First and foremost let me say this with joy in my heart... the Rangers won the pennant! Let me say it again because it feels so good... THE RANGERS WON THE PENNANT!!! Before any Yankee fan accuses me of being just a sore loser... YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT!!! Why else would I subscribe to the mantra of "I root for two teams: the Red Sox and whoever beat the Yankees"?!?!?!?! I hate Alex Rodriguez with so much passion that I can barely acknowledge how talented he is. It's visceral and illogical yet completely real. As much as I love all the images of the Red Sox title runs in 2004 and 2007, my favorite picture of all time is Jason Varitek punching A-Fraud in the face. In close second is the close-up shot of him wearing those idiotic Bozo-like batting gloves slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hand in Game 7 of the '04 ALCS. I just think he's a total douche bag. It was also nice to see Mark "Droop Face" Teixeira limp off the field with a hamstring injury. Now there is a throwback player if ever there was one. A switch hitting all star first baseman who can barely talk about baseball in a post game interview, let alone formulate a thought, and looks like he is either constantly constipated or having a stroke!! I find it funny that so many NBA fans crap on LeBron and Chris Bosh for going to the Heat under the guise of not being able or willing to win a title on their own and be the man on their own team... yet every F@#%ING year that is exactly what every marquee baseball free agent does when they sign with the Evil Empire. I don't recall the analysts on ESPN crushing Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen like this in the summer of 2007. Did they? Did I just turn a blind eye? Either way, I guess I was unaware of two truths: 1) It only takes one superstar to win an NBA title and 2) No matter what the Yankees do, it's understandable and excusable. I feel sorry for Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. While I am no Yankee fan, these three players are true class acts. They have thrived in the unimaginable brightness of the spotlight in the city that never sleeps for over fifteen years. It's a shame that management doesn't see the wisdom in growing their own talent and teaching the Yankee way of doing things anymore. Considering that A-Fraud and Droop Face make more than the than the whole Rangers lineup.. it might be time to change strategy.
The Pats beat the Chargers yesterday 23-20. This game clarifies the statement that whether you win by one or a hundred, it only matters that you won. It was ugly. It was painful. Even though Drew Brees threw four picks yesterday I can't help but think that Chargers fans must be wondering how they got stuck with Phillip Rivers. He seems more like the character Ali Larter played in Final Destination Clear Rivers. Maybe he should check himself into a ward where he can't hurt anyone else with his bad decisions. Norv Turner sucks as an NFL head coach. He was a great offensive coordinator. The only head coach in the NFL that should have less job security than Turner is that lumbering bag of monkey puke in Dallas. That being said, let me say this... people often call Belichick a genius, if he's a genius then I'm left to wonder if the definition changed. Fourth and one, ball on your 48 yard line, no time outs, two minutes to go and a three point lead is when you punt the ball and trust your defense to win the game. DIDN'T YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM INDIANAPOLIS LAST YEAR?!?!?!?! Thank God the Chargers suck so bad that they saved your ass!!!! This team is 5-1, but they are a heart attack inspiring 5-1. Pats fans might end up drinking more to ease their nerves regardless of the outcome.
It seems that the NFL can't get out of its own way. On the same day that they announce a new policy that will suspend players for devastating hits, their website has stills of James Harrison leveling Brown's receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. I don't know whether it's hypocritical or capitalistic to seek profit from something that you just labelled excessive and illegal. Personally I don't care if games end in a tie or a blowout. And to be frank I don't really care about their safety either. The minimum salary for the NFL in 2010 is $325,000. That's what the fourth string guy makes!!! The starters are all millionaires!!! The argument for their outrageous salaries is that they can do things that ordinary people can't. Then I will apply it the opposite way, if they are superhuman then they should be able to take superhuman punishment. In the Marines my CO told us once "If you want to be safe then go sell shoes at Sears cuz we aren't in a safe f@#$ing business." In other words, if you don't like it then quit you whiny bitch millionaires!! I mean you all went to college after all right?! You should be able to get decent jobs with your degrees, right?!? Oh I forgot, the only thing you learned there was how to get away with just about any crime as long as an agent doesn't bail you out of jail!!!
