Daytona 500 Preview

Today is the beginning of a busy two week
period for sports fans. All this week will be a
build-up for next Sundays Super Bowl game.
I have already posted a prediction for that game
so I will stand by it.
This week will also see the NASCAR track at
Daytona, Florida come alive again. The official
Daytona 500 race will be Sunday February 14th
but all this week there will be practice sessions
and the qualifying races.
Most of the attention will center around driver
Jimmie Johnson, who has claimed the Championship
the last four (4) years in a row. He definitely will
have a target on his back as the other teams try to
de-throne the champion in 2010. Johnson and his
crew chief, Chad Knaus, have proven to be the very
best in the garage and on the track. It will be up to others
to not only equal the success of the number 48 team,
but to surpass them.
I have posted in the past my loyalty to the number 29
team. 2010 will be a decisive year for Kevin Harvick as
this is the final year of his contract with Richard Childress
Racing. 2009 could not have been a worse year for
Harvick and the 29 team. A second place in the 2009
Daytona 500 and a third place finish in the season
finale at Holmstead were the highlights of the year. In
between was the bottom of the barrel in a season that
saw Harvick fail to win a race for the first time in his career.
With a good season in 2010 he could remain with RCR, but
an encore of 2009 will ensure he goes elsewhere for 2011.

More Snow

It started snowing in Denison again today...This
makes the third snowstorm in less than a month.
Todays storm has not been as extreme as the two
previous storms. I think we are on the edge of this
one as areas in Oklahoma are getting hammered a
lot worse than us. Just across the Red River into
Oklahoma the ice storm is being followed by a snowfall
that is causing schools to close and highways to be
treacherous. Looking at the radar I think we should
be clear of the snowstorm by daybreak, and then it
will be just cold temperatures through the weekend.
I get spoiled by the usual warm temperatures we
experience, and anything out of the ordinary always
catches us by surprise. We have it pretty good compared
to the poor folks to the east of us.. Tennessee, Arkansas,
Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia are expected to
bear the brunt of this storm. Good Luck.

Super Bowl Prediction

How about those conference championship games
yesterday? Both the AFC and the NFC games were
better than I expected. So it will be the Colts and the
Saints in the Super Bowl in two weeks.
Indianapolis actually was down 17-6 at one point of
the game with the New York Jets, but when the running
game of the Colts opened the door for quarterback
Peyton Manning, it was all over. Manning is the league
Most Valuable Player again and showed it by his poise
under fire. Indianapolis came back to win 30-17 and it
was not that close.
The New Orleans and Minnesota game was a barn-burner
that could have gone either way. Each team matched the
other on scoring drives and it was 21-21 at the half. Defense
ruled the second half, but it was the turnovers of the Vikings
that let this game slip away. Super running back Adrian Peterson
(FROM PALESTINE, TEXAS) fumbled away the ball twice and Bret
Favre threw a costly interception at the end of regulation time.
In the overtime period, former Dallas Southlake Carroll High
School kicker Garrett Hartley, booted the winning field goal and
the Saints go to the Super Bowl for the first time in their 43 year
existence.
I think Peyton Manning has the experience of being in a Super
Bowl in the past...but the Saints seem to be on a mission this
season. I am picking the Saints by a 21-17 score. Time will tell!!

