The NYT would call my blog "parasitic"

New week, same old junk. Let's see what's on tap...

- Brian checks in from the Dirty South late last week: "Found out I'll be here a few more weeks. The plan is to go shooting tomorrow again with Buff, apparently they're bringing out the whole arsenal. They say many folks down here have the same last words... 'hold my beer and watch this.' " Am I the only one who just can't fathom what life in Mississippi is like? I'm sure this is an eye-opening experience for Brian...

- Shocking news article of the day: There are more news media outlets out there today than ever before, but they are covering less actual news. The New York Times blames cable news media and the blogging world, citing that many blogs are "purely parasitic". It should also be noted that "only 1 percent of the posts that day involved a blogger interviewing someone else and only 5 percent involved some other original work, such as examining documents". I guess I fall into the majority on that one. I add no value to the news world, but rather the internet is my open forum for the communication of nonsense. And I love it.

- I don't want to give anything way regarding the premiere episode of the final season of "The Sopranos", but I definitely missed that show, and couldn't be happier for its return. Returning for the first time in just short of 2 years, the first episode did not disappoint. The feud between the NJ mob and the NYC mob is still intense, we have some new subplots, and let's just say that the end of the episode leaves me on the edge of my seat until next Sunday. There, I didn't give anything away.

- Tonight, I caught the re-run of HBO's new show "Big Love" about a polygamist in Utah. The pilot episode moved a little slowly, but I like the show and I'm interested to see what direction they go. So many shows in the past have showcased a couple's marital problems, but how about one guy's marital problems with his 3 wives? Now that's a unique twist. I'll watch it again next week and see what the HBO has in store...

- How about Temple basketball coach John Chaney announcing his retirement today? Believe it or not, for many years when I was younger, I was a bigger fan of basketball than football. Amazing huh? Since college football isn't too big in the Philadelphia area (besides some PSU coverage), college basketball is always a big draw. The Big 5 (Temple, St. Joe's, Villanova, Penn, and LaSalle) has a lot of history in Philadelphia and John Chaney is a big piece of that lore. I always enjoyed his fiery style and have to admire what he's done for so many kids coming from nothing to his Temple program and making them into well-rounded men. He truly was a teacher of the game, with a focus on earning an education, and being self-disciplined. I mean, the guy ran 5:30am practices like it was his job. Put the 1994 incident with John Calipari aside and put the more recent "Goon Gate" incident aside as well, and the man was a class act. (Don't laugh).

My favorite story about Chaney was told by former Philadelphia 76er and Temple star, Aaron McKie. He was doing an interview on Comcast SportsNet and made the comment about how he went to John Chaney after he had been drafted into the NBA. McKie mentioned that he was so overwhelmed by all of the excitement of making it to the pros that he was beginning to get caught up in everything. So he put a phone call in to Chaney and asked for his advice.

"So I said to him, 'Coach, I keep getting pulled in so many directions, by the team and the agent, and there's so much temptation with the lifestyle and all of this money from the contract I signed. I don't know what to do.' And he said to me, 'You know what you're gonna do? The first person you're gonna help is your momma. Because she raised you and she made you the man you are. And if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here right now. So you're gonna take some of this money from your new professional contract, you're gonna go get your momma outta the ghetto in North Philly, and you're gonna buy her a nice home. That's what you're gonna do first, cause that's the least you can do for her after all she's done for you'." Class act right there. I don't care what anyone else says.

Be back tomorrow.