Black Widow
08-24-2008, 06:20 PM
I hope every one is having a good weekend. It was a nice, hot, dry day here in Norman. After the flooding of last weekend, the sun looks good. (Remember the Arn Anderson sun tanning theory.) This blog runs quite the gambit.
Nice seeing some NFL football Saturday night. The Mrs. is a big Steelers fan and a Pittsburgh native which will be the site of the Friday Night Smackdown tapings this Tuesday from the Igloo. It looks like the boys from Steel Town have a new bus, running back Rashard Mendenhall who is big and fast with a ittle wiggle. Teams that can effectively run the football (it eats up the clock) and play solid defense specifically in the red zone greatly increase their chances of winning games. This theory applies to any level of football. I would not be surprised if we don't have some Steelers are our guests Tuesday in the 'Burg.
The Minnesota Vikings RB and OU-ex Adrian Peterson has the strongest handshake of any one I have ever encountered other than Danny Hodge. AD has "Hodge-Hands" which means that #28 should rarely fumble. I said rarely...not never...it's football. For you kids out there Danny Hodge, arguably the greatest amateur to ever turn pro wrestler, can still, even though he is well north of 70, squish apples in the palm of his hand and used to regularly be able to break as many pairs of pillars as one chanced putting in front of him. Google Danny Hodge or take a look at some of his work on You Tube. Of all the legit tough guys that I ever met, I never heard of a single one challenge Hodge to see who the alpha male truly was. They already knew. I
Back to AD, if Adrian stays healthy and trouble free, he has a legit chance in the years to come to make many more dollars outside of football than toting the pigskin for the Vikes via endorsement deals. I have known AD since was 18 and was a freshman at OU and can tell you he is a legit freak on the field and in the weight room but a well mannered, respectful young man away from the job. What's the over/under, assuming AD has a great year, that Peterson isn't on the cover of next year's Madden NFL video game.
With the warm weather Saturday, I spent some time on the patio reading through Bret Hart's autobiography again. I think every true wrestling fan should read this book. I cannot be any more honest than I am when I say this is a must read book whether one is a wrestling fanatic, a sports fan, or one who simply enjoys reading amazing, true stories of a people's lives. Any young man or woman who is thinking of a career in wrestling and perhaps more importanly any one currently in the business should read this book. Read it...study it...learn from it. Whether one agrees with every thing Bret writes is not the point here. Wrestling is wrought with subjectivity...who's better than who...who was the greatest this...who was the best that? This is about a man who kept a journal for years and years on a daily basis while traveling thousands of miles to go to work and who devoted seven, challenging years to finish his book. This book is more importanty about a man who cared so much about his vocation and its heritage that he documented virtually every day he spent in it. This book is about passion, dedication, and values. Bottom line it's about much more than headlocks and sharpshooters.
Interesting note that several WWE wrestlers are attending the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It's good that some wrestlers want to see the political process of selecting our Presidential candidates and not just do a drive by for a photo op even though there will be plenty of those. I'm not sure whos going where but I do know that Batista and President Bill Clinton would have a helluva time together considering they are both socially inclined. We dont' do many politics on this site but I will tell you that Ihaven't decided who I am going to vote for come November. Professional politicians who can't even balance our country's check book and who govern only to be re-elected and not to better our country have used up all their "passes" with me.
Really nice, old school match on Friday Night Smackdown between Finlay and Shelton Benjamin. Both men wrestled aggressively and in a bad mood. I loved the physicality. It seems as if Benjamin is starting to come into his own. Amazing athletic gifts like Shelton's should be taken advantage of by the bearer. I like what I have been seeing lately from the amateur standout from the University of Minnesota. Whin in college, Shelton was a regular workout partner with Brock Lesnar after Bejamin used up his eligibility for the Gophers. I've heard that some of their wrestling room workouts were special to watch. Shelton would seem to have the skills to have been a superior MMA competitor if he had chosen that route. Shelton has told me many times that people can't fully comprehend just how fast Lesnar is not to mention that his strength is freakish. I suggest that Heath Herring would agree with that assessment. Speaking of Lesnar, I hear he will be fighting again most probably as soon as December if a deal can be reached for his next opponent soon. It will be interesting to see if it's possible for Brock to improve as much between now and his next fight as he did between Mir and Herring.