P-47 Thunderbolt

I have a new model to share with you...It is
a World War II P-47 Thunderbolt. It was made by
the Republic Aircraft Company and was in such
demand by the U.S. Government the company had
to build a second plant to handle manufacturing of
the P-47. It was the heaviest, longest, and most
powerful single engine fighter of WWII. The P-47
had eight 50-caliber machine guns (four on each
wing) and could carry up to 500 pounds of bombs.
Although not able to climb and maneuver with the
Messerschmits and Spitfires, the Thunderbolt could
out dive any WWII plane because of its weight. The
modern day fighter A-10 Thunderbolt gets its name
from this vintage fighter,..but the A-10 is better
known as the 'Warthog'.
Both the real P-47 and my model are painted with
the strips of the Normandy invasion. The allies painted
the strips on all friendly planes so they could readily
be seen by anti-aircraft gun batteries. Here is more on
the P-47.
The Thunderbolt was the fastest-diving American aircraft of the war—it could reach speeds of 550 mph (480 kn, 885 km/h). Major Robert S. "Bob" Johnson described the experience of diving the big fighter by writing, "the Thunderbolt howled and ran for the earth".^[18] Some P-47 pilots claimed to have broken the sound barrier, but later research revealed that due to the pressure buildup inside the pitot tube at high speeds, airspeed readings became unpredictably exaggerated. But German pilots learned soon to avoid diving with a Thunderbolt. Kurt Buehligen, a high-scoring German fighter ace with 112 victories, recalled:

"The P-47 was very heavy, too heavy for some manoeuvres. We would see it coming from behind, and pull up fast and the P-47 couldn’t follow and we came around and got on its tail in this way." ^[19]

The arrival of the new Curtiss paddle-blade propeller significantly increased climb rate at lower altitudes, and came as a shock to German pilots who had resorted to steep climbs to evade pursuit by the P-47.^[14] Other positive attributes included the P-47's ruggedness; it could sustain a large amount of damage and still be able to get its pilot back to base.^[20] With eight .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, the P-47 did not lack for firepower. German aircraft caught in a well-aimed burst tended to fly apart from the impact of so many armor-piercing projectiles.

Handsome Grandson

The author has five grandsons, so to say one is
better looking than the others is to open a door that
does not need to be opened....but suffice to say, the
latest one follows a line of good looking males in our
family.
Jager has just turned over six months of age and
is progressing at a super rate. He is at the point where
he can turn over by himself, and by the way he pulls
himself up, it won't be long before he is fully mobile.
He has two older brothers to show him the ropes of
mischief, but I have a feeling he won't need any help.
Actually I have added fuel to the fire by supplying his
mother with Harley Davidson attire for him to show off
when he is out in public. As soon as he masters the art
of walking I plan to teach him the Harley swagger..

Curious Case of Benjamin Buttom

This may be the best Brad Pitt movie I have ever seen.
The movie is based on the 1920's book by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
It runs two hours and forty-five minutes, so check your
bladder before you sit down.
The synopsis of the movie is two people in love...but
the girl starts out young and grows old...while the man
is born old and grows younger with each day. Naturally
they finally get together in mid-life when they are almost
the same age. It is a love story, BUT it is a losing situation.
Most of the movie is a flashback from a hospital in New
Orleans during hurricane Katrina. The woman is finally on
her death bed and telling the story to her daughter.
Needless to say, the daughter has been fathered by
the man during that steamy mid-life period. Brad Pitt plays
the part of the man,..and the make-up and special effects
during the early years when he is elderly are really
something. Cate Blanchett plays the love of his lifetime,..
but there is a time when Tilda Swinton comes across young
(old) Benjamin. Swinton is as plan-jane looking as homemade
soap, but she is an excellent actress. The setting of the
movie takes us from 1918 as World War I is coming to an
end, right up to Hurricane Katrina. The movie is out on DVD
for those that want to rent it,..But I bought it and do not
regret it..

