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Spice Girls Tickets
2007-12-12 02:45:00
I am a Spice Girls fan. Feel free to mock and ridicule me. When the Spice Girl s debuted in the United States in early 1997, they were unlike anything else on the music scene. Here were five attractive women, each with a memorable nickname, singing about girl power while dressed somewhat scantily. ?Wannabe? was and still is an extremely catchy song, even though to this day, I have no idea what a ?zigazig ha? means. Plus, all guys have to love the line, ?If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.? Sounds good to me. A friend of mine even bought me the Spice Girls tape as a gift (it was 1997 and I still didn?t have a CD player; I?m always a bit behind on technology). Despite the fact that some of the Spice Girls really don?t sing very well, they managed to have hit after hit anyway. As you probably know at this point, the Spice Girls have reunited. There was great celebration throughout the land, specifically in the UK as they are performing 17 shows in December...
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I Hate Fantasy Football
2007-12-11 02:32:00
Remember the time that I mentioned that I may need to quit fantasy sports? Apparently, I am a glutton for punishment. Of my four fantasy football leagues, I'm now out of the two leagues that I don't care much about (i.e. no $), and I'm not going to make the playoffs in the league where I'm the Commissioner. At least in the latter league, I got destroyed this week, meaning that I won?t have to second guess my decisions of starting Shaun Alexander over Fred Taylor and having Trent Edwards in my line-up only to elect to pick up and start Vince Young instead.In my monster 16-team league, in which I won the scoring title and earned the #1 seed, I have the high score so far this week with 135 points. However, my opponent, the #8 seed with a 6-7 record losing 5 straight weeks to end the regular season has 131 points courtesy of Kurt Warner, Antonio Gates, Fred Taylor and Brandon Marshall having the game of the life. Therefore, I am 40 Jerious Norwood rushing yards from being elimi...
More About: Football , Fantasy , Hate , Fantasy Football

2007 Hockey Road Trip Recap Part II
2007-12-07 12:47:00
If you missed the first part of my hockey road trip summary, click here. If you don?t want to click, here?s a quick recap: the Wild-Coyotes game was rather boring; the Minnesota fans were disappointing; the Mall of America has many stores; I ate poorly; AirTran was better than expected; the XCel arena and St. Paul were cool; and Uff Da!Thursday, November 29The ultimate driving day from St. Paul, Minnesota to Chicago. Did you know that there are no large cities anywhere near Minneapolis/St. Paul? Fargo, North Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Madison, Wisconsin are all approximately 250 miles away and I don?t think most people would consider any of these as, well, large. As soon as we crossed into Wisconsin and left the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, there was very little for miles?with one exception. If it is not already, western Wisconsin should be known as ?Dead Deer on the Side of the Road? country. There was a dead deer seemingly every few miles until we reach...
More About: Hockey , Recap , Trip , Part , Road Trip

2007 Hockey Road Trip Recap Part I
2007-12-05 12:53:00
The second annual hockey road trip was a great success. Well, unless you were a Phoenix Coyote fan or player. More on this in a moment. This will be a long entry which includes my thoughts and observations about the three hockey games I attended as well as notes and thoughts on the road. If you?re a sports fan, there will be plenty here about hockey and the arenas where the games were played. If you?re not a sports fan, there will be plenty here about Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago, Detroit and points in between. I should probably start at the beginning. This year?s road trip actually started in the air. I was all prepared to start this post by complaining about AirTran. Although the airline provided the cheapest tickets by far, I was not all that keen on taking a 6:40 AM flight from Dulles to Atlanta with a 3-hour layover before flying to Minneapolis/St. Paul. My return flight featured only 30 minutes between stops, so I figured that I had an excellent chance of missing th...
More About: Hockey , Phoenix Coyotes , Recap , Trip , Part

