(Blogger's Note: I am having a lot of trouble with the new Penn State shit. I don't know when I am going to be able to put a post together which might not get the police involved at my home. I have a lot of trouble digesting this and not wanting to see the university closed and buildings burnt to the ground as a testament as to how much that community has invested in supporting pedophilia. (Whether it wishes to admit such or not...) I'll try to put something together -- I have a first draft that I'm starting up. We'll see when - OR IF - I post it.)
On a much, MUCH lighter note:
There are some people who have some explaining to do to Rob Manfred and Joe Torre realsoonnow.
It's the seemingly-weekly series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
9th inning, bases loaded, two out for Boston, down a run at 3-2.
David Ortiz, "Big Papi" is at the plate, with three balls and one strike on him.
A wicked slider that didn't appear to be close by the time the pitch made the glove was called strike two.
Ortiz went ballistic.
Under the rules in Major League Baseball, umpire Ron Kulpa should've tossed Ortiz then and there. Manager John Farrell did come out to try to "save" Ortiz, and took the thumb himself.
Keep this in mind.
I can think of only one reason that Kulpa did not eject Ortiz: That, as long as the final pitch was within a time zone of the strike zone, it was going to be strike three.
That pitch was well low, Ortiz checks up, punched out. Strike three, two out, Yankees eventually win 3-2. The second replay showed Ortiz checked up.
Ortiz is still steaming, but at least gets back to the dugout. Then he starts venting, and gets tossed.
We don't see this very often, but Ortiz came back out and he looked like he wanted blood. Yes, he stopped short, but there comes a point where being that angry and having to be wrestled off needs to be actionable -- even if you are David Ortiz.
That said, he shouldn't be the only party banned from at least today's game. One manager and at least one umpire if not two...
John Farrell never left the dugout until after Ortiz' ejection. Farrell was still in the dugout for strike three, and was part of the SECOND argument as Ortiz was being restrained.
Under the Rules of Baseball, though the relevant Rule (7.03(6), as in this .PDF from MLB) only refers to an ejected PLAYER, it would appear that Farrell has committed no less than a forfeiture offense. As such, he should be suspended, starting immediately.
But I can think of at least one umpire, if not two, who should go with him, for not applying that rule and forcing Farrell to leave before another pitch is thrown.
Kulpa should be suspended, so should his crew chief if it's somebody else. Kulpa tossed Farrell on the 3-1 pitch, and the game should not have resumed with him in the dugout.
So there needs to be some immediate action on this one, boys.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
So is Adam Silver the "same old boss"? San Antonio might think so after last night...
The NBA, until the hiring of Adam Silver, has been seen as the league the most likely to be exposed as rigged.
After last night, Adam Silver needs to take a look at a few things.
Oklahoma City "defeated" San Antonio last night by one point at San Antonio (only the second loss this season and playoffs at home for the Spurs).
That's how the record book will look and Oklahoma City, after losing by one of the worst playoff margins in history in Game 1, Oklahoma City "won" Game 2 by a single point, after one of the most bizarre finales in history in which the NBA now admits that it may have screwed up FIVE calls in the sequence.
A delay of game call on the Spurs, three fouls before the ball was stolen, and a shooting foul with 2.6 seconds left which would've given the Spurs two freethrows to take the lead.
And at least three more infractions on the Spurs before that play as well in the final two minutes -- which now is publicly reported.
Adam Silver, you have a problem with your referees.
I don't know how many of them are still left from the $tern era, but it may be time to now ask.
Every indication I've had of Silver has been he's trying to be an upstanding man of integrity...
... until about 6-8 weeks ago.
It's nothing specific, but there's been a lot of talk about whether the league wants to make Steph Curry the next Foolish and Wretched One in this league. (And with some of the incidents of cockiness the Warriors have had late in their record-breaking season, one does have to wonder.)
But last night is probably the most blatant example in the Adam Silver administration that the league may still be as rigged under Silver as it was under $tern.
We're watching, Adam. Your referees are still a joke.
After last night, Adam Silver needs to take a look at a few things.
Oklahoma City "defeated" San Antonio last night by one point at San Antonio (only the second loss this season and playoffs at home for the Spurs).