A Great American Hero

An American hero died today...He was one of the
'Great Generation' of Americans...He was a hero
of World War II...he was a popular face around the
Space Center in Houston...and he was my father-in-
law.
John D. Collins was always known as J.D. and always
had a smile on his face. He dropped out of high school
at the age of 17 to help America in the fight against
Hitler's world conquest ambitions. Assigned to the 8th
Army Air Force, J.D. flew dozens of missions over
Germany as the crew chief of a B-17 bomber. He always
told me the pilot flew the plane, but it was his plane to
take care of. As he was nearing the 25th mission point
that would allow him to return home, his B-17 was shot
up by German fighters . The pilot could not control the
plane and the order to bail out was given. Being the crew
chief, he made sure everyone was out before heading for
an exit himself. With the plane already in a spiral of death,
J.D. decided to just go out through the bomb bay doors. With
no hydraulics the doors swung back and gashed his head
open as he went past. When he woke up on the ground German
soldiers were applying bandages to his wound. He spent the
next seven months in a POW camp until the war ended. Back
home he finished his 20 years in the Air Force and then went to
work for NASA, the space administration people in Houston.
When the astronauts were seated in their capsules, he was the
last human to make contact with them. Making sure they were
hooked to the vehicle, he always knocked each astronaut on the
top of his helmet for luck, and gave them the 'thumbs up'.
Always a generous and giving person, he was loved by family and
friends alike...and there are a lot of them. God Bless J.D. and happy
landings...

Denison QB commits to Rice

Just about a week ago Denison running back
D J Jones made his college plans known. He picked
Texas A&M over seven other colleges..
Today Denison senior quarterback Jordan Taylor
committed to Rice University in Houston. Taylor has
all of the passing and rushing records for a QB at
Denison High School. He led the Jackets to the semi-
final round of the playoffs this past season. Taylor
is six foot five and had his pick of five other colleges
vying for his services. He is NOT expected to play
quarterback at the collegiate level, but possibly
wide receiver or safety on defense. Taylor is one
of those kids that always performs best under
pressure and that is a quality that college coaches
are looking for.

NBC's Biggest Flop

What has happened to the network of the
Peacock? The late night schedule is on the
verge of imploding after a major shuffling
that was described as dynamite. NBC's
Head of Programming czar is an idiot by the
name of Jeff Zucker. He violated a major
rule of business and tennis.. 'if you are
winning, continue to do whatever you are
doing,...if you are losing, change what you
are doing'.
Jay Leno took over the 'Tonight Show' when
Johnny Carson retired. The Tonight Show ran
in the 10:30 to midnight CST slot. Leno has been
doing this show for the past 16 years. Conan
O'Brien had been following Leno with a "Late
Night" show beginning at midnight. For months
NBC promoted Leno's move to the primetime
of 9 to 10 CST with a variety show...BUT the
new show failed to generate enough ratings
for the local affiliates, who followed the show with
their local news.
Zucker then had his latest brainstorm. He proposes
moving Leno back to the 10:30 to 11:00 slot, and
then O'Brien from eleven to midnight. Both late
night performers are protesting the move, but the
real loser might be Zucker himself. Comcast has
already agreed to buy NBC, but they are watching
this shuffle with baited breath. If Leno vacates the
9-10 CST time slot, it will require millions of dollars
to generate a five-night-a-week show to take his
place.
The winner in all of this confusion is CBS's David
Letterman. His show runs opposite all this turmoil
on NBC, and he has been using his nightly monologue
to joist all of the parties involved. Ironically, it was
Letterman who was lined up to follow Johnny Carson
years ago, but a last minute decision gave the job
to Leno. When I worked at CBS in the 1970's a daily
question would be, "did you hear what Johnny Carson
said last night". Even employees of the rival networks
watched Johnny... May he rest in peace!

Palin Goes to Fox Network

I offer you an opinion today that you will not see in the

mainstream media.. The New York Times and CBS's David

Letterman have persecuted Sarah Palin endlessly.. But she

may have trumped them all with her most recent move.. She

will now be a contributor to the Fox News Channel.. Here is

an article by James Hudnall that appeared today on the

website "Big Journalism".

When the news broke yesterday that Sarah Palin had signed on as a Fox News contributor an awful shrinking feeling in the groin must have hit the execs at the network’s competitors. While the old media continues to try to paint her as a crazed redneck, the fact of her ascendancy as a serious power player is now an inescapable fact. Her autobiography, Going Rogue is a publishing phenomenon, having sold 2.7 million copies as of December 1 of 2009. It’s one of just four political memoirs to sell more than a million copies.

