DAF's NFL Draft Thoughts

This is definitely the first time in my life when I had a single player on my mind heading into the draft and my team actually came away from the draft with that player. As soon as the combine took place I wanted Greg Olsen on the Bears. However, I thought he would not be there at pick #31 and even had thoughts that the Bears shold trade up to get him. Yet, he was still around and the Bears selected him. Unfortunately, resident shitstain Drew Rosenhaus is his agent but you can't let a sports agent dictate how you run a team, right Lance?

Overall I would give the Bears draft a B+ but anyone who tries to grade a draft the day after is either delusional or Nostradamus so I'll defer a true judgement until at least after preseason. The trade with the Chargers seems like money in the bank given Jerry Angelo's penchant for drafting well in the later rounds and the fact that San Diego seemed willing to give up virtually their whole draft for a safety. We drafted two offensive lineman which I thought should be our other priority. I think we needed a DT over a DE but we'll see how this kid from Central Michigan is. Drafting a LB seems like a good idea too. Drafting 3 DB's means Tillman and Vasher may not be in Bears uniforms after the 2007-8 season. Given recent drafts and the Super Bowl appearance last year, maybe it's time Bears fans apologized.

There are a lot of other stories here which each could get their own blog. Brady Quinn and his ugly anorexic albino girlfriend's expressions as he slipped to #22. The trade of Randy Moss to the Patriots. The continued self-destruction of the Miami Dolphins. Maybe more teams should have payed attention to this:

Bulls vs. Heat Game 4 Recap

I guess this photo makes it official.

I'm keeping this one short since I also plan to do a NFL draft post but the most important stat here is the Bulls swept the reigning NBA champions.

Again, the Bulls did not play that well today. Their shooting percentage was way down. The story here, as supported by good ol' Mike Wilbon, was the Bulls only committed 5 turnovers the entire game. Big Ben's FT shooting was also great to see.

So now we go to Detroit who also managed to sweep their series with the Magic. Both teams look good heading into the series but, to be honest, the Pistons look really tough right now. The Bulls are going to have to play like they did in game 1, not games 3 and 4 to beat them. I think the biggest concern is lack of quality playing time and playoff experience for bench players like Thabo and Tyrus. Sefalosha was great in game 1 but has faltered since. Tyrus has been virtually nonexistent. Conversely, Chris Duhon has won me back with both his offense and defense this playoff series.

I'm predicting Pistons in seven but I hope I'm wrong and the Bulls pull this out. Winning a playoff series was a great first step but hopefully the hunger is still there.

Bulls vs. Heat Game 3 Recap

It wasn't pretty and it didn't look good in the second and third quarters but the Bulls pulled it together in the end. Tyrus looked sloppy and his minutes were limited. Gordon got into foul trouble early. Sefalosha wasn't as effective defensively as he had been earlier in the series. As coach Skiles said, they didn't play well and things were not going their way but in the end they overcame.

The key factor no one will mention in this game was Antoine Walker's apparent defection to the nWo. Despite some solid play early, Chicago's own managed to score a basket for the Bulls and create horrible fouls late in the game that swung the momentum in the Bulls' favor. If the Bulls go on to win this series, I fully expect Walker to remove his Heat warmups to reveal a Bulls jersey underneath. Thanks Antoine.

Also a thanks for RDWS' own Jeff Novak for providing us with some multimedia from the game itself. Also, a thank you to Dan Le Batard for looking incredibly stupid on PTI yesterday, predicting the Heat to even up the series at home and saying that Ben Wallace has no ability to defend Shaq. Wrong on both counts retard.

Bulls go for the sweep on Sunday.

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sweep ?

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not hanging from rafter but next to marino

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the tard

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just got in mail thanks ebay

Dear Pam...

Dear Pam,

Look, we've been through this already. More times than I care to admit. Normally, however, I only have to worry about your distractions during football season. But this year I'm paying a little more attention to the NBA playoffs and TNT has you on their sidelines as well.

Please, these are sporting events. I need to be focused here. I can't be thinking about how many points Dirk has or whether Stephen Jackson will lose his temper and then BAM! it's what Mos Def was singing about on my tv screen.

