Thought for the Day: Weekend at Barker's
January 21, 2003

First Things First:
How did my weekend go, here in a Top Ten List:

10). Freezing my ass off as I walk to the Wings game on Sunday night, only to get lost on a loading dock at Cobo Center and watch the Wings lose 4-1

9). Learning that The Quick and The Dead is a very good movie if you're a little loopy and you imagine the entire thing as a quiz bowl tournament with Pat Hingle as your TD.

8). Craig MacTavish, coach of the Edmonton Oilers, dismembered a mascot!

7). The Toledo Storm went to an ECHL Shootout with the Lexington Men-O-War, which means I have now seen a hockey game end in a shootout.

6). Michigan beat Northwestern in hoops, made better by the comment by an NU QBer "I can't believe we're losing to MICHIGAN!" Something I had never heard before.

5). Marty managed to lose the Senior Bowl with a LOADED South team.

4). Went to the Pistons game yesterday after the 15 minute debacle Saturday night where Jim Garrison was brought in to analyze the film at one point. The Pistons scored very high marks for the game because they had many of the critical elements that make for a good game:
a). A rival who is similar to you in ability (especially if it's two top teams fighting for a division lead, etc.)
b). A good loud enthused crowd.
c). Good sound fundamental play.
d). A start-stop comeback that finally gets rolling.
e). Getting over the hump and holding on.

With the exception of the NHL playoffs, I love rallies more than anything. In the NHL playoffs, I love a game like Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals (Detroit 7, Colorado 0)

3). Only five kids out of 90 failed my class, even if 39 failed the final.

2). MLK went very well, kudos to all who made this happened.

2a). I got to see my favorite female Minnesotan who lives now in Chicago.

1). After 7 tries, two finals appearances, and many many teammates, my team (in this case, They Shoot Mascots, Don't They) won the 8th Annual Ann B. Davis Pop Culture Invitational. I'll let Cruise Director, Mike Burger take it from here:
"They Shoot Mascots, Don't They? (Craig Barker, Geoff Zmyslowski, Nitsan Ben-Gal and David Wallace) pulled the most thrilling playoff run since Villanova in 1985, defeating two undefeated teams and then winning the finals against Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Gerbils (Greg Sorenson, Mark Coen, Dwight Kidder, and James Dinan) in a last question 272-260 victory."

So, yeah, kicking weekend.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 12
"Tell me do you think'd be all right, if I could just crash here tonight?"
--Gin Blossoms

A couple of close games today serve as a reminder that voting does matter.

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 7:00 pm EST WEDNESDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

And remember, we're always looking for guest essayists to introduce the songs: (If you'd like to write a guest essay, email me with a band or two that you might like to tackle.)

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the South Regional, Southeast Regional, from the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando, FL

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away"--23 votes
Smash Mouth's "All Star"--17 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Peppers over Smash Mouth: Because Smash Mouth is the antithesis of cool. Right there with Sugar Ray and McG videos. They're the Michael J. Fox of Elvis-dom. Eat some more Tostitos, chums."
--Blasmo

"Imagine that, my wife took this Chili Peppers' CD as well. I was never really pissed off at my ex-wife until this contest (thanks Craig). All I was left with was Best of Neil Diamond, John Denver live somewhere, Happy Holidays from Roger Whittaker, and some magic feed corn that makes reindeer fly... Useless all of it!"
--The Scientist
(Commissioner's Note: This is my favorite comment of the tournament so far, in part because of the emphatic hand motion that goes along with the last part of it that I discovered at lunch today. Thank you Scientist.)

---

Soundgarden's "Outshined"--10 votes
The Beastie Boys's "Intergalactic"--29 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"I remember being a punk kid in high school, listening to Beasties and partying with Jolly Ranchers in my Zima. How could anything beat that?"
--Wimmah

"White boy Jewish-Buddhist rap!"
--The Wizard of Babson Park

---

Yesterday's Results from the South Regional, from the St. Pete Times Forum in St. Petersburg, FL
INXS's "Not Enough Time"--19 votes
Radiohead's "Karma Police"--14 votes
Abstentions: 7
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"INXS, and someone please call the Karma Police on Radiohead."
--Senor Orangepants

---

Blind Melon's "No Rain"--16 votes
Fatboy Slim's "Praise You"--23 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Choose life! And weird dancing!"
--The Raging Lemur

"Blind Melon, porque no puedo votar contra la nina abeja."
--GZ

---

Today's Matchups from the Southeast Regional, from the Office Depot Center in Sunrise, FL
(Because I am really short on time, it's haiku Tuesday. Thank you Basho.)

Bush's "Machinehead" (#4 on the Mainstream Rock Charts in 1994)
vs.
Meredith Brooks' "Bitch" (#2 on the Hot 100 in 1997)

Found at Arenas
Gavin fires up the crowd well,
Better than the rest

Meredith angry
Her life has many facets
Female dog is one.

Sting's "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (#4 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1994)
vs.
The Cardigans' "Lovefool" (#9 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1996)

Tantric Sex for Sting?
Naming yourself a verb, sir?
One more beer Gordo

Lovefool, Scando-Pop!
Leo and Claire are Star-Crossed
My Favorite Game!

Today's Matchups from the Southeast Regional, from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL

Folk Implosion's "Natural One" (#4 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)
vs.
Duncan Sheik's "Barely Breathing" (#16 on the Hot 100 in 1996)

Do you remember
That `95 movie Kids?
Good! Neither do I?

Jersey boy Duncan
I Liked "Bite Your Tongue" much more
Get CPR stat!

Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)
vs.
Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me" (#26 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)

Angry Young Woman!
No one knew Canucks could get
so very pissed off!

Trajan Langdon's Lab
Partner up in Last Frontier
Yodel Your Heart Out.

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, we've come a long long way together.

Thought for the Day: Free at Last
January 20, 2003

First Things First:
Hoping all of you honored the vision of Dr. King in your own way. The message is just good sense, it's just too bad we need a day to remind us of how important it is.

Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thunder cloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Rain down on him
So let it be
So let it be


Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thundercloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Let it rain
Rain on him.
--"MLK" by U2 (1984)

Come back later when I update this part with the story of the weekend (watch this space!)

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 11
"Never had to, knock on wood."
--The Mighty Might Bosstones

A couple of close games today serve as a reminder that voting does matter.

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 10:00 pm EST TUESDAY. We'll tally and post the results then, after the thing and the thing.

And remember, we're always looking for guest essayists to introduce the songs: (If you'd like to write a guest essay, email me with a band or two that you might like to tackle.)

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the South Regional, from the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, SC
The Offspring's "Self-Esteem"--23 votes
Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity"--25 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
They'll return tomorrow...

---

Foo Fighters' "Big Me"--33 votes
Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy"--16 votes
Abstentions: 0
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
When I have more time...

---

Yesterday's Results from the South Regional, at RBC Center, Raleigh, NC
Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Soul to Squeeze"--27 votes
Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars"--19 votes
Abstentions: 3
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
Sorting through the collected wit of 50 voters...

---

Adam Ant's "Wonderful"--23 votes
Hootie & the Blowfish's "Only Wanna Be With You"--22 votes
Abstentions: 0
Oncoming Traffic: 5

Match Comments (Best only):
Is not an easy gig....

---

Today's Matchups from the Southeast Regional, from the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando, FL
(Because I am really short on time, it's just five word summations day. Thank you Webbys.)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1991)
vs.
Smash Mouth's "All Star" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1999)

Flea takes on Mid-Summer Classic.

Soundgarden's "Outshined" (Did not chart on the Modern Rock Charts in 1991)
vs.
The Beastie Boys's "Intergalactic" (#4 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1998)

Feeling Minnesota vs. Brooklyn "rappers."

Today's Matchups from the Southeast Regional, from the St. Pete Tims Forum in St. Petersburg, FL

INXS's "Not Enough Time" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1992)
vs.
Radiohead's "Karma Police" (#14 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1999)

Retro Aussies vs. Despondent Yorke-ies.

Blind Melon's "No Rain" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1993)
vs.
Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1998)

Bee Girl vs. Mall Dancers.

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, reminding you the world is full of stupid people.

Thought for the Day: Final Destination: Part II
January 17, 2003

First Things First:
How can you have a Final Destination II, anyway? Wouldn't that make the first one wrong, which would make the second one not Part II.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 10
"I said maybe, I don't really wanna know, how your garden grows, cuz I just wanna fly."
--Oasis

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 8:00 pm EST MONDAY. We'll tally and post the results then, after the Pistons/Pacers MLK Showdown.

And remember, we're always looking for guest essayists to introduce the songs: (If you'd like to write a guest essay, email me with a band or two that you might like to tackle.)

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the South Regional, from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse in Your Soul"--27 votes
Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy"--15 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Giants over Lit: If this isn't the most one-sided victory in this entire tourney, then there's a problem. What a great pop song. Its competition is a vapid piece of swamp dirt from some New Jersey land reclamation project."
--Blasmo

"Though I am tempted to vote for the song about a night light, I've got to go with "My Own Worst Enemy" because the Michigan Marching Band played it at halftime of a game last year. No word on if they meant it for John Navarre at that point of the season."
--Cardinal

""Birdhouse in Your Soul": PLEASE, for the love of God, throw in a fourth note into that Lit song! It's almost as bad as the saxophone part for Louie Louie, which has only 3 notes the whole way through!"
--Michigan Paladin

---

Chris Issak's "Wicked Game"--30 votes
Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me"--11 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"It was the inclusion of "Wicked Game" in Wild at Heart that helped propel it to its eerie sensuality to the top of the charts and a lasting place in American music."

Yeah, that and that big-boobed chick rolling around in the sand. Thanks, Herb Ritts! Your room is ready Upstairs.

My vote goes to "Kiss Me," however."
--Spartan Steve

---

Yesterday's Results from the South Regional, at RBC Center, Raleigh, NC
Indigo Girls' "The Least Complicated"--11 votes
Barenaked Ladies' "One Week"--32 votes
Abstentions: 0
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
""The Least Complicated" is a good song, but given the choice, I'll take the boom anime babes that make me think the wrong thing."
--Cardinal

"One Week, which is perhaps the defining song of the late '90s for me; I mean even if the Indigo Girls did make you think the wrong thing, where's that gonna go?"
--The Stepson of Troy

---

Fastball's "The Way"--22 votes
Van Halen's "Right Now"--20 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Fastball. Can you really call Van Halen modern rock? In any event, while you probably could lump Fastball in the matchbox 23rd Eye Blind set of bands of the late '90s, they had some of the catchiest stuff out there, especially this song. And if you think about it, Fastball definitely has that '80s pop-rock sound to it that made it stand out even just a little."
--JQSMooth

"Fastball precisely because I remember the Crystal Gravy ad."
--The Curator

---

Today's Matchups from the South Regional, from the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, SC

The Offspring's "Self-Esteem" (#4 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1993)
vs.
Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" (#38 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1997)

I don't know which is cooler, that Dexter Holland may be one of the most formally educated members of the punk revival scene, as he has a graduate degree in biology, or that between "Come Out and Play" and "Self-Esteem", The Offspring landed Smash, an independent album, in the Billboard Top 5. I think looking at the lyrics of "Self-Esteem", Dexter could use a hug, but then again, that may be his problem. Relationships suck, and Dexter lays it out for you here. They go up against Jamiroquai. OK, we're playing Taboo. The following words/phrases are banned from any comments on Jamiroquai: "Stevie Wonder" "clone" "rip-off". One of the lowest charting songs in the tournament, the longevity of this selection stems largely from one of the coolest and most innovative videos of the 1990s. That and there's clearly some funk here. And not that bad kind of funk either. Will Jamiroquai find that "all this rejection's got me so low" or will Offspring be "thinking what a mess we're in."

