Deuce!

Clint Dempsey (aka "Deuce", aka "Lasso") scores a dazzler against Juventus in Europa League competition. A must see. Also gotta love the commentary, "This is an absolutely brilliant goal by Dempsey. He finds the angle. He takes the account of everything in the universe into consideration there."


100318_FUL
Uploaded by 1513BB92024. - College experience videos.

3D Home Theater

I am convinced that 3D is the future of home theater. I would like to walk you through a timeline that leads me to this point.

• Spring 2009: I took Ava to her first movie in a theater, Monsters vs. Aliens. This was the first movie made using a new 3D technology. I was amazed at how lifelike the 3D quality was. Ava was actually scared of the screen, it was so real. After awhile, she wanted to take off her glasses.
• Winter 2009: Avatar is released. Dad and I go see it in Imax 3D. We are both even more amazed at the technology. Movie becomes worldwide phenomenon, and the top grossing film of all-time.
• January 2010: At the CES show in Las Vegas, multiple vendors roll out demos for 3D Blu-ray. People are amazed.
• March 2010: Best Buy sells the first 3D home theater system including an HDTV, Blu-ray player and glasses.
• March 16, 2010: I drop into Best Buy to pick up the new Princess and the Frog movie for the girls. I happen to see a 3D Blu-ray demo. I sit down and put on the 3D glasses and watch... Monsters vs. Aliens. Holy crap. 3D home theater is for real.
  

Do you remember how long it took for affordable HDTVs to come out so everyone could buy them? How long did you wait (or waiting) until Blu-ray prices dropped? How long was Blu-ray the next big thing - maybe it still is for some? My point is, I hadn't even heard of 3D Blu-ray until a couple months ago. Now a full system is available for sale at Best Buy. It isn't much more than a comparable system without 3D. This technology FLEW into the marketplace, and it is here to stay.

I can't imagine how cool 3D HD television broadcasts will be. ESPN is already planning a 3D network. Sports will come first. Can you imagine the Super Bowl in 3D? How about that cable cam in 3D? There are new 3D movies coming out every month now. All of these will be released in 3D eventually. This is going to be huge.

Before you knock my prediction, go see Avatar (or the new Clash of the Titans if you're Ian) in Imax 3D. Then go check out the demo at your local Best Buy. The 1st generation system is nearly as good as Imax 3D in the theater! I think anyone planning to buy either a new HDTV or Blu-ray player would be a fool to not get one that is 3D compatible. I would compare it to a grumpy old man in the 40s who refused to watch TV and stuck with his old radio. They aren't that much more - today. As for my plans? I'll wait for a 3D projector that I can use to replace my basement projector. That will be a few years yet. Those things are a little more expensive!

ESPN Tournament Challenge

I've set up the Men's Tourney Challenge on ESPN.com again this year. Just search for "The Royal Heffernans" as the League's name. The password is "Rugby", so feel free to set up a team. I assume that any of our readers my be interested, as it's a free league and we do it for pride.

Also, was it just me or was it a little tense last night waiting on Notre Dame's bid? Being the last pairing announced was very mean of CBS. But I think ND has a shot of winning a couple of games. They won't go far, but making the Sweet 16 in basketball is like making a BCS game in football. Go Irish!

Independence

"I believe we are at a point right now where the changes could be relatively small, or they could be seismic. What I have to do along with Jenkins is figure out where the pieces are falling...

What if realignment impacted the shape of the BCS? Also, the Big East has been a great home for us, but if there are fundamental changes to the Big East as a result of realignment, what does that do? What if a few conferences further distinguish themselves from the field? What are the competitive ramifications of that?...

That's why I'm spending 50 percent of my time right now talking to people... While we're paying attention, we're trying like heck to maintain our football independence...

You could each invent a scenario that would force our hand."

And with those recent statements by Jack Swarbrick, the first brick in the wall that is Notre Dame's independence in football has fallen. Notre Dame has been a proud independent school since it's first football team laced up the spikes in 1887. Numerous flirtations with conference membership have occurred over the years (as recently as an official invite to the Big Ten in 1999), but Notre Dame has always held strong to its independent tradition. However, the current state of college football, along with the comments by our AD have convinced me that our independence is coming to an end.

It seems inevitable that both the Big Ten and Pac 10 will soon add members to increase their conference sizes to 12. That allows for the magical Conference Championship Game that brings millions to the SEC, ACC and Big 12. Just how that realignment goes could lead to the seismic ripple that Swarbrick hinted at, similar to the last round of realignment that gobbled up the last of the major independents.

It may just come down to money. Right now, Notre Dame makes $9 million a year from it's NBC contract. If we qualify for a BCS game, we get an extra $4.5 million. If we don't, we get $1 million. That gives us a max TV payout of $13.5 million, but more likely $10 million. Our new NBC contract doesn't give us a raise, and runs through 2015.

