VCR... err... TiVo Alert!

The new season of "Last Comic Standing" starts tonight! The great thing about Last Comic Standing is that (if you're a fan of stand-up comedy), most of the contestants are people you've already heard of, and who already have a modicum of success in the comedy world. John Heffron, Kathleen Madigan, Alonzo Bodden, Ant, and Garry Gulman were already familiar names to me before I ever saw them on LCS. I guess, when it comes right down to it, Last Comic Standing is "American Idol" for people who don't like bad music.

Along those same lines, CBS has started promoting the new season of "Rock Star," my favorite show from last season. I knew they were going to do another season, but I didn't know exactly how they would do it. See, INXS was a perfect fit: Popular band, dead lead singer. Too bad they picked crappy JD Fortune to be their lead singer... but that's neither here nor there.

Of course, there aren't a lot of popular bands out there with dead lead singers. I don't see The Doors or Queen getting together and trying to find a new lead singer on a reality show. (Though it would be awesome if they did!)

Last week, the network released the details. Turns out, CBS is attempting to form a so-called "supergroup," though you can't call a band with two guys you've probably never heard of (plus Tommy Lee) a "supergroup."

I don't know if I'm really looking forward to this summer's Rock Star: Supernova experience. The appeal of last season was that I liked INXS, enjoyed their music, and wanted to see them find a new singer get back together. When it comes right down to it, I don't know if I really care if Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted and Gilby Clarke can find someone to sing with them. I'm sure they can visit the Betty Ford Clinic and find a washed-up lead singer to join their band of merry men. Or they could just get that bald guy that didn't win American Idol.

Mmmmmm.....

Hoffa Cupcakes. So wrong... but so delicious.

I used to drive past the Red Fox restaurant occasionally when I lived in Metro Detroit. Anyone in the Motor City can tell you that the Red Fox is the spot where Jimmy Hoffa was last seen, a nice restaurant off of Telegraph Rd. in Bloomfield Township.

Now that the FBI is re-investigating the Hoffa disappaearance... and digging up a horse farm in Milford, all the crazies are out. There's a guy in our viewing area down here in the Sunshine State who claims he knows were Jimmy Hoffa is... but that if he tells us, we'll end up with him. No, thanks. I love the fact that Milford has gone Hoffa-crazy. After all, the FBI digs Milford, right?

Letters to Barbaro

Despite the fact that horses can't read, Barbaro's been getting lots of email from across the country as he walks the long road to recovery.

Here are some of my favories:

Dear Barbaro, I hope that you feel better soon. I are [sic] hoping that your leg gets better. Maybe you should eat lots of carrots, oats and apples to help you feel happy. I love you and think that you are great.
Love, Piper (5)-St George, Utah

When some leaders of great nations are driving people apart; One great horse is bringing so many millions together from around the world. Namaste Barbaro.
Steve & Claudia Franke, Florissant, MO

Recover fast and be strong. You'll have those Mare's [sic] standing in line for you when you are well enough. You're a handsome fellow.
Sharon- Langhorne, PA

Nothing but white light and best hopes for you! You are an awesome angel on four legs - and may you soon run across green pastures and nicker at the ladies all day long!!!
Beverly White McCartt, Winter Park, FL

Barbaro, My mom has been very sad since your injury. She told me all about you and I'd like to suggest Fig Newtons. A couple of those always makes me feel better.
Best wishes,
Trevor (Quarter horse)

I've said it before... for the most part, people suck. But every now and then, they surprise me.

By the way, if you'd like to leave a get-well message for Barbaro, you can email him at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association or at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine website.

I Love Jason

"What happened to Cory?" you ask in utter disbelief.
No reason to worry... Jason isn't a man. Well, I guess technically, he probably is. But it's Jason's Deli which I love. I don't think I've ever publicly expressed this sentiment before.

Cory and I first started frequenting Jason's Deli about two years ago, when one appeared in Columbus. Cory typically gets the "MeataBalla," a meatball sandwich. While their menu is extensive, my personal favorite is the old standby, the Soup and Salad bar.

