Change In The House Of Jerry

So, Wade Phillips is out as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.  At the end of Week 9.  And Jason Garrett is promoted.

Now I am not the Cowboy fan I used to be.  Truth be told, I became a fan when they drafted Emmit Smith.  They never took the place of my beloved Dolphins or my beloved Bucs, but I still rooted for them.

When I moved to Dallas, I realized the concept of "the culture of winning".  It happens here, it happens in New York, it happens in Chicago, it happens in Detroit (different sports, all, BTW).  This is not the same concept as "fair-weather fans" to me, as this is more "we were used to winning at one point, and now we're not".  Even the Dallas Stars, who one ONE STANLEY CUP 12 SEASONS ago suffer from this, as the game I watched this past Friday night saw a TON of lower level empty seats.

Anyway, to make you, the non Metroplex reader truly understand, I will quote a promo cut by a local radio personality (Dan McDowell) for the Rangers a number of years ago before the opening day of Major League Baseball: "We'll talk Rangers, and if they win, we're World Series bound.  If they lose, we'll talk about rebuilding for next year."  As funny as that sounds, that's the way it is here.  VERY hot & cold.

Now that this is in it's proper framework, here is why this is a TERRIBLE idea.

This team is 1-7 at this point in the season.  Looking at the rest of their schedule (@NYG, DET, NO, @ IND, PHI, WAS, @ ARI, @ PHI), there are no more than three winable games by my estimation, which puts the team at 4-12 at best.  At this point, you are playing to finish.

I have asserted all season that Jerry Jones has NEVER fired a coach mid-season before, and didn't think he would this time.  Well, as 4:00 Central time approaches and this actually comes to pass, here is the question: Is this REALLY the right move?

People have said for years that Garrett is the heir apparent to this team, but the offense has not been exactly stellar this year.  With losing Romo to injury (and remember what I have said: never trust a quarterback named Gus, Elvis, or Kitna), Kitna being Kitna, and the team in just plain disaray, why fire a guy and replace him with another guy from the same group?  Does this really change the team dynamic, or is it six of one and half a dozen of the other?

Given that we are realistically looking at a lockout next year, you don't want to put another head coach from the outside under contract so you can pay him to sit at the house.  So why not just let Philips (whom you are going to pay anyway) to finish out the year and get this thing done.  You won't need him after January 2nd anyway, so pay him to do SOMETHING.

I honestly don't believe that the players have given up on Wade; I believe the players have given up on THEMSELVES and THE SITUATION THAT THEY ARE IN.  I don't believe that Jason Garrett (former QB of this team himself... kinda) can turn the ship around, and he has to realize that he is being set up to fail here.  Any further meltdown of this team is going to hurt his stock to any other team in the league that may want to consider him in the off-season.  The argument can be made that his stock is already hurt, but the other side of that coin is that you'd still have a bit of the unknown of him as a head coach.

To me, the only sense that can be made here is if there IS a season next year, you give Garrett a full season with the team to see what he can do.  However, I honestly feel that even IF there is a season next year, Garrett won't be here either way.

Comments?  Join myself and Cody tomorrow night, and EVERY Tuesday night at 8 Eastern/5 Pacific for The Clubhouse With Rob & Cody on Ustream!  Start at our website and click on the microphone to get to the show page.  Hope you can either join us live or listen to any of our past shows in the archive!

BB

Extra Releases For The Week Of November 1st, 2010

Starting this week, and hopefully each week, I will be taking New Releases for movies, DVD/Blu-Ray, and music that we don't get to on The Clubhouse With Rob & Cody, which you can get to from The Show's Official Website and putting them here, so we can still highlight great stuff that you should check out!

DVD/Blu-Ray

• Phil Collins: Going Back Live
• This is a concert he did in his native country of England to coincide with his new cover album of 60's R&B classics.  I'd rent it, but he is also one of my leaders.  So take that for what you are paying for it.
• The Rolling Stones: Let's Spend The Night Together
• Another concert film.  You gotta admit: these cats are still getting it done live.
• Centurion
• Mark Cuban's company does their version of Robin Hood/300/Spartacus.  But it does have Dominic West in it, so it's got that going for it.  Which is nice.
• Mad About You: Season 5
• Only really watched a handful of episodes of this show.  Thought the finale was kinda weak.
• The Big 4: Live From Sofia Bulgaria
• Metallica.  Slayer.  Anthrax.  Megadeth.  Do I really need to say any more here?
• Highlander: Director's Cut and Highlander 2 (Blu-Ray)
• There can be only one.  Or two.  Or three. Or four and a TV show.
• The Sound Of Music (Blu-Ray)
• One of my wife's favorite movies.  Always found it kinda strange under the surface.
• V: Season 1
• This is the new version ABC is doing.  And that's what I have to say about that.
• The Facts Of Life: Season 5
• I actually watched this show when I was a kid and didn't realize it went this long.
• Beverly Hills, 9021: Season 10
• The final season of the original.  Again, I stopped watching when they graduated high school.  Cody was a fan all the way through.  He still is.
• Christmas Treats
• This features Christmas episodes of Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, The Odd Couple, Cheers, and The Beverly Hillbillies.  And at some point, I think Kevin Bacon shows up somewhere.
• UFC: The Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights
• I really put this in here for Misty, if I'm being perfectly honest.  And I really think that is what America expects from me.
• The Wiz (Blu-Ray)
• Made half of it's budget theatrically.  Actually made more than the other half in the home video market.
• UFC 118
• In case you missed it before.  This was the Couture vs. Toney fight as the co-main event, and you also had Penn vs. Edgar.  So there you go.
•  WWE Hell In A Cell
• I was there.  That's the only reason I will own it.
• Winnebago Man
• I actually want to see this documentary about this dude that is a YouTube sensation where he's just cussing like a sailor.  I've heard good f****n things.
• TNA Hard Core Justice
• They couldn't use "ECW" for this thing.  That's all you need to know.  And I'd almost take WWE's Tuesday night version of ECW over this.  Almost.
• Katt Williams: 9 Lives
• This guy's bits about getting shot and driving a Chrysler 300 alone gets him credibility with me.

Music Releases

• Joe - Home Is The Essence Of Christmas
• One of the most underrated R&B artists of our time.  Go back and check out some of his stuff when you get a chance.
• Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas II You
• The roman numeral is because this is her second Christmas album, following up 2004's "Merry Christmas".  Really enjoyed the first one, and this will be her last holiday season before becoming a mother.

That's all we've got for this week.  Remember to listen to The Clubhouse With Rob & Cody every Tuesday night at 8 Eastern/5 Pacific.  And if you miss us live, go to the page anyway to listen to all of our archived shows!  Hope to have you with us then!

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Movie Review, "Conviction"

Saw a screening of this film last night, which was followed by a Q&A with the real Betty Anne Waters and Juliette Lewis.  Director Tony Goldwyn (yes, the bad guy from "Ghost") was supposed to be there, but he could not get a flight to Dallas in time.  Quick moral, kids: when you get screening passes to a yet-to-be-released film, and it says "this is purposely overbooked on purpose," BELIEVE THEM.  We were there about 2 1/2 hours early, and still would up on the first row of the theater, due to representatives from the USA Film Festival and Inoocence Project: Dallas sponsoring.  Was fully prepared for that, but some people in the line with us were not.  Not complaining, just teaching here.

Anyway, in 1983, Kenny Waters (Sam Rockwell), who was a "problem child" in a house of 9 children growing up and spent a lot of time getting into trouble, is sentance to life in prison for the murder of a local woman.  His sister, Betty Anne (Hillary Swank), avows his innocence and embarks on a journey to become an attorney to represent him and prove what she believes to be the truth.  It is a process that takes us (and her) through almost two decades of her life that entails loss, gain, frustration, hope, pain, tears, and even asks the audience how far they would go to fight in someone (or something) they believe in.

I went into this screening with a bit of apprehension, as I have determined that Swank is tending to pick projects that can be awards bait.  (Do something completely off of the beaten path, Hill.  Just get me a pallet cleanser here.)  What I was pleased to find was that there were at least three other people that I felt outperformed her here.  First off, Rockwell is purely RIVETING in his role as a man who could be falsely accused of a crime putting all of his faith in his sister, whom he has protected their entire lives.  If anybody scores an Oscar nod here, it's him.  Also, Minnie Driver (playing Abra Rice,  the woman who would become Waters' best friend and biggest supporter, and who can still get it DONE) once again makes you forget that she is European, delivering a Massachusetts accent worthy of a Ben Affleck film, and brings a performance that has to get recognized by her peers and the press.  Recognition also has to go to the kids playing the younger versions of Kenny and Betty Anne (Bailee Madison and Tobias Campbell), who will rip your heart out of your chest if you let them.

