Bonnie, Bonnie Scotland

Mrs. RoSA and I are recently returned from a 10-day trek to Scotland. It has always been at the top of my Top 5 Countries to Visit List, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it greatly surpassed all of my highly-inflated expectations of seeing rugged green mountains with beautiful lochs, centuries-old castles, and historical sites.

All of my expectations prior to going could really be distilled down to this video clip:

Essentially, I wanted my Scotland experience to be me scampering up rocky cliffs in the Highlands, shaggy and overgrown hair blowing in the wind, claymore broadsword strapped to my back, bagpipe music playing as my soundtrack. This led me to demand of Mrs. RoSA that she not only learn to play the bagpipes, but that she learn to play them whilst running behind me, minstrel-like, as I scampered up cliffs. Here's an approximation of how the dialogue ensued:

Mrs. RoSA: Josh, I don't think I have the lung capacity to simultaneously play the bagpipes AND scale mountains; in fact, I'm pretty sure I would pass out.
Me: Isn't this one of those things we implicitly agreed upon when we got married?
Mrs. RoSA: Eyeroll.* I'll consider it if you wear a kilt.

I think we eventually settled on listening to the Braveheart soundtrack on our iPods while running up the Highland mountains. Technology makes things easier.

*When we're chatting on Gmail, Mrs. RoSA actually types out her eyerolls.

I will leave you with a few photos of my choosing from the trip. I have to add that the frustrating thing with Scotland is that the natural beauty is on such a scale that it was difficult to recapture. This, of course, had me blaming my camera, my lenses, and the brightness of the sun -- basically everything but my own lack of photographic acumen (As you can tell, I'm more of a blame others, "shoot the messenger"-type of guy).

1) The Table, part of the Quiraing -- an awe-inspring group of eroded basalt cliffs on the Isle of Skye. The most beautiful natural scenery I have ever seen:

2) Edinburgh Castle -- A huge castle built out of a black, volcanic rock overlooking the city:

3) The Lost Valley -- We took a steep hike up between two of the Three Sisters...mountains near Glencoe. In between these two mountains is 800-yards worth of flat valley where clans used to store stolen sheep. Unfortunately, this picture doesn't capture the scale of the valley. Stupid camera...

To read about our trip in more detail and to check out some pictures, you can check out our blog, The Rogue and the Fury, here.

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Reasons to Visit Utah

I suppose one could speculate that the real reasons we went were to visit a new nephew, see family, see the awesome mountains, and eat some, in my opinion, overrated Cafe Rio (<-- Mrs. RoSA will kill me if she sees this) -- and those were our stated objectives -- but that person would be wrong. I was there to eat the best chips in the world:

...and to drink the best root beer in the world:

...and then to procure and bring them home in ridiculous enough quantities that security at the airport wants to look in your bags and confirm that, yes, all those large bags they saw in your carry-ons are actually full of chips. I can't blame them, really, as three large, "party size" bags of any kind of chips are anomalous enough to raise suspicion.

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Irish Politics & Media -- Photo of the Week 30 Jan 2011

You may have heard -- the Irish were (still are?) up the creek, economically-speaking, and the government used a bailout as their paddle. The media was none too happy about it and expressed their anger thusly. 

Now, this is a newspaper headline about politicians that I can get behind.

Speaking of Ireland and financial woes, I am going to share a theory that I call "The Sisters' McD Corollary." (McD = Mrs. RoSA's maiden name) It is something I hypothesized a month or so ago, and which received further supporting evidence this weekend.

See, Mrs. RoSA and her sisters like to travel to foreign countries, and I have noticed the following pattern with their last few trips: Whichever foreign country the Sisters' McD travel to will thereafter experience financial/economic/political ruin.

Here's my proof:
--May 2007 -- Three of the McD sisters visit Iceland. In fall 2008, the Iceland economy collapses.
--August 2008 -- The entire McD clan visits Greece, and one of the sisters returns in July 2009. In spring 2010, the Greek economy collapses.
--May 2010 -- Four of the McD sisters visit Ireland. In fall 2010, the Irish government announces the bailout that spurred the above-pictured headline
--January 2011 -- The youngest of the sisters visits Egypt -- her mere presence single-handedly causes riots against the Egyptian government on the very same day of her arrival.