Well if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A November to Remember
I just finished watching Field of Dreams for what could be the 100th time. Every time I watch Ray Kinsella realize why the voice told him to build the field and finally play catch with his father, I break down and cry. I cry harder each time. I think it's because I'm getting older and the power of that scene really gets to me now. I'm 34 years old. I lost my mother to cancer when I was 17. I always wonder what I would say to her when I watch that seen. I am always afraid of what she might say to me. When my mother was alive I was constantly afraid of disappointing or upsetting her. Over the years when I talk about her, I make it sound like I was terrified of her. Maybe when I was a little boy I was terrified, but as I got older and I saw the pride she had in me, the thing that scared me the most was the idea that I might give her a reason to be ashamed of me. In the years since she passed away, I've missed her every time I accomplished something. However, I've missed her more in the times that I've really made a mess of things. Those times when I needed a hug and swift kick in the ass. I've lived half my life without her and I've missed her everyday. A friend of mine once told me that if I was able to put the past behind and not worry about what I don't have and be happy with what I do then I would be complete. I think I may finally be there.
I usually dread the month of November. My mom died on November 6, 1993. Each year October creeps along and the smells of fall and the impending bleakness of winter get stronger and November lurks in the shadows bringing the emotions of this anniversary with it. For the first time since 1993, I am not dreading the coming of November and the cold November rain, because November will take a new meaning for me this year and forever. My wife Karissa and I are expecting our first child, a baby boy, on November 12. I am excited, happy, terrified, and nervous all at the same time and my life has never been better.
Many of my friends who have children have given me advice and have been telling what to expect. I don't know if they are right. I'll tell you what I think though. When my son is born and the nurse puts him in my arms for the first time, I'm going to cry. I'm going to cry and smile and laugh. Then I'm going to thank God for blessing me with Karissa, who is the love of my life and my best friend. I'm going to thank God for blessing me with my newborn son Brayden. I hope as he grows up that I am capable of showing him that I love him unconditionally even with my tendency to be less than patient. I hope I am capable of being half the man my father is because if I am then I'll be twice as good as most. I know I'll wish my mom was there. I really think that she would have liked being a grandma even if she didn't let anyone call her that. I think it would be nice to be able to introduce Brayden to her on a softball field like in Field of Dreams.
I know I usually only write about meaningless drivel. Maybe I do that because it's easier. I said earlier that a friend of mine told me that I'd be better off when I could let go of regret. She was right. It's like Al Pacino said in The Devil's Advocate, "Guilt is like a bag of f@%king bricks. All you gotta do is put it down." I think my shoulders will feel a lot better with my son sitting on them than they have carrying those bricks.
Well if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
I usually dread the month of November. My mom died on November 6, 1993. Each year October creeps along and the smells of fall and the impending bleakness of winter get stronger and November lurks in the shadows bringing the emotions of this anniversary with it. For the first time since 1993, I am not dreading the coming of November and the cold November rain, because November will take a new meaning for me this year and forever. My wife Karissa and I are expecting our first child, a baby boy, on November 12. I am excited, happy, terrified, and nervous all at the same time and my life has never been better.
Many of my friends who have children have given me advice and have been telling what to expect. I don't know if they are right. I'll tell you what I think though. When my son is born and the nurse puts him in my arms for the first time, I'm going to cry. I'm going to cry and smile and laugh. Then I'm going to thank God for blessing me with Karissa, who is the love of my life and my best friend. I'm going to thank God for blessing me with my newborn son Brayden. I hope as he grows up that I am capable of showing him that I love him unconditionally even with my tendency to be less than patient. I hope I am capable of being half the man my father is because if I am then I'll be twice as good as most. I know I'll wish my mom was there. I really think that she would have liked being a grandma even if she didn't let anyone call her that. I think it would be nice to be able to introduce Brayden to her on a softball field like in Field of Dreams.
I know I usually only write about meaningless drivel. Maybe I do that because it's easier. I said earlier that a friend of mine told me that I'd be better off when I could let go of regret. She was right. It's like Al Pacino said in The Devil's Advocate, "Guilt is like a bag of f@%king bricks. All you gotta do is put it down." I think my shoulders will feel a lot better with my son sitting on them than they have carrying those bricks.
Well if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Monday, October 18, 2010
There are no points for second place!