Your latest transgression has not gone unnoticed. In those white pants, I think you joined the Great Wall and the Luxor as the other man-made object that could be seen from space.

*Sigh*

Yet, yours is more captivating than any wall or pyramid ever could be.

Oh Pam, I could never stay mad at you!

Yours forever,

DAF

Tape Delayed Live Sports

Over the weekend, I was watching two different sporting events that I originally thought were supposed to be live and were advertised as such, but were actually "taped live". The two events were UFC 70 on SpikeTV on Saturday evening and the Lexington Stakes on the WWL on Saturday afternoon.
My first disappointment was on Saturday afternoon, espn's coverage of the Lexington Stakes. Every year in anticipation for the Triple Crown, I watch all of the ESPN coverage of the warmups to the Derby to get up to speed on all of the contenders and know which Pony to put money on during the Kentucky Derby. As everyone will probably agree, putting a wager on a live sporting event, whether in person or watching on TV makes the even that much more enjoyable, so when the pre-race info was about halfway through I logged into my fictional sportsbook website (online gambling is illegal so imagine I did this) and went to the Horses section to place my fun money wager. Well, after looking for about 15 minutes trying to make sure I was at the right race track for the right race, I decided to check results, and what do you know the race had been run already and this was on tape delay. Nowhere on the coverage did espn mention that this wasnt a live event. I don't remember what they were broadcasting when this race actually was run, but when they have ESPN, News, The Deuce, Classic, ESPNU and other stations, they couldnt have found another channel to broadcast this event live?
My second disappointment came on Saturday night with the Free Showing of UFC 70 on SpikeTV. This one was a little bit easier to figure out, as it didnt end until midnight and the event was in England. Anyone with any brains realizes that this would mean the event took place at 4am in England, so it was obviously tape delayed.
Do both of these networks really think that in the world we live in today where news is avaiable in realtime on countless places on the web that people would be fooled into thinking something was live. Or more importantly do these networks care so little about their core audience that they can show an event tape delayed and say its live? I went on Wikipedia before the UFC event and saw the results online and was able to parlay this knowledge into a couple of friendly wagers with some friends at the bar over a couple drinks, as Thomas Tusser said, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

Everyone Get In Line

So the Duke LAX fiasco won't go away, especially if you live in Durham, NC as I happen to do. During lunch today I read the Duke Chronicle (student newspaper) as I usually do. I happened across an editorial today which I found both interesting as well as totally frustrating.

For those not in the know, music artist Common, who happens to be a personal favorite of mine, came out and made a public apology for condemning the accused LAX players before a formal investigation was completed. Conveniently, this apology comes just a short time before he is scheduled to perform here for the students of Duke.

This editorial continues on to say that Common, along with others, should be commended for apologizing for what the rest of us also assumed. The LAX players were guilty before they ever went to trial.

So now we should all get in line and apologize?

Guess what? I'm not sorry for thinking these guys were guilty before the investigation started. I, like many others, was a victim of the media spin and Durham County DA Nifong. Why should I apologize about the slanted reporting on this incident? Not once did I think, despite my inclination that these boys were guilty, that they did not deserve a fair trial.

In fact, when I learned that the accuser's claims were unfounded I didn't feel guilty at all for my own feelings. I felt sorry for the students whose lives had been PERMANANTLY and IRREVERSIBLY damaged by this whole fiasco. You know who else I felt sorry for? The accuser. For some reason, she felt she needed to make a false accusation. Worse yet, what if she wasn't lying? There were clearly no winners in any of this.

But why should I apologize? Because I assumed they were guilty? We all knew guys capable of this type of act in college. Maybe at your school they were the rugby players, or the soccer players, or the Sig Ep's (I don't know just some random stabs here). Doesn't matter. These boys may not have done anything they were accused of but somewhere in this country kids just like them have.