Admittedly, I haven't really used vigorous statistical analysis to prove my point, but four anecdotes isn't bad. Basically what I'm saying is that the McD sisters, while very sweet and lovely, are the harbingers of economic destruction and/or political instability to countries that they visit. So watch out, Holland. They want to come on a visit to do some genealogical research. Brace yourselves.

Oh, I found this beauty while looking up the Irish bailout info:

Sometimes British Isles English is so much better.

Happy Monday! Pray that the McD Sisters do not pay YOU a visit, lest your home collapse in economic woe.

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Photo of the Week -- Traveling 27 Dec 2010

4:45AM wake-up. SeaTac Airport. And I feel like passing out like this dude next to me. Though perhaps I would not be wearing the powder blue sweatshirt or the skinny jeans. And I would be drooling on myself.

(I guess I shouldn't be complaining, as I am really just traveling on my way to more vacation...just can't sleep on planes...)

Happy Monday, all. Hope you have another nice short week.

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I Love the Irish -- Photo of the Week 24 May 2010

The LOST finale was satisfactory.

AM went gallivanting about the Emerald Isle for about 10 days, and came back with this one:

Could there be a better name for pub/venue? No...no, there couldn't.

Happy Monday-- get ready for your Memorial Day weekend...

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The Civie is Causing Some Noise

I am the proud driver of a 1997 Honda Civic. Besides the rusted tailpipe that dropped out on I-81 back in 2009, she's never given me much trouble. The Civic's nothing fancy, but she's reliable and gets the job done.

During our road trip to North Carolina this weekend, the engine started making crazy noises. It sounds like a cross between an air conditioner and The Smoke Monster on 'LOST', and it is embarrassingly loud when I slow down below 20 mph. My solution to this is to begin perfecting the skill where I pull into a parking lot, immediately shut off the engine, and have just enough momentum to coast quietly into my parking spot of choice. I will do it at work, in my apartment complex, and at the grocery store.

Although no functionality has (noticeably) been affected, I know I'm going to have to take it in to the shop. I guess part of me just hopes that it'll fix itself.

Another part of me hears that Smoke Monster noise and is half-expecting to walk outside one of these mornings and see John Locke in the parking spot instead of my Civic, staring at me with those crazy, intense eyes and holding an 8-inch hunting knife in his hand.

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STOP ISLAND THEFT! -- Photo of the Week 15 March 2010

With an upcoming trip to New York City, I was reminded of this ad from 2008, and wished I could have seen this beauty in Times Square:

A life-sized figure of a thief wearing a Japanese imperial flag as a mask with a caption that reads: "STOP ISLAND THEFT. Japan attempts to steal Asia's islands by distorting history." South Korea and Japan are still disputing with each other over the sovereignty of the Dokdo / Takeshima islands (read: pebbles in the middle of the sea between the two countries).

Oh, but there's more this picture. Pan out a bit:

People always say "location, location, location," and the marketers in charge of this campaign took this advice to heart when placing this statue. When seeking support for the Republic of Korea's campaign against the resurgence of Japan's neo-imperialistic aspirations, what better demographic to target than those likely to be interested in Chorus Line, starring Mario Lopez? None, I tell you. NONE. The two groups are basically the same.


Happy Monday, all. "Losing" an hour sucks.

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Random Sticker in Buffalo -- Photo of the Week 25 Jan 2010

AM and I went and visited White Josh and the Frizzle up in Buffalo over MLK weekend. Why go to Buffalo in the winter? I respond with another question: When an unbelievable cold front blankets the east coast for two consecutive weeks, what difference does it make if you go a little further north?

Anyway, we were strolling the streets of Buffalo when I spotted this sticker on a postal box. While it's not my favorite insult, I had to take a picture:

And then of course I was compelled to find out who Eric Corff is, and whether he was framed like Andy from Shawshank Redemption, or if he really is what this sticker proclaims him to be. I'm all about a good smear campaign, but it should at least be semi-justified.

Turns out I found a guy who has a pretty funny blog entry with some info about Mr. Corff. He writes from Telluride, CO, where apparently this campaign of hilarious spite was born. I quote:

"Eric moved to Telluride a couple years ago from New York, and no doubt a Yankee's fan. Apparently he decided it would be in his best interests to pursue his best friend's fiance. From what I understand the fiance was receptive to Mr. Corff's advances which lead to his bad name all over our small town."

