MASON CONSERVATIVE

Robert Beer, 1916-2008

Tonight my grandfather Robert Beer died.  There is cause for sadness,  but I rejoice in having lived almost 28 years with my grandfather prominently in my life.  I think about a man who raised five kids and lived to see them to their middle age, who was surrounded by grandchildren now as old as 40 and as young and 17.  I think of the man who took me swimming every summer, who kicked around a soccer ball with me, who came down to Virginia every summer to go on an all-boys baseball trip - myself, my dad, my two brothers, and him to Camden Yards.  I think of the man who lit up when I told him I was a Republican, who couldn't wait to hear about last year's convention in Richmond and all the work I had been doing,  He and my grandmother were both active Republicans in local politics in Monroe County, NY.  I think about the man who just a few months ago I was talking about the World Series (he was pulling for Boston to get in).  

But most importantly, I think of Thanksgiving.  Those who know me know that I went to boarding school when I was 15 when my folks moved overseas.  When I first got there I had terrible homesickness and I had no idea where to go, what to do, or how to get ahold of my parents.  Instead, I called my grandparents.  They sent me some money and and a phone card, and then gave my parents my number so they could call.  For Thanksgivings, I only had a long weekend for vacation so it made no sense to go home when it was a 14 hour ordeal.  So instead every year I flew from T.F. Green Airport in Providence RI to Rochester International Airport.  And there they were, my grandparents, standing there at the terminal waiting for me.  The dinner was always magnificent and they were tremendous hosts.  It was those Thanksgivings, by myself with my extended family but without my parents, that I started to feel like I was growing up and becoming an adult.  Talking with him, he would give me little bits of advice on school.  We would walk to his favorite restaurant in downtown Honeoye Falls and introduce me to all his friends and neighbors.   

So I am sad, but not like I thought I would be.  He was 92 years old and for the most part I've been ready for this for a couple of months.  I'm sad that I won' see him lounging on his giant red recliner my grandmother hated so much, I'm sad that I can't talk to him about politics or baseball.  I'm sad that he won't be around anymore.  

But I am happy that he is with God now.  I am happy that his pain is over, and that he was surrounded by his family.  I am happy that I will have all the playful childhood memories of him playing with me and my brothers, as well as the adult memories of a knowing that my grandfather was proud of me when I got my masters degree or when I made the football team.  He was always a blessing in my life and I will miss him dearly.  I would ask for your prayers for my family, and for him as well.  Though I don't think he'll need it that much, because I know where he is right now.  He's smiling down on his wife of over 60 years, his five children, and his 12 grandchildren.  He lived a long and full life, he traveled the world, and though it was hard at the end he always smiled when he saw me.

Always.

I'll Be Back In 2009

 

Super Bowl Predictions: The Manning Bowl

50 years ago, the NFL was put on the map by a championship game between the Giants and Colts.  50 years later it will come full circle as the New York and Indianapolis will tangle for the Super Bowl this year.  Which means the last two winners and two brothers, Peyton and Eli Manning, will play.  

Here how it breaks down:

WILD CARD ROUND

AFC

-Colts over Chargers/Broncos

-Ravens over Dolphins

NFC

-Vikings over Eagles

-Cardinals over Falcons (my upset pick)

CONFERENCE SEMI FINALS

AFC

Ravens over Steelers

Colts over Titans

NFC

Giants over Cardinals

Panthers over Vikings

CONFERENCE FINALS

AFC Colts over Ravens

NFC Giants over Panthers

SUPER BOWL 41:

Indianapolis Colts defeat New York Giants

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

-Let me explain.  First, I have the Cardinals over the Falcons because no matter how they got into the playoffs, Arizona will be at home with Kurt Warner and a fierce offensive attack that Atlanta doesn't have the horses to stop on defense.  It will be high scoring, but I'll take Warner over Ryan right now.  Same thing for Miami, who is so young they won't know what to do with the fierce Ravens defense.  Chad Pennington has a history of getting to the playoffs but doing nothing when he gets there.  In the next round, I just don't like Pittsburgh.  They can't run like they use too, Big Ben just got his bell rung, and I think Tennessee exposed them.  As for the Titans, I just think that Manning as their number and has gotten hot at the right time.    

