Why?
I started this blog in late 2010.
In January and February of 2011, I had 5 posts. I didn't really start blogging hard again until football season. January through August had 45 posts, the NFL season had 125.
In the first two months of 2012: 19. The first four months had only 42.
Jan.-Feb. 2013: 45. The next four months only had 37.
And for last year's first two months: 25, with another 22 in the next two.
January and February 2015???
This is post number ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT!
To give you an idea: In the four full years of this blog, here is the date, by my best count, that I reached #128:
2011: November 9, just as Paterno and the university president were being fired, my demand to pull the plug on the football program at Pedophile State.
2012: August 6, a post about the possibility that Canada was jobbed to the United States in Olympic women's soccer to increase the USA's medal count in Beijing.
2013: August 31, a synopsis of the abject fraud and corruption in the entire Bowl Championship Series era, on the eve of the beginning of the final year of said era.
2014: July 25, while I was without computer at home, I was posting quasi-daily Quick Hits, and post #128 of 2014 was on ESPN's covering up for Ray Rice's INITIAL supension...
And I reach #128 on FEBRUARY 28, 2015!!
It's out of motherfucking control. It just IS. And if someone doesn't force it back in control....
Saturday, February 28, 2015
A Fraud That Often Goes Under the Radar: Ticketmaster
I've been noticing something the last few weeks, and it's finally motivated me to do a post on something that I know most sports (and other) fans gripe about.
It's Ticketmaster.
Ticketbastard, as we all like to call it, has been called on the carpet a number of times for shady dealings with respect to the tickets it has on sale.
Well, I think we might have to put it to the test again.
As a professional wrestling fan (though Vince McMahon likes to test that three-decade relationship from time to time), I have been keeping an eye on tickets to WrestleMania in my old stomping grounds of the Bay Area.
(Note: The WWE is doing this year's biggest card as simply "WrestleMania", NOT "WrestleMania XXXI" or the like.)
Anyhow, I've been keeping an eye on tickets ever since I had the money to buy them, about two weeks after they went on sale.
I'm probably NOT going to be in Levi's Stadium as a result!
Why?
Well, it sounds like Ticketmaster is getting suspicious.
And what started it popped up on Thursday.
Dave Meltzer is one of the most respected wrestling "sheet" writers, and has been for many years now. He writes the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
On Thursday, wrestling blogger Scott Keith reported, with Meltzer as a source, that between 11,000 and 12,000 WrestleMania tickets were still available.
So I decided to do some research...
First off, because I saw something that indicated that this was news to Ticketmaster!
And it's stated that for quite some time. (I just pulled this up as of the time I blogged this post.)
So, now, I attempt to go find some tickets and find a couple of very interesting facts.
I had been having trouble finding any ticket below $175 + at least $25 in fees (+ almost certainly another $7 or so for actually doing the order and mailing me the ticket).
So, 3:27 PM Pacific Time this afternoon, I hit a search for tickets available in the three lowest price denominations (all of which I could still do), and find...
That for the first time in MONTHS, I can get a $94 ticket, and so I snagged it.
It'll make March tight, but think I can get through it. (It would've been much better if I could've done this in another previous month, but OK...)
But here's the thing: First off, the site says there are few tickets left. Second, I had literally been checking tickets for MONTHS and got nothing cheaper than $175+$25.
So Ticketmaster was either holding back tickets, lying, or (because of Vince's booking) got a shit-ton of returns or transfers or the like.
Because they are now selling 4-packs of tickets to the event for $200.
Ticketmaster, you are something else.
Watch your backs, people.
It's Ticketmaster.
Ticketbastard, as we all like to call it, has been called on the carpet a number of times for shady dealings with respect to the tickets it has on sale.
Well, I think we might have to put it to the test again.
As a professional wrestling fan (though Vince McMahon likes to test that three-decade relationship from time to time), I have been keeping an eye on tickets to WrestleMania in my old stomping grounds of the Bay Area.
(Note: The WWE is doing this year's biggest card as simply "WrestleMania", NOT "WrestleMania XXXI" or the like.)
Anyhow, I've been keeping an eye on tickets ever since I had the money to buy them, about two weeks after they went on sale.
I'm probably NOT going to be in Levi's Stadium as a result!
Why?
Well, it sounds like Ticketmaster is getting suspicious.
And what started it popped up on Thursday.
Dave Meltzer is one of the most respected wrestling "sheet" writers, and has been for many years now. He writes the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
On Thursday, wrestling blogger Scott Keith reported, with Meltzer as a source, that between 11,000 and 12,000 WrestleMania tickets were still available.
So I decided to do some research...
First off, because I saw something that indicated that this was news to Ticketmaster!
And it's stated that for quite some time. (I just pulled this up as of the time I blogged this post.)
So, now, I attempt to go find some tickets and find a couple of very interesting facts.
I had been having trouble finding any ticket below $175 + at least $25 in fees (+ almost certainly another $7 or so for actually doing the order and mailing me the ticket).
So, 3:27 PM Pacific Time this afternoon, I hit a search for tickets available in the three lowest price denominations (all of which I could still do), and find...
That for the first time in MONTHS, I can get a $94 ticket, and so I snagged it.
It'll make March tight, but think I can get through it. (It would've been much better if I could've done this in another previous month, but OK...)
But here's the thing: First off, the site says there are few tickets left. Second, I had literally been checking tickets for MONTHS and got nothing cheaper than $175+$25.
So Ticketmaster was either holding back tickets, lying, or (because of Vince's booking) got a shit-ton of returns or transfers or the like.
Because they are now selling 4-packs of tickets to the event for $200.
Ticketmaster, you are something else.
Watch your backs, people.
Friday, February 27, 2015
And the worst European soccer story of them all might be OFF THE PITCH...
Just a moment ago, I posted a story on at least five incidents marring Champions League and Europa League matches in the last week (maybe two).
But that might not be the worst story in European soccer right now, as bad as all that is!
That may, once again, go to Italian soccer, and, specifically, Parma Football Club.
To say Parma is in trouble is an understatement. They will almost certainly be expelled by the Italian officials from the top tier of Serie A at the end of the year for financial malfeasance.
That is, if this Parma club even MAKES IT to the end of the year. The more likely result is that Parma will have to fold, put a new team forward, and start at the bottom -- not unlike Rangers of Scotland, in a move I am shocked did not kill Scottish soccer once and for all!
Parma has had to suspend it's upcoming match in Serie A and it's previous match because it, quite literally, has no money to keep the lights on.
In fact, the team has been sold twice this year, has not paid any of it's employees at all this season, and there is little idea as to the actual identity of who owns the team at all.
Let me try to unravel at least SOME OF THIS through an ESPNFC report on the subject...
That's laughable. The team is DEAD, mismanaged into the ground in one of the corrupt leagues in Europe. Kill it, and allow solvent individuals to use the years in lower tiers to build up the capital and goodwill necessary to rebuild Parma.
But that might not be the worst story in European soccer right now, as bad as all that is!
That may, once again, go to Italian soccer, and, specifically, Parma Football Club.
To say Parma is in trouble is an understatement. They will almost certainly be expelled by the Italian officials from the top tier of Serie A at the end of the year for financial malfeasance.
That is, if this Parma club even MAKES IT to the end of the year. The more likely result is that Parma will have to fold, put a new team forward, and start at the bottom -- not unlike Rangers of Scotland, in a move I am shocked did not kill Scottish soccer once and for all!
Parma has had to suspend it's upcoming match in Serie A and it's previous match because it, quite literally, has no money to keep the lights on.
In fact, the team has been sold twice this year, has not paid any of it's employees at all this season, and there is little idea as to the actual identity of who owns the team at all.
Let me try to unravel at least SOME OF THIS through an ESPNFC report on the subject...
- The team's assets are already scheduled for liquidation by Italian tax officials next week.
- A bankruptcy hearing on the team is scheduled for later in March.
- The latest home match could not be played because the team could not provide lighting nor security for the game. It had literally zero money for either.
- The team offices and official shop have been shut down.
- June 30, 2014: The team's last filings indicate the debt on the team is now 197 million euros, a nearly twelve-fold increase from seven years ago, when the team started received 220 million euros from the Serie A television contracts.
- 2004: Parma is declared insolvent as part of the bankruptcy of food giant Parmalat, the latter 14 BILLION euros in the hole.
- The team was basically trying a similar strategy to the Oakland A's of Major League Baseball -- find talented players, buy them cheap, sell them at a price.
- Mid-2014: The Italian officials deny Parma a berth in the Europa League for failing to pay a 300,000 euro tax bill. Yet, the team is allowed to play in 2014 Serie A.
- December 2014: Parma is sold by Tommaso Ghiardi, but no one knows to whom or for what sum.
- February 6, 2015: Parma is sold AGAIN to Giampietro Manenti, and the claim is that the debt is only 73.5 million euros. The ESPN report claims the sale price was... one euro.
- Manenti is believed to have capital totalling only 7500 euros at this juncture.
That's laughable. The team is DEAD, mismanaged into the ground in one of the corrupt leagues in Europe. Kill it, and allow solvent individuals to use the years in lower tiers to build up the capital and goodwill necessary to rebuild Parma.
And While We're At It... We may need to slam the door on European soccer, while we're at it...
Many disturbing articles in the last couple of days from the dysfunctional world of European soccer, NOT counting the fact that the year-before-World-Cup warmup, the Confederations Cup, has been removed from Qatar in 2021.
UEFA and FIFA claim no authority to act on the train station incident, since the 2015 incident was outside the boundaries of stadium grounds.
Chelsea leads the two-game series by scoring an away goal in a 1-1 draw against PSG this year. If the two-game match is tied, extra time is only played if the teams also score an equal number of goals as the away team.
They promised more mayhem when the Italians came to Holland, and they did not disappoint.
A Black player for AS Roma had a large inflatable banana thrown at him during the first half of the return match. (Bananas are often used to imply Black players are nothing more than monkeys or apes, and is a common racist tactic in most of the soccer world.)
The referee stopped the match and threatened to end the tie and award the series to AS Roma.
Then, in the second half, the same referee threw a Feyenoord player out of the game for a dangerous tackle, and that got objects thrown from the crowd. The match was stopped AGAIN, this time for about 20 minutes.
Inexplicably, the match was allowed to continue, and AS Roma won the match, 2-1, to win the series 3-2 and advance in the tournament.
No word yet on UEFA actions against Feyenoord...
Now, two more charges have been hit for the game in which they were eliminated.
The first is a repeat offense on the fireworks, as they set off some in the 1-0 loss which eliminated them, just days after the group match incident fine was announced.
The second is that the team received SEVEN yellow cards in the match. That's an automatic UEFA charge at the point they receive five. One player did get sent off, and the referee was publicly rebuked by manager Ronny Deila, for which he could also be charged.
A 2004 incident in which a team received five yellow cards cost them 10,000 Swiss francs (the currency used at the time). It would appear that seven would get a stiffer fine.
Guingamp supporters enraged Dynamo Kiev ultras by rolling out the French tricolor to signify their feeling on the disputed region of Crimea, and Dynamo Kiev's ultras were out for blood.
A decision will be made as to what penalties Dynamo Kiev will be given.
It's not going to work, people.
The day and age of money allowing these matches to take place when all sanity and all safety indicate these matches should and MUST be stopped must end.
The only way to stop this is either to stop the teams in which ultra hooligans are doing this from playing, or stop the tournaments outright.
PERIOD.
That is FIVE incidents this round, at least.
Stop the hooligans, or stop the games.
And I think I know which one we'd have to pick.
- Chelsea should be banned from European club competition. Devoted fans/ultras of the club denied entry onto a Paris train of a Black man, with one chant being: ""We're racist, we're racist, we're racist, and that's the way we like it, we like it, we like it"" -- appearing to make them members of the "Chelsea Headhunters", a racist organization of soccer hooligans you can read about on the Wikipedia page chronicling why UEFA and FIFA need to step in yesterday.
UEFA and FIFA claim no authority to act on the train station incident, since the 2015 incident was outside the boundaries of stadium grounds.
