A quaint little town in North Mississippi

I came to Oxford, MS with unbearable anticipation and excitement and left with my ringing and my mouth grinning. I am not going to run through the entire set-list for my virgin Drive-By-Truckers show but will just give my overall thoughts on the show itself, the vibe from the crowd, and the vibe I got from Oxford itself (also a virgin voyage to this quaint little town).

The Futurebirds gave the crowd in Oxford a nice little 45 minute warm-up beginning around the 9 o'clock hour. They were young guys, not much older than myself and my companion on this trip, Justin Haynes. One guy sported a flannel shirt, a banjo, and had a spectacular beard that was a cross between Garth Hudson from The Band and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. I could not stop staring at it the whole time. The bassist bared a striking resemblance to Adam Morrison, the basketball player more known for his time at Gonzaga than anything he did in the pro's, albeit not quite as tall. The other members looked pretty ordinary. The band interchanged a lot with different guys taking turns on the drums, guitars, and singing lead vocals for certain songs. All in all a good warm-up act for the featured show of the night.

The Futurebirds

Drive-By-Truckers came out a little after ten o'clock a solid 25 minutes after the Futurebirds had left the stage. Plenty of time for those pouring down the alcohol to get riled up into a tizzy, which would reflect upon the behavior of some members as the show wound on. They began with "Ray's Automatic Weapon," a Patterson Hood song from their latest and soon to be released album Go-Go Boots. A good song but a little slow for the opening show for the set.

They preceded to go into Mike Cooley's "Zip City," off an earlier album that truly kicked the show off. A lot of D.B.T.'s songs tell about the areas in which they grew up in which for most is in North Alabama in the Florence-Muscle Shoals area of the state. Zip City is a little town about 5 minutes from my friend Justin's apartment in Florence. He took me there recently and when you hear the song and know the place that they are singing about it just adds to the total listening experience. The band would essentially go onto alternate with both Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley songs with a couple of Shonna's songs mixed in at appropriate times throughout the two hour plus show. They played 18 songs in the first set and went on to play six more in the encore that I am not sure was deserved due to some behaviors in the crowds that I will touch on shortly.

Mike Cooley

There was one point in the show where Patterson called out two people, who basically were not interested in the show and were instead more interested in each other if that makes any sense. Mike called out these guys who were holding up "Rebel" flags, saying that if he were not in Oxford he would shove those things up their you know what. Since the band has started to become more famous and more well-known throughout the country, it has started to attract some people at their shows that are not truly appreciative of their music. As a fan of any band you want them to get big enough so that they can be the feature attraction at just about any show and still be able to tour across the country, but not too big as to attract fans that are just there to get liquored up and socialize during the show. Some people think that since the band is from the South and that they use three guitars that they are a "Southern Rock" band. While they do have some elements of Southern Rock in them it would not be fair to say that is what the band should be classified as. They are not Lynard Skynard or The Marshall Tucker Band. They are what I would call "Blue Collar Rock." They sing about Southern themes and are very aware of the dualistic nature of being from the South in the 21st century. There are some parts of their Southern roots that they are ashamed of and there are other parts for which the band is appreciative of and that is reflected in the songs that they play. So by those guys in the crowd holding up the Rebel flags I can see why it would set them the wrong way. The only other critique I would have is not from the show itself, which was outstanding, is again from idiot "fans" in the crowd. There was some kid, probably a frat boy, but I could be wrong, basically shouting F-bombs at D.B.T. when they left the stage for the first time. My best guess is that kid probably came in late, had too much to drink, could not handle his liquor, and missed a bunch of the Trucker's set and was pissed off that he did not hear the songs that he wanted to hear. I came to realize that they have so many good songs that it is impossible for us to hear all of the one's that we like. That show could last for another two hours.

Alas, I did not let a few bad apples spoil my trip to Oxford to see the Drive-By-Truckers. It was a fantastic show that leaves my ears ringing nearly 48 hours after it ended.

"With Bon Scott singing 'Let There Be Rock...."

Patterson Hood

MB

P.S.- I love Oxford, not the drive over there which is as dull and depressing as you can can get, but the town itself was very nice. There are plenty of good places to eat, bookstores galore, and oh by the way there is a chance you can see Eli Manning walking down the streets of town, which happened to us over the weekend.