Goldwyn's direction (the first feature he has directed since the Greg Kinnear/Ashley Judd vehicle "Someone Like You" in 2001... he's done quite a bit of television directing since) here really gives the viewer the feeling of being there with the characters for the desired effect when necessary, but also knows when to pull back and let the story tell itself.  Pamela Gray (most known for writing "Music Of The Heart" and "A Walk On The Moon") tells the story and (by Waters' own admission) kept it very faithful, with little "artistic license".  When Waters told the audience that this movie was literally 9 years in the making, it was apparent in the final project.

So, on the standard scale of 1 to 10, I will give "Conviction" a 9, which means, "Almost there, holmes, but I can't be bought off that easy.  But go see it when you can."

Until next time, when I may even review a movie I see on U-Verse or Blu-Ray, or even another theatrical release...

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Movie Review, "Red"

Whoa.  How long has it been since I typed a title like THAT?

So... last night, I attended a screening of the latest big screen adaptation of a graphic novel called "Red," originally written by the great Warren Ellis.  Here's the lowdown:

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is retired from the C.I.A.  He lives a quiet existence that involves... well, not much.  He has found himself quite smitten with an operator at the Federal Building in Kansas City that he talks to on the phone, Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker).  The very night that he decides to get up the nerve to fly up and see her, these pesky little goverment agents show up to kill him for reasons Frank can only imagine.  From here, he speeds up his process to see Sarah, as he realizes that she may be in danger as well.  What follows is a tale of former friends, evil agencies, and a conspiracy that leads WAY up the ladder.  Also in this film are the likes of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren (that's right, Helen Mirren... Oscar winner for "The Queen" Helen Mirren), Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy from "Star Trek," who was also at the screening I attended... pretty cool guy), Richard Dreyfuss, and Brian Cox (one of the most underrated actors of our time). 

As one would expect, there are a lot of bullets that fly around in this film, which comes in at just under two hours.  What one does not expect is a story that has a nice heart to it.  Willis, as he just about always is, comes off as the coolest cat in the room.  As Frank, his portrayal shows both vulnerability to want a normal life and a toughness to protect that and those which he feels to be most important to him.  Freeman is always great, Malkovich is always insane, which is VITAL to his role here, Mirren is always the portrait of grace and shows off some great comedic timing.  Urban's character, not his performance, was a little off-kilter for this guy, as there were a couple of points where he should have been a bit more stern in his reactions to certain situations (REALLY trying hard not to give too much away here), but that really is my only flaw to what is a film that really knows how to balance violence, comedy, romance, and drama to keep both the men and the women in the audience entertained.

Director Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler's Wife, Flightplan) shows that he can give a comic book feel to a film without it being to comic-ish.  There is a bit of action that you know isn't really possible, but it's done in such a way that doesn't come off cheesy at all.  With a cast of talent like this to work with, he also did a very good job to spread the spotlight around so it didn't seem like he was letting one star chew too much scenery.  As much as Willis is the top billed star here, it very much felt to me like an ensemble picee, with everyone contributing equally to make the story work.

So, I guess on a scale of 1 to 10, I will give "Red" a solid 8, which means "Go see it in first run, and it's even OK to see for a date movie."

I'm actually trying to give this bit another go (even with movies I may watch on Blu-Ray or on TV), so feel free to give YOUR feedback, and make sure to hear all of the latest news and information on sports, movies, music, television, and sports entertainment on The Clubhouse With Rob & Cody, LIVE each and every Tuesday night at 8 Eastern/5 Pacific.  Get to it from The Official Show Website and until next time...

BB

Secret Origins, Part 5: The Modern Era

Yes, we are finally bringing this to a close.  The pressure you people put on me.  Geez...

Shortly after starting my career with Incredible Universe (and actually getting paid to DJ, as well as learning my karaoke hosting skills), I found out that my mom was taking a job in Dallas.  After doing a bunch of math, I realized that I could not sustain life on my own in South Florida, so I decided to move to Dallas myself.  I finished out the lease on the apartment that we were living in (moving on New Year's Eve sucks, by the way), spent a month living with the family of one of my church kids (shout out to the Parades, whom I believe are in Tennessee now), and then drove from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas with my buddy Jim Wolter (anybody know what's up with THIS guy?).  We took about three days, with stops in Fort Meyers (visited the South Florida United Methodist Church camp), Tampa (to see my grandparents), and Louisiana (coudn't drive any further), arriving in Dallas four days after the Super Bowl.

Incredible Universe was gracious enough to transfer me, so I started work within a few days.  I was also fortunate enough to meet the GREAT Buck Cueni-Smith, who let me work with him with the Walnut Hill United Methodist Church youth program, and also helped me out by lending me sound equipment to get my mobile DJ service up and running.   During my time with Incredible Universe, I met the Futrell family, whom would play a HUGE role in my life, and continues to be very close to my heart to this day.  Rick & his wife, Trinity, were even gracious enough to let me live with them for about six months before I could get my own place after my mom bought a house and wanted me out on my own.

I was able to get out on my own, after leaving Incredible Universe in the spring of 1996, but still kept on doing DJ work under Bamm-Bamm Productions (so the name remained).  The work was there, but not steady, so I got a day job working for PageMart, where I would make a lot more friends whom I still have today (and Rick worked there, too).  I ended up working at their corporate office, which was great, but the money wasn't exactly what I needed, as I had to buy a new car.

So, I picked up a second job at a local Blockbuster Video store, and wound up being a part-time manager there, which paid my car payments.  There, I met Adam Kennedy, another friend to this day.  While there, I got a call one day from Rick's sister, Lisa, telling me about a place they go to on Tuesday nights to do karaoke, which is something I had not been involved with on a regular basis in about 2 years.

This place was called... Sports City Cafe.

So, one night I went there, and the atmosphere was electric.  I wound up being a regular fairly quickly and having a blast.  One night, I was actually running a bit late working at the video store, and Lisa said she would just sign me up for a song, so I could have my place in line.  Up to this point, I had just put "Rob E." on the slips.

That night, she actually put, "Bamm-Bamm".

And the name returns again.  Greg, the host, would only refer to me that way from that point on.

A few weeks later, I asked a PageMart friend of mine, John "Doc" Howser, to meet me at Sports City Cafe.  Doc and I had lunch just about every day (along with our friend - AND NEWLYWED - Jeff Smith), and he asked me who did the show.  I told him, and his reaction was, "NO WAY!  He's the lead singer in my band!"  Aaaaaand... Kevin Bacon.

Doc met me there that night, and when Greg saw him, his eyes bugged out of his head.  Once that connection was established, it was just a couple of months later when Greg asked me if I wanted to do the show there.  Shortly after, I quit the video store and started doing two nights a week for Bravo Productions as "Bamm-Bamm" at Sports City Cafe.  And the REST, my friends, is well-documented history.

I hope you enjoyed ths little ditty that gives you a little deeper look into the history of my alter ego.  There are many stories that are embedded within this story, but I can't tell you EVERYTHING.

Until next time...

BB

Secret Origins, Part 4: The Second Defining Moment (On Multiple Levels)

OK, so here we go again...

Fast forward to the summer of 1994.  The sweetest mullet in HISTORY is in full swing, and I have just been laid off from my job at a local movie theater.  I was also working a job as the Summer Youth Worker for a (sorta) local church, and this was the silver lining for me.  Great group of young people (after spending a couple of years working with the youth of the church I grew up in, and also a great group of young people).  Losing my job the day after I returned from church camp with some of the younger youth was a rough deal, but those young'uns made it a lot less rough on me.

One day, I came across an ad in the want ads of the local paper for a place called "Incredible Universe."  I was very intrigued by the position of DJ/Karaoke.  At this point in my life, I had spent stints here and there doing DJ work for parties, mix tapes, and some such.  But, here was an opportunity to work with music EVERY DAY.  So, I went to an abandoned Publix (the building wasn't even constructed yet) and applied.  After about three different interviews and a personality test, I was offered the job as a temp in the DJ/Karaoke "scene" (it would become permanent pretty quickly).

During my week-long orientation class, there was a time when volunteers were needed for a skit on selling.  Naturally, given my department, I was volunteered.  Unfortunately, there was one more guy than there were guy parts, and I drew the short end of the stick, so I had to be an elderly woman.  A one-piece dress and three balloons later, and there we were.  Now, I was wearing one of my Bamm-Bamm shirts, so naturally, a guy had to yell, "BAM! BAM!" when referring to the location of the balloons.  This is also where I began what has become a 16 year karaoke career as well.

Thus, my "hero name" at Incredible Universe was born.

Is this where our story ends?  Nope.  There is one more chapter and another time zone to go, my friends, so until we conclude with Chapter 5, "The Modern Era..."

