The...Tallest...Waterslide...In...The...World...

Right here in our own back yard:

Whoa.  Yep, that's it.  Just...whoa.


Would I pay for a ticket to The Schlitterbahn just to experience this?  Mmm, probably not.  If I'm there anyway would I go on it.  Mmm, I think so...

They Don't Call Them The 'Cardiac Cats' For Nothing

Well, the regular season is officially over for the KSU Wildcats, and the news is good:  10-2.

Wow.

That's pretty much all that can be said about this season.  KSU was picked to be 8th in the Big 12 at the start of this season, but Bill Snyder worked his magic and wove a tapestry that made the whole of K-State football vastly greater than the sum of its parts.  Behind Collin Klein -- one of the best QBs in college football this year -- the Cats beat everyone on their schedule but two teams: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.  Both were top 5 teams at the time KSU played them, and though the OU loss was ugly (representing the only true breakdown of the season, and that really only in the second half), the OSU game was a pulse-pounding, gut-churning heart-breaker of a game.

You know, a typical game.  Seriously.  Outside of the OU self-immolation and a blow-out win over KU, the Cats won every single game by 7 points or less.  Egad, this has been a stressful year!

Anyway, KSU's work is done for the moment.  A couple of things really jumped out at me this game:

1. Iowa State is the real deal.  Paul Rhodes has them playing hard, tough, inspired football.  Give him a couple more years and some high-caliber talent, and they'll be contenders for the Big 12.  I'm not looking forward to playing them next year.

2. Collin Klein's talk of teamwork is the real deal, too.  Though you probably haven't heard this in the national sports media, Klein was two rushing TDs away from both the Big 12 and the national rushing TD record.  He got one in the course of the game, and then had another opportunity on a read option play as time wound down and KSU was threatening.  What did he do?  He handed off the ball to RB John Hubert, who slipped through an opening and got the score.  He gave away his chance at a college football record because his teammate had the better chance of scoring and getting the win.  That's teamwork.

3. Bill Snyder is getting cheerful in his old age.  After the game, the on-field reporter actually got Snyder to laugh and joke with him.  That's the first time I've ever seen Snyder engage in chit-chat or cheerful banter with a member of the media.  It's kinda nice to see.

4. Who was the color guy on FSN's broadcast??  That doofus should be flogged, shot, and then fired.  I can recall at least four specific times where he had obviously no clue what he was talking about, and I genuinely wondered if he was watching the same game I was.  For example, KSU tipped a pass in the third quarter, and DL Raphael Guidry scooped it up right before it hit the ground.  Doofus stated unequivocally that the ball bounced on the turf, and that the pick would undoubtedly be reversed.  They showed three or four great angles on replay, and not a single one of them had any evidence at all to show the ball contacting the ground, much less the indisputable evidence necessary to overturn a call.  Shockingly, the pick was upheld.  Doofus was all over the map all game long, crediting great plays to the wrong running back, complimenting great tackles to people who weren't anywhere close to the ball, and generally being clueless.  It was worse than Bobby Knight broadcasting Big 12 basketball last year.  Shameful.

Enough of the rant...back to the Cats.

So, what happens now?  Well, it all depends on Bedlam tonight.  Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play this evening, and all the marbles are at stake.  If OSU wins, they'll win the Big 12 outright and lock down a spot in the BCS.  Depending on how the votes fall out, they have an outside shot at the championship game, but they'd probably need to blow out OU to win enough style points to persuade voters they deserve it over Alabama.  If that happens, KSU would be the clear 2nd place in the Big 12, but it's doubtful that a second Big 12 team would get into the BCS then.  If OU wins, though...that's when it gets fun for KSU.

If that happens, it'll be a three-way tie for the Big 12, which is great for KSU.  Given the tie-breakers involved, I think that OU would actually get the guaranteed BCS spot, but both OSU and KSU would be in the running for an at-large spot.  I realize I'm completely biased, but I think KSU has some intangible advantages here.  If you look at the losses, KSU's are by far the highest quality (OU and OSU, both top-10 teams).  OU lost to Baylor, which is no slouch at 5-3 in Big 12 play and currently ranked #17; they also lost to a woefully bad Texas Tech, which ended 2-7 in Big 12 play and 5-7 overall.  OSU would have lost to OU (tonight), but also to Iowa State.  Again, Iowa State is a good, solid team...but they're unranked, and only 3-6 in Big 12 play.  KSU holds this advantage.

When you really break it down, these bowl games are looking for one thing: the biggest payday possible.  KSU has historically traveled very well to bowl games, and there is every reason to believe they'd turn out in big numbers this year, too.  That means $$$.

