As always, I try to start my personal blog with something about work so I don't get accused of turning this portion of Load.net into my own sports haven.  But it's bound to happen anyway.  Nevertheless, I'll take a moment to speak about an exciting development on the horizon.

The NEW SIGNARAMA.com website will be launching December 7, 2007 and it has been a LONG time coming.  LOAD was hired 1 year ago to build this site.  In January 2007, LOAD created more than 15 unique website designs for SIGNARAMA so they could choose one (1) for the new direction of their online presence.  After long debate and a number of weeks, SIGNARAMA settled upon a layout after receiving approval from corporate and worldwide franchisors.

Now, I don't want to get into the details and the ridiculousness of this project, but I can assure you SIGNARAMA is getting a great site.  If you compare this new site to their competition, I can proudly say that SIGNARAMA is the best sign franchise in the world...especially on the Internet.  And, I'll be ecstatic to get all of my employees back once this is done.  So check it out and let us know what you think.  And if you're looking for a sign company in your area, go to www.signarama.com.

LoadMail Issues
This past week LOAD encountered an issue that has not happened for nearly five (5) years.  Needless to say, we had delays in email delivery and some clients experienced email downloading errors.  Fortunately, we were able to get incoming mail functioning properly and back online in a short period of time and most of our clients were patient as we resolved the issue.  Luckily, most of you understood that we never would knowingly cause problems for ourselves the first day back after the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Thank you for your understanding during this crazy time.  Now, we'll get to deal with every random email problem that has nothing to do with LOAD being automatically blamed on us.  Ah, the joys of email management at its finest.

Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty and talk some BCS Football
First, let me say that I was wrong about USC playing in the Las Vegas Bowl.  Miraculously, USC is going to play in the Rose Bowl versus Illinois (wish it was Georgia) and I'm very happy for this turn of events.  Weeks ago, I predicted that USC would not make a BCS Bowl because of the amazing effort of the Oregon football team.  At that time, Dennis Dixon was the Heisman favorite and Oregon looked like the clear-cut team to beat.  But, a blown knee by the Heisman favorite (I hate injuries) coupled with a few losses AND a major beatdown by USC on Arizona State and the Trojans are in the mix.  Yee-haw!!!  Now, if they could have just gotten a serious opponent to crush to get some love at the end of the season.  Oh well, beggers can't be choosers.  Of course, I want USC big in the Rose Bowl.  The other games have some intriguing match-ups so I'll give you my $0.02 quickly...

• FIESTA BOWL: Oklahoma should crush West Virginia.  Simply put, West Virginia crumbles when they play any team with speed and can hit.  Oh, and Steve Slaton disappears in big games when his team needs him most.  Or maybe it's Rich Rodriguez who forgets that his best player exists.
• ORANGE BOWL:  Va. Tech vs. Kansas.  I'm not so sure that Kansas can't win this game.  I've watched Va. Tech a lot this year and they always seem ready to crumble somehow.  I'm not touching this game, but I'll be rooting for Kansas.
• SUGAR BOWL: Hawaii vs. Georgia.  Okay, I have to be honest, I don't know that Hawaii can play with this SEC school, but I'm rooting for them like crazy.  I love Davone Bess and the entire Hawaii receiving corp and I hope they come up with a game plan to totally screw with Georgia.  Sorry, I'm originally from Hawaii.  What can I say?
• BCS Championship:  LSU vs. Ohio St.  Hmmm.  LSU will probably win and cover the spread.  But I'm rooting for Ohio St. to win this game just because they'll be playin in LSU's backyard and they'll have 65% of the crowd cheering for them.

Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins Passes Away
Such a tragic event for a young man that seemed to have the world by the tail.  Obviously, I don't know Sean Taylor, but have admired him as a football player since he played for the Hurricanes.  A magnificent talent with tremendous potential, Sean Taylor seemed to get in trouble and I remember thinking that he was going to be another thug player with all the talent and no brains.  But something happened.  Sean Taylor became a father and he grew up in a hurry. Suddenly, he was a leader and an even more ferocious competitor.  It was a site to see and I personally grew to respect him more because he embraced the responsibility he had as a father and a role model.  I always like Sean Taylor for what he could do on the field, but I really loved what he was becoming off the field as a young man in a vicious game.  Like so many other great black athletes, I will always wonder how great Sean Taylor could have been.

Well, that's it for this week.  Keep an eye out for the new SIGNARAMA.com and put all your money on the Patriots tonight versus the Ravens.