Secret Origins, Chapter 3: The First Defining Moment

Whoa, two chapters in one week, much less one month.  Yeah, I know.

We now fast forward another year.  I have completed my first and only year at the University Of South Florida (the summer camp relationship ended about six weeks after my time in Leesburg ended, and I met a young lady whom would take me through the rest of that first year of college), and was living in an apartment with two friends of mine off campus.  I was also working as a busboy and dishwasher at the Chili's right by the University (in retrospect, I shouldn't have let them pick the job I would have when asked "what position do you want?").  As that year (from the fall of 1991 to the spring of 1992), I had realized that my time at the South Florida camp had really a huge impact on me, and I wanted to be a part of it again.  I had not applied to be a member of the staff, so I could not be paid at that point.  So, in order for an "everybody wins" situation, I would drive down there on my days off, spend a couple of days, and then drive back on days I had to work.  Considering it was 3 hours each way, I am amazed that I did this that often to this day.  For the most part, the staff was the same great group of people that were there the summer before, with a couple of people that I knew from Leesburg that wound up down there as well.

That summer, the before mentioned Casey & Kellee developed a fondness for a song by Young & Restless called "B Girls".

Look at me, getting all high tech on you and stuff.  THAT, my friends, is the first time I ever embedded a video.

Anyway, they formed such an affinity for said song that they decided to give everyone on the staff nicknames that started with the letter "B".  Now, I am willing to admit that "Bamm-Bamm" came to me as a hand-me-down, as my good friend and fellow Facebook-er Larry Gray decided he liked "Bubba" instead.  (And for that, sir, I will be forever grateful.)  So, "Bamm-Bamm" fell to me, and it stuck.  From that point forward, I would start to collect anything I could find with the Flintstones character represented on it.

One would think that this is where the story ends, no?  If you think that my friend, then you are sadly mistaken.  Check back next time for "Chapter 4: The Second Defining Moment (On Multiple Levels)."

Oh yeah, and there were a couple of "summer girls" there too.  Oh hell, why not, since I am now an embedding fool...

Until then...

BB

Secret Origins - Part II: Post Graduation

So, continuing on....

A year has passed since the end of Part 1 (not literally, although some of you are claiming as such), and I have completed my Senior year in high school.  Literally THE DAY AFTER I GRADUATED, I was on a train headed for Leesburg, Florida to be on staff at the Warren Willis Youth Camp to work with what is known as Children's Camp (the same age group I worked with the year before of Rising 5th and Rising 6th Graders, but they closed the camp I worked at the summer before and combined it onto the same grounds as the Junior High and Senior High camps).  The week before campers were to arrive, we spent time getting the camp in order.  For those of you that are familiar with the camp in Leesburg, this was the last year that the camp did not have air conditioning in any of the cabins, and the showers and bathrooms were in their own building.  That's right, kids: the cabins were just beds, windows, and a door, and you had to walk to a separate place to shower or go to the bathroom.

The day before campers were to arrive for the first week of camp (campers came in on Monday and left on Saturday mornings... different campers every week), as I was helping put some of the final touches on our brand new sand volleyball court, I was summoned to our camp director, Margaret Johnson's, office.  She informed me that I was "elected" to spend two weeks in our Rustic camp in the South Florida Camp branch, located in Alva, near Fort Meyers.  (Leesburg is between Tampa and Gainesville.)  Now, I found out by "elected," they meant, "the only one that we can get to go that won't quit on the spot".  So, being the nice guy that I am, I repacked all of my stuff and headed to Alva.  As I was on my way, I found out that Rustic Camp consisted of a smaller group of campers, and not only did we have cabins with no A/C (which I was prepared for), but showering consisted of either swimming or a trailer bed with hoses connected to plastic "stalls," and all of our meals were to be cooked ourselves, over an open fire with hot plates we had to hand make out of coiled cardboard, wax, and a match.  Seriously, I'm not kidding here.  And to cap it all off?  I'd be there OVER MY BIRTHDAY.  MY 18TH BIRTHDAY.

So, I am doing what I can to make the best of a bad situation, and things get a bit brighter.  I find out that not only will I be accompanied by Chauma, who I knew from the summer before, but I would also be just a stone's throw from another of my friends from the summer before, Larry.  (Both of these cats are on my Facebook friend list now).  Larry, and a few of the other girls, would be handling our Horsemanship camp, with all of the comforts of home.  The rumor was that they always knew we were coming by the flies that worked as our heralds before us.  (It was grimy, but not THAT bad.)

So, as Week 1 wrapped up, there was a plan for all of us to spend some time in Fort Meyers taking in the newly released "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" and "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves," spending some time in a hotel (YES!) and just bonding.  During this time, I gained some closeness with a young lady that I was on staff with (if ya don't know, I ain't tellin' ya), which sprouted my second Summer Love of just as many summers.  There were also two other young ladies on staff, Kellee and Casey (the former is on my friends list), who were TOTAL BFF's.  They supplied us with much comedy, and I really learned a lot from them in the next part of this story.

During Week 2, I found out that they would need me to stay down there for an additional week, which kinda set me off, but being the guy that I am, I stayed.  I also found out that the young lady that I had become close with would be coming up to Leesburg with me, so I bit the bullet (while many mosquitoes bit me) for an additional week.  Also, though, my bond with friends both old and new became deeper, and in retrospect, I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.  (PS - This will come into play in the next chapter.)

The next week, I headed back to Leesburg with lady friend and another staff member in tow.  We stopped off in Orlando to drop the other staff member at her house, and then headed to the camp (in Larry's car, as he would drive a van up there for the camp's use).  I spent the next five weeks there, having the time of my LIFE.  I met so many great people (a good number of which are on my friends list to this day), and lived what is known as the "fairy tale".  What I mean by that is that you spend so much time literally away from the rest of the world (we would go into town every once in a while, but we spent most of our time at the camp itself... Leesburg is nowhere NEAR as lived-in as it is now).

Five days after I returned home, I departed for my one year spent at the University of South Florida, and the following summer, made a decision that would change my life forever.

There are many side stories that I can tell that coincide with these summers, but I have to have stuff to write at a later time.

Until next time, when we have Chapter 3, "The First Defining Moment"...

BB

Secret Origins, Part I - I Have To Tell You This Story To Tell You That Story

So, over the years, many people have asked me the question, "How did you get the name Bamm-Bamm?"  (You see, that is where the name of this site comes from: "Your Uncle B".)Some of you know part of the story, some of you know other parts of the story, and a few of you know the WHOLE story.  So, I thought this might be a good little blog series to tell that story.  Plus, it makes me keep up with this thing a little better.

Before we get into the meat of the story, I thought I'd give you the background that will get us there.  It is the year of our Lord 1990.  I am a junior in high school (yes, I'm that old... go pound sand), and very deeply involved with my church (Cokesbury United Methodist Church in Margate, FL... REPRESENT!).  One Sunday morning, someone in my church approached me to spend a couple of weeks working as a counselor at the United Methodist Church Camp in Brandon, Florida, which is just south of Tampa.  It was going to be a volunteer gig, but would give me some valuable leadership experience. (As a side note, I probably should have documented all of those hours, and I would have had enough to get one of those service lanyard things at graduation.)  I have always been a summer camp fan, and thought this might be kinda fun.  So, I filled out the application, sent it to the Florida Conference (the entire state is one conference, unlike other states), and within a few weeks, I was scheduled to be there the first two weeks of July, over my birthday.  As the kids come in on Monday and leave on Saturday morning, my mom and I drove up to see my grandparents in Tampa a couple of days before.  My mom dropped me off late Sunday afternoon, and I checked in to my cabin.  There wasn't anybody around, so I decided to engage in my default time killer: basketball.  This would either prove to be a very smart move or a very dumb move, depending on how you look at it.

About 10 minutes in, I overcalculated a rebound, and wedged my ankle between the concrete of the court and a dropoff to the ground, twisting my ankle incredibly.  Since it was so late on a Sunday, no clinics were open, so I was relegated to the administration building with my ankle elevated.  It was here, in this very unflattering position, that I was to meet the staff, who was trickling in from a trip of some form.  I was tended to for the most part by Chauma, who would become a very good friend.  She alternated the hot water and cold water bottles on my ankle to keep any swelling and discoloration under control.  I also remember meeting other friends to this day like Grace, Larry, Mindy, Bryant, Jason, and Jodi (whom I REALLY need to track down).  I still don't know how I fell asleep that night, given that I had to lay still.