Also, don't forget the emotional component.  It's an odd and new sensation, but the sports media has actually shown KSU a lot of love this year, and the nation always loves a good Cinderella story.  The Cats, led by Snyder and Klein, are exactly that.  When you add in the fact that they've won close, gutsy games all year long -- one of which was a 4-overtime barn burner over Texas A&M -- they're a marketing department's dream team.

Think about it this way - when your own team isn't playing, are you likely to tune in to watch a game between boring, vanilla, above average teams?  Probably not.  On the other hand, you might tune in to watch a gritty team with a compelling story known for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in one thriller after another.  That also means $$$.

Now, Kansas State is obviously not a marquee name like Oklahoma, nor a high-octane production like Oklahoma State, so theirs is admittedly an outside chance.  But hey, they've come through in the 11th hour eight times so far this year...who's going to say that it can't happen again?

No matter what happens, it's been a tremendous year.  Memorable, wonderful, heart-stopping, and awesome.  Kudos to the Cats, and best of luck in post-season!

9/11 + 10

It's been ten years since the worst terrorist attack on American soil.  In the past, I have posted video footage of that day as a remembrance (and you can see some of that footage again here if you want), but this year I'm going to do something a bit different and just post a couple of the many outstanding remembrance videos, along with some other related information later in the day.

The first video was made by a very good friend of mine who does multimedia at a local megachurch, the second was posted at one of the most trafficked conservative blogs on the Internet, run by a guy here in Missouri.  Both are short, powerful, and outstanding.

No, we will never forget.

Whew! That Was A Close One!

About 11:15am this morning, the tornado sirens went off downtown. Those of us facing the South had been watching the dark clouds gathering for some time, so it wasn't really a surprise. Our building was evacuated down into the lowest level of the parking garage -- something no one could recall doing before, even people who had worked there for 20+ years -- where we waited for almost two hours before being given the all-clear to head back up. Fortunately, we had access to cellphones and car radios, so we were largely able to keep in touch. I wasn't really that concerned, given that we were in the equivalent of a giant underground bunker.

The tornadoes passed right over downtown, jumped the river, and headed straight toward our home. Fortunately, they were hopping up and down, and didn't touch down near us. I didn't get any pics from today, but here's one from yesterday with a similar feel to it.


My sister-in-law took these pictures today, I assume coming up from the South side of KC.



I'm thinking that Mr. Camping would have sounded a lot more reasonable if he'd predicted the end of the world today rather than last Saturday (at least to those of us in KC), but I guess we'll see if more tornadoes blow through in October, huh? I would certainly call the visuals apocalyptic, anyway!

Lindsey and Hadley were in the basement at home for quite a while, too, but fortunately there wasn't any major trouble or damage on the home front. We got an e-mail from one of the big kids' teachers mid-afternoon, so we were all accounted for and healthy.

Our part of town apparently escaped with just minor damage, though other cities in the area were hit pretty hard. Not as hard as Joplin, but still a tragic amount of death and destruction. From what I'm seeing, we're now past the worst of the storm systems here, though the danger is still great for other places, and more rain is expected here for a couple days.

I think the strangest part of all this is that by the time I sat back down at my desk, I was staring at a clear blue sky filled with bright sunshine. It's shocking how quickly such destruction can be rained down, and then disappear again. It's freakish, if you ask me. Regardless, we're safe and whole, and very blessed.

Whew!

A Great New Radio Station

If you know me, you know that I'm not a big fan of listening to music on the radio. If you were to sneak into my car and see what I was listening to last, there's about a 75% chance of hearing some movie soundtrack or other instrumental music. The other 25% is going to be dependent upon the time of year - during football season, it'll be about 15% sports radio and 10% talk radio; otherwise, it's just nerdy news and talk. Thus, it was quite an epiphany when a co-worker of mine suggested I check out a new FM radio station that recently came on in Kansas City that is a complete departure from my usual listening habits.

Okay, it's not a music FM station, per se, but it isn't news or sports, either, so that pretty much counts, doesn't it? So what is the wondrous new station? It's 102.5, the new KC affiliate of 24/7 Comedy Radio.

And it's hysterical.

It's basically the best bits of comedy routines from dozens (probably hundreds, now that I think about it) of comics from all over the world. Most are American, but I've heard a couple Australians, comics from several European countries, numerous comics of Middle Eastern descent, and Larry the Cable Guy. Most are only a minute or two long, just enough to hit a single topic, maybe two if they're really on a roll, with only a couple of commercial breaks each hour. So, if you're looking for some quick laughs, a pick-me-up on a crappy day, or just want some sheer audacious entertainment, this is a great station to check out. The only downside is that the "DJ's" who pop on to announce the station name and numbers are complete morons. Ignore them and they'll go away in a few seconds.

