It's been great

I’ve had a great time these last nine months blogging about absolutely ridiculous stuff for all of you out there. The illegitimate kids of athletes post is still my personal favorite. But I’m going to be moving.

I’ve decided to accept the job of editor over at FanIQ. I’ll be doing both blogging on the FanIQ featured blog and content editing for the homepage. I’ll still be posting as 100% Injury Rate on their blog and I'll have all my own posts available to read here. Right now, the only RSS feed I can give you is this one, which is the RSS for the FanIQ blog where I'll be writing almost every day. You can also access the blog RSS from the FanIQ featured blog page. In the near future I should have an RSS feed available for just my posts. You can read a few of my first posts if you want.

I’ll still be reachable by email and gchat at injuryrate[at]gmail[dot]com. And I’ll still be doing those crazy Olympic posts.

You’ll also be able to reach me at injuryrate[at]faniq[dot]com.

What’s important to know is that FanIQ wants to make sports blogging an integral part of their site, and as an editor there I’ll have a large say in that. We’ll be linking sports blogs not only on the blog, but also in the main content section of the front page.

I’ll have the ability to keep linking all of you, so keep sending me your good posts. Considering FanIQ gets much more traffic than I ever did at this site, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the new links even more.

The site itself aims to give all sports fans a voice and a chance to connect with people who share similar interests, while also providing people with a wealth of sports news and opinion. That news and opinion comes from anywhere, from the mainstream media to crappy blogs like this one.

I’m going to miss being underground in nature, and only creating revenue from Shawn Kemp t-shirts, but I think by taking this position I can do more good for the sports blogging community.

All the best and stay in touch.

-WCK

A man destroys his own lawn

Further proof that the internet is absolutely awesome: A site called Lawn's and Life, which focuses on lawns all over the world, has some pics of an obviously mentally-balanced Ohio State fan's lawn.
The real clue that this guy's an Ohio State fan is actually not the lawn designs. It's the propane tank and 1971 camper that give it away. And the crappy house. By the way, I wonder what would happen if that propane tank blew up. Not that I'm suggesting anything.

Now, in all honesty, this Ohio State fan isn't anywhere nearly as nuts as this one, but I'd at least put them in the same ballpark.

I think it's also worth noting that LSU fans have done similarly crazy things with their lawns.


-WCK

Offroading is fun and safe

My favorite part about this video is that there are at least four people who, for whatever reason, came to the conclusion that running a car up a 70-degree rock incline would be a good idea. I'm not sure what possesses ordinary people to try insane stunts like this, but my guess would be alcohol - lots and lots of alcohol. And possibly inbreeding.

-WCK

Monday links

I don't care whether you have a job or not, the Monday after the Holidays end always suck. At least we have a not-so-interesting National Championship to watch. Sa-weet.

On to the links.

Your American Gladiator experts are not pleased with the new version. [My Brain Says Rage]

Brett Favre has an identical twin. [The Sports Hernia]

And he's hawking Bowflex - the key to his awesome 17th season. Right. [Food Court Lunch]

Jose Lima could be headed to Korea. Awesome. [Ump Bump]

Always one of my favorite posts. Search terms that people use to get to MBSR. [My Brian Says Rage]

Who didn't vote for Brady as MVP? [Larry Brown Sports]

A Packers fan goes a bit nuts with two homes. [SPORTSbyBROOKS]

Intentional walks are harder to do than you'd think. [Home Run Derby]

A pretty detailed look at who was actually better, the Phillies or Mets. [Crashburn Alley]

A retrospective on the Skins's season. [Scott Van Pelt Style]

Your weekly NHL recap. [Going Five Hole]

-WCK

Sgt. Stoudemire, reporting for duty

I guess Amare Stoudemire is off to Iraq sometime in the near future, judging by his choice of pre-game attire for Thursday night's home tilt against the Sonics. Do us proud Amare, and be sure to steer clear of the smack while you're over there.


