"I don't know what cheating is."

I don't know what cheating is. This was the closest Barry Bonds came to admitting he did steroids... because if he didn't know using steroids was cheating, then he doesn't know what cheating is... that is his defense. He also said that "...sure, I lied, but everyone lies." Well, what are you lying about Barry? Of course he wouldn't elaborate as to what he was lying about.

There is very little doubt that Barry Bonds (and others) took performance enhancing drugs (steroids) to aid in their incredible numbers for the past 10 years. So begins the debate as what to do with the records these 'roid-boys' put up and how can anyone sort the non-roid records from the roid-enhanced records?

My solution is simple... asterisk every record set in the past 10 years. Sorry, the innocent will be unintential victims from my plan, but it is a necessity because to allow these astronomical numbers to stand unchallenged in the record books is absolutely an injustice to the entire history of the game itself. Here's some quick facts just to illustrate how steroids has skewed the game over the past 10 years...

Before 1995, about the time the Steroid Era began, there had been two 50-homer season in 25 years. Cincinnati's George Foster hit 52 in 1977 and the Tigers' Cecil Fielder belted 51 in 1990. Between 1995-2002, players hit 50 or more homers 18 times.

As a young player Rafeal Palmeiro was termed by scouts "an opposite-field singles hitters" who had eight, 14, 26 and 22 home runs early in his career. In 1993 (after Canseco became a teammate with the Texas Rangers) Palmeiro hit 37 home runs, followed by 23, 39, 39, 38, 43, 47, 39, 47, 43 and 38. Last year, when baseball began testing for steroids, the elder Palmeiro hit 23 home runs.

From 1997-2000 Bret Boone hit a total of 70 home runs.

The next four years he hit 120, with a high in 2001 of 37. Giambi hit 20, 20 and 27 home runs before blasting off to 33, 43, 38, 41 and 41.

Juan Gonzalez finished 1991 with a decent total of 27 home runs. He had 16 more the following season and 46 in 1993 before being hurt parts of the next two seasons. Then he came back with 47, 42, 45 and 39.

Bonds had 37 home runs in 1998 and 34 the next year. Then he hit 49, followed by 73, 46, 45 and 45.

Sosa had a four-year total of 137 before he broke out with 66, 63, 50 and 64.

MVPs Bonds (2001-04), Sosa (1998), Juan Gonzalez (1996, 1998), Giambi (2000), Pudge Rodriguez (1999) and Canseco (1988) all have the stigma.

I think the managers of the MLB areas much to blame the player's themselves for allowing this to happen. But the managers of the game have the daunting task of trying to give some credibility back to the sport.... If the game doesn't see another 50 homerun guy for another 10, 15 years, it will clearly show how tainted the last 10 years have been.

I will give no credit or validity to any record Bonds sets and if/when he breaks Aaron's homerun record, I would hope that it steroids is referenced and repeated numerous times before, during and after he rounds the bases because that is all the credit he deserves for breaking the record... because he took steroids, he was able to beat Hank Aaron's record... good for you Barry you lying pile of shit.

Chargers place franchise tag on QB Brees

Full Story Here: "SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Last April, the San Diego Chargers were willing to give away Drew Brees for a fourth-round pick. Now they have named him their franchise player.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith announced Thursday that the team has designated Brees as a franchise player, giving the Pro Bowl quarterback a salary of $8.078 million in 2005 - the average of the top five players at his position.

Brees was tagged as a 'non-exclusive' franchise player, which means that he can still negotiate with the league's other 31 teams. Should Brees receive an offer from another team, the Chargers can either match the new club's offer, or receive two first-round choices from that team."

2004-05 NHL Season Cancelled - Who's To Blame?

I'll preface my remarks with this, I don't claim to be an expert on the negotiations or even the most hardcore fan...but I am a fan and did follow this lockout with some degree of interest...so who's to blame?

Well, there is no question that some blame can be put onto both parties for the cancellation of the season, but I think the majority of blame could be put onto the player's union. Only yesterday did they propose their own 'salary cap' idea after refusing a salary cap for the entire lockout. If they would have put forth their cap plan even a week ago the season could have been saved. The owners, from the beginning, said that there would be collective bargaining agreement (cba) without a salary cap - which again, the player's union rejected all forms of a salary cap until less than 24 hours until the cancellation.

