FRONTIERADO WEEK: THE BAD, THE WEIRD AND THE FREAKY

Well, it’s Frontierado Eve! We’ve all got our painted rocks on various bits of furniture around the house, we’ve all got our potted cacti with the toy gun-belts slung over them and for those old enough to drink there are Cactus Jacks and Deuces Wilds to be slammed down. In some homes families and friends will be gathering around to watch the official Frontierado Western, Silverado, later tonight. Others prefer to watch that movie on the day or night of Frontierado itself.

In the buildup to this major holiday I periodically reviewed my favorite weird westerns so to give us all a few more chuckles here’s one more.

JESSE JAMES’ KID (1966)

In my review of The Price of Power earlier this Frontierado season I mentioned how fond I am of those Spaghetti Westerns that distort the facts of the American west more outrageously than even our own home- grown westerns do. Jesse James’ Kid makes The Price of Power look like the writings of Herodotus.

In this deranged western which used to populate the 3am to 5am movie slot on television stations across the country we get the old-school bad movie fun of dubbing that never comes close to matching the movements of the performers’ lips. And that’s just the start. This film tells us that Billy the Kid was Jesse James’ son … yes, Jesse James’ son. And not only that but Continue reading →

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UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS PICKED TO CONTINUE THEIR SOCCER AND VOLLEYBALL DOMINATION

 As the 2011 season approaches, the West Florida Argonauts men’s soccer team and their women’s volleyball team have been picked to continue their streaks of conference titles. The soccer team has been picked to take their sixth Gulf South Conference title in a row, the volleyball team to take their fourth straight crown.

On the soccer side the Christian Brothers Buccaneers and the Alabama- Huntsville Chargers were picked for Continue reading →

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FRONTIERADO WEEK: TUMBLEWEED PIZZA RECIPE

As a Frontierado gift to my readers here is my personal recipe for Tumbleweed Pizza, the perfect snack to go with Silverado and whatever second Western you watch on the day of Frontierado itself, coming up this Friday, August 5th.

Start with a few extra-large tortilla shells or round pita shells. Spread tomato paste and/or sauce around them, leaving as much crust room as you prefer. Spread shredded pepperjack cheese all over each Continue reading →

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BEARCATS PICKED TO WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT MIAA TITLE

 The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team has been picked to win the MidAmerica Intercollegiate Athletics Association title in 2011. This would be the sixth year in a row for the Bearcats to win the conference championship, but their first without legendary coach Mel Tjeerdsma, who retired after last season. The Bearcats have won twelve of the last Continue reading →

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FRONTIERADO WEEK: FOUR NEGLECTED WILD WEST FIGURES

 With the Frontierado holiday coming up this Friday, August 5th (and isn’t it great to have a holiday that falls on the Friday of its three-day weekend, not on the Monday?) it’s time for another seasonal post. Since Balladeer’s Blog loves to cover under-the-radar subjects today’s post is about four real Wild West figures who don’t get the pub of the big names. My attitude, as always, is that in real life the legends of the west were thugs and worse but Frontierado is about the myth of the west, not the grinding reality. 

1. TEXAS BEN THOMPSON – That’s our number one figure depicted to the left. Ben and his brother were often called Texas Ben and Texas Billy and I  think using the nickname as often as possible will help Ben’s myth get more attention. Texas Ben served in the Continue reading →

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GENERALS PICKED TO ONCE AGAIN WIN THE OLD DOMINION ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

 What football fan doesn’t love the coolness of the logo and the name of the Washington and Lee Generals? Here at Balladeer’s Blog that logo is the honorary 27th letter of the alphabet, forming a combined w and l sound like in “bowl” or “knowledge”. The Generals are the defending champions of the Continue reading →

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FRONTIERADO WEEK: THE TOP FOUR WESTERNS BASED ON REAL-LIFE FIGURES

butch cassidy and the sundance kid 2We all know that in real life the celebrated “heroes” of the old west were a pack of corrupt and/or outrightly criminal thugs who would have had a pretty redneckish worldview. And let’s face it, by our standards their personal hygiene habits would have been pretty disgusting. But since the Frontierado holiday is all about celebrating the myth of the West and not the grinding reality of it here’s my list of the Top Four Westerns Based On Real-Life Figures. Coming up with lists like this is one of the perks of being the international commissioner of Frontierado (along with the seven-figure income and a staff of three hundred people).

butch cassidy and the sundance kid1. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) – Redford and Newman set the standard for the “buddy western” with this magnificent movie. Newman once described this flick by saying Continue reading →

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FRONTIERADO WEEK: TODAY’S COOL-NAMED SPORTS TEAM – YAVAPAI COLLEGE

YAVAPAI COLLEGE ROUGHRIDERS

 Location: Prescott, AZ

Division: JUCO

Conference Affiliation: ACCAC

Major sports: basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, volleyball

Site: http://www.goroughriders.com/

Comment: What better way to kick off Frontierado holiday week than with a college whose teams have a western theme? The name Roughriders always conjures up Continue reading →

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NAIA COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS SIGNED IN THE NFL

Recently I looked at NCAA Division 3 players signed to NFL teams. Now let’s take a look at the NAIA football players signed by NFL teams in this year’s odd, frenzied period of free agent signings.

The Chargers took Patrick Crayton from the NWOSU Rangers, the Bills took Michael Jasper from the Continue reading →

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FRONTIERADO MEAL-MAKING MADE EASY WITH BUFFALO GAL

 Here at Frontierado international headquarters things are as hectic as you would imagine with the Frontierado holiday coming up this Friday, August 5th. Various mayors, governors and heads of state are all contacting me to get the official Frontierado imprimatur on the events they are planning in their communities. I’m never too busy to pass along a tip, though and for the past few years I’ve gotten my buffalo steaks, buffalo butt chili and other items from Buffalo Gal! Express delivery is available and Buffalo Gal now carries elk meat as well!

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