racingmeridian.com

Best weekend ever? Yeah, I’m feeling pretty good about a couple of days full of friends, fun and song. McClin and I created three new tracks on Saturday and, tooting my own horn, two of them are pretty bloody fantastic. What really got me poppin’ was the title of his upcoming disk, “Dirty Paper”. It’s named after a song yours truly penned and is pegged as the single.

Wait.

Let me run that by myself one more time.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be a lyricist for a rap artist I would have presumed it could only be a sign of an impending apocalypse. But it’s here and happening and I’m just enthralled with the whole creative process. I create the prose and McClin quickly decides if the sentiments can mesh with his flow. If not we put it aside and start anew, discussing themes and directions. When I started writing a rap version of Jesus Christ Superstar he asked me to leave the studio for a minimum of two weeks and, uh, re-focus. Fine, that’s fair. It’s all about the fun for me at the moment. A producer took McClin aside and asked him how he wrote “Dirty Paper”. He said, I didn’t, a white dude wrote it. Apparently the man’s eyes bugged and said whoever wrote that has got to be a (black man). Later he told McClin, keep that dude close, “he’s your jackpot”. Me? Don’t really think so, but, as Hunter said, I’ll buy the ticket and take the ride…

GRID IRON..it was a fantastic day of football in the NFL with improbable comebacks and last second heroics seemingly the norm; Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans provided some of the most compelling, heart-stopping moments of the 2009 season during a stunning 99 yard drive in the waning moments of their win over Arizona yesterday. I could scarcely believe what I was watching. The team was so poised and smart, spending their timeouts wisely and using the sidelines to manage the clock. Three times the Titans converted on fourth down, the final time a magnificent toss into the end zone for the game winning tally. The Titans now head into Indianapolis in a must-see showdown with the unbeaten Colts. Can the Titans fashion another miracle? Right now they are receiving brilliant play in their backfield but are also boosted by the savvy and experience of Jeff Fisher. Tennessee is on a serious roll and I would not underestimate their chances against Peyton and his posse…the Baltimore - Pittsburgh rivalry may be the most ferocious in the league. Last night featured a violent renewal with the inspired play of Ray Rice perhaps making the difference. The Steelers were remarkably resilient considering the absence of Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. The teams play again on Dec 27^th in a game that will likely be critical to their respective playoff chances…the Ravens are currently 30-1 to win the Superbowl and I had been tempted to take the phat price. However, the Ravens, particularly Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, seem a tad shop-worn and are likely not serious contenders for the top prize…Philadelphia, Atlanta and Indianapolis also needed late dramatics to score wins. The Eagles were extremely fortunate with only timid refereeing preventing a call for roughing the quarterback on the Skins final play. Jason Campbell was tossed like a rag doll after a throw and deserved to have another chance fifteen yards downfield…the San Francisco 49ers played aggressively and with passion against the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday. I love it. The 49ers ran 34 plays from the shotgun formation and were willing to spill blood to get the vital win…after playing adequately for a couple of weeks, Carolina QB Jake Delhomme returned to form, offering the pigskin repeatedly to the opposition New York Jet defenders. Delhomme notched four interceptions and can rest assured he is stumbling through the final weeks of his career…check out Don Banks wicked denouncement of the Houston Texans on the S I site. Did Banks go too far in impugning the heart and integrity of the franchise? Perhaps, but it was great to read that kind of savage writing…careful, now, if you’re keeping Indianapolis in reserve for a Suicide Pool. Colts coach Jim Caldwell has confirmed he will begin to rest starters if and when AFC home field play-off advantage is clinched. I used the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday and was never stressed. Up on the docket is the Pittsburgh Steelers, at home to the Oakland Raiders. I’ll re-evaluate the pick if it appears Roethlisberger won’t play…

ICE..Sports Illustrated’s Allan Muir, in a frankly bizarre and other worldly rant, has pegged the Toronto Maple Leafs trade of Pavel Kubina to Atlanta for Grant Exelby as the most one sided deal of the year. Give me a break. The move was largely a salary dump and Kubina had clearly worn out his welcome in the Big Smoke. To characterize the acquisition of the ponderous Kubina as a “steal” strikes one as preposterous…Corey Perry, of the Anaheim Ducks, has recorded at least a point in eighteen consecutive games…Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley all rank in the top 7 of the NHL scoring race. The trio form the San Jose Sharks top line and have racked up, collectively, 23 points in the last 4 games…remember all the talk about the Colorado Avalanche being the surprise team of the current season? Well, never mind. The slumping Avalanche are 2-5-3 in their last ten games…

PONIES..you better believe the bloodstock industry is terrified of events transpiring in Dubai. Sheik Makhtoum is the biggest spender in the history of thoroughbred racing and his Godolphin farms have accounted for just about every major race in the world. The financial tremors rocking his fiefdom might mean significant cutbacks to the most important operation in horse racing today…

PUG LIFE..Roy Jones Jr has apparently made quite a splash in Australia. His fight with local lad Davey Green is garnering enormous attention and the Acer arena (seating capacity 18,000) is sold out. Jones is hoping to use the fight, probably for some sort of belt, as a stepping stone to a big money fight with Bernard Hopkins this summer….