Defending Green
Let me be the first (and possibly only) person to stand up for Ahman Green right now.
The piling-on was in full-force on the radio this week:
-OMG, he was ARRESTED for DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
-OMG, it's his THIRD DOMESTIC VIOLENCE incident
-OMG, his wife says he THREATENED her
-OMG, he was RESISTING arrest
-OMG, he only submitted when threatened with a TASER
Let's get some facts straight here.
He did not touch his wife, much less harm her. He was cited for disorderly conduct, but could easily have been let go without being cited. Since when is it a violation to yell at your wife in your own home? He is not being charged with domestic violence because there was
no violence.
He has never struck any of his wives, at least not as far as the law is concerned. In fact, the only person that has ever been charged with domestic violence was his ex-wife. Not him. The only evidence we have of him harming his wife was when he was trying to push open a door that his wife was trying to keep closed. He won, and the door popped her in the face.
He did not threaten his wife. Despite reports to the contrary, he is not alledged to have threatened his current wife. She said in the police report (available
here) that she "felt threatened" by his tone and actions. Big difference.
His resistance to being arrested is understandable. He didn't touch his wife, he's been in a huge fight with her all night (and it seems they had been fighting for some time), she calls the cops on him (despite the fact that he did nothing but kick her out), and they arrest him. From his perspective, he didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure he was pissed. I would be too. He never fought with the police, he was just being uncooperative, which is about how I (and millions of other men) would react in that situation.
He was not threatened with a taser. Well, not really. The cop took out the taser and held it behind his back, pointed at the ground. It was obviously meant to show Green that they were taking him in whether he liked it or not. At that point, he stopped uncooperating. I would call that a gentle reminder, not a threat.
The whole point here is that I do withhold some judgement because we have only heard his wife's side of the story. His wife knew very well that dialing 911 was a nuclear weapon she had in her arsenal. Three simple numbers and his career is in jeapardy, not to mention his freedom. She just presses those three numbers and no matter what she has done or said to him, he loses. GameSetMatch.
Now, I'm not saying Ahman is a sweet, great guy. It seems that he's not very nice, has an anger problem, and definitely has issues with his significant others. He doesn't seem to be a good dad because he told his wife to take their son when she left. His son witnessed Ahman screaming and swearing at his wife.
This is all NOT good. In fact, it's very bad. But it isn't criminal behavior.
I mean, it's ENTIRELY POSSIBLE that she's the original bad guy here and that he is getting the shaft. I don't know.
But I do know that our society places certain crimes in a more serious category for a reason. We don't want to tolerate things like racism, hate crimes, wife beating, and child abuse, among other things. These crimes will rightfully place a special black mark on the perpetrator for life.
That's why it's important that we don't loosen the definition of those crimes to include bad but not criminal behavior. For example, yelling at your wife for possibly justifiable or unjustifiable reasons.
If we're calling what he did "domestic violence", then the term has lost it's meaning.
If it turns out that he was the bad guy and that he did this type of thing all the time, ...then I take this all back. I think it IS abusive if this behavior is commonplace, but it still isn't "violence".
But I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for now.
Scarface Trailer
Good news/bad news.
The much anticipated Scarface game was been held back until next year so that it can launch on the next gen consoles.
Why is that good? It means the game will look, sound, and play better than if they rushed it out for PS2 and XBOX.
The trailer shows no game play scenes, but it should get you in the mood.
BTW, tonight I am officially informing the wife that I will be buying an XBOX 360 when they are available.
Ask Lucas
You can post questions to George Lucas and Hayden Christiansen at
Moviephone.
I submitted the following query:
Mr. Lucas, you've undoubtedly heard the many criticisms of the storytelling, plot line, and dialog in Episodes I and II from fan and non-fan alike. Do you reject those criticisms? Or have you listened to the criticisms and made adjustments for Episode III?
Let's Keep It Straight
You can believe what you want. I think disagreements are good.
But let's keep it honest.
