Ready To Rock (weekly playlists)

The need to rock doesn’t take a holiday, so there are two new songs debuting in the latest update of  my weekly Top 40 on Spotify.  Like always, it’s the best of today’s rock hits with all the non-rockin’, pseudo-rock removed, replaced with more deserving songs.

Missing songs this week:
None

New to the Spotify list this week:
Tourniquet – Breaking Benjamin, Some Shit About Love – Saliva

Dropping off the Spotify list this week:
Monster – Hands Like Houses, The Reckoning – Within Temptation (f. Jacoby Shaddix)

For the larger (nearly 200 songs) YouTube version there’s nearly a half dozen adds including the aforementioned Breaking Benjamin, new In Flames, and more.    You can find it at this link

Ready To Rock (weekly playlists)

I may be a little slow but at least I’ve been busy.   Four songs debut (and two songs re-enter) in the latest update of  my weekly Top 40 on Spotify.  Like always, it’s the best of today’s rock hits with all the non-rockin’, pseudo-rock removed, replaced with more deserving songs.

Missing songs this week:
None

New to the Spotify list this week:
My Demons – Fight The Fury (re-entry), Let Me Love You – Kobra & The Lotus, Throat – Afterlife (re-entry), Faithless – Devour The Day, The Reckoning – Within Temptation (f. Jacoby Shaddix), Bulletproof – Code Red Riot

Dropping off the Spotify list this week:
Are You Ready – Disturbed, ihateit – Underoath, Warrior – Ledger (f. John Cooper), End Of The World – Stone Horses, Letting You Go – Bullet For My Valentine, Skeletons – New Year’s Day,

For the larger (nearly 200 songs) YouTube version there’s over a half dozen adds including Demon Hunter, Adam Calhoun, some holiday magic from Small Town Titans, and more.    You can find it at this link

Ready To Rock (weekly playlists)

Two songs debut in the latest update of  my weekly Top 40 on Spotify (joined by two songs re-entering).  Like always, it’s the best of today’s rock hits with all the non-rockin’, pseudo-rock removed, replaced with more deserving songs.

Missing songs this week:
None

New to the Spotify list this week:
Warrior – Ledger (f. John Cooper), Skeletons – New Year’s Day, what i am – Crown The Empire(re-entry), Monsters – Shinedown(re-entry)

Dropping off the Spotify list this week:
Save Myself – Messer, Unstoppable – Red, Prey – Parkway Drive, Veins – Red Sun Rising

For the larger (nearly 200 songs) YouTube version there’s nearly a dozen adds including the return of Tora Tora, new singles from Broken Rail, Waves of Chaos, Chrome Division, and more.    You can find it at this link

First Trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

Now that I’ve gotten at least a little bit of sleep after a highly early day, a few thoughts on my first visit to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  (For those reading who may not know, I was there today for the GHSA Football State Championships).
Normally I wouldn’t blog this but, for length, it was kind of long for other social media formats so here we are.

 

First, I gotta give high marks to the location of the parking lot – or at least the Red lot. I was amazed when I exited the elevator & saw how close to the gate I stepped out. I suspect I’d hate to know what that lot costs on the day of events with heavier attendance but it was top notch for today.   Probably parked closer to the gate than I have at half the high school football games I’ve been to in the current decade.

 

I kinda like — I think — the way the more “open” end of the stadium reminded me of being at Cobb Civic Center years ago. I thought the use of digital screens on the side panel of the seating there was creative.  The use of video screens is solid, though I found it a bit disorienting when every panel has the same image at times.   And the “Helmet Wall” coming over from the old Georgia Dome (a place that was in a pretty sorry state & was very ready for replacement IMO) was a very nice touch.

 

And then there’s the rest of the experience

Let’s start with the absurdity of adding a $7.50 surcharge to tickets bought at the box office.  On top of the facility fee you already added to the price mind you.   Good Lord, greedy bastards much?   What a great way to illustrate the entire attitude of the venue about the relationship with the GHSA, one that smacked of “you’re lucky we let you in here”.   