And a Youtube clip from a bar in Alabama:




Any Eric Corff stickers sightings out there, RoSA readers?


Monday Monday Monday...

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Attn: Single Truckers -- Photo of the Week 18 Jan 2010

I know my audience, and since the vast majority of my readers are truckers, I know this PotW will be a huge hit. Apparently these have been floating around at trucker shops around the US. Both are worth taking a closer look at:

 

Thanks to Annie G for the submission. I would add something, but I feel I can add no more value to these fliers. Plus I'm back from traveling, so I'd rather go collapse on a bed than try to make fun of these -- like shooting fish in a barrel.


Happy Monday all. Hope you enjoyed your day off.

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The Marathon -- Photo(s) of the Week 16 Nov 2009

Well, neither of my worst-case scenarios happened while I was out for my little run on Saturday:

(If given the choice, I personally would have preferred the fate of the former [collapsed, naked, and about to die] than the latter [streaming, bloody nipples... you ever try to shower with those?] Luckily, it came to neither)

Some might view traveling 2600 miles to run 26.2 impractical; or training for 10 months to run for 3.5 hours disproportionate. But it was worth it, and Nartker and I finished Run the River Marathon with the help of supportive family and friends. Couldn't have done it without them.

The smiling, un-pained looks on our faces are indicative of these pictures being taken at the 4-mile mark, and not at the end. If they were at the end, my face would have been contorted and twisted in a display of unbearable pain.

Some quick awards:

• Mike Ditka Award: Coach. He may not have the mustache, but he had the same demands for discipline and high-performance that Dit-KAH demanded of his football teams. If I didn't have Coach driving me, I would still be collapsed on the side of the race trail today.
  

• Pre-Race Comic Relief and Gutsy Performance Award: Nartker, who grabbed his Body Glide stick (anti-chafing material) before the race, headed into the bathroom, and came out declaring something along the lines of: "I think I just violated myself with the Body Glide." The man's legs also fell apart like a Saturn sedan, but he fought through a hurt knee, an Achilles heel issue and his body sucking up electrolytes faster than he could put them in in order to finish. Well done, sir.

• Traveling Fan Base Award: Ma and Pops Dalton. Flew down from WA State to watch me a total of five times over the course of 3 1/2 hours. Granted, the painted faces and incoherent, drunken screaming of die-hards were not present in my parents, but their support was greatly needed and appreciated.

• Dale Earnhardt / "I didn't plan on running 1/3 of a marathon today, but I did" Award: J and Casey Tanner. Tore through the suburbs of Sacramento, CA, channeling Fast & Furious driving skills (likely scaring my passenger parents half to death in the process) in order to get to as many spots along the trail as possible. They also ran a ridiculous amount alongside myself and Nartker as encouragement.

• "They say patience is a virtue -- but damn, virtues are boring and lame" Award: AM. For having to deal with my "I've gotta go for a long run today" statements over the last half year.

• The Consummate Dumba** Award: The Idiot-Girl in Sacramento. Unfortunately I wasn't there for this, but at one of the stops my parents and the Tanners went to, some imbecile impersonating a 20-year old girl got out and started dropping f-bombs on my mom and J because they thought they were dropping off marathon runners by car to get ahead. Right. The Imbecile, of course, could not be reasoned with because the capacity for logic and intelligent dialogue is housed inside of the cerebrum, a part of the brain that is reserved for the more evolved species -- like people, or reptiles, or amphibians and such. Well done, ma'am, and let's just say that the two fingers I'm throwing in your direction are not my thumbs.
  

Lest you get Marathon Recap Fatigue, I will end this entry here. I may have some more thoughts on it later, but for now I am going to go enjoy my vacation.


Happy Monday, all. Time for me to nurse my sore legs.

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Mind Your Surroundings, Kid

Not a fan of just posting YouTube clips, because anyone can do that, but every once in a while you find those gems that sell themselves. This is one of those...with an awesome ending.



What kind of educational system were the Kiwis developing down in New Zealand? More importantly, is it still in place? Because if it is, I will be postponing my lifelong goal of vacationing in New Zealand -- indefinitely.

This kid could have benefited from the advice Dukat/Raz Agul gave Bruce Wayne when they were doing all kinds of crazy ninja-ness on the ice: "Always mind your surroundings." I guess in this case Dukat would have to amend the statement with "...especially when you're on television, and when there are Asian people around."

