Talk to You Next Year

Blogging will be light to non-existent over the next 4 or 5 days as I am heading off to Columbus, OH for New Years-related celebrations and to watch with my college buddies Notre Dame kick Ohio State's ass. Pray that my car is not flipped over and set ablaze.

Florida State is Keeping It Real

Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson has been sent home after a 19 year-old woman alleged to Hollywood, Florida police that Nicholson raped her at the team's hotel. For Nicholson, it is his 3rd run-in with the police in the past year as he was arrested in February for a DUI and then in June for resisting arrest where the police had to taser him.

What Celebrity Do You Look Like?

Apparently, I look like Colin Farrell and Jason Biggs. A drunken womanizer and a pie f*&^%@. Boy am I so proud. What celebrity do you look like?

Hat tip: GorillaMask.net

White Sox Lock Up Garland

The White Sox resigned starting pitcher Jon Garland yesterday to a three year, 29 million dollar contract. The contract will pay Garland 7 million next season, 10 million in 2007 and 12 million in 2008. This move is surprising in the sense that it was thought that Garland was seeking an A.J. Burnett type deal (5 years and 12 million per year), but in the end Garland chose loyalty to the Sox over money. This is a great move for the Sox, as this deal locks up one of their good young pitchers for below market value. Now that Garland has resigned, the Sox have 4 starting pitchers (Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Javier Vasquez and Garland) who are now under contract through 2008. The talk is now that Jose Contreras, who can become a free agent after this upcoming season could be traded. I don't see that happening unless some team blows away Kenny Williams with an offer. I see one of two things happening. One, the Sox resign Contreras and then trade either him or Garland for a stud player in return like Miguel Tejada. Two, the Sox let Contreras pitch through the year, and then let him walk in the off-season. Of those two scenarios, I think number two is most likely since it appears that the Sox aren't close to resigning Contreras. Contreras is looking for 11 to 12 million a year, and with the Sox paying 11 million for Vasquez, 7.7 million for Buehrle, 7 million for Garland, 8.5 million for Garcia and the emergence of Brandon McCarthy last season, the Sox are unlikely to give Contreras that kind of money unless he pitches all of 2006 like he did after the All-Star Game last season.

Notre Dame-Ohio State Preview/Prediction

Let's see how Notre Dame and Ohio State match-up against one another.

Notre Dame Passing Offense vs. Ohio State Passing Defense
Notre Dame has one of the best passing offenses in the country (4th in the nation). Brady Quinn is the best dropback passer in the nation and he has two of the best receivers in the country in All-American Jeff Samardzijia and Maurice Stovall. Quinn also has one of the best tight-ends in the country to throw to in Anthony Fasano. Ohio State should provide one of the stiffest tests of the season for the Notre Dame passing offense. Ohio State is currently 8th in the nation in pass efficiency defense. Their effective pass defense is keyed by their two big corners, Ashton Youboty (6'1", 188) and Tyler Everett (5'11", 196), blitzing linebackers (Bobby Carpenter and A.J. Hawk were first and second respectively on the team in sacks), and a solid front four led by Mike Kudla. While Ohio State has one of the better pass defenses in the country, it is has also shown some cracks, as in games against two of the better pass offenses in the country, Texas and Michigan State, Ohio State gave up 270 and 340 yards respectively. The key for Notre Dame will be its ability to pick up the blitzing linebackers of Ohio State.
Advantage: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Rushing Offense vs. Ohio State Rushing Defense
Darius Walker has proven to be a solid running back this year and Notre Dame has a solid offensive line; however, Notre Dame has struggled to run the football against good run defenses (see the Tennessee and Purdue games). Ohio State has the number one rushing defense in the country lead by the best linebacker core in the country in A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter. Carpenter is likely not going to play and even if he does play, he will be far from 100 percent. Despite the injury to Carpenter, Ohio State run defense should still be really good and Notre Dame does not have a talented enough offensive line and running backs to run effectively against this dominant run defense.
Advantage: Ohio State

