10 years in the making

   We needed a shot in the arm. The last 10 years have been tough. Two wars (well...if you count Libya three), spiraling deficits, a troubled economy, crumbling infrastructure, George W. Bush, a divided nation, etc, etc., but today we have something to cheer about. I usually feel odd cheering for one's death, but Bin Laden is different. This is a man who ordered the USS Kohl bombing, 9-11 attacks, and countless others that either killed hundreds overseas or were going to until they were stopped by intelligence services or clumsiness. There is no doubt that the US has followed policies that have angered Bin Laden and others in the Middle East, but killing innocents was uncalled for and that's exactly what the 9-11 attacks were. Bin Laden's death comes at an interesting time in the Middle East. Let's hope his death helps usher in an era in that region where such elements are dismissed and dismantled.

    Peter Bergen just said that the War on Terror is over. Will it ever be over? I hate to lace this positive, celebratory blog with skepticism, but when there is money to be made, threats can be found, even when they may not exist (I'm looking at you military-industry complex). As for terrorism, Bin Laden's death certainly marks a great achievement, but I'm not willing to turn out the lights just yet. With that said, I hope Bergen's right. Bin Laden's death has been 10 years in the making (actually longer than that, because he was targeted by the Clinton administration) and although we may have given up on the hunt, it appears those who make the decisions were not asleep at the switch. Congratulations to those who raided the compound and killed that motherfucker. Congratulations to President Obama and all of those (Leon Panetta--CIA Director) (yes, even Bush) who tried their hardest to make this happen. It's a night to celebrate. Revenge, retribution, has finally been exacted after almost 10 years.

One more thing...I can't wait for the book detailing the account. You know it's coming, maybe Woodward has already penned it, and I can't wait to read about the raid on the compound. Those guys are heroes. Wow.

Why does anyone care?

   If I see another Prince William and Kate Middleton story I'm going to throw up. Why is this news? Who cares about these two people? We've got a mass slaughter going on in Syria, a Taliban prisoner escape in Afghanistan, Mugabe is still destroying his country 30 years running, and the top story is that Kate's vows have been leaked? Clearly, there is a demand for such trash or news organizations would not follow it. So who is to blame? I'll tell you who. You know who follows this shit? 40 year old single women who have never married, still have stuffed animals on their bed, always tune into Delilah (to request Richard Marx songs because they remind them of the last time they had a chance to score), and routinely watch General Hospital. I can see them right now, eating a pint of chocolate ice cream, softly petting Fido, watching the latest report on Kate's dress, and dreaming of the day they'll get married, hoping it will come sooner rather than later. I've got news for you, it's not happening, so find a good job, get another pet, and stop paying attention to this meaningless drivel (oh, and stop buying magazines like US Weekly so I don't have to stare at the latest about the Teen Mom 2 breakup or some reality show celebrity's baby; your demand for such products are to blame). You are not Kate Middleton and you will never marry a prince. End of story. Move on. And get rid of the fucking stuffed animals. You are 40.

What a world

   I tend to be a pessimist. That is just my nature. I tend to look at the world as a dark place, filled with horrible people. I know this probably isn't the best way to go about life, but every time I try to be positive I read some news story that makes me hate this fucking place. So you could only imagine my reaction when I came upon this news story http://www.indystar.com/article/20110412/LOCAL18/104120345/4-held-alleged-plan-sell-baby-sex-offender?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com. Read the story first. I'll wait. Yep, that's right, these parents tried to sell their child to a convicted child molester. I don't think there is much worse you can do than this right here. What kind of punishment is adequate for such an act? Selling a child for 300 dollars to a child molester? Despite their heinous crime they will not face the death penalty. They'll be sentenced to prison and eat better than most children in impoverished countries. Is that justice? Regardless of the sentence, the fact remains that parents tried to sell their child to an individual who was most likely buying her to molest her. I am sickened by this story. All I can say is what a world.

Is baseball slouching towards boxing?

     Opening weekend has come and gone and the White Sox are 2-1. I'll take a series victory, although a sweep against Cleveland (with 8,000 strong watching the Cleveland victory at Jacobs...oh...Progressive Field; by the way, is it Progressive Field brought to you by.... or just Progressive Field? Watch out. Sponsorships of sponsorships are coming) would have been nice.

     This post is not about the White Sox though. It's about the popularity of baseball. As someone who has his pulse on the youth of America (or at least I like to think I do), I must say I feel that baseball will soon be relegated to the "sport that was once really popular" bin, alongside boxing and horse racing. This may take a decade or two, but I believe it's coming. I lament this fact, for I love the sport and all its strategy and inherent languidness. However, many kids do not feel this way. In my line of work I run into young kids all the time and inevitably sports pops-up as a topic of discussion. With the exception of those who play the sport, virtually every teen, female and male, sports-fan or not, express their dislike of the game and how slow it is. In this age of short attention spans and instant gratification, baseball seems to lose out. More than a few have claimed baseball is akin to watching paint dry. Depending upon the poll you look at, baseball has already fallen behind basketball as America's third favorite sport.

