Top 10 Memorable Quotes of 2007

From the Reuters article (link http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071219/us_nm/usa_quotes_dc)

1. "Don't Tase Me, Bro" - Andrew Meyer

2. "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us." - Lauren Upton

3. "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country." - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

4. "That's some nappy-headed hos there" - Don Imus

5. "I don't recall." -- Alberto Gonzales

6. "There's only three things he (Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani) mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11." -- Sen. Joseph Biden.

7. "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody (Vice President Dick Cheney) who has a 9 percent approval rating." -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat.

8. "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom." -- Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig's explanation of why his foot touched that of an undercover policeman in a men's room.

9. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man." -- Biden describing rival Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

10. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." -- Former President Jimmy Carter in an interview in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper.

Remember Me by Lizzie Palmer

Foreword: I am not anti-soldier just anti-useless War. Additionally, I am hypersensitive to race.

One of the all time popular videos on YouTube is entitled Remember Me and works to make viewers identify with images of US soldiers (pictures of soldiers with one word titles like "Husband" or "Sister" etc).

Here's my issue...why are all the pictures asking us to identify with soldiers images of white/caucasian people? The only African-Americans on the video is an image of a grieving black family and one image of a black soldier in color guard. I find it disturbing that Ms. Palmer shows many different family member/loved one images of white people but doesn't deign to realize that there is a high percentage of other races serving in the military.

View it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0

The Complete Mitchell Report (PDF)

http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf

Reaction to the leaked Steroid names

The biggest names (stats from Baseball-Statistics):

• Roger Clemens - what can you say about Clemens that hasn't already been dissected...the name most non-baseball fans will recognize.
• Albert Pujols - one of the superstars in the National League, Pujols had a "down" year batting .327, 32HR, 103RBI. In his seven seasons, all with the Cardinals, he's averaging .332, 42HR, 132RBI. An All-Star 6 of his seven years, he's a beloved player...a huge blow to MLB.
• Jeff Bagwell - formed a long-standing triumvirate of Astros position players with Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman, Bagwell was a four-time All-Star and MVP in 1994.
• Ivan Rodriguez - known as "pudge," one of the best catchers of all time. A former AL-MVP and a 14 time All-Star.

Here's the names who are also on the Writer's Ballot for the Hall of Fame

• Brady Anderson
• Mark McGuire

This is truly a sad day for baseball that all fans have been expecting.

Leaked Mitchell Report Analysis

According to WNBC, here are the names that will be released on the Mitchell Report of the players, past and present, who have used performance enhancers (these names have been disputed by MLB):

Brady Anderson
Manny Alexander
Rick Ankiel
Jeff Bagwell
Barry Bonds
Aaron Boone
Rafael Bettancourt
Bret Boone
Milton Bradley
David Bell
Dante Bichette
Albert Belle
Paul Byrd
Wil Cordero
Ken Caminiti
Mike Cameron
Ramon Castro
Jose Canseco
Ozzie Canseco
Roger Clemens
Paxton Crawford
Wilson Delgado
Lenny Dykstra
Johnny Damon
Carl Everett
Kyle Farnsworth
Ryan Franklin
Troy Glaus
Rich Garces
Jason Grimsley
Juan Gonzalez
Eric Gagne
Nomar Garciaparra
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jose Guillen
Jay Gibbons
Juan Gonzalez
Clay Hensley
Jerry Hairston
Felix Heredia, Jr.
Darren Holmes
Wally Joyner
Darryl Kile
Matt Lawton
Raul Mondesi
Mark McGwire
Guillermo Mota
Robert Machado
Damian Moss
Abraham Nunez
Trot Nixon
Jose Offerman
Andy Pettitte
Mark Prior
Neifi Perez
Rafael Palmiero
Albert Pujols
Brian Roberts
Juan Rincon
John Rocker
Pudge Rodriguez
Sammy Sosa
Scott Schoenweiis
David Segui
Alex Sanchez
Gary Sheffield
Miguel Tejada
Julian Tavarez
Fernando Tatis
Maurice Vaughn
Jason Varitek
Ismael Valdez
Matt Williams
Kerry Wood

Source: http://www.wnbc.com/sports/14845845/detail.html

Wow...I'm the Flyswatters

Guess who's back!!

Wow, I've suddenly regained access to blogger from my work computer. Hello, wasting time!

Quick thought...read Peter King's article for this week's football action. Here's the most interesting part for me...the Ravens will have exactly 5 million in cap room in the coming offseason. They have the 2nd worst cap space in the NFL. That's very very bad news.

Here's what's up: my parents will be in the US and A on the 13th for a very extended stay...some might say an immigration, but since they are naturalized citizens, how about we just say they're moving back for good. How am I taking this news? First off, I'm nervous, getting the house cleaned up (well...worrying about getting un-lazy enough to clean the house). Second, I've got to figure out how they'll meet lady ELV. Also, need to inform them that my new roomie is going to be of the female persuasion (and not the virtuous ELV). Finally, got to plan how we're going to get to Arizona for Christmas (last I heard, we'll be driving to Phoenix, which sounds about as fun as nothing).

Other news, work is great. Enjoying it.

Writing is non-existent, other than brilliant screenplays that I compose in my head right before I fall asleep.

Um...that's all for now.

What's going on?

Marriage stuff?

Parents coming back to the US?

Roomie stuff?

Ravens lose to the Pats?

Sucks

Best of 2007 (from noculture.org)

First of all, let's not address the fact that Mr. Kid W is pronouncing 2007 over with an entire month left on the calendar year. Second, let us all boo ol' Kid-dubyu on including a 2005 album to his list. Finally, don't even get me started on the whole applauding the re-appearance of "blue-eyed Motown." Have you heard "Toxic" by Mark Ronson or anything by the Pipettes? I don't care that lady ELV liked rocking out to "Rehab," I still think that I'd much rather listen to actual Motown than some Brit remakes.

Now that I've cleared away some of my objections, I'm going to ape on Kid's idea and offer my own subjective itemization of musical output from the year 2007. Sure, I spent much time listening to "Aladdin Sane" by David Bowie this year, but I'm not so self-involved to think that it merits a listing on the top 2007 albums. Man, not having access to my personal blog at work makes me mean…especially to Kid W. Sorry, I promise my next insult will be directed at kim e.

Um...that kim e is crappier than Zeitgeist.

First off, the one-off awards:

Worst album of the year that had some critical acclaim and a lot of legal purchases by the American public: Kanye West's "Graduation." I've been a fan of Mr. West since the first album dropped…hell, I can even say that I'm an appreciator of many of his beats that he did before he was the Louis Vuitton don. However, I'm pretty saddened by the lack of lyrical prowess coming from Mr. West since his first album. Sure, he's good at puns and ribald humor, but the main thing that wow'ed me about "College Dropout" was the interplay of rap's vain machismo and West's morality. There was a serious thread of moral intrigue in his rhymes, but unfortunately, West's writing has become focused on money, rims, and hoes. "Graduation" features some decent tracks, but seriously, who can't sell a single using Daft Punk's awful "Bigger, Stronger…" beat.

Person most likely to die in 2008: Amy Winehouse. Seriously, have you watched the YouTube video of her snorting up in the middle of a performance? She's pathetic.

Best album that I'm never going to listen to again: Black Kids "Wizard of Ahhhs." If you like fuzzy, pop-punk with a serious infatuation with the Polyphonic Spree, this is the album for you.

Best hot chick album that still supplies some form of indie cred: "Under the Black Light" by Rilo Kiley. I only like it cause Jenny Lewis is hot and has a hot voice. Same for why I like Shivaree.

ALRIGHT, ALREADY: HERE'S MY TOP SEVEN OF AUGHT-SEVEN

7. "The Reminder" by Feist – I'm very sorry that Apple decided to use 1,2,3,4 for that omnipresent commercial.
6. "Boxer" by The National – Fake Empire is an amazing song.
5. "Sky Blue Sky" by Wilco – Best show that I went to this year. First listen makes you kind of hate Jeff Tweedy and his slippery ways, but repeated listenings are rewarding. Just a warm sound that's a welcome tonic to my ears.
4. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" by Spoon – This is a great album with propulsive energy. Way to follow up the tuneful inclusion on the "Stranger than Fiction" soundtrack with a seriously good album.
3. "In Rainbows" by Radiohead – This is probably the best Radiohead album since O.K. Computer. Seriously. It's pretty amazing that the guys took a step back from surreal paranoia toward reality and they don't come off sounding old/boring.
2. "From Here We Go Sublime" by The Field – I don't normally like this kind of music (see "Quiet is the New Loud") but I fell for The Field a few years ago with a single called "I'm Tired." Usually, someone uses the word "techno" and I just lose interest immediately. However, this is minimal techno, so you'll like it.
1. "Armchair Apocrypha" by Andrew Bird – I have to award the album of the year simply on the strength of "Heretics." Such an eminently listenable album…

The few that contended: Panda Bear "Person Pitch," Brother Ali "Undisputed Truth," El-P "I'll Sleep When You're Dead," Of Montreal "Oh Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?"

