Playing Catchup...

A lot has happened during the Bark's lengthy vacation. Jumping right in, and in no certain order...

--The Bulldog basketball team hasn't really cashed in on respect following their impressive run a year ago. Sure, A.J. Graves and Mike Green are gone, but Butler and its head coach Brad Stevens have shown this program to be nationally relevant. Yet pre-season mags and newspaper pundits have placed Butler as low as 5th in the Horizon League, perhaps making a grave oversight in the process. Butler may not have genuine star power (although soph F Matt Howard and fresh G Shelvin Mack show the ability) but what the team has displayed in its 5-0 start is true depth. Stevens has gotten meaningful contributions from as many as ten different players as he tries to sort through his young talent.

--Pick up a copy of ACDC's latest release, Black Ice, if you haven't already. Still solid stuff from those guys, even at this stage in their careers.

--Well, the Bark woke up Nov. 5 and saw the sun. The Dr. Pepper didn't taste any different. But nevertheless, you just had to feel totally confused by those election results. Are we that gullible as a people? Are lofty rhetoric, a fawning and obsessed media, and a scad of insanely unreachable promises all it takes to elect a candidate so unqualified? I'm told Jan. 20 will be an historic day for the USA, and I get that. I understand what this all means to the black community, and, hey, if it helps alleviate the excuses so often made by Jessie Jackson and his ilk, then Obama's victory might be worth it. But you know what: at some point, I have to say enough is enough. Simply because Barack is the first black president doesn't wash away his friendships with domestic terrorists, felons, Marxists, and racists. After all, how am I supposed to celebrate when a new chief executive, regardless if he's white, black, brown, red, or green, has spent his political career funneling taxpayer money to that lunatic Father Phleger or to steeped-in-voter-fraud groups like ACORN? The 2008 election was indeed historic, because the winner was the most far left-wing America's ever seen. And that is not a good thing. I looked forward to the inevitable day we'd elect a black man or woman to be President. Just not this one.

--Fire Charlie Weis all you want, Notre Dame. Top-notch talent still isn't going there.

--Speaking of top-notch talent, the Colts still have an abundance of it. Always have. Four losses early in the year, to the Bears, Jaguars, Packers, and Titans, were the byproduct of injuries as much as anything. Three linemen missed the Chicago game as Peyton took his first snaps since minicamp due to the knee surgeries. Bob Sanders sat against Jacksonville as the Colts didn't tackle well. Four starters missed the Packer game as the refs forgot Green Bay was also on the field. Bottom-line: the so-called turnaround shouldn't be surprising to anybody, because Indy remains one of the NFL's best teams. Simple as that.

--Exam week is coming up, and for some of us first-timers, why do I have the feeling the lifestyle of one Van Wilder will suddenly look all the more appealing come Dec. 15?

--If Washington won't loan hose billions to General Motors and Ford, I say we as citizens just go door-to-door with our little collection plates and do it ourselves! Sound good?

--Happy Holiday Shopping everybody! We encourage you to find the best deals you can. But please, leave the wildebeest impersonations at home. We don't need anymore department store casualties over a dollar off a Garmin GPS.