This is a sad time. However, I have been thinking a lot about why this death is more sad than that of anyone else. Death is a very natural thing. We all feel loss when someone close to us passes, but for the majority, if not all, of people reading this, none were close to Michael Jackson personally. Those of us in the 30-50 year-old range feel a great loss because a significant part of our childhood was just ripped away. We have never known a time when Michael Jackson wasn’t alive and in our faces. His music has been the soundtrack to many parts of our own lives. We are mourning the loss of our own innocence today, just like many of our parents and grandparents felt when Elvis died. I think this is something that every generation has to endure in order to truly grow up.

I also think growing up sorta sucks.

Thanks to EFF minilinks!

Ousted rap group returns to Austin nightclub, opens fire

I didn’t think rappers were allowed in Austin…

Sacramento Kings forward Donte Green saves a drowning woman.

“A woman onboard was pulling up the ladder when the driver put the boat in gear, Green said. She flew off the back, into the chilly waters.”

“I honestly don’t even think I was thinking — I was just reacting,” he said about jumping in after her. “I was pretty confident in my swimming abilities.”

I have a feeling he wouldn’t have had to do that if T-Pain had been on the boat.

Original Story: http://www.kcra.com/sports/19594781/detail.html

Carlos Zambrano gets to sit at home and think about what he did for six days.

Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was suspended six games and fined $3,000 by Major League Baseball for his meltdown during his team’s 5-2 win over the Pirates on Wednesday.

Original Story: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/05/28/zambrano.suspension/index.html?cnn=yes

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/05/28/nigeria.death.united.barcelona/index.html

At least there is a group of fans more douchey than Cubs fans…

According to this story, Carlos Zambrano gets very cranky when he doesn’t get his way.

Carlos Zambrano went wild in a ball-tossing, bat-swinging tirade after being ejected, and was gone when Reed Johnson hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning that sent host Chicago over Pittburgh.

Well, I just saw that Prop 8 in California, banning gay marriage, was upheld. Great. Good job, assholes.

I could write something big on this, but I’m not going to. Here’s all I’ll write. You Christians have a big boner for not allowing gays to marry. You use the argument that marriage is a religious, Christian ceremony and sacrament, and a lot of you support “civil unions” instead. However, none of you get uptight about Muslims, Jews, or anyone else marrying, as long as it is a man and a woman. In that respect, you have no problem allowing someone who does not believe in your god to get married. But, isn’t a sin a sin (I’m not saying homosexuality is a sin, just trying to speak in your Christian-speak)? Shouldn’t you be trying to pass laws that prevent non-believers from getting married as well? For example, I’m married to a woman, and I think either Jesus was full of shit, or the assholes that handed down his story are full of shit. Either way, I’m probably a sinner in your eyes. Should I also not be allowed to be married? The fact of the matter is, marriage and the definition of marriage based on your arguments is a religious issue, and given that our nation is founded on religious freedom, you are trampling on the rights of every same-sex couple that wishes to get married. They deserve to be able to do so.

You fucking people make no sense. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to condone it, you don’t have to allow it to be performed in your church, but you have to allow same-sex couples to marry, because it is their fucking right to do so.

Editor’s Note: I wrote this a while ago, just now getting around to posting it

I recently heard someone muse that the Chicago Cubs bring in a huge revenue stream, win or lose, and so it doesn’t really matter if they win, or if they show any class. Conversely, the Saint Louis Cardinals have to win to keep their fans happy and continue bringing in money. If money is all baseball is to the Cubs and their fans, then they’re worse than I thought.

Let’s talk about the numbers. First, we can discuss attendance. The Cardinals have achieved an attendance over 3 million 9 out of the last 10 seasons, with the off year being 2003 when they had an attendance of 2.9 million. Two seasons, 2005 and 2007, they hit over 3.5 million in paid attendance. For the cubs, they have only seen attendance of 3 million since 2004 (Cards first 3 million year was 1989). Average attendance from 1998 through 2008 was 3.2 million per season for the Saint Louis Cardinals, and 2.9 million per season for the Chicago Cubs^[1]. That being said, the Chicago Cubs only post a slightly higher revenue than the Cardinals, probably due to blind merchandise purchases from rabid fans, and have only slightly higher operating cash ^[2].

I will agree it’s amazing that such a shitty choke-fest of a team with such crappy fans can make that much cash.

My dislike of the Cubs has little to do with the team itself anyway. I like Chicago. I’ve liked several players for Chicago. I love Harry Caray (BTW, the Cardinals had him first). I really take issue with the fans. Here are a few reasons:

1. I’ve been physically assaulted by several Cubs fans completely unprovoked. Just for wearing Cardinals clothing. One of these times is when I was 7 and had beer thrown on me by an adult Cubs fan at Busch Stadium.

2. Carlos Zambrano. Only player from the Cubs I’ve ever *really* disliked. He’s a whiney hothead. I don’t care how good of a pitcher he is. Punching your catcher is never called for unless that dude is trying to assault you himself. And the fans still support him, after he assaulted another player.

3. Hurricane Ike. A hurricane hits Houston. I can handle that. Stupid commissioner moves series to Wrigley North (Milwaukee). Bullshit, but I can handle it. When the Astros get there, they are booed every time they take the field. People are holding signs that say “I Like Ike” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane”. I guess you fuckers thought that was funny, but come down here and live through a hurricane and tell me if it’s fucking funny.

Cubs fans have shown me time and time again that they are some of the most classless people on the planet. I’ve never disliked a sports organization this much (The Utah Jazz might come close, though). I mean, it’s sports, who cares, right? That shows exactly the level of vitriol that Cubs fans put out. I don’t understand the negativity towards other teams, guys. Especially since your team hasn’t won shit in 100 years, and hasn’t even had the chance to win anything for 63.

Stay classy, Chicago. You have another 100 years of frustration to take out on 7-year olds and hurricane victims.

References:
1. ballparksofbaseball.com - http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/attendance.htm
2. Forbes - The Business of Baseball http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/33/biz_baseball08_The-Business-Of-Baseball_Revenue.html

I saw a Caprice Classic with a rusted out body and smoke coming from its tailpipe today on I-10. On its back window, painted in that orange paint that teenage girls use to paint uplifting phrases on the car driven by a player from their high school sports team, when she/he goes to a tournament and does so much, or less, winning, were the words:

“Chernobyl 04-26-86 Never Forget”