The next day, we got me to a doctor and found out that luckily, the ankle was just sprained and not broken.  I still had to spend that first week in a splint and on crutches, but given the alternative, I was OK with that.  I was also introduced that week to a young lady by the name of Heidi, whom would become, in the words of an obscure Michael Jackson song, my "Summer Love".  She had red hair, blue eyes, and the faintest hit of freckles.  Need I say more here, people?  I was seventeen years old, and a college girl was digging me.  THAT was how I was rolling.  At least in my mind.

Those two weeks would plant seeds in my heart and in my head that would lead me to the next summer, where it would all change forever.  But THAT, my friends, is the next chapter.

OOH!  I just had a great idea!  Coming to my Facebook page before Chapter 2: an accompanying photo gallery to go with each chapter.  AND YES, that means I have pictures from those days.

As a post script: The Heidi thing went on for a little while, but then after about a month of camp closing, she MARRIED somebody else.  Let that sink in for a second.

Until the next chapter, which I promise won't take TOO long...

BB

New Podcast Site!

The very first edition of The Clubhouse With Rob & Cody is now available for your perusal at

http://www.archive.org/details/TheClubhouse071310mp3

Not The Corner, But Still A Blog

Wow, is this really the first blog of 2010?  Yeesh.

If you are expecting my normal wit and witticism here, you may want to rethink that plan.  This entry is going to take a bit of a more serious tone.  Sorry about that in advance, but sometimes, you just gotta blog stuff.

As some of you know, it's been a rough 12 months for my grandparents.  They have both been in a health decline, and a couple of weeks ago, my grandmother had a stroke shortly after her 80th birthday.  She's doing much better now, and for the most part, I've been pretty even keeled about the whole thing.  They celebrate their 60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY in August, and there will be a family gathering.  If all goes along with the plan, it will be the first time that all of the grandchildren are in the same room since Christmas of 1995.  I look forward to seeing all of my cousins (two of which I have not seen since said Christmas, one of whom I caught coming through the airport, pre 9/11 of course, and the fourth one came down for a visit a couple of summers ago), and my aunts and uncles, and of course, my Grandma and Grandpa, whom I have not seen since Jenn and I got married almost 7 years ago.  Hold on a sec, I have to let that last part set in....

OK, I'm good.  It's amazing how time flies when you get to spend it with someone whom you not only love, but truly gets you.  Love you, honey!  (OK, you get a little bit of wit and witticism.  We ARE talking about me, here.)

Anyway, I get an e-mail from my mom today updating me on what is going on.  She is in Tampa with them for a few days, helping out.  My uncle Putt (his real name is Robert, but I have another Uncle Robert, and Putt is short for his last name... stay with me here) has been the only family that is still local to them, and has been doing an amazing job keeping things together, and my mom and Aunt Linda are also trying to get down there to help when they can, so I don't worry a heck of a lot about Grandma & Grandpa.

So, Mom sends me an e-mail today saying that they have officially been moved into a retirement home after my grandmother successfully went through rehab after her stroke.  And THAT, is what has turned me into an emotional wreck.  I'm not exactly sure why, because they are both together, and they are being well taken care of (again, I have the BEST family in the world), but it just seemed to be the last piece of bubble gum that fell out of the crack that was in the dam. 

For some reason, I guess I just see this as some sort of strange finality to it all.  20 years ago next month, I went up there with Mom to help clean out a fabricated home that they were moving into.  That one was tough on me because they were moving out of the house that I knew as theirs for my ENTIRE life (it even had their last initial on the chimney outside).  Christmases, vacations, Easters.. at least once a month growing up, I remembered getting in the car with Mom and making the five-hour drive from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa to see them.  It meant the world to me to see them and all of my cousins (everybody else was local to them at that point), and to not come down that declined street that was a stones' throw from Mom's high school just seemed... alien.

As time went on, I came to get used to the retirement village that the lived in.  The few times that I got to visit them there, I enjoyed sitting on the back porch and just enjoying the view of the private lake that backed up to their property.  A couple of times, we took a trip out on said lake in the pontoon boat that they owned, and others, we would just watch the animals at the ranch up the street that was allegedly owned by the family that ran Papa's, the greatest Greek restaurant on the PLANET in Tarpon Springs (now gone, sadly).  But, they were always there.  Grandma, always ready to make a great meal, and giving Grandpa grief.  Grandpa always taking her grief with a smile.  I always think of the time when Grandma gave him grief about walking the dog in just his socks, and no shoes.  His solution?  He bought shoes with grey bottoms on them so she wouldn't see how dirty the socks were; therefore, she'd never think he was just wearing socks.  I think about the "kitchen band" that they led of people in their community.  I've even got a newspaper clipping in my office from a piece the local paper did on them.

I know that they are still with us on this mortal coil, but now, the house I got used to being theirs isn't theirs anymore.  I haven't ever lost a family member less than three generations out (my great grandfather passed when I was a senior in high school, and although that hurt, this is worse for me), so I guess that plays a part in this too.  And. like I said earlier, I've been pretty even-keeled about this up until now, but for some reason, this part of the process has hit me like a ton of bricks.  I guess it's just the totality of it finally breaking free.

I'm glad that Grandma and Grandpa are getting the care they deserve, and I'm also glad that there is a certain weight that can be lightened a bit off of their children.  My family is truly blessed, and I look forward to seeing everyone in August and celebrating a love that has lasted over six full decades that has produced a group of people that I have the highest level of pride to call "my kin".  I guess I just got to my fill of emotions and this helped me purge some of it.

It's like Mom said to me when she was here a couple of weeks ago for a visit: "I just need a good cry, and it won't come." I get it now, Ma. I totally get it.

Thanks for listening to me, dear reader.  Until next time...

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner, 12/22/2009

First off, read the last column and say it with me.... CALLED THAT.

I've had a tough time trying to figure out what to write about this week, and the inspiration just hit me.

I'm sitting here watching the WWE "Tribute To The Troops" special that NBC aired last Saturday night (the 8th one they've done, for those of you playing the home game), and I think every year about how awesome this thing is.  When you realize that they do this thing almost as a "turn and burn," (remember, Raw was live the week before AND the week after they did this special), and seeing the joy and happiness that it brings to the troops leads me to one conclusion.

I don't care if you hate the very existance of professional wrestling.  I don't care if you think it's lame and pointless.  I don't care if you call it "fake," "stupid," or any negative label that makes you think you look cool to your friends.  I don't care if you snicker when you see me wearing any gear that supports programming that I have enjoyed since I wore a younger man's clothes.  Do it all you want, but I can say with a decent amount of certainty that the people whose work YOU enjoy don't go IN PERSON to a bonafide war zone to bring some fun to the people that lay down their lives for YOU each and every day, and even if they do (and I thank them for that), they don't do it EVERY YEAR, especially during the holidays.

This show hits me where I live each and every year.  To see the troops react like they do and talk about how they look forward to this event each and every year (and it is in a different place each and every year, by the way) is just amazing.  If this show does not affect you, then you are soulless.  I don't care who you are, you HAVE to respect the love and commitment that the WWE gives, not only to our troops, but also to the community itself (promotions involving literacy, Make A Wish, soldiers at home, etc.).

Let it also be said that TNA does some great charity work as well.  Have to give respect where respect is due.

Finally this week, while I am talking about celebrities entertaining our troops, I want to recommend a great documentary to all of you.  It is called "Patriot Act," and it is about a 2 week trip that Jeffrey Ross took to the Middle East with Drew Carey, Blake Clark, and a few other comedians to entertain our men and women over there.  What started as just a home movie turned into a life-changing documentary for him.  If you have the Netflix Instant Queue, it is available there to stream.  Think about those men and women this time of year that are half a world away from their families and send a request to whomever you believe in at the end of this mortal coil to keep them safe and bring them home even safer.

Happy Holidays to all of you, and make sure you hug your loved ones a little tighter, because they are YOURS.

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner, 12/09/2009

We're skipping all of the formalities this week, because I have a bold statment to make.

Shemus wins the belt at TLC, which you can see at Sports City Cafe in Mesquite, Texas.  So if you are close by (or close enough to get there), come join us!

Done laughing?  I'll wait....

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We good?  OK, follow me here...

I'd like to take you back to a simpler time that I like to call March of 1999.  I was ten years younger, I would meet the woman who would become my wife 6 months later, and WCW did a Pay-Per-View called Spring Stampede.

The main event of this event was a four corners match for the World Heavyweight Title.  You had Sting, Flair, Hogan, and a barely-there midcarder named... Diamond Dallas Page (Savage was the special guest referee).  I even punched the match up on YouTube to refresh my own memory.  If you remember correctly, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, understood why DDP was in this match.  (Granted, later we would find out that he is Bischoff's next door neighbor, and he was the dude that introduced Bischoff to Goldberg, and he does yoga... have no idea what that has to do with anything, but I was going with the "comedy rule of three" there.)  Even up until the match itself started, nobody really expected anything to happen of any consequence.  Then, a blown knee later on a figure four by DDP on Hogan (it's about at the 9 minute mark of Part 1 on YouTube) on the ring post, and things got interesting.  (The fact that people still use that move is INSANE.)

