Big Ten Media Day Recap

Yesterday was the kickoff to the Big Ten Media Days.  Here are a couple highlights (and lowlights):

BRADY HOKE

Tim at MGo and The Freep have a more detailed recap of Hoke's presser, but here are a couple of my favorites:

*  Hoke doesn't believe in rebuilding:  “I don’t think we’re rebuilding, period. I mean, we’re Michigan.”

*  Hoke on his recruiting success: “This might sound arrogant, and if it is, it is. We’re Michigan. We have a global education. We’re the winningest program in the history of college football.

* Angelique Chengelis of the Detroit News asked Hoke if he will practice something everyday for Ohio State: "Maybe ... (smiles) .... it's important."

APPARENTLY THE NUT DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE BUCKEYE TREE

And this is his happy face

The most bizarro comment came from MSU coach and Jim Tressel protege Mark Dantonio who had this to say about the disgraced Tosu* coach:  "Every person he's (Tressel's) come in contact with as a player and a coach, he's made a positive impact on their lives. To me, it's tragic. He becomes a tragic hero in my respect, in my view."

There are a lot of things you can call Jim Tressel (liar and cheater spring to mind) but "hero" is not on the list.  As Michigan radio color analyst and former player Jim Brandstatter tweeted:

When is lying to your boss, to the NCAA heroic. Is it heroic to teach young men that wrong isn't wrong unless you get caught? Gimme a break

Even MSU blog The Only Colors found that one a little, uh, strange:

And uh...yeah.  I understand why Mark Dantonio would make such a comment, he's known Tressel since 1983 and obviously sees the now deposed coach as a mentor.  However, what happened to Tressel was not tragic unless you consider hubris to be a particularly sad way to leave a job.  Tressel lied to the NCAA about players committing violations.  He could've suspended said players, suffer a couple 7-5/8-4 seasons, then continue on with ten-win campaigns in near perpetuity.  However, for whatever reason, Tressel chose the path of deception, and the result is months of free time.  If I'm measuring tragic coach firings on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being how Mike Leach was done at Texas Tech, Jim Tressel is the one.

Then again, you are talking about a coach who thought it was professional to call a college player, Mike Hart, names a couple years ago.  Hart may be small in size, but Dantonio keeps proving to be small in stature.

LUKE FICKELL SWEATS OUT HIS FIRST MEDIA DAY

As even The OZone said, the face of Not-Interim-But-Really-Interim Tosu* coach Luke "The Waterboy" Fickell "glistened" as he addressed the press during his last first Big 10 Media Day.  Glistened?  I thought it was Michael Phelps up there after winning Olympic gold in the 200m Butterfly.

Was he  nervous?  Well, you be the judge.  Below is an exclusive MZone clip of Fickell's presser.

Damn right I'm a Jim Tressel fan...for $11 bucks!

Our top secret spy behind enemy lines in Columbus, SiC, who sent us the pic earlier this week of the Sugar Bowl shirts on sale, has sent us another.

I guess those Tressel hats ain't fetching what they used to!

P.S. No, I don't have any idea where the hell SiC saw this. Judging by the background, it looks like he was shopping at someone's garage sale.  Then again, this looks like exactly the sort of place that would sell a hat like this.

Colin Cowherd's Revisionist History

Recently, Craig at HSR got in touch via Twitter to ask if I'd seen Tom Shales' new book about ESPN and Colin Cowherds' comments in it regarding the MZone (aka "that 'end zone' thing" if no fact checking is involved).

For those of you not familiar with it, in March, 2006 CowherdItSomewhereElseFirst "borrowed" one of our bits, read it on his radio show without attribution, then wouldn't give credit when he was called out on his act of douchebaggery.

At the time, the story actually became pretty big news in the sports blogosphere as bloggers rallied to our defense and some in journalism quarters noted it due to the ethical questions Cowherd's actions raised.

In any event, since I had not read the book, Craig was kind enough to send us the excerpt:

COLIN COWHERD: "That 'end zone' thing was really just nothing. That was more Internet babble. I read something that somebody sent to me anonymously. I’d never seen it before. I just said, 'This is funny,' and then we read it on the air. We didn’t know who it was. And then we got a bunch of people e-mailing us and killing us for it, and after a while I e-mailed back to somebody and said, 'Come on, dude. Get over it. We get it. We made a mistake.' And then I wanted to apologize, and the company said, hey, they wanted to review the situation. ESPN’s an aircraft carrier, not a sailboat. Our turning radius is pretty slow; when controversy happens, it takes twenty-four or thirty-six hours to get everybody huddled, listen to the tape, see what they think. So I would have apologized immediately but management said, 'Stay away from it for twenty-four hours, then we’ll address it.' And I did. But that was nothing."