Another (recent) history lesson in that regard.
And it continues ...
Now Al Harris is under investigation for sexually assualting a stripper in a "private" area of the club.
My guess is that he stiffed a whore.
The story is
here in the Miami Herald. Registration required. To register, I put in all fake information.
When are newspapers going to wake up and realize that most of the data they are collecting about web surfers is fake? Why have a web site if you are going to discourage traffic?
For a fake email address I put in was blowme@blowme.com, but someone had already chosen that.
So, to bypass registration, use the following info:
email-ronmexico@blowme.com
pass-yousuck1
Put Golidlocks Braids on your Cheesehead
A rapid
disintegration.
That Purple-Feeling
And the slow transformation from Green and Gold champions to Purple Loser-Queens
continues apace.
Packers Draft
Let me first say that I have not much negative to say about the Aaron Rodgers pick.
He fell into their lap, and given that a GM (especially a new GM) is inclined to look to the future, it was almost impossible not to take him.
Here's my problem.
Well, let me back up. We all need to understand that Ted "Teen Wolf" Thompson has pledged himself NOT to worry about this coming year, or next. His playbook has one page, ...take the player you have rated highest. Every. Time.
This worked well for Daddy Wolf because he was a great judge of talent. And this is where my biggest worry lies.
Sure, I think it's dumb to scrifice the present for the future at this point.
Pop quiz hot-shot, ...do you think it will be easier to get to the super bowl by putting good players around Favre or by putting good players around an unnamed QB, or in this case, Rodgers?
Obviously, you have a much better shot by putting good players around Favre, but Teen Wolf is completely against this.
But Teen Wolf has the driving wheel, so there's no use in arguing about that point. This is the route we are going. Hope to keep the offense in the top 10, hope that Bates brings the defense up to middle-of-the-pack. My main problem is the choices they made this weekend.
After Rodgers, they took a DB from tiny school that even their graduates can't find on a map, two wide receivers they don't need, an undersized safety, a guy who sat on the BENCH in the ARENA LEAGUE, a center, and a handful of very late round prospects.
Now, no one knows if any of these guys will pan out, but I do know that to-a-man the Packers took players that were not highly rated by anyone. NFL scouts quoted in the paper were perplexed at these picks and so was I.
There were surer bets than these. It seems like they deliberately took the highest risk players. Most of these guys are projects, risks, non-answers to very serious, obvious questions.
One thing is certain. Either the Packers scouts are 5 steps ahead of everyone else in the league (taking players no one else had targeted), or we are in for a long, Viking-like drought.
The worst part is that we are rebuilding even though we have a world class QB who is not long for the league. What a waste.
The Unhappiest Place on Earth
Late Friday morning my mother called to nag me about this or that. As we were chatting she got another call, clicked over and then clicked back.
The other call was from my wife. She thinks that my daughter has swallowed a screw and wants my mother to take them to Children's hospital.
Suprisingly, I didn't immediately panic. I waited a few minutes before calling my wife because I didn't want to delay their departure for the hospital.
My wife has been wanting to place some coat hooks on the inside of my daughter's closet door. She bought the hooks and has been waiting for me to give her my mini-drill so she can put them up herself. The hooks come in a small plastic package with two screws each. She had two packages of hooks.
The hooks and their packages were sitting on the top of a dresser near my daughter's crib. Sometime during the morning my daughter rolled over to the side of the crib, reached her arm between the verticle, fence-like posts that make up the sides of the crib, stretched her little arm and pulled the package of hooks into her crib.
The wife heard her coughing from the other room and came to check up on her. My daughter had one screw in her mouth, and two were laying in front of her. One was missing.
The screws were wood screws, they were very small (about .5 inches long) and very sharp. She could easily have swallowed one.
My daughter was breathing normally and otherwise fine, so if she did swallow the screw, it at least made it into her stomache.
My wife assured me that she would call when they got some news from the hospital, I started to feel the onset of panic, so I drove over and met them at the hospital.
