Speaking to someone for the last time...

Have you ever thought about this? I don't think that most people have. When you know that it might be the last time you ever talk to someone, you will probably choose your words carefully and will tell a person things that you want them to know. But really, people need to think about this. Any time you talk to someone could really be the last time you ever talk to them. I know it's somewhat of a grim thought, but I figured that with everything that is going on in my life right now, I should say something about it on here.

When you say something to a person that you shouldn't have said, I think it is important to apologize and make peace with it. Grudges are not good and can last forever, and none of us want that. What if you told someone you loved something like "I hate you" and that was the last thing that you ever said to them? How would you feel about something like that? I would feel absolutely horrible, and it really makes me think about things when I talk to people. When I am talking to my family, I tell them I love them almost every time I talk to them. Some people think it's corny and have picked on me about it, but I really could care less. I do love them and I think they should know that. As I said, you never know when it could be the last time you talk to someone. The moral of this thought is to just be nice to people, as it could be the last time you talk to them.

This also can refer to visiting people. If you want to see someone, go see them... you never know how long you have to see them. Again, this seems a little bit grim but it is a pure reality and should not be taken too lightly. My friend sent me an e-mail a few weeks ago and it had a really important message to it... here's the poem that was in there:

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir, Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Remember to always say what you mean.
If you love someone, tell them.
Don't be afraid to express yourself.
Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.
Because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late.
Seize the day. Never have regrets.
And most importantly, stay close to your friends
and family, for they have helped
make you the person that you are today.

That is all I had to say... I thought of it and figured I could write about it.

Tony Romo is overrated...

(click to enlarge)

International NFL Games: NO!

Wow, this is my 100th post on this blog. Didn't think I made that many posts...

Anyway, the NFL has just announced that 2 regular season games next year will be played outside the United States. I have heard that the countries in thinking are England, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. They are doing this for more revenue as well as a larger fan base across the world, in case they ever decide to expand to make American football a world wide sport.

Personally, I think that this is an awful idea. As Woody Paige said on Cold Pizza this morning, this is taking away 1 game, out of 8, for season ticket holders as well as casual fans to go to at their respected team's stadium. Do these people realize how passionate many NFL fans are? To me, going to an NFL game is probably my favorite activity, and hopefully I will get to go to one this year. Taking away one of these games is terrible for the fans, and though the team might get compensation for lost revenue through tickets, concessions and merchandise, the fans will get nothing in return, except watching their team play at awkward times due to time zone differences.

The NFL also needs to realize that the rest of the world doesn't really care about this league. This league is definitely the most popular in America, and it should stay that way. By moving internationally, I know that fans may lose interest in the game. Diehards will stay NFL fans, but those casual fans may not enjoy the game if they cannot attend. People in other countries love soccer, and will have to adjust to football, and many may not want to. They also need to think of certain things such as terrorism, in these countries that are not as secure as ours. I understand they have larger soccer stadiums in some of these places, but they are not Americans playing the sport, who these people seem to hate more than anything.

I really disagree with this decision, and I hope it is really thought out before its execution.

I may send the NFL an online petition if I can get enough signatures, and if I can find out where to do so. If you want to help me get that started, please let me know.

Nice hit!

Don't have much to post, except that the Giants are in first place right now. Also figured that I would post this video, what a hit. Perfect AP, perfect.

Pierce's hit on Vick

What are they thinking?

What is wrong with our judges? Lynne Stewart, who has been found guilty of allowing terrorists to communicate from their jail cells during the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center only received 28 months in jail for this crime, when she was facing up to 30 years. The New York Post article says:

"She had been found guilty of providing material support to terrorists by helping her jailed client - blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, the suspected mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing - communicate with his followers.

[Judge John] Koeltl said Stewart was guilty of "extraordinarily severe criminal conduct" with "potentially lethal consequences" by smuggling messages for Abdel-Rahman and issuing inflammatory public statements.

Yet he ruled that a light sentence was justified, given Stewart's treatment for breast cancer and her 30-year career representing poor and unpopular clients."

Another part of the article:

"Stewart was arrested six months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and accused of violating strict prison rules by helping the Egyptian-born Abdel-Rahman spread the word to kill those who did not buy into his extremist interpretation of Islamic law.

The sheik was serving a life sentence for plotting to blow up five New York landmarks, including the Holland Tunnel and George Washington Bridge, and to assassinate Egypt's president when Stewart helped him communicate with his followers and leaders of an Egyptian-based terrorist organization."

This is absolutely ridiculous. She was representing unpopular people because they are criminals, such as terrorists... I don't think they can be popular with too many in this country. I just wanted to comment quick about how disgusted I am. This could really be a case of treason, as she is helping people who want to attack the United States communicate with one another. This woman is a scumbag and deserves a hell of a lot more jail time than this.

Will A-Rod Prevail?