Chelsea leads the two-game series by scoring an away goal in a 1-1 draw against PSG this year. If the two-game match is tied, extra time is only played if the teams also score an equal number of goals as the away team.
- Of course, Chelsea may have to wait in line, as a Europa League (second-tier to the Champions League for European clubs) series has been disrupted by racist bullshit, and this even far more planned than Chelsea's. Feyenoord (Netherlands) hooligans trashed BOTH HALVES of the two-game tie against AS Roma of Rome.
They promised more mayhem when the Italians came to Holland, and they did not disappoint.
A Black player for AS Roma had a large inflatable banana thrown at him during the first half of the return match. (Bananas are often used to imply Black players are nothing more than monkeys or apes, and is a common racist tactic in most of the soccer world.)
The referee stopped the match and threatened to end the tie and award the series to AS Roma.
Then, in the second half, the same referee threw a Feyenoord player out of the game for a dangerous tackle, and that got objects thrown from the crowd. The match was stopped AGAIN, this time for about 20 minutes.
Inexplicably, the match was allowed to continue, and AS Roma won the match, 2-1, to win the series 3-2 and advance in the tournament.
No word yet on UEFA actions against Feyenoord...
- Because both of them are going to have to wait in line behind Celtic of Scotland, who have now been hit with three charges for their conduct during the 2015 Europa League, from which they were just eliminated by Inter Milan.
Now, two more charges have been hit for the game in which they were eliminated.
The first is a repeat offense on the fireworks, as they set off some in the 1-0 loss which eliminated them, just days after the group match incident fine was announced.
The second is that the team received SEVEN yellow cards in the match. That's an automatic UEFA charge at the point they receive five. One player did get sent off, and the referee was publicly rebuked by manager Ronny Deila, for which he could also be charged.
A 2004 incident in which a team received five yellow cards cost them 10,000 Swiss francs (the currency used at the time). It would appear that seven would get a stiffer fine.
- And a THIRD Europa League match has been placed under investigation, as Dynamo Kiev of the Ukraine now has to wait for UEFA to determine if their next home match (against Everton in the quarterfinals) has to be played under closed doors!
Guingamp supporters enraged Dynamo Kiev ultras by rolling out the French tricolor to signify their feeling on the disputed region of Crimea, and Dynamo Kiev's ultras were out for blood.
A decision will be made as to what penalties Dynamo Kiev will be given.
- And one more Champions League note: Bayer Leverkeusen of Germany has been brought under review for an "illicit banner" in their win over Atletico Madrid.
It's not going to work, people.
The day and age of money allowing these matches to take place when all sanity and all safety indicate these matches should and MUST be stopped must end.
The only way to stop this is either to stop the teams in which ultra hooligans are doing this from playing, or stop the tournaments outright.
PERIOD.
That is FIVE incidents this round, at least.
Stop the hooligans, or stop the games.
And I think I know which one we'd have to pick.
Someone shut down the Florida State football program and culture -- NOW -- or someone is going to die.
No, that's not a threat from me.
It's an observation given actions Deadspin has reported (through the Tampa Bay Times) late this afternoon by members of the Florida State Football Apologists Rapeis Winston Fan Club toward the news reporter who broke the story on Rapeis being Rapeis.
Matt Baker chronicles his experience with the story, and how the accuser has been driven from the school. It's pretty standard Football Man Gotta Rape To Protect His Spot (So We Have To Protect "Protected Man") BULLSHIT, but the fact of the matter is simple:
If someone does not take the fucking "football town" out of Tallahassee, Florida damned good and quick, someone is going to die at the hands of someone protecting the Florida State football program, culture, and reputation.
I said it, I meant it. Someone is going to kill a reporter, a DA, an accuser, etc. to protect a university and football team rapidly accumulating a reputation of sexual assault, degradation, and Football Over Life that eerily mirrors places like Stubenville, Ohio and State College, Pennsylvania.
And here's the worst part of it: The accuser may be about to go back into the line of fire. According to the Matt Baker article, she took part in a documentary of the epidemic of rape and sexual assault on college campuses called The Hunting Ground. It is scheduled, within a month, to be released in Florida, if not nationwide.
How are we to know that some Goddamned Seminole Jackoff is not going to go and decide the only way this woman is going to shut up about Football God and #1 Draft Pick (to Tampa Bay, ironically!) is to be shut up: Once, For All, and Permanently...
It's an observation given actions Deadspin has reported (through the Tampa Bay Times) late this afternoon by members of the Florida State Football Apologists Rapeis Winston Fan Club toward the news reporter who broke the story on Rapeis being Rapeis.
Matt Baker chronicles his experience with the story, and how the accuser has been driven from the school. It's pretty standard Football Man Gotta Rape To Protect His Spot (So We Have To Protect "Protected Man") BULLSHIT, but the fact of the matter is simple:
If someone does not take the fucking "football town" out of Tallahassee, Florida damned good and quick, someone is going to die at the hands of someone protecting the Florida State football program, culture, and reputation.
I said it, I meant it. Someone is going to kill a reporter, a DA, an accuser, etc. to protect a university and football team rapidly accumulating a reputation of sexual assault, degradation, and Football Over Life that eerily mirrors places like Stubenville, Ohio and State College, Pennsylvania.
And here's the worst part of it: The accuser may be about to go back into the line of fire. According to the Matt Baker article, she took part in a documentary of the epidemic of rape and sexual assault on college campuses called The Hunting Ground. It is scheduled, within a month, to be released in Florida, if not nationwide.
How are we to know that some Goddamned Seminole Jackoff is not going to go and decide the only way this woman is going to shut up about Football God and #1 Draft Pick (to Tampa Bay, ironically!) is to be shut up: Once, For All, and Permanently...
The Kid's A Punk, The Coach Needs To Be Investigated and Fired
Dateline: Vanderbilt.
Wade Baldwin IV was berated with profanity in the handshake line by his coach, Kevin Stallings, for an act of taunting his Tennessee opponent.
This has been a repeated problem with Baldwin for much of his freshman year, ESPN reports during the day said.
Baldwin was not penalized in the eight-point Vanderbilt victory.
Now, if it went as far as a coach being profane with an unsportsmanlike player who didn't get the message, that'd be one thing. I actually would support it, sans violence or anything the coach might say to cross the line...
But Stallings (who will not be suspended by either the conference or the school) should be investigated and fired for his use of this language, according to the ESPN.com report:
Vanderbilt is satisfied he didn't mean it, but some people in this country don't get that leeway, Coach Stallings.
That, in a lot of circles, if you aren't Protected Man, would get you arrested pretty quickly.
Sorry, Vandy, but your program might be better off without both the kid AND the coach...
The kid for being a punk, the coach for crossing the line.
Wade Baldwin IV was berated with profanity in the handshake line by his coach, Kevin Stallings, for an act of taunting his Tennessee opponent.
This has been a repeated problem with Baldwin for much of his freshman year, ESPN reports during the day said.
Baldwin was not penalized in the eight-point Vanderbilt victory.
Now, if it went as far as a coach being profane with an unsportsmanlike player who didn't get the message, that'd be one thing. I actually would support it, sans violence or anything the coach might say to cross the line...
But Stallings (who will not be suspended by either the conference or the school) should be investigated and fired for his use of this language, according to the ESPN.com report:
"After the Commodores' 73-65 victory, Baldwin was seen clapping in the face of Tennessee forward Armani Moore, and Stallings was informed of Baldwin's actions by a Vols staff member. The Commodores coach then pulled Baldwin out of the handshake line and loudly and profanely berated him, at one point saying, "I'm going to f---ing kill you.""
Vanderbilt is satisfied he didn't mean it, but some people in this country don't get that leeway, Coach Stallings.
That, in a lot of circles, if you aren't Protected Man, would get you arrested pretty quickly.
Sorry, Vandy, but your program might be better off without both the kid AND the coach...
The kid for being a punk, the coach for crossing the line.
It's almost fitting, when you think of it...
Travis Kvapil will not race in the second NASCAR race this season.
His one-car team is now a zero-car team -- the car was STOLEN, big rig and all.
Almost fitting, in a season where, less than two weeks in, you're down at least two drivers and God only knows what happens from there.
His one-car team is now a zero-car team -- the car was STOLEN, big rig and all.
Almost fitting, in a season where, less than two weeks in, you're down at least two drivers and God only knows what happens from there.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Football Nation America: Packer Fan Never Saw The Script
I know I'm going to get reamed by somebody for this, but I really thought Packer Fan was smarter than this...
I really thought people had successfully figured out that the lay-down job to Seattle was a professional wrestling-level script, and leave it at that.
No, Packer Fan had to threaten the life of the guy who fumbled the onside kick.
Does ANYONE actually NOT believe that whole debacle in Seattle was scripted?
ANYBODY??
I really thought people had successfully figured out that the lay-down job to Seattle was a professional wrestling-level script, and leave it at that.
No, Packer Fan had to threaten the life of the guy who fumbled the onside kick.
Does ANYONE actually NOT believe that whole debacle in Seattle was scripted?
ANYBODY??
Follow-Up On All of Yesterday's Rumors
- According to various sources in the wrestling rumor department, the Brock Lesnar walkout official story is a dispute over if and how Lesnar may continue in WWE -- including financial.
And if you think you're going to do the same thing to Brock Lesnar you did to Wendi Richter and Bret Hart, Vince, you may end up with a mortal incident to your company.
- Josh Hamilton's relapse involved "at least cocaine", and no one is exactly sure how MLB is going to proceed.
In the minors (and this is the source of the dispute), Hamilton was suspended for at least 28 months from 2004 to 2006 for drugs. So does he get "first offense in the Majors" status, or is he so far up the ladder that only Commissioner Manfred can determine where it goes from here?
If I read the history correctly, this would be past two year-plus suspensions already for Hamilton.
Can his ass.
- The Dez Bryant thing is going to explode. The only question is how.
First, on the video: The latest word is that the video in question MAY BE a 2011 Wal-Mart incident in which police/security were notified that a Black man was dragging a Black woman from one vehicle to a vehicle registered to Dez Bryant.
Then, other males in another vehicle registered to Bryant came when police showed up to pick up the first vehicle, a Mercedes. Then, a Bentley (probably the second vehicle) pulled up with Bryant and the victim inside it.
Now, as the article notes, if Bryant actually helped the woman, as stated to police, and this is the video people have been speculating, then it's a blackmail thing (and that's been getting put forward in another Yardbarker article). However, if police are being lied to...
The new twist in the second article is that his original agent has been paying hush money to keep this video quiet. Bryant then, for a short time, switched to Drew Rosenhaus, but went back to his old agent, Eugene Parker, and the question is now whether Bryant, knowing he'd be screwed if this went public, that Rosenhaus wouldn't pay the hush money.
All this would be a bit protective of Bryant, but a THIRD Yardbarker story has surfaced.
Dez Bryant was arrested for an attack on his mother in 2012, and TMZ got the police interview with his mother on Tuesday, in which she said Dez threatened to knock her out.
So it's going to go off, just a matter of how...
Fuck Adrian Peterson, The Next Part: And What It Means Going Forward
A Federal judge, today, overturned Adrian Peterson's suspension.
So, now, both the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson suspensions have been overturned.
It is now clear that the NFL, nor any other party, can sufficiently discipline football players.
I'm waiting for the following ruling, which will effectively cover all the bases -- getting rid of all Personal Conduct, Player Safety, and other inconvenient policies to Roger Goodell:
A Football Player, as Protected Man, has the right to do as and where he chooses, without criminal penalty, as long as he does not infringe the Instititutions which grant him Protected status. However, another similarly Protected Man can do the same to him.
The NFL is appealing the ruling.
So, now, both the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson suspensions have been overturned.
It is now clear that the NFL, nor any other party, can sufficiently discipline football players.
I'm waiting for the following ruling, which will effectively cover all the bases -- getting rid of all Personal Conduct, Player Safety, and other inconvenient policies to Roger Goodell:
A Football Player, as Protected Man, has the right to do as and where he chooses, without criminal penalty, as long as he does not infringe the Instititutions which grant him Protected status. However, another similarly Protected Man can do the same to him.
