Bull 24/7 ... All Bull All The Time

Stuff I follow....Good information

2012-01-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/stress_relief.htm

Crennel a Solid Choice for the Chiefs

2012-01-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

64 Year old Romeo Crennel is a solid choice for the vacant head coaching position of the KC Chiefs going into the 2012 season.

Crennel is a long-time coach with over 40 years of coaching experience. The Chiefs need some stability and leadership from their head coach and Crennel has shown that he is a capable leader. Many point to his losing record as a head coach in Cleveland, but which head coach has had a lot of success in Cleveland?

Looking forward to 2012.

Royals moving in right direction.

2011-08-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

The KC Royals are moving in the right direction (player wise) with good young talent now playing on the big-league team. Hosmer has been solid since being called up, Giavotella looks like he is going to be a fan favorite and solid hitter and Moustakas will hopefully get his bat going as he gains experience facing major league pitchers.

The Royals' biggest challenge is obviously pitching. In particular, starting pitching. I like the idea of moving Crow and Holland to starters next year and giving them a shot. With the position players the Royals have, they could be pretty good in a year or two with just decent starting pitching.

It's been a long time since the World Series (1985). I was a senior in college. The All Star game is coming to the K next year. Wouldn't mind seeing another World Series in my lifetime.

Lathrop R-II Schools in good hands

2011-07-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

For the first time since 1992, I will not have a child in the Lathrop R-II school system. I grew up in the Lathrop community and graduated from LHS in 1981. My oldest daughter was a "13 year senior" and graduated from LHS in 2004. My youngest daughter was also a "13 year senior" and graduated from LHS this past May. I served on the Lathrop R-II Board of Education from 2005 to 2008. I have more than a passing interest in the city of Lathrop and Lathrop Schools in particular.

This past school year, Lathrop Superintendent of Schools Dr. Chris Blackburn retired after serving the district for nine years. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Blackburn as a board member and she was an extremely intelligent and competent leader.

Hiring a Superintendent is a very challenging and daunting task for the Board of Education. The Lathrop BOE, chose to hire from within. Chris Fine, who had been serving the district as Middle School Principal was the choice.

I have also had the opportunity to know Chris both as a person in the community, as an administrator and worked with him as a BOE member. I applaud the Lathrop BOE for this excellent choice. The Lathrop R-II school district is in excellent hands and leadership!

Many changes have already been made. Communicating with patrons and parents is always a challenge for a school district. The school website ( http://www.lathropschools.com ) has been revamped and looks great. Lathrop schools are also now on facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lathrop-School-District/137205446359107 ) and on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/lathropschools ). Want to stay in touch with what is going on? "like" on facebook and "follow" on twitter.

School starts August 17th.. are you ready? ( http://lathrop.schooldesk.net/Calendar/tabid/8175/Default.aspx )

Go Mules!

Brian Bullock

http://www.brianbullockconsulting.com

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/brianscottbullock

http://twitter.com/#!/bull24_7 (@bull24_7)

http://www.lathropmoonline.com

The New Look Moonline

2011-04-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

LathropMoOnline.com was started over five years ago. At the time, there was a lack of online/realtime news and information for the Lathrop area. A lot has happened in the past five years. Since I no longer live in Lathrop, I have determined that it is impossible for me to continue to try to make the moonline a news site. I will leave that up to the professionals in the area. Personally, I like the Clinton County leader the best, and Brett does a great job of covering the Lathrop area's news. In addition, Facebook and Twitter have overtaken the world. People routinely post their kids' pictures and sports pictures and post stuff that is going on. Newspapers and news websites are kind of becoming obsolete.

Lathropmoonline will continue to roll along and will simply be an information site. Links to sites that are important to Lathrop people and a Twitter feed will highlight the sight. I sincerely appreciate the support the site has received over the past five years and look forward to the support the "new look" site will receive. I continue to build and manage websites. I currently manage sites for the City of Lathrop, The Lathrop Friendship Festival, the Lathrop PTO, ParkLawn and numerous other sites.

I still consider Lathrop "home" and always will.

Cafe Verona - A "No Bull" review

2011-03-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you tired of the usual "chain" restaurants, why not give Cafe Verona a try? Located at 206 E. Lexington on the historic Independence square, I found Cafe Verona to be a welcome change from the rut that is corporate chain restaurants that are generally over-priced and fast paced. It is also a great environment to take that someone special in your life for a quiet romantic dinner.

Cafe Verona says on their website: "Cafe Verona will whisk you from the Midwest to the romance of Italy". http://www.cafeveronarestaurant.com/ Now, I've never been to Italy, but their promise was true. I was there with a very special person in my life and the experience was wonderful, from the time we entered the front door until the time we left.

We arrived on Friday evening at around 8:00 p.m. We were promptly greeted and seated by 8:01 p.m. For starters, a 1/2 liter of house Lambrusco and Sicilian Artichoke dip, which was a delicious combination. My beautiful lady had the Chicken Carciofi and I had Seafood Diavolo Nuovo. One little hint, try the cranberry and walnut spinach salad. It is wonderful, as were the main course entrees.

Our server J.J. was very friendly, taking time to talk with us and was outstanding. The final bill was very reasonable, $59.00. Not a bad price for the excellent food and service. A $13.00 tip was added (always tip well for good service!)

I would highly recommend Cafe Verona! Give it a try. I will definitely be back.

TGIF and TGIMarch

2011-03-04T03:57:00.000-08:00

I lost another pound this past week. Since Thanksgiving, I have lost 29.8 pounds. Getting really really close to the 30 pound mark. One pound may not seem like a huge amount, but I am pleased with it. Losing weight is very hard, yet so simple. Every study you read says that losing weight slowly is the most effective way to do it and to keep it off. I am not doing anything special. Just two things, eating lots of fruit and vegetables and controlling portions. I am also going faithfully to 24 hour fitness.

The weight on the scales only is a number. Yeah, I am at a weight that I haven't seen in 15 to 20 years, but that is only part of the story. It's all about feeling better about myself. I want to thank the people I work with, who are so supportive. I was complimented twice yesterday by different people on how they could really tell that I had lost weight and looked really good! Thank you to those people.

You can do it also! Get up off the couch. Walk or do some kind of activity. Don't binge eat (something I struggle with). If you fall, get back up. It's a long, difficult journey. Like life, losing weight is a series of ups and downs. It's a process. If you get off the path, force yourself to get back on the path.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Weighing In

2011-02-18T03:55:00.001-08:00

I lost 0.6 pounds this week.

Since February 20th, 2010: 44.4 pounds lost

Eating fruit, control portions, exercise!! All combined work! I wasn't perfect this past week in diet, but it's all about getting back on track after "falling".