Life it seems has begin to imitate art. Or is art imitating life. I don't know. It's pretty damn confusing. It seems like every where you look there is a call for people to stand up, stop whining and do what's supposed to be done. Unlike my parents and grandparents who were raised to quietly deal with their issues, I was raised to express my feelings and seek to understand them. While that is a "healthy" way to live, it seems to me that we have begun to spend more time seeking to understand how and why we feel a certain way and less time actually doing anything. We live in world of perpetual excuses... "I'm not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, handsome enough, funny enough, witty enough, cool enough, coordinated enough, flexible enough, compromising enough, etc" and blah blah blah. How about this "Who gives a F@#$ enough?!?!" There was a time when the better team won and it mattered how you play the game. Did you try your hardest and do the best you could? Yes? Ok, then maybe you need to work harder and get even better. No? Then you definitely need to work harder and get a lot better. I never found anything wrong with Slider's line in Top Gun "Remember boys, there's no points for second place." If you lose, you're supposed to be gracious. If you win, you're supposed to be even more gracious. Truthfully, when I've been on the losing side of a game (and that's been all too often) and I've had to look at the smug satisfaction of the winner trying not to gloat, it's made me angrier and more determined to come back and kick their ass the next time than if they danced in my living room.
Yesterday the Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in overtime. The Pats came back from a 10 point fourth quarter deficit against an outstanding defense. This in itself is not major news. Yes the return of Deion Branch was great. It's been a long time since Brady to Branch won games at Foxboro. What I found interesting was a comment made by Ravens safety Tom Zbikoswsky after the game. He muttered about the Patriots having two weeks to prepare with a bye week and still barely beat the Ravens at home and needed their best performance to do it and just wait until the playoffs, when the Ravens will roll them again, just like they did last year in the same building and ... Is this guy kidding?!?! Are you gonna bark all day little doggy?!?! It should always take your best effort to beat someone. Anything less than your best and the question should be raised about how exactly you deserve to call yourself a professional?!?! By the way the comment about the playoffs is totally premature. It's week 5 and you play in the same division as Pittsburgh who got their swagger back yesterday!! I'm just sick of pro athletes whining like little bitches when they lose. Grow up! You're a millionaire because you can play a kids game!! And there is nothing worse than a bitchy millionaire!!
Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? Fair question. The midterm elections are in November. According to the national media the Democratic party is going to get handed a major referendum from the American people. Maybe they will. Despite the fact that they passed health care reform, the stimulus package, and countless other reforms they'll still probably lose. Nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy or popular. Personally I don't like any career politician and my reason is simple; eventually they become like the Sith, only interested in keeping their power. That's why it always easier to campaign against an incumbent than it is to be one. It's easier to complain about what someone has done than defend what you've done. Personally I don't care if a politician does what's popular. If you are against a proposal then develop a better one. And by the way, and this is for both sides of the aisle, you live and die on the taxpayer dime so don't pretend that you deserve something that we don't. That goes for health care, retirement, tax breaks, and any other perk you think you're entitled to!!!!
Art does imitate life. On Smallville Clark Kent is scared to embrace the possibility of what he can do because of what he has failed to do in the past. It took a former enemy to show him that the things he blames himself for weren't his fault. He has been hiding behind his friends and his doubts. He seems to demand perfection from himself. It doesn't take perfection. It takes courage. This week he finally stood up. He even sort of flew. It was nice to see. I just sincerely hope that we don't have to wait until the final episode to see Superman.
Well if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Yesterday the Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in overtime. The Pats came back from a 10 point fourth quarter deficit against an outstanding defense. This in itself is not major news. Yes the return of Deion Branch was great. It's been a long time since Brady to Branch won games at Foxboro. What I found interesting was a comment made by Ravens safety Tom Zbikoswsky after the game. He muttered about the Patriots having two weeks to prepare with a bye week and still barely beat the Ravens at home and needed their best performance to do it and just wait until the playoffs, when the Ravens will roll them again, just like they did last year in the same building and ... Is this guy kidding?!?! Are you gonna bark all day little doggy?!?! It should always take your best effort to beat someone. Anything less than your best and the question should be raised about how exactly you deserve to call yourself a professional?!?! By the way the comment about the playoffs is totally premature. It's week 5 and you play in the same division as Pittsburgh who got their swagger back yesterday!! I'm just sick of pro athletes whining like little bitches when they lose. Grow up! You're a millionaire because you can play a kids game!! And there is nothing worse than a bitchy millionaire!!
Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? Fair question. The midterm elections are in November. According to the national media the Democratic party is going to get handed a major referendum from the American people. Maybe they will. Despite the fact that they passed health care reform, the stimulus package, and countless other reforms they'll still probably lose. Nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy or popular. Personally I don't like any career politician and my reason is simple; eventually they become like the Sith, only interested in keeping their power. That's why it always easier to campaign against an incumbent than it is to be one. It's easier to complain about what someone has done than defend what you've done. Personally I don't care if a politician does what's popular. If you are against a proposal then develop a better one. And by the way, and this is for both sides of the aisle, you live and die on the taxpayer dime so don't pretend that you deserve something that we don't. That goes for health care, retirement, tax breaks, and any other perk you think you're entitled to!!!!
Art does imitate life. On Smallville Clark Kent is scared to embrace the possibility of what he can do because of what he has failed to do in the past. It took a former enemy to show him that the things he blames himself for weren't his fault. He has been hiding behind his friends and his doubts. He seems to demand perfection from himself. It doesn't take perfection. It takes courage. This week he finally stood up. He even sort of flew. It was nice to see. I just sincerely hope that we don't have to wait until the final episode to see Superman.
Well if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Fantasy Land
NFL network aired a segment today that showed how the Ravens could shut down the Patriots. I thought well that's original, after all they only KICKED THE SNOT out of the Pats in the divisional round of the playoffs last year.. so it stands to reason that they would need an analytic tutorial on how to do it again. Why not show a segment that shows how a team with a sub par running game, and now that bat shit crazy Randy "the freak" Moss is gone has no deep threat can beat arguably the best defensive team in the league!?!?! Now I realize that everybody outside of New England hates the Patriots, but how do the Ravens somehow come out looking like the more lovable franchise in this contest? Art Modell stole the Browns from Cleveland and brought them to Baltimore!! Ray Lewis is such a vicious bastard that he actually participated in a murder!!! AND HE DID LESS TIME THAN PLAXICO BURRESS DID FOR SHOOTING HIMSELF!?!?! I know that was like forever and a day ago.. but so was the last time the Patriots won a Super Bowl. Get over hating TFB for being an every man hero. Get over hating the hooded evil genius that lurks the sidelines muttering "Something.. something.. everything is proceeding as I have foreseen it." In terms of franchises that create reasons to hate them I still don't think the Pats have crossed the threshold of the Red Wings and their fans (Is there anyplace on earth worse than Detroit!?!?!), the Lakers with their rapist superstar (Kobe Bryant) and their resident psycho (Ron Artest), the Cowboys with their how in the name of all that's holy does this white haired ass bag hack head coach still find work??? (Wade Phillips) and supremely overrated douche bag quarterback (Tony Romo) and finally there is that baseball team from New York. (I can't say anything else about them because kids might be reading!!)
Damn!! I just re-read what I wrote... I think I have some unresolved sports issues!! HA! Speaking of unresolved sports issues... fantasy football is in full swing again!! I can't help but wonder exactly how this is fun?!? Every Sunday and Monday I watch the scores and stats of players and games I couldn't care less about in the hopes of beating one of my friends in a game that requires nothing more than clicking a mouse and moving a player. At least an online match on Madden is interactive!! Even after I said that I'm probably going to post this blog and then fret over which RB to start this week. I'm addicted to make believe coaching! And I'm not alone!! It's like four square. Considering this rampant epidemic of the make believe taking over the real... maybe we are in the Matrix!!! Or maybe we're at level one of Inception... wherever we are it feels like up is down and left is friggin diagonal!!
