Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. What happened to global warming? It is mid May and normally, Austin is well on the way to summer. Not this year…pleasant and comfortable is what we have had of late. Of course, that means that others are still waiting for the warm up. I always find it interesting that “experts” talk of trends in weather in the past 100 years. Hell…that is not a trend; that is just a blip. Perspective is an interesting thing. Would you find advice from an 80 year old guy more valuable than a 20 year old? How about a weatherman that was 2000 years old?  Now that is a guy that I would tune into listen to. Beezer and BOB touched on something that has been bothering me for awhile. As BOB mentioned yesterday, Tim Tebow cannot find a team willing to put up with the circus that comes with Tebow the football player. Beezer brought out the fact that the “hero” in Cleveland is perhaps not such a great guy after all. Many will say that Tebow is a victim of his popularity that he willingly fed. I guess that is fair, but is really true? From everything that I have heard, Tebow is a very hard working kid that loves to play the game. I am not a fan, but I can see that he has talent to play the game. What is it about Tebow that the media loves? Is it that he was a personality in college and has failed to find success in the NFL? Fans expect, no that is not the right word…we demand players to be available to the media. Usually, players adopt a mask for the camera and use clichés to avoid offering any real depth to who they really are. With Tebow, we get a player that appears to offer us something more than clichés. In doing so, Tim Tebow now understands the dark side of overexposure.

I read this week that Vinny Testerverde and Chris Weinke spent time in the off season working with Tim Tebow. They quickly learned that it was not his throwing motion that caused Tebow’s inaccuracy, but his horrible footwork. After correcting his footwork, his passes had sizzle and repeatedly were true. I also read that the Jets ruined Tebow’s chances of playing in the NFL. I would really like for this kid to get a chance to play. As of now, the only team interested is Jaworski’s AFL team. Tebow has not expressed any interest in arena football at this time.

We live in what has been described as an information age. It is impossible to ignore the many wonderful advances that technology has provided. With the good, comes the bad. With regards to the media and the manner that information is dispersed, I am done…kaput; sick and tired. Emails, twitter, TV, radio…each day such a giant tidal wave of information pours out that I find myself pulling back. Now, of course information is a good thing. It is just the way that the message is being delivered that I have such a problem with. Dig, dig and dig some more is what many media sources do. Why is it that each story must contain drama? Is it because that we want to find the bad stuff that surely must be hidden? I don’t know the Ramsey guy in Cleveland from Jack Shit and really don’t understand why his past is an issue. Except that it gives the media something to dig up and hold up as a trophy of sorts. See, this Good Samaritan is really not such a good guy at all. Look what we found…in the end, we forget that the guy did a really good thing in saving the three women from a horrible existence. Ramsey obviously has had issues in his past. He was punished for his bad behavior and it is not for me to judge his worth as a person, now. Obviously there is a need for this type of coverage because the media finds a large willing market. Maybe it is just me?

I suppose it is rather Pollyanna of me to wish for a simpler time. A time when we accepted things at face value without searching for the bad.. Naive, perhaps…but so much easier in so many ways.

