In Search of... the overhyped burger

From 1976 to 1982 a documentary series entitled "In Search Of..." consisted of investigations into the mysterious and paranormal. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek), this blog would be worthy of an episode.

After finally experiencing both Five Guys and In N Out burgers I am now prepared to voice my opinion about America's overhyped burgers. Both are good burgers, scoring in my book above McDonalds and Whataburger. But one has to ask the question: "Was the bang-to-hype ratio valid?"

I first experienced Five Guys in Washington D.C. a year and a half ago, having heard promises of one of the best burgers in the nation. Since then I've eaten at several locations in the DFW metroplex. The interior is bright white--so white that upon entering the glare almost causes one to don sunglasses. The look is sleek and clean but I don't get the salted peanuts. The burgers are thick and juicy, a clear plus over the chain restaurants. The meat patty is larger than the bun so that is a plus in my book. The portion of fries was huge and a good value. I liked the large cut of the fries as well. Service was friendly though 2 out of 3 times I've waited excessively when the restaurant was not that crowded. Overall grade: B+ (can't give it an A -)

Today my mission was In-N-Out (INO). Again, all white interior? It reminded me of the Progressive auto insurance commercial with that redhead lady. Staff all had crisp and clean uniforms and hats. I kind of felt like I was on the bridge of the Enterprise in Star Trek. Service was both friendly and fast. Employees did not appear to be miserable like I've seen in other chains. The burger I ordered supposedly had fresh ingredients (according to their braggadocio). I could definitely tell. The special sauce was a knockoff of the "thousand island" that the Big Mac has but was not overwhelming. The fries were a smaller cut but good. Overall taste was very good. Overall grade: A -

Both are clearly above the chains we are used to here in Texas but the bang-to-hype ratio was way overboard for both. My preference at this point: In-N-Out.

Goodbye A&M

This Thanksgiving marks the close of the football rivalry between my my Texas Longhorns and the Texas A&M Aggies. Besides the Cowboys game this is THE game I looked forward to all year in college football. I think the end of this is bad for both teams and the fans.

My loyalty is to Texas, having grown up in Austin and attending school there. My Aggie either and I would watch the game together, sometimes screaming so loud we were told to tap the brakes. Bets were placed--usually a cold beverage or a round of golf. No matter who won we had a mutual respect for each others teams. I think the fans will miss this but the high toned athletic directors and chancellors wont because they simply don't care about tradition. It's all about money now.

As for the teams they will find someone to fill in the spot on their schedule but creating a replacement rivalry will be difficult.. A&M will find no friends in the SEC and in the near future no immediate rivalries. Teams need a natural rival--someone to recruit against, despise, and just plain hate. Who will they have as a rival now--Arkansas or LSU? Both are geographically close to College Station and are mutual recruiting possibilities. It's been 17 years since A&M played Arkansas in the Southwest Conference. Most people don't remember it.

Texas states they will fill the spot on their schedule with someone else with ease. Networks will money whip them and probably recommend a slew of non Big 12 teams for the to play on Thanksgiving. but it won't be the same. No build up, trash talking, bonfires, or Aggie jokes. Playing Texas Tech or TCU won't have the same magic for me. Wouldn't it be ironic if Mack Brown or DeLiss Dodds got LSU to play Texas every Thanksgiving? Poor A&M would be left sitting home Thanksgiving out of the spotlight.

So goodbye A&M. Change the lyrics to your war hymn and start working on your media guide for 2012. You might start with a thank you to Texas in the preface. The rivalry made you relevant--giving you precious TV time to a captive audience

Movie Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Grade: A

I went into this experience a little dubious about a movie in which the main characters are CGI-created but left very pleased. Overall, one of the best movies this summer. Whether you have seen the original movie of 1968 or the most recent reboot in 2001 I think you will like it. The special effects, including CGI, where very good but not over the top to kill the movie. The human cast consisted of a few actors who were well developed. Action was mixed in with good plot development

This is a reboot of the Apes franchise, so to speak, that began with the classic Planet of the Apes (POA) movie of 1968 starring the late Charlton Heston. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. First, a synopisis and then details.

Synopsis: A scientist Will Rodman (played by James Franco) is desperately trying to create a cure for Alzheimers to save his ailing father Charles (played by John Lithgow). The corporation he works for wants to make money. Will is using chimpanzees to test the drug. The story revolves around Will trying to balance his drive to save his father and apes, who he views as intelligent beings. He rescues a baby chimp named Caesar from the corporation when the plug is pulled on his research. Caesar has inherited increased intelligence on the level of a human. Without divulging anymore details the plot leads to the inevitable clash of man and ape (chimpanzee), leading to the beginning or rise of the ape civilization.

Nuggets or references to the original movie were sporadically dropped in which I liked.

The movie ending leads the moviegoer with a sense of anticipation. If you follow the story and the clues you can predict what might lie ahead for humans (those left) and apes.

Again, thumbs up. Remember movie watching is a sport.

Cowboys training camp daily observations WEEK 2

As a lifelong Cowboys fan this time of year brings optimism over a successful Cowboys season and hopeful return to the playoffs. A few things are certain: the Cowboys are broke AND the focus is on the coaching.

Jerry Jones' failure to fill in some gaps in the team lends me to believe that he is broke. The team has too much cap money tied up into HUGE signing bonuses and dead money tied up in Roy Williams. With the new CBA all teams must meet a firm cap of $120 million. Jerry is intensely loyal, to a fault at times, and tends to overspend. I'm not wishing they go out and throw money at just any big name but I do wish they would have done a better job (so far) at addressing spots on the roster. There are still some players on this roster that need to demonstrate they are worth their pay--Martellus Bennett, Terrance Newman, Anthony Spencer, and David Buehler.

Where are their deficiences? Safety, cornerback, and another outside linebacker that can rush the QB and take some of the heat off of DeMarcus Ware.

By not making a huge move Jerry has signaled that Wade Phillips failed as a head coach and a defensive coordinator. Essentially most of the same cards are in the deck. It's now a matter of using the wit and wisdom of head coach Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Ryan, and the rest of the staff to get the most out of the players.

Soccer: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

After watching the men's FIFA World Cup and now the women's I've developed a short list of the good, bag, and ugly in this popular world sport.

GOOD

1. No commercials until the half - if only the NBA and NFL would adopt this policy.

2. Announcers - Listening to the great British Ian Darke's voice alone lends credence to the sport. Not afraid to tell it like it is and give their opinion.

BAD

1. No instant replay - would be helpful for offsides calls

2. It needs more than one referee - Can you imagine one official calling all penalties in the NFL? The NFL has officials that cover virtually every square inch of the field. The NBA and MLB added one more official in the last decade.

UGLY

1. Flopping - This habit of faking injuries in order to draw yellow cards is killing the flow of the game. It's annoying to see "injured" players be carried off the field on stretchers and then miraculously be "healed" moments later to enter the game. Flopping does occur in the NBA but most of the time the officials weed it out.

Bottom line: I'm in. Talent and the level of play in the MLS in the U.S. is far below that of the English Premier League. I may happen to stop by the channel for a MLS game if nothing else is on my sports radar. Would be nice of more European games would be on the networks and not on a pay channel like FOX Soccer.