Once again, America, you're getting it wrong. Those that made public statements should apologize (kudos Rashid). But the rest of us? Maybe we should be focusing on our communities. Our relationships with our neighbors whose cultural roots differ than our own. I thought racial tension is Chicago was palpable. In Durham, it's like a punch to the face. This whole case is representative of a much greater problem in this country. Anyone who saw 60 minutes this past weekend or has followed the Imus saga knows exactly what I mean. We don't trust each other. We don't like each other. And we make others that are different from ourselves victims. One way or another.

I'm not apologizing. And I don't blame Com for getting angry when he first heard of the case. The media portrayed this in a way where we all believed it. We are a society divided and this story was sensationalized to obtain ratings by the media, and votes by a district attorney. Just another log on the fire that in race relations in America

Bulls vs. Heat Game 2 Recap

Well this one wasn't close at all was it?

Aside from the lack of a Tyrus Thomas highlight, this was quite an enjoyable game for Bulls fans. Ben Gordon was hot early when Deng was cold. However, when the 4th quarter rolled around and Miami threatened to close the gap, Luol pretty much took over and scored at will.

The Heat looked flat and without any sense of urgency whatsoever. They simply got out-hustled. It was plain embarrassing to be Pat Riley tonight. Nocioni was his usual self prompting Steve Kerr to refer to him as a "Grabowski". In Chicago, that's quite an honor.

The Heat complained about the officiating in the last game. I think, although not perfect, the calls have been decent and fair with neither team really being favored. If the Heat are feeling sorry for themselves then these refs don't appear empathetic.

I really don't have much else to say on this one. Game 3 Friday in Miami. I expect a very physical game in a must win for the Heat.

Roy Cleveland Sullivan

Roy Cleveland Sullivan was a forest ranger at Shenandoah National Park. Roy also holds the unenviable distinction of being struck by lightning seven times, which I assume is a record.

After the third or fourth lightning strike Mr. Sullivan developed a not entirely irrational opinion that some higher power was out to get him. During one of his later lightning strikes, Mr. Sullivan was running from an approaching storm when the inevitable occurred and he was struck by lighting for the fifth time.

Multiple physical ailments resulted in these lightning strikes, loss of hair, toenails, scares but lightning did not do Mr. Sullivan in. At the age of 71 Roy killed himself.

If, like all of us, you have done something to cause the ire of a higher power that hopes to slay you via lightning you need to learn the lightning desperation position. To correctly perform the lightning desperation position, crouch down, but do not lie down. Bend your knees while keeping your feet together, and make yourself as small a target as possible.

Best of luck!

Gambling

I don't want this to turn into a gambling blog, or more importantly a blog in which I brag about my ineptitude with gambling, but lets face it, as a 30 something white male in a relationship, there are few things of interest that other like minded individuals would want to read about (Music, movies, alcohol and book reviews are others).

All of these picks are for recreational purposes only because gambling is illegal (even though you can get sportslines in every major newspaper) and Hammering Hank and the guy who leather was with regularly make picks based on the lines. Some picks will have analysis, some won't, some will make sense, others won't.

Lakers +9 Phoenix and here are 4 reasons.

• Lakers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
• Lakers are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Phoenix.
• Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
• Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

Brewers +146 ML Cubs

• Milwaukee 12-7 ML this season (league best)
  
• Cubs 7-12 ML this season (league worst)

Chelsea even Liverpool

• Hometeam is 3-0-1 in last 4
  
• Chelsea is playing without Ballack and Essien but are playing well with the Cole brothers.
  

April 24th now waiting for May 12th

Espn.com is reporting that Mark Prior will go in for "exploratory surgery" on Tuesday April 24th. Hoping to find what might be wrong, it is unknown if they will just lay him on the operating table and then open him up like the game Operation, until they find something that could be wrong with him. I could run down all of Pryors injuries and problems that he has had over the last couple years, but it can all be summed up in this statistic, since 2004 he has been on the disabled list 8 times, which is well alot, Ken Griffey, Jr hasnt even been on the disabled list that many times and Fred Taylor is impressed.
Based on this info on Mark Pryor, the revised Over/Under on Kerry Woods surgery has been moved up one week until May 12th. Heavy action has been on the under since the line was set November 7th, and the new date has shifted based on this action and the fact that it seems like both of these guys have surgery with 3-4 wks of each other (not actual fact, just seems like it).
I think it is about time the Cubs cut their losses and try to get pennies on the dollar for these two has beens, oh wait excuse me, Flash in the Pans. Maybe the new ownership of the Cubs will make this a priority, or maybe in the sales contract, the Tribune Company will have a lifetime contract on both of them included in the sale.

