Ryan is Old; Nate is Good!

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Ryan is Old; Nate is Good!

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (0)

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

So, my body feels old. I have been here at Keystone skiing (yesterday) and snow boarding (today). My body hurts. Didn’t fall once skiing, despite it having been four years since I last went skiing. Today on the snow board, much different story. I was definitely “one with the mountain” but not in the way I would have preferred. Thankfully after my last snow boarding experience (4 years ago — my first boarding) I learned that it is cool to wear a helmet! My head feels much better today than it did 4 years back. My thighs… not so much. My legs get so tired that I don’t use proper mechanics and end up fighting it all the way down. Tomorrow, we’ll see if I can do a bit better.

Speaking of doing a bit better… my nephew Nathan is wrestling at the 5A State Tournament in Denver, Co. He came in as a four seed. Yesterday, he knocked off a #1 seed. Today, he knocked off a #2 seed. Tonight, he is in the semi-finals at 135 pounds and wrestles the #1 seed from his region. They have met only once this year, and Nate wasn’t on the winning side. Paybacks are hell. I really want him to win… if he does, he is in the ‘Ship! And, if he’s in the ‘ship, I will be there! The Championship matches begin tomorrow night at 6pm. Plenty of time for me to board a bit, hurt myself more, and head to Denver to watch Nate go for a title. Hope so!

Braelyn just did a liquid sounding, um, #2. Thankfully Rebecca is holding her so it’s her turn to change the diaper. Finally. Rebecca has really been a slacker when it comes to changing diapers.

Getting ready to head to the top of the mountain to eat at a fondue restaurant. Should be good.

Signing off from Keystone, where it has been beautiful, no wind, good snow, and more snow due tonight. Almost makes me not think about the HC and keeping her out of the White House. Looks like Obama is making a hard run at being the Dem nomination. Better him than her, but he is such a good speaker, people may vote for him just so they can wash away the blunders from Bush. Long way to go. McCain is our man, I guess. As long as he stays in his wife’s pants and no one elses, he’ll be the nom.

Peace, ya’ll.

–RE

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports, The Family, Travel

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Congrats to Tate!

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (1)

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

My nephew Nathan, who is a junior in high school, qualified today for the Colorado State Wrestling Tournament next weekend at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Best of luck (and skill!) to him. Also, to his pops, who I hope can stick around long enough to watch Nate to the end!

Categories : Sports, The Family

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Super Bow Sunday

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (0)

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

This afternoon, the 18-0 New England Patriots will take on the streaking New York Giants in the Super Bowl in Phoenix. When I woke up this morning and turned on ESPN, all I heard about was Spy Gate… and now, Spy Gate II perhaps. Senator Specter of Philly, a member of the judiciary committee, has decided that his beloved Eagles may have lost to the Patriots because the Pats may have cheated. Are you kidding me? A politician wanting to look into cheating and wrong doings? Look in the mirror, Senator Specter. That’s probably all the further you need to look to find a cheater! You are a member of the biggest cheating group in America. You keep cheating Americans out of their money. I just love it when our politicians try to become the moral compass of society. Actually, it makes me sick.

So yes, the Pats paid a heavy price earlier this [football] year for using a video camera to videotape signals of opposing coaches. Coach B paid a $500k fine, the team $250k, and for the first time ever, a first round draft pick was taken from them. The Commish laid it down hard to try and prevent this from ever happening again. I’m sure the Pats are the only team to ever have done this. Well, I would venture to guess they are one of 32 teams that have done this. Problem is, they got caught. Wait… not so much they got caught as much as a former coach on their staff took a head coaching job with the Jets and turned them in for it.

Does it make it ok that every other team likely employs the same practice? No, it doesn’t. The only bad part is that all of the people casting stones over it probably are worthy of a few stones being cast thier way. Sports are competitive. Players, coaches, owners, franchises… they all look for the competitive edge. And rules get bent. Life is no different. People break rules daily. People step on others to get to the top. It is human nature, in a competitive world.

I hope the Pats go out and destroy the Giants, or at least win by 1 point. I want them to be 19-0. I want them to win their 4th Super Bowl title. And I want to listen to all the other cheaters in the league and society to question the brilliance of this organization. An organization that puts team first, goes out and gets it done. One way or another.