Fair warning: some of it could be considered inappropriate for certain ears. As comics are wont to do, there are frequent bits on such controversial subjects as race and religion (though it's usually fine due to the self-deprecating nature of most comics who are the race or religion they're mocking), drugs and alcohol, crudeness, relationships, and sex in all its forms and flavors. They bleep out actual swear words, but children who are old enough to catch innuendos may catch things you don't want them to. If you've ever watched The Last Comic Standing on TV, this is pretty equivalent to that, so listen accordingly. I've always thought that it's easy to take the crude or crass way out in comedy, but it takes some real talent to be genuinely funny while staying clean. Some of these people are the former, but there are a lot of the latter, and that's something I appreciate. This station isn't necessarily for little ears or hypersensitive ears, but for everyone who can take and enjoy a joke, this station is terrific!

I've only been listening a few days, but I've already heard comics from all walks of life and levels of notoriety, from big names like Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, and Chris Rock to loads of people I've never heard of before. The one thing that's consistent is that (other than some bits that are simply a matter of personal preference) they're all really, really funny. This station definitely earned a top 5 spot on my preset list.

One of my new favorites is Maria Bamford, a woman who can change voices more effectively than anyone else I've ever heard. I found a YouTube clip of her doing the perfect campaign speech, so I felt it entirely appropriate to post it here:

Listen live here...and don't take a big drink anytime soon.

Speaking Of Time Warner Cable...

The New Yorker explains...brilliantly:

EXPLAINING YOUR TIME WARNER BILL

$17.23 — Basic service

$37.35 — Standard service

$40.81 — Actual service

$12.50 — Federal taxes

$11.75 — Federal taxes, part two

$6.85 — New York City taxes

$5.35 — Fort Wayne, Indiana, city taxes

$3.45 — Singapore Nuclear Defense Fund

$16.30 — Twenty-five-per-cent gratuity

$13.99 — DVR (disabled video recorder)

$11.45 — HDTV you forget to use because it's Channel 700-something

$8.12 — Color TV

$4.75 — Right to use that stylish @nyc.rr.com e-mail address

$14.32 — Landline you promised your parents you would keep as an "emergency backup" and now you only use to order Thai food

$1.35 — Random charge that's too small to waste your time contesting

$7.25 — Remembrance Fee, for when you forgot your seventeen-digit Internet password and we had to remind you

$1.82 — Time Warner Appreciation Fee

$1.35 — Somehow this goes to Goldman Sachs

$0.32 — Part of the remaining balance on the cable box you purchased in 1993. Number of remaining payments: ∞

$14.95 — HBO you purchased just to watch reruns of "The Sopranos"

$12.50 — Mandatory purchase of HBO's "Behind the Scenes: Marmaduke"

$8.40 — Mandatory purchase of HBO's "First Look" at "Marmaduke 3"

$12.95 — Showtime you forgot you ordered

$12.95 — Cinemax you forgot you ordered

$9.95 — Starz you forgot was a channel

$6.95 — Moonz*

$0.02 — Internal joke

$40.20 — Watching a Non-New York Football Game Betrayal Surcharge

$3.95 — Your girlfriend's niece's friend somehow voted for "American Idol" through your cable box

$3.75 — What Ever Happened to "My Name Is Earl"? Fee

$11.45 — Your child watched the same episode of "Yo Gabba Gabba!" four hundred times

$1.18 — You cried during "Megamind"

-$4.95 — Credit for watching the film "Old Dogs" in its entirety

$2.10 — It's a secret

$2.15 — Piers Morgan's dental plan

$5.43 — Some junk

$0.99/day — Adoption of Eritrean boy named Kulu (photo attached)

$10.95 — That time you stole your neighbor's Wi-Fi

$15.99 — People Get All Their Porn from the Internet Surcharge

$2.35 — This is a scam

$7.08 — Time Warner keychain

$53.71 — Shipping and handling for Time Warner keychain

$82.40 — Keychain Misdelivery Fee

$53.71 — Second attempt at delivering keychain

$12.71 — Oops, we had the wrong address

$104.23 — Keychain Restocking Fee

-$5.95 — Credit for improper charges on previous bill

$5.95 — Psych!

$120.32 — Residuals owed to composer of "Please hold" music

$12.99 — We're going to Hell ♦

 

*fake

All true, of course, except for the fact that this example really isn't comprehensive - I think my actual bill is quite a bit more expensive than this.

Is This What The Royals Have Come To?