As the match progressed, I was in wonder at the amount of action that really was going on in this match.  For a Four Corners Match, I was intrigued by all four men and their goings on.  With Savage as the ref, his little "swerve" of dropping the elbow on Flair as he had the Figure Four on Sting (I wonder if this was supposed to be where Hogan won... come ON, you can't say you didn't think it either) created a quick Diamond Cutter by DDP and a pin.  The "???" of the entire crowd was deafening.  Here you have Hogan (dude has Creative Control, and he just didn't book himself to do the job without a lot of money and coaxing), Sting (my leader, especially OLD SCHOOL STING!!!!! IF HE HAD BEEN BLONDE AND WORE THE COLORS, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY HE WOULD HAVE LOST!!!!), and Flair (almost as long of a shot as Page, given the bad blood between him and Bischoff, and therefore by proxy, Hogan).  At the time, DDP couldn't draw heat if you taped a bunch of matches to him and dragged him across a field of flint.

And they put the belt on him.

As time went on, he would get it again, but he would end up being just a transitional champion (*coughCMPunkcough*).  Sure that may be true, but you know what?

YOU didn't see it coming.

When Shemus won that battle royal (and my GOD, how is it possible for Ventura to suck so much ass with a mic in the ring, but to be so GREAT at the announce table?  Even made Vince better...), I know that all of you had the same reaction that I did.  "I smell shenanigans here... Where's Randy to swerve this thing?  Where's d-X to make a case and get in?  WHERE IS OLD SCHOOL STING, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND HOLY?"

OK, maybe not that last one, but if you did, God bless you.

But it didn't happen.  This is the match that is booked as THE MAIN EVENT OF A PAY-PER-VIEW.  That YOU can see on a really big screen at Sports City Cafe in Mesquite, Texas.  If you miss it, I don't wanna hear you whine about it.  And this is a Tables Match.

So, a mid-carder in the main event at a Pay-Per-View that nobody thinks can carry the company?

It's happened before.  And it will happen again.  Sure, I know the "get beat down on the Raw before the PPV, win at the PPV" principle (I virtually coined the phrase), but that could play into this whole thing too.

And d-X will win the Tag Belts.  No real parallel here.  Just wanted to say it.

Lastly, I thank the greatness that is my Tonya for the greatest sign EVER.  It's on my Facebook if you wanna see it, but it says "Rob > Ralphus".  If ya get it, ya get it.  If ya don't, ya don't.

Until next time, when I'm deciding that I like this format...

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner, 11/12/009

Allllready. Let's get into it...

No iMpact! stuff this week. I've been under the weather and didn't wanna leave the house. So sue me.

Did get to watch Superstars this week (see what happens when you do an encore presentation of your product?), so here we are...

Is it bad that during Primo's match that all I was thinking was "Where the heck has Carlito been?" Never thought I'd see the day that Primo would take the driver's seat. Not necessarily a bad thing, but wow.

Also, one has to wonder why Burchill isn't good enough for the League Of Nations. It's not like he used to work with Regal as a pirate or anything....

Finally, I wonder if Striker can sue Jericho for gimmick infringement with the five dollar college words.

SmackDown! is where we move to next.

You know, I have been called a lot of things in this life (some of them even have some truth to them), but "gelatinous" is not one of them. Sure, I'm a big dude, but damn...

Striker really has, in my opinion, found his calling here. I would love to see him work with JR when he gets back. A three man table? Maybe, but I could do without Grisham and the fake Martin Short that does the "Free For All" before the PPV's. And the ECW announce team.

The only other thing I really have to say here is hey, it's Rey Rey versus a big man... AGAIN. Narf.

Sign Of The Week winner this time around is "Jillian 4 X-Factor". For those of you that don't know, it's the UK's "Idol". Funny!

To Raw we go...

Ricky Hatton looked absolutely CLUELESS here. I did notice that he didn't bother to even try to say anybody's names so he didn't screw them up. The dude looked like he stopped hitting the heavy bag and BECAME it. Thank God he didn't go shirtless in his "match".

LOVE that shirt Shawn had. Good times.

Anybody else think Vince could take a page out of TNA's book and get some Diva Tag Belts? Might make the Diva tag matches not be as "whatever" as they are now. Oh wait, this is the company that has ECW, with ONE BELT. Go fig.

Didn't realize that WrestleMania is "the hottest ticket in town," which is a bit that they showed right after a spot letting you know that there are tickets still available.

Shamus? Meh.

"Cinco Dart Mayo," Chavo? Good stuff. And man, Chavo got TAGGED in that match. About as close to a perfect spot (and noise) as you can get.

Here's another bold prediction: a Miz/Swagger tag team is coming. BELIEVE IT.

Finally here, I don't care how many times I have to say this... I LOVE THIS KOFI KINGSTON PUSH. This could be the best move they've made in a long time, and it shows. The fans LOVE this, and the fact that they are having him take it straight to Orton makes it even better. Orton tries to retreat, and Kofi follows. THAT is how you do it, kids.

And I'm totally on board with the potential of the main event on Raw next week.

ECW had a bit to let me talk about, so let's do it...

When is somebody going to let Abraham Washington know that his watch reads 14:59? This bit was old before they even did it.

And Tony Atlas: you're a HALL OF FAMER, dammit. This is lower than when you were forced to be Mark Henry's lackey.

You know, I bet Zack Ryder wishes he was an Edge lackey again. Probably not as much as Hawkins, but still...

Really, Josh Matthews? Tiffany found Vance Archer when she discovered him in JAPAN? I didn't know that iMpact taped there.

And for those of you wondering, there's no WAY that Helms is the guy appearing as The Hurricane as of late.

Topic Of The Week is something that's been kind of bothering me as of late. As many of you know, Hogan is doing a tour of Austrailia before he gets the ball rolling with TNA. You may have also have read that Flair is going to be wrestling, and they are wrestling each other in each main event.

I know what you're thinking: "I know what's bugging you, Rob... Flair is returning to the rign without Shawn coming out and saying that he's cool with it..." At first, I was, and I'm not afraid to admit that. But, something's bothering me more...

Why do they have to wrestle each other? There's no WAY that Flair wins any of these matches (I mean "Hulkamania" is in the NAME OF THE TOUR), but why not go the other way with it, by letting them tag? Granted, you wouldn't have gotten the promo that Flair cut on the Interwebs for it (go look it up... you'll swear that it's 1987 again if you close your eyes), but Flair vs. Hogan barely lived up to any hype when WCW finally did it in like '93. Now, it just seems kinda sad. Let them go up against a couple of the younger pups and have some fun with it.

And Flair's getting married AGAIN. Ah, what the hell... mazel tov.

All right, all right, all right... I'm getting done just in time before Superstars starts this cycle all over again (I'm in Texarkana, Texas right now, so I can watch both it and iMpact! tonight), so until next time... laters.

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner, 04 November 2009

Holy crap! Another column! Keepin' the streak alive, kids, so here we go...

We start again with iMpact! Given the fact that we had the Hogan announcement and I couldn't record it, I actually went up to my sports bar to watch. For you people. Because I care. Or something like that.

We start with Desmond "My name is Nigel, dammit" Wolfe. I still want to know the REAL reason that Vince passed on this guy. I don't see him as that injury prone (coughAnglecough), but who am I to judge. I will say that he can be main event material in TNA. Here's a question, though: British Invasion, anyone? They've already got really cool shirts, and I think he could REALLY make them viable, and a split from World Elite wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm just sayin'.

So, I guess now that Angle is working face. I had to contact my good friend Mrrrrrrrrrr Coronado.... Coronado on this one, and he has actually worked face before (think the milk truck incident), but I think that only lasted about two weeks. Oddly enough, though, this kinda works for me. Maybe face berzerker Angle is what we need right now.

Is it just me, or does Rhyno sound like Eric Young?

A nice double swerve from Mick this past week, but I have to give a "WTF" for that promo afterwards. Heel Mick Foley just isn't getting it done anymore. I've always been more of a Commissioner Mick guy at this point in his career, but that's maybe just me. I'm a different breed of cat.

And as far as the Hogan press conference goes, he's a "momentum shifter"? Maybe 15, even 10 years ago, but I'm not sure. And he wants to bring "the art" back to professional wrestling? I kinda feel that TNA does a decent job of that on it's own. I've enjoyed their product for some time now, and find that their matches have better quality than Vince's.