The NFL is appealing the ruling.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Various Completely Unsurprising Rumors: Shit is About To Hit the Fan Again...
Lots from the rumor mill... NONE OF THIS IS COMPLETELY CONFIRMED.
Since then, to put it politely, the rumor mill has been abuzz as to why. This caused the WWE's booking of Raw, only 34 days before WrestleMania, to be as confused as ever, if not even worse (with Smackdown spoilers indicating tomorrow night's show is no better!!).
Though most people, at first glance (as well as I) felt that the WWE might have notified Lesnar that he, on the cusp of a contract decision that might send him back to UFC, failed a drug test pursuant to the WWE's Wellness Policy.
The big rumor someone has put on Reddit is that it wasn't Lesnar, but his WrestleMania opponent, Roman Reigns (the cousin of The Rock, and, hence, Vince McMahon's Chosen One -- to the chagrin of just about everyone not a fan of Reigns at this juncture!) who failed the test, and WWE is openly covering it up.
This would make sense, since Lesnar is believed to be leaving WWE at the end of the contract, and the UFC, to stem off out-of-control PED usage in their company, is instituting year-round testing (Yeah, right!! They do that, and they'll have maybe 15 fighters in their employ!!!). Lesnar fighting Reigns under that cloud will make Lesnar look bad and subject to his own scrutiny, and might even endanger a proposed deal with UFC.
We'll keep an eye on all of this.
- Adam Schefter says the purported Dez Bryant video exists of a "worse than Ray Rice" incident. (Yardbarker.)
- Josh Hamilton has admitted a cocaine relapse and is in New York facing a drug suspension from Major League Baseball. (Two stories from Yardbarker.)
- One from professional wrestling, just for kicks: Vince McMahon may be screwed for the upcoming WrestleMania 31, and the main event involving Brock Lesnar. (Various sources.)
Since then, to put it politely, the rumor mill has been abuzz as to why. This caused the WWE's booking of Raw, only 34 days before WrestleMania, to be as confused as ever, if not even worse (with Smackdown spoilers indicating tomorrow night's show is no better!!).
Though most people, at first glance (as well as I) felt that the WWE might have notified Lesnar that he, on the cusp of a contract decision that might send him back to UFC, failed a drug test pursuant to the WWE's Wellness Policy.
The big rumor someone has put on Reddit is that it wasn't Lesnar, but his WrestleMania opponent, Roman Reigns (the cousin of The Rock, and, hence, Vince McMahon's Chosen One -- to the chagrin of just about everyone not a fan of Reigns at this juncture!) who failed the test, and WWE is openly covering it up.
This would make sense, since Lesnar is believed to be leaving WWE at the end of the contract, and the UFC, to stem off out-of-control PED usage in their company, is instituting year-round testing (Yeah, right!! They do that, and they'll have maybe 15 fighters in their employ!!!). Lesnar fighting Reigns under that cloud will make Lesnar look bad and subject to his own scrutiny, and might even endanger a proposed deal with UFC.
We'll keep an eye on all of this.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Keith Olbermann Is Done At ESPN -- And Penn State Is The Reason -- Part Two: More Thoughts
I've said it from Day One.
There is no penalty within the law that's enough.
There's no penalty OUTSIDE THE LAW that's enough.
But this is getting to the point that the only real remaining question is whether Penn State University wins the 2015-16 CFP, or it has to wait until 2016-17.
The "Football Over Life" thing Mark Emmert said he wanted to strike out against has subjugated the NCAA. The NCAA now has no right to adjudicate any form of collegiate sport whatsoever, in any way, shape, or form.
This purported "University" has now partnered with ESPN (and I said, back when the "exclusive access" to the NCAA meetings on the Death Penalty were reported, that ESPN is the sole reason we still have a Penn State University, much less their football program!) to basically railroad any opposition to that "Football Over Life" mentality.
Why? One Roger Goodell might explain it, but that's another rant.
Let's go over what happened last night:
Penn State University, at some point recently, had their annual dance marathon, and raised over $13,000,000 for pediatric cancer research for it's children's hospital.
Someone decided to throw that in Keith Olbermann's face (using typical Twitter "grammar"), and got the expected Keith Olbermann response.
Someone wailed. (Or someone was watching...)
Either way, let's get one thing straight right now on Olbermann before I go off: Olbermann cannot continue at ESPN under these circumstances. Penn State has now subjugated HIM, at least in the eyes of his (soon-to-be former) employers.
It's about 6 PM Eastern as I get to this sentence. I'm shocked he's still employed now. In fact, let me go check.
Still there for now.
Anyway, the point I'm making is this: Olbermann has been at war with the Penn State football community for about as long as they've shot off their fucking mouths. There's no way he can continue with good conscience.
Now, that said, let me go further for my own benefit.
Number One: If the Penn State mentality had been at my high school while I was growing up, I'm killed before age 18. Perhaps far sooner than that.
We now basically have as ESPN Gospel that football is to trump everything in human existence.
So when Keith Olbermann says the following:
I'm inclined to agree with him.
That mentality, which has ended any NCAA credibility it may or may not have had left, would've killed me in high school, and, in a school of about 120 students, I can think of at least two more students who would've died my senior year (both fled the school, one after snapping into violence himself because he couldn't take it anymore!).
Number Two: Anyone still associated with Penn State University today enables the Sandusky conduct and the conduct of the Football Over Life mentality there, whether they choose to admit it or not.
And I do say ANYONE. They may not go so far as to what I say in Number Three, and I do understand that there are members of the Penn State community who condemn the action.
The fact is simple, however: Anyone who does not bow down to Saint Joseph and Saint Jerry is going to be ostracized eventually -- and that can go from the President of the University (who has tried -- and failed! -- in his efforts to demand moving forward) on down.
As long as Football Over Life wins, then the culture will be all-consuming, and, at that point, no one is immune.
At least there are those who are willing to condemn the past actions and try to support sanctions and moving on.
For those who aren't...
Number Three: Anyone carrying water for Penn State's football program under Paterno and Sandusky, especially as an apologist for either or both, is either or both of a pedophile and/or an accessory to murder.
Period.
There is no polite way to put it anymore. If you are all "Free Joe"/"409", etc., you are either effectively still raping those kids today many years later or you are an accessory to an all-but-murder almost-certainly orchestrated by Paterno to cover up the acts.
And let's never mind the FBI investigation into pimping kids for donations for your fucking University either.
If you want to carry water for this former coach and this program, then Keith Olbermann put it KINDLY. You are an insult to sports and humanity on that simple basis alone.
Oh, and as for the $13 million...
Number Four: Take this one from personal experience: Some sins cannot be washed away, no matter how much good is done afterward.
And here's the kicker to that: It's worse in your case because it took so much to overcome the absolute power your Protected Man Sandusky and your Protected Man Paterno did that to basically cover for it has destroyed the last of the NCAA, for starters.
If the money hadn't gone to an on-campus hospital, I'd have urged the donations be refused.
Fuck your $13 million. Fuck your dance marathon. Fuck your university.
And if that and your football team are your life, fuck your life too.
Burn it ALL to the ground!
Number Five: ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Pedophilia Network (or Pandering Network, depending on your take -- as my friend told me, both work!!), is streaking to the Right.
No problem at all for Curt Schilling to be a Bible-Thumping Idiot on Creationism.
Every problem at all for Michael Sam to pursue football dreams in the No ....... League...
Suspend Keith Law for calling Schilling out on his shit.
And now we have this, on top of so much else.
Why don't we just state that ESPN is now the network for Protected Man?
The Protected Man that is encouraged (and, in many circles, required) to rape, pillage, and plunder.
The Protected Man who, as long as he is a Straight, Male, God-Fearing Christian Man (who is a Football God, under breath), is The Most Important Single Commodity America Has!
FUCK -- YOU.
Oh -- to probably begin the process of transitioning to what, if reports from the Seattle Sun-Times are true -- who (again, if the reports are true!) is going to start carrying water for Dez Bryant???
There is no penalty within the law that's enough.
There's no penalty OUTSIDE THE LAW that's enough.
But this is getting to the point that the only real remaining question is whether Penn State University wins the 2015-16 CFP, or it has to wait until 2016-17.
The "Football Over Life" thing Mark Emmert said he wanted to strike out against has subjugated the NCAA. The NCAA now has no right to adjudicate any form of collegiate sport whatsoever, in any way, shape, or form.
This purported "University" has now partnered with ESPN (and I said, back when the "exclusive access" to the NCAA meetings on the Death Penalty were reported, that ESPN is the sole reason we still have a Penn State University, much less their football program!) to basically railroad any opposition to that "Football Over Life" mentality.
Why? One Roger Goodell might explain it, but that's another rant.
Let's go over what happened last night:
Penn State University, at some point recently, had their annual dance marathon, and raised over $13,000,000 for pediatric cancer research for it's children's hospital.
Someone decided to throw that in Keith Olbermann's face (using typical Twitter "grammar"), and got the expected Keith Olbermann response.
Someone wailed. (Or someone was watching...)
Either way, let's get one thing straight right now on Olbermann before I go off: Olbermann cannot continue at ESPN under these circumstances. Penn State has now subjugated HIM, at least in the eyes of his (soon-to-be former) employers.
It's about 6 PM Eastern as I get to this sentence. I'm shocked he's still employed now. In fact, let me go check.
Still there for now.
Anyway, the point I'm making is this: Olbermann has been at war with the Penn State football community for about as long as they've shot off their fucking mouths. There's no way he can continue with good conscience.
Now, that said, let me go further for my own benefit.
Number One: If the Penn State mentality had been at my high school while I was growing up, I'm killed before age 18. Perhaps far sooner than that.
We now basically have as ESPN Gospel that football is to trump everything in human existence.
So when Keith Olbermann says the following:
.@dave_seidel Again - get your $ back - you didn't learn how to read. PSU students are pitiful because they're PSU students - period.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2015
I'm inclined to agree with him.
That mentality, which has ended any NCAA credibility it may or may not have had left, would've killed me in high school, and, in a school of about 120 students, I can think of at least two more students who would've died my senior year (both fled the school, one after snapping into violence himself because he couldn't take it anymore!).
Number Two: Anyone still associated with Penn State University today enables the Sandusky conduct and the conduct of the Football Over Life mentality there, whether they choose to admit it or not.
And I do say ANYONE. They may not go so far as to what I say in Number Three, and I do understand that there are members of the Penn State community who condemn the action.
The fact is simple, however: Anyone who does not bow down to Saint Joseph and Saint Jerry is going to be ostracized eventually -- and that can go from the President of the University (who has tried -- and failed! -- in his efforts to demand moving forward) on down.
As long as Football Over Life wins, then the culture will be all-consuming, and, at that point, no one is immune.
At least there are those who are willing to condemn the past actions and try to support sanctions and moving on.
For those who aren't...
Number Three: Anyone carrying water for Penn State's football program under Paterno and Sandusky, especially as an apologist for either or both, is either or both of a pedophile and/or an accessory to murder.
Period.
There is no polite way to put it anymore. If you are all "Free Joe"/"409", etc., you are either effectively still raping those kids today many years later or you are an accessory to an all-but-murder almost-certainly orchestrated by Paterno to cover up the acts.
And let's never mind the FBI investigation into pimping kids for donations for your fucking University either.
If you want to carry water for this former coach and this program, then Keith Olbermann put it KINDLY. You are an insult to sports and humanity on that simple basis alone.
Oh, and as for the $13 million...
Number Four: Take this one from personal experience: Some sins cannot be washed away, no matter how much good is done afterward.
And here's the kicker to that: It's worse in your case because it took so much to overcome the absolute power your Protected Man Sandusky and your Protected Man Paterno did that to basically cover for it has destroyed the last of the NCAA, for starters.
If the money hadn't gone to an on-campus hospital, I'd have urged the donations be refused.
Fuck your $13 million. Fuck your dance marathon. Fuck your university.
And if that and your football team are your life, fuck your life too.
Burn it ALL to the ground!
