Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Smoked Duck Soup

The other week I smoked a whole duck in my electric smoker. So this week I decided to make some smoked duck soup. I toured the InterWebs for ideas and really didn't find what I wanted, so I made this up on my own. 

Ingredients

1 smoked duck carcass with legs and wings

Leftover smoked duck breast

1 yellow onion, quartered

2 carrots chopped into chunks

3 stalks of celery chopped up into chunks

5 bay leaves

Handful of whole peppercorns

Enough water to make duck stock

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin half moons

1/2 of a yellow onion diced

4 cloves of roasted garlic, chopped

2 packages of baby Bella mushrooms, sliced thinly

Salt and pepper to taste

Health smidge of Penzey's Old World seasoning

Leftover wild rice

Process

To make the stock, put the carcass and chunks of onion, celery, and carrots into a large stock pot along with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Use enough water to cover the duck. Set to boil and then reduce to simmer slightly covered for approximately four and a half hours. Skim the duck fat from time to time. 

Once the stock has been created, pour the stock into a different pot using a strainer. Pick out the good pieces of meat from the carcass, legs, and wings. 

Add that meat and the leftover duck breast into the stock. Add in the thinly cut onions, carrots, and mushrooms into the soup pot along with the roasted garlic. Add in some of the Old World seasoning at the start and taste later to add salt and pepper. Simmer for about an hour and serve. I added in some leftover wild rice I had in the fridge to give it a little something more. 

Music Friday: "Run Run Rudolph"

It's Xmas Eve day, so this classic proves appropriate. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The article about omicron and its spread in Denmark in the The Washington Post is a good one to read since the Danes are the best folks in the world to test and track the virus: "What Does the Omicron Variant Mean for a Highly Vaccinated Country? Denmark Has a Dire Answer." 

I checked the other day, and in my county in east central Illinois, only 43% are fully vaccinated. 77% of those 65 years and older are fully vaccinated, and 50% of those 18-64 are fully vaccinated. Those percentages are terrible. 

If you're interested in your own county or state, check out the Post's "Tracking the Covid Vaccine" link. 

I recently got a smoker, and I've spent the past two weekends smoking various meat. Last weekend it was a pork loin and then salmon fillets. This weekend it is spare ribs and then a whole duck.

I picked up a case of Sierra Nevada IPAs at Costco on our last visit. That is some great ale. It could be argued that Sierra Nevada is the brand that helped start the craft beer movement in the US.

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Dry Rub for Pork

Here's the ingredients of a dry rub I used on some spare ribs today. My early Xmas present was an electric smoker. 

Ingredients

1 cup of light brown sugar

3 tablespoons of kosher salt

2 tablespoons of onion powder

2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of Old Bay

1 teaspoon of dry mustard

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Music Friday: "I Wanna Be Sedated"

I have spent the last two days interviewing a bunch of people, 14 to be exact, for a position we have open at my work. 

My brain feels like mush. 

As a result,...

Musing of the Moment: "It's Been a Minute"

There's a verbal trend out there that I don't care for.

I watch a lot of sports and sports commentators, so I've heard this phrase said in those environs, but I've also seen it used in non-sports contexts.  

People are using the phrase "it's been minute" to ironically mean that it's been a long time since someone has done this or that. So "it's been a minute" actually means it's been a long time. 

Where did this horrible little ironic phrasing originate from? And who coined this unnecessary verbal irony? 

Music Friday: "I Can Get Us Out of Here"

I've been listening to Lucero all day today as I was doing work. 

When I got done, this song was playing. 

Sunday Hangover: Georgia - SEC Championship

That's why they play the games. 

Going into last night's SEC Championship Game, I would have given Alabama a 10-20% chance of beating Georgia. 

SEC Champs.

Bryce Young put in a Heisman-winning performance against the best defense in college football. He had 26 receptions on 44 attempts for a whopping 421 yards and three passing touchdowns. He also had a touchdown on the ground. 

Comparing the Tide's offensive line play last night to the turd-like performance they had against Auburn is telling. For the most part, the revised O line kept Young clean, and on occasion Young used his legs to beat the Bulldogs. 

Jameson Williams went off again, but it sounds like the Tide will lose Metchie for the rest of the season, which is a major blow. 

The Crimson Tide will face off against Cincinnati on New Year's Eve Day.

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Sausage and Deconstructed Broccoli Vegetable Soup

I made this soup last week. I wanted to get it all down, so I don't forget what I did. I am calling it deconstructed broccoli because I used broccoli florets, and their structural integrity does not hold up if you put them in early, so they just infuse the liquid with killer broccoli flavor. 

Ingredients

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

Olive oil

2 tablespoons of harissa paste

1 lb. of turkey kielbasa, cut into half moon slices

1 carton of vegetable stock

2 cartons of chicken stock

4-5 cups of broccoli florets

1 package of baby spinach

1 can of dark red kidney beans, drained

1 package of baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of roasted garlic seasoning

2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

1-2 tablespoons of Penzey's Northwoods seasoning

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Process

Coat a stock pot with olive oil over medium-high heat and add onions and carrots. Put in a healthy smidge of kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Sauté the aromatics for approximately ten to minutes. 

Add in the sausage and brown it for about ten minutes. Add harissa and cook for roughly five minutes. Dump in the stock and add the vegetables and seasoning. Kick up the heat to boil and then set it to simmer for a couple of hours and enjoy. 

Music Friday: "What If I"

I picked up the new album from Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats this past week. It's another solid offering from a great musical outfit.

Here's one of my favorites after a handful of listens. 

Sunday Hangover: Auburn

What a frustrating yet ultimately rewarding Iron Bowl. 

Alabama played like crap on the offensive side of the ball for over three and a half quarters until they finally woke up and got their collective shit together for a 98-yard scoring drive. 

It was a finally satisfying Iron Bowl win at Auburn. The four overtimes made Auburn fans believe, but the pass to Metchie finally broke Auburn hearts. 

I love it when the Tide breaks Auburn hearts. 

