My Led Zeppein Rankings 41-50

We have finally entered into the top 50...here we go!

50. Black Mountain Side - LZ1 - A great piece of Jimmy on the acoustic guitars with Bonzo playing the bongos.  Early signs of Pagey's amazing guitar playing skills as well as his mixing abilities.

49. Four Sticks - LZ4 - A powerful cord where John Bonham actually does play with four sticks!  Plant hitting so many high notes as always.  Sounds like they are playing in some great hall.

48. Misty Mountain Hop - LZ4 - Jonesy playing the keys opening the song up with Bonzo coming in beating the skins just sets the song up to be yet another heavy Zep song.  Can't help but groove with this tune.  "I really don't know know know know..."

47. Thank You - LZ2 - Truly Led Zeppelin's version of a long song.  Jonesy on the organ.  Plants throaty voice almost whispering the lyrics to his love.

46. The Rover - Physical Graffiti - "If we could just join hands, if we could just join hands, if we could just join!"  Plant totally nails this one.  "Do it!"  Bonzo dominates the intro with his drum play.  Jonesy real strong on the bass and Jimmy's solo, while short still great!

45. All of My Love - ITOD - Again, the 80s are coming as Jonesy gets the synthesizer is rocking.  A classic love tune for Led Zeppelin.  Page clearly showing some signs of years of drug use.

44. Good Times Bad Times - LZ1 - Welcome to the scene Led Zeppelin!  The very first track on the first album brought LZ in with a thunderous boom!  This is a heavy jam.  You can really hear it all in this song..the strong guitar of Pagey which certainly has that late 60s sound.  Bonham truly smashing the drums.  Jonesy slapping the bass.

43. Black Dog - LZ4 - Truly a classic and well played song on the radio.  The guitar on this one sounds great and you can tell Pagey has mixed his play together on this.  Great beat between Bonzo and Jonsey. 

42. Traveling Riverside Blues - Bside - Was released on the Box Sets of Led Zeppelin as well as the BBC sessions.  Great beginning with Pagey on the slide guitar.  The blues truly the roots of Zep's music. "Squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg"

41. Baby Come on Home - Bside - Yet another blues song that was recorded during the LZ1 sessions but then not released until much later on the box sets.  Organs and bluesy guitar riffs dominate this song with Plant's voice very powerful in this one.

CFFL Draft Night

Well the Cherry Fantasy Football League completed its 28th draft last night August 25, 2012, something that not too many leagues out there can say they have done!  With 16 teams in 26 of those 28 years.  And what a night it was....

 

11 teams were represented in attendance...well 12 if you count the face on the iPad that was skyping. And we all assembled in our usual places in the Bunker.  The North on the couches, part of the East and the Bums on the table in the corner and the Freemans at the bar along with the Roulette.  It was funny hearing all the different conversations at each location....

 

The table of eastern bloc teams and the Bums were nothing but FFL talk, they barely acknowledged the rest of the room and the Krauts continued to feed bad intel to the rest of the table and was evident after the draft was over.

 

At the bar there was rarely talk of Fantasy Football..more comments about poopers and sail boat racing on you tube and of course the typical Randy rant at his brother and swearing he won't help him again next year....

 

The North at the couches just took it all in, except for me (the Crew) who had to look at the Crush owner Randy's face all draft long...ugh...Some say it affected the way I drafted and it might have!  After looking at my team I do not see playoffs in my future.  It will take some moves through out the season to make it work.

 

So how did it all end up?  Well the QB rich division and will be fun to watch these match ups is the South.  Brees for the Bees, Brady for the Mayhem, Rodgers for the Dragons and Eli for the Titans will make for some thrilling battles!

 

Best team you ask?  Right now it looks to be the Sinistars, who quietly drafted the best overall team.  Stafford, Jackson squared back field (Steven and Fred), Julio Jones, Decker and Nate Washington at wide out?  Very Nice.

 

Worst team?  Bums.  Has to be the Bums.  Freeman at QB, McFadden the RB, Fitzgerald with no QB, Lance Moore, Sidney Rice...it goes on and on like that but worse...