That's how the record book will look and Oklahoma City, after losing by one of the worst playoff margins in history in Game 1, Oklahoma City "won" Game 2 by a single point, after one of the most bizarre finales in history in which the NBA now admits that it may have screwed up FIVE calls in the sequence.
A delay of game call on the Spurs, three fouls before the ball was stolen, and a shooting foul with 2.6 seconds left which would've given the Spurs two freethrows to take the lead.
And at least three more infractions on the Spurs before that play as well in the final two minutes -- which now is publicly reported.
Adam Silver, you have a problem with your referees.
I don't know how many of them are still left from the $tern era, but it may be time to now ask.
Every indication I've had of Silver has been he's trying to be an upstanding man of integrity...
... until about 6-8 weeks ago.
It's nothing specific, but there's been a lot of talk about whether the league wants to make Steph Curry the next Foolish and Wretched One in this league. (And with some of the incidents of cockiness the Warriors have had late in their record-breaking season, one does have to wonder.)
But last night is probably the most blatant example in the Adam Silver administration that the league may still be as rigged under Silver as it was under $tern.
We're watching, Adam. Your referees are still a joke.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
E-Sports and Match Fixing: The More Things Change...
Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock the last two or three years knows that professional video gaming has exploded in East Asia and Europe (and, to a lesser extent, North America).
Similarly, anyone who hasn't been living under a rock has also heard the reports of match-fixing and rigging in various video game leagues and tournaments where the matches can actually be gambled on.
So I turn to Deadspin this Sunday morning to find this headline on their first article, heading to their video-game arm Kotaku:
Match-Fixing Report Shows How Gambling Has Ruined Korean StarCraft
StarCraft is usually a one-on-one space-based strategy game where players build buildings to mine resources and create armaments to destroy the other player off the map.
It is also where Brian Tuohy first exposed me to the fact that many of these leagues in Korea (where E-Sports is actually a lot of their "sports"!) have their professional matches wagered on, which has led to match-fixing scandals.
Fast-forward to today's article. Almost three months after a StarCraft World Champion was taken into custody in the process of a significant national prosecutorial investigation into e-sports and the match-fixing which has come with some of the betting thereto, a report has been filed by said prosecutors.
The player Lee "Life" Seung Hyun, now is arrested for match-fixing in Korean tournaments. One of the most damning things for the future of e-sports in Korea is the scope of the payment: Because of the player involved and his almost-singular stature within the e-sport of StarCraft, he was offered approximately $62,000 by the match-fixers to throw two matches in a Korean Cup tournament -- in a tournament which might have netted him a first prize of about $8,000-$9,000!!
A second player, Bung Woo Yong, was arrested for taking half that amount to throw one match. In the tournament in which he threw his match, according to the Kotaku article, he made about as much throwing the match as he would've the entire SEASON he was actually playing in.
Six other parties were also arrested in the scheme, according to a report on an e-sports team site.
The report basically also blows the lid off of the fact that this is a systematic situation, and it is occurring all over the place in competitive StarCraft.
Given this, there is a demand that KeSPA -- The Korean E-Sports Association -- do something about all of this.
In a realistic sense, I can only think of one place to start: Shutting down competitive StarCraft until it is made clear that the game can be cleaned up from the gambling. When the first reports of this were coming out, Blizzard (the creators of the game) seized material control of the professional StarCraft world -- to absolutely no apparent effect.
The facts are simple: As long as these video games are being gambled on in Korea, they're dirty. Whether every match is being fixed is irrelevant. When you have one of the, if not THE, key figure in your sport part of a widespread match-fixing epidemic and your profit from throwing matches is a multiplied factor of (in his case) the entire tournament's winnings or (in Bung Woo Yong's) the entire season's top winnings, it's time to baby-and-bathwater the entire mess and shut it down.
Similarly, anyone who hasn't been living under a rock has also heard the reports of match-fixing and rigging in various video game leagues and tournaments where the matches can actually be gambled on.