Whether you believe the numbers the owners/Bettman put forth, the truth is the NHL was losing money and had several franchises that weren't financially solvent. The player's seemed to not care. They used the upper franchise's spending as a basis for their minimums, and these upper franchises consisted of just a handful of teams. Using any of their proposals the NHL would have resorted to what the MLB is today... teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and big spending teams will clearly horde the talent and be legitamate cup contenders before a season would even begin. Whereas the more frugal and smaller market teams struggle to survive with little hope of even contending.

Many a hockey analyst has implied that the owners intended to break the union...but the union merely had to sign the $42.5 million final proposal and there would still be a season this year and a union next year. Now the NHLPA is receiving no money this season and unless they come to some agreement prior to next season's start, that amount will remain at nothing. According to Bettman's remarks today that all efforts are towards starting the 2005-06 season on schedule, which would lead one to think that replacement players would be used if a CBA is still not reached with the NHLPA.

To further hurt the NHLPA, Bettman also said that the final $42.5 million cap plan offered late yesterday is no longer on the table...meaning that negotiations begin at square one. With the NHLPA already showing that they would agree to some form of cap plan has just weakened its own footing.

With both sides knowing that damage has been done to the league in regards to potential fan support, one would think the owners would lower their cap proposal - Bettman said the $42.5 million cap would mean losses sustained by the league for the next 2 years, and I would think that the owners would want to lessen that blow.

To add to the union's woes, their are reports swirling that several players are dissatisfied with Goodenow and the process that was taken. As well as rumours of several players that are willing to break ranks and cross the line if a season were to begin without an union approved cba.

The end result, though, is that the season has been cancelled. The NHL was losing money and fans prior to this and who knows how long it will take to recover. But it is clear that both sides had little interest in the fans of their sport and are taking them for granted.

We're Number 1!

North Dakota makes it as number one... in underage binge drinking!

In a national survey conducted in 2002-03 North Dakotans aged 12 and older, 31% responded that they had 5 or more drinks in one sitting. The national average is 21% - numbers courtesy the National Survery On Drug Use And Health.

Gee, North Dakota has had consistent out-migration of it's young people and leads the nation in binge drinking. How could that be? I mean the jobs in North Dakota are some of the lowest paying (on national averages) jobs around and in Fargo, our police chief makes sure no one is having any fun what-so-ever (ie: party patrols, sobriety checkpoints, etc...). I have no idea why kids would binge drink rather than do some of the other fun activities that grace the barren wasteland that is North Dakota like.... um... hmmm... there's ah.... wait, gimme a minute.......

Ok, maybe binge drinking is the only thing to do...so can you blame them?

Why American Idol Sucks

Ok, full rant mode has been achieved...

I will preface this, and all my other rants regarding television, that I use to work in television and as a result, I think everything on national TV sucks, with the exception of sports and The Simpsons.

American Idol sucks and panders to STUPID people...ie: 13 year-old girls. I have not watched 1 second of this show and know absolutely nothing about it...so you then say to yourself, how can I make such a definitive statement about a show that I have never watched...easy:

First, there is a promo for American Idol on Fox ever 4 seconds, so I probably have seen every episode without even knowing it...I may not know the names, but I certainly know the faces. Next, the show is such a phenominal success that a person can not avoid it's mention on any media. And finally, we all know (again because we've seen 1 trillion promos for the fucking show) how the show works... people perform and then are either lauded with praise or ripped apart.

So why does it suck? For starters, you have the people that watch the show because they secretly (or maybe not secretly) dream of being a singing sensation themselves. They think by watching this show they will learn some valuable 'tips' from the judges that will further their own singing career - which currently is singing karaoke at bars and feeling like a superstar. These very same people then get their own ego stroked when on American Idol they show the horrible performers and ridicule that they receive..."Well I know I'm better than him, I could try out for American Idol and then who knows what?" stupid person thinks...

What could possibly be worse than American Idol you ask? Well, how about people talking about American Idol... Oh, I liked Dave last night because he had a red coat on and danced...but Debbie last week was so on... gimme a break... isn't there a karaoke competition you need to be at?