Shales, Tom (2011). Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN (p. 620). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

Oh, where to begin.

First off, I'm a fan of Tom Shales' writing.  I loved his book on Saturday Night Live.  But as a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, the guy apparently didn't do one iota of basic reporting or fact checking when it came to this "anecdote" in the book.  I mean, to not even get the name of the blog correct?  Hell, if that is wrong in the very first line, how can you trust the other facts? (As Craig said when he messaged me about this, it took him a minute to even realize what Cowherd was referring to due to the "end zone" error.)

Even more disappointing, to my knowledge (and inbox), no attempt was made to contact us here at the "end zone" to, you know, get the other side of the story.  Apparently Cowherd's word was gold as far as Shales was concerned.

Yikes.  

Because that's not exactly what happened.  

First off, Cowherd didn't say he was reading something that somebody had sent him anonymously, as stated in Mr. Shales' book.  Listen to the piece right here.  Cowherd launches into it like it's a pre-planned bit and flat out says, "We went on the Internet this morning and we found a Wonderlic test."

He didn't, as claimed, say "This is funny" like he just got a reader email and was reading it.  No.  He wanted it to sound like it was something they created.  But hey, don't take our word for it, listen to the link above.

And Cowherd neither "wanted" to apologize and he certainly didn't want to do it "immediately."  In fact, when Cowherd got called on the carpet about his hackery, he flat out said he would not apologize.

It was only after the story started to have legs and was getting picked up by more and more sites - and the ESPN ombudsman got involved after being contacted by multiple sources - did Cowherd apologize.  No, Cowherd didn't "want" to apologize, he was forced to.

Then again, none of this should come as any surprise.  We are talking about a guy who, a year after "that 'end zone' thing," urged his listeners to launch a DNS attack against another blog, The Big Lead.

So don't be fooled by CowherdItSomewhereElseFirst's attempt to rewrite history.  He may have a bigger microphone on his side, but thankfully we (and others) have the facts on ours.

Dave Brandon wants to continue boning you with EMU for $70 a ticket

I'm not naive.  I understand that big-time college football is a big business with bills to pay and massive overhead.

But at what point does servicing the big business part cause one not to see the bigger picture?  When does the whorish pursuit of more money become so all-consuming that it robs fans, players and programs of something even more priceless?

Yesterday, the Detroit Free Press reported that Michigan AD Dave Brandon is against any home-and-home series with anybody but Notre Dame.

In a story entitled Michigan AD Dave Brandon doesn't want nonconference road games (other than Notre Dame), Brandon was quoted as saying:

"I don't believe we can or should go on the road for nonconference games when we can put 113,000 people in our stadium.  It's, financially, the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do for our fans, in terms of their ticket packages. And we're going to alternate with Notre Dame, so we're going to have one game on the road every other year. So the rest of those games, I would like to have at Michigan Stadium."

What a ginormous load of crap.

It's not the right thing, it's a short-sited bottom line decision to the detriment of the bigger picture for both fans, players and the program at large.

First off, Brandon doesn't believe Michigan "can" go on the road for a nonconference game due to the finances of giving up a home game?

Come.  On.

Folks, if Michigan - with the biggest stadium in the country, which sells out every game, with 3,900 sold-out high-priced club level seats and suites, with seat licensing fees tacked on to already-expensive ticket prices, with income from the wildly successful Big Ten Network, with merchandising revenue from one of the most iconic brand names in all of sport - can't afford to play a road game, then something is seriously screwed up with the sport I love.

And if Michigan can't afford to to do it, then nobody can.

Yet they do. 

Amazingly, Michigan somehow managed to have home-and-home series with Colorado, Syracuse, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon in the last 15 years before Dave Brandon arrived and the program didn't fall into financial ruin.  I think it could probably survive if we did it again.

Second, not only is it not "the right thing to do for our fans," it's the exact wrong thing to do. 


For fans and alums outside the state of Michigan or the Big 10's Midwestern footprint, those games are special.  I went to Oregon in '03 for the game and it was incredible (except for the outcome of the actual game, of course).

