This is not a recent comment, but seems relevant in light of recent events. The remark was made by Alecia Beth Moore, better known to the world as Pink or P!nk. She tweeted more than a decade ago, “Kanye West is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me.” I’m just doing what she asked…
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My daily computer football league playoff game was really a tale of two games. The Los Angeles Cobras scored 23 second-quarter points to take a 23-21 halftime lead over the Texas Tornadoes. LA was the only team to defeat Texas during the regular season and the score was 46-44; the first half of the playoff game seemed like a repeat of the regular season game would occur.
However, LA did not move the ball well in the second half. Matthew Stafford, the Cobras’ quarterback, had very little success after halftime and threw two interceptions to boot. Texas QB Joe Burrow did not have a great game, either, also throwing two interceptions, but both were in the first half. After an otherworldly 144.3 passer rating in 573 regular season attempts, Burrow’s rating for the playoff game was just 90.9. (The real NFL record for single-season passer rating is 122.5 by Aaron Rodgers in 2011. Of course, adjusted for league averages I don’t know what the best performance is.)
The Tornadoes just kept grinding out yardage in the running game (Damien Harris had 129 yards rushing on 20 carries) and made enough completions in the passing game to keep moving the ball and adding points, mainly Justin Tucker field goals. Texas’ defensive lineman Dean Lowry had two huge fourth-quarter sacks of Stafford and Texas advanced, winning 40-26.
Just five playoff games remain and it is exceedingly likely I will write about all of them. In many ways, this most recent season was the most enjoyable of any computer or table-top season I have ever played. Unlike most of my seasons, where–for some reason–the majority of games were decided by 10 points or more, nearly half of the games were decided by one score (8 or fewer points). Of course, in the real NFL more than half of the games are one-score games.
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My long-time friend Vin, we met in graduate school and have known each other for 40 years (wow, we’re getting old), graciously sent some photos he recently took at a local car show (local for him, not for me). Here are two of them:
Can’t go wrong with any Hawk from Studebaker and a C6 Corvette, in Red no less. Part of me still wants to buy a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (shown below), but I worry about maintenance and safety.
If anyone wants to offer an opinion on a potential purchase of a Gran Turismo Hawk, as opposed to a Pontiac Solstice GXP, I would like to read it. Thanks. Oh, “buy both” is not an option, at least not at any time in the near future.
#WanderingWednesday
#FuckKanyeWest
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#somanyCARSjustonelife
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Disaffected Musings 
“Part of me still wants to buy a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (shown below), but I worry about maintenance and safety.”
The maintenance shouldn’t be a huge issue as there is a thriving SDC chapter in your area. Might not be a “guy” in your neighborhood, but I’d bet money there are more than a couple within 10-15 miles.
Safety, well that’s another matter. There is no way a 50+ year old vehicle will ever be able to match modern vehicles for safety. It just comes down to thinking about what you intend to do, travel wise, with an old car. I have no qualms about driving mine, I just plan a different route. I avoid freeways, congested neighborhoods and big cities. One big thing to also watch out for are the “gawkers”, folks who are driving but are staring at your vehicle. They are as bad as a drunk or someone texting when it comes to lane control. As motorcyclist, we are taught to “keep your head on a swivel”. The same thought is also relevant when driving an old vehicle. It’s also important to know your vehicles limitations. Four wheel drum brakes, if kept properly adjusted, are adequate for most driving, just adjust YOUR expectations of them. They will never match 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS in a panic situation, so YOU have to keep aware of whats going on around you.
Perhaps I’ve been lucky over the years, or maybe the chickens I’ve sacrificed to the gods have helped. 🙂
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“Perhaps I’ve been lucky over the years, or maybe the chickens I’ve sacrificed to the gods have helped. 🙂”
LOL, sir! Thanks for the advice. The drivers here are awful regardless of route. Guess I have to act accordingly.
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Well said Pink.
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Amen!
