Oh and One…
Oh and One…
Not the end of the world,
But it's No Fun…

Oh and Two…
Oh and Two…
But We've Got Favre,
So it's a Fluke…

Oh and Three…
Oh and Three…
This isn't looking
So good to me…

Oh and Four…
Oh and Four…
Turn off the game
So I can wash the floor…

One and Four…
One and Four…
It still is bad,
But I can watch some more…

One and Five…
One and Five…
Surprised that Sherman
Is still alive…

One and Six…
One and Six…
Watching this season
Really is the pits…

I ran into a new little snickey called “del.icio.us.” It's this, um, delicious little web tool which allows you to store your internet favorites online so that you can access them anywhere in the world. It's pretty slick. Now you can access your favorites from anywhere, post to your favorites from anywhere, and share your favorites with whomever you'd like.

Want an example? Here are my bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/fuzzmartin

Sign up for yourself - it's free!

1-5. That is it. Two full games behind Detroit and Chicago in the NFC North. Are the Packers a good team, losing four games by a total of nine points? No they are not, good teams find a way of winning those games. Good teams don’t miss crucial extra points and field goals late in games. Good teams don’t allow Cleveland’s Steve Heiden to score from 60 yards out late in the game.

Should fans start looking at the 2006 NFL Draft? Hell yeah! Now, I am not saying we should give up on this season, because the NFC North is terrible. But realistically, we need to start thinking of the future. Can the Pack go 7-3 down the stretch to make the playoffs? Possible, but again not realistic. The schedule is way too hard and injuries have been decimating the key skill positions.

So what is in store for the 2006 NFL Draft? If the season ended today, the Pack would have the 3rd pick in the draft. Who might be available? This is just a guess on my part, but Matt Lienert and Reggie Bush (if he declares) will be gone by then. So here is a list of some players that the Packers will be looking at in next year’s draft. That way, when you are watching football on Saturdays you can take notice.

1) A.J. Hawk-LB Ohio State- This man is a demon on defense. He should fit nicely into Head Coach, excuse me, defensive coordinator Jim Bates’ system. He could force the Packers to move the speedy Nick Barnett to the outside.

2) Jimmy Williams-CB- Va Tech- A big, fast corner. He is 6’ 2”, 207. It is time for the Packers to admit they missed the boat with Ahmad Carroll.

3) Chad Greenway-LB- Iowa- Greenway is an instinctive linebacker with a nose for the football. Not the most disciplined player but always finds a way to make a play. Also Greenway’s teammate Abdul Hodge, another LB, is more consistent and has about 10 tackles a game.

4) DeMeco Ryans-LB- Alabama- Physical and emotional leader of the undefeated Crimson Tide defense.

5) Thomas Howard-LB-UTEP- Fast LB (4.4 40-yard) from a smaller school, which the Packers seem to like.

If the Packers decide to get one of these five guys with their first pick next season, it will make an immediate impact on defense. Can you tell that I think they need some playmakers on defense?
The Pack also need a running back. Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport are free agents, not to mention hurt. Has Ted Thompson called Baltimore? I don’t know if anyone has noticed but they have two good backs, Jamal Lewis and Chester Taylor. It almost looks as if Baltimore is ready to part with Lewis. He is only 25 but has looked off this season, partly because the offensive line isn’t very good for the Ravens. Let’s make a deal!
I’ll be back later to preview week 8 in the NFL. Only because Fuzz threatened to break my fingers if I didn’t post something.
Peace-OOS.

Join me all this week as I fill in for Mike in the Morning. While Mike's in Mexico, I'll be covering his show from 6 to 10am every morning. I'll be taking my coffee intravenously.

You can also join me this Saturday (10/29) live from Kearn's Motor Car Company of West Bend from 1-3PM. Buy a car and make me look good, k?

Can anyone tell me why we, as a culture, are so obsessed with celebrities?

And with that, what is the deal with combining celebrity couple names?

Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez/Garner)
Brangela (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolee)
Vinnifer (Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston)

Ok, sure, maybe we are interested in what these people are doing in their every-day-life, but do we need to revert to 3rd grade nick-naming tactics to make our point?

You know what really grinds my gears? (quoted from Family Guy)

This restaurant, Sonic, advertises all over tv, yet there is not 1 of their chain links to be found in either Wisconsin, Minnesota or eastern North Dakota.

I want to try one of their crazy slushies, or one of their zany burgers. But can I? Nope. They advertise nationally for an establishment that is in only a handful of states.

Have any of you ever been to one? I don't care if it's good or not…if I ever see one, I'm there.

I got a call from Senator Grothman today. I had e-mailed him regarding the steep difference in gas prices between Minnesota and Wisconsin. There were five parts to his response:

1.) Minnesotans pay a lot more per year for car registration. We pay something like $55, and those in Minnesota who own vehicles pay a price based upon the value of their vehicle.
2.) In order to make up for the lower cost of registration, Wisconsinites pay a higher gas tax. The higher gas tax is better because a) Grandmas who don't drive their vehicles very much don't have to pay $400 a year to keep their cars registered - and b) we get more money from those who drive into our state from Illinois and Minnesota whereas states with lower taxes don't.
3.) We have a higher minimum markup than does Minnesota. Glenn said that he still supports minimum markup, mostly because Wal-Mart would like to do away with it. He said that minimum markup is never or hardly ever enforced to begin with.
4.) Ethanol is mandated everywhere in Minnesota. Therefore it brings down the price of gasoline. I didn't realize there was a difference between gas/ethanol mix and reformulated gas, but apparently there is.
5.) In Washington County we pay approximately 5 to 10 cents more per gallon than do those in non-reformulated counties. Glenn doesn't know if the reformulated gas is really any better than non-reformulated gasoline, but we're pretty much stuck with it. So those of us who live in the five county area are going to pay 5 to 10 cents more per gallon for the foreseeable future.

My conversation with Senator Grothman didn't really address Doyle's trip to Washington. I do, however, feel better about the fact that we pay less per year in vehicle registration. I would rather pay more at the pump than have to fork over a $400 check per vehicle each year for registration.

I would like to thank Senator Grothman for taking the time to call me. He even looked up the station phone number. (I only gave him my home number in my e-mail to him.)

Finally, my reference to Doyle as “a pansy,” was not intended to be a “homosexual” one by any means. I was simply stating that he is delicate. You know, like a flower.

Yes, I did call Governor Doyle a “pansy” on the radio today. I cannot believe that asshole is in Washington trying to figure out how to lower gas prices when OTHER STATES AREN'T PAYING AS MUCH AS WE ARE. In other words, Governor Dickhead is in Washington getting NOTHING done when he could be at home cutting taxes and repealing the minimum markup law.

Of course, by doing that, he would be pissing off the very corporations that fund his campaign. Going to Washington (on our tax dollars, btw) is his way of “showing” his constituents he is doing something without having to really do anything. Then, when the price of gasoline in Wisconsin doesn't go down, he can blame it on “the Evil Republicans.” He wins both the votes and the campaign dollars, and once again we take it in the, uhm, wallet.

This weekend I realized something so appalling that I don't even know how to express just how ticked off I am.

We Wisconsinites are getting screwed - and the government isn't even supplying the Vasoline.

On Friday night, the boys and I rolled into Woodbury, MN. Woodbury is just a few miles from Hudson, WI. We got off of I-94 on Woodbury Road and headed south. As we exited the freeway I noticed a Super America (or Speedway - one of the two) gas station advertising regular unleaded gasoline for only $2.33 per gallon. I thought this surely was a mistake. Only 5 miles earlier, the same gas was $2.69 per gallon. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me from riding in a car for four-and-a-half hours and being forced to listen to Ben Folds 5. I then looked at the east side of the road, and the price per gallon was the same, $2.33 per gallon, at Kwik Trip.

