Wild Wild West of the internet

I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard about a recent court case that has to do with the freedom of speech and how far that carries over into the world of the internet. I took a look online and found out some more information about this story. What happened was that a model, Liskula Cohen, had her photo and information posted on the blog called "skanks in NYC". She says that the blog referring to her as a skank defamed her.
The story gets really interesting with what Cohen did next. She contacted Google, the blog host, and told them to notify the blogger so that he or she could retain counsel and object to being unmasked, which is what Cohen wanted to occur. This brings us to the question what do we do, Do we unmask the person who wrote this blog or do we let them post the way other bloggers do without their faces ever being seen? It really is an excellent question.
The internet has provided a forum up until this point in time where people can post pretty much any kind of opinions or information that they want under internet privacy rights. If this blogger is unmasked then I could see a potential negative in others following suit in suing for defamation which in turn could further clog up the court systems.
Some responsibility does have to be taken by bloggers but how much responsibility?

LaGuardia terminal evacuated

So I woke up this morning and started checking some of my overnight emails and I came across this news story. It has to do with a man who early this morning walked into the airport acting suspiciously and left a bag out in the open in the middle of the airport. Thankfully the bag was looked through by bomb deactivation teams once the terminal had been evacuated and it was shown that the bag contained a harmless batteries with some wires attached to add to the effect of the fake weapon.
There are a few things that I picked up from this story besides the fact that the guy who planted the bag is a nut job. It really is amazing how quickly an entire airport terminal can be evacuated in the case of an emergency. The people who are in charge of emergency control at the airport really deserve a lot of credit because it can't be easy to orderly evacuate an entire terminal full of travelers.
I know what your thinking, not the longest blog entry of mine. I just felt some credit needed to be given to those who stepped up in this potentially dangerous situation.

Appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Everything has a process to it and without question the appointment of a justice on the supreme court has a lengthy process that goes along with it. It seems like I have been hearing about her for the past several months and yet somehow she still has not been appointed as a member of the court. I am grateful there is a process and not just anyone can be a member of the court but the question I ask is; at what point does the process become too large, almost larger than the job it was put in place to hire(if that makes any sense, I will explain further)?
Everything in government seems to take so long. Before viewing this appointment process my opinion about the government taking it's time mainly had to do with the waiting period people have to go through before facing trial. The questioning in this process is warranted but at this point I am hearing the same questions phrased in different ways and it really is beginning to feel like an unnecessary process.
On to the Judge herself; Judge Sotomayor is a truly outstanding person. She seems to have faced all adversity that she has faced in stride and only fought harder to bring her to the place she is in today (only a step away from the Supreme Court). She grew up in a poor neighborhood but always tried to make the best of all opportunities given to her and anyone who has been through as much as Sonya Sotomayor has is a winner in my book and a fitting applicant for the court based on how she has answered the intense amount of questions. The sooner she is on the court, the better.

MLB at the All Star break: State of the Yankees

Since the MLB is at the all star break I thought it would be fun to go through the Yanks and take a look at what they need and have to look forward to in the seccond half of the season.
The Yankees first half has been a very rocky road. By that I mean that there have been huge positive events but on the other hand there have been astounding disappointments. Since there are two ways to approach this I feel that it would be fun to write a review under the glass half full and the glass half empty views of where the team is at.
Glass half full- Coming into the all star break the Yankees are hot. They faced a small bump in the road in their series against the Angels but prior to that they were playing the type of ball that the fans have expected from them. One of the biggest pluses from the first half was the fact that the bullpen is developing very nicely. Phil Hughes has turned himself into reliable set up man for Mariano Rivera. I would not go as far as to call them a Rivera - Wetland combo but it has the potential to turn into something excellent. Offensively Tex started off slow and scared some fans but it got better as the month of May came around. Tex served as a great set up man for A Rod, pitch wise, and in the line up and kept a great on base percentage
Glass Half Empty- The Yankees have issues whenever they play a team of quality. They got embarrassed by the Angels, who had players missing, on their way into the break. As pathetic as it is the fact remains that the Yankees have yet to beat the Red Sox this season. Just look at that when you are asking yourself how we are in second place, maybe it is because we started 0-9 against our rivals! Pitching wise Wang has turned from a 19 game winner into a DL visiting dud. He has lost any kind of touch that he has had in the previous 2 years and who knows if he will ever get this touch back.
I tend to lean towards the more positive way of thinking being that the Yankees were on a hot streak on the way into the Angel series and are still only a small number of games out of first place and in first place for the wild card. If they do make the playoffs then who knows what will happen, it becomes a whole new season.

Things that make me want to root for a certain player

I was having this discussion with a friend the other day and it had to do with the characteristics of certain players that drove us as fans to root for them. It would be all to easy to say that we root for players soley based on their statistics (even though that is one of the criteria). If that were the case there would be a lot more people who would pick Barry Bonds as their favorite player. So here is my list in no particular order of things that cause me to root for certain players.
-intuitiveness- This is an important one on my list because it says a lot about how well a player understands the game. For some players you can tell it is in their nature to be in the right spot when the play comes along and for others you can sense a longer mental process of the player having to think before making the correct move. The players who have the intuition look much smother in their play because of the way they position themselves and follow through, it makes them more pleasurable to watch.
-gratitude- This one has to do with whether or not a player realizes how lucky they are to have a job playing a game that most people would give their left arm to have a shot at playing on a pro level. Does the player make known that the fans are the reason that they have their huge contracts in the first place. An example of a player who does not get this concept of gratitude would be Gary Shefield who once commented that he really doesn't care about the fan reception because they do not sign his paychecks. In reality the fans do sign the paychecks and the athletes need to be thankful for this.
-effort- this has to do with whether a player hustles out of the batters box or slowly trots to first base because they are predicting an out. I could never find myself truly rooting for a player who dogs it out of the batters box after a pop up. You never know what is going to happen and it is simple baseball logic that you run out every ball to the best of your ability. Some players are willing to play the ball on a couple of hops and toss it back into the infield and then you have others who sprint at the ball so they put themselves into a position to make a diving catch. People pay good money to see the game and effort should be shown by every player for the money that they are receiving.
-off the field activities- With the amount of money that these people make it is only natural that there be some left over that can be given to local charities. It goes beyond the money though, what kind of things do guys do after the games; speed off in their cars or sign a couple of autographs on occasion. Word gets around between the fans and we do know who signs and who does not.
Feel free to comment on this post and let me know what you look for in the people that you root for.

The Last play of Friday night's Yankee game

For anyone who watched the entire Yankee vs. Met game Friday night you probably all know the play I am talking about. With the Yankees down by a run and two outs in the bottom of the ninth with men on first and second A Rod hits a pop up which is dropped by the Mets seccond baseman allowing two runs to score. This gave the Yankees a dramatic win. I just wanted to break this play down because it says a lot about different ways that the game of baseball is played.
It is easy to point the finger at Louis Castillo, the second baseman, for dropping the pop up partially due to the fact that he did not use two hands. That is just little league stuff, you get under the ball and use one hand to help shut your glove around the ball when the time comes. He is not the only player who needs to be analyzed during this crazy play, you can also look at the role that Texiera, the runner on first, and Arod, the batter played.
For Mark Texiera to score on this pop up is just astounding to me. He hustled on contact, meaning he took off in a full sprint the seccond that Arod made contact. This is also something that we learn in little league, when there are two outs you are supposed to run once someone hits the ball regardless of whether it looks like an out or a base hit. The number of players who actually put in this effort seems to be constantly shrinking. Players who may slow to a trot when the ball appears catchable are just all too common. Tex broke that trend by hustling the whole way through the play.
A Rod's role in this play has not been the topic of much conversation but I still do feel that it needs to be looked at. The second he made contact with the ball he angrily threw his bat and took a slow trot. Another little league mistake that way too many professional ball players make, you should always hustle out of the batters box even if at first it may look like an easy out. For the money that A Fraud is getting paid can we please see some hustle out of the batters box?

