Gone Fishin'

In case you're wondering: The Big Mac Blog has gone fishin'. Literally.

Back in a bit after doing the Old Man and the Sea routine.

Will return around the 4th. But the 4th of what???

Best to all ...

WTH? Indiana Jones Met The World 30 Years Ago - His Top 10 Moments

I about barfed when I read this - the greatest film ever made - Raiders of the Lost Ark - was released 30 years ago this year. 
And then I got equally sick when I recently read a quote from Shia LeBeouf where he said they still plan to make Indiana Jones 5. I love Harrison Ford. But in a couple of weeks he will be 69. That means if they start shooting today, which they aren't, he's going to be 70. Please give this role to Jon Hamm, act like you never made Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Paycheck, and start over. Ford's stuntmen will be on screen more than he will if they indeed make a fifth installment.

I digress. In honor of this great film that inspired me to waste more time than calculable, I have gathered the Top Ten Moments in Indiana Jones film history. I don't include the TV series.

10. Indy Gets Hitler's Autograph - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indy and his dad must return to Berlin to get his father's Grail diary. They do, only Indy is sucked into a vortex of Nazi lovers during a book burning rally where, wearing a German officer's uniform, Indy bumps into Hitler himself. Hitler grabs the diary, autographs it, and moves on.  

9. Indy Meets the Swordsman - Raiders of the Lost Ark
May be the single most iconic sequence of the entire series. During a fight in a market place, Indy loses Marion and in his effort to find her he comes across this foreboding, sword-wielding character. What happens next is film immortality. 

 

8. Indy Finds the Area 51 Alien, & Survives a Nuclear Blast - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
This is the only sequence that can make this list. If the rest of this film had followed the opening 10 to 15 minutes of this film we would have been fine. He leads a group of Soviet soldiers to the Area 51 alien in a New Mexico warehouse, makes a cool escape complete with gun fire only to run away to a "town" set for nuclear destruction. 

7. Venice Boat Chase - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
OK, so Venice has no actual catacombs. Who cares? After Indy finds the "second marker" the men who wish to protect the Holy Grail pursue Indy in speed boats in an around Venice.  

6. Indy's Fight With The Massive German Soldier in Front of the X-Wing Plane - Raiders of the Lost Ark
By this point, Indy has escaped the Well of Souls and the snakes only to find that the ark is being loaded on an X-Wing plane. En route to saving the ark, he must go hand-to-hand with this massive German soldier in a solid exchange of punches. 

5. Train track cart chase - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Shortly after Indy comes back to us from his "dark sleep", he leads a break out. Included in this is a standard fight that doesn't end well for the massive hulk. In an effort to get out both he and Mrs. Steven Spielberg hop a train car in an absurd, but fun, chase.

4. The Tank Battle - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This film "borrows" heavily from No. 1, but this scene where Indy challenges a German tank to get his father is classic Indy. A thundering John Williams score, a white horse, and some humor when Indy shoots a pistol to off three German soldiers with one shot.

3. Nepal Shootout - Raiders of the Lost Ark
This is the scene where Indy meets Marion Ravenwood for the first time after she drinks some dude under the table. The ensuing fight/gun scene includes some tense machine gun fire, and Indy looking pretty bad ass. 

2. The Club Obi Wan Shootout - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A completely underrated scene. This opening sequence of this film has Indy trying to exchange a diamond, then he gets poisoned before all hell breaks loose and both he and Mrs. Steven Spielberg must crash through a window to escape. 

1. The Truck Chase - Raiders of the Lost Ark
This scene where Indy borrows a white stallion to run down the Ark in a convoy of Nazi trucks is the essence of Indiana Jones. If memory serves, it's this vision that George Lucas had that he used as a spring board to create the character.  