Inspiration, Hope and Love

2011-01-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

I went to my mailbox this morning after not checking it for a few days. In it, was the book that was waiting for. I cannot remember the last book I read, it has been a little while. When I found out about this book, Never Surrender, A Champion's Fight, The Incredible Story of Cory Wohlford, by Bob Davidson, I had to order it and I did.

I opened the package and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. It is 211 pages (with some pictures). It was a very meaningful story to me, because I consider Cory to be a friend and a person that is incredibly strong.

In high school, Plattsburg and Lathrop were the bitterest of rivals. We literally hated one another. Here I am, 30 years later and several of those "hated rivals" are now people that I consider my best friends....Cory, David G, Robbie B. All great guys that have grown into men.

The book took me through a lot of emotions, because it was about a lot of things, perseverance, parental love, brotherly love, and many other types of love. Love of people for other people. Parts of it brought tears to my eyes. As we just entered 2011, I realize that this is the 30th year since Cory, and I, graduated from high school.

In May of last year, Cory was nominated for a Shining Star of Perseverance award at an insurance company that covers people for disability. They have an award they present each year to a person that has overcame disability and persevered. He received, by far, the most number of votes for the award. He was too humble to accept the award. He just says, there are a lot of people that deserve it more than I do. But I will tell you, there is not a person on this earth that deserves it any more than Cory did. I had the honor of sitting with him as he was recognized.

https://www.createspace.com/3501790 ( I highly recommend this book, you will be inspired by this man's courage and incredible will to win...and overcome adversity.) http://www.amazon.com/Never-Surrender-Champions-Fight-Wohlford/dp/1456350064/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1294015924&sr=8-13

I was inspired, and I think you will be inspired. Cory, you are a great man!

Chief's Entire Team needs to step up!

2010-12-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

It is easy to put all the blame to last week's loss on Brody Croyle. The Chief's could make excuses for their loss, but there really aren't any excuses that fly. The ENTIRE team needs to step it up for this Sunday's game in St. Lous. The offense, defense and special teams all stunk last weekend in San Diego. The coaches installed a game plan that was a complete failure. The play calling was predictable and horribly boring to watch.

This week, with or without Matt Cassel, the Chiefs need to establish the run and play defense and cover on special teams. The Rams aren't that good of a team, but the Chiefs haven't been very good on the road this year. No matter who the quarterback is, stretch the field once in a while, so the Rams don't stack the box with eight or nine to stuff the run.

I predict that the Chiefs will show up this weekend and will win 21 to 17. Go Chiefs!!!

Losing Weight Is Hard as Hell!

2010-12-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

I have never been a "thin" person. Just ask my mama, even the day I was born in 1962 I weighed in at 10 pounds 13 ounces! Over the past 48 years, I have struggled with my weight. Working for over 25 years at a desk, not eating right, heredity, all play a part in my weight issues.

I have always been a skeptic as related to diet programs. Always felt like they were for weak people and always scoffed at the incredible amounts of money that all the programs make each year. They are money-making machines. I always said I could write a book on how to lose weight, or conversely, how to gain weight. Reduce your physical activity and eat a lot and you will gain weight. Eat more sensibly (just enough to be full) exercise and you will lose weight. End of book. Of course a two sentence book probably wouldn't sell many copies.

This month, I joined WeightWatchers. My very good friends were in the program (or weight loss journey as they call it) and had outstanding success. R & S have had amazing success, both losing a lot of weight and look wonderful! I decided to go to a WW meeting, even though I have never ever been a part of a formal weight loss program before.

Yeah, the meetings are kind of corny and I have tried to remain sensible. I believe if you obsess about anything in life, you have difficulty sustaining. My first weigh in was last Monday, Dec. 6th and I had a 9.4 pound loss!! Quite motivating. Of course I won't lose that much each week, but I am well on my way to my goal. Most experts will say that I, as a 6'3" male, should weigh around 200 pounds (ideal weight). I can tell you that I have not weighed 200 pounds since my freshman or sophomore year of high school. I have a lot of weight to lose and am highly motivated. I am "on board" the journey to a healthier me.

Yeah, I will probably fall off the wagon on occasion, but that is ok. It's all about getting right back on the wagon after you fall off. That is what I really like about the WeightWatchers program. It is sensible. It does make sense.

******
Update (12/18/2010) - Over 15 pounds lost so far. Next weigh in is Monday (20th). This past week was quite challenging with holiday parties gallore, but I am determined to stay on track!

Chiefs on the Rise

2010-10-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

The 2010/2011 Kansas City Chiefs have displayed that they truly are a team on the rise. With the addition of some great new playmakers Tony Moeaki, Dexter McCluster and others, the Chiefs added explosiveness to a lineup that already had some talent. On offense, Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles are as good a running back combo as there is in the league. The defense has stepped up this season so far and playmakers like Derrick Johnson, Glen Dorsey, Brandon Flowers and Tamba Hali are all playing at a high level.

The Chiefs are 3 and 2, but really could easily be 5 and 0 at this point.

Now, on to the referees. The NFL referees certainly have a tough job, but come on. Two penalties that should never be called are pass interference and holding. Let's face it, holding happens on every play. Just turn them loose and anything short of tackling a defensive guy should be legal. Same with pass interference. Unless the defender tackles the receiver, pass interference should never be called. The referees are way too much a part of the NFL game, which I hate!

August 26th: National Dog Day Do's and Don'ts | Pet and Animal News | PetPeoplesPlace.com

2010-08-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

August 26th: National Dog Day Do's and Don'ts Pet and Animal News PetPeoplesPlace.com

Looking for a Job in America - 2010

2010-08-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything on this blog for a while. Since I last posted, I was permanently laid off my job in a company that I had been with for 25 years. So in no time, it was "goodbye job security" and "hello, I'm looking for work".

A lot has changed in job searching in 25 years. Now everything is online. A person has to also look out for scams and all kinds of people wanting to take advantage of the unemployed.

I have sent out a bunch of resumes, talked to people in my "network" and posted to job boards. It is a drag! The job market isn't all that great right now, but I am confident I will land something.

I have posted an online profile also: http://www.lathropmoonline.com/brian.htm

UPDATE: Found a great job! Start Sept. 20th

What happened to all that hair on your face?

2010-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have been asked by several people why, after all these years of having a beard and mustache, did I choose to shave it off. Basically, there were two reasons I chose to be clean shaven:

1) DS - A very young lady I work with was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The prognosis is very good, however, she does have to undergo chemo followed by radiation therapy. The main reason I shaved was in her honor. She is an authentic, beautiful, nice young lady and it hurts all that know her and appreciate her that she is having to fight this battle. The chemo and radiation will probably cause her to lose her gorgeous blond hair. Who knows, when that happens, I may shave my head to support her.