Can you imagine how ESPN will cover a Manning vs Manning Super Bowl?  It will be nauseating (like most things associated with ESPN), but it will be a tremendous game.  

UFC 92: TWO New Champions

The event was billed as the "Ultimate 2008" and it lived up to every piece of hype, and your boy when 7/10 on my predictions - only Griffin, Chonen, and Evenson let me down.  In the prelims, there was some news.  Middleweight Yushin Okami continues to make the case of a crack at Anderson Silva, winning a unanimous decision over Dean Lister.  Okami is now 9-1 in the UFC with his only lose coming to Rich Franklin, nothing to apologize for.  I don't see how putting Thales Laites or any other jabroni works . . . Okami is clearly the #1 contender in the middleweight division now.  Bisping and Maia are better fighters but they aren't ready.  Okami has earned it.  Matt Hamill, MMA's only deaf fighter, came back from his lost to Franklin last August to defeat the deplapidated Reese Andy.  Everyone loves Hamill for what he has had to overcome so its always fun to watch him win.  Other than that, nothing much.

On the main card, there was upset after upset.  Firstly, Cheick Kongo again made his case for a title shot down the road in absolutely destroying Mostapha Al-Turk.  CB Dolloway showed a lot of guts in defeating Mike Massenzio after taking a brutal shot but surviving and getting the TKO win.  But as for the three big fights, the first one up was Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva.  If you recall, these guys fought twice back in Pride in Japan with Silva essentially destroying Jackson both times.  

Not this time.

Jackson showed some great head movement, ducking and weaving under Silva's wild shots before connecting with a tight left hook that sent Silva down unconscience.  Two more clean shots to the face before the ref could pull him off and Rampage has not only shed one of the biggest demons of his past, but steps right back into the front of the line for a UFC Title shot.  As for Silva, I don't know what could be left for him.  Much like Chuck Liddell, it appears that the MMA game has evolved past his skill sets.  Its no longer smart to go out there and throw hands wildly, these guys now are just too good.  Jackson clearly has been trained properly and has adjusted to the new style of being a total fighter.  He can keep fight but I don't see the point.  He's 1-4 in his last five fights, and has looked awful in his losses to Mirko CroCop, Dan Hernderson, Liddell, and now Jackson.  I think its all over for the legend, and I hope he hangs them up because he just can't keep taking beatings like this.  

The next big fight was Minotauro Nogeuira against Frank Mir for the interim heavyweight title.  I picked Mir in an upset, I thought he was more focused and angry because of how Brock Lesnar got a title shot and he's made him tap out.  Everyone else in the world picked Big Nog.  And everyone else was wrong.  Minotauro is a wiz on the ground, but the only time he was on his back was when Mir dropped him there.  Mir, known also for his ground skills, shocked everyone by standing up and just taking Nogeuira apart with crips stricking and really tremendous combinations of jabs, uppercuts, and leg kicks.  He completely owned Nog in the first round, but so did Tim Sylvia and Heath Herring (and a million other fighters who have fought Nog).  Nog is kind of like Ali, he's a rope-a-dope fighter that likes to take a beating, wear and opponent out, and then grab a limb and tap him out.  But Mir fought smart, when he knocked Nog down, he didn't fall for the ground-game bait and stood it back up.  The second round as more of the same and this time when Mir got Nog down, he ground-and-pounded him for the win and the interim title.  Frank Mir is the first fighter to every finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  Let me repeat that.  Frank Mir is the first fighter to every finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  In 38 pro fights, nobody has finished Nog.  Not Fedor, not Sylvia, not CroCop, not Coleman.  Nog has lost before, but always by decision.  Frank Mir is the first man in MMA history to finish Minotauro in a fight.  Amazing and he looked unbeatable.  That of course sets up for a title unification fight between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.  And Frank Mir made Lesnar tap out last year.  This will be good and Brock better not believe his own headlines, but Frank Mir is for real.  As for Minotauro, I'm not sure what to make of his performance.  He looked totally confused out there, didn't know what Mir was doing, and seemed lost.  Mir's strategy was obviously something Nog didn't prepare for.  But he's not done.  There is one more fight for him, a legends bout if you win, and that is against Randy Couture.