Compare that to a Big Ten school? The Big Ten Network gives each Big Ten member over $18 million a year. They also divide the BCS pot evenly, which usually adds another $2 million per team. That's over $20 million a year. Can you imagine how much more money adding a 12th member with a championship game would add? The Big Ten Network would only make more money - especially if #12 is Notre Dame.

It's really too bad. The Big Ten is already a maligned conference with regards to national respect. Joining would certainly force Notre Dame out of its NBC contract, and we would lose a big advantage that we own in national recruiting. With more regional TV exposure, we would be forced to compete even more directly with Ohio State and Michigan for top recruits. I fear we would go the way of Penn State and other former independent greats. Take a look at this list:

• Florida State
• Georgia Tech
• Miami
• Penn State
• Pittsburgh
• South Carolina
• Virginia Tech

With the exception of Virginia Tech, every one of these schools was better before it was swallowed up by a conference. You could also argue for Florida State, but I think their mediocrity since 1999 proves my point. If Notre Dame joins a conference, it may doom us to a future similar to Penn State. Win a Big Ten title every 10 years, and kiss our hopes for a National Championship goodbye.

As long as we can keep scheduling quality BCS conference opponents, and keep a strong TV contract that puts our games on national television, I say screw the Big Ten. Our football revenue goes beyond TV dollars, as does our school identity. I would like to think our future is more important than a big paycheck. I'm probably just being naive though.

An Open Letter to Bob Bradley

Dear Mr. Bradley,

I am writing to address a growing concern I have with your selection process, specifically your continued inclusion of Jonathan Bornstein in USMNT activities. Let me be blunt - Jonathan Bornstein is a terrible soccer player. TERRIBLE.

Why, just today, he has single-handedly cost you the game against an admittedly superior Netherlands team. His first foul that resulted in a penalty was archetypical of poor US judgment - a player unaware of positioning making a lazy foul that costs the US dearly. The US has gotten a reputation for these types of fouls under your watch, and Bornstein is the worst offender. He avoided awarding the Dutch a second penalty when an obvious handball in the area was missed by referees. The deflection that resulted in the Dutch's second goal, although bad luck, would not have occurred if Bornstein had not taken up such horrible positioning deep in the penalty area.

Within two minutes of removing Bornstein from the game the US scored a goal and put repeated pressure on the Dutch. Coincidence? I think not.

The greatest concern I have is that Bornstein's continued failings at the international level are so obvious to me - and everyone I know that follows the USMNT - yet you continue to not only included him in USMNT camps, you repeatedly start him in the biggest matches. How can you continue to overlook such a glaringly obvious issue?

In closing, Jonathan Bornstein is the worst player in the history of US soccer. The US would be better served by a cardboard cutout of Jeff Agoos at left back than Bornstein. If the US had only Bornstein available as a substitute and one of the starting 11 was injured and unable to continue, they would be better off playing with 10 than inserting Bornstein. Jonathan Bornstein would not merit a starting position on my over-30 coed team. He. Is. AWFUL!

Please never let Jonathan Bornstein don a US jersey again.

Sincerely,

ian

I Want

Adidas, in their awesomeness, has released a limited edition set of match balls that recreates every official FIFA World Cup game ball since 1970. Each ball comes with it's own unique ring stand commemorating the year in which it was used. Only one catch, it's $900.

Looking at those, I've owned replicas of at least 5 of those puppies. And all five are lost somewhere down the side hill on Copperglow Court, along with 'The Duke'. Ohh, The Duke! You were my favorite football and you've been gone for so long. Now I'm sad...

Technology Makes Us Dumber

I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the high school that tried to suspend a student for "inappropriate behavior" because they took a surreptitious picture of him at home using spyware on a school issued laptop. The whole thing has exploded lately with concerns about privacy and unlawful spying on students.

Let's set aside for a moment the ridiculousness of the policy of a public school district issuing mandatory MacBook laptops to every student and focus on the privacy issue.

There are quotes from students and security experts all over the web about how the students had suspicions of the spying, but software and the manner in which it functioned made it impossible to disable the camera so there was nothing they could do to prevent it.

Ever hear the story about how the Russian cosmonauts solved the issue of using a pen in space? They used an effing pencil. Well, why didn't these moron kids just put a piece of effing tape over the camera? They and expert technologists are trying to write scripts, decompile code, and wasting hours of effort in futility when less than 1" of good old duct tape would've solved their problem, just as duct tape solves most every problem - it's how I got all the girls in high school to like me!

Just because it's a technical problem doesn't mean there are non-technical ways to solve it. Oh no, this DVD has a file on it that I need to erase but I can't. Should I buy special software? Use a friend's computer? Umm... howsabout you just break that DVD in half? Problem solved. Then again, I usually suggest breaking things with a hammer (love my Estwing) for a solution whenever duct tape doesn't work - which has Bear worried about his anal gland issue.

