The Enlightened Redneck

Posted on 02.26.10 by K. Daniel Glover @ 12:04 pm

It’s time for another addition to the “Redneck Hall of Shame.” This time, it’s the entire Canadian women’s hockey team for the total lack of class and sportsmanship they showed after defeating the United States 2-0 yesterday to win gold.

The women of the Canadian hockey team politely accepted their gold medals and waved to an adoring crowd. And then the real celebration began.

More than half an hour after they beat the United States 2-0 on Thursday, the players came back from the locker room and staged a party on ice - swigging from bottles of champagne, guzzling beer and smoking cigars. …

Meghan Agosta and Marie-Philip Poulin posed wearing goofy grins. Rebecca Johnston actually tried to drive the ice-resurfacing machine. Haley Irwin poured champagne into the mouth of Tessa Bonhomme, gold medals swinging from both their necks.

The celebration raised eyebrows at the IOC, which said it would look into the matter. Informed of the antics by the Associated Press, Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games, said it was “not what we want to see.”

Other entrants into the “Redneck Hall of Shame” courtesy of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia: U.S. half-pipe bronze medalist Scotty Lago, who left town after racy celebration photos surfaced; and Canadian Jon Montgomery, who after winning gold in the skeleton race “marched triumphantly through the town, guzzling beer straight from the pitcher.”

Filed under: News & Politics and People and Redneck Hall Of Shame and Sports
Comments: 1 Comment

Will You Marry Me? No Way, Loser!

Posted on 02.15.10 by K. Daniel Glover @ 12:21 pm

All of you enlightened rednecks who think it’s a good idea to propose to your would-be spouse in a very public way must watch this video:

The hat tip goes to Ed Morrissey of Hot Air, who offers these words of wisdom: “Unless you’re sure of the answer, prospective suitors should consider the YouTube age before popping the question at a sporting event.”

UPDATE, 2/16: The whole thing was staged, which means both the man and the woman are losers.

Filed under: Just For Laughs and Sports and Video
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Mountaineers Road Trip

Posted on 02.14.10 by K. Daniel Glover @ 10:12 pm

Last week, my son and I drove 3-1/2 hours to Morgantown, W.Va., to watch the WVU Mountaineers play the Villanova Wildcats in a battle between two Big East powerhouses — No. 4 in the nation vs. No. 5.

The game was played two days after the Blizzard of 2010 that walloped the Washington area, so we snapped some great snow pictures in addition to shots of ‘Nova superstar Scottie Reynolds, who attended church at our congregation when Anthony was a baby, after the game.

I got half of what I wanted from the trip: Scottie had a great game, but my alma mater lost to his team. But somehow seeing my Mountaineers lose wasn’t as depressing as usual because I got to see a friend win. The bonus: Scottie autographed a basketball for Anthony.

The entries below this one feature snapshots from our road trip.

Filed under: Family and People and Photography and Sports and West Virginia
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Outside The Villanova Locker Room

Posted on 02.14.10 by K. Daniel Glover @ 10:04 pm

After the WVU-Villanova game in Morgantown, Rick Reynolds took my son Anthony, my brother Mark and his son Niko, several Villanova fans, and myself to the VIP section outside the ‘Nova locker room so we could see Scottie.

It was great to see Rick interacting with Scottie Reynolds’ teammates. He’s a people person, and he has passed that personality trait along to his son, which will serve Scottie well if he goes pro.

Filed under: People and Photography and Sports
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Thanks For The Memories, Scottie

Posted on 02.14.10 by K. Daniel Glover @ 10:00 pm

Scottie Reynolds sent the Villanova Wildcats to the Final Four in 2009 with a drive down the court that ended in a last-second layup to win the game against Pittsburgh. At the 2010 WVU-Villanova game in Morgantown, W.Va., Scottie signed copies of a black-and-white photograph that captured the moment.

Here’s a snapshot of Scottie signing one of the pictures for the Villanova fan who brought them to the game:

Plus two more shots of Scottie outside the locker room in Morgantown:

Filed under: People and Photography and Sports and West Virginia
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The Master Of Rubik’s Domain

Posted on 01.01.10 by K. Daniel Glover @ 10:00 am

I never learned to solve one Rubik’s Cube, let alone three of them in a few minutes. But this kid did it under the pressure of trying to win a challenge against a sportscaster.

