A quick thought about blogs.....

     So I decided to peruse some other blogs. I quickly did this by clicking on the next blog link at the top of www.statinurcase.blogspot.com . The next TEN blogs took me to wallet sized pictures of someone's family. Every page was different. Every page had a different title, Matthew Family, The Burns, Me Patricia and Skip,....as the list goes on and on. BTW, who gives a fuck about Skip, the dog? THIS is pertinent info for the Internet. I am sooooo naive. Why people why?
     I had the misconception that blogs had some useful info. I thought people actually blogged about shit that they were either professionally great at or had a angle in how they brought the knowledge to people. And this led to followers and readers. But I am wrong. Blogs, for now, appear to be a family album. A testament that facebook doesn't have enough picture sharing capabilities for some people. The belief that people actually give a shit what a four year old looks like in mid swing at the park! Here's a fuckin clue. He's looks like I did the first time I did shrooms. Full of wonderment and completely spaced out!
     Surprise surprise! I actually write about shit that involves people that don't have your last name. Crazy, i know. Dammit, the level of peoples freakin intelligence just piss me off! The expectation that you start a web page for people to follow but you don't actually put anything relevant to them on there. Wow. I am glad I am not that schmuck. I pretend I can write interesting articles about sports, politics, and current events and my friends pretend to be interested. Awesome. But at least I try and at least I'm not regaling you with tales of their latest drool or why their poop is yellow.

I'm Just Sayin

Gay Marriage: Yay or Nay

     Pres. Obama's administration will no longer defend a law that bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage. This is a major reversal that definitely reinvigorates a national debate over gay rights. He has decided to keep his henchman, AG Eric Holder, in his pocket. And this move opens up an opportunity to various states in enforcing their state passed gay marriage laws. Now I find myself in an odd position as this is one topic I don't agree with Republicans on.
     Basically this comes down to Religious rights vs Human rights. People who do not believe in gay marriage usually do so with the reasoning that God says man should only marry woman. I am not here to argue with bible thumpers, I am hear to point out human rights and the rights of Americans. I should not have any more rights than any non-felon tax paying American citizen who happens to be gay. America always corrects itself concerning its citizens' rights. Whether its Womens' Suffrage or the Civil Rights movement, America eventually realizes when it is oppressing its own citizens. Why can't gays get the tax breaks afforded to married people? What about the emotional rights that we take for granted as straight people? Let's say someone is dying. They have a lifelong significant other who is not allowed by the deathbed because they are not next of kin. They are the next of kin, but the Government hasn't progressed enough to realize it. There is no justice in that.
     I just have a real problem with having more rights than any other American!!!!. I personally hold the rights that Americans have, how we have created and kept them, and our continuous fight for equality the world over to a higher standard than any reasoning from the Bible. I can see on a daily basis how beautiful it is to be an American and no verse will keep me from believing in the morals of America. Our country is great but it could become greater.

I'm Just Sayin
 

This just in.......I'm gonna write about VT sports

Football - Frank Beamer continued to shuffle his coaches and strategies in the last few days. OC Bryan Stinespring lost his play calling duties to QB Coach Mike O'Cain and RB Coach Shane Beamer was named Associate Head Coach. HUGE DEALS. Hokie Nation has long griped about Stiney's playcalling and hopefully O'Cains relationship with starting QB Logan Thomas will be fruitful for the Offense. Stiney is a great recruiter and now will be able to concentrate more on the coveted 757 territory. Bonus. Coach Beamer tried to slip in the Associate Head Coach title for his son. Don't think Bud Foster didn't notice! I'm thinking he's not real happy  right now and should see the writing on the wall and take the next Vanderbilt type job that comes his way. Let's get it straight. Shane Beamer is a great recruiter, VT owes dear old dad, and Secondary Coach Torrian Gray is waiting in the wings if Foster leaves. Sorry Bud, but it's never gonna be your program.

