The much beloved Hoosier classic belongs on this list because I herald from Huntington, home of Nick's Kitchen, which is the unofficial birthplace, or at least best source for for a pork tenderloin sandwich today. It simple yet hearty, crispy yet juicy, loved by most of it's endearing qualities yet shunned by Jews - all of which describe both the sandwich and Indiana natives.

It should be pounded flat, but still meaty, not paper-like, then deep fried till GB+D (golden brown and delicious). Serve on a sesame seed bun with mustard and pickles - Katsup is only acceptable if you younger than 13, and barbeque sauce is highly questionable.

It's brilliant. That's all I can say. What's better than a round loaf with the bread inside replaced with meat? Nothing. The shooter's sandwich starts with a round loaf with the top cut off and some bread removed. It's then filled with sauteed shallots and mushrooms, a couple of cooked (medium) ribeyes, topped with mustard and horseradish sauce. To ensure this behemoth fits in your mouth, leave it under a heavy pan on the counter overnight.

Now I'm far to frugal to make this too often, but I do keep my eyes open for quick sale ribeyes for use. I'm also on the lookout for flat iron steaks to make cheap jerky, but that's another post.

Check out it's construction here.

It seems that the only thing that can be agreed upon about the current college bowl system is that it sucks. I've agreed for some time, but while many people want a playoff system implemented, I don't fall into that category. In fact, I've generally stayed out of that debate but, this year, an error in the BCS so egregious has forced me to rant yet again.

On January 9, 2012, LSU and Alabama will meet in New Orleans to fight for the BCS National Championship. And that is literally what they will be fighting for, the right to put that acronym and two words next to their school name. Through a convoluted system of computer statistics and human voting, these two schools were determined to be the best. And strangely enough, I'm not going to argue that. I'm actually a fan of convoluted systems of computer statistics; I make up my own all the time.

LSU and Alabama are the best two football programs in the nation right now. LSU went undefeated in probably the toughest conference this year, being the only NCAA FCS school to do so. Alabama probably could've said the same thing, had it not been required to play LSU. Their only blemish is a small overtime loss to the best school in the country. The BCS championship pits these two juggernauts in what is probably the most contested and most exciting game of the year...

...but it is also the most meaningless.

Stepping back for a moment, there is actually no matchup that the BCS computations could've ordained that would determined the best team nationally. Chasing that dream, playoff or not, is a fallacy. To illustrate my point, let's take a look at what I deem the last time a sport was configured to adequately determine a champion: Major League Baseball pre-1969.

In the first 80 years of baseball, there were two leagues. Every year, a team would play over 100 games amongst the other teams in their league. The top two teams, one from the American League and one from the National League, would meet to play in the World Series. Sure the World Series champion could claim that they were the best, but winning the pennant over all of those games was a feat and a respected accomplishment in its own right. By utilizing a system of repeated, symmetric trials, though, one could be certain that the team winning a pennant was the best team in the league.

Today, in any sport, all that is being determined is the best team in the "tournament". The single elimination game makes for captivating sports but doesn't actually determine the best team. That is my key opposition to an NCAA football playoff: I'm not saying that it wouldn't be exciting and compelling; I'm just saying that you'd still have no clear cut "champion" when it is all said and done. With over 100 teams, each playing only a dozen games, it actually isn't possible.

I'd actually prefer to go back to the old college bowl system. Emphasis was more on being a "regional champion" by winning your conference. Each year, matchups like the Rose Bowl were in place to determine who had the better champion, the Big Ten or the Pac-10. Achievement and sportsmanship were available to the 100 other schools that weren't ranked #1.

So it is with that in mind that I am saddened that the human element of the BCS elected to play a game that is an exciting matchup but will ultimately determine nothing. The game has already been played and placing any emphasis on its result only strengthens the idea that the championship is bestowed by a two-team matchup chosen in a very partial manner. If Alabama does beat LSU, how does that make one interpret the fact that they lost at home to the same team just two months prior?

I, for one, would've liked to have seen Oklahoma State play LSU. Not for a national championship, but to prove that the SEC is the better conference, as all of those voters already assumed.

Wraps are the worst enemy the sandwich has faced in decades. It's an amalgam of overcooked meat, soggy vegetables (notably, lettuce, as in "let us gag") and a sauce of unknown origins. Worst is the "wrap" itself, a bland tortilla used without though to it's contribution to the whole. Where every sandwich element must be a team player, the tortilla of the wrap is the holder for the placekicker. It even tries to celebrate as if it's the reason the game was won in overtime.

Wraps turn the art of sandwiches into something merely to shove into you maw while you type or walk. You might as well get a feedbag.

Now with most sandwiches, "de-lettucing" is fairly effortless *. With a wrap, you can't get it sealed back up right once you open it for inspection. It's like removing a tarp from the bag. Try all you want, you'll never get it folded right and as compact as when you bought it.

Plus, wraps are the typical meal of the "working lunch". So, there you sit in front of the vice-president of your company and a major customer, not to mention your colleagues, ripping open you wrap and picking out lettuce bits with you fingers and that plastic fork. Then, you have to find a place for the refuse - you can't use the napkin - you need that to clean your sticky fingers off now before you shake hands at the end of the meeting. I recommend using the Statement of Work the customer provided - no one reads those things.

