MEH, THE NFL IS BACK.



At a time when unemployment is running over 9% (17% actual if you count the underemployed and those that have given up looking for work); football players and team owners were, until yesterday, haggling over the split of the $9 billion in revenue that the NFL generates annually.  To the average unemployed individual it seemed to be a rather petty dispute between callous millionaires and billionaires. 

In San Diego, the wealthy Spanos family is still trying to find a way to have the taxpayers subsidize a new stadium with taxpayer cash and city land for their Chargers business.  Their quest has been made more difficult by Governor Jerry "Retread" Brown's impound of all local community redevelopment funds to help satisfy the Sacramento's insatiable appetite for spending.  Unless an owner builds his or her own stadium or the team is located in a prosperous state like Texas, it will be at least ten years before any sports stadium is financed with public funds. 

All this brings to mind the real purpose of local government, which is to provide basic municipal services like streets, fire protection, police, and infrastructure.  Local governments are not venture capital banks.  Few politicians have the requisite skills to run a simple lemonade stand.   And truth be told, most politicians have no real marketable job skills.  Elective office is often the best job that most of them will ever have.  And the NFL owners are just another bunch of potential campaign contributors that, with a well placed contribution might benefit financially using other people's money, i.e., taxpayer money. 

Keep your eye on the bouncing ball!

I loved the game when it was common for players to take "real jobs" in the off season.  That was in the Golden Age of Pro Football in the 1960s.  A couple of players worked at the department store where I worked at as a sales clerk forty years ago.  Other players sold cars, insurance, houses or worked at banks.  They were for the most part regular guys and not the prima donnas of today's game.  The game lost its luster for me when the NFL reinstated Michael Vick, dog torturer and gambling ring impresario. 

Nobody denies that Michael Vick has a right to make a living, but there are some misdeeds that should foreclose one from making a living in certain professions.  Thieves rarely get to work at banks or any job that requires honesty.  The animal cruelty aside, running a gambling ring should be evidence of a character flaw that is incompatible with the so-called integrity of the NFL.

No doubt I'll watch a couple of football games this year.  But it just doesn't have the same magic that it held for me many years ago when I was able to eat my tuna sandwich next to a real NFL player in the store lunchroom.



They don't make them like that anymore--

the 32 cent postage stamp OR Jim Thorpe.

THE BAD SLEEP WELL



The Bad Sleep Well by Akira Kurosawa is a film classic.  But it still would be a notable film if only for its pithy title.  It is a title that has become symbolic of a fundamental truth of life--that good does not always triumph and that nice guys, as Leo Durocher once said, finish last.  Nevertheless, the Durocher quote, although taken out of context,  has also come to be the motto of bastard bosses, pushy feminists, card cheats, Social Darwinists, or any Socialist, including their fellow socialist travelers, the Fascists.  Make no mistake, Fascism is a form of Socialism, (see Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg pp. 31-38). 

Before I digress any further, and turn this post into yet another polemic against the left--that comes later--I would state for the record that the some of the worst actors in American politics seem to be the ones that having benefitted most from the country that they seem to hate.  But it's not only politics in which the "bad" seem to be prospering.  It just seems as if there is no crime or punishment anymore for any apparent privileged character in America.

Michael Vick, reinstated to the NFL after doing time for running a illegal interstate dog fighting ring and gambling operation was rehired by Nike as a athlete endorser.  After Vick was convicted in April of 2007 in Federal Court, he was dropped by Nike as an athlete endorser.  But what is most galling about this reversal of fortune for Vick is that there seems to be no consequences for wrongdoing.  Here's a guy that not only did sadistic acts of cruelty and violence to dogs, but was also caught running a gambling ring! 

Back in 1962, NFL Hall of Famer, Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were suspended for a year for betting on NFL games and associating with shady characters.  Both were reinstated by Commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1964.  In Hornung's case it was due to intense lobbying by Coaching legend Vince Lombardi.  The NFL was interested in building a fan base, particularly in light of the competiton from the upstart American Football League.  Bonifide stars were at a premium.  After all, business is business.

