Bud Selig, Vince McMahon Comparison

Dan Wetzel is comparing MLB and Bud Selig to WWE and Vince McMahon in his latest article for Yahoo! Sports. Intriguing to say the least, my comments will follow the cut-and-paste:

“In the early ’90s, the federal government came into pro wrestling and tried to put Vince McMahon in prison for steroid use of wrestlers,” Jesse Ventura, former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler told the online news program, Your Turn.

“My question is: They’ve now determined 104 baseball players failed their steroid test in 2003 – 104! They indicted Vince McMahon, why aren’t they indicting Bud Selig?”

Bud Selig, Vince McMahon, MLB, WWE, all in the same quote. Ah, what a legacy. Just like wrestling, the last 15 years of baseball saw champions crowned, games won and records broken for reasons other than fair athletic competition.

Baseball hasn’t been an actual sport in years. The guy in charge of what will go down as the game’s worst era since systematic racial discrimination is so conceited he’s trying to claim "don’t blame me, I just run the place".

--

Ventura makes a good point about the feds going after Bud Selig the way they did Vince. Congress breathing down the neck of baseball has always made me think they have better things to do, but if there's a precedent with McMahon and the WWE then by all means follow suit.

Bud Selig is not a likeable guy and does little to help that reputation. His recent comments about taking records away and thinking about punishing offenses from years ago is laughable. You can't make Hank Aaron homerun king again. You can't take away Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire's homerun race. You can't erase the Black Sox scandal. You can't go back to the segregated era and whipe all the records clean because whites didn't play against blacks, and vice versa.

But Bud Selig should only share some of the blame.

Baseball has had 9 designated commissioners over the span of 89 years. From Ford Frick to Bowie Kuhn and Peter Ueberroth, all were part of decades dealing with changes in performance enhancing drugs and all had their chance to institute tougher policies. If any had paid more attention to the Olympic games, we probably wouldn't be at this point.

1960: Olympic cyclist Knud Jensen died after a bicycling accident. Autopsy revealed he was under the influence of amphetamines.
1967: The International Olympic Committee begins to delve deeper into researching and banning performance enhancing drugs.
1988: Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson is stripped of the gold medal after testing positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.
1999: The IOC creates the World Anti-Doping Agency to further battle doping in world sports and improve testing.

With decades of doping happening in world sports, how is it that baseball paid no attention. Whether or not owners or commissioners witnessed juicing first hand is not relevant. They knew it was going on worldwide so what would make you think it wasn't happening in your own league. Bud Selig, former commissioners, owners, and the cheating players who took the drugs are all to blame equally.

None of what's transpired should be erased from the history books. Barry Bonds has the home run record. Asterisk implied.

Apartment Search '09: Update

This incredibly limited square foot area can be all mine with a signature and the first and last month's rent due upfront. The price is more than fair, at $700 and all utilities paid, including cable TV, Internet connection, water, etc;. And to top things off, the city in which this apartment resides was once home to baseball legend, Jeff Kent.

The search continues, however, as I can't come to terms with sleeping in a living room just yet. Stay tuned...

The People vs. George Lucas

It's been 8 days since the last post, giving you plenty of time to catch up on the blogs you missed. You're welcome.

As for today, I'm tuned to the MLB Network awaiting A-Rod's press conference and his orange tinted skin. The conference has yet to start so I'm catching up on some of my bookmarked sites. I found an interesting piece from Nikki Finke's (LA Weekly) blog Deadline Hollywood which highlights an upcoming 2010 documentary, The People vs. George Lucas. Here's the preview:

Welcome Back, Jeff Weaver.

The Dodgers announced today (yes, it's still 2009) that Jeff Weaver has been signed to a minor league deal, with the intentions of him being a relief pitcher. I'm not really sure how to comment, so I'll leave you all with this fun fact via Wikipedia:

"In August, 2003, ebay member "freerangeveal" attempted to sell Weaver on eBay. The auction appeared the day after Weaver gave up 11 runs against the Kansas City Royals. The auction lasted for one day, and the bidding reached the ebay limit and record of $99,999,999.00 before it was removed as against eBay policy."

A-Rod: "I'm a good receiver."

Do not adjust your monitors or television screens, A-Rod really is that orange. Tint aside, I have one observation about the latest on Alex Rodriguez.

You'll see enough of the clips regarding his admission to taking steroids, making a stupid mistake, and apologizing to the fans in Texas. But if you missed the full interview, there was an interesting moment when Gammons asked him about "A-Fraud" and clubhouse banter.

"I'm a good receiver" A-Rod explained when questioned about whether or not players called him A-Fraud in the clubhouse or to his face. He went on to say how he took insults, from Larry Bowa and the like, all in stride and could never dish them out as well as he received them.