Number Five: ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Pedophilia Network (or Pandering Network, depending on your take -- as my friend told me, both work!!), is streaking to the Right.
No problem at all for Curt Schilling to be a Bible-Thumping Idiot on Creationism.
Every problem at all for Michael Sam to pursue football dreams in the No ....... League...
Suspend Keith Law for calling Schilling out on his shit.
And now we have this, on top of so much else.
Why don't we just state that ESPN is now the network for Protected Man?
The Protected Man that is encouraged (and, in many circles, required) to rape, pillage, and plunder.
The Protected Man who, as long as he is a Straight, Male, God-Fearing Christian Man (who is a Football God, under breath), is The Most Important Single Commodity America Has!
FUCK -- YOU.
Oh -- to probably begin the process of transitioning to what, if reports from the Seattle Sun-Times are true -- who (again, if the reports are true!) is going to start carrying water for Dez Bryant???
Keith Olbermann Is Done At ESPN -- And Penn State's The Reason -- Part One: The Short Version
#FuckPennState #FuckESPN #FuckJoePaterno #FuckFootballOverLife #FuckMarkEmmert #FuckTheNCAA Miss anyone?
— Michael Falkner (@darkstar7646) February 24, 2015
ESPN has just suspended Keith Olbermann and forced him to apologize on his Twitter for an incident that has mirrored much of what Olbermann has had to deal with with the Penn State community the last 12 months or so.I will have further comments, I hope, tonight.
But someone needs to take that entire institution of football at Pedophile State University (if not their whole purported "campus") and burn it to the fucking ground.
$13,000,000 for cancer research is what? One year of football profits under Saint Joseph?
I think it's pretty clear: Penn State is winning a National Championship in football -- and SOON. As in next year, maybe two...
Another Reason Kurt Busch Should've Been Gone a Long Time Ago Now
(Moving this one below the two on the Olbermann suspension.)
Well, Deadspin strikes again. Here's more reasons NASCAR waited far too long to go after Kurt Busch -- and not just on the protective order stuff either!
They should've yanked the car from the race, and, unfortunately, probably cost some people their jobs.
Because, after some of the stuff done to the #41 team (vandalism, graffiti, etc.), I would have to think that every member of said team (from the substitute driver on down) is endangered.
And, at 200 MPH, that's no joke. It really isn't!
(And, Marco Andretti, I don't give a fuck if Busch ran for your team in the Indy 500. SHUT THE FUCK UP.)
Well, Deadspin strikes again. Here's more reasons NASCAR waited far too long to go after Kurt Busch -- and not just on the protective order stuff either!
They should've yanked the car from the race, and, unfortunately, probably cost some people their jobs.
Because, after some of the stuff done to the #41 team (vandalism, graffiti, etc.), I would have to think that every member of said team (from the substitute driver on down) is endangered.
And, at 200 MPH, that's no joke. It really isn't!
(And, Marco Andretti, I don't give a fuck if Busch ran for your team in the Indy 500. SHUT THE FUCK UP.)
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Stadium "Improvements" or Safety? We Know Where Daytona and NASCAR Stand
They are very fortunate, today, as Joey Logano celebrates a Daytona 500 win.
They are very fortunate that they aren't grieving yet another Daytona NASCAR death after yesterday's head-on slam into the infield wall at Daytona.
That is a head-on crash into the inside wall at what had to be a good 100+ MPH. (The #54 streaming off to the left side of the screen.)
Kyle Busch is very fortunate to be alive today. That wreck should've killed him.
Why?
Because Daytona didn't put SAFER barriers on the inside wall. That was a full lick on, I believe, a concrete wall.
And the track just upgraded to try to "upgrade" it's experience for the fans.
HOW ABOUT UPGRADING FOR THE DRIVERS???
The drivers were pissed yesterday, and they had every right to be. Kyle Busch took a head-on hit to an old-school wall and probably should've died yesterday.
But does NASCAR care enough to demand the changes needed?
Do the tracks care enough???
They are very fortunate that they aren't grieving yet another Daytona NASCAR death after yesterday's head-on slam into the infield wall at Daytona.
In what was not a good weekend to be a Busch brother, Kyle Busch is now out indefinitely with at least one broken leg because of this debacle during the XFinity (that's the new sponsor for the former Busch/Nationwide second-tier series) race yesterday:
That is a head-on crash into the inside wall at what had to be a good 100+ MPH. (The #54 streaming off to the left side of the screen.)
Kyle Busch is very fortunate to be alive today. That wreck should've killed him.
Why?
Because Daytona didn't put SAFER barriers on the inside wall. That was a full lick on, I believe, a concrete wall.
And the track just upgraded to try to "upgrade" it's experience for the fans.
HOW ABOUT UPGRADING FOR THE DRIVERS???
The drivers were pissed yesterday, and they had every right to be. Kyle Busch took a head-on hit to an old-school wall and probably should've died yesterday.
But does NASCAR care enough to demand the changes needed?
Do the tracks care enough???
Friday, February 20, 2015
Now, Helton, FINISH THE JOB!
Kurt Busch has been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on late Friday afternoon.
Not good enough, and long overdue, but at least a start.
Here's the thing people don't get:
Over and above the domestic violence (which still is percolating in the legal system as we speak!), Kurt Busch is a certifiable nutjob.
You want this guy at 200 MPH in the tri-oval in Daytona?
If you do, NASCAR Fan, you might be crazier than he is!!
Finish the job, Mike Helton, and his career.
Not good enough, and long overdue, but at least a start.
Here's the thing people don't get:
Over and above the domestic violence (which still is percolating in the legal system as we speak!), Kurt Busch is a certifiable nutjob.
You want this guy at 200 MPH in the tri-oval in Daytona?
If you do, NASCAR Fan, you might be crazier than he is!!
Finish the job, Mike Helton, and his career.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Super Farce XLIX, The Cheats, The Madness Continues: Any Doubt Left the NFL Needed the Pats For Some Reason?
You can't make this stuff up.
The jokes and the rhetoric write themselves.
It becomes clearer every day that, between Associate Commissioner Bob Kraft and a number of problems with the Seahawks going back-to-back, the league was constructing an elaborate situation to have the New England Patriots win their fourth Super Bowl.
Today, according to several sources (this one on Yardbarker through ESPN), the story about ANOTHER unapproved/illegal ball in the AFC Championship Game this year.
This one was one of the kicker balls -- the special "K" balls used only for kicking plays.
It appears as if a locker-room attendant (who may or may not have been involved in the deflation of a number of the balls) has been identified as a person who tried to sneak an illegal "K" ball into the game.
The problem with that is becoming apparent today: If he did, he didn't do it intentionally. He was given the ball by an NFL employee (since fired!) who had actually stolen one of the other "K" balls to sell it for his or her own profit as an NFL-used game ball.
Let that process.
REALLY let that process.
The NFL employee was actually supposed to collect the balls for auctioning to charity, and skimmed off the top.
This, of course, begs one question: What ELSE is going on behind the closed doors of the National Religion that they don't want us to know about?
The jokes and the rhetoric write themselves.
It becomes clearer every day that, between Associate Commissioner Bob Kraft and a number of problems with the Seahawks going back-to-back, the league was constructing an elaborate situation to have the New England Patriots win their fourth Super Bowl.
Today, according to several sources (this one on Yardbarker through ESPN), the story about ANOTHER unapproved/illegal ball in the AFC Championship Game this year.
This one was one of the kicker balls -- the special "K" balls used only for kicking plays.
It appears as if a locker-room attendant (who may or may not have been involved in the deflation of a number of the balls) has been identified as a person who tried to sneak an illegal "K" ball into the game.
The problem with that is becoming apparent today: If he did, he didn't do it intentionally. He was given the ball by an NFL employee (since fired!) who had actually stolen one of the other "K" balls to sell it for his or her own profit as an NFL-used game ball.
Let that process.
REALLY let that process.
The NFL employee was actually supposed to collect the balls for auctioning to charity, and skimmed off the top.
This, of course, begs one question: What ELSE is going on behind the closed doors of the National Religion that they don't want us to know about?
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
NASCAR's Continued Inaction Means Someone Else MUST -- BAN KURT BUSCH
Kurt Busch's ex, to the surprise of almost no one, won her protective order on Monday.
What the judge should've done is realize that he's got a maniac on his hands whose job is to drive cars in a race at speeds upwards of 200 MPH.
Anyone who doesn't see that as a recipe for disaster, from a man who has years of psychological breaks both on and off the track, is either ignorant or foolish.
Enter NASCAR's brass. What is it going to take? Really? Over and above domestic abuse, we now basically have court-verified proof that Kurt Busch isn't even playing with a partial deck.
This isn't a criminal matter, vis-a-vis NASCAR. This is a safety issue. I don't want "Have At It, Boys!" with a homicidal maniac on the track!
Anyone who has read the proceedings should be able to conclude he's psychologically unfit -- and, again, this is on top of the domestic violence claims.
BAN HIM NOW -- because the fucking judge should have to send a message to you and all the other sports leagues.
What the judge should've done is realize that he's got a maniac on his hands whose job is to drive cars in a race at speeds upwards of 200 MPH.
Anyone who doesn't see that as a recipe for disaster, from a man who has years of psychological breaks both on and off the track, is either ignorant or foolish.
Enter NASCAR's brass. What is it going to take? Really? Over and above domestic abuse, we now basically have court-verified proof that Kurt Busch isn't even playing with a partial deck.
This isn't a criminal matter, vis-a-vis NASCAR. This is a safety issue. I don't want "Have At It, Boys!" with a homicidal maniac on the track!
Anyone who has read the proceedings should be able to conclude he's psychologically unfit -- and, again, this is on top of the domestic violence claims.
BAN HIM NOW -- because the fucking judge should have to send a message to you and all the other sports leagues.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Hypocrisy, Thy Name is Penn State. SHUT IT DOWN!
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Friday, February 13, 2015
Super Farce XLIX, The Thugs, The Post-Mortem: Did Marshawn Finally Get the Memo?
Interesting story coming out of Seattle today which might indicate that Marshawn Lynch has probably been privately meeting with NFL officials, and NOT liking what he heard...
According to numerous media sources, former Seahag Michael Robinson has told people who ask him that there is a very real chance Marshawn Lynch may retire.
Is it, as is rumored, because of the physical wear and tear?
OR....
Is it because of the media policy?
The touchdown celebration policy??
The uniform code???
Or could it be the most obvious rig-job that, had the game not been rigged, Lynch takes the ball over from the 1 for what probably is the Super Bowl-winning touchdown?
According to numerous media sources, former Seahag Michael Robinson has told people who ask him that there is a very real chance Marshawn Lynch may retire.
Is it, as is rumored, because of the physical wear and tear?
OR....
Is it because of the media policy?
The touchdown celebration policy??
The uniform code???
Or could it be the most obvious rig-job that, had the game not been rigged, Lynch takes the ball over from the 1 for what probably is the Super Bowl-winning touchdown?
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Another Cog of the American Sports Machine Which Needs To Go: Little-League Baseball
Well, they finally came down with the long-awaited ruling: The US Champs from Chicago, that "feel good story"...
Illegal. Kids were being farmed from other leagues.
If it were that simple, then I wouldn't say what I said in my title here: They need to just shut Little League down.
If all of the areas were held to the same standard, we'd be getting our asses kicked routinely by the rest of the world. It is almost certainly only through this stupidity that Americans (and even many of the foreigners as well) can compete.
And if it were just that, it wouldn't be the problem.
Then we get to Little League Parent. If you want to talk about the scourge of many kids' experiences in sports, let's talk about the parents who, at best, simply want to live vicariously through the kids.
At worst, I truly believe some of these parents only had kids to create their own meal tickets (in one form or another), and find out in things like Little League (maybe for the first time in their pathetic lives!) that the world doesn't work that way.
I mean, if you get your team even to the top levels of Little League just in this country, you, your children, and your community get on ESPN -- for what could be anywhere from the Little League regionals all the way up to the US and World Championships in Williamsport, PA. That could be 3 weeks or so.
And if you have any kind of a story, it could get you far more than that. Mo'Ne Davis, anyone?