And, I am reading that Sting will be off until "deep into 2010". Maybe it's because..... wait for it..... wait for it.... wait for it... WE GET BACK OLD SCHOOL STING!!!!! BLEACH THE HAIR AND BRIGHTEN UP THE FACE PAINT, BABY!!!!!!

(That was for all of you O.G. Corner readers. Both of you.)

Aaaaanyway... to Superstars we go.

Memo to Lawler: I HAVE to watch "Bragging Rights"? I already did, and I don't.

Rosa Mendez has an accent now? Wait for it, it's coming later...

I'm not sure what I am more sick of: "vintage," "bragging rights," or "smart, sexy, and powerful". Discuss.

Did we have to label Tyler Rex (I actually had to think to remember his name from my notes) vs. Zack Ryder as "East Coast Vs. West Coast"? 1994 called and said "Come On, For The Love Of GOD".

I have a note on Matt Striker here, but I'll save it for SmackDown!. My GOD, this show isn't what it was supposed to be. Remember when Superstars was supposed to be brand vs. brand? What the hell happened here? Bring back All-American Wrestling on USA Sunday mornings over this crap.

Sign Of The Week goes to the guy who simply had "SIGN" written. Simple and fun.

SmackDown! comes next. Is Teddy Long now oficially a "tweener"? He convinces Frenchie to turn on his brand to win Bragging Rights, but still tries to distance himself from Punk. I think he needs another female valet that can slap Vickie around a bit.

It's good to see Drew McIntire finally get a feud that might be entertaining. It's not like the Irish like to fight or anything. Where have I heard that before. Maybe for the love of Hornswoggle, unless he starts a tag team with Santino.

You know what I want from this Barista/Rey Rey angle? For Rey to try and try again to convince Barista that this is just "brothers fighting," Barista to keep telling him to go to New Jersey, and then for Rey to pull a double-swerve and go heel on Barista. Haven't had a good one of those in a while.

Here's something I thought I'd never say: GENIUS from Todd Grisham talking about having his Halloween costume be k.d. lang. THAT was funny; I don't care WHO you are.

I also wonder if JTG is the reason that Shad Gaspar still has a job. I like Shad and have made no bones there, but JTG has really emerged as the mouthpiece of that group. The dude can cut a promo and really has more energy than any one individual should at times.

You know, just when I thought we were on the right path of selling Punk as a heel, we have him in a match with a ref? Sure, the dude's an Armstrong, and did his time as a wrestler (it's kind of the law with that last name, if you do your homework... OK, here's a start: Road Dogg is one of his brothers... you do the rest), but it just didn't really work for me.

Lastly, as I promised earlier, I have determined that Matt Striker is given a list of five-dollar college words that he has to work into the broadcast at some point. I really do, and it entertains me. So there.

OK, to ROH we go...

Did I hear Prazak correctly when he said there was a tag team from Canada coming there called the "Super Smash Brothers"? Isn't Nintendo fixing to sue somebody?

And if you're gonna show stuff that happened weeks ago, why not show us Ladder War 2? The clips I saw were impressive, and it wouldn't be any different time-wise than what they're putting out there now...

Bone Crusher? Really? That could have been one of the LAMEST promos I have seen cut in a LONG time.

Now, Raw.... Hey. ROH is only a 1 hour show. And it ain't that great.

In case you were wondering, yes. I took my Raw notes as we watched it LIVE at Sports City Cafe. If you weren't there last week, you should join us this week. 'Twas good times, and good times are scheduled again.

Can we just introduce Kofi from Boston now? The cat's kinda out of the bag at this point. Sure, we know Santino is from New Jersey, but Triple H hasn't ever SAID it on live TV.

It was good to see a different side of Chris Masters. I almost get the feeling he had that idea himself. I had Lex Lugar flashbacks there.

I don't get this huge push for Alicia Fox. I don't. Maybe they'll move her to SmackDown and Vickie can slap HER around a bit. My God, did I just put somebody above Vickie? Wow...

Cena dropping "Johnny Dangerously" on us? That was obscure. That was random. And I LOVED IT.

Osbournes? Not an epic fail, but not far off. And I am curious as to how many of the American fans even know who Ricky Hatton IS. I am a boxing fan, so I get it, and I know that the British fans get it (I wonder if Vegas has ever seen fans like that), but outside of that, I wonder.

ECW wasn't much this week.

Rosa Mendes now DOESN'T have an accent? Aw crap, I give up.

Memo to Tony Atlas: YOU'RE TONY ATLAS. Seriously, dude.

Vance Archer? Who in the blue hell is... OH MY GOD. It's Lancy Hoyt without hair. If I hadn't read it earlier this week, I wouldn't have known. Good to see the dude getting work.

Topic Of The Week this week is one I've been meaning to do for weeks, but other stuff has put it back. This week, we're getting to it....

Fixing ECW.

When Vince first became proprietor of ALL of the footage in the history of professional wrestling, I was optimistic that we could get some GREAT collections on DVD. It started strong ("The Rise & Fall Of ECW," "The Road Warriors"), but has kind of faltered ("The Rise & Fall Of WCW," the first Hogan set).

The first "ECW One Night Stand" was genius, but really fell off after that. It's now just "Extreme Rules," and it now replaces "Judgment Day" in May.

Then, Vince decides to bring back ECW and give it a Tuesday night on SyFy (HATE that spelling) time slot. Sure, it's brought ratings to a network that has kind of swum in mediocrity before ("Battlestar Galactica" notwithstanding... that show was amazing, and had one of the best series finales in the history of the medium), but it's still like watching FCW every week. Not a bad idea, but not for ECW.

So, how do we fix it without getting rid of it altogether? Luckily, I have a plan.

First (and they're finally starting to do this a bit), get the SmackDown! roster off of the show. I understand that they tape on the same night (more on that in a bit), but it needs to be its own brand. If you're going to treat it like the bastard child that you do, let it be itself.

Next, separate it completely from SmackDown! I'll even go one step further with it and strip it down completely to the small venues that made ECW exactly what it was. Make the punchline about the "bingo halls" into reality. Sure, you can't take the insurance risks of what it was, but have some fun with it.

Then, make your title matches, oh I don't know... EXTREME. Extreme Rules matches shouldn't be the rareities that they are now. If you're going to be the ECW Champion, then you should know what the "E" stands for.

You can still use it as a breeding ground and transition from FCW to one of the big shows, but give it that old ECW feeling. Personally, I think it would bring ratings up even more and give me something that doesn't turn into background noise. I'm just sayin'.

Long winded? Yes. TOTALLY WORTH IT? I don't know about all that. Until next week...

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner, 10/29/2009

Hello, true believers! Let's get to it...

We start with iMpact! Yes, iMpact. My DVR actually got it this week, due to a rerun by CSI:.

So, I guess the Main Event Mafia is done. Unless.... but I'm gettting ahead of myself.

I'm not real on board with the new graphic thing they're doing with the wrestlers. You guys have been on the air long enough; you don't need to tell us things about their finishers and stuff. Hell, even ROH isn't doing that anymore.

I will say this about the diva formerly known as Krystal and now known as Mrs. Bobby Lashley, she looks GREAT. I just hope there's not a her-turning-on-her-husband-for-Steiner-thing. I'm not sure if Steiner is stable enough to handle that kind of thing. Dude's a bit off-center, IF you know what I mean.

MORE PROMOS FROM THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS! 'Nuff said. These guys are GOLD.

"Meanest Girls"? REALLY? Lame. And this was my first look at Lacey Von Erich. It's called "promo school". Look into it. You're a VON ERICH, for God's sake.

Believe me when I say this: a Dudley Boyz (they'll always be that to me... sue me) heel turn is on the way, and it ain't far off.

Good to see Nigel... I mean Desmond Wolf make his debut. I just don't think he'll be feuding with Angle for very long. Until....

Lastly (for now... Until....), I wanna know how you can get disqualified in a Six Sides Of Steel Match. It's in a CAGE. What a puss way to get out of that one.

Now, let me say that with SmackDown!, I watched it AFTER I saw "Bragging Rights," so the change of Team SmackDown! wasn't that big of a deal to me. Cryme Tyme didn't make that much sense there anyway. Not that Matt does, but whatever. Having watched it after the PPV also could not have made me care less about the opening segment of the show, but I do it for you people. Again, not a recap column, but you never know what nuggets of greatness could come through. Oh wait, this show isn't live... damn.

The only other thing of note is simple: Escobar, PICK AN ACCENT. What were you: Italian, Hispanic, or what? What the crap was THAT?

No Sign Of The Week. Step up your game, people.

Ring Of Honor, Ring Of Honor, Ring Of Honor. The things I do for you people.

So, this week we get the news from the broadcast that Jim Cornette has joined the ranks as an "Executive Producer," which happened for the real world A MONTH AGO. My GOD, how far behind are these tapings? Makes WCW Saturday Night look current when it aired.

