Just Another Blog

Hope, not despair

2005-10-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

Do not despair oh members of the Red Sox Nation.

Provided they do play today, I feel like this is when the Red Sox will begin to shine. One piece of bad luck cost them the game the other night. That can go either way and I think it's time for the White Sox to have some bad luck. The Red Sox have won three in a row this year many times and the White Sox have lost three in a row.

Just win one game at a time. Foget last year against the Yankees. Remember two years ago against the A's and that was a team with much better pitching.

Ouch

2005-10-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well I'm doing REALLLLLLLLY well so far with my predictions. BoSox getting killed and after all the time I waste talking up Jake Peavy he gets bombed and is out for the playoffs with a broken rib (perhaps he broke it twisting around to watch Reggie Sanders' blast leave the yard).

But take heart Nation members. It's always easier to shrug off a blowout than a tough loss. It would be more disheartening to have a lead and have Timlin cough it up. So shrug it off and get the hell out there tomorrow in prime time and kick some ass.

It's baseball and you're an American...playoff edition

2005-10-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well I will have to make this brief because I'm at work and for some CRAZY reason my boss doesn't like me blogging at work. I know, fascist, right?

So let's do a preview...playoffs style as we get closer and closer to first pitch in St. Louis.

San Diego vs. St. Louis

Clearly the easiest series to predict here. The number two starter for the Padres in this series is former Met and Red Sock of great distinction Pedro Astacio. Nuff said there. However, this will not be a sweep. In fact I predict the Padres will win today and put a little scare into the Cardinals. The Cardinals have had it too easy for too long. Carpenter has struggled for weeks (FD is probably quite pleased he didn't make that trade with me for him in the Yahoo league) and Jake Peavy is a top starter. Padres win today, jolt the Cardinals a little but the Cards take the next three.

Cardinals in four

Atlanta vs. Houston

Sorry Commander and sorry KayJay. This is the worst possible series for the Braves. I'm sure you were all pulling like mad for the Phillies to get the wild card so you'd face the Padres in the first round, but instead you get to face the team I'm picking to go to the World Series. No team has the pitching the Astros have. Pettite, Clemens and Oswalt would all be #1s on any other team and Brad Lidge is right now what Mo Rivera was back in 98 (in the salad days...a time Yankee fans can call B.M. (Before Mueller) ). Braves have talent, as much as I hate to admit it, but it's the Astros series and another first round exit for Bobby's boys.

Astros in four

Now to the American League. Where have you gone Pedro Martinez, a Nation turns it's lonely eyes to you. Woo woo woo

Seriously the Red Sox are gonna feel the absence of Petey and his mango tree this October, it just remains to be seen how much. Hmmm he's probably under that mango tree right now. Hope he's happy. Annnnnnnnyways...

Boston vs. Chicago

The Yankees can have the division and the west coast trips. That won't bother the Red Sox when they're popping champagne corks after sweeping the White Sox. The ChiSox are good. The Red Sox are better. The White Sox pitching won't hold up under the Red Sox offense and they're all relatively untested. Sure the BoSox have pitching problems, but can you name the White Sox closer? I didn't think so. The ChiSox are coming in a little cocky right now (really classy of Ozzie Guillen to make the "choke" sign to Cleveland fans) and the BoSox with their professionalism and playoff tested mettle are ready to take them down. I don't want to jinx the team, but I got a good feeling about this series.

Red Sox in three

New York vs. Los Angeles or Anaheim or Nappa Valley or Torrence or whatever they're called these days...

Now this is the toughest series. I like the Angels. I like Mike Scoscia ("Will...I...be...able...to...play...softball...tomorrow?" "No by tomorrow you'll hardly be able to breathe." "Ohhhhhhh...mannnnnnnnnnnnn..."). I like their bullpen. I like Vlad Guerrero (How I wish he was patroling right at Shea. Omar would have gotten that deal done). But I just can't ever bet against the Yankees. They always find some way to win. Even when the Sox were up big in Game 7 last year I expected the Yankees to come back. Their pitching is rounding into form (even though they suffer from lack of bullpen depth, which will hurt in the long run) and the offense is balanced top to bottom. This series is gonna go long and it's going to be a real war, but I think ultimately the Yankees will squeak through and give Fox executives what they've been drooling over. World War III...Yankees vs. Red Sox..the brawl for all...this time it's personal.

Yankees in five

See you in the next round....

Oh and one more thing about the Yankees...

2005-10-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

True MVP's don't whine and cry. Remember that baseball writers.

I don't see David Ortiz bitching over not having home field advantahe. So Gay Rod has some issues about the Rangers not playing their regulars. Cry me a river bitch. How about you win the damn game yesterday? Yankees held their own fate in their hand and they came in hung over and uninspired. The Sox came to play. The Yankees came to whine.

See you in a few weeks bitches...

Don't know what I'm talking about...read here.

Buck Showalter didn't lose the Yankees home field. The Yankees lost the Yankees home field.

Gee didn't see that coming...

2005-10-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Triple H screws over Flair?

Wow...who thought that was going to happen. That was about as unexpected as Linda messing up the stunner spot.

I make a bold prediction for next week. Trips will explain himself with a 20 minute promo to start the show and Evil will hang on every word with his heart swelling with admiration for the cerebral assasin.

Ken STILL hearts Tara Reid

2005-10-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Who cares if she lost her show and has no employment prospects? She's still the proud owner of my heart :-).

Here's the scoop from the Internet Movie Database...

"Blonde bombshell Tara Reid is close to breaking point after new TV show Taradise was axed by producers and other offers of work have been withdrawn. The American Pie star is distraught at the decision and has fired her publicist who Reid believes cultivated the drunken party-girl reputation she has been labeled with. In an interview with Chaunce Hayden of America's Steppin' Out magazine she was visibly strained and emotional. Gossip website PageSix.com reports her voice was cracked as she asked the journalist, "How many more years are the media going to pick on me? There's other new young bad girls. Move on to someone else! I'm just fed up. I just want a chance again. I want to show that I am an actress." The struggling star also vigorously denied reports she has a drink problem, which has been blamed for her recent weight increase. She says, "People think I am just a party girl, and it's bull. I wish the media would just tell the truth. I didn't want to look like a total party-girl drug retard. I'm not a drunk... I don't have a drinking problem. I don't have a drug problem, for sure." "

While I think it's probable that Tara needs to slow down on the booze, I completely agree with her about the press. The media can be merciless if you're an easy target and Tara is certainly an easy target for them. They can lob all the insults they want at her and it makes it very easy to forget this girl is a human being. Hath not Tara Reid ears? If you prick her does she not bleed? I've seen the press do this over and over again...find a weak spot and mercilessly attack it. It happened to Britney Speats. It happened to Ashlee Simpson. They turn these people into punchlines and they just laugh it up. Snark has replaced wit and a lot of it has to do with shows like Best Week Ever and The Soup where it's "Line the celebs up like a shooting gallery." Being mean has replaced being funny.

So rest well Tara. You still have me. The more they pick on you, the more Ken hearts Tara Reid.

A minimal Impact

2005-10-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well tonight is the culmination of a big weekend of wrestling. The future of the industry will no doubt be shaped by what has gone on by both the WWE returning to USA and TNA finally getting a non-PPV showcase for its talent (I dont count the Fox Sports deal because they stuck the damn show on in the middle of the afternoon when most of us who would have watched it were at work). Whether or not there will be any real competiton for WWE will be determined over the next few years.

So with the WWE returning home and pulling out all the stops (the only superstar NOT invited back seems to be Doink The Clown though I think Dink will be there) it seems like the show tonight will at least be entertaining and if Angle/Michaels and Hardy/Edge do even half as good as they did at their last matches then this will be a pretty damn good show indeed. So that just leaves TNA to make its mark on Spike TV. Granted they were only replacing Velocity so the legacy is not too strong, but in my opinion this was an important show for TNA and it didn't come close to doing what it needed to do.

This was basic cable TV exposure for a company that people could only see on the net or on PPV. You didnt have to buy a PPV or even order a sports channel package. You just had to remember to watch the show. So what do they go out and do? Present a show with a big "Mehhhh" They didn't throw in any special effort and this was a time where they needed to really go all out.

What I would have done was start the show with a prime time 2 hour exposure..have some big matches...show off the full roster of talent and set up the next PPV. You have to make a big impression and show off why this company is a viable alternative to WWE. They didn't do that to me and if I was a new fan just flipping channels, I wasn't given a reason to stick around.

Now I did like a few things I saw and I will be tuning in again next week and subsequent weeks. It's likely I will be a regular TNA viewer, but they need to do a zippier show to start getting me ordering their PPVs.

Here's what did work for me...

1. The return of the Dudleyz or whatever the hell they're calling themselves this week. They're a great tag team and know just how to get a crowd jumping. It was a mistake by WWE to let them go and their loss is undoubtably TNA's gain. The run in was strong and sets up what should be a good fued for the belts between them and Americas Most Wanted.

2. Scott D'Amore. I'm sure Evil will correct me if I spelled that name wrong, but I do love this guy. I remember him from the few episodes of TNA I saw on FSNY and he makes a great impression. You gotta have a fun heel like him to juice up the company and he's got a great look, good mike skills and real talent at getting a reaction. I can easily get into seeing this character wreak havoc plus I have been told by regular TNA viewers that he's a hell of a booker.

3. Jeff Hardy. Not a great match. But good God did I miss him. I'm a big Matt Hardy fan. I'm an even bigger Jeff Hardy fan. I love seeing him fly around the ring. Seeing him is enough to get me marking out.

4. The X-Division in general. I love the idea of seeing these guys fly around the ring doing high impact moves and doing everything Vince is not letting the cruiserweights do. I've heard nothing but good things and I want to see this division in action.

What didn't work for me...

1. The end. Ooooooh a Jeff Jarrett/Kevin Nash feud...And this company wants to be taken seriously? They want me to shell out my money to order a PPV headlined by two guys whose prime was 10 years ago ("Some of these guys never had a prime."). I mean wow...all we gotta do is bring out Scott Steiner and humiliate Ric Flair on a weekly basis and it's WCW all over again. I know people say that the XDivision will ultimately take the main event spot from the heavyweight division but in your first show on a new network they let the lasting image be Nash/Jarrett. Not even HHH on his worst 20 minute "I am the best" promo day can screw a company's booking the way Jarrett has with TNA.

2. AJ Styles. All I have heard over and over again is how awesome he is. How incredible he is. How visionary he is. How "phenominal" he is. Well that may well be true. In fact I'm sure it is. HOWEVER...they sure didn't show it off in their big exposure night. They buried him at the top of the show and didn't even let him have a good match. They should be showcasing this guy. He should be the #1 superstar in the company. Now I'm sure they do push him and I know the PPVs are often showcases for his talent...but you need to hook viewers with his talent, not shove it to the side on a big debut night. Let him have a PPV caliber match. Have people calling each other and buzzing on the net "Holy shit! You see what AJ did? I better tune in next week or I might miss something." They need to do a better job in future weeks to excite a new fanbase about this talent.

3. Monty Brown. See above. Sighhh...blink and you miss it. Weird promo. Squash match. Plus I am not sold on that finisher. The Pounce is supposed to level opponents and it doesn't even look as effective as The Clothesline From Hell. They did not push a guy with anything to make him appear like a presence in the ring. Very disappointing. I couldn't even tell if I was supposed to be rooting for him or not.

4. The pace of the show. Jesus, take a friggin breath. Too fast paced. I'm not saying you need to spend 25 minutes doing boring promos or stupid Diva search segments, but pause for a second and let viewers get up to speed. They're cramming too much in. This show really needs to be two hours to properly show off the roster. Otherwise you have no chance to get into the pace of a match. A great match isnt all high spots. You have to build to them and let the pace evolve. This show moved too briskly to allow anyone a chance to care.

5. The announcers. Don West and some guy whose name I can't remember. When the only thing you can say about an announcing team is 'Well they're better than Tony Schiavonne" then you have a problem. Shane Douglas in one interview showed more personality than either of these two. Going with these two schmucks when Joey Styles was available (a situation which obviously has changed) showed poor long term thinking this past spring.

6. That stupid ring. I hate that six sided ring. It's dumb. It serves no purpose except to look weird. I always thought TNA had a the look of AAA baseball compared to the big leagues of WWE and that ring is the main reason.

Well I'm done complaining now. I liked some of what I saw and I'm ready to like more...but they have to make these shows better or else this is never going to work and there won't be any competition to WWE.

Oh and one more thing...I was promised Gail Kim! WHERE THE HELL WAS GAIL KIM???? (full disclosure, I did flip over to SNL and might have missed her).

That is all...

We'll meet again...

2005-10-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

Don't know where...Don't know when......

Well today's big game stopped being important around the time that three run blast left the ballpark in Cleveland. Kind of took all the drama out of things when you realized that the Yankees and Red Sox are going to be doing all this AGAIN in two weeks. So once more into the breach again my friends. I hope the Yankees enjoyed celebrating their asses off on the fields because if they're lucky they'll be seeing the Red Sox again and they're not going to forget what they watched.

The crazy thing is that the Red Sox are actually in better shape now. They get the White Sox in the first round and the Yankees will have to shlep all the way to the West Coast to take on Vlad and the Angels. Assuming all this holds of course and I have every reason to believe it will. I mean the Yankees have already announced that Mussina will not start and Jaret Wright will get the nod. Its unlikely Rivera will make an appearance and I'm sure Sheffield at least will get the day off. Even if the Indians win tomorrow and somehow force a playoff it's highly unlikely that the Sox will lose a home playoff game on Monday night.

