Only one more day Sportsfans...just one more day.  What event is about to transpire?  Hang on...in due time.  Oh I know, I'm haaarrrible about holding stories back...but it's all about a build-up, right?  First off, let's talk some football...one of my favorite subjects to discuss besides myself.  My Falcons are sitting here on a bye week at 6-2...just unreal.  I think back to a year ago when they were 2-6...funny how it's a total 180 of this season isn't it?  I think it's funny because life seems to be a 180 of what it was a year ago.  Back then, the season just sucked and I was wallowing in self-pity brought upon by crap I should have known better to get involved in...a far cry from the days I have now.  There is just so much cool stuff going on right now that once I get done whining about sitting in cubicle hell during the week, I actually really have stuff to look forward to.  Unreal huh?  Anyway, back to football.  Two games ago the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Baltimore Ravens, and in this win, Terrell Owens decided to have a little fun when he scored a touchdown.  In case you don't know, Owens played for San Fran last year and wanted out.  They traded him to Baltimore but he didn't want to play there...and through some negotiating, he ended up in Philly.  Since landing there, he has been having a phenomenal year...just unbelievable and the Eagles have never looked stronger (until this week of course when they lost to Pittsburgh who is probably the hottest team in the NFL right now).  After a TD last week, Owens mocked the pregame dance of Raven middle linebacker Ray Lewis.  Now I think Lewis is the best linebacker in the game...the dude is truly a monster.  However, people in the press started getting on Owens' case about the endzone dance mocking Lewis and how it wasn't really called for.  Owens has a rep of being selfish and whatever...a bunch of bs I think.  I love it when a dude trash talks and can back it up...and Owens can do just that.  So when he was asked about mocking Lewis, Owens responded by saying he didn't see what the big deal was...after all he's just having some fun and why are people coming down on him when he wasn't the one involved in a double homicide a few years ago.  In case you didn't know, Ray Lewis was arrested right after the Super Bowl of the 1999 season at an Atlanta nightclub after a murder went down.  I don't know all the details...and we never will know all the details because Lewis never made them known.  Supposedly people saw the accused murderer jump into the limo that Lewis had, so he was arrested as an accomplice...but was set free after the trial.  I'm not attacking Ray Lewis...I don't know all the details and quite frankly, the dude could hurt me about 37 ways just using his thumbs so I'll be tactful.  Well the media jumped on what Owens said and made it out like he was a HUGE jerk.  Excuse me?  I gotta side with Owens on this one...all he did was mock a dance...he WASN'T the one involved in murder case...why get on him?  Owens has never been involved in drug investigations or a murder charge...yet people think he's a jerk.  Why...he runs his mouth a little...big friggin deal.  The way I see it, if you don't want the dude celebrating and running his mouth, then don't let him score...simple.  The guys on ESPN's pre-game show were so appalled that Owens brought up the murder charge against Lewis and claimed that Owens was making the victim's families re-live everything.  Excuse me?  Oh yeah morons, I'm sure that those families completely forgot that the premier NFL defensive player was arrested on charges involving the murder of their loved ones until Owens brought it up...I'm so sure.  What a bunch of BS.  I'll side with Owens on this one.  You know what this reminds me of?  It reminds me of my criticism against some of the wrestlers involved in TNA and their off-camera behavior...then I was asked about my judgment against them when I, as a Christian, drink and smoke and cuss and how is that perceived...well I'm not out there engaged in something that ruins others' lives either.

The other day I went out and bought a Jimi Hendrix DVD..."Live at the Isle of Wight".  I can't express how mesmerized I am watching this guy play.  I truly believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that this guy is the greatest guitar player ever.  The dude has complete command over the instrument...its almost like the thing does whatever he even thinks.  Even when he hits something wrong...he'll bend the note around and make it fit...it's unbelievable what this guy could do.  It's such a sad thing that drugs killed him off at 27.  I think what really intrigues me about him is that he was in the 101st Airborne until a knee injury in a practice jump ended his career in the Army.  I wish words could do justice to how I feel watching him play.  Trust me here sportsfans...I am one of the most heterosexual males anyone could ever meet...but when he plays there's almost a sexual thing going on.  Yeah, I know that sounds fruity, but watching this guy move around like a snake and just flat-out wailing on that guitar is...is...man, how do I describe it?  I always heard the stories about him at clubs and the studio and just having TONS of women around him...and I can honestly say I can see why.  The dude performed with such confidence and control...he was in complete command over every note that was played.  To think that one person could create that much sound is mind-boggling.  When you watch the live recordings, the thing that captures my attention is when he just starts going off on his own, he never even looks down at what he's playing...he just rips.  The guy was truly his music...I know that sounds all "deep" and crap, but I wonder if the world will ever get to appreciate someone like that again...especially in this day and age of MTV and the next big thing.  The sad thing is, musicians like him are a once in a lifetime thing.  However, even though the one I feel was the greatest guitar player ever may be gone...the group that is my favorite band of all time is still going strong.