With everything you've ever heard about A-Rod, or the perceptions about him from teammates through the media, I don't know how that characteristic helps his clubhouse chemistry. I can agree it probably builds a stronger character to ignore the media's petty comments and just not care about what anyone thinks of you. Obviously, there's not much you could do anyway. But how does that type of non-response work in a clubhouse, when the star player gets dumped on in good fun and doesn't reply in kind. Is it because he really doesn't care what they think, or does he really just lack that type of quick wit response. Clubhouse banter is never meant to be serious, but I do wonder if he takes at least some of it to heart.

5 Things You Should Know About Adam Morrison

1. Likes Tecmo Superbowl, Rage Against the Machine, and books about Che Guevara.
2. Is never afraid to show some emotion.
   
3. Idolizes Larry Bird, and other tall weird looking white guys like Dirk Nowitzki.
4. Described by Yahoo! Sports fact page as "huge disappointment for 2 1/2 seasons".
   
5. Has all the pressure on his shoulders to live up to the former Laker legend who wore #35, Mark Madsen.

UPDATE: IEC contributor The Other Pride of Inglewood is reporting that Adam will not be wearing 35. Instead, he will dawn jersey #6. Now the expectations are even greater, having to live up to the legend that was Eddie Jones. Good luck!

IEC Returning This Week

We're back.



A cool $10 was spent getting Centerfold played at the piano bar inside New York, New York in Las Vegas. It was actually $30, but the other $20 came from a Kings of Leon fan. It's a long story. The fact that most people throw down $20, $50, or even $100 to get their crappy (Pearl Jam) songs played made it a surreal moment. Those guys are incredibly talented.

Other than that brief victory, Vegas kept the majority of my money. The rest went to an anonymous asshole (Mario) who called my great hand of 2 pairs, queens and nines, and beat them with a straight.

Anyways, IEC is back. And yes, I'm going all in.

Breaking News: IEC On Hiatus!

When the sound of a laminated 3 by 2 business card is heard slapping the palm of a hand on every street corner, you just might be in Las Vegas.

When the sounds of jackhammers fill the air as concrete dust flows above your head in every direction, you just might be in Las Vegas.

When the smell of jello shots made with all the colors of the rainbow fills every casino entrance doorway, you just might be in Las Vegas.

Infinite Et Cetera returns on February 2nd, 2009. Arrivahderchie

(Please reply to this post with the date of your birth so that it can be bet on at Roulette. Winnings will be divided evenly, so good luck!)

Super Bowl XLIII: Prediction Explosion

As promised, here are your guaranteed winning bets for Super Bowl XLIII.

• Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers by 9 points, beating the 7 point spread.
  
• Score: 31-22
• Coin flip: Tails
• Leader at the half: Cardinals, by 3 points.
• First Touchdown Scored By: Cardinals
• First Wide Receiver To Catch A Pass: Larry Fitzgerald
• Super Bowl MVP: Larry Foote, Pittsburgh Steelers

There you have it. Feel free to reply in the comments section with the total amount of your winnings and how much you plan on sharing with me.

What To Mute

Armani is a model from Sydney, Australia. According to modelgraphy.com, her turn-ons include dark sexy eyes and people that are down to earth.

Thanks to ESPN, you've heard her Jim Beam "The Girlfriend" commercial about a dozen times when you should have only just seen it a dozen times.

Mute.

Michael Eve - January 24th

Michael Eve should not to be confused with Christmas Eve (day before Christmas), Daniel Eve (day before Danielmas), Abel Eve (day before Abelmas), or even David Eve, Carlos Eve, Chita Eve, Noe Eve, Victor Eve or Mario Eve (days before Davidmas, Carlosmas, Chitamas, Noemas, Victormas, and Mariomas).

Michael Eve is also not this guy:

No. Michael Eve is the day before the birth of Michael (or MikeO if said quickly/cutely). It is a grand holiday that prepares you for the let down that is Michaelmas. It is a day in which the celebrated one works tirelessly helping consumers decide which Dynex memory card reader to buy only to be rewarded later with an endless bounty of Swedish Fish and Aquafina. Michael Eve is also shared with Alicia Keys Eve, as both are celebrated similarly (replace Swedish Fish and Aquafina with Sour Patch Kids and Vitamin Water).

Several celebreties were born on Michael Eve, including Mike Awesome, Yakov Smirnoff, Neil Diamond, John Belushi, Tatyana Ali (Ashley!), Tom Kostopoulus, and Scott Kazmir.

No gifts are prepared or wrapped. No coasters are used and no gyros are eaten.