In the main event, Forrest Griffin looked good in the first two rounds defending his light heavyweight title against Rashad Evans, using good combinations and extensive leg kicks to keep the explosive Evans at bay.  But Evans got him down in the third round and Griffin using one of the laziest gaurds I've ever seen and just allowed Evans to posture up onto one knee, fold him up, and punch his lights out over and over until the ref ended it.  Great heart by Rashad to take all the punishment and just by his time.  Griffin needs to get back in the gym and work on his jiu-jitsu because that looked terrible.  Next up for Rashad?  Most think it will be Rampage Jackson, but if Lyoto Machida can beat Thiago Silva next month it might be Machida.  Rampage is the sexy pick and those two really could sell a pay per view.  As for Forrest, he's not done so its back to the drawing board.  I wouldn't be suprised to see a mega-fight between him and Chuck Liddell.

A great night of fights, the best ppv of the year, and major props to Frank Mir and Rashad Evans for finally silencing their critics once and for all.

WINNERS:  Berry, Okami, Hamill, Blackburn, Hardonk, Kongo, Jackson, Dolloway, Mir, and Evans.

The Caps

I haven't blogged much about the Capitals this year so far, and how good they are right now and how good they will be once Theodore gets his act together.  I was at the Buffalo game yesterday and let me say what a difference two years makes.  I didn't get to any games last year, so this was my first "Rock The Red" game, and the atmosphere is incredible.  Caps games in the past where fun, but the crowds where usually lethargic.  This year?  There is real excitement and pride in this team by this town, and I wish the Post and the radio folks would spend less time crying about the Skins and Wizards and realize that something really special is being put together on the ice here in DC.  And by the way, I have never seen a goal like this in my life:

I WANT TO SAY THIS WHILE WE STILL CAN

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

UFC 92 The Ultimate 2008: Full Preview

So the last major UFC show of the year drops this saturday from Las Vegas, topped with two title fights and one grudge match for the ages.  

Here is the full card:

-Forrest Griffin (c) vs. "Sugar" Rashad Evans - Light Heavyweight Title match

-Antonio "Minotauro" Noguiera (c) vs. Frank Mir - Interim Heavyweight Title match

-Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva

-CB Dolloway vs. Mike Messizino

-Chieck Kongo vs. Mustapha Al-Turk

Prelims:

Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister

Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel

Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy

Brad Blackburn vs. Ryo Chonen

Dan Evenson vs. Patrick Barry

Here are some important storylines going on for the three big fights:
1.  Griffin vs. Evans, Xtreme Couture vs. Jackson Submission Fighitng:  These are the two premier American MMA camps.  XC sports Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Tyson Griffin, Amir Sodallah among others.  Jackson coaches Evans, Georges St-Pierre, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, and Karo Parisiyan.  The camps personify the two fighters.  Couture preaches conditioning, toughness, ground skills, and nutrition. Couture's fighters are some of the best in the world because they take such good care of themselves and they can all go five rounds.  They are grinders, blood and guts fighters, just like Griffin.  Jackson has taken to training a combo of wrestling and striking.  St-Pierre might be his most famous student, but GSP was great before he went to Jackson.  Evans is Jackson's greatest creation to date - a top level wrestler who had tremendous handspeed that Jackson has honed into real power.  It will be interesting to see which camp philosophy prevails:  grinding conditioning or speed and striking and who will be seen as the top camp in North America?

2.  Minotauro vs. Mir, Submission vs. Submission:  I'm fascinated to see who taps who here.  A lot has been made about Mir never facing someone like Nogueira, but I don't think Big Nog has every fought anyone with the submission skills of Frank Mir.  Watch Mir's fight with Brock Lesnar, he is getting his ass handed to him but the whole tie he's patient, he keeps looking and finally got ahold of Brock's leg.  Nogueira is a zombie, he can't be stopped.  The man has over 30 pro fights and he's never been submitted and he's never been knocked out.  Nog will try and stand with Mir to start and test his conditioning, but I think Nog hasn't fought a guy as good as Mir in a long time and will be very suprised with what he finds once they are on the ground.