Baseball fans are really big on maintaining the integrity of the game. When a player is “tainted” with real or alleged use of peds, he is completely written off by many fans. I constantly hear it said that players cheating are cheating the game. Why do these same fans not see that horrible umpiring also presents the same threat to the integrity of baseball? Frequently, I hear…”let’s not mess with the “human” element that umpires bring to the game.” I am sorry folks; you can’t take one without the other. A threat is a threat nonetheless. Why should we allow umpires to miss a home run that could have changed the outcome of a game? How can an umpire have access to replays that clearly indicated home run and still get it wrong? How can an umpire not know the rules required for a pitching change? Why allow a manager to protest a game without ever changing the outcome? I can recall one game that was replayed because of a protest…the pine tar game. If ever a game should have been redone it was the game that Oakland lost to Cleveland. Rule the ball a home run and finish the game from that point.  I was listening to an interesting story with regards to the pine tar game that I had forgotten. When the Yankees and Royals met to replay the end of the game that allowed George Brett’s home run… Billy Martin appealed that Brett missed first base, then second and third base. The umpiring crew ruled that he was safe in touching all of the bases. Martin screamed, how can you say he touched the bases, you were not even here! Well, Billy we talked to the other crew and they said he touched the bases. Talk about covering all of your bases!! I have to admit that I had my mind changed this week. I work with a guy that is an umpire for high school games locally. I was asking the question why umpires get a pass from the media. Players and coaches alike have to endure the grilling after a game…why don’t umpires? My friend pointed out that umps are not supposed to be a personality. The problem that he sees is that many of these guys have too much personality and ego. By putting them in front of the camera or having their name put in print, we remove the anonymity that an umpire is supposed to have. An impartial judge is the job and I have to agree that he is right.  Let’s give the umpires better tools to do their job and get rid of the few tools that wear blue and threaten the integrity of the game.

For all the complaining about baseball, there are also many great things about the game. Here is something that is an example of something that is wonderful about baseball. Think Ryu is now a favorite of this kid? Awesome...

I have not followed the NBA much this year, but do know that everyone was singing the praises of Seth Curry. Golden State was going to knock the Spurs out. Spurs were too old…yadda yadda. Looks like the Spurs had a different idea on Tuesday night. Curry had touted that they were the greatest backcourt in history…Curry had 9 points Tuesday night. Reminds me of the great quote by Samuel Clemens…”reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” Somehow the Spurs get it done…when Pop is done coaching, we will look back and realize what a great coach he was. What a great defensive team coached by a tough minded coach.

That’s all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey…

“If I had a nickname, I would want it to be” Prince of Weasels”, because then I could go up and bite people and they would turn around and go…”What the…?”And then they would recognize me and say, ‘Oh, it’s you, the Prince of Weasels”. “

“I hope when they die that cartoon characters have to answer for their sins.”

That’s all I have for today, but feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own.

It is the Monday after the NFL Draft, and I don't know about you, but I need a bath...Why you ask? Well, I live in Cleveland...And after this draft, it really fucking stinks in here!

There is this thing in Cleveland when everyone gets their hopes up when the Draft rolls around...Sadly, since 1999 the Browns have had a lot more misses then hits...In April Browns fans are blindly optimistic, lead by the Cleveland media that is more often than not blindly swinging on the nuts of the team, and believing everything they say to be gospel...There are very few who are willing to criticize the team on draft weekend, and those who do, like me, get shouted down....

Example: When the Browns took Notre Dame Safety Jamoris Slaughter in the 6th round, I voiced my displeasure with this move...You know I love ND, and I like Slaughter, but kid played 3 games, and tore his Achilles last year....The year before he missed most the season after a shoulder injury...He was only in the draft because the NCAA disallowed a second medical redshirt...Yes, he's a big hitter...But he's a small guy, just under 6 ft. and 195 pounds...So of course it was tweeted at me that in 39 games he made 98 tackles...Big fucking deal...Former ND safety, now Vikings safety made 93 tackles in one season...Another ND Safety, Zeke Motta, taken in the 7th round by the Falcons made 77 tackles this year...Why the fuck wouldn't you take the heavy hitter that he is, instead of the guy who has been hurt the last two seasons?

Another asshole tweeted at me, "You know it's the 6th round?" Yeah dick face...I also know there are better players and players who aren't hurt out there! Everyone at 92.3 the Fan are fucking idiots, who just got the rights top air the Browns games this season, so they're all afraid to be fucking honest...

Then they start tweeting that Mike Mayock was raving about the Browns getting Slaughter...Well no shit...He gets one of his paychecks doing color for Notre Dame games...He's not gonna blast a ND guy...Fucking tools!

