Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Allergic To Labor

IN A GENERAL sense, I am allergic to labor. Wait - who am I kidding? I not only break out into hives when even thinking about labor, I take naps on dusty couches. There is no general sense about it - I hate labor.

Lucy don't mind the new floors.
Allergic to Labor would be a great name for a band or album. And I'd get the Canadian side of the family involved by calling it Allergic 2 Labour. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Sheryl and I spend the better part of 60 hours a week "labouring" at Second String Music. So when Sunday afternoon rolled around on our only day off, she decided to tear up the carpet in the dining room, and I mowed our weeds. We did a bunch of rearranging, gutter surgery and general cleanup. Monday night I mowed again, because the weeds are thick this year.

The floors in the dining room look okay and may need a little TLC to bring them back to life. Now she is threatening to rip up the living room carpet.

Hoser thinks he's working!
Last night our vacuum cleaner bit the dust. Get it? Bit the dust? Allergic to humour, too. Anyway, we've discovered having three dogs means vacuuming up massive amounts of their "essence" as Sheryl likes to put it. Sucking up pounds of dog hair from dirty carpet means vacuums have short lives around here.

So Sheryl went out and bought another one, which does a great job of essence elimination. Geez those carpets are filthy.

It's OK. I'm allergic to carpet destruction and Sheryl isn't. Somebody gimme a pill and an extra "U" for Hoser purposes, and I'll deal with it.

GUUH.


Monday, April 29, 2013

Who counsels the counselor?

SHOCKED AND SADDENED to learn today about the arrest of Adams County Probation Officer John Grotts, one of the good guys around here. Click here and here for the stories. When you read the TV story, you'll see a lot of moronic comments, and people never cease to amaze me with their lack of understanding and stupidity, but I'll stop now.

John heads up the Drug Court program and has helped thousands of people with addiction issues. John himself abused drugs and alcohol for many years until sobering up and dedicating his life to help others with addictions.

He was arrested on meth-related charges. First things first - there is a lot more to this story, so don't rush to judgement, but if indeed it's true, well .... it's sad beyond words.

It's a matter of trust. The head guy falls, and you wonder how you can believe in something, anything. And there is a huge price to pay if indeed he is guilty.

Drug Court will be fine. There are many people involved, and it's a good program, one of the few that work in the war against meth.

State's Attorney Jon Barnard calls this a "cautionary tale" because drugs don't discriminate. Meth doesn't care if you are black, white, rich, poor, respected, despised, a Christian or a saint.

And even the counselors need counseling.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Random Friday thoughts

HEY! IT'S THE weekend. Let's go!

- Well, looky here. A Central Michigan University lineman is the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
- Cindy Vancil just brought me stogies. Sorry, Frank Haxel, but I just kissed your wife.
- Looking forward to the Second String Music jam session tonight. After my stogie.
- New favorite song - "Willing" by Littlefeat. They played it at the Dallas Guitar Festival jam Saturday night. John Hodge is still singing, "I went from Tuscon to Tucumcari ..."
- Speaking of the jam session, here's a taste of Lance Lopez and Johnny Hiland tearing it up. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

This is Beth. This is what you can do.

GOT A HILARIOUS link to a video about the other side of the Kiss song, Beth. You know, for a bass player, Justin Sievert isn't a bad guy. Click here for the link.

Anyway, it got me thinking about other songs and other sides of the story ....



Sure, you are in the fields, fighting for your meals. What about supper at the house dangit? And talking about a teenage wasteland, your son is failing math ....



Great. You are on some tropical island soaking it up and enjoying the solitude. Meanwhile, I'm trying to feed the kids, get ready for a Girl Scouts cookie sale and the bridge club is coming over tonight. Enjoy your time to yourself, you selfish blah blah blah ....



Hey dirtball ... you have a big mouth, and your buddy squealed on you, and that's how we caught you. We know this guy who plays drums in Pepper Spray, he and his buddy Lefty picked up the scent, and now you are breaking rocks in the hot sun. Sorry about that. Enjoy your stay in the luxury suite ....



Seriously? Most of the time you can't even remember what you had for breakfast, or to put the seat down, but you can remember a girlfriend from 35 years ago?






Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Caution: Dog In Store

WE BRING TUCKER, our Border Collie rescue, to the store every morning. Tucker is much less skittish now that he is around people, and the kids really love having a friendly dog to pet.