So shrug this off...water under the bridge. Win tomorrow and get ready to get some payback in a few weeks in the playoffs.

Oh and would you like a tissue Mrs. Torre? What a whiny little bitch....

Don't knuckle under!

2005-10-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well one down...two more to go.

Last night was exactly the type of game the Red Sox needed. Boomer Wells shut me up but good last night (I guess he successfully avoided all back, knee, gout and drunken brawl problems) and the much maligned bullpen did the job. Plus key Yankee errors can only help waver their confidence.

That being said all last nights game meant is that Sunday will mean something and all of the good feelings can disappear if Jason Giambi uses those HGH enhanced arms of his to crank a Wakefield knuckler over the Monster in the first.

Mike and The Mad Dog here in New York have been live in Fenway for the past few days and they said that Tito should manage just like he did in the ALCS (a job I dont believe he gets enough credit for) and I have no doubt he will be able to do that. Tito has always done a great job (like Torre) at managing that clubhouse and keeping the highs from getting too high and the lows from getting too low. Thats why Torre has been such a success ultimately and that's Tito's main advantage too.

This is the best pitching matchup of the series. Johnson has been absolutely on fire the past few weeks (but I remain hopeful he will pull a Clemens 1990 ALCS and get tossed out in the first) but Wakefield has been just as good. I will be rooting hard for Wake today and would even if they weren't facing the Yankees today. Tim Wakefield has been my favorite Red Sox for many years. I was talking to Jen about him the other day and I realized he has been a Sox for 10 years now. 10 years since he came out of nowhere and was the best pitcher in the AL for awhile. Since then he has bounced from the rotation to the pen to the rotation and has done everything this club has asked of him. Theres something to be said for that kind of loyalty. To me Wake personifies what being a Red Sox is all about. Hes blue collar. He plays his heart out. He doesn't whine. He doesn't complain. He has a great relationship with the fans. Plus he's a knuckler and if you can't appreciate the art of the knuckleball then there's no hope for you. Tim Wakefield is the heart and soul of that team. Save for one flat knuckler in 2003 to Aaron Bleeping Boone he's the MVP of the ALCS. Reading in Dan Shaunessy's book about how hard he took that was really emotional because he was the reason the team had gotten that far. Mike Barnicle was on Mike and the Mad Dog today and he said after the World Series clincher last year the Sox brought the trophy out to him on the field and presented it to him and it made him cry on the field because he wanted the team so bad because he felt he had let the team down in 04.

That's why I'm rooting so hard for Wake today. He's the ultimate Red Sox.

But what do I know...all I know is win or lose I'm watching Raw on Monday night.

GO RED SOX!!!!

Time for the game...

And so it comes down to this....

2005-09-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well I think we all knew it was going to end up with the Yankees and the Red Sox running after each other with swords screaming "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE" I just didn't think it was going to end this way so soon. I kind of figured it would be a third consecutive ALCS with them going at each other, and while there is still a chance of that, it doesn't seem particularly likely.

So here we are...about two and a half hours from game time. Earlier this year I called David Wells the worst signing of the offseason. I have already been proven wrong since he's had a half way decent year. But tonight is the only start that matters. He has a history of winning the big game. He also has a history of being a fucking moron. We shall see which history wins out. He is being counted on by the Sox like the Yankees counted on him time and time again during their dynasty run. I wonder how much he has in him.

I do not feel optimistic, but then again I never do. I'm not even really a Red Sox fan. Yes I like the Red Sox a lot, but what fuels me is my undying and unending hatred of the Yankees. I hate every last one of them (except for Al Leiter...he gets the safety spot that last year went to John Olerud). I despise them with every fiber of my being. I hate seeing them win. It makes me see red with a rage I usually only reserve for Republicans. The only question is which one I hate most on the team. This year its a three way race to the finish between admitted steroid cheat and new human growth hormone freak Jason Giambi, the surly Gary Sheffield who reacts to everything as if you just went up to him and spit the n-word in his face or Alex Rodriguez who makes Curt Schilling seem press shy and never ever makes a team around him better (ultimate MVP argument settler...Yankees could be in this position right now if they had Andy Phillips starting 3B...Sox are .500 or worse without Ortiz...case closed). I can't stand these people who think they should have hozzanahs for every pop up they catch and take winning as though they are entitled to it just because they put on those fucking pinstripes.

I want the Sox to win. I need them to win. I wish I shared Jen's optimism though. Oh well...All I know is win, lose or tie I'm watching Raw on Monday and feeling good about the Mets for a change.

More as this develops...

Good luck Sox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Following a long and proud Bush family tradition...

2005-09-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Another one of Jeb's kids is in trouble...

Tsk tsk

Got to hand it to him...if he really applies himself, gets addicted to cocaine and gets a DUI maybe someday he can be the president too.

The Bush family...setting the bar just a little bit lower one generation at a time.

Restore this!

2005-09-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

Smartly President Bush is holding his press conference at 9 pm instead of 8. I wouldn't want to be him facing off against me if he preempted The OC. Being denied weekly fixes of Lil Miss Vixxen is a crime punishable by death.

Anyways, according to a news report I read this morning the task of restoring New Orleans to the city we all know and love will be delegated by Bush to...

Karl Rove.

I swear to God these people are the most insular I've ever seen. They honestly do not give a fuck about how other people regard them or how they look to the outside world. Everything they do is to benefit each other.

You know I never thought of it this way...

2005-09-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Who's to blame for Hurricane Katrina?

Pat Robertson knows and he knows it all too well.

It's Ellen DeGeneres who is to blame.

Says so right here.

Now c'mon Pat...I hated Mr. Wrong and Goodbye Lover just as much as you, but isn't this taking it just a wee bit too far?

Of course I really never had thought of it this way before and it is convenient to have a ready made scapegoat at all times. So from now on I will blame everything that's wrong in my life on the fact that Jen and Rachel are having hot, creamy, yummy and often costumed and role played lesbian sex.

Mets suck? Jen and Rachel's fault.

Too much work at the office? Jen and Rachel's fault.

I run out of peanut butter? You guessed it.

Hey this is fun. :-)

Ultimately though I think that the simple fact is ol Pat is frustrated because Ellen gets more pussy than he does. Lack of sex can make a man do craaaaaaaaaazy things.

And on a happier note...

2005-09-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of the most gorgeous woman in the entire world.

September 5 is National Rose McGowan Appreciation Day but because of that damn Labor Day I have declared it be moved to Sept. 6 (tomorrow) so it can be celebrated with full federal and state celebrations.

So as you mark the glorious day of the ultimate sex goddess' birth ask yourself this...Am I doing all I can to make this world a better place for Rose McGowan to live in?

I'm sure you all already spend time every day contemplating her complete and utter perfection but add that to your daily thoughts and then go out and make Rose's world just a little bit better for her. She deserves it after all.

Just disgusting

2005-09-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

It has always been said that Barbara Bush (W's mother not his skanky daughter FYI) is the black heart of the family. She has the reputation of being the Bush you don't want to fuck with. The Lady Macbeth of one of the most evil families in American history.

This proves it.

How callous. How oblivious. How typically Bush like.

Some people might see this and assume it's a joke. But it's all too true. She really said this. And keep in mind that she also once said she didn't want to see body bags coming home from Iraq because she didn't want to trouble her "beatiful mind."

God bless Keith Olbermann

2005-09-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you with access to MSNBC this is a must watch. They will reshow this tonight at midnight EST. It's remarkable in so many ways, not the least of which is that it took a man famous for cohosting a sports show to be the one to say it. In a world where television shows are seemingly handed to just about anyone who can screech about liberals (seriously what ARE Joe Scarbarough's qualifications besides having a dead woman in his office once?) there is only one news show dedicated to getting at the truth of a story and not kowtowing to power, no matter who is in charge.

Countdown With Keith Olbermann has distinguished itself with it's tough and fair approach on stories like Terry Schiavo and the Ohio voting mess last year. Olbermann has shown himself to be a true journalist dedicated to cutting through the BS and getting at the facts.

Tonight he outdid himself with an editorial blasting the pathetic response of this nation's politicians, particularly the Bush administration. I'm sure video feed will be up at other blogs soon and this will be something that will be discussed (at least I hope it will be. But the full transcript is available here.

Tonight Bill O'Reilly spent his editorial attacking the New York Times for daring to criticize Bush through two of their finest columnists Paul Krugman and Bob Herbert (both of whom's columns can be accessed here and if you haven't registered do so now please). Olbermann could have done the same to score cheap ratings (he could use them frankly) but instead he went after the truth.

For this he will no doubt be smeared and tarred and feathered by the vicious right wing spin machine. And sooner rather than later he will be cancelled, but he will leave with his head held high for moments like this.

But...but...Michael Moore hates America...

2005-09-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

I should know. I read it on a book cover. And Ann Coulter said it. So it must be true.

So whatever you do you should not read his seditious anti American plea for the President to actually...you know...do something for other Americans (and not the ones who donate to his political campaigns).

Read this and then go watch Farenheit 9/11 again. Watch the look of frozen fear on his face when he's told the towers have been hit. He doesn't know what to do. Once this man is off teleprompter he's clueless. Watch him not know how to respond to a crisis. Watch him put the business interests of his family and friends ahead of what is good for this nation. Watch this man vacation while a threat gathers.

And then tell me again how wrong Michael Moore is.

And while I'm at it...

2005-09-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling REALLY pissed off this morning and not just at the Bush administration.

I'm pissed at a news media that just now has figured out this group of political partisan hacks doesn't know what the hell they're doing. Nice time to finally figure out how to do your jobs you overpaid assholes.

I'm pissed at everyone who had a chance to stop this administration last year and instead voted for the GOP because of a fear of terrorists and a fear of faggots.

Those who voted for Bush need to look damn hard at themselves in the mirror this morning. Rest assured John Kerry would have found time to return from a vacation to manage a storm response.

This says it better than I ever could.

Oh and one more thing...

2005-09-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I hope goddamn know it all Michael Crichton and his bestest buddy in the world Senator James Inhoffe take a look at the destruction in New Orleans before they talk again about how global warming is just another liberal scare tactic.

Begin smearing in 3...2...1...NOW!!!!

2005-09-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

I was speaking to Hater yesterday and I mentioned that the smear of Kanye West would begin soon after his anti-Bush comments Friday night.

That didn't take long at all

I'm sure Ann Coulter and her little wannabes will be jumping on this bandwagon soon. Because they believe the more they scream about wicked celebrities who hate America the less people will notice the criminal behavior of this administration.

And in case anybody forgets that the blame for the lack of an effective response and the unnecessary deaths of New Orleans poor belongs directly on the Bush administration take a look at this classic Frank Rich column today in the New York Times. It hits the mark better than I could and registration is absolutely free. It's worth the few seconds of registration to read and you have full access to every Times edition every day after that.

I have held off on posting about this because I am just too fucking angry. I remember speaking at length with Jen about this right before the storm hit telling her "Don't worry. It won't be so bad. It's never as bad as they think it will be." How wrong I was.

When the storm didn't hit New Orleans directly I exhaled and thought everything was going to be ok. Of course I assumed the federal government would coordinate with the town, county and state to make sure people were evacuated. Of course they would get the supplies they needed. Of course medical care would be available. They'd spend a night in the Superdome and in the morning they would be evacuated to safe and dry territory.

I am choked up with anger at how badly this was mangled. No one gave a damn in that administration. No one could be bothered to come home early from their vacations. This is the same callousness and focus only on message and partisanship that lead these idiots to come into town in Jan. 2001 and ignore everything Clinton left for them including work done by his administration on Osama Bin Laden (and we remember how that turned out, dont we?). Unless you are a political operative or a campaign contributor or a former frat buddy or a corporate lobbyist then this administration doesn't give a fuck about you.

Remember this when you get raped at the gas pumps. Oil and gas companies showed RECORD PROFITS this year. Remember the tax breaks they all got in the new energy bill.

And never ever forget this.

And this.

And most of all remember this.

I have to believe that the people responsible for these deaths and the murderous debacle in Iraq will face some kind of divine justice some day. Some days that's all that keeps me from completely losing my damn mind.

It's too damn early...

2005-08-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Listen all and listen good...

I don't care if it's almost September...

I don't care if school is starting...

I don't care if the leaves are starting to turn...

I don't care that it's coming down to crunch time in the playoff races...

IT'S TOO FRIGGIN EARLY FOR THERE TO BE HALLOWEEN DISPLAYS AT THE GODDAMN SUPERMARKET!!!

Stop and Shop was filled with jack o lanterns, costumes and candy today...(mmmmmm candy)

Just ridiculous...at this pace tomorrow the Christmas display will be ready to go

Time rushes by fast enough. Why do we have to rush things?

For shame MTV...for shame...

2005-08-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

The Video Music Awards are supposed to be the hottest show in town...this is a time when hot girls are turned into legends because of their dress choices (I think it not even need be said who I am referring to) and look at this year's outfits....JUST LOOK AT THEM!!!! FOR SHAME!!! FOR SHAME!!!!! MTV should not have even let the Simpson sisters even close to air without ripping up those dresses...We wanna see tits! We wanna see legs! We want to see thongage! We want people the next morning decrying the path of sexual degredation that MTV is leading us down. And need I even mention Lindsay Lohan...I wanted to get a look at the current state of her bod and all I saw was a friggin body suit...I mean could she have covered up MORE???

