How many of us truly appreciate the things around us on a daily basis? Even an activity that is something as mundane as walking, I guarantee there's a lot of things we take for granted.
Unfortunately, that's an activity that's proving itself awkward for me - even more awkward than some of the silences that have occurred after a controversial statement or two that I've made in my life. And sure enough, it's none other than the mundane task of walking.
Three weeks ago today, I threw out my back while bowling. I know, I know- you're all wondering, "How did such an athlete like Brian hurt his back in a 'sport' that allows umpire-shaped gentlemen participate and call themselves 'athletes'?" If there's any consolation, I threw a strike on that ball as it rolled down the lane at a Black Sheep-like 7 miles per hour.
Since then, I have been confined to the indoors for the most part. Last weekend, I got in the pool briefly but really couldn't swim. I tried playing bags, but my stride was stiffer than Rafael Palmeiro after popping a few....nevermind, you get it. The day before, my chiropractor said he had no idea what to do with me, since he had tried just about everything to loosen up my pelvic area on the right side. I just went to get x-rays yesterday and the lady taking my x-rays said I looked like a hot mess, and I don't think she meant it in the "I plan on getting sued for harrassment" sort of way.
So with the x-ray viewing on my chiropractor's part pending, I just hope that my back/leg will eventually heal itself. It's started to feel a little better since 6pm today, but who knows how it will be when I wake up tomorrow. All I know is that I miss bowling with my buddies. I need to get this back fixed so I could go back to contributing to my team's losses as opposed to just watching them.
For now, I reflect on how much I take for granted. I wouldn't say I take everything in life for granted - I am very conscious of the mortality of all of us and look to cherish any and all moments that I have with everyone. When I look back at the end of the day, I don't have any regrets regarding the people who I've kept in my life and the people who may have faded away for one reason or another.
I suppose the simple things in life are easy to take for granted, especially things you unconsciously and consciously do on a daily basis- like walking, brushing your truth (hopefully you're all doing that), and so forth. I just got back from a friend's house and watched a movie based on the true story of the world-class surfing teenager Bethany Hamilton, who had her left arm ripped from her body in a shark attack. Seeing how she was able to recover mentally over time and get used to the fact that she no longer had a left arm to become a world class surfer again, it's nothing short of a miracle.
There's no way you can anticipate some major life changes like that, and thus, easy to take certain things (like having a left arm) for granted. Whether it be something that can't be repaired like an arm or hopefully can be repaired like my back, all you can really do is make the best of these situations - regardless of whether you took these things for granted or not.
8/12/2011
8/10/2011
Long shots, Cutler, & Week 1 Gambling Leans
I can't not focus on football, so here's some more random football thoughts.
Long shots that I'd consider placing money on if I were in Vegas with these odds (Long shot defined as anything beyond 20/1) - odds provided by www.bookmaker.eu:
Houston Texans: 30/1 - If you read my last blog about football, you'd already know this would be a long-shot that I would like.
Chicago Bears: 38/1 - If they can protect their QB even slightly better than last year, they can be better than last year. Although I think teams around them in the upper echelon of the NFC got better and will be better. Still, at these odds, it'd be worth a small bet on these odds if their defense can play up to the same level as last year and offense improves slightly.
Tampa Bay: 45/1 - Big fan of these odds for a team with a soon-to-be Pro Bowl QB in Josh Freeman (25 TDs, only 6 ints), a tough-to-tackle RB in LeGarrette Blount, and a defense that was top 10 in points allowed and takeaway differential. These odds are inflated mainly due to their NFC South competition (New Orleans and Atlanta). But at 45/1, I'd be all over these odds.
Thoughts on how Jay Cutler will be received:
If Cutler is booed to start the year because of how last year ended, then I wish those fans a season full of Todd Collins and see how that goes. Everyone and their mother seemed to get caught up in the emotion of the injury last year that left Cutler sidelined for the 2nd half of the NFC Championship game in their eventual loss to the Packers. Fans and fellow NFL players (notably Maurice Jones-Drew) were basing their judgments of Cutler's "injury" on the shots that Fox showed of him on the sideline supposedly not caring about what was going on in the game or not helping Hanie out. I can't say this for certain because I wasn't there, but I'm fairly certain Fox was showing isolated shots of him by himself on purpose to paint this picture. It doesn't help that Cutler is cold to the media (and now seeing how misconstrued they painted him here, who can blame him?), so he gets no benefit of the doubt from the fans.
The dude got raped without protection all year (52 sacks in 15 games played) and should be soon delivering the bastard baby that the Giants impregnated him with last October. He started all but one game last year despite this beating behind one of the worst offensive lines that Chicago has ever seen. I'm not saying he shouldn't be taking the blame for some of these sacks and also just taking blame in general when the offense goes awry, but to question this guy's toughness (especially a guy who's playing with diabetes) is pure ignorance.