Ok...the event...this Thursday I will be witnessing my favorite band of all time live and in person....the mighty METALLICA!!!  The last time I saw them was fifteen years ago...ah yes…it was the summer of 1989, June to be exact...and I remember it as if it were yesterday.  I had just moved out of the house and was now on my own.  The day after I moved out, me and a buddy took a trip to Louisville, KY to check out my favorite band – Metallica.  They were in the summer leg of the “And Justice For All” tour and I wasn’t sure if they were going to make it to Nashville or not, so I ordered some tickets for Louisville and away we went.  Me being a fanboy wanted to try and meet the band and give them a tape of my band – the mighty Beyond Tolerance.  Of course I dreamed that they’d be like “thanks dude…let’s go on the bus and check it out…wow!  This is really good stuff…hey you guys wanna finish the tour with us and be the opening band?”.  Me and Mike waited all afternoon outside of The Louisville Gardens for them to arrive.  The Cult went on and we were still outside.  And up the road they came...it was time.  They were in a shuttle van from a nearby hotel and I was standing right by the ramp to go in the backstage area…the perfect spot.  Yeah, the perfect spot to stand and see the van pull up the ramp and around the corner to drop them off.  Mike and I went inside and thought we’d give it another shot after the show.  The Cult had just finished, and we found our way to some seats.  Metallica came on and were flawless.  The show opened with “Blackened” and closed with “Last Caress”.  The part that ticked me off a little was to see a chunk of the people leave after “One” had played.  If you pay that much for a show, why not stick around and hear the rest???  Whatever…their loss.  After the show, we went back to the area where we began our day…near the backstage area.  A pretty good size crowd was out there too, which didn’t do anything to boost my hopes.  After time passed, more and more people started leaving.  I think I was out there for about 2 hours and was almost ready to give up…but I knew they had to come out eventually.  There were now about 15 of us left…and then it happened.  A security dude said “ok, anyone who wants an autograph line up over here”.  One by one the band came out and went down the row.  I met Lars Ulrich first…and in one of those brilliant moments I have when meeting someone famous I dig, I started babbling about everything under the sun….the whole time thinking I sound really cool instead of the idiot I am acting like.  Anyway, I mentioned I drove from Nashville for the show and he tells me that they added a date in Nashville at the end of the summer.  WHAT?  I was about to freak out…Metallica in my backyard and me working at a record store that sold tickets.  So I also met James, Kirk, and Jason Newsted…all were pretty cool and we even gave Kirk a copy of our band’s tape which I’m sure ended up in a pile of empty french fry cartons and beer cans somewhere, never to be listened to.  Back in Nashville, tickets went on sale about three weeks later, and I requested to work the morning they went on sale.  See, here’s how we did it.  Whenever a big show was coming through town that we wanted good seats for, we would keep the door locked until right when they went on sale, then start printing out blocks of 4.  After the first batch or two printed, then we’d start selling them to the public.  Ever stood in line and wondered why there’s nothing in the first few rows when tickets go on sale?  There you go.  Anyway, I get to the store and we get everything ready to go…I’m anxiously awaiting the moment to pull my four front row seats.  I log into the Ticketmaster network…crack my knuckles…and type in the event code at 9:58 A.M.  The way to pull up the best available seats was simply type in “X” and the number you wanted.  So for two minutes I kept typing “X4” and hitting enter over and over…this way as soon as the sale went live I’d pull 4 tickets.  With me so far?  So I’m typing away and then it happens…the screen freezes up for a second as it gets ready to spit out my 4 front row seats.  But then it all went bad for a little while.  The screen was frozen for a little longer then it should have been and I turned to the assistant manager and was like “what the hell…?”…so he goes “quick, hit the ESC key”…so I do.  The transaction was canceled and the terminal logged off the network.  I looked towards the sky and screamed “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”…well…not really.  In a moment of blazing speed I logged back on again, with the precision someone would disarm a bomb with only 10 seconds to go.  However, this time when I pulled 4 tickets, they were back in the 8th row.  Oh man I was dejected.  I sold tickets to the crowd, and after a while the line went away.  I tried telling myself “well, at least you’re on the 8th row”…but I was still down.  All was not lost however.  This chick I knew named Pam worked at one of the other stores in Nashville and called me to see where my tickets were.  I told her 8th row….and of course she had front row.  Here’s where the news got good – she told me Emily, this chick at one of the other locations, pulled 4 front row tickets as well.  The reason was that her and Pam were going together, and both tried for front row seats…so Emily had four tickets she didn’t want.  