2) I plan on umpiring competitive softball this summer. It is much more comfortable to wear a mask against a clean shaven face than a bearded face. Especially for six or eight hours in a day.

I have not been completely free of facial hair in over 25 years. I kind of like it, if I do say so myself. God bless.

Brian

Addicted to Facebook...Very Funny!

2010-04-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Dad, I Miss You

2010-04-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

I had the greatest dad in the world, really did. He had three sons and loved each of us. I remember thinking as a kid of how proud I was of my dad. He was smart and strong and took care of us all. Suddenly, on April 2, 1981 he dropped from a heart attack. Suddenly, he was no longer with us.

It has now been 29 years (10,585 days) since his death. I still remember his laugh, his smile and how proud he was of "his three boys". I miss him more and more each day.

I wonder what he would think of his grandkids. What he would think of his great granddaughter. I think he sees them now and smiles. He sees some part of himself in them. I hope he sees some very small part of himself in me.

Dad, you are gone but never ever forgotten. It still hurts and I still miss you. They say time heals all wounds. I don't know that I will ever get over the loss of my dad and the very young age of 42.

Your loving son,

Brian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw730VmshbE&feature=related

Funny

2010-04-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/different-kind-of-company-name.html

My Friend Jon

2010-03-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Jon Carl Kirby

This past week, I had to go to a funeral of a good friend, Jon Kirby, who died much too young at the age of 50. Jon left behind a loving wife and two daughters. Jon and his daughters had a special relationship. Ever since they were little bitty, they would join him in his boat fishing for muskies. Now, I always thought it was so cool that his daughters would fish with him in muskie tournaments and join him at the lake for weekend fishing trips. These daughters, one age 23 and getting married this summer and one age 18 and graduating from high school this May, both loved their dad very much.

Jon's death struck me pretty hard. Maybe it's because we shared so much in common. He absolutely loved the outdoors and was an outstanding fisherman. Like me, he had two daughters and like me he worked for an insurance company. He was about my age and on weekends of muskie tournaments we would often all stay together at another friends place at Pomme de Terre. Sitting in the evenings laughing telling stories, drinking a beer or two. Jon always had one of his young daughters with him which meant we had to watch our language and behave.

He was a super nice guy that would do anything for his family and friends. A soft spoken man and I never heard him raise his voice, ever. Walking into the church on Friday, there was no doubt of what Jon was all about. Pictures of family, pictures of fishing, fishing trophies, were displayed on a table. Jon was simply the kind of guy that was easy to like and easy to be a friend with. He died way too young, at age 50, but as many said on that Friday, he died doing what he truly loved to do, fishing at Pomme de Terre. Fishing trips will no longer be the same without Jon and one of his daughters around, with a smile on his face, talking lures or location or “what was working”. Every time I get out on the lake from now on and pick up a rod and reel, I will feel a little sad remembering Jon. But I will quickly get a smile on my face when that first cast is made, that is what Jon would want. Plus, he would be smiling, he was always smiling when he was fishing.

Link:http://missourimuskies.org/

High School Wrestling

2010-02-20T04:52:00.000-08:00

Jerad Potter

Tyler Berg

Tyler Mann

I will be posting pictures and video clips from the Friday and Saturday action. I apologize in advance that the pictures aren't better, but the people who run the tournament wouldn't grant LathropMoOnline media credentials.

NFL Playoff Pics

2010-01-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here are my picks this week:

Indy over Baltimore

San Diego over Jet

New Orleans over Arizona

Dallas over Minnesota

Playoff Pics - I better keep my day job!

2010-01-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

I was extremely consistent with my NFL playoffs Wild Card Picks. I was zero for four. If you want a team to win next week, please e-mail me and I will pick their opponent to win. That will guarantee victory for your favorite team.

Here were my picks:

AFC

NY Jets (9-7) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) Saturday, January 9th @ 4:30 p.m. on NBC.
Bull's Pick: Cincinnati will control the game with their ground game and will win this game 21 to 17.
Gong! I completely missed this one. Cincinnati did have a good ground game, but their defense was not very good and who would have predicted that Carson Palmer would be that bad? Winning Team: The Jets

Baltimore Ravens (9-7) vs. New England Patriots (10-6) Sunday, January 10th @ 1:00 p.m. on CBS.
Bull's Pick: New England has Tom Brady but they will be missing Wes Welker. Brady distributes the ball to whoever is out there and the Patriots will pull the game out late by a score of 35 to 21.
Gong again! The Ravens rolled the Patriots.

NFC

Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) Saturday, January 9th @ 8:00 p.m. on NBC.
Bull's Pick: This is a re-match of week 17 regular season game, won by the Cowboys. This is Philadelphia's year. They will win (watch for some big plays by MU alum. Jeremy Macklin). Eagles will win 17 to 14.
Gong #3! The Cowboys look very, very good. Maybe I do get a half point for predicting a big play by Macklin. Too bad that was the only big play of the game for the Eagles. McNabb had horrible protection the entire game and was constantly harrassed. The Cowboys won.

Green Bay Packers (11-5) vs. Arizona Cardinals (10-6) Sunday, January 10th @4:40 p.m. on FOX.
Green Bay Packers have been very consistent this year. Rogers has settled in as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Green Bay will win the game 35 to 28.
OK, this was definitely the most entertaining game of the weekend. Is anyone experiencing a little deja vu from last season's playoffs? Why did I pick against the Cardinals? Last year I predicted them all the way to the Super Bowl. This game ended in OT with a turnover for six by the Cardinals.

Next week's games are

Jets at Chargers
Ravens at Colts
Vikings at Cowboys
Cardinals at Saints

I will pick 'em next week (I will be doing a little more homework this time). The nice thing is, I can only get better. Getting worse is not even possible.

NFL Wildcard Round - Bull's Pics

2010-01-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

AFC

NY Jets (9-7) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) Saturday, January 9th @ 4:30 p.m. on NBC.
Bull's Pick: Cincinnati will control the game with their ground game and will win this game 21 to 17.

Baltimore Ravens (9-7) vs. New England Patriots (10-6) Sunday, January 10th @ 1:00 p.m. on CBS.
Bull's Pick: New England has Tom Brady but they will be missing Wes Welker. Brady distributes the ball to whoever is out there and the Patriots will pull the game out late by a score of 35 to 21.

NFC

Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) Saturday, January 9th @ 8:00 p.m. on NBC.
Bull's Pick: This is a re-match of week 17 regular season game, won by the Cowboys. This is Philadelphia's year. They will win (watch for some big plays by MU alum. Jeremy Macklin). Eagles will win 17 to 14.

Green Bay Packers (11-5) vs. Arizona Cardinals (10-6) Sunday, January 10th @4:40 p.m. on FOX.
Green Bay Packers have been very consistent this year. Rogers has settled in as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Green Bay will win the game 35 to 28.