For players and recruits, those non-con games are also a plus.  To tell a kid from Cali that he'll be playing at Stanford while he's at U-M, or a kid from Texas he'll playing a home-and-home against A&M during his Michigan career, is huge.

Exciting non-conference games also keep Michigan in the national spotlight.  High-profile games keep the country talking about the Maize and Blue.  Are they a bigger risk since, without a playoff, one loss can kill BCS title dreams?  Of course.  But I think the rewards outweigh the risks.  And I'm not saying it has to be a Top 5 SEC team each year.  But for cryin' out loud, enough with padding the home schedule with EMU, WMU and any other directional university in the state of Michigan who'll come to A2 (or even worse, a 1-AA team).

Coming soon to The Big House for $70 a ticket?

Those games suck on all levels.

Competitively, they're a joke - or at least are supposed to be.  Since even the players don't care, it's hard to get pumped up (making the jeopardy of these games greater [See Appalachian State] than the risk of a moderately tough non-conference road game).

And while they may be a financial windfall to Michigan's coffers, they're a giant stiff one for the fans.  Seriously, $70 a ticket to watch Michigan play Eastern Michigan?  Or UMass?  Or Delaware State?  That borders on being criminal.

If this is really about the fans, then charge something like half price for games that, if we're being honest, are supposed to be over by half time.  Make it so a family of four can catch a game in The Big House for far less than the almost $400 bucks it takes now (between tickets, parking, concessions, etc.) for the filler games.

Put it this way, if Dave Brandon thinks a crappy home game against the EMUs of the world is "the right thing to do for our fans, in terms of their ticket packages," then I dare him to let season ticket holders opt out of EMU and WMU home games each year.

I double dare him.

But with a home-and-home against a team whose name is recognized beyond the Great Lakes, not only do fans and alums outside Michigan win when the game is on the road, but those buying U-M season tickets win when their $70 gets them something that's not intended from its scheduling to be a glorified scrimmage.

Unfortunately, sadly, I think Mr. Brandon's way of being penny wise and pound foolish is what we're stuck with.  So at least quit insulting our intelligence by saying you're doing it because "it's the right thing to do for the fans."

It's all about the money.  It's only about the money.  Period.

Trying to sell it as anything else is a complete and ginormous load.

Reader Submissions: Why a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Leave it to you, the MZone reader, to keep the site chugging along during the summer off-season.  Got a couple good pics in Ye Old Inbox over the weekend and had to share.

Two cars.  Two schools.  Two lives.

West Coast reader TG was in a grocery store parking lot in California when he spotted two cars parked next to each other - a BMW 5-series and a Honda Accord.  One had an Ohio State alumni license plate holder, the other sported a Michigan license plate holder.

Care to guess which was which?

click image for larger view

All Degrees Are Not Created Equal

Everything Must Go!

Our good buddy and frequent contributor Surrounded in Columbus who, as his screen name indicates, is forced to actually live behind enemy lines, sent us the picture below from a local sporting goods store.  They were selling 2011 Sugar Bowl gear for 50% off. 

I guess my question is: shouldn't these items be free since the game has since been washed from the Tosu* record books?

P.S.  No word from SiC on what red sweater vests are now selling for in C-bus.

MZone Art History: Mona Lisa After One Semester at Ohio State

The MZone isn't just about crass, low-brow humor. Far from it. We also seek to enlighten. Case in point, the inaugural edition today of a new feature we like to call MZone Art History.

Enjoy. Learn. Laugh.

Why getting married in The Big House is a bad idea

On the face of it, it sounds like an awesome idea: you can now tie the knot at The Big House.  Say "I do" right on the giant block 'M' at the 50.

Sure, it's a little pricey - $6K for a one hour ceremony on the field, $9K to use the big Jack Roth Stadium Club for the reception.  Then again, you ain't exactly renting a Ramada Inn ballroom, either.

For diehard Michigan fans, what could be better, right?

But in the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."

Why, you ask?  Simple math.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, in some cases), something like 50% of marriages end in divorce.  One out of two. And when one is divorced, quite often things that remind one of the ol' ex or The Day That Wasn't Meant To Be aren't, shall we say, a good thing.