Steelers-Bengals Notes
2007-12-03 13:03:00
I?m back from the 2007 hockey road trip, just in time to watch the Steelers -Bengals game. Here are my thoughts about the game:- Are people going to think that it always rains in Pittsburgh? Last week?s monsoon and Sunday?s rain and muddy field were both shown on national television.- I love watching Hines Ward. Eleven catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns and he passed John Stallworth for the most touchdown receptions in team history. He has such passion and enthusiasm and consistently makes tough catches.- The primary focus on sports talk shows and the internets over the next few days is going to be Willie Parker?s fumbles. He had four overall with two either overturned or upheld by challenges. With Davenport out for who knows how long (hopefully not long), the team really does not have any viable alternatives if Parker continues to struggle (which I do not think he will). Will there be calls to bring in Kevan Barlow or Verron Haynes? - Except for one poor Sepulveda punt,...
More About: Notes

2007 Hockey Road Trip
2007-11-28 04:29:00
The second annual hockey road trip is back after a very successful adventure in 2006. This year?s trip includes stops in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago and Detroit. I?m leaving on Wednesday morning and will try to post updates from the road if possible. If not, expect a full review when I return.Some initial topics I plan to discuss:- Why am I flying through Atlanta to get from Washington to Minnesota?- Will the rental car really be $45 as quoted or will they try to screw me?- Since I am attending three straight Phoenix Coyote road games, will coach Wayne Gretzky send me a personal invitation to meet the team?- Is the Mall of America worth visiting?- Who will win Dancing With the Stars?
More About: Dancing with the Stars , Hockey , Phoenix Coyotes , Trip , Road Trip

Thankful To Be A Steelers Fan
2007-11-25 23:03:00
As the four-day Thanksgiving comes to a close, I wanted to share a few stories that make me proud to be a Steelers fan. The first comes from a reader at Mondesi?s House:I was in NYC for business over the past weekend and linked up with the New England rep and his fiancée to watch some football on Sunday. They're Patriot fans. Found out about a Steeler Bar in NYC, Scruffy Duffy's, donned my #36 jersey and headed over. An hour before kickoff, the place is filled with #7, #12, #32, #47, #58, #75, #86...........with more and more by the minute. As game time approaches, the Steeler polka and Here We Go is played. People are singing and my buddy asks me, "Do you know the words to this song?" Of course I do. Game starts and there's passion in the air. Folks are disappointed by the start, but no one has given up. The place is erupting with every key 3rd down pick up and exploding with Ben's touchdown run. After momentarily being silenced by Cribbs' return TD, the place builds up and ...
More About: Pittsburgh Steelers , Hank

Thanksgiving Message
2007-11-21 13:03:00
In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to share the following message for you and your families:Can't believe the Mets traded Darryl Strawberry.We should also be thankful that Neil Diamond is in the news for revealing the inspiration of "Sweet Caroline." Happy Thanksgiving!
More About: Message , Hank , Mess

Follow Up From Yesterday
2007-11-20 13:07:00
The video of the Jonas brother tripping at the American Music Awards is now on YouTube and also here.---Christine pointed out the following ad that was listed on the right side of page:Gay-Friendly AutosDoes your ride reflect your Pride? Is your car out of the closet?www.gaywheels.comWe didn't realize cars could be gay. Who knew?
More About: Yesterday , From Yesterday

Procrastination Week
2007-11-19 13:12:00
It is a short week for everyone unless they work in retail, and I don?t want to write about the Steelers embarrassing loss to the Jets (special teams and offensive line problems AGAIN) or Ithaca College falling to Mount Union (this was not unexpected but I was hopeful for a huge upset). Actually, how can a team allow the Jets, who only had 9 sacks in 9 games, record 7 sacks? OK, I don?t want to talk about football anymore. Instead, I?ll share the following links and quizzes that will hopefully occupy some time if you don?t feel like working very hard or if you?re waiting for the turkey to be ready. In case you were wondering, national procrastination week is in March, so I wish you a late Happy Procrastination Week !* Rolling Stone presents ?The Almost-Impossible Rock & Roll Quiz.? I scored a 32 but with lots of guesses.* The Chicago Tribune lists the top 25 worst TV shows ever. There is no reason why Mr. Belvedere should be on this list especially when shows like MTV?s Date My...
More About: Television , Hanson , Tila Tequila

Blog Readability Test
2007-11-16 12:54:00
Apparently, someone needs a high school education to understand this blog. I disagree. I'm sure that elementary school kids can understand my writing about the Steelers, California Tortilla and the stupid Verizon commercial, although my references to Small Wonder and Vanilla Ice probably doesn't help.To access the Blog Readability Test , click here or on the box above (where it says "click here to find out").Found on The Burgh Blog.