Wrestling - The VT wrestling team finished off their regular season with a trouncing of Liberty, 34-7. It gives the team a dual meet record of 20-4 on the season and a #6 National ranking. All four losses came to ranked squads. Approaching the ACC tourney on March 5th, the ACC announced it had 21 wrestlers who already have qualified the NCAA National Tourney. Seven of those wrestlers were from VT and an eighth one is favored to make it by placing 3rd or better at the ACC tourney. Up to this point, this has been the best season in VT Wrestling history and its got a great chance of getting better. Coach Dressler should not only be credited with saving a program but should be in consideration for National Coach of the Year. As long as Tom Brand, that wolf in sheep's clothing, doesn't get it then I'll be happy. 

Basketball- Saturday is a huge day for VT basketball! At 18-8 overall and 8-5 in the conference, they host #1 Duke at Cassell Coliseum with ESPN Gameday on hand. Once again the Hokies are freakin dancing on that damn bubble. Forever pulling at the heart strings of Hokie Nation. There are no great wins on the resume so far and a win vs Duke goes a long, long way. For seniors and stars, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, it's time to get it done. Make the tournament! The past three seasons have been near misses and atonement is within reach. Either way, I know Cassell will be rockin and Gameday is great exposure for VT. But seriously guys, stop messing with my emotions.

Trevor Bayne, Melo vs DWill, and what's up with Tiger

- Congrats to Trevor Bayne on being the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever! Now the hard part for him is realizing that at the young age of 20 yrs old, he has peaked. Nothing will ever be this good again. He doesn't run for Hendricks or Rousch, he runs for the Wood Brothers. The Wood Brothers are...how do I put this....classic. Very classic but not relevant. One Daytona win since 1976 tells you that. So if I'm Bayne, I win me a Nationwide title, do well in spot starts in the bigs, and hopefully someone has a spot open up in their stable.

-Wheeling and Dealing in the NBA recently. Superstars just flying around the league! You got Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups joining Amare in NY, Deron Williams going to NJ to join scoring center Brook Lopez, and Kirk Hinrich joining the Hawks. The league used to be dominated by the Western power struggle but all the stars are moving east. In the last few years, All Stars such as KG, Ray Allen, Amare, Melo, DWill, and Carlos Boozer have gone east while DWade, Lebron, Joe Johnson, and Chris Bosh stayed there. The balance of power has shifted. Kobe can't win titles forever. He's got about 14 yrs under the belt and you'd think sooner or later his body would just break down. To briefly address the Hinrich trade. The Hawks traded Bibby, two throw in guards, and a 1st rnd pick for Hinrich and a former 1st rnd pick who averages 2 pts/game. Hinrich is a younger, better PG than Bibby and the deal keeps hope alive that the Hawks can get back to the Conference Semi's again. No further though. Congrats on being happy with a top eight finish.

-Now for Melo's deal vs DWill's deal. I think getting Williams is the better move. It's not even close. Melo is nice, as evidence by his MSG debut of 27 and 10 but Williams is a scoring do everything PG. Scoring SF's are a lot easier to find than dominant PGs. I'd get Williams for his post game alone. It allows so many mismatches to happen in the playoffs. Melo, Amare, and Billups could definitely do some damage but youth is on the Nets side. Both the Knicks and Nets gave up some serious assets but it was definitely worth it as its gonna usher in a great area of NY basketball. The rivalry has started with the poker game being played in the front office, will continue to build when the Net's move to Brooklyn in 2012, and will ultimately be decided by the studs they got on the court. Thing is though, Melo and Amare dont play defense. Williams and C Lopez, 3rd leading scoring C in the NBA, are both good defenders and NJ still has cap room to add another star in the next 2 yrs. I'm thinking NJ gets the last laugh on this one.