Unlike the Black Sox scandal in 1919, in which eight White Sox players were banned for like for throwing the World Series, the NFL seems to be more lenient viz gambling.  But when it comes to drugs, Major League Baseball (MLB) seems to have a more laissez-faire attitude.  Pitcher Steve Howe was suspended several times over a 17-year on and off baseball career for substance abuse, but was always reinstated when a live arm was needed. 

Outfielder Manny Ramirez recently of the Tampa Bay Rays, abruptly retired from baseball when confronted with the possibility of having to take a second drug test.  Ramirez however, is still owed some $21 million by the bankrupt Los Angeles Dodgers.  He'll get some of that money.   Many players such as Sammy Sosa were suspected of using performance enhancing drugs during the "blind eye" period of steroid use in MLB.   MLB greatly benefited from the fan increase during home run derby in the 1999 season between Sosa and Mark McGwire, also suspected of using  performance enhancing drugs.  Although they may not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, none of these players has suffered any real financial hardship.  McGwire currently works as the batting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals.

*     *     *     *     * 

Unfortunately, it is bad politicians that continue to sleep well despite the collateral damage that they are causing to their fellow citizens through their bad deeds.  Senator Chuck "U" Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday that invoking the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which states that federal debts "shall not be questioned," to continue paying government obligations is a strategy worth considering should a debt-ceiling deal remain elusive.  What's happening here is what Constitutional lawyer Mark Levin said on his WABC radio talk program on 5 July 2011.  Senator Schumer is suggesting that Pharoah Obama simply use that clause to continue to incur debt.  Since when does America tolerate a dictator?  It is Congress' Constitutional duty to appropriate funds to meet the financial obligations of the United States of America. 

But Pharoah Obama continues his impression of Robert Mugabe by spending the nation into oblivion.  The Pharoah has parties at the White House while millions of Americans suffer from unemployment and other financial woes.  Mugabe had a party marking his 85th birthday while many Zimbabweans went hungry.  The Sunday London Times story of the birthday party gives a preview of what America can look forward to if the Pharoah is allowed to continue his profligate spending ways.  Under Mugabe's stewardship the unemployment rate is 94%!   Mugabe spent millions on luxury limousines while millions starved.  Are you starting to see a pattern? 

Meanwhile, Pharoah's wife, Michelle "Antoinette" Obama, is playing the part of the American iteration of Grace Mugabe, wife of Robert.  Her trips abroad with their children are legendary in their extravagence at the expense of the American taxpayer.  But does the Pharoah and his Queen care about that?  No, they sleep quite soundly in the People's House.  The bad indeed sleep very well.

An Unwanted Sexual Assault by Any Other Name is Still a Sexual Assault

In  an earlier post I discussed the case of Michael Vick being reinstated into the NFL after doing time in the Federal Pen for running and bankrolling a gambling ring involving dog fighting.  (A $30 million contract and this guy is interested in chump change made from dog fighting?)  Apart from the brutal treatment of the dogs, one would have thought the gambling offense would have permanently barred Vick from pro-football.  Other sports leagues like the NBA and MLB have barred players and referees for life because of gambling.

The post also discussed other dubious NFL characters like Lawrence Phillips, the Nebraska running back that once dragged his college girlfriend down several flights of stairs at a college dormitory... what a he-man!  In both cases, obvious sociopaths are/were allowed to pursue lucrative NFL careers.  The NFL is also the same league that doesn't think Rush Limbaugh is fit to be an NFL owner, yet a part owner of an AFC franchise that is known for a very public urination incident is fit to own an NFL franchise.  The NFL is a strange institution.  Many of the players have attended college for varying time periods.  (Most of them spent more time in classes during four years of college than Barack Obama spent "working" in the the United States Senate during the four years he was a Senator. Obama attended Senate sessions about 143 days total.) 

For some reason, the NFL is a haven for thugs and misfits.  Yes, I know that NBA has its share of thugs, but it pales in comparison with the NFL.  A couple of seasons ago, there was running gag as to whether the Cincinnati Bengals would be able to field a football team because of the abnormal number of Bengal players being arrested.  The Oakland Raiders have lived off an overblown outlaw image for years. Their fan base is so notorious that a local bail bondsman runs this ad whenever the Raiders come to town. 

