As I told TMC yesterday (offline, don’t bother looking) throwball is more about who you hate the most.

Today we start with 2 teams either of which is an approprate target for your scorn and derision.

On the one hand we have the Bolts–

(M)any of the prominent old-time Colts, many of whom had settled in the Baltimore area, were bitter and chose to cut all ties to the relocated Colts team. Most notable and vocal among them was Johnny Unitas, who recognized himself solely as a player for the Baltimore Colts until the day he died, with his estate defending that stand to this day.

And on the other we have the Carrion Crows who’s only redeeming feature is that they failed in their attempt to carpetbag away from the land of Cleves before the community was able to reclaim their name.

(T)he agreement stipulated that the Browns’ name, colors, uniform design and franchise records would remain in Cleveland. The franchise history includes Browns club records and connections with Pro Football Hall of Fame players. Modell’s Baltimore team, while retaining all current player contracts, would, for purposes of team history, appear as an expansion team, a “new franchise.”

So Bolts or Crows– slime pit Hell wrestling until they both get their asses kicked.

Sigh.  The not troll in me is strong despite my birth below the bridge and it’s extremely hard to hide my green and gold heritage at times like this so I seldom bother.

I don’t care who they play much, when the pack is on the field I remember things like this–

The Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States.

Try as I might I can’t find a topper to that single statement.  Today they face the all purples, but I’m a class warrior over ethnic, bachelor farmers not withstanding however soothing and melifluous their tones.

The Vikings are disadvantaged by the injury of Christian Ponder who may not start and by Lambeau Field, the 12th player.  On the other hand they beat the Pack just last week 37 – 34.

The Bengals were founded by Paul Brown, namesake of the Cleveland Browns, after being booted in a management struggle with Art Modell in the ’60s.

Now the only model Art is if you want to be the epitome of the greedy community blackmailing NFL owner but Paul was no prize either and it would be poetic justice to have the Bengals and Ravens face off and both lose while the souls of their former leaders drown each other in a slime pit in Hell which is why, as surprising as it is, I have some smidge of sympathy for a team from Texas who’s main sin is to choose the largest media market available after the carpetbagging departure of the unlamented Oilers.

Something I didn’t know is that this is exactly the same as last year’s matchup except for the fact that the Texans will be starting their starter instead of their third string back up (btw, they won that game).  They backed into this position in the most humiliating way possible however, losing their last 2 games in embarrassing defeats.

For the Bengals the question is whether Andy Dalton is any better than last year’s 3 picks indicate.

I’m told streaming video is available here but you can’t prove it by me.  Perhaps you have to register, something I’m reluctant to do even though I have several e-mail boxes just for crap like that.

January

February

March

April

May

June

Philadelphia Tries Out Condom Vending Machines To Combat ‘Epidemic’ STD Rates

By Tara Culp-Ressler posted from ThinkProgress Health

Jan 3, 2013 at 6:40 pm

Reuters reports that more than 400 public schools across the country currently make condoms available to students through a nurse, guidance counselor, or other school personnel. Less than ten percent of schools make condoms directly available to teens without an adult intermediary – in a basket, bowl, or vending machine – as Philadelphia’s schools have started to do.

It’s Philly, he’ll get to it.

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

When last we checked in on Royal Dutch Shell’s “High Tech” Arctic drilling operation they were pretty hosed, eh?  Their containment unit was crushed like a beer can at half its designed operating depth on a clear sunny day in Puget Sound Washington.

Well the weather is not always so nice as that farther north and later in the season and the drilling rig Shell has been using, the Kulluk, and Aiviq the tug moving it to it’s winter quarters in Seattle from Dutch Harbor (famous from Deadliest Catch), ran into some.

Now what some people would call a ‘big storm’ is not so much by comparison to your typical gale, ask anyone who has lived in Maine or Syracuse (6″?  A dusting.  You don’t even get a snow day.).  This one was big enough though, 40′ seas and 70 mph winds.  Kulluk broke her tow and started drifting.  Then when they finally got a line on her again the engines on Aiviq went out, all of them.  Bad diesel they say.

So they called in the Coast Guard which was luckily enough based quite nearby on Kodiak Island instead of a thousand miles away like they would be during actual drilling and they were able to restart Aiviq and with the help of a couple of Cutters start towing again.

Monday, New Year’s Eve, they gave up on that and intentionally grounded Kulluk on the environmentally sensitive but uninhabited Sitkalidak Island near Kodiak Island with the intention of re-floating it and trying again when the weather moderated.

And it did, to a more typical 30′ swell and 35 mph breeze which the Coast Guard divers looked at and decided was maybe not as moderate as they needed to survive.

There it sits today, Wednesday, rocking gently back and forth on a sandy beach with no sign of leaking its 143,000 gallons of fuel or 12,000 gallons of lubricants and hydraulic fluid OR getting pounded to razor blades on the rocks depending on whether you believe Shell propoganda or not.

As always EdwardTeller @ Firedog Lake is on top of the story with these posts I highly recommend you read-

• Shell Oil’s Arctic Drilling Rig’s Tug in Gulf of Alaska Emergency – Shell Considering Evacuating Kulluk Crew Saturday December 29, 2012 2:04 pm
• Shell Drill Rig Kulluk Breaks Tow Lines – Adrift Again Sunday Night – Updated X 3 Sunday December 30, 2012 10:18 pm
• Kulluk Grounds – Spill Response "Ready to Go!" Monday December 31, 2012 9:37 pm
• Shell Oil Rig Kulluk Being Ground into Razor Blades on Rocky Alaska Beach. Questions Arise. Tuesday January 1, 2013 4:17 pm

But if you prefer corporate media instead of DFH Firebagger bloggers here’s a sample-

• Rig Runs Aground in Alaska, Reviving Fears About Arctic Drilling
  
  By JOHN M. BRODER and HENRY FOUNTAIN, The New York Times
  
  Published: January 1, 2013

• Shell oil rig runs aground in Alaska
  
  By Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post
  
  Jan 01, 2013 08:46 PM EST

• A Rig Accident off Alaska Shows the Dangers of Extreme Energy
  
  By Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine
  
  Jan. 02, 2013

• Shell drilling rig remains difficult to reach for rescue team
  
  Richard Mauer and Lisa Demer, McClatchy
  
  Wednesday, January 2, 2013

• Storm impedes salvage of drilling ship in Alaska
  
  Mary Pemberton, Associated Press
  
  7:17 a.m. EST January 2, 2013

• What Shell’s Kulluk Oil Rig Accident Means for Arctic Drilling
  
  By Jerry Beilinson, Popular Mechanics
  
  January 1, 2013 7:50 PM

That’s what you make by cutting an orange in half and scooping out the edible part so you can put fruit salad in it right?

Oh, you are so old school.

It used to mean something, now the parade isn’t even on TV (though they still drive around some of the floats at halftime).  This year’s competitors are Florida State vs. Northern Illinois.

Go Huskies!  Or maybe not, too much New Year.

The Hypnotoad.

"Television is a vast wasteland"

The networks race back to normalcy and I do also.  It takes a week to recover from the holidays.  I hope you all had one as good and safe as I did, see you next year!

This edition covers the 12 hours from 6 pm to 6 am.  Immediate gratification is here.  The previous edition is here.