Worst Television Commercial Ever
2007-11-15 13:03:00
In one of my first blog entries almost three years ago, I wrote about my dislike of the Dr. Scholl's ?Are You Gellin?? commercials. The whole melon, zinfandellin, gellin? thing really got on my nerves. Fortunately, I have not seen one of these commercials in many months. Unfortunately, a new commercial has emerged to replace Dr. Scholl?s. That honor goes to Verizon Wireless for its commercial where a father goes around the house handing new phones to his wife and two kids while telling them each individually that they are his number one. He ends the commercial by pulling out a new phone and telling the Verizon / Can You Hear Me Now guy, ?saving the best for numero uno.? What the hell is wrong with the dad? Why does he really need to tell everyone that they are his number one? He?s just a lying liar. And what kind of exercising is his wife doing? After an hour of her moving back and forth, she may burn a total of 10 calories. I?m also not a big fan of her fake laugh when t...
More About: Television , Commercial , Commercials

Car Rental Help
2007-11-14 01:28:00
I need some help. My 2007 Hockey Road Trip is quickly approaching, and I recently discovered that renting a car is going to be more expensive than the combined cost of airfare and tickets to three separate games. For some reason, the cost of renting a car at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport and returning it four days later to Detroit airport is astonishing. (I think this has something to do with dropping off the car at a different location.) Anyway, I?m looking for suggestions to rent a car for a reasonable price. If you happen to be a travel agent that can get me a good deal, e-mail me at seanramblings at yahoo [dot] com, and I will be glad to promote you and your business here. (That has to be worth thousands in free advertising!) Thanks in advance to anyone and everyone for their advice.
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Steelers-Browns Notes
2007-11-12 15:47:00
I attended Sunday's Steelers-Browns game and here my thoughts from Heinz Field:- In my opinion, Joshua Cribbs has now replaced Eric Metcalf as the scariest Steelers' opponent. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I missed his kickoff return for a TD as I was in the bathroom. - I was shocked (sarcasm added) that a county act performed the national anthem and a song before the game. I generally only attend one Steeler game in Pittsburgh per season, but every game recently has featured a country act. This week's country group that I've never heard of: Lady Antebellum. For country fans that read this, have you ever heard of them? - The Steelers struggled to get a pass rush most of the game, so I think they made a nice adjustment by having more defenders in coverage in the second half. - Since I don't listen to Cleveland talk radio, I wonder if Romeo Crennel is being criticized for his terrible decision late in the game to take a time-out, then challenge Heath Miller's TD catch only to ...
More About: Notes , Ben Roethlisberger , Pittsburgh Steelers , Cleveland Browns , Beam

Bombers Win!
2007-11-10 22:41:00
Ithaca College defeated Cortland 40-17 to take back the Cortaca Jug. Woo hoo! Go Bombers! (Here's the box score.) Now we wait until Sunday to see if Ithaca makes the Division III playoffs.
More About: Ithaca College

Rivalry Weekend
2007-11-09 13:36:00
This is a big rivalry weekend with Cortland State at Ithaca College on Saturday and the Cleveland Browns visiting the Steelers on Sunday. I?ll start with the 49th Cortaca Jug game, although there have actually been 65 games in the series (Ithaca leads 36-26-3). Both teams enter with 7-2 records and the winner has an outside chance at making the Division III playoffs, even though no 8-2 teams earned an at-large bid in 2006 and the D3football.com playoff projections fail to include either team. I?ve got several links for this game so here we go:* The Ithacan explains how the Bombers can make the postseason.*Cortland Game Notes*The Ithaca Journal?s preview #1 and #2*To the fans, stay safe out there. (Seriously, don?t drink and drive; plus, there are usually checkpoints set up between Ithaca and Cortland.)After the Steelers crushed Cleveland in week one, I wrote that the rivalry between the two teams was over. I?m not ready to retract what I wrote, but Sunday?s game may decide the A...
More About: Weekend , Pittsburgh Steelers