My favorite thing to come from the Cutler aftermath was when people said they saw him walking around just fine when they saw him going to a restaurant in the city or the like. Yeah - because walking into a restaurant is the same thing as running away from 250 pound linebackers on a football field with an MCL tear. If he's dodging angry waiters who lost money on the Bears after the game with amazing grace, then get back to me. Please don't boo him to start the year for last year because you think he pussied out of the biggest game of his life. Instead, save those boos for legitimate mistakes that he will eventually make in 2011.
22 days until college football starts, 29 till NFL kicks off...
which means I can't stop thinking about who I am going to bet on in week 1. The preseason in NFL will affect some of these odds, but I have some idea of a few potential week 1 NFL bets:
Kickoff game: New Orleans at Green Bay (-4.5/total of 46). I like the under here. Seems like week 1, especially opening game, defenses are ahead of offenses, which leads to lower scores. I'd love to see the total go up to about 48 or so if possible (the betting public almost always bets Overs on prime-time games), but will likely be happy with betting this at 46. I see about a 20/24-17 score in the opener.
Sunday games: Indianapolis at Houston (-3/total of 46). I like the over here. While I think the Houston defense will be better with Philips as their D-coordinator, I wouldn't be surprised if there's an adjustment for some of these guys to get acclimated to a 3-4 defense. If Manning plays, I'd expect a total score in the low 50s at least. If the line falls to 2.5, I may consider Houston as a pick.
Carolina at Arizona (-5.5, 36.5). Seems like most people are on the Kolb train, but I can't lay 5.5 on a team that didn't really do much else to improve their team through the free agent wire. Their offensive line allowed almost as many sacks as the Bears did, and it doesn't appear they addressed their O-line woes. Meanwhile, the Panthers were devastated with injuries last year and can't get worse than they were last year. I think Ron Rivera will get about 6 wins out of these guys this year. I'll gladly take the +5.5 and may consider a money line bet on them if I use a book this year that has money lines.
I know more lines will stick out soon, but those are the initial ones that I see. I'm going to try avoiding NCAA betting in week 1, but may find an angle to bet on in the high-profile game (LSU/Oregon).
Not much time left till the season starts in both, so let the countdown continue and let's watch baseball go swiftly into the sunset. This up/down/up/down from the Sox has me convinced they will end 81-81, so no use sweating that.
9 more days till fantasy football draft - which officially kicks off the football mania. Happy football!
Long shots that I'd consider placing money on if I were in Vegas with these odds (Long shot defined as anything beyond 20/1) - odds provided by www.bookmaker.eu:
Houston Texans: 30/1 - If you read my last blog about football, you'd already know this would be a long-shot that I would like.
Chicago Bears: 38/1 - If they can protect their QB even slightly better than last year, they can be better than last year. Although I think teams around them in the upper echelon of the NFC got better and will be better. Still, at these odds, it'd be worth a small bet on these odds if their defense can play up to the same level as last year and offense improves slightly.
Tampa Bay: 45/1 - Big fan of these odds for a team with a soon-to-be Pro Bowl QB in Josh Freeman (25 TDs, only 6 ints), a tough-to-tackle RB in LeGarrette Blount, and a defense that was top 10 in points allowed and takeaway differential. These odds are inflated mainly due to their NFC South competition (New Orleans and Atlanta). But at 45/1, I'd be all over these odds.
Thoughts on how Jay Cutler will be received:
If Cutler is booed to start the year because of how last year ended, then I wish those fans a season full of Todd Collins and see how that goes. Everyone and their mother seemed to get caught up in the emotion of the injury last year that left Cutler sidelined for the 2nd half of the NFC Championship game in their eventual loss to the Packers. Fans and fellow NFL players (notably Maurice Jones-Drew) were basing their judgments of Cutler's "injury" on the shots that Fox showed of him on the sideline supposedly not caring about what was going on in the game or not helping Hanie out. I can't say this for certain because I wasn't there, but I'm fairly certain Fox was showing isolated shots of him by himself on purpose to paint this picture. It doesn't help that Cutler is cold to the media (and now seeing how misconstrued they painted him here, who can blame him?), so he gets no benefit of the doubt from the fans.
The dude got raped without protection all year (52 sacks in 15 games played) and should be soon delivering the bastard baby that the Giants impregnated him with last October. He started all but one game last year despite this beating behind one of the worst offensive lines that Chicago has ever seen. I'm not saying he shouldn't be taking the blame for some of these sacks and also just taking blame in general when the offense goes awry, but to question this guy's toughness (especially a guy who's playing with diabetes) is pure ignorance.
