THE RATASS GAZETTE

The Rise of the NWO in WCW - Here's an awesome clip featuring the formation and rise of the New World Order in the WCW.  The faction formed in 1996 and it was a huge move for the WCW in the Monday Night Wars , with Nitro subsequently besting Raw in the ratings for quite a while.  It's got fantastic interviews with all the major players including Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and the Hulkster, among others.  It's interesting to hear them reflect on that time period, when wrestling was really surging on TV.  I'll admit, I was a WWF guy during this time, but when you team up Hall, Nash, and Hogan, and throw in some kick-ass black-and-white t-shirts... well, you really got something going there.  Check it out!

" That's gotta be KANE! " - Watch this clip and relive the debut of Kane! This was the first time we got a glimpse of the Undertaker's long-lost undead brother, and it was pretty awesome. He showed up at WWF's Badd Blood in 1997, ripped the door off a steel cage, and Tombstoned the Undertaker's big dead ass back to Hell, helping the Heartbreak Kid to a victory along the way. What a nice guy! Having the great Vince McMahon calling the match really helps sell it, too, good stuff. Hellfire and brimstone! It's KANE!!!

DX Invades WCW in 1998 - Where were you when D-Generation X drove a tank down to WCW's Monday Nitro and talked shit to Eric Bischoff and the dubya-see-dubya? Well, I was there. Oh, maybe not there physically, but I was there , man . This is clearly one of the highlights of the Monday Night Wars between Raw and Nitro , and my buddies and I were huge DX fans, so this was right up our alley. Screw Nitro , DX rules! Suck it!! The interviews with all the people involved here are fantastic, real good stuff. Enjoy!

Deion Sanders 1990 Topps #61 RANDOM THOUGHTS ... An awesome card featuring Deion Sanders as an up-and-coming phenom. Prime Time before his prime. Check out the badass photo! A young man on his way to conquering the sports world. It's a really cool picture that captures Neon Deion at a very exciting time in his career. ... He was entering his second MLB season in 1990, and he appeared in just 57 games for the Yankees that year, but then again, he did play 16 games with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL that fall as a kick returner/ punt returner/ shutdown corner. So we'll cut him some slack. ... The 1990 Topps set, as any baseball card collector will tell you, was the first set to feature colored borders, and it's one of my favorite Topps card designs ever. There were many border colors, varying by team or whatnot. The other design features -- like the player photo showing in front of the team name, and a parallelogram (a parallelogram!) containing the player ...

RANDY MOSS SIGNS WITH THE 49ERS - The San Francisco 49ers made a very wise move and signed future Hall Of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss this past week. Anyone that thinks that Moss is washed up or not worth the "risk" is crazy, and here's why... Did the Niners upgrade at the position? Clearly. Randy Moss' worst year is better than Josh Morgan's best year. That's not just big talk, either. Well, actually it is. Morgan's best year is, in fact, better than Moss' worst year, but it's pretty damn close! Moss' "worst" season (in terms of sheer statistics) was 2006, his final year in Oakland. He posted 42 receptions, 553 yards, and 3 TD in 13 games. Josh Morgan's best season was 2010, when he posted 44, 698, and 2. So Morgan's stats are slightly better, but than again, if you extrapolate Moss' 13 games out to a full 16, Moss's numbers are 52, 680, and 4. The bottom line is, even if you get only 75% of the Moss of old, h...

THE "MY SHARONA" GUITAR SOLO - Am I crazy, or is the big guitar solo on "My Sharona" one of the best solos ever recorded? There was a time in my life (not long ago, actually) where I'd watch this video 20 times a day. It's the best live performance of this song I've seen, check it out! The Knack - My Sharona RANDOM THOUGHTS... Of course, the main guitar riff in this song is classic. The octave-jumping bass riff heard in the intro is also doubled by the guitar, and it was written by guitarist Berton Averre. I also think the first guitar break (you could probably call it a solo, Mr. Technically) at the 1:17 mark is really good. Today, however, I want to focus mainly on the full-blown celebration of life that is the big guitar solo... THE GUITAR SOLO (2:35 to 4:06) ... ... I'm almost appalled that this song is not mentioned in Guitar World's Top 100 Guitar Solos list. I mean, what the hell?! I'm sorry, but the "My Sha...

"I read good." - I could watch Brian Regan stand-up bits all day... and sometimes I do. Here's some hilarious stuff about reading that makes me laugh my ass off. Especially the part, "You never see a point / counterpoint show about reading." Gold!  For more Classic Stand-Up Comedy from Brian Regan, click here .

Check out this awesome clip of the Spin Doctors performing "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1992. This was the first single off their 5x Platinum (U.S.) selling Pocket Full of Kryptonite (everyone I know owned a copy) which was released in 1991... Two, three, four!  Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong - Live in 1992 RANDOM THOUGHTS... Lead guitarist Eric Schenkman plays hot licks throughout the entire tune and makes it look pretty effortless. He's rockin' a killer tone during the verses. Everybody, let's hear it for the neck pickup! (A guitar tech way in the back who's barely paying attention starts clapping...) ...  Shout out to Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer on the keys, who provides spot-on back-up vocals during the performance in addition to playing the hell out of that there keyboard and genuinely having a blast. Say what you want about ol' Paulie, but dammit, that guy has fun ou...

"Private Number" - Act I, Scene A Private Ron Number sits in his cramped, messy office down at the police department, stale smoke hanging in the room like a cloud. The department was too damn cheap too fix his damn ceiling fan, Number figured, as he shook his head in annoyance. The phone rang and Private Number answered it in his typical gruff, could-probably-use-a-lozenge voice...  "Ron Number." "Oh, sorry. Good bye." (* Click *) The dial tone resumed. The caller on the other end had hung up. " Goddammit !" The detective slammed down the phone. " Sixth time this morning!" Private Number lit up another cigarette. It was the third cigarette of the fourth pack of smokes he'd had that day, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. He'd been up for 94 straight hours trying to track down the Dirt Bag and he was fucking tired. He didn't have time for this shit. "And why the hell do they always apologize before ...

"Goodbye, Toby" - Here's a nice collection of scenes from The Office Season 4 finale where Michael sings "Goodbye, Toby" (set to the tune of " Goodbye, Stranger " by Supertramp). Michael really gets into it, and it cracks me up how apathetic the crowd is... except of course, for Dwight, who rocks it out. This is right after Michael reiterates to the crowd that he's the song (parody) writer who penned "Beers in Heaven" and "Total Eclipse of the Fart". Classic! "I hate so much about the things that you choose to be." - And, just for good measure, here's a great video compilation of a bunch of funny Michael vs. Toby moments from over the years. Michael's complete and utter disdain for all things Toby is comedy gold. I especially enjoy when Michael shoves Toby's lunch tray off the table and onto the floor (1:54), even though Toby is actually being really nice to him. Such a jerk move, and yet, so funny! ...