Summer Movie Series

So I have been sitting around enjoying my new Comcast Digital Package. This afternoon I watched one of the most epic sports films of all time, the original Bad News Bears circa 1976. This movie had everything, comedy, drama, gambling, baseball, high brow art, low brow art, classical music, and a drunk hanging around kids.....all in the same film. I had a student named "Tanner" this year. Watching this film on cable for the first time in years lead me to the following conclusions....

Why does Buttermaker only have Rudy Stein as the only alternative pitcher? This is Mindboggling. What an idiot.

The wife of Coach Turner was smokin’….That guy was a giant D-bag.

The perfectly executed relay by the Yankee’s in the bottom of the 6th of the championship game was totally the blueprint for the Tom Emanski's defensive drills video.

Miguel Agular’s at bat in the bottom of the 6th was a precursor to Kevin Millar in game 4 versus New York in 2004.

"Chico’s Bail Bonds" has become one of the top 5 fantasy sports team names ever…

I am naming my first child Ahmed

Many people today are often shocked by the language, alcoholism, and child abuse exhibited in the film. I think it did wonders for breaking millions of gen X'ers out of the isolated shells of their suburban existence. Thus, it wasn't The Empire Strikes Back. Klosterman was wrong. What did I get when I was in need for such realism? the formulaic ridiculouslness of Growing Pains and Family Matters...

The new Costas show comes out this month with a show on Baseball. I know, this is the groundbreaking originality we have come to expect from HBO. I think the biggest problem with baseball today is the amount of time spent taking about the improvements needed in the game. It would be foolish to pin point any one area, with the exception of domestic development. Like the country, the game of baseball must transition smoothy in the next few years away from its recent drug related troubles. No Sport should be looked at as "pure", unless your 7. However, there is so much enterainment out there that the powers that be in MLB better start thinking progressively. The MLS is on the rise.....

Game Three

Simply pathetic.

It was great to see Ortiz, Manny, Lowell, and Drew decided to get fine arts degrees at the "Nomar Garciaparra School of Swinging at the First Pitch in a Crucial Situation".

Also, if I hear one more time about Dice-K's exploits as a high school pitcher I am going to lose it. I don't care if he threw 300 picthes, it doesn't mean a pile of crap in America, especially if he can't get out of the 5th in the biggest start of his life. Joe Costig turned into Joe Buck by the second inning. I had to listen to the Mars Volta just to pass the time.

Until further notice Dice K will be refered to only as "Jake Westbrook's School Yard Biyatch".

Hope was Right

The 2007 Women’s World Cup has proved the importance of the Status Quo.
-Brazilians and Germans are tremendous at Soccer.
-The Aussies are full of heart.
-You always choose the hot blonde women from Washington.
-American Soccer coaches over think their tactics and act like idiots.
-The English Football Association can't field a team to get into the final four.
-Only losers like me watch women’s soccer at all, let alone at 6 in the morning.
-Rob Stone is the best.

Thanks to an improved team and an easy schedule, UConn Football team is 14 minutes away from starting 5-0. CT football fans still act lame. There is an elitist element to UConn sports that works with some of the other sports, but Football is a game of the masses. It's time to start some real traditions folks. Leaving in the 3rd quarter does not count. Plus, the rest of the schedule is brutal, with Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers in the mix.

Watching the Red Sox win the East was enjoyable, but I have never been a fan of "Lets celebrate like crazy for winning the division." Many a late September party has crumbled into an early October bitchfest. Despite the 12 year drought, I don't know if it was warranted having Cinco Ocho running around with a BUD Light box on his head. Now, if they win the WS at home this year, then obviously all bets are off….

I'm off to the place where the dreams of millions have been shattered like cheap Walmart wine glasses…. Atlantic City...Jermain Taylor vs. Kelly Pavlik, aka "the fight that saved boxing #24".

Also, some of the chosen few who read this have asked about the C's preseason game at The Sun. I am going to make it, I'm sitting courtside section 26. Oh to be able to blow my salary on sporting events!

So let it be written, So let it be done….

Don't Tase Me Bro....

Your catchphrase of the fall ladies and gentlemen.

The recent swoon by the Red Sox has me wishing Tito and the lads could videotape opposing managers giving essential basestealing signs and specific pitching signs during thr game. PLAYoffs?

The recent news that Mike Terico is going to take the afternoon spot on ESPN radio begs the question, can a sports anchor's overexposure cause sports radio to suck even more?

I love the Mets. I could manage this team and win 89 games. What in the name of Billy Martin is Willie Randolph doing? The Nationals?...The Freaking Nationals?.......Meet the Mets....Don't Tase me Bro....

