Friday, August 1, 2008
NFL Refs talk to the media about new NFL Rules
Posted by Alejandro de los Rios on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 8:55 PM
That man in the white cap there is Gene Steratore, a head NFL referee who, along with most of his crew and some college officials, briefed the media today on some of the rule changes taking place today in the NFL. Though the presentation itself felt like I was back in college, it was actually kind of interesting to hear the new rule changes and how they may affect the game. Here are some highlights:
"The way things are going, some airline is actually going to start charging for a glass of water..."
Posted by Kevin Allman on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 8:04 PM
And that day is today.
Sounds like the ticket agents who have to explain the new policy to the pax are thrilled.
Inflation, Metairie style
Posted by Kevin Allman on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 7:27 PM
Never thought I'd see the day when a scoop of Rocky Road was the price of a barrel of oil...
The Chinese don't think Chris Paul deserves a nickname
Posted by Alejandro de los Rios on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 6:54 PM
So NBA.com asked a bunch of Chinese NBA fans to give their favorite players some nicknames. Some funny ones include "German Racecar" (Dirk Nowitzki) and "Africa's Big Mountain" (Dikiembe Mutombo). Well, not funny as much as they are direct.
Notably absent though is Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Either the Chinese think he was undeserving (which is confusing considering fringe players Cuttino Mobley, Damon Stoudomire and Zydrunus Ilgauskus go on the list) or they haven't heard of him (which could explain it, since it was done before the 2007 season).
Thanks to the good folks at Deadspin for finding a Chinese name translator. Chris Paul, here's your Chinese name: Bai Shi hao. Kind of catchy, actually.
Alternative Space
Posted by Will Coviello on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 6:34 PM
The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) opens a new show Saturday night. Just outside the loop of Warehouse District White Linen Night traffic, the group’s gallery (1111 St. Mary St., 909-9172) hosts a reception (6 p.m.-9 p.m.) for “Elemental/Environmental: Space.” The above image is “Wet Beach” by Dennis Staffne. A preview of the show is on the NOPA Web site. The group blog is a good source for info on local photography shows and events. The gallery is regularly open on Friday and Saturday afternoons and by appointment.
Meet your new cornerback: Randall "Blue" Gay, the powerlifter
Posted by Alejandro de los Rios on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Trying to get to know athletes a little bit before interviewing them, I always spend considerable time looking up as many old articles as possible. Sometimes, you get as much information as you'd like (leading to questions about Jonathan Vilma's fluency in Creole) and other times, well, you're left wondering why there's not published account as to why Randall Gay's nickname is "Blue."
"You won't find it," he said. "I've been asked that question a million times. It was a nickname I got basically at birth and it stuck. That's what I go by. Randall, that's basically a media thing."
Blue (as he will henceforth be known in this space) said that he's not sure how he got the nickname, or even who gave it to him, but did offer a couple of the stories.
"One was that I was so black I was blue," he said. "Then I saw a picture and I'm like that can't be true 'cuase I wasn't that dark. And then another one was I had a blue birthmark but it must've disappeared cause I've never seen it. I don't know where it came from at all."
No matter the origin, we can definitely add this to the Saints nickname list. Another mystery is the note in the Saints media guide that he lettered in weightlifting in high school. Really? Like power lifting?
"I made it to state but it wasn't because I was real strong," he said. "I made it by default, they didn't have that many people in my weight class."
How much did he lift?
"It wasn't much at all," he admitted. "The weakest people go first and when I got to state I was the first person every time. I was always that first lift and then the next lift was always a 100 lbs heavier than what I had to do."
That' seems about right. After all, I can't imagine Blue, all 5-feet, 11-inches and 190-lbs of him, doing this.
Unsurprising News: Marijuana found on Snoop Dogg's bus
Posted by Alejandro de los Rios on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 4:34 PM
A day after meeting with Les Miles at the Rotary Club in Baton Rouge, Snoop Dogg was on his tour bus when it was pulled over for expired tags. Attorney Chris Lewis says that the bus' tags were not expired. But that's not the point of the story, the point is that Lewis represents two men on the bus that were found to have marijuana in their possession. The two were arrested while Snoop presumably slept in the back. That's right, he was sleeping. Had nothing to do with pot whatsoever. Nope. None.
Looks like the Carolina Panthers are getting along well
Posted by Alejandro de los Rios on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 3:34 PM
Steve Smith, who is no stranger to in-team confrontations, apparently took issue with another teammate this morning. From the Associated Press:
Carolina Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas has been carted off the field with an ice pack above his left eye after a fight with teammate Steve Smith.The melee came while most starters were on the sidelines during a special teams drill Friday at training camp. Linebacker Jon Beason eventually pulled Smith off Lucas.
Smith was then kicked out of practice (supposedly) and spent the next few moments talking to the kicker (the kicker!) John Casey. No details on what prompted the incident. I'm sure Saints fans would love to have those details to, you know, help Smith and Lucas work out their differences.
Thunder and lightning, so very frightening
Posted by Alejandro de los Rios on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 3:20 PM
What happens when you get a slight drizzle with a heavy dose of thunder and lightning? A bunch of football players and media members walking hurriedly away from the field looking for cover. The players and coaches went straight to the locker rooms and into meetings, leaving the media contingent in the media tent wodering what to do with no one to interview. Good thing the NFL officials meeting is today or else we'd have nothing to do.
Anne Rice's "Pandora" coming to the big screen?
Posted by Kevin Allman on Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 3:13 PM
So says the fan site ShockTillYouDrop this morning...
If you thought Queen of the Damned was the final nail in the coffin when it came to Anne Rice-inspired bloodsucker flicks, think again. An insider tells ShockTillYouDrop.com that Rice is actively pushing to get her novel Pandora onto the screen.Published in '98, the novel was the first in Rice's proposed "New Tales of the Vampire" series which continued with Vittorio the following year.
Interesting. So: who should play Pandora? Ellen Page? Anne Hathaway? Continuing the Tom Cruise/Lestat legacy -- Katie Holmes
Or would Mrs. Cruise have been better cast as the Queen of the Damned?