-Tiger Woods, a #1 seed, lost to Thomas Bjorn in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship today outside of Tuscon. In three tournaments this year, Woods has not been able to finish in the top 20. It was only the second time he lost in the first round at the Accenture. Things may be changing. Back in the day just saying the name Tiger Woods used to bring fear to opposing golfers. Unbeatable, especially in Match Play. Not anymore. I'm not saying he's fading just yet, but its time to wonder. You give him that first year during and after his divorce but now its starting to become habit. Time to stop going through swing coaches. Time to go back to his old self, give Butch Harmon a call, go get himself about eight new chicks and get his mojo back.

I'm just sayin

Nobody should ever tolerate racism......even if you are white

     From time to time, I have been perplexed by peoples' perception of how the white person should accept racism and by the white person themselves who hold their head in shame and dont retaliate like anyone else would. Let's get this straight. I am not that guy!!!! I will defend myself and my race as much as anyone else will with their race. You may expect this from some white people, but the difference is that I am not a redneck or racist in any way! I am here to show you that the white person who acts in guilt with his head down when he has done nothing wrong is a thing of the past. I hope.
                    First let me give you a little background.  I live in Phoenix and my two best friends in Phoenix are Black/Puerto Rican. This justifies nothing I say but just gives possible perspective. Also these are NOT token friends. Between my friends in Central VA and VA Tech, out of my 20 or so friends I am in contact with, 5 friends are Black. Cool peeps are cool peeps. I have no shame in calling a person Black and not African American. I, personally, have only been called Caucasion on a Gov't form. I'm a white guy so i'm not real sure why I would need to call someone African-American. Gotta love Political Correctness. Insert sarcasm here! My friends in Phoenix, who I've known for 2 yrs, tell me that I am a VERY rare white guy. That I have no shame in my viewpoint, no matter who I am talking to. That is true. I just don't give a shit. Now, I move forward towards my story of racism....
                Racism in the West is more overt than the East. In the East, people smile to your face and call you cracker or coon to your back. People don't care out here. My first week here in 08', I fought 2 Mexican guys who didn't like that I was hittin on a hot Mexican waitress. Side bar: it's amazing how far you can throw a 5'5" dude. just sayin. In the circles I run in, I have also found that various black guys have no problem showing their distrust for a white guy. That's fine. No big deal. This evolves toward my experience i had about a month ago.                   
     I am turning into the Christown Mall and a 40 something yr old Black gentleman decided to cross the crosswalk as I was midturn. I was basically parked in the road waiting for a pedestrian who shouldn't have been there if he had any respect for anyone else. As he crosses, I honk the horn. He responds with a "Fuck you, ya honky ass cracka!" Now I don't know what the white guys' name is who originally let that shit fly but it wasn't Ashby Webb III! I do a quick U-turn and have to turn another quick right into a parking lot to cut the man off. For a man with a cane, he was movin! No mercy for the racist. I jump out the car and let him know if he has a problem with me or my race then I am right there for him to solve it. Being the man had a cane, I attracted the attention of 3 young Black guys across the street at the bus stop. This is the Wild Wild West so I faked reaching for a hip holster and that made those guys stop in their tracks. Older guy started swinging his cane. I told the 40 yr old guy that he could apologize or he could get an ass whoopin, swingin cane and all. Once I caught that first swing of the cane, he decided an apology was in his best interest. Your damn skippy it was.         
     But I ask, what made this man think it was okay to spit racial ephitets at me? Let's get this straight. Calling me a honky or cracker is NO BETTER than calling a man the n-word, coon, spic, slant eye or whatever else you can think of. ANYBODY who has let that happen is weak. Plain and simple. I am not that fool and if I have to educate the people of America one at a time, then so be it. I was born in 1977 and I take no guilt for anything that I have not done. So if someone thinks they can be racist in any way towards me, then their gonna have an angry fuckin mick on their hands. And I emplore all people to react the same! End the tolerance of racism, one man at a time. White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and even you Muslims, stand up for yourselves cause at the end of the day you have to be proud of who you are when you look in that mirror.