Coach Parcells said that if there is a coach in the league who thinks every other coach isn’t trying to pick up their signals, then he is stupid. Is using a video camera any worse than hiring someone to sit and watch every sign? What about taking pictures? What crosses the line? Perfection… that crosses the line. Excellence… that crosses the line. Because everyone who fell to the champs want an excuse, to make them feel better about themselves. Senator Specter wants to feel like his Eagles where the champs even though they didn’t win. Did they have any players on roids, or HGH? Did they employ any tactics to try and one-up the other team? I bet so. But, Senator Specter in his world of perfection doesn’t. Luckily for him, he has been the model of ethics and morals in his political career. No need to look in his closet.

Don’t get me wrong. I wish the Patriots hadn’t been caught.

Despite my desires for the Pats to win it all, I have a feeling in my stomach that Manning III might get a ring today. I do know, if I were in Vegas… my money would be on the Giants with the points.

–Relledge

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports

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Pats and Giants

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (0)

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

Looks like we’ll see the 18-0 Patriots and the NY Giants in 2 weeks for the Super Bowl, to be played in Phoenix. I really wanted Farve to make it to the big show after he was basically written off after last season. I know Stevie and Mike are probably down in the dumps tonight. It was a great run. It is funny that Eli makes it to the big game a lot sooner in his career than his tv-whore brother.

Could two different Mannings win back-to-back Super Bowls? Or will Brady win his 4th. My money’s on Brady.

The White House has been Bush-Clinton-Bush, and maybe back to Clinton. I guess if Manning wins, it would be safe to assume Clinton will win. Hmm, probably no correlation.

Sorry Stevie. Better luck next year.

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Spam? From Rebecca

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (1)

Monday, January 7th, 2008

As you know, I preiodically throw some of the e-mails I receive from my dad on here. Well, today, Rebecca forwarded me onw I think is worthy of indexing on my site. So, here it is… enjoy!

In a news conference Deanna Favre announced she will be the starting QB for the Packers this coming Sunday. Deanna asserts that she is qualified to be starting QB because she has spent the past 16 years married to Brett while he played QB for the Packers. During this period of time she became familiar with the definition of a corner blitz, and is now completely comfortable with other terminology of the Packers offense. A survey of Packers fans shows that 50% of those polled supported the move.

Does this sounds idiotic and unbelievable to you? Well, Hillary Clinton makes the same claims as to why she is qualified to be President and 50% of democrats polled agreed. She has never run a City, County, or State.

When told Hillary Clinton has experience because she has 8 years in the white house, Dick Morris stated "so has the pastry chef".

As usual, vote to keep HC out of the WH!

-RE

Categories : PoliTICS me Off, SpAm is KoOl, Sports

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Feel the Power?

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (0)

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

This afternoon, after millions of calls and e-mails from RyanElledge.com readers, the NFL decided to simulcast the Saturday night game between the Pats and the Gians on NBC and CBS. You can read all about it right here. Failed to mention in this article is the proper credit to my blog, but I take it as a victory anyway.

No word yet on if I will still be sued for using the term SUPER BOWL without express, written (& paid for) permission from the NFL.

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports

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One Finger Salute, Continued

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (0)

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

Busy at work here on the day after Christmas. Just read an interesting article on Fox Sports. Click here to read it. Relates to the NFL trying to force-feed cable companies into offering the NFL Network as a basic cable offering.

Oh, this is also the funny time of year when I listen to sports radio and commercials all refer to the Super Bowl as the Championship Game in Phoenix since the NFL does not allow advertisers to use SUPER BOWL by name without paying them royalties. Hell, I may get sued for typing Super Bowl on my highly acclaimed blog.

SUPER BOWL SUPER BOWL SUPER BOWL SUPER BOWL SUPER BOWL

Sue me.

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports

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A One Finger Salute to the NFL

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (0)

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

So, New England just defeated the Miami Dolphins 28-7 in game 15 of the year. That makes the Patriots a perfect 15-0 going into their final game next week in New York against the Giants (who clinched with a win over the Bills earlier today). Yes, history may be made next Saturday night. Fortunately for Gabe and his oldest son Michael, they will be there on the 50 yard line watching. For a large part of Americans… we won’t even have the opportunity to see the game. Why? Because the greedy NFL created the NFL Network, and they are broadcasting the game. But many Americans, like myself, don’t get the NFL Network. The NFL is asking Time Warner for some 70 to 80 cents per subscriber per month to have the ability to carry the NFL Network. No, not in a special sports package… but as a regular package which everyone would get. And, everyone would pay. I’m certain those of us who want to fork over the extra dollar a month would be glad to do so as part of a sports package, but forcing an all or nothing… that just plain stinks. It’s just yet another reason the NFL is the No Fun League.