Top 5 NFL QB's

In light of this weekend's results in the NFL, I would like to reveal my own personal QB rankings. Since this is my blog post, I will set my own criteria for how to judge and determine the current state of NFL quarterbacking. I consider factors such as regular season stats, focusing in upon completion percentage, touchdown to interception ratio, yards per attempt, and team winning percentage. I also take into consideration the playoff performances of the QB, sometimes the team played well and the quarterback did not, that is taken into consideration. Sometimes the quarterback plays well and the team did not win the game, that will also be taken into consideration. Also the "clutchness" of the QB's will play a factor as well. The last and probably the most important criteria for me is the eye test. Who always seems to be making plays at the right time and whose team is usually one of the last one's standing? I believe you cannot just judge based on one season, you have to look at the whole body of work with greater emphasis being on what has happened recently. That seems fair to me. I cannot place a guy high just because I think he will do well in the future. It has to be results-based rankings for me.

I decided to post about this topic because Super Bowl XLV will have two quarterbacks playing that are both highly regarded and place high in my rankings. The outcome of that game will have a bearing on future rankings, but I figured now was a good time to start the discussion.

I am limiting this to the top 5 Qb's for space purposes and because these are the elite, upper-echelon guys in the league.

Enjoy.

Feel free to disagree because I am sure you will.

() denotes age as of January 24, 2011

1. Tom Brady (33) New England Patriots- drafted in 2000, starter since 2001

Career Win-Loss Record: 111-32 (.776 %)

3 Super Bowl Titles, 4 overall appearances

2 Super Bowl MVP's (7 TD's-1 interception in 4 games)

14-5 Career Playoff Record (8 overall appearances)

95.2 Career Passer Rating, 96.2 and 111 the last 2 seasons

6 Pro Bowls, 3-4000 yard passing seasons

64 TD's, 17 interceptions last 2 seasons

23 4th quarter comebacks for his career

1 NFL MVP

Has not won the big one in 6 years, his last two playoff appearances have seen his team lose its first game. Be interesting to see how the Patriots build around him as he winds down the 2nd half of his career. On top of his game still. Consistency over the long haul the key to this ranking.

2. Peyton Manning (34): Indianapolis Colts, drafted in 1998 started every game of his career

Career Win-Loss: 141-67 (.678 winning percentage)

1 Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP (2 overall appearances)

9-10 Career Playoff Record (big red flag)

11 playoff appearances in 13 seasons (7 times has lost his first game in the postseason)

11 4000 yard passing seasons

399 TD passes for his career

35 4th quarter comebacks for his career

11 Pro Bowls, 5- 1st team All-Pro

4x NFL MVP (AP)

He may be the best regular season quarterback in league history, this side of Dan Marino. His playoff success, or lack thereof makes him a little difficult to judge historically and from a present day stand point. However, he has been far too good for far too long to be considered much lower than 2nd on my list. His career still has a few good seasons left in it but he will need to win another ring in order to truly be considered one of the all-time greats. The supporting cast needs to improve dramatically around him for this to occur.

3. Drew Brees (32): New Orleans Saints-drafted 2001, starter since 2002

Career Win-Loss Record: 79-58 (.577%)

1 Super Bowl Title and MVP (114 QB Rating)

4-3 Career Playoff Record (4 overall appearances, twice been knocked out in first game)

Last 2 seasons: 67 TD's-33 Int.

5-4,000 yard passing seasons

5 time Pro Bowler

1 time 1st team All-Pro

16 4th quarter comebacks

His career is not as full as the guys listed above him and is more full than the guys listed below him. He has been a top 5 guy for about years now. The Super Bowl win last year really elevated his status around the league from an already impressive regular season resume. He is right with Brady and Manning and if he can continue to lead his team into the playoffs and advance deep into the postseason, he will stay up here if not rise. He plays in one of the toughest divisions in football, the NFC South, which could hurt his future chances for postseason success.

4. Ben Roethlisberger (28): Pittsburgh Steelers, drafted 2004 and has started ever since

Career Win-Loss Record: 69-29 (.704%)

2 Super Bowl Titles (64.1 QB rating, 1 TD, 3 Int in 2 games)

10-2 Career Playoff Record, 5 overall postseason appearances

1 4,000 yard passing season

144 TD's-86 Interceptions for his career with a 63.1% completion rate

19 4th quarter comebacks

1 Pro Bowl

He is the antithesis of Peyton Manning, underwhelming regular season stats with overwhelming postseason numbers, although he has never really put up good numbers in the Super Bowl. Dude just finds ways to win and make plays when he needs to. The career winning percentage and postseason success is not coincidence to this last remark. Depending on how he performs in Super Bowl 45 could determine whether he can move up another spot on this list. Best QB under 30 years old.