You lettuce eaters have a pretty easy life.

* Unless the lettuce is shredded and in close contact to melted** cheese - this is truly a problem because each miniature piece must be removed before I'll dig in. Often much of the cheese and/or sauce is lost in the de-lettucing process. And with the sandwich open for so long it's risky just like open heart surgery. I mean, it's possible that other things fall out, there's lost sauce and without sauce donors the patient may not regain full strength. Plus, the longer it's open the colder it gets and could eventually flatline.

** So help me, if I see "melty" show up in comments on this blog, you will surely die.

There are plenty of fine sandwiches, but if lettuce, tomatoes or onions are a key player, then they are not for me.

BLT
Club
Torta
Melts of all kinds

Starting now I will list off the top 0x10 sanwiches. If I've learned anything about blogs, it's that they all about misinformation and narcissism. Why should this list be any different? I post the sandwiches I like and maybe through in some trivia nonsense.

Hey, did you know the St. Louis arch was once a tower? Indeed, for two years it was the tallest building in the world till it just started to lean more and more and fell over like a slinky.

So before I go on to list the best sandwiches, let's take a look at the worst. Most of these abominations are brought to you by the British. This was the real reason we wanted independence - freedom of sandwiches.

Chip butty

Crisp sandwich

Double Down

Anything served by McDonalds
First, they use onions in every darn sandwich. Is that to mask the true wretchedness of their products? Second, well, I mean, have you ate that crap?

The Hot Pocket family
Jim Gaffigan has already covered this.

Falafel
This line from Wikipedia says it all, "...[a] replacement for meat..."

I have to confess, I love sandwiches, sammiches and sangwiches. So what can be a better waste of internet than to try to analyze the greatest form of food.

First, what's a sandwich? Well, I define it as combination of layered victuals contained between bread.

What's not a sandwich? Wraps, burritos & quesadillas. Any "open face sandwich" isn't a sandwich. A sandwich must be able to be consumed by hands only. Pitas occupy some grey area (open for discussion)*.

Now that we have the ground rules, what makes a sandwich great? Well, any good sandwich will be high on protein, that's for sure. But a great sandwich must be greater than the sum of the parts. Simply adding bacon to your crappy hamburger or chicken sangwich makes it better, but only marginally so. No, the parts must work together to create a symphony in your mouth. One of the joys of the sandwich is layering. (Tim, stop reading here) You see, in each bite you get a consistent and proper proportioning of each item. No need to try to gather up the right elements on the fork for each bite while constantly adjusting to ensure that you have enough of each item remaining on the plate for balance. It's automatic with the sandwich.

Furthermore, A single great item does not a great sandwich make. That's why all BBQ sandwiches (e.g. pulled pork) are best left off the list. Don't get me wrong - I like them. They're a convenient way to consume these items. (Tim, stop reading here, again) Plus, sandwich items are typically smaller portions that don't require a stomach pump before leaving the restaurant.

No, real sandwich magic comes from either a carefully crafted symphony of ingredients or a fortunate accident of hodge podge leftovers thrown together.

* On further review the pita is in.

It's time for a new taplist.

Current tap list:
Root Beer (Gnome)
Old McDonald Made a (Farm) Stout
Red IPA (Poor Nosferatu clone)
Smoked Brown Porter (Old English)

Waiting:
Dark Mild

Bottled and won't be seen until October:
Russian Imperial Stout

Why go and spoil the moment with a lot of words? The Dartmouth Pub is now online and located here: http://brew.sickleave.net/

Stop by and have a pint.

Current tap list:
Root Beer (Gnome)
(open)
Red IPA (Poor Nosferatu clone)
Smoked Brown Porter (Old English)

Waiting:
Russian Imperial Stout - ready for bottling
Milk Stout
Dark Mild
...and Jason Barnes

The shin splints from Saturday had me quite worried so talked to a few people about it. After all that, I changed four things:

- Took shorter strides while jogging
- Slowed down my pace (was around 7:30/mile down to about 9:00/mile)
- Made sure to stretch quite a bit before running
- Bought new running shoes

Yup, bought new running shoes. Perhaps I'm just that gullible....or maybe it's just that I buy too much crap as it is. They can see me coming from a mile away. I think the salesmen at Best Buy get stiffy's every time I drive by even though I never stop. I bought a pair of running shoes years ago with the full intent of using them to run. That never happened. I even went to the store and was tested for what kind of shoe that I needed. This time around, they told me that shoes with pronation (you'll have to look that one up as I cannot explain it) support just plain wear out over time and lose their support quality. The saleswoman said she was 90% sure that my shin splints were because of my old pair of shoes. I know what you're thinking....I bought the shoes because it was a lady. Not true...and I'm sticking to that story. Here's a picture of what my new shoes look like:

Mine are a different color, but you get the picture. They are super comfortable.

And the verdict on shin splints? Completely gone. My shins never hurt once during my whole run on Tuesday morning. I'm sure it was a combination of all the changes I made, but I'm going to tell myself that it was mainly because of the sweet new shoes that I bought.

2.1 miles
281 calories burned