Also, I want to see the kid's score on the word association portion of the SAT.

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Tough Guy Race -- Photo of the Week 29 June 2009

The Boiler sent me this article. This PotW is taken from the accompanying photo gallery.


The article really is worth the read.

Obstacles called the "Vietcong tunnels" and the "Stalag escape"? Electric and barbwire fences; contestants dropping out from hypothermia? Are you kidding me?? Suddenly, my Run Amuck "achievement" makes me feel quite ashamed -- like I went for a nice, leisurely Sunday morning stroll while these dudes got taken on some sort of death march.

Oh well.


Happy Monday morn, everyone. Use this morning to pick the marinade you want for your 4th of July BBQ.

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BR Redux

We return to one of my favorite topics, and one of your most hated.

Some recent developments in my abominable world of Butt Rock (BR):

**A lot of work places have "Hawaiian t-shirt Fridays" and "casual Fridays." Both are lame and boring -- not to mention overdone. So I instituted Butt Rock Fridays. Fundamentally, this consists of me listening to some BR on my iPod during the morning hours at work and then wearing a BR t-shirt with my jeans.

As a testament to my lack of courage, however, the latter has yet to happen, due to the fear that I would get called into some ad hoc meeting and have to give a presentation to some higher-ups while sporting a t-shirt that has "JUDAS PRIEST" or "SCORPIONS" plastered all over the front -- all because I felt like celebrating "Butt Rock Friday." (I imagine that this feared scenario would be like me competing on Iron Chef while wearing nothing but an apron. I'd be exposed. Vulnerable. All while trying to demonstrate knowledge in something that the spectators likely know more about than I do.)

**AM affectionately labeled me her "butt rock king," as she and MM were my road trip compatriots that partook in a powerhouse butt rock compilation CD I made. It was a 17-track assault on (and affront to) Mozart, Beethoven, and all things artistically beautiful; an auditory massacre. And yet it was somehow quite sing-alongable.

The CD did its job and kept me alert in the late hours of the night. I have found that it is difficult to fall asleep at the wheel of a car while you are continuously dry-heaving/mocking the stupidity of something. Or singing along.

**A few months ago, I penned an entry laying out the fundamentals of the BR genre, and concluded off-handedly that I should teach a Music History class on the topic.

Hadn't thought about it since then, as it was a joke.

Well, apparently the nether regions of my brain thought it was an idea worth exploring, and did so for four months whilst I remained unaware. My sub-conscious presented its work to me in a ridiculously vivid dream in which I was the professor of a Butt Rock History course, the first of such classes at any major university. In the dream I was preparing a powerpoint presentation for my first day of class. I was quite frazzled; literally stressing about the order of my slides and how I should present the material in a cohesive way to the auditorium of 300-400 students.

Yes. I am out of my mind. But if you haven't deduced that by now, perception may not be your thing.

My one regret from the dream is that I didn't catch a glimpse of the demographic of my students. Would have been absolutely priceless.

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ENGRISH! -- Photo of the Week 15 Dec 2008

Year: March 2008
Location: Okinawa, Japan

I love me some Engrish, and my trip to Japan in March provided some brilliant examples.

Apparently, I had been lent a road in my aimless meanderings on a Saturday afternoon drive. It's nice that they provided directions on where to return it. I can't imagine what kind of deposit you would have to put down for renting an entire road.

(The Japanese translation for the sign should just be "return road")

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My Pops, Tom

A week late, but I've been tardy posting as of late.

So I had the typical 18 November phone conversation with my dad -- the same one I've had for the past ten years:

JD: Hey dad! just calling to say happy birthday!
D: I appreciate the phone call and you thinking of me. But I would prefer not to think about getting older...

And such it is with my dad. He doesn't like the spotlight and is perfectly content to do his own thing. I think a lot of people are surprised to find that I attribute a good deal of my own personality to him: some sarcasm, a tendency towards introvertedness, willing to let others make their own choices and not take control of the situation. I guess hands-offishness is the technical term I'm looking for. Encouraging might be another. All of these are great things, in my opinion.

Dad also instilled in me a thirst for knowledge and books, and an appreciation of music and culture. He always has his nose in a new book, is watching some documentary/history channel thing, is always looking for something new. When we (me, Jen, and Juli) were kids we would travel a lot as a family, get out and see how things were outside of the country, etc. Invaluable experiences that he and Shigeko facilitated. Now I think they're in competition to see who can dote over their grandkids more. So far it seems like they're dead even.