So I turn to Deadspin this Sunday morning to find this headline on their first article, heading to their video-game arm Kotaku:
Match-Fixing Report Shows How Gambling Has Ruined Korean StarCraft
StarCraft is usually a one-on-one space-based strategy game where players build buildings to mine resources and create armaments to destroy the other player off the map.
It is also where Brian Tuohy first exposed me to the fact that many of these leagues in Korea (where E-Sports is actually a lot of their "sports"!) have their professional matches wagered on, which has led to match-fixing scandals.
Fast-forward to today's article. Almost three months after a StarCraft World Champion was taken into custody in the process of a significant national prosecutorial investigation into e-sports and the match-fixing which has come with some of the betting thereto, a report has been filed by said prosecutors.
The player Lee "Life" Seung Hyun, now is arrested for match-fixing in Korean tournaments. One of the most damning things for the future of e-sports in Korea is the scope of the payment: Because of the player involved and his almost-singular stature within the e-sport of StarCraft, he was offered approximately $62,000 by the match-fixers to throw two matches in a Korean Cup tournament -- in a tournament which might have netted him a first prize of about $8,000-$9,000!!
A second player, Bung Woo Yong, was arrested for taking half that amount to throw one match. In the tournament in which he threw his match, according to the Kotaku article, he made about as much throwing the match as he would've the entire SEASON he was actually playing in.
Six other parties were also arrested in the scheme, according to a report on an e-sports team site.
The report basically also blows the lid off of the fact that this is a systematic situation, and it is occurring all over the place in competitive StarCraft.
Given this, there is a demand that KeSPA -- The Korean E-Sports Association -- do something about all of this.
In a realistic sense, I can only think of one place to start: Shutting down competitive StarCraft until it is made clear that the game can be cleaned up from the gambling. When the first reports of this were coming out, Blizzard (the creators of the game) seized material control of the professional StarCraft world -- to absolutely no apparent effect.
The facts are simple: As long as these video games are being gambled on in Korea, they're dirty. Whether every match is being fixed is irrelevant. When you have one of the, if not THE, key figure in your sport part of a widespread match-fixing epidemic and your profit from throwing matches is a multiplied factor of (in his case) the entire tournament's winnings or (in Bung Woo Yong's) the entire season's top winnings, it's time to baby-and-bathwater the entire mess and shut it down.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
We're going to have sports violence over homophobia and the like...
NHL...
"Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw has been suspended for one game for making use of a homophobic slur during" last night's Game 4 against St. Louis.
He's also fined $5,000 and must undergo the dreaded (and ineffective) sensitivity training.
And it's not enough, especially if, as reports indicate, he did it to a referee.
Look. It's obvious. Something's going to go down because of homophobia and bigotry -- it's probably happening this year.
Someone's finally going to go off...
(And if it isn't that, the racial slurs went hot and heavy in St. Louis too at the Cardinal game.)
"Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw has been suspended for one game for making use of a homophobic slur during" last night's Game 4 against St. Louis.
He's also fined $5,000 and must undergo the dreaded (and ineffective) sensitivity training.
And it's not enough, especially if, as reports indicate, he did it to a referee.
Look. It's obvious. Something's going to go down because of homophobia and bigotry -- it's probably happening this year.
Someone's finally going to go off...
(And if it isn't that, the racial slurs went hot and heavy in St. Louis too at the Cardinal game.)
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
You know it's getting sickening that FOX Sports has more balls than ESPN...
Curt Schilling has done it again.
Opened up his fat trap and exposed himself as a homophobic and transphobic whore, getting money from ESPN for some odd reason (the fact that ESPN probably agrees with his political views and airs the No F_____s League probably also has something to do with it).
This, what must be his fourth or so social media indiscretion, another one of those false "bathroom" dichotomies that the Rethuglipigs of this country are trumpeting -- never mind it was long since settled law before several states began openly disregarding the Constitution (as noted by a Federal court judge who (I believe yesterday or today!) struck down a prohibition in Virginia barring a transgender student from a bathroom commensurate to their preferred gender).
And before I get any bigoted pigs: Your fucking bullshit on the matter is not consistent with the God or catechism I was taught. If God knew a transgender before (insert chosen gender here) was born, then He knew (and created!!!!) them as a transgender. Period, end. You got a problem with that? Take it up with The Big Guy Upstairs.