What do you think?

There is such a thing as moral victories..in high school sports

2010-01-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night in Lathrop, Missouri at the new high school gymnasium, the Lathrop Mules boys' basketball team exploded for 81 points in what was by far their highest point total of the season. Unfortunately, the Carrollton Trojans were a little more "offensive" scoring 95 points. The Mules undoubtedly played their best game of the year but they still lost. They have been playing hard all season and have nothing to show for it in the win column.

Society says that winning is the only thing that is important in sports. That is certainly true to some extent. Games are played where the score is kept. There is always a winner and a loser. However, in high school sports we must often look beyond the score. Examine the process. Examine and celebrate the lessons learned. Sports certainly do emulate life. Sometimes we do all the "right" things and our efforts lead to negative results. We work really hard, we try really hard and we are failures. Failure can cause a person to quit. It can destroy a person. But failure can also have a positive impact on our lives if failure provides motivation to get better. Failure can inspire.

Watching the effort and hustle and determination of these young men inspired me. They played hard, they dove for loose balls, they were aggressive. They played with a ton of heart. I left this game thinking "wow, that was a fun game to watch". The Lathrop Mules were winners on the court Tuesday night. I see motivation to get better. I see the desire to be a winner. Life lessons in the process.

Perhaps this is why we have extracuricular activities in school? To inspire?

I don't really believe in "moral victories". I do believe in what I saw Tuesday night. Keep playing hard Mules!

No Wii don't

2010-01-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a Wii these days, it seems. At lunch the other day I took an informal poll of the three people at the table eating with me. They all had Wii's. Nintendo is reaping the profit$ of a wonderful product that re-defines video games.

You see, you actually have to move around when you play a Wii. We Americans are always trying to keep up with each other and are mostly followers.

If others have a Wii, then we certainly must have one. A great reason to buy one is that you actually have to physically get involved in the game. Unlike old video games where you just sat on your a** and the only exercise benefit was your fingers and thumbs.

Ok, I don't have a Wii. I really have no desire to get a Wii. I think the Wii fad will soon pass, like Facebook and the Internet and the automobile.

http://www.nintendo.com/wii/what <<< what is a Wii?

2010 - What Will You Bring?

2009-12-31T19:28:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that we are about to begin another decade. As we enter 2010, I am reminded of the year 2000. Actually, I remember talking about it at work, starting in 1993 or 1994. We were talking about the "Y2K" bug and how we were going to deal with it. The Y2k bug was a computer code issue. Dates were coded on computers and stored in data bases with only the last two digits, instead of the full year. This saved computer memory space, which actually was quite expensive in those days. So, the year 1993 was coded as 93. 2005 was coded as 05, etc. The Y2K bug threatened to shut down civilization as we know it. Would bank computers crash? Airlines? Power Grid? Some people took it to the extreme buying up supplies and preparing for the end of times.

I remember in 1994 thinking that it was still six years out. We had a massive computer recoding project..and on new years eve of 1999, a group of people stayed at work. The computer systems were all shut down before midnight. They were all re-started at 2 am. We got to spend New Years in the office. It wasn't all that bad. The cafeteria stayed open all night and we ate for free. People brought in cards and games. Once the computers were re-started, we went through out test plans. Guess what? there was no significant problems. Our result was very similar to the world result. No end of the world, disaster averted.

It's hard to believe that we are now 10 years post Y2K. What will 2010 bring? Only God knows. Hope it is a wonderful year for every person that reads this.

Chief's Game Blacked Out - Did I Really Care?

2009-12-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today's game versus Cleveland was the first Chief's game to be blacked out on local television since 1990. Honestly, I can't say that I really cared that much. I did listen to the game on the radio. I had forgotten how great the Chief's radio broadcasters are. Len Dawson was the Chief's quarterback when I was a kid. In their glory days. He really tells it like it is on the radio. You can hear it in his voice this season. He is disgusted with what he is seeing week after week. The Chiefs allowed two kick off returns of over 100 yards for touchdowns. They gave up 280 some yards to a no named running back. They are inconsistent. They are poorly coached, and 99.2% of their players don't even appear to be NFL talent. The Chiefs scored 21 straight points against the mighty Cleveland Browns and then lightning struck twice. Another 100+ kickoff return by Cleveland. Lenny the Cool had this to say "it's embarrassing". Lenny there are only two games left and I want to help you out. Here are some more adjectives you can use in the final two weeks while calling the game for the hapless Chiefs (from Thesarus.com):

awkward, bewildering, compromising, confusing, delicate, difficult, disagreeable, discomfiting, discommoding, discommodious, disconcerting, distracting, distressing, disturbing, equivocal, exasperating, impossible, incommodious, inconvenient, inopportune, mortifying, perplexing, puzzling, rattling, sensitive, shameful, sticky, ticklish, touchy, tricky, troublesome, troubling, uncomfortable, uneasy, unpropitious, unseemly, upsetting, worrisome

Lathrop Youth Wrestling Tournament - Opening Ceremonies

2009-12-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

A wonderful rendition of the national anthem by one of Lathrop's very talented young ladies.

Video Clip by Brian Bullock

The Year in Pictures 2009

2009-12-10T03:45:00.000-08:00

The Year in Pictures 2009

Mizzou vs. KU

2009-11-28T13:30:00.001-08:00

Q1 - Mizzou 3 KU 14 - C'mon Mizzou, get it together. Play a little "D"!!

HALFTIME: Mizzou 13 KU 21 - Mizzou better get it together the second half. They are not doing anything well. Gabbert looks real good with his feet, but his passing is not good today. Hey Mizzou, why not try to throw some slants, or at least something down the middle? Horrible play calling!!

FINAL: Mizzou kicks a field goal as time expires to win the game. I could not believe that Mizzoui punted with 3 minutes left in the game, down by 2 and only one timeout left. Fortunately, KU tried to pass three times and ran NO time off the clock. Plus Mizzou gets a safety, Washington rips off a big run and gets down to the KU 5 yard line. I would like to have seen Mizzou try to go ahead and score a touchdown, but it all worked out. Mizzou 41 KU 39. Always love a Mizzou victory over KU!!

Facebook Virus Turns Your Computer into a Zombie

2009-11-26T05:17:00.001-08:00

Facebook Virus Turns Your Computer into a Zombie

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Veterans, we salute you!

2009-11-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

Veteran's day should not be a one day a year event. It should be an every day event. The date of Veteran's day has some historical siginificance. November 11th, 1918 was the date that World War 1 officially ended. For more information on Veteran's day, see http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp .

This year will have a renewed significance for Lathrop, with the recent death of an honorable soldier, Sgt. Issac Jackson, in Afghanistan.

