat coming out of the backfield to catch passes. The touchdown he scored on was executed perfectly. He came out of the backfield, slowed a bit to disguise himself, and then ran to an open spot in the defense. Hurts hit him in stride. 

The Tide played well defensively again. They gave up a few big plays, but that was to be expected playing against Patterson, a QB who styles himself as Johnny Manziel Lite. However, Ole Miss's third-down efficiency was 0 for 13. 

Alabama rushed for 365 yards. They just brutalized the Rebels defense. 

The main concern coming out of this game is that Da'Shawn Hand came down with an injury because of an Ole Miss offensive linemen undercutting his knee. Thank goodness it is only an MCL strain. It's unclear, however, to what extent of the injury suffered by cornerback and primary punt and kickoff returner Trevon Diggs has. It didn't look good. 

Next up is a visit to College Station to take on the Aggies of Texas A&M.  

Music Friday: "Tennessee Square"

I haven't listend to Whiskeytown in a while.

Here's a gem from the fine alt-country classic album Faithless Street. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I'm trying to invent a new word. This word needs to concisely sum up this feeling: a professor who has taught for many years sees freshmen making bad decisions that he or she has seen year after year, but he or she has a sense of futility that whatever advice he or she might give is not going to be heeded. 

If you have any ideas for the new word that exemplifies that feeling, please post in the comments. 

Here are some intriguing data points from September's "Harper's Index":

• Amount that Carrier promised to invest in an Indiana plan in a deal with Donald Trump to save domestic jobs: $16,000,000
• Percentage of that money that will be used for automation: 100
• Amount taxpayers spent in 2013 on food stamps, Medicaid, and housing assistance for Walmart employees: $6,200,000,000

This evening I watched the final episode of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's documentary The Vietnam War. The ten-episode film is one of the most poignant and powerful documentaries I've ever watched. When they talked about the Vietnam Memorial tonight, I choked up and then started crying. 

Sunday Hangover: Vanderbilt

A few Vanderbilt players were vocal in "wanting" Alabama and exclaiming how the Crimson Tide was "next." 

They didn't get what they wanted. 

What they got was an offense that was destructive, an offensive line that mashed people, running backs that helped a running game to chalk up almost 500 yards, and defense that was downright nasty. 

Harris had three touchdowns, and Bo had a couple.

The defense was salty, which I attribute to having two of starters back in the lineup: Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings. 

The offense reminded me of earlier great Alabama teams like the '09 championship team. 

The game was an outstanding display for the "Run the Damn Ball" crowd, a group I am a member of. I like passes and all that, but I love it when Alabama runs the ball well.  

Music Friday: "Stone Free" & "All Along the Watchtower"

This past week I've been listening to the Hendrix discography. 

Here are a couple of my favorites from the master. 

Sunday Hangover: Colorado State

Alabama won 41 to 23. To outsiders or to people who don't follow college football closely, Colorado State putting 23 points on the board could be surprising.

The Rams have a solid quarterback and an NFL-caliber wide receiver. And that running back they used is one heck of a player. They have a good offense. 

The Crimson Tide is still trying to get their backup linebackers to play like starters with Jennings and Evans still not ready to play. 

For me, the defensive performance on Saturday is a concern. 

However, the offense looked good. I know Ridley's TD catch and run was played on the highlight shows, but the one Tide fans should focus on is the TD by Robert Foster. That was an impressive display of speed. 

Next up is an away game versus Vanderbilt, a team that just beat a ranked Kansas State team in the environs of Nashville. 

Music Friday: "Unfuck the World"

I saw the interview with Chuck D and Tom Morello on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and I was intrigued by the new supergroup that includes folks from Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, and Cypress Hill. 

With that combination of forces, you think they might present protest music and political lyrics? 

Yes, just maybe...

Sunday Hangover: Fresno State

If I were a gambling man, I'd consistently put big money on Alabama not covering after the team's usual big time primetime opening game. They didn't cover the point spread, but they, for the most part, looked pretty good. 

I wanted to see more production out of the running backs, but we did get to watch a number of different receivers catch the ball. Hentges was wide open on a touchdown, and I hope to see more passes going to tight ends. Hentges is steady, but I've read good things bout Irv Smith, and Forristall saw a good bit of action last season. We haven't seen much from him so far this year. 

Tua, the second-string QB, got some time in the game, which is good. He looked solid. 

With the losses in the linebacking corps, they played a lot of younger players, and at times that inexperience showed. The D looked bad a couple of times on some simple screens. 

Linebacking play is something I'll be focusing on when the Tide squares off against Colorado State in its next game. 

Music Friday: "Right Moves" & "To the Dogs or Whoever"

This morning I'm listening to The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Here are a couple of songs from that fine album. 

Have a good weekend, folks. 

Sunday Hangover: Florida State

One of the more hyped opening games of the college football sort of lived up to expectations. 

Both defenses played pretty well. I was a little worried when the Seminoles scored pretty quickly on that early drive. Francois was on fire. 

Alabama answered, and it was 10 to 7 at half. 

The Crimson Tide offense looked lethargic a great deal of the time. Hurts threw a huge touchdown pass to Ridley, and the rushing game rarely got runs over a few yards, but the team grinded out 184 yards by four runners, Hurts included. 

Alabama's passing game was not consistent. But I think that was mainly because of Florida State's outstanding front seven. 

With all of the the fine work the special teams and defense did in the second half (two interceptions and a blocked punt), the game would have been a blowout if the offense would have capitalized on great field position more than once. 

On the other hand, the Tide gave FSU poor field position most of the second half, and the Tide's D played salty. 

I noticed a lot of second-team players playing in the front seven during the game, and there are, as I find out now, reasons for that. As for the DLine, I suspect they just wanted to rotate people to keep the big men fresh. 

But for the linebackers, the Tide's D exited the contest with serious injury problems. Three outside linebackers are hurt. Starter Christian Miller is out for the season with a biceps injury. Key backup Terrell Harris is out for the season with an elbow injury. Another crucial outside linebacker, Anfernee Jennings, is out for a maybe four weeks with an ankle injury. And starting inside linebacker Rashaan Evans is out for a few weeks with a groin injury. 

The next four contests break down this way: vs. Fresno State, vs. Colorado State, at Vanderbilt, and vs. Ole Miss. 

The last two games of those four are a concern because Vandy has a good defense, and Ole Miss can be dangerous. Sure, they're in serious trouble with the NCAA, but infractions they'll likely get won't affect them this season, and they still have plenty of talent to give any team problems. 

Music Friday: "The Evil Has Landed"

One of the better albums I've got this year is Villains by Queens of the Stone Age. 

If you're a fan of the band, do yourself a favor and get the new album.