I've done my best to stay out of this whole Michael Vick saga. But, this got my attention today. During a press conference, Vick said he needed to change his ways and that he "found Jesus".
First of all, what does that mean, really?
Second, is he real about it? The phrase "I've found Jesus" is thrown out there an awful lot, usually by famous people like Vick who've messed up a good thing. Is it true that people really do "find Jesus" when they mess up their lives beyond all recognition? Or is that just a cop-out, aimed at getting themselves "off the hook"? Do people really think that's all it takes to be forgiven for some of the more outrageous things they do? Are they right, is that really all it takes? Do they become good people, all of a sudden?
Third, how does that change anything? Is he expecting to be let off the hook because he says he "found Jesus"? Is that good enough? Is he expecting something from saying this, or is it just the customary thing to say when you royally screw up?
Fourth, boy he picked a bad time to "find Jesus". Had he found Jesus about a year ago, he probably never would've been in this mess in the first place. Some people really pick an odd time to "find Jesus". Where was he all this time?
This whole "I've found Jesus" phenomenon really interests me. Where does this come from? Am I supposed to believe that since someone has "found Jesus", all of a sudden, that means they'll be "walking the straight and narrow" from now on? Is it really that simple? I've never sunk to those depths, where I've needed to "find Jesus". So, I don't really know how it works. What's the point of saying something like that? Does it really need to be made public? Don't people really just say that publicly because they're looking for a little sympathy? Do they deserve that sympathy?
Personally, I don't buy it. I think it's just something people say because they think it'll get them off easy. I think it's just something that's been said so many times that it's almost part of a template for what to say when you screw up. "Let's see, say I'm sorry, talk about how I found Jesus, tell them I'm going to change my ways, this has been an eye-opening experience. Yeah, that sounds good."
You never hear them talk about how they deserve the punishment they've got coming to them, though. I think I would've been more impressed if Vick had said, "You know, I feel terrible about what I did. I deserve to go to jail for what I did. I ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS." What a novel concept. That only exists in a fantasy dream-world, though.
I'm well past tired of all the spin. From celebrities to politicians to even the common folk now, you just can't get a straight word out of anybody anymore. What happened to "straight talk"? What happened to responsibility? For all intents and purposes, the man is busted. He's pleading guilty, yet he's not willing to really accept responsibility for his actions. Just one man's opinion.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the Lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
With the recent news concerning Chris Benoit, I really began thinking about how quickly things can change in life. Specifically, I got to thinking about how someone in a position such as his could fall so fast. As of Sunday, Chris Benoit was a famous WWE Superstar, scheduled to participate in upcoming events. As of Monday, Chris Benoit was dead. As of Monday night, Chris Benoit was one of the most respected superstars in all of sports entertainment. By Tuesday afternoon, the WWE was distancing itself from a steroid abuser and maniacal murderer. Oh how the mighty have fallen!
What could drive such a man to do what Chris Benoit supposedly did? If you listened to any of the interviews given by other superstars, Chris was highly respected as a great human being and an even greater father. Several superstars regaled viewers with touching stories of Benoit bringing his children to the live events, sharing precious moments with his children and his colleagues. How could it all change in an instant? Some say it was steroids, "roid rage" as it’s otherwise known. I just can’t believe that. If you believe what the authorities have said about the murders, you’d also believe that they were the result of anything but rage. I won’t get into the gory details here, but there’s definite evidence of planning there. How could such a loving father plan and execute the slow deaths of his beloved family? Having done a little research, I can say that there is evidence of family problems here. But, even in the light of problems, aren’t there other ways to solve problems besides murder? What would make a man skip all those intermediate steps and go straight to killing his own family? What could lead to the sudden disregard for human life seen here?
It’s a shame that it takes events such as these to force humans to put themselves into the proper perspective. Only after the fact of sudden loss do we choose to realize how precious and fragile life is. Why is that? Why do we take something so basic, yet so essential, as our own existence for granted? If you ask me, I think it’s a result of the consumer-driven culture we live in. People today, in large sums, don’t have to struggle for their own survival. They know where the next meal is coming from (it’s in the fridge, or at Wendy’s!). They know where the roof is that covers their heads. We’ve been blessed and, as such, have forgotten the value of human life. We’ve let that value be replaced with petty pursuits of trivial goods, and when anyone gets in the way of those petty pursuits, we choose the pursuits over the life.