Bulls vs. Heat Game 1 Recap

Well, the Bulls didn't exactly mop the floor with the Heat but a win's a win, right?

Many will point to Luol Deng's 33 points or Ben Gordon's near triple-double. Admittedly, this game may have been Deng's official playoff "coming-out party" as he finally put together a post-season performance that us Bulls fans knew he was capable of. He and Gordon helped overcome a virtual no-show for the frustrated, foul-plagued Kirk Hinrich.

But the true stars in this contest came off the bench and also in form of a former rival. Andres Nocioni's offense and defense inspired this Bulls team when they were searching for answers. Thabo Sefalosha contained Dwyane Wade in Captain Kirk's absence. And perhaps most importantly of all, the off-season acquisition of Ben Wallace seems to be paying off.

The stat sheet won't tell you the story. Big Ben had 14 rebounds (6 offensive) which is only a small part of the role he played. Tipped balls to teammates which won't count for rebounds as well as some key defensive plays drawing fouls from the opposition helped the Bulls tremendously. No offense to speak of but that's not really what we need from Ben, now is it?

This team certainly did not play a perfect game, nor do they look ready to be the 2007 NBA champions quite yet. But for Game 1, Round 1? I'll take it.

THe Landlord

This has sort of made its way around the internet already, but anytime you can have Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and a 2 yr old girl named Pearl cursing, well, I have to post it. I've watched 3 times, and am still laughing. Technically, its probably NSFW, so just a heads up. Its from the site, funnyordie.

Oh, and I figured out how to imbed a video into a post, oh its on like donkey kong now.

I'm tired of the media and the blameocracy

In light of recent events at VA tech, I've discovered that an old hatred of mine for the media and the blameocracy of our culture has resurfaced. I'll explain. Our culture has a fascination with assigning blame during any national crisis, local tragedy, or hot dog eating contest gone awry. We aren't satisfied with a period of mourning and a positive solution designed to promote healing. Instead we immediately attempt to identify those that oversaw the wrong-doers. We have serious concern that a Cho Seung-Hui existed ... but more importantly want to identify all of those that created such a monster. This may include parents, teachers, the police who responded to the crisis, his high school gym teacher, Martha the mail lady, Joey the neighborhood bully and Sparky the 3 legged hamster that had that malignant and devilish plan to die after choking on a peanut one sunday morning when Cho wasn't prepared. We despise the wrong-doer but can't wait to assign blame to others.

And assigne blame we are exceedingly good at as a society. In fact, we've perfected it to such a degree that when the world ends from the invading Martian army (chinese) there will only be two things left standing: cockroaches and lawyers. We whip ourselves up in a national frenzy hunting all those that can be litigated to death as we find it so difficult as a society to forgive the tragedy and find a more positive solution to these problems... or worse, agree that in some instances there is noone to blame.

Now I'm not suggesting that there were not indicators during the VA tech massacre that could have led to a more prompt response, a better safeguarding of the rest of the student population, or even earlier prevention. But I use this situation as an example of the greater psychological ills of our society and its somewhat confused and misdirected ability to seek closure.

Therefore, I advocate focusing on problems that DO have solutions and don't require assigning blame. I speak of such terrible plagues as the plight of hungry fat chicks and their terrible thirst for semen. And for those out there who hate to point fingers but would rather confront problems head on with both feet planted squarely shoulder-width apart, I've got a plan. Who's with me?