This is a sad, sad day...even Jessica Alba wasn't nearly naked enough, but I'll cut her some slack because she did look good and we've already seen plenty this year to tide us over...

Thank God for Shakira...she at least knows how to make us long to write rhapsodies of girl on girl fiction for her...

MTV needs to take a good long look at itself in the mirror and remember that hot girls must look hot at all times...the public demands it!!!

Oh and one more thing...seriously...I dont care if his music is danceable or catchy...R Kelly is a sick fucking freak and the way this industry and the public as a whole looks the other way on this is disappointing at best...

A little help please...

2005-08-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

I need some Harem help so I appeal to you all my loyal 7 readers or so.

I need some good terms for female masturbation. I can't exactly call it jerking off, now can I? Or can I? Let's find out...

So anyone who knows a good slang term for a little feminine finger play (besides that one) feel free to post it here. Rose and her newest seductions will thank you.

I don't wanna get up for school...

2005-08-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

You know those were words I never thought I would have to say again. This school year will mark my 10th since graduating from high school and I tended to avoid early classes during my lovely four years of Ithaca weather. But tomorrow I shall be saying them again.

My editor at the paper gets ideas some time. I hate when she does because they never end up with her having to do anything. They always end with more work for yours truly. Case in point...she wants a back to school story...so guess who's going back to school? And no guessing Tommy Lee is wrong.

So tomorrow I will be heading off to high school to get a first person account of the first day of school at Greenwich High School. That means being there for the bell at 730 in the friggin morning. So I will be going to be about now.

Good night...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Jeez...I feel like I should have a backpack filled with new notebooks and pencils.

I hate getting up for school.

Television is out of ideas....

2005-08-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm watching E! Channel now and there are six words that should send shivers up the spine of all television viewers...

Blossom: The E! True Hollywood Story

yikes

Then again I am watching it so who's got the last laugh...not me ;-)

The ugly side of porn

2005-08-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

And I mean really ugly...

I won't make apologies. I like the porn industry. To me it is endlessly fascinating and not just because it has hot girls in all sorts of fun positions. I am fascinated by the power it has and the business behind it. So I tend to see the industry with a glass half full look.

But I cannot deny that there are some seriously fucked up people in that industry and who have been spit out by it. Case in point...Bianca Trump.

I am not enough of a porn expert to be a fan of hers (a little bit before my time) but she is a name I've definitely heard before. A web site did a "Whatever happened to..." feature about her and it's not pretty.

Warning do not click this story at work.

It's a fascinating read though. A very sad story about insanity and hatred.

Just a thought

2005-08-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not the only Charmed fan here. I know Jen and the Commander also have soft spots in their hearts for the sisters Halliwell (and the actresses who play them) but I've been reading about how the budget for the show has been cut for what looks to be the final season. They're reusing sets they didn't think they would have to and they're cutting actors but they're also bringing aboard the rather tasty Kaley Cuoco as a young witch in training.

So purely in the interests of getting the best value for the dollar and for no other reason I offer up this suggestion to the producers of Charmed.

Spend less money in costumes. Dress up Rose, Alyssa, Holly and Kaley in less clothing...a LOT less clothing.

Who's with me here??????

It's official...Bush is worse than Nixon

2005-08-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

At least his poll numbers are...

check the link and revel in your superiority...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/8/22/104723/821

Ordinarily I would celebrate but then I remember that everyone waking up and realizing what a lot of us knew all along is coming a year too late to do anyone any good at all.

You know what's no fun?

2005-08-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

A friggin cold in the summertime.

No fun at all.

Of course me being me, I am utterly convinced I have West Nile Virus which in the majority of people it infects get symptoms no more serious than that of the flu and are completely fine after it runs its course.

Now where are my tissues....

Aint No Cure For the SummerSlam Blues Part 2...

2005-08-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts I want to add to last night's first...

- Hmmmm someone was listening to Jen last night. After complaining Lita wasn't dressing like a whore enough, our favorite wrestling red head was in all her glory last night showing off that stomach and pushing those lovely tits to high heaven (God bless the WonderBra just God bless it)

- Extreme credit must go to the crowd last night. They were totally into it and they helped make the Cena/Jericho match. In fact they were split right down the middle in cheering for the two (despite bad booking coming in, fans recognize Jericho's talent and commitment). It just proves that if the WWE had booked Jericho correctly all these years then they would have a monster star on their hands. He had the vocal talent, humor and charisma to ecplipse Rock and is a great wrestler to boot. And since you ask...here are the five people on the roster who are being held back for no good reason and should be superstars main eventing PPVs instead of buried on the card...
1) Chris Jericho
2) Christian
3) Rob Van Dam
4) Booker T (SUCKAAAAAAAAAAAAAA and for the record I don't hate Sharmell)
5) Matt Hardy (sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

-The more I think about it the more I like the quick finish for Benoit's match. It establishes the power of the crossface and his ability to dismantle an opponent. Now lets get him in a feud with Eddie or (dare I hope) Christian and give the belt some real meaning

Ok now back to the matches...where did I leave off? Oh yes.

-Match 7 Batista (Only HHH can call him Dave) vs. John Bradshaw "Sure he did a Nazi salute and is a GOP loving moron but he's been on Air America several times and any friend of Al Franken is a friend of mine" Layfield

I really liked the finish for this match. Yeah it was short, but it didn't really matter to me because neither of these guys are strong wrestlers and a short brawl is better suited to their talents. I didn't think of it at the time but a friend of mine pointed out today that the match was a bit of a letdown because even though it was no DQ there were really not many illegal moves and no weapons. (speaking of which...anyone out there know whatever happened to Steve Blackman? I always liked him) But I've always been a bigger fan than most of JBL because I love the character and I am impressed by his mike work. What I liked about the finish was that they could easily have ended it after the first Batista Bomb but by doing the second one on the steel steps they sent the message "Don't fuck with Dave!" That makes him look like a stronger champion and sets him up nicely for inevitable feuds with Orton and Brock Lesnar when he finally decides to get his ass back in the ring. This match (like the Benoit match) makes up for poor booking last month at the Great American Bash.

-Match 8 The SHOWSTOPPA...THE ICON...THE HEARTBREAK KID vs. some guy

Here's the long and short of it...

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I just don't get it. Hogan gets hit in the head with a chair. Bleeds like a stuck pig AND gets hit hard with sweet chin music and he kicks out. Shawn gets hit with ONE FRIGGIN LEG DROP and he's down for the count. It must be good to be Hogan. It must be very good to be Hogan. I guess that's why Savage has held a grudge for so many years.

But I guess it doesn't really matter much. I can see why they booked it this way despite it not making any sense for a man in his second prime to lose to a geriatric who can barely walk down to the ring. Hogan is incredibly over. Will always be incredibly over and the guys like me who were never Hulkamaniacs (I always liked Junkyard Dog in the old days more for some reason) will just have to deal with it.

What this match did prove once and for all is that Shawn Michaels is to me the greatest of all time. He can sell like no one else and he can carrry weaker talent to great matches. Every time he steps into the ring you watch because you know he will give it every ounce of energy he had. Thats why I was rooting for him against Hogan. HBK since his return has not had a bad match and his dedication and commitment can never be questioned. Whereas Hogan has been and will always be about where the money is. If TNA came to him with an offer today for more money he'd be on the next PPV brother. No loyalty. No commitment to the company. That can never be questioned about Michaels during his renaissance. Look at his peers from that time...they are either retired (Bret Hart), injured every five seconds (Kevin Nash), forgotten and probably in a ditch somewhere (Scott Hall) or on their way out (HHH) and yet HBK is still dazzling me. His ability in the ring at an advanced age after the injury he has is awe inspiring. He made the match last night and he was the one who deserved the ovation not the guy who can drop his leg and cock his ear and do nothing else.

I just hope this is the end of this and we do not go back to having Michaels be Hogan's sycophant (a sight which made me ill when they were tag team partners). I dont mind Michaels being a face again. He can be whatever he wants to be as long as he's main eventing.

Aint no cure for the SummerSlam blues...

2005-08-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

For those who care about what I think about wrestling (both of you)...heres my match by match review of SummerSlam. Despite my posts heading, I actually liked the PPV a great deal. Id give it a solid B+ and I feel I got my money's worth.

Match 1...Benoit vs. Buckwheat...I mean Orlando Jordan

I went to pay the pizza guy...did I miss the intros? What do you mean the match is over? I was gone for thirty freakin seconds...

Ummmmm someone's gonna have to explain this one to me. I mean I love Benoit. The right guy won the belt. He should have won it last month. But what the heck was with that short a match? It took Lilian longer to sing the friggin anthem.

Oh well...can't get too upset cause I was rooting for Benoit and it's in Smackdown's long term interests for him to hold the US Title and build it into a competitive belt, but that was pretty damn short...

Match 2...Matt Hardy vs.Adam Copeland or Edge or...wait a second, is this supposed to be a shoot or a work? Does anyone even know anymore.

Anyways....WHO THE FUCK BOOKED THIS ONE??????? You have Matt get decimated and bloodied when it should have been the other way around. Matt is now back on the midcard buried deeper than Val Venis...That TNA deal is probably looking pretty sweet now. I wanted Matt to come back to the WWE...I wanted it bad. But now I'm starting to think it would have been better of him to just walk away. This was like having Bret Hart come back 5 years ago and having him lose a match with Vince. Sighhhhhhhh did they ever blow this booking.

Though after I think about it, I do want to hold out one possibility. I want to at least concede the possibility that Matt was legitimately hurt when his head was busted open and they called a bit of an audible by stopping the match in that matter. This requires some investigation before I completely fly off the handle about how WWE completely blew this booking.

Match 3...The feud that never ends and gets sillier every week starring Eddie Guerrero and Rey Misterio with a special cameo by Eddie's wife (who should stick to her day job) and Dominic Misterio (who should learn a second facial expression)

Ahhhh its good to see something as sensitive and heartbreaking as child custody settled as it was in the olden days...by a ladder match. But all joking aside and as stupid as the stipulation was (and it was beyond stupid) it was one hell of a match. These two performers were born to do ladder matches and damn if this match wasn't filled with Holy Shit moments. These two played the emotion up perfectly and I even got caught up in it despite how friggin stupid it was (and I just cannot stress how stupid it was...if anyone needs to pinpoint what is wrong with WWE creative then they need look no further). But this was a match of the year candidate with what Rey and Eddie brought to the table. Hopefully this will now end the feud, though I highly doubt it. If anyone didn't buy the show, it is worth buying the replay just to see the ladder match.

Match 4...Christy bounces around and shows her cute lil panties.

Oh wait? There was wrestling involved here? Who knew ;-).

Not bad...not great. It was pretty clear the crowd was pro Angle even though hes the best heel on the Raw roster (sorry Trips). I think the crowds have tired of Eugene and he's actually not a bad wrestler so lets hope his portrayer can go and be repackaged because I think Eugene is at the end of his time here.

Now...more bouncing Christy...The crowd demands it!

Match 5....The guy who never puts people over vs the guy who always gets hurt..

Here's another match I really really liked. I found it to be very satisfying and I loved that finish as weird as it was. I have been very critical of Taker never putting anyone over but he did the right thing here. Randy Orton is going to be very important for this company if he can just stay healthy and its important for him to have victories like this. They both had everything clicking and Randy didnt show the ring rust I thought he would. His offense was quick and he did well countering Taker's moves. Plus I really got a kick out of Cowboy Bob showing up, especially because while he interfered, Randy was still able to win legitimately with the RKO. So he got his victory and held true to classic heel tactics. Well played in IMHO.

Hey...Ken Mehlman. I wonder why he's here. Could it be the chairman of the Republican National Committee really likes seeing sweaty guys in tights? Dude, Mehlman makes Richard Simmons and Clay Aiken look straight. He's got to just admit it.

Ughhhhh Republicans...can we bring back the Divas in bikinis and soap suds slapping each others asses? Can we please....and on a related note....WHERE'S TRISH????? I AM SUFFERING FROM SOME SERIOUS STRATUSFACTION WITHDRAWL HERE!!!!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnyways...onto the main events...

Match 6...the guy who no one buys rap albums from vs. the guy no one buys metal albums from

This match was actually much better than I thought it was going to be. The leadup was such that no one who knows anything about wrestling thought Jericho had a chance, but he and Cena had themselves a good match in my opinion. Jericho is a game day player and he put Cena over very well. Cena was able to withstand Jericho's best offense and still nail his finisher effectively. Well booked...much better than I expected. Now if only Jericho would get a REAL title push.

Now I am going to go and rest my sore neck...I hurt it at Shea Stadium today watching the Nationals hit everything Kris Benson threw, but tomorrow I will discuss Batista and (sighhhhhh) Hogan's win.

But before I go...does anyone else think that Hogan had it written into his contract that he always be referred to as "The immortal Hulk Hogan..."

Yeah...I thought so

It's the little things in life...

2005-08-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have promised people a dramatic posting about the fire outside my apartment last night and I'm getting to it...but I wanted to share this with the world first for reasons unbeknownst except for the fact that I really am a sentimental bastard at heart...

I cooked tonight and didn't burn my apartment down (less of a funny joke after last night, but that's a digression) and when you cook something if you do it somewhat effectively obviously there are going to be cooking scents in the air afterward. It's also amazingly hot and humid here today so I have the air conditioner cranked (oh boy is my electric bill gonna be thick this month..they're gonna need two envelopes to get it all). So I have the residue of cooking and ice cold air flowing everywhere and as I sit here trying to write I am struck by how much this reminds me of countless nights spent at my grandparents where my grandmother was always cooking (Jewish grandmothers...what can I say? :-) ) and since she hated the summer heat always had the air conditioner on high.

