For my first posting I thought I would cover a very important, highly controversial subject: Brett Favre.  More specifically ESPN’s coverage of Brett Favre.

You see, the Favre saga is certainly one of intrigue and mystery, ripe for the likes of the ESPN bobos that like to camp out at Winter Park waiting for something…..ANYTHING to happen.

Last year ESPN’s Rachel Nichols spent nearly an entire summer hiding in the bushes and camped out in a RV just waiting for the slightest hint of a story.

This year will most assuredly be no different. Earlier this week Chilly (Vikings head coach Brad Childress) went to visit Favre in Mississippi at a football camp and ESPN covered the story as though the Pope had just died.

When did professional broadcast journalism die? When did reputable television stations like NBC, ABC, ESPN and FOX take the plunge into the putrid cesspool of reporting on pure speculation in tabloid-like fashion?

ESPN these days seems more like TMZ than a legitimate sports broadcasting entity.  Did anyone watch ESPN the day of and days following the passing of George Steinbrenner?  With Steinbrenner it begs the question: How much is too much?

ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, ESPN University, ESPN 3, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio.  Where do all these people come from that ESPN can justify and support all of these entities?

Your comments are welcome.

10. Citigroup
9. Bank of America
8. Abercrombie & Fitch
7. Qwest
6. HSBC
5. Time Warner
4. Capital One
3. Sprint
2. Comcast
1. AOL

Congratulations, AOL, you are becoming a dynasty on this list having now been crowned two years in a row as the best of the lousiest and the lousiest of the best. Two years in a row you’ve managed to piss people off to the point that they have voted you the worst company out of all those worthy advesaries on the list.

AOL could very well have been on the list in ’07 too but they were not part of the survey.




MSN Money also named the top 10 best companies for customer service and desrve a mention here for a job well done:


10. Southwest Airlines
9. Costco
8. Apple
7. Whole Foods
6. Publix
5. Nordstrom Department Stores
4. Amazon.com
3. Netflix.com
2. Trader Joe’s
1. USAA (military insurance company)

In a somewhat of a surprising turn, an insurance company is named the top company for customer service. It should also be noted that two of the top three companies are dot com companies.

- Joe Factor

This week’s ‘Easiest Job on Earth’ segment highlights ABC’s “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” host, Chris Harrison. Mr. Harrison’s job is to inexplicably interrupt various portions of the show, such as the Rose Ceremony and Pre-Rose Ceremony, to state the obvious in a sort of play-by-play capacity.

These aforementioned segments allow Mr. Harrison to drop gems such as “Gentlemen, the final rose. Jillian, when you’re ready,” or “Gentlemen if you did not receive a rose, take a moment and say your goodbyes.”

Thanks, Chris, for giving us all a John Madden-esk stating of the obvious. Last night (June 7), Host Extraordinaire Chris Harrison gave us all a true reason (cue the sarcasm) why he earns every penny of his salary for his outstanding listening skills when controversy broke out in the house during this week’s Bachelorette episode. We learned that one of the guys in the house – DUM DUM DUM – may have a girlfriend!

Chris swiftly swooped in very superhero-like speed to handle the quickly percolating situation, sat down with Bachelorette Jillian and gave reassuring head nods to signify that he was hanging on every word she uttered regarding that day’s happenings in the house. He intermittently would offer a “um hum” and “I can tell that you are extremely upset about this” to show her just how intently he was listening, as if to say ‘I understand, I am on the same wavelength as you.’ Then, as Jillian came to a crossroads on what to do regarding the potential dishonesty of the contestants, he showed us once again just why he is the only person on Earth that could do this job with this pearl of wisdom: “Well, Jillian, looks like you have a tough decision to make here tonight.” Pure gold, Chris!

- Joe Factor

Police say 51-year-old Danforth Ross of Vassalboro was charged May 29.

Trooper Joe Chretien had been flagged down by several motorists warning of a wayward mower and made the arrest after Ross and his friend emerged from a variety store with two cases of beer.

Ross’ driver’s license had been revoked, so the pair opted for the lawn mower.

The operative words in this story are “the pair” and “he and a friend.” How exactly do you fit two men on a typical riding lawn mower? Was Danforth’s friend riding motorcycle-style with his hands around his waist? Why do I get a sense that perhaps something more was going on here? Hmm, I wonder what that may have looked like?

- Joe Factor
Original Story Courtesy of the Associated Press

Yes, this technology will change our lives and it could be sooner rather than later. At just $350 for the device, the Sixth Sense gives one the ability to change their phone into an interactive projection screen that allows the user to utlize their hands as the primary navigational tool.

Want to know if the baked beans you’re looking at is cheaper at Costco than they are at Target when you’re at Target? No problem, just touch the beans and let the Sixth Sense do it’s thing. Want to know what your favorite contributor to Amazon.com said about a book that you’re currently perusing at Barnes & Noble? No worries, the Sixth Sense pulls the info up in no time.