G-Hog and Other Links
2007-11-08 02:44:00
I can?t decide if this is unintentionally funny or not. From Wonkette, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor is promoting Health Career week by having a groundhog, called G-Hog, rap about health careers. I think Steely McBeam has some competition.According to the Turnkey Team Brand Index, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the number 1-ranked brand in sports. Of the 122 professional sports teams, the Penguins finished at 20, the Pirates at 72 (how are they ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers at 73?), the Capitals are 118 (yikes), and the Nationals are 100. (I found this on Deadspin)Here?s a vocabulary game where, apparently, 10 grains of rice are donated through the UN to help end world hunger for each correct answer.
More About: Links

Steelers-Ravens Recap
2007-11-07 02:52:00
First, I would like to thank the fine folks at Dulles Airport for ensuring that I missed the first quarter and half of the second quarter of Monday night?s Steelers -Ravens game. While my flight actually arrived on time, I waited at baggage claim at least 15 minutes before receiving my luggage and this is after taking the people-mover thing to the main terminal. Why does it always take so long to get your bags at Dulles airport? I know it?s a big airport, but only once can I remember luggage arriving within a few minutes. After finally getting my bag, there were 15+ people waiting for a taxi. I silently (and not so silently) said c?mon, c?mon, c?mon, c?mon?well, you get the point. By the time I walked through the front door, the Steelers were already up 21-0. While I would love to talk about James Harrison?s incredible performance, I did not see the three forced fumbles and two of his 3.5 sacks. I also missed seeing Ben?s first three touchdown passes including Nate Washington?s...
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The Return of Name That Tune
2007-11-05 14:28:00
After a several month absence, welcome to a new edition of name that tune. Hopefully this will be a nice distraction for your Monday. Lyrics from five songs are listed below. Your challenge is to name the song title and artist. Please try not to search the internet for the answers. Either you know the songs or you don't. Good luck!1a. Out on the road today I saw a deadhead sticker on a cadillacA little voice inside my head said, don't look back. you can never look back.1b. Out on the road today, I saw a black flag sticker on a cadillacA little voice inside my head said, don?t look back. you can never look back. 2. I'm dope on the floor and I'm magic on the mic Now why would I ever stop doing this With others makin' records that just don't hit(Full disclosure here: I thought the first few words were I go four for four and I?m magic on the mic) 3. I know that you're gonna have it your wayOr nothing at allBut I think you re moving too fast 4. And just like fashion it's a pas...
More About: Name That Tune , Return , The Return , Tune

Deception in New Mexico
2007-11-02 14:26:00
I am writing live from Santa Fe, New Mexico . Yesterday, I arrived at the Albuquerque airport and traveled north on Interstate 25 towards Santa Fe. A few miles north of Albuquerque (I like typing Albuquerque ? is there another large city with two Qs in its name?), I saw a sign that stated 101 miles to Las Vegas . I did not realize that Santa Fe was so close to Las Vegas, so I immediately started to think of an excuse to leave Santa Fe for a few hours to go to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, as most people familiar with U.S. geography already have figured out, the sign referenced the number of miles to Las Vegas, New Mexico , not Las Vegas, Nevada. I wonder how many people have seen the mileage signs and visited Las Vegas, New Mexico thinking that they were going to Nevada. Is it so much to ask the fine folks at the New Mexico Department of Transportation (and I really do mean the fine folks since the speed limit here is 70 or 75 in some places) to put Las Vegas, NM on the signs? I gue...
More About: Deception

Top 10 Bands Named for Places
2007-10-31 12:01:00
I recently found the following list of the top ten bands named for a location from the folks at tenning.com:10. America9. Asia8. Berlin7. Nazareth6. Styx5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra4. Kansas3. Boston2. Europe1. ChicagoOne of the first topics I posted on this site was bands that have a city, state or country as part of the name. When I wrote this, I used HaloScan for comments, so I do not have the responses anymore. Anyway, I now present my own top 10 list:10. Hannah Montana (You can laugh at this, but Hannah Montana tickets are the hottest in town)9. Asia8. Europe (The Final Countdown is not enough for me to make Europe higher on this list)7. Berlin6. L.A. Guns / Hollywood Rose (precursor of Guns ?N Roses; GNR would be at or near the top)5. America4. Kansas3. Boston2. Alabama1. ChicagoHonorable mentions: Frankie Goes to Hollywood, New York Dolls and Bay City Rollers I should probably include more rationale for my picks, but I?ll wait to see everyone else's comments before defendin...
More About: Places , Bands