Is there a more bizzarre sport then College Football? It's nice to see Randy Edsall has followed the Jim Calhoun playbook; play awful teams early to build the fans hopes so they can be somehow disappointed when West Virgina puts up 30 in the first half.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish suck. period. But maybe now I can get tickets for Columbus Day weekend.

I have been asking around to find out if Dustin Pedroia is the greatest 2b in the History of the Red Sox. Jerry Remy and Jody Reed have been getting plenty votes.

The Juice is out on bail. I'll have to hide my signed "White Bronco Chase" poster.

High School sports are a trip. They are the closest thing to organized fascism outside of the Republican Party. They amount of media coverage it now gets is a sign of the apocalypse. And yet, nationwide participation is up. Reason number 7 million as to why Americans cannot read. Just amazing.

The recent commericals to try and build excitment for the 2007/2008 Boston Bruins is pure comedy. Your Boston Bruins ...At least your not getting tasered.

The Celtics are coming...The Celtics are coming.....

-Just Win Today

Pats role....

So the highlight of Sunday evening was watching Adalius Thomas excellerate like a sprinter after picking off Philip Rivers. Even a terrible loss by the Sox was not enough to dampen the fact that the Pats beat the Chargers down like rented mules. It was a sweet victory.

Obviously, Schilling should have thrown it in Jeters ear. Why is it that Pedro was the only Red Sox pitcher to recognize that intimidating Jeter was 90% the battle?

The second highlight of the evening was 30 Rock winning for Best Comedy. I have seen every episode, and feel it is the best comedy on TV not currently airing on FX.

Huge Day

Sox vs, Yanks
Pats vs. Chagers
Schilling vs. Clemons
The Pats D vs. LT
Bill Belichek vs. The World
Tiger vs. The Field
The Colbert Report vs The Daily Show
Grays Anatomy vs. House
Alec Baldwin vs. His Daughter
Me vs. The 50 "5 paragraph essays" I still have to grade by Monday...

I could go on forever. It is simply one of those epic days during the year when all our modern escapist traditions come together in an orgy of entertainment that precludes anyone from getting anything done. It allows all Americans to feel like one of those saucy frenchman who spends everyday after lunch lounging around a local bistro drinking and smoking to their hearts desire.

And for those of you wondering, I will get the essays done. Those 35 Prehistory tests on the other hand will wait until Monday during my first period prep.

I was asked on Friday what I'll be watching Sunday Night. The plan is to watch the Red Sox and listen to the great Gil Santos and Gino Capaletti announce the Pats game. It is the best I can do to ensure both games get the attention they deserve.

Man United's early struggles seem to be working themselves out. Rooney's rehab is coming around and the lads continues to scrap out victories. This weekends performance against Everton was poor, but the victory was sweet nonetheless.

Following the President's lead, the Dallas Cowboys just announced a "Mission Accomplished" on the 2007/08 season. Great work T.O.

-Just Win Today

Revamped...Again

I am done trying to cure the world of its ills. I just don't have the time or the energy. I will continue my progression into a total cliche with a sports focused blog where I rip off Bill Simmons and half a million others. I figure this is the forum that will best allow me to procrastinate to my fullest in this, the busiest year I will ever endure.....

Who says nothing good happens after 2 AM?

I was up at about 2:30 in the morning a few weeks ago when I saw the final rounds of the World Championships of the WRPS (World Rock Paper Scissors Society) on ESPN2. Officiated by the great poker player Phil Gordon, the rapid fire competition was hardcore. Like any of you who has the played the game knows, most of the game is luck. However, there are plenty of opportunities to subtly get into your opponents head and “will” yourself to victory.

While on the surface the competition seemed very lame, the more I watched the more I began to recognize that RPS may be the greatest game ever invented. The more I examined the game, I found that the best competitors strategize in a way I never imagined. Percentages have been accumulated examining the "go to" choices for players. This is a game that takes total control of one’s emotions and actions to win. The competition takes a profound level of hand speed, composure, and confidence.

Further more, in order to be successful the competitor must enter into the competition with a strategy that can be easily modified to handle the natural hazards that certainly awaits the competitor. The games was presented as No Limit Poker, but cooler and more masculine.

The best part about the situation was that despite the intensity,…yes intensity, the resolution was met with a sense of peace and serenity. Both competitors shook hands. It was like the end of a series in the NHL playoffs.

It really got me thinking. Why do we decide to settle disputes through an ambiguous list of rituals, procedures, institutions, and laws? Mainly, because someone told us we couldn't do it through RPS. Kids do it. But we choose other methods, even if we can emotionally handle a crushing defeat at the hands of a superior RPS players.

