CalicoConsulting

My mind moves so fast that it can't keep up.

I started with my love of the pre-Elvis helmets and ended with why I like the new Patriots' foot-on-the-gas approach.

I guess switching paragraphs isn't always enough. See what happens when I write without running it by my own editor? She doesn't like the NFL...

Oh, more trivia. The Bucs wanted a new logo so they had a contest in the newspaper. The winner was the same guy who designed the logo for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL. Hence the similarities. I had my Bandit gear for at least 10 years after the USFL folded. Then I got too fat to wear it.

I loved the original Patriot logo. If not my favorite, pretty dam_n close. Even better than Bruce the Buccaneer.

Then, according to my not always reliable memory, the league was hit by the Flying Panther, the Flying Jaguar, and the Flying Elvis in a very short span, and they all look alike. And the dynamic new-look Broncos, and everybody else getting all dynamic and just looking amateur. Whoosh!

I loved it when the Panthers started using Carolina Blue, by the way. It's our history, and yep, in case you missed it, I'm a North Carolina homer.

But what's really dynamic is how the Patriots play. All 60 minutes, regardless of who's leading on the scoreboard. That ability will serve them well in these heady days where history could be made. I love Dungy, but after all those years of taking his foot off the gas in December and not being able to floor it again in January, we see who won most of those Super Bowls. That team with the wrong Patriot on the helmet.

That amazing Pats-Ravens game that I was too psyched to even type about continues the trend. Teams that were winning last year, but who are stinking it up this year, show up when they're against New England. I want to see the undefeated season mainly because I'm sick of Shula's schtick, but it's not gonna be a cakewalk.

Also, the June issue of my newsletter predicted the Super Bowl champs would be New England or Indianapolis, with a slight edge to New England. As long as we delete the word "slight," I like being right.

I think your bird is safe. Miss Picasso is strictly a fish-eating girl.

Sounds great, SwaziBird.

Oddly enough, I took some of their mataba out of my freezer this morning, threw it in the microwave, and called it breakfast. I had to meet a deadline, but I keep a freezer full of their goodies just for such occasions. I could walk there if I wasn't so lazy. I bicycle instead.

Put a pillow over his face and don't let go until he's silent. That might cure the problem for one night, or if you're lucky it'll cure it permanently.

Phil,

I bicycle everywhere so I've never learned to give directions to drivers who don't speak English.

If you get him on the Super Highway / Highway 11 / Ring Road, it'll curve west and then start moving north. (Three names because it's different on each of my maps. Welcome to Chiang Mai.)

By coming in this way, CAT is on your left and you don't have to worry about the one-way crap.

You'll probably notice Big C on your right. Then, on your left, you'll pass some furniture stores, Ramyen Inn, a Mazda dealer, a Mitsubishi dealer, and then CAT Telecom Center. Ding ding ding! Just past that is Provincial Police, and if you reach the underpass at Charoen Muang (Makro across the road), you've gone too far.

I'm getting all these landmarks by looking at my Chiang Mai Big Map, by the way. I was there two days ago, but my memory isn't THAT good.

Best regards,

Michael

Phil,

CAT is on the Super Highway, south of Carrefour and Makro and on the opposite side of the road, beside a police station.

I don't know where you're coming in from, but I usually take Charoen Muang Road across Nawarat Bridge and keep going, turn right at the Super Highway, and complain about the one-way crap because I can see it on my right almost immediately.

Good luck!

Michael

I can not think of anything good to say about the game.

It's over?

Actually, I'm happy the Steelers pulled it out. You guys have to threaten the suddenly mortal Patriots.

Just watched the thrilling Pats-Iggles match. First time I've seen AJ Feeley play. Not the first time I've seen Wes Welker play this year. Certainly not the first time I've seen Seau. Is it just me, or are the Dolphins bleeding talent like the 80s Bucs? That can't be good.

Oh, and now they're showing Chargers-Ravens. I can't watch that. I miss last year's Ravens. These guys make me puke like Leo Beer.

There are photos of the place at http://www.chinarice.org/santitham1.html as well. I'm a regular. The kebabs and mataba are also very good. They have an English menu that I'm going to study one of these days.

I heard about it from Lonely Planet, by the way. It's listed. And the book says:

"Sa-Nga Choen Doi (no Roman-script sign) dishes 25-40B; 8am-4pm. This long-running favorite makes the best khao mok kai and mataba in town; if you happen to be near the YMCA in Amphoe Santitham, it's a five-minute walk away. The homemade, unsweetened yogurt here is also highly recommended."

Enjoy!

What if we throw in a few thousand Rae Carruth jerseys?

Yeah, but will you trade Tom Brady to the Panthers? We have plenty of good draft picks to give you. We'll give you even more draft picks to take David Carr off our hands. He's better than Weinke, but so's Ulysses. Or his mamma.

Since I watched the Patriots/Panthers Super Bowl in China -- first NFL game I'd seen in 5 years -- I turned of the sound and read lips. When Delhomme threw the long bomb to Muhsin Muhammed, he yelled "Moose, you know you're my m@th@rf@ck@r!" Could I have sold that information to the Patriots?

I've just been informed that my surgery was ineffective. I still make too much noise. So I don't know what to tell you. I'm contemplating -- well, never mind. It won't solve your problem, will it?

I've just been informed that my surgery was ineffective. I still make too much noise. So I don't know what to tell you. I'm contemplating -- well, never mind. It won't solve your problem, will it?

Hi again.