My favorite thing to come from the Cutler aftermath was when people said they saw him walking around just fine when they saw him going to a restaurant in the city or the like. Yeah - because walking into a restaurant is the same thing as running away from 250 pound linebackers on a football field with an MCL tear. If he's dodging angry waiters who lost money on the Bears after the game with amazing grace, then get back to me. Please don't boo him to start the year for last year because you think he pussied out of the biggest game of his life. Instead, save those boos for legitimate mistakes that he will eventually make in 2011.
22 days until college football starts, 29 till NFL kicks off...
which means I can't stop thinking about who I am going to bet on in week 1. The preseason in NFL will affect some of these odds, but I have some idea of a few potential week 1 NFL bets:
Kickoff game: New Orleans at Green Bay (-4.5/total of 46). I like the under here. Seems like week 1, especially opening game, defenses are ahead of offenses, which leads to lower scores. I'd love to see the total go up to about 48 or so if possible (the betting public almost always bets Overs on prime-time games), but will likely be happy with betting this at 46. I see about a 20/24-17 score in the opener.
Sunday games: Indianapolis at Houston (-3/total of 46). I like the over here. While I think the Houston defense will be better with Philips as their D-coordinator, I wouldn't be surprised if there's an adjustment for some of these guys to get acclimated to a 3-4 defense. If Manning plays, I'd expect a total score in the low 50s at least. If the line falls to 2.5, I may consider Houston as a pick.
Carolina at Arizona (-5.5, 36.5). Seems like most people are on the Kolb train, but I can't lay 5.5 on a team that didn't really do much else to improve their team through the free agent wire. Their offensive line allowed almost as many sacks as the Bears did, and it doesn't appear they addressed their O-line woes. Meanwhile, the Panthers were devastated with injuries last year and can't get worse than they were last year. I think Ron Rivera will get about 6 wins out of these guys this year. I'll gladly take the +5.5 and may consider a money line bet on them if I use a book this year that has money lines.
I know more lines will stick out soon, but those are the initial ones that I see. I'm going to try avoiding NCAA betting in week 1, but may find an angle to bet on in the high-profile game (LSU/Oregon).
Not much time left till the season starts in both, so let the countdown continue and let's watch baseball go swiftly into the sunset. This up/down/up/down from the Sox has me convinced they will end 81-81, so no use sweating that.
9 more days till fantasy football draft - which officially kicks off the football mania. Happy football!
8/08/2011
Randomblings - About Our Current State of States
With how messed up this world seems to be these days, with our country fighting in wars we can't win, the debt ceiling crisis, US's credit rating gets lowered, stock market crashing, it's a wonder how many people can actually be legitimately happy these days. Besides a select few, most people are feeling the down times of the economy - whether it be worrying about losing their jobs or being afraid of making a new purchase for fear of the former situation happening. There's more worries than just that, but you get the point - you may be living a form of it yourself.
I've been lucky and been put in a more favorable situation than most - both in living arrangements and employment. That allows me to escape from the realites of the world more than others. It's probably a big reason why I'm able to be sidetracked by sports so easily. My biggest form of anxiety and excitement in the next month comes from fantasy football drafts and the start of both college and pro football seasons.
Many people wish they had these worries as a top priority. Instead, the never-ending pile of bills and many of the above worries are what have many in a bind. I've heard stories from several of my friends about their frustrating job searches. In two of their cases, they were both teachers and I heard/read about their plights often. The one friend who shared her frustrations with me was running short on patience. While I myself haven't been in that situation in over a year, the main thing I told her was what I told myself when I was looking for employment - just keep your head up and keep trying. The world can be a cold place, so you have to keep failing sometimes at these searches to find the right place. Luckily, the friend I told this to, in addition to my other teacher friend, had a happy ending.
At the end of the day, that's what most of us are looking for. We aren't necessarily looking for the perfect ending, but something resembling our hopes and dreams is what we want. The term "happy ending" seems movie-ish, but it's true. When bogged down in the daily life troubles, it's easy to forget to aim for more happiness in our lives, no matter how temporary. Easy for me to say, I know.
While this economy struggles to get back to normal, do all that you can to keep your head above water. And while it's above water, buy yourself an innertube and relax once in a while in this cesspool of a pool known as America.
I've been lucky and been put in a more favorable situation than most - both in living arrangements and employment. That allows me to escape from the realites of the world more than others. It's probably a big reason why I'm able to be sidetracked by sports so easily. My biggest form of anxiety and excitement in the next month comes from fantasy football drafts and the start of both college and pro football seasons.
Many people wish they had these worries as a top priority. Instead, the never-ending pile of bills and many of the above worries are what have many in a bind. I've heard stories from several of my friends about their frustrating job searches. In two of their cases, they were both teachers and I heard/read about their plights often. The one friend who shared her frustrations with me was running short on patience. While I myself haven't been in that situation in over a year, the main thing I told her was what I told myself when I was looking for employment - just keep your head up and keep trying. The world can be a cold place, so you have to keep failing sometimes at these searches to find the right place. Luckily, the friend I told this to, in addition to my other teacher friend, had a happy ending.