     Judging by my observations, it has virtually no chance of moving up, and may even fall behind UFC or some other sport. This is sad. Baseball is synonymous with America and I feel its decline will leave us with a void. Baseball is woven in the fabric of our nation. The lazy barbecues with a beer in hand and either the game on the radio or the TV, the discussions about legendary teams that either won or should have won (i.e. '93 Expos), the challenge of naming an entire starting lineup of your favorite team that made one of your childhood summers magical, etc. etc. Football is a great sport, but it does not have the tradition that baseball has. It doesn't have the same feel and it does not carry the same resonance.

Oh well, enough about the future. I will not let the potential demise of baseball ruin this year or future years. After all, I know how good the sport is. For those who don't see it, well, it's their loss. So here's to a White Sox season that is sure to be filled with excitement and a Cubs season sure to be filled with misery! It will be 103 years after this season Cubbies. Go Sox!

Weekend observations

    I'm not wasting my time on an ND basketball team ever again, or at least until Mike Brey and his goofy-ass Bill Belichick-light turtleneck sportcoat disappear. ND was outplayed, outcoached, and outclassed last night and I'm pissed I wasted time watching them.

Wear a tie and try getting to the Sweet 16!

    I watched Fab Five this past weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly. It reminded me of my younger days and I'll never forget that UNC/Michigan matchup. You can tell Jimmy King is still irritated with the timeout (how could he not be?). I still wonder why Webber just didn't wait for Rose to come to the ball. He panicked after his travel (that wasn't called). What's with C-Web not taking part? That's cowardly if you ask me. You made your bed, now lay in it. ESPN has always been a target of mine, but I have to say the 30 for 30 series has been spectacular. 

    How much money did the marketing company that created that NAPA commercial (you know it if you watched the tourney at all) get paid? Whatever it was, they were paid too much. That is the worst commercial I've seen in while---how did they decide who was going to be the customer who sings alongside the quasi-country singer behind the counter? Did they have a casting call for a Mario lookalike who could smile and mouth words? More importantly, how much was that guy paid? 

    No more talk about how the Big East is tough. I don't believe it. 

    Not sure where I stand on Libya. Part of me feels that we should have done it sooner. It's not like we were waiting for France and the UK to join us. They were waiting for us. Now the "action" is going to take much longer. Granted, the President probably wanted the rebels to do it themselves, but anyone paying attention knew that Qaddafi's superior firepower would overwhelm the rebels eventually. Do we know who we are dealing with on the rebels' side? Are we ousting a dictator to replace him with a group of people who want to implement sharia law and create wahhabi-sect schools (like Saudi Arabia, our friends...hmm)? I guess that is unfair of me to assume the worst. In the end I want the money we are spending to be worthwhile. If we are going to remove him (and I don't know how you can't at this point, he won't willingly step down), I hope those who take over recognize what the West did here. We tend to take a lot of heat in the Middle East (and...sadly...most of it is justified), but in this case I believe we are a force for good and I hope that is acknowledged by the people of Libya. 

The most efficient practice

   Everyone knows I am in love with efficiency. No, I'm not Fredrick Taylor, but I do love the idea of being efficient at all times (great reference by the way). In fact, I've toyed with a book titled The Efficiency Doctrine in which I give guidelines on how to be more efficient (only watch the last five minutes of an NBA game, one line e-mails, etc.). The idea has been on hold ever since my wife and I had a son (who just turned two), but recently I came upon what I consider the most efficient activity I have ever engaged in: books on CD. Now I am able to get to the books I haven't found the time to read and I'm doing it while driving. Usually I commute with my wife and child to work, but with tennis season in full force I've had to drive alone. There is nothing more efficient than using that time to listen to a book I've wanted to read. I love books on CD! They are quasi-performances just for the listener.

  With that said, I'm now concerned that I won't receive credit for reading books if I listen to them on CD. Can I claim I've read the book if I've listened to it? Can I, at a dinner conversation, claim I've read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison if I listened to the last half on CD (especially if one of the attendees happens to be a frequent Barnes & Noble visitor who makes remarks such as, "Hey, they have Kafka on the mural here. They don't have Kafka on the mural in Prescott, ha, ha".)? This is a controversy and I'm interested in hearing opinions from my readers (all three of you).

Friday video

   With the NCAA Tournament now upon us, I figured it was fitting to post a coaches rant from a few years back. I think this guy is angry.