(sob, sob) Leave A-Rod Alone!!!!

Oh my God!!! Alex Rodriguez is the first baseball player that has ever cheated!!!!

Seriously. Alex Rodriguez has admitted that from 2000 -2003, he took steroids. He cheated while playing the game of baseball. Well, A-Rod...get in line.

I find it extremely ridiculous that such a fuss is being made about this story. The government is getting involved!!! Miguel Tejada could get a year in jail for perjury before Congress. Perjury is a terrible thing and very much a crime. But (I'm gonna shout here) WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!! Don't our lawmakers have better things to do like, oh I don't know, fixing the economy!!!!

If A-Rod, Miguel Tejada and even Barry Bonds are guilty of taking steroids, they are therefore guilty of cheating and because of this may never make it to the Hall of Fame (hall of fame induction is determined by a vote by the sportswriters of America). Well, if that is the case, then kick out Gaylord Perry too. You don't know who Gaylord Perry is? Well, allow me to enlighten you.

Gaylord Perry was a fat, bald headed man that pitched in the 60's, 70's & even a little in the 80's. He had his best years with San Francisco and Cleveland and won 314 games in his career. He, obviously, is in the hall of fame. He even wrote a book "Me and the Spitter" in which he depicted all of the different ways in which he cheated. By the way, throwing a spitball (a baseball with a little extra lubricant on it, i.e. spit, vasoline, etc) and throwing a scuffed ball (a baseball which has been scuffed or cut along its smooth surface to affect the way it breaks or curves) is against the rules. In other words, it is cheating...just like taking steroids is cheating. Believe me, if steroids had existed in the 60's, 70's & 80's, guys like Gaylord Perry would have gobbled them up like a bag o' Skittles.

So the next question becomes: Are there varying degrees of cheating? Is one form of cheating worse than others? I think not. Cheating is cheating, no matter how you slice it. Giving oneself an unfair advantage is always cheating...and it is always wrong.

It seems to me that the major villain here is technology and science. Alex Rodriguez did not invent steroids just as Gaylord Perry did not discover the spitball. Steroids are where we are at today. And I would venture to say that if were going to be this extreme about the topic, then wouldn't contact lenses or eye glasses be a "performance enhancing" material? I mean steroids make you stronger, right? Don't contact lenses make you see better?

Bottom line for me is two-fold: First, I can take steroids from now until the year 2012 and I still wouldn't be able to hit a 95 mph fastball. That crap is hard!!!! And there is no proof that steroids makes you a better hitter, just a stronger hitter. You still gotta hit the ball!!! And it has been scientifically proven and documented by Dr. Michio Kaku, the Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, (hey, I don't screw around) that it is impossible for the naked eye to actually see a baseball traveling at 100 mph. It cannot be done. The eye sees the ball leave the pitchers hand and the brain interprets how and where the ball will travel. So, I reiterate, no amount of steroids is gonna help you be able to do that. You either got it (the ability to hit a baseball traveling at extremely fast speeds) or you don't.

Secondly, taking steroids is cheating and players who take steroids must be disciplined for their actions. But no more so than those who throw a spitter...or cork a bat...or put the pine tar too high on their bat. All of these things are against the rules and all should be punished...equally.

So again I say "Leave A-Rod alone"! And get the government out of the game. And Commissioner Bud Selig? Grow a set of , um, balls and quit playing "baseball - the political game" and start playing "baseball - America's game".

What the heck have you done lately?

Rick out.

Old School Abbey

I just wanted to thank the guys from Old School Abbey for being so cool and for hangin' out with us the morning (2-13-09).  Matt, Nick, Dave, Matt & Leo are awesome and I'm so glad they are my friends.  The fact that they make great music...bonus!  If you liked their first album "A Girl Like You", then you are gonna love the new one "Only A Dream".  Good luck and much success guys...you deserve it!

What the heck have you done lately

A few of my favorite things

I have always felt that one great way to find out about a person is to know about some of their favorite things. As far as their view of the world, I could care less. What kind of cereal do you love? That's way more informative. Besides, ask practically anyone if they watch tv and I promise you the majority will say something like, "I really don't watch a lot of television, but when I do it's usually on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel" when you and I both know their butt is addicted to Springer.