Foo Fighters' "Big Me" (#3 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1996)
vs.
Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy" (#4 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1996)

The third and final Foo Fighters track (The Foos suffered from too-many-good-trackitis, where so many people suggested different tracks for the Foos that they ended up getting screwed out of a bye. And believe me, my choice of "Walking After You" could have easily found a slot on the four song rule, but none such exists.) The Foos' first big single, it is ironically, also one of the shortest songs in the tournament, checking in at just 132 seconds. And who could forget those Foo Fighters candies in the video. Foo Fighters, the Freshmaker. They go up against one of the good things about Missouri, like the Kansas City Royals or the University of Missouri at Rolla (and if you missed Ben Lea's amazingly insightful "Sunny Came Home" comments, go back into the comments widget for Tuesday's games (or read them right here*), they are amazing.), Sheryl Crow. (If you lean right, change that around to read Rush Limbaugh and John Ashcroft.) Like her opponent, it was hard to pick which Sheryl song to put in, many got tons of airplay and she certainly has fans, regular and critical. So we went with the slightly downer compliment to "All I Wanna Do", the heavily laced with subreference "If It Makes You Happy." Will Sheryl learn that "never was it true" or will the Foos "get down, real low down."

Today's Matchups from the South Regional, from the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC

Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Soul to Squeeze" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1994)
vs.
Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1996)

You know how in every bad thing, there is a glimmer of good in them, or at least, we hope there is? Well, in the case of the train wreck that is the 1994 film Coneheads, it's this song, (or BNL's cover of "Fight the Power"), one of the sweetest and most touching that the Peppers may ever write. It has everything you can want, Anthony's inflection, Flea's sweet bassline, and Chad's competent drumming. It goes up against the first single I bought in college (OK, I bought it during orientation, but dammit, there was a Tower Records in Ann Arbor and I was going to make friends with it fast.) I was so happy this year when "Somewhere in the Middle" had more than a little mild chart success, since it meant that they weren't just one-hit wonders. "Counting Blue Cars" is probably better known as "Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God" and the band's name also helped name my first ever ABD team, Dishwalla Voodoo.
Anyway, will the Peppers "pass many cross-eyed people" or will Dishwalla "end up somewhere in Mexico."

Adam Ant's "Wonderful" (#7 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)
vs.
Hootie & the Blowfish's "Only Wanna Be With You" (#6 on the Hot 100 in 1995)

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Hey Commish, Adam Ant was an `80s one-hit wonder. How'd he get by security?" Well, it's on the strength of this amazing comeback single, recorded at the Abbey Road Studio #2, (yes, that one.) It's a straight forward stripped down song of longing and desire, and maybe that's why people like it. Adam goes up against America's favorite bar band. Don't blame them that they were omnipresent, that was just happenstance. Now, we could have chosen "Hold My Hand", or "Let Her Cry", or the underrated "Time" or "The Old Man and Me" or "Tucker's Town", but instead we went with the triple fiesta of pop culture references,
"Only Wanna Be With You" for its PGA/NBA/ESPN influenced video (and you know it was just an excuse to get celebs into your footage) or the "Dolphins make me cry line (well, if it's December, we understand). I just wish I had told Darius when he was staying at my hotel in St. Louis that he probably shouldn't drop references to Bobby Dylan in the music, it might make yours look lame by comparison. Anyway, will Adam get "tangled up in blue" or will Darius et al "nearly hit the face I love."

*The missing comments:
A grad school friend of mine did a gig at a coffee house in Greensboro, and she did "Sunny Came Home", but changed one lyric at my request:

"Get the kids and bring a sweater,
Dry is good and wind is better.
Count the years, you always knew it:
Strike a pose, there's nothing to it..."

And for those of you for whom I *didn't* just ruin that song, let me add that I've forgotten who first said -- Steinhice will claim it was him -- that the song is 87 times better if you think she's talking about Sunny Von Bulow. ("Sunny came home, with a list of names...")

Who am I voting for? Well, I'll leave it up to you, Craig. If you decide to include these comments this time, I'll vote for Cracker. If you don't, I'm voting for Shawn Colvin, so you'll have another chance to publish them later... (In other words, clip 'n' save!)
--The Primal Cow

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, reminding you the world is full of stupid people.

Thought for the Day: Final Destination: Part I
January 16, 2003

First Things First:
Sorry kids, I have homework.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 09
"Early in the morning, rising to the street..."
--Sublime

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 6:00 pm EST FRIDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

By the way, a couple of things. If you want to make sure that the world sees your comments and not leave it up to fate, the comments widget is your friend. I am less predisposed to post comment widgeted quotes only because they are less fresh. That said, you crack me up, you get posted.

Also, the comments widget is a little fickle lately, so just keep trying and if is wigging out on you, ride the email rail.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the Great Plains Regional, at SBC Center, San Antonio, TX
Nirvana's "All Apologies"--27 votes
Republica's "Ready to Go"--10 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"Nirvana over Republica: If there's any justice, All Apologies will be one of the last ones standing. It's one of the most perfectly produced songs ever, and showed that, had Cobain lived, Nirvana would have gone on to far greater artistic accomplishments. And better than the Unplugged version, simply because Grohl's fills work so well here. Maybe the best single since "Complete Control." What an amazing piece of Art."
--Blasmo

"Cobain sings heart out
Before shooting his brains out.
The Brits have no chance."
--The One-Eyed Squirrel

"I'm voting for "All
Apologies," but it's close.
Proto-emo rules!"
--Studio 176

""Ready to Go." As previously noted in this space, Nirvana doesn't do it for me. Also, I saw Republica perform at the Taste of DC several years ago, and they opened the concert with "The Internationale," which I thought was strange enough to be truly admirable."
--Blue Armadillo

---

Live's "All Over You"--22 votes
Collective Soul's "December"--10 votes
Abstentions: 5
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"All Over You – Hey, Live had music used for an ep of Homicide."
--The Wizard of Babson Park

"Normally, I would let Live slide with an abstention (okay, but not worth the effort); except it happens to be up against THE WORST SONG OF THE 1990S! This song just might the single No. 1 Reason why I turned my back on commercial radio. It's just... so bad. Not bad in the Jermaine Jackson/Pia Zadora sense; or even in the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" sense. It's so unremarkable, but just repetitive enough to be annoying. It has no business being recorded for posterity, yet it was one of the most overplayed songs of the era. It has no reason to exist, so the fact that it does drives me to fits. For the love of Jebus, let it be Live!"
--Spartan Steve

""All Over You" because I refuse to vote for a song named "December" when it's five degrees outside."
--The Stepson of Troy

"Live, because once upon a time I was also a (part) Polish kid growing up in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country."
--The Curator

---

Yesterday's Results from the Great Plains Regional, at American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Liz Phair's "Supernova"--22 votes
Goo Goo Dolls' "Name"--15 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Am I the only one who heard The Heads (with Maria McKee's) answer to "Supernova", called "No Big Bang"? It's almost like Maria was trying to convince Liz to play for the other team. Lyrics include "Even supernovas have their duller moments; no big bang of a man is enough to fill them." Liz wins here, because I'll put the response on after it."
--The Primal Cow

"Liz Phair. Cool song and I've got the album. It's scary to think how much she and Sheryl Crow looked alike in those Gap ads a while back."
--JQSmooth

"This would probably offend Liz Phair, but chick + guitar = cool. One of the best uses of the wah-wah effect of the entire decade."
--Cardinal

"Volcano erupts
Liz Phair wins but do people
Really **** like one?"
--The Bruce

""Supernova" - I do enjoy Supernova more, but what about the Buffalo-based Goo Goo Dolls drawing the Dallas bracket? Is Clippy now in an alliance with the Cigarette Smoking Man?"
--The Virginian

"Supernova. Sad thing about the Goo Goo Dolls is not that they're Replacements wannabes, but that they're Replacements-circa-Don't Tell A Soul wannabes."
--Gerbil #1

---

311's "Down"--13 votes
Beck's "Devil's Haircut"--23 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"311 (I mean, even if "Down" weren't a cooler song, any band that takes its name from the legal code for public urination is a friend of mine.)"
--The Mathematical Bulldog

""No devil's haircut
In your mind" writes Fran Healy
Doesn't mention "Down""
--Final Approach

"Match of the lyrics
Whose meaning I'll never get.
Does Beck know he's white?"
--Boggie

"How did those potheads
end up at #1? Easy.
Their fans were on drugs."
--VwlssWndr

---

Today's Matchups from the South Regional, from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC

They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse in Your Soul" (#3 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1990)
vs.
Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1999)

See, normally, you would maybe call this one a mismatch. But I know my electorate on this contest, and they are by in large geeks. And like many geeks, they seem to love TMBG. And I mean, what's not to like, this song drops the word filibuster, the Longines Symphonette, and a Jason and the Argonauts subreference. The damn song is like a Dennis Miller Monday Night Football call! (And for those of you wondering, it's because "Istanbul" is a cover and Triangle man hates "Particle Man.") They go up against drunken remorse at its finest, sleeping with your clothes on and all. The boys from Lit bring their messed up young adult issues to a decade ending rocker. Will TMBG "keep the beaches shipwreck-free" or will Lit "every now and then kick the living sh*t out of me." (They are their own worst enemy after all.)

Chris Issak's "Wicked Game" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1991)
vs.
Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1998)

Chris Issak probably sends a nice Christmas card to David Lynch every year. It was the inclusion of "Wicked Game" in Wild at Heart that helped propel it to its eerie sensuality to the top of the charts and a lasting place in American music. (And by the way, find R.E.M.'s cover, very, very good.) It goes up against Austin's Sixpence and the official Prom Song of 1998, (thank you very much professional dance corps that made up the student body of Harrison High School's Class of 1998 in She's All That.) Will Chris have to "strike up the band" or will Sixpence find that "this world is only going to break your heart."

Today's Matchups from the South Regional, from the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh, NC

Indigo Girls' "The Least Complicated" (#28 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1992)
vs.
Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1998)

A new twist on the Tournament, guest essayists to introduce the songs: (If you'd like to write a guest essay, email me with a band or two that you might like to tackle.)

Decatur, Georgia's Victoria Groce on "The Least Complicated"
On one of the Indigo Girls' live albums, Emily Saliers reminisces that when she was in elementary school, she gave her "boyfriend" a ring from the drugstore and realized from his reaction that she'd done exactly the wrong thing. "And that was just the beginning of the rest of my life!," she declares ruefully. Always a huge crowd favorite due to its upbeat, sing-along chorus, it was the perfect follow-up to the Indigos' 1992 hit, "Galileo."

Michigan's Geoff Zmyslowski on "One Week":
Think back to the sunny days of 1998. Think of Kevin Hearn finding out he has leukemia just as his band has released the number one song in the land and then coming back to "kick cancer's ass". This is a song that would be much more fondly remembered if it hadn't been omnipresent, and I think that if not for Mitsubishi, the healing process might have completed. "One Week" is just a fun pop song with meaningless words, yet nevertheless you feel compelled to figure out what Ed Robertson's saying about his golf clubs.

Will Indigo Girls be "watching X-Files with no lights on" or will BNL "just stick the right formula in."

Fastball's "The Way" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1998)
vs.
Van Halen's "Right Now" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1992)

Quick, flip around the AM dial, skip past Jewel, keep turning until you find "The Way", whose opening probably honors the spirit of this tournament more than any other. The jangly sounds of the Austinites and their wide-open spaced single face off against a clever video that became a Crystal Pepsi ad, which became a Crystal Gravy ad. A little piano, a little Hagar, it's all good. Will Fastball "miss the beat and lose the rhythm" or will VH go "wandering off somewhere."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, telling you all your thoughts from God.