Two freshmen stepped up their games in this win. Ja'Cory Brooks caught the long touchdown pass from Young. And in the fourth OT, Kool-Aid McKinstry batted down the Finley's pass in the end zone. 

Auburn's DC Derek Mason had an effective game plan that I'm sure UGA will try to duplicate and improve upon. Regardless, I was surprised that George was left out there that long at RT. Owens did a much better job once they put him in at RT about two quarters too late. 

Alabama has to be a heavy underdog in the SEC Championship, which is a position they aren't used to being in. 

Music Friday: "Black Man in a White World"

Thankfully justice was meted out in the Ahmaud Arbery case. 

We still have to do so much better, however, regardless of how the psychopaths on FoxNews stir up racist white people and scare people about "critical race theory" or how schools are indoctrinating kids about this or that. 

Fuck FoxNews. 

Fuck Tucker Carlson. 

Fuck racists.

Fuck 2nd amendment idiots. 

Sunday Hangover: Arkansas

Kudos to Arkansas. They played one hell of a game last night, but I expect a much better effort from an Alabama defense that should be playing better than they are right now. 

The defense still has major gaffes and miscommunication happening that has to be cleaned up if they want to win the Iron Bowl and have a chance versus Georgia in the SEC Championship. 

As much as there is a focus on what Alabama didn't do well on defense, they did secure their spot as winner of the SEC West with the win last night. 

But the defense. Jeez, they have to get it together. 

As much as I pine for the Saban-era playing style of joyless murderball, what Bryce Young did last night was impressive. He set the record for most passing yards for an Alabama QB and threw five touchdowns, three of which were to the speedster Jameson Williams. 

Metchie and Williams dominated the receiving yards as well as Brian Robinson rushing for 122 yards on 27 attempts. Trey Sanders carried the ball just one time. 

The Tide needs to run the ball better, but I don't think we're that kind of club this season. As much as it pains me to say it, but the Tide is a passing-focused offense. They just need to keep Young clean. 

Next up is the trip to Auburn. 

Music Friday: "Rogers Park"

I was listening to the various albums of Justin Townes Earle as I was working this morning, and I was struck again at how good Harlem River Blues is as an album. 

In my opinion, it's his best album and a true masterpiece. 

"Rogers Park" stuck a chord with me for whatever reason today. 

RIP JTE.

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Collard-Style Kale

The benefits of eating kale has been well documented by various nutritionists and food-obsessed folks. It's good for you. We all get it.

I've always been a fan of slow-cooked greens like collard and mustard greens. But I still had kale in my garden here in east central Illinois even though it's mid-November. Kale is not only good for you, but also it's hardy. 

So I made some kale in the style of old fashioned collard greens except that I added some cubed ham that needed to be used. 

Ingredients

A pot full of kale, stems taken out and chopped coarsely 

1 smoked ham hock (or a turkey leg would be better imo)

Water

1 package of cubed ham

Salt and pepper to taste

Smoked paprika

Roasted garlic powder

Process

Drop the ham hock or turkey leg into a large stock pot. Chop up the kale and place in and fill the pot with water to just cover the kale. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add in the smoked paprika and garlic powder and some salt and pepper. 

Simmer for three or four hours till the pot reduces down by at least half. About  two hours in to the simmer, add in the cubed ham. Near the end of the simmering check the taste of pot licker and add salt and pepper to taste. Be careful to not add too much salt if you're cooking it substantially longer. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos

I made these tacos last week, and I thought they turned out well. I'm a fan of chicken thighs because they have good flavor, and they're ideal for a frugal shopper like me. 

Ingredients

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. of boneless chicken thighs, trimmed

4-5 chipotle peppers (canned) in adobo sauce, chopped

1/4 cup of water

Penzey's Adobo seasoning

Roasted garlic seasoning

Ground cumin

Penzey's Salsa & Pico seasoning

Process

Trim and chop up the thighs into large chunks the night before you want to put them in the slow cooker. Chop up the canned chipotle peppers. I use the canned chipotles from Aldi. Mix them together and keep in the fridge overnight.

In the morning place the thighs into the slow cooker and add water and seasoning. Cook on low for 8 hours and shred when ready to serve with tacos and whatever you like to have on your tacos. 

Music Friday: New Mexico State

The hope was that against the Aggies of New Mexico State the Tide would get well. 

They didn't. 

Roydell Williams, the back-up running back, and Jo Jo Earle both went down with injuries, and it sounds as though Williams will be out for a while. So that makes running back depth even more thin. B-Rob is the starter of course, but now Sanders has to step up and provide quality effort. 

As much as I like watching the back-up players do their thing in these blowout games, watching Demouy Kennedy and Christian Leary tote the rock was a bit strange. Those players' primary positions are linebacker and wide receiver. They got pulled into to play running back because of so many RBs getting hurt. 

With three starters out on the offensive line, the reshuffled line played much better than they did against LSU. Then again, the Tide was playing NMSU. 

There's been talk about some defensive linemen from Georgia being in the running for Heisman. 

But if there's any defensive player who deserves to be in the running for Heisman, it's Will Anderson. 

As Aaron Suttles for The Athletic points out, Anderson is only behind the late, great Derrick Thomas for average sacks per game. Anderson is at .85 sacks per game after not recording one in his first seven games as a freshman. He has 12.5 sacks this season over 10 games. 

Next up is a tough Arkansas squad at home. 

Music Friday: "Murderer of Blue Skies"

When I woke up this morning, I had a song by Alice In Chains in my head. And now I can't remember which one it was. It's one of the band's lesser-known songs. 

Today as I was doing work this morning, I revisited Chris Cornell's fine album Higher Truth. 

Here's track 7 on that album. With the dark skies around these parts, it feels like there's a murderer out there. 

Sunday Hangover: "LSU"

I know our offensive line has not played up to the performance of last year's line, but last night was really bad. 

Once the starting center got hurt, they moved Owens to center and had George play right tackle. The line play got even worse. That's the worst running game performance I've seen as a Tide fan. 

No bueno.

Young, Williams, and Metchie had solid performances, so I'm not worried about facing Georgia right now. 