I love times when you're overtaken by happy memories. Sense is so powerful and I love thinking back. You take those things for granted a lot of the time and I guess this is a reminder that we shouldn't. It's the little things that really matter most and I guess I don't really have much of a reason for posting this other than I felt really happy for a bit there and that aint a bad thing :-).

"I just want to get it done, go home and continue my life."

2005-08-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things I want to do with my new and improved blog is link you to the other great material out there and give it more exposure. I saw this story at Daily Kos which for me is the best blog out there today and there's not much you can say. Please click on the link and read the story.

Sometimes when I wrestle most with questions of faith is why people out there like Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Rice who were the architects of the deaths of what will soon be 2,000 Americans are allowed to stand by without a care in the world while this death continues on their watch. What kind of higher power allows that? I just have to tell myself that there is some kind of divine justice awaiting them in the next life.

Stories like this make me angry, but they mostly make me sad now. How many more of these deaths are we going to tolerate? Everyone who voted for Bush last year needs to take a good look at themselves and wonder if the death Gennaro Pellagrini Jr. and the countless more like him was what they wanted when they pulled that lever.

Ken hearts Tara Reid

2005-08-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

Insult her all you like. Make fun of her enhanced bosom or the bad pics of her ass that just hit the net or the tendency to fall down drunk at the most inconvenient times...all your negativity just makes my love for her burn stronger.

She has a permanent lock on #2 on my babe list that no one, not even Jessica Marie Alba, can break (and if you have to ask who #1 is then you need to find another blog). I love her all the more for her well publicized problems and aint nothing gonna shake me.

So this is just a reminder that Wild on Tara premieres tonight at 10 pm on E! and those who do not watch will face severe punishment. I will find you and...well being tied down in front of your television and forcing you to watch will just be step one in your "reeducation". So do tune in as Tara hits the Greek Islands and little hearts dance in front of my eyes.

I need some links gosh dang it....

2005-08-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Looking over at my blog as I sit here at work quite bored I realize I need some snazzy links to make my blog more readable the way Jen's is (of course she does have a leg up on me already because she can offer up details about her and Rachel's erotic adventures in the roles of slave and mistress and well...ummm...I can rant incoherently about things). But Jen's links section kicks large amounts. I need to get on that, so anyone able and willing to offer me AIM tutorials will be much appreciated.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to pretend to be working while I'm actually reading a little someting called Dirty Halos.

Hey, whatever happened to the dude from Creed?

2005-08-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

If you've ever found yourself up at nights asking yourself that question (and lord knows we all have at one point or another) then I hereby suggest visiting this live journal to read the story of whatever happened to the man whose overdramatic voice scored many a WWE clip package.

So if you were curious, here's whatever happened to the dude from Creed.

If you're not laughing at the end of this then you have no soul ;-)

Why I hate the Yankees reason 8,937

2005-08-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

It's not that they never lose and it's not that they spend money like they're printing it under the bleachers...it's that they're so damn obnoxious about it. They want you to know they're better than you and they don't mind rubbing your face in it just for kicks.

This is personified no better than the form of their radio voice for the last 16 or so years...John Sterling. He's the third worst baseball voice in the entire world (shockingly there are two worse, Mets cable broadcaster and all around doofus Fran Healy and the single stupidest man to ever hold a microphone Steve Lyons) and if you haven't been subjected to John Sterling just know that he is the man who works his catchphrases whenever he can into his broadcasting and is responsible for two of the worst sayings ever hit upon us. His "IT IS HIGH!!! IT IS FAR!!! IT ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS GONE!!!" is just classically moronic (though it's funny when he does it and the ball actually doesn't leave the park) and he is the man responsible for unleasing "THE YANKEES WIN!!!!! THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YANKEES WIN!!!" Every home run call has to have a catchphrase with it. It's not just a homer it's "AN A-BOMB FROM A-ROD!!!" or another shot by the "THE GIAMBINO" or (my Yankee fan parents personal favorite) "BERNIE GOES BOOM!!!" (which is sometimes replaced by "BERN BABY BERN!!!" which drives my former 60's radical parents nuts...and by the way the whole "personal favorite" thing was quite sarcastic)

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnyways...I am off my main point. The main reason I hate this guy is that he is constantly screwing up and still keeps his job because he's a Yankee shill. I got out of work and wanted to catch a score and tuned in just as Gay-Rod hit his ninth inning solo homer (which was another blast from "ALEXANDER THE GREAT!!!") and Sterling was nearly convulsing with orgasm on the air because the score was tied 1-1.

What's the problem you might ask?

THE SCORE WAS NOT 1-1!!!!! THE WHITE SOX HAD TAKEN A 2-0 LEAD IN THE TOP OF THE INNING WHICH MEANT THE GAME WAS NOT FRIGGIN TIED!!!! HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE SCORE OF THE GAME HE HAD BEEN BROADCASTING ALL NIGHT!!!

Head...meet wall...*THUD THUD THUD*

Ahhhhh I feel better now....Here's to hoping the Sox pull this one out tonight and the Mets figure out how to hit against Chan Ho Park

Unbelievable

2005-08-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Butch asked what was stuck in my craw and nothing immediately leapt to mind until I noticed this on the excellent blog Tbogg

Now we all have our own reactions to the news and no one is supposed to react a certain way to things. Just because someone dies doesn't mean that the world stops. But it also means that we shouldn't deliberately show off insensitivity and certainly not put it out there for the whole world to see.

Tbogg links to this blog I don't know how they found it, but it really shows you how people think. If you feel like reading the blog straight up that's cool, but I will save you the trouble by posting the main point here.

As most of you know by now Peter Jennings died last night after suffering from lung cancer. He was never my favorite anchor (I have been and remain a CBS and Dan Rather man) but I always respected Peter Jennings not only because I shared his politics, but because he went out and treated the news with respect while never losing his sense of humor. There is only one guy on these 24 hour news crap channels who gets this and its Keith Olbermann, but that's a rant for another time. The death of Peter Jennings is a tragedy not just for his friends and family but also for anyone who respects news...the business I happen to be in.

So how does this woman from Arizona react? By whining that the news interrupted Law and Order. Here are her own words

"So this evening Norm and I are watching Law and Order - Criminal Intent on NBC. At roughly 10 minutes before the end of the program during the pivotal moment of the episode when they are about to get the accused to confess, the drama is interrupted with "This is a special report from NBC news." Living in a post-9/11 world these thoughts begin to race through my mind when a network show is interrupted with such an announcement:1. Terrorists have attacked a major city in the United States.2. The President or some other important leader of our nation has been assassinated.3. A threat of terrorism, such as a dirty bomb, has been announced and will affect us immediately.4. The space shuttle has crashed.5. Some other such terrible tragedy that affects our country had occurred.Instead, an NBC newsreader informs us that ABC news anchor Peter Jennings had died. Your heart stops pounding and you realize that the MSM (mainstream media) really believes the death of one of their own is so important that we must know it before the next commercial break or evening news report. Incredible!I'm not making fun of the fact that Peter Jennings, probably a nice man to know personally, has died an untimely death from cancer. But I am astounded by the hubris of the MSM to believe the announcement of his death warrants such immediate attention by our country."

Just appalling and what drives me crazy is that this is a woman who calls herself a Christian. Where is the love her faith is supposed to ask for? Where is her compassion? Where is her humanity?

A major figure has died and she bitches because of a short news bulletin coming during a Law and Order RERUN????????

Just unbelievable. It's people like her that make it harder for the people of true faith out there to have their voices heard. It's people like her that create the stereotype of the intollerant religious person. She is so blinded by her disdain for "the mainstream media" and the liberal values they seem to carry that she turns her back on what her faith is supposed to be about. She is as much a true Christian as I am (and for the record for those who don't know I'm Jewish).

Just appalling.

What's cooking? I am :-)

2005-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhhhhhh four months away and my puns have actually gotten worse. Mission accomplished indeed.

So anyway knowing that man can't survive on porn and screaming at the television alone (Mets games and Fox News generally gets me screaming the loudest). I have decided to embark on a new hobby. I have begun learning how to cook. Who's teaching me? The only person I have ever been able to stand listening to for more than five minutes...me.

This month marks my fifth year of living completely on my own without parents to cook for me (or fine, overworked dining hall personell at Ithaca College for that matter) and so far my cooking has been limited. I can make hamburgers without poisoning myself and can do some basic chicken (get in flour mix and cook for one hour at 375 degrees) but mostly my cooking experiences have involved me putting things in the toaster oven and microwaving frozen things to life. (I COMMAND YOU TO LIVE HOT POCKET! LIVE DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!) I have successfully made spaghetti in the past and managed to make meat loaf a few times without getting sick (but I just can't get it the way my mom used to make it and damn it this really really bothers me) but I have not exactly put my kitchen to great use.

So when I found myself questioning my life last weekend (this usually happens during long Met losing streaks and instances of writer's block and when those two roads meet someone call a shrink STAT) and I decided I needed a new hobby. So I have decided to start cooking for myself more often because hell it gives me a reason to think about things other than porn for a bit and forces me to actually sit down and eat (which also gives me a chance to watch the collection of DVDs I've never actually taken the plastic wrap off of, but that's for another time).

So now that I've bought a cookbook (Better Homes and Garden cause...well for no other reason than my mom used to have it and I'm the type of person who immediately goes to what is familiar. So once I recognized the cover they had my $16) and am now embarking on trying not to give myself food poisoning.

I started out the other night and I decided to start something simple that no one could mess up. A simple Reuben sandwich (best sandwich ever invented btw). So of course I completely misjudge the heat of the stove, miss a direction and end up turning the bread into charcoal.

Somehow that's a metaphor for life, but I haven't figured it out yet. I'll let you know if I do though.

Anyways...second try went much better and I was happy to at least report that I managed to not set off my smoke alarm. I have a smoke alarm with the tiniest hair trigger that goes off every time I cook anything, but I managed not to do it here. So I either will go off now and become Iron Chef Connecticut or the schmuck who burns his apartment down...no middle ground ;-).

If anyone is reading this and has any recipies or anything theyt wanna share. Feel free to post below. If it's good enough I'll bake you cookies :-)

Hey wait a second...I just blogged endlessly about cooking? Wow I do need a therapist. Better talk about baseball or hard core porn in the next post or else I lose masculine points.

I'm baaaaack!!!!!

2005-08-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

*pokes head out of ground*

Anyone still out there? Hello? Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

*tubleweeds rustle by*

Well I've done it. I've chased everyone away. Not posting since April will do that. Now we begin answering the eternal question. If you post to a blog and no one sees it, does it really happen?

I'll let you all ponder that for a spell as I begin my blogging comeback. I don't honestly know why I decided today of all days to blow the dust off my blog. I was just driving home and got a bug in my brain to actually post something. Of course I don't know what compelled me to stop blogging in the first place. Perhaps I was just tired of writing. I write all day at work. I write at home for fun. And I write when I'm on instant messenger. There can be too much writing. Or perhaps I've just haven't felt like it. I tend to withdraw and get lazy, but I am now beginning a new, concerted effort to blog, if not every day then at least every other day. I mean if Jen can do it, why not I.

So I come back to you now at the turning of the tide. I will speak to you about whatever is currently annoying me and I will subject you mercillessly to my opinions. And who knows if I'm feeling nice I might even post porn from time to time (though that's Jen's department more than me). I'm just going to use this place as an outlet and hopefully you will all decide to come along and join. So feel free to read and post your comments. The dialogue is open to all who want it.

Oh and one more thing...

Happy Birthday Mom. I know you're not reading this but Happy Birthday anyway :-)

Boycott Time Magazine!

2005-04-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm serious about this. I don't expect to be the only one out there who will be calling for this and if I see any more news or notice about this I will bring it to you here because if any of you out there are Time Magazine subscribers or pick it up on the stand, you should walk away from it now.

Time Magazine this week hits stands with Ann Coulter on the cover. This is not just some tiny picture of her with a number of other right or left wing figures, she is the entire cover. I am shocked and appalled by this. Not only is she someone who is completely irrelevent, but she is a racist and a homophobe. I don't expect to see Time putting Ward Churchill or any other extreme left wing figure out there, so why is this woman and her lunatiuc, hateful ravings given the cover of one of the major newsmagazines? Especially one in one of her trademark "You know you want to fuck me poses" and no Ann, I don't want to fuck you. The sight of you gives me impotence. She is the anti-sex.

This is a vile woman. Here is some of the "wisdom" she has spat out in the past, all of which are apparantly A-OK with Time magazine.

"If you don't hate Clinton and the people who labored to keep him in office, you don't love your country."

"We're now at the point that it's beyond whether or not [Bill Clinton] is a horny hick. I really think it's a question of his mental stability. He really could be a lunatic. I think it is a rational question for Americans to ask whether their president is insane."

"Liberals become indignant when you question their patriotism, but simultaneously work overtime to give terrorists a cushion for the next attack and laugh at dumb Americans who love their country and hate the enemy."

"I really want to hurt him. I want him to feel pain." (Referring to the possibility of running against a Democratic Representative)

"When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty. We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors."

"Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like liberals do. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now."

"Kwanzaa itself is a lunatic blend of schmaltzy '60s rhetoric, black racism and Marxism. Indeed, the seven 'principles'of Kwanzaa praise collectivism in every possible arena of life – economics, work, personality, even litter removal."