I'm Just Sayin    

Joel Northrup is the Face of Collateral Damage from Title IX

     Title IX is one of the greatest things to ever happen to amateur athletics. It gives an attempt at having equality in funding and opportunity to both men's and women's athletics. Like any good intention, there are always people caught in the collateral damage. This is the case of Joel Northrup and his dilemma between his morals and his amateur wrestling career.

     Rick Reilly, from Espn.com, has a new article addressing this topic in http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6136707. He basically demeans Joel as nothing but an scapegoat for religious beliefs for which Reilly believes should never interfere with athletic conquest. I imagine Reilly would also have harsh words for Sandy Koufax, who sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series for Yom Kippur.

      First a little bit of background about the situation. Northrup and Cassy Herkleman, the girl he was supposed to wrestle, compete in the state of Iowa. For those that don't know, Iowa is the holy grail of high school wrestling. It's football in Texas, basketball in Indiana, and hockey in Quebec all rolled into one. Both Herkleman and Northrup wrestled competitively since elementary school. Both qualified for the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament that was held this week. While I am not sure of Cassy's credentials outside of qualifying for states, I do know that Joel was 35-4 and was ranked 5th in the state entering the tournament. He had a real chance based on his athletic ability to win a state championship and in Iowa that's as good as gold. He chose his morals over athletic victory. Joel chose to forfeit rather than being forced to wrestle a girl. Because "wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times," said 16-year-old home-schooled sophomore Joel Northrup, in a statement. "As a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this matter". 

     So Mr Reilly feels it is okay to judge a 16 yr old boy because this boy has convictions in his faith. This boy does not want to be put in the position of groping Ms Herkleman in front of thousands of people. He does not want the humiliation of beating a female wrestler. He does not want the humiliation of losing to a female wrestler. Joel, who was just following his dream, was thrust into a lose-lose situation. 

     Now I am not saying that Ms Herkleman doesn't have the right to put that singlet on for her wrestling team. She does. But in certain aspects of Title IX, you not only create possibilities but you crush dreams. Joel Northrup's dream was taken away from him. Joel Northrup has respect for women and no individual woman or athletic conquest will take that away from him. It's just a shame that to prove a point and create opportunities, an innocent boy's dreams had to be taken away. In compliance with Title IX, I wonder if Mr Reilly would be okay with the next Chipper Jones playing softball instead of baseball. Equality right? 

By the way, Cassy Herkleman lost her next two matches and was eliminated from the Iowa State Tournament.......

I'm Just Sayin

I don't care what you say, I'm rooting for Chris Brown

     After being nominated for 3 Grammys in 2011, Chris Brown is continuing his comeback with the upcoming duet single "Up" with Justin Bieber. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2alrG7yf8 .  I for one am rooting for Chris Brown Part Deux. Hear me out.
  
     The story goes that in Feb 2009, Rihanna ,while sitting in a car with her boyfriend Chris Brown, found inappropriate texts from his female manager/publicist. She tried to leave the car, he pulled her in, and continuously punched her. That is the storyline the mainstream media has fed us. So we are supposed to believe that an extremely emotional person who just saw explicit texts on her boyfriends phone did not initiate physical contact. Its nice and comforting to think that Chris Brown is this monster whom for the first time in his life, no criminal background, decided to beat the hell out of his about to be grammy performing girlfriend cause she saw some texts????!!!!!!! That in itself is insulting to my intelligence. First lets get a few things straight. I don't believe there is ANY situation where a man should hit a woman. I will shake the shit out of a chick or call the cops in a heartbeat. Me personally, my rights cannot be taken away by a woman who hits me. I'm just not that dumb to retaliate. Some people are primal though. Some people, retaliate in unforeseen ways when they are attacked. An instinct to defend themselves where they lose themselves and are justly punished for their actions. That is what happened to Chris Brown. So for a minute, let's use logic. crazy I know, but let's try. An emotional person feeling betrayed confronts the betrayer. It is extremely possible the emotional person, being a female, believes it is okay to hit her significant other. No real legal repercussions involved. Not believing this man would retaliate. She is famous after all. He doesn't have that think first quotient, he instinctively defends himself. A horrible act but a primal one. She is hesitant to go to the police, hesitant cause she knows she hit him first. So Mr Brown has no marks on his face. He was never hit. I guess every time a woman hits a man, a mark is left. It is comical to believe every time a woman hits a man it should leave a mark like a man's strike. Do not be that naive person. Not everything is black and white. Life brings a LOT of gray.