Tucker is gentle and wouldn't hurt a flea. He is still a little suspicious of people he doesn't know and every now and then he barks when somebody comes into the store. There could be reasons for this, a smell or a way the person is acting, but for the most part he calms down and there are no issues.

Yesterday a guy came in with his wife. Tucker started barking. The guy froze.

"I had a dog bite the bleep out of me. I don't trust your dog," the man said.

Understandable. If you don't like dogs, don't trust dogs, immediately seize up when entering a store and seeing a dog, well, my apologies. I want you to be comfortable in my store. Please let me know and I'll put my dog in the back so you can be at ease.

Emphasis, of course, on "Please."

As this guy walked around, he kept saying, "I don't trust your dog." Fortunately Sheryl came in because I was about to say something I probably would have regretted. She greeted him with a smile and hello.  The dog followed her to the back like she is his God.
They stayed for a few minutes, then left.

The customer is always right. Right?

But Tucker stays. It's a dog eat dog world out there and inside Second String Music, and that's just the way we like it.


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dallas Guitar Show, Part 2

THE ONE THING I didn't expect at the Dallas International Guitar Festival was the continuous music. There were two big outdoor stages, one massive indoor stage, and two demonstration stages. You could check out an amp or guitar clinic one minute, see an incredible player the next and then get blown away by a blues band you've never heard of.

Some guy on the clinic stage playing G&L guitars through a Vox amp is one of the most mind-blowing players you've ever heard, but at the Dallas International Guitar Festival, he's one of many.


Dallas Guitar Festival owner
Jimmy Wallace with his band, The Js.
John Hodge has told me about these gifted players, but you really have to see them to believe it. I am now a huge fan of Johnny Hiland, who has played with just about every big name in Nashville. One second he's chicken pickin', the next he's shredding like a gear head.

I'm now a Lance Lopez fan. He's a Texas blues and boogie player with a phenomenal voice. During the all-star jam on Saturday night, Lopez and Hiland started trading licks and the place came unglued.

The thing that gives an old geezer like me hope is that many of the players were, well, experienced. Case in point were my two favorites, Rick Vito and Rick Derringer. Vito played with Fleetwood Mac in the late 80s, and everybody knows his slide solo on Bog Seger's "Like A Rock." Vito's set Saturday night was done with two Reverend guitars right off the Reverend display inside, and he's proof it's all about tone and how you play, not necessarily how fast. Like everybody at the show, he just wanders around and hangs out at booths when he's not performing, and Sunday morning we had a great conversation with him about Reverend guitars and life itself.
Is that Warren Riley on the right?
Nope, it's Wes Jeans with Lance Lopez.

Derringer defies description. He's 70 plus years old and still cranking it out way too loud, with a killer band to boot. We went nuts when he blasted out "Rock N Roll Hoochie Koo" and I want to be like that when I'm 50 in a couple of years, let alone 70.

Age doesn't matter. If you can play, you can play.

Some of these bands are local acts, and you've never heard of them, and they just blow you away with their tight arrangements, harmony vocals and rock and roll style. Another thing about the festival - there were no overblown and profane acts, nothing you couldn't take the kids to see. Good clean fun never killed nobody, Holmes.

Last but not least, John Hodge and I were floored by young Australian guitar phenom Joe Robinson, who soared on a Gretsch guitar and is way too young to be that dang good.

"It's enough to get you through a year," Hodge said.

He's right. Except I want to go back. Now.


Monday, April 22, 2013

Dallas Guitar Show, Part 1

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music."  -Sergei Rachmaninov


Guitar overload in Dallas, a beautiful thing!

FOR A LONG time, my friend and great Quincy guitar player John Hodge has been telling me about the Dallas International Guitar Festival.

"You gotta go," he said. "You've never seen anything like it."

John used to live in Dallas and he's been to many of the previous 36 shows. About two months ago, I finally broke down and agreed to go. I told myself it would be good for the store, good to see some new products, good to get away, blah blah blah.

"I will promise to miss you if you just get you butt out of here," Sheryl said.
A beautiful John Guilford guitar.

So this past weekend, I flew to Dallas and had one of the most incredible weekends of my life. There was so much stuff and I'm trying to process so much information, so I will break this blog up into two parts - the first is about the festival, the second tomorrow is about the music and performances.