Hell, I'm worried about Arkansas. Thankfully, the next game will come against New Mexico State. Then it's Arkansas at home and Auburn down the road. 

Will Anderson was all over the field last night and is the emotional heartbeat of this squad: 12 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. 

Time to get the running game better and get better at pass blocking. 

Music Friday: "Take the Long Way"

One album that I haven't listened to enough is Pearl Jam's 2020 release, Gigaton. 

I still need to see this band in concert. That's a major regret of meek concert-going life. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I am against a verbal trend among sport broadcasters. When a player suffers an injury, many of these talking heads leave off the word "injury" in their reporting. For example, a broadcaster could be talking about a player who has an ankle injury, and the person says the player has "an ankle." Of course he has an ankle. In fact, he has two of them. What he has is an ankle injury, not an ankle. 

I think I've also complained about how sports commentators like to use the term "washed" for the extra syllable phrasing of "washed up." If someone is washed, that term means they've undergone some kind of cleansing process. Washed up means that a player is no longer playing at the level of play he or she is accustomed to. 

Tottenham Hotspur sacked Nuno. I liked Nuno because he was not a bullshitter, but he was not the right man for the job, unfortunately. It sounds like they're in talks with Conte. 

The debacle last night in the Twin Cities makes me question why I ever became a Vikings fan. They lost to a team led by a QB who had only thrown three passes in the NFL. Zimmer better start winning, or he's going to be out of job like Nuno.

Music Friday: "Elevator Boots"

I picked up the new Counting Crows EP a while ago, and I don't think I featured any of its songs on these Fridays. 

So here's "Elevator Boots." 

Sunday Hangover: Tennessee

If Alabama would have been doing what they should have been doing on defense, Tennessee should have only scored 3 points. 

But because of two plays when the safety was playing way too shallow, the Vols scored two touchdowns. And then Jobe got burned on a go route because he wasn't ready for the snap. 

I get that Tennessee runs an ultra-quick offense that creates those kind of mistakes, but the Tide should have been ready for that hurry-up modus operandi. 

Regardless, Alabama dropped 52 points on Tennessee. 

Robinson had over a hundred yards rushing. I would have liked to have seen more of a joyless murderball running attack, but that didn't happen. 

Both Metchie and Williams had over a hundred yards of pass receiving. 

Among the top five tacklers in the game, three were linebackers: Anderson, Harris and To'o To'o. That's a good sign. And Phil Mathis had a solid game. 

Music Friday: "Girlfriend"

I've always liked this song and Matthew Sweet's sound on the few tunes that came out via alternative rock radio back in the early 90s. 

Here's the title song of his album that came out 30 years ago today. 

Kick out the jams. 

Remember when Dennis Miller had a show before he relegated himself into irrelevance? 

And I've provided the goofy part-animated Cowboy Bebopesque video. 

Sunday Hangover: Mississippi State

After the debacle that was the visit to College Station last week, this game was a good win. 

However, I still hunger for the days of joyless murderball when Alabama would just pound opponents into submission by a predominant ground game and a stifling defense. 

The defense played much better with three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six for Battle. However, I thought the Tide could have done a better job against the run, which admittedly State rarely runs, so it's a surprise when they do. 

After starting the game in a very vanilla fashion, the DC brought more blitzes to keep State off balance. Anderson had a wonderful game with six total tackles, four of which were TFL, and he had four sacks and broke up one pass. 

Like I said, I wanted Alabama to run more often, but in the end, they ran for a total of 195 net yards with Robinson working as the main back and Roydell Williams coming in to spell him from time to time. Williams actually had one more yard than Robinson, and he he averaged an impressive 7.1 yards per rush. 

Robinson had a fabulous reception for a TD late in the third quarter after State heavily blitzed and Young hit Robinson on a quick pass that he took to the house. 

One player who I hope have emerged is Traseshon Bolden, who had three receptions for a total of 70 yards with a 29-yard TD. He is a tall receiver. 

543 yards of total offense is a good day. 

Music Friday: "Break My Baby"

One of the new albums I got recently is Surface Sounds from the Icelandic rock outfit Kaleo. It's a solid album. 

Here's the second cut from the album. 

Sunday Hangover: Texas A&M

What a terrible, non-Saban-like game 

Bad turnovers, one of which was at the goal line. 

Bryce Young looking quite young as a QB

The offense not changing tactics quickly enough to address how the Aggies were blitzing

The defense making some bad mistakes and having busted coverages. 

Dropped balls

WRs who were open not having accurate passes thrown to them

I guess the best way we can look at this game is that it was a wake-up call for the team to bring their best on every single play. 

Alabama is still atop the Western division, but the team has little wiggle room to make the playoffs. They can't lose again. 

If the Tide gets the chance to meet Georgia in the SEC Championship, they need to win or perhaps lose narrowly. 

Music Friday: "Slide"

All week I've had this song rambling through my head. 

I'm not a huge fan of the Goo Goo Dolls. I don't dislike them, but I don't have any of their albums. This is just a song that I like from them with its uptempo guitar riff and driving rhythm section. 

It's catchy. It's a pleasant ear worm. 

Sunday Hangover: Ole Miss

I was concerned about this matchup after last season's score-fest in Oxford. Kiffin is typically a brilliant play-caller. 

The game was a pleasant surprise. The Tide defense held Ole Miss to 21 points, but 14 of those points came in the fourth quarter when the game was in hand. I reckon Saban will focus on the team's lack of intensity in the second half. 

Brian Robinson has a game that showcased his skills. He toted the rock 36 times for 171 net yards. That's Henryesque. 

Will Anderson showed why he's one of the best linebackers in the country. That guy is an absolute terror to offensive linemen. 

Next up is a wounded Texas A&M squad who can turn around their season with a win against Alabama. I'm sure we'll get their best shot. 

Music Friday: "Mr. Know-It-All"

Through a conversation on FB I was reminded of the brilliance of Primus. 

So, therefore, I give to you "Mr. Know-It-All." 

Sunday Hangover: Southern Miss

Jameson Williams had one heck of day, eh? 