To show you how dumb the people that watch AI really are, there is the bad singer who performed 'She Bangs' by Ricky Martin last year (or 2 years ago...or whenever...) and now is putting out records and people are actually buying it... if I need to explain how stupid a person is for buying someone's music just to hear how awful it is to you, you best stop reading this now because you probably like American Idol and thus are truly an idiot. You truly are a pawn in society if this is you... Fox owns - yes OWNS the people that win and perform on AI. These performers are probably lucky to be able to make rent money off their record contracts whereas Fox and their record label(s) easily garner the majority of those contracts... and why shouldn't they? They made the performer popular and who they are... there is no way any of these performers would even be known by the idiots that watch AI unless it was for AI itself...which adds to the stupidity of the show itself... don't you idiots see that the entire show is being fed to you? Probably not... you probably think the whole thing is on the up and up and that the winners of the show are truly "star-worthy".

Where are any of these 'stars' of AI today? And if you have an answer, it's only because Fox and their record label are keeping them around. Once the dumb-ass idiots lose their interest in this season's 'flavor' you will no longer hear about any of these AI folks... and god-forbid if the show were to go off the air... I'm just waiting for the headlines "Former American Idol Star Arrested..." because I know it's coming!

I will keep you posted!

Addendum...

Newer Posts:

Why American Idol Sucks Part. II
Why American Idol Still Sucks
American Idol Star Arrested: Who Would Have Guessed

Updated 3/17/08:
American Idol: Jumped The Shark

Why ESPN Sucks

I posted this on my favorite fantasy sports game, Jock$tocks... and I thought... why don't I have more of my rants on here? Well, here we go... from 7/28/04....

ESPN is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary this year and what better way to wish ESPN a happy birthday then to rip it down and stomp on it...and why today? Read to the end....


Ok, for anyone that has watched ESPN from it's inception, I think, will be able to at least see my observations....

First, I'll start with their NFL Coverage...

Remember when ESPN Game Day actually was an hour-long show that would go around the league and set up each game? Go through personel, match-ups, weather conditions, standings, playoff positioning and basically set up every game? Remember those days? Now I can not even stomach turning on Game Day...why? Here's why:

Chris Berman: Thanks for joining us on ESPN's Game Day where we will get you ready for all the day's match-ups.... Like the Giants-Eagles game, it looks like it will be another classic in the making and now we turn to person X who has this touching story about one of the players....

(4 minute player profile)

Chris Berman: Wow, such adversity for that young man and we hope it all works out for him and his family.

When we come back we have much more!

(3 minutes of commercials)

Chris Berman: Welcome back...the NFC Norris division has one of it's best rivals matching up this week, the Vikes and the Pack at the (deep voice for effect) frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. It will no-doubtedly be a clash for the division lead and person X has this story about an incredible player.

(4 minute player profile)

Chris Berman: Wow, such adversity for that young man and we hope it all works out for him and his family.

When we come back we have much more!

(3 minutes of commercials)

You get the picture...remember when they actually talked about the game??? Now they have even extended the duration of NFL Game-day and I think they actually talk LESS about every game...it has become an endless parade of player profiles...just like the Olympics...

And I do admit that their NFL Prime-Time is still what it was...highlights from every game...although at one time every game was given roughly equal coverage...now I'm lucky to see only 2 of the 6 Charger interceptions, whereas I will see damn-near every play from a Patriot-Dolphin game...but maybe that isn't a bad thing....

Now on to ESPN Original Programming....

With the exception of PTI there has not been ONE show that ESPN fully produces that is worth watching. They produce shows that pretty much make Stuart Scott the 'focus' and I have grown so TIRED of Stuart's 'ubran lingo' (for lack of a better adjective) that he feels he needs to make sure is spewed out at every opportunity. "Stump The Schwab"...the premise: know more about sports then the ESPN sports geek...simple enough, now how to ruin this premise, just add Stuart Scott and some lame game-play rules, ie: poker chips (that Stuart gets to hand out) and cards that have strike on it. Dream job...get non-professionals to try and become a sports caster but make sure you got Stuart on the set to add the 'flavor'. Gee, I almost vomit when I see/hear several of the ESPN sports anchors and the way they pitch stories, I'm sure the non-professionals would be just as 'fun' to watch...