 

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Rappelling In Downtown FW: Great Fun, Great View, Especially The Unplanned Part Where I Hang For 5 Minutes

FORT WORTH - I had visions of doing a giant "Die Hard" off the side of the XTO Building this morning on my first rappelling adventure. But when I watched Fort Worth mayor Mike Moncrief move about as fast as a turtle in sand towards the edge of said building to descend on his turn, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be Bruce Willis-ing it any time soon.

A few mistakes: Not using the facilities before, not wearing a diaper, and not paying enough attention to the SWAT team dudes right before I went down. I figured had I listened just a bit more carefully I would have avoided the three to five-minute mid-air stop en route down to the ground.

But after my successful (i.e. no death) turn at rappelling (video) I am happy to say this is a very worth while thrill-seeking adventure. Especially - cough, cough - when someone else is paying for it.

I arrived around 7:30 a.m. on top of the XTO Building. I signed away my life, and the ability to ever sue any one ever again. 
I was then "geared" up. Candidly, I looked pretty bad ass. Especially with the shades. 
Mayor Moncrief (pictured below, right) was already back from his trip down, and gave me a few tips. Basically, getting used to the idea of "walking" down over the side is the hardest part. And don't dangle.

Some dude gave me a very brief crash course on a set of steps on the roof, and basically this sounds as easy as walking and chewing gum at the same time. With 30 minutes before my scheduled departure, the very wonderful Deborah Ferguson interviewed me on NBC 5 to ask why I would do this.

"The kids, and self promotion," is my stock answer. Isn't he cute?

A pair of SWAT team members walk me over, and begin the process of hooking me up to a pair of very strong, and I hope-to-God sturdy ropes. These guys, in their gear, are really bad ass. Not fake, Mark Walhlberg in a costume bad ass but really bad ass.

Every harness, rope and buckle on me is tight. Snug. Fit. Safe. All I have to do is listen to what they're saying. Then one of the guys tells me to stand on the edge of the building.

This must have been how George felt in "It's a Wonderful Life".

I stand on the edge, with my back facing the street and in the "proper" position. All I have to do is "walk" to the edge, lean over, and I'm ready. Having watched the other participants I realize this is the hardest part. And because I'm a man - the same man who built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn - I convince myself that not only can I look down, but I will move my feet quickly. Or quicker.

I had total faith in the harness, ropes, and all of the safety measures so once I allowed myself over the edge it's all good.

I had no idea that rappelling required as much strength as it does. My right hand controlled "the gas" and once I got comfortable I wanted to go fast. So I did. But my inner Bruce Willis wants to go faster, and to kick off the side of the building so I keep pushing it. And I have this burning desire to hold a shotgun in one hand and shoot something, too. Since I can't do that, I just want to go faster.

I do. Too fast.

So fast the "governor" on the harness stops me. In mid air. I just hang there high above the city like Spiderman, minus the unsold Broadway tickets. I can't move up or down. This allowed me to dangle, kick my feet around, and enjoy the view ... right up to the point where I get nervous. I am stuck. I had visions of this scene from the Stallone classic "Cliffhanger" dancing in my head ...

 

The little walkie-talkie on my right shoulder that I was never going to have to use? I had to use to it to get instructions on how to clear the brake. These were the same instructions the nice people gave to me at least twice before my descent. I tried it a few times, but I am unable clear it. So I just sit there some more, and eventually have to use the hand signals that I was never going to have to use. I have to wave my hands to the SWAT team members above. How it looked from above or below I'm not sure, but I'm sure it could have looked less than planned. At this point the harness is so tight that I no longer have to use the bathroom. 

Eventually, I am able to use all of my manly-man muscles and grad-school education to clear the brake and continue my journey downward. Some nice people sitting in their offices say hello as I slide down, I kick my legs out a little more and try to keep the pace. Even though I am wearing thick gloves, I get burns on my right hand. Clearly, I am doing something not right. But I'm riding down, and it's so much fun and ...

... and then it's over. No splat. No insurance payoff. I am on the ground, and when I look up to the top my reaction is, "That's much taller than I thought." It's fun, and a much harder workout than I ever thought possible.

