Pour Some Out for the Homies - AFL Style

Today a memorial is being held for the Honorable Jack Kemp at Washington, DC's National Cathedral. The All-Pro quarterback led the Buffalo Bills to two American Football League titles (1964-1965); the only Championship seasons in Bills history. Kemp was a nine term Congressman, Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a Vice Presidential candidate.

Robert L. Woodson, Sr. of the Washington Times eloquently expresses what Kemp truly meant to politics. Mr. Woodson writes:

"'If I had served my God with half the zeal that I served my king, I would not have been left sad and lonely in my old age.'"

"Such was the lament of the former archbishop of Canterbury in the play "Becket" when he was deposed by King Henry II and replaced by the king's carousing friend, Thomas Becket. And this should be the lament of the Republican Party for its failure to be faithful to the transcendent principles and practices laid down by the likes of Jack Kemp and George Kettle, both recently deceased."

Of course, the people of Western New York have always loved Mr. Kemp for both his football and political contributions. He's been a beloved figure there for years. Jack Kemp, Tim Russert - part of the very small brotherhood to make Buffalo feel like true players on the national stages.

The Buffalo Bills have officially retired only Jim Kelly's #12. It's not too late to retire #15.

All I Wanna Do Is Zima Zima and a Boom Boom

As far as we can tell the official death of the '90s arrived on October 20, 2008. It started with the death of Layne Staley and ended yesterday with the announcement that MillerCoors LLC will stop making the malternative beverage, Zima.

Zima has been called a lot of things - crap, awful, Sprite with alcohol. To us, Zima is the godfather of today's pop-malt beverages in the same way Neil Young is the godfather to alternative music. Were it not for Zima we might not have Mike's Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Twisted, and any of the lame beers now being pushed with lemon and/or lime. For better or worse, there's a market for these drinks.

It's not the drink itself rather the memories it evokes. Wearing flannel and work boots with shorts like Eddie Vedder. Pretending to like Mudhoney because they're from Seattle. Wondering why Metallica dressed alternative and still played heavy metal (please remember to get your Metallica music legally!). Most importantly - watching Singles with your girlfriend and running off to the house party hoping to get her drunk on Zima while you forced down Natural Light Ice - because every beer was "ice" back in the day.

So, good bye '90s. Today we grow up and pretend to care about our jobs. Zima - well, we actually thought you left years ago.