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So my wife is more of a car person than she lets on. On Sunday on the way to visit the grand baby, she spotted a white Maserati Levante. Two minutes later a SECOND white Maserati Levante SUV passed us. No it was not the same one as I was driving a steady 60mph in the rain.
She ID’ed the two immediately and noted how unlikely it was to see not one but two Levantes on I-695! Of course she still pined for her 911 convertible but wouldn’t kick the Levante out of our garage for leaking oil…
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Sounds like you and the missus are a great match, Doc.
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Ten years ago Kanye West was a POS. Not so much today. He has grown a lot, including spiritually. I will leave it at that.
As far as a choice between the Studebaker or the Solstice, I am of two minds (not unusual for me), a sarcastic curmudgeon, classic car lover and hot car nut. Hmmm, that adds up to three, I see. The Studebaker has the classic lines I love, but would need a modern drive train, suspension and brakes to make it useful for today. Whereas the Solstice has the modern drive train, suspension and brakes, but no “classic car” lines. It’s lines are classic just not in the 1950s sense. Me, I’d opt for the Studebaker and retromod it, but I have the skills for that, with help from some friends in the business. The Solstice, for me, would turn me into a contortionist but it too would need the an LS V-8 to suit my need for speed. Did this die-hard Ford guy just write about using an LS engine? Do NOT tell anyone else.
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Sorry, Philip, but anyone spewing the anti-Semitic hate that he does is a PIECE OF SHIT. I don’t care if he claims to be a Christian.
“I’m going def con 3 on Jewish people.” He wrote that quite recently. If he was run over by a truck that would be a good thing for the world. Do an Internet search on the POS and read what’s been happening in the past few days.
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I agree with your comment about Kanye and his anti-Semitic comments. ANY anti-Semitic speech is WRONG. If he is a Christian, as he claims, he still has a LOT of growing to do, just like all of us Christians need to continue to do. A lot of what he has said in the last few years leads me to believe that he does believe.
Any more thoughts about buying a Solstice?
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I think Pink’s/P!nk’s remark about the POS is still the last word on the subject.
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I think go with the car you feel you most want.
Maintenance/parts, I think the Z06 repair issues show that even newer cars can be affected by supply chain, etc. Bottom line, find a shop/mechanic/friends you can rely on. My recent experiences with the 76 Grand Prix, I think I’m lucky. My father the former mechanic still offers great advice and would do a lot of the work if he still could. My father-in-law spent an afternoon helping me install 2 new drive belts after the alternator belt shredded. One of the car guys is a good back up mechanic (only he’s an hour drive away so I only use him in a real pinch). And now I found a pretty decent shop a couple miles from my home. Pulled up, they had a late 40s Dodge, a 66 Chrysler wagon, a 72 Chev pick up, and were pulling a 79 Trans Am out. Their shop tow vehicle is a 74 F350 flatbed. They had the ignition module, cap and rotor replaced, fixed the wires shorting it out, and oil change all done in a few hours. Seems they know their stuff.
I think either way, Stude or Solstice, as long as you have a reliable mechanic, shouldn’t be too big an issue.
Safety, yeah the Stude is not a match for the new stuff. But, honestly it’s quite easy to adjust. The GP does have front disc brakes, and the 350 V8 puts out enough power, so I do drive it on major highways. But I drive it knowing it’s a big heavy car that wont stop on a dime or burn rubber. I anticipate a lot, I tend to stay in the right lanes so I can exit to the shoulder if needed. No issues driving up to Orillia (90km or 55 miles one way) at 55 mph on a 2 lane highway.
Sure breakdowns can and have happened – the alternator belt broke as I was arriving back home from a show across on the other side of Toronto. But that can happen to a newer car. Maintenance again is key.
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Good to “hear” from you, Mark. Thanks for the advice. I think it’s a virtual certainty that any car purchase, if it happens at all, will have to wait until we are in a house with space to accommodate more cars.
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