And just so you all know, Stoudemire will of course be reporting to Lt. Winslow.

-WCK

Those BCS games sure have been awesome so far

During our week off, we had a chance to kick back and watch (I use that term loosely) the bowl games without having to write anything about them. We especially appreciated you anonymous commenters who called us pussies for doing that. After all, you ARE a SPORTS blog, right?

Yes, we are. So here's our awesometacular BCS recap to this point in time.

Rose Bowl: USC pounds Illinois because Juice Williams can't throw a football to save his life. The only highlights of the game are USC's three excessive celebration penalties, proving once again that Pete Carroll runs a tight ship in LA.

Sugar Bowl: Georgia beats Hawaii by 140 points, while going easy on them. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say maybe the BCS should have found a way to get Missouri into this game instead of Hawaii.

Fiesta Bowl: Featured two teams that always seem to crap the bed in important games. I thought this game would somehow wind up a tie - even though that isn't possible - but West Virginia dominated. There can't be any school out there that's had a worse time in the BCS than Oklahoma. They were big favorites in the 2004 National Championship before getting absolutely violated and humiliated by USC. Last year they were heavily favored to beat Boise State and lost. And this year they were facing a team that had recently laid an egg against Pitt and lost their head coach. And to top it all off, West Virginia lost Steve Slaton early in the game. Yet Oklahoma got killed, despite again being heavily favored. That's either an indictment of the quality of the Big-12 or Bob Stoops. Or both.

Orange Bowl: Since Mangino didn't get a Gatorade bath, this game didn't quite live up to its potential. But it was a well-contested game. Too bad the teams were Kansas and Virginia Tech. I'm glad Kansas won, but this game was competing with Borat YouTube clips for most of the night. Borat won.

-WCK

Back on the Wagon links

All right, we're back. Here's yo links.

An interesting look at which NCAA basketball programs produce the most $$$. [Storming the Floor]

NFL Playoff teams as beers. [Deuce of Davenport]

Is Ryan Mallet going to transfer to UCLA? My guess would be UCLA is certainly hoping so. [Construda]

The Giants continue to get hammered this week, this time thanks to a Barber. [SPORTSbyBROOKS]

A look back at the Top-10 most dramatic NFL playoff finishes. [All Balls]

A random, but fascinating, tidbit from the Orange Bowl. [Scott Van Pelt Style]

They actually have NFL wild card T-shirts. [Mr. Irrelevant]

Even weathermen are weighing in on the Knicks' stinkiness. [The Sports Hernia]

-WCK

Short Break

For those of you wondering where we've been the last couple of days, the answer is taking a short break. After doing the blog pretty much every day for the last 9 months, we decided to take a short vacation so we could watch all these bowl games. We'll be back later this week, probably Thursday or Friday.

And Happy New Year to everyone.

-100%

May you rest in hell, Rich Rodriguez

I think we're all aware that West Virginia is not taking Rich Rodriguez's departure well. The governor got mad at him, there have been conspiracy theories floating around that he lost to Pitt so he wouldn't have to play in the National Championship, and the school he dedicated himself to for a number of years is now suing him. It kind of makes you think the state wants him dead.

This video confirms that's indeed the truth. Nothing better than a Coach Rodriguez tombstone!

Congrats, West Virginia. You're now wedged between Mogadishu and the Sunni Triangle as places I can't wait to visit.

-WCK

Patrick Ewing: Talent Assessor

Patrick Ewing has a lot of experience in pro basketball. He was a great player for a long time, went to the NBA Finals, and is now an assistant with the Magic where he's helping Dwight Howard become the league's next great big man. Naturally, one would assume that he can spot talent.

Wrong.

Here's what Ewing had to say about the Knicks, courtesy of the bastion of the journalism world, The Daily News:

"They have a lot of talent, they're a talented bunch of guys. How talented they are has yet to be seen. Sometimes you may have too much talent. There's only one ball and you can't have 12 guys who want to score."