Here's my mix-CD for 2007, with outstanding tracks on albums not on my list (no order)

National "Fake Empire"
Spoon "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb"
Wilco "Sky Blue Sky"
The Field "Silent"
Feist "My Man, My Moon"
Radiohead "Body Snatchers"
Justice "D.A.N.C.E."
Of Montreal "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger"
Andrew Bird "Heretics"
Brother Ali "Uncle Sam God Damn"
Caribou "Melody Days"
Menomena "Wet and Rusting"
Talib Kweli "Hostile Gospel, Pt. 1"
Modest Mouse "Dashboard"
Peter Paul and Bjorn "Young Folks"

Almost a month...

There are plenty of excuses (primarily, my office computer is not loading blogger, and everyone knows that I do most of my blogging while procrastinating at work) but yes, one month is way too long. Many things have occurred, primarily a great few weekend trips, one to beautiful Allentown for a corn maze and a PA high school football game, another to LL's house in Montross, VA to house-sit and to watch bald eagles flying in their natural habitat.

Here's the message of the night: Ravens brass, here's a few suggestions. Either fire Billick or hire someone to make the playcalls competently. Get rid of McNair or get him comfortable holding a clipboard for a better quarterback (and no, Boller is not the answer). Improve the line by adding some depth. Improve the secondary by cutting Samari and signing/drafting quality number 2, 3, and 4 cornerbacks. Teach Ed Reed how to be a coverage safety. Get a middle linebacker with increased sideline to sidelines speed (sorry, Ray-Ray, it is over). On offense...there's just so many problems, but if we were to recommit to the run by bolstering the line, maybe we won't have to worry about the passing game. Finally, come up with gameplans that don't embarrass the team each and every week. Seriously, the Steelers spanked the Ravens last week and this week, the inept Bengals got seven FGs. Awful. Embarassing.

Why is the new Coen brothers film "No Country for Old Men" in limited release?

Screenwriters...is there a more uninteresting strike?

Why is Steven A Smith so hated?

Why isn't Chris Berman hated?

yeah...that's it.

In the News: 10/18/07

All the news that's important to me!

• Stephen Colbert to Run for President: Where can I get that hat? - Stephen Colbert has announced his candidacy for president on "The Colbert Report," tossing his satirical hat into the ring of an already crowded race. Come on, keep that freedom train a-visiting to other states - Colbert said he planned to run in South Carolina, "and South Carolina alone." The state, one of the key early primaries, is also Colbert's native state. Earlier this week, South Carolina public television station ETV invited Colbert to announce his candidacy on its air.
• Every Manny for Himself: It's not whether you win or lose... - "If it doesn't happen, who cares?" Ramirez said Wednesday afternoon. "There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world." (to note, I think this is horrible for a player to say on a team sport. Obviously, Manny's a superstar and will be back playing as long as he keeps producing, but what about those guys who won't have season after season to try to get that championship? Also, if Manny had drive, how much better would he be, rather than this laissez-faire attitude. Another reason why I love hating the Bosox. Don't get me wrong, they're still easier to root for in comparison to those damned Yankees. Wave bye bye to A-Rod. Hooray!)
• Judge yanks Britney's visitation rights: She's such a role model...for rednecks - Spears engaged in "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol." At least K-Fed doesn't need court instruction to be a positive influence, right? - Both parents were ordered to remain sober around their children.
• Putin warns Washington over missile shield: Apparently, he thinks we're back in time to when they were powerful - President Vladimir Putin warned the United States on Thursday that Russia could take retaliatory measures if Washington failed to take heed of its concerns over a missile defense shield in Europe. Hypocritical, a little bit - The Kremlin leader also said Russia was working on new types of nuclear weapons as part of a "grandiose" plan to boost the country's defenses. (Isn't it great that our "allies" are so friendly to the Bush-led USA? Thanks, Russia and China...who's next? Want to jump in with some threats, Canada?)
• Swearing at work boosts team spirt: Another example of excellent hard scientific research - Regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff, allowing them to express better their feelings as well as develop social relationships, according to a study by researchers. From a team of researchers at... - Yehuda Baruch, a professor of management at the University of East Anglia, and graduate Stuart Jenkins studied the use of profanity in the workplace and assessed its implications for managers. (University of East Anglia??? Stuart Jenkins, brother of Leroy Jenkins???)
• Maine school to offer contraceptives: What else is there to do in Maine (other than hit and running Stephen King) - After an outbreak of pregnancies among middle school girls, education officials in this city have decided to allow a school health center to make birth control pills available to girls as young as 11. Because what the world needs most is more people from Kansas - A high school in Topeka, Kan., stopped providing free condoms to students Wednesday after district officials learned of the month-old program. The district has a policy against providing contraceptives.
• NYC woman finds python in the toilet: I'm getting mf-ing tired of these mf-ing snakes on this mf-ing commode! - Nadege Brunacci was washing her hands in her bathroom before dawn Monday when she glanced back and saw the slithering serpent peeking out from her toilet, most of its body hidden in the pipes. Fisher-Price, making people poop safer - Brunacci says she started using her daughter's training toilet after the scare in her third-floor apartment. And when she brushes her teeth, she said, "I'm looking over my shoulder."
• Man texting while driving hits train: It is a shame he survived - When Robert Gillespie looked up from his text message, he saw a freight train. EOM. ("End of message," that is, for non-texters.) Eugene police say Gillespie's car crashed into the side of the Union Pacific freight train about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Seriously, it is sad that law enforcement has to make such an obvious statement, but most of you idiots on the road need to hear this - "There are all kinds of ways to get distracted these days," said police spokeswoman Kerry Delf. "We don't recommend any of them while you're driving."
• French president, wife have divorced: I'm the President of France, baby, I can get any woman I want!!! - President Nicolas Sarkozy and his elegant but enigmatic wife, Cecilia, have divorced after months of questions about their relationship, a first for France that struck a deep, personal blow to his young presidency. Why cheat? - Although previous leaders in France have had extramarital affairs, the Sarkozys are the first French presidential couple to divorce while in power. Wait...wait...he was cuckolded? - In 2005, photos of Cecilia hand-in-hand with another man on a Manhattan sidewalk were splashed across a magazine cover.
• Ellen DeGeneres to stop dog pleas: have you seen this story? Talk about two bitches running a dog service; how about some heart, Mutts and Moms? - Ellen DeGeneres says she's done talking about her canine dilemma and is pleading for calm, saying on her show that the controversy surrounding an adopted dog has "gotten out of hand."
• Sony announces new, cheaper PS3: Sony Corp. on Thursday cut the price of its PlayStation 3 game console in the U.S. and announced an even cheaper model that will arrive before the holiday shopping season. The top-line PlayStation model, with an 80 gigabyte hard drive, now costs $499, down from $599. That effectively eliminates the lower-end model, which has a 60-gigabyte drive and has sold for $499. A new low-end model with a 40-gigabyte drive will go on sale Nov. 2 for $399.

China: A State of Insanity

First of all, let me preface this rant with an admission that I have not researched the issue as thoroughly as I would like. Second, I want to say that this post is critical of the Chinese government, not the Chinese people. Finally, I have a personal bias against the Chinese government due to incidences that resulted in the physical and psychological torture of close relatives. That being said...

Of all the misguided, ridiculous diplomatic stances (including the asinine Armenian massacre/Turkey drama), the latest from Beijing is truly stupid. The United States plan to award the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal and China is having a snit fit. The thought in China seems to be that it is an insult to award a prestigious medal to a separatist, and has threatened to create a diplomatic iciness between China and the USA. There's so many things wrong with the Chinese government's stance that I'm going to have to break this down:

1. The USA is honoring a much revered moral authority, and is not the first institution to do so. Where was the outrage and threats to Stockholm when the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize? The fact is that the Dalai Lama is a well respected man of peace that is beloved not only by citizens of the free world, but also by the people from whom the Dalai Lama is exiled from. This should be a reviled move by the Chinese, and the world leaders need to see this as another example of China's absolute backwardness in global political relations. We are not dealing with an equal to the First World nations, but rather a slightly relaxed terrorist regime who seeks to make a pariah of one of the most respected moral leaders living today.