Colclough Released
2007-10-31 01:26:00
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ?the Steelers today released fourth-year cornerback Ricardo Colclough, the team's second-round draft pick in 2004.? I?m a little confused by this decision. Although he is the #4 cornerback, he made the Pro Bowl team last season and looks like he has a good chance to make it again this season. Colclough is dangerous coming on the blitz from the dime package. Sorry, I just realized that I described Colclough in my Madden 2007 game. The real Colclough will be best remembered as a Pittsburgh Steeler for his muffed punt against the Bengals in 2006, which ended up costing the Steelers a victory. AOL Fanhouse has more about the Ricardo Colclough era.
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Division III Football
2007-10-30 11:59:00
I could write about the impressive Steelers victory over the Bengals (the way the Bengals have been playing this season, it might be easy for Steeler fans to get group tickets again like it was pre-Carson Palmer days), the Red Sox winning the World Series, Ohio State defeating Penn State, or even Pitt and the Penguins. Instead, I want to write about a topic that I haven?t mentioned much this season?Division III football. More specifically, Ithaca College football, but I?ll start with D3 football as a whole. Perhaps you read about or saw video of the amazing ending of the Trinity-Millsaps game in which Trinity had 15 laterals on the last play of the game to score the winning touchdown. While much of the article describes the play itself, it ends with the following:With the victory, Trinity remained in contention for the Southern CollegiateAthletic Conference title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Millsaps would have clinched the playoff spot by winning....
More About: Football

Giant Jason Taylor
2007-10-28 16:25:00
I am very intrigued by this giant Jason Taylor robot. Is this really helping to promote American football in London? Maybe "Big JT" was designed to keep the pigeons out of Trafalgar Square.Personally, I'm hoping to see "Big JT" come to Pittsburgh and visit Woodland Hills High School, where the real JT played football. I'd love to see Big JT walking on the Parkway East, although I'm not sure how he'll get through the Squirrel Hill tunnel.My favorite part of the video may be where the announcer attempts to define a sack.
More About: Giant , Jason Taylor

I Am An Idiot Part 3
2007-10-27 18:52:00
Welcome to the latest edition of Sean is an idiot. In part one, I left tickets to the Pittsburgh Steelers game in Virginia. In part two, I decided to throw salt at the tires of my car when it was stuck in snow. The tires were spinning quickly, so the salt flew back at me. I now present a new version of ?I Am An Idiot .? The DC area has had little rain over the past few months, so we certainly needed the 4-6 inches we received over the past few days. While I do not have the exact rainfall total, the rain was steady during rush hour on Friday afternoon. When I left my office to make the short walk to Metro, I checked my bag and noticed that my umbrella was not there. I couldn?t remember if I used the umbrella in the morning, so I figured I either left it in my car, home or office. On a normal day, the only time I would have needed the umbrella was waiting for the bus. However, I was going to Bethesda for dinner so I was sans umbrella for the evening. To reach my destination,...
More About: Rihanna , Umbrella , Part , Part 3

Why I Am Rooting Against the Red Sox
2007-10-25 02:53:00
Before you send me hate e-mail and comments, please bear with me. This post is not directed to die-hard Red Sox fans, the fans who suffered through years of heartbreak. I should also state that I dislike the Yankees (again, please hold off on the hate e-mail and comments) and always root for the Red Sox to defeat the Yankees, especially during the 2003 and 2004 American League Championship Series. I remember cheering for Red Sox in 1986 because, as a Pirates fan, I hated the Mets (I even have an autographed picture of Bill Buckner from when he was a Chicago Cub), and was excited for Boston when they won the World Series in 2004. The 2004 Red Sox were amazing as they became the first team in baseball history to come back from a 3-0 deficit. Unless you were a Yankees fan, how could you not like the team with the slogan ?Cowboy Up? and the nickname of the Idiots? They were a fun team and one that you wanted to support. However, at least in my mind, things have changed. The Red...
More About: Boston Red Sox , Bill Simmons , Daisuke Matsuzaka , Julio Lugo