At the end of the day, that's what most of us are looking for. We aren't necessarily looking for the perfect ending, but something resembling our hopes and dreams is what we want. The term "happy ending" seems movie-ish, but it's true. When bogged down in the daily life troubles, it's easy to forget to aim for more happiness in our lives, no matter how temporary. Easy for me to say, I know.
While this economy struggles to get back to normal, do all that you can to keep your head above water. And while it's above water, buy yourself an innertube and relax once in a while in this cesspool of a pool known as America.
8/05/2011
Hot Doggin' It
Tomorrow, I am about to embark on a journey that no man, woman, child or rabid animal should partake in. It takes determination to overcome obstacles (both physical and mental). Staring at my goal face-to-face will be challenging, but I am ready for it.
My journey will be one that will only last 10 minutes, but the pain of this trecherous path will be felt for hours, if not days, after it is over. Many wish to see the journey, but very few, if any, will actually join me on this journey.
My chosen path for tomorrow? None other than a hot-dog eating contest of course.
Last month, around the time the Coney Island Hot Dog contest came onto its annual July 4th stage, I decided I wanted to participate in one of these at some point in my life- the earlier the better. A couple of facebook statuses were sent to scope interest in the contest and conversations in the weeks following said idea showed me that there would be interest in such a contest amongst my friends.
With all the talk about it, particularly from me, I knew I had to host it this year. The problem would be getting everyone who is interested together for it on a common time. This is impossible, given there was about a dozen people interested, and many of them I don't talk to on a frequent (daily) basis.
So far, I am unaware of any other participants in this contest, so I decided that I would put on a show regardless. More importantly, I need to establish a benchmark by which all future (yes, I said future, as in more than just this time) hot dog contests will be judged. Will it be 6? 8? Can I eat a 10 pack of hot dogs? Time will tell.
I did time myself eating 2 hot dogs the other day in about 90 seconds, so who knows how that will carry out to 510 seconds more of eating. All I know is that I am looking forward to this challenge.
If I succeed, feel free to call me a hero. If I fail, feel free to heckle me and call me a hack. If you are reading this, you are welcome to meet up for this - 3pm in O-Fo.
The future awaits. And so does a lot of hog anus- I mean hot dogs.
My journey will be one that will only last 10 minutes, but the pain of this trecherous path will be felt for hours, if not days, after it is over. Many wish to see the journey, but very few, if any, will actually join me on this journey.
My chosen path for tomorrow? None other than a hot-dog eating contest of course.
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| If I eat this much tomorrow, I will not be living come August 7th, 2011. |
Last month, around the time the Coney Island Hot Dog contest came onto its annual July 4th stage, I decided I wanted to participate in one of these at some point in my life- the earlier the better. A couple of facebook statuses were sent to scope interest in the contest and conversations in the weeks following said idea showed me that there would be interest in such a contest amongst my friends.
With all the talk about it, particularly from me, I knew I had to host it this year. The problem would be getting everyone who is interested together for it on a common time. This is impossible, given there was about a dozen people interested, and many of them I don't talk to on a frequent (daily) basis.
So far, I am unaware of any other participants in this contest, so I decided that I would put on a show regardless. More importantly, I need to establish a benchmark by which all future (yes, I said future, as in more than just this time) hot dog contests will be judged. Will it be 6? 8? Can I eat a 10 pack of hot dogs? Time will tell.
I did time myself eating 2 hot dogs the other day in about 90 seconds, so who knows how that will carry out to 510 seconds more of eating. All I know is that I am looking forward to this challenge.
If I succeed, feel free to call me a hero. If I fail, feel free to heckle me and call me a hack. If you are reading this, you are welcome to meet up for this - 3pm in O-Fo.
The future awaits. And so does a lot of hog anus- I mean hot dogs.
8/03/2011
Can't Wait: Preseason Pigskin Predictions
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| Bart Scott can't wait for the NFL season to start, and neither can I. Hence, NFL Predictions 5 weeks in advance. |
There's still trades and signings to be made, but my gut feelings for NFL predictions are coming clearer to me. I'm gonna use an offshoot of Bookmaker's new site for odds reference purposes. With each team, I will pick whether I project over/under for the total listed on Bookmaker.
Note: I am projecting team's win totals, but did not add up the wins to see if they add up to the proper amount of games
AFC East
It looks to be a two-horse race between New England (-175) & the Jets (+130). The Bills (20/1) and Dolphins (10/1) are popular bets if you are looking to piss money down the drain. I would have given the nod to the Jets here if they were able to sign Asomugha, but they are essentially the same team as last year, minus Brad Smith (who will be missed for his special teams contributions) & plus Plaxico (who will help in the red zone regardless of his layoff). The pick here is New England.
