Normal Rockstar

Rockstar Runners running club launches

Today marks the official launch of the running club Glenn and I have been dreaming about for a while. If you are a runner or would like to START running but haven't had the desire or the motivation to get off your couch, we hope you'll join the team and allow us to run/walk alongside you. For those really ambitious folks, we are making our inaugural event the Country Music Marathon/Half-Marathon in Nashville on April 26th, 2008. If you sign up to join the team we will send you a discount code for when you register for the event.

So join the team - or at least check out the page at www.rockstarrunners.com!

Weird Things Today

I'm in Oshkosh, WI today and things are not what they seem. For starters, it's almost 90 degrees out - in October. Isn't it supposed to be fall right now? College football is pretty crazy too, today - another upset with Illinois over Wisconsin; and Tennessee is up 28-0 at the half against UGA. So, in the spirit of weird things this weekend, I thought I would bring this story to your attention:

"A Czech couple who decided to take a DNA test to squash persistent pub gossip and prove that their 10-month-old baby was their own got a nasty surprise.

The couple, from the southeastern town of Trebic, had some doubts about the child as her hair was blonde and they both had dark hair. Fellow drinkers' suspicions got on their nerves.

But the test showed neither of the parents had the same DNA as the baby, Czech news agency CTK reported Wednesday, suggesting a mix-up at the hospital.

Authorities were looking into the case."

Watch the video here.

           

Football: America's Cultural Obsession

Canada has hockey; America has football. The NFL has just completed it's 4th week of regular season play, and things are really heating up. I was talking with someone on the road this weekend about how much football is available for Americans to watch every week: there's Sunday Night Football on NBC, Monday Night Football on ESPN, a game or two on Sundays on Fox... and that's just the NFL! Saturday is chock full of college football games - I have friends who allow their whole day to be ruined if their alma mater loses a game.

Just for the record (and for any new readers) I am Canadian and hockey is my first love. However, I will admit that I look forward to the start of football season every year for the simple fact that I enjoy the cultural elements it produces. It's fun to relax on Sunday afternoon with friends and watch a game - the only times I can justify eating a hamburger are either Sunday afternoon or Monday night, depending on which night we're watching a game (the exception to that rule is when I'm in California - In-N-Out Burger is a must stop then!). And the best part of it is that my wife is a fan too - we can enjoy the games together.

So having said all that, this is some of what I'm following this year (and I'm talking NFL - there are too many teams in college football for me to keep track of, and I don't have any ties to ANY of them, so I'll just enjoy watching the upsets):

1. The Tennessee Titans: There's really two stories here I'm enjoying. One is Vince Young - he's the guy everyone's talking about and for good reason: he's just exciting to watch. He's been able to lead this young team to a better start than I think many of us had expected. The second story I've been enjoying with these guys is that of Jeff Fisher, now the NFL's longest-tenured head coach. I always respect a coach/athlete/pastor who can commit for the long haul - and Fisher has done that with the Titans and just recently agreed to another 4 years. Good stuff!
2. Brett Favre: I've been rooting for this guy for a long time. He's a great leader, well respected among his peers, and is nearing retirement (I'm pretty sure he's been toying with it the last couple of off-seasons). He comes back this year and starts out winning his first 4 games - at 39 years old. He broke a touchdown pass record too - and every time I saw him interviewed about it he would deflect the attention and talk about his teammates instead. Just classy - I hope this is the season that will allow him to retire on top.
3. Go Lions!

What are you following this year?

Spin Rage

Here is a great story concerning a case of "spin rage", if you will... Apparently, during a spin class at a posh gym in New York a stockbroker got fed up with the grunting and noises of another participant and picked him and his bike up, slamming them against the wall, and causing a back injury to the victim that required surgery to correct. Someone must have had a hard day at the office!

Technorati Tags: fitness, fox news, spinning

"Invincible" the New "Rudy"?

The other night my wife and I watched "Invincible" with Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear. It's a Disney feel-good movie, but I got choked up again - and this was at least the second time I've seen it! I guess I've got a soft spot in my heart for this type of sports movie - the one that celebrates the underdog. It's right up there with "Remember the Titans" and older classics like "Rudy" and "Hoosiers".

In case you're unfamiliar with the movie, it's the true story of Vince Papale, a 30 year-old bartender who made the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles after attending an open tryout. If you haven't seen it yet, pick it up - it's a safe, great date-night option. Read an interview with the real-life Papale here. Let me know what you think once you've watched it!

Technorati Tags: football, greg kinnear, mark wahlberg, movies, walt disney

All That Is Wrong with American Television Programming

Last night I experienced one of my greatest frustrations with American television programming. My wife and I were relaxing in our hotel room after an evening show, and I stumbled upon a CFL football game - Canadian Football League, for the uninformed. There are varying opinions on whether the CFL is better or worse than the NFL - I do not intend to debate that here other than to say that I think the CFL is a more pass-friendly game as the teams are only allowed 3 downs. (If you actually care about the differences between the two leagues, 13thMan.com has a great comparison.)