2. The Chinese government continues to hold Tibet under an iron fist, thus seeking to prevent any sort of international movement to Free Tibet. By coming out and speaking against the Dalai Lama, the Chinese legitimize their brutal rule in Tibet. Why is such tyranny still allowed by a so-called favored nation? Obviously, the USA needs to improve its dealings with such an awful state.

3. Why would we listen to these baseless threats from China? Here's why China can get away with this stupid diplomatic baloney...the US has given China an enormous amount of clout by giving so much of our economic power to them. Additionally, since giving China the assignation of Most Favored Nation, and including China into most world committees, China is now a world power that the US has to keep placated. The sad truth is that China can pretty much demand ridiculous things, and the US will have concede most minor issues to China. The fact is, the USA needs China more than they need us. Thus, the White House carefully considers even the crackpot-est claims of outrage by China.

4. Let's read this quote: "We solemnly demand that the U.S. cancel the extremely wrong arrangements," said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing. "It seriously violates the norm of international relations and seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people and interfered with China's internal affairs." Rewarding a spiritual leader violates what norm? I don't believe is a norm in honorific titles and awards being presented by a government. Is there really such a practice that believes that people reviled by one's country cannot be awarded and celebrated in another? I don't understand. Additionally, of all this wrong things that the USA has perpetrated on the world (including China), honoring the Dalai Lama somehow doesn't seem to warrant the use of "extremely." It would be different if the USA decided to make an effigy of Mao and then had Yao Ming poop on it, and then awarded Yao with a US citizenship, that would be a tad extreme. Giving a medal to Da Lama ain't that serious, China.

With all the stuff that's swirling around the awful nightmare that is the Chinese government, why did we give them the Olympics? Sometimes, any and everything about this world seems corrupt and indefensible.

More Racism: In Jena's Wake

With the Jena 6 controversy still being played out in the courts, including the re-imprisonment of Mychal Bell for probation violation from an earlier conviction, there has been a strange silence from the white community over the proliferation of racist attacks utilizing nooses. Even if the internet blogosphere is hyper-sensitive to any news story involving nooses after the details of the Jena 6 travesty were championed by bloggers into a national cause, there is something very wrong with black/white relations in the increase of noose activity. Consider that over the past two months, we’ve had noose related incidents at the University of Maryland, at a police station in Long Island, at the Coast Guard academy in Connecticut, and now at Columbia University in NYC, where a noose was found hanging from the door to an office of a black professor.

The alarming incidences do disprove a commonly held belief that that Deep South is more racist than the Northeast. Considering that even Ground Zero is free from the hanging of nooses, we have to come to the conclusion that racist use of hate symbols is occurring everywhere. Now, the most disturbing thing to me has not been the return of the noose as the in vogue choice of hate mongrels, but rather the dispassionate coolness of white America to the current climate of racial discord. Instead of outrage over injustice, we have instead a palatable apathy coming from white America broken only by the occasional shrill rant of racist white Americans. Instead of white America joining in the protest against unfair treatment of the Jena 6, we’re hearing a justification similar to the guest commentary posted by Jason Granger on The Current Online. Let’s visit with Mr. Granger’s thoughts and identify a few disturbing trends flowing through white America:

“To be sure, the south is still a hotbed for racial tension. It is an unfortunate aspect of that area. More so than the rest of the nation, southern states provide a haven for racists, most predominantly the Ku Klux Klan, America's own homegrown terrorists. They were terrorists before it was vogue. Oh, and they are idiots. Do not forget that.”

Using the argument that “they’re in the wrong” by pointing out that the South is apparently still firmly in the grips of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s progeny is intellectually lazy. Racism is not isolated to the South, as the disturbing trend of noose hangings in New York, Maryland, and Chicago show that other parts of the country have racial divisive white folks. These are not the acts of the KKK, these are the acts of bored idiotic kids or hate filled ignorant adults. They’re everywhere and they’re spreading.

“The six were charged with attempted murder, an over exaggeration of the situation to be sure. However, the fact remains that these six young men assaulted another human being, battering his face and leaving him hospitalized. And they were caught.”

This paragraph irks me. Preceding this paragraph, Mr. Granger writes that the white students who hung the noose should have been prosecuted, but oh well. Instead of focusing on the injustice of the original perpetrators of the hate crime and amazingly ignoring all of the violence against blacks that preceded the beating of the white student, Mr. Granger instead insists that the crimes committed by the Jena 6 were severe enough for prosecution because it was assault against another human being. Fine, but why add the statement, “and they were caught.” What does that sentence have anything to do with the Jena 6 issue? If they had been wily enough to get away with beating the kid, then we wouldn’t have this controversy? Maybe the white kids who committed crimes against the blacks were somehow less legally culpable because they were ensnared by a biased criminal justice system? I really am confused by the sentence.

“But here is the ultimate question, if six white students had assaulted and hospitalized a black student, applied the beating that Barker received, would Sharpton, Jackson and King, et al, have rallied to their defense? Would they demand the white students charges be lowered, released from jail, given special consideration due to "circumstances?" The answer, most likely, would be no.”

Here is the crux of most of the arguments against the Jena 6 controversy: if a black kid had been beaten by white kids, would there be a controversy? The answer is absolutely correct…no. The reason, though, is not because of injustice but rather because of a historic fact: white kids did beat up blacks without equal prosecution. Like it or not, a white kid has a historical advantage when it comes to racially motivated attacks. Recent reviews of conviction numbers in America shows that blacks have increased jail time and increased convictions resulting in the death penalty compared to whites with comparable convictions in all cases excluding fraud.

Regardless of the historical connection between preferential treatment for whites by the judicial system, there are a number of other arguments I have against the reverse situation. First, there is a fundamental flaw with the situation leading to the assault on the white student. The town of Jena did not prosecute the white kids who left the noose in the tree. This is not surprising from a township that is overwhelmingly racist, as David Duke gleefully notes. The good white people (who disingenuously claim that they are not racist) had no outrage over a simple 3 day suspension from school for the white kids who hung the nooses. They had no ire toward the white kid who pulled a shotgun on black students before the Jena 6 incident. They didn’t bat an eye until the racism brewing on the surface exploded onto the national scene. Conversely, would there have been a similar silence if three black teenagers decided to hang a banner that said “Kill Whites” from the same tree? Would there have been no prosecution if a black kid pulled a gun on some white students? Would there have been a long lag in furor if a black kid had been beaten by white students or would have the good people of Jena cried out that the punishment was too severe for the crime? One cannot simply turn a blind eye to the events leading up to the Jena 6 controversy.

Second, there is a truthful perception that Rev. Al Sharpton and other black leaders are biased in their leadership for many racially controversial situations. There is some serious truth to this argument. I have found myself distrustful of some of the black leaders in this day and age of political corruption. I find it distasteful for Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to jump on any situation and exacerbating a tense conflict with such a broad, non-tactful approach (the Duke lacrosse players case was especially egregious). However, you can’t expect them to lead a march against black people. That’s just a illogical argument based in absurdity. When, if ever, would you find a case where Dr. Martin Luther King or Malcolm X would cry against a black person? Why would they waste their times when there are so many other issues for them to tackle? The sad fact is that more hate crimes are committed against blacks by whites versus the other way around. There are so many race related issues out there that black leaders would not spend the time defending black criminals. Conversely, I don’t see any major white leaders out there marching for the Jena 6.

Third, the protest against the Jena 6 has been mostly a grassroots operation that Sharpton et al jumped onto after most of the groundwork had been performed. The key to the rise in the national attention has been the work of college students who carried the story through the internet to media outposts who, at first, ignored the story. The new generation of news savvy individuals with internet access is at the forefront with this story. I’m sure the counterpoint is true, as a simple perusal of white power websites like Stormfront shows a large percentage of young racists at the front of the attack. Even looking at the ignorance that’s daily spewed on Yahoo! Answers shows that racism isn’t being battled at the big, grand media scale anymore, it’s the one-on-one fights between web-connected individuals where the real action is.

The truth of the matter is that the argument posted by Mr. Granger is fundamentally flawed because of the limited viewpoint. He continues:

“Why does a double standard exist? For so long, we have heard that minorities want to be treated equally. Does that not extend to racism or crimes?”