My description does not do this device justice…check it out for yourself and be prepared to be amazed. Trust me.

http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

- Joe Factor

- Joe Factor

Information from: Gloucester Daily Times, http://www.gloucestertimes.com via the Associated Press

ZURICH, Switzerland –   According to a recent Reuters article, a car traveling in Switzerland “lost all four wheels simultaneously, coming to an immediate halt in the middle of the highway.” 

Really?  I’ve seen many vehicles on the road recently with one loose wheel…but all four?  How do you not feel that?  Plus, when it comes to putting wheels on your vehicle, don’t you ensure they are tightened properly before getting into the vehicle and going 70 mph?  Luckily, no one in the vehicle was injured. 

Maybe the driver was onto something though….was he forseeing the future – cars without wheels? 

-Sarah M.

A SIGNFICANT WRINKLE IN MINNESOTA

May 30, 2009 2:46 PM

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Just as I arrived at Minnesota’s second day of minicamp, fashionably late after skipping the stretching portion, I saw the Vikings’ offense in a decidedly unfamiliar formation.

What?

Yep. The Wildcat.

I’ve spent most of the past month believing there was no way that coach Brad Childress would consent to such a trendy formation, even after the Vikings’ decision to draft Harvin — an ideal fit for the Wildcat — in the first round. Childress is a traditional, meat-and-potatoes offensive coach who never embraced the formation as it became fashionable last season.

But the Wildcat was in plain sight Saturday morning. Harvin, tailback Chester Taylor and receiver Darius Reynaud were all rotating in the quarterback role. You can only imagine how dangerous this could be when defenses follow tailback Adrian Peterson wherever he goes.

“I like [the Wildcat],” Peterson said. “You’ve got guys out there: Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Chester, me and the quarterbacks. When you get the majority of those guys on the field you really can create some things.”

This is the time of year when teams experiment with their schemes, and there is no guarantee the Vikings will use the Wildcat in 2009. But I give Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell some credit for dusting off their playbook to maximize the skill players on their roster. (And make no mistake. Harvin is a good fit for the Wildcat, but so is Taylor. Using Taylor would eliminate one of the biggest pet peeves of the Black and Blue blog: Not getting him on the field with Peterson enough.)

On draft day, according to Bevell, Childress asked for a package of plays that would utilize Harvin’s unique open-field running ability.

Bevell estimated he drew up a list of 20-30 plays. Half of them are totally new to the offense, Bevell said.

“We’re up there trying to diagram everything we can,” Bevell said. “We’re looking at things we do. We’re looking at things other teams have done.”

I don’t mean this to sound patronizing, but this really is a big step for the Vikings’ offense. Many of us have wondered if the Vikings would just assimilate Harvin into the structure of their established offense. But it appears they might use Harvin’s arrival as a catalyst for mixing things up in a broader way.

“Fortunately for us,” said defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, “I’ll be watching other teams try to defend [Harvin] and Adrian. And good luck to those defenses. We’re fortunate that he’s here.”

A few quick hitters before I check out:

Ryan Cook

Veteran Ryan Cook worked at right tackle with the first team Saturday after rookie Phil Loadholt handled that role Friday. You would expect that rotation to continue into training camp.
Many of you have asked about the competition between Tarvaris Jackson and Rosenfels. I’m always hesitant to draw conclusions based on minicamp practices. I can tell you they’re rotating with the first team on a fairly equal basis. Rosenfels looked sharp Saturday morning.
Peterson said he has dropped his body fat down to six percent this offseason and currently weighs 216 pounds. That’s actually two pounds less than where he played last season, but Peterson said he plans to add a few more before training camp. Regardless, it’s highly unlikely Peterson will reach the 230-pound level he predicted earlier this offseason.

Many thanks and all due credit to the great Kevin Seifert, frequent Dan Barreiro guest and former Minneapolis Star Tribune beat writer, for this story. 

City Manager Matt Kline called the arrest unfortunate and said he understands Hamilton’s frustration. Kline said budget cuts have left Sandusky understaffed for seasonal maintenance work.  

- Joe Factor

Story courtesy and copyright of the Associated Press

According to the files pertaining to the arrest, Woodruff allegedly called Wyler a “clerk” repeatedly which (allegedly) was to her great displeasure.  For the record, Wyler works for the Connecticut Police Academy as a license and applications analyst; in this case the term “clerk” is apparently a slanderous term for just such an analyst.  When Woodruff (allegedly) continued the maligning of Wyler she responded with what she thought was the extremely clever and very modern remark of “bite me,” to which Woodruff (apparently) took literally and actually proceeded (allegedly) to bite the woman. 

When asked about the incident, Woodruff responded that he was only joking around.  Woodruff then added “nah, nah, a-boo boo” and thumbed his nose at Wyler while giving the woman raspberry face.  More information to follow as it is available to us. 

- Joe Factor 

Original story courtesy of the Associated Press (AP)