MLB Sourness

I'm a sports fan... let's get that out into the open right now. I like virtually all real sports and by real, I mean a sport that does not involve a judge (or judges) determining how well (or poorly) you have done and thus determining the winner. I do enjoy boxing, but have come to the acceptance that it is a farce like all other entities that involve a judge.

And when I say I like all 'sports', I mean it... I watch every grand slam in tennis (and more), almost every PGA tournament (especially majors), NFL, NHL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB, darts, poker, curling, lacrosse, etc... I even watched the World Cup for soccer the last two times but for some reason soccer just doesn't do it for me. Of course the reason I will watch virtually any sport is that I hate 'regular' television programming...it's all garbage, so I need to find something to watch that will interest me and sports does do that trick.

Now obviously there are some sports I follow and actually take an interest in, especially the NFL and NHL, with the other 'big' sports (NBA, NASCAR, PGA and MLB) with some less degree...and that is my point today, why I can't love the MLB anymore...or at least right now. With the regular season about to start and the sports show all a clamour about opening day, I thought it appropriate to voice my distaste for the MLB...

I was once like most other Americans... in love with baseball in my younger years. I had a card collection that was as good as anyone's my age when I was young. I would love watching baseball and keeping score. I had strat-o-matic baseball and as soon as available, roto-league games for the computer and would attend at least 6-8 games a year - driving 6 hours 1 way to get to a game.

Then 1994 came about and the strike. Because of that strike I became so disinterested in baseball, I didn't watch any games, go to any games or really care about baseball at all. Then 1998 and the McGwire-Sosa homerun derby was making headlines... and try as I might, I could not keep from following along and watching the chase for the homerun record. Even this excitement wasn't enough to fully lure me back to being an admitted 'baseball fan' again, but did seem to ease my hatred towards the league.

Well now we fast forward to 2005, now not only has the league been tainted with performance enhancing drugs, but that moment in time - when in 1998 - seemed so special and like history was being made has been turned into the joke that is the MLB.

I can't like the MLB today, in the state that it is in. Selig, at least at this time, appears to try and let things that happened in the past stay in the past. I think it is a complete disgrace and discredit to all the honost ball players out there that there records will be beaten by cheaters and the league is going to allow it. I think Selig needs to come out, as soon as possible, and say that all guilty parties of steroid use will have their careers nullified and/or asterisked and forever be banned from baseball.

There is absolutely no crediability in baseball right now, as it stands...and living in the hometown of Roger Maris, I can only imagine the betrayal he would be feeling from the MLB right now with the revelations that have come about since his record was beaten... I think it is a sad statement on our society when cheating, even when caught after the fact, could be totally ignored or go unpunished.

Cell Phone Usage Etiquette

I make no claims to being a social rule czar or etiquette guru, but I think it's time some basic cell phone usage rules finally be laid out and the enforcement of these rules need to take place immediately!

Rule 1:

Using your cell phone while driving. If you are unable or incapable of using your cell phone while you drive you must forfeit either the phone or your driver's license, your choice. If you are too dumb to realize that you are not driving properly while on the cell phone and that you should pull over to talk, then you are required to forfeit either your phone or your driver's license that very instant...no ifs, ands or buts.

Rule 2:

If your phone is ever heard making ANY noise during a movie, in a restaurant, at a meeting or essentially any place that is not your house or vehicle, it (the phone) should be destroyed, yes destroyed, immediately.

Rule 3:

Just because you are talking on a cell phone in public does not make you more important or oblivious to anyone that isn't talking on a cell phone at that time. I love the people that think they can maneuver through a line of people with a cell phone to their ear...oh yeah, that makes you so much more important and thus excuses you from all your discourtesy actions...moron. Breaking this rule will require you to either forfeit your phone or get beaten to the crowds delight, whichever you choose.

So there you have it... three basic rules I think we all can live with. So I encourage every person to begin immediate enforcement of these rules and I can guarantee society as a whole will see the benefits. Remember the last time you went out to eat and NOT heard a cell phone ring? I'm telling you we can have these times back again! Don't delay, act today!

Random Thoughts

Just to get something going, here's some random thoughts...

First, the national weather service... during the winter time, because the weather in the barren wasteland can often be brutal and unaccomodating to us humans it is beneficial to forecast when this inhospitable weather moves into our region...and usually is done accurately 12-24 hours in advance. But in the recent past, the last year or 2, because our winters haven't produced many 'blizzards' and/or winter storms to any severity. For some reason then, the national weather service has issued winter storm warnings days in advance, putting all the simpletons on high alert and advancing the entire region with an 'excuse' to be used as needed. But it never fails...after the news hypes the impending storm and plans are changed, church suppers cancelled and so on.... it turns out to be a pleasant, sunny day...and not just pleasant, I mean the exact opposite of what a winter storm would be... no clouds, no wind, all sunshine and warm... how can any entity keep their credibility after completely whiffing on a weather forecast, the very thing they are suppose to do. The real funny thing is that the next time the national weather service issues a winter storm warning days in advance the simpletons will again be on high alert and everyone must begin to fret...