All in all, a great ride. Something else off the list.

Can we go again mom?

@MacEngelProf
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PS - Many, many thanks to the promoters of this wonderful Over the Edge Fort Worth event. Many thanks to the Star-Telegram people who provided me the chance to have this much fun. And endless thanks to the Fort Worth SWAT team members and other people who set up my gear, the rig, and kept me feeling safe when I was so obviously dumb.

Texas Coach Rick Barnes is Dale Brown

LSU basketball coach Dale Brown once had Chris Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal and Stanley Roberts on the same team and did nothing with them. It remains one of the greatest coaching feats in basketball history. 

So Texas fans need not complain that 2011 NBA draft picks Tristan Thompson and Jordan Hamilton didn't get to the Sweet 16. It's not like either of these two guys is Shaq.

This S-T piece by Mike Jones delves deep into this UT hoops issue of NBA talent and little NCAA success.

Barnes has no problem luring NBA talent to Austin - Chris Mihm, T.J. Ford, Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustin, LaMarcus Aldridge and on and on.

Like Brown, Barnes gets big-time talent with maddening results. Like Brown, Barnes at a football-first school where basketball success is regarded as gravy. If they win, wonderful. If they don't, when is football season?

Barnes isn't a bad coach. He's not a great coach. He is, however, a great recruiter. And great recruiters usually have a much better chance at long-term success than just being a great coach.

Unless you're Dale Brown. 

@MacEngelProf
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Remember - 9 a.m. tomorrow: Mac Eats It In Downtown FW

Went for a practice wall-climb today at the TCU rec center. It's two stories tall, and really nothing like rappelling so that should be good practice when I go over the edge of the ginormous XTO building in downtown F-Dub at 9 a.m. on Friday. 

This is for a good cause - to promote myself, and this blog. Plus it's about doing the right thing. And the kids, don't forget the kids. The children are our future.

@MacEngelProf
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Stars to the NHL: Get Us Out of the Pacific

The Dallas Stars announced their 2011-12 season schedule today. And in it, as always, are 56 games against the Pacific Division.

Enough of this. It is time to get this franchise that plays at home in the Central Time Zone out of the Pacific Division. The Stars play, at least, 10 to 12 road games a year with start times of 9 p.m. CT or later. No other team has to travel two time zones away for a division game as often as the Stars. The only other team that has to do this, but not with the frequency, is Minnesota.

A Stars official told me today that the team has asked the NHL, "Get us out of the Pacific." Help may be coming.

According to this story in the Ottawa Sun, the NHL is kicking around a major re-alignment. For the upcoming season, however, everything will remain status quo. That includes the new Winnipeg "Whatevers" staying in NHL's Southeast Division. Because that makes a lot of sense.

The hangup appears to be the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes are going to be in Glendale, Ariz. for one more year but no one is sure where they will re-locate. Is it Quebec? Maybe Toronto? No one knows, so any type of schedule and or conference re-alignment has been delayed until the Phoenix situation is resolved.

Once that is done, expect the league to possibly move the Red Wings and Predators to the Eastern Conference. And then expect a serious fight from the owners of the Western Conference teams that want a "name" team such as the Red Wings to remain in the West. And then expect the league to go to four divisions instead of six, a return to the balanced schedule, and the playoffs to have slight adjustment as well.

Whatever happens, it is time for the Dallas Stars to get out of this division.

@MacEngelProf
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Jimmer Fredette is the Tim Tebow of this NBA Draft Class

Jimmer Fredette is Tim Tebow. Both are ripped, good looking white dudes with illustrious college credentials. They both appear to have the same girlfriend, too. That's so weird both guys went for hot blondes; what are the chances?

(That's Jimmer on the left; Tebow below right)

Yet because they're white we are all pretty sure they're going to suck as pros. Or because they're white we can say with some certainty, "Not very athletic. Makes the most of limited athletic ability. A coach on the floor" or any number of the standard cliches tossed around to describe the white athlete on the high level.