Well, tonight is the first playoff game for the Yankees, as they take on the Tigers at 8:00 PM at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees third baseman, will be hitting sixth in the lineup today. This is a little bit odd, considering he is arguably the best offensive player in the game, and could be the best ever when he retires. However, he will probably not move up in the lineup until he shows that he can get those big hits in October. To win over the hearts of the Yankees fans, this is what he needs to do. The regular season matters, but if you hit .150 in the playoffs with 0 RBI, these fans will not accept you.

This is somewhat reasonable, as I want A-Rod to do well in the playoffs, since he is absoutely a crucial part of the team. When he is up to bat, there is always a large possiblity that runs will be scored, via a home run, or just a hit to score runners on base. He has so much pressure on him because of the fact that he is usually so dominant, and in October, doesn't seem to get the job done (though people forget that he had an outstanding series against the Twins in 2004).

Will A-Rod succeed? I think he will. But, he needs to relax, and just ignore the garbage that the media constantly gives him.

If not, will he be traded? Quite possibly, but I am hoping not, considering he is in his prime and one of the greatest baseball players in this era, if not of all time.

Predictions for the Divisional Series:

American League
Yankees beat the Tigers in 4
Twins beat the Athletics in 5

National League
Dodgers beat the Mets in 5
Padres sweep the Cardinals

Can't you find something else to write about?

The media has been really getting to me recently. They always get to me, because it really never ceases to amaze me as to how stupid the media really can be, especially the media in the area I watch most, which is sports. ESPN doesn't seem to get the fact that nobody cares about Terrell Owens and how he broke his little finger... except for maybe Cowboys fans, for the simple fact that now they have a reason to hate the guy. People do not care about Barry Bonds, yet they still send Pedro Gomez there to report on how he's doing. Can't they think of anything better to write about in sports?

How about this one... the New York Mets clinched the NL East. Wait, isn't this the first time in 14 years that the Atlanta Braves have not owned this title? Why don't they talk about that? They would talk about it every time the Braves won it, making it a very long tenure. But when it's broken, nobody cares at all? Thanks sports media for reporting thoroughly about what Owens is eating for lunch, but not that this historical run has been broken by the National League powerhouse this year.

The media instead talks about Steve Smith's ploy to get hurt so that he can get a bigger contract (extension). Ok, I really do not think many players would sit around and look like an idiot, when he could just hold out like a normal player. Smith said, "There are a lot of other things I can be doing if I'm holding out. I can go home. I can go to the lake house with my family. I can do a lot of things more important than to make a [fool] out of myself and the organization. You're foolish to think that." Way to tell them Steve, show them how stupid they are, and ask them to write a story about something that is actually happening, instead of wasting our time with garbage that isn't true.

Or why don't they try to rip the Yankees apart, as they seem to want to do every time they do something good. The Yankees are about to win their 9th straight AL Eastern divisional title, and what does SI do? They try to stir up controversy about what seems like "the player to hate," Alex Rodriguez. Leave the guy alone. Ok, maybe Jason Giambi and Joe Torre talked to him, and told him basically that he needed to start getting big hits. But leave it in the clubhouse. The media just really needs to stop stirring up trouble. SI is my favorite sports publication, and Tom Verducci is a great writer. But leave things alone during this point of the season. It's pathetic... report on the division races and stop trying to turn sports into a soap opera.

Uh oh, breaking news: "TO might not miss games" - I don't care! Find something better to report on! The media is absolute garbage, and although it is the reason that sports is so large today (telecasts and such), it is also the reason that teams are distracted, players are not able to perform to their potentials, etc.

Though the media seems to make sports readily available to people across the world, it is a double edged sword, because it also ruins sports. Period. Without the media, sports would be much better than what they are now, but without it, nobody would be able to see this.

Such a thing as being too optimistic? I don't think so...

Well, it is that time again. The 2006 Syracuse Orange football team is getting ready to start up a fresh season following a terrible 1-10 performace last year. Basically, it was the worst season that SU has had... ever. But, I still have reason to be optimistic about this upcoming season. Some people might think that there is absolutely no reason for this optimism, but I have at least two.

1. They can't be much worse than last year. Our team beat Buffalo, who has got to be one of the worst teams in Division I, along with last year's SU team. Buffalo may have improved this year, but last year, they were pathetic. Beating Buffalo was nothing, so in games that actually mattered, Syracuse went 0-10. Nothing against Buffalo, but that football team is terrible.

2. If you aren't optimistic, what's the fun of being a fan? It really is not fun when you think that your team will never win. There's two teams like that... the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. They never win, but you still need to root for your team. How can you consider yourself a fan, and never be excited when your team begins to play, hoping that they have a shot to win it all that year? A true fan keeps his optimism, as I am trying to do for the New York Knicks, but to be honest, I am finding it very hard.