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

"We should invade [Islamic] countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."

"People like you caused us to lose the war." (to a disabled Vietnam Veteran)

"I think [women] should be armed but should not [be allowed to] vote. No, they all have to give up their vote, not just, you know, the lady clapping and me. The problem with women voting -- and your Communists will back me up on this -- is that, you know, women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it. And when they take these polls, it's always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care."

All these quotes come courtesy of the good people at Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com and it's only the tip of the iceberg here. She has repeatedly made anti-Arab and anti-gay statements. It's not that she's a conservative or that she's just mean (which she is, she's not witty, she's not incisive, she's just mean) it's that she is a racist and she is held up as some figure of the good time fun loving right wing.

And you know what the best part of all of this is, the next time Time prints a story that he crowd doesn't like, Ann Coulter will be leading the charge calling the magazine liberally biased.

It's time to stop this crap. I am sick of the mainstream media kowtowing to right wing hate speech and letting them put forth their agenda unchallenged. We need to start exercising some muscle here and if a boycott is necessary, so be it. Tell your friends, tell your colleagues. Tell anyone who cares about this.

I leave you with this note. My father is one of the most mild mannered people you would ever meet. He doesn't get bent out of shape and fly off the handle like I tend to do at times. He doesn't curse or get aggravated. One time I was at home watching Real Time With Bill Maher and he came into the room just as she was speaking as a guest. My father watched her for a moment, considered his words and said "What a cunt" before walking calmly out.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Wrestlemania Thoughts 3

2005-04-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! You think you can hype something up enough and then it surpasses it. Angle and Michaels was a classic. Five and a half stars

And looks like I was right about how much Wells would suck too ;-)

Wrestlemania Thoughts 2

2005-04-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Shelton Benjamin is gonna be a friggin superstar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wouldn't have booked Edge to win, him losing keeps his "I never get a fair shot" schtick going. But overall, it was just as good as I wanted it to be.

Oh joy Eugene and Hassan in the same ring...can Hogan be far behind? I'm gonna call for pizza

Wrestlemania thoughts

2005-04-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

Oooooooooh Rob Schneider in the house...What star power ;-)

Ok Im gonna be doing this from time to time tonight unless I get bored doing it.

Don't read these if youre watching this later...so Jen you might want to skip these.

Who designs Rey Mysterio's costumes? Seriously, two awful costumes two years in a row.

Not a bad match, but not great either. Rey spent most of his time adjusting his mask and not getting any real offense in. I'm just glad they didn't turn Eddie heel

Pre Wrestlemania thoughts

2005-04-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do more of a thorough preview, but it took so long to write my baseball preview that Sunday Night Heat has already started. So my audience of about hmmmmmmmm 7 or 8 has either gone on to do other things or have already started watching. So perhaps I will put some thoughts down here and then update after the show.

Now the card doesn't have the killer match of Benoit/HHH/HBK where we had the long journey of Chris Benoit coming to its championship peak, but I think that there are some matches tonight with the real potential to bring the house down.

Since the rumors first came around the start of the year that HBK would be facing Kurt Angle I have been excited for this match. Their styles just mesh perfectly in my mind. HBK has proven time and time again that he can still be the SHOWSTOPPA (His matches in the last two Manias have been the best on the card). Time and time again when the WWE has needed Shawn Michaels he has answered the bell and torn the roof off. I have no reason to believe that won't happen again here when he faces Angle. Angle is hobbled by injuries and this could well be his last Wrestlemania (no reason to believe it will be, but I'm sure it has entered into his mind that it could be). There is no reason to believe he won't bring his A game here. I think they will have a classic match. No prediction who will win, though I think it might be HBK, but this could easily be the best match on the card.

Unless the best match on the card it's the 6 Man Ladder Match.

Patience Monty, climb the ladder...good advice indeed.

In terms of sheer talent this match has the most potential on the card. Jericho and Benoit are my two favorite wrestlers on the roster and I think their styles are perfectly suited for a ladder match. They can do the high flying moves and also are two of the best match tacticions working today. Both of them should be main eventing, but that's a post for a different day. Shelton Benjamin is truly a rising star. Since his switch to Raw last year he has proven time and time again how much talent and charisma he has. I think his first time on the grand stage (last year doesn't count) he will be aching to prove himself and put on a great performance. As for Christian, he and Edge have shown on so many occasions that it's not even necessary to show that he owns ladder matches. Christian is one of the best heels on the roster and is one of the most proven performers there. As for Edge, you can hate Adam Copeland, but you have to respect his talent. He can put on a great match and as with Christian this is his kind of atmosphere. Plus he now has some serious heat going (both real and angle related) so he's going in strong. As for Kane...well I think by now we know the story of why he's in here and not Matt Hardy. It's a real damn shame and the match will suffer from what's happened in real life. But that's not Kane's fault. His style sticks out like a sore thumb here. He can do well in certain types of matches and the lack of talent that other big men show should remind us to be thankful for what Kane can do, but this is not his type of match. He'll do well, but Matt Hardy would have been better. Once again, not Kane's fault. Still this should just be an amazing match.

Now for the face vs. face of Eddie Guererro and Rey Mysterio. I don't like face versus face matches because I don't have the emotional investment I have when there's a hated heel going against a face in a well booked match and I will like it even less if they turn Eddie heel. But they're both super talented wrestlers. And hey, here's a weird prediction...they'll hit us where we least expect it and turn Rey heel. So who knows. Two talented men, and while I'm not into the match now, I'm sure I will be.

Big Show vs. Akebono? Ummmmmmmmmmmm ok. I love Big Show, but I don't see the point of this one. I really don't. I just pray they're not wearing the sumo diapers.

Christy vs. Trish. You know, I'm actually not dreading this as much as I thought I was going to. Christy has real talent and charisma (though her taste in men sucks) for performing and she's demonstrated some real energy. Hell with a few basic moves she's already shown she can wrestle better than Heidenreich can. Evil Trish is just delicious and this actually could be some fun. At the very least we know that Christy will look good in her ring attire.

The Return of Roddy Piper. Fuck Stone Cold and his wife beating ways. I'm pumped for Piper coming back. I sure hope this is a long term deal and he doesn't fuck it up AGAIN. I saw his Hall of Fame speech last night and he is such an asset to the company. Few performers will ever have his charisma and talent on the mic. Anyways, this could be fun if they just let it fly. I don't want something canned. I want a real shoot here.

Undertaker vs. Orton. I don't get why the Undertaker is so over. I really don't. He's talented, but lord knows he never does a job and he never puts anyone over. He needs to put Orton over. It's a must. Orton has talent, real talent. I like him more than most. I think he makes a great heel. I don't want to see his career killed by Taker like HHH tends to do to others. I'll be rooting for Orton tonight and his injury could end up meaning he'll lose (it actually might make sense...have him rehab and then come to Smackdown and beat Taker, establishing himself as top heel on the roster) but Taker needs to do a job here on the big stage.

It's possible I'm forgetting a match and will smack myself later...but here we go with the main events. I really don't have many thoughts. It's clear Cena will beat JBL. I actually am a big fan of JBL. I love his character. I love the cabinet and I don't even mind him never winning a clean match (seriously, I don't think he's won clean once not even like on a regular Smackdown match). I think JBL can be an excellent top mid card heel. He's not a champion wrestler, but he gives fantastic promos and is effective enough to put on a good match. I hope after he loses he doesnt get buried (I dont think he will be). He's a great character. Neither of these two are great wrestlers, but they have energy to spare so here's to hoping personality can carry the day.

Now for the Monster vs. the Nose. I don't hate HHH as much as others do. I don't wish him injury or think the WWE would be better off without him (though he needs to stop hogging the belt, but thats obvious). I think he is capable of having a classic match on this stage. When he is in the ring with a wrestler the caliber of HBK, Benoit, Mick Foley or The Rock, the results can be electric. But when he wrestles Steiner or Goldberg...well then it's time to sit back for a snooze. He rises to the level of his opponent. Is Batista the type of opponent we need for this match? He's never been on this big stage before alone. He's got a lot of talent and charisma but he's unproven. He's the big question mark tonight. I don't know if he will go over. Then again I went in thinking for sure that HHH would hold onto the title. So who knows. This is going to be either a great match or a disaster.

And one more...30 Man Battle Royale. It's been rumored on the net but nothing official yet. Ok...seems like fun. I love Battle Royales and it means getting face time for everyone else not on the card. So I will be ready to do my mark out for Scotty 2 Hotty. W-O-R-M!!!!!

I would have rathered they do a 4 corners cruiserweight match instead. London, Akio, Kidman and Spike. Give em 20-25 minutes and let them tear the roof off. Can you imagine what London and Akio could if they took their amazing ring chemistry and brought it to the Wrestlemania stage? Granted, this one isnt WWE's fault cause Chavo got hurt. But I would have loved to see a cruiser match tonight.

Ok...now with the show 15 minutes away...Let's go Hollywood :-)

If I'm in a good mood, I'll post thoughts during the night so Jen don't read em until you see the show

Wrestlemania Thoughts 3

2005-04-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! You think you can hype something up enough and then it surpasses it. Angle and Michaels was a classic. Five and a half stars

And looks like I was right about how much Wells would suck too ;-)

It's baseball and you're an American

2005-04-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Note to YES Network...you can play all the Yankees/Red Sox games from July that you want. Those games didn't count. How'd the games in October end anyway? Suckas

So here we go again. It just seems like a week ago I was watching Edgar Renteria ground out to Pokey Reese and thinking "Holy shit, they really did it. I bet Jen is gonna get blitzed and have lots of lesbian sex tonight" (Not my exact words, but pretty damn close). But here we go again, just about to pick up where we left off with the Yanks and the Sawx (thank you Tony and Michael for giving me a chance to drive that pronunciation into the ground) playing ball tonight. Of course it's April and these games probably won't mean much in the long run, but that hasn't stopped the world from treating it like an October showdown already.

So since I'll be off watching Wrestlemania tonight, with mlb.com on the computer to check the scores, I thought I would bring you all my baseball preview because I can tell you're all dying to find out what I feel about this coming season.

American League

East

1. Yankees...So this is what $200 million can buy you, huh? A team that's about to collect Social Security but one that will also win about 98-100 games. Sorry to Jen, FD, TRL and all the members of the nation out there, but the Yankees on paper are well stocked to win another divisional title. Randy Johnson probably only has a few good years in him and this is going to be one of them. I'm not sold on Pavano and I'm sure as hell not sold on Wright (you gonna invest how much in a guy who's had one good, healthy year since 1997? Must be great to have money to burn.) and I think there are some injury flags being raised, Mo Rivera is gonna be spending some serious time on the DL this year I predict. But ultimately they have an amazing lineup and enough pitching where I think they can take the division again. Now that doesn't mean much come playoff time except for home field advantage, but it's enough to put them ahead of the Red Sox.

2. Red Sox...The reason I have them down in second boils down to one thing. David Wells? DAVID WELLS????? Are you fucking kidding me? That fat fuck can barely lift his ass out of bed and you're going to count on him to anchor the staff till Curt Schilling gets back. If they do play the game tonight (weather permitting) then he is gonna get nailed by the Yankee bats. I wouldn't depend on Wells for slow pitch softball games much less a big start. He will pitch 10-15 games this year, probably win four or five of them and pitch to a 5.04 ERA or something and then go on the shelf with back problems or knee problems or whatever the hell is bothering him this week. AND A TWO YEAR CONTRACT???? CMONNNNNNNN THEO!!!! Anyways...Clement was a good sign and so was Wade Miller when he can pitch, but I think the Yankees have the pitching edge. The Sawx will win the wild card, but the division will be won with ease by the Yankees.

3. Orioles...Ahhhhhhhh now for the also rans in the AL East. The Orioles can hit. That's for damn sure. I think Sammy Sosa is gonna have himself a monster year hitting in Camden and he's just gonna be one of several 30 homer plus hitters in the lineup. It's just that they have such laughable pitching that I was surprised I didn't get an invitation to spring training from them to pitch (I am left handed after all). The O's are gonna win a lot of 9-8 games. They'll win over 80 of them, but there's going to be a lot of agita there.

4. Devil Rays...Sweet Lou...Poor Sweet Lou...Just wanted to go manage the Mets when he got out of Seattle a few years back, but now he's stuck in Tampa Bay (hmmmm come to think of it he might not have ended up so badly off). They're better and they are slowly improving. Enough for them to be in 4th place and not be a sure pushover anymore. Once Rocco Baldelli is back from injury he and Carl Crawford will team up to be one of the best two outfielders in baseball and Scott Kazmir is a real talent (what idiot team traded him away?). They will still suck, just not as much as they used to.

5. Blue Jays...Remember when there was a competitive team in Toronto? Neither do I. They were in last place last year and there only main addition were Corey Koskie and Shea Hillebrand. They will be in last place this year.

Central

1. Twins...Hey Billy Beane, this is how you play Moneyball. The Twins are an exciting as hell team to watch (except when their pen does their annual October implosion against the Yankees). They've got great young pitching, but instead of just building around that pitching and basing the rest around how many times Scott Hatteberg gets on base per game, the Twins have built a good defensive, slap hitting team around that pitching. The Twins have some of the best young talent in all of baseball and if only they would spend a little money for some real bench and bullpen depth they could be World Series contendors. As it stands they will win the Central without breaking much of a sweat and this time perhaps Gardenhire won't pull Johan Santana too early against the Yankees in the playoffs.