New England 11.5 (over - 13); NYJ 10 (push); Miami 8 (under - 7); Buffalo 5.5 (over - 6)
AFC North
Another two-horse race - with Baltimore (-160) edging Pittsburgh (+115) as the favorite, according to the site. Cincy (25/1) & Cleveland (10/1) are long-shots, and for good reason. I'll take the defending champs of the division (Pitt) to repeat, with Balt once again getting the wild card.
Pittsburgh 10.5 (over - 12); Balt 10.5 (under 10); Cleveland 6.5 (over -7); Cincy 5.5 (under - 5)
AFC South
According to oddsmakers, seems like the theme of the AFC so far is 2 teams with a real chance in each division. Every year, there's one division that has a team that surprises the league and wins a division. My first mild surprise in this regard is the Houston Texans (+175) over the Colts (-140). The moves of getting Wade Philips as defensive coordinator and Jonathan Joseph (a young solid cornerback) will help Mario Williams on the defensive end of the ball- which was the only thing that was holding them back from a playoff run last year. Their offense should continue to shine behind Schaub, Foster and Andre Johnson. The Colts aren't the same team they were a few years ago, when they made their run to the Super Bowl. I think Manning is gonna miss some games with the neck injury this year, and they cannot afford him to be out in the slightest. His current backup? Curtis Painter (28 career attempts in 3 years).
Houston 8.5 (over -11); Indy 10 - (under - 9); Tennessee 7 (under - 6); Jacksonville 6.5 (Under - 5)
AFC West
Last year, this was one of the division winners that caught Vegas offguard, with the Chiefs taking the division from perennial power San Diego. I think the Chiefs overachieved last year and will come back down. I expect the Chargers at -225 (being the first team in modern football history to miss the playoffs despite top yardage rankings in offense and defense) to rebound and retake the division easily. Their special teams cannot be as bad as they were last year - their Achilles Heel last year.
San Diego 10 (over - 12); Kansas City 8 - (under - 7); Denver 5.5 (over - 7); Oakland 7 (under - 4).
NFC East
I'm gonna take the bait and make the Eagles (-150) as my division pick, but I think Dallas at +280 has the best value, given the way they closed the year with Garrett as coach. They still got some money to spend after being spurned by Asomugha - who went to their rivals in the city of Brotherly Hate. There aren't too much. No way anyone (even Mike Shanahan) could reasonably make a case for Washington (25/1); otherwise, I could see anyone, including the Giants (+225), taking the division.
Phil 10.5 (over -11); NYG 9.5 (over - 10); Dallas 9 (push); Washington 6 (under - 4)
NFC North
With the Packers returning about a starting lineup's worth of starters from their 2010 injured reserved list, their depth is unparalleled in the league. The Bears won the division despite a terrible pre-season but ultimately fell short in the NFC Championship. I think they over-achieved last year, mainly thanks to their dynamic defense - the staple of any Bears team that has success. I think the Packers take the division. And I'll go against the grain here and say that the Lions under-achieve compared to how everyone is perceiving them.
GB 11.5 (Over - 12); Chi 8.5 (Under - 7); Detroit 8 (under - 7); Minnesota 7.5 (under - 6)
NFC South
Atlanta (+110) & New Orleans (-110) appear to be the front-runners again this year, with each making significant moves in the offseason. Atlanta's main transaction was to add to their offense by drafting Julio Jones, a stud from Alabama, and in the process trading about half of their draft. This deal reminded many of the deal the Saints made for Ricky Williams. While it should help their offense, I think the Saints will retake the division. They just signed San Fran's second best defensive player from last year (Franklin) to the D-Line and drafted Jordan out of Cal. These moves should help bolster a run defense that was about middle-of-the-pack. Tampa (+480), under the rising star of Josh Freeman, probably have the best odds of any team that I think has a reasonable chance at a division title.
NO 10 (Over - 11); Atlanta 10 (Push); Tampa 8 (Over - 9); Carolina 4.5 (Over - 6)
NFC West
Last and definitely least, here we are to the NFC Worst, the first division winner to ever sport a losing record. Never mind that Seattle (7-9 last year) upset New Orleans - doesn't erase the fact that this was the worst division in the history of any sport. San Fran (-130) is once again the preseason favorite, although not as highly hyped as last year, where just about every publication had them as the division winner. Again, until I see Alex Smith perform well consistently, I will find this division favorite stuff hard to believe - even in this division. The loss of Franklin to the D-Line will hurt the Niners more than most free agent losses to any team this year. I think the Rams (+200) will pull off the division victory. Bradford nearly did the impossible last year, having the Rams alive for the division crown going into the final week. This year, they will have it wrapped up by week 16.