The concept that the rational side of mankind determines a society’s fate is what binds the fabric of this country, and our tradition of democracy that was started long ago. However, this immense pride in our own rationality stops us from evolving beyond the institutions we have now. I have come to believe our current problems have long been the result of the fact that we are blinded by our own hubris. Hubris in the sense that we so strongly have bought into the supposed security and stability of our society that we cannot see the drastic advances that must be made.

What if the current status quo works to promote irrational behavior? If provided more legitimate means, could we rewrite our fate through the use of new instiutions that reflect new rationals?

Like Hoover during the Great Depression, Huey Long running Louisiana, Nixon going into Cambodia, Clinton receiving a hummer in the Oval Office, or Bush going into Iraq, hubris has long dictated the country’s fate or consumed our attention. Hell, it has in many ways dictated the rise and fall of every great empire since the begining of time.

However, our perception toward the legitimacy of our endeavor has rarely been challenged because we believe our inate rationality will win in the end. We believe the organization of society as we know it is as it has to be.

I wonder....

What happens when the irrational lead us?

What happens when modern life manipulates our institutions to a point that they cease to complement the progression of our lives?

Can common sense be destroyed by legislative procedure? When it does, what action is acceptable? Can action be taken by regular people against legislative procedure?

Can a country call itself “Representative” when it's population sprints toward 350 million?

All will be pondered this month…….Stay Tuned

Sports Fans…PREPARE FOR GLORY!......

AS the Summer Turns...

About a week ago I had resigned myself to the idea that I would not be playing Fantasy Football this year. After 12 years, the practice seemed to be getting old. This correlated to my annual attempt to forget about my fascistic love of sports and become an even more enlightened person.

And just when I thought I was out….They pull me right back in.


Today the nation saw the Boston Celtics take a huge step in returning to the Promised Land with the acquisition of Kevin Garnett. The move vaults the team to the top three of the Eastern Conference. That said, the team still needs to continue to build. A veteran point guard and low post presence will be essential if the team is to lift the Larry O’Brian Trophy 10 months from now. The team will have to jell, but a tremendous amount of excitement is in the air. I am confident the addition of an all-time great in KG and one of the great shooters in history in Ray Allen will make The Truth an even better player. I fear Rondo is not ready, but he has 2 months to figure it out.

While losing CT’s own Ryan Gomes came as a surprise, he is eligible for free agency soon and I would not count out him coming back. Either way….

The 2007/2008 Boston Celtics….Championship…..


At the exact same time, the lads from the Fens pulled off a deal that saw Eric Gagne come to New England to be a set up man for Johnny Paps. This is a huge deal, because Gagne has had a fine season and is one of the best in the game when healthy. The day also saw the Yankees; also in desperate need of relief pitching, give away their most used relief pitcher Scott Proctor for a 25 year old 3rd basemen. It may be time for Brian Cashman to matriculate at NYU, or ESCU.

The Sox now have the best pitching staff in all of baseball, as long as Schilling comes back healthy. Now all we need is the offense to explode.

The 2007 Boston Red Sox…..Championship……

The 2007/2008 edition of the New England Patriots are now in camp. Bill, Tom, Teddy, Troy, Richard, Vince, Rodney, Mike, Ben, Donte, Adailius, Mike G, Lawrence, Eugene, Rudy, and Randy. We still need an Asante on board, but…

The 2007/2008 New England Patriots…..Championship……...


The 2007/2008 Boston Bruins……3/4 ain’t bad…..

And oh yeah…….“P.Manning Dog Fights”…….….Championship….

Commuting Scooter…The Reaping….

George W. Bush is the best. It was great to see that while it may look like he has spent the last three weeks on vacation; our President is hard at work making the world better for his friends and/or convicts who lied for Dick Cheney. It only took a little over a month to again spit in the face of everything that America stands for. A convicted man now never has to go to jail. The American Justice System when corrupted by the entire Executive Branch….MMM..MMMM…GOOD.

I just hope Scooter Libby promptly flies to Kennebunkport tonight to personally suck on the President’s golden testicles ASAP. It is the least he can do.

I just love how this is another case of America gone wild. The hypocrisy of a well connected white male obstructing a federal investigation and not going to the pen while millions of poor and minority Americans waste away in the pen for doing less is symptimatic of life in 2007. It is no wonder Andrew Bogut doesn’t want to raise his kids here. We didn’t even get to see Scooter do a measly Paris Hilton-esque 23 days.

No doubt this will add to the 3,000 mile long list of reasons to lose faith in America. Thankfully, there is still this.