Yes, I could go to a bar and watch the game; and who knows, I might. But it is sad that I can’t watch it in the comfort of my own home. Well, I could… if I rush out and buy a satellite dish and hook it up this week… along with a wonderful 2 year subscription to Direct TV. But no thanks, I’ve been miserable with DTV before. At least with Pay Per View, I have the option of buying when I want. With the NFL network, there are probably 2 days a year I would even turn to that channel.

Well, go Pats, I hope you pull it off next week. Too bad millions won’t be able to watch.

Nice move NFL. Remember when baseball cut away to games on all broadcasts when history was in the making? At least they got that one right.

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports

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Kold in Kansas

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (1)

Sunday, December 9th, 2007

How clever is that title? Spelling cold with a “K” so that it starts with the same letter as Kansas. Ingenius, I think. Anyway, it is cold here in Kansas. 19.9 degrees according to Weatherbug. It’s icy outside, and I haven’t left the house. Well, I did step out back to get some wood earlier. Sitting in front of a nice fire, watching the Broncos manhandle the Chiefs (well, it’s 14-0 in the 2nd quarter, plenty of time left). Croyle just got sacked. Nice. I don’t like the Chiefs, mostly because A) I am a Broncos fan, and B) Carl Petersen is an absolute idiot. I should throw in a C) and say that Herm Edwards is an ineffective coach as well. But, B) and C) bode well for A) so I am pretty happy, generally.

I really hope the Patriots win today. The Steelers *should* be their last tough game of the year. But, they haven’t been playing well the past two weeks. Hopefully they get back on track this weekend. What a feat it would be for them to go 16-0 and have the Dolphins go 0-16. Man, that’s what I’m hoping for since Denver is bascially out of it this year.

Spent almost a week in Phoenix. Nice thing was I got to see my Uncle Ron, Aunt Shelli and my cousin Paul. Met Paul’s bulldog, too. What a cool dog. Bad thing was I was there due to a crisis at work. We had to relocate 1,866 servers to a new datacenter. We got it done, but we will have lost quite a few customers. Also, Phoenix shuts down at night… downtown PHX was closed down at night.

NEWS ALERT: The Chiefs just scored a touchdown. I do like Tony Gonzales (who just scored), though I am amazed that the Chiefs pulled off 3 fourth down conversions en route to that touchdown. The Broncos need to come right back and score again or this could turn the other way quickly.

Two lessons I have learned this week, dealing with fire. 1) Rebecca closes the damper on occasion, and 2) sometimes logs fall out the other side of a see-through fireplace. 1) causes the fire alarms to go off for a long time, and for the whole house to smell like smoke for 2 days. 1) also causes you to open windows and doors when it is freezing outside, which defeats the purpose of having a fire. 2) nearly causes your house to burn down. As cold as it is, 2) would be very bad. Of course, 2) would be bad regardless of the temperature. My lessons lead me to this: 1) check the damper before lighting a fire, and 2) be careful when adding more wood to the fireplace — always make sure the logs stay in the fireplace.

Baby’s room nearly done… have to hang a shelf in the bathroom and put some letters up spelling the baby’s name. Oh, since I haven’t formally published it here, the baby’s name will be Braelyn Grace Elledge. She has her own website (not real functional yet) at www.BraelynGrace.com.

Really enjoying the music of O.A.R. now. I saw them open for the Dave Matthews Band a year or so ago and liked them then, but I saw them on Music on Demand on Time Warner cable and had to rush out and buy their DVD from Madison Square Garden. I hope to see them tour here in the midwest soon, as I would love to see them in person again.

NEWS FLASH: Bronocs are doing what I asked… coming right down the field. It’s 1st & 10 on the 12. Should definitely get some points out of this drive. Let’s shut those damn Chiefs fans up. I love listening to the sports talk stations after a Cheifs loss. This would be the 5th loss in a row. Man, Monday morning radio is gonna be SWEET! The game is at the two minute warning… I can’t continue to blog on this during the Christmas commercials.