Filed under: Human Interest and Sports and Video
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Bengals’ Chris Henry Dies From Fall

Posted on 12.17.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 2:13 pm

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who played college football at West Virginia University, has died as the result of a fall that occurred during a domestic dispute with fiancée Loleini Tonga, police say. Henry, on injured reserve, was in North Carolina planning his wedding when he fell from a truck.

From The New York Times:

The police said that the dispute began at a house, which the AP reported was owned by the Tonga family, about a half-mile from the accident scene and that Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancée was driving away. At some point, Henry “came out of the back of the vehicle,” the police said, although it was not clear how. The police did not say if Tonga was at the scene; 911 tapes were expected to be released later Thursday.

Henry’s bizarre death was the tragic end to a troubled life:

Once in the NFL, he was arrested several times after incidents involving driving under the influence, marijuana possession and assault, and he served multiple suspensions for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy.

In April 2008, after his fifth arrest since December 2005, he was waived by the Bengals. But several months later, the Bengals’ owner, Mike Brown, who has a history of reaching out to troubled players, re-signed Henry over the objections of Coach Marvin Lewis. After Henry served a four-game suspension for misconduct, he rejoined the team.
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Filed under: News & Politics and People and Sports and West Virginia
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The Marksmen Of West Virginia

Posted on 12.15.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 3:54 pm

Riflery is a sport made for West Virginia, and the Mountaineers of West Virginia University excel at the redneck sport. The team and its stories history — 14 collegiate championships — get much-deserved props in The Washington Post today:

West Virginia’s rifle team is the only Mountaineers squad to have won an NCAA championship — 14, in fact. And it’s the only team with its own line item in the state budget: a $100,000 annual appropriation that represents a none-too-subtle rebuke to a university that dropped its most decorated sport in 2003.

The team’s reinstatement and subsequent reclamation of its status as the nation’s preeminent shooting power is one of the more improbable comebacks in college sports. Instead of aspiring professional athletes, the key players were rank-and-file taxpayers, disillusioned parents and students, and small businesses such as Donnie’s Citgo and Bub’s Bar and Grill that mobilized a grass-roots fundraising campaign and lobbying campaign and forced the university to change its mind.

“Hunting and shooting is a big thing here,” says junior Brandi Eskew of Petersburg, W.Va., one of two women on WVU’s rifle team, who learned to hunt alongside her father as a child. “It’s something that pretty much everyone does at some point. And it’s something they can relate to more than a lot of other sports.”

In short, we hillbillies love to shoot things, be it deer or targets, and we know how to do it. Well, some of us do. I wish I could say I’m an expert marksman, but alas, I am the kind of redneck who more often than not can’t hit the proverbial broad side of barn.

There are plenty of us. But at least we can live vicariously through the WVU riflery team. Male or female, they make all of us Mountaineers proud.

Filed under: Hunting & Guns and Rednecks and Sports and West Virginia
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The Redneck Rider

Posted on 12.12.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 2:40 pm

Ask most anyone to name a professional cyclist and the first rider to come to mind likely would be Lance Armstrong, who set a record by winning the Tour de France seven straight years (1999-2005).

But my new favorite is one of Armstrong’s teammates and friends, Chris Horner. He has earned the nickname “The Redneck,” and that’s enough reason to cheer for him.

“I don’t have a problem with jokes being made, especially about stuff that’s true,” he told the Arizona Daily Star. “I’ve got two trucks and a Mustang.”

Filed under: People and Rednecks and Sports
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Before Tiger Woods Cheats

Posted on 12.09.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 6:02 pm

Some people jumped to the defense of celebrity golfer Tiger Woods soon after rumors began swirling that his scorned wife, Elin, had caused him to wreck his car by bashing the window with a golf club after the she confronted him about marital infidelity.

Woods refuted the rumor, saying that his wife had “acted courageously” to help him after the accident and that he alone was responsible for the accident.

Three days later, however, he vaguely admitted to cheating on his wife: “I have let my family down, and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves.”

