Reunions, Goodbyes, and Wisecracks

Donovan McNabb returns to our city to do battle against the reborn and re energized Michael Vick and the Eagles. I realize its a story...but I'm looking forward to getting past the soap opera and playing the game. I've stated this before...McNabb is a good quarterback that consistently came up small in big situations. Best of luck with the Skins.

Speaking of the Eagles.....Joe Banner might want to consider tearing up DeSean Jackson's contract and giving him a new one. He's a bona fide soon to be superstar... if he isn't one already.

A sad farewell to actor Tony Curtis who died yesterday at the age of 85. "Some Like It Hot" will forever be a movie classic, and we have lost one more link to the golden era of Hollywood.

I gave someone a copy of my book recently (An Improbable Journey http://www.kendunek.com/) and he said "Thanks, I won't waste a moment reading it". I wonder what he meant by that?

Bye for now....

9/29/2010

Stuff......

NJ Governor Christie continues to impress with his latest edict regarding proposed changes in the faltering educational system. Tough times call for bold measures...and he seems to be the right man for the job. I can just imagine what the NEA is saying this morning.

Authorities just extinguished a planned terror attack in Europe based in Pakistan. When will the world learn that these extremists will never stop....and the world will never be able to relax? The US can pull out of Iraq, but will forever have to have a strong military presence in the region.

Jennifer Gray (Dirty Dancing) is on Dancing With The Stars and is incredibly gifted. She is also a walking billboard as an advocate for rhinoplasty and looks like an entirely different person. By the way...how can Michael Bolton be such a great singer and such a terrible dancer??

McNabb returns to Philly this weekend....as the second best QB on the field.

Until next time....

Football Report Week 3

Either the old Fearsome Foursome returned this weekend wearing Philadelphia Eagle jerseys, or Jacksonville has the worst offensive line in pro football history.

If Michael Vick is going to play this well, I'm hiring Tony Dungy as my life coach immediately.

What have they done with the Kansas City Chiefs? 3 wins and no losses??

Can we agree the Mickey Mouse timeout right before a FG should be banned? It cost the New Orleans Saints a loss yesterday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 and are now playing their 4th string QB. Something tells me Big Ben will be walking the straight and narrow path when he returns in a couple weeks.

Eagles Aftermath

Michael Vick has totally impressed me in every way. His throws are accurate, his escapability is unmatched, and his answers to the media are contrite. Andy Reid better get used to answering the QB controversy questions, because they are here to stay.

More concerning to me is the Eagles defense. Where was Omar Gaither when the Lions were gashing the Birds in the first half on the ground? And the last two late scores by the Lions could have cost us the game.

Did anyone else think the DeSean Jackson catch that was overruled in the first half was retribution to the Lions for the awful ruling that cost them the game against the Bears the week prior?

I've ripped Jason Peters in the past, but I admired his courage in coming back from knee and ankle injuries in the first half.

Next time Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan do an Eagle's game, remind me to switch to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick!

PS Give the premier of HBO's Boardwalk Empire an A+ for costume and set design and a B- for content. I expected more from a Martin Scorsese piece.

Football Sunday #2

The Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid take too many penalties and are one of the poorest teams at adjusting to game situations and clock management. If they don't beat Detroit (which is not out of the question since the Lions have beefed up their defensive line), it could be a looooong season.

There is a Wall Street sequel coming out by Oliver Stone and starring Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko? Gotta see it.

Jamie Lee Curtis is now past 50 but remains one of the sexiest women in the world. Of course, having Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh as parents is a good head start.

9/18/2010

Why is it that I think Sarah Palin is a homegrown American with down to earth goodness and values, but I just can't see her as President of the United States?

Non-golfers and golfers alike should do themselves a favor and watch The Golf Channel's "Caddy For Life", the story of Bruce Edwards who was Tom Watson's caddy for years who died of ALS in 2004. It will touch your heart....I promise.

Looking forward th the premier of "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO this weekend. Anything that features actor Steve Buscemi is probably worth watching.

My wife went on a weekend trip with her sister and left me with our 6 month old puppy Duke for the weekend....HELP!

Missing Persons

Is it me or is Lady Gaga a reincarnate of the 80's Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons?

9/15/2010

Does the Eagles post game show on Comcast bother anybody but me? Mike Barkann and Ray Didinger are the best. But Vaughn Hebron is a waste and Ed Rendell is a joke. Rendell (who wanted to draft Ricky Williams over McNabb) now wants to pull the plug on Kevin Kolb for Michael Vick. Stick to politics Gov....as they said in the movie "Rain Man", this ain't your game.

