Romo, Simpson - The Saga Continues

Back the freak up, DAD!  That’s what Tony Romo apparently told Jessica’s overbearing father, Joe Simpson.  The Chicago Sun Times reports that if the Jessica - Tony combination is to work as well as the Tony - T.O. combination, Joe Simpson needs to mind his own business.

The two love birds, are apparently still an item.  They were even seen dining at N9NE Steak House at Victory Park last weekend acting like two love struck school children.

Let Bandwagon Roll

In New York it would never happen.  New York fans love their teams when they are doing well and hate them when they are playing bad.  But they never, ever, root for someone else or wear another teams silly gear.

There are a few Maverick Fans that are now jumping on the L.A. Laker bandwagon.  They claim to be Kobe lovers.  Take NBC5 editor “Mean” Gene Rickman.  During the regular season he lived and breathed the Mavericks.  To him a night in front of the tube watching Dirk and the Jet was all he needed to be happy.  Now look at him!

Yes, that’s Gene, the self described Mav Maniac in training.  He claims he’s wearing that Grimace Purple Laker hat to celebrate the Spurs loss.  Maybe, but last night during the game, Gene was overheard chanting, “May the force be with you Kobe-one-Kenobi!” 

I fear too many Mavericks fans will jump on the Kobe Train, leaving Dirk to wallow in a sea of sadness as all Mavs fans wish, they had Kobe wearing Mavs blue not Dirk.

Gas Prices Will Soon Drop

There is no reason for the price of oil to be as high as it is right now.  Demand is decreasing as more and more people move to mass transit and hybrid vehicles.  As for supply, there have been no disruptions in the chain. 

Our stake in the middle east is in a holding pattern with no real surprises expected anytime soon.  Barring a war with Iran, oil investors know what to expect out of the mid-east. 

The only reason oil keeps climbing is because speculators are forcing the market upwards.  My gut feeling tells me that oil traders on the floor of the exchange expect gas prices to reach a national average of 4 dollars a gallon.  If gas skyrockets through that point don’t expect the price to fall anytime soon.

But If the price of gas holds steady around the 4 dollars a gallon mark for a week or more, I would expect the price of gas to retreat back to the 3.50 mark or lower.  Currently oil traders know they can walk into the exchange in the morning, buy oil, leave, go have lunch, sell their contracts at the end of the day for a hefty profit.  As soon as that mentality on floor changes, which I think it will soon, oil and the price of gas drops.

Dirk Nowitzki has an American Girlfriend!

Head to any Mavericks game and you will see dozens of young women in the stands holding up “Dirk will you marry me?” signs.  There is now evidence the big man may actually be interested in  American Chicks.  I first saw news that Dirk has taken a babe on the Front Burner Blog.  They quoted the news first reported in the German newspaper Bild.  I can’t read German and I’m not really sure what it says but it appears to be a question and answer segment with All-Star Center about his new American love.

Here is the Text:

BILD: Sie haben seit kurzem eine Freundin, eine Amerikanerin…

Nowitzki: Stimmt, aber darüber rede ich nicht gern. Nur soviel: Es ist alles noch sehr frisch, ich kann noch nicht sagen, was draus wird. Wir werden uns wahrscheinlich erst in ein paar Monaten wieder sehen, wenn ich nach Dallas zurückkomme.“

I tried to translate the above German text myself:

Bild: Yes, you have been seen kur-ousing with woman, an American!

Nowitzki: Stymie that talk.  My derriere is red and itchy from her germs. 

I couldn’t figure out the rest, but I think it has something to do with a “weird” situation, a warden, his lawyer and making “Par” in Montana.  He ends with saying how he would rather be with women in Zurich than Dallas.

The President’s Sammy Gravano

Scott McClellan’s new tell all book “What Happened” makes me think of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, aka Sammy “The Rat.”  Sammy was a loyal soldier for New York mob boss John Gotti until he found himself in some hot water with the law.  Sammy decided to sell his boss out to the feds, to save his own hide.  Loyalty is the one thing the Mafia and President Bush have in common, they both demand it from those who work for them.  John Gotti and President George W. Bush both learned the hard way that loyalty can easily be sold for money or for freedom.

I have no doubt Scott McClellan’s book is well thought out and there is probably a lot of truth to what he has to say.  But he worked for the the President for nearly 7 years, three as the White House Press Secretary.  The President trusted him, gave him opportunities few people will ever be privileged enough to receive.  His comments about the President are not earth shattering, we all know the President can be arrogant and governs by “feel and instinct.”  What is earth shattering, is who the insults are being hurled by.

Bush clearly deserves criticism, but at this stage in the game, I’m not sure it should come from his staffers in the form of a tell all book.  The President’s approval ratings are an all time low, the war in Iraq, though getting better, is still a mess just like our economy.  McClellan’s book has the feeling of piling on by someone I never would have expected to throw a landmine at the President’s feet.

For all the problems there are with NBC5, and yes we do have a few (like all stations), you will not find me slamming my bosses in the media or in a book, not now, not ever.  Not because no one would read (or buy) my book, but because these are the people that gave me a job and put food on my table.  NBC gives me 4 weeks vacation and the opportunities to go places and see things many people only dream of taking part in.  It would serve no purpose to try to take down the very people responsible for my success.