I met John Friday night (he'd gone the day before on business) and we stayed just minutes from Market Hall, near downtown Dallas. We got in line at about 9:15 Saturday morning, got right in at 10 am and stayed for 14 hours. Parking was free and we walked maybe two city blocks to the front door.

Market Hall features 140,000 square feet of space, two outdoor stages and three more indoor stages. Think Oakley-Lindsay Center on steroids, and you get the picture. The aisles were wide and there were big crowds, but there were no lines for anything except for beer later Saturday night, plenty of bathrooms, and room to move. The only complaint was the lack of concession areas - there was one small stand, and somebody could make a killing selling barbecue outside, but no big deal. Who needs to eat when you are in guitar heaven?

Most of the billions of guitars were higher end and had tags that said, "Please ask for assistance." But if you were nice enough and the exhibitor had time, you could play almost anything you wanted. A few of the fancier booths even had rooms to play in. 

It's hard to single anybody out. I met John Guilford of Guilford Guitars, who lives near Peoria, Ill. This is a guy who literally builds his guitars by hand in his backyard shop, and someday I'm going to have his guitars inside Second String Music. I played one and about four or five minutes later I stopped because I could have sat there all dang day, the thing sounded so good and played so easily.

The crew at Reverend Guitars were great, as well. Rick Vito plays Reverend and put on an incredible show Saturday, much more on that later. Ken Haas and his wife, Penny, were friendly and down to earth, and now I've decided I want (not need, nobody needs in guitar world) a new Reverend guitar. Again, we will hopefully have Reverend guitars in Second String Music, sooner than later. (When Sheryl can find a way to afford it!)

The Orange booth was interesting and it was good to actually hear some of the higher end amps being played. When I told him how cool the little 20-watt Micro Terror head was, he said, "I'm the only one in the country with one, they are back ordered." He couldn't believe it when I said Second String Music in little old Quincy, Illinois, actually has two of them in stock (we've sold quite a few). And he doesn't know Sheryl Collins Hart, who has a way of getting stuff supposedly on "back order".  She is a miracle worker, you know.
Music everywhere, like these acoustic pickers.

I bought a buffalo hide strap, a guitar holder, grabbed five million free picks (Hodge grabbed 20 million), and right before we left Sunday I broke down and bought an SKB pedalboard. It was 75 percent off retail and has a built-in speaker and can power a 4 x 12 cab, among other features, and I couldn't resist. Somehow it survived the baggage check and I gotta wrap this up and go play with it right now, and use it during guitar lessons, and on stage with the Cheeseburger, of course. (Excited.)

Saturday flew by and the few hours Sunday were a blur, too. Every time I walked around I discovered something new. My head is still spinning, spinning, spinning.

And I haven't even mentioned the music. We'll have more tomorrow about some of the best guitar players I've ever heard, from well-known to local legends.

Friday, April 19, 2013

TV news blues

I NEVER WATCH television news. It's too sensational, full of "Look at me, I'm pretty" talking heads and short on substance. Online and social media has rendered TV obsolete, in my world.

But this morning I woke up and found out about the Boston bombing manhunt, and I finally caved in.

It. Was. Terrible.

The sound doesn't work on NBC on our digital free feed. CBS seemed more intent on having important people tell us how important work was being done, and shame on Charlie Rose (who does good work when he is on PBS) speculating until his ears were red. ABC actually tried to show what was going on in Watertown, but commercials every other minute were annoying, as was George BigGreekLastName.

I actually watched a lot of online ESPN coverage, and it was pretty good. Unfortunately they link to ABC news, which means a lot of Diane Sawyer telling us over dramatic music, "We have the latest on the Boston bombings." No you don't, because CNN just told me an hour ago what you are so pompously telling me now.

Wow. You can't tell I got a bit jaded after 24 years in the bidness, can you?

So. Let's see. We have Boston Marathon bombings, Texas fertilizer plants blowing up, the 18-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombings, and more good news locally - the recent rains have flooded everything after two years of terrible drought, and they are closing one of the bridges from Quincy to Missouri.

Sounds like a great time for me to head to the Dallas International Guitar Festival, where former Cheeseburger John Hodge awaits for a weekend of six-string mayhem.