Which means, if you bleed Maize and Blue and get married at The Big House, there's a 50/50 chance that, one day, sitting in the Hole that Yost Dug could be bring up memories as painful as watching a U-M coach sing Josh Groban tunes at the football banquet.  Just walking inside the gates at Stadium and Main could, conceivably, bring about the same sense of dread once reserved for settling in to witness one of Gerg's 3-3-5 defensive cluster fucks flailing around on the field.

Think about it.

When you watch a Michigan tailback tear off a 52-yard TD run into the south endzone, do you want to celebrate along with him?  Or do you want to be reminded that he's being mobbed by his teammates in the exact same spot that your former sister-in-law with the overly loud laugh kept making snide remarks about the best man following the ceremony?

When the drum major bends all the way back like he does during The Victors, do you want to marvel at his flexibility, or be reminded of your ex-wife's - which she's now sharing with that guy "Blaine" from Facebook who she swore was "just a co-worker?"

When a roar goes up in The Big House, do you really want to hear her attorney's voice informing you that your ex will now be living in your house?

Look, I'm not unromantic, I'm a realist.  Here to help you, the MZone reader, keep your love of Michigan football untarnished.  Pure.  Scar-free.  Because that's what I do, people - I give.  I give so one day you don't detest that which you love most.

So, is it really worth the risk?

You're welcome.

P.S.  Need the number for the Ramada Inn?

Keep it pure

You've got to be "quidding" me!

Our friend and Horns fan Rodger sent us this link about the "Quidditich craze" sweeping college campuses.  For those of you not familiar with it, Quidditich is a game based on the Harry Potter books and movies.

Judging by the pictures in the SI story linked above, the game involves placing a broomstick in innuendo-inducing places and grabbing it in ways that make it really hard not to laugh at the people playing.

People play this on purpose?

There's simply no way to look cool
grabbing your pole like this

Hey, there's a big red thing coming out of your ass

WTF?

Okay, maybe I'm being too harsh

Does a stick shooting out of one's ass mean you're
winning or losing?  Does it matter?

Now playing at the MZone Theater: Weekend at Brutus's

Last week, we brought you the, uh...touching...story of the deceased Buckeye fan whose family made their dearly departed dad the "permanent 'i'" in O-H-I-O.

Well, with a story like that, you knew it was only a matter of time before Hollywood got involved.  

Desmond

A Big MZone congratulations to Desmond Howard. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall this weekend. We can talk about this "retired numbers" business later.



To mark the occasion, I found this very cool custom NCAA 12 cover to cover up Mark Ingram's ugly mug. Thanks to the custom cover king, BigDmo for making this and just about every other team & player imaginable.

Note: As a warning, the "blogger" service we use reduces the size and quality of large images posted here. If you want the highest resolution and/or a cover designed for PlayStation -- go directly to BigDmo's page.

Note #2: I keep looking for a cover with Terrelle Pryor, but I can't seem to find one.

World Cup Final - USA USA USA!

Hope is the dream of a waking man.

~ Aristotle

Adventures in Heroism

Just in case you missed Yost's (re)tweet of the never ending stream of ridiculous news coming from our friends down south, I give your this little nugget:

A state-wide tribute to former Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel has been proposed by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association (OHSFCA).

Solon High School football coach Jim McQuaide proposed this idea to association members for head football coaches through out the state be decked out in a white shirt and tie for Week 1 games. The MZone was able to secure a preview of what Coach McQuaide is planning on wearing when his Comets take the field on August 27th against Shaker Heights.

Why would a group of professional coaches & educators choose to honor a man disgraced by his own dishonesty and disregard for NCAA rules you ask?

The state-wide gesture is to salute Tressel “for all he did to help (the OHSFCA) and high school football while he was the head coach at Ohio State.”

The tribute recommendation was unanimously approved by the members of the Association. The has been no confirmation to the rumor that warned any coach opposing such a stupid idea would be "stuffed in a cooler full of shit".

In other news, another group in the state has climbed up on the bad idea bandwagon. The Ohio Hospital- Newborn Organization (OH-NO) has started a campaign to honor the fallen Buckeye coach and his players. For the rest of the year, OH-NO is recommending that all new born babies get tattoo'd in a show of solidarity and buckeye pride.

According to the group's spokesman, Brutus Griffin Hayes: "We want every little boy and girl born in this football crazy state to know from their earliest memories, where they came from. In these difficult times, we want everyone to bond together and support our poor and misunderstood Buckeye heroes.... and oh yeah... FUCK MICHIGAN"

"Til death do us part" only applies to spouse, not school, for OSU fans

Wow.