I won't even comment on 'playmakers'....

And now I begin to see a trend in their programming...do you?

for the first 3 years (from 2000-03) we had Sportscentury and greatest moments of the first 100 years of sports. Players, teams, moments...etc... This year we have ESPN 25... hour-long specials recapping a variety of sporting events that have ocurred since ESPN's start date - essentially re-hashing many of the same items again. What is it going to be next year? The new millenium, a look at the first 5 years of the new century? I am on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what 'series' ESPN can possible dream up for next year but I no-doubtedly will be tired of seeing the endless promos for whatever it is, just as I am today with their current ESPN25 campaign.

And to keep this post relatively brief (yes, I know...too late...)

My big finale...ESPN Sportscenter itself... to illustrate how this entity has become almost a joke in itself....

Anchor Person: The Mets-Braves met today at Shea and in 1823 Sock-Less Slim pitched a 6 hitter but ended up losing that game because the Mets could only muster 3 hits and no runs. In 1856 it was Glover McBase that had a no-hitter going into the 5th inning when the Braves got rocked and lost 7-5. Let's now flashback to 1913 when the Mets won a thriller 7-4 off a grand-slam in the ninth. Turn the clock to 1925 and Jacob Young stole home to win in extra-innings. In 1954 the Braves had a 16 game win-streak snapped by the Mets in a 10-2 match-up that meant nothing. Now look to 1962 when Josh Cleats was the hero after making a fantastic catch at the wall to perserve a 6-4 lead. In 1965 another great mid-summer classic with the Mets throttling the Braves 15-3 in 100+ degree weather. 1968 had the Mets on an improbably win streak that the hapless Braves won due to 3 Mets' errors in the ninth inning. 1973 was a year that neither the Braves or the Mets want to remember but Todd Dugout for the Braves had 4 homeruns in 3 games against the Mets to help the Braves take the season-series. 1976 was the year the Mets were to be revitalized but the Braves soundly beat them with the help of Rafeal DeJesus' 4 stolen bases. Flashback to 1983 when the Mets won 4 games in a row and looking to take the drivers seat for the pennant soundly beat the Braves in 6 consecutive meetings, primarily due to Dave Jones' bat...batting an insane .560 against the Braves. Jump to 1986, the Mets lose 10 straight and then win 9 in a row, 6 of them against the Braves. Now turn to 1993, a series for the ages, the Mets and Braves split the season series with all the games decided by 3 runs or less. Flashback to 1996, who could forget the July 23rd game which saw 8 homeruns with the 8th homerun off the bat of Jason Killjoy to end the game in the 14th inning. And just 3 years ago, in 2001 there was the pitching duel that delighted all, with a 2-1 Brave's victory... so would today's game live up to all that history? Nope, Brave's win easily 8-2 off a Chipper Jones grand slam. Now back to you Stuart....

I purposely left out many of the adjectives and descriptive phrases they inlcude to make the intro brief...but I think you get the picture...but do you remember when ESPN would JUST give you highlights and scores? Remember the good ole' days?

So why the rant today? This is why...

I'm sitting here at work and have the opportunity to be watching some TV while I work...and those that know morning programming, know there isn't much on... so what do I do? I turn on some ESPN Sportscenter and what do I see ESPN Sportscenter doing, and promoting? Athletes and musicians. A whole segment on how successfull or unsuccessful some athletes have been in the music industry and then they conclude their show with some rap star performing.... and apparently this is a 'series' so there will be more of these fine segments in future ESPN Sportscenter shows... give me a break!!!! I can see it already...

The year, 2005: ESPN is proud to present a year-long, in-depth series on the best sports related songs/music videos, athlete performance, stadium songs and team anthems. So tune in every Tuesday night at 7 PM EST to see the countdown of the 100 best songs all year long....

BLEAH!!!!!!!

Don't Pull The Plug Quite Yet

The 2004-05 NHL season may still occur... with 11th hour talks ongoing.