3.  Silva vs. Jackosn, The New And Improved Rampage:  After Rampage lost to Griffin last summer, he stopped eating, stopped sleeping, got hopped up on energy drinks and took off on a wild police chase, getting himself arrested.  Drama has surrounded him since, as he fired his coach and faced serious legal questions.  Some time ago, Jackson struck up an odd friendship with British middleweight Michael Bisping.  In the middle of career disappointment and personal hell, Bisping reached out to Rampage and asked him to come join his Wolfslair camp in England.  Away from the the fame and the problems, Rampage has spent the last few months in cold rainy England with Bisping training like he's never trained before.  Will the change of camps and lifestyle allow Jackson to avenge his two past devistating losses to Silva or will he wilt again under the pressure of his fame?

Predictions?

Q and O Destroys New York Times

Why anyone trust print media anymore is simply baffling.  Opinion and reporting, once walled off from one another, have now melted together.  The New York Times today looked to pin the entire mortgage crisis on Bush's Ownership Society but mentioned nothing of the rank abuses of men like Franklin Raines and the Democrats in Congress who protected him by threats and the race card.  What about Chris Dodd taking him sweet deals from Countrywide Financial?  

Thankfully we have blogs to annihilate these clowns.

Obama: Rahm Did Nothing Because I Said So

This has me fuming.

Every nook and crany, every space of earth every walked by any member for the Bush Administration was either investigated or an investigation was demanded.  The press, the media, the blogs - they were all unrelenting in their demands of transparency.  Yet in the biggest scandal of the year, a governor selling the US Senate seat the belongs to the president-elect, all above members of the fourth estate have sat silent with rumors of Rahm Emmanuel, the ultimate insider, was involved in bargaining with Blago.  

So now the press thinks is fine for Obama's team to just release a report and that be the final say?  Where are the muckrakers, where is the investigative journalism?  The death of Deep Throat reminds us of a time when journalism was there to keep politicians honest, to speak truth to power.  But in modern journalism, it seems more and more that its about speaking truth to Republicans only.  

I want to know what Rahm knew, when he knew it, and what he did with the information he had.  Are you telling me that the media, in their undying love for Obama, are willing to take it like this?  So now our press will just accept a defense drawn up by the administration that Rahm works for?  If the Bush lawyers had done this for Rumsfeld or anyone else, what would the press have done?

Its another signal to Republicans, the press isn't just anti-GOP anymore, it will straight-up sell their souls and their integrity to help protect Barack Obama.

Brett Coffee

Last Thursday night at the Fairfax YRs we had the opportunity to have Brett Coffee come visit us for a good chat about the future of the GOP in Virginia and his candidacy for the House of Delegates.  I like Brett and fully support him because he is just the kind of candidate we need right now.  He's young, has real professional experience in areas that matter to the region, and he's running  for every vote.

I've gotten on here recently and have been very critical of the lack of outreach by the Republican Party, the fact that we start elections by subtracting voting blocks.  We aggressively canvassing the Asian, Indian, and Hispanic communities in this area that we have much in common with.  I think what has happened is that we have taken the divisive state-wide and national issues and tried to make them centerpieces for local campaigns.  It hasn't worked.  When I asked Brett what the most pressing concern was that he's heard from these important groups, he told me they keep coming back to schools.  Thats the exact conversation Republicans need to be having with all the voters in this area.  Too many times we go before the voters and tell them what we believe and just assume then that they will vote for us.  Rather, we need to find out whats important to them and show how applying conservative solutions will work.  

The other important thing about Brett's campaign is that he's campaign at all.  Republicans in this state need to make sure every single Democrat has an opponent this fall, and Brett should be praised for stepping up to the plate.  I will be glad to help him out in whatever capacity I can as he takes on Dave Marsden.