"Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something." - Thomas A. Edison
"I have found that people who can successfully resist temptation invariably lead depressingly stunted lives." — C.D. Payne
"So don't weep for me now, my friends, because science insists that I have not died. Energy just always changes state and I refuse to believe that human consciousness is the sole exception to this universal law." - Mark Millar
"Do only butterflies die in flames? What about those devoured by the flames within them?" - E.M. Cioran
The Browns have terminated the contracts of the following fat men - DT Shaun Rogers, LBs Eric Barton and David Bowens, DE Kenyon Coleman, RT John St. Clair and TE Robert Royal. Good riddance to all. Barton, Bowens and Coleman were all Jets imports and all 6 are over 30. Expect Delhomme (Oh!) to follow quite soon.
In a microcosm of the insanity of modern sports, 23 year incumbent coach, Jerry Sloan, has stepped down from his position with the Jazz. Sloan felt that ownership was giving more weight to the opinion of star PG Deron Williams than to his own. The cackling inmates are certainly now running the asylum (see Carmelo Anthony, Brett Favre, Carson Palmer). It worked out so well for us and our Cavalier. JHC.
The Indians have agreed to terms with SS Orlando Cabrera. Terms have yet to be released, but I would expect this to be a major league deal. That would be just the second for the Tribe this off-season. Expected Orlando to play short and Asdrubal to play second, where the Indians and I agree that his defense is much better. So, with a week until Spring Training, one of the gaping infield holes has finally been filled. I'm still going with Jared Goedert at third (following a .440 spring), but the last time I made such a bold prediction, I did have to eat a lot of crow. As long as it's not Nix and, if he wins the job, Donald can field the position, I'm fine.
O-Cab is 36 and is coming off of a down year with the Reds that was riddled with nagging injuries. He brings presence and intangibles to the table. A consummate professional, Cabrera is a winner, taking home a WS ring with the Sox in '04 and advancing to the post season in each of the past 4 seasons (with 4 different teams). Still, let's not go all Lonely Island to the Sixth Sense. His career OPS is .715 (below average) and in his last full season at short (2009) he made 25 errors. I am a huge fan of the signing, but let us, please, not build the guy into a titan and then piss all over him when he proves human (see Kerry Wood).
Can that be her real name? Considered by many to be the hottest co-ed athlete of the digital age. She was #1 singles (tennis) for our own Cincinnati Bearcats.
You're all familiar with my BCS analogy (to repair any essentially flawed construct, it must be rebuilt rather than repaired), right? Good. Our new extension is to the American higher education. We're all well aware that the early to mid stages of the system are a mess, as the taxpayers undervalue the worth of edifying others' kids with their sixpence. Compounding the issue is unchecked modern American capitalism. Adam Smith didn't see this coming, yo. Institutions of higher education (we'll just call them colleges) are big business from tuition to athletics to the textbook cartels. It is a mess.
Also, I have yet to encounter a compelling argument as to why there should not be a parallel apprenticeship option. Ex. You decide to be a plumber or a video game designer or a state senator. Then you get a minimum wage entry level job in that field. If you chose poorly and it sucks then you simply leave your inessential position and dig another. As you progress through the hierarchy of any organization, advancement would be base on merit, that is the best interest of the company. See, still capitalism. C'mon, shout me out a downside.
Colleges would still have a place, that which they held just 50 years ago, as places for intellectual debate and existential examination. I'm unsure who decided that all US students needed this well-rounded liberal arts education, it doesn't seem to have elevated our national zeitgeist (yes, I do know what that means). Instead this "ideal" has functioned mostly to fill the coffers of university presidents and trustees.
Again, even if you ALL agree with me, there would be no hope of affecting any sort of meaningful change, given the stature of those self-interested in the perpetuation of the status quo. We would have to blow it up first. At least that's a good reason for me not to shut up. The irony here is that I am a product of the country's addiction to college diplomas. Do I contribute in the manner that "they" hoped I might. Hells, no! But maybe mine is the story of Anakin bringing balance to the force -- in the most unlikely manner imaginable.
• ESPN reports people in Green Bay camped out overnight just to get into their favorite game-day bars when they opened.
What's the big deal? When the Browns finally make it -- and four out of five MIT mathematicians agree it is, in fact, a possibility -- people here will camp out in the elements for two weeks. In togas. (Bud Shaw, PD)
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On the owners' perspective in the NFL labor negotiations -
“They don’t want to share half of their revenue with people they don’t believe have the necessary character to collectively act in a way that allows them to economically grow the game at a rapid pace. ...
“If the players want half the revenue, the owners want to believe the players have a sincere interest in being equal partners in the growth of the game.
"It’s no longer 1985. Owners are now paying players like they’re CEOs and executives at major corporations. CEOs don’t moonlight as reality TV stars. High-profile executives [don't] get canned for sexual harassment and multiple accusations of sexual assault. Good executives work year-round.” (Jason Whitlock, FoxSports.com)