Equality is such a double edged sword. The fight for equality, from a white perception, ended with the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the end of Jim Crow. Unfortunately, black Americans have not and will not be treated equally in this country until arguments like Mr. Granger’s are no longer pervasive in White America. Equality has not been bestowed to blacks by penitent, benevolent whites; rather it was stripped away, rusted and worn away from reluctant politicians through the increasing discontented blacks tired of their second class citizenship. The equality won has never been equal: starting from a point of inferior economic assets, a society destroyed by institutionalized inferior educational, societal, and cultural assets, blacks had to start running the race fifty years ago with a significant disadvantage. Simply being told, “Now, you’re equal,” does not equality make. We as a country need to realize that there is not an equality in existence. Blacks are still marginalized in our society, as are other minorities, compared to the comparable head start by white America.

Additionally, when white America finally begins to extend an equality driven viewpoint toward jurisprudence, then perhaps there will be an end to racially divisive criminal cases. Unfortunately, the Jena 6 situation is a hot bed issue not because a guilty black kid is getting his case heard by the media at large, but rather because it is indicative of the problem that whites and blacks are judged by the color of their skin.

Mr. Granger then makes a move that I’ve heard many times from my guilt-free white friends, who have intellectualized that the racism issue is something of the past:

“Recently, an editorial in the Post-Dispatch by Bernard Pitts Jr. (an excellent writer and columnist from the Miami Herald), said white people must understand that blacks in this country have 388 years of mistrust built into them. Yes, slavery is the darkest chapter of our nation's checkered past, but here is the question: is Pitts currently, or was he ever, a slave? Doubtful, as slavery was repealed 14 decades ago. This is not to make light of the plight of America's black population. To be sure, racism still exists and more than likely always will.”

How dare you…yes, Abraham Lincoln repealed slavery over a hundred years ago. So what? When were the civil rights activists facing the brutality of institutionalized racism? Was it 1850? No, it was in the lifetime of those still with us today. What has white America done for blacks since then? Consider that there is still a ghettoization among African-American communities and a system that already wants to do away with affirmative action, what do blacks have to base any level of trust toward an uncaring bureaucracy and a white population that wants to hurriedly forget the past atrocities. Remember, Mr. Granger, you live in a country that never made reparations to a people group who were enslaved due to the color of their skin. Your race never apologized for racism. They never apologized for the lynching, the murdering of their leaders, the rape of their loved ones, the destruction of their civilization, the wholesale debasement of a whole people group. Yet, you want to trivialize all of this because you’re mad at the protest in Jena? How dare you.

“Racism exists, that is true. It exists in the Jena area, and any racist, any, should be ashamed of the self and their foolish attitude.”

If only racism were concealed and isolated in the Jena area. Unfortunately, Mr. Granger’s thoughts are shared by many of his fellow intellectual whites. Frashure, on Vinewire, writes: “I am hereby calling for an end to this new reverse discrimination and double-standard put forth from many in the black community. If you commit a crime, you should be held accountable and suffer the legal repercussions. Discrimination is no longer your scapegoat.” How thoroughly illogical that the white students who committed the original hate crimes were never held accountable.

The problem, people, is that there isn’t an upswell that there are continual crimes occurring against black America. The increase in racial slurs and noose usage, as well as the almost endemic scrawling of swastikas on any surface, is being allowed free reign without any prosecution. Only because a professor at an Ivy League school was a target is there any sort of serious attempt to solve the problem. White Americans who traffic in any hate talk need to have the full extent of the law used against them. Only once we realize that there is a serious problem amongst whites will there be any reduction in the increase in racially motivated crimes.

MNF Ad Brain Basher!

Heard the latest Monday Night Football radio advert while driving into work today. Thought the logical connection was tenuous at best, and it actually made my brain hurt. Seriously, a headache from a Monday Night Football commercial. I'm blaming Jaws.

So, the commercial voice-over starts talking about the great game that Brett Favre played and dedicated to his dad. Then the narrator tells us that we "looked over at our dad and told him we'd do something special for him." Dad's reply: get a job. You laugh, then realize it isn't a joke, and everything is awkward. Well, continues the voice-over, watch this coming Monday's match up between the Giants and Falcons, and hope that the awkwardness doesn't happen again.

Um, maybe I'm missing something. Who are the quarterbacks for the two teams featured in MNF game mentioned in this ad? The Giants have Eli face behind center while the Falcons have the face of the NFL Joey Harrington. Are either of these guys Brett Lorenzo Favre? No. Do either of these guys have a dead dad to honor? No. Are either of these guys Hall of Fame caliber QBs with gunslinger mentalities combined with cannons for arms and intellectual abilities trumped by Larry the Cable Guy? I don't think so, though the idiotic aspect may be shared by Eli face.

Ok, so maybe it isn't the similarity in the players at the Brett Favre position (an aside: wouldn't it be great if we named positions on different teams for specific players? Much in the way that colleges have endowed chairs, you could have specific starting positions known for a legendary player. For instance, the quarterback position for the Green Bay Packers should from now on be called the Brett Favre. Primary receiver position shouldn't be wide receiver, it should be called a Jerry Rice. Imagine the fun of announcing the Patriots roster and hearing, "and here's the Patriot's Vinateri lil' Stevey Gostkowski."). Maybe there some other angle here that justifies the comparison to Favre's epic MNF episode with this lame Giants pasting of the hapless Falcons. Hmmmm, white quarterbacks, ok...um, over hyped tight ends, check...a never ending platoon of fantasy killing running backs, not really, since Ward out Dunned Dunn...I don't get it.

Here's the real deal: they had no way of selling this game. What a boring, dull, awful match up. Sure, the NY football Giant fans will watch, but who else? Fantasy football owners? Thus, some marketing suit has a quandary. We need ratings to get that advertising money in order to keep paying out those gold plated matzoh balls to Tony Kornheiser, so how do we sell this stinker. Do we go the defensive mastery shown by the Giants? No, because Atlanta's offense sucks. Do we go with the prospect of Atlanta shutting down the hot-or-cold Giants offense? No, because Atlanta's defense looks average. Oh, I got it, how about a neat coaching meeting between captain sour pants versus the college gee-whiz kid who was supposed to make a certain dog fighter a better QB? YAWWWWWWWNNNN, I think "No Reservation" with Tony Bourdain is on.

Thus, instead of coming up with something that makes sense, they decide to trot out the Favre game to advertise a horrible horrible game. It doesn't make sense. Do your homework, ESPN, and come up with something inane ("Do you like Birds? Do you like Tall Men? Watch MNF!") or something that has a relationship. Awful. Awful. I blame you for my headache, ESPN!

***********

One other note, neat article on the Yahoo Sports "Bringin' the Noise" about the injuries affecting fantasy football. However, injuries do not equate to a Rambo movie. Rambo kills, he does not leave maimed.

And the Hits Keep A-Coming

So, my company was just purchased by another, larger company. Here's to hoping that I don't get laid off.

Thus, time to write about some worries:

• Abbas wants Palestine's borders redrawn - This goes to show that the old adage, "give an inch, they'll take a mile" is still accurate: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday laid out his most specific demands for the borders of a future independent state, calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war." Sure, Israel took the land during the 7 Days War, thus Palestine can make claims that they want the land back, but why should they get the land back? Selfishly, how does handing back land to a terrorist-producing state help Israel, and more importantly, the U.S.A.? The whole idea of sunshine policies used with rogue states (like the engagement of S.Korea with the N.Koreans) makes me nervous.
• Another private security company makes a mistake - Sad to use this rationalization, but no human organization is ever going to be mistake-free. I'm sure the heightened fear that clouds over Iraq doesn't help US security personnel with itchy trigger fingers. Yes, it is tragic that two women lost their lives in a security mistake, but at the same time, the US contractors over in Iraq would be sitting ducks without security. One cold, cold note, in response to this: ""What is the use of the word 'sorry?'" screamed Nora Jalal, Awanis' daughter and a student at Baghdad's Technology University." What is the use of the word sorry with all the US troops who have been killed by road side bombings and cars driven into troop areas. The fact is, you live in a war zone, and there will be tragedies. I'm no fan of the false War in Iraq, but at the same time, I don't think you can scrap an institution such as security firms due to fatal errors. There may have to be greater oversight, or even better, a pull out of all US contractors along with the military, but as long as Americans are in Iraq, they need any and all measures to prevent attack from justifiably bloodthirsty Iraqis.
• The Larry Craig Saga - The worst thing about modern politics is that there is absolutely no moral standard practiced by American politicians. There is such a wide gap between acceptable moral standards for the American public, yet an utter disregard for honor and integrity by the law makers who seek to pass legislation that governs Americans. How is it that a senator who belongs to a party that seeks to legally define marriage as well as insert christian morality into federal mandates gets ensnared in a controversial gay bathroom incident, claims that he will step down from his office if he doesn't get the charge overturned, then decides that he'll stay in office even after a federal judge decided that the charge will not be overturned. There are lies upon lies mounted on the head of Senator Craig, and yet he's going to vote on issues that may have moral dilemmas and he thinks he has any ability to discern? This guy is a joke and most politicians are jokes. I think it is disgusting that the immoral in Washington seek to legislate morality to the rest of the country.
• China Internet Controls??? - Of all the things to get worried about involving Red China, the Internet censorship is the most worrisome? What about the illegal imprisonment and torture of prisoners for a sundry of reasons? My father can attest that the Chinese government (the local police are autonomous of the bureaucratic reach of the so-called liberalized state government) regularly turns a blind eye on torture of non-Chinese citizens. He's got the scars on his back to prove it. They've successfully persecuted Falun Gong, are only a few decades removed from one of the most searing images of human rights violations (Tianemen Square), and continue to wield the might of their institutionalized communism to trample over individual rights for the greater good. Not only do we reward the barbarism of China with the Olympics, but we routinely turn a blind eye unless we're affected with shitty products and poisoned food. Ridiculous.
• Business as Usual Politics: Maryland had a Republican governor who tried to pass a slots referendum. The Democrats didn't want it. Now we have a Democrat governor...who wants a slots referendum.
• Myanmar dissident dies under questioning: The thing is, people, these atrocities happen every day. Darfur happens. Burma goes on. Don't believe that the U.S. government would ever help in these events unless the U.S. has a vested interest to stop the violence. Don't believe the false concern Mr. Bush (or Mr. Clinton during the days of Sarejevo) about the situation. The real pressure to contain the strife should be democratic countries near Burma. Where's the help, Australia? What are you doing about it India? How about some help, Russia?
• Wrongly imprisoned man freed in Texas: As I said, human institutions make mistakes. We need to be more vigilant in the US. How much do you want to bet that there is a correlation between race of convict and accuracy of the forensic evidence used in trial?
• Baseball's post season: is anyone on the East Coast going to watch the NLCS? Here's hoping the Red Sox make it back to the World Series, otherwise this will go down as one of the worst rated post seasons of all time.
• Football: It used to be that Mike Vick or Donovan McNabb or someone would be the face of the NFL. The league pushed Reggie Bush to be the next face of the league. Well, how about continuing probes into Bush's college days. This doesn't bode well for Bush.

Rant: Annoying Things

First off: how hard is it to use your damned turn signals? To paraphrase the movie "Shoot 'Em Up," you literally have to move your hand a few inches in order to warn all other drivers that you are about to merge into another lane or turn into a side street. Are you really that lazy that you can't spare the energy to move your hand a few inches? No, it is more likely that you are self-important pricks who think that the rules of the road don't apply to you. I hope that you drive into a concrete divider and have your hand severed from impact and that you bleed out in the ER with your loved ones watching and weeping.

Second: Is it really too much to ask for people not to talk about their families/children to coworkers who obviously have not a single iota of interest about how well Timmy is doing in soccer camp? Seriously, I don't care about your family, and I don't want you to know about my family. I wish horrible things to happen to you and for your family members to tell others about the misfortunes you have been subjected to.

Third: Can't you stop using steroids, athletes? Come on, you're going to get caught. Just be mediocre. Marion Jones, I hope you get untreatable cancer.

Fourth: Racism still alive. More incidents of hate, including the boy held down and having KKK and swatstikas drawn on him by white students as well as the coast guard noose incident. These things have got to stop. White people, just quit it. If you really hate black people, go up to some black people, one-on-one, and say that shitty things you want to say. Then fight, duke it out, don't use this mob mentality, this slinking around, the idiotic, backwoods bullshit. Black people, organize, end this shit. I hope the white kids who drew the KKK things in marker get the death penalty. I want to see the weeping tears of the white kids' mothers and I hope we laugh at their inbred asses.



Fifth:

Fantasy Football, Week 4

This is a post for a fantasy football league that I'm involved with. I'm currently 2-2. No yeehaw this week. Check out the league here. My team is ???Johnny Drama???

WEEK FOUR TIDBITS

Don’t Care How, I Want It Now!

Sometimes, words fail me. Whether it is watching yet another pass wobble out of McNair’s hand, flying high above his targeted receiver, or witnessing the most pathetic whining fit ever in the history of watching football with friends, there are times where a simple shake of the head or a hiding of the face into your open palms is the only appropriate reaction. Nothing spoken ever helps alleviate that hideous sinking feeling of not wanting to bear witness to the unfolding ridiculousness.

The Ravens looked awful, like an 8-8 team. Sure, some of you out there (I’m looking at you, Dolphins fans) would be quite happy for a 2-2 start. However, this was supposed to be the fourth best team in the AFC. Brian Billick, at the start of the season, was unhappy that the Ravens were not in the discussion of being labeled the best team in the AFC. The Ravens fans were feeling footloose and fancy free, eager for a return to the Super Bowl, or at the very least, another thrill ride to the top of the AFC North.

Instead, we get mediocrity. The offense is a glass half empty nightmare. The running plays look great…when we run. The passing plays work…in running situations. Nothing is in synch on offense, and the discerning Ravens fan can pick up some disheartening details like the relative equality in suckiness of the two Ravens QBs (and don’t mention Troy Smith, he isn’t going to play) and the mediocrity of the Ravens offensive line. However, the once vaunted Ravens DEF has been shown the rubbish heap: they’re allowing 21 points per game, gotten 6 sacks, and providing little pressure on the opposing QB in their 4 or 5 man rushes. Their DBs look pathetic (did you see the amount of space Chris McAllister afforded the Browns receivers all game?) and the only reason the Ravens DEF has any fantasy value has been due to the block kick and the fluke DEF touchdowns.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the team can have some great moments of inspired football, but they are ultimately an inconsistent team. The NFL rewards teams that can replicate their motions and stay consistent in their game plan and the execution on the field. This Ravens team has none of that discipline. They cannot follow through in an organized game plan, and they are still undisciplined, giving up way to many penalty yards on false starts.

That’s a lot of typed words; toward the end of the game yesterday, I couldn’t really speak. What can you say when you see something that ugly…losing to the Browns in that fashion.

Well, that was just the tip of the iceberg. What happened during the 4 o’clock games made me forget how embarrassed I was of the Ravens’ performance.

Let’s just say that the Commish had a bit too much to drink and was feeling punchy watching both the baseball and football teams representing San Diego go down in losing efforts. Whatever the reasoning, here’s a quick rundown of the Commish's awful actions at Bert’s (formerly Rocky Run): the Commish, in a booth with two of his friends, is busy talking and not really watching the Chargers game. There are two televisions facing his directions playing the game, and one big screen television behind him broadcasting the game as well. A group of guys in a booth behind the Commish requests that one of the two televisions showing the Chargers game be changed to a different game. the Commish does not notice the waitress changing the channel, engrossed in a phone conversation. Once the television channel had been changed, hebegins yelling at the waitress that he was watching the game. She informs the Commish that there are two TVs broadcasting the game, but the Commish retorts “But I was watching it on that one.” His reasoning for demanding placation… “I’ve been here since 1 o’clock drinking.” The waitress pleads to no avail, and then asked the guys the Commish if they mind if she changes the other television facing the Commish to the other game…no objections. Now, the woman is changing it back, and the Commish begins talking shit to his pals, which inevitably pisses off the waitress. There’s a tense situation, everything is taken care of, and the Commish goes along his merry way down the path of drunken loutishness.

Here’s the point of telling this story: there were no words that can really help this situation as it was occurring. In fact, later in the night, there were no real words to describe what transpired, other than making fun of the whiniest rant ever by a grown adult and the unbelievable lack of politeness that’s inherent in our dear commish.