Now, I understand that Wisconsin is far superior to Minnesota, and that there should be no reason we aren't paying more than them (read: sarcasm), but more than 30 cents per gallon? That is WAY out of line.

So, just what about Wisconsin constitutes us paying over 30 cents more per gallon than our brothers to the west? That is a serious question that I would like somebody to answer. I mean, Minnesota is just as far away from the refineries as we are. Our roads are not superior to the roads in Minnesota by any means. The gas in Wisconsin doesn't get us 20-percent more miles per gallon. So what can it be?

If the answer is taxes, then what is Minnesota lacking that we are paying so much for?

The above photo was taken at 8:50AM on Sunday, October 16, 2005.

Ridiculous.

While I was in Minnesota, I found something that was both interesting and appalling. I have pictures, so I will wait until I can post them before I write about it. Consider your brains primed. It has nothing to do with Vikings Cruise Lines, either.

Stay tuned.

I'm hanging out with the boys this weekend in MN. Go Badgers! This weekend we're planning on taking a trip on Lake Minnetonka. Okay, seriously, the Lake Minnetonka economy has GOT to be booming now that the Viking boys muffed up the place. We're really going to hit downtown - catch the Badger vs. Gopher game - head to the mall - head to the bars - then make it home early on Sunday.

Till then, goodnight from Woodbury.

Today, FOX cancelled “The Simple Life”…and no one cared.

“The Simple Life” which features spoiled brat offspring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, will not be picked up by FOX because “its midseason schedule didn't have a time slot for the show”. Yeah, they couldn't fit it in between all the dumper shows they have already cancelled, like Head Cases

Everyone will be happy to know that Nicole will be ok, because she can glom off her dad, Lionel Richie and Paris Hilton can continue to sell homemade porn movies.

Now, that's hot.

“We provide certainty, in an uncertain world.” The ultimate sales pitch. It can be applied to almost any situation. It can be twisted and turned, wrapped up pretty with a bow, or dropped like precision smart bomb hitting its intended target with uncanny ferocity.

That quote, which Al Pacino utters early on in the movie, sets the entire tone for story that is about to unfold before you.

Two For The Money is being pawned off to the public as a movie about the game of sports gambling and all the players involved in it. At least that's what I was prepared for going into the theater. Walking out, I was extremely surprised by the brilliantly crafted, well hidden story that the movie turned itself into.

Pacino is dead-on in his role as the man who runs the largest sports consulting business in America. He plays the multi-dimensional character with such a passion that even though you know you should be hating him and the things he does, you find yourself at times actually feeling sorry for the way some of his decisions have panned out.

Matthew McConaughey goes back to his early acting days of using his God given southern charm to not only play up to the characters in the story, but to seduce the audience as well. And believe me when I say this fellas… if you are like the majority of men in this world you do not, and never will, look as good to your lady as he does at times during this movie.

A complete surprise performance is turned in by Jeremy Piven as one of the competing “salesmen” in the office. His dry humor and quick witted one liners bring me back to my days of college, quoting his lines from PCU - to date, still his best movie by far.

The story itself is one we have all seen a million times. Small town boy heads to the big city and makes a huge name for himself, only to realize that all he wants to do is go back to the small town he left so long ago. With a new unique setting and a few timely twists, this revamping of an old cliché movie formula ends up working out quite well.

All in all, I really enjoyed this movie. It has been on my radar for a very long time and I am happy to say that unlike many of the other films so far this year, this one lived up to my expectations, and even went beyond. It was written to keep those familiar with sports betting interested, without being too technical to scare off those who were unfamiliar. The story, the plot, the various situations, and the characters were all believable. Not only could this happen in real life, it actually does, on a daily basis. Fortunes are won and lost; lives are built up and destroyed by betting on sports. And it's something that will never, ever, go away. As long as there are games being played, there will be someone there willing to make a bet on who will win.