He started the game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD, he had an 83-yard kickoff return for a TD in the fourth quarter, and he caught an 81-yard TD from Young. 

With Robinson sidelined, the Tide used its three younger backs with Roydell Williams leading the way with 110 yards on 11 carries and a TD. McClellan had a solid day with 12 carries for 98 yards. 

It was great seeing them run the ball consistently, but we have to keep in mind that it was against Southern Miss. They need to be able to run between the tackles more often because most of the running was on the outside. 

But the defense has to get better because I'm sure Kiffin will throw all kinds of crap at them at home this coming Saturday.

Music Friday: "Driver 8"

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will have an album of covers out in mid October. The album is a collection of Georgia-based songs from various bands since that state smartly elected two Democratic Senators and went in favor of Biden. 

The album's title is Georgia Blue. 

Here's a cover of R.E.M.'s "Driver 8." 

Random Notes from a Crank

Kids these days will never experience having to call a number to get the times of movies at theaters. 

Norm MacDonald died of cancer recently, and he was a stand-up comedian I enjoyed thoroughly. His talk show on Netflix, which only had one season, was hilarious. 

Here's a classic Macdonald joke to enjoy. 

Here's his perspective on his funeral. 

When did a change to Mr. Pibb happen? It's no longer Mr. Pibb. It's now Pibb Extra. Why lose the "Mr."? And what's "Extra"? Regardless, I find it far superior to the pop it's trying to beat out, Dr. Pepper. 

Sunday Hangover: Florida

As has become a disturbing trend, a game against the Florida Gators proved to be a close one and one in which the defense didn't play well. 

That doesn't bode well for the championship aspirations of the Crimson Tide. 

The defense has to get better, especially thinking of the Kiffin-run Rebels of Ole Miss. Hell, you gotta watch out for Arkansas too. 

The offense started well, but those three straight three-and-outs were brutal. Those cannot happen. The Tide must run the ball more effectively. 

Billingsley appears to be out of Saban's doghouse, which is one of the good signs in this game. 

Regardless, Young went into the much heralded Swamp and came out with a win. 

And the Georgia-Florida game looks to be a very interesting matchup. 

Music Friday: "Finger Lickin' Good"

Here's a great tune from a classic album, Check Your Head. I've always thought this song was underrated in the band's overall catalog. 

Have a good weekend. 

Sunday Hangover: Mercer

I forgot to do this dang post, but this game was one that provides some coaching moments for Saban and the staff. 

They could have run the ball much better than they did.

And the D gave up points that it shouldn't have because of a busted coverage. 

The injury to Anderson is a major concern because we will certainly miss him if he doesn't play in the Swamp on Saturday. 

JoJo Earle made a name for himself in that game, so I wonder if we might see him more in games to come. 

Music Friday: "Another New World"

I was listening to the Punch Brothers this morning and was reminded of this great song that I saw them perform years ago in Terre Haute at Rose-Hulman after maybe the band's second album. 

They eventually recorded this cover of Josh Ritter's song on Ahoy!

And I'm providing it here. 

Have a good weekend. 

Sunday Hangover: Miami

Bryce Young got off to a great start to his career with an impressive game versus Miami on Saturday afternoon. He broke the touchdown record for the a QB's debut in a first game as a starter. 

Joe Namath and Mac Jones had the previous record with three touchdowns. Young threw four: one apiece to Williams and Metchie and two to Latu. 

Latu getting the start is one of those stories that didn't get much coverage. Billingsley is trying to get out of Saban's doghouse for something he's done. He played, but he didn't have a catch, which is concerning because he was a strong contributor in the last half of last season. 

Latu is a big dude, and I'm hoping the new OC uses he and Billingsley like Irv Smith Jr. and OJ Howard were used.

For whatever reason, Hulu didn't start recording the game for me until halfway through the second quarter, so I didn't get to see Robinson running much or the drives of the Alabama offense that netted the 20 points. 

However, it looks like the Tide had a good day on the ground although the offense tilted more towards the passing game. 

Will Anderson Jr. was an absolute terror off the edge for Alabama. He was leading tackler for the team with nine total tackles and a sack. 

I liked what I saw from the defense. 

It looks like the Tide has a strong four-back rotation with B-Rob leading the group after he took advantage of another year of eligibility because of Covid. It'll be interesting to see which back-up emerges as the second back. It looks like it's a battle between McClellan and Sanders. 

Musing of the Moment: State of Tottenham Hotspur

I came across this article, "Son Heung-min Often Eclipsed by Kane but Can Dazzle in His Own Right," in The Guardian about Tottenham's Son. He's a huge star in his native land, but he has taken the backseat to Kane. As the author states, Son is "a Tottenham man to his bones, and one who actually wants to be there." 

If I ever buy a Tottenham jersey, and I'd get an away kit, it'll be a Son jersey. 

And as we saw in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League match, Kane is back. We'll see if the January transfer window tempts Man City to actually lodge a suitable offer for him. In Kane's statement, he said he's staying this "summer." 

My hope is that Spurs win some hardware finally this season, and that result makes Kane stay for good. 

Regardless, Dele looks like he's revived his career after being in Mourinho's doghouse during that failed regime. 

We'll see what happens at the end of this transfer window, but from the sound of it, all of the French-speaking players look like they're potentially on their way out of N17. 

Ndombele will the most difficult player to move because of his huge wages. 

The sad deal with him is that he's a fantastically talented player, yet he never seems to impress any of the managers. Jose got some good performances out of him, but from the look of it, Nuno isn't putting up with his crap. 

Music Friday: "Canola Fields"

I missed last Friday's post. It slipped my mind, and I realized it on Sunday. 

I've been so busy with all kinds of crap. 

Anyway, James McMurtry came out with a new album this month titled The Horses and the Hounds. 

Today I'm featuring the opening tune on the album. At first listen, it's a solid album. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Slow-Cooked Kale

I am a huge fan of turnip greens and collard greens that are staples of Southern meat-and-three restaurants. I did not grow either of those this summer, but I have a crapton of kale in the garden. 

So I cooked up a bunch of kale like one would do with collard and turnip greens.