We could all use a break from the world.  Come by Second String Music on Saturday and visit with Sheryl.  (You know she will be all lonesome and depressed because I am out of town.  haha NOT)


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Rat Farts

I SHOULD NOT have knocked my friends and family to the north when they had bad weather last week.

Mother Nature struck with a fury last night, dumping five inches of rain with high winds. The building down the block has a big hole in the side and there are reports of sporadic damage.

This morning I walked into Second String Music to find a small wet area in the back. We've been trying to fix the roof and have it mostly under control, but the sheer volume of water was a bit much.

It reminds me of this scene from one of the greatest movies ever made. I once used this clip in a Herald-Whig blog. Is this a great country, or what?

Hopefully I never get struck by lightning.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Talking Dog Videos

THE REASON THESE silly talking dog videos are so funny is because you can see your own dog doing the exact same thing.

I. Can't. Stop. Laughing. And Wednesday is better.


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

A song cures it all

MONDAY WAS ONE of those gray and rainy blech days. The news from Boston didn't help. But something happened early in the evening that restored faith.

Ginny is a high school student who is a good guitar player and wants to get better. We've been working on getting a little smoother with transitions, chord structure and how to figure out songs. She is a sponge and soaks it all up with seemingly little effort, but I know she plays a lot and is hooked.

Ginny and her friend, Allison, are playing a song at Thursday's Quincy Public Library open mic night. The best way to get better at guitar or any instrument is to simply get out there and play in front of people, and this will be a great experience for two green but enthusiastic musicians.

Ginny is playing guitar and Allison is singing and playing tamborine. For her lesson last night, Ginny brought Allison along and we worked on their song, Phillip Phillips' "Gone Gone Gone."

Apparently Phillip Phillips was on American Idol, but I won't hold it against him. It's a catchy tune with a simple arrangement and chords, and it has a way of burning itself into your brain if you aren't careful. And, as usual, his simple guitar and vocal performance is way better than the CD version.

We worked on a few things and at the end of the lesson, Allison and Ginny played the song for their mothers and Sheryl.

I about melted.

Young people who are figuring it out are a joy to behold. Kudos to the library for giving them a place to play. I'm going to try and sneak over there after lessons Thursday and if we are lucky, Sheryl and I will catch Allison and Ginny playing the song again.

Young people and music, as usual, make the world a better place. Even after a blechy Monday!




Monday, April 15, 2013

Prayers for Boston, and don't let the dirtballs win

FIRST AND FOREMOST, prayers to everybody in Boston affected by this horrible event.

Secondly, I though most of the commentary about the bombings was appropriate, except for one remark from a guy who says they have had enough and stay at home now because of such awful things.

Congrats, pal. You just let the dirtballs and bad guys win. That's exactly what they want to happen, to strike fear and intimidation into us. Go ahead and cover up in a ball and you'll be just fine.

We live in a free and open society. Frankly, I'm surprised stuff like this doesn't happen more often, what with all the crazy people in this world and enemies we've made as a country. But I refuse to let this ruin plans to attend events or do what I want.

Hopefully the people who did this are caught. They'll answer to a higher power, some day.

Here's a Facebook comment from Brian Pahlmann of Quincy, and it sums it up perfectly ....

I'm sickened by the marathon bombing. As a runner, it has affected me greatly. I hope those who were lost are at peace. I wish those who were injured a speedy and complete recovery. I applaud those who acted swiftly and effectively to assist those in need. I trust the law enforcement agencies to do their job to bring the perpetrators to justice and our legal system to punish them appropriately. But. I, for one, REFUSE to live my life in fear.

If I had a million dollars

SOMEBODY AROUND HERE has a winning lottery ticket for $100,000, sold Friday. 

Money is the root of all evil and makes you miserable, which means I'm really happy. GUH. I don't play the lottery and never will, but the cash could come in handy.

If I won a million dollars, I would ....

- Buy the music store's downtown building.
- Buy my daughter a cake and throw a huge party to celebrate her getting into Eastman in Rochester, N.Y. for grad school.
- Buy a Bella proof dog collar for Lucy.
- Buy a couple of plots at Woodland Cemetery near Sheryl's favorite crypt, the Osborne Crypt.
- Become a dealer for Gibson, Epiphone, and Takamine guitars to stock in Second String Music.
- Buy the 100 percent lean ground beef instead of the 73 percent lean.
- Fix the roof on our 120 year old store building.
- Buy a new Trek bike from Madison & Davis at their amazing new store.  They will custom order my size.
- Buy the beer at the Hart family gathering in Ontario later this summer. And maybe rent a place on Lake Michigan after we get back.
- Buy John Hodge two beers at the Dallas International Guitar Festival.  Road trip this weekend!
- Sit in the sun on my back patio with the dogs sunning their bellies nearby.
- Obtain non cheap cigars.
- Fix the busted ice maker in my fridge.
- Give it to Sheryl. She has it all figured out anyway!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Scrapping

I LEARNED SOMETHING today. Scrap is money.