 

But overall it was a very fun night!  Check you email CFFL franchises for the upcoming preseason predicitons and tune into this blog for updated grades on all the teams each quarter!

 

GO CREW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My top 5 key items of a Good Cigar

When enjoying the good life with a fine cigar there are 5 things that I look for in a good cigar.  Those of you who follow me on twitter know these already, but here they are:

1. Draw: A nice easy draw of the smoke form the cigar.  Nothing worse then getting light headed trying to draw on the cigar

2. Flavor: Mild, medium, or bold...All have to agree to the palate with hints of various flavors.  It all depends on the mood.  Know the flavor of the cigar and you can pair it with the perfect libation (Beer, Scotch, Whiskey, Wine)

3. Relights: An occasional relight of the cigar is okay, if talking, busy, etc...But a cigar you have to constantly relight feels like work.

4. Burn:  A cigar that has an even burn is heaven.  No one likes an uneven burn on one end, giving you a "hanger" or as we call it here in Toledo a "Troy Burn".  This can easily be overlooked if the cigar meets the first three above.

5. Ash:  Everyone loves a long ash.  Night imperative but nice.  White ash the best.  Be careful of the long ash and know when its time to dump it or face the consequence of it falling in your lap.

Now go to your humidor, pick out a fine cigar, fire it up and poor yourself a cocktail. 

My Led Zeppelin Rankings 60-51

Well its time to take us to the top 50...
 -
60. The Ocean - Houses of the Holy - Thunderous beginning with Bonzo and Pagey smashing the notes!  Plant is screeching out the lyrics. 

59. Moby Dick - LZ2 - When can a drum solo be a great track on an album and never get old?  When its played by John Henry Bonham...playing with his hands?  For real!

58. Hats of to (Roy) Harper - LZ3 "Gave my baby a twenty dollar bill, If that don't get her, Sure my shot, shot, shot-gun will"  Southern blues reigns on this one with Pagey on the slide guitar. 

57. Friends - LZ3 - Another great tune from LZ3. A very unique piece with acoustic guitars, bongo drums and Plant's amazing voice belting out the lines.  Jonsey playing very interesting strings.

56. Wearing and Tearing - Coda - What a pure thunderous rock tune by the Gods of Rock themselves.  Jonesy and Bonzo just compliment each other so well and the speed in which they play is amazing.  The highest ranked song from Coda only makes it to 56, but man it rocks!

55. Out On The Tiles - LZ3 - Pagey and Jonesy on the guitar and bass at the end truly make you groove.

54. Celebration Day - LZ3 - More from LZ3, Great beginning with Jimmy Page on the guitar.  Rest of the song just grooves and rocks with some funky sounds. Boy can Plant hit those notes

53. Hey Hey What Can I Do? - Bside - Oddly enough a song that was recorded during LZ3 and was found on the B side of Immigrant Song.  Another great acoustic song from the LZ3 days.

52. Tea For One - Presence - The boys get back to their blues beginnings with this over 9 minute long blues tune.  A slow song of loneliness. You can almost feel Plant's pain with every word.

51. The Wanton Song - Physical Graffiti - If Tea For One was a slow lonely song Wanton kicks you right in the neck.  Bonzo amazing on the skins and Plant whining out the lyrics. 

Next week we break into the top 50 with ranks 50-41.

My Led Zeppelin Ranks 70-61

70. Night Flight - Physical Graffiti - Great belts by Plant on this one, found on the second disk of PG.    Plant truly the one that shines on this one. 

69. Poor Tom - Coda - "Here's a tale of Tom"  Great mixing of the acoustic guitars by Pagey.  This one could have easily fit right into LZ3.  Harmonica at the end is great.

68. Hots On For Nowhere - Presence - Bonzo mashes the skins while the song is truly a catchy tune that can make you move. 