Since then, numerous women, if you can really use that word for porn stars, cocktail waitresses and the like, have laid claim to the title of Tiger Woods mistress. At last count, Woods had almost as many alleged mistresses (11) as he as major golf championships (14).

Granted, Woods hasn’t directly admitted to adultery and certainly not with any specific ladies. The evidence of him having cheated with anyone also is scant at this point.

But if even a kernel of what has been reported is true, perhaps Elin Woods can take a cue from country singer Carrie Underwood about how to respond to a cheatin’ scoundrel:

Filed under: Music and News & Politics and People and Redneck Music and Sports and Video
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Gator Bowl: WVU vs. Florida State

Posted on 12.06.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 9:55 pm

Gator Bowl officials decided to stage a game for the history books this season rather than a game of two top teams. They invited the Florida State Seminoles, whose outgoing leader Bobby Bowden coached at West Virginia University in the 1970s, to play his former team (and my alma mater).

Plenty of football analysts and fans aren’t happy with the decision. “This is still a 6-6 Florida State team with one of the nation’s worst defenses,” ESPN’s Atlantic Coast Conference blogger wrote. “That hasn’t changed because it will be Bobby Bowden’s final game of his career.” But I’m looking forward to the game.

WVU earned its slot by finishing 9-3 this year and second in the Big East behind undefeated and No. 3-ranked Cincinnati.

As for our opponent, Bowden got the nod more than FSU — I doubt the Gator Bowl would have chosen a mediocre if its legendary coach were not being forced into retirement — but the Seminoles undoubtedly will be psyched for Bowden’s farewell game.

The Mountaineers have played sporadically all year, and we have a 1-5 record in the Gator Bowl, including two losses to Bowden-led teams. I will not be surprised if the game ends in an upset, though I’m obviously pulling for a fifth straight bowl win for WVU.

Filed under: People and Sports and West Virginia
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Bobby Bowden: Class Act

Posted on 12.05.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 8:42 pm

Bobby Bowden resigned as the football coach at Florida State University this week. At age 80 and after coaching the Seminoles to a 6-6 record this year, it is arguably time for him to go. But he will be missed, both for his coaching talent and, more importantly, his character.

I suppose as a West Virginia University graduate I’m not supposed to like Bowden. I was too young to remember his time as the head coach at WVU (1970-1975), but I heard the legendary ugly stories about Mountaineers fans hanging him in effigy. I also remember Florida State trouncing WVU the two times we met in bowl games — 31-12 in the 1982 Gator Bowl and 30-18 in the same bowl in 2005.

But I’ve always liked Bowden and Florida State. I gained new respect for him after watching the 2006 movie “We Are Marshall” about West Virginia’s other major college team, Marshall University.

The movie, which told the story of Marshall’s football team rebuilding after nearly all of its players and coaches were killed in a 1970 plane crash, featured an anecdote about Bowden. The year after the crash, he had his WVU players wear the initials “MU” on their helmets as a tribute to Marshall. He also let Marshall’s new coach study WVU films to learn the Mountaineers’ veer offense.

Bowden actually wanted to do more than that, according to his Wikipedia biography: He “asked NCAA permission to wear Marshall jerseys and play Marshall’s final game of the 1970 season against Ohio, but was denied.”

Today, WVU finished its 2009 season with a 9-3 record by narrowly beating Rutgers, 24-21. The Mountaineers immediately received an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1. There is a chance for a WVU-Florida State rematch.

I hope it happens. I would love to see today’s Mountaineers do battle against the coach of yesterday’s Mountaineers. And although I’d obviously be cheering for a WVU win, I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed about losing to a former WVU coach and a class act like Bowden.

Filed under: News & Politics and People and Sports and West Virginia
Comments: 1 Comment

Mark Cuban Is An Enlightened Redneck

Posted on 12.05.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 4:18 pm

That’s the only explanation for the what-will-I-think-when-I’m-90 test that the technology industry entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner applies to decisions he faces in life:

Before I do any of the many things that I get asked to do, and that I think might be fun, I have one simple question I ask myself. When I hopefully turn 90 and look back at my life, would I regret having done it, or not having done it?

Only an enlightened man would think something so profound rather than acting impulsively. But only a redneck billionaire would accept an invitation to appear on World Wrestling Entertainment’s RAW after deep thought about the opportunity.