According to recent articles, the players have agreed (in principle) to a salary cap. The amount of that cap is what is being debated now, players wanting a $52 million cap and the owners seeking a $40 million cap. With the major obstacle cleared, it looks as if a season could still be salvaged...but the season and champion will most certainly be accompanied with an asterisk....

I always thought that the players would have to cave for the season to begin...it's too bad that they held out for so long, but were probably doing it to prove a point. Now the entire NHL will probably feel the financial impact of this lockout.

2 AM Bar Closing Time - Closer to Reality

Follow-up to the 2 AM bar closing debate.

The 2 AM bar closing in ND is one step closer as it passed the State's House vote 63-28 with no debate. The governor (R - John Hoeven) has already said he supports the bill, so barring some unforeseen obstacles, it should breeze through the State's Senate and become law shortly.

The latest article in the (Fargo) Forum of course now has Moorhead bar owners/workers distraught and the ND owners/workers filled with glee. And as previously mentioned, Moorhead has passed a no-smoking ordinance in all workplaces (including bars and restaurants) whereas Fargo has a no-smoking ordinance in all workplaces that allow minors...

So Moorhead was winning the battle, but Fargo is soon to take over...it will be interesting to see if (or really when) the city of Moorhead caves and alters their smoking ordinance.... stay tuned...

Season Cancellation Tomorrow

So the word is the NHL Season will be cancelled... which really is no surprise to anyone. As I have mentioned before, I think the player's have the most to lose and if they continue their stance of no salary cap, the union will fold and the league will probably be using replacement players starting next season. The question then will be how many players cross the line.

There has been some buzz that several young players are willing to cross the line... it will be interesting to see if any do... and of course, the more that do the more that will weaken the union.

Funny...but true...

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - A driver's education instructor was run over by one of her students and pinned beneath the car for 15 minutes, officials said.

Two cars driven by students collided on the DeKalb County Schools driver's education lot, then one of the students backed into Patricia Erwin, running her over.

She was hospitalized Friday in stable condition and underwent surgery for multiple broken bones.

Erwin, 64, who has taught driving for 20 years, was working with the students on a drill that included pulling forward and backing up at slow speeds, said Kal Kelliher, the district's driver's education coordinator.

No NHL Part III

"I can tell you unequivocally and without a doubt that we are done," NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly told The Associated Press on Thursday night. - Link

The facade is nearing an end. I am still perplexed as to why both sides even pretended to be trying to come to some compromise when both sides both steadfastly agreed they were not going to accept any compromise when it came to implementing a salary cap.

I think the owners have to say that replacement players will begin the season next year or the NHL is dead forever. I think once replacement players are playing, I think it will only be a matter of time before the NHLPA caves... if not, the NHL will continue without them. The damage has been done. If the player's think that fans aren't going to support replacement players, they are thinking wrong. The only fans that care about hockey now won't care who is skating and who isn't and in a few years the best hockey players in the world will again be in skating on NHL clubs.

Whether you think the player's are right or wrong, there will be no question that if/when they return, they will feel the impact of their motives this season for a long time...and in the end, I think they will lose more by giving in later rather than now.

Brees Wants Long Term Deal

Ok, we of course can not ignore the Charger's beat...

So Drew Brees is at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii and continues to want a long term deal. After his best season with the Chargers, his value increased tremendously. The delimna the Chargers face is that they drafted a QB in the first round last year and spent are spending quite a bit of money to have Phillip Rivers ride the pine.

My personal thought is to sign Brees to a 3 year deal and sit on Rivers one more year. If Brees continues to develop, as he has been... how long does it take for a quarterback to fully develop into a high caliber QB in the NFL? I think after investing 3 seasons with Brees starting it would only be foolish to let him go to another team. The Chargers have 2 first round picks next year, plus cap room. It may seem absurd to have potentially 2 starting QB's on your roster, but what the heck... if you can afford to do so, I say do so.

No NHL... part II

No surprise here...

The NHLPA and the Owners have broken off talks and both sides see no reason to resume. As the news came out this morning that commissioner Bettman said that if no deal is reached by this weekend the season would be scrapped....which most knew would be the end result before it even started....