2. Indians...Cleveland, city of lights city of magic. Now that Boston has that curse silliness out of the way and the only team left with any curse is the injury prone and unloveable Cubbies, it's left to the Indians to carry the broken hearts and dampened spirits of a region on it's shoulders. The Indians can flat out hit and I think their pitching is coming around a little (though I don't like Kevin Milwood in a big game and C.C. Sabathia needs to find a salad bar sometime soon). Their lack of pitching depth will hamstring the Tribe this year, but they are on their way up and in 2007 (and maybe, just maybe, this year) they will be serious contenders for the division.

3. White Sox...I hate the Carlos Lee/Scott Posednick trade even though my cousins in Milwaukee were raving about Posednick all year. The White Sox have never been able to get over the hump from being mediocere to good and I don't think it will happen this year. They lost a lot of power and their pitching is ok, but not great. All in all I think it will make for a bland .500 season for the ChiSox, just like all the others. Couldn't happen to a nicer owner if you ask me.

4. Detroit...Good news 313...they don't suck...as much. The Tigers are clearly attempting to claw their way up to respectability by throwing a lot of cash around. IRod paid off, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the long term durability of Troy Percival and Magglio Ordonez. At least they won't be BAD anymore. They'll win some games and lose a few more, but things are getting a little better there.

5. Kansas City...Unlike for the Royals, where things just seem to get worse every year. Has their been a more mismanaged team over the last two decades? This is the 2oth anniversary of the Royals World Series win and since then things have been flat out miserable almost every year. The Royals used to be a dominant power in the A.L. Ewing Kauffman ran one of the great organizations and the fact that they play in a stadium bearing his name is a disgrace to his legacy. The Royals have some of the worst ownership on baseball. David Glass gets a ton in revenue sharing and luxury tax and he NEVER spends it on players. Pathetic. This is a great baseball town and it's being treated like dirt. I hope Tony Pena gets fired this year so he can get a job with a better team and get the resources he needs to win.

West

1. Los Angeles/California/Anaheim...Whatever the frig they're called, they're going to be good. The Angels are actually my World Series pick this year. They ran into a buzzsaw last year and while he makes moves that scratch the head (Jarrod Washburn to pitch to Ortiz when Percival is warm and ready? Whatever...a grateful Nation thanks you) Mike Scioscia is a good manager. I think the Angels have themselves one hell of a balanced attack and enough pitching to muscle through the division and a short playoff series. Vlad Guerrero is a Hall of Famer, one of the best pure hitters I've ever seen (Yeah, I'm really going out on a limb with that one) and I think he can easily win a second straight MVP.

2. Texas...I think we know how all this goes by now. The Rangers will be good, they might even sneak into the playoffs. But they won't win the Series until Buck Showalter gets fired and someone else wins with his players. Buck is one of the best managers in baseball and if I needed someone to build an organization right now he'd be my man. How he turned this team around is beyond me, but he did and I think they will be very good again this year with just not enough pitching to make it.

3. Oakland...Now if you know me, you know I detest Billy Beane and the whole Moneyball concept. (Theo might be a disciple, but he doesn't win unless his big offseason acquisition pitches his heart out and they steal a base in Game 4...Moneyball only goes so far) . Beane is an egotistical asshole and I am sick of hearing people orgasm with punditocratic platitudes over how he builds a team when THEY CHOKE EACH AND EVERY YEAR!!!! How many 2-0 series leads have to turn into 2-3 disasters until people realize that for all his "genius" credentials, Beane's teams ALWAYS lack depth in the pen, in the bench and in the heart. Ken Macha is an idiot. Pure and simple. He couldn't manage a little league team. And now that 2 of the big 3 are gone and Alyssa left Barry Zito, this is gonna be a sweet year for me to watch them fall apart. I don't buy the hype for the "new big 3" and I think this is where the shortcomings of his concept will really show up. Of course he'll keep his job though. He owns part of the fucking team now.

4. Seattle...Last year was a disaster and now that they have a good manager (Mike Hargrove) and good additions (Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson), but it's not enough. This team has no pitching and generally if you have to pray that somehow you will find a way to get 27 outs a game, then you are in trouble. They won't be as bad as last year and some young arms are on the way, but there's another last place finish in the land of Starbucks this year.

National League

East

1. Florida...This was a tough one, it really was. But in the end I think Florida has one of the best, most balanaced lineups in all of baseball and enough good young pitching to win the division. Putting Carlos Delgado (btw, fuck you David Sloane you cocksucking, Met jilting worm) in a lineup with Cabrera, LoDuca and Lowell with Pierre and Castillo setting the table is as relentless an attack youll find anywhere outside of the Bronx and St. Louis. Plus with good health for the rotation, I think this is the year of the Fish. Their bullpen gives me concern(who ever thought a team would NEED Armando "the gutless wonder" Benitez?) but then again there really are no teams with good bullpens in the NL.

2. Atlanta...It is so hard to pick against them. It really is. On paper they don't look like they can win, but somehow they always find a way to do it. Bobby Cox might be a wife beater but he's a hell of a manager and John Scheurholz is one of the game's best GM's (take notes Billy) in building a team full of depth. Every year retreads are reborn in Atlanta. With that rotation, pitching is going to be the least of their concerns even if Smoltz does break down. Danny Kolb will be a good, but not great closer. The problem with the Braves is that I don't think they can hit. The Jones boys are back, but who else is there really? I don't like their offense one bit and hoping Mondesi doesn't go nuts and that Jordan will stay healthy is not a good sign. This is the year the streak ends.

3. Mets...Oh dear...I want to believe in the new Mets, but the injuries are already starting (Kris Benson and his lovely wife are on their way to NY for "tests"). The Mets will be much improved (then again, how could they not be?) but it won't be close to enough. The Mets have just a genuinely frightening bullpen. There are going to be so many blown games this year it won't even be funny. They will be over .500 and maybe in a wild card race, but this division isn't realistic.

4. Philadelphia...Lord I hate Philly and their psycho fans. Larry Bowa might be gone, but this team is going t0 continue to disappoint. There's only one hitter in that lineup I really like and thats Bobby Abreu. The rest can be pitched to and there's too much power and not enough hitting in the lineup. Plus I don't like that bullpen. I don't know how many fastballs Billy Wagner's got left in him. This team just didn't come together last year and replacing the manager isn't going to change that.

5. Washington...If ownership is going to spend money around the young talent, then this could be a good team in a few years. As it stands, there's not enough pitching or hitting here. I appreciate what Jim Bowden is trying to do, but Vinny Castilla out of Coors is going to see those numbers crash down and Guzman was one of the easiest Twins to get out. If you have money to spend, you should spend it wisely.

Central

1. St. Louis....This is going to be an easy win for the Birds if they can stay healthy. They were one starter away from making it a competitive Series last year and if Mulder can put the misery of the end of last year behind them, they have a bona fide ace to lead an excellent lineup. The big boys in the lineup all wilted last year under the pressure of the World Series lights, but that was a fluke and one that won't be repeated last year. Plus kudos to the Cards for reuniting Bill Pulsipher with Jason Isringhausen. Now they just need to pry Paul Wilson away from the Reds and they're set ;-)

2. Houston...Nice of Clem to come back, his wife and kids must REALLY not want him around the house. Or perhaps he just wants another Hummer. Either way, whatever the reason. Clem is back and so is the injured Andy Pettite. Unfortunately Carlos Beltran is not back and I think the late season magic that turned one of the league's biggest disappointments into one that almost made the Series is gone too. Biggio and Bagwell are old and Jeff Kent might have been an asshole supreme, but he could hit. They lost too much offense. But they will be in the race long enough for us to see whether Brad Lidge is for real.

3. Chicago...You poor, poor fans. First off the Red Sox make your curse seem more apparant and then Prior and Wood can't even get through Spring Training without getting hurt. Steve Bartman really fucked you guys over, didn't he? The Cubs have a lot of players I really like (Aramis Ramirez and Derrick Lee for instance) but you have no bullpen and no rotation depth. And I hear Nomar's been training with Mia again....

4. Milwaukee...They've gone from sucking to not so sucking! It's a miracle!!!! The Brewers have some serious hitting talent on the way and they just need some pitching to back it up. Signing Ben Sheets would really send a positive sign to the clubhouse. Milwaukee deserves something they haven't had in a long ass time and that's a winner. There are definite signs of hope and I look for them to actually make a run at the wild card this year before falling flat in the final weeks.

5. Cincinnati...While I have every confidence the Reds will humiliate the Mets tomorrow, I have less confidence they will be able to do this all season long. The Reds can definitely hit but like a lot of teams have no pitching. We know Griffey is going to be hurt this year, so let's not even bother getting excited there. The Reds, like the Orioles, will lose a lot of high scoring games and their offense isn't as good as the O's.

6. Pittsburgh...Just fold already. Seriously. Stop desecrating the legacy of Willie Stargel and Roberto Clemente by putting on those uniforms. Hell, stop desecrating the legacy of Doug Drabek and Jay Bell. Just stop. Please.

West

1. San Diego...I had SF in this spot two weeks ago, but things have changed. I like Bruce Bochy a lot and I think this team has some serious young talent. This is one of the weakest divisions in baseball and the Padres have some really good pitchers in the rotation, plus a still effective closer and just enough hitting to win the division. Plus they have the human lucky charm of Dave Roberts now :-)

2. San Francisco...No Bonds, no wins. Simple as that. Throw as many steroid accusations at him as you can, but he is the engine that drives this team. I predict he will play this year, just not in enough of it and the league's oldest team will suffer for it. Plus, they're going to love Armando Benitez when it comes to crunch time. The Marlins weren't in the race last year so he never had a chance to do his patented heartbreaking self destructions.

3. Los Angeles....Hey, I've got a great idea. We just won the division and played well for the first time in years. Now let's get rid of everyone who helped us win and overpay for lesser talent! Seriously, what the hell were the Dodgers thinking? They won with fielding and pitching last year so they got worse in both, didn't replace Beltre and overpaid for overrated J.D. Drew. Great thinking boys...welcome to .500 if you're lucky.

4. Arizona...Well hell they can't be much worse than last year. They ovepaid for Ortiz, but Glaus was a really good pick up and they do have some hitting now. Plus they just can't suck as much as last year. Even the Mets could beat them.

5. Colorado...Can we now admit that baseball in Colorado was a bad idea? This team will never be good because no pitchers of any talent will want to pitch there. And now to solve their bullpen woes they bring inByung-Hyun Kim? This is possibly the WORST pitcher to ever bring into Colorado. Why even bother?

So those are the division picks...I say the Red Sox and Braves take the Wild Cards and the World Series will be the Angels beating the Marlins after the Yankees make an exit in the first round.

Any questions?

Ok, I'm a loser

2005-03-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I am a loser, but one with heart.

The reason I come to this inescabable conclusion is that I was flipping around the channels today while I was avoiding writing and I saw the red carpet arrivals for the AVN Awards on Playboy TV. And at some point Jessica Drake is seen with Brad Armstrong and Evan Stone is seen hanging with some lovely lass of porno I can't remember. And what's my first thought?

"Gee, I sure hope that doesn't mean Evan and Jessica got a divorce."

So, yes, I am a loser. But a romantic loser ;-)

Now aren't you all happy this post ISN'T about Terry Schiavo?

Endgame

2005-03-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

It really became clear to me what the endgame is here for the right wingers who have suddenly become the advocates for Terry Schiavo. Last night I was watching Countdown with Keith Olberman on MSNBC (the only news show that is watchable) and he had one of NBC's political analysists on to discuss the involvement of Tom DeLay and Olberman asked a question so logical I can't believe I didn't think of it before. "Isn't this a win/win for DeLay whether she lives or dies?"

It really struck it home for me. Terry Schiavo is worth more to these vile opportunists dead than alive. Do you think DeLay or Jeb Bush or Bill Frist, three men who have demonstrated their willingness to do anything to increase their power, gives a damn about this woman and her family? She is a symbol to them and one that will be invaluable to them as a martyr. Alive she is just another woman in desperate need of health care. Dead she will bring them buckets of campaign cash.

Frist and Bush have designs on the presidency in O8. You think they wont use Terry Schiavo's memory as a fundraising tool and a way to rally a religious base that can't be taken for granted now that their golden boy GWB can't run again? It's naiive to think otherwise. Soon it won't be her condition that killed Terry Schiavo. It will be "activist judges" . It will be the Democrats that killed her. It will be Barney Frank that killed her. They will hang her around Hillary Clinton's neck like a noose. She will become the symbol of the 08 campaign for these disgusting people.

The right wing has already done its work smearing Michael Schiavo. Now they will use her to smear their political opponents.

This is beyond reprehensible and it's what they wanted all the time. DeLay and Frist are not idiots. They knew they weren't going to save her. Any action would be unconstitutional and they knew it. She is worth more to them dead than alive.

Is this cynical thinking? Maybe, but does this not make sense?

More Schiavo information

2005-03-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

This post from another blog breaks down the misinformation better than I ever could.

There is a lot of lies and misinformation being floated around there. This sheds some real light on it,

http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/2005/03/debunking_lies_.html

The right to die

2005-03-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

Posts of this nature are never easy. I like to at least pretend when I am making these posts that I know what the hell I am talking about. But in this case, like most people I am speaking from a disadvantaged position.

I have never met Terry Schiavo. I don't know anything about her other than what I have read and seen in the news. Yet I will now comment on her, a life I don't know much about, because she has become more than just a person suffering. She has become a symbol, a symbol that is being cruelly manipulated by people who are just the scum of the Earth.

