The Echos of The Field 3/31/11

I’m so not in the mood to talk about what is wrong with sports - Ohio State’s Jim Tressel and his questionable violation reporting, the developing Auburn story, the NFL lockout and the impending NBA lock out, or the fact that the Knicks have a $200 million payroll that can’t play defense. I would like today to be about celebrating what is good in sports

THE ECHOES OF THE FIELD

Sunrise…

What was darkness turns green and brown

A slow rise to life, at first without a sound

Morning dew weighs on every blade of grass

Murmurs of the dawn echo across the field

Echoes of hope, glory, heroes long past

For some the beginning

For others the last

That misty trot through the tunnel where so many have past

A worn rank and file

Collected dreams in a pile

But I tip my cap and smile as…

I am once again a child.

Happy Opening Day!

So How's Your Week Going So Far? 3/24/11

NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS

Well I decided not to write last week because it was my birthday and I was on vacation. Besides, nothing really interesting happened last week, did it?

OK so let’s get to Libya first…
It doesn’t matter that the US is not going in there on its own, with an only slightly clearer objective than the previous two wars, that no ground troops are being committed or that it is mostly a humanitarian mission, it’s still the US meddling in the Middle East, a place where our relationships are, at best, shaky. I have always been a huge supporter of President Barack Obama, and I believe he wants the right thing, but we really should stay totally out of it and let our European allies take the blame for something this time. But the best reaction is, of course, coming from the Republican retards that have spent the past 7 years defending a misguided war in Iraq now criticizing the President for actions that actually have United Nations approval. I guess they are just not used to international support.

As for Japan, my heart goes out to all the victims, but I must say I am more concerned with the condition of that nuclear reactor. Remember, the Japanese don’t exactly have fond memories of atomic energy and what it can do. Not just in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but Godzilla as well! And once again Americans have taken it upon themselves to make it about them, asking pharmacists even here in New York, for Potassium Iodine pills. Really? Don’t you fucking people have anything better to do? How about you take whatever cash you were going to spend on yet another medication you don’t need and donate it instead to disaster relief efforts in Japan?

All of Hollywood was shocked yesterday when 79 year old Elizabeth Taylor dropped dead. I was shocked too, I thought she died ten years ago.

SPORTS

So how’s your bracket? I have not had one this bad since 1999, and I didn’t even make crazy picks, but when a 12 and 13 seed are both in the Sweet 16, anything can happen. Obama is killing me for the first time in 3 years. I am happy to report that UNC has made it to the Sweet 16 with only 7 scholarship players. That being said, ESPN resident groupie Doug Gottlieb called UNC the “most overrated team in the Sweet 16.” Really? How can you be overrated and in the Sweet 16? Isn’t a #2 seed supposed to be in the Sweet 16? Over achieving team maybe, considering how weak their bench is, but overrated? Are you a Duke fan?

Then there is the whole Bruce Pearl situation. Of course Tennessee was going to lose in the tournament if the AD makes a statement a day before the game saying that his coach’s future was “uncertain.” Way to support a team that needs to win sir! Maybe you should be fired too. Better yet, let’s wait until your birthday or Christmas, so you can see what bad timing feels like. Look, Pearl made some mistakes, but compared to what’s going on in college basketball his infractions were minor, and it’s not like he didn’t pay for them. He was not only a winner, but he was a very enthusiastic supporter of the school’s other athletic teams as well. I think he will be missed at Tennessee.

THIS WEEK’S REASON WHY TERRORISTS WANNA KILL US

Chris Brown. Seriously what does this guy have to be mad about? He was told beforehand what Robin Roberts was going to ask him during his interview on Good Morning America, and could have easily chosen not to participate, not have a meltdown that broke a window onto the street. Can you imagine if that broken glass had hit a woman with a stroller? How can this asshole not see past himself? Seriously does this guy think he is interesting beyond the fact that he beat up Rihanna? It’s not like he hit the game winning shot that sent his team to the NBA Finals or invented a cure for cancer.

It's Always Funny Till Someone Gets Hurt 3/10/11

NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS

I don’t know about you, but I kinda stopped laughing at that whole Charlie Sheen thing. It’s really not that funny anymore. Now it’s just sad. Usually this is something I would continue to mercilessly make fun of, but even I’m inspired to be a bit sensitive, and I’m just about un-inspirable.

One of the rarest things that any so-called journalist can be these days is impartial, which is why the loss of Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post political columnist David Broder could not have come at a worse time. Intelligent, and even-handed, the “Dean of the White House Press Corps” gained prominence in 1973 for his clear and compelling explanation of the Watergate scandal that lead to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
I’ll miss him most on "Meet the Press."

And how about this Peter King huh? The Republican US Representative of New York held hearings today on the radicalization of Muslims in the US. According to stats pulled from the reliable source known as his ass, 85 percent of the leaders of American mosques have extremist views and Muslims often do not cooperate with law enforcement. How can this man be this out of touch and not realize how this will even further alienate the law abiding Muslim community? I am glad to see however, that King has taken such a strong stance against terrorism, I mean it’s not like he has ever endorsed a terrorists group himself, like the IRA or anything. Now he has been quoted as saying that there are no significant parallels between the IRA and Al-Qaeda, but I think both being called terrorists groups is pretty significant parallel, as do the hundreds of Irish civilians who have been killed or injured by their hand. And you know what else? Bono of U2 thinks they are terrorists, and I get all my political opinions from Bono, so shame on you Peter King!