Instead, those participating in the holiday may simply adhere to the following:

• Watch at least 10 minutes of any Back to the Future movie
  
• Browse some sports websites or tech-savy blogs
• Find out if that girl you like is working at Trader Joe's today
  
• Drink something of coldish consistency

Happy Michael Eve you fucks!

Saturday Salesman: Volume 2

Welcome to Volume 2 in our Saturday Salesman series. Each Saturday we'll find a few videos that have to do with selling a product, sales in general, or just some mildly entertaining commercials I've been obsessed with. Enjoy...

Salem Cigarettes


Ichiro Selling Bugles


Bendaroos


Bonus!: Totino's Pizza Rolls Commercial

Japan + Mario Bros. + YouTube

I have no introduction, explanation, or comment for the following video from Japan:

Snak Club Peach Rings: Good Source of Carbohydrates

You can get 70% of your daily sugar allotment from one giant bag of Peach Rings.

Clear Channel: (Not) Feelin' You!

Clear Channel has made some big changes at Fox Sports Radio, and a lot of them were done in Los Angeles.

The Loose Cannons is no more. Mychal Thompson was booted from the trio and there's still no word as to whether or not he'll still be covering Laker games at their new home, ESPN 710. Clear Channel is adding Chris Myers (of FOX Saturday Baseball) with Steve Hartman and Vic Jacobs and sending that show nationwide. This probably means the end of Vic "The Brick" Jacobs as I'm sure the entire country will not embrace "Feelin' You!" the way people in Los Angeles have.

Petros & Money still have their gig, but they too will be going nationwide and replace the spot formerly held by Andrew Siciliano and Krystal Fernandez. I'm happy for Petro because he's a good on-air personality and probably highlights the best show on KLAC right now, but he admits to favoring local broadcasting over national because he's all about So Cal. If you've heard him and Money fill in for Rome during the holidays, I'm sure it won't be too bad, but we will miss out on a lot more local stories and breaking news.

The worst part of all the changes, though, is the axing of Ben Maller (again). He hosted the nightly show here in Los Angeles when I was in high school, then got fired, then was rehired for the third shift on Fox some time after. Maller puts on a great show and can handle a good balance of local talk with national topics. He used to bring up things I'd heard earlier on Howard Stern so that was kind of cool. Plus he's probably the biggest Dodger fan on sports talk radio so you always got balanced opinions.

Thanks to SportsByBrooks for the news, for more click here.

Consumer Alert: We Have Learned Nothing

At $34 million dollars, and about $10 a ticket, that's more than 3 million tickets sold.

1% of the entire U.S. population made Paul Blart Mall Cop #1 this weekend.

Great.

Saturday Salesman: Volume 1

Welcome to Saturday Salesman's video highlights, volume one. Each Saturday I will provide 2 to 3 videos that will help further your career and improve your salesmanship practices. Enjoy.

Flex-O-Ladder


Larry David, Car Salesman

Without It, Your Research Papers Would Still Be Incomplete

On this day eight years ago, Wikipedia was born.

It seems like only yesterday you could make up fake entries using your friend's names and they'd go weeks (maybe a month) without going noticed and then eventually getting deleted.

Mr. Belvedere, California Dreams: Get Your Pre-Order Dollars Ready.

Finally. (Again).

Remember when I blessed all of you with news of a Blossom DVD release date? My friend, thou art blessed twice more with news from a websiteth most fair.

First, Mr. Belvedere - Seasons 1 & 2, will be released on March 17th, 2009. Relive all of your favorite episodes with play-by-play episode commentary done by the legendary Bob Uecker. Who could forget episode 14, "The Contract". Kevin agrees to sign a contract stating that he will call George and Marsha if he drinks too much at his Junior prom and they promise not to be upset. He ends up getting wasted and is forced to confront the problem he attempted to mask with alcohol: his undying love for Mr. Belvedere. Fuck yeah!

And just when you thought you were done shopping, California Dreams - Seasons 1 & 2 will be released on March 24th, 2009, just one week after Mr. Belvedere's release. Are you kidding me? If you ever doubted the existence of Jesus, smote yourself. Smote anyone who gets in the way of you spending $44.99 on 31 classicly classic episodes (yes, it will be that much and yes, it will be worth it). From the friendships to the fights, the girls and the bullies, California Dreams is practically a documentary of what high school was like for all of us.

Don't wake me up...

Stuff White People Like

I figure it's a good thing to be late on anything Internet-mania related. It gives you ample time to sort through what's good (Chocolate Rain, I like turtles) and what's bad (Use of the word "fail", "epic", or the very douchey "epic fail"). If you're one of the first hundred people to find out about that talking cats video on YouTube, you are not someone I'd like to know.