When’s the last time you thought about getting a new car, or HDTV, or the latest video game, or the newest gadget or gizmo from Apple? If you’re an average American, you can probably measure that time in minutes, or maybe hours. Now, when’s the last time you thought about the welfare of someone less fortunate than you? When’s the last time you thought about the homeless guy living under the bridge, or the child in the hospital with some debilitating disease, or the guy at work that seems "just a little off"? If you’re still the average American, and you’re being honest with yourself, it’s probably been awhile. Think about the statement that makes about our society. Think about the future of such a society.
Over the last twenty-four hours, I’ve seen a lot of demonizing Chris Benoit on this site. It’s so easy to just throw a label on someone or something that you can’t understand. That’s what our society has become, a society of labels. But, Chris Benoit is not a monster and this could have been prevented. All it takes is someone to step up, show concern for their fellow man, and offer help. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this tragic incident, and others like it, it’s that we’ve got to do a better job of supporting each other. Instead of running away from, and uselessly labeling, someone you can’t understand, step forward and support that person. Put aside your simple pursuits, if only for a minute. Talk to that person. Try to understand them. Make an effort to help them in some way. Just be a friend. You’ll probably never know just how much your efforts helped that person. You might not ever get rich from helping that person. But, you just might prevent the next Chris Benoit tragedy.
The article is about Peyton Manning and his reward as MVP of the Super Bowl. As MVP, Peyton was given a choice of brand - new vehicles to choose from.
Not to stray too far off topic, but why exactly does Peyton Manning need a new vehicle? Couldn't he afford to go buy one that's exponentially nicer? I think they should donate the car to a fan on behalf of Peyton Manning, but that's another topic for another time.
Now, back to the article. The author of this article chastises Peyton for choosing the gas-guzzling, ozone-depleting, global-warming-increasing, terrorism-supporting Escalade. Apparently, the Escalade only gets 9 miles to the gallon in the city. It also emits lots of greenhouse gases, that are supposedly perpetuating global warming. And, of course, the gas that Peyton buys to fill up his Escalade comes from oil that's drilled from beneath the soil in Iran, which just happens to be the devil's playground.
I'd like to take a look at these allegations, one at a time. I'll start with the idea that Peyton is causing global warming. Alright, the Escalade only gets nine miles to the gallon. I know that my truck has a 21 gallon tank. Seeing as I'm too lazy to look up the actual number, I'll assume the Escalade is comparable and give it a 20 gallon tank. Whipping out my trusty calculator, I can determine that the Escalade can travel roughly 180 miles on a tank of gas, and that's if it's only driven in the city (which happens to be where Peyton works). Those aren't great numbers, but let's think about another point. I'm going to go ahead and assume that the Escalade Peyton won two weeks ago is not his only mode of transportation, just a hunch there. Having at least one other vehicle, and only having to drive to work 5 days a week at most, how often do you think Peyton drives that vehicle? I'd say probably not too much, certainly not enough to chastise him as contributing to global warming.
Next, according to the author, Peyton is contributing to terrorism. He's doing this by filling his tank with 20 gallons of gas, which comes from oil in Iran which, as I mentioned before, happens to be the devil's playground. I'd like to make two points about this claim. First, how does this guy know that the gas Peyton buys is coming from oil in Iran? Last time I checked, we get oil from several countries. Does this guy track Peyton's gas from the moment it comes out of the ground? Does he keep careful records of this? I doubt it. Second, if you're gonna accuse Peyton of supporting terrorism by buying gas, you're gonna have to make that same statement about everyone else (except for this place, of course). Peyton surely isn't the only person buying gas in this country, and I'm sure there are far worse offenders than he.