Thought for the Day: And the answer is...
January 14, 2003

First Things First:
You know, I was just going to get on with the contest, but these headlines were just too good to be true:

Fox to Test America's Intelligence
Some days, it's just too easy.

Creed Apologizes To Fans For Chicago Show
Sadly it was for the quality of the show, not the show's mere existance.

Shakira Talks Fashion, Maps Out Second Tour Leg
You know, because when I name my tour, I think, thing that eats snakes.

And, now, my data bounty:
So, really, how often ARE the Dodgers on TV in Europe?

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 08
"I'm such a baby 'cause the Dolphins make me cry."
--Hootie and the Blowfish

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 7:30 pm EST THURSDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

By the way, a couple of things. If you want to make sure that the world sees your comments and not leave it up to fate, the comments widget is your friend. I am less predisposed to post comment widgeted quotes only because they are less fresh. That said, you crack me up, you get posted.

Also, the comments widget is a little fickle lately, so just keep trying and if is wigging out on you, ride the email rail.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the Great Plains Regional, at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO
Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole"--15 votes
Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly"--25 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"This is probably my favorite NIN song; not that it says too much, but still. But the video alone for "Learn to Fly" is enough reason to vote for it. When the fat lady hallucinated that Taylor Hawkins's head was a double cheeseburger, I damn near soiled myself!"
--Studio 176

---

Cracker's "Low"--20 votes
Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home"--17 votes
Abstentions: 3
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"Sunny Came Home, true it barely counts as Modern Rock, but she did manage to rhyme Transcendence and Vengeance. But if not for this song, we wouldn't have the award show moment to replace 'Soy Bomb Guy' - ODB's interruption. Ah yes, live TV. Speaking of live TV: Random Reply: It was either a snow day or an early dismissal that fateful day in rural Pennsylvania, but I saw the Bud Dwyer suicide live on Philadelphia's WPVI Channel 6, home of weatherman Dave Roberts, real life father of David Boreanaz."
--The Curator

"Cracker--Sandra Bernhardt! Beatin' people up!"
--The Raging Lemur

"I have to abstain. here's why. 11th grade Sociology. We all have to pick out a song that is socially significant. One nice girl brings in "Sunny Comes Home". the very sexist and amusing teacher pretends not to understand that the song is about a woman who can't take it anymore yada yada yada. "where does it say she burns the house down?!" he asks. The girls bitch and moan the rest of the class period. how obnoxious is that. bottom line: I abstain."
--The Dirty Midwest

"Cracker. Very close. Cracker gets the go-ahead in the hope they're playing double-shots, and the rest of Cracker's oeuvre beats the other Shawn Colvin tracks I know."
--The Vaccinator

"Oncoming traffic. Or, if I'm in the Boston media market, the station playing Pink Floyd. Because in Boston, Dark Side of the Moon is played like it came out last week."
--The Answer Guy

---

Yesterday's Results from the Great Plains Regional, at FargoDome, Fargo, ND
The Cure's "Friday, I'm In Love"--21 votes
Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight"--8 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"The Cure. It's a decent song, reminiscent but not as good as their '80s hits. As for Eagle-Eye Cherry, it's best he just go away. Nice to see a brother and sister being one-hit wonders on their own."
--JQSmooth

"The Cure, for two reasons. I had free luxury suite-style tickets to the "Wish" tour stop in Pittsburgh, which involved dancing with depressed goth chicks and getting my first contact high--good times. Secondly, I loved the incongruity of Robert Smith in a Pirates cap in the video."
--The Stepson of Troy

"As much as I dislike both songs, given the opportunity, I would rochambeau Robert Smith for him never to write or perform again. Oh, and I'd go first."
--DeeezNuuuts

---

The Lemonheads' "Into Your Arms"--16 votes
Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping"--23 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 2

Match Comments (Best only):
"I vote for Chumbawamba. But "Tubthumping?" Hmmm... I'm not sure if I ever heard that one... it must not have got much airplay."
--Spartan Steve

"I suspect nearly every vote on this matchup will be mainly a referendum on Chumbawamba, or overplayed one-hit wonders generally. I liked that song, then got completely sick of it. Not sure if I've recovered but the tiebreaker is that I blew one of the potential all-time-great Penn Bowl buzzes when I went in after about three words but blanked on the title."
--The Bruce
(Note from The Commish: For the record, "a referendum on Chumbawamba" was a welcome and unexpected nugget of comedy gold. I think it would have made a wonderful election cycle if Stockwell Day had gotten his way in Canada back in 2000.)

"You like "Into Your Arms", Craig? Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I don't remember... (Yes, I know that's from the other Chumbawamba song. Leave me alone.)

"Tubthumping" is easily the most schizophrenic song of my lifetime; it always sounded to me like three different songs crammed together:

Song A). Out-takes from a recording session with Ringo.
Song B). Madonna covering Irish ballads.
Song C). B side of the Super Bowl Shuffle.

And, let's be honest -- would you listen to any of those?

Is there oncoming traffic in Fargo?"
--The Primal Cow

"Tubthumping – Were I a Middle Ages potentate, I’d have had Evan Dando’s head on a pike in front of my castle at the first opportunity, just for being him. Arbitrary and capricious, sure, but you could get away with things like that back then."
--The Wizard of Babson Park

"When I was working at the public library several years ago, a coworker and I came up with an idea for a new television variety show that would be hosted by two of our coworkers. It would be filmed in present day, but the announcer would introduce the guests as if it were still 1975 or so; for example, "He's TV's 'Opie,' Ron Howard!" "He's the host of TV's 'Match Game,' Gene Rayburn!" You get the idea. Anyway, at the end of the show, the hosts would perform a duet, with one of them on vocals and the other playing harpsichord, and they would do their rendition of a song currently in the Top 40. (This was vaguely inspired by the godawful version of "Ghostbusters" I saw on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon in 1984. I think it was Tony Orlando or Robert Goulet or somebody. "Who ya gonna call-a?") The one song we could envision for this hellish spectacle was "Tubthumping," so I'm voting for that."
--VwlssWndr

"Lemonheads. What is wrong with you people? You'd have to be in a coma not to appreciate the power-pop goodness of this song, and the Come on Feel album."
--Gerbil #1

---

Today's Matchups from the Great Plains Regional, at SBC Center, San Antonio, TX

Nirvana's "All Apologies" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1993)
vs.
Republica's "Ready to Go" (#7 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1996)

Inspired by Studio 176, more haiku on inappropriate topics:
(Voters are welcome to post regular comments or their own haiku)

What else can I say?
Kurt puts field in utero
Fare thee well, grunge man.

Shout it from the roof
all you want, you are still Brit
pop with a hard edge.

Live's "All Over You" (#4 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1994)
vs.
Collective Soul's "December" (#4 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1996)

York, PA provides
Ed, while Poland gives Ed his
quite massive last name.

Releasing this song
with a winter month name is
ironic genius

---

Today's Matchups from the Great Plains Regional, at American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Liz Phair's "Supernova" (#4 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1994)
vs.
Goo Goo Dolls's "Name" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)

Liz Phair was dropped on
good episode of Ellen
before the closet

Buffalo gives world
Replacements wanna be group.
This is the result.

311's "Down" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)
vs.
Beck's "Devil's Haircut" (#23 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1996)

Proto-Bizkit sing
a song about the joys of
goose feathers? Why?

Mr. Funky Dance
Brings College Rock sense and
style to the field

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, a flying, giant friction blast.

Thought for the Day: Because he's all man...
January 14, 2003

First Things First:
Tuesday means speedblogging...

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 07
"I know a place, that's safe and warm, from the crowd..."
--The Lemonheads

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 8:00 pm EST WEDNESDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the Midwest Regional, at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, PA
Hole's "Violet"--13 votes
Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls on Parade"--23 votes
Abstentions: 3
Oncoming Traffic: 4

Match Comments (Best only):
"Rage Against the Machine. I may not like their politics, but I like their music."
--JQSmooth

---

Aerosmith's "Cryin'"--14 votes
Blues Traveler's "Run-Around"--27 votes
Oncoming Traffic: 0
Abstentions: 2

Match Comments (Best only):
"Blues Traveler reminds me of debating about the possible homosexuality of one of my ex-boyfriends with his best friend from high school. This is mainly because the best friend's dad actually was an engineer on this album. But other than that, I kinda think both these songs suck. I guess I'll go for... um... oh, Blues Traveler. I hope they get beaten by somebody
good next round."
--The Raging Lemur

"Runaround Craig, you of all people should know that I'm voting for anything that includes the line "game show contestant with a parting gift.""
--The Curator

---

Yesterday's Results from Midwest Regional, at Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Letters To Cleo's "Here and Now"--14 votes
Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot"--22 votes
Oncoming Traffic: 1
Abstentions: 6

Match Comments (Best only):
"Filter. This is no contest for a Western Pennsylvania kid bitter because he missed the local news controversy of the century--WPXI airing the two-hour-old footage of Bud Dwyer's suicide on their noon newscast, unleashing an absolute firestorm of outrage--because he was in school that day. BTW, there is a Budd Dwyer fan club at http://www.buddwyer.com"
--The Stepson of Troy

"Hey Man, Nice Shot. Denis Leary once had a bit where he said that Lee Harvey Oswald got shot live, kids were afraid to change the channel for the next thirty years. Well, when R. Budd Dwyer did his thing for the camera, we didn't need to. Channel 11 aired the dang thing on their newscast. TWICE. In fact the weasels played it like it was Theisman getting his leg snapped. We're not afraid to change the channel, we know 11 will do it for sweeps."
--The Good Doctor

---

Veruca Salt's "Seether"--17 votes
The Smashing Pumpkins' "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"--22 votes
Oncoming Traffic: 1
Abstentions: 3

Match Comments (Best only):
"If "Seether" was about what it was rumored to be about, I would vote for it. But since my understanding is that it's not about what it was rumored to be about, I will not vote for it. Moreover, I owe it to "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," and the Commish's timely assist, for getting me a correct answer on a current events quiz my senior year in high school. Consider this a debt repaid."
--Cardinal

"ABSTAIN: Seether should be burned at the stake and removed from anyone's memory. We could pretend that it never existed and the world would be a much better place."
--The Biting Irish

---

Today's Matchups from the Great Plains Regional, at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO

Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole" (#28 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1990)
vs.
Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1999)

One of our final decade ends matchups, as the earliest song in the tournament (thank you Matt and 120 Minutes for a resurgence) and one of the latest songs in the tournament go head-to-head. Trent was new and fresh and wow when HlaH hit the waves in 1990. VwlssWndr can fill you in more fully. He goes up against another Foos song, one of their highest charting, and one of the most insane videos I can remember seeing. Will the Foos "bow down before the one they serve" or will NIN be "looking for a sign of life."

Cracker's "Low" (#3 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1992)
vs.
Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home" (#7 on the Hot 100 in 1998)

Camper Van Beethoven breaks up, new band forms, band issues the rockin "Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)" and the next year brings back the Kerosene Hat, with the insanely fun "Low" (which is just as good as the by-passed and Good Doctor recommended "Get Off This"), complete with black and white boxing ring video. They go up against the Grammy winning and barely Modern Rock qualifying Shawn Colvin's Few Small Repairs track, "Sunny Came Home." You know, common theme of the 1990s in female written songs, which says something about society? You be the judge...Will Cracker "close my eyes and fly out of my mind" or will Shawn Colvin have "a million poppies gonna make me sleep."

