Something To Think About

Not to bring everyone down from their BBQ burgers-cheap beer-fireworks high but... well, as we are all prone to doing, sometimes we forget the reason why we're celebrating certain days off. Yes, there IS another reason other than having a day off work and an excuse to get drunk, kids.

I don't feel the need to give everyone a history lesson tonight but rather to remind everyone that there are some people out there in the world still fighting for their country. As much as we may disagree with why they're fighting, it doesn't change the fact that they're out there each and every day putting their lives on the line for all of us back home.

I helped a young man in the store a few months ago who was home on leave for a couple of weeks before shipping off to Afghanistan. He had just finished with basic training and you could tell he was a bit nervous about his new assignment. After a lengthy sale, I mentioned that it must be more than a little unsettling to have that just around the corner. He agreed and after more conversation, he simply shrugged and said, "I may not like why I'm going to be there but I'd rather it be me over there so that good folks like yourself can be a little bit safer." In the end, I thanked him for his service and expressed my hope that I'd see him again in the store soon.

When I read this article today on Yahoo about the troops in Afghanistan, I couldn't help but think of that young man and his willingness to put his life on the line for someone like me.

Readers of this blog know that I'm not a religious man but for those of you out there that are, please include that young man and all the others mentioned and unmentioned in the article above in your thoughts and prayers.

Happy 4th of July to one and all!

Manny's Back

July 3rd was the day that Dodger fans have had etched on their brains for 50 games now - the day that Manny Ramirez would finally return from suspension and hopefully pick up right where he left off.

Well, the Dodgers won tonight but Manny had very little to do with it.

The media's been out in full force for this return for days but especially over the past day or so. Lots of reporters that are full of piss and vinegar that Manny hasn't been strung up by his toes by fans across the globe. There's a lot of arguments for and against Manny right now with a lot of good points on both sides.

But there's something that I took away from them that kinda made me realize why I, personally, haven't been as upset about the situation as some others have.

I read someone saying that the fans are just too overexposed to the situation by this point. Bonds, A-Rod, Clemens, McGwire... you name it, we've seen their names and reputations and records dragged through the mud.

At some point, don't we all just become a little bit numb to it?

The Clemens one is the one that probably did me in. I've been a huge Clemens fan for his entire career. At one point in my childhood, I proudly held over a hundred Clemens baseball cards in my collection and proclaimed him to be one of my favorite players [as a non-Dodger, that was saying something.]

So, when a childhood hero is busted for Performance Enhancing Drugs, am I going to be affected as much when someone that I probably REALLY only like because I met him on my wedding day is?

The A-Rod one stings a little too because he was supposed to be clean. He was the guy who was going to "save" the record books from the taint of Barry Bonds. But in the end, all he did was prove Jose Canseco right... again.

In the end, it's starting to become more and more apparent that just about every high profile player from that period of time were "influenced" in some fashion. Can we hate them all? I guess but at some point, you have to start to wonder if there's a point to that.

He got caught, he did his time, he quasi-admits to it...

I guess that's good enough... sorta. Everyone deserves a second chance and all that jazz, right?

Right?

A Purple And Gold Throat-Slasher

So...umm... remember my anti-Artest post from a month or so ago?

Yeaaaaaaaah... might need to take that one back.

What must it feel like to be the Dodgers PR guy? You're one day away from getting Manny back on the squad, arguably one of the biggest news stories of the year for the Dodgers and you STILL get your press jacked by the Lakers, this time in the form of Ron Artest apparently signing a three year, $18 million deal.

Am I happy about this? Not sure. I much would have rather had Ariza back but it didn't seem to be in the cards. His agent took a very antagonistic stance from the beginning and seemed to fan the flames rather than try to keep his client in a good situation. The 24 year old, when it came down to it, jumped for more money. No big shock there, right?

So, the Lakers adjusted and went after another target - one who, in theory, should be able to match or exceed Ariza's offensive and defensive production.

Now, can we all get along?

That remains to be seen. You've got quite the loose cannon out there now and someone who has, in the past, complained about not getting enough touches. If Artest knows that his role mostly is to defend, we should be golden. If he gets three-pointer happy like he did in the playoff series this year, well... there could be problems.

Oh, let me take a quick moment to say that Ariza's agent has quickly risen to join Scott Boras in the ranks of agents that I despise. This is the same guy who held us up with Bynum last season and just did the same thing again. What an ass.

I just hope this move still leaves money for Lamar. Starting five of Fish, Kobe, Artest, Pau, and Bynum with Lamar as the 6th man? I can deal with that, I think.

Nothing says America like a giant wrinkled flag in the middle of the
mall.

Strike Three

Last night, I settled in to watch Raw as I usually do. After a bit of the same ol', same ol', I was starting to grow a little annoyed. At some point in the show, they announced a tournament to determine who would get the title match with Randy Orton at Night Of Champions.

As soon as I saw the brackets, my stomach sunk.

Miz vs Cena and HHH vs MVP.

I just couldn't imagine any other possible outcome. Sure, I hoped for it. The idea of a Miz/HHH or MVP/Cena match or god forbid, MVP/Miz match seemed intriguing and something that I'd be interested in seeing. My thought was that it benefited no one to see Cena vs HHH next week nor either of those guys in ANOTHER title match with Orton.

Then the first match happened and Miz lost. And I grew even more annoyed. The Miz/HHH option seemed far more likely to me than a Cena/MVP match. I immediately assumed the worst.

And not long after, I was proved correct. Cena vs HHH for the title shot.

That's bad, right? But somehow it got worse.

They announced a fifteen wrestler trade with five new superstars going to each show. Then they announced three of those guys would face Orton in the Main Event in a gauntlet match.

My immediate thought was "what a waste." Why book a gauntlet match when you essentially have no choice but to piss away the debuts of three new competitors since winning a gauntlet match gets you nothing and losing is a joke?

Then the wrestlers came out...

Evan Bourne - one of the most popular new superstars they've stumbled onto in years. They've handled him poorly for months and then decide the best way to book his Raw debut is to lose to Orton - a "badly beaten and hurting" Orton at that.

Jack Swagger - well, at least Swagger got to just walk out but... why? Is he going to get in Legacy? If he does, is he just another flunky for Orton? I'd buy into Swagger as the cocky kid who gets better and better and better and then surpasses Orton as the leader of Legacy. But I doubt that's happening.

And then... Mark Henry. Okay, I like Mark Henry. But I'm not feeling Mark Henry as a face at all. And that's how they positioned him.

Look, I'm not in favor of this gauntlet match at all but if you had to do it...

Henry comes out first, just destroys Orton with power moves, and somehow gets himself DQd when it looked pretty obvious he was going to win. Swagger refuses to take a win over a beaten up Orton, saying he'll see the champ when he's 100%. Bourne, of course, gets the win. It doesn't do much since he's beating a badly beaten champ but you get footage of Bourne beating Orton and send the crowd home happy.

Is it really that tough?

And the HHH/Cena thing? Fuck that. I'm so irritated at The Miz's run getting the legs cut out from under it.

I've made a decision!

When I was dreading Cena/HHH being the winners of their matches, I mentally told myself that I should stop watching if that happens...

...and so I shall!

For the first time in years, when Monday Night Raw hits the airwaves next Monday, I won't be watching it. I'd like to see Ted DiBiase as the "guest host" but I just don't care about the rest of the show. I'll probably still watch ECW and Smackdown - maybe even Superstars. But Raw will lose me a viewer...

...for one month! In true old school wrestling fashion, I am leaving Raw for 30 days with the hope that when I see it once again, things will be different.

I hope.

DUCK!

Ain't No Sunshine