This is an election year. The most fascinating thing is that the level of political discourse in this country has been reduced to the lowest common denominator. Professional wrestlers say less offensive stuff about their opponents and the fans than politicians are saying lately. One guy lies about being a Vietnam veteran. One woman can't decide if she's a witch. A certified whack job from Alaska has become the spokesperson for the Tea Party Movement. A B-Movie actor and political satirist has somehow become the voice of reason. Rush Limbaugh did a guest voice on the Family Guy. Let me say that again... RUSH LIMBAUGH DID A GUEST VOICE ON THE FAMILY GUY!!! At some point we should all be asking ourselves the simple question: Is this really the best we can do? Do I really want a government run by people who are so eager to be zealots that they say "You're either with us or against us." This has been going on for a decade. Wrestling got clean and politics got straight crazy!!!
Well if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Hypothetically speaking...
There are a bunch of cop shows on syndication throughout the late afternoon. In fact USA Network has Law and Order SVU and NCIS on from 2 pm til 8 pm nightly. With almost 1000 channels I think you can probably find one of the many incarnations of Law and Order or CSI on 24/7. After watching many an hour of these poignant legal investigative dramas, I have come to the following hypothetical conclusions: 1) If you want to murder someone, you're better off killing someone you don't know. It will seem totally random and there will be no way to trace it to you. 2) If you want to kill someone you know then you must make sure that you have never, and I mean never, gotten into any type of argument with the intended victim. If you have ever shouted at or threatened your intended victim then you have pointed the finger at yourself... you are better off with a passive aggressive approach where you infuriate them. 3) You can't kill the person in your house or their house or where either of you work. 4) The actual place of the murder should be dark with no cameras and no witnesses. I repeat NO CAMERAS OR WITNESSES!!! 5) If you write down what you did or tell even one person, the cops will find them both... SO SHUT YOUR F@$%ING MOUTH!!! 6) If the cops bring you in for questioning, for the love of God remember the final part of rule number four and SHUT YOUR F@$%ING MOUTH!!! Remember what Agent Kujan said in The Usual Suspects "First day on the job, you know what I learned? How to spot a murderer. Let's say you arrest three guys for the same killing. You put them all in jail overnight. The next morning, whoever's sleeping is your man. You see, if you're guilty, you know you're caught, you get some rest, you let your guard down." Or to put it simpler.. if they arrested you then one of two things is happening; they either made a mistake or they caught you. Either way, it's not your job to make theirs easier. How many times have you watched one of these shows where you know, absolutely know, that the cops don't have squat to make a case yet they get the moron to admit it!!! And finally 7) Don't take the stand at your trial. You will lose!! You were dumb enough to commit a crime and get caught... you're not smart enough to talk your way out of it!! If you were then you wouldn't be on trial!!!
This list is meant to be light hearted and sarcastic and to thicken the plots of TV cop shows and movies. The sad truth is that every day you can watch the news and see murders, rapes, assaults and any other despicable acts of violence and no matter how hard the cops work they never seem to catch the perpetrator unless they slip up or come forward because they want to get caught. Even sadder is the fact that even in a society where the media saturates us with violence to get us to watch, they go to the next gruesome story faster than a man will click channels on Sunday afternoon. And we forget. The Herald and The Globe constantly report on the rising level of violence in the city of Boston, but you don't read nearly as many headlines about arrests and convictions. And we forget. Everybody says "I don't watch the news because it's too depressing." Yet the ratings for the shows I mentioned earlier are the highest on TV. There have been six SAW movies and two Hostels. If the news is too depressing yet the most popular shows and movies that people watch are gruesome and horrifying then it seems there is disconnect that needs to be addressed. Everybody loves reality shows yet they don't seem want to see it up close.
Well, if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
This list is meant to be light hearted and sarcastic and to thicken the plots of TV cop shows and movies. The sad truth is that every day you can watch the news and see murders, rapes, assaults and any other despicable acts of violence and no matter how hard the cops work they never seem to catch the perpetrator unless they slip up or come forward because they want to get caught. Even sadder is the fact that even in a society where the media saturates us with violence to get us to watch, they go to the next gruesome story faster than a man will click channels on Sunday afternoon. And we forget. The Herald and The Globe constantly report on the rising level of violence in the city of Boston, but you don't read nearly as many headlines about arrests and convictions. And we forget. Everybody says "I don't watch the news because it's too depressing." Yet the ratings for the shows I mentioned earlier are the highest on TV. There have been six SAW movies and two Hostels. If the news is too depressing yet the most popular shows and movies that people watch are gruesome and horrifying then it seems there is disconnect that needs to be addressed. Everybody loves reality shows yet they don't seem want to see it up close.