This from — as the left frames the narrative — a failed vice-presidential candidate who didn’t even finish her first term in office as governor of Alaska. The old media and its enablers have tried in vain to discredit, demonize and disenfranchise the woman only to make her stronger. Yet still they hammer away at her relentlessly.

In the new book that has evey tongue in Washington wagging, Game Change, by political writers John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, it’s claimed that some McCain staffers who worked directly with Palin began to worry that she could be “mentally unstable.” This claim has been trumpeted by left-wing bloggers and the usual suspects in the press, desperate to keep up the Palin-bashing so they can ignore Obama’s increasingly evident failures.

Some are even crowing at the news that Palin has joined Fox. They see it as a train wreck in the making. Yet, every time they write her political obituary, Palin has consistently shown them to be wrong. If anything, her hiring by Roger Ailes will be another feather in a cap that must be looking like a chief’s headdress by now. Fox not only has higher ratings and higher earnings than all the cable news channels combined, their numbers are growing while the others wither into irrelevance. No wonder the shrieks of impotent rage are so shrill over at places like MSNBC.

The old media fails to understand why Palin and Fox resonate with the public so strongly. That’s because they’re connecting in ways that the MSM cannot. Palin speaks to middle Americans in a voice they don’t hear from others from the Beltway and the usual media outlets. Fox provides a balance the others often fail to even attempt. The old media can’t understand that people see through the fictions and spin that’s been handed down as gospel for so long. The MSM no longer has a monopoly on dissemination. It’s fast becoming a relic as dated as Harry Reid’s dialogue.

Fox shows that once again, they understand the importance of reaching their audience and giving them what they want. People don’t want stale propaganda or second-hand gossip. And they’re tired of the usual faces shoveling out the talking points of the day while patting themselves on the back for their wisdom.

Palin has shown she is an effective communicator and a telegenic presence. We’ll see if being on TV regularly will limit her future options. But it certainly hasn’t hurt Mike Huckabee, another candidate from the last election who joined the Fox lineup. He’s actually been polling very favorably in fantasy president polls for 2012. Quite an improvement from his also-ran status in 2008.

It seems the Palin bashers only have themselves to blame for making her such a star. And Fox is happy to take advantage of it.

How 'Bout Them Cowboys !!

I know a lot of Cowboy fans have come out
of the closet after Dallas beat Philadelphia 34-14
on Saturday night for their first playoff win since
1996,...but I have been a Cowboy fan since 1960
and have never wavered in my loyalty. In 1960
they did NOT win a game and only tied the New
York Giants in the last game of the season to end
up 0-11-1 for their initial season,...but I loved them.
The team signed All-American quarterback Don
Meredith of S.M.U. to a personal services contract in 1959 and
that was before the NFL had even awarded Dallas a team
and they had no mascot,..no coach,...and no other
personnel. Actually, Dallas and Minnesota were both
awarded franchises at the same time,..but when the
Vikings said they would wait until 1961 so they could
go through the college draft,.. Dallas said we will play
this year (1960) and they did so with the rejects of
all the other teams. Don Heinrich and Eddie LaBaron
were the quarterbacks on those early teams and were
told to mentor Meredith for the future. It was 1963
before the Dandy one would take over America's Team.
He combined with Bob Hayes to revolutionize the NFL.
Hayes, the 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 100 meter
dash, was the fastest man on earth...and he alone is
responsible for today's teams playing zone defense. No
one player could cover Hayes. Meredith would throw long
and Hayes would run under it......Touchdown Cowboys!
Tony Romo and this years edition will now move on to
Minnesota to face the Vikings for the right to play in the
NFC Championship game the following week. Dallas has
peaked at just the right time of the year and their defense
clamped down on the Philadelphia Eagles and allowed them
just 14 points in back to back games. The winner of Sunday's
game will meet the winner of the New Orleans & Arizona
game for the NFC Title and the right to move on to the
Super Bowl.. Win or lose, it has been a banner year for the
Cowboys already...