As you have seen from these reasons, there is no such thing as being too optimistic. Hoping that your team has a shot to win it all is great for the team, and makes the fan base stronger. Fans are the most important aspect of a team... for instance, our football team almost beating Florida State a couple years ago in the Carrier Dome. That was the loudest I have ever heard a stadium, and it was amazing. We caused many penalties and just drove the other team crazy, and we almost pulled out a win. Keeping the fans interested will help the team, and though the team may not seem to be trying to win, nobody plays to lose. Ask Herman Edwards.

I'm thinking I think.... way too much

I really think that my mind is racing all the time. It's usually some useless thing that happened to me that I just think of spontaneously, and sometimes I cannot stop thinking about it. I have no idea why these things pop into my head, but it sometimes can drive me crazy. I just figured I would write about it since it happened to me this morning, and sometimes, I just wish the memory would go away. Like today, it is something useless and insignificant, but it just stays in my head.

I think this happens for the simple fact that I think too much. Sometimes I should just let my brain rest, but I usually don't. I'm not even thinking about important things sometimes, and as I said, maybe just some insignificant thing that happened to me that day, or something like that.

I don't have much else to write, just kind of wanted to say this, maybe to help me forget about it and end up dwelling on something else. But hey, whatever works.

Worst Feeling

The worst feeling someone can get is when something terrible happens, and they cannot do anything about it, no matter how hard they try. That happened here recently, after all kinds of rain flooded the entire area and has left many people virtually homeless until their houses are cleaned, disinfected and rebuilt to the way they were before the flooding.

Here's a picture of how high the water got down the street from my friend, and this wasn't even on the first day of flooding (click to enlarge):



My friend's house was in pretty bad shape last week, with the water being 4-5 feet high on his street, and filling his entire basement, garage, and part of the first floor of his house with water. On Wednesday, we went over and hung around there, and basically just watched as the water seeped through everything and damaged tons of things in and around his house. It was hard to watch, considering that's about all we could do during the time we were waiting. We decided to build a raft from junk wood that we found, including a fence that was busted from the rushing waters and washed up onto the dry part of the street, and a pallet that was near the garbage at the nearby CVS. Building the raft was fun, it got everyone's minds off of the stuff that was going on, and we were determined to get it to float.

Here's a picture of my friend as were were building the raft (click to enlarge):



The raft was finished, and we ended up getting it to float. It was pretty cool, considering this was made from scraps. Here's a picture of it floating in the flooded street (click to enlarge):



Now, everyone is just trying to clean up and many people are forced to basically start over. New appliances, furnaces, water heaters, and just every day items need to be replaced, as well as doors, floors, walls, and other things that were ruined by the water. I'm doing what I can to help out, but sometimes I feel like it's not really enough and that I should be doing more. I guess we can only do so much, but it still feels like I should be doing more than I am. Some people say that helping out for something like this is a nice thing to do, but I figure that any decent human being should be doing the same thing. God put us on this Earth to help others and if we don't, the human race will cease to exist. People cannot live by themselves and totally on their own. So I think everyone who is able to should be willing to help out. I guess it can be considered a nice thing to do, but most importantly it's necessary to help others out so that they can get their lives back to normal.

I was lucky to be virtually untouched from this storm, because I live on top of a hill, and I feel terrible for the many who lost all kinds of things from this storm. The things that were lost are expensive to replace, and a disaster like just plain sucks. Put yourself in their perspective... if something like this had happened to you, would you want others to help you out? If your answer is no, than I guess you hate everyone. There are many decent human beings in this world, you just need to work to find them. There are also many scumbags, like the ones next door to my friend who were taking his garbage (ruined by the flood) as we were putting it by the curb. But as I have seen in the area by my friend, there are also many good people who are willing to help, and they are needed to help clean up this mess. Hopefully everything will work out well.

Summer

Well, this summer seems like it's going by way too fast. Working seems to take a lot out of me, but I'm not sure why. School always has taken a lot out of me but I spend much more time on that than when I am working. I am also waiting for the hospital to get back to me and let me know whether I qualify for volunteer work or not.

Found out that I will be going to Toronto to see the Yankees play the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in a couple of months, so I am looking forward to that. I've never seen the Yankees play in a visiting stadium, so I figure that will be awesome.

Other good news, we killed al-Zarqawi in Iraq. What a coward, glad he's dead.

That's enough for now.

Illegal Immigration...

I really don't understand why people want to allow illegal immigrants to receive amnesty. They are illegal, they have come into this country in a way that violates our law, and people want to award them with our tax dollars? DREAM ON!

Almost all of our relatives came over to America LEGALLY and had to endure hardships to give us what we have today. Letting illegals into this country will just hurt the legit immigrants who are working their asses off to get into this country and create a better life for themselves and their families. On top of that, letting in illegals is like creating poverty in this country, and as a result our taxes will increase quickly. More people will be on welfare (like their isn't enough already...) and more drug dealers will be able to get into the country to circulate their poison.