The Browns first round pick, Barkevious Mingo, DE from LSU...Fine pick there...They had no 2nd round pick...They gave that up when they took Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft last year...Fine...Kid has skills...3rd round they took CB, Leon McFadden from San Diego St....WTF! Kid is 5-9...I like my corners a little taller...Kid ran a 4.5 40...I like my corners faster, especially if they are short...Kid was projected as a 6th rounder....Of fucking course he was! Then they show a quick video of him...The clip showed him getting beat by a WR 4-5 inches taller and if the QB could hadn't overthrown it, it's a TD...

No worries, the Browns have more picks...Wait, they traded a 4th and 5th to the Dolphins for Devone Bess...Okay, so adding him, plus the recent acquisition of David Nelson, the Browns are okay at WR...Then they traded another 4th round pick to Pittsburgh for their 4th round pick next year...Then they traded another 5th round pick to the Colts for their 5th round pick next year...Okay, so they are already throwing in the towel on this year's draft...Got it...

In the 7th round they drafted two guys, one DE and one OL, both from division 2 schools...Listen, no offense to D-2 guys, but if you wanted them, you probably could have signed them as rookie free agents...The DE has a great history of getting busted for selling dope to undercover police...TWICE! Great pick...Then the Browns went and signed Notre Dame C/G Braxston Cave...(Finally a smart move)...They also locked up Bess for 3 years...

The media kept saying this draft was weak...Light in star players...So maybe be smart and load up on depth...Like the Patriots who traded out of the 1st round (29 overall) for a 2,3,4,and 7th round picks...Oh, and they made a trade Jeff Demps and a 7 for LaGarrette Blount...The depth they added...2 WR, OLB, ILB, CB, S, and DE...3 players, all on Defense from Rutgers...I guess Bill liked something he saw from the Scarlet Knights D...

All I know for sure, is a couple months back I talked about me and my sports fandom being free agents when it comes to the NFL and MLB, because the Browns and Indians make me sick...I gave my baseball fandom to The Nationals with an eye on the Orioles and Pirates...In the NFL I talked about the Seahawks and Patriots...Yeah, sticking with that...The Browns proved me right this weekend...All I had to see was what the Bengals and Steelers, and Ravens were doing in the draft...Ravens looking to fill holes and maintain...Steelers and Bengals looking to get better...And they both did...The Browns look like they are maintaining...Only problem is, no one should want to maintain when you are a perennial loser!

-Other Draft news...Matt Barkley proved something I've known for awhile...USC QB's are overrated...4th round to Philly...Ouch...Which of their 4 QB's will stay and which will go?

Geno Smith doesn't go in the 1st round, which is hilarious since both ESPN and NFL network filled their promo shit with him...Lucky guy then goes to the Jets...Clearly the Jets wanted to lead the league in drama again...6 QB's now...Including the hack, Mark Sanchez, and the media darling Tim Tebow, now adding Smith who has already shown what a twat he is by tweeting his smarmy feelings to scouts and draft "experts"...Kid is going to flop...Especially going to that environment...

What I watched of the draft I watched on the NFL Network...ESPN is awful...I can't stand Berman, Gruden, and Kiper...How is it old Mel keeps his job...All this guy does is analyze players for the draft, and he is religiously wrong...Mayock is a douche, but he's right a lot more than the dopes on ESPN....

But then the NFL Network guys got on my nerves when they wouldn't shut up about Manti Te'o...People, you want to know why he slipped? Watch the National Championship game again...Missed tackle after missed tackle...Found himself out of position to make plays for the first time all year...On the biggest stage...With a cloud of lies hanging over his head about a fake, dead girlfriend...It's not the girlfriend shit...It's not even the slow 40 time...It's that game, and how he got owned...I knew he'd get drafted...There is too much potential there not too...But 1st round...No way...hey, lucky for him, he's going to San Diego...Wasn't his girl in the Hospital there!?!