We had a great time watching the end of the game which went in to overtime. As they were wrapping up the game, the announcers said, "And now we're going to take you to the second game in our double-header between the BC Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders." I was thrilled - I grew up rooting for both of these teams.!What were the chances that I was actually going to get to watch them play in a hotel room on the top of a mountain in Georgia?!?

Well, as Dave Ramsey says, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. And such was the case last night. Promptly after they made that announcement, the screen read "We now return to regular programming already in process" and they switched to who-knows-what kind of lame show (I was so disgusted and shocked I just sat there in disbelief for a few seconds before simply turning off the TV).

Oh, you evil American TV programmers... you have no respect for your Canadian viewers.

Mark Schultz Bikes Across America

Mark Schultz has to be home of my favorite guys in CCM. We have known each other for a while know - we were on the same record label for a couple of years and enjoy getting caught up when we bump into each at various events. Mark is one of the best entertainers I've seen live - he's funny, he's got a quick wit, and he can hold an audience's attention for a whole show by himself.

He's also a very brave man... as far as I know he's the first man in Christian music to pose in a spandex outfit (Bibleman doesn't count!) for promo pictures since Stryper! Mark has spent the last couple of months riding a bike across America helping to raise money for widows and orphans around the world through The James Fund. He'll be leaving from Wooster, OH today - make sure you check out the website and visit his blog to offer some words of encouragement. They've done a great job of keeping it updated. I believe they're even open to having people join him if they can keep up with him!

Way to go, Mark! Press on... Wish I could join you!

The Cup in America for Another Year

I watched the whole hockey game last night - did you know there was a hockey game on last night? - and it was a hard game to watch. Ever since a member of my community group from church asked me when the Stanley Cup was won by a Canadian team last (and then proceeded to tell me that the last time was in 1993 when the Montreal Canadians beat the LA Kings), I've been cheering for the Canadian teams. We actually had one in the final this year - the Ottawa Senators - but they just self-destructed last night... Oh well... there's always next year.

Next thing on the hockey agenda: save the Predators.

Predators to be Sold

So it's official - the Nashville predators are being sold. I just saw this on the news at the gym today and rushed home to read what I could find out. Basically, there's not much being said yet - you can read an open letter to fans from the current/outgoing owner on the Predator's website. I haven't seen anything about whether the new owner is planning on moving the team or not - it doesn't look like they're going to announce much about that until next month.

HOWEVER... I have found out that if you are a fan and would like to keep the Predators in Nashville, there is something you can do. Check this out from a fellow Preds fan [HT: PredJo]:

Okay, hockey fans. I lost sleep last night over the fact that our (proposed) new owner will certainly have an interest in moving the team from Nashville. So, I called the NHL corporate offices, not expecting them to care of my concern. The operator connected me with someone in their Communications/PR section. I explained I am a passionate hockey fan in Nashville, a long-time season ticket holder, and that I would like to see the NHL do anything it can do to ensure that the team stays in Nashville-be it NOT approving the sale of the team OR in NOT approving a move.

Oddly enough, the man I spoke with said that when Mr. Balsillie proposed to buy the Penguins a year ago, they received countless calls from Pittsburgh fans urging the NHL and the Commissioner to ensure hockey would stay in Pittsburgh. They logged all the calls, and passed a summary of the calls along to the Commissioner. He said that the calls make a difference. On the off chance that the expression of passionate fans about the Nashville Predators might make a difference, would you please take a few minutes and call the NHL corporate offices to express your opinion? And please pass this request along to others.

The number is 212-789-2000

Thanks for your effort.

So it looks like we still have a chance to keep the Preds in town. Please - regardless of whether you live in the Nashville area, would you take a minute and call the number above to express your desire to keep the Predators in Nashville? If nothing else, do it for this displaced Canadian who would go crazy without his hockey fix in the winter...

Nashville bloggers, it's time for you to step up and make some noise! Let's get the word out...

 

Track me

Tomorrow Erin and I will be running in the Country Music Marathon here in Nashville. I'm pretty excited about it - we've got a number of friends who will be running also and I'm thrilled to be doing another run. Erin's going to do the half (13.1 mi) - I'll be running the first 11 mi with her and then when the two courses split I'll go on and finish the full. If you have nothing to do tomorrow morning and would like to follow along and see how we do, go to www.bimrace.com/cmm and look for the running name dhJeremy - that will be Erin and I for the first 11 mi and then just me for the rest of the race. The race starts at 7am CST - we probably won't make it to the starting line until 7:30am or so.

Thanks - I'll make sure we post some pictures when we're done! Time to start eating some carbs...