I'm sure you've already seen the tunnels made by illegal Mexican drug dealers, and if not, here they are:




I don't want more of this in my country, and because of this, I am really hoping that the government does not pass the bill. Immigrants can certainly come into this country, that's how it was formed and evolved. But I want them to get in legally, so that we are not letting scumbags in all the time. I say we should find the illegals and deport them, and arrest anyone that hires them for jobs. Maybe that will deter them from trying to get in illegally and rather applying to get in and working hard to achieve their goals. Our ancestors had to endure the hardship, and so should they.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Got this in an e-mail the other day about "cheap labor."

Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?

Business don't want to pay a decent wage, consumers don't want expensive produce.

Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs but the bottom line is cheap labor.

"The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie.

There is no such thing as "cheap labor."

Take, for example, an illegal Mexican who sneaks in here with his wife and five children.

He takes a job for five or six dollars an hour.

At that wage with six dependents he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year if he files income tax he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent,

He qualifies for food stamps.

He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care.

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books.

He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.

If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled they qualify for SSI.

Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for medicare.

All of this is at that taxpayers expense.

He doesn't have to worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He cannot be fired, harassed, or sued.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20 to $30 an hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5 or $6 an hour left after paying their bills and his.

They also pay for increased crime, graffiti, and trash cleanup.

Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT!

The New York Knicks: The worst team in the history of the NBA

This truly may be correct. This franchise has in simplest terms... gone to Hell. Yes, I am a fan of this brutally pathetic team called the Knicks. I am a fan of a team with the highest payroll in the league, as well as the highest paid coach in the league, and still went 23-59. Sure, Portland did a little bit worse, but I don't care. The Knicks are terrible. The GM Isiah Thomas doesn't help, and everyone knows that owner James Dolan (of Cablevision) is a moron. I am going to try to write out a plan that might get them rebuilding, but I am not a GM, so maybe I don't know. But we will see.

As of right now, the Knicks roster is this:

#	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	SCHOOL	YRS
45	Jackie Butler	C	6-10	260	03/10/1985	Coastal Christian Academy (VA)	1
11	Jamal Crawford	G	6-5	190	03/20/1980	Michigan	5
34	Eddy Curry	C-F	6-11	285	12/05/1982	Thornwood HS (IL)	4
1	Steve Francis	G	6-3	200	02/21/1977	Maryland	6
7	Channing Frye	F	6-11	248	05/17/1983	Arizona	R
31	Jerome James	C	7-1	280	11/17/1975	Florida A&M	5
42	David Lee	F	6-9	249	04/29/1983	Florida	R
3	Stephon Marbury	G	6-2	205	02/20/1977	Georgia Tech	9
23	Quentin Richardson	G-F	6-6	230	04/13/1980	DePaul	5
4	Nate Robinson	G	5-9	180	05/31/1984	Washington	R
5	Jalen Rose	G-F	6-8	215	01/30/1973	Michigan	11
13	Malik Rose	F	6-7	255	11/23/1974	Drexel	9
2	Maurice Taylor	F	6-9	265	10/30/1976	Michigan	7
8	Ime Udoka	G-F	6-5	220	08/09/1977	Portland State	1
6	Qyntel Woods	F-G	6-8	220	02/16/1981	Northeast Mississippi CC	3

Some might not think it's that bad on paper, but it is. Who need eight guards on a roster that has fifteen players? I don't know much about all of the players because most don't play, but here's what I know about some of them.

Jackie Butler - He's a young player, and Brown didn't let him play too much. Pretty unproven, but I didn't see anything spectacular with him.

Jamal Crawford - overrated, but he seems like he can actually play with a team. The problem: Stephon Marbury.

Eddy Curry - Heart problems almost cost him his career. Now, it seems like he plays when he wants to. Big guy that can't rebound, that doesn't match up well. Doesn't score much either. Basically, a huge waste of money and a would be 2nd overall draft pick in the upcoming draft.

Steve Francis - Terrible trade... enough said.

Channing Frye - I like Frye, he's tall and can shoot. Plays with the team, but got hurt last season, which really killed them.

Jerome James - HIGHLY overrated, and WAY overpaid. Not even that good of a basketball player, for the NBA anyway.

David Lee - Was weak at times, but he's just a rookie, we don't need to be too hard on a rookie that was unlucky enough to get drafted to this awful team.

Stephon Marbury - Reminds me of Allen Iverson, but not as good. Not a team player, doesn't always play hard, complains about basically everything, can't get along with coaches, fellow players don't like him, etc. He's just a clubhouse cancer and basically the worst thing that could have happened to this team, in my opinion.

Quentin Richardson - "Q," as they call him, is terrible in my opinion. Waste of money and a roster spot. Supposed to be able to shoot 3's, he didn't. I know he had a rough season, but to be honest, the Knicks would be much better off without him. The Suns were a better fit (Maybe Steve Nash had something to do with this...).