 

First, the bathrooms. Oh. Dear. God. The stench. That whole “waterless” bathroom system probably contributes to a smell that I’d liken to a porta-potty … that hasn’t been emptied in a month. In July. In a swamp. When you hear people literally gagging at the smell, yeah, that’s bad. And it ought to be embarrassing considering the money spent on that alleged palace.

 

The ingress/egress to the seating areas is another comedy, at least for an event like this one where you have people going in both directions.   A scarcity of ushers combined with insanely narrow walking corridors — both the tunnel part AND in the seating areas themselves — made for a situation that was ripe for things to get downright ugly (credit to fans from a variety of locales that I saw none of that).   It should not be a ten minute walk just to get from your seat to an exit for an event that was maybe brushing up against 1/3 to 1/2 capacity on the high end.  There should not be lines that were stretching from the entry way out into the main concourse just for fans to TRY to get to their seats.   Comical design flaw.

Also disappointing was what appeared to be one of the slower sets of concession stands I’ve seen above the high school level.   Again, I’m at an event that is nowhere near the capacity of the building, the lines were moving so glacially that people were giving up after 10-20 minute waits that produced little progress.  And that’s a pretty sad indictment of the layout considering it’s a “fix your own drink across the way” setup.   I suspect the issue goes beyond simply staffing and gets into design choices for the serving area and the queues.  Relatively low prices aren’t a major benefit if people can’t get to them without interminable delays.

And the decision to not add any smoking areas (that I could find at least) to the exterior of the building is a non-starter with me.  They’d be welcome to tie the whole place up into a tidy ball & shove it into an uncomfortable orifice on the basis of that decision alone frankly.

On the whole though, just a thoroughly disappointing venue when compared to all the hype about it.  It’s The Emperor’s New Clothes of venues as far as I’m concerned, and I can’t think of any reason I’d ever visit it again short of the same situation: one of two teams I have deep emotional ties to making a state finals game appearance.  Anything else?  No thanks.

I’ve long been a supporter of the “title games on the biggest stage possible” approach for the GHSA but after seeing the entirety of MBS used in that context, I’d honestly be a lot closer to neutral on the topic.  It’s ill-suited for the purpose IMO, it appears largely disinterested in being involved, and aside from the hype that surrounds it so early in its existence, really doesn’t add much for fans beyond the ceiling & the video screens.

And now you know what I thought about it.

Ready To Rock (weekly playlists)

Again this week there are two songs making their debut in my weekly Top 40 on Spotify.  Like always, it’s the best of today’s rock hits with all the non-rockin’, pseudo-rock removed, replaced with more deserving songs.

Missing songs this week:
None

New to the Spotify list this week:
Halo On Fire – Metallica, Complicated – Like A Storm

Dropping off the Spotify list this week:
Never Fade – Alice In Chains, Little Miss Crazy – The Lazys

For the larger (nearly 200 songs) YouTube version there’s over a half dozen adds including new singles from Discrepancies, Queensryche, and more.    You can find it at this link

Thanks for the reminder

If you’re one of the realistic UGA fans, this IS NOT directed at you.

I tried to tread lightly last night, I’ve been a fan victim of idiotic coaching decisions more than once, I know how it feels.

But you might want to cover your ears.  Or better yet, be proactive and muzzle your ill-bred distant kin.

 

Or better still, stop leaving (honorary) diplomas on the sidewalk where just any ol’ mouthbreather can pick them up, your sidewalk alums do the bulk of the damage to your reputation & credibility, same as they have for decades.

————-

 

Waaaaah, everything is the referee’s fault.
{go sniffle dawwwwwwgs}
Waaaaah, we lost but we ought get a trophy anyway.
{sic sniffle em}

Waaaaah, but we’re …. special.
{woof waaaaah woof waaaah wooohoooooooof}

 

Yesterday I said — quite evenly & rationally IMO — that only arrogance or stupidity could explain a fake punt at midfield with so much at stake.

 

Today I’ve been reminded that Kirby (Ain’t So) Smart is the perfect fit for the most unjustifiably arrogant fan base in all of sports.