Tonight, I discovered that you can get the Soup and Salad to go.
The soup? Seafood Gumbo.
The salad? Spring mix, cherry tomatoes, yellow and red bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke hearts, cucumbers, baby carrots, raw mushrooms, black and green olives, shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheese, crumbled bleu cheese, mixed nuts, and croutons, with bleu cheese dressing and little mini corn muffins on the side.
I'm in heaven.

When I was a kid, I gauged the quality of a restaurant by the size of its salad bar. I'd pile my plate so high with salad that I could barely stomach my entree. Fortunately, I was a growing girl with a fast metabolism.

Well, over the last thirty-odd years, my metabolism has caught up with me. Luckily, salad isn't a no-no... even with gobs and gobs of bleu cheese dressing on it.

Happy Horsie

Barbaro is apparently feeling frisky one day after his five-hour ordeal on the operating table. Even with a successful procedure, though, his doctors still say his chances of survival are about 50-50. Not great, but better than most horses suffering his injuries.

So, how serious was his fractured hind leg? Check out this post-surgery X-ray.

Ouch.

Yikes!

And all this time, you've been worrying about a Bird Flu pandemic. A woman with Ebola-like symptoms boarded an international flight to London... and then died. Cue the mass hysteria.

From the Horse's Mouth

I've always had a very conflicted relationship with horse racing. As a kid, I was one of those girls that was completely obsessed with horses. No, I wasn't one of those obnoxious girls who took horseback riding classes. But that didn't stop me from asking for a pony every time my birthday rolled around. In reality, I think I've only been on a horse once or twice in my life. I've ridden more elephants and camels than I have horses (even if they were only amusement park photo opportunities).

So why am I conflicted? I love animals. I love sports. Horse racing falls somewhere between them. I've been watching the triple crown races as long as I can remember. But let's face it, many animal rights activists will tell you that racing is abuse.

Where do I stand? Well, that's why I'm so conflicted. Let's face it, horses that are Kentucky Derby contenders lead a life of luxury. However, I'm not convinced that the horses racing at your local racetrack lead that same life. And I'm sure that many horses are abused by their owners and trainers.

And then, there are the injuries, like the tragic events today at Pimlico. Today's race was one of very few Preakness Stakes that I haven't watched. I was at the airport at the time. I heard about Barbaro's accident on the radio, immediately after the race, and my heart sank.

For those of you who don't follow racing, a broken leg to a racehorse typically means the worst. Imagine supporting a half-ton of weight on four tiny little ankles. A fracture often can't be repaired, and the horses are often "destroyed." Fortunately for Barbaro, a horse that's never lost a race (with the exception of today) means he's a valued stud. With that incentive, they may be able to save him, but the outlook is bleak. By the time you read this, Barbaro's fate may already be determined.

There is a glimmer of hope, though... if not for Barbaro himself, for his owners, who I'm sure are devastated. Earlier in the day, I was watching some pre-race programming on ESPN (I think), and they showed Barbaro's brother. That's right... his owners/breeders loved him so much that they bred his sire (Dynaformer) to his dam (La Ville Rouge) again... not something that happens a lot in the horsie world. Barbaro's full brother is just two months old, and, from the video I saw today, downright adorable. So maybe in three years, we'll see a full brother of a Kentucky Derby winner trying to fulfill Barbaro's Triple Crown promise.

Will I be watching? Of course.

Facelift

Big changes are on the way to your Sportslady's humble blog. As you can see, the title has already changed... and in the next week, expect to see a major renovation project.

In the meantime, I'd like to announce the winner of the "Name that Blog" contest:

Mrs. Kathy Steacy of Iowa!!!!

Many of you provided some excellent suggestions, however, the judging panel enjoyed the rhyme scheme of Kathy's suggestion.
As an award for selecting this blog's new name, "From Peaches to Beaches," Kathy will receive a lovely assortment of gifts from the "Sunshine State." Thank you to all who entered.

The Sky is Falling!

The strangest thing happened this morning. When I woke up, drops of water were falling from the sky. You can imagine my confusion. Fortunately, Cory explained to me that the drops of water were called "rain" and that it was a fairly common atmospheric phenomenon.