I would think this is partly just Ewing trying to say kind things about his old team, while maybe also taking a subtle shot at Isiah.

But could he be right? Could the Knicks be too talented? I guess I might as well take a look.

Stephon Marbury - Talented at being a talented player who's a team cancer and perpetual ball hog.
Jamal Crawford - Same as Marbury, but with less cancer.
Nate Robinson - Extremely talented at being psychotic and missing dunks.
Jared Jeffries - Talented at somehow remaining in the league, and being paid exceedingly well in the process, when he should be playing in Europe.
Jerome James - Talented at eating, and being paid $30 million for doing nothing.
Eddy Curry - Talented at being 6-11 and unable to rebound. Also talented at eating.
Fred Jones - Talented dunker, not much else.
Zach Randolph - Actually talented. However, also talented at getting into a lot of trouble.
Mardy Collins - Talented at getting superior players thrown out of games and suspended.
Malik Rose - He's still playing?
David Lee - Actually talented, but can thank talentless coach for not playing him enough.
Quentin Richardson - Talented headband wearer.
Randolph Morris - Talented at never showing any emotion.
Renaldo Balkman - Sort of talented if used properly.
Wilson Chandler - Um, who?

Just to sum up how talented the Knicks are, here's a fun story involving James. He's been out all season after having surgery to remove a cyst and a bone spur on his right foot. During that time he's bulked up to well over 300 lbs. He recently returned to practices and is waiting to pass a league-mandated fitness test before he returns to the court. But that may take a while, because when asked if he thought he could pass the test, James said, "I haven't been running."

Or apparently been trying to stay in shape in any way whatsoever.

This is definitely one talented team.

-WCK

Friday links

I'm awful glad its Friday, and so is Isiah. Thanks to Deuce for finding this pic.

On to the links.

Wayne Rooney has a tranny cousin who wants to be a bridesmaid at his upcoming wedding. Wow. [Deuce of Davenport]

Darren McFadden has a new Escalade, and potential problems with being eligible for the Cotton Bowl. Shockingly, these two things relate to each other. [The Pig Pen]

They're pulling down Rich Rodriguez signs in West Virginia. [SPORTSbyBROOKS]

Where the hell is Mel Kiper, Jr.? [Scott Van Pelt Style]

A 70s tennis player who should have been ranked #1, but wasn't. Weird. [All on the Field]

Fukudome doesn't just have a great name, he has a great arm. [Home Run Derby]

The Orange Bowl got a little more interesting, thanks to mock Mac ads. [Lion in Oil]

The Broncos are still mad at Philip Rivers. I'm still mad at Rivers for sucking this entire season. [Rumors and Rants]

-WCK

The quest for the worst Super Bowl ad ever

You probably don't remember this SalesGenie Super Bowl commercial from last year. Or maybe you do because it was so awful.



Yep, no dancing celebrities, no monkeys, no making it rain. And to top it all off, the ad looks like it was filmed for a local television station. It's an absolute crime that this thing appeared during the Super Bowl. I want the best, most expensive, and ridiculous ads during the Super Bowl, period.

But SalesGenie could care less. Even though the commercial was voted the worst of last year's Super Bowl ads, it helped the company make some serious bank by driving traffic to the site.

So what are they planning on doing this year? Why, making three even worse commercials, of course.

"If it positively impacts business like it did last year, we’d be thrilled to be the worst again," said founder and chairman Vin Gupta.

Way to shoot for the stars, Vin. By the way, Gupta was the mind behind last year's wonder, and he penned the three pieces of shit the company will unveil this year. They'll hit the airwaves during Super Bowl XLII’s pre-game show, first and third quarter action.

While that certainly sucks, at least you won't have to watch the third quarter ad because whatever NFC team is playing the Patriots will have forfeited by then.


By the way, in my enlightened opinion, this is the best Super Bowl ad ever.


-WCK