The only thing that seems to be missing today is a petition demanding a recount until you get a score you like.   Based on today’s social media I suspect at least half of you will be running for governor in four years.  You’ve certainly got the loser’s routine down pat.

 

So, thank you.

Thanks for reminding me why I despise all that UGA Athletics is and all that it represents — or is represented by — with the heat of a thousand suns.

Thanks for helping me realize that you’re the UCF of the Power 5, unwilling or unable to grasp reality.  I think they may actually be patterning themselves after you, a beacon of irrational thought and behavior.

 

Most of all, I’d like to thank you for restoring my ability to truly enjoy, nay, to savor every delicious tear that is shed over yet another big game failure.  

 

I wonder if the salt water tanks at the Georgia Aquarium are filled with those? They certainly wouldn’t have to worry about running out, there’s an endless supply since you’ll still be crying over this shit – even though it was self-inflicted – decades from now.

Same as you’ve done about every loss in the history of forever.

 

J3C College Football Top 25 (end of regular season)

And once again, here we are.

Another regular season has wrapped up with conference championship weekend, but what did we learn?  Well,  we know that Georgia might have fallen victim to the single dumbest play call in the history of college football … we know that Pitt was at most the best of a bad lot in their own division … we know that Ohio State can grind people down … we know that Oklahoma is capable of putting up points … we know that the Pac101216whatever is once again irrelevant to the playoff conversation … we know the UCF can beat mediocre teams with even their backup QB … and though we might not really care much, we know that scheduling willing patsies to fill out your 12 game schedule can help when bowl bids are handed out (Virginia Tech) or perhaps hurt (Iowa State … really?  Drake?  At home?  C’mon).

All that’s left for me until after the post-season is one final stab at ranking the upper 20-25 percent of the teams playing D1 football.   More than usual though, I’m a little stuck, on my own words.   For years I’ve explained my Top 25 as being
“part art, part science, part instinct …  my eyeball of the overall.”   A combination of how I perceive teams’ ability, their performance, and their relative positioning in light of both.

That’s worked for me as a guideline for quite a while but this year I’m bumping my head into another set of criteria, the charge given to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.   See, their wording is different.   They’re asked, quite simply really, to rank what they consider “the best teams”, in order.  And I’m not sure what’s bugging me most here is the word you’d think.  It isn’t “best” that’s making me a little crazy, it’s “team”.

For the second year in a row, my top three slot in pretty easily.  It’s the pesky #4 spot that’s the rub.   There are three candidates for it in my mind.   One I eliminate pretty quickly due to their flawed decision-making of their head coach.   There’s a certain team that I admittedly dislike (to say the least) but that I think probably has the best overall roster of the trio, unfortunately for them right now they don’t have a head coach to match.  That leaves me debating who is 4th and who is 5th.  And the reason I’m debating it is more the word “team” than anything.   Having perhaps the best college football player in the country certainly lends credibility on his side of the ball, but when you look like you’re not even trying on the other side for more than a month of the season … the other candidate certainly knows how to lay an egg in grand fashion, but they also look like they at least understand there’s more to a football team than offense.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Last year, when I did this edition of my Top 25, I already knew how the committee ranked them.   I disagreed.
This year, I’m roughly ten hours in front of the committee announcement … and I strongly suspect it’ll be their turn to disagree with me.   So it goes.

For the last time in 2018, here’s the new JonsThreeCents College Football Top 25.
See you after the post-season is done.

(last week’s ranking follows their name)

1. Alabama (1)
2. Clemson (2)
3. Notre Dame (3)
4. Ohio State (6)
5. Oklahoma (5)
6. Georgia (4)
7. Florida (7)
8. Michigan (8)
9. Washington (10)
10. UCF (9)
11. LSU (13)
12. Penn State (12)
13. Washington State (14)
14. West Virginia (15)
15. Texas (11)
16. Kentucky (18)
17. Syracuse (19)
18. Fresno State (22)
19. Mississippi State (20)
20. Utah (16)
21. Texas A&M (23)
22. Boise State (17)
23. Army (24)
24. NC State (Un)
25. Appalachian State (Un)

Dropped: Northwestern (21), Utah State (25)