Sometimes, you just have to shake your head and move on. So let’s get to the power rankings (pending results of Monday Night Football, but Tuesday is always busier for me, so you get preemptive power rankings):

1. Skora Sucks (4-0, prev. rank #1) – Oh, LJ, you’re back to being productive…at least for this game that mattered. What a solid week from a solid team. Other than an off day for T.O. (who’s team didn’t need him to shine), Skora Sucks just went out and produced from every position. Great week. Definitely think you can take it to 5-0 against a Chad Johnson-less Wheel.

2a. Thneeds (3-1 pending tonight, prev. rank #6) – Continuing his trend upward, Shaw’s team featured one of the best waiver wire pick ups in recent memory, Dwayne Bowe. The kid looks like the real deal, finally giving KC a legitimate receiving threat that Priest and Gonzales could have used during the Trent Green years. I like Shaw’s team tonight because Tom Brady is going to abuse the Bengals secondary. Also, you’ve got the soft match up against Phootball next week. Welcome to the top two!

2b. Wheel Rules (3-1 pending tonight, prev. rank #3) – Another wayward running back brings it on back home; LT gets into it with 150 total yards and a TD. I don’t know if the rest of your team is going to keep you on the winning streak, but Wheel’s team is still the second best team in the league thus far. However, with a loss coming next week, you’re on the B squad, Weil.

4. You Gonn’ Learn (2-2 pending tonight, prev. rank #4) – Even with the chalked up loss for this week, Tim’s team is still in the fourth best debate (and, unlike the Ravens, warrants the discussion). What a tough match up for this week, losing on the MNF game to Thneeds (I’m prognosticating). Like I said, Ronnie Brown is a stud and you made the right call on the DEF. However, this is a team that will get killed in week nine…sadly, that’s what happens when you have to depend on one back for 40% of your points.

5. Hoover Dans (2-2, prev. rank #2) – How can a two losing weeks in a row team still be in the top five? How about mediocre performances from his top notch receiving corps, and slow nights for Alexander, Lamont, and the SD DEF? This is a team that will bounce back…probably…um, maybe?

6. SD Homers (3-1, prev. rank #8) – Is it controversial to place a 3-1 team behind two 2-2 teams? I don’t think so. Skora’s team still jumps two spots on the power rankings. However, I had to temper his great performance with knowledge that the Lions defense contributed 36 points. Remove that total, and SD only has 74 points. Now, enter in the what-if caveat of McNabb not looking like McNair, totally covered over by the swarming Giants DEF (?!!), and I have to assume that SD would have been a 2-2 team…a mediocre 2-2 team. Still, since he’s 3-1, he gets to be in the top half of the league.

7. Score-Ahhhh (2-2, prev. #10) – Tony Romo is that good. Can you believe this guy? He’s the next Brady as far as hype. The nice thing…Romo is producing like a mobile Peyton Manning clip. This guy is the real deal. Too bad he’s stuck on a team that starts Roddy White and that horrible Baltimore DEF. Not a bad week at all on a BYE week for N.O., since I’m sure you were missing the 6 pts from Reggie Bush. Thank goodness you ran into Jill’s team, eh?

8. Shenanigans (2-2, prev. #11) – The only thing standing in the way of Bill reaching .500 is Randy Moss. Sure, Randy can store 30 points, but you’ve got to give credit to Peterson and Cotchery giving Bill about 30 on top of Peyton’s usual production. The main question, though, has to be the flex position, where Jones-Drew, Dunn, and the like have been low scoring disappointments. I hope tonight’s game is a shoot out…

9. Racist Melon Farmers (2-2, prev. #5) – How far can this team fall? I mean, sure, a QB is allowed to have a bad game, but being sacked 12 times by the Giants? Both of your QBs threw up negative points! Hopefully, this is the week all season where all of your players sucked. If it’s a portent into the future, then you’re in a bad, bad place of suckiness…but then again, your team’s still better than mine.

10. !!!???!!! (2-2, prev. #7) – I was looking to drop my team farther down the ranking, but unfortunately, I couldn’t justify placing Jill or Chi-Town’s team above me. Here’s why I deserve to be lower: who starts the Miami DEF? I mean, should I have been aware that Daunte Culpepper was turbo charging himself to go all 2004 on the Dolphins? Dude looked scary good, and now that I’ve picked him up, he’s going to revert to Anthony Wright-esque levels. My team is horrible, and I’m a horrible manager (more on that later).

11. Phootball (1-3, prev. #9) – I have to agree with Fooks, you’re team does suck. Decimated by injuries, and filled with some horrid, unreliable players, this is a team that desperately needs someone, anyone, to comeback and dominate.

12. Chi-Town Prep (1-3, prev #12) – Welcome to the winning team! You’ve got a very winnable match up against Shenanigans. Let’s see how you screw this up!

13a. I am Skora’s fluffer (1-3, prev. #13) – What can be said about this team that hasn’t been said about Nick Nolte? The team is old (Brian Griese), tired (Stallworth), hobbled (Cadillac), and clinically insane (Kellen “I’m a soldier” Winslow). Time to blow up the team and trade away for draft picks and cash.

13b. ephedrinators (0-4 pending tonight, prev. #14) – Sure, Maroney can give you the win if Chad Johnson flames out and Brady ignores Watson. I have to give you credit, you’re team is slowly improving. Therefore, you and Pierce are tied for worst team in the league.

Ten Things I Think I Thunk

1. If I told you at the beginning of the season that Tony Romo would be the top scoring offensive player through four weeks, you’d probably ask me why I was making such a conditional prediction. Romo has scored 130 points through 4 weeks, with 13 total touchdowns in that span (vs. the next best offensive weapon, Peyton Manning, at 94 pts and 9 TDs). He’ll likely keep up the streak against Buffalo next week, but expect a downturn in week 6 against New England.

2. If I told you the best RB through four weeks was Ronnie Brown, you’d just tell me to stop using this type of sentence structure to talk about a player. Brown’s at 311 yd and 3 TD rushing and 248 yrs and a touchdown receiving. Hot damn, that projects him out to rushing 1724 yards and 16 TDs and receiving 1328 yards and 5 TDs. This guy is amazing!!! Ok…temper the reaction…he’s going to have a great year unless injury gets him. Nice to seem him working out for the woeful Fins.

3. Another reason to hate fantasy football: the Minnesota DEF has scored more fantasy points than Peyton Manning.

4. A double whammy for the Niners super fan Tobes: the worst player in fantasy this week: Donovan McNabb. Negative 6 points in our league. A close second in negativeness, Trent Dilfer.

5. Looking for the info for point #4, if you scroll to count=825 in the total players points for week 4, you see some crazy names of average Joe football players. My favorites among the negatives and nothings: Johnnie Lee Higgins, Vonta Leach, Chad Mustard and the craziest name, Cortez Hankton. What an ungainly name…Hankton as a last name.

6. On my ineptness in trades…what the hell was I doing giving away Braylon Edwards for a third string Lions receive who’s injured, and a backup running back? Seriously, what a dope I am. I should not be writing anything analyzing fantasy football since I’ve got about as much skill as Norv Turner.

7. Best post of the week: Ode to Pierce by Thneeds. Amazing…Seussian delights. Keep up the artistic work.

8. Worst post of the week: Re: Free Agent Fooks. I took the bait to your inane insults. Not that I’m angry, bitter, jealous, or anything, but I try to bring a thing of beauty into this internet world, and you spit on it. Just remember, it is easy to denigrate and difficult to create. I read that on some hippy t-shirt. I hate hippies and I hate you, but I’m not angry or bitter or anything.

9. Here’s my quick hit thoughts about week 4:

a. Billy Mac Award for Sunday Night Waiver Wire Activity: Dan’s pick up of Pittman.

b. Here’s who got dropped today: Trent Green, Philip Rivers, and Marc Bulger. Who would have thought all these top tier QBs would be worthless at week 4? The lack of bench space makes it difficult to stash a wobbly QB.

c. The dropped before a bust out game (The Chuck'd Award): Pierce’s drop of Bowe, who goes on to tear it up for Shaw’s team.

d. Best trade: Getting Portis for Rothlisberger.

e. Best use of Smack Talk feature: the exchange between Hoover Dans and Chi-Town Prep in their Witten talk…too bad Witten didn’t save you from the jaws of defeat Dan.

f. I think Dan’s got the best next three week span, facing Chi-town, SD Homers, and ephedrinators.

g. Best four week span has got to be for Bill’s Shenanigans: my awful team, Chi-town, , SD Homers, and ephedrinators.

10. Any suggestions on places to watch the games on Sunday in Baltimore? We’ve got to go to a new place other than Berts, especially after the “Why can’t I watch the game on THIS tv?”-gate.