Cards... I think if you are a red-blooded American male you should be required to at least know the basic rules to a couple of card games, namely poker and hearts. Of course I think everyone should be fluent at playing poker, hearts, pinochle, cribbage, spades and every drinking game. Why? If you ever have been confined to a 'group' that has had some free-time, the 'funnest' times have been when an impromptu card game breaks out. I just know it would suck to be the person who is in the group and doesn't know how (or want) to play cards. Time will surely drag for them. And why not learn some card games? Simple to play, a lifetime to master.

Worse drivers in the world, or at least in my town: Africans. Yes, people from Africa are the worst drivers in the world. I'm not sure why, all I know is that they are by far the worst drivers in my community. To make them worse, just add snow.

McDonald's - Is it just me, but when I was a young kid going to McDonald's was a 'special' treat. The food didn't seem too crappy and there was no playland. Now going to McDonald's seems like an ordinary occurrence and the food downright sucks. When's the last time you went to a 'fast food' joint that actually had a stove that they used to prepare food on? To further elaborate that thought, there is a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant right across the street from where I work and often co-workers and myself will go there to have a beer or two after work... last time there while walking to restroom I noticed their 'kitchen' and the appliances they had... it was 5 microwaves and about 8 deep fryers.... who would of thunk that you could open a 'restaurant' and the only skill your cook needs is to drop a basket into some oil and hit a timer.... Will I eat there again? Most certainly... I'm just observing my own complacency....

I've Been Busy....

Yes, it's the same excuse, but I'll always use it...

The past couple of weeks I've been working like a dog... got some new equipment installed at work, like a Synergy 100 switcher (a small video switcher), a Pinnacle Deko 1000 Character Generator, a third camera and a new replay system that utilizes 2 Sony DDR1000 machines (tapeless video recorders). For those that don't care...which is most everyone... it is all pretty cool stuff compared to what I was using before. After getting all that installed we had the combined North Dakota Class A Basktetball tournament here, which I used all the new equipment... everything seemed to go ok and other than working some long days, wasn't all that bad....

This is just my 'check in', I hope to get posting again....

Award Shows Suck

So I've been stuck at what next to blog about... So many topics, so little time... Ok, so I have a lot of time, just too lazy to write about anything... So with the joke of the Academy Awards over, I figured I might as well tell the world why they suck...And you see, what I am saying, or about too, has already been said by someone, somewhere else, but these points are so true that it is just another observation of idiots in American society, so I feel compelled to do so...

Well, let's start with the actual 'awards' themselves... The awards are given out by the very industry that the candidates are employed in... So you see, this is stupid point one. The entire show and production is just a big party for themselves. So basically it is just a bunch of 'co-workers' getting together to tell each other how great everyone is.

Then lets get down to the substance of the award shows themselves... At one time I actually couldn't wait to watch the Grammy's and the Academy Awards...when they were under 8 1/2 hours in length and much simpler. The Grammy's have by FAR become the biggest farce of an award ceremony. Not only does Jethro Tull beat a metal band (Metallica) for best heavy metal band when the award was first introduced...but the Grammy's continue to add awards to fit almost any album that comes out and does relatively successful (by Grammy standards, which isn't much). I would be embarrassed if I was in the music industry for any length of time and not have won a Grammy by now. The Academy Awards are just as much of a joke that feel the need to make sure everyone is a winner. The Academy Awards have become so 'sensitive' that they no longer can say "...and the winner is". Boy, I am sure all the losers of an award go home feeling much better that no one was called a 'winner' on stage.

And since there is an award show to award award shows, that just shows how many and how stupid the whole award show thing is... it is like reality tv. Since the Academy Awards pull in such big ratings lets have the Golden Globes, Grammy's, Emmy's, Daytime TV Awards, MTV Music Awards (and how can MTV even award music video awards since they don't even play music videos anymore?), Hip-Hop Awards, Country Music Awards and so on and so on... I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the Reality TV Award show... I sure hope American Idol does well!

And to prove that anyone can win an award... I have worked on 2 documentaries that have won an Emmy and 1 other that won a Peabody. Is it cool? Sure. What did I get out of it... a handshake...