memorandum from captain random:
if the scourge of prostatitus has truly passed, why do i feel like i'm sitting on a golf ball?
books on tape are a panacea to dull workdays (recently completed: confederates in the attic and be cool. in answer to your question concerning the latter, yes. currently residing in the ghetto blaster: the hundred days by patrick o'brian).
leanne has been haunting our hood lately and, to be honest, i don't mind. this is a bold statement coming from a man who does not like to open the circle of trust or expand his sidebar. but i get the feeling i might be doing both at some point in the near future.
dizzy is a mouthy little bitch. that's all i got to say about that.
marrying an elf is the best thing i ever did. aragorn has yet to lead me astray.
you guys can have your "march madness" if you want, but please...keep your sweaty, gym rat shit out of april (the month in which they finally open the gates to the elysian fields).
i preached in class today. i've preached in front of bible college students and seminarians for six years and it still scares the shit out of me.
after i stopped trembling, i found a way to slip in a little narrative about the pimp-driven life into my sermon. how 'bout them apples?
i've been reading a lot of richard russo lately. can't get enough of him. ditto lauren winner and stanley grenz.
congressional hearings on steriods?! in the midst of making sense of a budget that completely omits war spending, debating the future of social security, and considering whether or not to piss on the senate's long standing tradition of honoring dissent through filibuster, they are going to spend hour upon hour discussing which syringe punctured who's ass in what major league locker room! unbelievable. if you want to press criminal charges, empower the f.b.i. if you want to regulate baseball, lean on the owners. if you want to do govern well, do some real frickin' work! yes, this means you, john mccain. okay, inhale, exhale. inhale, exhale. phew.
What a Beautiful Place to Call Home
2 weeks ago
14 comments:
Dumbest crap I ever saw from Congress.
Even George Will had something good to say, as did Kurchin- so this has been going on for a long time, what is new? a book- congressional hearings over a book.
1) I can't do books on tape. I'm amazed by anyone who can. I bought both Bill & Hilary's books on CD to listen to on my drive to work, and I got through the first three disks of Billy's, and realized that I hadn't remembered ANYTHING. My brain works too much. I have a short attention span.
2) Dizzy. Grr. She's lucky she's cute. How's the leg?
3) While I know they're not your #1, it needs to be said: Opening day. 19 days, 12 hours, 54 minutes.
4) Don't get me started on the steroids tip.
5) Finally, be careful what you say. I'm developing a slight crush on you Beverly folks. I don't need encouragement.
Hey, if people in this country didn't make such a big deal out of sports, Congress wouldn't be having hearings about steroid use. Most athletes are nothing more than overpaid, uneducated, spoiled, wife/mistress beating, drug-dealing, thugs and the general public pays far too much attention to them for anyone's own good. -krista
in large part i agree. i am unsurprised that the public is easily satiated with bread and circus, but i thought our government officials had other concerns.
i guess the old cliche needs a slight revision: one will never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the american government.
then again, the government has a long history of meddling in baseball affairs. examples include the black sox scandal, the establishment clause, and the scrap over free agency. so, in a sense, this hearing is nothing new.
you know, i used to think that athletes were overpaid. and then i read an article discussing how much pressure they exert on their bodies, as well as how much pressure is exerted on them psychologically, in order for them to perform up to the expectations of millions of people. the thing is, while they do get paid millions, they also have the eyes of millions of unsympathetic fans watching them, ready to critique and damn them as soon as they make the slightest mistake. regardless of the pay, that sounds like a sucky job to me.
besides, as far as steroids go, america (subconsciously) loves it when athletes use steroids (think about all the hype surrounding homerun records). we're just not willing to admit it.
pay has never been one of my primary concerns with sport. if they produce revenue, they should reap the benefits. why should the owners squirrel away all the cash for themselves?
as for your latter assertion, count me among those who are "unwilling to admit it." i've always been the type of fan who'd take a 1960ish, 2-1 pitchers duel over a slugfest. in fact, homeruns, as well as the space age bats that produce them, are the primary reason i loathe the college game.
i'll agree with you about pitching. homeruns are, in a large sense, boring (unless they come at the end of game4 vs. the yankees).
for the most part, however, i wonder how much of our culture contributes to the desire of athletes to use steroids. that's probably too big of a generalization. but, given the amount of marketing and profiteering that happens around these homerun-derby seasons, i wouldn't count out the influence of money-making capitalism on baseball performance.
in general, it seems america is addicted to phenomena, excitement. "normal" isn't good enough anymore, we now are in constant need of superstars in every arena of life (look how it's influencing churches). just part of the continual malnourished diet of this culture.