StL 7.5 (Over - 9); San Fran 8 (Under - 7); Arizona 7 (Under - 6); Seattle 6 (Under - 4)
(I counted 13 overs, 16 unders and 3 pushes - so probably under-projected the league as a whole in terms of wins)
So to recap, division winners:
AFC: New England, Pittsburgh, Houston, San Diego
NFC: Philly, Green Bay, New Orleans, St. Louis
Wild Cards:
AFC: Baltimore, NYJ
NFC: Atlanta, NYG
AFC Championship: San Diego over New England
NFC Championship: Green Bay over New Orleans
Super Bowl: Green Bay over SD
Of course, I will be way off on this. There will likely be at least one team around 4 or 5/1 that sneaks up on everyone and wins their division (best chance of that is with Tampa). I will definitely revisit this in 6 months to see how wrong I was, just as I have analyzed my baseball predictions.
Enjoy the preseason, and let's enjoy the first of at least a decade's worth of NFL seasons of labor peace.
7/31/2011
No Comments: Why Some People Shouldn't Talk
Note: The piece of information that I use at the beginning of this piece do not represent my views on race, etc. This is merely to point out the absurdity of people in Internet forums.
Here are some comments left after a story I just read:
"Watermelon withdrawal!"
"how do you stop 5 black guys from raping a while woman? throw them a basketball! ha ha ! that's just a joke so don't freak out people ok ?"
"I would suggest that 95% of black America has a mental disease. It seems to me that they are
nothing but a bunch of antagonistic, habitual liars. Go back to Africa, please"
Is this story about race relations in America? Not quite. These are comments left after an NFL story concerning wide receiver Brandon Marshall being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which this Yahoo story said is a disorder that 1 in 50 adults suffer from. And mind you, I didn't even bother looking past the first four comments of the story (these were three of the four). I'm sure there were other comments of race that appeared below this.
Unfortunately, this garbage is what appears on the majority of stories' comment boards. And very infrequently, the stories have something to do with a race issue. Often times, it's people hiding behind computer screens spewing their racist views into any and every story that they can. A story about Brandon Marshall discussing his personality disorder has nothing at all to do with race. Whether the diagnosis is part of the 21st century mantra of diagnosing anything and everything can be up for debate- especially the "sex addictions" that Tiger Woods and Anthony Weiner supposedly suffered from and needed treatment on. I digress.
The worst comments that I've seen normally come from political stories. Whether a person is extremely left, extremely right or anything in between, I see many articles about politics that go so far off the topic of what the story was about that in the end, it just ends up with a bunch of the same non-sensical name-calling and finger-pointing that never produces quality public discourse. Maybe there are some sites out there where people actually discuss these matters in intelligent forums and actually present facts and ideas into stories rather than calling someone a nutjob for having different ideals than them. I don't read enough political sites to know if there are such sites- mainly because the news I do come across is much like the Brandon Marshall story above, except with political semantics attached to it.
Don't get me wrong - I have my opinions about people and do think some people are nutjobs. But is telling someone this inside a comments section actually going to contribute anything to anything? If you're going to say something, make sure it's not some pointless drabble and "Internet anger" (anger that people feel more comfortable expressing faceless but would never do as such to a person's face). I just made up that term, although perhaps some other genius coined it before me. I digress again.
If you guys write in comments sections of stories, I really hope you're avoiding this crap of name-calling and other nonsense that makes me wish that some sites would disallow comments (in my eyes, not the same as limiting freedom of speech). Not every story on the Internet needs comments following it. For example, if someone signs a free agent contract with a team, all I need to know is what team and how much. If I have opinions about the story, I don't need to share my thoughts to strangers halfway across the world. People should have friends to discuss these things with. Or go to a bar or something and discuss it there - although there are a lot of morons in the general public, so maybe finding a friend or two to discuss something with is a better option.
Note2: You may say that a blog would be a contradiction to this idea of not needing to share my ideas with strangers. But with my limited readership and the fact that I promote this exclusively to friends, I don't feel it to be a contradiction. You may disagree. Anyways, I digress, part 3.
I don't advocate censoring speech - just wish that some people would never talk. So please, if you know anyone who should stop talking, have them read this blog so they can anonymously attack me and call me a piece of liberal white trash. Definitely not politically attached to any party and the trash part I'd have to say is incorrect. At least they'd get the white part right.
Ok, no more digressing. The end.
Here are some comments left after a story I just read:
"Watermelon withdrawal!"
"how do you stop 5 black guys from raping a while woman? throw them a basketball! ha ha ! that's just a joke so don't freak out people ok ?"
"I would suggest that 95% of black America has a mental disease. It seems to me that they are
nothing but a bunch of antagonistic, habitual liars. Go back to Africa, please"
Is this story about race relations in America? Not quite. These are comments left after an NFL story concerning wide receiver Brandon Marshall being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which this Yahoo story said is a disorder that 1 in 50 adults suffer from. And mind you, I didn't even bother looking past the first four comments of the story (these were three of the four). I'm sure there were other comments of race that appeared below this.