And since these two chicks new what a rabid Metallica fan I was, they called me up to make sure I was taken care of…isn’t that sweet?  Actually…I think that may be the most romantic thing ever done for me…maybe I was supposed to marry one of them and missed my chance….ummm…yeah...riiiight.  Anyway, I go pick the tickets up from Emily, and to my surprise these aren’t just front row tickets, they’re front row CENTER tickets…as in Row A seat 15…as in right in front of James Hetfield all night.  Why didn’t the chicks want the center?  Because Pam knew Kirk Hammett through a family friend and wanted to be in front of his side of the stage.  Fine by me…I got the center.  Yes, yours truly on August 16, 1989 had THE best seat out of 17,000 at Starwood Amphitheater.  Again, the show rocked…and to experience a gig like that front row center is pretty amazing…I even caught a guitar pick!  You should have seen me…screaming like a 13 year old girl at a Beatles’ concert when I caught that thing.  My friend Mike got a little luckier…Lars comes to the front of the stage and hands out a drumstick…Mike got it.  Oh well…can’t have everything.  Now after the show I was going to get Pam to take back a tour book and have them all autograph the middle part which I would take out and frame…good idea, huh?  The only problem was she had already gone backstage before the end of the show.  So..thinking quickly I concocted an idea.  I would pull my car around to the rear gate near backstage and wait for her to come out…she could run back in and get it.  After all, what girl couldn’t resist doing me a favor like that?  While waiting, a security guard told me I needed to leave because they were clearing everyone out.  I told him my girlfriend (even though she wasn’t) was backstage and I was waiting for her.  He said “what does she look like?”…I told him “like about 75% of the other scantily clad metal chicks here tonight”…he starts laughing and goes…”alright man, I guess you can’t just leave her” so he let me stay and made everyone else leave.  My plan seemed like a great idea…until the van with Metallica in it pulled out of the gate.  My buddy Mike, knowing we spent like $25 bucks on tourbooks we didn’t have any use for except autographs, uttered the now famous “let’s follow them” line.  Without hesitation, we did.  I swear, telling this story makes me sound like a teenage girl tracking down N’Sync…I can be quite pathetic.  We chase them down and end up at the Music City Sheraton near the airport.  We get out and go to the van where they’re exiting.  First out was Kirk who signs the inside of the tourbook.  Only problem was it was a crappy pen and didn’t show up well…but you could see it.  In another moment of complete and total loserness, I decided to strike up a conversation by asking “So, did you see Pam tonight?”…and he looks at me at asks “Pam who?”…I can’t remember her last name now, but told him then and he goes “Oh yeah, sure did” and we both just stood there like I’m waiting for him to go “hey, you wanna go jam or something?”.  After the moment of silence, I thanked him and walked away.  Lars was up next, so I hand him the pen and ask “Hey Lars, could you sign this real quick?”…he says “Sure…how’s this for real quick?” and scribbles something with lightning speed.  He asks Mike “You want yours real quick too?” and does the same thing…jerk.  James was nowhere to be found, so that left Jason.  Newsted was unloading stuff out of the back of the van, and I was gonna ask but seeing he had his hands full, I decided it wasn’t the best time for an autograph.  However, when I told him not to worry about it he said “nah, it’s cool” and put all his stuff down…even took out a sharpie and signed it.  See…a perfect example…bass players are ALWAYS the coolest dudes in a band…trust me on that one.  Aahhhh…the summer of 1989…and now it’s over 15 years later…and I’ll be there tomorrow night to witness my favorite band of all time.  It should kick some serious ass.

And finally this week…here’s one thing that really ticks me off.  The latest craze now is for people to get that stomach bypass surgery or whatever it is.  First off, I think this is a stupid thing to do…you know why?  You are having surgery to force your body to starve itself.  Plus, this surgery hasn’t been around long, and there is no telling what the long term effects are.  If you want to lose weight…here’s a little tip – QUIT STUFFING YOUR FACE SO MUCH!  Put down the twinkies and eat some celery or something.  Now it’s not the surgery that ticks me off..it’s what happened the other day.  At my job there are several women who have had this surgery and are losing weight.  Now, the other day I heard someone go “so how much have you lost?” and the girl said how much and the other was like “wow, congratulations”.  Ummm….CONGRATULATIONS FOR WHAT!?!?!?!?  Why, because she had surgery and her body has no choice but to feed on itself to lose weight you’re congratulating that???  Give me a break….it’s not like this person actually DID anything or sacrificed through hard work to achieve it.  It would be like me…who has a heckuva time trying to quit smoking…being able to take a pill that forces me to stop and people congratulating me.  It’s just stupid.  I know addictions of any kind are very tough…but don’t congratulate someone on getting a magic remedy to fix their problem…they didn’t do crap for it.  Until next week…later!