Now he's on a Bob Dylan kick. Has a bunch of albums, some books, and went to a concert in Canada the other week. Love it. I guess the lines at the border coming back from Canada were long; Homeland Security was being thorough and it was taking a while. The border guard asked my dad what his business in Canada was.

Dad: Went to a concert.
BG: The Bob Dylan one?
Dad: Yeah.
BG: I was there, too. Alright, go ahead.

Gotta love it.

Happy birthday, dad!

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Signs? Coincidences?

Remember in Signs when a sober and pre-anti-Semitic version of Mel Gibson is talking to Joaquin Phoenix about how some people view events as "signs" or miracles and more than mere coincidence? In times of indecision, a lot of us look for the sign that will show us which is the correct decision to make.

I had one of those moments of indecision this past weekend.

Josh M (of the faux-stache) and Dave (of the beard) and I had planned to stay at a friend's place in Charlottesville, VA on Friday night and then head to Fayetteville, WV early Saturday morning to check out "Bridge Day" (more on this adventure later). As I am currently working a crappy work schedule, I was feeling exhausted Friday morning and told both of them I was wavering on going. Both of them tried to talk me into going. JoshM attacked via IM and Dave pounced via cellphone. A classic pincer attack.

Me: Man, I am not feeling good. These night shifts are killing me...I don't if I can handle this weekend.
JoshM: What?!? I gotta convince you to go.
Me: Good luck.
JoshM: Dude, did Dave tell you about the Elton John concert?
Me: The what??
JoshM: The guy we're staying with down in Charlottesville may have four tickets to the Elton John concert tonight.
Me: I don't know how to reply to that.
JoshM: Yeah, I know. Four guys going together to an Elton John concert is a little suspect. But I hear he puts on a pretty sweet show.
Me: Ech. I don't know how much Elton John I could handle.
JoshM: That's the thing. The tickets are free, so we can say we rubbed shoulders with some sissies and then bail if it's lame and not feel bad about it.
Me: I don't know if I want to be able to say I rubbed anything with anybody at an Elton John concert.

And so I remained unconvinced. Dave tried his best over the phone, but I still couldn't decide if I was up for it.

Then, it happened.

After I got off the phone with Dave I walked into the grocery store to buy some stuff. As I was going through the aisles, I realized that the music playing over the PA was "Rocket Man" -- an iconic Elton John song. This was my sign. Mel Gibson was right (about signs and miracles; NOT the Jews). And while Elton John would not be my first choice, I was meant to go on this road trip.

I called Dave on my way home to let him know I was in, and told him to call me when he was on his way to pick me up. He called a few hours later to let me know he was almost to my place:

"We're on our way. Oh yeah, dude...in the interests of full disclosure...we didn't get the Elton John tickets..."

I never thought I would be so crushed to miss an Elton John concert... But what about "Rocket Man" playing in the grocery store? What about my sign?

It's an absolute conspiracy, and I collectively blame Mel Gibson, Sir Elton John, and M. Night Shyamalan for my misfortune.

Reader: How do you explain this? What did the sign mean?

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Asian Talent -- Photo of the Week 13 Oct 2008

Location: A freeway somewhere in CA or Nevada
Year: November 2005

Who says I don't have talent? When confronted with a box of leftover Chinese food and no utensils, I improvised some chopsticks: A ballpoint pen and a highlighter. I don't like to brag, but my own resourcefulness reminded me of Macgyver.

...'course, the argument could be made that despite my proficiency at multi-tasking, I lack the requisite common sense to stop me from doing all of this while also driving at 85 mph.

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My Introduction to the Competitive Eating World

"I swear I've seen a lot of stuff in my life, but that... was... awesome."

Yes, the sheer awesomeness of what I witnessed firsthand this 4th of July has reduced me to incoherence of the I'm-quoting-Tommy Boy-in-order-to-express-myself variety. Sad day.

Anyway, some friends and I went to NYC for the 4th of July weekend. I told them that if I was going to make the trek, my list of demands needed to be taken care of: (1) Go to Coney Island to cheer my boy Takeru Kobayashi on his quest to reclaim the championship at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and (2) Track down the Beastie Boys' recording studio and get my picture taken in front of the building. That was it. They accepted.