NBA Playoff Preview Addendum

Steve Kerr, Yahoo! resident NBA expert and perhaps the greatest player ever to wear a Bulls uniform, also released his predictions today. Steve happens to agree with me on the winners of all 8 series. The only difference in the East is that he thinks the Wizards can pull off one win against Cleveland while I predict a sweep by the LeBrons. In the West (definitely not my forte) he is predicting Rockets in 5 (I said 6) and Spurs in 6 (I said 5). In summary, we were an exact match on 5/8 series with the other three only separated by one game.

I knew I loved Steve for a reason. If I only I could erase the fact that he played for the Spurs.

DAF playoff preview

So the NBA regular season ended last night. Most of us here at RDWS are not happy with the events of last night, and that includes the end of the reign of Sanjaya. But, in this case, we are referring mostly to a disastrous final game by the Bulls against New Jersey. Apparently Jigga, Josh Boone, and Mikki Moore are way too much for Chicago to handle, as is the concept of transition defense.

Anyway, here's the matchups along with brief predictions by me, hardly an expert:

EAST

1. Orlando Magic (8) vs. Detroit Pistons (1)- Detroit has been a force in the NBA and one of the only threatening teams in the East for some time now. While not as impressive as years past, they still have little competition in their conference. The Magic are lucky to be here. Prediction: Pistons in 5.

2. Washington Wizards (7) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers- It's Agent Zero versus the LeBrons! Oh wait, no it's not. It's a strong Cavs team against a much weaker Wizards team ravaged by injuries. Without Arenas, I have zero interest in this series. Prediction: Cavs in 4.

3. New Jersey Nets (6) vs. Toronto Raptors (3)- Everyone will at least care a little about this matchup because it will pit Vince Carter against his former team. You know, the one he admitted not playing that hard for. Vince is a douchebag, but playing well. The Raptors have also been strong as of late and this could be the 1st round's best series. Chris Bosh and Jason Kidd may be the other key figures in the outcome. I'm just diasppointed I won't be seeing any of Joumanna Kidd in the stands. I can't believe JK also dated Gabrielle Union in high school. Life is so unfair. Prediction: Raptors in 7.

4. Chicago Bulls (5) vs. Miami Heat (4)- So the Bulls are the lower seed but have a better record so they will have homecourt advantage. Understand? Me neither. I would have picked this series as another potential great one (and it may be) except that I'm just not convinced that the Heat and a not quite 100% Dwyane Wade can do it this year. A much weaker Bulls team almost took out the eventual 2006 NBA champions in the first round a year ago. Look for James Posey to shrug off his sprain in time for the playoffs, paint bullseyes on Hinrich and Gordon and start swinging away. Playing dirty is the Heat's best chance here I feel. Prediction: Bulls in 6.

WEST

1. Golden State Warriors (8) vs. Dallas Mavericks (1)- Who isn't excited that the Warriors got the 8th seed? What is also interesting is that GS actually has had some regular season success against the Mavs. Can they pull it off? Nope, but it might keep them from a sweep. The throwback yellow unis hold the key, we can all agree to that. Prediction: Mavs in 5.

2. L.A. Lakers (7) vs. Phoenix Suns (2)- Will this series live up to the hype? Is there any hype? I don't even know. I live in Durham, N.C., the basketball season already ended down here. I'm not referring to the Bobcats last game either. Phoenix will win the series, that's all but guaranteed. The question is how frustrating Kobe can make it for Nash and Co. Prediction: Suns in 6.

3. Denver Nuggets (6) vs. San Antonio Spurs (3)- Of course the big story leading into this is Tim Duncan vs. Joey Crawford and what this all means for the referees officiating Spurs games. I'm sure NBA officials are not happy about Crawford's suspension, but I find it hard to believe that they are going to call the games any differently. It would be their jobs and reputations that would suffer. Besides, Las Vegas and ABC have deeper pockets and would affect the officials more than Crawford gate ever could. The improved play of the Nuggets as of late has me thinking this could be a close series but I'm leaning to the "playoff" Spurs to emerge here. I think this series will be a tough one for whoever wins to overcome when they play the Suns in the next round. Prediction: Spurs in 5.