Ingredients

A whole bunch of kale, stems taken out and chopped into small pieces

1 smoked ham hock

Water to cover

Red pepper flakes

Healthy smidge of smoked paprika 

Salt and pepper 

Process

This is pretty dang basic. Add all that above into a large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours. 

Musing of the Moment: Tottenham Defeat Man City

With Harry Kane not in the lineup, Tottenham defeated Premier League Champions Manchester City 1 to nil. 

In contrast to the team's play during the Mourinho regime, Spurs played with spirit and grit. Man City did want they always do--dominate possession. So Nuno set up a formation you don't see that often, the Xmas tree formation: 4-3-2-1. 

The often derided duo of Sanchez and Dier played quite well, so hopefully they will continue to do well under the new manager. 

Tanganga earned "man of the match" with a stellar performance of flummoxing Graelish and Sterling on the left side. 

Two players who rarely get much attention, Moura and Bergwijn, had outstanding performances. Bergwijn should have tapped home a goal to put Tottenham up 2-0, but he missed wide left. Dinking a volley over the keeper would have done the job. 

I enjoyed Son playing in a striker role. I think can play anywhere up front. 

If City really want Kane, they need to put together a serious offer soon, so Spurs can find someone before the transfer window closes. 

Musing of the Moment: Start of the Premier League Season & "Sold"

The Premier League season got off to a crackin' start yesterday with Brentford, who haven't been in the top flight level of English football for 74 years, beating dreaded Arsenal 2-0. 

Here are the highlights. 

Meanwhile my beloved Spurs take on Man City tomorrow as the Harry Kane saga drags on. I doubt Levy sells him to Man City. It's too late in the transfer window, and Tottenham have not added a striker to their squad yet. They would surely have to add two strikers if they were to get rid of Kane. 

Rumors abound about which striker/s Tottenham could add, but it's mid-August, and the window closes at the end of the month. 

Two ¶s above I used the word "sells," which is a term that always has not sat well with me. In international football, when teams get rid of a player to another team for a substantial fee, the going term is that player gets "sold." 

The term sold has always sounded a bit slave tradery to me. Ick.

Perhaps we can replace with traded or transfer? For example, one could say that Tottenham transferred Harry Kane to Man City for a fee of 150 million?

Semantics, sure. But I like transfer better than sell. 

Music Friday: "Stone Free"

On satellite radio I've been listening to RockBar lately, which is a station that provides uptempo guitar-based songs that are a mixture of newer stuff and classics. 

Here's a classic of that ilk live from France in 1967. 

Music Friday: "Idiots Rule"

I'm a Vikings fan, and the low vaccination rate of the team is a major blemish on the NFL. And Kirk Cousins' comments about surrounding himself with plexiglass are astoundingly stupid. 

The fact that the delta variant is creating havoc because of morons who aren't getting vaccinated is really angering me. 

The whole situation reminds me of the this song. 

However, I will say the idea of them "ruling" is a bit nuanced. They rule in a sense that we smart people have to go back to wearing masks because of their idiocy that has prevented herd immunity. 

Ruling by dumbassery...

Music Friday: "These Are the Times"

Son Volt has a new album out, and I was pleasantly surprised. At first listen, I'm digging it. 

Here's one tune from Electro Melodier.  

Music Friday: "Driver 8" & "Outfit"

One of my favorite R.E.M. songs from their earlier work is "Driver 8." 

The Drive-By Truckers shared this video via FB. I've also included "Outfit" from the same person recording the concert.  

Musing of the Moment: SEC Expansion?

Yesterday less than an hour before Texas A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher gave his opening statement at SEC Media Days, news broke that allegedly the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma had contacted the SEC about joining the conference. 

A&M obviously wants to remain the only Texas school in the SEC, which its athletic director clearly stated when interviewed by Paul Finebaum. 

However, going by the bylaws of the conference, there need to be 11 of the 14 schools who vote yes to new members. I think that's quite possible. 

I don't see the SEC turning this down because it would make them an even stronger conference, one that would rake in lots more cash and basically rule the college football world in a sport trending toward a 12-team playoff. 

Going to 16 teams might help with scheduling because one could eliminate the East-West conferences and use four-team mini conferences that would let teams play each more often that they normally don't get to. 

If you break it down by regions, here's a rough grouping of these mini conferences to my mind.

A) Texas, Oklahoma, A&M, and LSU

B) Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and State

C) Arkansas, Mizzou, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt

D) Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee

With these groupings, the natural old East-West every year rivalry games could be kept. Alabama would always play Tennessee, and Auburn would always play Georgia, for two prime examples. 

Musing of the Moment: Billionaires in Space

There is a belief among followers of the GOP that trickle-down economics works - that giving tax breaks to the rich will eventually flow downhill to the middle and lower classes.

If you want a prime example of how that belief is total bullshit, consider Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos launching themselves and their buddies to the edge of space. 

When they got back, they celebrated with champagne like they just launched a yacht. 

It doesn't trickle down. They build rockets with it. 

It's not trickle down. It's pissing on the middle class and the poor.  

Music Friday: "Don't Do Me Like That"

As I was driving back from a campus visit for my daughter today, this song from Petty came across my satellite radio channel. 

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the drum fills at the start of this tune. Enjoy. 

Music Friday: "Sad But True"

Apparently there's a cover album of Metallica's Black album coming out. Isbell and his band did an interesting version of "Sad But True."

I'm sharing the cover and the original. 

Music Friday: "Pride" & "Fight the Fight"

I recently purchased an album I used to have on cassette tape, Time's Up by Living Colour. 

Here's a couple of my favorite tunes from their sophomore effort. 

Random Notes from a Crank

We spent over a week in Panama City Beach, Florida for a travel baseball tournament. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we caught the end of a tropical storm, so many of our games were delayed and moved to later days. 

We went to a tournament that had teams from over 20 states, but every team we played was from Georgia. How annoying. 

With one team we played early on, their head coach and fans displayed the worst sportsmanship and fan behavior I've ever seen. The head coach should have been ejected. He was constantly bitching about balls and strikes and was a whiny, mumbling mess when he was coaching at third base. 