Ohio State Passing Offense vs. Notre Dame Passing Defense
Ohio State's passing offense has looked very impressive since the Penn State game as Troy Smith threw for at least 225 yards in every game except in the 48-7 blowout of Northwestern, where Ohio State ran for over 320 yards. Smith has proven himself to be more than just a runner at quarterback. Smith has three good targets to throw to in Santonio Holmes (48 receptions, 853 yards and 10 touchdowns), Ted Ginn (43 receptions, 636 yards and 3 touchdowns), and Anthony Gonzales (27 receptions, 358 yards and 3 touchdowns). While Smith improved as the season went on as a passer, he also did it against some of the worst defenses in the Big Ten. Notre Dame's pass defense while greatly improved over last season, is far from being dominant. They struggled to consistently rush the passer and the secondary has had a tendency to give up big plays. The interesting thing to watch for is how Notre Dame handles the scrabbling ability of Smith. Notre Dame has not faced a single dual threat quarterback all year and its unclear how prepared they'll be to defend it.
Advantage: Ohio State

Ohio State Rushing Offense vs. Notre Dame Rushing Defense
Jim Tressel loves to run the football, and his workhorse is Antonio Pittman. Pittman had an excellent season, rushing for over 1200 yards and scoring 6 touchdowns. Pittman is supplemented by the scrabbling of Smith and back-up running back Maurice Wells. Notre Dame has one of the better run defenses in the country (26th in the nation), and repeatedly has shown the ability to stop any running back not named Reggie Bush. Notre Dame's ability to stop the run, specifically Antonio Pittman, may be the key to the game. In the nine games Ohio State won, Ohio State ran for an average of nearly 210 yards a game (Pittman averaged over 121 yards a game in Ohio State wins), and in the two games Ohio State lost, Ohio State ran for on average barely 100 yards (Pittman averaged 63 yards rushing in the two Ohio State losses). Were it not for the scrabbling ability of Smith, Notre Dame would have the advantage here, but Notre Dame's lack of experience in handling a running quarterback concerns me.
Advantage: Even

Special Teams
Towards the end of the season, outside of the punt returning of Tom Zbikowski, Notre Dame's special teams struggled whether it was a botched snap or hold or poor kick coverage or poor place kicking (let's try to forget the Stanford game). D.J. Fitzpatrick is allegedly completely healthy, but it remains to be seen if he can regain the success he enjoyed earlier in the season. Ohio State's special teams was suppose to struggle some with the graduation of place kicker Mike Nugent. However, Josh Huston has done an admirable job filling Nugent's shoes, hitting 20 of 24 field goals. Ohio State also has one of the most dangerous return men in the nation in Ted Ginn (1 kick return touchdown and 1 punt return touchdown).
Advantage: Ohio State

Intangibles
Charlie Weis has probably reminded his team about 2, 378 times that Notre Dame has not won a bowl game since 1994. Notre Dame should be really fired up to end that dubious streak and Charlie Weis should have the Irish extremely well-prepared to face the Buckeyes. Unlike Notre Dame, Ohio State has won its last three bowl appearances including 2 Fiesta Bowl victories. Jim Tressel always seems to get the best performances out of his players in bowl season.
Advantage: Even

Prediction
On paper, Ohio State should win this game. They have more talent and Jim Tressel always has his team well-prepared for their bowl game. However, Notre Dame has shown time and again this season the ability to stick with any opponent and Jim Tressel has a tendency to get conservative with his playcalling when the game gets tight. Ohio State is not going to be able to run the ball up and down the field as they have in their other victories and they are going to have to rely on the arm and legs of Troy Smith if they want to win. Similarly, Notre Dame is going to need to rely on Quinn's arm to win. Darius Walker is going to struggle to find running room and Quinn may have to throw 40 to 50 passes in the game. In the end, it's going to be too much Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardizija and Maurice Stovall. Notre Dame 28 Ohio State 27

Merry Christmas!

