I'm Not Saying... Just saying.

I don't want to rain on Josh Hamilton's parade, believe me. His story is inspirational. Overcoming addiction and staying clean is one of the most difficult things a person can do. I applaud him for his efforts and his MVP caliber season this year. His teammates' ginger ale showers after the divisional round and LCS got me a little farklempt to be honest. But methinks he is being treated differently than some other famous athletes who have overcome similar personal demons.

Take Ricky Williams for example. After his suspension for pot and subsequent temporary retirement due to social anxiety, the jokes on talk radio etc. came by the dump truck full. Every Joe Lunchpail in America called him a disgrace and said he should be banned for life. He was a be-dredded, ganja smoking, Rasta punch line. Pause for a moment. Take a breath. Try to imagine a world where Josh Hamiliton is likened to Barney Gumble from the Simpsons in some ham-fisted radio parody. "Throw his drunk ass out the league!" Hard to imagine, right? Why is that? Before you answer, let's look at another comparison.

Ben Roethlisberger rapes two women... ok so they can't prove it and those bitches were probably just looking for money (insert symbol for sarcasm here in case the reader in a nitwit). Perhaps there wasn't enough evidence, but the court of public opinion has convicted celebs for much less. At the very least it reeks of impropriety. As I write he's back after a month long suspension and basically no one gives a crap. Michael Vick comes back from his suspension (if I have to tell you why I don't know why you're reading a sports blog) and every move is scrutinized, every word dissected as if the media were looking for a code word that tells you where the dog fight is going to be.

Now I'm going to just get right to it and if I were Peter King or someone who actually had readers other than my friends I might get crucified. Roethlisberger and Hamiliton are white. Williams and Vick are black. Let's just admit that this type of veiled racism still exists. Perhaps people are doing it subconsciously. Maybe they don't realize why they think the way they think. Personally I hope all four of the athletes I mentioned have learned from their mistakes. As for the media, I don't think they will learn from theirs.

Abolish the All-Star Game

Every All-Star game is useless: The Pro Bowl, MLB and NBA All-Star games, all of them. Some people pine for the days when Pete Rose might end your career in a completely meaningless contest just because he's a jerk like that. Not me.

There is just far too much money and too much at stake in the standings for any of these players to play very hard or very long. I for one can't blame any of them. I think those who do are just asking way too much. I know they get paid millions. I would literally have to work over 500 years at my present salary to make what Amar'e Stoudamire makes in one. But if you were a pro player in any sport, and you were making that kind of scratch would you really risk your present and future earnings or a shot a championships to play in an exhibition game? Or if you were an owner or coach would you want your best player putting his $20 million neck on the line in one of these farces? Thought not.

So why does everyone belly ache so much when the MLB All-Star game is "poorly managed" or Kyle Boller is starting the Pro Bowl because Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are smart enough to stay out of it? In spite of last night's MLB "midsummer classic" counting for home field in the World Series, it was clear that even they don't give a damn. It's really not that important to them and also doesn't seem to make much of a difference when you get to the World Series anyway. In the past seven World Series, since the absurd "this time it counts" started, the NL is 3-4; I would hardly call that a clear home field advantage for the AL. No wonder they don't give a crap. Neither do I.

That is why there should be a break, but no game. Just name the all-star teams at the end of the season along with all the other post season awards.

What?!

I can't believe it. My wife is out. My son is in bed. And I cannot watch the galldern Red Sox game because Fox has the rights to both Red Sox vs. Phillies and Yankees vs. Mets. My TV market gets the Yankees. This has got to be the only game of the year when I can't watch the Sox anywhere, and it's at a time when I could actually sit down and watch the whole thing. Thanks Fox for giving me yet another reason to hate you!!

Update 9:44pm - Dice-K has a no-hitter in the 8th. Ruppert Murdoch, I am going to personally kick your fascist behind.

Update 9:51pm - Dice-K just gave up a single and the no-no is no more. Maybe I'll beat down Murdoch anyway just for fun. That is if I can get past the dogs or the bees or the dogs with bees in their mouths and when they bark they shoot bees at you.

Doesn't Everyone Want to Taser Philly Fans?

So I didn't think that this story would get as big as it has, but if you haven't heard a 17-year old Phillies fan was tasered last night when he ran onto the field at Citizens Bank Park during the eighth inning of a 6-3 Cardinal victory over Philadelphia.

If you haven't seen the video here it is.

The incident seems to have generated a huge debate over the use of force by the officer and whether or not it was appropriate. My opinion would be that the officer was well within the bounds of appropriate force and the reality is the kid probably got off easy being tasered.

Now I've never been tasered and don't every plan on it, but I have been tackled to the ground by a person much larger than myself who was running full speed. That was the likely fate of the streaker even if he had given himself up and fell to his knees with his hands on his head.

I've been at sporting events with streakers and those guards definitely take pleasure in the physical abuse they can levy against a defenseless target. Either way that kid was going to get a little beat up for running onto the field and I don't really think the taser was any worse than what the security guards and officers would have done without the non-lethal device.

Oh and perhaps they should have tasered his father instead. That's when you're suppose to smack your kid upside his head not just stand there.