Stuff White People Like is another Internet extravaganza I showed up late to. The title is self explanatory, and the author is fairly gifted when it comes to the funny business. I've been visiting the site every other day since rediscovering it and have come to learn that it is incredibly accurate.

On the list: Girls With Bangs, Mos Def, Black Music that Black People Don't Listen To Anymore, The Onion, Being Excessively Early For Events, Classes, Meetings, Work, Parties, Etc;. That's just a taste of all the things I was checking off.

One thing I didn't check off but can admit to hearing others mention was this: Being The Only White Person Around: (excerpt) "In most situations, white people are very comforted by seeing their own kind. However, when they are eating at a new ethnic restaurant or traveling to a foreign nation, nothing spoils their fun more than seeing another white person."

While there are some things I know are not limited to white people liking (Sweaters, Bumper Stickers, Music Piracy) and things I know that this white person does not like (Facebook, Pea Coats, Hummus), the site is well written and very informative for those of you non-Whites looking to get a further look into what drives the 'Caucs.

Sidenote: Can we get someone to update Stuff Mexican People Like?

The Strike Is Over

I've reached an agreement with my sponsors (Snuggie/Shamwow), so you'll be happy to know the strike is over. It's back to blogging and you couldn't be more excited. But before things get rolling with new stuff, here's my web highlight from today (from theonion, of course):
__

This Short Story About A School Shooting Is Actually Pretty Good

Being a 10th-grade English teacher can be frustrating. I work hard to help my students improve their writing, but when it comes time to sit down and grade their assignments, I'm often left wondering why I bother. Once in a while, though, a student hands in something that is an absolute delight to read.

A student like Brian Petersen, who wrote an incredible short story about a deadly school shooting and how nobody picked up on all the warning signs until it was too late.

It's just fantastic!

Sure, I might expect something this good from one of my more advanced students, but Brian? He's so quiet and withdrawn. To be honest, I was surprised to see him show up for school at all, let alone write such a good story. I guess that'll teach me to underestimate a pupil just because he seems very secretive and completely alienated from the rest of his peers.

Still, what a superb piece of fiction!
_____

Click here for the entire piece.

Everybody Do The "El Duque"

While we're all in the baseball mood, the following are highlights from some recent arbitrary searches on YouTube, courtesy of the AL East:

The El Duque


'94 Orioles


Lyle Overbay - Wedding / Game Time


Bonus!: Raymond vs. Wally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB_SYByPj1Q

Talkin' Baseball

Scooter, we hardly knew ye.

The article regarding Scooter the talking baseball and his current whereabouts will not be published tonight (postponed until March). Instead, here's a take on a few things baseball related that have happened so far in the oh-nine.

• The MLB Network: Finally, a place where baseball analysts come together in a field replica studio somewhere in Seacaucus, New Jersey. Bob Costas led things off with an interview with Don Larsen and Yogi Berra, and surprisingly we havn't seen the Costas since. I expected he'd be in as many segments as possible considering his history and love for the game. Without him, we're treated to hourly hot stove updates featuring Al Leiter's pupil-less eyes, Tom Verducci's Danny Tanner smile, and Barry Larkin's neverending forehead. Ken Burns showed up in that weird haircut, but has blessed the network with the okay to air his specials from PBS. Everything was going great until they held batting practice in studio 42 with BJ Upton...

• JC Romero Suspended 50 Games: If you can forget about him being a stupid Phillie, you'll be just as outraged as the rest of us regarding this suspension. Apparently he wanted to use a supplement from GNC, made sure the supplement was approved by MLB, took the supplement, then was told by the MLB that they made a mistake about it being approved and said it was illegal. Oups! More about this story here.
  
• Travis Hafner Cleared To Begin Hitting Soon: Three words; look out Barry.
• Original Angels Rally Monkey Dies Of Heart Failure: Just kidding.
  
• Charlie Steiner Off Dodgers TV Broadcast: This story flew by pretty fast, but Steiner will only be doing the radio broadcast of Dodger games outside of the NL West division. His replacement has yet to be named, but the rumor from my sources (the internet) were pointing towards Jeanne Zelasko. She's already expressed interest in the job. She's also married to this guy:

Consumer Alert: We Are Still Idiots

This is real.



If you ever wanted to start a cult and keep all of your members warm, getsnuggie.com.

2009: Year In Review.

The sooner the better.

Forget 2009. 2010 will be the only real way to start a new. I'll need everyone's help in not doing anything of importance in 2009 and save it for just another 364 days. Try not to get married, win the lottery, or run in to Lamar Odom at Ralph's.

Stay away from trying new foods or listening to new music. Definitely don't visit any new places, make new friends, or have any surgeries.

Let's get this decade over with, together.