I believe in second chances. I believe it is about time this man, from the 804, has the chance to continue his career. I believe I have been slapped enough to know that a man's emotions, who just betrayed his girlfriend, will not run as hot as a woman scorned. I believe Chris Brown made a mistake of retaliating to being hit by Rihanna. I believe you too should root for a man whose career was taken away for far too long. Maybe just maybe the mainstream media got it right, but where's the logic?

I'm just sayin......

What do Miguel Cabrera, Michael Jackson, and Michael Jordan have in common?

Probably not much, but they are in this blog.......

- It was on this day two years ago, that Michael Jordan made his infamous Hall of Fame speech. It ranged from dissing the two Jerrys (Krause and Reinsdorf) to ripping former teammates and opponents. So whats up Mike, no parting shots for the ex-wife? Way to stay classy Mike.

-Oh Miguel Cabrera. What are you doing man? In 09, you get drunk, beat up your wife, go to AA, and supposedly become a changed man. Last night, you get arrested for DUI in Florida while drinking scotch from the bottle in front of a deputy and reportedly threatening to kill people???!!!! Seriously? In the words of Crash Davis “Come on, 'rook, show us that million-dollar arm. 'Cause I got, oh yeah, I got a good idea about the five cent head of yours.” What a waste of talent. I just hope he doesn't drink himself out of the league.

-In their second coaching hire in the last week, Virginia Tech continues to rebuild their staff around a young, energetic core. The hiring of Defensive Line Coach Cornell Brown is a huge boost in the push to retain the coveted 757 recruiting base that the Hokies have survived on. Brown was a two time All American at VT and played seven seasons for the Ravens (1997-04) including getting that bling from the Ravens 2001 Super Bowl victory. That will come in handy during those living room chats with potentional recruits. Brown, along with RB Coach Shane Beamer and DB Coach Torrian Gray show that the future for VT Football is bright indeed.

-The Philadelphia Eagles have set their sights on CB Nnamdi Asomugha as their prime Free Agent target. Three years ago, they spent $56 million over 6 yrs for Asante Samuel. With two lock down corners and young safety Nick Allen coming back from injury, look for the Eagles secondary to be lock down nasty! Now if they can produce a run defense then Vick wouldn't have to score 30 a game to win! Technically this is the offseason, but for football nuts there is no offseason. NFL Combine starts in 6 days! Good stuff.

-After seeing both Gone Baby Gone and The Town, I must say that Ben Affleck has quite the talent for directing. While I have enjoyed most of his movies, you don't have to be a member of mensa to know he's not the greatest actor. Some people are meant to find their success behind the camera. Look at Eastwood. The guy couldn't act his way out of a paper bag! Kidding people, just kidding.

-When Michael Jackson died he had $400 million in debt and I see where his estate has made over $300 million since his death in 2009. Makes you wonder why it took until his death to actually turn a profit? Its probably a bit easier to save when your not molesting kids and paying out settlements!