The Broncos rolled the dice on Tebow as a first rounder, and it may yet hit. I had zero idea on Tebow, but leaned against not because he's white with a weird throwing motion but rather because the statistics say most quarterbacks aren't that good. But he can be a pro. Same as Jimmer. It just depends on your expectations of what type of pro.

"So much of it is system oriented. Personnel oriented. Coaching oriented. It's like that for everybody," TCU men's basketball coach Jim Christian told me today when I called him for Jimmer talk. Christian's team did a decent job of defending The Jimmer this season. "There are very few guys who can have their same college role in the NBA. It comes down to - who takes them and what is expected?"

Some NBA team is going to Tebow tonight's NBA draft and take Jimmer in the lottery, thereby creating unrealistic expectations. Lottery guys are expected to be "great". Jimmer will be a pro.
I saw him play twice in person. My thought was, "Great college player. Loved that he stayed. Insane range. Will be able to eventually learn how to create his own shot. Can't guard a tree."

Jimmer is a two-guard listed at 6-2. That's not good in the NBA world. People keep comparing him to Orlando guard J.J. Redick. Why? They're both white, and all white guys must be compared to white guys. But Reddick appears a bit stronger, and he's 6-foot-4. That makes a difference. Drop the idea that Jimmer can be a point. By now, you're a point or you're not. Jimmer plays to score, not to distribute.

"The key is to keep him off the foul line. Once he gets there and starts to get into a rhythm he's really hard to stop," Christian said.

Where Jimmer is going to be killed is guarding opposing guards. The way the NBA is called these days, Jimmer does not have the lateral quickness to stay in front of these guys. Most guys don't.

"That is obviously the question for him, and he'll understand that's going to be his ticket," Christian said. "If he can prove he can do that he'll stick. He's going to have to re-invent himself, they all do. The NBA is a different game. Guys that score in college maybe don't defend every possession in college because they know they're going to play 40 minutes."

Jimmer is a scorer, and he will eventually be able to score some in the NBA. But as Don Nelson once said of all great college scorers in the NBA, "Can you win with them scoring for your team?"
Basically, is your team going to be any good if this guy is scoring your points? 

"He's not going to be a primary scorer in the NBA. None of these guys are right away," Christian said. "His game is going to have to grow. He will have to adjust and show what he can do. The guys in the NBA, their games grow. One thing I will tell you is the numbers generally translate. If a guy is a shooter, great rebounder or passer in college he can do that in the NBA. The game doesn't lie."

Which will make The Jimmer a pro. Just not a great one.

@MacEngelProf
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Oprah Apparently To Go All 'Jim Gray' on O.J. So He Will Admit What We All Know He Did

Not sure I totally believe this considering the sources, but it's a fun read. Apparently Oprah gets O.J. to admit he killed his ex-wife and her lover. This is akin to Jim Gray pestering Pete Rose to admitting he bet on baseball ... only different.

Click this story from the Daily Mail.

According to this story, O.J. acted in self defense. Which explains everything. 

And if this story is true, expect the interview to be aired on Oprah's new network. You know, the one that no one is watching.

After this interview, Oprah is also expected to do the following: 

- Get President Obama to admit he's not a legal U.S. citizen.
- Get former Indiana and Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bobby Knight to admit he was ever wrong. About anything.
- Get Paris Hilton to admit she doesn't know how to read. 
- Get Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and the rest of the the MLB from 2002 to admit they took steroids.

@MacEngelProf
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Thursday Lone Star Hangover: Rangers Have a "Pig Pen"; Where Does Jimmer Go?

1. The NBA Draft is tonight. The Mavs pick 26th and 57th, which is a cute way of saying they'll get two guys who will never see the floor.

