The Wide Open Thread

by Dave the Falconer on Mar 19, 2009 8:00 AM EDT in Editorial Comment 30 comments

Have any of you seen a good movie recently? Read a good book? Played a quality video game?

Well, here's your chance to discuss it. Consider this the one day off from football discussion that we'll have all year. You can, of course, still talk about the Falcons, but due to the extreme crazitude of the day ahead for me, I figured I'd open the floodgates and let you guys run with whatever topics you want--within reason!

Fire at will.

Oh, and for college basketball fans, feel free to use this thread to expound on the day's action. I've got two brackets in order and I fully expect both of them to suck.

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video games

I’m too cheap to update Madden every year, so I’m still playing the 2007 version on my Playstation 2. However, I am happy to report, D.J. Shockley has led the Falcons to three Super Bowl wins in four years.

A shame we wasted that pick on Matt Ryan, huh?

by joshmassey on Mar 19, 2009 8:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No video games for me...

but, ive been watching a TON of TV shows on DVD. A few highlights:

The Wire: Im almost done with it and one of the coolest shows ive seen…. The character Omar is one of the best ive seen. Guy who played him is a bad sob.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: simply hilarious. Nothing off limits for em.

Weeds: pretty much everyone knows how good Weeds is… nuff said.

" No, I think I'll sit in the balcony " - Abe Lincoln

by tapate50 on Mar 19, 2009 9:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll second

Your opinion of The Wire. That show is high quality.

You should also check out Deadwood. HBO does some quality series.

If my mother put on a helmet and shoulder pads and a uniform that wasn't the same as the one I was wearing, I'd run over her if she was in my way. And I love my mother.
-Bo Jackson

by Pregame with Pabst on Mar 19, 2009 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Finished up the last episode of the last season

Im gonna miss Omar…

I need a new fix.

" No, I think I'll sit in the balcony " - Abe Lincoln

by tapate50 on Mar 20, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Deadwood!

Prob. my all time fave HBO original show! Al Swearengin was amazing. The actor who played him is now on that NBC show Kings. Saw the first epi, it was pretty good.

It’s Always Sunny…: AMAZING. That chick who played the hippie that one of them banged was an American Idol Hollywood finalist.

And with that, I just realized that I admitted to all of you that I watch American Idol. My daughter got me hooked on it. So sue me.

In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face.

by runningback on Mar 20, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Deadwood!

I would easily put Deadwood in my top 4 all time shows!

Agreed with Al Swearengen, one of the wildest personalities in tv history

Dead Like me would probably be #1 for me. A showtime show originally which found itself on Sci-fi channel. Totally original concept, great acting, hilarious humor, and violent comical deaths. what else can you ask for?

"Just want the Falcons to win a bowl before I'm gone!"

by Edgecrusher211 on Mar 20, 2009 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Mrs and I just saw Secretary

Man thats a kinky flick. A little S/M, wrapped inside a love story

"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something"

-Dick Butkus

by zooker on Mar 19, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I've recently discovered the wondrous world of Mega Man.

Purchased Mega Man 9 and, at first, was turned off by its daunting difficulty. Then I actually wrapped my brain around it and now I’m loving it. It’s a struggle going from games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Left 4 Dead to Mega Man. I can’t believe that I used to play the Mega Man games when they came out and actually beat them with only 2 lives and one continue. Guess I’m getting old.

Also bought Noby Noby Boy. One word: weird.

Of course, been playing Madden 09, roster update 3. My Birmingham Steeldogs are dominating the AFC South and are eyeing a promising pocket QB in the upcoming draft. They won the Super Bowl their first year of existence and have been in the playoffs for four years straight since the Tennessee Titans mysteriously disappeared and were replaced by a former AFL2 team.

"If the Falcons ever manage to win a Super Bowl in my lifetime, I'll french kiss a toilet." - a friend.

by tlozwarlock on Mar 19, 2009 9:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The classics are always the best

I love those old Mega Man games. Growin up on Atari’s and NES, you learn to appreciate the simple things. I remember when some of the first games came with a save option and I thought I was in heaven. Now, kids just don’t realize how lucky they have it.

Makes me want to break out the old Techmo Bowl games.

Reaper: Quickly becoming one of my favorite TV shows ever.

by Jesse28 on Mar 19, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm one level away from beating the last L4D campaign on Expert

And I’m at the end of Mega Man 9, but I haven’t made it to Wily. That game throws a huge middle finger at the evolution of the series, and without the damn slide you better be able to fargin jump precisely.

by Dave the Falconer on Mar 19, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No TV

I’m not a fan of sitcoms, I can’t stomach that fake laughter.

For me it’s Usually on ESPN watching highlights, Tennis, college football or Hoops. There’s also MMA generally on Spike that catches my interest.

As far as video games… Shadow Hearts, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, Megaman any RPG basically that I deem exciting.

I suck at Madden to be truthful, I love Hockey though.

"Just want the Falcons to win a bowl before I'm gone!"

by Edgecrusher211 on Mar 19, 2009 10:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

NFL Madden Head Coach 09

has dominated my life.

And i want to come over there and personally thank FrankyWren for changing my life. I now have CHimpanzee Ridin on a segway, cat flushing the toilet, boogie boogie hedgehog and Dramatic chipmunk hey on my ipod and phone ringtone!

go hard or go home

by TO falcon on Mar 19, 2009 11:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

LMAO

I’ve heard Head Coach is addicting … not sure if I want to tempt myself.