They stopped the game for a while because they thought our team were getting strikes that weren't strikes. But they were legitimate strikes. And he mumbled something about our team having the umps "in our pocket."

Yes, that's it. Prior to driving 12-13 hours, we somehow found out the refs we would have in pool play and paid them off. We paid off refs from Florida when we're from east central Illinois. Yes, that's the ticket. 

Thankfully, that band of assholes got bounced out early from the tournament because they lost their next two games in elimination play. 

Jackasses. 

If you're from Georgia, you should really be worrying about the state government curbing your voting rights - not balls and strikes. 

Driving home through the Florida Panhandle was annoying with so many clowns still having their Moscow Don signs up. Whenever I see campaign signs for that clown, all I think is "Losers." 

After a long delay, Tottenham finally a new manager, former head coach of the Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo. 

Nuno wasn't obviously the first choice of the Spurs, but he might be the guy they actually need. 

Having watched the Wolves for a good while, his teams didn't exactly have the "free-flowing" acumen that some of the other possible managers' squads epitomize. But we'll see how he adapts to the squad the new managing football director (Paritici) puts together. 

The transfer scene will be full of speculation for the Spurs. The biggest question mark is what happens with Harry Kane. Man City have already offered 100 million for him, which Tottenham rejected. But I'd take a sweetened deal for Kane for that money with Sterling and Stones thrown in. 

The more interesting movement to watch is which players move to other clubs (Aurier, Winks, et al.) and which players they bring in. From what I read recently, Paratici has already been hard a work trying to find center backs and a striker. I'd like to see them sign Connor Coady from Wolves. 

Hopefully Nuno will get Doherty playing like he has in the past for him. And I hope Nuno gets Dele Alli back to being the player he can be. 

Nuno is known for working with what he's got and not bitching about what he doesn't have. I want to see Doherty, Rodon, Dele, Bergwijn, and Tanganga improving in a significant fashion. 

And for me, I want to see Lo Celso and Ndombele working together well in midfield. 

Music Friday: "

I know I am way late. I forgot about it on Friday.

Saturday was spent watching travel baseball games, and then Sunday was an elimination game. We then traveled the 12-13 hours home on Sunday from Panama City Beach, Florida. 

I'm tired of driving. 

I'm tired of crazy-ass travel baseball fans, which I'm sure I'll recount later. And I'm tired of rainouts, which are likely to happen in Florida in June. 

Here's a classic from CCR. 

Music Friday: "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"

Neutral Milk Hotel is one of those bands I heard about but never got their albums. Recently I got this one that's said to be tremendously influential among alternative rock circles. 

Here's a fun tune from the album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

If you're someone like me who gives a damn about our planet, read Ben Ehrenreich's "We're Hurtling Toward Global Suicide" in The New Republic. It a solid, sober article about the climate crisis and how one underlying assumption is highly problematic.

Most climate models and climate change purveyors still assume unlimited growth in relation to finite resources works. It doesn't. 

I've been watching the European Championship 2021 so far this summer, and it's been fun. Ronaldo's Portugal won the last one.

Here are the teams I'm rooting for. I like England's squad because they have mainly Premier League players, but I also Denmark since I'm part Dane and Wales because I like Gareth Bale and Joe Rodon because of their affiliation with Tottenham Hotspur. Denmark, unfortunately, had a massive scare with what happened to Christian Eriksen. 

If I'm a betting man, I'd put my money on France. They are the front runner in the competition. 

Music Friday: "Hurt"

My daughter is thinking about songs to choreograph her solo dances to, and one of her two solo songs she's thinking about is "Hurt" by Johnny Cash, which is a cover of Nine Inch Nails.

I recently rewatched the episode about "Hurt" on Netflix's Song Exploder. 

I am a huge fan of Johnny Cash, but I think I like the original better. 

Today I'm providing videos of both. 

Music Friday: "D.B. Cooper"

Todd Snider has a new album out this year, First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder. I recently acquired it, but I've only listened to it a couple of times so far since I haven't been on my computer a lot lately. 

Regardless, here's an old, great tune from his catalog. 

Musing of the Moment: "Incentivize" & "Utilize"

I highly dislike a certain word that has crept into many people's lexicons. That work is "incentivize." I like people simply saying, "provide incentives" instead of making a noun into a verb. 

I have another qualm, but it's in a different vein. I have a similar beef against the word "utilize" being used when a person could simply use "use" instead of "utilize." 

Why make things more complicated than they have to be?

These complaints reminds me of this classic riff on soft language by George Carlin. 

Music Friday: "Granny"

 I've been listening to the Dave Matthews Band a bit lately on SiriusXM radio. 

Here's a classic that eclectic band. 

Random Notes from a Crank

 I'm trying to catch up on my public affairs magazine reading. 

Here are some factoids from the last three months of "Harper's Indexes":

• Percentage decrease in the number of flu cases in the United States this season: 99
• Factor by which U.S. police officers are more likely to use force against left-wing protesters than right-wing protesters: 3.4
• Percentage of Black Lives Matter protests during which the police used force against protesters: 5
• Of Stop the Steal protests during which police did so: 1
• Percentage of Americans who identified as Republicans and Democrats, respectively, at the outset of 2020: 47, 45
• At the end of 2020: 39, 50
• Number of U.S. members of Congress who are not affiliated with a religion: 1
• Portion of the American population that is not: 1/4
• Percentage of 2020 Trump voters who feel more loyal to Trump than to the Republican Party: 54
• Who would support a Trump party over the Republican Party: 46
• Minimum number of identified long-term effects from contracting COVID-19: 55
• Factor by which a solar farm was more expensive to build and maintain than a coal plant in 2009: 3.2
• By which a coal plant is more expensive to build and maintain than a solar farm today: 2.2
• Estimated number of Earths that humanity would require to sustain its current level of resource consumption: 1.6
• Year in which humanity  is expected to require two Earths: 2030
• Number of U.S. state legislatures that are considering new voting restrictions: 47
• Number of such bills being considered: 361
• Percentage of Democratic or Democratic-leaning voters who are "extremely concerned" about Trump supporters: 82
• Who are "extremely concerned" about voter suppression: 53
• Percentage of U.S. electric-car owners who are concerned about being able to charge their vehicles on the road: 47
• Portion of U.S. electric-car charging outlets that are in California: 1/3
• That support only Tesla vehicles: 1/5
• Minimum number of state governments that are funding efforts to modify the weather with cloud seeding: 6

Usually when I provide the stats and figures from the Harper's Index, I just leave them as for readers to ponder for themselves. But for this post since it's three-months worth of numbers and percentages, I thought I'd comment on some of them. 

With the drop of flu cases, it's clear that masks work, people. That's why people in certain countries in Asia wear masks during flu season. 

In response to the "Blue Lives Matter" crowd, it seems that the police feel conservative lives matter more. 

I hesitantly take the party affiliation changes from the start of 2020 to the end as a good sign. The Republican Party has lost any sense of a moral and/or philosophical compass with people's irrational support of Moscow Don. 

That long-term effects figure should be a part of PSAs about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. 

We need to build more solar farms and electric-car charging outlets. 

Back to the GOP, they want to restrict voting access because doing so helps them. But will it? I wonder if these ridiculous bills like the one in Georgia will only motivate people to vote. That's my hope. 

Music Friday: "Silver Sings"

I have both of Caitlin Rose's albums, but she hasn't put out anything since 2013 when The Stand-In came out. 

I don't know what's up with that. I really like her lyrics and her alluring voice. 

Please put out something new Ms. Rose. 

Musing of the Moment: Harry Kane & Tottenham

As various reports have indicated, Harry Kane apparently wants to move on to a different club.

As it normally does, The Athletic is doing some fine work on this story with all kinds of reasoned speculation where he might go if he indeed does get traded/sold to another club. 

Apparently he wants to stay in the Premier League. 

As reports indicated, Chelsea and Manchester City seem like the most logical landing spots for Kane. However, I don't Daniel Levy striking a deal with Chelsea, a North London rival of epic proportions. 

If he were to go to either of those clubs, the Spurs better get one hell of a haul in return either in players and/or lucre. 

In either case, it would be the rich getting richer as both clubs are incredibly wealthy because of their owners. 

Manchester City would be the club I would bet on him going since Aguero is no longer going to be on the squad. 

A recent reporter in The Athletic stated that he thinks the most likely scenario is that Levy doesn't move Kane at all this transfer window and instead waits until next summer's transfer window once various clubs have recovered from pandemic-induced financial straits.  

Regardless, I'd hate to see Kane playing for another club. 

However, when they picked Mourinho, they picked a gaffer who did not let the team have any kind of coherent offensive philosophy. 

For me, I don't think Levy will give in to Kane's demands, especially in such a depressed market for transfers. If he does, I suspect it will be Man City. Which pisses me off. 

Random Notes from a Crank

 I don't like the trend of workers in certain establishments calling their customers "boss." I take it as some kind of passive-aggressive linguistic move to make fun of the customer. I'd rather be called "Sir." 

The word "boss" just seems like a move to condescending to the person buying goods or services. I've worked in a number of retail establishments over my life, and I would never call someone "boss."  

Tottenham Hotspur is unlikely to qualify for European events unless they get some help from other clubs over the next two weeks of match days. They could qualify for Europa League if they get their shit together. 

I'm worried about Kane leaving the Spurs. However, they've been playing more loose and free since Jose got sacked and Mason took over. 

I like the starting lineups he's been throwing out there lately. Today he had Tanganga at right back, which I like. And Dele played alongside Bale, Son, and Kane. That is a formidable front four that can do some impressive work on offense. 

The defense needs to get better. That's been a common refrain all season.

Music Friday: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"

As of late, I've been listening to Sirius XM's First Wave channel that broadcasts mainly alternative music from the 80s. I grew up on that stuff. 

A lot of the selections tend toward the more electronica-based music, which I listened to when I watched Mtv, but I never really bought any of that music. Back then, I was purchasing more guitar-based tunes. And still am. 

I did always like Tears for Fears though. And here's one of their hits. 

Music Friday: "Informer"

As I was driving on I-57  to take my son to a travel baseball game, Pat Hughes and Ron Cooper were calling the game on 670 The Score, and Pat got on a tangent about the term "stool pigeon," which is an informer. 

So this goofy song from the early 90s came into my head as they rambled on about the term. 

Music Friday: "Can't Get There from Here"

 As I was driving back to work just now, SiriusXM's Spectrum played "Man on the Moon," and I thought about how often I've listened to R.E.M. over the years. 

I tend to like their earlier work better, so here's a classic cut from the 80s. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I don't get some of the dating rituals that are relatively new to me. 

First, there is the dreaded "promposal." This spectre surely is a result of the rampant social media posts. Why does it have to be a promposal? Can't we just go back to, I don't know, asking a person to prom and leaving it at that? Why does this all have to shared? 

Second, perhaps this trend is just happening in my little spot in the universe, but my seventh grade son is "dating" a gal, as much as 7th graders can date. Anyway, a way that they're showing they're dating is that the girl gave my son one of his hair ties that he wears as a bracelet. From my perspective, the hair tie denotes possession, so my son's girlfriend is kind of marking her territory I guess, saying "He's mine."

ESPN has been covering the NFL draft ad nauseam. One player who I think is get not as much attention as he probably should is Jaylen Waddle. With Waddle closest comp being Tyreek Hill, I suspect someone is going to draft Waddle and do quite well for themselves. 

As much as people want to bitch about the pandemic and the glut of Zoom meetings, the next couple of days I will be interviewing people using Zoom while wearing shorts. That's a happy side effect. 

Trevor Noah has a great bit in one of his stand-up routines about how calling someone a "pussy," meaning that the person is weak, is really dumb. If you think about it, vaginas are incredibly powerful and resilient. First, think about all of the heterosexual men who spend their lives chasing pussy. Second, and this is one of Noah's main points, is that a person or persons came out of vaginas, and they still work. That's impressive. 