I'm sure you can understand my confusion. Today, we received 0.3" of rain. That's three times as much rain as we got all last month! In fact, the last time I remember it raining was March 10th, when the Red Sox game was delayed. (Oddly enough, it wasn't the rain that delayed the game... it was an overturned sludge truck on I-75 in the Tampa area. But that's another story altogether).

The dry weather here has been miserable. Last week, we had a massive brush fire that burned about four thousand acres and destroyed about a dozen homes. Oh, and they've charged some 11-year-old kids with starting it. Nice, huh? Still, that's not nearly as bad as what's been going on northwest of here at New Smyrna Beach, where they've declared a state of emergency.

So let it rain. At least until June 1st, the official start of Hurricane Season.

Invasion of the Faux Best Buy Employees

Why do I find this so damned amusing? Is it because of my contempt for retail management? Is it because every time I go into Target wearing something red, people assume I work there? Is it because, deep down inside, I'm an instigator?

As it turns out, they've performed plenty of other "missions" if you'd like to check them out.

Luxury Home of the Day

I drive past this house a few times a week, as I cross over the river on one of our bridges. You can see the house fairly clearly from the bridge, and it's nestled in with several other million-dollar homes in a waterfront community right on the river.

Not too shabby, though I honestly don't know what I'd do with a house that size. Fortunately, that isn't something I'll ever have to worry about!

Arrrrr!

Shiver me timbers! Our fair little hamlet has been overrun with buccanneers!

Unfortunately, I work weekends, so I wasn't able to attend the festivities on the river. Many of you (Sandy, Amy) know how disappointed I am that I missed the Pirate Days.

However, on Friday night, we did manage to attend the Pirate Pub Crawl! Many tankards of grog were consumed in the presence of pirates and their wenches. Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of (Captain Morgan's) Rum. I wish I'd brought my camera, so that I could share some of the more interesting moments of the night with you (Including Cory and me riding in a very tiny elevator with ten pirates).

Tragedy on Ice

As my friend Sue put it, "who were those guys in the red uniforms?"
She, of course, had the opportunity to watch our poor Red Wings fall to the stupid Edmonton Oilers last night. I did not. Ever since NBC got the NHL contract, hockey on television has become a luxury that people outside Canada (and its neighboring communities) can't acquire.

Instead, I spent the evening at a slightly less depressing hockey game, watching our local team lose in game four of their playoff series and get eliminated from the ECHL postseason.

But back to the Red Wings. I really wanted this one for little Stevie Wonder. Yeah, I know... Steve Yzerman already has a few Stanley Cups to his credit. But the poor guy is practically held together with ace bandages and duct tape. I really wanted to see him lift Lord Stanley's cup one more time. Now, we just await his decision.

On to lighter topics: Speaking of tragedies on ice, did anyone else read about this? "Tonya and Nancy: The Opera." Seriously, why can't I think up stuff like this? It sounds nearly as good as "Silence!" (Silence of the Lambs, the musical). And by "good," of course, I mean utterly horrible, but in a good kind of way.

All Dressed Up...

It's here!

Nosy?

I sure am. And because I've been in house-hunting mode for the last few months, I've stumbled across a few nifty websites. My current favorite is Zillow.com, one of a few neat sites where you can look up property values and other information.

For example, I just looked up the house across the street from me-- a 1,400 square foot one-story waterfront (canal) home. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a two-car garage, a small boat dock, a lanai and a pool, all on about a 10,000 square foot lot. A nice little pad.

Zillow "zestimates" the value at $462, 518. It also tells me that our neighbors bought the house just over a year ago (Feb. 2005) for about a hundred grand less ($365,000). Even more disgustingly, in 2000, the previous owner bought the house for just $123k. That's more or less what the property was assessed at in 2004.

Welcome to SW Florida, where people will pay ridiculous prices to live in the hurricane hot zone.

But, if you're not into looking up the price of people's homes (and don't knock it 'till you try it), you can marvel in the fun birds-eye imaging that they use, via Microsoft Virtual Earth. For a fun demonstration, you can peek at some famous houses, like the Playboy Mansion. Sorry, no frolicking "bunnies" sighted on the lawn.