-The NHL playoffs will get started this week...My NY Rangers are playing well and seem to have it all together at the right time...They'll start off with The Washington Capitals...Hopefully they roll right through them...Rick Nash finally gets to take his game to the Playoffs...Looking to see him shine...I'm feeling so confident that I have excepted a bet friendly blogging bet on this series with SunTzu4m!

Chicago is the favorite out West, but they open up with the Minnesota Wild who have been a pain in their ass this year...The Wild have invested a lot this year...They want to win now...Should be an interesting goaltending battle between The Wild's Backstrom and The Blackhawks' Crawford...Both teams have firepower, so it will come down to which goalie can steal a game or two.

-This coming Saturday we have the Kentucky Derby...I love Derby day...We get the kids together and all pick horses...The kids have done well the last few years...Always a good time...Maybe I'll give them a couple Mint Juleps...Make it easier to take their money!

Have a week...

The Beeze

  Well, Monday is here again...And let me tell ya, my Monday is going to suck...Both the Little Beeze and Molly are having dental work done...They're both being put under anesthesia...The boy has a lot of extra nerves in his mouth, and while they were fixing a cavity, he felt everything...They numbed him 4 times, and gave him laughing gas...It was brutal...

And Molly started grinding her teeth as soon as they started coming in...She chipped all for of her top front teeth, and they've been slowly eroding away...Say they are putting her under to fix those...Then afterwards we'll get to deal crankiness, and I'll bet some stomach issues...Which will suck since they aren't allowed to eat or drink anything in the morning beforehand...I just hope it all goes okay...

Then Tuesday, the Little Beeze and his big sister have their first day at their new school...And while the boy's teacher doesn't dress like the teacher above there, but she's alright! I've got all week to get into the morning routine, since I took a week of vacation time...

Onto sports, Saturday night I finally posted my HEISMAN_WATCH...It took me awhile, but I'm finally getting pumped for College Football...

Then there was the news that broke about LANCE_ARMSTRONG...I know plenty of people didn't agree with my view, but I have a hard time thinking a guy who gives up the fight, is innocent...

But there is something in the sports world that was sticking in my head all this weekend...The ESPN networks aired a dozen High School Football games between Friday and Sunday...Now how many times have we heard or read guys on ESPN bitch about how college athletes should get paid to some degree, since the NCAA, and the Universities are making so much money on the backs of these kids...So why is it okay for ESPN to make advertising bucks airing high school games? They're doing the same thing that many of their talking heads have complained about...

Listen, local games have been aired for years...But "The World Wide Leader" showing a dozen games over the weekend, just seems like high school sports are about to get seriously corrupted...

But hell, why am I expecting so much? The fucking History Channel spends more time showing idiot programs about pawn shops, and storage lockers, instead of shit about actual history...And then the second news story Sunday morning, behind hyping up Tropical Storm Isaac, was about that stupid twat Snooki having her awful baby...Christ, there's a kid that was born with two strikes against it!

And about that storm...I was watching the Nightly News and they are talking about it having a chance of hitting New Orleans 7 years to the day that Katrina hit...You could hear the hope, and excitement in their voices...This is like a sick, voyeuristic, news wet dream...It was sickening...I really need to stop expecting so much from the world...

That's it for now...I'm in a shit mood...But pleas give THIS a look for me...

Have a week...

The Beeze.
 

This will not be a normal "Monday Moaning"...No jokes, no pics of the kids...No videos...No talk of the Browns sale...That's for another day...Right now we need to talk about something much more serious...


This is Sarah Burt...She's dead...And her story, and the story of many others have been kept far too quiet, for far too long...A story that will remind us, that child sexual abuse and covering it up, is a serious problem, and it's happened at more places then just Penn State...Dealing with having been sexually abused by her USA Swimming coach had become too much, and too hard for Sarah Burt...At 16 years old she stepped out into traffic and was killed by a semi-truck...

This post is based on the incredible, and hard journalistic work of TIM_JOYCE...I can not do this story justice, please read his work HERE...And HERE...