 

 

 

The Tragedy of Lara Logan and the censoring of my blog

     First, let's address the horrible tragedy that befell CBS Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan. Ms Logan "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating" on Feb 11th, while covering the celebration of Pres. Mubarak's departure from office, in Tahrir Square, according to CBS News. Some people across the internet, bloggers and reporters, have used this opportunity to question a woman reporter's place in a hostile area or harp on Ms Logan's less than reputable past. I will not. But if you want to read about her past, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/25/lara-logan-sex-scandal-cb_n_109271.html .
     War torn areas, while ripe with danger, have to be covered by both men and women reporters. Logan's assault is a reminder that reporting is a dangerous business. According to Reporters Without Borders, five reporters have already been killed in 2011, and 152 are imprisoned. Since 1992, 850 reporters have been killed around the world. A 2007 article in the Columbia Journalism Review exploring the threats to female foreign correspondents singles out Egypt: "The Committee to Protect Journalists, for example, cites rape threats against female reporters in Egypt who were seen as government critics."
     The CJR article states, "Female reporters are targets in lawless places where guns are common and punishment rare." They face more sexual harassment and rape than their male counterparts. They are subjected to unwanted advances and "lewd come-ons . . . especially in places where Western women are viewed as promiscuous." Earlier this month, Logan and her crew were detained overnight by the Egyptian army and interrogated. She told Esquire's "The Politics Blog" that during the ordeal her captors blindfolded her and kept her upright. She vomited frequently. They finally gave her intravenous fluids and released her and her crew. Ms Logan is currently residing in a United States hospital during her recovery process and wants to return to work within weeks. I believe this recovery process is going to take a lot longer than she anticipates. While it is true that these reporters definitely know the dangers they encounter when they go to places like Egypt. It's still a shame that tragedies like Ms. Logan's is the price Americans have to pay for the First Amendment. But I applaud Ms Logan in her steely determination to go back to work and not allow these thugs to alter her belief in the freedom of the press. Now on that thought......

-I found out from an unnamed source that my blog appears to blocked by the US Govt. Two days ago, my blog was viewed using USO Wi-fi. I wrote http://statinurcase.blogspot.com/2011/02/why-sb1070-benefits-all-of-america.html which wasn't exactly complimentary of Pres. Obama. It now appears it cannot be accessed through that same Wi-fi. I don't know what exactly is going on but it has definitely piqued my curiosity.

Did he just STAB that guy????

     What's wrong with people? Why does a fight escalate into a possible life or death situation? So I'm riding the lightrail home from Tempe today, listening to my Nano and ignoring people like I always do. I notice a heated discussion going on so naturally I took out my earpieces.  For the sake of the story I will call one guy Tom and the other guy John. Tom is a drunk, toothless man in his 50's who looked to be about three sheets to the wind . John was a man in his 40's with a gruff look who was not in the mood to be bothered by a drunk. As anyone who lives in a major city will tell you, being bothered by a drunk is a daily occurrence if you chose to ride your city's transit system.
     The argument seemed to be over Tom's insistence of having one of John's cigarettes. It got more and more heated as Tom either was too stupid or too drunk to let it go. John threatened him with an ass whooping and got in his face before he appeared to let it go and return to where he was standing. Being the drunk that Tom appeared to be, he still didn't let it go. They decided to get off at the next lightrail stop to have it out. This is not a unique occurrence around the lightrail here in Phoenix. They walk on the platform and John connects with a crushing straight right to the jaw. Tom is sent to his knee as he gathers himself for his retaliation. Being drunk and swinging wildly, he doesn't come close to connecting on his right hook. John takes this opportunity to rush him, get close and deliver what initially appeared to be several right hooks to the ribs. When he backed away, I noticed it wasn't his fist he used but what appeared to be a knife with a 3" blade. As the lightrail pulls away, Tom pulls his shirt up and the passengers on the lightrail notice a good amount of blood starting to run down his abdomen.
    The guy riding beside me takes out his phone and dials 911 to get Tom some help. As he does this, two guys who may or may not have been with John start to yell at the dialer in an attempt to threaten and intimidate him to hang up the phone. Naturally, I stood up and yelled a profanity laced tirade back at them. "You stay on that phone", I instructed the young gentleman. The two guys decided to threaten me. "I'm not going anywhere, he's staying on the phone with the cops and if you've got a problem then what the fuck are you waiting for?". At this moment a rather large man sitting a couple seats behind me stands up and yells "Hooah! I got your back bro." as he laid his hand on my shoulder. This act of solidarity had its intended effect as there was no further incident and the two instigators got off at the next lightrail stop. The young gentleman stayed on the phone with the cops until they reached Tom and I was off the lightrail within a minute after the fact.
     An incident like this will always get the blood pumping and the hairs on your arm at full attention. It is a grim reminder of a main difference between living in the fifth largest city in the US and living in the country suburbs of Central Virginia. Two lessons to be learned. You don't know anyone's intentions so don't be that annoying drunk guy. And two is best summed up by Edmund Burke when he said "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. To Tom, I hope you are all right but i also hope that you learned your lesson in all of this. And to that large military man who had my back, I say "Hooah!"