Basically, this guy's argument is that Peyton is a role model, and as such, he should buy a new Toyota Prius and "make the right statement when you pull up to the RCA Dome". Guess what, I can even poke a hole in that idea. Who's gonna see Peyton "pull up to the RCA Dome" and note his ride? Peyton's a student of the game. I'd be willing to bet he's one of the first guy's at the stadium in the morning, probably well before most of the rest of Indianapolis lifts their heads off the pillows. In addition to that, I've never heard of anyone walking into the Cadillac dealership and saying, "Give me that Escalade. I saw Peyton roll up in one of those, and I just gotta have it!"
Peyton Manning is one of the most clean-cut, charitable, nice guys in football, or any other sport for that matter. Of all the vile, di####able, disgusting things I've heard of athletes doing, this guy's gonna go after Peyton for accepting an award? Some people will complain about anything. Give me a break!
*****THIS POST CAN ALSO BE VIEWED AT THE NEW, ALTERNATE BLOG SITE, WWW.REALSPORTSBLOGGERS.COM, AS CAN MANY OTHER OUTSTANDING POSTS. CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!!!******
1. Wait until the day after the game to complain. This keeps you from looking like too much of a crybaby. It also gives you extra time to think of things to complain about. (I’m seeing some Saints fans in violation of this rule already, which is a shame because they had a season to be proud of.)
2. Don’t talk badly about your team when they look bad in the first half of a big game. They will come back in the second half and win, making you look like a fool. Just keep your mouth shut until the game is over. Then, if they lose, go back to Step 1. If they win, go on to Step 3.
3. If your team wins, talk as much smack as possible to everyone possible. Enjoy it while you can, because your team will inevitably suck next year. (See: 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers).
4. If you’re going to be at the game, know what the hell’s going on down on the field. There’s nothing worse than an ignorant fan who cheers/jeers at the wrong times. At the very least, know which color the home team is.
5. If you’re watching with friends, pay attention to the game. There’s only one thing worse than a fan at home who doesn’t know what’s going on (see Step 4). Talking about American Idol, Survivor, or any other lame reality show will not be tolerated. Talking about the game will be demanded.
6. Keep in mind the phrase, "The teams decide it on the field". This is how sports are played. Two teams engage each other on a field. When your team engages another on a field, and loses, it’s because they were not the better team. Refrain from blaming: the refs, the field, the ball, the crowd noise, or anything else that doesn’t involve the players who played in the game.
****NOTE: This especially applies when your team loses 39-14. They lost by 25 points. It wasn't the refs' fault. Be a big boy and get over it.
7. Stay for the whole game/watch the whole game. Fourth quarter comebacks can only happen in the fourth quarter. Miracle comebacks only happen at the end of the game. If you’re not there, you will miss it. Your friends will make fun of you for leaving early and missing the greatest comeback in team history.
8. Cheer for the underdog, when it doesn’t conflict with your rooting interests. Underdog victories is what makes sports special. There’s a champion every year. But, the underdog champion is the one you’ll talk about for the rest of your life.
9. Don’t jump ship when your team tanks a season. They’ll be back. And you’ll be the guy who didn’t believe in them.
10. No matter what sport it is that you follow, at least make it to one live game. There’s nothing like seeing your favorite team up close and personal.
These are the rules the true fans follow. It’s like anything else. If you want to be a fan, you gotta cheer by the rules!
I've seen some pretty crazy things since I started reading blogs on this site. But, I think today takes the cake. I saw one post saying that LaDanian Tomlinson is over-rated. I assume the author was joking, so I'm laughing at him/her. Otherwise, I'm crying. Another post I saw said the New England Patriots are over-rated. Now, as a Steelers fan, I certainly harbor ill feelings for the Patriots. But, I don't know how anyone could argue that a team that won three Super Bowls in four years is over-rated. So, I'm going to go ahead and assume it was done out of spite.
So, considering these crazy posts, I thought I'd put together a little list of over-rateds myself. Let's see what we've got:
Jason Taylor is over-rated: So what that he nearly beat the Bears by himself? Who cares that his interception against Minnesota sealed the deal? The Dolphins suck. Therefore, anyone on the Dolphins must also suck!