Cuban has been a guest character in WWE events before. His lifetime resume also includes his own short-lived reality show, “The Benefactor,” and an appearance on the reality show “Dancing With The Stars.”

(Hat tip to Outside the Beltway)

Filed under: Business and Entertainment and People and Rednecks and Sports and Technology
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Mike Huckabee: Unfit To Be President

Posted on 12.05.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 12:00 pm

Outrage and insights in a 140 characters or less (most of the time). This is a weekly recap of topics that capture my fancy. To get your fill of my rants on a daily basis, follow The Enlightened Redneck on Twitter.

Much to the chagrin of many fellow conservatives, I supported Mike Huckabee for president in the 2008 Republican presidential primary.

The news this week that he granted clemency to a man who years killed four police officers in Washington state, and Huckabee’s comments after the news broke, made me change my tune. I still like Huckabee, but I don’t believe he has the judgment to be president.

Here is what I had to say about the matter over a series of tweets: “Mike Huckabee freed a man now suspected of killing four cops. He no longer looks as presidential to me. … Huckabee dodges responsibility, blames “Arkansas” (and Washington) for freeing a man suspected of kiing four cops. What a cowardly statement from Huckabee. I expected better of him. He made a huge mistake and should own up to it. … ”

And here are some redneck rants on other topics:

Leave it to the perverts in Hollywood to pervert a classic children’s Christmas cartoon, “Frosty, The Snowman.”

“Crashing a White House state dinner, and then bragging about it on Facebook, is really, really dumb.” Jail time?

Fact of the day, just heard on the news: Tiger Woods makes more in 60 seconds than he had to pay as a fine for his car accident.

Joy Behar thought Black Friday was racist until her black co-host, Whoopi Goldberg, enlightened her — for real. That reminds me of the “pot calling the kettle black” episode with Omarosa Manigault Stallworth on “The Apprentice.”

The U.N.’s alarmist-in-chief flew at least 443,243 miles in 19 months to decry global warming. Can you say “hypocrisy”?

At least 22.6 million reasons why ClimateGate matters to taxpayers (via @donsurber). I suspect there are many more.

Wanna run for Congress? Join the roster of candidates in non-existent districts. Only dead people vote there!

Deer own this country. America needs more hunters.

Twitter is the top word of 2009, beating Obama. Stimulus is No. 4. Obama-mania is No. 2 phrase; Obama is top name.

Today, ignorant people are afraid of Twitter; in the Civl War Era, they were afraid of telegrams.

Today’s media market in brief: Detroit got a new newspaper last week; it suspended publication this week.

I’m wondering whether the FTC news workshop is going to be a forum for media dinosaurs to bash bloggers for two days. Paul Steiger of ProPublica, the first speaker, took multiple jabs at bloggers in his opening statement. … The current panel is a portrait of what’s wrong with journalism — media dinosaurs who resisted new media until it was too late.

Filed under: Entertainment and Government and Human Interest and Hunting & Guns and Media and News & Politics and People and Redneck Rants and Sports and Technology and Wildlife
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The Rest Of The Adoption Story

Posted on 11.18.09 by K. Daniel Glover @ 7:40 pm

For 10 years, my wife and I have been living the adoption dream. After we had endured the anguish of infertility for years, God blessed us with three angels from Guatemala — Anthony (10), Eliana (almost 8) and Catherine (5 as of a week ago).

“Anthony will always be the one I cried and prayed for,” Kimberly said soon after we brought our son home. “He’s the one who filled the emptiness in my life.” And Elli and Catie filled my quiver, making our family complete. Our children are the happy ending to our adoption story.

But the rest of that story, the part involving the emptiness of children who do not know their birth parents, has not been lived. I was reminded of that unwritten chapter today when reading about our friends, Rick, Pam and Scottie Reynolds.

I’ve blogged about Scottie before. He is the star of Villanova’s basketball team. But more relevant to our family, he is adopted — and he has struggled with the emotions of loving his parents yet wanting to know his birth mother. That’s the story USA Today told.
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Filed under: Adoption and Family and Friends and Human Interest and People and Sports
Comments: 1 Comment

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