And although I'm not going to give this one the Walter Abrahams “Money Back Guarantee,” do yourself a favor, start the upcoming holiday movie season off on the right foot, go see this movie.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

- BJS

You might have noticed… or you might not have noticed… but I have had some guest posters on FuzzMartin.com lately. Make sure to read the “by” line underneath the title of each article. There is a good chance that the article you are about to read is from Claude, Brad, or Garrett. Well… maybe just Claude or Brad… Garrett and O'Reilly On Sports have been AWOL since spring training. Lazy ass. (j/k.)

Have you heard of this group called “The Black Eyed Peas”?

If you haven't, you only use your internet connection as a porn-loader and to blog at fuzzmartin.com

The Black Eyed Peas are EVERYWHERE, half-time shows, supermarket openings, street corners, Best Buy commercials, etc. And that is not a good thing. Aside from being marginally talented, this group (or their label, rather) has mass-marketed them into music singles, tv commercials, movie soundtracks and anywhere else you can play crappy music.

They have had a constant stream of released singles for over a year now…and I will regale you with the incredibly long list (in no specific order):

Where is the Love?
Let's Get Retarded (quickly remixed to “Let's Get it Started” so the NBA would use it in commercials)
Shut Up
Hey Mama
Don't Phunk with My Heart
Don't Lie
My Humps

It is the final song that really made me blog this. “My Humps”. Aside from being a worthless piece of shit song about Fergie's (the only female of the group) T&A, this song is so simplistic and base, it only appeals to 12 year olds…a demographic that doesn't need to repeat lyrics like:”What you gon' do with all that junk? All that junk inside that trunk? I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk, Get you love drunk off my hump.”…
“They say I'm really sexy, The boys they wanna sex me.”

I saw the BEP's with No Doubt circa 2000. They were a great opening band who had some soul. Now they are over-produced and under-talented.

And record companies wonder why people steal music off of the internet. Even if they have one good song, I am not paying $14 for the rest of that crap. Hang it up Peas.

I hearby propose an ammendment to one of the rules of the official order of men.

I know that the passing of natural gasses in front of each other is generally acceptable. I propose, however, that “letting one go” in front of a guy you hardly know should be striken from the list of acceptable behaviors.

Today, a person who shall remain nameless, let one rip in front of me like it was the right thing to do or something. I don't know if he did it just so he could say he dropped one in front of Fuzz Martin or just because he really felt the urge to not wait until I (the only other person within auditory and olfactory range) was gone. I do know that it was disgusting and it got me to talk about him. I just wanted to say, “my God, man! Show some restraint.” However, I didn't.

Please, guys, if you are around a guy who isn't one of “your boys,” put a cork in it, alright? Yikes!

Okay, so it's not even 5pm and it's starting to get dark. I always tell people that I am a big fan of autumn, but I must say that I hate when the days get shorter. It just bothers me. Ugh!!!

This new breastfeeding law is about the DUMBEST idea I have ever heard.

It's a law Morgan says will give her a little extra firepower if she's asked to cover-up again.

…and in other news, the Legislature is now proposing a law preventing people from telling a child to stop picking his or her nose… a law preventing people from being harassed for farting in public… and a law making it illegal to tell someone to stop “mooning” you.

Seriously, WTF? This is “the land of the free.” If this law goes through, and we're no longer allowed to tell a woman to “cover up,” then they might as well take away our right to criticize the government as well.

Straight from the frontlines, I bring you this update.

While I hate to say I live in Minnesota, I cannot help but be thankful for the great job & life I have here. While I miss Wisconsin, the Packers, the Badgers, and not the Brewers…I can tell you that the most satisfaction I get out of living here is listening to Minnesota fans rip on Minnesota teams.

For your listening pleasure, enjoy this .mp3 that one of the radio stations is running. A parody of Green Day's “When September Ends”, appropriately titled, “(Wake me up) When the Season Ends”.

When the Season Ends

If my math is correct…

Antonio Gates: 12
+
Nate Kaeding: 11
=
Total: 23

I'm 4 and 1, baby! Tied for first (before the points tie-breaker.)