---

Today's Matchups from the Great Plains Regional, at FargoDome, Fargo, ND

The Cure's "Friday, I'm In Love" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1992)
vs.
Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight" (#5 on the Hot 100 in 1998)

Ahh Robert Smith, one of the finest tailbacks every to come out of Columbus...oh wait, you mean the mopey one that saved the world from Mecha-Streisand. So what if he doesn't care if Monday's Blue...for The Cure, this is fun! He goes up against one of Sweden's contributions to this tournament. You know, for such a neutral nation, they sure have wrought a lot of crap on America's shores and that doesn't even count IKEA. Anyway, will the Cure be left Desireless or will Eagle-Eye Cherry find that "I don't care about you."

The Lemonheads' "Into Your Arms" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1993)
vs.
Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1997)

Ahh, The Lemonheads. Thanks to the no covers rule, I didn't have to get a phone call from Paul Simon angrily complaining about that cover. Instead, I get the sweet and touching FTD ad to be. I really do like this song, Evan Dando's movie career be damned. Come on, Feel the Lemonheads! They go up against Britain's favorite anarchists. There's so much comedy gold here, I am not going to steal any of it from you. Go to town, people! Will The Lemonheads "get knocked down" or will Chumbawumba find that "if they should fall."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, take me to the place I love.

Thought for the Day: Gotta give it up...
January 13, 2003

First Things First:
Ahh, Finals week, where my student's learn everything they were supposed to learn in the first four months of class. Good work on that one kids.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 06
"And I want something else, to get me through this..."
--Third Eye Blind

Well, we're one week down, several more weeks to go. And that's a good thing :)

Weekend means more time to post more clever comments. Don't get used to it.

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 10:00 pm EST TUESDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the Midwest Regional, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
Jane's Addiction's "Been Caught Stealing"--25 votes
Kid Rock's "Cowboy"--19 votes
Abstentions: 0
Oncoming Traffic: 2

Match Comments (Best only):
"Y'know, I saw Jane's Addiction before anybody (including me) knew who they were. They opened for Love & Rockets in the late 80s at Duke, so we saw them, then L&R, then drove back to Raleigh to see the Fishbone show at the Brewery. And Perry Farrell showed up, goofed off on stage for a bit, and did a couple stage dives. Good times. I don't remember, honestly, whether that was the Susan Sarandon cowering behind me night at the Brewery, but that's another story.
And yet, I really like "Cowboy" a lot more. So, Kid Rock, in an upset."
--The Primal Cow

"What's this about being 14 years old and down on your knees? I think this song could get teachers in a lot of trouble. Well, it's still better than Seal."
--The Scientist

"Jane's Addiction. This is the better, or at least most fun, song that should've been in the last tournament instead of "Jane Says." It's got a great goofy video. However, "Been Caught Stealing" would probably be best served as Puffy's theme song. I like Kid Rock as a cool weirdo (the Coors Light ad is a trip) not as a musician."
--JQSmooth

"I can't believe this, but I'm voting for Kid Rock, as great as Jane's Addiction is (and I'm old enought to remember getting the news from Joe in High School "oh my god! Jane's Addiction broke up!") even I am getting a little sick of the 2 songs still getting airplay. I'll go with Kid Rock 'cuz I think he's in on the joke. And what exactly are the wrong reasons for starting an escort service?"
--The Curator

---

Seal's "Crazy"--18 votes
New Radicals' "You Get What You Give"--28 votes
Oncoming Traffic: 0
Abstentions: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"The New Originals...err, New Radicals, that is. I really enjoyed that Marilyn Manson was going to come after Gregg Alexander for mentioning him in the same breath as Coutney Love shortly before they ended up on the road together; or did I imagine that tour? Maybe I've been brainwashed too."
--VwlssWndr

"New Radicals. Narrowly beats Spacehog's "In The Meantime" for the best 90s one hit wonder."
--The Answer Guy
(Commissioner's Note: I feel horrible that "In the Meantime" was one of the final 16 songs cut, in part because I thought no one but me would remember it (since I had the single.))

""You Get What You Give," or as I like to call it, the Legendary Lost Todd Rundgren Song."
--The Blue Armadillo

"I have to represent on this one, even if Gregg Alexander went to Grosse Pointe South. I guess it wasn't his fault. I only wish the Seal song I was voting against was "Kiss From a Rose"."
--GZ

---

Yesterday's Results from Midwest Regional, at Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike"--20 votes
Dave Matthews Band's "Crush"--24 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Temple of the Dog's influences can clearly be seen here. Crap and rock, or as I like to call it, crock. Spare us the grunge lesson. Even this less solid DMB song makes it. And if my Daily colleagues knew i was voting for him, I'd get fired, but I'm willing to take that risk."
--The Dirty Midwest

"Crush - No, I'm not getting kickback money from Jenny Abercrombie, John Fitch, and the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce."
--The Virginian

"Hunger Strike, keep in mind that I keep looking at this and thinking it's a different song entirely. How sad is it that I would whiff a Lingo game if Crush were the answer, EVEN if you spotted me CR_SH, AND told me it was a Dave Matthews song. It's THAT forgettable a song."
--The Good Doctor

""Crush." In theory Temple of the Dog should have been much better than they were, but I think this was a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts. Sure, I like both cheesecake and sushi, but I'd never put raw eel on top in place of strawberries."
--Boggie-man

"I'm always amazed by the intense hatred/blind devotion that DMB inspires. Personally, I love their music but I have trouble when I go to their concerts because I hate the obnoxious hippy chicks and the omnicent reefer haze. Yet, the anti- crowd's loathing seems pretty knee-jerk and hardly justified. It seems like I'm either made to feel guilty for loving them or made to feel weak for not caring enough. Kinda takes all the fun out of it.

I'm a fan of Hunger Strike, but Crush is fantastic and I'm still pissed that it was cut down from it's 8:00 album length to make appease the radio gods. Take it as is or stick to Enrique.... "
--Spartan Steve

---

The Breeders' "Cannonball"--22 votes
Foo Fighters' "My Hero"--19 votes
Abstentions: 5
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
""Cannonball": How can The Breeders be as close to riot grrls as you get. Did the selection committee really stiff Veruca Salt AND Hole?! If so, shame on you. Ironically, Grohl dated Louise Post (of Veruca Salt) for awhile, then cheated on her with Winona Ryder. At that point she cussed him out on the New Zealand version of MTV. In any case, the Foo Fighters TOTALLY SUCK but apparently I'm the only person who realizes this. Kind of an "emperor's new clothes" situation."
--The Bruce

"The Breeders. Out of respect for The Pixies, who got snubbed in the last rock poll and without whom there would be no Nirvana (and by connection, no Foo Fighters). Besides, the Foo should have other chances coming up, for better songs."
--Gerbil #1

""Cannonball": It would take the Foo Fighters a week to kick as much ass as the Breeders did before breakfast. And that's even after you deduct Kim and Kelly Deal's sibling-rivalry-based ass-kickings."
--Vaccinator

(Note: The Good Doctor voted for "Been Caught Stealing" and "You Get What You Give" to make this joke work.)
"Cannonball, completing some sort of alternate universe Bastille musical soundtrack, though given this song's about the Marquis de Sade, perhaps I should have chosen Crazy... nah."
--The Good Doctor

"Breeders over Foo: Are you f*****g kidding me? Like there's a decision here."
--Blasmo

"Foo Fighters (not in spite of, but because it was on the VB soundtrack)"
--The Once and Future Mathematician

""Cannonball" -- I love the Foo Fighters, but "My Hero" is a touch bland while "Cannonball" is one of my favorite 90s records with blazing energy, a great tune and its opening sequence of delightfully bizarre guitar effects. Plus, even though you said not to do this, I keep associating "My Hero" with ads for Varsity Blues and "Cannonball" with ads for South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut--a much more pleasant association."
--The One-Eyed Squirrel

"Damn Commish, that last match up is killer....Breeders vs. Foo:
'Ohio rock at its finest vs. the only musician in nirvana backed up by sunny day real estate.' or 'the bass player of the Pixies vs. the drummer of the band that wanted to be the Pixies.'
I have to go with foo just because that is my favorite song by them."
--Looser Yooper

"My Hero – How can you vote against guys who’ve been sticking their necks out for the rest of us, day in and day out, fighting foo? Heck, they’re Dave’s favorite band, to boot."
--The Wizard of Babson Park

---

Today's Matchups from the Midwest Regional, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

Hole's "Violet" (#29 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1994)
vs.
Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls On Parade" (#11 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1996)

You know, Kurt Cobain's fingers are all over this tournament. He's got three Nirvana songs in here, Foos (which I know, are Dave's thing, I know) have three songs and Mrs. Cobain has one song in the tournament, which would be "Violet". I really don't know how much more I have to say about this song, except that it's going up against everyone's favorite anti-establishment yet signed to a major label band. Zack is clearly on about some form of oppression in this one. Will Hole "Line up to tha mind cemetery" or will Rage "learn how to say no."

Aerosmith's "Cryin'" (#12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994)
vs.
Blues Traveler's "Run-Around" (#14 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1996)

Ahh, two songs clearly aided by MTV and clever videos. Aerosmith's career resurgence continued in part because of Alicia Silverstone (and remember, the "Livin' on the Edge" video starred Eddie Furlong, so you know, this was a nice upgrade for the boys. And then there were the Amazing and Crazy videos, which were even more clever, so woo on the videos.) Anyway, they go up against John Popper and the boys and their videos starring Remote Contol's own Ken Ober! Ken Ober! A fun little ditty, complete with harmonica and Ken Ober! Will Aerosmith end up "Like a game show contestant with a parting gift" or will Blues Traveler find that "there's not even breathin' room."

---

Today's Matchups from the Midwest Regional, at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MI

Letters to Cleo's "Here and Now" (#10 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1994)
vs.
Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" (#10 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)

Letters to Cleo owe much of their popular career to movie and TV tie-ins. They were heavily featured on the Melrose Place soundtrack back when MP was one of the staples of weekly viewing. (They also are the band that plays "I Want You To Want Me" at the end of Ten Things I Hate About You). No one really knew what the lyrics were in the song, but everyone seemed to like it well enough. They square off against Filter's second offering, this one much more in thie usual style, and another favorite of movie trailer makers. Will Letters to Cleo "think that their ending was all wrong" or will Fiter discover that "the comfort of a knowledge of a rise above the sky above could never parallel the challenge of an acquisition."

Veruca Salt's "Seether" (#8 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1994)
vs.
The Smashing Pumpkins "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)

Apparently, I had more pseudo riot grrls coming, as Veruca Salt pops up in today's last matchup. A band named for a character in Willy Wonka, ripping off the Beatles more than Oasis, and amazingly, are only the second most loathed band in today's proceedings, bring their watered down riotness to the double entendre laced single "Seether." They go up against Billy Corgan's most angsty moment, the mud puddle video, the angry lead single from Mellon Collie, the strangely named "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Will the Smashing Pumpkins be "kept on a short leash" or will Veruca Salt, despite all their rage, be "still just a rat in a cage."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, like some junkie cosmonaut.

Thought for the Day: Because you're a little bit crazy.
January 10, 2003

First Things First:
Ahh, the weekend, the place where I work my ass off to get ready for next week.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 05
"The world is a vampire...set to drain"
--The Smashing Pumpkins

Witty comments here...(oops, that was supposed to be a place holder.)