Joined by the hapless Frank Haxel, who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, we took some stuff Sheryl salvaged from the yard and house down to Alter. They gave me $17. We now have beer money for happy hour this afternoon. Life is good.

And no, we are not scrapping the aluminum siding on the house.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

You'll see this methhead again

REMEMBER THE NAME Heather Hasting. Chances are you will hear about her again.

Hasting was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday for meth. As usual, The Whig was the only media in the courtroom, and Don O'Brien's story is here.

Hasting was busted twice in about two weeks last year at two local hotels. Court documents show she tested positive for pot while on bond. She could have gotten probation, but Judge William Mays gave her the minimum prison sentence.

Hasting had a derogatory remark for the judge as she was led away from the courtroom, according to Don's story.

She is fortunate she wasn't around about a decade ago when a judge named Dennis Cashman presided in Adams County. He was among my favorite judges because he saw through the crap and he addressed the issues head on. He was compassionate and took everything into consideration, but if the defendant wasn't cooperating, he or she was going away for a long, long time.

But here's the real problem with sentencing a methhead like Hasting - she probably won't get cured in the Department of Corrections. She will serve a year or so in our overcrowded prison system and she'll get kicked back out on the streets, and because meth is such a horrendous addiction, she is likely to lapse back into bad habits.

We are getting better at addressing meth addiction with things like Drug Court, but the odds are stacked against her.

I guess we should feel safe for a while until she gets out again.




Wednesday, April 10, 2013

God is good. To both sides.

CONGRATS TO NEW Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore. Quincy voters apparently want new direction at City Hall. Hopefully he doesn't sip the Tea and remembers what being mayor is all about. And I'm particularly interested in his ideas and actions about job growth, because this town really needs a boost in good paying jobs.

One comment I read last night really angered me. It was about pulling off something great, and "how great is our God" because a certain candidate won.

Really? I supposed God is up there and said, "I will answer your prayers. While I'm at it, in the next presidential election, I will also make sure your candidate wins. After all, I'm great."

Pray for guidance. Trust that God has a plan and things will work out. But God didn't answer anybody's prayer by making sure one candidate did well and another lost.

There is such a thing as destiny, and the good Lord above oversees all. But he does not say, "Ah. I will placate you by making sure you pull off something great and making sure your guy wins."

Misguided belief in destiny is a very dangerous thing, indeed.







Tuesday, April 9, 2013

I voted, so should you

GENERALLY SPEAKING, I hate politics. They are slimy, and they feature people led by the nose. There are good people in office, especially at local levels, but our process is more about the money and the mud, and a lot of the time it stinks.

I'm not very smart, but I'm not dumb when it comes to commentary about political matters. Political opinions are like the nose or another part of the human body - everybody has one, they smell, and they should keep them quiet.

However, our political process is a very important part of life. So I voted today, and if you live in Quincy or anywhere else where there are elections, you should vote, too.

In Quincy, the big elections are for mayor, school board and treasurer. I've done my homework, deliberated and made my decisions.

Polls are open until 7. You have no excuse. Get out and vote!






Monday, April 8, 2013

Trading Post Blues

THE CHEESEBURGERS HAD a blast at the Adams Trading Post Saturday night. This is a little honky tonk  roadhouse about eight miles south of the Quincy Regional Airport, in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

The customers are mostly locals but we had a lot of people coming in from Quincy and Missouri to see us. The great thing about a small venue is that you put 100 or 150 people in there, and it feels like you are playing to 5,000. The dance floor was packed all night and they had a great old time. The people make the gig, and The Cheeseburgers play better when the joint is rocking.

We had some feedback issues at first, and the on stage volume was too loud, and my mic quit working early in the first set. Didn't matter, and that's one piece of advice I always give younger musicians - just keep playing. Fix it on the fly and forge ahead.