I walked in through the emergency entrance, looked around for my wife and mother (no sign), and approached the check-in desk. Laying in plain view on top of the desk was a clipboard where everyone who is admitted must sign in. All of their names are clearly visible to any onlooker. I could have read any of the names on that list and said I was here to see that person, and they would have let me in.
I told them I was there to see my daughter, they gave me a sticker to wear on my jacket and unlocked the doors leading to the patient care area.
They didn't check my ID or anything. They have a full list of patients available for anyone to see, and don't use any security checks for visitors. Unbelievable.
Anyway, my daughter's room was on the opposite end of the hallway. I passed room after room of somber parents with sick or hurt kids. The tubes and equipment and color scheme and long faces piled on my back, weighing my down. I've never understood people who want to avoid the horrors of hosptial work by choosing pediatrics. Nothing is more depressing than a sick or dying child.
I walked in to my daughter's room, hating the thought that my daughter has "a room" at the hospital. She was dressed in a hospital gown and looked pathetic and wonderfully adorable. My wife and mother were there and were smiling. A doctor was checking her mouth and asked if I was the dad.
I said yes and my daughter looked up at me. I smiled to her, but she didn't smile back, she was too busy keeping an eye on this strange women trying to poke into her mouth with a flashlight. Whenever the doctor came too close, my daughter switched into a sobbing mode that would even melt C. Montgomrey Burns.
The doctor told me right away that no screw was found, but they would double-check the x-ray. She also added that my daughter hated being x-rayed and fought every step of the way.
When I got home that evening my wife and I searched for the missing screw but never found it. I feared that the doctors had missed it on the x-ray or that it didn't show up for some reason. So, I watched her closely over the weekend, but nothing metal and pointy has come out the other end.
We'll probably never find the screw, but that's better than finding it in her belly.
Funniest Article of the Year
You gotta read
the whole thing ...
For the History Challenged
I hear varieties of this argument all the time, and it only makes sense to non-serious partisans, people who don't actually pay attention to the news, and editorial writers.
This
nice all-purpose post is must-reading and must-referencing for future arguments.
Kampman
I guess I should weigh in here on the whole Kampman/Vikequeens thing.
I don't think the Vikes are doing this to solely annoy the Packers. We're not talking about a lot of money here. I think they're doing it for the following reasons:
1. It gives them some draft insurance. They want a receiver and a defensive end. They have two picks in the first round. If they already seal up a potential starter at end before the draft it gives them more options.
2. Kampman likely WOULD start for the Vikes, so they do like his $value.
3. They are bitches. They like the fact that they can tweak the Packers, especially since the Packers are weak this year. There's no chance that the Pack will use this as motivation to spank the Vikes this season. It's looking like an ugly, evil, purple sweep.
So, I say let Kampman go. Save the money and take the late round compensatory pick. It's only a one year deal, no one thinks he can play well on turf anyway, so it will probably hurt the Vikings if anything. The only way to hurt the Vikings in this deal is to let them pay Kampman and have him be sub-par, which is likely.
The Packers defense it so bad right now, it doesn't really matter if we keep a marginal player like Kampman. He's not going to make the difference.
Aggrivation
Often I've had to pay penalties in my life because I was too lazy or complacent to do things properly, ...late fees have eaten a large portion of my earnings over the years.
Not anymore, though. As responsible head of household I have everything under control. Nothing is left to chance.
Last week we got a letter from my dentist office. They are resubmitting a bill to my insurance company for my wife's dental procedures. When I call to find out what it is all about, they office person tells me that they never heard from my insurance company.
Two weeks ago my wife decided to see what our coverages were for dental, so she looked up the website and saw that her account was not listed with my account. I've been too busy to look into it.
So, assuming these two issues are related, I call the insurance company. After talking my way through an annoying voice recognition system, I talk to a cold voice that seems far less human that the computerized recording.
She asks for my account number. I ask if my wife is listed on my account.
No.