Noah's point is that if you want to call someone weak, you should call them a penis. 

So that gets me to over five millions penises who did not get their second shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. What a bunch of dicks. 

Music Friday: "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw?"

 This song has been in my head lately. I don't know why. 

Musing of the Moment: Super League Dead & Spurs' Next Coach

The botched rollout of and communication about the European Super League is one of the more intriguing sports stories in recent times. They announced it on Sunday, and by Tuesday the league was effectively dead.

I look forward to watching a documentary about how this disaster went down. I might say it could be a great 30 for 30 doc, but ESPN rarely covers soccer football topics unless it's a great goal for their top plays on Sportscenter. 

The foreign owners of the Premier League clubs, some of whom are Americans, obviously don't understand the culture of British football. There were protests outside of Chelsea's grounds, and Klopp had a spicy interview related to how Liverpool was treated when they visited Elland Road. And then Leeds tied the Reds in the game. 

Perhaps this failed attempt will make some changes to qualification criteria for the Champions League since the "big six" of the Premier League were obviously interested in generating more revenue. But some of that plotting might have come from the American owners of Liverpool, Arsenal, and ManU, who might have MLB or the NFL as their template for making money. 

The articles about the Super League on The Athletic have been fantastic. 

In other matters with the team I support, Jose Mourinho got sacked. 

It's highly doubtful the interim coach can get the Spurs to qualify for Champions League, but I hope to see a more progressive style of play in their games. They have way too many offensive weapons to park the bus and continue looking lethargic offensively. I'd like to see plans of what they want to do in regard to attacking. 

As much as I liked Mourinho because of his old school, sometimes caustic mentality, I suspect he lost the dressing room by blaming players. 

There is all kinds of speculation about who Tottenham will hire for its next manager. Just hire someone who puts the joy back into the play of Spurs.

Random Notes from a Crank

The other day when I was in a grocery store, I sneezed while having a mask on. That was unpleasant. That had never happened to me before. 

The 43rd President of the US, Dubya, actually published a reasonable opinion piece about immigration in the The Washington Post: "How to Restore Confidence in the American Immigration System." 

I'm quoting a ¶ from it that is notable. 

"Increased legal immigration, focused on employment and skills, is also a choice that both parties should be able to get behind. The United States is better off when talented people bring their ideas and aspirations here. We could also improve our temporary entry program, so that seasonal and other short-term job can be more readily filled by guest workers who help our economy, support their families and then return home."

In the ¶ that follows that one, he talks about eventually bringing illegal immigrants into the fold as long as they meet a set of conditions such as "proof of work history," knowledge of US civics, and background checks, which are sensible requirements. However, he does note a need for "English proficiency." I don't know what the heck that means, but I suspect it belies a "English only" mindset that the United States has never followed. 

If Derek Chauvin gets off for the murder of George Floyd, it will be a gross miscarriage of justice. Again. It'll create another situation like we saw when the cops who beat the hell of Rodney King were wrongly acquitted by a jury in Simi Valley.

Music Friday: "1999"

 There's a post on my FB friend's wall that has a picture of our wedding. One of the guys who was there said we got married in 1995. That's incorrect. We got married in 1999. 

And we partied like it too. 

Random Notes from a Crank

It seems I've gotten to a point in my life that most of the time I don't know who the musical guest is on SNL, and about half of the time I don't know who the hell the guest host is. 

I've gotten back into watching Jeopardy on a regular basis. And I've downloaded the app on my phone. So I'm getting all trivia happy. 

I recently finished Elizabeth Kolbert's Under A White Sky: The Nature of the Future. Scientists of various specialities are working hard toward trying to fashion methods for us to alter climate change. As she says in the final chapter, "But, as a rule, this enthusiasm [for their work] was tempered by doubt. The electric fish barriers, the concrete crevasse, the fake cavern, the synthetic clouds--these were presented to me less in a spirit of techno-optimism than what might be called techno-fatalism. They weren't improvements on the originals; they were the best that anyone could come up with, given the circumstances." 

After reading the book, I'm confident the people working on solar geoengineering are going to be serious players in the various sets of solutions we have to use to fight against the consequences of climate change. If policy makers let them. 

Perhaps halting donations and investments will get the attention of people who sponsor these stupid voting bills in state legislatures: "Companies Are Considering Withholding Donations and Investments Over Controversial Voting Bills in States." 

Music Friday: "Doors Unlocked and Open"

Another Music Friday post ~ another Death Cab for Cutie song. And I'm late again. Yesterday was hilatiously busy. 

Cheers.

Music Friday: "Underneath the Sycamore"

 This song has been rattling through my brain this weekend, and yes, I know I'm late with my post. 

Enjoy.

Music Friday: "Tell the Truth" & "Freedom"

The Uber-talented Jon Batiste has a new album out titled WE ARE. 

After a few spins, here a couple of tunes I was automatically drawn to: "Tell the Truth" and "Freedom." The latter song was featured recently on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The other day I made up some sweetbreads according to the recipe in The Joy of Cooking. I had never had them before, so I thought I'd try them. 

I won't be trying them again. They're a gland from the cow, and I don't care for them at all. They remind me of chicken gizzards except they're bigger and spongier. Not good eats.

I thought I might like them since I like other offal, especially liver. 

When I called into my local health care provider about getting my Covid-19 vaccine, as I was on hold, one of the songs that played was "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp. 

I had not heard that song in a good while. 

And then the song after that was "Calling Dr. Love" by Kiss. 

I like their sense of humor. 

D.C. and Puerto Rico deserve statehood. Here's a recent article from the Washington Post that breaks it down for you: "No Longer 'Chocolate City,' D.C. See Calls for Statehood Grow Louder." 

Music Friday: "Unpleasant Breakfast"

Another album I picked up recently is Open Door Policy by The Hold Steady. 

Here's a song that's a pleasant ear worm of renown. 

I'm late with this post. I just forgot about it. A large part of Friday was spent doing a campus visit for my daughter, and then we went to a hometown Friday night high school football game here in east central Illinois. 

Cheers.