Quick post before the weekend

Just to let everyone know...I might be sparce for the next couple of weeks through the transition in work and life. Thanks and have a great weekend.

StandardChuck

The Taint Keeps A-Spreading (or why sports continue to disappoint law abiding citizens)

With the announcement that boxing's "Sugar" Shane Mosley used the "clear" and the "cream" before his 2003 bout with Oscar De La Hoya, can we commence performing two intellectual rituals moving forward through the rest of our sports' fan lives?

First, boxing is dead, long live boxing. The pundits have been bemoaning the waning popularity in the sweet science from the American audience, and they have every right to worry. The heavyweight division, once the roaming grounds of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and countless other greats, is now an anemic, uninteresting mess. Here's a great link to boxingwriter, who deplores the state of the heavyweight division (with links to other great articles). Second, there is a dearth of great American prize fighters currently in the ranks of boxing. Who would blame them? All the best athletes have left boxing for the NFL, NBA, and even the MLB. Why endure the brutality of boxing if you can just get knocked around on a field and make a whole lot more money? Do you want to be one of the 900 boxing deaths?

I'm sure the rise of mixed martial arts hasn't helped boxing.

Now, if that wasn't enough, boxing has to suffer though allegations of doping. Looks like the WBA, WBO, WB-why the hell are there so many associations...all of the lot have to deal with the same scrutiny devoted to the WWE.

Second, and more importantly, I think we've now gotten to the point where there is no shock in hearing that an athlete used performance enhancing drugs. Reading the article about Shane Mosley, and for that matter, the allegations against Rick Ankiel, Jay Gibbons, etc etc etc, the whole Floyd Landis thing...all of it barely raises the eyebrow anymore (and the eyebrow is a hair triggered device). Sports have become tainted irreparably, and we as sports fans have to come to the conclusion of guilty until proven innocent. Let's all wire our minds to think that all of our athletic heroes are doping, because, sadly, the prevalence of performance enhancement (and the lack of culpability in today's age of PR-firm friendly techniques of denial and flat-out lying) has created a stage where we cannot and should not trust that athletes are on the up and up.

This does not mean that we can't still watch and cheer. Just remember, you are no longer cheering the endeavor of fellow human beings on the field...you're probably applauding the efforts of the new biochemically engineered athlete.

The Ballad of the Final Table Poker Room

Sometimes, our preconceived notions get the better of us. For a guy like me, where a trip to the Korean supermarket is considered international travel and where the closest I get to Kerouracian adventure is taking a different route through East Baltimore than the rest of the white collar sect, sometimes the minds takes advantage of us, making us into sad, real life versions of Walter Mitty.

Case in point, my friend (who we'll call Tobius) and I went to visit the Final Table Poker Club. As my pal Ad-Rube said before the trip: "Uh…are you serious?" Sure, what's not to like...I imagined that this place was going to be like Teddy KGB's place in "Rounders." All in the confines of Duldalk (east Baltimore, a butt of jokes in Baltimore much like West Virginia to the rest of the States in the Union).

Tobius and I made the trek up to Duldalk. In the heart of the wilderness of white trashia, past the ghettos of racial discontent, right near a Gentleman's Gold Club and a little past a super buffet, we found ourselves at the Final Table Poker Club. Adjacent to a pizza and pasta joint called Papa Leone's (and uncomfortably close to a landmark called "Drug City"...making me think of Hampsterdam), we parked the car and had a moment of doubt. Why were we here? Should we actually go into this poker club in this sketchy part of Dundalk? Why do I have the sudden urge to wear a wife beater?

Scratch that, I had the moment of doubt. As soon as the engine came to a stop, Tobius was out the door, ready for action. One thing you can say about Tobius, amongst the volumes that I can write about the man, is that he is brave. I might add that he's brave from ignorance, laughing in the face of danger with a blank smile and an awkward pause, but I'm sure Tobius would disagree. Maybe he was feeling the mood to beat a bunch of dock workers with rolled Aces over Kings.

Turns out he really had to use the bathroom.

The Final Table Poker Club is an innocuous place. It is apparently very legal and very law abiding. My dreams of under the table deals, payoffs like those ubiquitous Cherry Slots machines in liquor stores around Baltimore, scrubby guys with threatening looks and even meaner girlfriends were dashed upon the clean, smokeless air of the place. There was no danger in the air. Instead, there were clearly worded guidelines on the walls and a table filled with crappy prizes, like a set of kitchen knives and a AM/FM radio.

Turns out it is completely legit. So why would grown adults pay $22 a pop to play meaningless tournament poker? Apparently, there is a quarter of a year long season where people try to accrue tourney points. The top 9 point getters are invited to a final table showdown where the winner get an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas (2nd prize: a room at the Borgata; 3rd: a 24" flat screen TV). For this chance, people pony up the money Tuesday - Saturday. Enough people do it to routinely fill 3-4 tables, though last night there was the same amount of players as there were staff, three.

Needless to say, I was very disappointed. I was so dejected that the only way I could feel better was to indulge in a pure, immoral lie, calling up Ad-Rube to tell him that we had been kicked out of the club due to homosexuality. Rube didn't really believe me, but it made us laugh for a few seconds before my conscious got the better of me (honestly, I tried to call you back, Rubes, but you didn't answer to accept my apology).

Would I play there? Probably not. Why pay to play for nothing but the chance to win a prize. That's 22 a dollar a pop, and I'd only have to save a few of those buyins to actually play a real tourney in Atlantic City, possibly winning cold hard cash with which to buy a set of kitchen knives or a box of Francesca wine.

Another moment of my mind playing tricks on me...at least, after we left the joint, we went as saw "Shoot Em Up." What mindless entertainment to cap a night of mindlessness.

In the News: Excuse Me If We've Heard this One

Ahhh, the fresh smelling news...

• Investigators Being Sent to Iraq by Defense Secretary Robert Gates: What'cha Gonna Do With All Those Facts You're Gonna Find? - Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Congress on Wednesday he is unhappy with the Pentagon's oversight of its private contractors in Iraq, saying he's dispatched a fact-finding team to investigate problems there. Mmmmm, mercenary justice - "Many outsiders have predicted since the war began that the reliance on contractors — especially security contractors — was going to eventually produce problems, and now it has," said Loren Thompson, a defense expert at the Lexington Institute, a think tank. "The nature of the war does not encourage anybody to pay close attention to what local laws require," he added. "When you're in an environment where the Shiite militias and the Sunni insurgents are paying no attention at all to the law, there's always a rationalization for American forces ignoring it, too, and that's doubly true in the case of private contractors."
• Violent crackdown launched in Myanmar: The sound of peace is beating down monks - Security forces in Myanmar opened fire on demonstrators Wednesday, and witnesses said police beat and dragged away dozens of Buddhist monks. When you're losing, just question the monkness of monks - The junta said security forces opened fire after a crowd of 10,000 people, including what it described as "so-called monks," failed to disperse at Yangon's Sule Pagoda. It said police used minimum force. When did firing a gun into a crowd considered minimal force? Burma, the land of gatherings of four or less - When faced with a similar crisis in 1988, Myanmar brutally suppressed a student-led democracy uprising. Soldiers shot into crowds of peaceful demonstrators, killing thousands. On Tuesday, the junta banned all public gatherings of more than five people and imposed a 9 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew following eight days of anti-government marches led by monks.
• Day's Favority Story; Craig tries to withdraw guilty plea: Great White Hope - Sen. Larry Craig said he hopes that his guilty plea in an airport sex sting will be rescinded by a court in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The greatest slogan ever - "We're protesting the fact that a man has been convicted of a crime that he didn't commit," said Jason Gabbert, 38, of Apple Valley. Gabbert, dressed as the policeman, held a sign that said, "Next time pee, don't plea!"
• Baltimore City News; Teen dies after accident on skateboard: Darwin Award Hopeful - if you've known StandardChuck, we have a policy of not supporting skateboarders. This is why. A 15-year-old boy who fell after holding on to a cement truck while riding a skateboard last week in South Baltimore has died, police said.
• Self Vicktemization; Falcons QB Vick tests positive for marijuana; judge imposes tighter restrictions on freedom: You know, if I were facing prison time and my career was over and all my friends turned their backs on me, I totally would smoke a bowl.
• Scientists find new species in Vietnam: new orchids...neat.
• Russian woman's 12th baby weighs in at 7.75 kg: The russians have finally perfected the Super Human formula. That poor woman's body will never be the same again.
• Court: New mom must get extra test time: so many jokes, but I must abstain...huh...huhhuh..."equal footing" with the men and non-lactating women who take the exam...huhhuh...special considerations much? - Currier already had received special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act for dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including permission to take the test over two days instead of one.
• Paris Hilton plans to jet to Rwanda: Because nothing brings serious inquiry into genocide like a worthless celebritard's visit - Paris Hilton plans to visit Rwanda as part of her post-jail commitment to use her celebrity status to bring attention to social causes. A worse crime against humanity - "I'll be going in November, after I get back from filming my movie" all those poor Rwandan kids to hear that they're "so hot" - "I want to visit more countries where poverty and children's issues are a big concern," she says. "I know there's a lot of good I can do just by getting involved and bringing attention to these issues." Can't we just deport her to whore island and get it over with?
• Bears to bench Grossman, start Griese: That's the end of sex cannon isn't it ksk?
• This is what happens when teenage girls get around animatronic rodents; Police break up brawl at Chuck E. Cheese: it wasn't the first, and it won't be the last - "There was a similar incident there awhile back, and we also had that same issue at Cinemark, and (management) decided to start restricting who they allowed in at certain times," Sexton said.
• AHHHHHHHHHHHH, part 1; Man buys smoker, finds human leg inside
• AHHHHHHHHHHHH, part 2; Scorned wife takes knife to man's penis in Malaysia: the worst part of this story is the picture attached to the story. As WDD-40 writes: "in case you didn't know how a knife slices through meat, here's some meat that isn't attached to a human"