The Bears Defense is over-rated: 12 points per game?? That's like, almost two touchdowns per game. How is that good? 251 yards per game?? Oh my god, how can anyone say that's good?
Peyton Manning is over-rated: 49 touchdowns in one season? HA! I laugh at that! He can't win in the playoffs, so he's garbage.
Adam Vinatieri is over-rated: He's just a kicker. It doesn't matter that he kicks game winning field goals in his sleep. He's just a kicker.
Torry Holt is over-rated: All he does is run fast and catch a football.
Champ Bailey is over-rated: There's no such thing as a "shut-down cornerback". If there was, it certainly isn't him. How would you know? They don't even throw the ball his way!
Yes, LaDanian Tomlinson is over-rated: Geez! He doesn't even play defense.
And, since all these top players are over-rated, the NFL is over-rated: Who would waste ten to twelve hours every Sunday watching this stuff? It's just a bunch of over-rated players.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! (Thanksgiving's not over-rated, is it?)
After a brief hiatus, Check Out These Blogs has returned for another installment. Another vote has been received, so I will highlight the chosen ones. Here they are, in no particular order.
First, we have a post from Cuzzifer. I haven’t highlighted one of his posts until now. But, he definitely deserves it. He’s a unique blogger, with a unique perspective on the sports world. He hails from Wisconsin, and likes to take jabs at the local teams sometimes. But, it’s all in fun.
Let’s check out the post. It’s called, " hey WVU fans...what happened?" As you can probably guess, it’s a jab at WVU and their recent loss to Louisville. Cuz makes light of the fact that several fans have been talking up WVU recently on the blogosphere. These fans brought up WVU’s win over Georgia last year as proof of how good WVU was. Cuz, as do many others, feels that WVU fans have been leaning on that victory since it happened, as the one true sign of WVU greatness. He says that they can lean on that crutch now, since their title dreams have been shattered. Lots of comments have been generated already by this post. So, if you haven’t stopped over yet, stop on by Cuz’s place and leave him a comment.
The next post comes from ShooterB. ShooterB was a finalist in the NGS II competition, but didn't bring enough cowbell to win. He is the chairman of the National Sarcasm Society, as well as the author of the Blogosaurus. Finally, he will read anything, as long as it's well-written. So, put your stuff out there. ShooterB is out there, and he'll be around.
Let's look at the post. It's titled, "The Dreamer". It's about "dream jobs", of a slightly different variety. Two of the "dream jobs" involve working at Tiger Woods' house, because he has a hot, lonely wife. Another good job involves special work with Maria Sharapova. I won't ruin the surprise, so you'll have to stop over to ShooterB's blog and find out for yourself. It's already gotten alot of comments, so I see that many of you have already been there. If you still haven't yet, go check it out. It's a quality post, for sure.
Here's a link to the post: The Dreamer by ShooterB
The last post comes to us from The Sports Intellectual. TSI was around in the very beginning of this site, but hasn't been around for a while. Just recently, he came back with a ####. During his first go-round, TSI quickly gained a reputation for humorous, and intelligent, posts. He gathered quite a following befor e he left. Now that he has returned, his many fans are back to read his work.
Let's look at the post. It is titled, "Former NFL Player Criticizes Today's Game". It's a fictional story about a fictional former NFL player. The former player, Gene Snodgrass, makes fun of today's players, calling them sissies and wimps. He makes fun of "all that equipment" they wear. He criticizes the quarterbacks for sliding on the ground, instead of taking the hit. He pokes fun at domed stadiums, and how they keep the players warm in bad weather. This post is another of TSI's works of humor. He's really good at what he does over there. Go check out his work and leave him a comment. He deserves it.
I am a teacher living in sunny South Florida. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, hence my loyal devotion to all things 'Burgh. I follow the Steelers like they're a religion. My Terrible Towel sits on top of the T.V., just like they did it back in the day. You might say I'm Old School. My favorite sports, in order, are: Football, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer, Basketball (college). I live for fourth quarter comebacks, underdog miracles, and the little guy playing big. You can find me anywhere there's a competition. But, above all, I am a proud American who realizes just how great we have it here.