Humor and showbiz aside, there is a dark side to the NFL's crypto-outlaw image.  Rae Carruth, an emerging NFL star with the Carolina Panthers is doing time for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend Cherica Adams.  Carruth had already lost a paternity suit and apparently didn't want the additional financial obligation of another child.  What a stand-up guy!  Carruth was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, using an instrument to destroy an unborn child (he probably had her killed because she wouldn't get an abortion at a legalized murder mill like Planned Parenthood) and is serving a prison sentence of 18-24 years.  Thankfully the child survived.  Kind of ironic isn't it?

My local team, the San Diego Chargers has had its share of misfits and felons.  Terrence Kiel died in a car crash on July 4, 2008 after leaving a party.  Kiel pleaded guilty in February 2007, to felony and misdemeanor drug charges for shipping codeine-based cough syrup to Texas and the Chargers released him.  The Chargers recently traded flash in the pan cornerback Antonio Cromartie to the New York Jets.  Cromartie was involved in a recent barroom incident involving a thrown champagne bottle hitting another patron in the head...  but really, Cromartie is truly a class act because it was probably a Cristal Champagne bottle that slipped from his hand!  BTW, Cromartie is currently facing a paternity suit in San Diego.  So he's negotiating the terms of child support.  (Hey, it's a lot better than Rae Carruth's approach to unwanted pregnancy, n'est pas?)  But after watching his last two seasons of play, I don't think that Cromartie will reach the five year mark to get a fat NFL pension unless he spends the rest of his career as a back-up or a kick returner.  Apart from the usual DUIs and a Tila Tequila aficionado, the Chargers are a relatively tame NFL team.  In the 2010 draft, they seem to have drafted a quality character guy in Ryan Mathews, a seemingly genuine "aw shucks" guy.  Mathews would follow in the footsteps of another quality character guy, LaDainian Tomlinson who now plays for the New York Jets.  Of course I could be as wrong about Mathews being an "aw shucks" guy as I was with another first rounder also named Ryan over a decade ago.  Ryan Leaf is now doing time for a drug offense.


So what's all this discussion leading to?  A week ago, a district attorney in Georgia decided he would not prosecute Ben Roethlisberger in connection with a sexual assault complaint filed by a 20-year-old female college student.  While "Big Ben" has escaped the long arm of the criminal law process--again, he's still facing a civil lawsuit in Nevada from another woman alleging a sexual assault by "Big Ben."  But Roethlisberger did get firm disciplinary action from the NFL.  Big Ben got a six game suspension from moral sentinel and NFL Commish Roger Goodell.  But knowing the éclair spine of Roger "Not so" Goodell, it will probably be reduced to four games.  The NFL is a business after all.  Fans want their heroes to play!  And the Steelers are one of the legendary franchises in the NFL.  Do you really think that Goodell will allow the iconic Rooney family's business to flounder while their franchise QB languishes in saloons looking for some "touch"?   I doubt it.  If Goodell was willing to allow a sadistic  dog-killing bookie to be reinstated in the NFL, this latest peccadillo should land Roethlisberger in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame and a juicy blurb in Penthouse Forum letters.


Boy, do I miss the good old days as when then Charger star defensive back Leslie "Speedy" Duncan gladly signed an autograph for my little brother (and me) in the sporting goods department of the old Broadway Department Store in 1969.  Forty years later I still remember it like it happened today.  During the Golden Age of Pro-Football, players were regular guys that held real jobs in the off season and gladly signed autographs.  With the Super Bowl, Big Media, Mega Beer Brewers, and Big Gambling--the Pro-Football Valhalla of a young boy's imagination is long gone.  Too bad.  Boys and grown up men need more stand-up guys to look up to.  We all do.

Foul Ball! Steroids, Baseball, and Hypocrisy

There are three things that you just don't mess with in America. They are--in no particular order--kids, dogs, and baseball.  Child molesters that are exposed to the general population in prison are assured of certain death.  Mistreatment of a dog invites scorn and contempt, although that is now under question with the NFL's attempted beatification of Michael Vick.  And please note that the American people take their baseball very, very seriously. 

