T-BOLTS SEASON ENDS BUT WHAT A YEAR

The Thunderbolts ended this years fantasy football season with an 88 - 78 loss to Black&Tan who have tied them in the division and taken the PETA LEAGUE West by points. Much like the first game of the year, the beloved Bolts lost key players to injury. Peyton Hill, and Brandon Jacobs, both running backs, exited their games early.

And although the T-Bolts beat the "Barking Spiders," the inter-office rivals had the last laugh by winning their game and securing the wild card spot into the play-offs.

And your 2008 play-off picture is...
East Division - Red Devils (10-4)
Central Division - Mcqs MayheM (10-4)
West Division - Black&Tan (8-6)
Wild Card - Barking Spiders (9-5)


PETA League
West Division
1. Black&Tan (8- 6) 0 Game Back (1396 fantasy points)
2. Thunderbolts (8-6) 0 Games Back (1263 fantasy points)
3. Old School MIA (8-6) 0 Games Back (1249 fantasy points)
4. Dorks (4-10) 4 Game Back (1036 fantasy points)

Wild Card Race
1. Barking Spiders (9-5) 0 games Back (1302 fantasy points)
2. Thunderbolts (8-6) 1Games Back (1263 fantasy points)
3. Old School MIA (8-6) 1 Games Back (1249 fantasy points)

A roller Coaster Season

The T-Bolts lost first round pick Tom Brady in the first game of the season and started off an abysmal 0-4. They seemed miles out of the play-off picture. After going to backup quarterback Philip Rivers, the team rattled off six unlikely wins while the rest of the PETA League West collapsed in non divisional play. Suddenly they found themselves in a duel for first place with Old School MIA in the stretch run. Just when the T-Bolts thought they may have secured the division title, Black&Tan crept quietly back into contention, and beat the Thunderbolts in the last game of the season in a spectacular finish. The Bolts may have missed the play-offs, but they came away with a winning record in what was by far the most interesting and entertaining season of fantasy football for the team. We'll keep an eye on how the Barking Spiders do in the play-offs. Meanwhile, the Thunderbolts will see YOU next year, ready to win a Fantasy Football Championship!

Thunderbolts franchise history

2008: 8-6-0
2007: 12-3-0 (Division Title)
2006: 5-7-2

Total record - 25 wins, 16 losses, 2 ties

Moments from 2008 part two

Catfight.


The year didn't start off that good for me. Just kidding. This is from Halloween, proving you do NOT have to live on Hanover street to see ghouls and goblins on all Saints day.

This picture was taken at our beach vacation when we visited the aquarium. Here I am getting ready to throw Robbie into the sting ray petting pool. You can tell by the insane look in my eyes.

Robbie with Granny. These two are like this. (Crossing fingers.)

We lost Benny this year, Christies cat of 14 years and mine of seven. Here Benny is enjoying a chin scratch and some time outside in his old age.

A little while after we said goodbye, we said hello. Two more orange tabbies came into our home. (Mostly because I'm not AS allergic to them as other cats for some reason.) Tavington and Daisey. Here Tavington is being toted around the house by Robbie.

I wish i were Axle Rose

I would love it if my boss gave me over a decade to get a project done.

Back in my youth Guns n Roses were pretty much the king of metal and rock, and of main stream music. I was a big fan. They were rebellious, outspoken, energetic, and put out great material in their genre. They defined it, and pushed the envelope.

Which is why it was so sad to see them waste their talent and chemistry the way they did. After sitting on top of the world with appetite for Destruction, and the Use Your Illusion records, Axle seemed wired on aiming GnR right into a black hole of music oblivion. The band pretty much broke up but Axle continued on as if though he himself was Guns N Roses.

Which would have been mostly fine if he had released "Chinese Democracy" by at least the end of the 90's. I've listened to a couple of tracks, and they are really good, but the 14 years put into their creation isn't at all evident. This album could have been released at any time and I believe it would have sounded just as good and would have been just as well received.

This isn't a review of the album. This is my view of Axle Rose and Geffen Records approach to the album. You get rid of 4/5 of the band, spend 14 years and over 10 million dollars mulling over the same tracks and then choose the worst economic time possible to put it out.

I understand that Axle made this record for Axle, and not the fans. That's okay. But as a fan, I was always a bit let down that GnR never put out any more material in their prime, even though they were more then capable of doing so. And it's even more of an insult that NOW he's ready for me to fork over my money to buy this CD. In my case, I've moved on in different musical directions, and my GnR loyalties has pretty much been burned up.

Axle is obviously a talented but head strong stubborn artist. But Geffen Records should have done something about this. They should have cut this one loose. All those musicians that could have used those dollars to make it big and you give it all to a guy who put out two albums in the late eighties and early nineties? Can I come work for you guys?

GEFFEN RECORDS - Have you gotten that financial report done yet Bryan? It was for two months ago.

BRYAN - Not yet. I want it to be perfect.

GEFFEN RECORDS - Okay. By the way, we're giving you a raise.

BRYAN - Yeaaaaay!