Let us remember all those that have served this great country in the past and also take a moment to say a prayer for those that are currently serving. Those of us that have never served in the military do not truly appreciate the sacrifice our military personnel make.

Tell a veteran thank you today. We support and love our veterans!

October 2009 Video Montage

2009-10-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Credit Where Credit is Due

2009-10-09T06:52:00.001-07:00

10 Under Blue Angels in Texas - USSSA World Series

10U ASA State Championship Photo

The Lathrop Lady Mules softball team has reached an unprecedented level of success this season, winning the KCI conference and currently sporting a 17 and 4 season record (school record for wins). There is one common denominator among the starting nine on the team. Every single girls has played on a competitive softball team at one time or another for Rick Berry. Not to take anything away from the coaches of the high school team, who had done a great job this season, but most of the success of this program can be attributed to Berry, who was summarily not offered a job to coach on the high school team this season after being on the coaching staff for the past two seasons. The core of the team, seniors Katie Slibowski and Kayla Clariday, and juniors Jamie Bullock, Janelle Saling and Elyssa Wren all started playing competitive softball with Berry some nine years ago and fundamentals and a knowledge of the game were instilled in the players, not to mention that they won a 10 and under ASA state title in 2003 and finished 4th in the American Fastpitch Association national tournament.

On a side note, the Lady Mules district competition is very fierce this year. In my opinion, four of the best teams in the state at 2A are in district 15 (Trenton, Lathrop, Maysville and Hamilton). Whoever wins this district has a good chance to go deep in the state playoffs. The Lady Mules take on Trenton this afternoon (Friday, Oct. 9th) at 4:00 p.m. Two of the premier pitchers in the state will match up, Aubrey Utley of Trenton and Katie Slibowski of Lathrop. Should be a great game! Get out and support the Mules!

Brian

Lathrop High School Homecoming 2009

2009-09-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

Katie Slibowski / Caleb Hartzell

Kayla Clariday / Seth Stonum

Jessica Burns / Nico Hoskins

Jared Potter / Arielle Ziegler

2009 King and Queen - Jared Potter & Kayla Clariday

NFL picks week 3

2009-09-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

I did even worse in week 2 than week 1. I really didn't expect Green Bay, New England or Philadelphia to lose. On all three of those games, I was pretty confident...and wrong. Last week I finished 8 out of 16 (only 50%). For two weeks total, I am 18 out of 32 (56.2% correct). This week, I know I will do better. Here are my picks:

Sunday at Noon
Cleveland vs. Baltimore: My pick: Baltimore
Washington vs. Detroit: My pick: Washington
Jacksonville vs. Houston: My pick: Houston
Atlanta vs. New England: My pick: Atlanta
Green Bay vs. St. Louis: My pick: Green Bay
New York Giants vs. Tampa Bay: My pick: New York Giants
Tennessee vs. New York Jets: My pick: Tennessee
Kansas City vs. Philadelphia: My pick: Philadelphia
San Francisco vs. Minnesota: My pick: Minnesota

Sunday at 3:05 pm
New Orleans vs. Buffalo: My pick: New Orleans
Chicago vs. Seattle: My pick: Chicago
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: My pick: Pittsburgh
Denver vs. Oakland: My pick: Denver
Miami vs. Sand Diego: My pick: San Diego

Sunday at 7:20 pm
Indianapolis vs. Arizona: My pick: Indianapolis

Monday at 7:30 pm
Carolina vs. Dallas: My pick: Dallas

I feel very confident that I am going to do well this week....

Bull's Week 2 NFL Picks

2009-09-18T04:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, I didn't do so well. I finished with 10/16 on my picks, for a 62.5% score. This week, there are some tough matchups. Let's see if I can do better this week.

Sunday at Noon

Carolina vs. Atlanta: My pick: Atlanta
Minnesota vs. Detroit: My pick: Minnesota
Cincinnati vs. Green Bay: My pick: Green Bay
Arizona vs. Jacksonville: My pick: Jacksonville
Oakland vs. Kansas City: My pick: Kansas City
New England vs. New York Jets: My pick: New England
New Orleans vs. Philadelphia: My pick: Philadelphia
Houston vs. Tennessee: My pick: Tennessee
St. Louis vs. Washington: My pick: Washington

Sunday at 3:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo: My pick: Buffalo
Seattle vs. San Francisco: My pick: San Francisco
Pittsburgh vs. Chicago: My pick: Pittsburgh
Cleveland vs. Denver: My pick: Denver
Baltimore vs. San Diego: My pick: Baltimore

Sunday at 7:20 p.m.

New York Giants vs. Dallas: My pick: New York Giants

Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Indianapolis vs. Miami: My pick: Indianapolis

Hopefully, I'll do better this week. Can't wait to watch some football!

Let the NFL Season Begin! My Week One Picks.

2009-09-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

The NFL season opens this coming Thursday. Here are my game pics for the first week of games. Agree or disagree with any of these?

Thursday, Sept. 10th at 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
My pick: Titans will win this game by a score of 28 to 21.

Sunday, September 13th at 12:00 noon
Miami Dolphins vs. Atlanta Falcons - My pick: Falcons 35 to 28.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens - My pick: Chiefs 17 to 14.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers - My pick: Eagles 21 to 20.
Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals - My pick: Cincinnati 27 to 20.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns - My pick: Vikings 38 to 7.
New York Jets vs. Houston Texans - My pick: Texans 17 to 10.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts - My pick: Colts 42 to 21.
Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints - My pick: Saints 24 to 21.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - My pick: Cowboys 21 to 14.

Sunday, September 13th at 3:15 p.m.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals - My pick: Cardinals 42 to 10.
Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants - My pick: Giants 28 to 21.
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks - My pick: Seahawks 21 to 20.

Sunday, September 13th at 7:20 p.m.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers - My pick: Bears 35 to 31.

Monday, September 14th at 6:00 p.m.
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots - My pick: Patriots 35 to 7.

Monday, September 14th at 9:15 p.m.
San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders - My pick: Chargers 42 to 7.

Thank goodness the preseason is over and the "real" football can begin!

KC Rebels Baseball - Kyle Kelly - "Fall Ball with competitive team"

2009-08-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 30th - Mackin Park - North Kansas City

"Strike"

The "Split Finger" pitch fools the batter for the "K"

It's Time For Some Football!

2009-08-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

#57 Tyler Berg (soph.) blows up the play against Cass-Midway

#24 Caleb Hartzell (sr.) scores against Orrick

Lathrop Cheerleaders Excelling

2009-08-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

The Lathrop Cheerleading Squad took first place at their regional competition on Friday afternoon in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Now, I don't pretend to be an expert on cheerleading, I did predict that they would do well after watching the squad in their "dress rehearsal" on Thursday evening at the Lathrop Schools Performing Arts center. Precision, agility, coordination, strength all play a part in competitive cheerleading and these young athletes exhibited strength in all these areas.

