The Ferm's Countdown (04/06/09)

Countdown is a list of news items, videos, or just ruminations that involve imbibing or are just more entertaining with an adult beverage. After all, life is life, but talking about it with a drink makes it more interesting. Feel free to sound off on any of the topics in the comment section.

5) Yiiiiiiii-haaaaaw!!
The Academy of Country Music Awards aired last night. Artists like George Strait, Rascal Flatts, and Trace Adkins probably won awards for recording music that is decades behind musical trends with ridiculously exaggerated accents that was only marginally better than the other nominees. Woo! Congrats.

I saw that American Idol winner Carrie Underwood (who performed at the show in the Jabba the Hutt costume as seen on the right) won Entertainer of the Year and thanked the fans with this treat: "I've had a lot of good moments over the past four years. This one takes the cake. ... I never thought I'd be nominated, and I never thought I'd win. I don't know what to say. I've got nothing!" Really Carrie? You've sold like 10 million albums during that span and you haven't practiced a "thank you" for the "wow, that sounds like pop music" starved country music fans out there? And to the country music nation, Carrie won a TV show and she's your brightest star? Have you heard that Kellie Pickler chick? You have? Ain't she just the best little thing to come out of the Sonic Drive-In since those fried macaroni and cheese balls?

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad there is an "Academy of Country Music" and they hold their own award show. It just gives me hope that there may one day be an "Academy of Drinking Blogs" so we can pad our trophy cases here at The Ferm.

4) Now There is More in that Pour
Oregon is awesome... maybe so awesome that their lawmakers have enough time to draft up a bill to ensure the Oregon beer drinker gets a full 16 ounces when he orders a pint. Upon further review, it turns out the Honest Pint Bill movement is really about transparency in glassware and unfortunately violators won't be fined, jailed, or publicly humiliated.

I wonder if the non-regulation sized glassware exists intentionally in the bars serving them as a money saver or if this just points to the lack of appreciation and craft by the glass making industry. If it's the former, then expect the price for that pint to go up Oregonians. Your bar has been trying to stiff you, but remember to tip your waitstaff!

Personally, I wish I could drink in using the metric system. If my beer servings were in multiples of 10, after a long session I'd have a much easier time counting up my consumption...... or being able to brag about it the next day.

3) Poor at the Park
I just read that a draft beer at Minute Maid Park will now cost $7.50 during Houston Astros games. That is $0.25 more than last year and about $5.00 north of a reasonable price. You will NEVER see me pay $7.50 for a beer! Not a chance... mostly because it's that fizzy potty water being offered at that price point. It looks like I'll be dropping $8.00 for a ball park "premium" draft. All I'm saying is that I better get an honest pour! In related ballpark concession news, a Sheriff Blaylock's nacho now pays for an entire year of Carlos Lee's contract.

2) Why I Don't Work Out Anymore
An Australian study on the effects of drinking beer after training has revealed shocking results... it's not good for you. According to an article (I was too lazy to read the actual study) it could take 60-72 hours to recover after drinking beer. How much beer did they give the athletes during this study and where can I sign up for such a thing? On second thought, a three day hangover in a clinic is probably not an ideal situation. I hear this team of scientists is now looking into the effects of athletes throwing a shrimp on the barbie. Stay tuned, mates.

1) March Madness < January Sadness
Tonight is the NCAA Div 1 Basketball Championship, which marks the end of March/April Madness. The tourney is great for TV, great for radio, great for newspapers, and great for drinking. But as great as the 2-4 action packed days of excitement that March Madness hands us, are any of these tournament days as good as a single regular season Saturday in college football? Just the fact that there is a legitimate argument here makes a big statement about the power of college football. I pose the following question: Would a college football playoff (and stop right there all you playoff haters, I'm not taking about a 64 team playoff) ruin any of the regular season days? I can't see how it'll ruin it for the fans, and given the huge moneymaker the weaker product that is college basketball provides, why isn't "The Man" all over a playoff?

Say what you want about President Obama, but the man wants a playoff. Last time I checked, the White House > NCAA. Let's get this done. Now that is change I need.