Monthly Archives: March 2013

March 23, 2013 · 3:13 pm

D3 PLUS NJCAA TOURNAMENT ACTION FROM MARCH 22ND

*D3 ELITE EIGHT *

Mary Hardin baylor CrusadersTHE CRU ADVANCES – In the NCAA Division 3 tournament the UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN BAYLOR CRUSADERS aka “the Cru” upset the (11) ST MARY’S (MD) SEAHAWKS last night. The Seahawks actually held a 32-26 halftime advantage but UMHB refused to quit. In the 2nd half they came storming back and ultimately won a 69-66 Instant Classic.

STTHOMASTOMMIESTOMMIES TRIUMPHANT – The top seeded UNIVERSITY OF ST THOMAS TOMMIES battled the 8th seeded WILLIAMS COLLEGE EPHS (pronounced “eephs”) for the right to advance to the Final Four. The Ephs seemed primed for an upset and had seized a 47-39 lead by the break. The Tommies regrouped and Continue reading →

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March 23, 2013 · 1:57 pm

PULP HEROES – THE MOON MAN: STORIES 25-27

Moon ManI’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 clad in his black costume and his helmet made of one-way Argus glass. Armed with an automatic pistol plus limitless courage and ingenuity the Moon Man captured or killed Great City’s most dangerous criminals –  both 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. 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/

25. THE DIAL OF DOOM – This tale opens with the Moon Man pulling off a robbery of a crooked traveling carnival that has been fleecing the good citizens of Great City. Through an unfortunate twist of fate the cops, led by our hero’s most determined pursuer, Lt Gil McEwen, learn where the Moon Man and his sidekick Angel have stashed their latest loot while fleeing the police.

With a police stakeout around the safe containing the hidden booty our heroes must somehow recover the cash for the suffering poor of the city without getting caught by the Continue reading →

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March 22, 2013 · 11:14 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NJCAA TOURNAMENT ACTION FROM LAST NIGHT

* NJCAA1 ELITE EIGHT * 

Vincennes University TrailblazersVINI VEDI VINCENNES – I know, that’s a lame joke, but what can I tell you? In the NJCAA Division One tournament the 5th seeded VINCENNES UNIVERSITY TRAILBLAZERS played the unlucky 13th seeded HOWARD COLLEGE (TX) HAWKS. Yes, it was a non- NBA Trailblazers vs Hawks matchup. The Hawks were hot in the 1st half and by the break had compiled a 37-29 lead. With a trip to the Final Four on the line the Trailblazers dug deep and made a comeback in the 2nd half. The final score in this memorable affair was Trailblazers  70 Hawks  65.   

Northwest Florida State RaidersTHE TOP SEED TAKES A FALL – The IOWA WESTERN REIVERS came into the tournament as the 1 seed and made it to the Elite Eight, where they ran into the 9th seeded NW FLORIDA STATE RAIDERS. This may well have been the game of the tournament so far. The Raiders matched the Reivers blow for blow throughout the 1st half and held a slender 37-36 lead at halftime. In the 2nd half the level of play remained high for both squads and the Reivers wound up tying the score at 72 apiece to force Overtime. In the Continue reading →

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March 22, 2013 · 10:35 pm

ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD TOLD ME TO LOVE GAY PEOPLE

Picture of Muhammad not available due to superstitious savagery

Picture of Muhammad not available due to superstitious savagery

Welcome back to Balladeer’s Blog, where ALL religions are treated as mythology, including Islam. Last night I had a dream in which Allah (in her pre- Islamic female form of Alliyat) and Muhammad (who was much shorter than he looks in those drawings that Continue reading →

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March 21, 2013 · 8:28 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL AND HOCKEY: NJCAA AND ACHA TOURNAMENT RESULTS FROM MARCH 20TH

* NJCAA1 DAY 3 *

Central Arizona College VaquerosVAQUEROS RIDE! – Both NCAA Divisions 2 and 3 had off days yesterday for their respective tournaments. NJCAA Divisions One and Two saw action, however. In Division One the 6th seeded CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE VAQUEROS battled the 11th seeded SALT LAKE COLLEGE BRUINS for the right to advance to the Elite Eight. The Vaqueros moved on with an action- filled 87-82 victory in an undeniable Instant Classic!