Addition: Link to Boortz.com

ATLANTA POORLY REPRESENTED ON ESPN TOWN HALL MEETING

I hope many of you managed to see that Sports Center special on ESPN last night. I was one of the panelists discussing "The Michael Vick Divide." The experience was very enjoyable, but I must admit that I was shocked by a good portion of the audience at the Sydney Marcus auditorium at the Georgia World Congress Center. Where did they get those people? (Well, not all of them .. but a good portion of them.) They were booing former Falcons defensive standout Chuck Smith for saying that Michael Vick committed a felony and had to pay the price, and when the moderator asked the audience to show by their applause whether or not dog fighting should be legal, the overwhelming response was that it should! Are these people serious? Dog fighting should be legal?
I'm sorry, but I can't help but thing that the audience there last night embarrassed Atlanta and themselves.
But ... people say that about me too.
Oh, look, ESPN has posted a couple of video clips from the Town Hall Meeting. Hear the Talkmaster get booed in the 2nd clip..
Are Vick and Belichick's Infractions Comparable?
What does the future hold for Michael Vick?

Jena and William F. Buckley

Thought that the facts transcribed from the CNN piece on Jena was interesting, especially the focus on the fact that the white student with the shotgun was never prosecuted. However, where was the opinion in this opinion piece from William F. Buckley?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucwb/20070925/cm_ucwb/themessinjena;_ylt=An27JDQQPNaWQQUlpKamkDYEtbAF

The Vick Saga...Act II

There’s much to be sad about the second chapter of the Michael Vick saga. Here’s a guy who was the face of the NFL, making the most amount of money in the league, living the American dream. He was one of the African Americans who made it, who had found an avenue out of the ghetto that America built through racial policies of disenfranchisement. Vick escaped the gang wars and the drugs that keep a race down. With his money, what did Vick do? He brought his friends along, pulling them upward with him, a brave new future where everything that money can buy was available to create new lives free from the shackles of poverty.

Michael Vick did much for his community. He created a program called Michael Vick’s People, seeking to uplift 25 middle-school boys through building of character traits. Vick was to host a charity golf tournament to go to Virginia Tech massacre victims. In a story by the Virginia Pilot, Vick is described “as loyal to a fault. He has difficulty saying no, whether it's for help on bills, rent, vehicles or bail money.” Vick brought his childhood friends along. As Terrance Mathis, Vick’s one time teammate, quoted Vick on the ESPN “Vick Divide” town hall meeting, “when one of us makes it, we all make it.”

Yet, what did Vick’s friends bring to the table? They brought the ghetto with them into Vick’s world. Vick, his multi-million dollar contract, his image that sold Nike and Gatorade, his reputation as a nice guy that was beloved by football fans of all races…all were damaged by his friends’ actions in endangering it all through a criminal enterprise to fight dogs. Know who you roll with, because when it all falls down, who does Number 7 turn to?

Vick couldn’t turn to his friends, who turned on him for plea agreements as soon as possible. It is funny that the Prisoner’s Dilemma, an old philosophical question, became relevant in this story. Vick couldn’t turn to his team…after all, the team and it’s owner had tried to cover up the story, hoping it would blow away, with vanilla statements of non-committal support, but what could they do? They were trying to get ready for a new season of football. They had done everything to coddle Vick, to nurture Vick, even hand picking a coach who would take Vick to the next level. The Falcons couldn’t do anything. What about family? Nope, Vick had his own father speaking ill of him. There was no one to turn to, no one who would support the fallen Quarterback…

Not so fast. There were those who wanted to continue cheering on Mike Vick. They were in attendance at the Vick Divide forum broadcast on ESPN yesterday, dancing and jeering, yelling obscenities at a Humane Society representative in support of their QB. They’re on the internet, posting “Free Mike Vick” all over the web. The comment on the instant reaction I had to the Vick Divide brings up the question of whether the NFL is damaged more by Vick or the Belichick/Patriots cheating scandal (this is an easy answer…a felony is worse than a misdemeanor). There is the groundswell of support of black ghetto culture, of supporting Vick as a target of the media, the white justice system, racism, hero-worship, bringing down a black man, etc. His fans, his black fans, are coming to Vick’s aid.

I agree with the comments of Neal Boortz during the telecast, who chastised the crowd for their lack of civility as well as the failed logic behind the crowd’s ire. Boortz claimed that the behavior of the crowd did not help to Vick’s winning of public support. There was an air of Jerry Springer in the behavior of the crowd. This is no way to help your fallen hero. As the public relations expert (sorry, but his name slipped my notes) said, Vick can repair his reputation by working to regain his honesty, his integrity. As the NAACP representative said, once Vick serves his time, he can begin anew, his debt repaid. By ranting and raving about a man who has pleaded guilty on his felony charges and issued a well written apology, you’re doing a disservice to a man who is trying to move forward.

I feel bad for Mike Vick. He got caught in a bad situation. At the very least, he can go to prison, do his time, come out, rehab his reputation, and maybe, just maybe, play a few years in the NFL to get back some of his money. I feel bad for the Falcons. Maybe they should have let the man be a man and not come to his aid on every single issue that arose during Vick’s time in the NFL. However, Vick was their man, their star, and when Vick failed, the Falcons failed. This is a team that will be sifting through the ashes of the Vick scandal for years to come. I feel bad for Vick’s fans, because anytime your hero lets you down, you feel bad. I remember the first time I got burned by a hero, when Patrick Ewing walked past me and group of three friends, who had waited in an emptied high school for four hours, without an acknowledgement…with utter disdain. That was the beginning of the end of childhood, and the beginning of the cynicism of adulthood.

Most of all, I feel bad for sports and being a fan of sports. Gone are the days where can love our slugger without fear of HGH, the days we can love our small forward without worry that he’s promoting stop snitching or that high intensity guy who just loses his mind and charges the paying audience. Gone are the days of following a player through his career with the hometown team, the days of hanging the poster of your favorite electrifying quarterback without fear of some crime, any crime, coming out in the news. Gone are the days that you can take your kids to a ball game for fear of hearing foul invectives from the crowd, for civility, Mr. Boortz, isn’t just dead in the audience at the Vick Divide, but it is at every baseball, football, basketball game, where the fans are some of the worst people.

For you racists, take a look at the audience of most sports venues…they’re mostly white.

I digress…the key to remember is that Vick will be remembered for what’s he’s done most recently. Let the man take his punishment. Let him come out of jail with a renewed purpose to do good. I hope Vick comes out, does some work with the community, maybe even make an attempt to work for the animal rights groups. I hope Vick comes back and wins back out trust. I hope he writes a book and leads children in the right things in life. I hope Vick succeeds in the third act of his life.

***********

Here are some interesting articles found in research for this hastily scribbled post.

• Virginia Pilot story on whether Vick is guilty of being too nice.
• Howard Bryant's article for ESPN on the race issue and the Vick story.
• Temple 3's take on the Vick Divide, a well written criticism.