It was a long listless day. So here is a Mad Cal top 5 list:

1. Toby Keith
He's just a big guy having fun with really cool songs about all kinds of stuff. Songs titled American Soldier, Beer for my Horses, How Do You Like Me Now and Whiskey Girl (Even though I'm not a big fan of Jack Daniels, I like songs with whiskey in the title). A big favorite of many players on the 2004 World Series Champion Red Sox team. I believe that's where their 2003 theme Cowboy Up came from (one of Keith's songs).

2. Eminem
In the past month, Eminem's Encore has been my most played cd. While he may sometimes be offensive or vulgar, the man is a lyrical genius. He could probably be a pretty decent stand up comedian if he gets tired of rapping. A million words a minute with catchy beats. I don't think any artist does a better job of sampling others' music into his tracks than this guy. I really like Sing for the Moment with Aerosmith, but Em even mixed in some Dido for the song Stan. He made freaking Dido sound cool. That's impressive.

3. U2
U2's How to Diamantle An Atomic Bomb has been my second most played cd in the past month. I originally had this group ranked 4 or 5, but these guys have been rocking for about 45 years and are still cranking out hits, so I moved them up. How can a band with members named Bono and The Edge not be cool? Even if they are 70 years old.

4. Destiny's Child
Beyonce, Kelly, and Michelle are hot. They could sing Mary Had a Little Lamb and I might buy the album.

5. Rascal Flatts
This country group just beat out another country group, Lonestar, for the final spot. My car radio used to be set to a Christian station, but since that station became a Spanish station, I set it to 95.7 The Bear. In addition to the hot babes like Shania, I like country music because there are songs about anything, from broken relationiships to heaven to NASCAR. And when country artist/groups perform, they don't have to mix in a whole lot of dancing and fancy stuff. The big productions and flashy videos are cool, but sometimes it's nice to just enjoy the song for itself.

Not making the cut: William Hung, John Mayer (sorry Allan), and Lil Jon. The Dave Chappelle Lil Jon might have made it, but I can't stand the real one.