Most are familiar with the case by now. How can you not be, with 24 hour cable news as usual showing no shame about digging into the places they shouldn't. Her husband claims that she told him that she didn't wish to be kept alive artificially and I believe he should be given the benefit of the doubt on this. He was with her most during the years before her heart attack and subsequent brain damage and while I am uncomfortable with certain aspects about him (the grim possibility of there being a financial gain through this can't help but cast just a bit of doubt on his motives) butI ultimately believe he has the best interests of his wife at heart here. The doctors back him up and the courts in Florida have finally said "enough" and have allowed for .the feeding tube keeping his wife alive to be removed,

But now Congress has gotten involved. In an unprecedented move, the House (which is in recess now) will reconvene tomorrow and consider passing legislation which will compel a federal court to intervene and quite possibly rule that the feeding tube be kept in for the duration of her life. But what life is there left in her? She is being kept alive not through natural means. Yes she can breathe, but state doctors assigned by the court say that she is gone and that she will not be coming back.

However, here comes Tom DeLay to the rescue. He is leading the charge to keep her "alive" for no other reason than his own political ambitions. Fuck you, you cold hearted evil son of a bitch!!! You take this woman, whose family has already suffered enough, and you use her to distract from the ongoing investigations into your complete lack of ethics? Tom DeLay is sleaze. He is scum. He is a goddamn piece of shit and I can only hope and pray that there is some kind of divine justice for his actions here. At a time when his political future is in great danger of collapsing thanks to his own greed and lust for power, he suddenly becomes an advocate for the preservation of life. DeLay and his right wing cronies don't give a damn about this woman. All they care about is holding onto their power. She is a mean to an end for them and nothing more. These evil bastards would take advantage of a family's pain for politics. God damn them all.

And now word comes that the chief bastard himself, President Bush will cut his vacation short at his Crawford ranch to return to Washington for the session tomorrow. In 2001, when Bush received the PDB entitled "Bin Laden determined to strike US" he couldn't be bothered to cut short his time at the ranch where he was busy doing presidential things like clearing brush and chasing after his dog to return to D.C., but here he comes riding into town the second there's a cheap, cynical political opportunity to pander to a right wing base that screams and cries all the time about being persecuted even though they ALWAYS get their way.

These are pathetic people. "Opportunists" doesn't even begin to describe them. They are selfish people with no heart. They use this family's pain for their own gain and it's absolutely shameless. They have no right to get involved, either personally or legally, but here they are. They assume their role as "protectors of the people" when we neither need nor want their help.

This is a personal matter for this family and I have no idea how DeLay can look at himself in the mirror for doing what he is doing here.

My heart goes out to Terry Schiavo's family. They want so badly for their daughter to be alive. I completely understand their actions here. They want to do everything in their power. They don't deserve to be taken advantage this way.

I am a firm believer in the right to die. I would never want to be hooked up to machines and kept alive artificially. I wouldn't want that, ever.

Terry Schiavo is already gone. Why can't Congress just let this woman pass away in peace?

I can't recall something that has gotten me this angry in a long time.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2005-03-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Down a green beer for me.

I actually didn't have anything green to wear today, so I wore red and told anyone who asked that it was the blood spilled by my Irish brothers and sisters in their fight against the British. Surprisingly (esp. since I answered more often than not in an Irish accent) this amused more people than it offended.

Anyways...I'm in heaven now and I'm about as far from Irish as you can get. All day U2 marathon on K-ROCK. Now if that doesn't spell happy out for you all then part of you is dead. And this isn't just old school U2 either...it's from their underrated late 90's phase too.

Gotta go, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is on and I need to make an ass of myself rocking out.

Oh sweet Jeebus, not again.

2005-03-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

March 11...the Passion is being relreleased into theaters...thanks a lot Mel Gibson, ya friggin douche...

Jeez...we gotta go through THIS again? We gotta go through the endless debate. We gotta go through the religious right creaming their jeans and practically convulsing in the aisles about how wonderful this movie is and then we gotta go through the talk again about how secular Hollywood is out of touch with mainstream America and blah blah blah

You know what the worst part is? This movie is being advertised as being recut and there's no rating on it. Know what that means? You guessed it, more blood. Which is good because when I saw Passion last year I came out thinking "Well yeah, I guess that dude suffered, but I don't think he suffered enough!" So thank goodness we're getting exactly what the world needs right now, more blood and more pain. LOTS more pain.

I actually sat through that movie last year just so I could have the right to say what I say now. The Passion of the Christ was a hateful movie. It was built around pain and suffering and not love. I will admit that I am a Jew and a fairly secular one at that so I wasn't the audience ol Mad Max was going after with this flick, but even with that taken into account, I was disgusted by the movie and so dismayed at how many people flocked again and again to embrace it's vicious message.

What more does this movie need? Does it really need more blood? Do we need to hear additional sickening sounds of a man's flesh broken and his bones crushed? The scene where Jesus is whipped to within an inch of his life and then followd by the scourging is some of the most sickening footage ever put to screen. So what's being added here? Is Mel gonna make the evil Jews' noses a little bigger or perhaps make their beards a little longer? Perhaps he needs to add in some extra drool to their mouths as they call for the death of Jesus.

Many asked whether thjs movie was anti-Semitic, and the answer is a resounding yes. While the movie is not some by product of the Third Reich... it does carry the message to blame Jews for what happened. It shows a man inhumanely suffering for two hours. If you see that for so long then you're gonna want to blame someone. So who ya gonna blame? Pontus Pilate? The conflicted Roman with the lovely wife who begs him to spare the holy man? Nahhhhhhhhh...instead lets blame the one dimensional Jewish priests who demand Jesus' death. The movie doesn't flat out say "Blame the Jews" but it sure as hell infers it.

This is not a movie celebrating faith. This is one dark, twisted soul of a director who wants you to see his view of the world. Mel Gibson does everything but grab you by the face and push it into the pools of blood on the screen, rubbing you into it and screaming "SEE!! HE SUFFERED!!! HE SUFFERED FOR YOU!!! SEE HOW HE SUFFERED!!! SEE EVERY CUT OF FLESH!!! HEAR EVERY SCREAM!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSS SUFFER ALONG WITH HIM!!!"

This movie is the equivalent of Rev. Fred Phelps and his sickening "God hates fags" campaign that he brings to the funerals of gay people who have died and to protests of any speaker who has ever supported a gay or lesbian issue. You might remember Fred and his brood from their "Matthew Shepard burns in hell" message. He and Mel Gibson are one and the same. For them being religious isn't about love. It's about hate.

I wonder now and again about spirituality. My father is fairly religious and my mother is about to finally learn Hebrew now that she's retiring from full time work. My uncle actually became an Orthodox Jew in middle age and has raised his children in that lifestyle (which is one I don't understand, but attempt to...however thats a discussion for another day). But I am not a religious man. I am what Jon Stewart calls "Jewish with a side of bacon." It doesn't mean I don't believe in God. It means that I just don't know if all the rules make sense.

So I am not anti-religion. But movies like The Passion and the vicious, mean spirited rhethoric of the religous right makes me distrust people who are religious sometimes. I hate that that's the case. I wish it weren't so. I just can't help feeling that way. I've seen religion used as a shield for bigotry and hatred too many times before.

Oscar picks

2005-02-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

Here's my #1 ironclad prediction. Star Jones is going to say something to make me want to vomit. Can we please do the arrivals right? Have funny people like Amy Sedaris or Daily Show correspondants go and do the pre show. I mean when E! hired Star Jones did they purposely go and find someone worse than Joan and Melissa Rivers. I never even thought that was possible.

Allright..aside from that, here's my Oscar picks for what it is worth.

Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby (I didn't see this one coming and it hit me like a punch in the gut. I love Aviator, but this ones gonna steal it)

Best Actor: Jamie Foxx (The night's only no doubter. Anyone who picks against him is making a sucker pick and everyone at the show knows it)

Best Actress: Hilary Swank (I feel like the Academy wants to give it to Annette Bening. One problem...no one saw the damn movie. So unless they go obscure for one of the others, this one is Hilary Swank's to lose and she won't lose it. So she has now done only two good movies in her entire career and won best actress Oscars for both of them...what a world. Of course this SHOULD be going to the best performance of the year for Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine...no offense to Hilary, but Kate was so real in that criminally underrated movie.)

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (As usual the toughest category. I want to give this one to Natalie Portman...I so badly do, if for no other reason than she can join the Gold Club afterward and pairing her up with Catherine Zeta Jones would be quite appealing for me, but I don't think she's going to get it because this movie did not catch fire in America. I also considered Virginia Madsen and she's the sleeper here because the Academy might want to honor her for her comeback after years of bad films, though I am sick and tired of critics lumping Candyman in with her bad films...that was an incredibly spooky horror film and I hope Rich agrees with me...Anyways it could be Virginia's but I think that this is Cate Blanchett's because of how fully she owned the part of a Hollywood icon and made her a real character without falling into a caricature of a performance, plus I think they feel they owe her.)

Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman (Like above they are going to give it to Morgan because they feel they owe him for not honoring his wide, impressive career before. As the years go on, honoring Tom Hanks in Gump over Morgan Freeman in Shawshank looks stupider and stupider. This isnt his best part, but one he is owed...However this one could potentially be the big upset of the night if they decide to honor Sideways by giving it to Thomas Haden Church aka Lowell from Wings. Its not likely to happen, but a little gut feeling in me that it could. Still I'm taking the safe bet and going with Morgan Freeman)

Best Director: Martin Scorcese (I have gone up and down on this one and I might even change my pick as soon as I publish this, but I think as everyone points to Eastwood, the voters are going to instead honor Scorcese for not his best film, but still a damn fine one, because they know they have screwed him over TWICE in not giving him Oscars for Raging Bull and Goodfellas. The recent US release of Raging Bull in select theaters even makes this point stronger. They love Clint, but they love Marty more. I think the voters might even be split 50/50 on this one between Clint and Marty but ultimately they will tip ever so slightly to Marty. This was the hardest category to pick. Believe me)

Best Screenplays: Both solid categories this year but Sideways will win Adapted and if theres a God then Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will win original (if for no other reason than giving us Kirsten Dunst in a tight white tshirt, no bra and pink panties....mmmmmm...what's that? There was a movie built around the scene? Whatever...)

Now let's just hope that Chris Rock is not neutered by a too scared ABC and kills the way he always does at MTV Awards. I will be looking forward to the Honorary Oscar for Sidney Lumet (well deserved) and hopefully the show will be good.

Feel free to post your own predictions and reactions below...

Btw..one more note...I think the Razzies are a bit mean spirited (we get it...you dont like Ben Affleck, jeez let it go) but they are done in fun most of the time...So kudos to Halle Berry last night for actually being there to accept her award for Catwoman. That shows a lot of class and a good sense of humor for Halle in my eyes.

Breaking news...hot celebrities are Democrats

2005-02-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

I had this conversation the other day with a GOP leaning member of the CSSA community whom I won't name *cough* 313 *cough* and he disputed my notion that the hottest girls are Democrats. Well now I am willing to put my money where my mouth was...or rather there money where my mouth was.

http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/hall_of_fame.php

This is an epic list of who is giving to who and let me just give you a sense of the lovely ladies who spend their hard earned cash on making this a better country...Cindy Crawford (to the delight of Victor and myself), Jennifer Garner (to the delight of well the whole world, especially Jen), Natalie Portman (smart, sexy and Jewish...since Rich is already married this means he has to pass and I have dibs on her), Eliza Dushku, Amber Tamblyn, Ashley Judd, Heather Graham, Christina Applegate and some girl named Rose

Now none of this comes as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention, but it's always good to get confirmation that Democrats are smarter, better looking and better lovers than their GOP counterparts

Plus there is the extra bonus of those girls who made their pro Kerry feelings known that didnt make the list. Such as Alyssa Milano, Liz Phair, Mandy Moore and Scarlett Johansen.

Plus we also have cool types on our team such as Charles Barkley, Steven King, George Lucas, Bill Murray and Isiah Thomas (I still believe Isiah!)

So we're cooler, hotter and smarter than everyone else. We already knew that, but it's always good to have that official confirmation.

But hey, dont feel bad my GOP loving friends...you still have Chuck Norris and Lorenzo Lamas. ;-)

Pre No Way Out wish

2005-02-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

Ok...it's about 7:30...No Way Out is gonna start in a half hour and I have but one wish...

We all know that JBL is gonna beat Big Show in an unclean finish and Cena is gonna beat Angle....no big surprises...But what I do want to see for the love of God is for the Undertaker FOR ONCE to put someone over

I'm not saying Luther Reigns is gonna be a top star or even that memorable but he needs a win here and Taker needs to start acting like a team player

On that note I shall be back sometime this week with a plan to save Smackdown

Fuck you very much reality

2005-02-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well sometimes you can plan things out to the minute detail and then real life comes along and kicks you square in the nads.

I had big plans for Michelle Branch in Harem. She's one of my favorite characters to write because she looks so innocent and nice and those are the most fun to go slutty with. Plus since she's not getting 24 hour exposure it's easier to make things up because who would know any different.

But now Michelle and her elderly husband decided to launch a Tomahawk missile at my plans. Out of nowhere she goes and announces she's preggers. This conceivably is a major distraction to my writing intentions, but hey at the rate I go with my writing she'll have had the kid by the time I get to chapter 16 and decide not to aknowledge it. Not that I do that or anything *cough* Alyson Hannigan and Britney Spears getting married *cough*.