The start of Summer

A lot of people have a single event that they can point to that marks the 'official' beginning of their summer season. For some it is the first time they have to mow their lawn or start the planting of veggies in the back yard. For me the start of summer is marked by an event that occurs every year on the first Saturday of June. It happens out on Long Island where spectators come to watch the third leg of the triple crown, the Belmont Stakes.
The race itself is great every year as there is no telling which horse will win. Over the past six years I have seen favorites, long shots, and marginal horses win the third jewel of the triple crown. Never a triple crown winner in the past six year but hopefully that day will come sooner rather than later. I was never a huge horse racing fan until going to my first Belmont in 2004 where I saw Birdstone with a burst of late speed go on to beat Smarty Jones who was running for the crown. It didn't hurt that I won 160 bucks on that race but watching that horse take off late was just incredible.
The first Saturday in June really is more than just a day for great horse racing but instead a chance to grill burgers have some beers and spend time with friends. The relaxed feel in the parking lot is really what summer is all about to me. People just sitting back relaxing and soaking in the fun that is taking place all around them. The past couple of years have been even better experiences due to the terrific weather that has occurred on race day.
The race yesterday was another great one with the three favorites; Mine that bird, Dunkirk, and Charitable Man battling it out in the last 50 yards of the longest leg of the triple crown. These three only had their dreams broken by 11-1 shot Summer Bird who passed them all to win the 2009 Belmont Stakes. I can't say that I was too pleased to see Summer Bird pass the three favorites because I would have won a lot more money if things had stayed the way they were before that horse passed the three leaders. All was not lost though because my mom had money on Summer Bird to win it.
All in all the race was not the best part of the day, it was being around good friends and having a great time for the official start to my summer.

Why I admire Vince McMahon

Though I wouldn't mind the disposable income there are other things that I really respect about Vince McMahon. This man created an empire known as the WWE. The WWE is so huge and has such a large following built up over the years and I give 100% credit for this to Vince and his actions as owner of the league. Some owners and creators of leagues are just greedy and rely on people around them to get things done but not Vince. He has such a level of creative thinking that you really never know what is going to come next.
The latest news with Vince came where he had reserved an arena in Denver for a Monday night show but was told he could not have the arena due to a Denver Nugget playoff game that would take place even though he had a contract to use the arena for that night. At this point Vince was faced with a choice; he could mope away and act disappointed that he had to move his event or he could make a show out of it.
Vince took the later root in taking shots at the owner of the Pepsi center, E. Stan Kronke. He held an interview on ESPN where he stated that Kronke should be arrested for interpreting a good business man. To add insult to injury Vince moved his event to the home of the LA Lakers who are playing the Denver Nuggets. Was Vince done? No. He hired an actor to play Mr. Kronke and come out to the ring to open up the Monday night show. He made fun of Kronke having an initial as a first name and not having faith in his NBA team to do well in the playoffs. He then stated that when you push the WWE fans around the WWE pushes back as he proceeded to push Kronke out of the ring.
Vince took what could have been a let down to his organization and turned it into a chance to gain press attention and turn it against the Nugget ownership. I admire anyone who can be so creative and turn a possible negative situation into such a positive.

Walk off Weekend for the Yankees

This past weekend the Twins came into Yankee stadium and it was one of the most entertaining weekend series that I can remember in a long time. It wasn't the fact that the Yankees managed to win three games in a row but it was in the style that they did so. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all classic games. To make this series even more memorable for me I was able to make the Friday night and Sunday afternoon games.
Friday was a game where the Yankees looked somewhat flat and they didn't appear to have much of a chance to win through the first five or six innings. The player who had the most to do with the Yankees winning this game would be Brett Gardner. In the seventh the Yankees were down 4-1 where a hit by Brett took a funny bounce which he took advantage of to produce a no doubt about it- inside the park home run. Gardner is so fast that he really did not have to slide into home plate as he could have made it in standing with time to spare. In the ninth inning Gardner led off the game with a triple, giving the Yankees the spark they needed to start up the three run ninth inning needed to win the game. Melky Cabrera won the game with a walk off single.
Sundays game was a game where you had the feeling throughout that it was going to come down to one big hit, which it did. Pitching was key for both teams as AJ Burnett and Kevin Slowey worked their way out of jams up until the seventh inning where both pitchers gave up two runs. After the seventh inning there were several blown opportunities by both teams where the Yankees and Twins both left several runners in scoring position. The game ended in the bottom of the tenth with a walk off home run from Johnny Damon.
I can not remember the last time there were three consecutive walk off wins for the Yankees. In a season where I am somewhat down on the team in the way they were put together in a poor fashion and the organization forgot about their true fans the events of this weekend helped to peek my interest in them once again. How can you not be intrigued when there are walk offs left and right?

Craigslist says it will drop 'erotic services' ads

While looking through some news articles today I came across the fact that craigslist will soon be dropping its erotic services ad section of the web page. There has been pressure to do this due to the recent violent acts that have taken place over the past few weeks where individuals have met on the adult section of craigslist and led to violent crimes being committed. I can totally see why craigslist is making this move due to the increased pressure from individuals but the question I ask is, do you really think that this move by craigslist will do enough to curve to problem of people meeting online and violent acts taking place?
My answer to that question is an obvious no. What this move by craigslist will do is make it more difficult for people to find a free area to meet others. In this age of the quickly changing internet I am sure there will be some creep more than happy to fill the hole that craigslist used to fill in adding an erotic services section to their web page.
The answer to this growing problem is that people need to better understand the dangers of the internet and use it in a safe way. If you have any questions about what is safe internet usage, a page like this is a good place to start in your search for more information. The fact that craigslist is taking down this section is not an answer to the problem we are having, it is a start but as long as we don't see this as a final solution but as a start towards a solution we are on the right track.

Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom

While looking at the news this morning there was one story that caught my attention. The story is about a 17 year old boy who was told by his Christian school that he would receive incomplete grades on the remainder of his assignments and not be allowed to walk during graduation. Before the start of the school year the student did sign a form that set certain rules in place for the upcoming year but how much should that apply to a student's out of class activities?
This school in Ohio sees rock music as "part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds." You can see by this example that even though this school is a private institution that has a right to make their own rules, they take it to a new extreme level. From someone who went to a private high school I can understand them having tougher rules against drugs and alcohol but having rules against certain kids of music, hand holding, and kissing is just another story.
I really don't feel that raising kids in such a sheltered environment is the best way to go about it. Eventually, whether the parents like it or not, the kids will be exposed to the real world and certain things that you may be trying to hide them from. If you gradually let your kids experience certain aspects of life they will be a lot less shocked when they one day have to live in the real world.
This student has even expressed the fact that he understands the dangers of alcohol and sex on prom night but that did not seem to be enough to appease the principal and members of the school board. Proms are part of the normal high school lives for a great number of high school students and there is no reason to think that this student should not be allowed to go to a prom, even if he does go to a school with some harsher rules.

Baseball Fans in the tough economy

One of my favorite topics to read about has anything to do with baseball and how it relates to the business world. The article that I saw in today's Wall Street Journal has to do with exactly this and how some fans are taking advantage of tough economic times. The gist of the article is the fact that some teams are doing more to make the experience more enjoyable for the season ticket holders, something that I feel is long overdue.
Just think about it for a minute, how devoted do you have to be to buy all 61 home games on your favorite team's schedule? The answer to that is that you have to be a huge fan who if you ask me may deserve a little extra based on your devotion to the home team. Some of the benefits that teams may offer are earlier entrance times into the ball park so that the season ticket holders can have a chance to take in some extra batting practice. Another common benefit being offered to the season ticket holders are meet and greet sessions with the players.
Times are tough right now and it is about time for some of these organizations to realize that the business they are still getting is coming from some of the most loyal fans in the world, the season ticket holders.