I've always said I don't know why pro teams don't mandate a "cover up" policy when female reporters are allowed in the locker room. Putting a provocatively dressed former Miss Spain like Inez Sainz in a room with 53 naked men is a recipe for disaster.

And the Clinton Portis comments were ridiculous. What is he thinking? These guys are supposed to be PROFESSIONALS.

By the way...I hear the Lingerie Football League is looking to sign Ms. Sainz to a contract, but she can't run, throw, catch, or protect the quarterback. Maybe the Eagles might have an interest.

Peace!

9/14/2010

An autopsy has determined that Penn star football player Owen Thomas suffered from a degenerative brain disease caused by head trauma that lead to his suicide. The concussion issue is one that has been covertly neglected for years. It wouldn't surprise me if the NFL moves to have players sign medical waivers in the future regarding concussions.

Sometime common sense has to prevail. Why is it that a runner need only to "break the plane" of the end zone with possession of the ball for it to be ruled a touchdown, but a receiver must maintain control "to the ground" for a score to be upheld? Anyone that has ever played the game knows that Calvin Johnson and the Lions were robbed by the refs last weekend. But here's a lesson Calvin...since it is a rule (albeit a bad one), tuck the ball away instead of showboating and trying to get on Sportscenter.



Last night the Jets proved that they have the bark...but the Ravens have the bite.

Eagle Notes

The violent nature of modern day professional football was never more evident than the second quarter of yesterday's Eagles/Packers game when the Birds suffered four brutal injuries.

C Jamaal Jackson tears his bicep and is probably gone for the season. This is an especially tough break since he worked so hard to come back from major knee surgery this off season.

FB Leonard Weaver suffers a ghastly torn ACL and is also out for the year. He's a class act and a team leader who will be hard to replace.

QB Kevin Kolb and LB Stewart Bradley suffer concussions and do not play in the 2nd half.

If there was ever more evidence that football players put their lives and careers on the line every time they put on the pads, I haven't seen it. And since the league has benn forced to take a precautionary stance on concussion type injuries, look for an expanded practice player option with the next collective bargaining agreement that will allow teams to draw from those players in emergency situations. Why not just expand the roster you say? No way...the owners don't want to pay emergency players full salary!

Finally....albeit I'm not a Michael Vick fan because of his dog history, but I did admire his athleticism during his comeback effort in yesterday's game. What I didn't admire was his comment in the post game news conference when he said he thought the Eagles would have won the game if he had played all four quarters. That is a shameless self-promotion that threw Kevin Kolb and the rest of his team and the coaching staff under the bus. It doesn't surprise me.

Finally, at another press conference Randy Moss gets on the podium after a great Patriots win against the Bengals and announces this will probably be his last season in Ne because he doesn't feel appreciated. When are these guys going to learn that tens of millions of dollars is PLENTY of appreciation!

And yes...Andy Reid used his time outs too early.

See you down the road.....

I'll Never Forget.....

I'll never forget the fateful day we were attacked on our own soil....

I'll never forget the horror I felt as I watched the mammoth towers come crumbling down...

I'll never forget the 3,000 brothers and sisters who perished at the hands of fanatical extremists...

I'll never forget the brave heroes who attempted to rescue those in peril...and lost their lives in the process....

I'll never forget President George Bush...with all his supposed imperfections he kept us safe in the wake of this nightmare....

I'll never forget the day.....September 11, 2001.

9/8/2010

The addition of P Roy Oswalt gives the Philadelphia Phillies three legitimate #1 starters (Halladay and Hamels). They will win the NL East and play in a third consecutive World Series.

I have to watch the Pat Tillman story that is now coming out. He was a true modern day American hero.

I see where 75 year old Jerry Lee Lewis has turned to God. Marrying your 13 year old cousin has a tendency to do that as you creep towards judgement day.

Check out this fascinating story about Al Capone from one of the best mob writers in the business....George Anastasia of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

http://www.philly.com/philly/video/VideoArchive.html

Peace!

9/5/2010

Today is cutdown day in the NFL. In no other sport do you see such big names as Matt Leinert being unceremoniously waived because his contract is not guaranteed. It's all about the cash.

I joined skype and get to video chat with my daughter Alex while she is away at college. It eases the pain.

So far there have been seven instances of children being left unattended in cars at the new Parx casino near Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, PA. And we just keep building them.....

Hurricane Earl was a big blow but all hype. Must have been a democrat.

Ciao.....