Unfortunately, this garbage is what appears on the majority of stories' comment boards. And very infrequently, the stories have something to do with a race issue. Often times, it's people hiding behind computer screens spewing their racist views into any and every story that they can. A story about Brandon Marshall discussing his personality disorder has nothing at all to do with race. Whether the diagnosis is part of the 21st century mantra of diagnosing anything and everything can be up for debate- especially the "sex addictions" that Tiger Woods and Anthony Weiner supposedly suffered from and needed treatment on. I digress.
The worst comments that I've seen normally come from political stories. Whether a person is extremely left, extremely right or anything in between, I see many articles about politics that go so far off the topic of what the story was about that in the end, it just ends up with a bunch of the same non-sensical name-calling and finger-pointing that never produces quality public discourse. Maybe there are some sites out there where people actually discuss these matters in intelligent forums and actually present facts and ideas into stories rather than calling someone a nutjob for having different ideals than them. I don't read enough political sites to know if there are such sites- mainly because the news I do come across is much like the Brandon Marshall story above, except with political semantics attached to it.
Don't get me wrong - I have my opinions about people and do think some people are nutjobs. But is telling someone this inside a comments section actually going to contribute anything to anything? If you're going to say something, make sure it's not some pointless drabble and "Internet anger" (anger that people feel more comfortable expressing faceless but would never do as such to a person's face). I just made up that term, although perhaps some other genius coined it before me. I digress again.
If you guys write in comments sections of stories, I really hope you're avoiding this crap of name-calling and other nonsense that makes me wish that some sites would disallow comments (in my eyes, not the same as limiting freedom of speech). Not every story on the Internet needs comments following it. For example, if someone signs a free agent contract with a team, all I need to know is what team and how much. If I have opinions about the story, I don't need to share my thoughts to strangers halfway across the world. People should have friends to discuss these things with. Or go to a bar or something and discuss it there - although there are a lot of morons in the general public, so maybe finding a friend or two to discuss something with is a better option.
Note2: You may say that a blog would be a contradiction to this idea of not needing to share my ideas with strangers. But with my limited readership and the fact that I promote this exclusively to friends, I don't feel it to be a contradiction. You may disagree. Anyways, I digress, part 3.
I don't advocate censoring speech - just wish that some people would never talk. So please, if you know anyone who should stop talking, have them read this blog so they can anonymously attack me and call me a piece of liberal white trash. Definitely not politically attached to any party and the trash part I'd have to say is incorrect. At least they'd get the white part right.
Ok, no more digressing. The end.
7/30/2011
So Much Action
This time of year is usually busy with baseball trades as underachieving teams look to unload payroll and build for the future and contenders look to add that extra piece to help them in their postseason runs. However, this year with NFL's lockout nullifying its own free agency, trades and draft signings up until this week, it's been an amazing week for anyone who is a fan of both baseball and football- and a very difficult week for newspapers trying to fit all of the transactions on one page.
As far as baseball deals go, I haven't been as interested in them as in most years. I think it's a combination of the NFL's action capturing my eye and the fact that I know the White Sox are not gonna be buyers this season. The one move they have made so far wasn't of the White Flag variety from the 1990s, but it certainly wasn't one that made you go rush out to buy your hypothetical 2011 playoff tickets either. We got a decent reliever (Jason Frasor - who happened to graduate from Oak Forest High School) and a minor leaguer for Edwin Jackson (who we weren't gonna resign) and Mark Teahan (who was eating money from the Sox like he was at Coney Island at the hot dog contest).
All I know is, in both sports, Philadephia fans cannot bitch about anything anytime soon. Signing Asomugha for the Eagles and getting Hunter Pence for the Phillies, Philadelphia fans couldn't have asked for a better combo of news in the span of one summer evening. If you want to go back 24 hours earlier, they also got another Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback and a draft pick in exchange for their backup QB. I don't know how it gets any better than that. Philadelphia is the new South Beach for athletes this summer. Luckily, none of them at this point have said they're taking their talents to Pennsylvania, but I don't think that has the same sex appeal as South Beach. If the NFC Championship Game does not feature at least the Eagles and/or the Packers, I'd be shocked.
With both sports in Chicago, the three teams collectively (White Sox, Cubs and Bears) are producing as much excitement as staring at sand. I already touched based on the White Sox, although their wheeling and dealing may not be done if we find a good deal for Quentin and/or Thornton. To me, trading either of them (especially Quentin) would seem White-Flagish. Our bullpen depth is good enough to survive Thornton's departure, but the way the Sox are hitting, Quentin's bat is needed if we are to overtake Cleveland and Detroit to take the division. I still have my doubts about the Sox whether we keep them or not. They've been too up and down this season for me to trust. And we're a Peavy injury away (let's face it, it's likely around the corner) from needing to depend on a minor league arm down the stretch.
