Eli is busted open, WOW. I can just hear good old JR, “Eli Manning is bleeding like a stuck pig”

One of the things that does not suck about being unemployed is that you have a ton of free time. With that free time I have had the chance to read some really good books (even wrote a semi book review on The Beckham Experiment). So here are some of my book recommendations if you are looking for a good read. If you end up reading any of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have already read one of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts.

History/Military

“And I Was There”: Pearl Harbor and Midway–Breaking the Secrets. Author, Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton

If you are interested in World War II, then this book is a must read. It seems to be recognized as the definitive account of the code breaking aspects of the Pacific Theater. Layton was one of the key players in code breaking intelligence before and after Pearl Harbor. He tells the unbelievable story of what went down behind the scenes. Code breaking was something new, and therefor not totally excepted by some of the older, higher ranking military figures. This book tells of the struggle to embrace code breaking and the politics of war. The code breaking is more straight forward, but the “politics of war” are a lot more complex. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor reputations of men were ruined, careers destroyed by no fault of their own. Information wasn’t properly shared within the Navy and when the shit hit the fan (Pearl Harbor), the people who were most at fault (not out of malice) played the blame game. This book is a fantastic read, but it’s a book that takes a lot of time to get through. If you want to learn a lot of really important historical lessons, then this book is for you.

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I was called out by my loyal reader (singular) that I mailed in a posting, “Singing the Blues”, and he was absolutely right. I had too much on my mind and too many big things to talk about. So, I am going to attempt to right the wrong and tackle on of the topics I glossed over, “Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs (2010 list)”.

So let me start with the obvious, I am no music critic. In fact, I probably have the least diverse musical taste; starts with Bruce Springsteen, ends with Bruce Springsteen. That is only a slight exaggeration. I realize that this list did purportedly come via a democratic vote from a distinguished panel, but some of the omissions I just can’t stomach.

First, the list (with a few snarky comments)

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1. “Like a Rolling Stone” – Bob Dylan – I am not going to get pissy over the #1 ranking. Would this be my choice? Absolutely not. Still I recognize its greatness.
2. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – The Rolling Stones
3. “Imagine” – John Lennon
4. “What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
5. “Respect” – Aretha Franklin
6. “Good Vibrations” – The Beach Boys
7. “Johnny B. Goode” – Chuck Berry
8. “Hey Jude” – The Beatles
9. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana
10. “What’d I Say” – Ray Charles

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Here and there thoughts on everything….

Have to start with the World Cup. I am not a soccer fan, but when the World Cup comes around, I pay attention. Also factor my copious amount of free time, and I caught the World Cup fever (waking up at 4:30AM to watch the early games). When Landon Donovan scored that goal against Algeria, I hadn’t been so happy with a soccer goal since color war at camp. I really thought the USA had a good chance against Ghana, after all, Ghana had only scored on two penalty kicks in the group play. Well, we know how that turned out. Ghana was the better team. Altidore did nothing, Howard had a terrible game and its another four years till soccer matters in the USA. That being said, had the USA gone a couple games deeper into the tournament, that Donovan goal vs Algeria would have had more meaning. With the exit as it stands, it will be forgotten.

As for the rest of Cup, Argentina and Brazil look like the two best teams. That being said, Spain looked mighty impressive yesterday. Brazil has the easier road to the finals, so it if Argentina is there, they will be battle tested. That being said, I am rooting for Uruguay. Diego Forlan has been the player who impressed me most who I had never heard off. Messi, is the best player, no question asked. Still, other “stars” did not live up to the hype. If you haven’t been watching, you really should. Soccer may be a bit boring, but it’s all worth it for the goals.

How freaking unlucky can a team get? Pedroia, Buccholtz and V.Mart all get injured on consecutive days. Buch should be OK, V.Mart is gone for a couple weeks, but Peds is gone for a while. Still, the Sox have been fighting on. I will write more on them in an individual post (we are almost at mid-season).

Went to San Diego this past weekend. The Zoo is amazing, SeaWorld is a notch bellow. If you haven’t been, they are both well well worth it. Polar Bears at the zoo were my favorite.

I picked up the new Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs issue. Don’t bother. All I have to say is that “Don’t Stop Believing” is not in the top 500. That is just insane. It’s one of the greatest songs off all time. I am not even the biggest Journey fan, but that song would be on my top 10 list. Rolling Stone sucks off Dylan, the Stones and of course, the Beatles.

This weekend, Carwin vs Lesnar, I am taking Lesnar. Interestingly, I read that Paul Heyman is his personal marketing manager. WWE storyline that came true.

Man, Federer has fallen. Out in the quarter finals for the second straight Slam. They guy makes the semi’s for every slam for 7 years or something… now he misses 2 in a row. In tennis the fall is fast.

NBA free agency is here. All I have to say is that if the Knicks don’t get Lebron, I will ALMOST feel sorry for their fans. That is saying something because I loathe the Knicks. Still, they have sucked for the longest time, everything has been building for this summer. They don’t deserve Lebron et al, but those fans have been treated worse than Ike treated Tina. Still, I do hope the end up with Amare Stoudemire. He stinks, and Knicks fans know it.

Ok, thats it. Just some scattered thoughts to get off my chest.