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......