5. Phillip Rivers (29) San Diego Chargers, drafted 2004, starter since 2006

Career Win-Loss Record: 55-25 (.688%)

3-4 Playoff Record (4 overall appearances)

97.2 Career Passer Rating, 104.4 and 101.8 last 2 seasons

136 TD to 58 Interceptions for Career

8.8, 8.7- Yards per pass attempt last 2 seasons to lead the league

12 4th quarter comebacks

3 Pro Bowls

What, you were expecting Aaron Rodgers?! Sorry, not yet my friend. I know Rodgers has been in a Super Bowl and Rivers has not. Rivers has been on top of his game the last 2 plus seasons and has had to deal with a team full of knuckleheads and an incompetent coach as well. I cannot fault him for that. His regular seasons stats are tremendous, 2 consecutive seasons with a passer rating over 100, yowsers! He has been in the league a little longer than Rodgers and has thus proven his consistency. That is the reason I chose him over Rodgers. I did not want to be a prisoner of the moment with him. Let's not rush to crown Rodgers as the next great QB and the best postseason QB ever. Let's let this breathe a little and take some time to evaluate them.

Others receiving consideration: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning

Thanks for reading.

MB

A Time For Reflection

I talk a lot about sports on this blog and in my everyday conversations with friends and family. However, there are certain instances and circumstances that come up in life that require me to take some time away from sports. One of which is scholastic obligations. However with what I am studying now, Sport Management, sports is never too far away from my mind or the conversation. Another instance that can draw my mind away from sports, temporarily, is being around the family and engaging in family-type activities, but even in that instance the conversation will usually turn to sports with myself usually being the catalyst for the discussion. People who have known me for any length of time know that I have strong passion for just about everything sports-related and so the conversation will naturally drift in that direction. It is not that I find "other" things in life trivial, it is just natural for me to be thinking about sports on a 24/7 basis. I can talk about and communicate effectively about other things such as music, movies, life experiences, places been, vacations, etc, but not to the extent of which I can express and articulate myself effectively as I can when I am discussing the merits of certain sports teams and am able to name the starting shortstop for every major league team or the second string quarterback for every NFL franchise.

There is one thing, however, that can fully knock my mind off of sports and I do not know how to say it without sounding cliche or trivializing the matter, but that very thing that causes me to pause and reflect is the very thing that happens every day throughout the world and that is the death of a loved one. Whether that be a family member or a friend. When somebody with whom you have had a personal connection with in your life passes, it can be a time of close, personal reflection, and in some instances causes a self-evaluation of your own life. Are you living like you should? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities that were given to you? Have you told that special someone in your life how much you appreciate them being in your life? These thoughts and many others ripped through my mind and put me in a daze of sorts on the afternoon of Wednesday the 19th of January.

Sure I am sad when a famous person of some historical significance passes away but it is usually for a fleeting moment and then it gets pushed to the back burner of my mind. It is just not the same as when you lose someone that you know, from a personal standpoint.

I am writing about this because someone I knew pretty well passed away earlier this week at an age far too young with a vast amount of "life" potential that will remain unfulfilled. This is my way of grieving and giving up my thoughts and prayers to remember this special person. The best way that I know how to express myself is through the written word. I have spent the whole day reflecting upon the times I had with this person and recalling the first time I met this girl. My first remembrance of this girl was when the cross country teams at Lees-McRae got together and played ultimate frisbee the preseason week before school started my sophomore year. She was this tenacious red-head that was constantly in your face, knocking down frisbees and just being a real pain in the butt. As all of us soon came to find out that was just Carla being Carla. She was a tenacious competitor who did not like to lose whether it was in a meaningless ultimate frisbee game, competing on the cross country course, or racing on her bike. She was life personified. She had the best combination of guts and talent than any person that I have ever met. She also combined that with a wonderful personality, a friendly smile, and a keen mind.

Carla Swart, you left us way too soon.

God Bless,

MB

NFL Playoff Preview 2011

Greetings, welcome to 2011, this will be my first post of the new year. I figured I would get in a blog post in before the semester really starts kicking into high gear. Got pretty much a full slate of classes to attend and teach this spring. My thought process on this is twofold. One is that I am ready to get back into the swing of things, get settled in and get one semester closer to finishing my masters degree. On the other hand I really enjoyed my month off from school. I spent a lot of quality time with the family and doing absolutely nothing but enjoying the good life. Did a whole lot of relaxing and unwinding to prepare myself for the grind ahead this year in 2011.

Anyways on to the theme of today's post, the NFL playoffs. We have a full slate of games this weekend to kick us off with, two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. I will give a preview of each and what I see happening in each game. I went through the process of researching about these match-ups, listening to what people had to say, noting any significant injuries and just trusting my gut, which inevitability is what I rely upon.