4. Houston Rockets (5) vs. Utah Jazz (4)- See Bulls/Heat scenario. Yep, still don't get it. OK, I get it, I'm just not sure it is fair/makes sense. Again, despite the seeding, the Rockets actually have homecourt advantage in this one. I believe this will be a close series, probably the most exciting. And by most exciting I mean the games will be very competitive but no one outside of Houston or SLC will give a shit. I plan to watch zero minutes of this series on TV. Deron Williams, Boozer, and Kirilenko are solid young players while coach Sloan has done a lot with this Jazz team despite being so many years away from his heyday with Malone and Stockton. McGrady and Yao Ming seem to be clicking at just the right time heading into the postseason. The Rockets are the hotter team right now. Like I said, who cares? Prediction: Rockets in 6.

See you after the first round!

Deadspin Disrespects Bulls

One of my favorite sites, Deadspin disrespected the Bulls today in their daily NBA Roundup. To quote Deadspin, "Jay-Z And The No. 2 Seed. Larry Hughes scored 22 points and LeBron James had 18 points to lead Cleveland to a 98-92 win over Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavaliers can claim the No. 2 seed in the East tonight if they beat Milwaukee and New Jersey beats Chicago (also tonight). Will Nets part-owner Jay-Z give a more stirring pre-game speech than his pal LeBron tonight? We'll see."

As the Bulls hold the tiebreaker over the Cavaliers for the Second Seed in the East it is theres to lose, not the Cavaliers to win. The LeBrons could win 1,231 to 9 and as long as the Bulls win the Bulls are the 2 seed in the East. I can understand that Jay Z vs LeBron is a better headline, but well I can't think of a better headline. At least Will could have used this gay photo.

For you gamblers out there, Covers.com has the Bulls a 4.5 point favorite and the LeBrons are a 14.5 point favorite. I like both teams to cover. This also will start the trend of picks of the week, day, etc. in all sports, including my big Kentucky Derby preview coming up shortly before the Run for the Roses.

NFL Predictions

I went back on Okayplayer and looked up the pre-season predictions I made. Here's a rundown and outcome:
1. Chad Johnson leads league in yards receiving and TD catches (YES for YARDS, NO FOR TD's-6th)
2. Bears win NFC North, lose first playoff game (NO)
3. The last half of the season is filled with stories of the Packers telling Favre he doesn't have to do it (play) anymore but Favre still does on his way to leading the NFL in INTs (NO he was 4th) 4. LaDainian wins rushing title (YES)
5. Neither the Steelers nor the Pats go to the Super Bowl (YES)
6. Millen finally gets fired after this season (NO)
7. Vikings no better than .500 (YES)

So if you split my first prediction into two separate ones I was .500 overall.

Not too bad. I may have to do this again next year. I might go double or nothing on the Matt Millen prediction too. Meanwhile, I may need to guess how many Vikings are going to get slapped with criminal charges. Looks like the secondary is picking up right where they left off last year. Wow do I hate the Vikings.

ESPN.com Poll

The WWL in its sportsnation poll is showing results from April 11, 1861 asking how you feel about Slavery and should it be illegal. The poll results based on 16,000 total votes, is pretty even with 52% saying yes they are in favor of freeing the slaves, with a majority of those people voting coming from the Northern States. See the screenshots for results.

Oh wait, sorry I just reread the question, it asked if you object to the the presence of the Confederate Battle Flag on the state Capitol Grounds in South Carolina.

You say Tomatoe I say Tomato. Ohio, West Virginia, Kansas and Montana are the lone states from the Union that don't object to the Confederate Flag. For the sake of History, Montana was not yet a state and Kansas may or may not have still been a Territory depending on the actual date of the poll.

What's my role in all of this?

Ok, one more serious post and then I promise to change my tone. That's what this blog is supposed to be about anyway isn't it?

I just felt the need to create a post about the Imus situation. However, I plan on taking an alternative view on the subject. One could write for days on the topic and everything it means to our culture and our society.

But this blog is supposed to be about men in a certain demographic and I want to focus on that part of it. "What does an old crotchety racist's comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team have to do with you?" one may ask.