Beamer's return home, the looming NFL lockout, and other things I think I think

So I havent addressed anything in the sports world yet, so here it goes.
-Shane Beamer is coming home to Virginia Tech to become the RB's coach!!!!! This was inevitable. Its about time he came home. I did not expect him to coach offense though. In the past 11 yrs, he has been a coach at great programs such Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Mississippi St, and most recently South Carolina. While he was the special teams coach at his two most recent stops, we all know that is Dad's bread and butter and I dont see Frank giving that up. The real reason Shane was brought in this year is......recruiting. He served as the recruiting coordinator the past 3 seasons under Coach Spurrier and helped bring in 3 straight top 20 classes including five 4 Star recruits!!!!! And we all know recruiting is why VT has not stepped up into the National Title picture. Hopefully the kid can bring it!!!!
-To the NFL and the NFLPA, shame on you!!!!! First, the NFLPA brings a proposal of a 50-50 revenue split to the table. They now say it wasnt a real proposal. Well no shit. In what world did they think the owners would give up half the money? What was Exec. Dir. Demaurice Smith smoking? So now in response the NFL has filed a unfair labor practice against the NFLPA. Its saying the NFLPA does not in good faith want to negotiate a new deal before the March deadline. I'm not sure who will be victorious in this situation but I do know there is only one loser: NFL FANS!!!!! Aren't these guys old enough to remember 1987? Greedy bastards.
-Last Saturday night, 34 yr old Fedor Emelianenko got dominated and beaten to a pulp in the 2nd round of his matchup vs Antonio Silva in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament.  While Fedor has reigned as the top P4P in the world for some time, it is fair to say at the age of 34 he may have lost a step. He did not have the same power and pop he once manhandled opponents with. As Fedor alluded to, it may be time to hang up the 4 ounce gloves.
-I think the proposal of the NFL owners to go to an 18 game schedule is absurd!!! The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl playing a combined total of 24 games (4 preseason, 16 regular season, and 4 postseason). Bodies were dropping like flies and its hard to imagine the quality of games an 18 game regular season schedule would bring. How bout this? Dont mess with a good thing.
-Are the St. Louis Cardinals really gonna let Pujols go into the season without working out a contract extension? Letting the best player in the game become a FA is not how championships are won.
-There is no way the Heat will get past the Celtics in the East. They just cant match the intensity and havent had enough time to build real chemistry. Lebron thinks he can just turn it on in June but his past tells us different. I'm thinking a Celtics-Spurs Finals.