New Orleans at Seattle Saturday 4:30pm

The high temperature in Seattle for Saturday is 44 with a 40% chance of rain. Typical Seattle I guess. I do not know for sure, never been there. Seattle is a long way away from New Orleans and Qwest Field is known for being kind of loud and boisterous. Do not know how much a factor that plays in this game if the home team is decidedly less proven, less talented, and flat out just not as good. Last line I heard had New Orleans as a 10.5 point favorite, which almost unheard of in the playoffs, showing the discrepancy between the two teams. The Saints are without Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, two of their top running backs. I think that plays a factor. If Seattle can keep possession and not turn the ball over than they could keep it close and make it really nerve racking for Saints fans. In a completely biased thought here, I would love to see Seattle knock these guys out so I do not have to hear "Who Dat?!" over and over again, but my gut tells me the Saints and Drew Brees will win in a closer than the experts think kind of game.

New Orleans 27- Seattle 17

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts Saturday 8:00pm

A rematch of last year's AFC title game. Supposedly the Jets used that loss to the Colts last year as motivation, whatever. Rex Ryan's team has looked soft to me late in the year. The defense does not look as strong as they did last year. Manning figured these guys out last year in the 2nd half of that playoff game and I think he will do it again. Sanchez has played a little bit better than he did last year, cutting down on the interceptions and completing a little bit more of his passes, but I do not think he is good enough yet to spoil one for the home team. Number 18 (Peyton Manning) is one of my favorite guys to watch play and I guess you could say the Colts are my "#2" team that I pull for but there is a big difference between them and my hometown Atlanta Falcons in terms of rooting interests. I think it has partly to do with their uniforms which I love as being simple, basic, and blue. Despite all of the injuries that have occurred to the Colts I think they win this game and this game only in the playoffs barring a blowout of the Jets which then I will allow myself to get sucked in to this flawed team.

Colts 24 Jets 13

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs Sunday 1:00pm

I just checked the weather for this one, 34 degrees is the high in Kansas City for Sunday according to weather.com. I do not know about you, but that is cold. Which is kind of what you would expect from a team in the midwest playing against a team, the Ravens, which I associate with playing in cold weather. The Chiefs return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and I miss seeing them in January. I think it has to do with their uniforms, which I love because they are red and red is tied with blue as being my favorite color. I am sure I am not alone in saying this that I based a lot of whether I liked a team growing up or not by the uniform colors that they had. Oh, you wanted some X's and O's break down in this one, sorry, that will be limited because, wait a minute hold your breath, I never played or coached football, but regardless I find this a very intriguing matchup. The Chiefs can run the ball really well, Jamal Charles had nearly 6.4 yards per carry this year, which is really good. He has a good complement in the veteran Thomas Jones and Matt Cassel has had a nice year this year. Tamba Hali provides a solid pass rush to this young and up in coming defense. However, I think the veteran Ravens are the better team. The questions I have about them are: do they know what their offensive identity is (my solution: run the ball with Ray Rice, throw the ball no more than 25 times, and utilize Rice in the passing game)? The other question I have about them is their defense which is still good but it is not good enough to carry them far into the playoffs. Ray Lewis is not as young as he used to be, but then again who is in this world and they just seem a little vulnerable on that side of the ball. With all that being said, and that was a lot I had to say there.

Baltimore 17 Kansas City 13

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles Sunday 4:30 pm

The high temperature in Philadelphia for Sunday is 34 degrees. My analysis tells me that that is cold. Weather.com is also calling for some strong wind to be blowing which will only add to the fun of trying to throw the ball around. One thing I will tell you right now, is that you will not find me at a football game with these conditions unless I am in a protected from the cold press box. This is the game that probably intrigues me the most and I have reversed my opinion on this game since Monday. Whatever happens in this game will not surprise me and it will determine the team with whom the Falcons have to deal with next week. A Packers win means they play Atlanta. An Eagles win will more than likely give the Falcons a date with the Saints. This game features the best quarterback matchup of this opening round, in my opinion. Michael Vick versus Aaron Rodgers. My quarterback rankings place Rodgers at 6th in the league and Vick at 8th. Both of these guys can scramble and make plays. I think Vick is going to be a little too banged up and his play of late has reflected that with a lot of interceptions and sluggishness. I also do not like the Philly defense, they give up a lot of points and yards. Andy Reid has had pretty good success in opening round games so that is definitely something to consider. I like the Packers defense a lot here and I think that Aaron Rodgers will get his first playoff win in Philly. Another thing to watch in this game is for one of if not both of the head coaches to make some head-scratching time management move at some point in the game. It may or may not make a difference in the game, we will see. Relied a lot upon the ole gut in this one.

Green Bay 34 Philadelphia 23

Enjoy the playoffs. Until we meet again.

Hugs and hand-pounds everyone.

MB