I cannot understand how we all haven't read and heard more about this...This seems to be abuse, and cover-up on a much larger scale then we saw at Penn State...Why have we not heard about Sarah Burt? Why with all the horrible Olympic coverage, have we not heard about this? Why am I only learning about a Swimming coach named Andy King, that sexual abused kids for 3 decades, and was sentenced to 40 years in jail for it, today?

Yes, Swimming is not a mainstream sport...Sure, it's something we don't really pay much attention to until an Olympic year...But this is USA Swimming...Overseen by the U.S. Olympic Committee...How and why would they keep this quiet? Even worse, why is Tim Joyce the only guy to have the balls to go after them, and dig into this story?

Well, as Joyce pointed out, the media is "lazy"...I agree, and I'll go a step further...They're lazy, and they're afraid...They are afraid to offend anyone...Somewhere along the line they decided to be everyone's friend...Even when something awful happens, they'll report it, but they won't dig too deep...Then they let it blow over and wait for the next big splash...

Yes, I'm generalizing here...But I find it to be true of the majority of the media...How many reporters are covering the Olympics? A shit-load right! So why, when John Leonard, head of the American Swim Coaches Association, said he thought Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen’s world record 400-meter individual medley victory was a result of performance enhancing drugs, why didn't any of those reporters call him on his bullshit? Why didn't they ask him why he has firmly opposed all attempts to adopt a zero tolerance policy regarding inappropriate behavior by coaches?

As Joyce reported HERE, "Nearly ten years ago when such a policy was being pushed by coach Dick Shoulberg who had “seen and heard too much”, Leonard, also in no uncertain terms, came out strongly against such a policy. Said Leonard at that time, the “possibility of abuse of this policy against abuse, is huge”, and that “I would work against the adoption of this policy and urge others to do likewise.”"


Numbers of coaches facing accusations allowed to resign quietly, with no reason given...Numbers of hush-hush deals to protect predators, and to protect the name of USA Swimming...Nearly non-existent background screening of coaches...Coach Rick Curl paying the Davies family and signing a non-disclosure agreement after having abused Kelley Davies between the ages of 13-16...Curl has never denied the detailed accusations brought against him from the Davies family...Curl has moved to Australia...Gee, I wonder why! Maybe he knows a shit storm is about to come crashing down on him and USA Swimming....

There are clearly a mountain of breakdowns that have gone on here...It seems almost everyone involved in USA Swimming knows there is a problem with sexual abuse going on...Almost everyone seems afraid to step up and say/do something about it...There has been a massive cover up going on to protect the creeps...And of course, to protect the good name of USA Swimming...It gives you an awful feeling that there may be no one involved in USA Swimming, that isn't a scumbag...

And then there is the failure of the mainstream media, to not dig into this...To not follow up on past stories...To not ask the hard questions...Clearly there were plenty of rumblings, but only Tim Joyce had what it takes to speak up for the kids that had their innocence ripped from them...

My goal for this post is to make as many people aware of what has been happening to kids in the US Swimming program for decades...To make the media aware...And hopefully the work of Tim Joyce will inspire future journalists, and remind the old one of how it should be done...I hope you'll help me spread the word.

Later, The Beeze. 

 
Mmmm...Yeah, I don't follow Tennis...I did when I was a kid, and I use to like to play, but that was a long time ago...But Saturday morning I was laying in bed, flipping around on the TV, and I saw Maria Sharapova playing at The French Open...If you don't know, every time she swings her racket, she lets out a powerful, grunt, groan, or even scream...

Hot chick, skimpy outfit, making those noises...What better way to kill time than leave this on the tube, and tug on my cock for a few minutes!?!

Then the idiot commentators (two women, one man) start bitching about her noises...Like it's something new...Even a casual fan like me knows how noisy this bitch is...And shit, Tennis should be pushing women to play like this...Wear less, and make hot noises... Ratings would be up...At least among male viewers...