As we open up Christmas presents and enjoy a meal with friends and family, let us remember what Christmas is all about:

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:1-20

More on the NSA Wiretapping of US Citizens

Byron York of National Review has an interesting article on the process of getting a warrant through the FISA court. Assuming York's article is accurate, it's actually a lot more cumbersome than the New York Times article leads you to believe in getting a warrant through the FISA court. That being said, I don't think that excuses Bush's decision. If getting a warrant through the FISA court is really that burdensome, why hasn't President Bush and Congress done more to speed up the process? It's not in dispute that if the NSA wanted to monitor purely domestic communications, they would need a warrant through the FISA court. I think being able to quickly monitor purely domestic communications between two individuals with ties to a terrorist organization is just about as important as monitoring communications that go from the U.S. to abroad that involves individuals with ties to a terrorist organization yet neither the President or Congress has taken sufficent action to cut down on the red tape of the FISA court.

In addition, the bureaucracy of getting a FISA warrant does not allow the President to exceed his authority, which it appears he has done here. Attorney General Gonzales in a press conference today, cited the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), as the statue giving President Bush the power to authorize warrantless monitoring. Yet it appears that it was not Congress' intentions to give President Bush that power when it passed that resolution. According to Gonzales, "We have had discussions with Congress in the past -- certain members of Congress -- as to whether or not FISA could be amended to allow us to adequately deal with this kind of threat, and we were advised that that would be difficult, if not impossible." (It should be noted that this form of warrantless wiretapping is illegal under FISA since the monitoring would involve U.S. citizens unless the President has the power to authorize such monitoring through another statue or a provision in the Constitution.) Another argument cited in Gonzales' press conference was that Article II of the Constitution gives the President inherent authority to conduct such warrantless monitoring. According to Orin Kerr at Volokh Conspiracy, there's not a lot of case law to support that argument:

So the argument, as I understand it, is that Congress has no power to legislate in a way that interferes with the President's Commander-in-Chief power, a judgment made, I suppose, by the President himself.

I have been unable to find any case law in support of this argument. Further, the argument has no support from the cases cited in the government's brief [see the government's supplemental brief filed in the FISA Court of Review]. In all three of those cases'-- Butenko, Truong, and Keith - the Courts were talking about whether the President's interest in conducting foreign intelligence monitoring creates an exception to the Warrant Requirement of the Fourth Amendment. In other words, the issue in those case was whether the Constitution bars warrantless surveillance absent Congressional action, not whether Congressional prohibitions in this area cannot bind the Executive branch.

While I think President Bush lacked the authority to do what he did, you won't hear me call President Bush evil or compare him to Hilter like some on the Left are doing right now. I believe President Bush cares very deeply about protecting the lives of the 300 million people that live in this country. I just think he went for a quick and easy solution without fully comprehending the legality of his actions.

Concerning

There has been quite a stink raised by Friday's New York Times piece that revealed that President Bush issued an Executive Order asking the National Security Adminstration (NSA) to monitor international phone calls and international e-mail messages of Americans and others in the United States who have connections to Al Qaeda without a warrant. The big thing I do not understand about this situation and I have yet to hear a good answer on is why couldn't the Justice Department or the NSA get a warrant from the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court like they usually do when they are monitoring purely domestic communications. According to the article, the court can "grant emergency approval for wiretaps within hours." I mean if its good enough for purely domestic eavesdropping, why is it not good enough for this form of eavesdropping. In addition, I fail to see where the President has the authority to do this. Several conservative bloggers have wrongly cited 50 U.S.C. 1802 as the basis of the President's authority. In addition, this kind of surveillance does not appear to fall within the warrant requirement exception cited in United States v. bin Laden, 126 F.Supp.2d 264 (S.D.N.Y. 2000) since the getting a warrant in this kind of situation does not appear to be unduly burdensome and there's already procedures in place to get these kind of warrants (i.e., F.I.S.C.). Another thing that I do not understand about this situation is that why it took a New York Times article for Congress to put up much of fight about this. According to the New York Times:

After the special program started, Congressional leaders from both political parties were brought to Vice President Dick Cheney's office in the White House. The leaders, who included the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House intelligence committees, learned of the N.S.A. operation from Mr. Cheney, Gen. Michael V. Hayden of the Air Force, who was then the agency's director and is now the principal deputy director of national intelligence, and George J. Tenet, then the director of the C.I.A., officials said.

It is not clear how much the members of Congress were told about the presidential order and the eavesdropping program. Some of them declined to comment about the matter, while others did not return phone calls.