Bama Rolls to Championship

College football finally came to an end last night
in the BCS National Championship game at the Rose
Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was billed as a
showdown between the number one team in the
land against number two. It was far from the great
game that was expected. Alabama defeated Texas
37-21.
Top rated Alabama looked shaky at the start of
the game, but the Texas Longhorns got the shock
of the game on the fifth snap of the ball. Texas
quarterback Colt McCoy received a shoulder injury
on a hard tackle and was lost for the remainder of
the game. Bama turned to a ground game that not
only ground out huge hunks of yardage, but ground
up the Steers at the same time. Texas was forced
to turn to freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert,
and to say he was in over his head would be a
gross understatement.
It was the eighth national championship for
Alabama, who actually won the title when they
defeated Florida for the Southeastern Conference
Championship.
McCoy spent the entire first half in the locker room
and the second half on the sidelines cheering on his
teammates. He remains the winningest quarterback
in the history of college football, having led the Steers
to 45 victories in his four years at Austin.

Car Number 4

I have NO connection to the 1940 Ford Coupe
in this photo. It is displayed only to show
you what a 1940 Ford Coupe looks like. I found
this photo at the Rod & Custom website.

When we last visited the string of cars that
I have owned, I had a 1939 Chevrolet that had
just finished the re-build stage. I showed up at
the Texas Public Safety office to take my driver's
license test and the troopers almost got into a
fight to see who would give me the road test and
be able to ride in the '39 Coupe.
I had the '39 in its finished stage only a few
months when a friend of my brother came to the
speedshop one day and he was driving a 1940
Ford Coupe (one of the all-time great looking
street rods). This particular '40 was a deep
metallic brown color and I fell in love with it
instantly. He checked out my '39 and we made the
swap with only a couple of hundred going his way.
The '40 Ford Couple was a head-turner and really
looked great. It too was powered by a Chevrolet
V-8 and had a 4-speed transmission in the floor.
This was the summer between the 9th and 10th
grades and I couldn't figure out why all the girls
were taking a sudden interest in me. My brother
was the 'Most Handsome Senior Boy' when he
graduated from high school, but I have never been
equal to him in looks. He took after my Dad's side
of the family and I took after Mom's.
My first day at high school saw a big group of upper-
classmen gather around my car in the parking lot. One
of the seniors told me that sophomores were not allowed
to drive cars to school. About that time one of the seniors
recognized me and said, "That's Carl Stone's little
brother"! The group looked at me and never gave me
a bit of trouble again. This was the Fall of 1959 and my
brother was a god among the car guys about this time.
In 1957 he was the National Champion in the Roadster
Class at the Finals of the National Hot Rod Association.

Inglorious Basterds Movie

I got suckered in by the previews on TV
and at the movies and paid good money to
see it... I regret it!! I have never liked a
movie directed by Quinten Tarentino. I
am still trying to figure out what the hell
'Pulp Fiction' was all about.
Inglorious Basterds (sic) is about a
band of American soldiers led by Lt.
Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), whose sole reason
for being in World War II is to kill Nazi
soldiers. It is almost a copy of 'Dirty
Dozen' but without the good storyline.
As this group of killers travel through
occupied Europe, they discover that a movie
house is going to be filled with Nazi hierarchy
and they plan to blow up the theater with
everyone inside. The plot comes apart and so
does the movie. One bright spot was the
performance of Christoph Waltz, who plays
the part of German SS Colonel Hans Landa.
Waltz was named winner of the Golden Globe
at the Cannes Film Festival for this role. The
costumes and vehicles all look the part, but
the story needs a lot of work. Save your
money,....or better yet...go see Avatar a
second time..