Nate Robinson - Small, but decent potential. Kind of becoming a head case, which is the worst thing that can happen to a player of his size, as he needs to work harder than others to succeed. I think winning the NBA All-Star dunk contest probably added to that cockiness...

Jalen Rose - What a crappy trade. Do not need another guard!

Malik Rose - Seems like a good guy, but just isn't coming up big at all in NYC.

Maurice Taylor - Just another average, highly overrated and over paid player in NY. Seems to be a trend.

Ime Udoka - Didn't see much from him, unproven player.

Qyntel Woods - Troubles in the past don't help him, but he may be able to help the team if he stays out of trouble. A 6-8 G/F could be useful if the Knicks dump some other high paid players.

The Knicks obviously need to dump a lot of these guys, and get some money and draft picks. Let Larry Brown (oh yeah, keep him, don't let Thomas be the coach, that's the worst thing that could happen) coach the team, and let him pick players from the draft that will suit him. They can easily dump Curry, Marbury, James, both Roses, Richardson, and even Steve Francis, and maybe get a few decent, low paid veterans and some good draft picks. They had the #2 pick that went to Chicago, who is a decent young team that will now only get better. The Knicks on the other hand, will only get worse. To be honest, that's the thing they really need to do, which is dump salaries and rebuild. They don't need to sign overrated personalities, as they will not help this team. Acquiring Kevin Garnett may help a little, but I don't know how much it will help in the long run. They need to find young talent, as that is the one thing Thomas is good at - drafting. This is all common sense, but someone in this team's front office doesn't get it. It isn't hard.

Plan for the Knickerbockers
1. KEEP LARRY BROWN.
2. Dump contracts of overrated, high paid players.
3. Draft young players who have potential to become stars.
4. Sign cheap veterans to help young players develop into the stars.
5. BE PATIENT. They won't win in the first, second or maybe even third years, depending on the draft outcome as well as available free agents. They need to wait it out a bit.
6. Once the team plays well together, don't get greedy. Keep the players and let them gain some chemistry, and they will be able to play for a long time.
7. Win the championship.

Maybe it's easier said than done, but I think that they should really give it a try.

Overhaul on the Blogger

Been trying to put more things on here, so I may not post for a while. Got a new template, and one that allows me to put audio links and have a player right on the site, so I'll be trying that out... If there's anything that looks stupid, let me know.

This is best viewed with Firefox, so things look much better with that browser than with IE... Firefox is better anyway.

I'd say that we need an asterisk....

All right, this is going to be a post that probably agrees with many opinions that concern this person. This person has 713 career home runs, and many argue that he is one of the best hitters in baseball.... ever. Barry Bonds played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986-1992, and then was traded to the San Francisco Giants and has been playing there up until now. Barry Bonds may be a great hitter, but I would consider him to be the most hated baseball player... ever. No matter who you are, a Yankees fan, a Red Sox fan, a Mets fan, a Cardinals fan, a Padres fan, a Mariners fan, a Devil Rays fan (are there any?... you get my drift)... you probably hate Barry Bonds. If you are a fan of sports in general, you probably hate Barry Bonds. If you actually like this guy, you have no appreciation for the hard work that 99% of athletes actually put in to earn their money and achieve their goals of winning championships. You also have no respect for the young kids growing up who work hard to make their dreams come true. You also may not have morals. I know I can't stand the guy. That is because he is a cheater. If you actually think that Barry Bonds did not take steroids and did not cheat, you are an idiot.

Barry Bonds reportedly has taken four different types of steroids, of performance enhancers, including "the clear," "the cream," and HGH (human growth hormone). In 14 years, from 1986-2000, Bonds hit 40 or more home runs on three occasions. There was no doubt that he would be a Hall of Famer. From 2000 until 2004, Bonds has hit 49, 73, 46, 45, and 45 home runs in the respective years. From the time that I have watched baseball, guys did not just explode when they hit their high 30's. Guys usually get worse. They also don't get as big as Bonds has.

A lot of people think Bonds is a jerk of a person, but really, I could care less about that. Bonds should not be playing baseball. I know that the rules are rules, and there are loopholes, but Barry Bonds should not be going for the all-time home run record. Roger Maris, when he hit 61 home runs in a season, had an asterisk next to his name because he played 8 more games than the Sultan of Swat. Does Bonds have an asterisk for his 73 home runs, which broke McGwire's record? Nope. As a matter of fact, does McGwire have an asterisk because he was caught taking performance enhancers? Nope. Yeah, they were "legal," but we know now after the Congressional hearing that Mark McGwire took steroids.

"I'm not here to talk about the past." Oh yeah, than what the hell are you here to talk about?