Any record of her at all? Was she dropped?
No. No record. Talk to your human resources people.
The attitude was clear. We have no record of her, that gives us the right to deny your claim in as rude a fashion as possible and send over a fleet of kill-bots to torture and kill you and your family.
So, I look up the email from our old HR who moved on to another company recently. In it she clearly states that she has sent off our information and that my wife is covered.
So, I contact HR and talk to the new girl. She calls back after talking to the insurance company.
Unfortunately, the insurance company has no record of us adding my wife to my policy. My HR people did not keep the fax receipt to prove that it was sent and received.
If the dental procedure took place within 60 days of today, then they can approve it.
The dental procedure took place in November. Five months ago.
Now, my only hope is some peon at the insurance company who is going to "fight" for this on my behalf. He did say that sometimes the insurance company will approve paying for the bill, but then charge me the premium for the year, which is higher than the bill.
Chances are they will deny this, and I, having done nothing wrong, will have to pay.
But I'm not going to just give up when they deny me. I'll take it to court if I have to.
2005 Packers Schedule - Road to Ruin
Actually, it's not that bad. If they would have had this schedule in either of the last two years they'd have locked up the division nice and early instead of sweating it out.
Unfortunately, the nice schedule coincides with a deep decline in personnel and expectations, and also an upgrade in coaching. They've got 3 Monday night games and one Sunday nighter.
My take:
Sept. 11 at Detroit Lions - You never want to start the season against a weaker divisional opponent. They've got all off-season to prepare for this game. A tough start for the Pack.
Sept. 18 Cleveland Browns - Things get better in week 2, they get to host the bottom-feeding Browns.
Sept. 25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Suckaneers suck their way into town for week three. Sports talk show hosts will feel good about the Packers 2-1 record.
Oct. 3 Carolina Panthers - Monday night. A winnable game based on matchups.
Oct. 9 New Orleans Saints - The Saints blow.
Oct. 16 Bye week - A week of rest before the losing begins.
Oct. 23 at Mike Tice Vikes - The vikequeens don't need an owner or a coach to beat the Packers this year.
Oct. 30 Cincinnati Bengals - Another gift from the scheduling gods? Bengals have been slowly approaching respectable. Too close to call.
Nov. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers - Let's hope for a sophomore slump to hex big Ben. That's our only hope.
Nov. 13 Atlanta Falcons - Annihilation. The best the Packers can hope for is that Ron Mexico keeps his bumps to himself.
Nov. 21 Minnesota "Someone buy me" Vikings - Monday night. Everyone gets to see the Packers get beat.
Nov. 27 Philadelphia Eagles - A shortened week to prepare for the Eagles. Like a full week would make any difference. At least it will give me something new to complain about that week.
Dec. 4 Chicago Bears - It's odd that the lowly Bears don't make their first appearance until December. Fortunately, like real Bears, they go into hibernation in early November at the latest.
Dec. 11 Detroit Lions - Sunday night. A national audience will see the Packers get revenge on the Lions, who will have already been eliminated from the playoffs.
Dec. 19 Baltimore Ravens - If someone tells Jamal Lewis that running for 200 yards is NOT a crime, he'll be less likely to do it. Failing that, the Packers will have their hands full.
Dec. 25 Chicago Bears - Will the Bears play any better this time? No.
Jan. 1 Seattle Seahawks - If the Seahawks need this game to get into the playoffs, expect them to lose. The Packers may get the opportunity to serve up the last loss for Holmgren in Seattle. What sweet revenge for some. Hmmm, I think some of us (guilty) will be calling for a new coach right about then. Maybe ...?
My temporary prediction: 8-8. I'll revise before the season actually starts.
I can finally be a griping alum
Since graduating from UWM last century, I haven't had much reason to pay attention to my alma mater until this year when dynamo coach Bruce Pearl took them to an improbable sweet 16 game against no.1 Illinois.
Pearl ditched the city and school at the first whiff of green and is now coaching in Tennessee where he will be likely be extremely successful.