Taking Issue with the Yankees

This past weekend the Yankees played a three game set against the Red Sox and were throughly embarrassed. After losing three consecutive games up in Boston the Yankees record dropped to .500 with a 9-9 record. Boston on the other hand have won ten straight games. The Yankees flaws are not simple as they involve many aspects of the way they are playing and can not be remedied with simple trades and call ups. I am afraid to say it but what the Yankees need is a shakeup to the core of the franchise.
Let's start with the game this past Friday night. Mariano Rivera was on the mound with a 4-2 lead and gave up a ninth inning bomb to Jason Bay which tied the game. The game ended in extra innings where Youk hit a walk off home run to beat the Yanks. I am not saying that I don't want Rivera closing for the Yankees but what I am getting at is the fact that they need to start preparing for the post-Rivera era. Rivera used to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees but when they got smart enough to put him in the bullpen they had him as a setup man for John Wetland. What the Yankees need to do is to put Jaba back into a setup man role so that they have the crucial closer position taken care of when Mariano does leave.
Saturday the Yankees had the offense to win the game but the pitching did not follow suit. The Yankees had a 6-0 lead only to see AJ Burnett blow the lead when he gave up eight runs over the next two innings. With the kind of contract the Yanks gave AJ this kind of performance against Boston when the team had a demoralizing loss the night before is just not acceptable. You get paid that big money for a reason and that reason is so that you will be 'the stopper'. The stopper is the guy who when given the ball when it is his turn to pitch is prepared to bring a team out of whatever kind of slump they may be going through at the time.
Sunday was a tougher loss because there was no single person who can be held responsible for their sub par performance. One thing I will point at from Sunday is the fact that the Yankees gave up three runs in the fifth inning. This is okay with me as long as they have some fight and come out hot the following inning to attempt to switch the momentum. The top of the sixth for the Yankees was a flat inning with nothing spectacular, letting Boston keep the momentum and ultimately the ball game.
I will always be a Yankee fan but I will admit that I find it harder and harder to put my full devotion into this ball club. The fact that they may not be winning has nothing to do with it, it has to do with the way the team has been formed and the way they are treating the true fans. I said this before the season starting and I will say it again, paying the best players available huge sums of money is not the way you put together a winning ball club. You need role players and I can count the number of role players that the Yankees have playing for them on one hand. Jeter has and will always be a role player, Posada knows how to call a ball game and is a role player, a role player who doesn't get enough attention is Nick Swisher, a relaxed guy who has a genuine love for the game and brings everything he has on a day in day out basis.
The Yankees have a new stadium and the message that I keep hearing is that it provides a great experience for the fans. Is that the reasons why the Yankees priced out their premium seats so that they remain empty for many games? Fenway to me is a fan friendly stadium. Their prices are expensive but they still manage to sell out every game. The atmosphere is intense there with people watching the game and having a genuine love for their team. The Yankee stadium crowd does not have tis same feel because of tourists and corporate ticket holders who do not have a great level of baseball knowledge.
Why should I give my undying devotion to the Yankees? All they have done for me lately is overprice their seats to keep me out of games and form their team in a fundamentally flawed fashion. Will I still watch the Yanks on TV and follow them over the course of the summer? Yes, but it has changed from what it used to be.

Body Language speaks volumes

This is a topic that I have addressed before and am going to address again. Like it or not people are judged and assumptions are drawn based on the way they appear in public. The last time I talked to people about this issue was during the Vick trial where he appeared lackadaisical and care free during his trial for charges of dog fighting. If a person enters a trial in this manner then I feel the result of the trial should be affected accordingly. This theory also works in the reverse fashion like when a person shows remorse and a willingness to change during a trial, they should be judged a bit more leniently.
The body language I want to take a look at is the body language of the 18 year old Somalian pirate who is going to be tried for holding a cargo ship hostage and shooting at the captain of the ship. The photo is of the young pirate being led to a federal building in New York. The federal agents that are leading him look very serious about their responsibilities and understanding of the fact that they have an important job to perform. The pirate seems to have a grin on his face. This makes me question wether of not this young man understands how bad a crime he is being tried for. I don't think he understands because he has been raised in a pirate culture where these type of actions are common practice that should not be punished.
I was talking to someone about the pirate the other day and he made the point that he feels somewhat bad for the pirate because he was raised so poorly. I can understand this logic because he did not have the opportunity to be raised properly.
Another theory is that this pirate is smiling to show his bravery and the fact that he will not be scared by the federal agent's tactics. I can understand this but I still feel that this simple display of body language shows a lack of understanding for the severity of his actions. This lack of understanding makes some sense because again the way he was raised has not taught him that his actions are wrong.

It's about corporate reponsibility

A friend of mine sent me copy of this article today. It has to do with pharmaceutical companies that dumped 271 million pounds of drugs into waterways that often led to water that the public eventually consumed. In a time like this where there is more and more emphasis placed on the responsibilities that companies owe the public these corporations need to be held accountable.
Another part of this story that frustrates me is the fact that federal officials do not know the extent of the contamination because they have no program in place that tracks this type of activity. For all we know this process could have been going on for even longer than the public realizes.
News stories today talk about financially irresponsible decisions being made by companies but I feel it is just as important to expose other types of irresponsible actions that companies take. Once consumers are given the information that certain companies are not being responsible they can alter their purchasing decisions as a result of what they have learned. This penalizes the companies for being irresponsible because they are losing potential profit from people who previously may have bough what they had to offer.
Now I am a person who can have a cynical view of some people of society especially when I see a story like this one where there is a fairly blatant case of people just not caring. It would not shock me if there were people receiving kickbacks from the drug companies that allow them to fly under the radar with their current practices.

The Problem with Tea Parties

As many people know we just celebrated Patriots Day. Some people took this opportunity to stage 'tea party protests'. Originally the tea party was to protest taxation without representation that was taking place during that time of British rule. When people are staging reenactments of the tea party in the year 2009 with the point to show that they still are not being represented I have a problem with it.
At this point in time we vote for our president. That means that the population is being represented by the elected officials who enter political seats. These tea parties that are taking place are not as much anger over people not being represented but instead opportunities for people to score points against the Obama tax plans. Let's take a closer look into that, what type of people are protesting Obama's plans?
The people protesting are the people who make over a quarter million dollars a year. They are the people who stayed quiet during the eight years of the Bush administration where there incomes were more protected and now are claiming that they are not being represented. Just because you may not be pleased with the system that is in place this does not translate into you being under-represented.
The use of a tea party to express your anger with the current system does not make sense. If you want to hold a protest expressing that you are being over taxed that is your right. Holding a protest that expresses the fact that you are not being represented does not make sense because the system we live in, like it or not, is an accurate representation of the choices that the majority of voters make.

It all starts tonight

I have been waiting on edge since Sunday for the playoffs to begin and tonight is the night. As much as I love all of the playoff hockey match ups there is really only one that I have much emotion caught up in at this point in time. Everyone who knows me knows that the series I will be watching is the Rangers vs. Caps series. After following a team for an 82 game season it is exilerating to say the least seeing them enter a best of seven series to determine if they will go on in their quest for the cup.
I see the key to this series being the play of Mark Stall. In the previous match ups against the Capitals it has been Stall who has had the job of containing the explosive Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is one of the best players in the league and Stall has played the role of agitator against Alex in the previous meetings. Stall has not let Ovechkin get many good angle shots and if the Rangers have any shot at winning this series this trend needs to continue.
One thing that the Rangers can't do is hope to contain Ovechkin and then forget about the rest of the Washington Capital team. They have the best offensive defense man in the league in Mike Green who can not be left alone at the point during a power play. The shots that he takes from the points are rockets that often catch screened goaltenders off guard. Semin is just as dangerous as Green and when left open has no problem taking an Ovechkin pass and turning it into a goal.
Where the Rangers have an advantage in this series is in the goal tending category. Theodore can be vulnerable at times and the Rangers need to pepper him with shots. When you have a goalie who gives up rebounds like Theodore does from time to time you also have to have players crashing the net to capitalize on these opportunities. Lundquvist has had some playoff experience over the past three seasons solidifying himself as one of the top goaltenders in the league. The Rangers just have to make sure that there are no spare Capitals creating traffic in front of the net through playing a physical game.
A factor in this series that can never be overlooked in this series is that of Sean Avery. Historicly Avery always has done a good job of getting under the skin of opponents causing them to take needless penalties and loose focus. I am not sure if there is a player Avery will be targeting in this series, like he has in the past. If he is his pesky self it will be huge for the Rangers chances of pulling off this upset.

Experience in the stands at MSG

So I went to the Ranger game last night and had an amazing time. I went with my dad and got to see the Rangers play a really fundamentally sound hockey game to beat Montreal. The effort was there, in particular the seccond period. Drury did a great job crashing the net and being able to capitalize on rebound opportunities. This is his time of year and I am really not surprised to see him stepping up now to help the Rangers on their playoff run. The play on the ice was of playoff caliber but I want to comment on some things I saw in the stands.
Number one, I have to give it to Canadian fans they show up in numbers whenever their team is in town and are very vocal to say the least in support of their team. The jerseys of the opposing team are seen in many sections throughout the arena but most of the fans tend to stick together up in the 400s. The spirit of these fans is really great, they have chants and songs that they sing and engage in for all three periods. It is irritating as a fan of the home team to see the influx of vocal fans of the opposition in your arena. It makes me realize what fans of the Baltimore Oriole fans must feel like when the Yankees and Red Sox fans invade their ballpark.
The main event of the night in the stands was not watching the Canadian fans but instead a Ranger fan. The camera man stopped by our section to put some of the fans on the jumbo-tron. There was not enough time and so nobody in my section got onto the screen. This fan was not happy with that because he wanted a little girl and her dad on the screen. The man stood up and started yelling at the camera man as he walked away. He kept standing as people in our section yelled at him to sit down and watch the game. He then gave the section the finger, continued yelling about the camera man who walked away. Security then stopped by and told him to sit down which he did for about a seccond. As soon as the guard walked away he continued standing and yelling at people in our section. Security saw this and about five of them stopped by to throw him out of the game. When he sensed this he threw a near full beer into the middle of our section dousing everyone. People started throwing stuff back at him as it took all five security guards to pretty much drag this guy out of the arena. I just found it nuts how all this started as a guy trying to get the camera man to put a daughter and father on the screen and ended with him screaming at a section of angry fans while being dragged out.