I guess that's my point. Where do I fit in this situation? Am I part of the problem or part of the solution? Am I neither? The media has correctly identified Imus' comments as being part of a greater problem in this country, namely racism and the degradation of women. Now that Imus has been sacrificed on the altar, the attention has turned to rap lyrics. Meanwhile, others (some defenders of Imus) have criticized Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (having controversial pasts themselves) of being hypocritical in their attacks on the former radio host.

To many of the regulars on Okayplayer I'm evil, the white devil, and probably a Zionist. To some of my colleagues, I'm a delusional liberal.

How does the young adult white American male approach this? We criticize Jesse Jackson and we're akin to slaveowners. We support hip-hop and we're wannabes. I don't really feel like I even have a right to have an opinion.

I guess the simple answer is to just "do you" and try not to focus on how we really don't fit in anywhere. Imus made a classic mistake by trying to play the "some of my best friends are black" card. Nothing good could have come from that. But what cards can I play from my hand?

From what I understand, Imus allegedly has racist tendencies and probably got what he deserved. Everything else that has transpired since is just opportunists trying to further their own careers, reputations, and agendas. As far as I'm concerned, you can combine every celebrity and journalist that has launched an attack since and realize that, for the most part, they're no better than Don Imus.

I believe... No, I have to believe, that I'm better than that.

Oh and by the way, when is the American mainstream going to realize the differences between Don Imus, Snoop, Al Sharpton, Dead Prez, Uncle Luke, and Mos Def? If you're going to try to make an argument, at least try to have an ounce of knowledge about the people you criticize and what those individuals create.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200704130001

Direction

When starting a blog it is important to pick a direction for it to go. What kind of blog is this going to be? According to Technorati there are over 70 million blogs out there, so what will make this one different? Direction, thats what. Or rather a lack of direction, once it seems like the blog is going in one direction, it will probably switch and go in some other random direction, or maybe not. We don't know, we have no control over it, the blog drives itself and we are just along for the ride.
To quote Walter Sobchak, "You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know..." Well thats not going to happen here, no long themes, posts, ideas, more just random ideas, stories, points, lessons or maybe a lack of all of those things.
Back to Direction, without it or a plan you end up wandering around aimlessly looking for a reason to go on. It is important especially as 30 something white males in this day and age to have a direction, a goal, whether to raise a family, get a new career, or become a leader of society, whatever. Well not this blog, if this blog has a direction its to allow us to escape from those things to take a relaxed attitude towards life. Enjoy or Don't.

It's Go Time!

I'm not sure why, but for some reason I still laugh every time Kornheiser yells these words. In fact, I try to make sure I get home from work in time on Tuesday and Wednesday for the end of PTI so I can hear Tony and Wilbon finish their show with what they plan to watch on TV that evening. Wilbon inevitably talks about whatever NBA game is on ESPN or TNT that night and before he can even finish a sentence he starts to roll his eyes and groan as Kornheiser yells "It's go time! American Idol!" and then follows with a prediction.

Recently, this show (American Idol, not PTI) has received attention for one contestant in particular, Sanjaya Malakar, and the campaign by others to vote him to victory despite an obvious lack of talent. This has caused much controversy in the media but one viewpoint in particular has grabbed my attention. Certain advocates of the Sanjaya campaign suggest that by voting him the champion (and possibly exposing AI for its flaws and destroying the show) we would subsequently expose the show for what it is, a show that preys on the American public's belief and dreams that everyone has talent, it just needs to be nurtured.

I think it goes beyond that. We like to see our heroes fail. Look at the tabloids, the entertainment news programs. We like to see Britney drunk and flashing cameltoe. We like to see Pacman Jones making it rain to the tune of a year's suspension. We can't wait for the next molestation allegations against the King of Pop. Idol is no different. Each week, the most popular show in America features a young hopeful boy or girl have their dreams crushed and then be forced to sing the song that caused them to be kicked off the show in front of the entire world while fighting back tears. And we love it.

So why does Tony like it? Maybe he likes it because it's competition, just like he enjoys sports. My guess? He, like the rest of America, can't wait to see someone else fall flat on his or her face.

BTW, what kind of jewish name is Tony anyway?