"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)

by FrankyWren on Mar 19, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How about a hilarious video...

That also ruins a treasured American children’s classic for everyone? Gotta go here.

by Dave the Falconer on Mar 19, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

books

Monday Night Jihad by Jason Elam turned out to be a pretty good read.

Strange mix of football and a kid that got drafted out of a military academy, so in the off-season, his duty is to his country. Pretty good.

And, it was written by our very own, ex-Bronco, now Falcons super kicker – Jason Elam

by MentallyMIA on Mar 19, 2009 11:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nioce

Sounds like something I need to go pick up.’

As for my current reading selection, I stumbled across an old 1947 book containing a collection of sci-fi shorts spanning the dawn of the nuclear age, with stories ranging from pre- to post-nuclear times. Some of the stories completely draw you in and you wish they were complete novels on their own, but the most interesting part is watching how the mentality of people changed as we as a human race, discovered and then fully understood what nuclear power can and did do. The way the stories change from early 1900’s to mid 1900’s is the real story because it’s almost like opening a window into how people thought then. Well, it’s interesting to me anyways.

by Jesse28 on Mar 19, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cricket!

I have to say, over here in the UK it’s kinda hard to get excited about all this draft speculation, so I’ve been slightly bored with football lately. I guess because college football isn’t broadcast here, so I don’t know who any of the players are…

I’ve been a little distracted by cricket news, though. It’s been a pretty weird and horrible few weeks for the sport – first with Texan cricket patron Sir Allen Stanford being arrested for fraud, and then when the Sri Lankan team narrowly escaped terrorist assassination in Pakistan. And I mean really, really narrowly. Some of them were hit by shrapnel and seven of their police escort were killed.

I mean, yeah, footballers’ antics make good copy for the scandal sheets (Michael Vick, Pacman Jones’ various escapades, Plaxico shooting himself in the leg, etc) – but if you like your sport with a side-order of international geopolitics, cricket’s the only way to go…

MentallyMIA, Jesse28 – the Elam book sounds intriguing. I was wondering – is there much football-related literature? With cricket, there’s practically a canon of books you must read, on top of the usual crappy ghost-written autobiographies of the star players. Are there any real classics about football that I should try to pick up? The only football literature I can think of is fiction: The Bowl by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is fantastic and I’d recommend to anyone.

by Ignoramus on Mar 19, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

OMG yes

Born and bred outside of the states (or even if you are not from the southern states)? Then I implore you to go read Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream or Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football. Both of these follow high school teams from Texas, the latter from the depression era, and really shine a light on why we Americans are completely obsessed with the sport of football (American style).

Another thing to indicate just how obseesed we are, is the fact that recently ESPN held a contest in which every town was pitted against each other for the right to earn the name “Titletown”. Out of all the major metropolitan cities we have, over the past centrury or more, and spanning any sport title imaginable, a high school town, Valdosta, GA, won because of its rich history in high school sports, mainly the epic yearly battle between Lowndes and Valdosta High. That one game practically shuts the entire city down.

Also, here in the south, our kids start playing organized football at the age of four or five, depending on what month they are born. We usually get them started in our backyards as soon as they are walking though. Yeah, we call that obsession love.

Here’s a quick search for American Football books.

Suggested reading:
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference
The Junction Boys: How Ten Days in Hell with Bear Bryant Forged a Championship Team
’Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment

And depending on how much weight you put into SI, here’s there list of the 100 greatest sports novels.

by Jesse28 on Mar 19, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Slumdog

Good.

Falcon Fans UNITE!

by Blue Falcon on Mar 19, 2009 12:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Haven't seen it

I’ll have to cave in to peer pressure eventually, I guess.

by Dave the Falconer on Mar 19, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

VERY VERY VERY GOOD

"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)

by FrankyWren on Mar 19, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I HATE MEMPHIS

CSNorthridge comes ridiculously close to beating them (despite what the final score will show). There’s a reason they are undefeated in conference play, their opponents are the likes of UAB, Tulsa, etc.

"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)

by FrankyWren on Mar 19, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

LOST

Best written TV series of all time.

Falcon Fans UNITE!

by Blue Falcon on Mar 19, 2009 2:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

prefer the first two seasons of prison break, lost is OVERwritten

go hard or go home

by TO falcon on Mar 19, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No way.

LOST blows my mind just about every other week. The plot has more twists than Chubby Checker. J.J. Abrams is an absolute phenom.

Falcon Fans UNITE!

by Blue Falcon on Mar 19, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can sum up Lost for ya

Series premier: Lost
Series Finale: Found

"Just want the Falcons to win a bowl before I'm gone!"

by Edgecrusher211 on Mar 20, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And UGA got a shout-out last night.

Sawyer, played for former UGA student Josh Holloway, provided Hurley with a Georgia sweatshirt.

by joshmassey on Mar 19, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Been watching Jimmy Fallon

I gotta say that he is doing better than I thought he would and certainly better than Conan did when he first took over. Jimmy tends to laugh a bit too much at his own jokes and needs to hone his interviewing skills just a bit as he tens to cut off guests.

I also have to admit that I am completely in awe of The Roots as his house band. They kill it every night and strangely it’s one of the things I look forward to the most on the show. They backed up Public Enemy the other night on the show. The absolutely hit it out of the park on Bring The Noize.

In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face.

by runningback on Mar 19, 2009 9:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs