Monthly Archives: September 2011

September 20, 2011 · 10:27 pm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25: WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19TH

 The Saint Xavier Cougars and Coach Fem maintain their number one ranking in the NAIA poll and there’s a new number one in D2. In fact, three of D2’s Top 5 lost over the weekend and no less than 23 teams in the NAIA Top 25 shifted positions! The top two in the NAIA were the only teams who did not change. The Marian Knights continue to make me look like a gridiron Nostradamus by moving up to number three, the highest football ranking in their institution’s history. Meanwhile, the William Penn Statesmen are just DARING people to try leaving them out of the playoffs this year, rising to the five spot. All this and the Saint Ambrose University Fighting Bees cracked the NAIA Top 25 themselves! And now, let’s look at the Top 6 in each of the divisions Balladeer’s Blog covers:

NAIA –   1. SXU COUGARS … 2. ST FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS … 3. MARIAN KNIGHTS … 4. CC FIGHTING SAINTS … 5. WILLIAM PENN UNIVERSITY STATESMEN … 6. MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE VIKINGS

D3 –   1. WHITEWATER WARHAWKS (defending D3 champs) … 2. MT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS (Warhawks and Purple Raiders have played each other in the last six D3 championship games IN A ROW) … 3. ST THOMAS  TOMMIES … 4. MHBU CRUSADERS … 5. BETHEL (MN) ROYALS … 6. LINFIELD WILDCATS

D2 –   1. NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS … 2. NORTH ALABAMA LIONS … 3. DELTA STATE STATESMEN … 4. SHEPHERD RAMS … 5. VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS … 6. BLOOMSBURG HUSKIES

NJCAA –   1. NAVARRO COLLEGE BULLDOGS (defending champions) … 2. BLINN BUCCANEERS … 3.  ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE MATADORS … 4. EAST MS LIONS … 5. IOWA WESTERN REIVERS … 6. SNOW COLLEGE BADGERS

SCFA –   1. MT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE MOUNTIES (defending champions)  … 2. SADDLEBACK GAUCHOS … Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under college football

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

September 20, 2011 · 12:04 am

MOVIE HOSTS – MAD MARVIN

 Chicago’s own Mad Marvin (Terry Bennett) was part of the First Wave of B-Movie Hosts and Hostesses of the 1950s. From 1957 to 1959 Terry (joined by his wife Joy soon after the show launched) entertained the Windy City late on Saturday nights with that metropolis’ version of Shock Theater.

Described as a “Mad Beatnik” and a “Mad Hipster”, Bennett’s Mad Marvin character had a macabre sense of humor that has made him a legend with Movie Host fans. In fact, television station management in Chicago and from around the country soon realized that, as with the likes of Vampira and Zacherley, audiences were tuning in just as much (if not more) to watch the antics of Mad Marvin as they were to watch the movies.

Bennett’s most over-the -top stunt involved him pretending to swallow poison on the air, then describing his body’s reaction to the potent potable (for you Jeopardy fans) as he acted like he was genuinely dying. The notoriety from this morbid joke caused the ratings to skyrocket. In a way, Mad Marvin was like a forerunner of the radio Shock Jocks of later decades.

That legendary incident and many other ghoulish gags, many of which centered around  Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies, Movie Hosts

Tagged as , , , , ,

September 18, 2011 · 3:08 pm

NOTEWORTHY COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 17TH

THE PRAIRIE WOLVES STUN THE MUSTANGS – The NEBRASKA  WESLEYAN  PRAIRIE WOLVES seemed to be gaining momentum at the end of last season, but almost nobody expected them to do what they did yesterday. The plucky Prairie Wolves (love that name) shocked the NAIA football world by defeating the 3rd ranked MORNINGSIDE  MUSTANGS in their own house 30-23. NWU trailed 13-3 at the end of the 1st Quarter and it looked like Morningside was going to live up to the assumption that they would own the Great Plains Athletic Conference now that the SIOUX FALLS COUGARS have moved on to D2. But the Prairie Wolves borrowed Lee Corso’s saying “Not so fast, my friend” and refused to give up. By halftime they led 16-13, leaving the home crowd very, very silent. The 3rd quarter ended with the score tied at 23 apiece and  NWU scored the lone touchdown of the 4th quarter to steal the win. Look out, Li’l Red, the Prairie Wolves are the REAL kings of Lincoln, NE.   

THE SIENA HEIGHTS SAINTS RULE THE WORLD – This is the type of headline I use whenever a team defeats an opponent from a higher division. The NAIA’s SIENNA HEIGHTS SAINTS, still new to intercollegiate football, played giant-killer on the road yesterday by  toppling Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under college football

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

September 17, 2011 · 4:51 am

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCOREBOARDS FOR SEPTEMBER 17TH

 Well, the NAIA’s St Xavier Cougars will be defending their number one ranking today against the ever- tough Walsh Cavaliers. The 2nd ranked St Francis (IN) Cougars will host the McKendree Bearcats, who are still on their mission to return to their days of gridiron glory. At number 3, the Morningside  Mustangs are expected to have an easier time against the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves, who ended last season with a bit of a resurgence, but will it give NWU enough to topple the 3rd ranked team in the country in their own stadium? The 13th ranked Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm haven’t gotten as much love as they deserve so far this season, so I’ll point out that they are 2-0 and host the Friends Falcons today. Naturally I’ll have my usual Sunday look at noteworthy results from today’s games, but in the meantime here are links to updating scoreboards for the divisions Balladeer’s Blog covers:

NAIA – http://www.victorysportsnetwork.com/sport/0/14.php

D3 – Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under college football

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 16, 2011 · 4:01 am

PULP HEROES: THE MOON MAN – STORIES 10-12

I’m continuing my look at Frederick C Davis’ pulp hero the Moon Man. In reality police detective Stephen Thatcher, the Moon Man stalked the night-darkened streets of fictional Great City (“Great City ya got here … it’d be a shame if something happened to it …”) clad in his black costume and his helmet made of one-way Argus glass. Armed with an automatic plus limitless courage and ingenuity the Moon Man captured or killed Great City’s most dangerous criminals (white collar and blue collar) and robbed them of their ill-gotten booty. He would then distribute that money to the city’s Great Depression-ravaged poor. ( “Great Depression ya got here … it’d be a shame if – ” oh, forget it!) All this made him hunted by both the crooks AND the cops. For more on the Moon Man and other neglected pulp heroes click here: https://glitternight.com/pulp-heroes/

10. CRIMSON SHACKLES – With the death of their leader Primus in the previous Moon Man story, the Red Six is now the Red Five, with their second in command, Secundus, the criminal organization’s new leader. The red-masked gang and their black-masked and blackmailed underlings, most of them pillars of the community with something to hide, pull off a daring robbery of Great City’s Van Ormond Museum.

In addition to looting the museum of all the valuable art and relics they could carry in this commando- style raid, the Red Five capture Stephen Thatcher when he and the rest of Great City’s police force give chase. Secundus reveals to Stephen that before Primus’ death he had stolen the evidence proving that Thatcher is really the Moon Man. Once again Stephen is forced to don his Moon Man costume and Argus glass helmet and pose as the field commander of the Red Five.

As the Moon Man and his assistant Angel conspire to once again foil the gang’s next caper from behind the scenes Secundus shows our hero he means business by exposing Stephen Thatcher’s dual identity to Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under Pulp Heroes

Tagged as , , , , ,

September 15, 2011 · 8:24 pm

DROVERS SOCCER GEARING UP FOR THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHES

 This weekend could prove a great test for both USAO soccer teams, as the 2-0 women take on Texas Wesleyan, which defeated No. 13 Oklahoma City earlier this week.

The Drovers have home-field advantage in those Friday games. The women kick off at 1 p.m., with the men following at 3 p.m.