Fraud that is the Yankee ticket system

So the Yankees now have a new stadium right across the street from the old stadium that they used to call home. The new stadium contains many new amenities that have caused the Yankees to raise their prices for the upcoming season. Seats are still available for most games, even the premium games like those against Boston and the Mets. The problem with this is the fact that the seats that remain for these games cost about 900 a seat and I don't see how anyone would be able to afford them.
When I saw that the Yankees were releasing 5 dollar tickets for 11 games through the regular season I was extremely excited. For the past two years I have bought all 11 of the five dollar games and made it to as many as possible. This season the Yankees did not offer the option to buy the full plan but instead you have to buy each of the games individually. I went online to look for availability of seats for each of the 5 dollar games and this is where I had a problem.
I could not find two seats together for any of the 5 dollar games and so I went to the ticketmaster outlet to look for even single seats that may be available for any of the 11 games. Guess what, zero 5 dollar seats available for any of the 11 games. Why would they even promote five dollar seats for 11 games when they do not have any seats available for any of the listed games? I almost feel like they are teasing the fans, almost as if to say, "hey look we are doing something to be fan friendly with our five dollar plan". In reality they gave the fans nothing.
I am really fed up with the way the Yankees have handled their ticketing this past season. They have priced out the real fans and invented affordable tickets that in reality do not even exist. If there are no five dollar tickets available then the Yankees should not even bother teasing the fans with the illusion of five dollar seats being available. I will not spend anything more than 25 dollars a seat for any game, unless it is a premium one against the Red Sox or Mets.
I won't stop going to see the Yankees but what I will do is limit what I purchase inside the stadium and continue to voice my displeasure with the way they are currently operating.

The George Webber Murder Story

As many may know about at this point WABC radio host George Webber was found murdered in his Brooklyn apartment. Pretty tragic story, but it gets worse. It wasn't the opinions of Webber that led some irate listener killing him but rather some of Webber's own doing. The person that killed Webber was sixteen year old John Katehis. The details that led to how Webber and Katehis came to meet bring to light what I feel is the true story behind this brutal killing.
Webber met Katehis on the popular web page Craigslist.com. Webber exchanged emails with the teen after the teen responded to an ad left on craigslist looking for a sexual partner and this eventually led to the two scheduling a meeting at Webber's Brooklyn apartment. During this meeting the drugged up teen stabbed Webber to death. Many see it as insensitive to place any blame on a dead person for the events that led to his death but in this case I do place some blame on Webber for the events that took place.
I would call craigslist the wild wild west of the internet. By that I mean that it is completely unmonitored and very dangerous if not used in a careful manner. I have used craigslist before for buying and selling tickets and make sure to meet people in very public places where the chances of something going wrong are much lower. I would never have someone show up at my house for any kind of transaction let alone any kind of sexual encounter.
What kind of people do you think you are going to have showing up at your home when you place ads for sexual partners on an unmonitored web page? Creeps is the obvious answer to that question. That was exactly what Webber had showing up at his house a freak. This teen's myspace page had pictures of him with knives up to his neck and other gruesome poses.
People need to be more responsible when using the internet and this story is really an example of this fact. For some reason I can not understand people see posting and interacting through the internet as something safe. Maybe it is due to the fact that people still see it as just a screen and not an actual gateway to the rest of the world. So please, surf safely.

boston.com Article about Rooting for the Home Team

So my brother sent me this article today and it had to do with fans who root for their home teams. This is the type of article that some people are going to love and others are going to hate. It makes some fair points, regardless of whether or not you agree with what is being said.
In brief what the article says is that being a fair weather fan and changing your favorite teams based on the season is more reasonable from the fan perspective than staying loyal to a home town team. Over time you are rooting for an entirely different group of players with your ticket money going to different owners. The bottom line is the article is that why bother going through the disappointment of losing season when you can always be rooting for a contender?
My brother told me before I read this article that it will probably "grind my gears" and he was absolutely correct. A large part of being a fan is sticking with a team through both the good years and the not so good years. I know how illogical this may sound to a non-fan, the idea of a person keeping an allegiance to something that they owe nothing and changes its members from year to year. All I can say is that you will never fully understand being a fan until you are one yourself.
It says something about a fan when you can stick with a team through the coarse of a lifespan. When a team finally wins it is so much better after watching years of frustration. I can say this with certainty after watching the Giants win the 08 Super Bowl. I watched them during the days of Dave Brown and go to see them improve to the height of Super Bowl champions. I didn't switch to a better team at the beginning of each and every season, there is something wrong to me about even thinking about quitting on one of your teams.
This is the first article that I saw that went about defending the fair weather fan and I have to admit it did do a very good job defending a very difficult position. I get what this author is saying but as much as it makes sense I will never follow this path of logic.

NHL playoffs around the corner East edition

1.	* Boston		100
2.	* Washington		96
3.	* New Jersey		95
4.	Philadelphia		84
5.	Pittsburgh		84
6.	NY Rangers		82
7.	Montreal		81
8.	Carolina		81
9.	Florida		80

With just about 10 games left in the regular season the playoff races in both the east and the west are heating up. The east is the more interesting race for me to watch and not only because I am more accustomed to eastern hockey but because the race is tighter and there is much more that is left undecided at this point in the season. The players in the eastern conference are far more marketable than some of the western conference players, something that the NHL is in desperate need of right now. Ovetchkin, Crosby, and Malkin are all great players who the league can use to increase their popularity.
Many of the teams in the east playoff picture are getting hot at just the right time of the season. New Jersey just got their starting goalie Brodeur back in time for the playoff push and Parise does not seem to stop scoring. Just when everyone thought that the Penguins were out of the playoff scene they put together the type of run that I knew they were capable of. If their goal tending can stay tough then this is a team that can make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. A third team that is starting to click at the right time of the year are the Rangers. They have a new coach who is now getting much more effort out of his players, one of the premier goaltenders in the league, and the return of Sean Avery who ads some much needed heart to the team.
Like I said the east is a very open conference and I can see any one of these teams advancing to the finals with the exception of Montreal, Carolina, or Florida. For ratings purposes the best possible match up in the eastern conference finals would be the Capitals taking on the Penguins. This rivalry has been heating up throughout the season even going as far as Crosby and Ovetchkin jawing at each other near the end of a recent game. The fans of these two teams do not like each other and would be a match up for the ages.

My take on the World Baseball Clasic

It is not generating that much press right now but the WBC is in full swing right now. For people who do not know the WBC is similar to soccer's world cup but for baseball teams across the world. This is a sixteen team tournament with several major league baseball players playing for their home nations during the tournament. The US suffered a loss to the Puerto Rican team but came back with their ninth inning walk off victory over Puerto Rico in a rematch last night.
When US lost their first pool game to Puerto Rico they lost so due to the mercy rule. The game ended after seven innings where the US trailed by a score of 11-1. The US then entered a game against the Netherlands where the loser would be eliminated from competition. This win gave the US a rematch with PR. Three outs away from elimination the US came through to win a nail biter over Puerto Rico.
The next game the US plays is against Venezuela and the game does not matter much because both teams will enter the semi finals along with Korea and the winner of Japan/Cuba.
People have been discussing what can be done to make the WBC more attractive to fans. My answer is simple; nothing. When I say nothing I am not saying that the event is entertaining and must watch TV but, it is as good as it can get. This really is the most feasible time of year to hold the tournament, right before the start of the regular season where all the players are missing is some time with their respective teams. There is no way the MLB would allow an extended all star break like the NHL does during the Olympics. The league makes far too much money and the teams are far too greedy than to allow this type of extended break. Having the tournament after the world series would also never work because fans have been watching since April and have had enough of the game for the year and the players are exhausted after playing almost every day for over 162 games for playoff teams.
Take it or leave it the WBC is what it is and this is as good as it is going to get.