Congrat's to the Hawaii Little League team for winning the U.S. Little League Title. The young men from Hawaii take on Mexico Sunday afternoon for the Little League World Series Championship. Best of luck to both teams and I'll be watching.
Yours truly worked several hours Friday night on the upcoming THQ produced video game featuring amny of the greatest the legends ever of the WWE. I presented the THQ rep a J.R.'s BBQ truckers cap, our $9.99 red neck special which is available here in our store, and he was most appreciative. Hey, some folks collect caps, what can I say? The creative on this game is being kept under wraps as it relates to all the amazing stars that will be featured. Nontheless creative fans will be able to book some of the greatest, dream matches ever. We are slated to do two more days of voice overs next week. To tell you that I am simply having a blast doing audio bytes for these guys would be a major understatement. This is the game that will likely encourage me to get video game friendly.
I saw where 45 years ago this weekend that Lou Thesz successfully defended his NWA Title against Dick the Bruiser. You talk about two opposites in the ring....and out. Lou was always dressed to the nines and he made sure that he protected the image of the NWA Champion 24X7. Lou was always "buttoned up" and projected a superb image for the business. Bruiser was a hell raiser who loved life, a party and a cold beverage. Nothing wrong with that. Bobby Heenan used to tell me that when he was a young kid that he used to run errands for Bruiser and would go out at all hours buying milk and "food" for Bruiser's rats or snakes or whatever. I picked up Bruiser at the New Orleans Airport in the 70's to give him a ride to the downtown Municipal Auditorium. Dick was the special, guest referee for a main event match. Bruiser was under 6 feet tall but was thick and he had a "George Hamilton" tan that was accenuated by the lime green leisure suit with matching lime green tank top that he was wearing that summer day. Bruiser also had the perfect wrestler's voice....it had plenty of bass. Oh yeah, The Brain also told me that Bruiser had a urinal installed in his home which at the time was the only commercial men's urinal in a private residence in Indianapolis.
We are starting to sell a bunch of our new Hanes, J.R.'s BBQ and Got Sauce T-Shirts which we have displayed here on the site. These two shirts are priced at $9.99 each. Got Sauce is our newest design if you're keeping score there at the house. Unfortunatley, we don't stock any lime green one's.
Our Q&A's are really rocking here and I encourage you to participate. I have deleted some beauties BTW but I try and answer every thing that I think makes sense. If I have addressed some subjects, and you know what they are, I delete 'em. You should see some of the angry emails that some folks write. They don't usually make the cut but they are usually so absurd that they are good for a laugh or two but are actually intended to stir the fertilizer.
What if every wrestler in any training program or wrestling school were given DVD's of a specific wrestler who the students resembled, wanted to emulate or performed like in the ring? The follow up would include written exams. Gasp... you mean a young wrestler would have to actually watch a DVD and study and retain the info that they were seeing? Yes, that's the general idea. Good role models are needed in all walks of life not just 'rasslin. I know many wrestlers that are big stars today eho are some of the biggest DVD watchers of any of the wrestlers. HHH, for example, is a student of classic, old school wrestling and probably has watched the great Harley Race in action hundreds of times. Same goes for classic bouts of Ric Flair. Point is that none of us ever stop learning. Stone Cold was a sponge when it came to watching the greats like Jake Roberts and Ricky Steamboat who were two of the wrestlers Steve enjoyed watching perform their craft. I wonder what occupies a wrestler's time now days on, say, an International Tour, wrestling DVD's or "other"?
I am heading over to the Q&A section now to anwser a few questions. I have to stay "wrestling focused" as I am on Oklahoma Sooner football countdown to kickoff. I know exactly where I will be next Saturday night. I will be at OU's Owen Field with north of 85,000 of my closest friends. Non football fans won't "get it" but those of you who love the game will "get it."