First of the major four sports in America to have an entire season called off without a game played due to labor disputes....

Happy News

Lot's of happy news in the world today...

Let's see here...

We got the North Koreans with nukes now. All in the name of a pre-emptive measure from the evil that this the United States. Take note you third world countries looking to make a big impression on the world... wait for the U.S. to become so entangled, entranced and devoted towards one region of the globe and then make your move towards making nuclear, or other equally evil and devastating weapons; odds are you are going to get away with it.

Iran, who many 'pundits' think is America's next enemy has vowed a "Burning Hell" for any invaders.... isn't that what Saddam vowed too??? Here's a good quotee from President Mohammad Khatami that he said in a fiery speech to the crowd in central Tehran:

The whole Iranian nation is united against any threat or attack. If the invaders reach Iran, the country will turn into a burning hell for them," he added, as the crowd, braving heavy snow, chanted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!."

Can't we all just get along?

2 AM Bar Closing Time

Ok, look at me off to a good start... another entry...

I've been tracking this for quite some time... that is in North Dakota the closing time for serving alcohol is 1 AM. Minnesota (and I think South Dakota and Montana as well, but really don't matter, you'll see why...) now allows bars to remain open until 2 AM. I live in Fargo, ND, which is the largest city in North Dakota and really is the only place in North Dakota the resembles a metropolitain area... several small suburbs and Moorhead, MN is exactly adjacent to Fargo, ND, across from the Red River of the North. So you can see where this is going... Moorhead, in July 2003 decided to allow bars to be open until 2 AM.... Well, Fargo-Moorhead has a very large 'college' crowd with 3 large universities and several tech schools and university branches. So now where do all the college kids go to party on Friday and Saturday? Of course... Moorhead. Why not party until 2...heck, you'll probably party all night anyways. So now North Dakotan bar/restaurant owners want to extend the closing time in ND to make it fair....and what they really mean is put it back into their favor... Moorhead passed a city-wide smoking ban whereas Fargo passed a smoking ban in all workplaces where minors are permitted...which also is affecting some businesses and will get up to speed on that issue in short time as well...

Anyways, here's the latest article and I think bars in Fargo will be closing at 2 AM in short order....

No NHL this year

So Bettman has given the deadline for any hockey to be played this year. The one sport that needs all the help it can get to gain and retain new fans will see it's financial troubles worsen before they get better. With the owners standing strong, it is clear they are willing to proceed with hockey with or without the current player's union. I think the owners should then declare that the 2005-06 season will begin with replacement players if their is still no deal with the NHLPA by the time camps open.

Neither side is right in this disagreement. Both parties are essentially fighting over a pile of money, both wanting more from the pile. The pile will definately not be as big in the next few seasons barring some extraordinary feat(s) and the biggest losers in these sports labor disputes is always the fan... the very people that are so willing to hand over their hard earned dollar so other people can fight over it.... I love sports, but labor disputes hold a very special place of animosity for me... I used to be a HUGE baseball fan, but the strike of '95 killed that spirit...and it appears just in time.

Ok, ok....

After several 'acquaintances' have commented that I need to first post more and second, that the world doesn't revolve around the San Diego Chargers. Ok, so I do a lot of web surfing when I can...and I also am an opionated type person so I am going to make an attempt to start blogging a lot of the crazy crap I am thinking/reading/interested in... for no other reason than I can keep an instant record on the internet for the entire world to enjoy... and isn't that what's this 'Blogging' thing is all about anyways?

Tag on Brees a week or more away

Full Story Here: "The Chargers intend to use the 'franchise' tag on quarterback Drew Brees to keep him from walking away without compensation as an unrestricted free agent next month, but they won't do so for at least a week.

General Manager A.J. Smith said yesterday he plans to spend the rest of this week digesting recommendations and opinions offered during the team's end-of-the-season player-evaluation meetings, then forward a plan for 2005 to club President Dean Spanos next week.

The Chargers have until Feb. 22 to use the franchise tag, which would allow them to maintain Brees' rights for the coming season. The move immediately would count $8.078 million against the team's 2005 salary cap, but Smith planned for that possibility by clearing $21 million of cap space for the coming season."