Resourceful Times

So yea, we are in a recession right now. In case you have been in a coma for over a year I just wanted to fill you in on that fact. People are turning to more and more drastic measures as this crisis gets worse and worse. I read an article today about one lady who is doing things like cutting her lotion bottles in half when they are almost empty so that she can scrape the last molecule of lotion out of the bottom of the container. I have not reached the point where I am resorting to these type of measures but I have to say it is not all bad that some people are resorting to doing things like this.
I am not saying that these hard economic times are good times but the change in behavior of some people is a good thing. In America I feel people had gotten a bit too complacent in thinking that we can live however we want and can continue to succeed. The time has come where people are coming to the sometimes painful realization that we are going to have to change the way we have been living.
Economists are saying that some of these money saving behaviors that people are turning towards will be used even after the recession has come to its end. This I feel is a great thing. Some Americans are finally getting the idea that we are going to have to become more resourceful if we want to stay competitive as a world power.

Obama on the youth of the country

One of the reasons that I voted for Obama had to do with the faith he had in the younger generation to do well and once again make America a competitive force in the world. I feel that he realizes the fact that our schools in some cases have not properly prepared or motivated kids to become successful people once they reach the 'real world'. I may not agree with all of his views on how we should go about modifying the school system but his vision is something that I can not argue with.
One thing that Obama plans on doing is developing a system where the 'better teachers' are better compensated based on their teaching skills. I know that he wants to include parent input in the process of selecting which teachers receive the bonuses, a step that I feel is in the right direction. If the compensation system is based solely on test scores then one teacher may be compensated better just based on the fact that her students may be naturally good test takers. With input from the parents in the compensation system a better picture of the teacher is painted and compensation can be adjusted accordingly.

Dislike for a home player

As most of you know I am a huge sports fan. Whether it be the Rangers, Yankees or Giants I am one who is devoted to his teams. I try to watch every game I can for all of my teams and for the most part I support all of my teams players. I say for the most part because there is one player in particular who I will never root for or respect as a person. Even the guys who are known across the league as not so great people I still find myself able to root for them (people like Plaxico Burress and Sean Avery). One person I will never root for is Alex Rodriguez.
An athlete who I have never been able to bring myself around to fully root for is Eli Manning. I have great respect and amazement for what he did two years ago in the Giants run to the Super Bowl. I know that the Giants could have never made this run without him and still to this day do not understand what happened and how he transformed for that four game playoff run.
At times I am frustrated by Eli and the way he plays. He doesn't do it as much any more but it used to drive me crazy when he would throw off his back foot into an opposition's hands. In more recent times what ticks me off about Eli's performance is the fact that he can not play in windy environments. He overcame some of his problems in the cold but he still has yet to understand how to throw in the wind. I am not saying this is an easy thing to do but, as an NFL QB this is something he should be able to learn.
You can see I am frustrated with certain aspects of Eli's game but with A Rod it is a different kind of frustration. There are multiple parts of my frustration with A Rod, it is not one thing that he does but rather a combination of the way he plays and his off the field behavior. The first reason, and biggest reason, why I can't stand the guy is because he does not and will never know how to play in the clutch. Whenever he is up in a key spot and the Yankees need him to get on base he either strikes out or grounds into a double play.
A second thing thing that really ticks me off about A Rod is that he is not a very genuine or loyal person. There are many examples I could turn to to prove this point but the most obvious one is that if he was playing in the WBC this year he would be playing for the Dominican Republic. There are several problems I have with this and the first is that just a few short years ago A Rod played for team USA in the first WBC. Make up your mind already! You were born and raised in this country I feel you should play for the US but I understand if you choose to play for your parent's home nation.
This shows the phonyness that goes into A Rod. He does not know who or what he is. I really could never picture not liking one of my home players as much as I dislike Alex Roidriguez.

Rihanna and Chris Brown

So as most people probably know about at this point in time there has been some troubles in the relationship between Rihanna and Chris Brown. Rihanna and Brown were not seen at the Grammy's and over time the story broke that Brown allegedly assaulted her and then threatened her life. Rihanna had to be taken to a medical center to deal with the injuries that Brown inflicted upon her. This is always very disturbing to see this kind of violence and abuse of women but almost as frusturating to me is the fact that Rihanna is even considering taking back Chris Brown.
How do you think Rihanna's father feels about the fact that his daughter is considering going back into the relationship that left his daughter beaten? I can not speak for her father but if I were her father I would be absolutely livid. There is almost nothing worse than seeing your own daughter being taken advantage of and beaten by a man and after having to go through this you see your own flesh and blood willingly taking the person back.
I understand that there have been studies done about people in abusive relationships and how they feel that they are responsible for what is happening to them and the fact that they usually end up back together with the abusive partner or in a separate abusive relationship. Even though the studies have been done I can still not fully grasp this mindset. If I take this mindset for fact then Rhianna is in trouble because of the fact that she can't comprehend the damage that Chris Brown is capable of and what he may do in the future.

Deputies say man stuffed cat inside 'bong'

The economic news is pretty depressing right now to put it mildly. The dow dropped bellow 7,000 on Monday for the first time since 1997. When it comes to times like this it is not a great idea to forget that the situation is taking place right now but turning to a different kind of story can be a good thing from time to time. That is why I found this story where a man was arrested for putting his cat inside of a bong to mellow him out.
This man had made a bong out of a plastic box and some garden hose (I posted a picture of the bong that was used on the right side of this article). He then continued to put his cat inside of the box while using the bong. Acea Schomaker claims that his cat was hyper and to calm down the six month old kitten he made use of his homemade bong. What is it with people who feel that drugs have the same effect on animals as they do on human beings. The same is true in the recent chimp story where the chimp owner gave the chimp Xanax to calm the animal down.
This story made me consider other kind of situations like where people get drunk at a party and decide to give beer to the dogs. If you go on youtube and type in dogs drinking beer you can find countless videos of the dogs being fed booze. I would never give my dog or cat any kind of alcohol because honestly I am unsure of what it could do to them.

Bishop Richard Williamson denies aspects of the Holocaust

Seeing a story like this really makes me sick. How can someone in a position of power in the church do something so short sighted and ignorant. He is in a position where many people respect him and listen to what he has to say. If he was some bum on a street corner saying things like this it would be frustrating but the fact that it is a respectable person saying things like this is the most irritating aspect of the story. Someone with an education and one would hope an understanding of a peaceful ways should have more common sense than to be so blatantly irresponsible.
The exact statement that the Bishop made had to do with him not believing the fact that Hitler intended to kill the Jews and the fact that there were most likely no gas chamber usage at Auschwitz concentration camp. He is being prosecuted in Germany where Holocaust denial is a crime and can lead to jail time. He went on to apologize for the comments that he made and that is what I want to go further into, when an apology is legitimate and when it is being used just to try and save face.
In this case I feel the apology is being used to save face and hopefully keep himself a position in the clergy. When someone makes a comment so blatant and harsh for example, him not believing that any gas chambers were used at Auschwitz a person is showing their true colors. If someone has a slip up and says or does something irresponsible that is not as blatant their apologies can be quite legitimate. An example of a legitimate apology is if you are hanging out with a few friends and someone tells an off color joke that hits a nerve with someone. If this person realizes what just happened and issues an apology on the spot to you I feel it is legitimate based on the timeliness of the apology and the fact that they are able to grasp the fact that they may have hurt someone and want to do something about it.

To Legalize and Tax Marijuana?

California is a state faced with problems stemming from their massive budget deficit and problems with their internal electric systems. There is now an idea to help to remove a good piece of the deficit and it involves the legalization of marijuana. The piece of legislation would legalize pot in California with a fee of 50 dollars per ounce purchased. I have mixed feelings on how effective this idea would be.
Looking at this from a strictly business perspective and not bringing into account weather or not people feel it is right or wrong to legalize it I am not sure it would make much sense. I am not a marijuana farmer but after asking a friends I found out that an average price for an ounce of marijuana would be about 300 bucks. For this legal marijuana to be sold at a price that consumers would still consider buying it would have to be produced for under 250 dollars an ounce. If the marijuana being sold by the state costs more than this amount then people will not buy from the state because there is no difference between buying from their friendly dealer or the state of California. I don't know how much it would cost to plant an ounce of marijuana but if it is under 250 dollars, I have a feeling that it is, then this bill would make economic sense.
The next issue has to do with the way in which people view the use of marijuana and if the state of California is ready to see it legalized. I feel the answer to this question is absolutely yes. I feel people are more comfortable now with admitting that they have smoked marijuana because there is less of a stigma associated with it than before. Look at the past three presidents of the country; Obama, Bush, and Clinton have all admitted to using marijuana at one point or another and they still were elected to the highest office in the country. My feeling is that if alcohol is legal then marijuana should be too, especially if it can help take care of some of our country's debt in doing so. Will I buy marijuana if it were legalized - no it's not for me but, I am sure there are many people out there who will buy if marijuana were legalized (both current smokers and those who want to try something new now that it is legal).