Randomness Part II
2007-10-24 03:17:00
I still have a lot to write about, but I don?t think anything is worth a post by itself.- ?Phenomenon? debuts on Wednesday night on NBC. According to NBC?s description, the show is an intriguing and mystifying meeting of the minds on live television where famed mentalist Uri Geller and world-renowned mystifier (this can?t be a real word) Criss Angel conduct an intensive search for the next great mentalist. I think I?ll pass simply because I got sick of seeing the commercials during the Steelers game on Sunday night. Uri Geller?s eyes/stare is scary and Criss Angel needs to put on a real shirt. - Remember the Taco Bell promotion I wrote about? It?s not really that good of a deal.- If you haven?t heard, J.K. Rowling announced that Albus Dumbledore is gay. Here?s a discussion with Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron website from The Washington Post. Personally, this does not change the Harry Potter stories one bit, although it?s interesting that Rowling is revealing information...
More About: Randomness , Part

Randomness Part I
2007-10-23 13:14:00
- A nice article about California Tortilla in Monday?s Washington Post with the following quote, ?Another newly opened restaurant in Reston needs more word of mouth to boost traffic.? Well, I?m doing the best I can to help the word of mouth for the Cal-Tort in Reston, so GO TO CAL-TORT IN RESTON! Of course, reading the article also makes me worry a little bit about overexpansion.- When I was in Utah last week, I learned that Utahns is spelled, well, Utahns. However, according to Microsoft Word, Utahns should be spelled Utahans. - I also learned that someone named Frank Lynch is on the ballot in Utah?s Democratic primary for President. According to Frank Lynch?s website, he is ?the most important emerging national leader since Abraham Lincoln came out of nowhere to transform America.? I?m going to go out on a limb here and say Abraham Lincoln will be slightly more important than Frank Lynch.- Major League Baseball is having a ?Steal a Base, Steal a Taco? promotion with Taco Bel...
More About: Randomness , Curt Schilling , Part , Kaz Matsui

Penguins Capitals Game
2007-10-20 19:53:00
I am heading to the Penguins-Capitals game tonight, for what is always a fun evening. My group consists of 11 people, and we're all Penguins fans. Since it's the beginning of the season, my guess is that there will be more Capitals fans than Penguins fans, but it will be loud on both sides, particularly on a Saturday night with alcohol involved. Near the end of last season, with the Capitals nearly eliminated from playoff contention, the crowd was seemingly 60%/40% in the Penguins favor. So if you're at the game tonight, I'll be the guy in a Penguins shirt (along with several thousand other people). As always, go to the Post-Gazette's Empty Netters and The Pensblog for Penguins coverage and On Frozen Blog for Capitals news.Go Pens!UPDATE: The Penguins defeated the Capitals 2-1. A great time was had by all (Penguin fans)! While there may have been more Capital fans in the bottom section of the arena, it looked like there were a majority of Penguin fans in the cheaper seats. ...
More About: Washington Capitals , Pittsburgh Penguins , Game , Guin

Big Budah
2007-10-19 14:29:00
I?m back from a three-day trip to Utah, and I must write about the Salt Lake City Fox morning news show, Good Morning Utah. It?s your typical local news show with traffic and weather, some local news and an on-site reporter who goes to a different place each day. However, Good Morning Utah stands out for one particular reason, Big Budah, GMU?s (not George Mason University) Feature Reporter. I certainly did a double-take when the credits saying that I was watching GMU with Joe Smith, Mary Jones, Fred Thomas (I?m making these names up) and Big Budah. After Big Budah throws the story back to the anchors, they say ?Thanks B.? It was somewhat surreal.Now I understand that this is a local morning news show, so I?m not expecting hard-hitting journalism from Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Morrow. However, a journalist that goes by Big Budah? I checked the station?s website and that really is his professional name. For some reason, I can?t see Dan Rather saying, ?Now let?s go to Big Bu...