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
Nice seeing some NFL football Saturday night. The Mrs. is a big Steelers fan and a Pittsburgh native which will be the site of the Friday Night Smackdown tapings this Tuesday from the Igloo. It looks like the boys from Steel Town have a new bus, running back Rashard Mendenhall who is big and fast with a ittle wiggle. Teams that can effectively run the football (it eats up the clock) and play solid defense specifically in the red zone greatly increase their chances of winning games. This theory applies to any level of football. I would not be surprised if we don't have some Steelers are our guests Tuesday in the 'Burg.
The Minnesota Vikings RB and OU-ex Adrian Peterson has the strongest handshake of any one I have ever encountered other than Danny Hodge. AD has "Hodge-Hands" which means that #28 should rarely fumble. I said rarely...not never...it's football. For you kids out there Danny Hodge, arguably the greatest amateur to ever turn pro wrestler, can still, even though he is well north of 70, squish apples in the palm of his hand and used to regularly be able to break as many pairs of pillars as one chanced putting in front of him. Google Danny Hodge or take a look at some of his work on You Tube. Of all the legit tough guys that I ever met, I never heard of a single one challenge Hodge to see who the alpha male truly was. They already knew. I
Back to AD, if Adrian stays healthy and trouble free, he has a legit chance in the years to come to make many more dollars outside of football than toting the pigskin for the Vikes via endorsement deals. I have known AD since was 18 and was a freshman at OU and can tell you he is a legit freak on the field and in the weight room but a well mannered, respectful young man away from the job. What's the over/under, assuming AD has a great year, that Peterson isn't on the cover of next year's Madden NFL video game.
With the warm weather Saturday, I spent some time on the patio reading through Bret Hart's autobiography again. I think every true wrestling fan should read this book. I cannot be any more honest than I am when I say this is a must read book whether one is a wrestling fanatic, a sports fan, or one who simply enjoys reading amazing, true stories of a people's lives. Any young man or woman who is thinking of a career in wrestling and perhaps more importanly any one currently in the business should read this book. Read it...study it...learn from it. Whether one agrees with every thing Bret writes is not the point here. Wrestling is wrought with subjectivity...who's better than who...who was the greatest this...who was the best that? This is about a man who kept a journal for years and years on a daily basis while traveling thousands of miles to go to work and who devoted seven, challenging years to finish his book. This book is more importanty about a man who cared so much about his vocation and its heritage that he documented virtually every day he spent in it. This book is about passion, dedication, and values. Bottom line it's about much more than headlocks and sharpshooters.
Interesting note that several WWE wrestlers are attending the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It's good that some wrestlers want to see the political process of selecting our Presidential candidates and not just do a drive by for a photo op even though there will be plenty of those. I'm not sure whos going where but I do know that Batista and President Bill Clinton would have a helluva time together considering they are both socially inclined. We dont' do many politics on this site but I will tell you that Ihaven't decided who I am going to vote for come November. Professional politicians who can't even balance our country's check book and who govern only to be re-elected and not to better our country have used up all their "passes" with me.
Really nice, old school match on Friday Night Smackdown between Finlay and Shelton Benjamin. Both men wrestled aggressively and in a bad mood. I loved the physicality. It seems as if Benjamin is starting to come into his own. Amazing athletic gifts like Shelton's should be taken advantage of by the bearer. I like what I have been seeing lately from the amateur standout from the University of Minnesota. Whin in college, Shelton was a regular workout partner with Brock Lesnar after Bejamin used up his eligibility for the Gophers. I've heard that some of their wrestling room workouts were special to watch. Shelton would seem to have the skills to have been a superior MMA competitor if he had chosen that route. Shelton has told me many times that people can't fully comprehend just how fast Lesnar is not to mention that his strength is freakish. I suggest that Heath Herring would agree with that assessment. Speaking of Lesnar, I hear he will be fighting again most probably as soon as December if a deal can be reached for his next opponent soon. It will be interesting to see if it's possible for Brock to improve as much between now and his next fight as he did between Mir and Herring.