And I'm kind of torn on the Necrobutcher. I mean, I know the dude was in "The Wrestler," and he's got that Mick Foley crazy to him (I still think Abyss tries too hard), but I also wonder if he had been somebody a decade ago. It just seems like his bit isn't as effective as it could have been before. But, the dude gets a pop in Ring Of Honor, so god speed, sir.

RAW seemed to be another snore-fest this week. But, here we go anyway...

Oh yeah, before I forget, if you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, come by Sports City Cafe in Mesquite Monday night for our first in a series of Raw Watching Parties, which will lead up to our first WWE Pay-Per-View in over a DECADE as we carry "Tables, Ladders, & Chairs" on December 13th LIVE. We really want this to be a huge success, so BE THERE!

Now that I'm done schilling... Wait a sec, this is MY column. If I wanna schill, I'm gonna schill. Deal with it.

So, was Busch supposed to be a heel manager and Logano was a face manager? Didn't really pull that off now, did we?

"The Baby Oil Boys Club"? Now, THAT'S comedy, my friends.

So Kofi now hails from a third home town of Boston (did you catch that on the PPV?). I'll tell you what: this version of Kofi I am TOTALLY on board with. Let this dude loose. Seriously. GREAT stuff there.

And I TOTALLY don't get this Triple Threat match. I've talked about this before, Triple H and HBK have reached that point in their careers where they have transcended even the belt, so they don't really need it. I know that Randy has now been shut out of the title picture for a while, but I'd be on board with Cena battling the other two guys in Legacy for a bit. Would make things more interesting with the eventual turn by one of them, like Randy had to do when he won the belt while with Evolution.

Now, ECW.

Byron Sexton? I know the dude's been working in FCW for a while, but maybe it wasn't time to bring him up to The Show just yet. Wow, this guy is bad. Why can't Striker do double duty? It's not like they do both shows in the same place on the same night or anything...

It amazes me that Shelton Benjamin has been with the WWE for 8 years now. Talk about time flying. And somewhere in America, Charlie Haas is going, "Isn't there somebody else I haven't parodied yet? What about me? What about Haas?" Oh wait, he's married to Jackie Gayda. Carry on...

Been wondering where all of the "Until..."s came from in the iMpact segment? Well, wonder no more. Not wondering? Read anyway.

Well, my planned Topic Of The Week this week has to be put off again due to the announcement 48 hours ago that Hulk Hogan has signed with TNA, and is bringing Eric Bischoff with him. There are conflicting reports of what Hogan's role will be. Immense radio douche Bubba The Love Sponge seems to be telling anyone who will listen that Hogan and Bischoff will be running things, but sources inside the organization say that the booking team will still be the booking team. There is no doubt that Hogan will still have creative control (the dude's had it for almost two decades after all), but what can TNA do with him?

My first thought is that they turn him heel, and he emerges as the new Godfather of the Main Event Mafia. After all, you've already got Nash and Steiner from the old nWo days. I'm not sure if rehashing Hogan/Sting could get the heat that it did twelve years ago, but you never know. You've also got the Jarrett dynamic that you can throw out there.

My issue is that I don't know if he can keep up with some of the younger guys. AJ and Joe can run circles around him at this point, and I just don't know if the chemistry would be there for anybody else.

I haven't decided yet if Hogan is Favre-ing his legacy at this point, but the dude's getting bled dry by his vampiric ex-wife, so work is work, I guess.

As far as Bischoff, I have NO idea where to go with this. From what I have read, he is going to stay behind the scenes with Jason Hervey on a producer's standpoint, but I'm not sure he can. The dude loves to be on camera, and I think it will get to him at some point. I would love to see the Dudleyz do a shoot on him, then take him on as their manager. How bizarre would that be?

Plus, I can't wait for Hogan's first encounter with Jay Lethal. New Mega Powers, anyone?

That's it for this week, my friends and neighbors. Make sure you come see us on Monday night. I'll be there, taking notes for next week's column. Annnnnd... out.

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner, 10/22/2009

Alright, let's get this done before the day gets away from us...

Right off the bat, let me be one of the millions to send my prayers to Jim Ross, who had a 3rd attack of Bells Palsy a few days ago. This guy is an absolute legend (I have said on more than one occasion that he and Gordon Solie are the two absolute best to ever put on the headset), and I hope that he is well soon. I want many more years to hear his voice on WWE programming.

Now, on to what we normally do...

I actually got to see Superstars this week. Not much to say but AT LEAST THEY DO A REPLAY. God bless WGN for more than one reason (three words: Bob & Tom), but there is something brewing on the horizon that we will save for another time. Topic Of The Week material.

Now, on to SmackDown! (That wasn't for excitement, it's just the way they list the show.)

OK, so I know that now, we had Maria back ringside, but are we not even going to address any aftermath of the "I don't see you in my future" thing? Is this going to push her heel, or is this going to turn into a Santino Vs. The Divas thing?

Oh GOD, don't make Matt job to Escobar... damn.

I do want to give props to the ring announcer for placing the emphasis on the first word of "THE Miz". Actually made me laugh a bit. It was also good to see Morrison show some aggression a bit, instead of the zen master bit he tends to work. This match may be worth a bit on Sunday.

OK, sure, C.M. Punk has a tattoo of the Pepsi logo on his arm (which I don't get, but he's also got the COBRA logo on the other one... which is cooler), but to call him "The choice of a new generation"? Really? I guess the copyright is up over the slogan, but damn...

I do wonder how Cryme Tyme works in as part of the "heel" SmackDown! team. Granted, you've got Swagger on the Raw team, but this seems just odd. I just fear that all of these matches on Sunday are going to be WAY too short, since you are committing at least an hour to one match in the main event (gotta allot time for a tie... please don't let that happen and taint the greatness of Shawn/Bret), but we shall see.

And is it just me, or does the Undertaker not seem to be into this AT ALL anymore? I am of the opinion that he wants to get to 20-0 at WrestleMania, but right now, that seems to be an ETERNITY away.

Moving on...

This week's Sign Of The Week comes from ECW, which read "Ralphus > The Big Show". Anytime you use a Ralphus reference, that is a WIN in my book.

We go to Ring Of Honor.

The only thing I wonder is about all of this pomp and circumstance with the departure of Brian Danielson, there has been NOTHING mentioned about Nigel McGuinness. We did find out this week that he did not sign with WWE, and is now part of the TNA roster, due to not passing Vince's physical screening. It still does not mean they couldn't give a proper send off to a guy that was their champ for a time. Best of luck to a guy whom I feel was in the best of the best of ROH's roster.

Now, Raw.

For a "family-friendly" show (we'll get to the host in a bit), the DiBiase/Orton thing was a bit much for me. Sure, he FINALLY shoved back, but it was way too late, and he still got punked. Perhaps a follow-up segment or something. And put the IC belt on that kid. He could be the future of this company.

Now, for Snoop. Three words here: walk the line.... hey kids, if you wanna roll the doobies, just tell your folks you're lighting candles! Narf.

Look at Shawn. Look at Janetty. Look at Shawn. Look at Janetty. Look at SHAWN. Look at JANETTY. LIGHT YEARS of difference there. Wow.

Why does the back of Miz's trunks say "Be Miz"? I get "Be Jealous," but why would he want anybody else to be him? Wouldn't that lessen his awesomeness?

Note to Melina: it's OK for you to trip going up the ring steps, just don't mess up the split again. That was WAY more embarrassing.

Lastly, I just wannna say that I want a Santino/Hornswaggle tag team. That would be good times.

Topic Of The Week this week had to be changed when it came down last Friday that Shane McMahon officially gave his notice to the company he has literally spent his entire life with. For those of you that don't know, as of January 1st, 2010, he will no longer work with World Wrestling Entertainment. The rumor that I have heard is that he is going to assist his mother, Linda, with her Senate run in Connecticut. This to me sounds like a good idea, as Shane can now do something outside of "the business" where he can really take charge of something that is not seen as being a puppet of his dad. Sure, he's now working with his mom, but I think he can be given more of a chance to shine on his own merits.

Since this is new territory for both of them, they can make this their own. Add to that the fact that Vince seems to be taking a "hands off" approach to this (which is a VERY good thing... XFL might have gone a bit longer if he did the same thing there), and this can be a great experience for them.

Do I think she can win? The mud is already flying, with videos on her opponent's websites and public statements. It's going to be an uphill battle, but only time can tell what will happen. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it come the new year.

That's it for this week, my friends and/or neighbors. Take care of yourselves, and we'll do it all again next week.

BB

Bamm-Bamm's Corner: 10/14/2009

OK, let's see if I can remember how to do this...