And go fuck off, and that's Curt Schilling too.
Oh, and that title of this post?
My anonymous friend, who pointed this out to me (and has asked me to no longer use ESPN's services on this blog until Schilling is fired!), told me an interesting story from Deadspin. (There is a Schilling piece on Deadspin, but I'm not dignifying the pig.) (And I found it at Huntington Post first, here.)
You would think that, with Rupert Murdoch and the Republican leanings of the FOX corporation, they'd love Curt Schilling and the bathroom argument and all that shit.
Well, in 2013, Craig James (who I once heard on FOX Sports Radio for a period of time) was hired by FOX Sports Southwest for college football.
He lasted one game.
Why?
James was fired when homophobic rants surfaced when he ran for state Senate (and lost a special election), including one which said that GLBT's would "answer to the Lord" for their "choices")...
Oh.
Fucking.
Please.
WE ALL ARE GOING TO DO SO!! Every one of us! Gay, straight, trans, black, white, Oriental, Christian, Muslim, Atheist, rich, poor, whatever the fuck have you!
Every one of us will "answer to the Lord". And I've got news for the homo- and transphobes...
I'll lay you money there are a number of GLBT's who will see Heaven long before some of you will.
And if that sends me to Hell, I'll probably already see you when I get there.
Opened up his fat trap and exposed himself as a homophobic and transphobic whore, getting money from ESPN for some odd reason (the fact that ESPN probably agrees with his political views and airs the No F_____s League probably also has something to do with it).
This, what must be his fourth or so social media indiscretion, another one of those false "bathroom" dichotomies that the Rethuglipigs of this country are trumpeting -- never mind it was long since settled law before several states began openly disregarding the Constitution (as noted by a Federal court judge who (I believe yesterday or today!) struck down a prohibition in Virginia barring a transgender student from a bathroom commensurate to their preferred gender).
And before I get any bigoted pigs: Your fucking bullshit on the matter is not consistent with the God or catechism I was taught. If God knew a transgender before (insert chosen gender here) was born, then He knew (and created!!!!) them as a transgender. Period, end. You got a problem with that? Take it up with The Big Guy Upstairs.
And go fuck off, and that's Curt Schilling too.
Oh, and that title of this post?
My anonymous friend, who pointed this out to me (and has asked me to no longer use ESPN's services on this blog until Schilling is fired!), told me an interesting story from Deadspin. (There is a Schilling piece on Deadspin, but I'm not dignifying the pig.) (And I found it at Huntington Post first, here.)
You would think that, with Rupert Murdoch and the Republican leanings of the FOX corporation, they'd love Curt Schilling and the bathroom argument and all that shit.
Well, in 2013, Craig James (who I once heard on FOX Sports Radio for a period of time) was hired by FOX Sports Southwest for college football.
He lasted one game.
Why?
James was fired when homophobic rants surfaced when he ran for state Senate (and lost a special election), including one which said that GLBT's would "answer to the Lord" for their "choices")...
Oh.
Fucking.
Please.
WE ALL ARE GOING TO DO SO!! Every one of us! Gay, straight, trans, black, white, Oriental, Christian, Muslim, Atheist, rich, poor, whatever the fuck have you!
Every one of us will "answer to the Lord". And I've got news for the homo- and transphobes...
I'll lay you money there are a number of GLBT's who will see Heaven long before some of you will.
And if that sends me to Hell, I'll probably already see you when I get there.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
NASCAR Just Went Over The Line
We've got a problem in NECK-CAR.
I'm going to have to boycott future coverage of NASCAR.
And, when you see the locales of many of the races involved, you can almost see where this is going.
Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty" gave the invocation tonight, and he called, in the prayer, for a "man of God" to be elected President in November.
Congratulations, NECK-CAR, you've finished the job and gone over to bigotry, hatred, and probably murder. In doing so, this bearded piece of goddamned (intended wording!) excrement has endorsed Ted Cruz for all the world to see.
And by allowing this piece of shit a microphone, you have too.