Spartanburg Methodist College PioneersALL DEFENSE, ALL THE TIME – The 2nd seeded SPARTANBURG METHODIST COLLEGE PIONEERS are the ONLY undefeated team in the NJCAA1 tournament. Yesterday they had all they could handle from the 15 seeds, the KILGORE COLLEGE RANGERS. In a game that took defense to new heights the Pioneers actually trailed their double-digit seed opponents at halftime by a Continue reading →

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March 20, 2013 · 8:38 pm

THE TOP SIX ALTERNATE GOSPELS AND SCRIPTURES PART TWO

As promised, here is the second part of Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the top six apocryphal gospels, meaning the rejected and obscure gospels outside of the four accepted by mainstream Christianity as “authentic”  (snicker).

Those four are, of course, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There were dozens of others and I’ve selected the six that provide the best opportunities for comparative mythology.

3. THE GOSPEL OF THE SAVIOR – The narrative of this gospel centers around dialogues between Jesus and his apostles in the last few days before his arrest and crucifixion. Some of the material is similar to the Gospels of John and Matthew, but some is Continue reading →

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March 20, 2013 · 5:20 am

NAIA COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PLUS MORE GAMES IN THE D2 AND NJCAA TOURNEYS

* NAIA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME *

Georgetown Tigers

Georgetown Tigers

COMING FROM BEHIND IS STILL NO PROBLEM FOR GEORGETOWN COLLEGE – Last night wrapped up the 2013 National Championship Tournament in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). The 13th seeded GEORGETOWN COLLEGE (KY) TIGERS proved they had one more comeback victory over a higher seed in them.

The Tigers ultimately got the better of the 6th seeded SOUTHWESTERN ASSEMBLIES OF GOD UNIVERSITY LIONS to take the title in the country’s oldest college basketball tourney (yes, older than the NCAA tournament). The Lions got off to an early lead and held a 5 point advantage less than two minutes into the game. Georgetown College would be playing catchup for a little while but once they snatched the lead they would never give it back. At halftime the Continue reading →

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March 20, 2013 · 12:22 am

THE TOP SIX ALTERNATE GOSPELS AND SCRIPTURES

Everyone but the most sheltered Christians have known for centuries about the alternate, or apocryphal gospels. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the four canonical or “official” gospels that were accepted by the mainstream church but there were dozens of other gospels with wildly varying versions of the story of Jesus.

With my love of mythology I first got into those other gospels when I was 18 and that was long before Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code fouled the territory by attracting countless conspiracy kooks to the subject of these obscure writings. It complicates conversations now because when  many people hear you discussing the apocryphal gospels they think you’re a paranoid crackpot looking for the  descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene around every corner.

At any rate it’s fun to wonder what form Easter celebrations would have taken if the following rejected gospels had been accepted as “official.”

6. THE ACTS OF THECLA – Since the Gospel of Mary has gotten so much attention following the success of Dan Brown’s writings and their screen adaptations I decided to throw a spotlight on the neglected woman named Thecla instead. Thecla supposedly Continue reading →

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March 19, 2013 · 4:38 am

NAIA FINAL FOUR RESULTS AND MORE FROM MARCH 18TH

* NAIA FINAL FOUR *

Southwestern Assemblies of God LionsTHE BIG SAGU – The 6th seeded SOUTHWESTERN ASSEMBLIES OF GOD UNIVERSITY (SAGU) LIONS advanced to their first ever appearance in the National Championship Game with last night’s upset of the 2nd seeded LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS. The Lions had the Blue Raiders fans nervous from the start and led throughout most of the 1st half.

With just a few minutes left before the break Lindsey Wilson retook the lead and it was SAGU’s turn to play catchup and by half-time the Lions had tied the score up at 31-31. In the 2nd half SAGU started to get some separation and the Blue Raiders could only watch helplessly as the Lions bounced them from the tournament just one game short of the title clash. The final score in the night’s first semifinal was Lions  80 Blue Raiders  64.  

Georgetown Tigers

Georgetown Tigers

MAYBE THIRTEEN IS LUCKY AFTER ALL – The 13th seeded GEORGETOWN COLLEGE (KY) TIGERS have been stunning opponent after opponent in the NAIA Division One tournament. That storied tourney, which I will point out again – IS OLDER THAN THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT – saw the Tigers pull off another come from behind win last night on their way to the title game.

The LSU- SHREVEPORT PILOTS (riverboat pilots) led by Continue reading →

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March 18, 2013 · 12:06 am

MOVIE HOSTS: THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT 3D POSTER

FILMVreducedRegular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are familiar with my fondness for Movie Host shows of the past and my EXCLUSIVE interview with Randy Clower of the mid-1980’s program The Texas 27 Film Vault has proven to be a very popular item on this blog.

Randy and his cohost Richard Malmos, playing machine gun- packing Film Vault Technicians First Class, would show and mock bad and campy films from decades ago and were a huge hit when they were on the air. I feel they Continue reading →

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