-Moving on...This past week Little Beeze's Baseball practices started...If you've followed this blog, you know I've coached his Tee-Ball teams the last two years...Now we are in 7-8 year old Coach Pitch...(They added in a few 9 year old girls because they didn't have enough sign up for 9-10 girls softball)

The first year the guy that was suppose to be coaching with me, bailed...Dropped his kid off and left...Fucking douchebag...The next year, one of the girls mom signed up to help...But she was also coaching her other daughter's team, so she was in and out, and it was mostly on me...But that was okay with me, at least she was trying, and trying with two kids...Better then the first year...

So then this year I find out at the coaches meeting, that they have paired me up with another dad...And he was actually at the meeting...But it was clear he didn't want to be there, and he quickly passed off everything to me, knowing I has been in the program for a couple years...

So Tuesday was the first practice, and this shit-dick and his kid don't show up...Here we go again...Thursday we have our second practice, and he shows...I re-introduce myself, tell him what we did Tuesday, and what I was planning on for that day...All he says is, "Okay." Nothing else...I get the kids on the field to get started, including getting his kid right into the mix, and he's not around...He's over in the bleachers shooting the shit with some other douchebags...The whole practice he's MIA...Looks like I've got another fucking asshole...

I could use some help with this team...There are a couple boys along with Little Beeze who are good...And my one 9 year old girl is going to be a beast...But then there are a few kids who have barely played, including a couple who didn't do Tee-Ball at all...3 of my 7 year olds, are very young 7 year olds...And one girl's parents are both Mentally Handicapped...Is that the nice way to say retarded these days...She isn't, but it's clear that she's been held back by them...This is her first time in an activity like this...So already I have had to put in a good amount of time with just her...But in two practices, she's throwing well, and is starting to catch the ball...And once she made contact swinging the bat, she didn't want to stop...

That shit makes me feel so good about this damn, "not keeping score" program, and this other douchebag doesn't get it all, and doesn't want to get it...The thought of kicking him in the dick next time a see him has crossed my mind a few times...Hopefully things go well this week...

-This weekend the kids and I were all about hitting some parks...Saturday I took Molly and Little Beeze to one of our favorites...Here they are catching a view of the lake...


Then Sunday morning I took all 3 kids further west, to a really cool park...Lots of stuff for them to do...Molls rocked the swings for awhile, and then got into a community sand pit and got some digging done...They all had fun...Here's the boy rocking his new hair-cut he got just an hour before we hit the park...


He's been asking for a Mohawk for 2 years, and even though Mom was against it, I let him go for it...Now he's ready for a big Baseball season!

Now the last thing I want to talk about is the media...The mainstream, U.S. media to be exact...All week long, during every nightly news cast...And on every major media outlet, they all keep talking about Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee...Ummm, I'm sorry, I thought I lived in the United States of America...Why the fuck are you ass-hats covering this bullshit!?!

Look at this...This picture shows all the territories that are or were under British rule at one time...


Yes, my ancestors are from Ireland, so right out of the gate, I hate the royal family...But shit, I'm an American...Born in America...That pesky country that fought the British for our independence...So why the fuck is our media so fucking in love with these people...Most of the land the Royal Family owns, they stole...Rape, Pillage and Plunder was their business...So again, Why is the U.S. media so fucking in love with these dolts...

I don't give a shit how old that bag is...Or how long she has been a figure head for that Island...She comes from a long line of assholes, and I'm sure she's an asshole too...Her country is in the same economic shitter that we are, yet they are throwing an insane amount of money around to celebrate the fact that this bitch just won't die...

NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN, and all you other idiot media outlets wasting any time covering this shit, need to wake the fuck up, and realize that there is more important "NEWS" to cover...Oh, and that old bag isn't our Queen, because we called bullshit on that shit along time ago...The Queen, and her whole shitty family, along with you media ass-hats, can all kiss my American Ass!

Have a week...

Later, The Beeze.