The following day, the No. 23 men turn around to play No. 21 Bethel College out of Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under college sports

Tagged as , , , ,

September 14, 2011 · 9:47 pm

MYTHOLOGY: THE AZTEC CORN TRINITY

CINTEOTL – Just as XILONEN was the god of young, tender corn and ILAMATECUHTLI was the deity of old, overripe and dry corn, Cinteotl was the lord of mature corn ripe for the harvest. Their mother was the goddess Tlazolteotl and this three-in- one trio of deities provides an Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Mythology

September 13, 2011 · 8:30 pm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLLS: SEPTEMBER 13TH

 Congratulations to Coach Mike Feminis and his Saint Xavier University Cougars (logo at left) who are now ranked number 1 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll. This is the first time in school history that the SXU football team is first in the nation and two teams called Fighting Saints played a role in this milestone. The CC Fighting Saints, the previous number 1, were upset by the unranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers on Saturday (see my usual Sunday look at Noteworthy College Football Results) and the Cougars themselves defeated the other Fighting Saints team, St Francis (IL) (not to be confused with St Francis, Indiana, whose teams are called Cougars just like SXU)  Just be glad the University of Sioux Falls moved up to D2 after last season or all of the Top 3 teams would be called Cougars. Speaking of USF, the Morningside Mustangs no doubt don’t miss them at ALL as they are at number 3 and hoping to win their first Great Plains Athletic Conference title in years. The 4th ranked Marian Knights continue to prove that last season was no fluke AND that I was 100% right in my prediction last year that they Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under college football

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 12, 2011 · 12:02 am

MOVIE HOSTS: GHOULARDI

 From January of 1963 to December of 1966 Ernie Anderson, AKA Ghoulardi, ruled the  Friday night airwaves in Cleveland with his b-movie show. To give you an idea of how popular his show was, Ghoulardi did what some of the top entertainers of their day consistently failed to do – HE BEAT JOHNNY CARSON’S TONIGHT SHOW IN THE RATINGS! Carson may have owned the rest of the country, but on Friday nights in Cleveland and vicinity Ghoulardi was the REAL king.

Ghoulardi, along with Vampira and Zacherley, is part of the Holy Trinity (or Trimurti if you prefer) of the early b-movie show hosts who proved so popular they ensured that the American folk art of hosting Grade Z films would not be just a passing fad. Those three pioneers (if you’re from Chicago you can add Mad Marvin) became pop culture icons and helped demonstrate how much fun bad movie culture can be.

In Ghoulardi’s case his catch-phrases like “Stay sick” and  “Ova dey!” were the “Hikeeba!” of their day. Anderson’s look was iconic, too, and his green lab coat predated Doctor Madblood’s and Trace Continue reading →

24 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies, Movie Hosts

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 11, 2011 · 2:59 pm

NOTEWORTHY COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 10TH

THE MCMURRY WAR HAWKS RULE THE WORLD – NCAA Division 3’s MCMURRY WAR HAWKS defeated a team from two divisions higher yesterday, toppling 1AA’s UT-SAN ANTONIO ROADRUNNERS in a 24-21 Instant Classic. Now, it’s true that the Roadrunners are in their very first year of intercollegiate football, but they are still Division 1 with all the advantages that implies in the way of facilities and recruiting.  

THE LANGSTON LIONS ALSO RULE THE WORLD … AGAIN – For the second week in a row the LANGSTON LIONS, from the NAIA, have taken down an upper division team. As with McMurry, they took down a 1AA team but did it in a rout. Langston (insert my usual joke that they should change their name to the Langston Hugheses here) handily defeated the TUSKEGEE GOLDEN TIGERS by a score of 33-19.  

EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – For the first time this season we have three teams from the divisions Balladeer’s Blog covers playing giant-killer and defeating a team from a higher division. Add the NAIA’s PIKEVILLE BEARS to the mix. The Bears won a Continue reading →

7 Comments

Filed under college football

Tagged as , , , , , , ,