Listen, I love technology. My generation was the first to grow up surrounded by it, with new toys appearing everyday. But my generation also had the benefit of knowing what it was like to live without that technology. It's great, but guess what? I was able to function for over 20yrs without a cell phone and it wasn't all bad. Ensuing generations know nothing of life without these devices. So, obviously, a solution as simple as covering the camera so it can't see you would never even pop into their feeble minds. Granted, they're just stupid kids. But stupid kids grow up to be stupid adults.

My point? As usual, I weep for our future...

Great Moments in Heffernan History - 1988

I came across something very interesting online today and it brought back a flood of memories - for me all good. For Bridget, probably not! Read the following description and see if you can remember...

Distance, round trip: 4 miles (6.4 km)
Estimated time: 2–3 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Trailhead: 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Tower Junction.
Trail begins with a steep descent to the Yellowstone River Suspension Bridge, then crosses a sagebrush plateau, and drops down to Hellroaring Creek. Both the Yellowstone River and Hellroaring Creek are popular fishing areas.

Cautions:

• Take water—this trail can be hot and dry during the summer.

• Watch your footing on river boulders along the river and creek.

• Beyond the bridge is a trailhead for other major backcountry trails. Pay attention; stay on the Hellroaring Trail.

• Hellroaring is a major backcountry trail. This day hike stops at the creek.

That's right, it's our Great Western Tour 1988. On our stay in Yellowstone at Roosevelt Lodge, a death-defying horseback ride along the edges of cliffs with an Old West Dinner Cookout wasn't the only adventure. We also took a 10 mile hike to Hellroaring Creek. That's right, 10 f-ing miles. The above trail description only includes the Hellroaring Trail, not the Garnet Hill Trail that you take to get there. I'm sure you all remember some choice moments from that day. For old times sake, I have recreated the classic route that Mom and Dad picked, dragging along a 13 year old, 11 year old, 9 year old and twin 7 year olds. It sounds unbelievable, but we did it - and it was AWESOME!


View Hellroaring Trail in a larger map

If anyone has the pictures of that trip, I would love to see them! Click on the Interactive map above and check out the highlights. I swear, I remember it like it was yesterday.

ESPN Sucks - reason #3432

So ESPN has had a few high profile suspensions of its employees in the last couple years. Extramarital affairs, workplace harassment, and trouble with the law are a few examples. However, I am fuming about the recent suspension of Tony Kornheiser. I would like to compare two previously suspended ESPN personalities and see if you can guess how long their suspension was:

Tony Kornheiser was on-air on his daily radio show in DC (not an official ESPN show), and went on a mini-tirade against SportsCenter anchor and ND grad Hannah Storm:

"Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She's got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt ... way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. She's got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body ... I know she's very good, and I'm not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won't ... but Hannah Storm ... come on now! Stop! What are you doing?"

He apologized the next day on the radio and tried to explain that he was being sarcastic, but was suspended from his ESPN show PTI imediately.

Dana Jacobson was a speaker at an official roast for Mike and Mike. The roast was recorded for later airing. I'm sure the tapes have been burned by now. Before her drunken tirade against all things Notre Dame (she is a Michigan grad), she paused to take a swig of Vodka (pictured above):

"F--- Notre Dame," "F--- Touchdown Jesus" and "F--- Jesus."

Jacobson was silent for over a week following the incident before the Catholic League hounded her and ESPN for an apology. She sent a half-hearted email to the Catholic League and no public apology was ever given by her or ESPN. Obviously, they issued a suspension almost 2 weeks later.

So Tony Kornheiser got 2 weeks. Dana Jacobson got a week. Are you kidding me????????

By the way, anyone else notice the coincidence here? Both suspensions arose from attacks on ND or ND grads??? It's a conspiracy!!!

People I Want to Fight: #73

The guy (or, possibly, girl) who invented left lane freeways exits and mergers.

Cruising along in the far left lane of a 4-lane tollroad every night on my commute home I'll inevitably come upon a car going 5 miles below the posted speed limit and be forced to rapidly decelerate. Why? Because coming up in only 5 short miles is the left-hand exit they need to take and, by God, they're not going to wait until the last minute to change lanes.

It's bad enough that people will switch lanes to the left when there is no one in front of them in their current lane for miles just because they don't want to be considered "the slow drivers". Don't freaking camp in the left lane for miles because you're either a) lazy or 2) a timid driver! Left lanes are for passing. Passing, dammit!

So congratulations, Mr. Left-Lane Exit Inventor. Not only have you complicated overpass construction the world over, but you've made driving that much more dangerous. If I ever discover your identity, we will throw down. Usual rules apply - not the face, that's the moneymaker...