There is a widespread misconception among baseball fans that Major League Baseball (MLB) is the only sport that is pure and pristine.  NBA players are considered gangsta' thugs. Rush Limbaugh once described quite accurately that a typical NFL game sometimes resembles a fight between the Crips and the Bloods.  But, baseball fans conveniently forget about the "Black Sox" scandal, the Pete Rose gambling scandal (more on that below), the use of greenies, spitballs, and the collusion among club owners to avoid competitive bidding for players' services. Yet baseball fans are outraged at steroid use in baseball.  ("I'm shocked, shocked that there is drug use in Major League Baseball!")

In an interview with Bob Costas, Mark McGwire finally admitted steroid use, confirming what was probably the worst kept secret in the history of humankind.  McGwire, between crocodile tears, claimed that he used steroids only for health purposes although an FBI informant claims otherwise.   McGwire was recently hired to be the hitting instructor for the St.Louis Cardinals.  Cardinal Manager Tony LaRussa stands by his man claiming that McGwire would have hit all those home runs without steroids.  Yeah, and Dave Kingman hit for average.

Maybe there was a pang of guilt, but in reality McGwire was probably testing the waters to see if baseball would accept his return.  McGwire has been under the radar since his retirement in 2001, thus avoiding the scorn and contempt experienced by Barry Bonds.  Bonds has been essentially ostracized from MLB since 2007, with no AL team needing a power-hitting DH with bad knees.  Bonds is also under indictment for perjury.  The trial has been indefinitely postponed. Other steroid users haven't fared much better.  There is the indefinite suspension by MLB of Rafael Palmiero following his finger waving testimony before Congress.  Another player in steroid limbo is Roger Clemens who continues to be investigated by the Department of Justice for perjury.  Sammy Sosa, despite being named as one of the 103 players that tested positive for steroid use, calmly waits--as he believes--for his induction into the Hall of Fame.

By cutting a deal with Congress before his testimony before his testimony, McGwire, until his tearful confession has avoided any consequences of his steroid use.  But who knows what McGwire gave the "Honorable Gentlepersons" of the Congress [sic]  in exchange for his testimony?  For some reason, McGwire has received kid glove treatment all of these years while others have paid in one way or another for using performance enhancing drugs.  Steven A. Smith expressed his contempt for McGwire on the January 12th broadcast of his Fox Sports show.  The elephant in the room was that McGwire was given preferential treatment because he is White as opposed to the treatment that Barry Bonds has endured.  It's not clear whether the race victim card applies here, but it is odd that McGwire got a Congressional deal that others didn't get.  What is really laughable is that perhaps the most crooked Congress--(read Democrats)--in American history self-righteously deigns to judge alleged steroid users.     

Many fans still question the continued suspension of Pete Rose for gambling on baseball.  A USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 75 percent of more than 1,000 Americans surveyed think that player use of performance-enhancing drugs is more serious than Rose's gambling offense. The same poll shows that support for Rose's Hall of Fame eligibility has not changed in 20 years--60 percent favor it and 35 percent are opposed to make Rose eligible.  Whatever Rose was, he gave his all on the field and never considered any alternative to winning. He was known as Charlie Hustle because of that quality.  While reprehensible on its face, knowing how competitive Rose was, it is believable that he would bet on his own team.  But it was still wrong to gamble on baseball.  My über-smart Sister once told me that, "If it's wrong on Monday then it's wrong the rest of the week." 
  

But all of these barroom and squawk radio discussions about relative filth miss the point.  Both gambling and steroid use compromise the integrity of the game.  Otherwise, why not evolve into sports entertainment like the WWE?  That's because although we may know the probable outcome of a WWE wrestling match and that some of the wrestler's bodies may be "enhanced," we're still entertained.  FYI, there are fans of wrestling that are called "smarks" that are fans that enjoy pro wrestling despite or because they know that it is staged.  But Americans enjoy a wide range of entertainment options and know how to put things in their proper perspective.  The only time they get angry is when there's a misrepresentation of the product that they've spent their hard earned dollars on.  This is the emotion behind the anger toward Tiger Woods who was misrepresented as a clean-cut guy but who turned out in reality to be Tiger Woody.  From all this, perhaps even Barack Obama might experience a "teachable moment" and reconsider his misrepresentation that he is a moderate.  But knowing how arrogant he is and that he is Soros' puppet, it's doubtful that he would ever be open-minded enough to be truthful.  It is turning out that there is no such thing as change that we can believe in.