B's Bistro asks...

Winston-Salem, NC -- I promise to update the blog over the weekend; it's been a very busy week at the office, especially after returning from a mini vacation last week. I do have some juicy topics that will perk your interests. In the meantime, I have another poll (with a completely random question) to conduct.

B's Bistro asks...

What gives the worst breath?

a) Dorito
b) Garlic
c) Cigarette
d) Onions
e) Beer

B's Bistro asks...

Winston-Salem, NC -- B's Bistro asks...

What's your favorite way to eat leftover turkey?

a) A big ol' turkey and stuffing sandwich.
b) Cold off the plate.
c) Turkey Tetrazzini.
d) What leftovers? We ate it all!

Rock Rivals

Greensboro, NC -- If you're from the DC area, you know that when the Redskins play the Cowboys twice a year, it is referred to as "Dallas week." It's accompanied by a little anxiety and an adrenaline rush by Saturday. For non-Skins fans, that means "rivalry week." Engaged in epic battles since 1960, the Redskins and Cowboys are bitter foes. My one experience watching this rivalry live occurred during the last game of the 2002 season. Both teams were awful that year, yet it felt like the Skins clinched a playoff birth by defeating the Cowboys 20-14. Following the game, I had the opportunity to shake Darrell Green's hand in what was his final football game. A special thanks goes to the dream holder season ticket holder who felt sorry for the college kid with 40 bucks in his pocket.

There are some rivals squaring off this weekend as well in the college ranks, most notably Michigan and Ohio State. I thought that it would be appropriate (and fun) to name a few bands who could be considered foes on stage, in the recording studios, or in record sales. On August 22nd of this year, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake [Ed. Note: 50 Cent, not Timberlake] both released albums on that day. There was a competition to see who would sell more. There's my first rivalry. Here's the rest...

• U2 and R.E.M. -- 2 great bands from the same decades. 4-man bands. Same number of albums. Somehow, they're always paired together.
• Lynard Skynard and The Allman Brothers -- The battle of southern rock.
• In Sync and The Backstreet Boys -- The battle of awful boy bands from the 90's.
• The Who and Led Zeppelin -- British rock.
• The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (and The Beach Boys) -- Talk about legacies...
• Blur and Oasis - The battle of British pop.
• Phish and Widespread Panic -- hippy music.
• Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera -- The battle of two people who shouldn't have kids.
• Moby and Eminem
• George Harrison and Eric Clapton -- friend or foe?
• Pearl Jam and Nirvana -- The battle of Seattle grunge.
• Kiss and Van Halen -- Two over-the-hill bands.
• Radiohead and Coldplay -- Two bands who want to be U2.
• 2Pac and Biggie -- The Bistro doesn't discriminate genres.
• The Rolling Stones and The Kinks -- Can you have more than one rival?
• Billy Joel and Elton John -- No comment.
• The Go-Go's and The Bangles.
• Neil Young and Lynard Skynard -- Two real rivals.
• Metallica and Napster -- Oh come on, that's funny!

Alright, there's what I could come up with right now. As always, your suggestions are better than mine.

Midseason Marks

Greensboro, NC -- It's time for some musings on the relevant teams. With a shaky 5-4 record, the Redskins are about to fall back to .500 with "Dallas week" ahead of them. Yes, the Skins have an easy schedule this year, but losses to an over-the-hill Eagles team in the 4th quarter shouldn't happen. Somebody should be fired for that loss -- the Skins have enough coaches to let one loose.

The Cowboys are better than what I thought that they would be. I'm not a fan of coaching changes -- I think it can derail offensive and defensive continuity. It's kind of shocking that Dallas is right behind the Pats in total offense. Who would have thought that a rookie offensive coordinator would be in that position? Then again, I remember over the summer that Jerry Jones was contemplating the hire of Jason Garrett as head coach. Garrett always came in for mop-up duty after Aikman slaughtered the other team. I always hated when he played.

Is Bill Belichek the new evil empire of the NFL? With the cheating incident, running up the scores, and his abrasive demeanor, do teams now see him as the league's villain? It wasn't too long ago that they were the heavy underdogs in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Teams that I thought would be better: Saints, 49ers, Rams, Dolphins, Jets, Ravens, Broncos
Teams that I thought would be worse: Browns, Lions, Packers, Texans, Cowboys, Raiders

Expected: Chargers -- Call it "The Norv Turner Effect"
Chiefs -- A good coach, but no QB
Falcons -- They were doomed before training camp

Stay tuned for that Pittsburgh-New England game during week 14. The Pats could be 12-0 at that time and that's usually the week when undefeated teams lose their first.

One of these days, somebody needs to do an analysis of building a football team; free agency vs. the draft. I'm a huge proponent of the draft, especially after reading John Fienstein's "Next Man Up." This book takes you through a season with the Ravens, and if there's a need to fill, the draft is the number one source. The Pats rely on free agency (more so recently), and the Colts utilize the draft. The Redskins don't know what the draft is. I really value the model of the Ravens despite their down-year. If the Redskins could stop throwing away draft picks like they're an unwanted flyer, we might have something.

The Great Pick 'em Dilemma

Winston-Salem, NC -- Who won week nine in the famous "Football Pick 'em Pool?" Here's the scenario for everyone to argue and voice their opinion:

Friday, November 2nd

• 3:13 p.m. - Monty e-mails his picks for week 8.

Sunday, November 4th

• Approximately 10:15 a.m. - The Commissioner begins compiling everyone's picks.
• 10:31 a.m. - The Commissioner notifies Monty that he turned in the wrong picks.
• 1:00 p.m. - The first couple of games kick-off.
• 1:13 p.m. - The chart is distributed to the group.
• 1:22 p.m. - Monty and Kevin both turn in their week 9 picks.

Monday, November 5th

• 7:50 p.m. - Kevin e-mails the Commissioner and says, "I'll take the home teams then -- rules are rules."

As Commissioner, it is my duty to enforce the rules and regulations of this pool. I do not make-up rules "on the spot." In this particular instance, I referred to the "Football Pick'em Official Rulebook."

Article I, Section I states: "All players must turn in their picks before the first kick-off of that particular week."

Article IV, Section II states: "A player may change his/her picks asmany times as possible before the pre-set deadline." The deadline was determined at the start of the season to be 1:00 p.m. on Sundays except when a Thursday or Saturday game occurs.

Further...

Article VII, Section I states: "The Commissioner does not have the obligation to remind any player to turn in their picks under any circumstances."

Monty even had 2 hours and 29 minutes to revise his picks!

After further review, the call still stands -- Barb takes home the cake, while Brice receives a small portion as the Monday night winner. Now tell me, how is my ruling incorrect?

B's Bistro asks...

Winston-Salem, NC -- B's Bistro asks...

Who would win in a spelling bee?

a. Superman
b. Wonder Woman
c. Ronald McDonald
d. Rick Flair

Kickball Re-visited

Winston-Salem, NC -- You finally thought that I ceased the blogs about our awesome kickball league? Well, our championship team received a small write-up in the local paper, "The Greensboro News & Record." See page 2 here for the official write-up and team photo!

I can attest to the article's reference about young adults being active and socializing. If your local city has a league of any kind -- kickball, softball, dodgeball, basketball, etc. -- get out and play.

I especially like the league's motto: "Kickball... it's not just for kids anymore!"