As the Rangers continue to slump Renny is fired

The Rangers have lost 10 of their last 12 games and things did not appear to be getting any better. They have looked flat and played with little to no inspiration in their last several games. The mental lapses have been obvious with the too many men on the ice penalties and unforced give aways in their own zone (thank you Wade Redden). Two legends were honored at MSG Sunday night and what did the Rangers do to show their respect to these greats? They played a game devoid of any inspiration and desire to win and lost to one of the worst teams in the league.
The look of Tom Renny's face after the game summed up alot of what the team had been going through. It was a look that showed utter disappointment and a loss for ideas on how to improve the team. The Rangers had to do something, they could have made a major deal before the approaching deadline but they opted to fire head coach Tom Renny. I can see why they would do this because I feel it is a coaches job to inspire a team to some extent which Renny did very little of. A lot of the responsibility is on the players to motivate themselves but a large part of a coach's job is to provide that little bit of extra motivation that I don't feel Renny was providing any more.
The Rangers now turn to head coach John Tortorella to turn the season around. I see him as having a much fiery personality as compared to Renny who also appeared calm and lackadaisical at some points. The first thing that the new coach has to do is get on the good side of some of the core verteran players namely; Drury, Gomez, and Redden. These are the players with the most time remaining on their contracts
The thing that frustrated me the most about this Ranger team before today was the fact that they are a team that makes the playoffs every year but does not have the ability to leave the seccond round. The playoff appearances give management the idea that the team does not need an overhaul (although they did get rid of Shanahan and Jagr this past off season, man I would like Jagr-esque player on the team right now, maybe we would have a player on our team with over 18 goals).
So the big question; Will the Rangers dumping of Renny help to improve the team? I say yes based on how Tortorella is known as a coach who has a more offensive system compared to the defensive minded Renny approach. With the Rangers lack of a dominant goal scorer they need to center their system more on offense to get every goal they really need. They also have a premier goaltender so they can let up on the D to some extent and still be safe. The Rangers need more then a coaching change though, this is a good first step but there are other changes needed that I will go further into in future blog posts.

Cop fatally shoots man who wouldn't put hands up

I wrote a few days ago about how upsetting the situation in Philadelphia has been of late with all of the cop shootings taking place and in this story we almost had another cop shooting on our hands in the wonderful city of Philly. A man was assaulted late Friday night in Philly and he gave a description of his assailant to officers. When the cops saw someone matching the description and tried to question him he took off running. They repeatedly asked him to remove his hands from his pockets and when he finally did he had a gun in his hands. This is when the cops shot at the man and he died.
This situation is eerily similar to the situation where an officer was the one shot to death just last week. The only difference is that in this case the cop was quick and decisive enough to take action and kill the assailant. I have to say in this story I am 100% on the side of the police officers. The person that they were chasing was not an innocent person, if he was there would have been no reason for him to take off in the first place. The seccond this savage pulls out a gun on an officer all the rules go out the window and the officers have every right to shoot at him.
In this situation we got lucky that there was not another cop killed. The new regulations about cops and situations when the can and when they can not discharge their weapons have gone too far. The people that are benefited most by the rules and regulations are the criminals themselves because they are well aware that cops have very limited circumstances where they can do anything to them. This raises the probability of a criminal trying to run away and endanger others because there are limited actions that a cop can do in many situations.
One thing that really irritates me about this story is the title of the article; "Cop fatally shoots man who wouldn't put hands up". It makes the cop sound like a trigger happy person who could not wait to fire off some rounds. The message that they were chasing a criminal and that the criminal pulled a gun on them is not conveyed in the title of the article. To me this is very irresponsible reporting and it conveys an unfair first impression when reading the article.

My take on the new Yankee Stadium

As an avid Yankee fan I can not wait to see the new stadium. This does not mean that I was in favor of them building one in the first place because the old Yankee Stadium was one of baseball's shrines and should have been kept active. I don't see Fenway or Wrigley going away any time soon and Yankee Stadium should have been the same way. I will even admit that the food and luxury amenities at the old Yankee Stadium stunk but, that is one of the reasons I loved it so much, let me explain.
When I go to a ball game I go to watch the game, not to sip high priced cocktails and mingle with people while watching the game on a TV screen inside the stadium. At the old Yankee Stadium there was not much to do inside the stadium other than sitting in your seats and watching the game. With the stadium this way it drew fans, like myself, that enjoyed this type of atmosphere of pure baseball with few distractions. I feel that the new Yankee Stadium may have too many distractions that cater to a different kind of fan base.
The new stadium will have things like luxury, outdoor and party suites, club seats, a martini bar, steakhouse and picnic areas. As a baseball purist these things are all garbage in my opinion. It takes away from the game that is being played on the field itself and that is just a shame. I understand why the Yankees built this new atmosphere in the new stadium, the almighty dollar, but that does not make what they are doing right.
Apparently I am not the fan that the Yankees are looking for . When I go to a game I take the train to avoid the crazy parking prices. Then I eat some dinner across the street from the stadium near Stan's sports bar. The hot dogs are two dollars as opposed to the 5 or 6 bucks you pay once you cross the street. I also bring food and a drink with me into the ball park itself. I never buy any kind of souvenir from inside the stadium (if I want something I would just get it from the local Moddell's). The games that I do go to are part of the 11 game package where the upper deck seats are only 5 bucks.
Seeing everything about the new Yankee Stadium goes pretty much directly against what I enjoy as a fan. Don't get me wrong the 56 by 101 foot high def video screen in the outfield will be nice but the atmosphere will not be the same as the old Yankee Stadium that I came to love.

Outrage over Philly police murders

Over the past few days some people have expressed anger and have began protests over the cartoon that ran this past Wednesday in the New York Post. The cartoon depicts two police officers looking at each other after one shot a chimp and saying to his friend, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill". The cartoon artist has been called racist for comparing Obama to a chimp but his defense is that he was going for the angle of monkey business and not a racial angle. I can understand being upset over this cartoon but is being outraged and going on an all out war against the Post needed?
I am not trying to defend this cartoon in any way shape or form but if you are going to be outraged over something there are a lot more egregious things going on every day that get over looked by many individuals. How about the situation in Philadelphia, there is what I would call a crisis taking place there right now in the recent murder rate of the police officers. When I hear about a tragic murder of an officer in the line of duty it seems that all too often the City of Philagelphia is at the center of the story.
The recent tragedy was the murder of Officer John Pawlowski who was shot to death on Valentines Day by Rasheed Scrugs. Pawlowski was going to break up a street fight that had began and was shot twice by Scrugs with his partner being injured in the ambush as well. And what do you know this wasn't Scrugs first brush with the law. He has a decade-long rap sheet includes several aliases and multiple arrests for theft, robbery and gun crimes.
The fact that this man was free and had a gun of his own is something that I am outraged over. I am outraged over something like this because it caused the loss of an officers life and is just the latest example of the crisis in Philadelphia. It seems that many of the citizens lack any respect for the officers that are in place for their own safety. It further upsets me because I know that this will not be the last time that any of this garbage happens because it has been such a continuous problem in that area.

Violent Chimp Attack in Stamford CT

I have been following this story for the past few days and it really is a crazy one. A 200 pound pet chimpanzee had to be shot by police on Sunday after without explanation attacked someone who pulled into the chimp owner's driveway. From what I have read so far it appears that this chimp was raised by its owner like a son and this was the first violent outburst that the animal had ever had.
The way this animal attacked the victim was absolutely crazy. The chimp dug its fingers into the eye sockets of the woman and pulled her face apart. I did some reading about chimps and apparently they can have up to five times the upper body strength of a full grown adult. The victim needed surgery to remake her face following the ambush and still is not ready to leave the hospital.
Just like any news story there are always little twists and turns that come out over time. One of the twists in this story that I find interesting is the fact that the chimp's owner gave the animal tea with a Xanax pill mixed into it earlier in the day due to aggressive moods that it was displaying on that particular day. It frustrates me that the owner could be naive enough to think that Xanax would work on a chimp the same way it works on a human to have a calming effect. The pill was not developed for chimp usage and their is no telling what kind of effects it would have on the animal.
The chimp seems to have been raised in a very loving way by its owner but, did it ever occur to her that she could have adopted a child or gotten married and started a human family?