Valentine's Day, Those freaky Romans and the romance of a key party

     While as a culture we take many ideas and customs about government and economics from the ancient Romans, some of the most taboo ideas come from the Romans' open sexuality.  In ancient Rome, there was a sexual openess not commonly practiced in today's civilized world. As many people know, the "Sex Houses" or "Bath Houses" in ancient Rome were a common practice visited by both men and women. There was a sexual pervasivness to their culture that we living in the 21st century may find either perverse or enlightening. And this brings us to Valentine's Day. While Valentine's Day has become a day for our  ideas of romance, that was not always the case.
     Prior to the 1st Century AD, the Romans between the days of Feb 13th-15th would celebrate the festival of Lupercalia. The Lupercalia was a festival of fertility meant to bring growth to many things. Pun intended. And while it was supposed to make the land and crops fertile for the coming year, it is not what it's known for. The men of Rome started the festival by sacrificing goats and dogs in honor of the Roman God Lupercus, the god of sheperds. They would skin the animals, get really drunk, strip naked, and run the the streets while whipping "privileged" women with the hides. The theory being that the women could become fertile from this. And this is where it gets really freaky. As the day continued into the evening, perhaps with the help of their alcohol, the women and men wanted to take advantage of their new fertility. Womens names were put in a jar and the men drew names to choose a mate for the evening and maybe longer. So no, swingers from the 70's did not invent the "key party". Now if you weren't entirely happy with your mate, then you put your name back in the jar the next two nights.
     In the 3rd century, on seperate occasions, Emperor Claudius II executed two men named Valentine. The Catholic Church used this to create St. Valentine's Day. Some 200 years later, St. Valentines Day was combined with the Lupercalia Festival to create a day of fertility and love. The current existence of Valentine's Day morphed from this celebration. So when you give or receive candy and flowers on Valentine's Day, remember to thank those freaky ass Romans cause without those horny drunk bastards we may never know what chocolate covered caramel tastes like. I know there's a Hallmark card in there somewhere.

Why SB1070 benefits all of America

A few weeks ago I was hanging out with a Mexican-American friend of mine we will call "Mike". I was discussing how the state of AZ has the most illegal immigrants in the US and how this affects EVERYTHING in this state. The Pew Hispanic Center said AZ had 500,000 current illegal immigrants living in the state. Mike laughed. He said "You cant count Mexicans!!! Its impossible. For every illegal the govt thinks they count there are 4 or 5 more that you cant count!!!". Seriously people. So there are at least 2 million illegals in the state. "AT LEAST", he said emphatically. "Mike" and his 4 younger siblings were born here. His parents and 3 older siblings were not. He is a person speaking from experience. So I ask Mike if his parents or any of his illegal siblings use any free social programs guaranteed to them by existing within the borders of the United States. Every one of his illegal siblings use the citizenship of their "anchor babies" to obtain hundreds of dollars in food stamps, ACCHS (free healthcare in AZ), free transportation passes for buses and the lightrail (Phoenix area train), public schools and the free food that come with the public school system on a monthly basis.  His illegal siblings have 8 children, so far. The oldest is 27. I ask him if he agrees with those "abuses". He doesnt. He understands its tough for his family but he is paying his taxes towards a system that allows people to live off of their children who were born in the US. As a taxpaying American, Mike is pissed and sympathetic. He doesnt know how to feel about his own family. But he believes it's the Government's responsibility to change the system. He is right. It is time for the Federal Govt to truly address the epidemic of illegal immigration. The state of AZ decided to do what it could in trying to curb illegal immigration by inacting SB 1070. It states in summation that if you commit a criminal act or are involved in a traffic stop and dont have a State Issued ID, then the state will try and find out who you are. This is for the protection of the American Citizen. The Federal Government sued the state of AZ. Pres Obama and the Federal Govt decided that the possible future vote of today's illegal immigrants are more important than the safety of the American Citizen.  At one point there were over 20 different states writing bills similar to SB1070 but ,since Pres Obama sued AZ, many of those states have backed off. It is ashame that in the face of economic oppression the DA's of various states dont have the balls to stand up for what's right. And that is this.....IT IS TIME FOR THE FED GOVT TO STOP ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO STEAL YOUR FEDERAL  TAXES AND MY STATE TAXES!!!! It is time for AMERICANS to stand up to the socialism of the American Govt!!!! So Pres. Obama, in the words of Cee-Lo, FUCK YOU!!!!!!