Congrat's to the Hawaii Little League team for winning the U.S. Little League Title. The young men from Hawaii take on Mexico Sunday afternoon for the Little League World Series Championship. Best of luck to both teams and I'll be watching.
Yours truly worked several hours Friday night on the upcoming THQ produced video game featuring amny of the greatest the legends ever of the WWE. I presented the THQ rep a J.R.'s BBQ truckers cap, our $9.99 red neck special which is available here in our store, and he was most appreciative. Hey, some folks collect caps, what can I say? The creative on this game is being kept under wraps as it relates to all the amazing stars that will be featured. Nontheless creative fans will be able to book some of the greatest, dream matches ever. We are slated to do two more days of voice overs next week. To tell you that I am simply having a blast doing audio bytes for these guys would be a major understatement. This is the game that will likely encourage me to get video game friendly.
I saw where 45 years ago this weekend that Lou Thesz successfully defended his NWA Title against Dick the Bruiser. You talk about two opposites in the ring....and out. Lou was always dressed to the nines and he made sure that he protected the image of the NWA Champion 24X7. Lou was always "buttoned up" and projected a superb image for the business. Bruiser was a hell raiser who loved life, a party and a cold beverage. Nothing wrong with that. Bobby Heenan used to tell me that when he was a young kid that he used to run errands for Bruiser and would go out at all hours buying milk and "food" for Bruiser's rats or snakes or whatever. I picked up Bruiser at the New Orleans Airport in the 70's to give him a ride to the downtown Municipal Auditorium. Dick was the special, guest referee for a main event match. Bruiser was under 6 feet tall but was thick and he had a "George Hamilton" tan that was accenuated by the lime green leisure suit with matching lime green tank top that he was wearing that summer day. Bruiser also had the perfect wrestler's voice....it had plenty of bass. Oh yeah, The Brain also told me that Bruiser had a urinal installed in his home which at the time was the only commercial men's urinal in a private residence in Indianapolis.
We are starting to sell a bunch of our new Hanes, J.R.'s BBQ and Got Sauce T-Shirts which we have displayed here on the site. These two shirts are priced at $9.99 each. Got Sauce is our newest design if you're keeping score there at the house. Unfortunatley, we don't stock any lime green one's.
Our Q&A's are really rocking here and I encourage you to participate. I have deleted some beauties BTW but I try and answer every thing that I think makes sense. If I have addressed some subjects, and you know what they are, I delete 'em. You should see some of the angry emails that some folks write. They don't usually make the cut but they are usually so absurd that they are good for a laugh or two but are actually intended to stir the fertilizer.
What if every wrestler in any training program or wrestling school were given DVD's of a specific wrestler who the students resembled, wanted to emulate or performed like in the ring? The follow up would include written exams. Gasp... you mean a young wrestler would have to actually watch a DVD and study and retain the info that they were seeing? Yes, that's the general idea. Good role models are needed in all walks of life not just 'rasslin. I know many wrestlers that are big stars today eho are some of the biggest DVD watchers of any of the wrestlers. HHH, for example, is a student of classic, old school wrestling and probably has watched the great Harley Race in action hundreds of times. Same goes for classic bouts of Ric Flair. Point is that none of us ever stop learning. Stone Cold was a sponge when it came to watching the greats like Jake Roberts and Ricky Steamboat who were two of the wrestlers Steve enjoyed watching perform their craft. I wonder what occupies a wrestler's time now days on, say, an International Tour, wrestling DVD's or "other"?
I am heading over to the Q&A section now to anwser a few questions. I have to stay "wrestling focused" as I am on Oklahoma Sooner football countdown to kickoff. I know exactly where I will be next Saturday night. I will be at OU's Owen Field with north of 85,000 of my closest friends. Non football fans won't "get it" but those of you who love the game will "get it."
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.