The Cubs' mantra for this week is unloading whoever they can to interested teams. Unfortunately, there's so many bad contracts on the Cubs that it's hard to move these guys without offering teams $ in addition to letting guys go (i.e. Fukudome to the Indians). Ramirez appears to be softening on his stance to waive his no-trade clause, and I expect him to be dealt in the next 24 hours. Cubs fans should be glad that Sandberg wasn't offered the manager job, because I think fans of his might sour their opinion of him. No one man could have turned this turd into a golden ticket.
And the Bears, although not my team but the team I end up reading the most about because of local media, are lulling fans to sleep with their moves. Roy Williams was a one-hit wonder with the Lions, although it should be noted that his one-hit season for the Lions (2006 where he caught 82 passes for 1310 yards & 7 TDs) came when Mike Martz was the offensive coordinator. So perhaps that could be a bargain if you could even get 60 catches, 900-1000 yards and 5 TDs from him. Lots of fans seem upset at Olsen leaving, but he doesn't fit in the current Bears offense. You could blame Martz for that, as tight ends have never thrived in his offenses. Also, Kreutz might be signing with my boys (49ers), which I feel decent about as long as we don't overpay for him. Earlier this week, I saw the Bears' projected win total at 9.5. I'll take the under if any readers here wanna bet that they reach double digit wins.
The madness with NFL & MLB is just beginning. Hopefully, whatever team you follow doesn't do anything in the next day or two to let you down.
As far as baseball deals go, I haven't been as interested in them as in most years. I think it's a combination of the NFL's action capturing my eye and the fact that I know the White Sox are not gonna be buyers this season. The one move they have made so far wasn't of the White Flag variety from the 1990s, but it certainly wasn't one that made you go rush out to buy your hypothetical 2011 playoff tickets either. We got a decent reliever (Jason Frasor - who happened to graduate from Oak Forest High School) and a minor leaguer for Edwin Jackson (who we weren't gonna resign) and Mark Teahan (who was eating money from the Sox like he was at Coney Island at the hot dog contest).
All I know is, in both sports, Philadephia fans cannot bitch about anything anytime soon. Signing Asomugha for the Eagles and getting Hunter Pence for the Phillies, Philadelphia fans couldn't have asked for a better combo of news in the span of one summer evening. If you want to go back 24 hours earlier, they also got another Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback and a draft pick in exchange for their backup QB. I don't know how it gets any better than that. Philadelphia is the new South Beach for athletes this summer. Luckily, none of them at this point have said they're taking their talents to Pennsylvania, but I don't think that has the same sex appeal as South Beach. If the NFC Championship Game does not feature at least the Eagles and/or the Packers, I'd be shocked.
With both sports in Chicago, the three teams collectively (White Sox, Cubs and Bears) are producing as much excitement as staring at sand. I already touched based on the White Sox, although their wheeling and dealing may not be done if we find a good deal for Quentin and/or Thornton. To me, trading either of them (especially Quentin) would seem White-Flagish. Our bullpen depth is good enough to survive Thornton's departure, but the way the Sox are hitting, Quentin's bat is needed if we are to overtake Cleveland and Detroit to take the division. I still have my doubts about the Sox whether we keep them or not. They've been too up and down this season for me to trust. And we're a Peavy injury away (let's face it, it's likely around the corner) from needing to depend on a minor league arm down the stretch.
The Cubs' mantra for this week is unloading whoever they can to interested teams. Unfortunately, there's so many bad contracts on the Cubs that it's hard to move these guys without offering teams $ in addition to letting guys go (i.e. Fukudome to the Indians). Ramirez appears to be softening on his stance to waive his no-trade clause, and I expect him to be dealt in the next 24 hours. Cubs fans should be glad that Sandberg wasn't offered the manager job, because I think fans of his might sour their opinion of him. No one man could have turned this turd into a golden ticket.
And the Bears, although not my team but the team I end up reading the most about because of local media, are lulling fans to sleep with their moves. Roy Williams was a one-hit wonder with the Lions, although it should be noted that his one-hit season for the Lions (2006 where he caught 82 passes for 1310 yards & 7 TDs) came when Mike Martz was the offensive coordinator. So perhaps that could be a bargain if you could even get 60 catches, 900-1000 yards and 5 TDs from him. Lots of fans seem upset at Olsen leaving, but he doesn't fit in the current Bears offense. You could blame Martz for that, as tight ends have never thrived in his offenses. Also, Kreutz might be signing with my boys (49ers), which I feel decent about as long as we don't overpay for him. Earlier this week, I saw the Bears' projected win total at 9.5. I'll take the under if any readers here wanna bet that they reach double digit wins.
The madness with NFL & MLB is just beginning. Hopefully, whatever team you follow doesn't do anything in the next day or two to let you down.
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