Later briefings were held for members of Congress as they assumed leadership roles on the intelligence committees, officials familiar with the program said. After a 2003 briefing, Senator Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who became vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee that year, wrote a letter to Mr. Cheney expressing concerns about the program, officials knowledgeable about the letter said. It could not be determined if he received a reply. Mr. Rockefeller declined to comment. Aside from the Congressional leaders, only a small group of people, including several cabinet members and officials at the N.S.A., the C.I.A. and the Justice Department, know of the program.

It makes me really wonder if members of Congress are looking out for their citizens' interests when the media spotlight is not on them.

Love Boat

WARNING: The following indictment contains strong sexual content, adult situations and a double-headed dildo. Viewer discretion is advised.

Seems Like the Perfect Solution

U.S.-Iranian relations have suffered of late with Iran's refusal to stop their nuclear program and the number of anti-semitic remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who this week called the Holocaust a myth and said that if the Holocaust really happened then Israel should move to Europe or the U.S. or Canada or Alaska (for some reason the Iranian President thinks Alaska is a separate country). It seems like U.S.-Iranian relations are at an all-time low. What could possible improve the frosty relations of these two countries? Two words: Air Supply. Read this transcript of a meeting between President Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to see how this solution worked out.

Hat tip: Daily Contentions

Another Stud is in the Fold

The number one tight-end recruit in the country, Konrad Reuland, became the 25th known verbal commitment for the Fighting Irish today. Reuland is big (6'6" & 240 lbs), fast (4.7-40), has good hands ("the best hands of a tight end in the last couple years," according Scout.com), and has a striking resemblance to Ivan Drago and Ian Ziering from Beverly Hills 90210. In short, he's the perfect package.

And what I like best about this verbal commitment is that Weis beat USC in its own backyard for a player they wanted very badly. This verbal commitment speaks volumes about recruiting ability of Charlie Weis. If you don't believe me, just listen to Reuland's own words from his press conference today, "They've done a great job recruiting me and I really felt wanted over there." I don't think you're heard that too much when Davie or Willingham was the coach.

How much Reuland plays next season will depend on whether Fasano comes back. If Fasano comes back, I don't think Reuland is going to see the field that much, but if Fasano is gone, Reuland should see significant playing time and be another big target for Brady Quinn. With Reuland's verbal commitment that leaves at least two more spots on Weis' first full recruiting class. Additional spots could become available if there are additional players who decide to enroll early. The most likely candidates to fill the remaining spots in the Class of 2010 are offensive tackle Sam Young, offensive tackle Matt Carufel, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle Jason Kates and wide receiver Terrence Austin. All of these players are some of the top players in nation at their respected position, so Notre Dame should finish up with #1 or #2 recruiting class in the country. Not too bad for a program that didn't matter anymore before the season started.

Maybe It's a Good Thing I'm Not Going to Tempe

Kelly Green has a very funny and Onion-esque article on the Tempe Police increasing the number of officers in their police force in anticipation of the ND-OSU Fiesta Bowl.

Stay Classy Matt

Via Deadspin:

Quick story you guys might enjoy. Went to a party at [name redacted] on Saturday night. About 20 people. Half of us went to some random bar, the other half went to this upscale place [in New York City] called Marquee. Anyways, these two pretty girls who were visiting from Texas went to Marquee.

So [Sunday] morning, my friend calls me and says "Do you know some guy named Matt Line Hart?" I laugh and say yeah and don't bother to correct her. She says, well he was at Marquee last night, and hit on one of the girls from texas all night, danced with her, and then was so drunk he groped her. she turned around and slapped him, and left.

I said yea yea, i doubt it even though it kinda made sense that he would be in an upscale club getting trashed after losing the heisman. i told her i'd believe the story when i saw pictures.

wellll, here they are

Here's the photographic proof:

Matt's situation in New York with a lady reminds me of another quarterback in New York who had a bit of a situation with a lady:

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, Leinart is denying that the alleged groping occurred and there's a few USC lackeys that are backing him up. Come on, Matt, you know you were trying to get a little piece of that. Don't give me this "I love my girlfriend" line. The pictures do not lie.