67. Ozone Baby - Coda - Heavy tune that rocks.  Plant again just hits those high notes

66. The Crunge - HOH - Whoa listen to Jonesy open this song on bass! Plant whining out the notes.  By the way..."Where's that confounded bridge?"

65. D'yer Mak'er - HOH - Great intro by Bonzo. Very popular with the Radio DJs.  Groovy tune that truly is a Percy/Bonzo showcase. 

64. We're Gonna Grove - Coda - "Sweet as sweet as sweet can be!"  A good crunching song with all kinds of guitar play from Pagey. 

63. Sick Again - Physical Graffiti - I have to be honest I can't believe I have anything on PG this low.  Makes me sick again.  A very throaty Plant on this one.  Pagey back whining the guitar almost like "In My Time of Dying"  Man does Bonzo beat those drums too.

62. Black Country Woman - Physical Graffiti - "Gotta get this Airplane off," "No leave it"  Again this could easily be ranked up way higher.  "didn't have leave me with that beer in my face"  Plant singing about his womanizing ways! Love when Bonzo kicks in.

61. Livin' Lovin' Maid (she's just a woman) - LZ2 - Typically always heard right after Heartbreaker on the radio as well as the LP.  Classic by far. Hard to argue the guitar riff and Plant crying out the lyrics! "Alimony, alimony payin' your bills!"

My Led Zeppelin Rankings 71-80

Now from here on out, I think anything from here until rank 11 could be interchangeable depending on my mood.  There isn't a band out there that can make me groove and move like Led Zeppelin....

80. Candy Store Rock - Presence - A really good groove with Bonzo just amazing on the drums.  Presence is probably Bonham's crown jewel album

79. Fool in the Rain - ITOD - A really funky song that is very catchy hence its continuous play on the radio.  Again Jonesy is featured on the keys on this album.  Plant still hitting those high notes!

78. Royal Orleans - Presence - Now here is some old school Zep with a funky Plant belting out the lyrics...this could have easily been a Physical Graffiti Song

77. Houses of The Holy - PG - This song could clearly be up higher..Plus its a great trivia question: "What album is the song Houses of The Holy on?"

76. Dancing Days - HOH - A tune I'm sure people are surprised to be so low.  Maybe because of the overplay of the radio.  But its "I said its alright..you know its alright..you know its all in my heart!"

75. For Your Life - Presence - Great voice by Percy on this one...and again Bonzo shines..

74. Bonzo's Montreaux - Coda - From that "best of unreleased" album this song showcases both Bonham's amazing ability to drum and Pagey's superb mixing skills.

73. Achilles Last Stand - Presence - As is tradition, each album has an anthem and this is Presence's as it is over 10 minutes long and tells a story.  Bonham kills the drums...

72. Walter's Walk - Coda - Great song as all of them hit it good...could be ranked higher.  Its a crunching rock song, with Bonham smashing, Pagey grooving, Percy dancing and Jonesy rocking

71. Darlene - Coda - Jonesy back on the ivories.  Swear it sounds like Plant says "Double D" 

Stay tuned for more next week!  Rock on!

NFL Season is Here - Predictions

Well the NFL Hall of Fame Game was just played last night and officially begins the NFL Season.  Even though it is only preseason it was so good to see and it looks like Brees and the Saints are in mid season form already while Kolb and the Cardinals played as to be expected...bad!

So here are my preseason picks for the upcoming NFL 2012 Season.  Feel free to pick them apart....what do I know!

AFC
East
 +1. New England Patriots
 *2. New York Jets
  3. Buffalo Bills
  4. Miami Dolphins
Patriots have the ability to have best record in NFL (maybe 15-1)...Jets manage just enough to get in as a wildcard playoff team...Buffalo's luck from last year not going to be the same this year (Fitzpatrick?  Shave already!)..Dolphins improved with maybe 6 wins..

South
  +1. Houston Texans
   2. Indianapolis Colts
   3. Tennessee Titans
   4. Jacksonville Jaguars
This clearly has become the worst division in the NFL.  Texans certainly on top even if Schaub doesn't play the entire year...Luck and the Colts experience growing pains...Titans and Jags just don't have the QB to get them to more than 4-5 wins.