And by allowing this piece of shit a microphone, you riled up the NASCAR fanatics that take their "number" over their country. In a day and age where it is clear that the Republican party is trying to install an "anointed President" who will kill lesbians, gays, transgenders, and bisexuals (and all of their supporters) in the (purported) name of God.
And by allowing this piece of shit a microphone, you are enabling this whole movement of "The South Shall Rise Again". This same "South" that now has two states which now have legalized discrimination against GLBT's -- which was settled law a long time ago (Texas sodomy decision, Obgerefell, etc. and so forth).
(Here's a hint: Your arguments make no sense. If you were really about "PROTECT THE CHILDREN!", I'd really love to bring you here to see what the children here in some parts of California have to deal with.)
So, guess what, NECK-CAR? You're effectively about the level of Vladimir Putin and the Sochi Olympics.
And any GLBT who remains a fan of NASCAR now has to fall into the self-loathing category.
And any real American who remains a fan of NASCAR wants the Constitution torn up.
I really get the impression that the "South" wants a shooting war.
Keep sending the likes of what friends of mine call "Fuck Dynasty" to the fore, and you might well get one!
I'm going to have to boycott future coverage of NASCAR.
And, when you see the locales of many of the races involved, you can almost see where this is going.
Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty" gave the invocation tonight, and he called, in the prayer, for a "man of God" to be elected President in November.
Congratulations, NECK-CAR, you've finished the job and gone over to bigotry, hatred, and probably murder. In doing so, this bearded piece of goddamned (intended wording!) excrement has endorsed Ted Cruz for all the world to see.
And by allowing this piece of shit a microphone, you have too.
And by allowing this piece of shit a microphone, you riled up the NASCAR fanatics that take their "number" over their country. In a day and age where it is clear that the Republican party is trying to install an "anointed President" who will kill lesbians, gays, transgenders, and bisexuals (and all of their supporters) in the (purported) name of God.
And by allowing this piece of shit a microphone, you are enabling this whole movement of "The South Shall Rise Again". This same "South" that now has two states which now have legalized discrimination against GLBT's -- which was settled law a long time ago (Texas sodomy decision, Obgerefell, etc. and so forth).
(Here's a hint: Your arguments make no sense. If you were really about "PROTECT THE CHILDREN!", I'd really love to bring you here to see what the children here in some parts of California have to deal with.)
So, guess what, NECK-CAR? You're effectively about the level of Vladimir Putin and the Sochi Olympics.
And any GLBT who remains a fan of NASCAR now has to fall into the self-loathing category.
And any real American who remains a fan of NASCAR wants the Constitution torn up.
I really get the impression that the "South" wants a shooting war.
Keep sending the likes of what friends of mine call "Fuck Dynasty" to the fore, and you might well get one!
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Jerry Jones (and Vince McMahon) have lost their goddamned minds.
About half of the claimed 101,000 fans who saw tonight's Wrestlemania boondoggle couldn't get in the stadium in time for the start of the card (missing some of the main card and three pre-card matches to promote the WWE Network).
Many fans were pissed, some were forced to leave because of the heat!
The stadium claimed the wi-fi was down, but later, both the stadium and the WWE claimed it was due to increased security measures (probably instituted because the "face" man the WWE wants us to have as our champion, no one wants because he's been rammed down our throats -- even MORE SO than John Cena!! So he wins the championship again anyway!!).
You've lost your mind, Vince -- time to fucking go.
And to Jerry Jones, they need to take any large-scale events away from you now -- you've fucked up the ticketing for both the Super Bowl AND Wrestlemania!
(Deadspin, hat-tip to my anonymous friend)
Many fans were pissed, some were forced to leave because of the heat!
The stadium claimed the wi-fi was down, but later, both the stadium and the WWE claimed it was due to increased security measures (probably instituted because the "face" man the WWE wants us to have as our champion, no one wants because he's been rammed down our throats -- even MORE SO than John Cena!! So he wins the championship again anyway!!).
You've lost your mind, Vince -- time to fucking go.
And to Jerry Jones, they need to take any large-scale events away from you now -- you've fucked up the ticketing for both the Super Bowl AND Wrestlemania!
(Deadspin, hat-tip to my anonymous friend)
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