I suppose congratulations are in order, along with the fact that I am a bit surprised she and her senior citizen of a mate managed to keep this secret until she was four months along. (Though I understand why they announced now...I'm a big believer in superstition when it comes to pregnancy and not courting bad luck and apparantly you're not supposed to talk about being pregnant until the end of the first trimester). So anyways congratulations Michelle for your blessed event and for ruining my life. You are so getting Mr. Snappy up the ass for this, girlfriend.

DAMN YOU REAL LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!

R.I.P. NHL

2005-02-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

Let's get this straight right off the bat. I am not a big hockey fan. I grew up in a hockey fan house, but I never got the taste for the game. Not that I actively avoid it or anything. My parents any my sister are big Ranger fans and I can get into a playoff game that's 0-0 in triple overtime. Plus I've been developing my Barry Melrose impersonation for years now and it's just great ya hoser.

It's just that I was truly hard pressed to even remember who won the damn Stanley Cup last year until someone mentioned Tampa Bay in an article. I don't have that trouble with any of the other major sports. But I can't for the life of me remember who won the cup in 2003. Though I do remember they beat the Mighty Ducks (Joshua Jackson must have choked in the clutch or something).

But it's with sadness that the season died today for me. I don't like to see any sport lose it's season to a labor dispute. It's a slap in the face to the fans who build their lives around their favorite team. I had high hopes today that a deal might be struck, but obviously that optimism was unwarranted.

There's going to be a lot of finger pointing in the coming days (the least possible productive thing that could happen) and that won't bring anyone closer to a deal. I can never take an owner's side in a labor dispute. It's not in my nature. During the baseball strike I was solidly in the union's camp and that didn't change here. I can never see myself ever supporting greedy owners, especially when here the players did not demand more. It was the owners who kept asking for more. It's not the players fault the owners were offering them obscene amounts of money. Were they supposed to turn it down?

Once again the owners of a major sport are using a lockout to cover up for their own bad mistakes. This is the second time this has happened under Gary Betteman. Anyone else think that's a problem?

It's a damn shame this has happened. I just hope that other sports don't follow suit. It's not a big loss for me because the NBA is still going and pitchers and catchers are reporting, but if this was one of the sports I really liked then I'd be preparing my homemade noose.

All hockey fans have my sympathies today.

"Nice shot Cheryl!"

2005-02-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

I praise anyone who can place that reference. It's from an old Nike ad during the basketball offseason where Reggie Miller is practicing his jump shot and Spike Lee is, of course, practicing his trash talk. It's one of my favorite commercials ever and thinking about it today it reminds me that it wasn't that long ago that the Knicks vs. Pacers was an annual war in the playoffs. It got ugly and it wasn't always pretty basketball (hell it was never pretty with the Knicks) but it was fun and heartpounding, which is what the playoffs are supposed to be.

I had bittersweet feelings when I saw the announcement that Reggie Miller is hanging up his sneakers after this year. One the one hand he has been a burr in the ass of every Knicks fan for years. I never saw a more lethal player in the final seconds of a game...not even Jordan. It seemed that he used to be able to pull victories out of his ass without breaking a sweat, especially against the Knicks. You never wanted to see the ball in his hands in the final seconds because he inevitably would hit that shot and break your heart. If he had the ball, you just wanted to run and hide because you knew what was coming. Those Knick playoff games with the Pacers were wars, even more so than the rivalry they had with the Heat, and watching him face off against Ewing and Johnson and Oakley in those games was an experience I will always remember as a basketball fan.

I remember three years ago on the first Nets run to the finals. This was when I was still pulling for the Nets to overcome their years of second rate status, before Jason Kidd exposed himself as the crybaby, hypocrite he is, and it was the first round of a series with the Pacers. It was game 5 and I think this game went at least two overtimes. It was the end of the first overtime and the Nets were up by one and Miller had the ball and just hoisted it up in desperation. Of course it just cruised right into the basket sending the game to another overtime. It was another miracle shot that went in for him and you just had to shake your head.

So while I am not sorry that I will never have Reggie Miller breaking my heart again (not like the Knicks are headed back to the playoffs this year) he has my respect and my admiration for a Hall of Fame career. Basketball is poorer for having lost him.

Of course on the same day Karl Malone also retires and I am happy to see him go. This man was a poor example of the type of example players should be setting. While he did win points from me for pissing Kobe off to that degree (kudos to anyone who pisses Kobe off even Phil "Action" Jackson), Malone deserves a lonely retirement. This is a man who was so selfish that he did not aknowledge his own illegitimate daughter until her stardom in the WNBA practically forced him to. I don't expect players to be saints, but he is no one to be admired. Not to mention he has made some of the dumbest comments I have ever heard but at least we have Jimmy Kimmell now to have a laugh with over that.

"Hi kids! I'm Karl Malone!"

btw, on another note...that bit works much better on Crank Yankers with the Malone puppet than it ever did on The Man Show because there was no way Kimmell dressing up in blackface wasn't going to be offensive and it just looked bad.

Time for us to do our part

2005-02-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

So it's official now and Howard Dean is the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Obviously Dean is a very controversial figure not only in his own party, but on the national stage. Over the next days, weeks, months and years you will hear a lot of sniping from the GOP, nervous centrists and the mainstream media about how Dean is "too liberal" or "too angry". People will say he is driving the DNC right off a cliff. Don't you believe it.

The Democratic Party is on the rebound and it starts with Howard Dean. This party is going to be in the hands of the people and no one excites the people more than Howard Dean. I had the privilige of meeting and speaking with him once and after two minutes I was ready to run through the first brick wall I saw. He has that effect on people and I think he is the key to convincing Americans who are consistently voting against their own self interests by voting Republicans that the Democrats are the party of the working people and not the party of the rich elite who look at everything through the view of whether or not it will be good for business (that would be the Republicans).

But Governor Dean can't do it alone. He needs the support of the people who are sick and tired of the incompetence and callousness of the current administration and GOP controlled Congress. It's time for us to put our money where his mouth is.

Give to the DNC today. Show that the grass roots is behind Dean. We have less than 2 years until a critical year for us if we want to take back the Congress. We need to fill the DNC war chest and any contribution, whether it's $10 or $100 is key. This was set up by the excellent bloggers over at Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com and we all need to take part.

This does not benefit me in any way. I am not going to see one cent of any money donated below. This is entirely legitimate and you can easily check it out with the link below or the link above to Kos. I've been speaking to you all for years now and I hope I have earned your trust on this. So please give and show that we are behind the new DNC.

That's goddamn right Bob

2005-02-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

There are few writers as smart and incisive as the New York Times' Bob Herbert. His column runs every Monday and Friday and Friday is especially good because it runs along with Paul Krugman's column.

I think what Bob writes today sums things up very nicely, "How in the world did we become a country in which gays' getting married is considered an abomination, but torture is O.K.?"

You can read the rest at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/opinion/11herbert.html?hp

You need to register to get the rest of it, but it's free and totally worth the trouble.

Ken

Bruce Willis, you lucky bastard!!!

2005-02-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

It's not fair that he earns millions of dollars and gets to place his hands on the lovely Ms. Jessica Marie Alba on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Those hands on her should belong to me...or Rose McGowan...or Jennifer Garner...or Jennifer Love Hewitt or...well the list can (and should) go on and on. What makes Bruno think he's worthy of touching perfection? In order to do that he must first renounce the GOP and make a public apology for Striking Distance, Mercury Rising and his music career. And then make another Die Hard (but only if John McTiernan is directing) . Then we'll talk about him touching Jessica in her costume that's just all kinds of mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

And lest anyone think I am blinded only by Jessica...Keep in mind this post could easily be titled "Clive Owen, you lucky bastard!!!" but his hands are not touching Rosario Dawson's flawless skin. But then again that son of a bitch did get to see Natalie "Natty Kat" Portman stripping up close so he's on the list too.

Of course there's more to this issue then choking back rage at who gets to touch Jessica. It's the spring movie preview and there are a bunch of movies in there that look like I'll be plunking down $9.50 on. Summer, with Batman, War of the Worlds and a little movie called Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith coming out is where the bulk of my money will go, but this looks like a good spring.

There's the cover movie of Sin City. Next to Star Wars this is the movie I am most looking forward to. And not just because Jessica Alba is dancing around in what is rumored to be assless chaps (please God let it be so). I would be eagerly awaiting this movie even if she weren't in it. Robert Rodriguez is a god of cinema. Anything he does is worth seeing. From Spy Kids to From Dusk Till Dawn to Once Upon A Time In Mexico he has never let me down. His movies pulse with energy and his casting eye hasn't failed once. This movie's got a hell of a cast in it (besides Jessica, there's the aforementioned Bruno, Rosario and Clive as well as Benicio DelToro, Elijah Wood, Alexis Bledel, Marley Shelton and Jamie "Don't call me James" King) and I just love how Rodriguez makes movies with passion and vigor. He makes them the same way Quentin Tarantino does and we need more of that in Hollywood.

There are other movies this spring though that bear viewing it seems...Constantine seems quite interesting. I'm more of a Keanu fan than most and I'll see it even though Gavin "I don't deserve to see Gwen Stefani naked, much less have intercourse with her" Rossdale is in it. I also have high hopes for Be Cool because the book kicked ass, it's got a great cast and director and well Travolta could use a hit, could he not? The Upside of Anger seemed to have good Sundance buzz and I like Kevin Costner when he's in his Tin Cup/Bull Durham easy going mode and not in his Postman mode. So I've got a positive feeling about this. Plus Alicia Witt is very mmmmmmmmmm.

There's also The Weatherman with Nicholas Cage. When he applies himself we get Leaving Las Vegas, when he phones it in we get Con Air. This looks more like Leaving Las Vegas. Plus Michael Caine is always good to see. This movie has a very intriguing trailer because it gives nothing away and promises an interesting, unusual movie. I also would like to see The Interpreter because at the very least I can do my patented Sean Penn impression for his bouts with overacting. (You haven't lived till you've seen me scream out "IS THAT MY DAUGHTAH IS THAHHHHHH?").

Plus there's Fever Pitch. The Farrelly's are always good to see and if you wondered why Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were celebrating on the field of Busch Stadium when the Sawx won the World Series this year then this will answer those questions. At the very least this is a good date movie for Jen and Rachel and if it's boring they can always spend the rest of the two hours making out in the theater.

All that plus Keira Knightley getting naked in The Jacket and it looks like a kick ass spring.

On another note...here's a list of movies I would rather have a testicle removed through my nose than see...Son of the Mask, The Pacifier, Miss Congeniality 2, XXX2 and another stupid Jim Caviezel movie where he plays a boring super moral guy.

Now, how many days till Star Wars?

KMB

Why we blog

2005-02-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back I was having an email discussion with a friend of mine from merry ol England. For the sake of this discussion, let's just call her Jubilee (for no other reason than she chose it and won't let me know her real name).

Anyways, during the course of said discussion she posed the question. "What is it about blogs? This trend has been there for some time already I guess but only just recently I discovered that a whole lot of uninteresting, pretentious people write a whole lot of uninteresting, pretentious stuff and probably think they are the intellectual elite."

Well I have to agree a little bit. This was before I became a blogger and she doesn't know about this blog, so we'll just have to keep this post our little secret, won't we? But her point is correct. It takes a certain amount of ego on my part to think anyone really cares how I feel about what's going on in the news, but in the end there's nothing wrong with a little ego. People don't have opinions to just keep them to themselves.

A stance like that needs to be lightened up a little. This is supposed to be fun. I don't consider myself a pundit or an expert of any kind (though I am more qualified to be a pundit sitting here on my ass than the morons that get plunked down on MSNBC). I'm just going to be here posting on things that tickle my fancy or kick me in the nads. I have been influenced a lot by Butch and Jen through their blogs. They are out sharing bits of their lives and its fun to read. I hope people have the same fun here reading what's on my mind, no matter if I'm screaming about Bush, praising how hot Janine is now that she's doing men on screen or whining about my smoke alarm (believe me that's a scorching subject).

I've got things to say and I like to share them. :-)

Hope you have fun reading

Ken

Welcome...welcome...welcome one and all

2005-02-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhhh so how did I get to this?

I was happily sitting around this morning listening to Air America and they mentioned something being up on their blog. That was when it hit me like a lightning bolt being shot down.

I am the only person left in the world without a blog.

It's true. Everyone else in all of God's continents is able to rant and rave and force their opinions down each the world's throats. Why not me? When is it Ken's turn to annoy people with his half cocked views of the world and his desperate defenses of the things in life that sane people roll their eyes over?

Well that turn is now. Welcome to Just Another Blog, your home for all things KMB 24 hours a day...seven days a week...365 days a year...Or until I get bored with this and forget all about it. Whichever comes first.

But until the day when I do get bored and move onto whichever bright, shiny object is next wiggled in my face, this is where I shall be ranting and raving about the world in general. This is where I will be screaming about politics. Rooting for the Mets. Lusting after Rose McGowan. Plotting the destruction of the GOP. Begging people to see the movies and television shows I love and asking people to please for the love of God leave Ashlee Simpson alone.

I will be talking about stories here, sports, politics and life in general. If you know me you know I am very opinionated and love the sound of my own voice. There's no way this whole blogging thing could go wrong, could it? COULD IT?????????????

Let's just assume it could not. So welcome one and all. Please leave comments so I know people are reading. I do enjoy being the last one to buy into a trend. Don't you?

Ken