Well, if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
It'll get worse before it gets better.
I don't know who coined the phrase "It'll get worse before it gets better" but I think the writers of some of my favorite TV shows and even the GMs of my favorite teams subscribe to this line of reasoning. I don't know exactly what the writers of Smallville are going for but one thing is crystal clear: They are taking their sweet time getting there!! Friday nights episode seemed like a bizarre combo of the movie Iron Man and the Star Wars prequels. Clark Kent is so consumed by doubt that now they are claiming he will either be the savior of Earth or the weapon of it's destruction. Sounds an awful lot like Yoda's speech "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you." Only on Smallville this line of reasoning is delivered by Supergirl! SUPERGIRL? SERIOUSLY!?!? She is a second tier comic book spinoff character!! This has been going on for a damn decade!!! And then they have Oliver decide to reveal to the world that he is the Green Arrow. Been there!! Done that!! It was called Iron Man!!! So what's going to happen next week? Is Nick Fury gonna show up with friggin Bruce Banner??? I swear to God waiting for Kent to become Superman is turning out to be as infuriating as waiting to find out how Lost can be explained scientifically!!!
I realize that I constantly harp about Smallville. I can't help it. Superman was a staple of my childhood. When Smallville came out I was intrigued by the concept of seeing how he becomes Superman. In my mind that meant harnessing his abilities and learning to control them. Smallville however seems to focus more on his learning to cope with his humanity. Superman is not human. Why do we want him to be human? If he were human then he couldn't do the things that make him Superman!!! I don't want Superman to have doubts. Doubts are a weakness. Maybe the master plan is for him to conquer them and come out stronger but it seems to make for more annoying TV than compelling TV.
Hawaii 5-0 is a great show. It's like watching Law and Order meets Mission Impossible meets CSI. The comic chemistry between Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan is on point. And if you missed the interrogation scene with the sharks on the last episode then you should watch it on demand.
I don't know why the Patriots traded Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings. Moss and Belichik both had press conferences and nobody said anything inflammatory about the other. In fact, it sounded more like the loved each other. So Moss is gone and now the Patriots are going to attempt to go back to a pass on every down but try to shorten the field offense?!?! All because according to the experts that's how they won three super bowls? The league has changed since then. That was why they went out and got Moss in the first place. I guess we'll see what happens but this whole thing is just weird.
On a more personal note. Karissa's baby shower was this weekend and it is almost overwhelming how much love and support was shown. Thank you so much to my mother and father in law and sisters in law as well as Danni, Elise, Maura, Leigh, and Sarah. Thank you as well to my cousins Shannon and Kelley. It took a while but I figured out how to combine the car seat with the stroller and also how to collapse the stroller. I think it's safe to say that my son will be a well-dressed little man and will be riding around in style. Less than a month to go. I know Karissa can't wait. I love you Babe. I can't wait to meet our son.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Everyone's expendable
Today is October 6th 2010: It is cold, wet and miserable in Massachusetts today. The topic for the day seems to be The New England Patriots traded Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2011 Third Round Draft Pick. This is comical to me in so many ways. How does this help the Patriots right now? It doesn't. How does it affect perception of Randy Moss? Depending on how you view the Patriots management you either think we don't need him cuz he's just another player or your arm is tingling cuz you are about to have a stroke wondering how they can be so monumentally stupid. I don't know how I feel about this. I think Randy was destined to leave at the end of the season. His 15 minutes of crazy press conference telegraphed that. Maybe I was hoping that he and TFB would have a swan song season for the ages on his way out. Now we'll never know. What we do know is that every one's expendable. You can't watch sports and not know this. I guess that's what I think is sad. Sports is such a mirror of society, although in most instances a perversely warped one. When teams trade away talented players for the future they pretend that they are actually interested in the future. This is the absolute best way to downsize a company and make it look like they care about the future. The Pats just dumped a guy they knew would cost them a ton of money to re-sign. He will be branded a malcontent now by the fans in New England and people will act like he never did anything of value while he was here. This is a sign of things to come. Not just for the Patriots either. The NFL probably won't have a season next year. Why? Because of rampant and unmitigated greed on the part of the owners and the NFLPA. Should this be a surprise? No. Like I said, sports are a warped mirror of society.