Two or three years ago, I was published in TMQ's column. More recently, I was publicly acknowledged twice this year by Mike Florio, and that was sweeter than the emails. But I just went for the big time again, where I've often failed. Dr Z. Without a wine question this time, so wish me luck, friends.

Oh, and Favre is doomed in the Senior Bowl. Yo Vinny! Here's some Geritol!

Weird observation of the evening, after watching NFL Game Day. T.O. has done much in his career. Undeniable talent. Undeniable ego, too, but he's clever and skillful (aside from last year), so I forgive that. But this is the first time he's ever been a "team leader." No, really, look at the kids in Dallas with the dunderheaded coach and the well-intentioned meddling owner. This isn't New England. T.O. is a leader in Dallas. It makes him happy. He'll probably retire there. That might be what the guy needed all along. PLUS, he can read Hooked On Phonics faster than Dubya. Rock on, T.O.

Monday night, starting at 7, UBC 4 showed Dallas/New York and Pittsburgh/Cleveland, two great games. So I didn't watch the 4:30pm game today. I just watched CBNC's coverage of Colts/Chargers, starting at 6:00 pm, followed by NFL Game Day, and now Leno's interviewing Terry Bradshaw.

Tomorrow, UBC4, starting at 7 pm, two more games. I no longer watch anything live. Sunday night, Monday night.

And Jay just talked about a scandal with the Steelers. No, not the Pittsburgh steelers, those cheating signal stealers in New England. *groan*

Bring back Jim Druckenmiller!

"Naked butt and rectum" threw six interceptions. Uh oh, Peyton's turning into Eli...

All Don Shula cares about is his perfect season.

The Patriots, meanwhile, need to remember that the NFL has teams like Pittsburgh in it too. I'm sure Belichick won't let them forget. Y'know, Baltimore used to be a scary team. I guess they could be again, but apparently not against the Steelers. Wow.

And Panthers... I think it was Don Banks who said it was time to park the Carr and hide the keys. Play Vinny or the rookie, and laugh at the Vikings for talking to Weinke.

I think most of the public considers the Patriots 2007 a team with an asterisk attached to its name

Interesting. I think most of the public is laughing at how stupid the so-called controversy is. And I'm a Panthers homer, in case you missed it. The Patriots beat us in a Super Bowl. If I could go back in time and do a Tonya Harding on Tom Brady's knees, I would. And then I'd nail Kerry Collins just out of spite.

When I hear about how much time and effort is spent on SpyGate, versus how little it matters to anything at all, I have flashbacks to my days on the Board of the Chiangmai Expats Club. I'm still very much a part of that organization, but I renamed their Google Group "Much Ado About Nothing" for a reason. That's what this Patriot videotaping business is. Much Ado About Nothing.

Meanwhile, if Belichick has some new video footage of Manning poutily pounding the turf after his fourth-quarter fumble, I hope he puts it on YouTube.

I simply couldn't watch the NFL games live this week, because if I allowed myself to revert to my old Night Owl ways, I'd never recover. So I woke up this morning and swore off all NFL sites, this thread included, and watched the games with some suspense to them.

An hour before the Titans/Panthers kickoff, Gmail notified me that the Titans won. Dagnabbit. But upon seeing the game, well, there was only one pro team on the field, so I quit watching at halftime. The Panthers have two QBs crippled up, and Carr sucks. Both RBs are equally shellshocked and gunshy, so bye bye. And Wahl, who stepped on Vinny's foot and aggravated his arthritis, wasn't even blocking for Carr. Out! Then they'll have a team with talent and heart.

An hour before the kickoff of the greatest regular season game ever, bad officiating and all, Gmail notified me that the Patriots won. <deleted>!! I saw two defenses who were sick of hearing about what they were up against, and I saw two teams where every single player was a gifted athlete who never quit. Those early Colts FGs have to be haunting somebody. Those officials were nuzzling the home team a bit. I watched the whole thing thinking the Colts outplayed the Pats a little bit but knowing just how dangerous the Pats are, and I'd have thought all that without Gmail's crap. My heart's still pounding.

And lemme say it. Did the Patroits run up the scores in the games before this one? I never thought so, for the same reason I don't think "running up the score" happens in the NFL. I think opportunities to see what you can do against any NFL team's A-team, when the games count and they want to stop you with all they've got, are so rare that you have to take them all. In other words, the Pats were practicing for what they had to do to win this game. If that bugs somebody from the losing team, go play in another league or stock grocery store shelves.

Either team could have won this. That's what makes it great. And when they meet again in the AFC Championship -- if you think otherwise you've drank too much Beer Chang again -- either team can win regardless of where they play. Just a thrilling, thrilling game.

In another blinding flash of the obvious, whoever wins this AFC Championship won't see my Panthers in the Super Bowl. First time I've seen them all year. I think I can go without seeing them again this year. But if I'm not mistaken, I still have my very orange James Wilder jersey around here somewhere.

The Panthers were actually hanging with the Colts until Vinny's teammate stepped on his foot and made his arthritis act up. And Vinny's only one guy who played for the Patriots. New England has over 50 of them. It doesn't feel wrong at all to call a defending Super Bowl champ an underdog in their own doggie house. The Pats will pull it off.

I'm actually more worried about Titans/Panthers. I respect Jeff Fisher's competence more than I do any other coach in the NFL not named Belichick, and I have no idea who's slinging that thing for Carolina. It could get very ugly.

(Actually, I think I respect Fisher more than I do Belichick. Look at what he's working with, going back to the move from Houston. The guy was winning in Memphis. <deleted>?)

All branches of Rimping do a good job of stocking both Marmite and Bovril. If you're closer to Kasem, they probably have them too.

Michael