It's gone too far, and it's not going to stop with this Chicago team getting caught basically being what JT the Brick (who lives in Las Vegas, the city which now has the US champs, who were denied a shot at the world title through Jackie Robinson Little League's illegalities) asserts was a club or travelling team trying to pass themselves off as a legal Little League team for the tournament.
Shut it down. If we can't get baseball back to what it should've been, even for the kids, should we be surprised when it appears that the Commissioner of MLB wants steroids back?
Illegal. Kids were being farmed from other leagues.
If it were that simple, then I wouldn't say what I said in my title here: They need to just shut Little League down.
If all of the areas were held to the same standard, we'd be getting our asses kicked routinely by the rest of the world. It is almost certainly only through this stupidity that Americans (and even many of the foreigners as well) can compete.
And if it were just that, it wouldn't be the problem.
Then we get to Little League Parent. If you want to talk about the scourge of many kids' experiences in sports, let's talk about the parents who, at best, simply want to live vicariously through the kids.
At worst, I truly believe some of these parents only had kids to create their own meal tickets (in one form or another), and find out in things like Little League (maybe for the first time in their pathetic lives!) that the world doesn't work that way.
I mean, if you get your team even to the top levels of Little League just in this country, you, your children, and your community get on ESPN -- for what could be anywhere from the Little League regionals all the way up to the US and World Championships in Williamsport, PA. That could be 3 weeks or so.
And if you have any kind of a story, it could get you far more than that. Mo'Ne Davis, anyone?
It's gone too far, and it's not going to stop with this Chicago team getting caught basically being what JT the Brick (who lives in Las Vegas, the city which now has the US champs, who were denied a shot at the world title through Jackie Robinson Little League's illegalities) asserts was a club or travelling team trying to pass themselves off as a legal Little League team for the tournament.
Shut it down. If we can't get baseball back to what it should've been, even for the kids, should we be surprised when it appears that the Commissioner of MLB wants steroids back?
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Vince, ball is in your court. Darren Young is RIGHT!
Don't usually address much pro wrestling here, even though I am a fan of the enterprise.
(Though some of the fans in the Internet Wrestling Community drive me up the wall.)
That said, if Vince McMahon knows what's good for him, he might want to reconsider where he's taking some of his international work.
A good number of the performers are off on an international tour -- main stop of which, Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates.
Highly traditional Muslim, which means strongly anti-gay and anti-female.
This caught the ire of one particular "WWE Superstar". Darren Young, still working his way back from injury, was kept home from the tour.
Darren Young, as most know, is the first openly-gay WWE Superstar.
Darren Young is not happy, according to Deadspin:
I am planning on a trip to my old stomping grounds in the Bay Area for Wrestlemania Week next month. SOME of those plans might change if the WWE does (negatively) more than the statement they gave on the subject. (For those who do not know, Darren Young is only a stage name -- his real name is Fred Rosser, and it is so referred to here in the statement.)
(Though some of the fans in the Internet Wrestling Community drive me up the wall.)
That said, if Vince McMahon knows what's good for him, he might want to reconsider where he's taking some of his international work.
A good number of the performers are off on an international tour -- main stop of which, Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates.
Highly traditional Muslim, which means strongly anti-gay and anti-female.
This caught the ire of one particular "WWE Superstar". Darren Young, still working his way back from injury, was kept home from the tour.
Darren Young, as most know, is the first openly-gay WWE Superstar.
Darren Young is not happy, according to Deadspin:
I am planning on a trip to my old stomping grounds in the Bay Area for Wrestlemania Week next month. SOME of those plans might change if the WWE does (negatively) more than the statement they gave on the subject. (For those who do not know, Darren Young is only a stage name -- his real name is Fred Rosser, and it is so referred to here in the statement.)
"Unfortunately, WWE cannot change cultures and laws around the world, and thus we did not send Fred Rosser to the United Arab Emirates for our upcoming events for his own protection.""WWE also fully supports Fred Rosser's right to express his views on personal social media accounts rather than WWE's corporate platforms."
Maybe then it's time for WWE not to perform there. And you may make to wish it more known that the @blahblahblahWWE accounts are actually YOURS and not the performers -- but something did need to be said!!!
As Jim Ross said, guys, "The whole world is watching!"
Monday, February 9, 2015
But "THEY KNEW THE RISKS!!"
Why don't you tell that to Tony Dorsett?
Yeah, THAT Tony Dorsett...
Tony Dorsett, who now has CTE and stated openly in an interview with The Ticket 1310 in Dallas (through Deadspin) that he never envisioned that it would end with him having CTE.
Irritability and memory loss led him to doctors, who made him one of the first football players to be diagnosed with the condition.
Now, we wonder who DOESN'T have it.
Take Jamal Lewis (yeah, THAT Jamal Lewis, him of 2066 yards in 2003), who now has to sell his Super Bowl ring, almost-certainly because of the fact he needs the money just to cope with his current condition.
But, that's right -- THEY KNEW THE RISKS!!
"... bad men doing bad things to bad men ..."
Yeah, THAT Tony Dorsett...
Tony Dorsett, who now has CTE and stated openly in an interview with The Ticket 1310 in Dallas (through Deadspin) that he never envisioned that it would end with him having CTE.
Irritability and memory loss led him to doctors, who made him one of the first football players to be diagnosed with the condition.
Now, we wonder who DOESN'T have it.
Take Jamal Lewis (yeah, THAT Jamal Lewis, him of 2066 yards in 2003), who now has to sell his Super Bowl ring, almost-certainly because of the fact he needs the money just to cope with his current condition.
But, that's right -- THEY KNEW THE RISKS!!
"... bad men doing bad things to bad men ..."
"So few of football players actually get arrested and convicted..."
Yeah, when your victim is so scared and sure she's going to get retaliated on, it's no real wonder nobody gets convicted.
Greg Hardy just skated -- accuser can't be found.
Probably too damn scared because her safety cannot be assured because he's Football Man, and hence Protected Man to do whatever the fuck he wants.
Why don't you apologists go the last mile and basically state openly Football Man has the right to do all this shit too, as his place as Football Man?
Greg Hardy just skated -- accuser can't be found.
Probably too damn scared because her safety cannot be assured because he's Football Man, and hence Protected Man to do whatever the fuck he wants.
Why don't you apologists go the last mile and basically state openly Football Man has the right to do all this shit too, as his place as Football Man?
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Coming to an NFL Stadium Near You, Part 2
Another African soccer incident.
Egypt match between two rival teams from Cairo -- days of rioting beforehand with clashes with police.
At least 25 fans are dead, and all soccer matches in the country have been stopped until further notice.
This, three years after 74 people were killed in similar clashes just three years ago. Fans of one of the teams, upon not getting what they felt was justice, burned down the headquarters of the national federation.
--
And a follow-up on the African Cup of Nations farce:
All matches were played. Maybe 1,000 people showed up for the third-place match with hosts Equatorial Guinea.
Neither the third place match between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea nor the final between Ivory Coast and Ghana had a goal.
Both went to penalties. DR Congo won the third-place match, Ivory Coast emerged the champions in a 9-8 shootout.
Egypt match between two rival teams from Cairo -- days of rioting beforehand with clashes with police.
At least 25 fans are dead, and all soccer matches in the country have been stopped until further notice.
This, three years after 74 people were killed in similar clashes just three years ago. Fans of one of the teams, upon not getting what they felt was justice, burned down the headquarters of the national federation.
--
And a follow-up on the African Cup of Nations farce:
All matches were played. Maybe 1,000 people showed up for the third-place match with hosts Equatorial Guinea.
Neither the third place match between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea nor the final between Ivory Coast and Ghana had a goal.
Both went to penalties. DR Congo won the third-place match, Ivory Coast emerged the champions in a 9-8 shootout.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Rex Ryan is an Asshole, Part Lots...
Well, when Rex Ryan took the head coaching job in Buffalo after being fired by the New York Jets, he said he was going to build a bullying team with the Bills.
Now we find out that he isn't kidding around -- the Bills are apparently in the finishing stages...
... of bringing that piece of shit Richie Incognito back to the NFL.
Now we find out that he isn't kidding around -- the Bills are apparently in the finishing stages...
... of bringing that piece of shit Richie Incognito back to the NFL.
HOW MANY MORE OF THESE FUCKING HIGH SCHOOLS BEFORE WE REALIZE FOOTBALL IS THE CRIMINAL AS WELL?
Sorry for the all-caps, but we've got another one.
Juanita High School, Kirkland, Washington is the latest.
An 18 year-old special ed student was sodomized by a broomstick by four 15 year-old football players and a 14 year-old football player, according to Deadspin.
At least one student (unknown whether it's one of the five) recorded the attack on their cellphone, and, apparently, this PLANNED ATTACK was witnessed by numerous students.
SHUT THIS FUCKING SCHOOL DOWN!
It's not enough (and no, it isn't!) that the five kids were expelled (and they were!!).
The rot that football has given these communities such as Happy Valley and Stubenville has corrupted that school and school district beyond any real semblance of repair.
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if this was some sort of initiation ceremony, given the ages of the kids.
You not only have the attack, but it being recorded and witnessed among numerous parties -- and football being used as a shield to basically not only allow it to take place in the first place, but to use a special ed student (basically, to the athletes, part of "their job" is to subjugate the "lessers" -- and there aren't too many "lessers" in such a setting than special ed students).
Juanita High School, Kirkland, Washington is the latest.
An 18 year-old special ed student was sodomized by a broomstick by four 15 year-old football players and a 14 year-old football player, according to Deadspin.
At least one student (unknown whether it's one of the five) recorded the attack on their cellphone, and, apparently, this PLANNED ATTACK was witnessed by numerous students.
SHUT THIS FUCKING SCHOOL DOWN!
It's not enough (and no, it isn't!) that the five kids were expelled (and they were!!).
The rot that football has given these communities such as Happy Valley and Stubenville has corrupted that school and school district beyond any real semblance of repair.
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if this was some sort of initiation ceremony, given the ages of the kids.
You not only have the attack, but it being recorded and witnessed among numerous parties -- and football being used as a shield to basically not only allow it to take place in the first place, but to use a special ed student (basically, to the athletes, part of "their job" is to subjugate the "lessers" -- and there aren't too many "lessers" in such a setting than special ed students).
When is the World Going to Learn? The Only Winner of the Homophobe-lympics: Vladimir Putin!!!
It's been a year since Vladimir Putin disgraced the world with his Olympics of homophobia, hate, substandardness, what have you...
Now, we find out that it will probably bankrupt Sochi, and could well destroy it outright!!
Because, as is the usual want, the financial deals have fallen through, and the taxpayers will be on the hook for $51,000,000,000 worth of Russian Propaganda, Homophobic Hate, and a Disgrace to World Sport.
Now, we find out that it will probably bankrupt Sochi, and could well destroy it outright!!
Because, as is the usual want, the financial deals have fallen through, and the taxpayers will be on the hook for $51,000,000,000 worth of Russian Propaganda, Homophobic Hate, and a Disgrace to World Sport.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Peter King Speaks Up For A(n Accused) Rapist
Peter King might want to shut up anytime now.
In the day and age of Ray Rice and beating the shit out of your wife, it may not be wise for Peter King to speak up for any similar types of people.
Well, let us not accuse Peter King, in this particular case, of being very wise. (From Yardbarker.)
King says the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters would be "shirking their duties" if they did not consider Darren Sharper...
... who is being accused of being one of three men in New Orleans who drugged and raped various targets with spiked drinks associates of Sharper called "Horny Juice"!!
And THIS is someone you want to have considered for football's highest honor...
REALLY...
Maybe in the new Ray Rice/Adrian Peterson/Jameis Winston NFL...
Not in my opinion.
SHUT UP.
In the day and age of Ray Rice and beating the shit out of your wife, it may not be wise for Peter King to speak up for any similar types of people.
Well, let us not accuse Peter King, in this particular case, of being very wise. (From Yardbarker.)
King says the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters would be "shirking their duties" if they did not consider Darren Sharper...