You can call it bitterness. You can call it agitation. You can call it disgust. You can call it confusion. You could even call it the grief cycle. What you can't call it is smart. What you can't call it is good business. What you can't call is the right move. I'm a teacher. I'm good at my job. I'm highly qualified. I have busted my ass to get a Master's Degree. I hold my students to a high standard. I try to remember that just like when I was in school, there is more going on with a student than what they do in my classroom. I knew going into education that I would never get rich. I am cool with that. What I'm not cool with is the current movement in education that seeks to reform everything except what the students learn and achieve. There is constant talk about the achievement gap, which by the way is a real thing. It is based in the socioeconomic structures that we ignore. I worked in an underperforming urban high school for the last three years. We had an extended day, more time on learning, more teacher accountability, more authority for the principal, more autonomy from the union contract... do you know what happened? If you guessed that it didn't work... then you guessed right. Do you know why it didn't work? Because at the end of each year one third of the staff left. When I left at the end of last year there were only 20 people still working there that were there when i got hired. Compare that to the average suburban high school where you can see the same teachers and administrators for 20 years. This is despite the fact the Boston Public Schools pays an average of $15,000 more a year than the suburban schools do. Schools are supposed to be the one place that youth can find some sense of stability and continuity. Most of the teachers that freshman students have this year won't be there when these students graduate. The English High School in Jamaica Plain had 65 teachers working there last year. 40 teachers were given their walking papers in the spring of 2010. The replacements that were hired are all from a highly touted program called Boston Teacher Residency. BTR is a program that takes people from other lines of work and puts them into the classroom within one year. Or in other words, it's the exact same thing as hiring a bunch of graduate students. So a struggling school got rid of forty seasoned teachers and replaced them with forty first year teachers. This is viewed as progressive in the current political climate. They are planning for the future like the Patriots did. They will train these new teachers to be better than the malcontents they replaced. After all, it must be the teachers fault that the scores are low and the dropout rate is high and not the apathy of parents and politicians. It is ironic that the politicians talk about cutting costs surrounding education with teacher layoffs because the teachers they layoff make the least money!!! Nothing is going to change. These new teachers that were brought in will either burn out or get replaced in three years.
Well, if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
You can call it bitterness. You can call it agitation. You can call it disgust. You can call it confusion. You could even call it the grief cycle. What you can't call it is smart. What you can't call it is good business. What you can't call is the right move. I'm a teacher. I'm good at my job. I'm highly qualified. I have busted my ass to get a Master's Degree. I hold my students to a high standard. I try to remember that just like when I was in school, there is more going on with a student than what they do in my classroom. I knew going into education that I would never get rich. I am cool with that. What I'm not cool with is the current movement in education that seeks to reform everything except what the students learn and achieve. There is constant talk about the achievement gap, which by the way is a real thing. It is based in the socioeconomic structures that we ignore. I worked in an underperforming urban high school for the last three years. We had an extended day, more time on learning, more teacher accountability, more authority for the principal, more autonomy from the union contract... do you know what happened? If you guessed that it didn't work... then you guessed right. Do you know why it didn't work? Because at the end of each year one third of the staff left. When I left at the end of last year there were only 20 people still working there that were there when i got hired. Compare that to the average suburban high school where you can see the same teachers and administrators for 20 years. This is despite the fact the Boston Public Schools pays an average of $15,000 more a year than the suburban schools do. Schools are supposed to be the one place that youth can find some sense of stability and continuity. Most of the teachers that freshman students have this year won't be there when these students graduate. The English High School in Jamaica Plain had 65 teachers working there last year. 40 teachers were given their walking papers in the spring of 2010. The replacements that were hired are all from a highly touted program called Boston Teacher Residency. BTR is a program that takes people from other lines of work and puts them into the classroom within one year. Or in other words, it's the exact same thing as hiring a bunch of graduate students. So a struggling school got rid of forty seasoned teachers and replaced them with forty first year teachers. This is viewed as progressive in the current political climate. They are planning for the future like the Patriots did. They will train these new teachers to be better than the malcontents they replaced. After all, it must be the teachers fault that the scores are low and the dropout rate is high and not the apathy of parents and politicians. It is ironic that the politicians talk about cutting costs surrounding education with teacher layoffs because the teachers they layoff make the least money!!! Nothing is going to change. These new teachers that were brought in will either burn out or get replaced in three years.