I Feel Safe

Normally I don't discuss my job, but I'm going to make an exception today. I was at my desk today towards the end of my day when I received a phone call from one of my co-workers who was outside of our building. She told me that there were 4 or 5 fire trucks outside our building and that the building was on fire. I was completely obliviously to the situation. Generally, when I don't hear a fire alarm, I assume the building is not on fire. As I was telling my equally clueless colleagues about the situation, one of them told me that the procedure in our building is that is if there is a fire in the building only the floor on fire, the floor above it and the floor below it have their fire alarms go off. I am not sure how that is a good policy, especially if the first floor was on fire. The best part of the whole situation was that as I was heading out of the office, one of my other colleagues was returning to her office. She informed myself and others in our office that she had tried to get back in the building a few minutes ago, but the security people would not let her enter the building. She had only been let back into the building after the fire department had gotten the situation under control. So let me get this straight, you're not letting people back into the building because of a potential fire, but you're not notifying everyone that is still in the building that there may be a potential fire. Maybe I'm just an idiot, but I fail to see the logic of that. Sadly, this was not the first time when logic was not applied to our safety. A few months ago, there was a bomb threat against our building and several other buildings in our area. People in the other buildings were notified of the situation and told to leave. Were we even told that there was a bomb threat against our building? That would be a no. Makes me really wonder what would happen in an actual emergency situation.

Clarett & Associates, Inc.

We here at Clarett & Associates, Inc. know what your valuables are really worth. Sure, most appraisers will tell you that your 12-pack of Bic Pens is worth at most $1.99 and that you can find it for less at your local Office Max, but Clarett & Associates, Inc. believes those appraisers are trying to rip you off! That 12-pack of Bic Pens is worth at least $40-$50. We here at Clarett & Associates, Inc. will work hard to get you the money you deserve!

If you don't believe us, just listen to some of our satisfied customers, Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk and Ohio State center Nick Mangold: "Most appraisers were telling us that our copy of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Halo II, and NCAA Football 2006 were worth at most $150, but Clarett & Associates, Inc. told us that our games were worth at least $750. It was such a relief to know what our games were really worth when the games were stolen out of our apartment, and we had to report to the police what our games were worth. The next time we need some of our valuables appraised, we're going back to Clarett & Associates, Inc."

Clarett & Associates, Inc.: Your valuables are worth more than you think.

I'm not the only one having some fun with the apartment burglary of two Ohio State football players, The House Rock Built, has a much funnier take on the situation. Who knew that burglaries could be so funny.

Hide the Women and Children

Yes, the Washington, D.C. area received its first significant snowfall today, and by significant snowfall, I mean 1"-2". I am still amazed at how pathetic the residents of the DC area are with dealing with the snow. As soon as there's a few flakes on the ground, everyone starts to go crazy. School is cancelled, government offices shutdown early, and people run to their local grocery stores to stock up on canned goods. Memo to the residents of the DC metropolitan area: You're not in the South. It snows every year. Sometimes the snow even sticks to the ground (gasp!). Learn to deal with it!

Good vs. Evil

After Virginia Tech's and LSU's loss yesterday, it was basically a forgone conclusion that Notre Dame would face Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. This forgone conclusion was made official today. This game represents good versus evil. On the good side you have Notre Dame, coached by Charlie Weis, who not only expects excellence on the field, but also off-field (see the Powers-Neal situation this year) and in the classroom. Notre Dame also has some of the classiest fans around, who usually don't welcome visiting fans with F*&% (Insert school's name). On the evil side you have Ohio State, coached by Jim Tressell, who thinks the NCAA bylaws are mere suggestions and that a college education is way overrated. Ohio State is also home to some of the most classless fans in the country, who think being welcoming means getting shit-faced and shouting obscenities at an opposing team's fans. If you need any more proof of the evilness of Ohio State, check out this post at Kelly Green. So not only must Notre Dame end its 12 year bowl drought on January 2nd, it must also overcome evil.

Update: Irish Round Table provides a survival guide for your trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

Your Government at Work

"Congress to look into 'deeply flawed' BCS system". Yeah there aren't any really pressing issues for Congress to address other than reducing poverty, high gas prices, the Iraq War, Social Security, the bloated budget, homeland security, and some other unimportant issues. Excuse me while I go gouge my eyes out.