D J now an Aggie

I learned tonight that Denison Yellow Jacket
running back D.J. Jones has committed to play
his college football at Texas A&M next year.
The news was posted on Rivals.com.
Jones is the all-time leading rusher at Denison
High School with 2,247 yards in 2009 and 2,646
yards in 2008. He was one of the main reasons
Denison went to the semi-final round of the
high school playoffs this past season. Denison
finished the 2009 season with a record of 12
wins and 2 losses. It was the most successful
season for Denison High School since 2000.
Jones was heavily recruited by at least seven
major colleges, and he will apparently turn down
the offers of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State,
Arkansas, and S.M.U. among others.
Jones is the first to announce his college
intentions from this years team. There are
several more players expected to move on to
college football.

Dallas Cowboys-NFC East Champions

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia
Eagles 24 to nothing today to close out the regular
season of the National Football League. Dallas
and Philadelphia finish the season with identical
11-5 records, but Dallas is the Eastern Division
Champions since they defeated the Eagles in
both head-to-head meetings.
I have chastised quarterback Tony Romo
many times on this page during the season,
but I will be the first to say he was super today.
Romo completed 24 of 34 passes and two
touchdowns. His game decisions were good
and the only turnover came on a tipped pass.
Romo's favorite target was tight end Jason
Whitten, who scored the first touchdown of
the game. Miles Austin was also instrumental in
the victory and was named to the Pro Bowl this
week despite starting the season as the number
four receiver on the Cowboys roster.
Todays shutout, combined with last weeks 17-0
win over Washington, was the first time in Dallas
Cowboys history the team has recorded back to
back shutouts.
Ironically, the same Philadelphia Eagles will be
the first round playoff opponent of the Cowboys
next week.. Same team...same stadium... Stay
tuned!!

3rd Car.....& it runs

This 1939 Chevrolet belongs to Rick Angles
and is in no way connected to me. I include the
photos only to display what a 1939 Chevy Coupe
looks like.
After losing the 1950 Ford Victoria in a freak
accident I was heartbroken. A friend of my brother
had a 1939 Chevrolet Coupe that he wanted to
get rid of, and we stopped by his house to check
it out. He had already done most of the engine
and transmission work. It had a 265 Chevrolet
V-8 engine installed with a three speed transmission
with a floor shifter. We came home with it and I
immediately started working on it. I had it painted
a two-tone combination of a light malt color on the
body and the fenders were a darker metallic brown.
Over the course of a couple of months I had the
bumpers and most of the chrome re-plated. I had
the interior upholstered in a buttoned-down brown
naugahyde. The flooring showed some damage where
the previous owner had torn it up putting the floor
shifter in. We installed a new sheet metal floor in it
before installing a dark brown carpeting. The original
clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals went down in
the flooring, but I did not want to mess up the new
carpeting. I found some newer swing pedals from a
wrecked car in a salvage yard and installed them in
my '39. I could see our project coming to a conclusion
so I began to prepare for a big event.... going to get
my driver's license.

Pirate Radio-- The Movie

I have been waiting for this movie to come to
town for a long time. It was released in early
November, but it never came to a theater in
Sherman/Denison.
Being a veteran of 28 years in radio and TV,
I wanted to see how Rock & Roll came to England.
During the 1960's the British Broadcasting Company
(BBC) was the only signal you could receive in
England, and the BBC refused to play Rock and
Roll on their signal. Commercial radio was unheard of for
our British cousins. To circumvent this situation
private enterprises took to ships with radio
stations onboard and operated outside the
3 mile territorial limits of England. The ships
beamed their signal to England 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Each ship had living quarters
for the crew & staff and entertained 'special guests'
(females) on a weekly basis.
This movie stars Phillip Seymore Hoffman and he
is too weak an actor to carry the whole movie. Every
other actor in the movie is truly English and I have
trouble understanding their accent when they speak
in a hurry. There are moments in the movie that are
really funny, but they are infrequent and not valid
enough for me to recommend this movie to you..
Having said that,...the sound track of the movie
is to die for. My foot never stopped patting the entire
movie. The Rolling Stones,..the Who,.. Smokey and
the Miracles,.. Dusty Springfield,..and more. I will
definitely be looking for the soundtrack CD when it
comes out.