Well, if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that's the case then you have my sympathies.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
No ordinary post
Baseball season for Red Sox fans came to an end this weekend!! After the way this season has played out all I can say is thank God! THANK GOD!!! With the injuries and up and down way this team played I am relieved that it is over. The only bright side to all this is that on the final weekend of the season the Red Sox stopped the Yankees from winning the division and home field advantage in the playoffs (Yes I am well aware that it is sour grapes and I don't care!!). On a more personal note: I couldn't be happier that baseball's regular season is over because that also means that my Fantasy Baseball season is over. The only consolation is that there wasn't any money involved... and that is the only consolation!!! I have several friends who run three fantasy teams and I am convinced that they either have infinitely more patience and time on their hands than I do or they are gluttons for punishment!!! Either way I think it would be more entertaining to dig for change in a jar filled with alcohol and barb wire than to play fantasy baseball next year!!!
This past week saw the premier of No Ordinary Family and it is an AWESOME show!!! It's light, fun, exciting and more than just a live action Incredibles like I initially thought it would be. Michael Chiklis makes his long awaited return to television. I loved The Shield and consider Vic Mackey to be one of the great antiheroes of television history right next to Jack Bauer and John Locke. I was apprehensive about him playing a character that wasn't as edgy. He is still edgy but it is mixed with a humor that is fitting and campy. The most interesting new power in the family is the daughter's ability ton read minds... there is a scene where she is playing basketball and can here all the other players thoughts that is absolutely hysterical!!! This show has a ton of potential!! I am really looking forward to seeing how this show plays out.
While we are on sports... if you haven't seen the footage of Nate Robinson dunking on an unsuspecting Shaq then you missed out!! Speaking of the Celtics... my sister in law made their cheerleading squad!!! Congrats Kaitlin!!!
So New England and Miami are on Monday Night Football this week!!! I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I would really like to see the defense that shut down Cincinatti show up tomorrow night instead of the one that pissed away a game to the F@$%ING JETS and did the best it could to blow a lead against the Bills. And is it too much to ask for the offense to show up, move the God damn chains and score in the second half?!?!?! Since Tom Brady became the starting QB of the Patriots the only team in the AFC East that the Patriots have a losing record to is the Dolphins!! THE DOLPHINS!?!?!? SERIOUSLY?!?!?! I don't even know if contempt and hatred are strong enough words to describe how I feel about the Miami Dolphins!! In 1985 Pats fans shouted "Squish the Fish" during the AFC title game. I think they let the Dolphins off easy. Consider that some people boycott tuna because fisherman kill the dolphins that get caught in the nets. Rather than squish the fish I'd like to see the Patriots make tuna salad out of these sorry ass, can't run a pro style offense, douche bags!!! At least the NFL remembered to schedule the second game in Foxboro in December!!
Smallville's final season has yet to disappoint although it does tend to be melodramatic with the destiny angle. I am waiting patiently for the transformation. This week saw the introduction of Cat Grant... a bubbly, prissy little blonde reporter that I can't help but hope will die in a truly horrible way. I know that sounds bad but it has to happen... this character is just awful.
The Big Bang Theory saw the introduction of the Shelbot! If you don't watch this show you really should. Bizinga! Kenny Powers starts out the new season of Eastbound and Down living in Mexico as a cockfighter!! His midget sidekick is awesome! This might be the first character who's more over the top than the main character, and that is really over the top!!! HA!!
Finally, I think that Boardwalk Empire is great. If you were a fan of the Sopranos, Deadwood or Rome and have been missing grittiness and raw appeal then this is the show for you. It's funny that I find myself rooting for the characters that are supposed to be considered scum, maybe it's cuz secretly we all wish that we could get away with it. Steve Buscemi has finally found the perfect role for his talents.
Well, if you are still reading this then you obviously have as much time on your hands as I do and if that is the case, then you have my sympathies.
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