It's no secret that I've never been a big fan of baseball.  I find it to be pretty dull, and it just rubs me the wrong way how these guys are so vastly overpaid for achieving a 30-35% success rate.  I'll freely admit to being a VERY fair-weathered fan in terms of the Royals in particular.  If they're doing well, sure, I'll pay a little bit of attention simply because they're the hometown team, and I do wish them success.  True, I enjoy the ballpark atmosphere every now and then, just for the ambiance of it...but it's not worth more than a few bucks per person to me to do so.  However, they've been so awful for so long that it's really just plain hard to get too excited about them.  I'm obviously no expert, but it has always struck me as curious that they seem to trade away all of their best players, too, but maybe I just don't understand the grand strategy that has ***cough, cough*** brought such tremendous success to the organization over the past quarter century.

I will also freely confess that their effort to create a fabulous and catchy phrase almost never fails to amuse me.  Catch the thrill?  I would, if there was one.  It's a hit?  If they could muster up a few, it might be.  There have been a bunch of them through the years based on some variation of belief...and if that's what they're relying on, it's no wonder they've sucked eggs for a very long time.

Nevertheless, this year's brand new marketing campaign seems to strike a definite low point.  I've heard multiple commercials on the radio now, and the primary selling point seems to be the fact that the Royals have ***drum roll, please*** the best farm team in the country.

Really??

If that's the best they've got, they might as well just cash it in now, right?  Yes, I understand that today's farm team is tomorrow's starting lineup...but come on.  Twenty bucks says they end up trading away two-thirds of this supposed magical farm team before they get brought up to the majors, anyway.

I hope they have a better year in 2011, I really do.  But someone seems to have been napping when they cut those commercials.  What a joke.

Monster Jam!

Just returned home a bit ago from the Monster Jam event at the Sprint Center, and it was a blast. In case you're unfamiliar with Monster Jam, just think Bigfoot and you've got it (though ironically, Bigfoot isn't affiliated with the Monster Jam series). But it's the same idea: huge trucks crushing things and jumping high.

A highlight of this year was that our good friends Scott and Spencer joined us this year, as did Kylee. We arrived early for autographs and got pics and signings with everyone but Grave Digger (the line was obnoxiously long). Then we sat back and enjoyed the spectacle of ear-busting, car-crushing, gigantic trucks throwing themselves around the arena floor. Below are the kiddos with the some of the more high profile trucks:

Aaron Basl, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Dan Evans, Destroyer

(we snuck up to the back of Grave Digger for this one...Pablo Huffaker, the #2 GD driver, is about six feet to the left just out of the picture)

The standard Monster Jam event that you see on TV includes two main pieces: a race, and freestyle. Last year's race was really silly because the Sprint Center floor is so small - they basically started, jumped one car, and stopped. Fortunately, this year they decided not to even attempt a race, so they brought out some smaller freestylists instead, and that was much more fun. The finale was having motocross, BMX bikes, and four wheelers going simultaneously, which was really cool stuff:

There were several monster truck events, including donuts and wheelies, and closing out with the freestyle competition. The winners were given plaques which they autographed and then handed out to a kid in the crowd who was decked with their truck's gear or holding a sign. I was particularly glad to see Aaron Basl (TMNT) find a kid in the handicapped section to give his to. Class act.

There were a couple of trucks participating that I've not heard of before. I suspect that they are regional trucks, or maybe just second-tier trucks who haven't gotten the same national exposure of the big names. Or, maybe they just suck so badly that no one cares about them. Seriously, a couple of them were so lame on their runs that I began to wonder if they had been deliberately told to be lame in order to make sure that the big name trucks win. Not sure about the seedy underbelly of this industry, but that's how bad they were.

Still, as bad as the no-name trucks were, the big name ones were great. By far the best was Grave Digger, so here is his winning freestyle run (the blue truck parked off to the side broke down earlier, so it was just moved out of the way):

Grave Digger video

I doubt the KC event will be televised, but many other cities are. If you're interested in checking it out, you can get a regular fix on Speed TV, so check your cable listings. The Monster Jam world championship competition is coming up in a few weeks, and that's the best of the best drivers and trucks in a top-notch arena, so it would be a great place to take your first look.

All in all, it was a really fun event. The kids seemed to enjoy it, we got some good autographs, and some good memories, too.

Worldwide Recognition: Spain, India, Brazil...Kansas City, MO?!

Believe it!  Just a fun little online article about the top 33 strangest buildings throughout the world, one of which is right here in Kansas City, Missouri:

This is actually just down the street from where I work, and I walk by it regularly when going to meetings in other buildings.

It's good to get positive news about one's hometown, so this is pretty cool stuff.  Check out the other buildings, too - some of them are incredible.