LAST GAME LAST STAND

The Thunderbolts are one game away from a possible play-off spot in the 2008 fantasy football season after beating the "Dorks" 112 -70 this past week. The team will play "Black&tan" (7-6) in the final game, with no choice but to win the contest in order to win the division and a spot in the post season. The wild card is within reach if they lose, but only if the "barking spiders" (8-5) lose their game as well. It's been a crazy season for the T-Bolts and it looks like it's going right down to the wire. Be sure to give a little root for the Thunderbolts as you go about your christmas shopping or you're watching the games on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday.

PETA League
West Division
1. Thunderbolts (8-5) 0 Games Back (1202 fantasy points)
2. Black&Tan (7- 6) 1 Game Back (1313 fantasy points)
3. Old School MIA (7-6) 1 Games Back (1183 fantasy points)
4. Dorks (4-9) 4 Game Back (958 fantasy points)

Wild Card Race
1. Barking Spiders (8-5) 0 games Back (1200 fantasy points)
2. Black&Tan (7- 6) 1 Game Back (1313 fantasy points)
3. Old School MIA (7-6) 1 Games Back (1183 fantasy points)

Moments from 2008 part one

Robbies third birthday. Technically a moment from 2007, but close enough.

Parrot Kitty. There were two new editions to our home in 2008. Daisy stayed perched on my shoulder all the time. Daisy and Tavington are too big to do this now.

The 1776 reading room, created by Christie. This room is dedicated to our nations independence and colonial era. The declaration and the constitution hanged framed on the sidewall. Not the real ones though.

Christie at the beach house in the outerbanks. She's reflecting on how she's going to decorate our reading room this year.
A rare quiet moment at the Vinson Household. You know Blanche Bryant would be pleased as punch seeing her great grandson on her old couch.

Halloween. Nana and Thomas the train trick or treat in our neighborhood. (It's not really Thomas the train. It's Robbie in costume. Don't tell anybody.)

The "grin" and T-Bolts update

Robbie was part of a three song performance of 3 and 4 year olds at his and Mommy's Bible study. And Robbie was featured in the center of a line of kids on stage singing. And Mommy was sitting in the front row.

You've seen them before. A group of small children with vacant expressions twiddling their thumbs and mumbling through a song while the music teacher coaxes them along. (Of course there is always that one type A personality overachiever who knows all the words and sings loudly and correctly above all the rest. It is usually a girl.) Well, after two songs Robbie decided he had had enough of this foolishness.

Robbie stops singing, and gets the "grin" on his face. Those who know Robbie or have kids know about the "grin". It's usually a precursor of some type of premeditated misbehavior. The teacher sees this and starts making her move but Robbie is already heading for the edge of the stage. kiddo does not bother with the stairs, goes for the stage edge, makes a quick cut, dodges the teacher, jumps off the stage and climbs up on Mommy's lap. "I just want to sit with you, Mommy." he says over the quiet mumble of children singing. "Can I have some of your coffee Mommy?"

Robbie proceeded to watch the rest of his own performance. The thing that got me when Christie told me this story was..... why wasn't I smart enough to do that when I was little and forced into such situations.

THUNDERBOLTS STAY ALIVE!!!
The Thunderbolts stayed in the race for the PETA League West division championship with a 113 - 85 win over rivals "Old School MIA". The win puts them back into a first place tie with Old School MIA holding a slight point advantage. The Thunderbolts needed the win to stay in the hunt, and will still need to win out and score more points over the final two games to take the division. The T-bolts are also at battling their long time arch rivals the "Barking Spiders" for the wild card shot into the fantasy football play-offs

PETA League
West Division
1. Old School MIA (7-5) 0 Games Back (1093 fantasy points)
2. Thunderbolts (7-5) 0 Games Back (1090 fantasy points)
3. Black&Tan (6- 6) 2 Game Back (1220 fantasy points)
4. Dorks (4-8) 2 Game Back (888 fantasy points)

Wild Card Race
1. Barking Spiders (7-5) 0 games Back (1095 fantasy points)
2. Thunderbolts (7-5) 0 Games Back (1093 fantasy points)
3. Black&Tan (6- 6) 2 Game Back (1220 fantasy points)
4. Blazin' Bajans (6-6) 0 games back (984 fantasy points)

MIKE MUSSINA RETIRES

Mike Mussina has announced his retirement from baseball. Though he spent the past seven or eight years with the New York Yankees, he was once the star pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles back in a day when they were regular contenders for the AL east. I always thought his defection to the Yankees was inexcusable, but looking back at how the Orioles fell flat and never did anything smart to rebuild for the past decade, I don't blame him. After moving to New York, Mussina enjoyed consistantly going to the play-offs, but i don't believe the Yankees ever won the world series while he was there.

The Orioles went in the other direction. They would get good players now and then but they would have a "bad year" whenever they were an Oriole. "So and so had a really good year last year but hasn't done much since coming to Baltimore..." If I had a nickle for every time an Orioles announcer said a comment like that....

It's a bit strange when the players you grew up with begin to retire. It's kind of like when Johny Carson did his last tonight show, or the last episode of cheers aired. Names that you got so used to hearing are suddenly gone.

We'll miss the Moose in baseball. No hard feelings over going to the Yankees, okay Mike?