The squad has been practicing extremely hard on their routine. A couple of days before the competition, one of their outstanding team members suffered an injury and they had to completely revamp their routine in a very short amount of time. To overcome and excel speaks volumes about the quality of these young ladies.

Outstanding! Lathrop is very proud of these young ladies and their coaches Laura Fine and Kelly Butler.

2009-08-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Honeymoon's Over

Outhouse Races

'84 Class Reunion - The Band

2009-07-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

The band members : Phil Anderson, Mike Boguske, Steve Boguske, Donnie Quinn. They were outstanding!!!

The Commuter Trash Dump (AKA Commuter Lot)

2009-07-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Vanpool riders and carpoolers have been provided a nice parking lot where people can leave their cars during the day. This lot is provided by the state of Missouri.

Within the parking lot, there are trash cans, clearly labeled to be used only by those groups that volunteer their time for roadside trash pickup.

Lately, it seems that there are those that seem to think that the trash barrels are for their own personal "drive-through" use. Every morning, they drive through and dump their trash.

Recent conditions are pictured below. To the credit of MODot, the trash was picked up and cleaned up by the end of the day. However, until that happened, the people that parked in the lot were subject to the nastiness pictured below. Not to mention that it attracks pests such as wild animals (racoons, etc.)

To summarize: kudos to MODot, shame on you to those that dump their trash!

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

I love fireworks shows. This year, we were in Colorado and were not able to drive out to the Lathrop Antique showgrounds to see the fireworks display (I heard it was great again this year).

We traveled up the mountain to Blackhawk, CO, a town that boasts of the "biggest fireworks display in Colorado" and they didn't disappoint. The show lasted about 40 minutes.

LathropMoOnline Needs You!!

2009-06-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

Have a digital camera?

Take some pictures of your favorite thing or things about Lathrop and send them to me. I am going to build a photo page with photos contributed by you!

If you already have pictures in digital format, or want to go out and take some, send them to me at brian@lathropmoonline.com .

We have a lot of exciting things happening over the summer..Antique Car Tractor & Engine Show, Lathrop Friendship Festival and many summer activities.

Send me some pics! If you know of some news, you can also send to me.

Thank you!

Catching Up

2009-06-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't put anything on here lately...what a slacker!!

OK, what has happened since my last post?

First of all, the Royals are starting to look like the previous umpteen seasons' teams and are looking more like a 90 to 100 loss team instead of a contender. This makes me sad because they started out doing so well. Even with G pitching, a win is not a sure thing. There is still a lot of season left and hopefully they can turn it around and have a respectable season.

School ended. That used to mean time off for kids, but not any more. A large contingent of kids are attending summer school.

Did you watch any of the college softball world series? I did catch quite a bit of the action. I think that Missouri's softball team will definitely contend next year for a WS title. They have now been to the "big show" and have an incredible talent level. Hopefully next year they will slow down the infield a little and take some the "bounce" out of it. I heard that Thomas is going to work on a rise ball for next season. If she gets even a decent rise, she will be almost un-hittable. The drop at 74 mph and combine that with a 70+ mph rise? Good combination.

Congratulations to the Washington Huskies on their WS championship. I really thought in game 2 that Florida was pressing. They lacked an aggressive attitude at the plate which played right in the the Washington Huskies' pitcher's hand. Fastpitch softball has certainly grown in leaps and bounds over the past 10 years that I have been involved in it.

Enjoy the summer!

These Royals are Fun to Watch!

2009-05-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

The 2009 version of the Kansas City Royals have been cruising along virtually unnoticed by the national media. You wake up this morning and they are 18 and 11, winners of 6 straight and have a 3 game lead in the American League Central. Of course, everyone knows about Zach Greinke's six and 0 start on the season. Greinke looks unbeatable right now. However, it is a very long season and the Royals have appropriately said many times that it is more important to be in first in October instead of April or May. However, the Royals have won several games in their current win streak by different methods. In the latest game, Brian Bannister was outstanding and three runs in support by the Royals was enough. In other games, the Royals have been down on the scoreboard and the offense has turned it on.

This version of the Royals is certainly been fun to watch. They are executing sacrifice bunts and getting timely two out hits. Their starting pitchers are pitching well. The Royals are on pace to win 100 games this season. Of course, the season is only 18% over. Can't wait to see how the season plays out.

Mackintyre's Church A Product of Love

2009-04-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

The site of Mackintyre's Church in October 2008 after the foundation slab was poured.

How does a family and community respond to the sudden death of a loving little 9 year old boy?

Mackintyre McDill Garton was an energetic, happy little boy that had a lot of goals and dreams in life and suddenly he was taken from the earth by an aneurysm. Mack's parents and grandparents set out to fullfill one of Mack's goals, to build a church on the spot that he had previously laid out.

Mackintyre's Church has sprung up thanks to Mack's parents Stacey and Glenn, the wonderful grandparents, Mac and Nancy and the numerous people that have volunteered their time and energy to make it happen. A foundation was poured, walls went up and roof is now in place. The small church building on the hill is now nearing completion.

The story has touched lives throughout the world. Mackintyre's Church stands as a memorial to Mackintyre as well as a symbol of love and dedication of a loving family and friends.

Facebook....Get Out Of My Face

2009-04-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting article online the other day. It was entitled, "Is Facebook the new Wal-Mart?", a nice piece on MSN Money. The premise of the article is that Facebook has become huge (like Wal-Mart) and has the potential to bury the competition (like Wal-Mart did to small businesses in towns they moved in to).

The article cites the following amazing statistics about Facebook: 175 million active users, worth estimates of up to $15 billion.

It also talks about the other Facebook similarities to Wal-Mart: One stop shop...facebook allows you to chat, send messages, share pics, etc. etc. It provides an excellent (free) tool to locate old classmates and friends and stay in touch with them. It also allows you to set up meetings and parties online and invite people and see if they accept.

Facebook has progressed from a Harvard only to college only to a vast social network site. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Remember the last presidential election. President Obama used social networking and the internet beautifly, showing that he is with the current times. Things get done now online: communicating, banking, shopping, campaigning, evangelism, etc. etc.

What do you think? Is Facebook a fad, or is it here to stay?

Read the Article

Geez this "March Madness" takes a long time to play out!!

2009-03-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

The big basketball tournament started a couple of weeks ago and yes, it will soon be over. It sure does take a long time to play out...It's like 64 games before a champion is crowned in NCAA division 1 basketball. Last year, all the regions #1 seeds made it to the final 4. At least this year, this little scenario didn't happen again. We are now down to the final 4. Michigan State, North Carolina, Connecticut and Villanova.