... who is being accused of being one of three men in New Orleans who drugged and raped various targets with spiked drinks associates of Sharper called "Horny Juice"!!
And THIS is someone you want to have considered for football's highest honor...
REALLY...
Maybe in the new Ray Rice/Adrian Peterson/Jameis Winston NFL...
Not in my opinion.
SHUT UP.
We Need An Investigation of New Commissioner Rob Manfred... NOW.
Rob Manfred has only been Commissioner two weeks, and he's already coming across as someone people better get a long look at, especially if this Yardbarker piece has anything to say about it.
On surface, he's talking about how he disagrees with BBWAA voters are denying Hall of Fame induction to those only believed to be steroid users (the likes of Mike Piazza and Jeff "30 Pounds of Meat Daily" Bagwell), rather than those either with positive tests, Mitchell Report implications, what have you.
Well, now we need to look at Manfred's agenda: OFFENSE. Increase runs...
Well, my anonymous friend -- my massive baseball historian anonymous friend -- showed me this and we both came to the same conclusion:
He wants to bring back the Steroid Era.
Now, he may not be able to do this as obviously or as quickly as he'd like. The MLBPA head is firmly against steroid users, and any real uptick in steroid use now in baseball will be (correctly!) traced back to this Commissioner.
So, we both came up with something: It's either going to be juiced players and/or juiced balls -- and I think we gave it two years.
Time to investigate Rob "Blinded By The Light" Manfred. NOW.
On surface, he's talking about how he disagrees with BBWAA voters are denying Hall of Fame induction to those only believed to be steroid users (the likes of Mike Piazza and Jeff "30 Pounds of Meat Daily" Bagwell), rather than those either with positive tests, Mitchell Report implications, what have you.
Well, now we need to look at Manfred's agenda: OFFENSE. Increase runs...
Well, my anonymous friend -- my massive baseball historian anonymous friend -- showed me this and we both came to the same conclusion:
He wants to bring back the Steroid Era.
Now, he may not be able to do this as obviously or as quickly as he'd like. The MLBPA head is firmly against steroid users, and any real uptick in steroid use now in baseball will be (correctly!) traced back to this Commissioner.
So, we both came up with something: It's either going to be juiced players and/or juiced balls -- and I think we gave it two years.
Time to investigate Rob "Blinded By The Light" Manfred. NOW.
I Guess Jerry Rice Would Rather Be Stuck With The Label GOAT...
... because he also has now admitted he's basically a cheat.
So Jerry Rice decided to decry DeflateGate.
That's nice. Take a number, wait in line...
But, in doing so, he admitted that he sprayed the substance Stickum on his gloves, in this ESPN interview -- The Evolution of Gloves.
About a minute and 20 seconds into the video, the Greatest of All Time, Jerry Rice, admitted he cheated his ass off, in using Stickum to create a better surface for his gloves -- even though the substance was made illegal by the NFL in 1981!!!
So which label, now that we know at least some of your greatness was illegal, would you like to be... stuck with???
So Jerry Rice decided to decry DeflateGate.
That's nice. Take a number, wait in line...
But, in doing so, he admitted that he sprayed the substance Stickum on his gloves, in this ESPN interview -- The Evolution of Gloves.
About a minute and 20 seconds into the video, the Greatest of All Time, Jerry Rice, admitted he cheated his ass off, in using Stickum to create a better surface for his gloves -- even though the substance was made illegal by the NFL in 1981!!!
So which label, now that we know at least some of your greatness was illegal, would you like to be... stuck with???
One Benefit of Adam Silver: The New NBA One Problem: ESPN.
I had been meaning to write a post about something going on in the NBA this season, Adam Silver's first full year as the Commissioner.
So I will do so.
Take a look at tonight's NBA standings.
As of the end of play on February 6, 2015 -- one week before the NBA All-Star Game and over halfway through the season -- here is a rough look at the standings...
Eastern Conference:
1. Atlanta
2. Toronto
3. Washington
4. Chicago
Western Conference
1. Golden State
2. Memphis
3. Houston
4. Portland
Now, I have one question for any reader of this blog:
Do you honestly believe that, at any meaningful point of any meaningful David Stern season, that David Stern would allow his NBA to look like THAT??
...
Well, Friday night, we got an indication as to that ESPN might not want it.
You see, ESPN did one smart thing, and one very STUPID thing.
The smart thing was 10-40 New York Knicks on the early game of the network doubleheader.
(That 10-40, by the way, is with them going 5-5 in their last ten!)
So, #1 East Atlanta hosted #1 West Golden State. Atlanta won a rather tight matchup by eight points. The two teams rematch out West next month!
So ESPN gives us not only the second game in the history of the NBA where over 40 games had been played by each team and both had winning percentages over .820.
It gives us the LA Clippers at Toronto, where Toronto wins easily.
You THINK we might be heading, eventually, toward a showdown between Adam Silver and ESPN, perhaps saying someone a little more "sexy" than Golden State or Atlanta (forgetting Atlanta's defense or the three-point shooting of Golden State, nah!!!) should be in the Finals?
Stay tuned!
So I will do so.
Take a look at tonight's NBA standings.
As of the end of play on February 6, 2015 -- one week before the NBA All-Star Game and over halfway through the season -- here is a rough look at the standings...
Eastern Conference:
1. Atlanta
2. Toronto
3. Washington
4. Chicago
Western Conference
1. Golden State
2. Memphis
3. Houston
4. Portland
Now, I have one question for any reader of this blog:
Do you honestly believe that, at any meaningful point of any meaningful David Stern season, that David Stern would allow his NBA to look like THAT??
...
Well, Friday night, we got an indication as to that ESPN might not want it.
You see, ESPN did one smart thing, and one very STUPID thing.
The smart thing was 10-40 New York Knicks on the early game of the network doubleheader.
(That 10-40, by the way, is with them going 5-5 in their last ten!)
So, #1 East Atlanta hosted #1 West Golden State. Atlanta won a rather tight matchup by eight points. The two teams rematch out West next month!
So ESPN gives us not only the second game in the history of the NBA where over 40 games had been played by each team and both had winning percentages over .820.
It gives us the LA Clippers at Toronto, where Toronto wins easily.
You THINK we might be heading, eventually, toward a showdown between Adam Silver and ESPN, perhaps saying someone a little more "sexy" than Golden State or Atlanta (forgetting Atlanta's defense or the three-point shooting of Golden State, nah!!!) should be in the Finals?
Stay tuned!
Fine Blotter: The Super Farce XLIX Edition
About all that you would expect, and exactly the gradient you would expect:
- Seattle: Bruce Irvin: $10,000 for the fight and ejection.
- Michael Bennett: $8,268 for the fight.
- New England: Rob Gronkowski: $8,268 for the fight.
- Michael Hoomanawanui: $8,268 for the fight.
- Seattle: Doug Baldwin: $11,025 for taking a shit all over the Super Bowl. (The excessive celebration penalty, where, if you missed it before NBC cut from it, he used the ball as a metaphor for shitting, not unlike one of the celebrations in Blitz: The League 2.)
What's This? #5 Already This Offseason???
Joseph Randle, AGAIN!!!
Mother of his child alleges he pulled a gun on her in a parking lot as part of a domestic dispute!!
(Deadspin.)
Woman, according to the article, alleges a friend drove off with the gun so Randle would not be found with it.
Mother of his child alleges he pulled a gun on her in a parking lot as part of a domestic dispute!!
(Deadspin.)
Woman, according to the article, alleges a friend drove off with the gun so Randle would not be found with it.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Super Farce XLIX, The Cheat Champions: You Can't Handle The Truth, Part... How Many Now?
Just when it looked like it was safe to finally come out of hiding...
Charles Haley has fired a shot across the bow of the Cheatriots and Tom Brady, calling all four of the team's Super Bowl wins tainted.
OK, he's right -- DeflateGate, SpyGate, seven-second field goal, and Homeland Security and all...
But Haley, of course, invokes Joe Montana and saying he didn't have to cheat and that Haley, after DeflateGate, lost all respect for Brady.
Problem, Charles: THEY CHEATED FOR ALL OF THEM! You should never have had the respect at all!
Charles Haley has fired a shot across the bow of the Cheatriots and Tom Brady, calling all four of the team's Super Bowl wins tainted.
OK, he's right -- DeflateGate, SpyGate, seven-second field goal, and Homeland Security and all...
But Haley, of course, invokes Joe Montana and saying he didn't have to cheat and that Haley, after DeflateGate, lost all respect for Brady.
Problem, Charles: THEY CHEATED FOR ALL OF THEM! You should never have had the respect at all!
Soon, Coming to an NFL Stadium Near You!!!
The African Cup of Nations, the major continental championship of Africa, has been halted temporarily.
It is in it's semifinals in Equatorial Guinea. (It was originally scheduled to be held in Morocco, but an Ebola outbreak had it moved to Equatorial Guinea.)
Bad move.
The hosts defeated Tunisia in the quarterfinal and were posed to take on African powerhouse Ghana in the semifinal in Malabo.
And that's when it all went south -- on and off the pitch, according to Deadspin soccer site Screamer.
Supporters of Ghana, whose team was comfortably ahead by three goals to nil, had to flee the stands onto a corner of the pitch with about eight minutes til time, because they were not only having bottles thrown at them, but there were reports that many of the Equatorial Guineans were going to attack them as they left the stadium!
In fact, the video on the top of the article shows that, even with the fans on the field, they were still getting attacked, and the sideline linesmen were also reporting being attacked.
The game was called in the 82nd minute, stopped for about a half-hour before the game was allowed to complete with the 3-0 final.
The bad news: The third-place match is scheduled for the SAME STADIUM. Should the match take place (and it shouldn't!), the hosts' opponents are the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It is in it's semifinals in Equatorial Guinea. (It was originally scheduled to be held in Morocco, but an Ebola outbreak had it moved to Equatorial Guinea.)
Bad move.
The hosts defeated Tunisia in the quarterfinal and were posed to take on African powerhouse Ghana in the semifinal in Malabo.
And that's when it all went south -- on and off the pitch, according to Deadspin soccer site Screamer.
Supporters of Ghana, whose team was comfortably ahead by three goals to nil, had to flee the stands onto a corner of the pitch with about eight minutes til time, because they were not only having bottles thrown at them, but there were reports that many of the Equatorial Guineans were going to attack them as they left the stadium!
In fact, the video on the top of the article shows that, even with the fans on the field, they were still getting attacked, and the sideline linesmen were also reporting being attacked.
The game was called in the 82nd minute, stopped for about a half-hour before the game was allowed to complete with the 3-0 final.
The bad news: The third-place match is scheduled for the SAME STADIUM. Should the match take place (and it shouldn't!), the hosts' opponents are the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Super Farce XLIX, The Thugs: I Knew The 12th Man Valued Football Over Life...
... and now they just PROVED IT!
Yardbarker reports today that Michael Sven Vedvik died on Super Bowl Sunday, aged 53.
The obituary his family brought up actually cited that botched pass at the goal line, and the play call thereto, as the cause of death.
Now, Yardbarker says "sense of humor". I've seen some of The 12th Man with my own eyes -- I'm not buying that as humor.
Especially after another Yardbarker article they linked to the above one.
The FOX television station in Seattle published an open letter to the Patriots from a member of The 12th Man.
The letter yesterday took shots at some of the trashy comments and stuff the Patriots did at their Super Bowl parade and the like.
To which I only have three things to say:
POT.
KETTLE.
BLACK.
Yardbarker reports today that Michael Sven Vedvik died on Super Bowl Sunday, aged 53.
The obituary his family brought up actually cited that botched pass at the goal line, and the play call thereto, as the cause of death.
Now, Yardbarker says "sense of humor". I've seen some of The 12th Man with my own eyes -- I'm not buying that as humor.
Especially after another Yardbarker article they linked to the above one.
The FOX television station in Seattle published an open letter to the Patriots from a member of The 12th Man.
The letter yesterday took shots at some of the trashy comments and stuff the Patriots did at their Super Bowl parade and the like.
To which I only have three things to say:
POT.
KETTLE.