For those of you that are new to the fold, I am resurrecting a column that I used to write many years ago dealing (for the most part) with the state of professional wrestling. There will be times that I go off the page (more than I used to), but this is the focus of this thing. Now, you may be asking yourself, "What prompted you to do this again?" Well, my good friend (and one of the handful of original readers of this thing) Chad, and I were talking last week, and I did a search on my favorite columnist, Hyatte, whom has landed here at Blogspot. In reading his column that I had not seen in YEARS, it inspired me to get my brain working again and do this thing. Plus, I have a nice little circle of fans who have become friends over the last few years, so hopefully there will be reading here. That being said..

We'll start on a bit of a down note. The great Captain Lou Albano passed away today. This was a guy who was one of the key components in making wrestling fun for the mainstream (his work with Cyndi Lauper both in his arena and hers was HUGE... it was even mentioned on PTI today on ESPN), and he knew how to cut a promo. Some of the guys today can learn something by going back and watching his stuff (and Rock's promo from SD two weeks ago, which is posted on my Facebook... for those of you that aren't on my friends list, the user name is DJBammBamm). He will be sorely missed. Vaya con dios, sir.

We start with SmackDown from last week (I know the new one was taped last night, but I'm not reading spoilers here... at least on this). It's good to see CM Punk actually acting like a heel now, thinking he can bully Teddy Long into giving the remach with the Undertaker to be like it was before, a submission match. My wife (who does not watch much) thought it was odd that they turned him heel by basically saying a positive message (don't drink to excess, don't take drugs, don't abuse prescriptions), and I felt the same way. Just be a heel, dude. Granted, you'll never be a WWE top dog (and don't give me "He was champ in Ring Of Honor".... it's RING OF FREAKING HONOR, which we'll get to in a bit.), but you're giving us SOMETHING to watch from a heel standpoint. I don't even think Edge will be heel when he comes back.

Here's a question, and I've always said this: How can Rey Mysterio be a contender for the HEAVYWEIGHT championship of the world? The belt ways more than he does. Just sayin'.

Memo to the people who record theme music: give Michelle McCool her own theme music. She's got to be sick by now with using Candice Michelle's OLD (like three versions ago), music. And help with mic skills might be a good thing, too.

Anybody else shocked by the fact that this is only the Undertaker's 7th run with the belt? I think it's good, personally. I think some of the title runs as of late is cheapening the fact that Flair's done it 16 times. To this generation, it may come to the point where it's not that big of a deal. (As far as HHH, we'll deal with that in an upcoming column.)

As far as this next point, I only have three words: Why Vickie Why? Narf.

Hey, kids, it's Maria! Where the crap has she been for the last month and a half when it comes to the spare known as Dolph Ziggler? I thought the job of a valet was to actually BE THERE when your man has a match. I do wonder if she turns heel or Melina does. Could go either way.

Lastly on this part of the column, I would just like to plead with stopping with the live intro for R-Truth. Or a character overhaul. Or just putting him with somebody else he can play the lackey role to. This bit plain SUCKS.

OK, one down, three to go....

We now turn our attention to that which is known as Ring Of Honor. If you do not have HDNet, you don't see this one-hour "show," but I'm not a recapper, so if you wanna know what actually happened, you'll have to go elsewhere.

I once had a discussion about professional wrestling in general with a dude who worked at a local video game store (my GOD, could that statement have propetuated the stereotype any more?), and he SWORE to me up and down about the greateness that is ROH. At the time, Samoa Joe was their champ, and CM Punk had just left. So, when HDNet announced that they would be carring one hour of their programming each week (which now airs on Monday nights, right before Raw... hey, they ain't STUPID enough to go head-to-head), I was intrigued. Sometimes, you find a bit of gold in a coal mine, so I'd give it a chance. Granted, I'm still watching, but it's from the standpoint of "this HAS to get better". Then, I find out that one of the guys that I feel is in the upper echelon of the promotion, Nigel McGuinness, has been signed by the WWE and is making the jump soon. (Brian Daniels is also going, who is GREAT technically, but I'm not sure about the personality there.) The presentation is real amateur, the commentary team is HORRIBLE (I'll take this week's SD team of Cole & Grisham over these two). Some MAJOR upgrades are needed for this thing to be even viable anywhere but in the northeast. And don't get it twisted, this isn't even on the street that gets to the interstate that gets to the exit that gets to the frontage road that gets to the remote parking lot that gets to the ballpark of even the original ECW, so don't even try that comparison.

And Bison Smith? I thought the Nasty Boys retired YEARS ago. And that's what I have to say about that.

Sign Of The Week goes to the one made for Chad for his 40th birthday last week by our friend, Tonya. So there, public.

Ah, now to the mainstay of this column: Monday Night Raw. (Put it to you this way: at the height of the Corner, I was still evaluating Nitro.)

To all of the d-X haters: even YOU have to admit that they have been the best thing about this show for MONTHS. Shawn's answering machine ALONE was more entertaining than anything else on that show (except Santino, he ALWAYS can bring the funny). We've been seeing this Legacy split coming from a country mile away, and even Cena seems bored with this. Maybe he can have more fun on SmackDown.

By the way, how can the book be "unauthorized" if THEY WROTE IT?

It's good to see the Divas division coming more to the forefront again, but it has to be understood that there is a SEVERE difference in skill levels between ladies like Mickie James and Jillian on a Grand Canyon-esque level. That was just SLOPPY. I understand you needed to put it on a heel for a nanosecond to get it on Melina, but damn. That was BAD. At least go with Beth Phoenix. Then, the trade might have carried some more weight. And to say Jillian had the shortest reign doesn't carry much weight to a belt that is less than a year old.

And as much as I am all for Snoop hosting, I thought this was supposed to be a "family-friendly" shizzow. This can't be to pimp an album. Then again, Ozzy and Ice-T (both of whom I am a fan of) are hosting before the end of the year, too. So go figure.

As far as ECW goes, yeah, I watched. But this show is ABYSMAL. When Christian finally is done paying his penance to Vince and gets moved off of this show, there may be NO reason to watch, except to comment to you, faithful reader. But that's another topic for another time.

Speaking of topics...

We always wrap up the column with the Topic Of The Week. This week, I answer the question that is: "Hey dude, what about TNA? What about iMpact?"

It's simple. I can't watch it right now.

I have been an avid fan of TNA for almost two years now, ever since I saw them do a house show here at the House of Blues (they've only done one here since... don't get THAT). I really enjoy their product, and sincerely believe that they are at a crossroads where they could either just "stay the course" or step up and could give Vince the competition that he so desperately needs to get the creative juices flowing for rock-solid product.

Enter the banana peel under Dixie Carter's feet.

You see, iMpact! comes on at 8 PM Central Time on Thursdays. Problem there is that I have two other shows on my DVR at that point (The Office and CSI: Vegas), and my DVR can only do two shows at a time (even U-Verse can only do two HD programs at the same time, so THERE), and both of those shows are higher priorities, so iMpact! didn't get recorded then during normal viewing season.

This didn't used to be an issue, as they replayed the show on Saturday mornings, and I would get it then. Again, I REALLY like their product and enjoy watching it. However, two weeks ago, TNA decided to cancel the replay to try to up their ratings on Thursdays. This is not a good idea, kids.

Again, you are on opposite THE OFFICE AND CSI: THE MOTHERSHIP. These two have been ratings juggernauts for YEARS, and you aren't going to beat them. Keeping the Saturday replay is actually better for your ratings, as that is when people of my ilk record it. Bring it back, and you have me back before rerun season.

Or make a move to at least Tuesday nights. You can definitely take on ECW.

And there is the same problem with "WWE Superstars," but come on. It's SUPERSTARS.

That's what I've got for this week. Thanks for reading, and we'll keep this thing up on a weekly basis as much as I can.

BB

New Blog Smell. Same Old Stuff.

What has happened over the last four years? Move to MySpace, move to Facebook, but given what the blog is to become, I am moving part of it back to where it started.

Given the fact that I get to watch some of my shows in more of a timely manner, I have decided to bring back "Bamm-Bamm's Corner," the highly touted wrestling column of the late '90s (and incredibly sporatic early '00s), giving you humor, opinions, great signs, and the always thoughtful "Topic Of The Week".

Due to the fact that it's Friday, I will wait until next week to begin. The differences this time around:

• There is no Nitro.
• There may be notes on iMpact (the reasoning for "may be" will come next week).
• There will be notes on Ring Of Honor.
• There may be notes on ECW (depends on when I write it).
• There will be notes on SmackDown!.
• I'm older now, so that probably means I'm a bit surlier as well.
• I will be bound to go off of the page.

Will it be any good? Will it be on time? Will it last more than a month? Only Uuatu knows...

BB