---

As you all remember, the idea is once again simple:
Nah, screw it, you know the rules, or you know where to find them.
(cdbarker.blogspot.com)

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 8:00 pm EST MONDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Yesterday's Results from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the MCI Center in Washington, DC
Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush"--23 votes
Primitive Radio Gods' "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand"--28 votes
Abstentions: 3
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"You know what's amazing to me? In the spirit of the whole modern rock appreciation month, I turned on 92.1 (The Edge, "Lansing's Hit Music Station") just to see what was up with the modern music of today. Guess what was playing? "Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots, which concidentally, was probably playing the last time I listened to 92.1 about 4 years ago. Actually, come to think about it, it was playing just about every single time I've turned on The Edge since 1993. It's weird. I graduated yet they are still playing the same music from when I was in college, like that Star Trek (TNG) episode where they keep reliving the same day over and over again and they don't even know it. So I turned back to NPR will never leave it again.

Yes, Plush is a good song. Not may favorite STP, but I'm still singing along after ten years. But I'll vote for the Gods. I've never heard it before today, I like it, and Plush will probably win in a walk."
--Spartan Steve

---

Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way"--28 votes
White Zombie's "More Human than Human"--20 votes
Oncoming Traffic: 6
Abstentions: 2

Match Comments (Best only):
"Kravitz over Zombie: And we all fear that mental image."
--Blasmo

"One of my closest friends lets his 6 year old son listen to Rob Zombie. Well, okay, *some* Rob Zombie... Anyway, for that connection, and since the "Are You Gonna Go My Way" video doesn't feature Heather Graham..."
--The Primal Cow

"For the guitar riffs and because he can get his pants tighter than any other male and not sing
falsetto."
--The Mentor

---

Yesterday's Results from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Elastica's "Connection"--13 votes
Green Day's "When I Come Around"--41 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"'Connection' -- Subtract originality points for ripping off a riff from 'Three Girl Rhumba' by Wire. Add three times as many style points for realizing that if you have to rip something off, it might as well be from a band as cool and obscure as Wire."
--The One-Eyed Squirrel

"Okay, until Christmas, I would've gone for Elastica. But then I heard "Three Girl Rhumba" by Wire, which is the source of the kicking guitar riff (hello, out-of-court settlement). And you know what? "Three Girl Rhumba" is 1,000 times better, and has a way funkier bass line. Everyone, go listen to Wire!"
--The Raging Lemur

""When I Come Around": Quickly fade away? This would imply that they ever hit it big in the general public. You never see an anonymous person go into the witness protection program."
--Michigan Paladin

"When I Come Around – When I was in England, there was an ad that talked about how the Brits invented sports, exported them, and then started to suck at them (footy, rugby, cricket). The equivalency relating to the original British Invasion and ‘90s Britpop couldn’t be more striking."
--The Wizard of Babson Park

---

R.E.M.'s "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?"--33 votes
Tori Amos' "Cornflake Girl"--13 votes
Abstentions: 7
Oncoming Traffic: 3

Match Comments (Best only):
"R.E.M.- Let's all hope that Tori Amos fans don't find your blog and besiege those of us who voted against her."
--Anonymouse

"R.E.M.: The Tori Amos bus came by about the same time that the STP bus did, and I very clearly missed the both of them."
--VwlssWndr

"Tori. The quality of R.E.M.'s music declines proportionally to the increased intelligibility of Stipe's vocals. You can almost plot it on a graph. I don't really "get" either of these songs, but given this choice of head-scratchers, Tori's purr trumps Stipe's bleat."
--Gerbil #1

---

Today's Matchups from the Midwest Regional, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
Jane's Addiction's "Been Caught Stealing" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1990)
vs.
Kid Rock's "Cowboy" (#5 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1999)

You know, I can't say that Perry never really got his due. Hell, Jane Says was in the last tournament, that should say something. Plus, the man did found Lollapalooza, so you know, he's got that going for him. And we learned that Dave Navarro is one of the decade's better guitar players, so you know, "Been Caught Stealing," an upbeat little dittiy on kleptomania is their entry into the tournament festivities. At the other end of the decade is the only person every to use Yzerman in a song lyric for dramatic effect, Romeo, Michigan's own Kid Rock. There apparently is quite a bit of pimpin' in this song, but I can't be sure, Kid, can you clear this up for me? Anyway...Will Kid Rock "walk right through the door" or will Jane's Addiction "start an escort service for all the right reasons."

Seal's "Crazy" (#5 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1991)
vs.
New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" (#8 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1998)

Seal bring his second song of the tournament, his breakout 1991 single that still gets consistent and solid radio airplay. He will go up against our second Michigander of the day, Grosse Pointe's own Gregg Alexander, who managed such a big 70s influenced hit with "You get What You Give" that he disbanded the group to focus on the production side. (And if you really want an amazing song off Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, try "Mother we Just Can't Get Enough.") Will Seal get "the dreamer's disease" or will New Radicals find that "he's never gonna survive."

---

Today's Matchups from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike" (#7 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1992)
vs.
Dave Matthews Band's "Crush" (#11 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1998)

You know, I know it's funny, but I once tried to explain to one of my students the perfect example of a grunge song. And I pulled up "Hunger Strike". Before I use the term Zeitgeist again, it does an amazing job of capturing the grunge aesthetic, in part because it's a blended tribute of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, in tribute to the late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. The vocal duel between Cornell and Vedder throws down against the second helping of Charlottesvillians, this time with their bass-laden song about, well, according to Dave on Storytellers "the fun part of love...it's about worship of women and in this case a particular woman, my girlfriend's head was floating above me when I wrote this song...and it said 'You best write this song about me boy." Will Temple of the Dog end up "right side up or upside down" or will DMB be "goin' hungry!"

The Breeders' "Cannonball" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1993)
vs.
Foo Fighters' "My Hero" (#6 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1997)

I don't know if I can qualify the Breeders as Riot Grrls, but for the purposes of this tournament, it's about as close as we're gonna get. Kim Deal, late of the Pixies, put up this track for public consumption in 1992, paving the way for angsty and pissy female rockers. Whether or not we should thank her for that is your call. They make their last splash against another guy who had a career in two major alt-rock bands, Mr. Dave Grohl, who picked up the pieces of Kurt's demise and went out and made Foo Fighters. Then, to everyone's surprise, he made them kick ass. The first of three Foos tunes in the tournament, "My Hero" from 1997's The Colour and the Shape is hard edged, but not too much so. Also, please do not hold this track's inclusion on the Varsity Blues soundtrack against it. Will The Breeders "watch him as they fall" or will the Foos be "Blown to hell, crash."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, jump back, gotta get outta here.

Thought for the Day: You only think you've heard everything.
January 9, 2003

First Things First:
You know, one of these days, I will write a regular blog again...but not today.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 04
"Lift my days, light up my nights."
--U2

Wow, the votes were close today. So I counted them. Then I recounted them. Then I sent them to an accounting firm for verification. And when Arthur Andersen sent them back, I sent them to a real accounting firm and they have certified that there are no Cook County shenanigans in this round.

---

As you all remember, the idea is once again simple:
Nah, screw it, you know the rules, or you know where to find them.
(cdbarker.blogspot.com)

Thanks to Tigerlily for her formatting suggestions and advice on clearing up this top part.

Oh, and one other things. As insane as this sounds, vote! Even if you don't like how things are going so far, vote! It's crazy to think that people might stop voting because the majority is against them. What if it would have been your one vote today that would have your favorite song into the second round? Vote, you never know what will happen! And tell your friends, democracy is contagious!

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 7:00 pm EST FRIDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Today's Results from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in Camden, NJ
Pearl Jam's "Black"--37 votes
Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"--14 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Pearl Jam not only is it a far superior song, but as my guy friends all pointed out, Natalie is false advertising: at no point of that video is she lying naked on the floor."
--The Curator

""Torn": I don't like Pearl Jam. Period. Besides, how can you vote against the song that Rick Dees had as the best song of the 1990s?"
--Michigan Paladin

---

Stereo MC's "Connected"--24 votes
Tonic's "If You Could Only See"--21 votes
Abstentions: 7
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Stereo MC's. "If You Could Only See" is a whiny piece of Complaint Rock."
--Gerbil #1

---

Today's Matchups from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC
Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones"--26 votes
Cake's "The Distance"--24 votes

Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Y'know, I'm sure that all of those beautiful colors really are very, very meaningful; I just don't care. I can't recall one phrase of "The Distance", but it's not "Mr. Jones", so I'll vote for Cake."
--The Primal Cow

---

Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence"--23 votes
Filter's "Take a Picture"--26 votes
Abstentions: 3
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"Even if I was Dennis Rodman stupid, I could call this one."
--The Mentor

---

Today's Matchups from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the MCI Center in Washington, DC

Stone Temple Pilots' "Plush" (#9 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1993)
vs.
Primitive Radio Gods' "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1996)

Side note: It is amazing that when I think of Stone Temple Pilots, I immediately think of sitting in my Freshman World History class in the back corner, the day that the U.S. upset England in the 1993 U.S. Cup. What's scarier is that I now teach in the classroom where that memory took place.

Anyway...Stone Temple Pilots, which I believe Beavis, like so many other people, thought were Pearl Jam, had the good fortune to be a grunge band riding the crest of grunge. This of course made them posuers in the eyes of the critics, but exceedingly popular in the ears of the rest of the world. "Plush" is a solid fragment of early 90s rock and roll. It goes up against a major contrast in style with the slow hip-hop vibe from an air traffic controller who did music on the side. Plus, it may be the only redeeming thing about The Cable Guy. Will STP "bathe yourself in zebra flesh" or will PRG find "that the dogs begin to smell her."

Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1993)
vs.
White Zombie's "More Human than Human" (#7 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)
Lenny's back with his first big hit, the big ass circular room, ripped off riffs, and all in that video. Son of Roxie brings his retrovibe against monster metal magnet, another favorite of Beavis and Butthead, White Zombie. Another one of those songs that permeated every action movie trailer in mid-decade, More Human than Human's multilayered sound makes it an interesting matchup. Will Lenny be "the crawling dead, a phantom in a box shadow" or will White Zombie "kill each other one by one."

---

Today's Matchups from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Elastica's "Connection" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)
vs.
Green Day's "When I Come Around" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1994)
OK, The `90s Brit-pop Revolution, aka Cool Brittania. America is supposed to love it. And occasionally we do, see Oasis. And sometimes we should love it and can't figure it out, see Blur. And then there are artists like Elastica, who get sold into beer commercials and quickly fade away. Justine and the boys kick it against one of the finest pure rock songs of the decade, Billy Joe and the boys bringing some refinement and a hint of what was to come with the only non-straight up neo-punk track on Dookie. Will Green Day "understand how the loss column's played" or will Elastica be "crying loud, all the way across town."

R.E.M.'s "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1995)
vs.
Tori Amos' "Cornflake Girl" (#12 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1994)

Side Note: Clippy, you're a son of a bitch, you know that.

If you only knew R.E.M. from the Out of Time/Automatic for the People phase, "Kenneth" confused the hell out of you. What were the painfully slow guys from Athens doing playing rock and roll. If you knew more about R.E.M.'s roots, you were less surprised and probably a touch disappointed with the direction of Monster. That said, it's one of Dan Rather's favorite songs, for obvious reasons if you know the origins of the title, and it does capture that mid-90s disaffected GenX vibe nicely in it's lyrics. BBMS go up against Tori Amos. I always feel inadequate describing Tori Amos songs. I know I like her music, but I also feel like I just don't get it. I love the piano in this one and sultry understatedness of this one. Will R.E.M. be "given the old heave ho" or will Tori "wear a shirt of violent green."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, rolling for the moment.