BLACK.
And just to give another example of how sham-ful (AND shameful) this kind of stuff can be...
Here's another Lance Armstrong ditty for you:
Lance Armstrong got into a hit-and-run accident on December 28, 2014 when he hit two parked cars with his SUV and ran from the scene.
This loving boyfriend and symbol of courage over adversity (as well as a drug cheat, etc.) decides he's going to tell police his girlfriend did it!!
He's been cited for the hit and run -- no word on whether filing a false report or lying to a police officer goes with it.
Way to Livestrong, Lance. Just remember that when you put on that yellow rubber bracelet.
What a sham.
Lance Armstrong got into a hit-and-run accident on December 28, 2014 when he hit two parked cars with his SUV and ran from the scene.
This loving boyfriend and symbol of courage over adversity (as well as a drug cheat, etc.) decides he's going to tell police his girlfriend did it!!
He's been cited for the hit and run -- no word on whether filing a false report or lying to a police officer goes with it.
Way to Livestrong, Lance. Just remember that when you put on that yellow rubber bracelet.
What a sham.
"No More" is a SHAM, Part 396.
My friend pointed this out to me today, and we are both utterly STUNNED.
No More is a FUCKING SHAM. And Deadspin put up an article today to (further) prove it.
I believe Deadspin had already put out a list of the companies and spin doctors which basically proved on Super Bowl Sunday that the whole No More initiative is a scam.
Before they do, they try to address that "any help is welcome".
I disagree, because I believe No More to be nothing more than a fucking cover-up by a $10,000,000,000/year industry which WOULD NOT EXIST without abuse and violence in all of it's forms.
Without domestic violence, rape, abuse of all violent forms, etc., THERE IS NO FOOTBALL.
And that operates on all ends of the spectrum, and manifests itself to all parties involved. From the CTE and it's induced criminality to the overt criminality allowed by Football Man as Protected Man, the sport and game do not exist without this violence, and anyone with a brain knows it.
And, to make matters worse, it now appears as if some of the exposition of the violence and corruption has actually HELPED the sport: This year's Super Bowl, between an open team of Cheats and an open team of Thugs, with two weeks of talk about mostly the former, was the highest-rated program in US television history. Latest figures put viewership at over 114 million.
So why would the NFL do any more than just hope to wave it's hands and let the people think something is being done about domestic violence.
How about we ask the wife of Rob Bironas, who probably saw her husband get so brain-damaged that he'd combine alcohol and Ambien and sleep-drive his way to death...
Much to my shock, the Deadspin article actually reports the No More brand (meant to unify the anti-domestic violence initiatives of a number of companies under one nice bow) was NOT created by the NFL in 2014. It was actually somewhere between 12 and 18 months old by then. Started in research in 2009, it launched officially (complete with logo products) in 2013.
When asked by the writer of the article what No More was actually supposed to mean, it became clear pretty quickly that it was the domestic-violence ripoff of the AIDS ribbon -- to put a nice, neat little package on the situation and raise awareness in that manner (and do precisely ZERO more than that!).
EVERYTHING about No More is corporate, the article reveals -- from the makers of the logo product to Jane Randel, the CYA expert the NFL brought in to cover it's tracks.
And the article then goes as to how the corporatization and the monetization of the logo and the words No More goes about the same route the AIDS ribbon did when the original awareness was destroyed for making a buck or two.
Basically, the final paragraph Deadspin's Diana Moskovitz put to the article said it better than I could, so I'll end it with that (emphasis mine):
No More is a FUCKING SHAM. And Deadspin put up an article today to (further) prove it.
I believe Deadspin had already put out a list of the companies and spin doctors which basically proved on Super Bowl Sunday that the whole No More initiative is a scam.
Before they do, they try to address that "any help is welcome".
I disagree, because I believe No More to be nothing more than a fucking cover-up by a $10,000,000,000/year industry which WOULD NOT EXIST without abuse and violence in all of it's forms.
Without domestic violence, rape, abuse of all violent forms, etc., THERE IS NO FOOTBALL.
And that operates on all ends of the spectrum, and manifests itself to all parties involved. From the CTE and it's induced criminality to the overt criminality allowed by Football Man as Protected Man, the sport and game do not exist without this violence, and anyone with a brain knows it.
And, to make matters worse, it now appears as if some of the exposition of the violence and corruption has actually HELPED the sport: This year's Super Bowl, between an open team of Cheats and an open team of Thugs, with two weeks of talk about mostly the former, was the highest-rated program in US television history. Latest figures put viewership at over 114 million.
So why would the NFL do any more than just hope to wave it's hands and let the people think something is being done about domestic violence.
How about we ask the wife of Rob Bironas, who probably saw her husband get so brain-damaged that he'd combine alcohol and Ambien and sleep-drive his way to death...
Much to my shock, the Deadspin article actually reports the No More brand (meant to unify the anti-domestic violence initiatives of a number of companies under one nice bow) was NOT created by the NFL in 2014. It was actually somewhere between 12 and 18 months old by then. Started in research in 2009, it launched officially (complete with logo products) in 2013.
When asked by the writer of the article what No More was actually supposed to mean, it became clear pretty quickly that it was the domestic-violence ripoff of the AIDS ribbon -- to put a nice, neat little package on the situation and raise awareness in that manner (and do precisely ZERO more than that!).
EVERYTHING about No More is corporate, the article reveals -- from the makers of the logo product to Jane Randel, the CYA expert the NFL brought in to cover it's tracks.
And the article then goes as to how the corporatization and the monetization of the logo and the words No More goes about the same route the AIDS ribbon did when the original awareness was destroyed for making a buck or two.
Basically, the final paragraph Deadspin's Diana Moskovitz put to the article said it better than I could, so I'll end it with that (emphasis mine):
"This is how low our standards are. Gesture toward a good cause and you're practically unassailable. No More gave Goodell and the NFL a cheap and perfect way out of a public relations disaster and we shouldn't be surprised. We do the exact same thing every day when we throw on our Toms, our pink baseball hats, and our latest rubber bracelet of choice, shopping our way into another day with pure hearts and clean consciences."
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Boy, the NFL is off to a flying start this off-season...
Too bad most of it isn't real problems, outside the situation with the former Baltimore Raven...
Add Dallas' Joseph Randle -- pot possession, second time in four months -- to the arrest blotter.
And D'Qwell Jackson (yeah, he of DeflateGate fame), also arrested today in an assault over a parking spot.
When are we finally going to get to the bottom of the FACT that allowing these footballs Protected Man status pretty much ensures this kind of stuff coming out.
Add Dallas' Joseph Randle -- pot possession, second time in four months -- to the arrest blotter.
And D'Qwell Jackson (yeah, he of DeflateGate fame), also arrested today in an assault over a parking spot.
When are we finally going to get to the bottom of the FACT that allowing these footballs Protected Man status pretty much ensures this kind of stuff coming out.
Day 3 of the off-season, and here's another one!
(Deadspin.)
I guess we can add the Packers to the early list.
Letroy Guion, a defensive tackle for Green Bay, got arrested with THIS in his pickup truck in Florida:
That's about two-thirds of a pound of marijuana, a 9mm handgun, and over $190,000 in cash!
He also had to post a bail-bondsman's worth of $10,000 on $100,000 bail for that too, which I almost have to think is some degree of "possession with intent".
Appears to me like simply being on the marijuana this is NOT!
I guess we can add the Packers to the early list.
Letroy Guion, a defensive tackle for Green Bay, got arrested with THIS in his pickup truck in Florida:
That's about two-thirds of a pound of marijuana, a 9mm handgun, and over $190,000 in cash!
He also had to post a bail-bondsman's worth of $10,000 on $100,000 bail for that too, which I almost have to think is some degree of "possession with intent".
Appears to me like simply being on the marijuana this is NOT!
It's either time to get the UFC under control or shut Dana White down. Pick one!
You know, I had more faith than I probably should have had in Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
But, with each passing card, I am becoming less and less "faithful" in that decision.
The most recent UFC pay-per-view had a main event of Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz. Both are major names in the history of mixed martial arts.
BOTH have also failed drug tests regarding this pay per view, according to MSN.
Silva was on steroids, Diaz on marijuana. This probably means Silva (who was out a year with a badly broken leg) will be banned for a period to be determined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and Diaz will as well (since this is his THIRD failed test for pot, and he's already been suspended TWICE by the NSAC (six months for a 2007 offense, a year in 2013), and the fight (which Silva, unsurprisingly now we know he was on 'roids, won by unanimous decision) will be declared a no-contest.
It's not out of the question to believe both fighters may be banned PERMANENTLY.
Here's the real stupid part: The Silva steroids positive was out-of-competition, on January 9!! So, did Dana White cover this up to get the PPV off the ground? According to MMA blogger Kevin Iole of Yahoo!, the test was not returned from a lab in Salt Lake City until yesterday!
It's time. Either get mixed martial arts under control for these drug situations (which have permeated the sport, especially in the last year or two) or shut the damn thing down!
But, with each passing card, I am becoming less and less "faithful" in that decision.
The most recent UFC pay-per-view had a main event of Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz. Both are major names in the history of mixed martial arts.
BOTH have also failed drug tests regarding this pay per view, according to MSN.
Silva was on steroids, Diaz on marijuana. This probably means Silva (who was out a year with a badly broken leg) will be banned for a period to be determined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and Diaz will as well (since this is his THIRD failed test for pot, and he's already been suspended TWICE by the NSAC (six months for a 2007 offense, a year in 2013), and the fight (which Silva, unsurprisingly now we know he was on 'roids, won by unanimous decision) will be declared a no-contest.
It's not out of the question to believe both fighters may be banned PERMANENTLY.
Here's the real stupid part: The Silva steroids positive was out-of-competition, on January 9!! So, did Dana White cover this up to get the PPV off the ground? According to MMA blogger Kevin Iole of Yahoo!, the test was not returned from a lab in Salt Lake City until yesterday!
It's time. Either get mixed martial arts under control for these drug situations (which have permeated the sport, especially in the last year or two) or shut the damn thing down!
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Josh Gordon out for at least the 2015 season...
In another uncategorical failure of the NFL drug policy, Josh Gordon has been banned for at least the 2015 regular season.
The Cleveland Browns took a flier on this guy, and this should finish it off. He failed a league test for alcohol (the substance abuse policy allows for this -- ask Brett Favre after his Vicodin speech, as he couldn't even have champagne after his team won the Super Bowl 18 years ago), and that's the third time Gordon has been banned by the league.
Gordon is now effectively banned from the NFL. He is banned one year, and must apply for reinstatement.
And the question which has to be asked, but isn't: What's more "NFL" these days? Marijuana and alcohol, or dirty hits, brawls, and beating the shit out of your spouse?
Perhaps, and not in the conventional parlance of the term, Gordon doesn't belong in the NFL.
The Cleveland Browns took a flier on this guy, and this should finish it off. He failed a league test for alcohol (the substance abuse policy allows for this -- ask Brett Favre after his Vicodin speech, as he couldn't even have champagne after his team won the Super Bowl 18 years ago), and that's the third time Gordon has been banned by the league.
Gordon is now effectively banned from the NFL. He is banned one year, and must apply for reinstatement.
And the question which has to be asked, but isn't: What's more "NFL" these days? Marijuana and alcohol, or dirty hits, brawls, and beating the shit out of your spouse?
Perhaps, and not in the conventional parlance of the term, Gordon doesn't belong in the NFL.
Super Farce XLIX, The Cheat Champions: Gronkowski Admits He Should've Been Tossed
... not that he'll state it that way, but...
It was basically apparent immediately upon watching a fight that basically disgraced football (More for the stage it was on than the level -- there have, obviously, been worse fights. Just never at a Super Bowl and never so obviously a team getting pissy about not winning it!) that only ejecting one Seattle player was a farce.
Well, Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots was very forthright with Jimmy Kimmel: "Screw it, it's the last game of the year, I'm throwing some haymakers."
In the nice, non-violent, player-safety world of the NFL...
Yeah. Tell us another one, Rob.
(New York Daily News.)
