WASHINGTON, NFL PICKS, AND HEAVY METAL

Minions:
Today I have a few things of various subjects to speak on. Stay with me and post your comments afterward.

WASHINGTON
Last night, the President was on TV telling us how important it is to see everything through and that we must stay the course in Iraq. He's going to send 20,000 more troops over there to do who knows what? I gotta tell ya, Election Day 2008 can't come fast enough for me. The lies and ineptness of this administration continue to boggle my mind.

I'd like to point you to a column in Wed. January 10's issue of the NY Daily News by Mike Lupica. It brings alot into perspective and kind of makes you wonder what this is all about. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/487372p-410266c.html

We've no one but ourselves to blame over this. We elected these people TWICE. Our national pride and Patriotism over 911 led us to "Blind Sheep" followism. Now, for most of us, our eyes are open to what is going on. George and Dick must go, plain and simple. And before you Conservative, Republican-style folks start carping that it was Clinton and the Democrats who, ultimately, allowed 911 to happen, let me say that it was the right-wing Big Oil/Defense Contractor sector and their money that got the ball rolling and has worked behind the scenes like puppet masters steering the world to where we are now. Our bullies got spanked and now it is the American soldier who is paying for it. Shame on our government for allowing that. And shame on us for blindly voting this filth into office.

NFL WEEKEND PLAYOFF PICKS
Well, after last week, I won't be making any picks against the spread, that's for sure. I didn't make any actual bets, and it's a good thing. If I had, I would have gone 1-3. This is why I don't wager on football anymore. I also don't bet on horses for the same reason. I suck. A man's gotta know his limitations. Now, poker I can play.

Anyway....Here are my picks for this weekend in the NFL:

1.-COLTS VS. RAVENS--Is anyone else impressed with how the Baltimore Ravens have quietly put together a great season? Their Defense is monsterous and their Offense has been effective. In this game I really have only one thought: East Coast-Outdoors-January. And bye-bye Colts. How often does a dome team do well outside in the Winter? Don't know what the spread is, don't care. Ravens have one more game to play after this. Peyton watches the Super Bowl on TV....again.

2.-EAGLES VS. SAINTS--Talk about a team that surprised and a great story for 2006, the New Orleans Saints have done a complete turnaround from last season's disaster. They went and got a really good QB (Drew Brees), who was thought to be suspect because of off-season surgery, they drafted the top RB in college and put together an awesome season. Their head coach, Sean Payton, deserves the Coach of the Year award he got for this year. On the other hand, the Eagles, after losing star QB Donovan McNabb, have done very well with a playoff-seasoned QB in Jeff Garcia. I think the Saints will have a problem next week if they have to play outdoors. But this week, with Eagle cornerback Lito Sheppard unable to play, I believe the Saints will give their fans their first-ever playoff win and give them some extra hope for a possible berth in the Super Bowl. What a nice thing that would be for the city of New Orleans, huh?

3.-SEAHAWKS VS. BEARS--The spread on this game is 9 points, right? No, I know that the Bears Defense is very tough in Chicago, in the winter. But the 'Hawks are from Washington. It gets cold there, too. The inconsistent Res Grossman leads me to believe that the Seahawks will cover the spread, if not win outright. True, they should have lost last week. But they're healthy and I really believe that they can keep up. In December, at home against a woeful Detroit Lions team, the Bears defense gave up 34 points. I'm going with Seattle in this game.

4.--PATRIOTS VS. CHARGERS-- Okay, I know Bill Belicheck is a genius. I know that the playoffs are his time of year. But I really believe that the Chargers are bound for the Super Bowl. I especially like the home-field advantage here. Chargers win a close one.

DO METALHEADS MELLOW WITH AGE?
I'll be brief. I think, for the most part, that the answer is YES. I think as people age, they realize that "banging your head" is frowned upon by "grown-ups." Certain kinds of metal are obviously for the younger crowd. These would be, Hardcore, Death Metal, and maybe Black Metal.

However, I'm here to tell you that I am one metalhead who will never grow tired of the "Chainsaw." Growing up during the 70's and 80's I am a child of the "classic" metal years and have watched it evolve, die and be re-born. Though I may have expanded my musical tastes somewhat, I can tell you that 75-80% of my iPod Nano is filled with Heavy Metal of some sort or another. The majority of these songs are classic bands like, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rush, Metallica, Mercyful Fate. I have since found some newer metal bands to my liking. Bands like, Disturbed, Grand Magus, Orange Goblin, The Sword, Place of Skulls to name a few have really piqued my interest over the last year. I really dislike Death Metal and growling, "Cookie-Monster"-type vocals, so you won't hear me listening to that crap.

But I'm glad to say that, for the metal fan of the 70's and 80's, you owe it to yourself to seek out new metal that has come out over the last couple of years. I would like to point you to the following web sites to check out Reviews of new bands that you may not have heard of:

www.metalreviews.com and www.metal-observer.com

For those of you not into metal at all, for shame. There's nothing like the feeling of a bass drum thumping in your chest as the guitarist slams a couple of chainsaw-like power chords through your brain, shredding your mind and making your ears bleed, followed by the unholy wailing of a singer who can hit both the high notes and the gritty growls. Now, THAT'S the way to start your day.

Chant for me, my minions........LEN IS RIGHT!!!

I am,
Len Tollerton