EXCLUSIVE AROD INTERVIEW!

Not to brag or anything like that but my blog has been getting fairly popular and so along with that popularity comes some perks. One of those perks is that from time to time I do get to interview some fairly big celebrities.

Many people saw the A Rod press conference which was quite massive down in Tampa this afternoon. Alex was kind enough to sit down with me and field some more questions following the general press conference.

Greg: Alex, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with me and answer a few questions.

A Rod: Thanks Greg, I really want to use this as an opportunity to make myself look like less of a douche than I actually am

Greg: That’s great A Rod, now you stated before that you were not being honest with yourself during an interview on NBC, what is to say that you are being honest with us now?

A Rod: Good question, honesty is such a relative term, does it really matter if I am being honest with everyone? You know I think Shakespeare said it best, “Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee; Corruption wins not more than honesty.”

Greg: Uhhhh, okay then. What kind of a message are you sending to kids through your actions?

A Rod: I’m not a role model, I have never met one child who looks up to me and says, “A Rod you are my hero”, and parents gotta do a better job and control their damn kids

Greg: Not too sure about the role model thing Alex but let’s keep this moving, You looked pretty emotional when talking about your team mates and what you are putting them through can you comment further on that?

A Rod: I am a great team player and I always will be, I come through in the clutch like it’s my job and every team mate I have loves me for it.

Greg: Well I am not sure about your clutch performance, in the past three playoff appearances you have hit a combined .136

A Rod: Hey now, don’t start throwing numbers around, those are meaningless in meaningless situations

Greg: Whatever, Why would you be sorry if you don’t consider what you did cheating?

A Rod: I’m sorry I got caught, plain and simple, and that’s it. I’m not sorry I did roids.

Greg: Wow, You mention your cousin a lot, do you feel like you are throwing him under the bus?

A Rod: That’s just terrible, why would I throw my own flesh and blood under a moving automobile. I am simply shifting any blame I can in his direction, no manslaughter would ever take place.

Greg: I know you are a very busy man I have just one more question, do you feel this steroid issue is over?

A Rod: Oh it’s over and I refuse to answer any more steroid questions, I have a date with Madonna, I’ve got to run.

US Postal Service: where is it headed?

Some things I really feel are better the old fashion way. One of those things is taking a walk to the mailbox outside my house to find a letter from a friend or family member. I don't know exactly what it is but it is so much better than opening up your email. It could have to do with having a hard piece of paper in your hand or it may have something to do with the fact that I know when I get a letter from a friend they put more planning into this than they did an ordinary email. These are some of the reasons that I am not happy to see the US Postal Service in trouble.
When the internet first went mainstream I don't feel the postal service saw it as a huge threat but slowly but surly email crept up and now it has passed the postal service in terms of popularity and ease of usage. You don't have to leave your house or spend money on a stamp and due to this and many other factors email has taken over and the postal service needs help.
On May 11th the postal service is raising its prices by another two cents, bringing the cost of a postage stamp to 44 cents. Something that the postal service is doing is selling something known as forever stamps which can be used forever no matter what the price of a stamp may be. If you are like me and still like to send and receive letters every once in a while this is a good chance to stock up on stamps
Some people see the USPS as useless at this point in time but again there is something classically personal about sending someone a letter or a card for their birthday. I mean look at it this way, which would you be happier to get for your birthday; a card in the mail or a facebook wall post/email? Some people are not 'big into birthdays' but, coming from someone who does appreciate being acknowledged on their birthday I can tell you that I would rather get that card than the facebook wall post or email.

Octuplet Mom: She Asked For It, She Got It

Most people know by now the story of Nadya Suleman who recently gave birth to an amazing 8 kids. She already had 6 kids before giving birth to the 8 bringing her to an astounding total of 14 kids. Kids are a great thing if you plan for them in advance and make sure that you are in a stable enough situation to run a family. From reading through some news stories I have serious questions about whether or not Nadya Suleman was prepared to raise this kind of a family.
Nadya Suleman visited a fertility clinic where she was artificially inseminated prior to giving birth to the octuplets. She did not visit the fertility clinic because she had any kind of issue getting pregnant, as we can see from her previous six kids, but instead due to the fact that she was divorced and did not have a partner to father the children. So now what we have on our hands is a single mother on her own attempting to raise her 14 kids. I do mean that she is on her own as her own mother said, "She already has six beautiful children, why would she do this?" and continued to say, "I'm struggling to look after her six. We had to put in bunk beds, feed them in shifts and there's children's clothing piled all over the house."
So I was already questioning the responsibility level of Nadya when I heard she was attempting to raise eight children as a single mother. I further questioned her responsibility when I read that taxpayers are already providing her with $490 a month in food stamps. How could a person even consider having more children when they are strugling enough as it is with the six children they already have? Having one more kid is not a good idea but having eight more kids through the in vitro fertilization process is a preposterous one.
People in California are upset and rightfully so. Some of their hard earned tax money is going to someone who abused the system. I am concerned about the kids as well because it is hard enough to raise a family of three on your own as a single mother but I don't think that it is possible for a single mother on food stamps to raise 14 kids. I believe that the funds currently going to Nadya should be cut because anyone who abuses the system in the way that she has done is not deserving of assistance from the public.

$15M Lawsuit claims Roberto Alomar had sex knowing he had AIDS

This is a story that I am surprised is not getting as much attention as it would usually get from media outlets. The media is usually all over stories that show people that are quickly rising to the top and or in the case, falling to the bottom. The New York Daily News reports that Roberto Alomar's girlfriend is suing him for 15 million dollars for insisting on having unprotected sex without informing her that he had full blown AIDS.
The description of the kind of health that Alomar is in is almost scary as it is portrayed in this article. The lawsuit that Alomar was first tested in 2006 when he was suffering from cough and chronic fatigue. It also said that he was foaming at the mouth and had his skin starting to turn purple. As anyone can see if the allegations are true we are not talking about HIV but instead, full blown AIDS symptoms.
This whole situation leads me to question why he would insist on having unprotected sex if he knew that he had the AIDS virus? I understand that sex can be more enjoyable without any kind of protection but what a slime ball to insist on having unprotected sex knowing that there is a high risk of passing a deadly virus along to your partner.
I understand where his ex is coming from in her attempt to sue him for the potential disease that he carelessly exposed her to but, is 15 million dollars a reasonable amount? In all of these cases that come up where there is potential risk being sued over I feel that the amounts can be quite extravagant. It is difficult to find a formula where a reasonable amount to sue over could be reached because there are so many different factors in every case.

Mexican violence leaves 1 soldier, 20 others dead

It is always pretty disturbing to see a story like this one. How drugs and the trade of drugs can lead to such violence and death for those involved. It may sound cliche but it is not only the drug traders that are getting killed in these situations; it is all of the families that are losing husbands, sons and daughters. The tragic aspect of the drug trade is not what I want to focus on, what I want to talk about is the potential effect that this can have on the United States and our subsequent relations with Mexico.
When you look at where this violence took place you may think to yourself, boy that is awfully close to the United States border. This took place in Juarez, Mexico and if you look at the link I attached with this story you can see that it is just a stones throw from San Antonio, Texas. Is it a coincidence that this violence took place in this area of Mexico and not in some other section of the country? I don't think so.
Since this is taking place between rival drug gangs near the US border I assume that some of the drugs that these gangs are in possession of are ultimately intended to be smuggled into our country. The amount of violence that takes place on a continual basis based on the drug trade in this area is simply astounding. Last year at one point in a town near Juarez two consecutive police chiefs were murdered in their attempt to crack down on the drug trading taking place. The majority of the police force then quit in fear of their lives and in an emergency effort the Mexican militarily had to step in to restore order.
If this kind of drug trafficking violence can take place so close to our borders then what is stopping these people from sneaking over our borders and bringing the violence with them? This can't be a small or inexpensive amount of drugs either as it appears that they are worth risking human lives over the products being smuggled. Regardless of your feelings of whether or not drugs should be legal you have to see the risk of violence that takes place in the trade of these drugs. One thing I am glad for is the fact that the US has one of the best anti-drug forces in the world, the DEA, to make sure violent wars like this are kept to a minimum.