UWM set out to find a new coach, and yesterday
made a hire that I absolutley hate.
Rob Jeter is such a huge step down that we cannot reasonably call it a "step" down, since I've never seen a step that steep. Let's call it what it is, "plummeting into a chasm".
Here are my reasons for hating this hire:
1. Rob Jeter's head coaching experience (in years) at any level:
02. When asked on the radio two nights ago if he would keep the "run and gun" style that UWM had been playing, he said he would not. He plans to institute the slow-paced style he played under and taught with coach and mentor Bo Ryan. Yet, when asked the same question at his news conference, he hinted that he wouldn't change the style. Look for the style to change dramatically after next season.
3. Regarding personality, Bruce Pearl is a Cadillac, Rob Jeter is a skateboard.
We had a nice run. It was great while it lasted. It's such a shame. We really could have built on that success with a higher quality candidate.
Is it possible to be too perfect?
Hiromi Oshima wants to
know.
via
fleshbot
Set Your Phasers on Drool
x-Box 360 will be unveiled on
MTV, May 12.
The State of the Brewers
Sports talk radio has been a-buzz for the last few weeks about the new Brewers team and management. People are being way too optimistic.
After their loss to the Cubs on Saturday, a couple of sportzdorks on TMJ went on and on about how the Brewers could play .500 ball or better this year.
I think people need a reality check.
Yes, the Brewers are improved on paper from last year.
Yes, the main weakness of the Brewers last year (hitting) was addressed.
But the Brewers don't play in a vacuum. They are still only the 5th best team in their division.
First of all, the best team in the NL is the Cards, hands down. Houston is second based solely on their pitching, although with Garner at the helm, it's only a matter of time before he works his magic and scuttles their season. Cincinnati and the Cubs are going to struggle this year, but they are still a step above the Brewers.
Just look at this weekends games. Friday was a comedy of errors. The Brewers hit the snot out of the ball, but couldn't put it together and translate it into runs. The Cubs hit much worse, but managed to make those hits count.
That's what good teams do. You aren't going to have 14 hits every night. If you need 14 hits to score 4 runs, you aren't going to win very many games.
On Saturday they threw up a goose egg.
On Sunday, they were up 5-0 until they put in one of their middle relievers who proceed to give up 5 runs. The Brewers would not score again. Brady Clark misplays a ball in the outfield and an out turns into a triple. One high-bouncing ball later, and the crew went down to defeat.
This is how the season will look. Bright spots that turn into frustrating losses.
Inconsistant and frustrating are the words of the year.
My prediction 74-88, 7 games better than last year.
Mitch Match
When Rush Limbaugh was villified for suggesting that Donovan McNabb was overrated (he is), and further suggested that he was overrated because he is black (he is not), Mitch Albom and the other ink-stained loudmouths had a field day with it.
Albom finished up his rant with the statement that Limbaugh was fired for being wrong, not for being a convservative.
I laughed pretty hard at the time, ...as if sports commentators aren't wrong ALL THE TIME.
Well, it looks like Mr. You-should-be-fired-if-you-say-something-wrong has been suspended from the Detroit Free Press for a laughable piece of sloppiness.
As reported by Howie Kurtz
today:
On Sunday, April 3, Mitch Albom's sports column in the Detroit Free Press involved the Final Four basketball game the day before between North Carolina and Michigan State.
In the crowd, he wrote, "there were two former stars for Michigan State, Mateen Cleaves and Jason Richardson," who "sat in the stands, in their MSU clothing, and rooted on their alma mater." Except that the two men weren't at the game. Which Albom had no way of knowing, since he filed the column Friday, before the basketball game.Didn't you know that you can see through time if you squint really really hard?
Albom has been suspended, and Free Press Publisher Carole Leigh Hutton has ordered an investigation.Why do they need to do an investigation? Mr. Albom has already told us what he thinks should happen to people like him and Limbaugh.