A 3rd lesson I have learned is that even though Rebecca has really ballooned up this past week, it is not approrpriate of me to make a “BEEP… BEEP… BEEP” sound while she is walking. And, agreeing with her when she says she’s fat… well, I guess this is one of those times I am supposed to lie with my outside voice and be honest only with my inside voice. I will tell you, though, my inside voice is quite boisterous. Don’t know if I spelled that correctly.

That’s all for now. Back to watching some football and helping Spencer with some math.

Buy Bye. Remember, Hillary had enough time in the White House, so let’s keep her out. I’m not yet sure who we should all vote for, but I can assure you it should not be the HC.

NEWS FLASH: TOUCHDOWN BRONCOS!

A 4th lesson is throwing snow in the air after scoring a touchdown is a penalty in the No Fun League. Come on, give me a break.

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports

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Be Careful in What You Wish For

Posted by: Ryan Elledge | Comments (2)

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

So, as expected today, Sonny Lubick “announced his retirement” today at a news conference. Sonny has been the CSU football team’s head coach for the past 15 seasons. He has been the ambassador for the University. In reality, he has been CSU. When attending CSU in the mid 90′s, I always thought that Sonny could have run for mayor and won. Heck, he may have made a pretty good showing if he ran for governor of Colorado. Sonny was, er, is, just a real down-to-earth, likable guy. He just also happens to be a great football coach.

Yes, his teams have struggled over the past four seasons. And yes, even I wondered if it wasn’t time for a change. Well, it is time for a change… but not the change that just occured. The new athletic director (new, having been there less than two years now) is undoubtedly using CSU as a stepping stone. Yet, he ran the most successful coach in CSU history… the single person who put CSU on the map… out of the University. And no, it wasn’t on Sonny’s terms (not that it always should be). Sonny opened his press conference clearly stating he had desired to coach another year. But, stepping stone AD Paul Kowalczyk wouldn’t have it.

The real problem in recent years has not been Sonny Lubick. The fact of the matter is, Sonny made the CSU athletic department excel, and they began to put money and resources into it. Then, they stopped. And the rest of the MWC advanced. And, before you knew it, CSU was the low man on the totem pole. At least from a facilities and coaches pay perspective. Consider this… arguably the most successful coach in the MWC for the extended period of time was the 2nd lowest paid coach in the conference. And assistant coaches were basically at the bottom. Sonny had countless opportunities to leave Ft. Fun over the years… for better paying, more glamorous positions. Yet he stayed a Ram. And so did most of his staff. I must admit, I had to close my office door today watching the web cast of his press conference. I teared up a bit listening to this man of integrity get pushed out of the athletic institution he built. Yes, he basically built it… and now, they offer him some phoney associate AD job. I hope he passes. And, I hope he coaches again. I know he’s 70 years old, and probably past his prime. But some program, somewhere, would undoubtedly benefit from his experience, wisdom, and loyalty. He can make someone a winner again… if given the chance, and should he desire. But, I certainly hope he doesn’t become the fund raising ambassador to the University who just pushed him out.

Maybe good will come of it, who knows. Maybe the next coach will get a better contract (financially). What a slap in the face that would be to Coach Lubick. Regardless, unless the next coach has strong ties to the University, he will undoubetedly use CSU as the stepping stone that AD Paul Kowalczyk is using… that same stone that Sonny didn’t have to, nor chose to, use.

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting and getting to know Sonny personally back in 1998-1999, my final year living in the area. Would Sonny remember me? I hardly think so. But I am greatful to my then roomate and friend Matt Toombs, who not only shared his home with me but also brougt me with him to many CSU Radio Network functions where I had the privilege of having some beer, er, Pepsi as Coach Lubick refers to it, with the Coach, along with Wyatt Thompson and Rich Bircumshaw. Those were great times, and I truly feel blessed to have had the opportunity to chill with the legend Sonny Lubick.

Good things will come to good people, like Coach Lubick. Short-timers who use good people as scape goats will get theirs, in time. The difference between today’s farewell press conference for Sonny Lubick and the press conference for the firing of Paul Kowalczyk somewhere down the road is that people passionately cared about Sonny and the work that he has done. Paul will just go down as a blip on the radar… a smear, more likely. If he was worth a damn, he would have figured out that the Coach was not the problem with the football record and would have pushed for positive change. He got change, but positive would not be the appropriate adjective.

To a coach who I, much like most everyone else who got to know him (and perhaps those who just felt like they did), I raise a can of Pepsi and wish you well. And thank you for what you did for the CSU Rams Nation.

Categories : Ryan's Ramblings, Sports

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