Thought for the Day: I'm meeting with a cow?
January 8, 2003

First Things First:
We've just got time for results and such tonight folks...Pesky falling asleep and such.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 03
"Richard said 'Withdrawl in disgust is not the same as apathy."
--R.E.M.

Damn you sleep...

---

As you all remember, the idea is once again simple:
It's a single-elim tournament.

There are 192 songs.

64 songs earned byes into the second round based on the number of times they were suggested by the committee. The remaining songs were seeded based on the year of release.

All songs must have as a single from an album released in the U.S. between 1990 and 1999 inclusive.

No more than three songs per artist (but if you go solo, whole new ballgame. I'm looking at you, Ms. Merchant and Mr. Grohl.)

No artist matches up against itself in the same region.

I truly believe we have an amazingly balanced and representative field of teams in this tournament. There are fewer stinkers and I tweaked Clippy's algorithm, so there are fewer first round mismatches, and basically, we seeded this thing.

All songs will have their highest Billboard Chart Position, whether it was on the Modern Rock Chart (preferred), Hot 100, or Mainstream Rock charts. I would like to thank www.allmusic.com for their invaluable assistance in this endeavor. And thanks to FYE for providing the sound clips.

---

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 7:00 pm EST THURSDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

For the first round, we will play four games a day, and I will print just the best comment for each song. This will not only make things move more quickly AND save some of our best comments for later.

Your Method for Picking Songs
Since there seemed to be some confusion last time around, I want to make this clear from the get-go. Your method for picking songs should be based upon the following three criteria in descending order of importance.

1). If both songs came on the radio at the same time, which one would you choose? (Note: do not always assume that drive = love = radio, which is to say, even if you listen to the radio more in the car than any other place, well, make your choice based on what you feel.)

2). Which song is more evocative of a moment in your past, which one sparks more memories or has a funny story attached.

3). Which one is more original, more evocative of the decade, which one will be remembered longer.

Also, please feel free to abstain in any contest where you don't feel like voting, that is your right as an American, or even as a Canadian. And of course, if you would like to add the Gerbil #1/Primal Cow option of "Oncoming Traffic", meaning you don't want to vote for either vehemently, well, that is your option too.

In the end, I suspect that this tournament will again conclusively prove that while democracy doesn't work, it is sort of funny most of the time.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Today's Results from the Northeast Regional, at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, CT
U2's "Stay (Far Away, So Close!)"--20 votes
Natalie Merchant's "Jealousy"--23 votes
Abstentions: 6
Oncoming Traffic: 3

Match Comments (Best only):
"Jealousy. You actually bought Zooropa, didn't you?"
--Spartan Steve
(Commissioner's Note: Duh.)

---

Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You"--17 votes
Soul Asylum's "Misery"--28 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 5

Match Comments (Best only):
"Why did Dave Pirner have to date that awful Winona Ryder, who is the suckhole of hope for all (but especially Minnesotan) rockers?"
--The Raging Lemur

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ
Dave Matthews Band's "Ants Marching"--25 votes
Deep Blue Something's "Breakfast at Tiffany's"--22 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 4

Match Comments (Best only):
"'Ants Marching' - It's a battle of my adopted hometowns (C'Ville vs. Dallas), but I'll take the DMB over DBS, despite the presence of a former UVA quizbowl member in a crowd scene of the 'Breakfast' video."
--The Virginian

---

The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You"--24 votes
Sponge's "Molly (Sixteen Candles)"--20 votes
Abstentions: 6
Oncoming Traffic: 2

Match Comments (Best only):
"'Sponge's Molly.' I guess it looks better that way than Molly's Sponge."
--The Mentor

---

Today's Matchups from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in Camden, NJ

Pearl Jam's "Black" (#20 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1992)
vs.
Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" (#12 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1997)
Like many songs, "Black" was never "officially" released as a single, and yet it did chart as high as #3. Moreover, it became one of the official concert staples of Pearl Jam shows. People came to expect "Black" like they would expect "Moon River" (bam, second encore), and it weighed on the Seattle lads, so they took it out of rotation, and that made it even more amazing. The thing is though, it's an amazingly deep song, pained and hushed, with frustration and longing all wrapped into a slow burn. It goes up against Aussie soap actress (who on that album cover looks like an anime character, but anyway) turned ingénue Natalie Imbruglia, the first artist ever to appear as a musical guest on SNL before the release of her first album. In 1997, ubiquity had a name, and that name was Natalie. Will Pearl Jam be left "lying naked on the floor" or will Natalie be left with "bitter hands cradle broken glass of what was everything"

Stereo MC's "Connected"
(#5 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1992) vs.
Tonic's "If You Could Only See" (#3 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1997)
British hip-hop being what it is, which is to say, very white, thus some how weaves its way into the Modern Rock field. A sample free groove propels this razor-sharp upbeat tune into the field, where they play against a late `90s light and romantic tune, whose sound is very textured, what with the slide guitars, and the opening acoustic guitar track. Will the Stereo MC's "cut me down to size" or will Tonic "go blind for the light which is reflected."

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ

Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1993)
vs.
Cake's "The Distance" (#4 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1997)
Damn, that is an upbeat song. And let's face it, there are many people who love other songs on August and Everything After more (whether it's "Anna Begins" or "Omaha" or "The Rain King" or personal favorite "A Murder of One.") But it was the song of summer 1993, it was everywhere, and it remains as an artifact of that time. It goes up against a song for which the word quirky seems to have been developed. Half-spoken word, half beats and breaks samples, half Homeric epic of auto racing (yes, like I said, quirky.) Will Counting Crows be "all alone, in a time of need" or will Cake "want to be Bob Dylan."

Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" (#1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1990)
vs.
Filter's "Take a Picture" (#3 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1999)
Another opposing ends of the decade matchup. One of the pioneers of alt-dance, "Enjoy the Silence" (along with fellow 1990 single "Personal Jesus") marked a major breakthrough in the U.S. for the band. But once again, AMG's critics can explain it so much better than I can. The mopsters from the Isles face off against an industrial band trapped in a genre crosser than may be one of the finest songs ever written and performed (and the chronologically last song released in the tournament, coming out in August 1999), brought to you by Richard Patrick, brother of Robert "Agent Doggett/T-1000" Patrick. (And for those inustrial fans who are not happy, Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" will be along later.) The driven yet unforceful bassline, the subtle arrangement, the slow build, and the soulful lyrics (including the perfect line "Can everyone agree that no one should be left alone"), all coming together very close to perfectly. Will Depeche Mode find that "their skin is bare" or will Filter find that "Words are meaningless and forgettable."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, awake on my airplane.

Thought for the Day: Just the facts, ma'am...
January 7, 2003

First Things First:
We've just got time for results and such tonight folks...Pesky Tuesdays.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 02
"Paranoia, Paranoia, everybody's coming to get me."
--Harvey Danger

Over 50 people voted today, on Day 1! That is a record for any of my tournaments. I appreciate the enthusiasm, let's keep it up.

---

As you all remember, the idea is once again simple:
It's a single-elim tournament.

There are 192 songs.

64 songs earned byes into the second round based on the number of times they were suggested by the committee. The remaining songs were seeded based on the year of release.

All songs must have as a single from an album released in the U.S. between 1990 and 1999 inclusive.

No more than three songs per artist (but if you go solo, whole new ballgame. I'm looking at you, Ms. Merchant and Mr. Grohl.)

No artist matches up against itself in the same region.

I truly believe we have an amazingly balanced and representative field of teams in this tournament. There are fewer stinkers and I tweaked Clippy's algorithm, so there are fewer first round mismatches, and basically, we seeded this thing.

All songs will have their highest Billboard Chart Position, whether it was on the Modern Rock Chart (preferred), Hot 100, or Mainstream Rock charts. I would like to thank www.allmusic.com for their invaluable assistance in this endeavor. And thanks to Barnes and Noble for providing the sound clips.

---

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 7:00 pm EST WEDNESDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

For the first round, we will play four games a day, and I will print just the best comment for each song. This will not only make things move more quickly AND save some of our best comments for later.

Your Method for Picking Songs
Since there seemed to be some confusion last time around, I want to make this clear from the get-go. Your method for picking songs should be based upon the following three criteria in descending order of importance.

1). If both songs came on the radio at the same time, which one would you choose? (Note: do not always assume that drive = love = radio, which is to say, even if you listen to the radio more in the car than any other place, well, make your choice based on what you feel.)

2). Which song is more evocative of a moment in your past, which one sparks more memories or has a funny story attached.

3). Which one is more original, more evocative of the decade, which one will be remembered longer.

Also, please feel free to abstain in any contest where you don't feel like voting, that is your right as an American, or even as a Canadian. And of course, if you would like to add the Gerbil #1/Primal Cow option of "Oncoming Traffic", meaning you don't want to vote for either vehemently, well, that is your option too.

In the end, I suspect that this tournament will again conclusively prove that while democracy doesn't work, it is sort of funny most of the time.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Today's Results from the Northeast Regional, at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY
Deee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart"--32 votes
blink-182's "What's My Age, Again?"--19 votes
Abstentions: 0
Oncoming Traffic: 3

Match Comments (Best only):
"One Sunday at church, my friend who is a bass player in a Chicago area band was waxing rhapsodic about Bootsy Collins. I said that I was also a huge fan, although I was so lame that I had never heard of him until I first saw the video for "Groove is in the Heart." To that, my friend replied, "There's no shame there. That song was a funky mess and besides, that Lady Miss Kier was fine. I'd hop on that in church!" I think that says it all."
--The One-Eyed Squirrel

---

The La's "There She Goes"--31 votes
Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away"--17 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 3

Match Comments (Best only):
"Love Lenny, but tired of flying away. "There She Goes" reminds me of So I Married an Axe Murderer, and that makes me happy. 'Head! Paper! Now! That is if you can move that gargantuan melon of yours!'"
--The Mentor

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY
Seal's "Kiss From a Rose"--25 votes
The Verve Pipe's "The Freshmen"--26 votes
Abstentions: 2
Oncoming Traffic: 1

Match Comments (Best only):
"While Oncoming Traffic is tempting, I make my choice based on a Sklar Brothers routine where they talked about how incoming college students would adopt this song as a drinking anthem, ignoring its painful message. Being in higher ed, the joke struck a chord. 'THE FRESHMAN'"
--The Wizard of Babson Park

---

The Spin Doctors's "Two Princes"--29 votes
Blur's "Song 2"--24 votes
Abstentions: 1
Oncoming Traffic: 0

Match Comments (Best only):
"This one is the only one of this group that isn't a complete no-brainer for me. I'll have to go with the Spin Doctors, because of the overplay issue with Song2. I want to make it clear, however, that there is nothing wrong with Damon Albarn bouncing around. But I'm still lookin' for the one who wants to buy me rockets. I still haven't found what I'm . . .(wrong tourney)"
--Stevie

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, CT

U2's "Stay (Far Away, So Close!)" (#15 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)
vs.
Natalie Merchant's "Jealousy" (#23 on the Hot 100 in 1996)

Not the highest charting songs by either of these artists, but both seem to have tremendous legs long term. Probably one of U2's best straight up love songs (because as ESPN's David Fleming once said, the hard part about U2 lyrics are that most of them could be about a girl or God, and the better part is, it really doesn't seem to matter.) with an amazing video featuring the Siegessaule, Berlin's statue of the Goddess of Winged Victory. The boys from Dublin square off against that former maniac and one of her more more grooving tracks off Tigerlily and its conceptualization of human nature. Will U2 have "the voice reminding them," or will Natalie be "dressed up like a car crash?"

Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" (#3 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1993)
vs.
Soul Asylum's "Misery" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)

The AMG song reviews say it much better than I can, but both have a strange and special place on the soundtrack of life (Disc 2: The High School Years) The slow sweet softness of Mazzy Star's lyrics against the annoyance of Soul Asylum's mid-range rocker. Will Mazzy Star get "Frustrated, incorporated" or will Soul Asylum "come apart and you'll go black."

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the Continential Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ

Dave Matthews Band's "Ants Marching" (#18 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1994)
vs.
Deep Blue Something's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (#5 on the Hot 100 Chart in 1995)

Do you smell that kids? Why, it's the smell of polarization in the air, as one of the bands that I am sure will be causing much hand wringing, hate mail, and by the same token, lovefest and worship, steps up to the plate for their first go with one of their early hits. They lace them up against a band whose one hit wonderness does not accurately reflect their usual sensibilities (If I had a nickel for every time that will be said this tournament.) Will the DMB "hate when things are over" or will Deep Blue Something "go lights down, you up and die."

The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You" (#2 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1994)
vs.
Sponge's "Molly (Sixteen Candles)" (#3 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1995)

Probably aided by another one of those things that makes the 90s the 90s, an appearance on Friends, and the Friends soundtrack, along with inummerable movie trailers, including, IIRC, G.I. Jane when they repackaged the trailers to make it seem more "tender", Chrissy proves she can still write a sweet and powerful rock ballad even in the third decade of music. In a Great Lakes Classic, she squares off against some local boys (strangely, not at the insistance of a Metro Detroiter) and their tribute to the 80s, well, at least one 80s icon, one with red hair and John Hughes films to her credit. Yep, that's right, Sixteen Candles down the drain (they always denied the connection, but that was just probably because it was too obvious.) Will The Pretenders end up like "Wilted flowers in a vase" or will Sponge "find the night fall on them, baby."

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, still crazy after all these gears.

Thought for the Day: Start Me Up
January 6, 2003

First Things First:
Guess who's back, back again, Barker's back, tell your friends (seriously!) But first, some good old fashioned Barker blogging...

Braves go Fick themselves
Well, that solves that pesky first baseman problem. And at least he doesn't have to throw the ball.

Parcells starts to build staff, adds Lions O-coordinator Carthon
Tuna, why? Why the Lions' O-Coordinator? Have you watched recent game tape?

Rolling Stones Start Up The New Year With Ford
Which would be all well and good, but it makes me think my computer is rebooting every time it comes on. Yes, I still after 8 years, have Start Me Up as my start up sound. It replaced, and I am amazed I remember this, "Longview" by Green Day.

By the way, it's Homicide's Kyle Secor doing the Lions ads for ESPN. I was shocked when I figured it, I nearly went apopleptic

Clarett not done yet: He wants to play defense
Because he's done such a good job staying healthy playing just one position.

Weekend Water Cooler: Nothing Beats a Comeback
The man is correct, but he raises a more important question: Is there any other football mad state where one and only one D-I college team holds sways over the residents like the *uckeyes do over Ohio? The Good Doctor suggests J'Cuse, but New York had the lowest interest in college football of any state in the nation according to the ESPN SportsNation 2002 poll. DEK further suggests Penn State, but I am pretty sure some Pitt fans on this board would strongly disagree with me (then again, Eastern Pennsylvania, as The Good Doc points out, belongs to Temple?) If you have any thoughts on this major issue of the day, let me know.

And now on to the reason most of you show up....

---

The Barker 192-Song Modern Rock Tournament--Day 01
"Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be."
--Nirvana

Well, here we are again, new year, new ideas, new tournament. 192 songs have been chosen by our outstanding selection committee, which consisted of The Virginian, The Curator, VwlssWndr, Blasmo, The Good Doctor, BustaE, GZ, JQSmooth, Stepson of Troy, Cardinal, Tigerlily, Wizard of Babson Park, The Lady Keenan, The Keeper, Mom, Ryab, Studio 176 (and anyone whom I may have forgotten.) Your help was greatly appreciated and while I did not always agree with you, I do thank you for your time and for your ideas.

---

As you all remember, the idea is once again simple:
It's a single-elim tournament.

There are 192 songs.

64 songs earned byes into the second round based on the number of times they were suggested by the committee. The remaining songs were seeded based on the year of release.

All songs must have as a single from an album released in the U.S. between 1990 and 1999 inclusive.

No more than three songs per artist (but if you go solo, whole new ballgame. I'm looking at you, Ms. Merchant and Mr. Grohl.)

No artist matches up against itself in the same region.

I truly believe we have an amazingly balanced and representative field of teams in this tournament. There are fewer stinkers and I tweaked Clippy's algorithm, so there are fewer first round mismatches, and basically, we seeded this thing.

All songs will have their highest Billboard Chart Position, whether it was on the Modern Rock Chart (preferred), Hot 100, or Mainstream Rock charts. I would like to thank www.allmusic.com for their invaluable assistance in this endeavor. And thanks to Barnes and Noble for providing the sound clips.

---

Vote by logging into the comments widget or emailing me by 10:00 pm EST TUESDAY. We'll tally and post the results then.

For the first round, we will play four games a day, and I will print just the best comment for each song. This will not only make things move more quickly AND save some of our best comments for later.

Your Method for Picking Songs
Since there seemed to be some confusion last time around, I want to make this clear from the get-go. Your method for picking songs should be based upon the following three criteria in descending order of importance.

1). If both songs came on the radio at the same time, which one would you choose? (Note: do not always assume that drive = love = radio, which is to say, even if you listen to the radio more in the car than any other place, well, make your choice based on what you feel.)

2). Which song is more evocative of a moment in your past, which one sparks more memories or has a funny story attached.

3). Which one is more original, more evocative of the decade, which one will be remembered longer.

Also, please feel free to abstain in any contest where you don't feel like voting, that is your right as an American, or even as a Canadian. And of course, if you would like to add the Gerbil #1/Primal Cow option of "Oncoming Traffic", meaning you don't want to vote for either vehemently, well, that is your option too.

In the end, I suspect that this tournament will again conclusively prove that while democracy doesn't work, it is sort of funny most of the time.

OK, that is all. Thank you, and let's be careful out there.
--The Commissioner

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY

Deee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart" (#4 on the Hot 100 in 1990)
vs.
blink-182's "What's My Age, Again?" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1999)
You knew we had to get Bootsy Collins in here somehow. Lady Miss Keir and the boys bring their 1990 Zeitgeist to the table. They will throwdown with the boys from San Diego, neo-punks Mark, Tom, and Travis (good last name on that drummer there.) and their anthem that honors immaturity. Will Deee-Lite learn that nobody likes you when you're 23 or will blink-182 find that they can't dance with another?


The La's "There She Goes" (#2 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1991)
vs.
Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1998)

Perhaps one of the most underrated (and most covered, Boo Radleys, Sixpence None The Richer, Robbie Williams) songs of the Modern Rock era brings what it's got up against perhaps one of the most overplayed songs of the Modern Rock era. Will Lenny go racing through our brains, or will the La's fade into the sun.

---

Today's Matchups from the Northeast Regional, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY

Seal's "Kiss From a Rose" (#1 on the Hot 100 in 1995)
vs.
The Verve Pipe's "The Freshmen" (#1 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1997)

A pair of #1's show down, as Seal's bat soundtrack anthem from `95 (easily from the best of the Batman movies, yes, I know, even better than Batman (1989)) signals up to the masses, squaring off against Brian Vander Ark and Michigan State's favorite frat band. Will The Verve Pipe eyes become large and light that you shine can't be seen, or will Seal be guilt-stricken, sobbing, with his head on the floor.

The Spin Doctors's "Two Princes" (#7 on the Hot 100 in 1992)
vs.
Blur's "Song 2" (#6 on the Modern Rock Chart in 1997)
The funky proto-jam band's most ubiquitous hit (I preferred "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" but I was a freshman in High School, what did I know?) squares off against Blur's best known American song. (Read the song comments from AMG to show you how ironic it is that this is the song that Blur is best known for in America. Choices like "Country House", "Boys and Girls", and "The Universal" would have made my Anglo-music heart sing, but would have had their asses kicked soundly. Will Blur find they aren't in their heads now, or will the Spin Doctors get their heads checked, by a jumbo jet.

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I'm Craig Barker, just crazy enough to do this all over again.

Thought for the Day: You see, Gaelic Football has fewer bowl games...
January 02, 2003

First things first:
In honor of two of my favorite things, college football and U2, I break down yesterday's bowl fiesta using the classic 1983 U2 song, "New Year's Day."

All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
Six bowl games, Outback, Cotton, Capital One, Gator, Rose, Sugar. Yeah, except, it didn't snow here until today.

I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at Kevin's, well, it makes the commute shorter.

Nothing changes on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
Florida lost again this year...check
Notre Dame was exposed as a fraud...check.
JoePa choked in a bowl game...check

I will be with you again
I will be with you again
For the FIFTH straight year, Michigan played on New Year's Day, in Florida, against an SEC opponent.

Under a blood red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Not quite, but the overdose of red clad fans at the Rose and Sugar Bowls certainly was bright.

Arms entwined, the chosen few
Nothing funnier than attempting to watch Rex Grossman attempting to defend the "pass" by Vernell Brown when UF was trying to go down the field and try to tie the game.

The newspapers says, says
Say it's true it's true...
And we can break through
Chris Perry and John Navarre, after having frustrating and maddening seasons for their inconsistency prove why many think that Michigan could be very lethal next year.

Though torn in two
We can be one
Attempting to watch the Outback, Cotton, and Gator Bowls at the same time would have been tough, but the Head Keenan proved once again to be a master of the remote.

I...I will begin again
I...I will begin again
Looking at the way Oklahoma played yesterday in the Rose Bowl, how weird is that to say, he looked like they could be a very dangerous team next year too.

Oh...
Maybe the time is right
Oh...maybe tonight...
Georgia proves that Georgia football is back and I can happily write "woof woof woof" to one of my most loyal readers.

I will be with you again
I will be with you again
Chris Simms finally proves that he can win a game in Dallas. Am I alone in snickering at the idea that Bill Parcells will take Chris Simms as his QB, figuring that like father, like son could work for him.

And so we're told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Studio's theory of "pick against the team that wants to be in the bowl its in the least" held exceedingly true with the lack of heart or desire that Notre Dame seemed to play with yesterday.

Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Not quite a New Year's Day Bowl thing, but anyone who has worked with a college financial aid office has to be less than shocked at the hoops that Maurice Clarett was asked to jump through about the whole plane ticket thing.

Nothing changes
On New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
Yep, because we'll do it all again next year.

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I am Craig Barker, getting ready.

Thought for the Day: Looking back on the Palindrome...
December 31, 2002

First things first:
Call it what you will, cheap tactic, easy way to blog, you know, whatever. Here is the Top 25 moments, in no particular order, of 2002 in the World of Barker. Just remember, in the world of Barker, all things revolved around sports, so that is how this will work.

25). Patrick Roy's "Look what I have...Oh sh*t!" moment in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals.

When I try to explain hubris to Detroiters, I will cite this as my primary example.

24). Phil Garner starts the season 0-6 and gets his ass canned in favor of Luis Pujols and Randy Smith is finally and mercifully fired.

This was not so memorable as much as the fact that we were rolling down in Raleigh-Durham for the National Championship from Hell. If I were a drinking man, I would have been watching Baseball Tonight in my room at the Residence Inn and crying as I saw the Tigers fall to 0-5.

23). Michigan, despite having no kicking game to speak of, beats Washington 31-29 to move to 2-0 on my birthday in football.