That was all I could say when our Ohio-trapped friend, Surrounded in Columbus, sent us the picture below from the the official Ohio State University .edu website which had it up under the title "Now Dad is the permanent 'I'."

Look, if you've ever been to Columbus, you know Tosu* fans are a different breed but this...this...

Wow.

As SiC said in his email:

I'm not sure which is scarier - that the family "did" this, that they took pictures, or that Tous posted it on their alumni web site!

Reader CB also sent this pic/story tip to us after he saw it on Lost Lettermen where they summed it up this way:

We’ve never seen anyone look that overjoyed next to an open casket but being the “permanent I” is probably what many Buckeye fans consider eternal happiness.

One final thought...

Is it just me or does the cross on the wall in the background make it look like they're actually spelling out Tosu?

Wallpaper Wednesday: USA! USA! USA!

Today, the United States women's soccer team plays France in the semi-finals of the World Cup.  Following their stunning, heart-stopping shoot out victory over Brazil, we are fully on the bandwagon here at the MZone.  

Even better, I found this very cool wallpaper featuring Team USA:



So from all of us here at the MZone, best of luck to Team USA today!

Ohio: All Your Players Are Belong To Us

UPDATE:

Recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill weighs in on impact of Kalis switching to Michigan.



Over the weekend, two of the top high school football prospects in Ohio committed to Michigan as Brady Hoke continued to attract the best of the Buckeye state.

Kyle Kalis, a 5-star OL and Tosu* de-commit, chose the Wolverines after an unofficial visit on Sunday.  Kalis is the sixth-ranked offensive tackle in the country, the best player in Ohio and, according to MGo's TomVH, is already recruiting for Michigan.

Ouch.  That's gonna leave a mark.

This comes on the heals of 4-star Akron DB Jarrod Wilson committing on Friday.  Wilson is ranked as the #13 DB in the country by Rivals.

Yeah, I know Tosu* was gonna take a huge hit recruiting-wise after they were finally busted for cheating, but what Hoke is doing is nothing short of spectacular at this point.  I've heard of coaches "putting a fence" around their own state, but who knew Hoke's extended all the way down to the Kentucky border. 

Buckeye fan wants to literally "F*ck Michigan"

If you've ever spent any time around Buckeye fans (sorry), then you're familiar with their love of the phrase "Fuck Michigan."  From screaming it in your face near the 'Shoe to tee shirts with the words splashed across the front, it's practically (and pathetically) the official school chant.  In fact, I think Tosu* fans prefer "Fuck Michigan!" to "Go Bucks!" 

Typical Tosu*.

And then there's the ball of class with this tattoo...

According to tipster who sent it to Deadspin, the body art above belongs to one of his co-workers whom he described exactly as you'd expect somebody with this on him to be described:

Basically he is the biggest bigot/redneck to have ever walked this earth but that's makes him so goddamned adorable. We live in Columbus and he would happily chop his own dick off to bring Tressel back. This is also the same kid who claims to have, in his own words, achieved the "unpossible" because he was entirely convinced that he had smoked so much weed his poop turned green. So yeah, go Bucks, I guess?

Yeah, those bigots are oh-so cuddly and cute, aren't they? 

Seriously, is there any doubt this guy is a complete asshat?  Really?  You doubt it?  Look at the tattoo again.  The man paid money to have someone permanently put a tattoo of a giant nut mascot - with its pants unbuckled for realism - anally raping a wolverine.  Apparently "Fuck Michigan" wasn't classy enough for this guy so he decided to go full-on visual sodomy.

How "adorable."

On second thought, I'm now guessing that "bigot" is probably one of the nicer things you can say about this dude.

(HT: NR and others)

The Audacity of Hope

Major props to the USA Women's World Cup team for their thrilling shootout victory over Brazil today.

Try as the refs might to totally job the US, they found a way, scoring the latest goal in the history of world cup soccer to tie the game and send it to a shootout. 

Congrats and good luck in the semis!

I have a crush

New Arrival

In the wake of yesterday's news that the all the wins from the 2010 season will be vacated, Columbus retailers are scrambling to get the latest "Fuck Michigan" shirt on their shelves.