P.S.- we *have* to go out and get some batting practice in once spring arrives. ahhh...how i miss baseball. truly, there's no other sport like it.
kidpositive: Yes, but no one forced them to take this job of athlete. They are getting paid millions to play a game (or more simply: run fast, hit a ball with a stick or throw a ball). They aren't running into burning buildings, they aren't curing cancer, they aren't educating kids-all those people don't get paid that much at all, for the most part. All that money to them for having to merely hear a few fans say, "You suck" or getting their bodies broken in some way during the game. If atheletes are that upset that fans critque them, why can't they just say, "Yeah go ahead, tell me I suck. I have more money than you'll ever see in your lifetime" and move on? -krista
krista,
please consider that for many of these athletes, this is the only chance out of a negative situation which could include violence, early death, gangs, drugs, working in a horrible job, etc.
if my body allowed me to go to college for free, since I was born and raised poor, I would have worked as much as possible for the opportunity.
while some athletes are as you say, the vast majority is just like the rest of us, just better at sports, which there is nothing wrong with (even if you do not like sports).
many of these athletes would play the sport for almost nothing. they are just taking money for the sport because it is given to them. they would still play in the parking lot with no fans.
by the way the generalization "Most athletes are nothing more than overpaid, uneducated, spoiled, wife/mistress beating, drug-dealing, thugs and the general public pays far too much attention to them for anyone's own good" is quite harsh. the only truth is that the public pays too much attention, just like it does to celebrities of all stripes. Welcome to America and the TV Nation.
While many of them are not running into burning buildings, the VAST Majority are good people like you. They give time and money the same way the rich in Beverly Farms do.
If you don't believe that check out the inner city academy started by David Robinson in San Antonio or Derrick Brooks rebuilding churches after the hurricane or Warrick Dun buying homes for single moms.
I haven't done anything like that for my community.
peace
Rick
Thank you for your insightful comments. A few rebuttals, if I may:
I am not sure about your point that it is their only chance. Why not do what they can in school to become better intellectuals (true, some schools are better than others, but hey, we pay athletes more than teachers so it's no wonder) rather than just playing fields? Why not look for mentors? Why not, as soon as they are old enough, move to a more positive environment?
With steroids as prevalent as the media is making it out to be, even if your body had allowed you to go to college for free, steroids used by others would have made it impossible to compete without them in any case.
I never said there was anything wrong with sports in general. It's behaviors I'm concerned with.
Have you talked to a majority of athletes about whether or not they would play the sport for free? Neither have I, so I don't think it's wise for either of us to comment with any surety.
Sure, I agree with you that my generalization is harsh. But I don't think it's a generalization. Thanks to "America and TV Nation" we hear more about their crimes rather than their positive achievements.
I agree completely the public pays too much attention-that was my point.
"The VAST majority are good people like you"-who said I was good? I certainly didn't. ;) -krista
sorry Krista, I meant to say "good people like you and me" because we do not take steroids, abuse others, deal drugs, rtc.
Regarding their choice and their intellect, many athletes either (1) do not have the opportunities afforded them for intellectual pursuits. They may attend schools that are inferior with teachers who do not take time to help them. They may decide on athletics because it is the only place they are encouraged.
(2) Choose athletics because, even though they may have pursued academic excellence, they see a better future through their bodily talent. David Robinson would have been a good Navy officer and computer programmer, but saw his future as an NBA player as better for his family, etc.
(3) There are some educators who believe that their are different types of intelligence. While some of us have high academic intelligence, some have high emotional intelligence, while others are smarter when it comes to fixing things (I am amazed by mechanics and TV repair people- I am an idiot in these areas), while others are physically intelligent. Since this is their strength, should we only expect them to become laborers? Can they use their intelligence to make a good living, like the guys on Wall Street?
Regarding knowing that many athletes would do it if it were for free or very little pay; Yes, I am sure about this.
I worked as a tutor for the athletic department at FSU and knew plenty of eventual pro athletes (including Deion Sanders) who expressed this (it is common to talk about it, since most will not be paid for it).
There have been studies and we can see from the past when athletes were paid very little and abused by their bosses (see the film Eight Men Out) that many play sports for the love of the game and because it is what they know how to do, not just for money.
What is funny is that I was never a great athlete. I was a tall skinny kid with awful coordination. I was a dancer for cryin out loud. I was even picked on by athletes as a kid. But, I love sports and would never judge an entire sport or group of athletes because of some thugs. True character comes out whether a person is an athlete or not, whether they are given to much money or celebrity or not.
Kobe would have cheated on his wife if he had been a carpet cleaner, while Reggie White would have been a lay preacher even if he had been an accountant.
I just wanted to keep things in perspective.
Rick:
interesting. -krista
Thanks for your comments Rick, I enjoyed reading them, and agree with you entirely.
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