I predicted on my original bracket that North Carolina would win the whole tournament and I stick with that pick. I still think that they are by far, the best team in the country this year. Of course, the rest of my bracket is wrecked as is usual year after year.

The Big 12 made a great showing, though I would have liked to have seen at least one big 12 team in the final four this year (Missouri). They had a great year anyway!!

Carly Jo

2009-03-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Isn't she CUTE!!!

Just Another Saturday

2009-03-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

OK, first things first. I got on Facebook today. My Facebook abstinence is over. I made it from Monday through Friday, so that should count for a week, right?

I spent a lot of today in Excelsior Springs watching the CRBC basketball finals. Lathrop had FIVE teams in the finals. I have been around CRBC basketball for quite a few years. I don't know if Lathrop has ever had that many teams in the finals? It was very exciting and I salute the players, the coaches and the league officials for an outstanding season and season-ending tournament. It was alot of fun to watch.

Will You Be My Friend (Part 2)

2009-03-04T04:26:00.000-08:00

It is Wednesday. I have not been on Facebook this week at all. Can I make it all week?

Will you be my Friend?

2009-03-02T02:27:00.000-08:00

Are you on Facebook? If not, you are definitely in the minority these days. It seems that Facebook has exploded in the past year and it is estimated that there are 175 million facebook account holders. Mark Zuckerman probably didn't know what he had when he and some of his fellow Harvard students started the site in 2004. The site originally was limited to Harvard students, then expanded to all college students and then finally expanded to allow anyone to get on there. Now it seems, anyone and everyone is on this site known as a social networking site. What is facebook worth? Not sure, but some estimate up to $3 Billion to $15 Billion.

Facebook allows you to let others know what you are up to and allows you to do alot of things including posting pictures, videos and a bunch of other silly features. It can also be addictive. Have you ever got up in the middle of the night to check and see if someone accepted your friendship request? Have you changed your "XXXX is ..." status after midnight? Do you spend more than a half an hour per day on facebook? If so, you might be a facebook addict. The advantages (as I see it) for Facebook are: 1) You no longer have to send that "brag" letter with your Christmas cards..you can now just brag online about little Johnnie's game or little Jennie's dance team taking first at nationals. If you're real adventurous, you can post video of the event. And you can now brag year round. 2) You never have to wonder what your long lost high school buddy is up to..you can now just look on line and see that he is sick of his job, or cleaning his garage or some other fantastic activity. 3) You can get all those nice fake items like fake hugs, or fake drinks or join some cyber cause and you can feel good about having all those cyber "friends"...

I heard on the news this morning that some people are giving up facebook for Lent. What an interesting concept. If you think you are addicted, there is help available...join that group on Facebook called "i'm a FB addict". I admit that I do get on Facebook and I'm going to stay off of Facebook and not log in for the next week to see if I can do it..

Wish me luck!

Brian is blogging about Facebook on Bull 24/7.

On to Columbia

2009-02-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Lathrop Mules wrestling team has worked hard all season and now the reward is just a few matches away for these fine young men. Districts were last weekend and I commend the wrestlers, the parents, the coaches, the youth program coaches and all involved in this program. It was only a few years ago that discussions were being held to disband the program. Now, the Lathrop High School wrestling program is very strong and the program is the most successful program of the winter sports. The young men have been working hard all season and have done their best. As a former wrestler, I can tell you that there is no sport as unique as wrestling. Six minutes doesn't seem like that long in a real life situation. Believe me, it is a very long time in a wrestling match. Physical conditioning, balance and strength are all attributes of a successful wrestler as well as technique and experience. Many of these young men have been wrestling since they were little kids, the opponents that they face in high school are some of the same young men that they wrestled as a kid. The culmination of the sport is the state tournament held every year in Columbia Missouri at Mizzou Arena.

The great thing about wrestling is that there is that it is an individual sport, as well as a team sport. Matches are one on one. There is absolutely no excuses. I salute the Lathrop High School wrestling team and wish them the best of luck this Thursday through Saturday in Columbia. I am going down Saturday and hope to see most of the team, still wrestling in the medal rounds. Our wrestlers have a competitive, fiery coach in Rick Mudd and a great assistant coach in Mike Tichenor. They treat their opponents with respect and fight hard.

Go Mules...see you in Columbia!

My momento from 1981 State Wrestling Tournament in Columbia (held at the Hearnes Arena). Left to right: Coach Floyd, Lawrence Murdock, Jeff Elliott, Brian Bullock, Rick Frazier (2 time state champion), Stuart McElhinney and coach Quinn.

Kudos to the School Board and Lathrop R-II School

2009-02-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

The Lathrop R-II Board of Education rolled out their BoardDocs software package for this past Monday's school board meeting. BoardDocs is an Internet based portal where anyone in the public can go and see the Board of Education members, agendas, reports of administrators, meeting notes and board policies.

I applaud the school board and the school for taking this big step in embracing the technology that is now available and going to a paperless meeting environment. The Internet has entered in to every aspect of most people's daily lives and now everyone in the community can stay in tune with the governance of the school (if they wish).

Some might question the cost of purchasing laptop computers and the cost of the software, but BoardDocs will certainly pay for itself in the long run in less paper copying, better communication and greater efficiencies. The Board members will now have meeting notes, expense reports etc. at their disposal from any meetings going forward. In addition, everyone knows that a paperless system is better for the environment. Those big bulky paper board packets are a thing of the past (using reams of paper) and of course, that paper has to be disposed of.

KUDOs to the Lathrop R-II Board of Education and the Lathrop Schools for embracing technology!

http://www.boarddocs.com/mo/lathrop/Board.nsf/Public?OpenFrameSet (Check out BoardDocs). There is also a link on www.lathropmoonline.com ..just click on School/Lathrop/Boarddocs on dropdown menu.

The Big Show

2009-02-01T16:02:00.001-08:00

End of 1st Quarter: Pittsburg 3 Arizona 0. Pittsburg has dominated. Big Ben is spot on and the Cardinals only had the ball for one "five and out" series. Best commercial: The Doritos commercial featuring the snow globe (hilarious).

Halftime: Number 92 James Harrison for the Pittsburg Steelers. Defensive Player of the Year and what a crazy end to the first half! Interception return for 100 yards and Touchdown Steelers. Up to that point, Arizona was winning the quarter. One big, crazy play and all of a sudden it's 17 to 7 Pittsburg Steelers in the Lead. Best commercial: Loved the Budweiser commercial where the Clydesdale goes and gets his "love interest" accross country. Close second, is another great Doritos commercial where every bite causes something good to happen for the guy. Suddenly, he's out of Doritos and he gets hit by a bus.

Gotta go and listen to Springsteen.