A new phenomenon: Microblogging

I learned a new word today and that word is: microblogging. For those who do not know what microblogging is, it is done mainly through social networking web pages like facebook or twitter (which I just found out about today). Microblogging is when you give short status updates which can include anything from what you had for lunch to a cause that you are attempting to promote. It is one of the fastest growing trends but isn't there such thing as microblogging overkill?
I am not a member of the twiter networking sight for a reason; the constant updating that takes place on that sight would drive me absolutely mad. The main difference between twitter and facebook is that twitter is more geared towards users who want to share the details of their life through status changes with everyone in their network. I see facebook as more of an outlet to keep in touch with friends from college who I may not see as much any more.
Many twitter users are updating their status throughout the day so we know what time they wake up, what they ate for breakfast, and other useless details of their mundane lives. Why do some people feel that they are so important that people want to know all the little details in their lives? I am not saying that you are unimportant or that I don't want to ever hear from you I am just saying that the information you are posting is of no use.
If you are updating your status every 15 minutes I think I will have to un-friend you because I don't want to see the CONSTANT changes in your status that facebook so conveniently tells me about. You really are not as interesting as you may feel you are. It is hard to say if you are updating your status too much but I would be bold enough to say that if you have more than 3 updates in a day then you might be doing too much updating of your status.
There is a use for microblogging and it is being used very effectively by some companies and celebrities. Jet Blue and Southwest are some of the smart companies using twitter to advertise the latest deals that they have on flights for other users to take advantage of. Celebs like Brittney Spears and others use twitter to send out information about their latest tours and other things that fans want to know about.
So there is a good way to use the microblogging technology and a useless way to use microblogging technology. Please use microblogging responsibly.

And just when I thought I couldn't hate Arod more than I already did ........

It came out that he took steroids. Sports Illustrated released an article today that states that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids during his 2003 MVP year. In 2003 there were no penalties in place for players who tested positive but that does not change the fact that Alex Rodriguez tested positive. The testing program existed in 03 to see how wide the problem of steroids in baseball was and if they would need to reinstate the program in 04 with penalties in place (which they did).
If you ask me there are several main reasons why A rod would take steroids and not of them speak very highly of his character. One of the reasons that A Rod tested positive is that in 03 it was told to the players that the results of this testing would remain anonymous.
The system was not in place to penalize players but instead to determine the extent of the steroid issue and judge what kind of a permanent system should be put into place. When Washington stepped in to 'help' with the steroid issue the list of players who failed the 03 was no longer anonymous and eventually leaked out in this SI article. A rod is a worm and if he knew that there was any way that he would be held accountable for his actions or exposed as the fraud that he is he would have never tried them in the first place. The only reason he did them was because he felt safe in the fact that he had a way where he could cheat and nobody would know about it due to the anonymous nature of the tests. Too bad for A rod we now know the truth.
A seccond reason why Alex would do steroids is because they have an inflating effect on his favorite thing in the world, his stats. I am not saying that A rod does not want to win games but I am saying that no matter what he may say in post game interviews his actions show that he plays for himself and his own stats. When you have a player who cares about winning, look at Jeter for example, they show visual disappointment after not playing up to the level that they expect of themselves. After A rod grounds into a double play with the bases loaded he has a look of disinterest, almost as if he did not just destroy the Yankee's chances of scoring.
Has anyone else noticed that with A Rod ever since he has come to the Yankees everything has to be about him? If it is his affair with that stripper in Toronto, his affair with Madonna there is always something with this guy to take away from the team. I am so sick of him and all the baggage that he carries and feel it is a shame that he has several years remaining on his contract.
Another interesting thing with A Fraud is how many fans used to be rooting him on in his approach of Barry Bonds home run record because Barry's stats are tainted. Now that A Rod is tainted also does that put him in the same category? I do not feel he is hated by fans to the extent that Bonds is, A Rod is seen and accurately portrayed by the media as a self centered jerk but Barry has less respect for the game and at times can be hostile. As much as I dislike A Rod I would still like to see him one day take over Barry Bonds record.

Sean Avery may be making his return to the Rangers

Former Ranger Sean Avery was recently suspended by the league after his disparaging comments about his ex-girlfriend who was dating an oposing player. His quote was, "And I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about." After his suspension his team, the Stars, said that they had no interest in having him return to the team based on the way that he "was not smart enough to play in their system" and the fact that his teammates hated him.
Avery has been attending anger management training and is almost through the program that he has been participating in since mid-January. Avery is not the first to attend anger management as I can also recall Ozzie Guillen, manager of the White Sox, attending counseling after his comments calling a reporter a 'fag'. I am not sure how affective this anger management is on some of these people who are involved in sports. Those who seem to make off color comments seem to make them continuously as opposed to changing their attitudes after their management sessions.
Just because Avery has a brash personality does not mean that I would be totally against having him back on the Rangers. He is a main part of what the Rangers are missing right now and that piece is an agitator. The Rangers have the stars on their team but they are lacking the gritty fighter who can get under the skin of an opponent. Since Avery was so brash last year while on the ice for the Rangers I am a little concerned that his counseling may have modified this kind of attitude making him a different kind of player than we have seen in the past.
What I want is the Sean Avery who is able to agitate while on the ice but then be able to seperate that behavior from what he says to reporters. On the ice I want him to be an absolute jerk to the other team but then be able to turn it off when the final whistle blows. Is this possible? I am not sure but, I really hope so because I would love to have him back in that kind of role.

Porn Penatrates some Super Bowl Broadcasts

A story that I have been following for a few days now is the story about the porn clip that some Comcast subscribers saw during 30 seconds of the Super Bowl. After Larry Fitzgerald scored the go ahead touchdown for the Cardinals some cable subscribers in Arizona saw their screen flash to a scene from a porno. Apparently this 'glitch' took place in the non-HD broadcast and the HD broadcasts ran as scheduled.
Some people with children are very affected by this as that can lead to a very awkward situation when watching the game as a family. I even understand why some groups of grown men may be upset with the clip because it took away from some of the game broadcast. What I don't understand is the grown adults who say they are offended by the porn that was shown
Come on people it is time to grow up, most adults have sex and that is nothing to be ashamed of. The porn star who stared in this movie, Wild Cherries 5, agrees with me as she said,"You know what? We all have sex. If we're an adult, guaranteed we've all seen a penis at some point," she said. "I'm sorry to all the parents, other than that we're all grown adults."
Comcast is offering those who complain a ten dollar credit towards their monthly bill. If you ask me this is a pretty weak attempt by Comcast to shut up those who do have viable complaints about what took place during the game. If I was watching this with my young children I would want an apology or and explanation from Comcast as opposed to their cheap discount in an attempt to salvage my business.
This is a story that I plan on keeping an eye on so that I can find out exactly how this took place during the most watched television event of the year. The details of how this stunt was pulled off should be interesting ones to find out about.

Ohio State's Alex Boone arrested for drunken incident

I heard this story on the radio today and I just had to find out more information about the situation once I got home and had a chance to use the internet. Former Ohio State tackle Alex Boone was arrested for a drunken outburst where he was jumping up and down on the hoods of cars and attempted to smash the window of a tow truck. So what NFL team wants to take th risk in drafting this gem? (my money is on the Cincinnati Bengals)
The story says that he had to be tasered by officers during his arrest and was combative all through his medical treatment. Even though Alex was not attempting to drive when they gave him the breathalyser test it came up at three times the legal limit of .08 in the state of California. Yes that is correct, he came up at THREE TIMES the legal limit.
That made me think how much would 312 pound Alex Boone have to drink to reach a blood alcohol level of .24? Luckily there is a web page where you can calculate your blood/alcohol level based on your weight and how long you have been drinking. I assumed that Alex had been drinking light beers for three hours, with this assumption in place Alex would have had to have consumed 32 beers in that amount of time to reach the blood/alcohol level of .24.
I have had nights where I will admit that I drank too much but 32 beers is just out of control. Even if you are 312 pounds when you polish off a 30 rack by yourself you know that you may have some issues that need dealing with. At this point became curious, what would my blood/alcohol be if I drank 30 beers in a three hour period? After those 30 beers I would have a blood/alcohol level of .556.
If I was a police officer I would be horrified when I showed up on a scene like this one. There is a 6 foot 8 inch, 312 pound giant, jumping on car hoods and banging on neighbor's garage doors. "Ummmm sir, I would greatly appreciate it if you could stop what you are doing." I hope for Boone's sake that he gets the help that I believe he needs.