This is before Brabbs becomes a verb meaning, to miss, badly and repeatedly.

22). Pistons fans boo the Canadian National Anthem during playoff series with the Raptors.

The irony of course being that all 12 players on the Raptors are Americans, where as the Pistons have players from three different nations.

21). Before any sane person is awake in America, the United States beats Mexico 2-0 in the World Cup.

And the rest of the world learns that America's official soccer anthem is Steam's "Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye."

20). Michigan self-imposes sanctions on most of the 1990s basketball history due to the Ed Martin scandal.

And Michigan goes 1984 more effectively than any other institution that doesn't have the word Socialist in its name.

19). Coach Marty elects to kick to start overtime in Champaign.

I can't even...I'm sorry, I need a moment, talk amongst yourselves.

18). I learn that you don't automatically get Big Ten football when you turn on your TV in the Atlanta suburbs. But the SEC can be exciting too…

Then again, I also assumed my luggage would come with me. Silly me.

17). On the same note, the Braves make an already happy wedding day even happier.

Now, if they could have just done it two more times, it would have been even better, right Studio?

16). Stevenson goes to football playoffs once again with victory over a resurgent Churchill, on Homecoming, in the pouring rain.

There is nothing quite like watching papier-mâché melt before your eyes as you are the designated float wrangler for a second year in a row.

15). The Tigers cheat, bat out of order, still lose to eventual World Series champion Anaheim.

You know, if it were any other team, I wouldn't have believed it, but then again, the Angels won the Series, so your mileage may vary.

14). The Red Wings make Game 7 of the Western Conference showdown a celebration by plastering Patty Boy for 6 goals en rout to a 7-0 lead.

You know, the Wings smoking Patrick in Montreal is what sent him to Colorado, so I suppose it was only fitting.

13). Michigan plays an exciting and epic game against Penn State, takes it to Michigan Stadium's first overtime and wins 27-24.

Made all the better by the fact that not only was I there, I got to snack in the Regents' Box with The Real Doctor and the hoity-toity crowd.

12). After an epic game with Russia to get to the Gold Medal Game, Team USA loses to Team Canada and the lucky Loonie and settles for silver.

But you know what, it was amazing hockey regardless.

11). Pistons complete the return to glory by capturing their first Central Division title since the Bad Boys era.

And I just keep hearing "Goin' to Work" over and over again in my head. And you know what, I like it!

10). Michigan returns to the Frozen Four after beating #1 seed Denver at Yost, then gets karmic retribution by losing to Minnesota at St. Paul in the National Semis.

Just a reminder, I love college hockey.

9). The Giants choke away a five-run lead, let the Angels have Game 6 and essentially, the Series.

Skipping the easy Rally Monkey joke, I just point out that no one has choked this hard in the Bay Area since yachting enthusiast Latrell Sprewell.

8). Lions retain the M&M boys after a 5-27 two-year run.

To quote coach Marty, "Geez, I mean, you know, well, we're trying."

7). U2 proves that the Super Bowl halftime does not have to suck.

Oh and Adam Vinatieri had that last second field goal too.

6). The U.S. stuns Portugal 3-2 in the team's opening game of the World Cup.

And proving that we only know one language really well as a country, American fans can be heard chanting the vastly incorrect "Adios Amigos" at the end of the game.

5). We learn that valuable lessons of sports related road trips.

These are all in the archive somewhere:

a). Always look back when backing out of the driveway.
b). The Tigers will always make a five run lead interesting in the ninth.
c). Soviet-themed stadiums make for even more mad fun.
d). Empty seats in Quebec can be used as spare noisemakers.
e). Mascot soccer rules (this time with the Atlanta Beat)
f). Yooupi has separatist sympathies.
g). James van der Beek does not always have the Texas accent.
h). Cinergy Field is very very very tall (or was.)
i). You can scare anyone with a NIFL experience.
j). Jimmy John's at your hockey arena? The best invention since sliced bread.
k). The Quebecois take a very laissez-faire attitude toward national anthems.
l). TSN teaches me to celebrate the routine rather than the spectacular.
m). Trips to the Canadian Basketball Hall(way) of Fame, you can always see the Stanley Cup.
n). Trips to the Corel Centre lead The Good Doctor into a stream of profanity to rival a Mamet script.

4). For a second straight year, Michigan doesn't so much lose to Ohio State as it runs out of time.

Yes, I am making excuses. John Cooper spoiled me.

3). The Lions actually look competent, draft Joey Ballgame with #3 pick.

And as Tigerlily pointed out, they then went out and broke his heart.

2). You like ties? We got ties. Bud proves that you can make any crisis worse by getting personally involved in your own hometown.

As the site says, there's no tying in baseball.

1). En route to their third Stanley Cup in six years, Igor Larionov scores in the third overtime to beat Carolina in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

It was the second best part of my trip to Austin.

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I am Craig Barker, ringing in the new.

Thought for the Day: Wrapping things up and starting things anew
December 30, 2002

And this is the end, the end of our story...the end.
-------------------------------------------------------------
The Final Tally:
Tigerlily Arlington, VA 55
The Head Keenan Ann Arbor, MI 55
JQSmooth Atlanta, GA 54
Cousin E St. Clair Shores, MI 53
Resident Canadian London, ONT 51
The Virginian Plano, TX 50
Cardinal Livonia, MI 50

So, here's how it plays out. Your three legit contenders at the break of day, Mike, Lauren, and JQ all take Denver this week, so it comes down to one game for each of them. There are permutations, but it's mostly win and in time.

Head Keenan takes Detroit and gets what he deserves...(to be fair, if he had taken Cincy and Jacksonville, he still would have lost)

Tigerlily takes Dallas and loses (again, she only had Arizona or Houston left, so no help there.)

JQSmooth takes San Diego and loses (and here's where it hurts. While he would have lost with Arizona, had he taken Minnesota, he would have won with 57 points.)

Because I did not declare a tie-breaker at the start of the year, unless, wait a second (opens up archive)..nope, didn't think of that...Your co-winners of Cut-Throat Pick 'Em are

Arlington, Virginia's Tigerlily
and
Ann Arbor, Michigan's Head Keenan!

You can access the spreadsheet that I am using to track at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cdbarker/cutthroat.xls

Interesting notes:
Big Winners of the week:
13 of 32 players had Denver (over Arizona) (Oooh, beating up the Cardinals, with a bionic back-up quarterback...)

06 of 32 players had Minnesota (over Detroit) (Geez, I mean, so close, so so so so so so close.)

05 of 32 players had Oakland (over Kansas City) (I still think that the weather was the big winner in this one...)

Big Losers of the Week:
08 of 32 players had Dallas (lost to Washington) (Oh no, Ball Coach is getting this Skins ready for the Outback Bowl.)

06 of 32 players had San Diego (lost to Seattle) (San Diego, start hot, finish cold.)

05 of 32 players had Detroit (lost to Minnesota) (As that modern rock poet Mark McGrath said "When It's Over...")

Boola Boola (got both games right):
The Good Doctor (IND/OAK)
The Stepson of Troy (DEN/NE)
GZ (DEN/WAS)
Cousin E (MIN/OAK)
TimK (DEN/MIN)
Gerbil #3 (DEN/MIN)
Senor Orangepants (DEN/SEA)

Wipe-Outs (got both games wrong):
The Real Doctor (DAL/DET)
The Virginian (NO/SD)
Tsarista (DET/KC)
Clippy (BUF/TB)

Upset Special--Biggest Upset Pick of the week:
We'll give it to The Stepson of Troy this week because the Patriots rousing, yet pointless, comeback was truly a thing of beauty, though I must also give props to the Brownies (as picked by Yale Mathematician in training Nate Dogg), for beating the Falcons to get into the playoffs.

House Calls:
With limited options left, the House goes to 19-11 as it double drops, losing the Pokes at FedEx to the Skins and the Leos at home to the Norsemen.

Clippy's Corner:
Clippy closes out a Bengals-like season by missing both GB at the J! E! T! S! and Miami at New England. Clippy ends the year a woeful...15-15

So, that's everything for the year. We'll be back next year, with tiebreakers, with all 17 weeks and new plans so if you have any questions, please email me at cdbarker@umich.edu


Tigerlily Arlington, VA 55
The Head Keenan Ann Arbor, MI 55
JQSmooth Atlanta, GA 54
E-Dog St. Clair Shores, MI 53
Resident Canadian London, ONT 51
The Virginian Plano, TX 50
Cardinal Livonia, MI 50
Michigan Paladin College Park, MD 49
Tsarista Ann Arbor, MI 49
The Stepson of Troy Beallsville, PA 49
The Bruce San Francisco, CA 49
Brother in Arms Livonia, MI 49
Tim K Lincoln Park, MI 49
You Know Who Livonia, MI 48
Crodgers Columbia, SC 47
The Good Doctor Bridgeville, PA 47
GZ GP Woods, MI 47
Adam K East Liverpool, OH 46
Gordon Traverse City, MI 46
The Wizard of Babson Park Manchester, MA 46
Daniel B Ann Arbor, MI 44
Senor Orangepants Edison, NJ 44
The Real Doctor Ann Arbor, MI 44
Big Bird Chicago, IL 43
Nate Dogg Bloomfield Hills, MI 43
Gerbil #3 Beverly, MA 42
ADJ Push, NV 41
Ed M. Okemos, MI 41
Ghostjam Lexana, KS 37
Dirty Midwest Chelsea, MI 37
VOA JD Arlington, VA 34
Paper Clippy Redmond, WA 34

---

As of the end of the PacLife Holiday Bowl, here is your leaderboard. (Remember, this is your maximum points possible as of today and points you have already earned.)

K. Olmstead 330 137
B. Hight 379 126
J. Quintong 344 120
L. Arestie 362 117
D. Baxter 354 110
J. Keller 345 108
J. Wright 343 106
D. Bykowski 335 106
A. Manzuk 364 105
E. Steinhauser 361 103
D. Balserio 363 101
M. Burger 350 99
Mike Math* 346 95
R. Blay 367 93
C. Barker 331 87
M. Coen 371 84
Mike Scrabble& 366 73
N. Meyvis 345 73
D. Wallace 344 67
K. QB% 384 67
S. DeVeau 370 66
G. Berman 369 64
K. Gut# 352 42
P. Clippy 383 32
E. Muraszewski 303 32

* picks and confidence were based on Danny Sheridan's point spreads.
& picks and confidence were based on the Scrabble score of the team's nickname
% picks and confidence were based on what would happen if the two teams played quiz bowl
# picks and confidence were based on gut instinct rather than logic

That's all for today, until tomorrow,
I am Craig Barker, maker of pools that have no money in them...

Thought for the Day: Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards All
December 24, 2002

First things first:
I just wanted to make a quick post before the truest run of Christmas begins here to say something that has been on my mind all day. I think the reason that our family and our true friends have the greatest capacity to cause us anger, frustration, and pain is because they are the ones we have let in the deepest to our lives. Couple that with the fact that most times, when people say things to us, we wouldn't care, the fact that we care about what these people think about us makes it all the more painful. But in the end, we love them and we need them so we don't feel alone in the world, especially at the times of year when you want to have people around. I am a deeply flawed person, I know I am, but I have people who have accepted those flaws in me and have stuck by me even when I wasn't worthy of that loyalty and love. Some because they are related to me by blood, some because they are the family we have chosen to include in our lives. It is my hope that each and everyone of you have a safe and happy holiday season, that you get to spend time with the people who love you dearly, and that you hope that all of us can find renewed strength and sense of purpose as we begin a new year.

That's all for today, until sometime soon,
I am Craig Barker.