Back on topic, as I was saying, Barry Bonds should not be allowed to try to break Hank Aaron's home run record of 755. He will be passing Babe Ruth soon, he is one home run shy of being tied in second place with 714. The Game of Shadows, which seems to be a very good read (I read the excerpt in SI), describes everything that Bonds has done, and is well-documented by the two writers, who have been summoned to be questioned in the investigation headed by Senator Mitchell. Bonds was just asked, "When you pass someone, you think of yourself as better than them. Do you think you are better than Babe Ruth?" Bonds just replied, "I don't know."

How could he think that he is better than Babe Ruth? Ruth changed the game, when steroids were not rampant in the major leagues, and when he would hit more home runs than some teams combined. This guy is just too much, and I have had enough. Get him out of here. Someone, find evidence of perjury, it shouldn't be that hard. Throw him in jail for a little bit, end the career. Stop it before it gets too big, before people will see the most prestigious record in sports, the home run record, with the name of a man who has obviously cheated and is trying to deceive everyone that he is clean, and has done no wrong. Just because steroids may not have been outlawed/tested in baseball until recently, it does not mean that someone is not cheating. They are and were ILLEGAL in the United States, and baseball as well its players are not above the law. Baseball does not test for human growth hormone, and to be totally honest, I would not be surprised if he was still using that.

If it were up to me, Bonds would be gone. Although it would be impossible to erase all of the stats he has accumulated, MVPs can be taken away. They would not be given to the man that was second in votes, but rather, there would have not been a winner in those years. Bonds home run statistics would not have counted, and the at-bats would have been cancelled. A respected manager in baseball, Frank Robinson, would have loved this to happen. However, it is very hard to do, and would never happen with Bud Selig, anyway. Selig needs to stop beating around the bush and come out with it. Call out Bonds, see what he has to say. If Selig gets some balls, maybe he won't be seen as a terrible commissioner. Maybe then people will see that Selig means business, and that he isn't scared of the players, their union, or that other moron Donald Fehr. But, I think it is wishful thinking, and nothing will happen. With our luck, Bonds will get the record, and a cheater will hold the best record in sports. Baseball will be tainted until someone else can surpass this almost impossible record. Someone clean, someone like Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols, two players who probably have the best shot at doing it in the next decade. Until then, we are stuck with Barry Bonds because people in baseball are scared of him, and won't stick up for the game they supposedly love. Although there probably will be none in the books, I think that we really need that controversial mark... the asterisk.

All-Time Home Run Leaders

Henry Aaron 755
Babe Ruth 714
Barry Bonds* 713

*Player has reached this mark because of his use of performance enhancing drugs, giving him an edge over numerous others who did not use these illegal substances.

United 93: Is this a good idea?

I have recently seen a trailer for a movie called United 93, which is a movie about the airplane that was hijacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001, and eventually crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. You can view the trailer here.

For me, the question is, should this movie be made? My first original thought was, "Who could possibly want to make money off of an event such as this?" But then I thought about all of the people who created movies about World War II and Pearl Harbor, Vietnam, the first war in Iraq, and other sad events such as these. So really, I guess that's not really an issue, but I do believe that it is much too soon to make a movie about this.

I was listening to the radio, and one of the wives of the men on one of the hijacked planes is urging people to see it, which came as a surprise to me. I would think that they do not want a movie made from the terrorist attack, but it seems like they want people to understand what it was like that day, and that we should never forget what happened. This is very important. This attack is the largest on American soil. People cannot forget what is going on, why we are fighting the war on terror, and maybe this movie will get people together and understanding the cause that many have forgotten. It seems as though many have forgotten about how dangerous these terrorists really are, and something like this needs to be taken very seriously.

All in all, I have somewhat changed my mind about the film, and maybe it's not a bad thing after all. It might spark something in Americans that went out a long time ago, which is the feeling that we are still fighting for these people. They also need to own up to the fact that we will be fighting this war for much longer than anyone wants, but we need to accept it, and support all of the people that are fighting for us, which I do not see much of on a college campus. I see quite a few protests, but there aren't many things around that promote the support of our troops. It's very sad, but I guess most college kids aren't really up to par as of what is happening in the country, and basically just believe everything that their teachers tell them.

This movie will be an eye opener, and I do think that I will be going to see it. When I go to see this movie, I will go with my Dad. I believe that he feels the same way about this subject. This isn't a movie to go and socialize at, this is a serious movie, and it will be very sad. But I think people really need to see it to understand what happened on September 11, as well as what is happening in the present day, and the reasoning behind this war on terror of which we are currently involved.

Billy Joel and Inside Man

This weekend was a good one. Got a nice break from work for a little bit. Doty came up and we hung around for a while and then we all went to see Inside Man. I think Clive Owen did the best job in that, Denzel was good, but Owen's character was great. I think that some people may not like the ending to it, but I really did, and I think that it was a very complicated movie, but not too complicated in that you don't know what's going on. I found it pretty easy to interpret and just thought that it was a good, well-thought out movie. I would recommend checking it out if you like action movies, especially if you are a fan of bank robberies.