While the latter of the demands went sadly unfulfilled, we did get down to Coney Island* for the contest, and the drama and hype surrounding the competition made watching it that much more exciting.

*(For more of my thoughts on the unbelievably creepy, Stephen King-inspired alternate universe that is Coney Island, I refer you to chapter 2 of my future book, "8 Things That Creep Me Out to No End"; it's sandwiched between chapter 1, "Drunken Clowns," and chapter 3, "Sober Clowns")

By way of context: Kobayashi -- considered by many (me) to be the Roger Bannister of competitive eating -- revolutionized the 12-minute competition in 2001 by eating 50 hot dogs, obliterating the previous year's winning number of 25. He continued his dominance until last year. In 2007, however, Kobayashi was suffering from jaw arthritis -- no surprise, really... the guy's gotta have the jaws of a 95-year old at this point -- and was dethroned by Joey "Jaws" Chestnut from San Jose.

Kobayashi was going to be back to compete in 2008, but could he reclaim his title from Chestnut? This, and many, many, many other questions (ie "What's the atmosphere in the locker room like a few hours before a competition?") about the Competitive Eating World plagued me as I rode the subway to Coney Island.

The windup to this contest was like rolling the plots of several movies into a dramatic whole: Cinderella Man (inspirational comeback); Rocky IV (inspirational underdog movie, minus the element of Kobayashi's best friend being killed by a Russian); Karate Kid (the Japanese element), and Supersize Me (for the grotesque amount of processed food to be eaten). Hollywood doesn't write better scripts than this. But, amidst all of the excitement, my dual identity had come back to haunt me: Do I cheer for the Japanese comeback kid battling against an injury, or for the American on Independence Day?

After delays and stalling from the perverted MC, the competition began. Here's how my inner monologue / vocal shouting unfolded during the next 10 minutes:

*****
Should I cheer for Kobayashi? Or is some drunk New Yorker gonna kick the crap out of me on the 4th of July for cheering for a foreigner? Wait, I see a Japanese flag waving. OK. Kobayashi it is.

"GO KOBAYASHI!"

Who handed out these stupid thundersticks? I can't see a damn thing. Hey, Rat-Tail! Move you and your nasty hair out of my line of sight. Wow, the crowd is really into this. OK. The first minute is up. Wait, did the announcer just say that Chestnut ate 10 hot dogs in the first minute? I think I'm going to have a sympathetic throw-up.

"C'MON, KOBAYASHI!"

Oh great. Kobayashi's fallen to third. It's over. It's so over. Why did I put my faith in this guy? After all I've invested in him, he totally betrays my trust and lets me down.

Wait. Wait. Kobayashi looks like he's gaining. He's back in second now... Now he's catching up to Chestnut. Oh, man. What a surge! He's tied! I still hate thundersticks.

"GO KOBAYASHI! GO!"

Kobayashi has taken the lead! Oh man, I haven't been this amped since BYU beat Utah in football last year. Now he's putting space between himself and Chestnut. I'm visibly shaking. This is amazing! He's eating like... like... I have no proper sports analogy for this...

"GO SEABISCUI--!! こばちゃん！がんばれ--"

WTF?!? I'm so excited I'm getting famous movie-horses mixed up with Kobayashi, and Japanese with English. Whatever. Kobayashi is taking a three hot-dog lead into the final minute! There's no way Chestnut is gaining three dogs on him in the last minute. It's impossible...The buzzer rings. And what?!? Chestnut has shoved his face full of everything he possibly could. They're calling it a tie if he swallows everything... And he does.

*****
The "dog-off" overtime was the first in the competition's storied history, and Chestnut ended up winning (the first to eat five more hot dogs -- talk about worst OT ever for competitors). It was appalling, gripping, and poignant all at once; more than I could have dreamed.

As I rode the subway back into Manhattan, more questions about Competitive Eating came to me...

>How many years did these people just shave off of their lives?
>Would there be scandals? I mean, would we find Kobayashi testifying before Congress in broken Engrish about Chestnut taking stomach-expanding drugs?
>How many hours do the competitors spend on the toilet afterward? (Scratch that; I don't want to know)
>Is Under Armour going to end up sponsoring these guys?
>Would referees be accused of "throwing" the competition?
>Do these guys have groupies?



...and so very many more...

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