Another piece of advice is to keep the show moving. Don't wait between songs. The crowd at Adams was ready to party and they didn't want to sit around while we figured out what to play. Get yourself a set list (Burt always puts it together and he knows what he's doing) and rock it out.

The stage is long but narrow, so we put the lights up right at my head level. That meant I couldn't see squat past the stage, but that's OK. At one point one of the patrons was requesting a guitar pick from me during a song but I literally couldn't see, until Burt yelled out in mid-song, "She wants a pick!" Ah. Sorry bout that, and glad to oblige.

We are off for about a month, and then it gets crazy again in the summer. Come out and Git Cheesey! It's more fun than should be allowed .....


Friday, April 5, 2013

Laughing at broken legs and faces



KUDOS TO KEVIN Ware of Louisville, who has taken his broken leg in stride and even managed to find the humor in it.

This is really funny stuff. Especially No. 3.

Earlier this week I bonked my ugly mug on an amp. So here's my top 10 list of things I said when I wiped off the blood ....
10. It's only break number 15 for my nose, no problem.
9. Is the amp OK?
8. I was trying to plug in with my teeth.
7. That's not a volume knob. That's part of my molar.
6. At least there's more treble control on my face now.
5. I think Fast Eddie should try running face first into amps. Wait. He already does.
4. Grill cloth looks good on my nose.
3. My face actually goes up one louder.
2. That was so ugly, even CBS refused to show replays.
1. Tissue? I don't need no stinkin' tissue!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Hood Houses

THERE'S A NICE little house on the corner which has fallen into disrepair. The front porch is sagging, siding is peeling, and the whole thing looks like its leaning to one side. It has been horribly neglected by the old owner and finally was added to the fix or flatten program.

We just learned a local resident bought the house. This week people have been inside cleaning it, and apparently it's not too bad. I think the owner intends to fix it and flip it. He's even removed a shed and an
out of control apple tree in the back. It already looks better.

Luckycat keepin' an eye on da hood!
There are three other houses across the street that are empty. Two have been vacant a long time. It's my fervent hope and prayer they get rehabbed and somebody brings love and labor to the homes.

And further down the block, the inhabitants of a drug house with garbage all over the yard and crap on the porch (including a lovely Christmas tree) just laugh it off. Stay tuned, film at 11.

Ahhh .... life in the Hood. Ain't it grand?


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

No stop sign? No restaurant. Sorry.

THE OWNER OF the former Johnny Bang Bang's says a national restaurant chain has decided not to come to Quincy because there isn't a stop sign by the building.

You. Can't. Make. It. Up.

Click here to read the Whig story. If you are blocked, click here to read KHQA's story.

The national chain has not been formerly identified, but supposedly it's the Tilted Kilt. Fine. Bringing in a national chain with people who know how to run restaurants is not a bad idea, and the Front and Hampshire building is an awesome location.

I've played many shows with different bands in the building. I wish nothing but good luck to the guy who owns it because it is a very cool venue with a nice stage.

But read between the lines. A stop sign? You aren't coming to Quincy because of a stop sign?

Right .....

Hopefully the Titled Kilt opens in West Quincy. Then we could get cheaper gas, cheaper smokes and upside down kilts all in one trip. All we'd have to do is make it back over the bridge and we'd be good to go.

Right.












Monday, April 1, 2013

Appropriate Madness

WATCHED THE NCAA Tournament Sunday and was shocked like millions when seeing the injury to Louisville's Kevin Ware. Click here for the ESPN coverage. It does not show the injury taking place. If you didn't see it, save yourself the trouble, it's really gruesome. The simple way to put it is that Ware jumped, landed on his leg, and it broke.

When it first happened, play was stopped and CBS showed two or three replays. They were from far enough away but they clearly showed the injury, and it was enough. I don't blame the network for showing it a few times just to see what happened, and the producer wisely put a stop to more replays.

CBS then focused on the players, coaches and fans. The network let the cameras tell the story, for the most part.

I hope the young man is OK. Louisville is by far the best team in the country, and they didn't need any extra motivation, but they might win both games this weekend by double digits.

And ... kudos to the Michigan Wolverines, who came back after an epic game against Kansas (bye bye, Chicken Hawks) and blew out Florida. Should be a whale of a game against Syracuse Saturday. Go Blue!