It was basically apparent immediately upon watching a fight that basically disgraced football (More for the stage it was on than the level -- there have, obviously, been worse fights. Just never at a Super Bowl and never so obviously a team getting pissy about not winning it!) that only ejecting one Seattle player was a farce.
Well, Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots was very forthright with Jimmy Kimmel: "Screw it, it's the last game of the year, I'm throwing some haymakers."
In the nice, non-violent, player-safety world of the NFL...
Yeah. Tell us another one, Rob.
(New York Daily News.)
Hmmm... Could We Have Something Here in the NHL?
Interesting story, in what is not being said (by the league) is more important than what's being said.
From Yardbarker:
The National Hockey League, last week, suspended referee Tim Peel for a meeting with Greg Wyshynski, a major hockey blogger at the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo! Sports.
Peel thought Wyshynski was out of line for saying something on his blog, and decided, when the time was available, to take him out for a drink.
I've had that offer with more than a couple of people (not on this blog). Usually, I'm so angry about a subject when it gets that far, though, that it takes a while for things to calm down, or things get so completely out of control, I'm thrown in the slammer!
So that's what the league told us. Awful Announcing's Matt Yoder (Awful Announcing is where Yardbarker picked this up.) does a better job of explaining the real problem than I could about what the league DIDN'T tell us:
From Yardbarker:
The National Hockey League, last week, suspended referee Tim Peel for a meeting with Greg Wyshynski, a major hockey blogger at the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo! Sports.
Peel thought Wyshynski was out of line for saying something on his blog, and decided, when the time was available, to take him out for a drink.
I've had that offer with more than a couple of people (not on this blog). Usually, I'm so angry about a subject when it gets that far, though, that it takes a while for things to calm down, or things get so completely out of control, I'm thrown in the slammer!
So that's what the league told us. Awful Announcing's Matt Yoder (Awful Announcing is where Yardbarker picked this up.) does a better job of explaining the real problem than I could about what the league DIDN'T tell us:
It seems more likely … and this is just a best-guess and intuition … that the NHL wasn’t too fond of Peel opening up about the relationship between the referees and league office and sat him for a game. It’s not a good look for the league that referees are only given two shirts and are responsible for washing them both in every city. Further, the league probably would rather not have certain emphases given to their refs aired and discussed in public. And most of all, the league really doesn’t want to see refs publicly comment and validate sentences like this one from Wysh, “In talking to Peel, you start to see a pattern: The NHL asks its officials to manage the game a certain way, and they have to do it.”HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.....
Monday, February 2, 2015
Took Less Than 12 Hours For the First NFL Family Offseason Arrest
Well, that was quick...
About 7:15 or so last night, the Patriots were cradling the trophy.
7:00 this morning, Warren Sapp of the NFL Network was arrested in Phoenix for soliciting a prostitute and assault.
Not even 12 fucking hours, NFL.
The NFL Network fired Sapp today.
On top of this, two domestic battery arrests since 2010...
No More, right, NFL?
About 7:15 or so last night, the Patriots were cradling the trophy.
7:00 this morning, Warren Sapp of the NFL Network was arrested in Phoenix for soliciting a prostitute and assault.
Not even 12 fucking hours, NFL.
The NFL Network fired Sapp today.
On top of this, two domestic battery arrests since 2010...
No More, right, NFL?
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Super Bowl XLIX, The Cheats Win: I Hope You Enjoyed That, America, Because You Deserved That Disgrace...
Wow.
I'm glad I took the notebook, because it's going to take me a couple days to process all this shit.
Let me start with the obvious, and go backward:
2nd and goal, 1 yard from probably back-to-back titles. So, instead of running Beast Mode for his second TD (and a probable MVP at that!), Russell Wilson throws a pass on a slant into the middle of the field near the goal line.
PICKED!
Read someone's vandalism of Pete Carroll's Wikipedia page, from Deadspin's comments:
Either Russell Wilson, buying completely into the "quarterbacks win it or lose it" hype, felt God would get him the win, or the call proved the #SuperBowlRally (the first from over 7 points down in the last period, by the way) rigged.
Oh, and that quarterback?
God, if that didn't make it obvious with all the Brady-jocking... We're giving it about 48 hours before someone big declares him the GOAT.
Third, first play of the Seattle drive up 24-21, after getting one first down in the previous two drives up 24-14, a fairly blatant hand-on-foot trip on New England went wanting a flag.
Fourth, that, on the first punt, WAS roughing the kicker. According to almost everyone who talked about it with any officiating acumen, hitting the plant leg with any intensity IS roughing.
I'll have more with another look...
2) How many big cars and trucks do we need to see before you tell us "REAL MEN HAVE MONEY"? (You actually did that with the Chevy Colorado ads!!)
3) Hated the "dead kid" insurance ad. Liked the "Cats in the Cradle" ad, unlike most people.
So that should've offset.
More later. Gotta go wash the taste out of my mouth.
I'm glad I took the notebook, because it's going to take me a couple days to process all this shit.
Let me start with the obvious, and go backward:
- Either Russell Wilson actually believes he has the Hotline to God or that pass PROVED Super Bowl XLIX rigged.
2nd and goal, 1 yard from probably back-to-back titles. So, instead of running Beast Mode for his second TD (and a probable MVP at that!), Russell Wilson throws a pass on a slant into the middle of the field near the goal line.
PICKED!
Read someone's vandalism of Pete Carroll's Wikipedia page, from Deadspin's comments:
Either Russell Wilson, buying completely into the "quarterbacks win it or lose it" hype, felt God would get him the win, or the call proved the #SuperBowlRally (the first from over 7 points down in the last period, by the way) rigged.
Oh, and that quarterback?
- Can NBC get off Tom Brady's jock sometime before the opener next year?
God, if that didn't make it obvious with all the Brady-jocking... We're giving it about 48 hours before someone big declares him the GOAT.
- Several things that may have went under your radar on the game itself...
Using the ref for a pick was not by accident. It's designed to work exactly like it played out on Doug Baldwin TD.
— Brian Billick (@CoachBillick) February 2, 2015
Second, if you can get that 3rd and 7 from the first Seahawk touchdown drive, are we not certain that Belichick should've challenged that spot?Third, first play of the Seattle drive up 24-21, after getting one first down in the previous two drives up 24-14, a fairly blatant hand-on-foot trip on New England went wanting a flag.
Fourth, that, on the first punt, WAS roughing the kicker. According to almost everyone who talked about it with any officiating acumen, hitting the plant leg with any intensity IS roughing.
I'll have more with another look...
- Couple of commercial comments...
2) How many big cars and trucks do we need to see before you tell us "REAL MEN HAVE MONEY"? (You actually did that with the Chevy Colorado ads!!)
3) Hated the "dead kid" insurance ad. Liked the "Cats in the Cradle" ad, unlike most people.
- And the perfect end of this season of child abuse and domestic violence and dirty play: A near-Florida International/Miami fight and the first Super Bowl ejection in history.
So that should've offset.
More later. Gotta go wash the taste out of my mouth.
Super Farce XLIX, The Cheats: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Surprised it took two weeks for this to become public.
The reporter who broke the DeflateGate story, Indianapolis' Bob Kravitz, has, according to Yardbarker...
... received death threats from some Patriots fans.
As for the Colts themselves, in an interview, Kravitz said that the balls almost-certainly could not have been a sole factor, but they're waiting to see where this goes.
The reporter who broke the DeflateGate story, Indianapolis' Bob Kravitz, has, according to Yardbarker...
... received death threats from some Patriots fans.
As for the Colts themselves, in an interview, Kravitz said that the balls almost-certainly could not have been a sole factor, but they're waiting to see where this goes.
Super Farce XLIX: I Own You Too, Bob Costas! Love, Roger Goodell.
In the six-hour NBC pregame, Bob Costas had to come on and explain that Roger Goodell refused to answer any questions on DeflateGate, Robert Kraft, domestic violence, player safety, and other relevant subjects.
(Source: Deadspin.)
(Source: Deadspin.)
Wait, WHAT, NFL? THIS is worth losing a draft pick, but dirty hits aren't?
Mike Greenberg, this morning, on his Twitter...
That's right -- nothing to see here, move along...
#Falcons may have been using artificial crowd noise to gain an edge. Could lose a draft pick. Prediction: Evening news won't lead with that.
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) February 1, 2015
Oh, that's right, it's ATLANTA. No 12th Man Cult, no Associate Commissioner...That's right -- nothing to see here, move along...
The NFL, Domestic Violence, and Deadspin: THAT Escalated Quickly
I saw this headline this morning on Deadspin, and would love to save them a lot of time.
"Do the NFL's Anti-Domestic Violence Initiatives Actually Even Exist?"
I could save them time and say "No."
The Deadspin article looks into what's actually been done -- and it's not a lot.
You have the PSA today.
You have the bluster of Herr Goodell.
Your executive committee is... a bunch of corporate organizations, half of whom appear to be ad hoc and almost-certainly totally made up. ("Men Can Stop Rape" -- but don't really want to because it costs them much of their societal power... *cough*)
Goodell, several times on Friday, brought up outside consultants, so they looked into it, and found one of the three people the league brought in...
.... was brought in as a consultant in the matter of "crisis management". In short: C. Y. A.
They talk about the money the NFL pledged to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (which, over five years, might pay Marshawn Lynch's salary for the next two), but the NDVH, when contacted, couldn't tell you exactly how much of the first year's money they'd received!
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center got a million, but not much direct help for shelters, so that's just bluster too.
And we've already discussed the "harsher punishments for players" part: Since football players across this nation at all levels are Protected Men who can rape and abuse basically whoever they want without consequence, any real "harsher punishments" would have to come outside the Constitution, and are, hence, void -- as Goodell designed it.
Bad men doing bad things to bad men...
And none of this addresses the actual presentation of the games either. One can only wonder, in about *does math* 8-9 hours how many Seattle/New England fans' wives/girlfriends are going to get the shit beat out of them because their men got left at the proverbial NFL altar, as it were.
One NFL player's wife said it would take no less than "cleaning up NFL culture" which would be "about way more than the issue in front of us", according to the Deadspin piece.
She's right, and because of the Real Manhood of Football, it WON'T.
It CAN'T. The entire culture of the SPORT (not just the NFL) makes it the most violence-friendly construct this country has.
Remember THAT in a little more than five hours, Football Nation America.
"Do the NFL's Anti-Domestic Violence Initiatives Actually Even Exist?"
I could save them time and say "No."
The Deadspin article looks into what's actually been done -- and it's not a lot.
You have the PSA today.
You have the bluster of Herr Goodell.
Your executive committee is... a bunch of corporate organizations, half of whom appear to be ad hoc and almost-certainly totally made up. ("Men Can Stop Rape" -- but don't really want to because it costs them much of their societal power... *cough*)
Goodell, several times on Friday, brought up outside consultants, so they looked into it, and found one of the three people the league brought in...
.... was brought in as a consultant in the matter of "crisis management". In short: C. Y. A.
They talk about the money the NFL pledged to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (which, over five years, might pay Marshawn Lynch's salary for the next two), but the NDVH, when contacted, couldn't tell you exactly how much of the first year's money they'd received!
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center got a million, but not much direct help for shelters, so that's just bluster too.
And we've already discussed the "harsher punishments for players" part: Since football players across this nation at all levels are Protected Men who can rape and abuse basically whoever they want without consequence, any real "harsher punishments" would have to come outside the Constitution, and are, hence, void -- as Goodell designed it.
Bad men doing bad things to bad men...
And none of this addresses the actual presentation of the games either. One can only wonder, in about *does math* 8-9 hours how many Seattle/New England fans' wives/girlfriends are going to get the shit beat out of them because their men got left at the proverbial NFL altar, as it were.
One NFL player's wife said it would take no less than "cleaning up NFL culture" which would be "about way more than the issue in front of us", according to the Deadspin piece.
She's right, and because of the Real Manhood of Football, it WON'T.
It CAN'T. The entire culture of the SPORT (not just the NFL) makes it the most violence-friendly construct this country has.
Remember THAT in a little more than five hours, Football Nation America.
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