North
  +1. Baltimore Ravens
  *2. Pittsburgh Steelers
   3. Cincinnati Bengals
   4. Cleveland Browns
Again its the Ravens and Steelers division to lose.  I see Ravens edging out the Steelers by one game.  Cincinnati takes a step back this year with Malachi at QB...Cleveland still has a long way to go.

West
  +1. San Diego Chargers
    2. Denver Broncos
    3. Oakland Raiders
   4. Kansas City Chiefs
Rivers bounces back and get the Chargers the division title...the Manning project in Denver starts out slow, but comes on strong and finishes .500...Oakland toys with .500 but comes up short of the playoffs...KC continues to slide to the bottom...

NFC

East
  +1. Philadelphia Eagles
   2. New York Giants
   3. Dallas Cowboys
   4. Washington Redskins
This division could go to either the Eagles, Giants or the Cowboys.  Based on the schedule I see the Eagles edging out the G-men and the Cowpokes.  And the Giants and cowboys miss the playoffs altogether.  RGIII running for his life in Washington..

South
   +1 New Orleans Saints
   2. Atlanta Falcons
   3.Carolina Panthers
   4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Saints rally behind Drew Brees to win the division and make another run to the Super Bowl...Atlanta misses the playoffs behind head case Ryan...Cam Newton and the Panthers get to 9-7 but miss the playoffs..Bucs under new coach have trouble adjusting..

North
  +1. Detroit Lions
  *2. Green Bay Packers
  *3. Chicago Bears
   4. Minnesota Vikings
This could be the toughest division in the NFL this season with two of the top QBs in Stafford and Rogers plus Cutler gets Brandon Marshal back...If Stafford stays healthy their schedule could lead them to 13 wins...Packers and Bears with double digit wins on the season gets them into playoffs...Vikings can't continue to rely on Petterson every year.

West
  +1. San Francisco 49ers
    2. St. Louis Rams
    3. Arizona Cardinals
    4. Seattle Seahawks
49ers struggle this year but 9 wins will be enough to win this division as the Rams are probably a year a way or two...Bradford clearly the best QB in the division but will need a healthy team to compete.  7 wins likely for the Rams...Cards and Seahawks with no real QB prospects struggle all year and would be lucky to have 10 wins between the two of them.

NFC Wild Card
Green Bay at New Orleans - what a matchup and a rematch from earlier in the season...at home the Saints get the best of the Packers and advance on

Chicago at San Francisco - classic playoff battle at a sloppy SF field the Bears dominate a weak 49er team

AFC Wild Card
Pittsburgh at Houston - Pittsburgh defense smothers the Texans as Big Ben moves on to the Divisional Playoffs

New York Jets at San Diego - San Diego blasts the Jets and sends a Tebow lead team home for the playoffs

NFC Divisional Playoffs
New Orleans at Philadelphia - A tough fought game has Drew Brees leading the Saints on a final minute drive to edge the Eagles

Chicago at Detroit - A frenzy scene in Detroit at Ford Field has Culter baffled as Detroit rolls over the Bears and makes it to the NFC Championship

AFC Divisional Playoffs
Pittsburgh at New England - Tom Brady is too much for the Steelers as they make yet another trip to the AFC Championship

San Diego at Baltimore - Chargers upset a beat up Raven team that has started to show its age late in the season.

NFC Championship
New Orleans at Detroit - Ford field was rocking but Brees with two early TD drives takes the crowd out of it and leads the Saints back to the Super Bowl.

AFC Championship
San Diego at New England - Weather is a factor for the Chargers and the Patriots dispense the Chargers easily and return to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row

SUPER BOWL XLVII
New Orleans Saints vs New England Patriots - For the first time in NFL history a team plays in the Super Bowl at their home stadium as the Saints take on the Patriots.  Patriots hungry to avenge their Super Bowl loss from last year come up short again as the Saints and Drew Brees playing in front of their home crowd beat Brady in a classic QB dual.