Sights and Scenes From Vacation

Well, I am back from a relaxing vacation. We went to Sandestin Beach Resort in Destin, Fl. What a great time. Not a drop of rain (they deperately need it, evidently). Thought I'd share a couple of photos of my fat ass relaxing and playing a little golf, just to make you jealous!

My trip buddy Todd and I about to hit the links at The Raven at Sandestin, which is hosting the Boeing Championship this weekend (June 1-3, 2007).	Todd and I in front of one of the signs at the tee box	A putt from the tough 17th hole, with the corporate boxes in the background

And finally, Lady EZ and I at the Baytowne Wharf. Now, that's a good lookin' woman!

You guys be good, and if you want to listen to an hour of the show each day, subscribe to the Big EZ Show podcast on iTunes (just search "big ez" in your iTunes Music Store) or just click here (this link makes it easy).

Good to be back.

Big EZ Show MySpace Page

Well, I guess I might as well copy off of everyone else and make me a MySpace page for my show.

Love the show or hate it, be a MySpace friend and share your thoughts on a regular basis, and get the inside scoop on what I do and who I make fun of and so on and so forth.

http://www.myspace.com/bigezshow

Thoughts From Vacation

I've got to be honest folks, I'm DYING not being able to be on the air. I feel like I got a TON to say, and have no platform to say it all right now (which pleases many, yet they continue to listen). But this blog will suffice.

Now, onto some things that are bugging me at the moment:

1. I'M SUNBURNT! It's bad. And I'm scheduled to play some golf in a little while. It could be fairly miserable. I was putting on the sunscreen with some serious regularity. But to no avail... and I'm pissed.

2. Junior varsity place kicker and resident drunk Nasty Nate is BOASTING on my show (without me there, mind you), that he correctly predicted the triefecta in the Preakness Stakes. Wow, Mr. Kicker, what a fabulous prediction. What'd that tri pay? $2.60?

3. Speaking of the Preakness, to the novice horse racing eye (a.k.a. my eye), it appeared as though Street Sense jockey Calvin Borel just wasn't real sure what kind of trip he wanted to take in the Preakness. Borel got the trip of a lifetime in the Derby. But in the Preakness it seemed as though Borel wanted to steer away from the eight other jockeys that know that he likes the rail, and tried to go elsewhere, and it just didn't seem comfortable.

And Street Sense's "other gear" had to show up a little earlier to get back up front, and he fizzled late. Call me critical, but it doesn't seem that Borel is the jockey to lead a dominant horse to a Triple Crown. But I'll say this... Borel is undoubtedly my favorite new jockey. Not a more gracious winner and loser, and he sounds like Dell, the mouse-loving prisoner, from The Green Mile (a fantastic movie).

4. UK fans are calling ESPN.com's Andy Katz a 'hater' today. And I can understand where they're coming from. I don't necessarily agree with them, but I can understand. This after Katz reports that Kentucky is bailing out of the UMass game this year.

Hey, if UK wants to change the schedule, they did it by the rules. That's cool with me. They abided by the contract. UMass can be upset because they lose out on potential money that would've been brought in with the game. I guess UMass should've made the buyout a little higher.

But, I am a bit confused by the fact that Gillispie basically says he's in the dark on this whole mess. I find that SO hard to believe. If you want more home games, that's fine. But, Billy, you are in control of one of the most prestigious programs of the country. Tell us that you have some say in YOUR schedule. PLEASE!

Well, it's time to throw some aloe on this sunburn and then get out the Cleveland 9 1/2-degree driver.

And until I get back, enjoy some of New Albany Tribune/Jeffersonville Evening News sports editor Mike Hutsell's favorite celebrity, 'The Hoff.'

Jai Lucas and Playboy (thankfully not related)

Just to reiterate what I said on the show today regarding the Jai Lucas decision to go to Florida. Civil UK fans (and I know you're out there, you called and e-mailed today), please smack your wacky UK cohorts and tell them not to call into radio shows or post on message boards and spit out something like "oh, we didn't need Jai anyway." Uhhh, that's NOT what you said for 18 FREAKIN' MONTHS.

You, Mr. wacky UK fan, sound like Mr. Popular high school jock who was the coolest guy ever before the head cheerleader finally decided she was going to break up with you. That guy was saying "oh, I didn't need that skank anyway," but was crying himself to sleep that night and nights after that.

Just say "man, that sucks... would've really liked to have him. But Coach Gillispie will right the ship." This is what I think will happen and that's what civil UK fans said on the show today. If you ALWAYS sounded like that, this world would be a lot better.

Now, onto Playboy. US olympic swimmer and gold medal-winner Amanda Beard will pose nude in the July issue of Playboy. Fan-freakin-tastic. Now, there's a good number of female athletes that are way better looking than her, but she's still way up there.

For all you women out there that say that stories like this are bad for female sports, GIVE ME A BREAK! Why don't you go and find me a female whose career was NOT elevated by a Playboy photo shoot.

It's a win-win for everyone.

Now, if we can just get LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis to pose, we'll be in some serious business.

If you don't know who Gulbis is, now you do (she's to the left).

Mark Story, what the?

I'm not sure what Mark Story was smoking when he wrote this, but I'd love to have some.

Story, a friend of the show who I enjoy reading, is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Evidently he writes what is now an annual column called the Kentucky 25. The subtitle to the column explains the list as "A LOOK AT THE STATE'S MOST INTRIGUING STARS AND STORIES BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT YEAR'S DERBY."

I'll put it this way. If Brian Brohm is less intriguing in the next 12 months in the Commonwealth than Jerry Carroll's attorneys, I'll get a NASCAR tat and make out with Brian's ex-girlfriend.

Bottom line: Brian Brohm should be number one or two on a list like this. Easy.

Rick Pitino and Jodie Meeks will be less intriguing than the new women's basketball coaches at UK and U of L? Come on! Tell me that's a joke.

Now, I read Story on a regular basis, so to criticize the column is to show that I am a regular reader. But more like this, and I'll be turned off in a hurry.

I hate to bring up the race card again, but...

I never thought about it, but I can't say that the following story (which is linked here and below) surprised me one iota.

It's very sad.

The best quote comes from the professor who put this together, Justin Wolfers, whose done other sports-related studies before:

“Basically, it suggests that if you spray-painted one of your starters
white, you’d win a few more games.”

Study of N.B.A. Sees Racial Bias in Calling Fouls

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