End of 3rd: The Pittsburg Steelers get a bonus series inside the Cardinals 5 yard line and still can't get the ball in the end zone. Apparently the Cardinals are trying to get a SB record for the most personal foul calls. The Cardinals defense is not known for being very good. They looked solid and Pittsburg should have scored a TD. Will this come back to bite them in the backside in the 4th? They settle for three points and lead 20 to 7.

4th Quarter: Safety by Cardinals, then a great pass play from Warner to Fitzgerald and the Cards were in business. They took a three point lead with a little over 2 minutes left in the game. Big Ben steps up and drives the Steelers down the field capping the drive with a nifty pass to the back corner of the endzone. Steelers are the world champions. Steelers 27 Cardinals 23.
Commercials: I got busy during commercial breaks in the second half and didn't really notice. Any that you all liked?

Overall, this had to be one of the most entertaining SBs of all time. A bunch of twists and turns. A 100 yard interception return to end the first half. Arizona coming back from 13 down to take the lead. Pittsburg getting the final drive down the field for a score. It didn't matter to me who won this game. I am not particularly a big fan of the Cardinals or the Steelers. I'll have to say it was really enjoyable watching this game.

Carly Jo enjoying her first SB game

Bull's Pic for the Superbowl

2009-01-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Plenty of hype will surround the big game, this weekend when the Pittsburg Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals in Superbowl 43.

As Sunday approaches, I have been mulling my prediction for the biggest football game on the planet. Pittsburg comes in a little banged up, with Hines Ward trying to get well after a sprained knee. Arizona put together one big drive in the second half of the NFC Championship game and it was enough for victory.

Both teams appear to be evenly matched, with Pittsburg's strengths being their great defense and running game.

Both qbs have played (and won) the big game, so experience isn't really a factor at that position. Kurt Warner was a SB MVP with the St. Louis Rams and Big Ben (Can anyone spell his last name without looking it up?) returns to the SB after winning it a few years ago.

My prediction? Here it is. I have put all of the data into my complex mathmatical formula and here is the result: Pittsburg 21 Arizona 17.

Pittsburg's defense will contain Arizona and keep Pittsburg in good field position, where they can roll accross the goal line at least three times.

Who are you picking? Warning, the last person that disagreed with my picks found out that I am pretty good.

Will She Call Me Grandpa Bull?

2009-01-24T09:01:00.001-08:00

This week, I got to experience something new and exciting. I became a grandpa for the first time. My daughter Blair and husband Dustin McCloud welcomed little Carly Jo into the world on Thursday morning at 4:11 a.m. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 22 inches long. And she is beautiful.

Having been a dad and in the room when both my daughters were born, it was a little tough being outside the room when Carly was born. But I did get to hear her first cry, through the door. A few minutes later, I got to go in and see her. Many thoughts ran through my head, the memory of both my daughters births, grateful that her and Blair were both doing well and thankful that Dustin was there the whole time. I have no doubt whatsoever that Blair will be a great mother and Dustin a great father.

Welcome to the world, Carly Jo McCloud!

Love, Grandpa Bull

NFL Conference Championship Games Were Entertaining

2009-01-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

Both the NFC and AFC championship games were entertaining games to watch.

In the first game of the afternoon, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 32 to 25. This game was really two games within a game. In the first half, the Cardinals dominated, scoring 24 points on three Warner touchdown passes. The second half (except for the deciding last drive of the Cardinals) was all Philly.

In the AFC title game, the Pittsburg Steelers did just enough to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 23 to 14. The Ravens and Steelers know each other well and this was one of the most hard hitting, physical games that I have ever seen. As I predicted, the Ravens needed some play out of their qb to win this game and didn't get it. Joe Flacco only completed 13 passes and threw 3 INTs. Big Ben was steady for the Steelers, moving around and throwing for 255 yards and no INTs (1 TD).

Let the hype begin, the Super Bowl is February 1st (two weeks away). Who am I a picking to win? You'll have to check back. The game will have plenty of sub plots. The Cardinals coach used to coach at Pittsburg. Both qb's have one the big one. Can't wait. Anyone having a SB party?

Bull's Football Playoff Pics

2009-01-15T05:07:00.000-08:00

I'll bet the Tennesee Titans and the New York Giants wished that pro football would adopt the college football playoff system. If the pros had BCS, the Titans and Giants would be playing for the championship in a one game playoff.

Instead, this weekend the Pittsburg Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals play the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to go to the NFL championship game. As is the case every year, the teams that are the hottest at the end of the year use their momentum to propel there teams through the playoffs.

My predictions:

AFC Championship Game: Pittsburg 24 Baltimore 21. Pittsburg is a solid, physical team with a very good qb and running game. Their defense is outstanding. This game might not even be that close. Baltimore has a rookie qp and this week will end his magic rookie season run. The Ravens rely on the running game (ranked 4th in the NFL) and if they can get a lead early, they have a good chance in this game. I don't think that will happen. Baltimore is not a passing team and if they are forced to play from behind, they will be in trouble.

NFC Championship Game: Arizona 35 Philadelphia 14. Arizona is one of the hottest teams in the league, following impressive playoff wins over Atlanta and Carolina. The Cardinal defense is taking away the ball at will and their qb (love him or hate him..Kurt Warner) has been in big games before and has been a SB MVP. I like Donovan McNabb, however the Philadelphia playoff run will end this weekend.

Pop some popcorn, grad a beverage on Sunday afternoon and evening. Should be a couple of good games!

AFC Title Game: Sunday, January 18th at 5:30 p.m. (Lathrop time)
NFC Title Game: Sunday, January 18th at 2:00 p.m. (Lathrop time)

College Football Needs a Playoff!!!

2009-01-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

"The Mythical National Champion" - What exactly is that anyway? The college football season is just about over and there is just one game to go. The Oklahoma Sooners play the Florida Gators for the supposed national championship of college football.

Of course, Utah might have some say in that as might Texas. College football is all about the almighty dollar. ESPN will take over the broadcasts of the BCS "Bowl Championship Series" in 2011 and reported outbit Fox Sport and shelled out $500 million (for four years)! No way that a championship playoff will ever happen in D1 football in my lifetime.

The only pure national champions in college football are the smaller schools - D2, D3, NAIA, etc. Those teams actually play in a season ending tournament to determine the national champion. Northwest Missouri State in Maryville has won a couple of national championships and was in the finals this past season, losing in the championship game to Minnesota Duluth.

If you want pure football, where a "true" champion is crowned, get out and watch some smaller college football. It you like the hype (and watching the future millionaires with their current millionaire coaches) strut their stuff on t.v. and proclaim themselves champions, watch D1. Wonder who will win on Thursday night, Oklahoma or Florida?

Personally, I could care less. Sure, the game will be entertaining and their will be outstanding athletes on both teams. But will a true national champion be crowned?