The NLCS

Let's get one thing out of the way, I am American League baseball fan. It is not because I think the Designated Hitter is the greatest thing since sliced bread (though who wants to see most pitchers hit?), but more because I happen to root for an American League team. I watch far more American League games then I do National League games because of this. I do however have a fair amount familiarity with the National League because of fantasy baseball.

With all that said, can we please stop saying "that no one saw the Arizona Diamond Backs or the Colorado Rockies coming." If you spent even five seconds looking at a projection system before the season started, you would know that both teams had a really good shot a making the playoffs. A great deal of that is predicated on the fact that pretty much everyone expected the N.L. central to be a salute to mediocrity again. Guess what, it was. Sure the Brewers had a pretty good year, but honestly I kind of expected that as well.

Both the Rockies and the Diamond Backs have been stock piling young up and coming talent for the last 3-7 years. It isn't surprising that young talent eventually matured into great major league talent. I would argue that it was inevitable. So please I am begging the talking heads to stop acting as if we should all be SHOCKED AND AMAZED that two smaller market teams made the NLCS. Also if they could stop talking about how MLB and TBS are pissed that two smaller market teams are in the NLCS that would be great as well. God forbid people watch the game solely because it is the best team sport there is. ..

On a side note: Sure my Red Sox have a huge pay roll, but don't act like we didn't get huge contributions from our farm system as well.

This is home.

I am without a doubt one of the biggest homers you could ever meet. I will sit around an extol the virtues of Memphis to whomever will listen. It is my childhood home. It is the place were I decided what I would do when I grew up. It is the site of my first kiss. It is the site of my first heart break. It is the site of the place where I first landed a varial over a set of stairs. It is also the place I left with both middle fingers waving back at it.

During my six years away from this town I learned and saw more things then I can possible put into words. I was convinced that Memphis was the worst city on the face of the Earth. I can't express how wrong I was to even entertain such thoughts. This town has more potential and character then most others I have visited.

We just recently had our city elections, which lead to all kinds of negative hype about the city. Most of the arguments you hear against the city are true. There is a great deal of crime. There is a huge separation between the races and the rich and the poor. It is a very difficult city to move to and meet new people. It is anything but pedestrian friendly.

I cannot argue with any of those statements. All I can do is try. So from now on, I am going into "Super Posi" mode. I am refusing to be one of the Memphians who talks bad about their city all the time. I am going to pimp its virtues. I ask those in all cities to join me in the act of stopping people from tearing down their cities and instead attempt to build them up.

On race relations

Top 5 things that I hate in no particular order

1) When the whiskey bottle is empty and there is no more in the house.
2) The fact that most of my favorite bands have broken up, and I am faced with a lack of new music to choose from.
3) When people try to tell me that I am not black enough, or that they are more black then I am, despite the fact that they are white.
4) My dog eating the stuffing out of the couch.
5) Living in suburbia and the long drive from the bar it entails.

Actually all of those things except two and three are pretty much bullshit, and don't bother me all that much. So lets address number 3.

The other night I am out at some rock show with friends, when a drunk acquaintance of mine comes up and starts rambling on about various non-sensical topics. At some point during this conversation the fellow turns to me, and proclaims that he is in fact FAR more Black then I am. This a person who I believe to be of more or less Irish and German descent, and I am not talking about the Black Irish either.

Please allow me to go ahead and set the record straight on this topic once and for all. Pay close attention. If you fall into the category of the person mentioned above, no matter how many hip hop records you buy, no matter how many Spike Lee films you watch, no matter how much you attempt to hide your natural speech pattern, you will never (repeat NEVER) be more Black then I am.

Being Black isn't about fitting into some sort of stereo-typo that was mostly conceived through some sort of false advertising. It's a mind set to be sure, but step one to being Black, is to have the skin town to back up your claim. Not saying you can't be one of the "light skinded brothers", but you certainly cant be 99% German either.

Web Comics Redux

I am in the middle of testing out code that takes about three hours to run. I could fill that time by doing all sorts of mind numbing things that I don't enjoy, or I could bring some joy into the lives of my readership. I personally prefer the later as opposed to the former. I did some true Internet surfing for the first time in awhile and stumbled across some new stuff.

There is a new Copper comic out. I am can't express how happy this makes me.
I discovered this comic (Octopus Pie) today while looking around on the Bolt City site.
David sent me to this site featuring some pretty rocking art as well.
Ugly Hill may be my new favorite comic.

Let's see... I feel like I should give you more. I have had some thoughts of substance as of late, but I can never really decide on a way to serve them up for mass consumption. Not that anyone actually reads this blog... So how about a quick brain dump?

Changing the world is a daunting and scary task. You are not going to be able to simply draw up a road map to take you from Point A to Point B. It doesn't work like that, and nor should it. Choose an area that you can improve upon and work to improve it. If everyone does that, we are going to be just fine.

Why exactly does MLB wish to speak to Jay Gibbons but it doesn't want to speak to Rick Ankiel or Troy Glaus? This makes little to no sense. Is it because Gibbons is not a very good player and Ankiel and Glaus are? Why are people not as out raged about this as they were about Jason Giambi or Barry Bonds? Has the bar been lowered that much? I am going to choose to hope it has not been. If it has been, we may be seeing my last days as a sports fan. While were talking about Performance Enhancing Drugs, (can we please for the love of all that is holy and right in the Universe come up with another name for them?) I don't mind the double standard as it relates to drug use between baseball and football as long as we are held to a higher standard.


cheers!

Information security

By now we have established that I work in IT, and am nothing more then a reluctant (yet enthusiastic) geek. A large portion of my day is spent talking about various security flaws in code and other applications. It seems you cant walk more then ten feet without hearing someone tell you about this great new security protocol they have created. I have no true point here other then to make a small statement. MOST INTERNET SECURITY IS A JOKE. It is impossible to make anything perfectly secure. Please by all means keep trying, but don't you dare try and tell me you did it because I will call you a liar to your face.

cheers

I take it back.

I have long held the belief that You Tube is worthless, and for that I was wrong. I have never had much interest in the things that people have sent me from You Tube, but recently I discovered something about You Tube that I am in love with. I can watch old skateboard videos whenever I want, and I can watch videos of my favorite bands that I never saw. I don't have a long post to make about this because there is simply nothing more to say, but I will now leave you with links to some things that I have truly enjoyed. Be warned that the sound quality on some these isn't the best but it's still good stuff. Without further adieu the links:

Best of Rodney Mullen
Jake Brown

Torches to Rome
City of Caterpillar
Yaphet Kotto
Reversal of Man
Orchid

This final link is of a band who I hung out with a great deal, and traveled about the west coast with. I love these kids. I am pretty sure I am somewhere at this show.

The Spirit of Versailles

I am sorry but we have to break up.

It's not you it's me... I mean I just think I need something more. I have really enjoyed the time we have spent together, but it just feels like it might be time to move on. It's nothing that you did per se, but more of what you didn't do. See Charles, I loved Post Office and Women. They were wonderful, they made me feel not so bad about my drinking( b/c I am clearly no where near as bad as you). It's just...well...like Woody Allen, you just don't bring anything new to the table from book to book. Look I know there are people out there who love reading about being drunk, never holding down a job, and sleeping with tons and tons of women, but I am simply not one of them. Mayhaps we will meet again one day in your poetry, but dearest Charles, I think Fac-to-tum will have to be our last trip down Novel Lane. It's been lovely and I cherish all the time we spent together.

cheers always