SPORTS

As I do every March…”It’s Tournament time Baaaby!!!” So the Tar Heels beat the Ducks, I mean, Duke yet again, and still can’t get above them in the polls. Typical Blue Devil ass-kissing. My number one seeds so far would be Kansas (who always disappoints me), Ohio State, Pittsburgh (one of about 10 schools from the Big East who should make it in this year), and after the week they have had and if they win the ACC Tournament, Carolina baby! I know I’m being a fan, but they have come along way since giving the starting job to Kendall Marshall and letting him run the offense.
As for the Big East, I think that my alma mater, St. John’s, is proof of what you can do when you have a lot of seniors and a good head coach. I know they barely got by Rutgers thanks to a horrible call, but they have not been ranked this high in ages. Then there is Notre Dame, who also has not been relevant in basketball for a while, and here they are with the Big East player of the year in Ben Hansbrough, yeah Tyler’s brother. This has been a great year for the Big East conference.

THIS WEEK’S REASON WHY TERRORISTS WANNA KILL US

I think I just saw the dumbest commercial I have ever seen, and during Women’s History Month, too. Have you seen that Bud Light ad where an alien race of hot chicks comes down in a spacecraft and offers to trade Bud Light if the men agree to leave with them? Needless to say hot women and a lifetime supply of beer will get any man to leave the Earth, but in the end, the women all cheer and shout “Here We Go!” as if to celebrate the fact that the men are gone and they have a lot of beer. OK do you femenazi morons really think you got the better deal? Is this the message? I hope the aliens threw in a few warp speed powered vibrators and you all enjoy going down on each other.

All Charlie...All The Time 3/3/11

My pitch for a new cable network…All Charlie Sheen, all the time! There should be a camera on this guy even when he sleeps; I can imagine the insane, seemingly real nightmares that awaken this delusional, borderline schizophrenic in a screaming cold sweat are just as entertaining and pathological as he is. Now I’m sure that everyone at this point has their own personal favorite Charlie Sheen rant, but my favorite has to be him saying that he is ready to film “Major League 3” a movie that was already made in the 90’s, without him. That’s classic!

NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS

These protests in Libya have turned into an all out civil war, and President Barack Obama has made his strongest statements on the matter in a press conference this afternoon. Here’s an idea…instead of “preparing all options” including a military one, how about we tell our “allies” who actually have a relationship with Libya, to step up to the plate and pressure Qaddafi? Why is it that the United States is always called upon when the rest of the world can’t fight its own battles? We are involved in two wars right now; we can’t afford to clean up the rest of the world’s problems too. Sure you can argue that we have some vested interest, but European nations have more. Why is it that Europe is always willing to fight to last American life? Why doesn’t France, those snail-eating cowards who wouldn’t let us fly our planes over their airspace when we did attack Libya in 1986, handle this? Oh yeah I forgot, this would require them having a spine.

This is where it gets tough…I will not condone the actions of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of providing a treasure trove of classified government documents to WikiLeaks. If he is found guilty, he needs to pay the price. Anyone thinking that this is a freedom of speech issue should volunteer their personal information for me to publicly post on this blog. There is a reason things are classified, and he knew that. Having said that, the Government has decided to charge him with an Article 104, which is complete bullshit. That in a nutshell for you civilians is “Aiding the enemy,” which could give him life or in some cases the death penalty. Unless Wikileaks was a declared an enemy of the United States by a formal declaration of war or other military action, charging him with this is just legal posturing, and is yet another reason why the government’s intelligence is never taken seriously.

Trent Reznor at the Academy Awards? Don’t get it twisted, I’m happy that this great musician, who has written some of my favorite songs, has gotten some recognition, but it was just hard to watch the guy who wrote “Starfuckers Incorporated” wearing a tuxedo and getting an Oscar.

SPORTS

Brandon Davies, the third leading scorer and top rebounder on the BYU basketball team was kicked out for violations of the Honor Code. As it turns out, the violation had nothing to do with drugs or a DUI, but the fact that the kid was having sex with his girlfriend. First of all he deserves to be kicked out for admitting it, unless they snuck a camera into his room. And how does BYU expect to make it to the Final Four if all their guys are backed up from not getting laid? Can you imagine if every college kicked you out for that? There would be no one left in school. I guess real Mormons are a lot weirder than on “Big Love.”

THIS WEEK’S REASONS WHY TERRORISTS WANNA KILL US

An early entry for my JB Random Report Parents of the Year are Sandra and James Davis, from ironically enough, Dodge County, Georgia. These two winners pleaded guilty to having their 14-year-old daughter engage in sex with a man so that they would not have to make monthly payments on their secondhand minivan. The used car dealer was also arrested. I wonder if the sheriff would have been more lenient if it was a Ford?

And no indictment of America would be complete without a good Facebook feud! Police in Brooklyn arrested a teenage mother and charged her with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing her friend over a dispute about a $20 loan for diapers that escalated into a Facebook feud, then a stabbing. Kayla Henriques, 18, was arrested early Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. I guess in their world diapers are as valuable as crack and are worth dying for.