But I guess a multi-million dollar book deal can get people to do strange things. 

The Best Burger Recipe Ever

I don’t cook.  I don’t bake.  I don’t even grill.  The only thing I actually do in the kitchen is direct the person who is cooking and of course, I EAT the end result. 

The other day I came up with the greatest burger recipe in history, then told my wife how to make it.  I stole some of the ingredients from Chef Gordon Ramsey, some from my father, and the rest I came up with it on my own.  So if you like a good thick hunk of hamburger that tastes better then you have ever had, try this at home:

• 1lb of Ground Beef  (Must be PRIME Grade A)  The quality of the beef could be the most important factor.  Spend the money, you will not regret it.
• 1 minced onion (I like the pieces to be a little thicker)
• 2 teaspoons of garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of tabasco sauce
• 1 quick pour of  Sam Adams Beer
• 2 tablespoons of Honey Mustard
• 2 egg yolkes
• dash of salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients up with your hands.  Shape into thick large oval burgers.  Cook on Grill until temperature reaches medium.  Top with Cheddar cheese and melt breifly.  Eat up.  If it’s not the best burger you ever had, sue me!

Sex Clearly Sells

It’s no secret that sex sells.  I put up a blog post about “Girls and Boys Gone Wild” and I set a Grant’s Rant record for blog traffic.  It’s the same reason Texas Motor Speedway came up with these brilliant billboards advertising the Bombardier Learjet 550 at TMS on June 7th.

Danica Patrick is hot.  Not just on the race track, not just in her racing suit, not just in the media but also in a bikini.  She is single handedly luring in race fans who were not always race fans.  Before Tiger Woods inner city minorities would never have been caught dead playing golf.  Tiger transformed the game of golf, where it’s now more about Tiger then it is about the sport itself.

Danica is doing the same thing.  Young women are idolizing her for succeeding in what was traditionally a mans game.  Men are worshipping her for just being sexy Danica.  When was the last time you saw an Andretti or an Earnhardt or an Unser or a Foyt posing in a Speedo.  Thank God the answer is never.  Instead Danica gets an entire spread in the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition.

What makes this all so great is that unlike Annika Sorenstam on the PGA Tour, Danica Patrick is a contender and almost always has a chance to win.

And since sex sells, I couldn’t resist putting up a picture of her billboard!  In fact, I’ll even show it again.

Girls (and Boys) Gone Wild on Lewisville Lake

Take away the beer, booze and bikinis, Lewisville Lake is a boring place.  Why would anyone want to spend their time here?  I really have no idea what the boating craze is all about.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a party, but spending 8 to 10 hours tied up to 300 other boats is not fun to me, it’s claustrophobic.  There are plenty of pretty girls here, but they are quickly overshadowed by the hundreds of loud and obnoxious 20-something drunk men.   

I guess in my old age, I’m now a curmudgeon.  But even in my wild college days I always liked to take my own car so I could leave when I wanted.  Once you step aboard a boat, your trapped until the rest of the crew says it’s time to go home.

Each Memorial Day for the past five years I have visited Party Cove, each year it looks the same.  Sure we get flashed, but it’s usually by someone you don’t want to get flashed by.  I never really get to experience the fun to the fullest because I am always riding with two Denton County Sheriff’s Deputies.  It always surprises me that the Party Cove goers still let loose as much as they do even with “The Law” watching. 

I’m not one to wear my hat back words, which appears to be a pre-requisite for young men to party here and I don’t wear muscle shirts either.  That leaves me on the outside of Party Cove, which is fine by me.  Especially when the party breaks up.  It’s the equivalent of driving home at 2am.  The only ones still out probably shouldn’t be driving, a boat or a car!

NBC5i.com: Police Cruise Lakes Looking For Trouble
NBC5i.com: Video

The Knockout Get’s Knocked Out - Danica Wants to Fight

Danica Patrick hasn’t been knocked out of a race in 4 years.  Yesterday, it happened. (See post below where I said it would)  The old saying is there is nothing worse then a woman’s scorn.  Patrick was so angry about getting blind sided while trying to pull out of her pit stall she actually got out of the car and stormed towards Ryan Briscoe, the driver who hit her.

Patrick, all 100 pounds of her looked like she was ready to throw punches.  Briscoe blamed the crash on Patrick insisting, “These cars have brakes too!”  Some how I think that comment is only going to infuriate Patrick even more.

Lets face it, Patrick is good for racing.  She wins we love it, she gets knocked out, I write about it.  Without Danica Patrick there is no way I am writing about the Indy 500!  Two days in a row, no less!  

Danica Patrick Pics Here

You probably clicked here for the Danica Patrick Pictures, so I won’t disappoint you.  But what this post is really about is the Danica Patrick Pick for today’s Indy 500.  Car Racing’s resident glamour girl, Danica Patrick is good, but today she won’t be good enough to win the Indy 500.

Vegas odds makers put her at 8-1 to win and 3-1 to finish in the top three.  My gut tells me, she won’t even do that, for some strange reason I have a feeling she won’t even finish the race today.  But if she does win, I’ll be happy to eat my words.   It will just give me an excuse to post more pictures of Danica, that I know drives lots of traffic to this blog. (No pun intended)

My pick to you win the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” Marco Andretti.  Vegas has him at 8-1.