So anyway, I figured I'd go ahead and let y'all into my kitchen. Without any further hesitation, here are a few of my favorite things:

ENTERTAINMENT & THE LIKE

Favorite movie Wanted
Favorite TV Show Monk
Favorite Band Oingo Boingo
Favorite Album/CD "Nothing to Fear" by Oingo Boingo
Favorite Actor Johnny Depp
Favorite Actress Angelina Jolie
Favorite Cartoon Magilla Gorilla
Favorite Animated Movie Beauty & The Beast
Favorite Show That I Shouldn't Like But Do Ned's Declassified School Guide (Nickelodeon)
Favorite Video Game Eternal Darkness

FOOD & DRINK

Favorite Breakfast Eggs (over medium) with corned beef hash, sausage patties & wheat toast
Favorite Cereal Cap'n Crunch
Favorite All-Time Food Hot dogs
Favorite Dinner Spaghetti & meatsauce with tons of cheese
Favorite Restaurant Acapulco Mexican Grill
Favorite Fast Food White Castle
Favorite Food That Freakin' Kills Me But I Love It Sushi w/ a good amount of wasabe (clears the sinuses and oh it hurts so good)
Death Row Last Meal Tommy's chiliburger & chili fries with double chili and cheese on both (available in California)
Favorite Drink Diet Coke
Favorite Beer Rolling Rock
Favorite Cocktail Whiskey Sour
Favorite Wine Eco Domani Pinot Grigio

SPORTS
Favorite Sport Baseball
Favorite Team The Oakland Athletics
Favorite Athlete Mark McGwire
Favorite Ballpark Dodger Stadium
Favorite Ballpark Specific Food The Dodger Dog

GENERAL

Favorite Color Black
Favorite Season Fall
Favorite City Los Angeles
Favorite Car any pre-74 Cadillac
Favorite Subject in School Literature
Favorite Author John Steinbeck
Favorite Power Ranger Kimberly

Well, I'm running out of stuff. Anyway, take that for what it's worth (a quarter). I would love to see other people's lists. Please feel free to respond with A Few Of Your Favorite Things.

What the heck have you done lately

Rick out

And the Oscar goes to...

Well, I can't say just yet. Anyone who knows me knows that I love movies...and I'm obsessive compulsive, so I make a lot of lists. I list everything...I keep track of things like books I've read and movies I've seen, etc. I've tried to stop, but that just makes Lola's life hard. My current "Must See Videos" list (that's really what I call it) has 405 titles on it dating by to 2003. I will see them all, God willing and the creek don't rise. I systematically cross them off my list as I've seen them. The last movie I was able to cross off of my list is "Smart People" starring Dennis Quaid & Sarah Jessica Parker. It was pretty dull. Next on my list: "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay". I'm really looking forward to it. So now you know how I revere movies and kinda how I watch movies, you should realize that I do intend to see all 5 (a good number, by the way) and so far I've seen 3. I have yet to see "Milk" with Sean Penn or "The Reader" with Kate Winslet. So, of the 3 I have seen, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Frost/Nixon" & "Slumdog Millionaire", I will tell you that if "Benjamin Button" wins Best Picture, I will leap in disgust from the New River Gorge Bridge. How did that movie get nominated for Best Picture? Have you seen it? It is so DULL!!!! It is a movie that really wants to be "Forrest Gump" but just isn't that interesting. I couldn't wait for this movie to end so I could smoke!!! The Academy loves movies that pretend to be epic and in this case...mission accomplished.

"Frost/Nixon". I saw this movie last Thursday night, the last night it was showing at the Galleria 14. For 2 hours and 16 minutes, I was in a spell. This movie grabs you and holds on for dear life. I loved this movie!!! I was born in 1965 so I was indeed alive when the interviews actually occurred, I was a mere tot more interested in baseball cards and riding my bike, so I do not remember the interviews firsthand, but God I wish I did. This movie is mesmerizing!!! First and foremost, a great movie (and I would consider this a great movie) must have a compelling story and interesting characters. They don't have to be likable, but they do have to be interesting. The characters of David Frost and Richard Nixon achieve that goal. And the acting is first rate!!! The film moves quickly and doesn't drag at all. If it were to win I would be satisfied. On Friday, I went to see "Slumdog Millionaire". You know how when everybody raves about how great something is and you just want to hate the hell out of it? Well, I went to see "Slumdog" with every intention of telling everybody how much it sucked and how the Academy was a bunch of irrelevant old farts. I cannot do that. "Slumdog Millionaire" is a great movie!!! It's fast paced, interesting with great amounts of tension and suspense. About 20 minutes in, I realized that I was watching a really, really good movie. I even texted Lola to tell her what she was missing (I went alone, which I often do). I would totally be fine with "Slumdog" picking up Best Picture. If you haven't seen it, don't let the fact that it is a Bollywood film ( the term used for the incredibly popular Indian, the country not the opposite of cowboy, movie industry. This is just a great movie and I highly recommend you see it while it's still showing at the Galleria 14. So, if "Frost/Nixon" or "Slumdog Millionaire" were to win Best Picture, I would be stoked. let's see if I feel the same way after I see "Milk" and "The Reader". Tomorrow's subject: These are a few of my favorite things. Future posts will include what it's like to have OCD and "People, People piss me off" as well as bands and artists that are great that you may not know about, I.e. The Phunk Junkeez. Hey, this blogging is kinda fun. I will leave you with a favorite quote from the movie wanted, edited for sensitive eyes, "What the heck have you done lately?"