2. Neftali Feliz was awful for the Rangers last night in blowing a 9th inning lead against the Stros. No way around this - the Rangers 'pen has been bad.

3. Might the Rockets move up in this draft? Every other team is allegedly looking to move around in what is supposedly a weak class. This draft is all about Jimmer. Because of the name, and he's white.

4. I can't see the Spurs dealing Tony Parker for a lotto pick. Buck Harvey of the Express-News says Parker's made it easier to do so.

6. A restaurant in Lubbock opened and attracted 100 people waiting in line in the hopes of free food for a year.

 

5. Here is a great motorcycle "crash" in France. 

 

7. Hate this - neighbors cracking down on other neighbors who are violating watering restrictions, but really aren't.

8. Former Tyler JC star Jimmy Butler is expecting to be drafted tonight.

9. Former co-flings Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake hooked up for a 'sex' scene in a new movie that was uncomfortable. Why do I think both managed to power through?

10. The FBI gets his man. The dude who inspired Jack Nicholson's character in "The Departed" has finally been caught. Whitey is going down. Yes, he's 81, but, still ... c'mon. A win is a win.

@MacEngelProf
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Monitoring The Remains Of the Cliff Lee Deal: Hooray For Mitch Moreland

ARLINGTON - Before we begin, the Cliff Lee trade is a success. The end. Even if Justin Smoak becomes a 15-time All-Star and breaks Barry Bonds' HR records sans 'roids, it will forever remain a great deal. Even if Blake Beavan becomes the next Cliff Lee, it will forever remain a great deal.

Even with Lee dealing in Philly, it will forever remain a great deal. There is no ALDS series win without Lee. There is no World Series appearance without Lee.

And there may not be a Mitch Moreland without Lee as well. I consider Moreland a piece of the Lee deal. When the Rangers sent Smoak, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Matthew Lawson to Seattle for Mark Lowe and Lee they were forced to call up Moreland. 
Moreland has more than held up his end, which keeps Chris Davis searching for another team.

This is how the Moreland/Smoak stats compare this season ...

Moreland: 66 gp., 221 ab, .294 avg., 11 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 22 RBI
Smoak: 66 gp., 235 ab, .260 avg., 16 2B, 12 HR, 40 RBI

The numbers are comparable, other than Smoak's sizeable edge in RBI.

"Not really comparison. Me and Justin were really good buddies," Moreland told me today during a Rangers/MLB event at Academy Sports in Arlington. "I check on him. I still text him and call him all the time. We were close, not for that reason, not to compare."

The rest of the players in the deal? 
Beavan is in Triple A and is 4-2 with 4.17 ERA in 13 starts.
Lawson has retired from baseball, according to RotoWorld.com
Lueke has appeared in eight games for the Mariners this season with a 17.05 ERA.

Of the Ranger "names" in this lineup the one that is most easily over looked is Moreland. How does he fit in among the names of Cruz, Young, Kinsler, Hamilton and Andrus? He does, but it's easy not to see him. 

"Those guys are what leads our team. That's what leads our team. They have been here," Moreland said. "I'm learning from those guys. I feel more comfortable, having last season and the post season and what we went through and the success we had, I do feel more comfortable."

At this point, Moreland figures to stick. There is enough footage of this guy that other teams, other scouts and other pitchers have made their adjustments to attack his "weak" spots. By the looks of his numbers, he has adjusted to their adjustments. That usually is the hardest part of the jump from the minors to the majors, and normally determines if a guy can stick.

"You do have to adjust. You're going to run into a guy that has something that may not be your strong suit but you have to find a way to get it done," Moreland said. "I feel like when you're successful at this game that's because you can adjust quick. Or on the fly. That is part of it. I'm learning how to do it still. I feel like I'm doing it better at times than others, or doing it quicker than others. That's what makes Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Mike Young are so good and so consistent is because they can make those adjustments really quick."

FYI - Moreland said he thinks Young is the best of the Ranger hitters at making adjustments. 

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