Saw Billy Joel in concert, which was awesome. He played a lot of his great songs in front of 38,000+ and played for 2 and a half hours. It was a great time.

We lost...

Oh well, we were ousted in the tourney, but nobody thought we would get this far, and next year we should have a much better team. Until next season...

Time to DANCE

Unbelieveable. That's all I can say. WE WON THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT! A 9 seed has never done it. Everyone played well, especially G-Mac, and now we are a 5 seed playing 12 seed Texas A&M in the tournament. People think we're going to lose, I personally think we can maybe get to the Sweet 16, but it will be tough after that. We have a lot of fire and I think it will carry over into the tournament. I would love to have Cuse be the team to upset Duke and get them the hell out of the tournament, but we can talk about that if the time comes.

When will it end?

This semester is really taking a toll on me, it's so bad. All of my classes suck, and I just can't wait for it to end. Cannot wait until Spring Break in a week. Hopefully none of the rest of my semesters left in college will be this bad...

Syracuse played their last home game of the season yesterday. Lost to #4 Villanova, but I was impressed with the way the team fought to try to win for Gerry McNamara, who is graduating. We'll miss him, he's a great 3 point shooter and a great leader to the team. I don't know who will step it up next year, but I am hoping Eric Devendorf can take charge...





Syracuse plays Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament in Game 1 on Wednesday. This game is a must win, if they want any chance to get into the NCAA Tournament this year. I hope they can pull it off, they always do play well in MSG...

That's about all for now, hopefully we will pull off a great Big East Tournament and then get into the NCAAs where anything can happen.

Here's to you, silent gas passer...

Thought this was funny: Here's to you, gas passer...

Navy SEALS

As you know, Navy SEALS are always taught

1) Keep your priorities in order and

2) Know when to act without hesitation.

A Navy SEAL was attending some college courses between assignments.

He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU. One day he shocked the class when he came in, looked to the ceiling, and flatly stated, "God, if you are real,then I want you to knock me off this platform.

I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting."

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the SEAL got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform.

The professor was out cold.

The SEAL went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.

The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the SEAL and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you did that?"

The SEAL calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an asshole.

So He sent me."

Integrity

Have you ever had someone challenge your integrity? One of the worst feelings in the world... :(

Some Sunday Comics

Wanted to take a quick break from homework, and saw some comics that I thought were good. Click them to enlarge. Enjoy.


Close To Home


Calvin and Hobbes


Garfield


Mother Goose and Grimm


Classic Peanuts


Wizard of Id - Super Bowl Edition


Herb and Jamaal

Hero Salute

Hero Salute

Great commercial from last year's Super Bowl...

Take off the hat!

Is it really that difficult? Is it really too hard and too much of your energy to take off your hat at a sporting event during the national anthem? I want to understand why people refuse to take off their hats during the time that we are honoring our great country. It really pisses me off. Some people think it's their way of protest... I think that's garbage. Honor the country that has given so much to you.

Recently, a friend told me that he is enlisting in the Air Force. First of all, I would like to take the opportunity to thank him again for what he is doing, and I really respect him. If you encounter someone who is doing this, you should do the same.

Thank you for fighting for me, my family, my friends, and all Americans. Also, tell your brother the same. You guys are great Americans and great people to volunteer to go into the military and fight for us. Good luck, you both will do a great job in the Air Force and the Marines. God Bless.

After talking to him, I thought even more about this topic. I told him that it really pisses me off when people do this. He brought up a good point. Our military fights for their right to not take off their hats during the national anthem. They fight for our freedoms, and this is one of them. The one thing that is great about this country allows people to take advantage of it, and take everything that they have for granted. It is sad, but it is true.

I guess that at least they aren't sending hate mail and death threats to our military, like that moron in Syracuse, who I will not mention because I do not want him getting any more publicity. This guy is a loser who should get the hell out of the USA, but unfortunately, we cannot do that.

That's all I have to say for now, so I will end my rant there.

Carl's Garden

Good story that my Mom sent me in an e-mail, read it.

Carl was a quiet man. He didn't talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well.

Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us. He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in WWII. Watching him, we worried that although he had survived WWII, he may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity.

When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for caring for the gardens behind the minister's residence, he responded in his characteristically unassuming manner. Without fanfare, he just signed up.

He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared finally happened.

He was just finishing his watering for the day when three gang members approached him. Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, "Would you like a drink from the hose?" The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, "Yeah, sure," with a malevolent little smile. As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl's arm, throwing him down. As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl's assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled.

Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg. He lay here trying to gather himself as the minister came running to help him. Although the minister had witnessed the attack from his window, he couldn't get there fast enough to stop it. "Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?" the minister kept asking as he helped Carl to his feet. Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head. "Just some punk kids. I hope they'll wise-up someday." His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. He adjusted the nozzle again and started to water.

Confused and a little concerned, the minister asked, "Carl, what are you doing?" "I've got to finish my watering. It's been very dry lately," came the calm reply.

Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the minister could only marvel. Carl was a man from a different time and place. A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before their threat was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose.

This time they didn't rob him. They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him head to foot in the icy water. When they had finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done.

Carl just watched them. Then he turned toward the warmth giving sun, picked up his hose, and went on with his watering.

The summer was quickly fading into fall... Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him. He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches. As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack. "Don't worry old man, I'm not gonna hurt you this time." The young man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket and handed it to Carl.

"What's this?" Carl asked.

"It's your stuff," the man explained. "It's your stuff back. Even the money in your wallet."

"I don't understand," Carl said. "Why would you help me now?" The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease. "I learned something from you," he said. "I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked you because you were old and we knew we could do it. But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn't hate us for hating you. You kept showing love against our hate." He stopped for a moment.

"I couldn't sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back." He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say.

"That bag's my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess." And with that, he walked off down the street.

Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist. Opening his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years ago.

He died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people attended his funeral in spite of the weather. In particular the minister noticed a tall young man that he didn't know sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church. The minister spoke of Carl's garden as a lesson in life. In a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, "Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can. We will never forget Carl and his garden."

The following spring another flyer went up... It read: "Person needed to care for Carl's garden." The flyer went unnoticed by the busy parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the minister's office door.

Opening the door, the minister saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. "I believe this is my job, if you'll have me," the young man said.

The minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl. He knew that Carl's kindness had turned this man's life around. As the minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, "Yes, go take care of Carl's garden and honor him."

The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done. In that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl's memory and kept the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it.

One day he approached the new minister and told him that he couldn't care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy smile, "My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she's bringing him home on Saturday."

"Well, congratulations!" said the minister, as he was handed the garden shed keys. "That's wonderful! What's the baby's name?"

"Carl," he replied.

Close to Home

Thought this was a funny comic.

Fear

Fear is a pretty strange thing. Everyone has it. Some people think that certain people just don't have fear, but I think that idea is wrong. I think everyone has fear about something or other, mainly because as human beings, we don't know everything. Sometimes we like to think we do, but frankly, we don't know much at all.

I have fear. There's a lot of things that scare me. Some things may be common, like somewhat of a fear of heights ever since I fell off something and sustained an injury. But then there are other types of fears that we have, and these are mostly small things, but the fact that we don't know what to expect makes us scared of it. If you already know what's going to happen, why be scared. You may say, "well, what if I know I am going to die, I shouldn't be scared?" Yes, you should be scared. You should be scared because you have no idea what it feels like to die. This is just an example, a very extreme one, but even so, just an example.

Fear can really take control of our minds, and it's not fun. When we are scared of something, we tend to think of it more, and to think of the horrible outcomes it could possibly result in. It seems as though we never tend to think of the good that it may bring to us, because we aren't worried about something that will benefit us, or make us happy. We are worried about the other part, the part that doesn't make us happy.

We talked a little bit about this on Friday, so I figured I would write about it. I also think about things that scare me a lot, I don't know why, I just do. I get worried very easily, and this is probably the reason that I continue to think about things that frighten me, because I just do not want them to happen. I'm sure almost everyone feels the same way, but I do not enjoy being frightened, so I try to understand everything that I can, so that I will not be frightened. But there are things that we will never understand, so there will always be fear in the minds of human beings. I thought this was an interesting topic to write about, since I haven't really updated this blog lately. If there are any comments you would like to leave, feel free to leave them in the comment section.

About time I updated...

Well, the end of break is getting pretty close. It’s been a good break. I haven’t really updated this in a while, so I figured it’s about time that I actually got around to it. Only have about 3 days left, which sucks because I really don’t want to start next semester’s work load, but I’ll be glad to get back to school to hang out and see everyone.

Christmas was good, and New Year’s was good too. Saw the Giants beat the Raiders to get into the playoffs on New Year’s Eve, so it was a great way to start off the New Year. They finally made the playoffs, took them long enough…

Giants lost to the Panthers in the playoffs though, 23-0. They were destroyed, and didn’t seem to show up for the game. I’ll have to post my opinion on what they should do this offseason.

Break has been good, it’s been nice to just hang out and relax without any work for a while. Work can get really old, and it’s just a pain because I seem to have to work so hard to do well while some people can just get great grades without doing as much, but oh well, that’s just me, I guess.

I’ll be going back to Syracuse on Martin Luther King Day, which thankfully, we have off. We never get days off at Syracuse when it seems everyone else does, like Columbus Day, and all of those holidays. And we never will have a snow day; the school hasn’t cancelled classes because of snow in over 30 years. We’re used to it though; the snow can be pretty heavy in the city that accumulates the most in the state…

Haven’t worked more on the story really, will have to when I get some time when I go back. Finished part III, will have to post it.

Listen to a song called Cold (But I’m Still Here) by Evans Blue, it’s pretty good. You can hear it on my MySpace, or on theirs.