Downfall: OSU vacates entire 2010 season

More to come but had to get something up about the carnage in Columbus.  As you've probably heard by now, Ohio State vacated every win from its 2010 season and gave itself 2 years probation.

In a response submitted today to the NCAA, Ohio State admits allegations that then-coach Jim Tressel lied and allowed ineligible players to compete by failing to report that they had sold OSU-issued memorabilia to a tattoo-parlor owner.

But my favorite part of the Dispatch story linked above was this paragraph:

"The responsibility is upon Tressel. No other institutional personnel were aware" of the violations, and the former coach failed in his obligation to report them, the response says. "The institution is embarrassed by the actions of Tressel."

(emphasis MZone)

Gee, when your own school is "embarrassed" by you, that's pretty bad...and also a damn good excuse to repost Vestocchio!

MZone Exclusive: OSU iPhone App Final Screen Layout

Last week, Ohio State president and second-in-command to the football coach Gordon Gee gushed about a new Ohio State app for the iPhone:

Just downloaded wonderful new OSU iPhone app. All things Scarlet & Gray at a touch. I love it! 

 And the iTunes description for the app reads:

Hey Buckeyes, put campus in your pocket with the OSU Mobile app. Easy access to everything Ohio State offers, from viewing your grades to finding the nearest pizza shop. It’s free! Download it now! 

Couple things:  Looking for a "pizza shop?"  A "pizza shop?"  Is my grandmother designing apps now?  I guess they go to the pizza shop after they grab a drink from the soda fountain.  Second, of course it's free.  Aren't all things in Columbus?  (at least if you play football)

But the main thing we noticed was that the picture on the page couldn't have been for the final layout.  I mean the letter on the grade icon was an "A."  At Ohio State?  Yeah, right.

So in an MZone exclusive we have obtained a picture of the finished screen layout for the Ohio State iPhone App.  Behold...

The Worst Damn Parade in the Land

Reader and Twitter follower @AlKards sent us a link to the Westerville, Ohio (natch) 2011 4th of July parade where they had a "Tribute to Tressel" float.  Let's take a look, shall we?...



Like the t-shirt we "discussed" yesterday, they have a bunch of stats on there that are going to be, shall we say, "incorrect" as soon as the NCAA is done investigating.

And I can only hope Westerville's tax dollars didn't go into putting that awesome display on.

But my absolute favorite part of the " tribute" are the two riding lawn mowers at the end.  You know, because what's a parade without motorized yard care equipment?

ED. NOTE: Props to The Buckeye Battle Cry for their sense of humor and twitter response to the lawn mower comment: Dude, we already burned the couches... wasn't much left to sit on.

Thankfully, Buckeyes make blogging easy in the off-season

It's hard to find the motivation or the material for a college football blog after a long holiday weekend in July.

But thankfully I can count on: a) you, the MZone readers and b) Ohio State, its fans and athletes to keep our little corner of cyberspace going during the dog days of summer.

First off, our pal SiC sends us the pic below of a shirt being sold in Columbus-area stores.  Basically it's a "Tressel Tribute" tee.  However, as you can see, they forgot a couple things.  Like thanking him for the sanctions that will be coming.  Or for the lying to the NCAA.  Or for embarrassing the school and making it a punchline? (I know, redundant). 

Oh, and as for the thanks for that 9-1, somebody forgot to add a big ol' asterisk there.  Plus, I can promise you that at least one of those wins will be stricken from the books after the NCAA is done looking into the stink hole that was Tressel's tenure.

Then again, facts probably don't matter to Tosu fans.  And why would they?  They're just the sort of folk who would purchase a t-shirt with this much shit written on it to begin with.  If you purchase something like this, you probably already own multiple NASCAR and airbrushed articles of clothing.

'Nuff said.

Next, the fine folks @ToolBoxBlog sent us this retweet by Terrelle Pryor.

I wonder if TP was at the tattoo parlor when he decided he had to pass this one on to his followers? Or perhaps he was test driving a car out of state over the entire holiday weekend (you know, like all of us get to do) when such profound insight into the human condition caused him to pull over and retweet the nugget above.

Anyway, thanks to both SiC and TBB for the comedy gems.  And more importantly, thank you Tosu for making it oh-so-easy to keep the site going over the summer.

Happy 4th of July!

Have fun, be safe and remember...

Kickoff is now less than two months away!

UPDATE: By reader request...