Good job, Bud

Thankfully, the World Baseball Classic is over. But as per usual, the incompetent Bud Selig was sure to make matters worse.

First, there was the story here about MLB pressuring Derek Lee, who was injured, to be a replacement for the injured Kevin Youkilis.

Then, there was Selig here, complaining about the lack of effort by the United States team. Selig, who is terrible at his job, simply should never complain about anyone else. Ever. He has lost that privilege. But more importantly - this WBC is Selig's tournament, and the only way it suceeds is if the game's top players play, they enjoy it, and they either come back or tell others they should play. But why would someone put themselves out there, at a time when they should be readying themselves for the upcoming season, if the Commissioner is going to question their effort when/if they lose. This is baseball, it isn't a series, anything can happen in any given game. The best teams in the league lose 60-70 games per season.

Bill Simmons in is mailbag yesterday really said exactly how I feel about baseball at the moment:

And when you think about how many All-Stars cheated over the past two decades -- is the number 70 percent? 75 percent? 80 percent? -- the unwillingness of the commissioner's office and the player's union to apologize publicly or admit any culpability whatsoever is really staggering. Why is Bud Selig still the commissioner? THIS HAPPENED ON HIS WATCH! Why is Gene Orza still running the players' union? THIS HAPPENED ON HIS WATCH! Everyone's collective "apology" this winter seemed to be, "Let's move on, it's spring training, the World Baseball Classic will be fun, fantasy baseball is starting up ... no use crying over spilled milk."

Ask yourself this: Do you feel like the players, union leaders, owners and executives even feel bad about what happened? Because I don't feel like they do. And it makes me kind of hate baseball. I will still follow it, and I will still love the Red Sox, and I will still do the League of Dorks ... but at the same time, when the sport flounders because of the economy this summer, part of me will be thinking, "What goes around comes around."

Thanks Bill for saying what I think needs to be screamed by anyone who cares about baseball - Why is Bud Selig still the commissioner? I don't get it, and I don't understand the lack of outrage that he continues at this job with all the damage he has helped to inflict on the sport.

Shouldn't the title of this article be "Johnson is really a little bit of a prick."

From the Mercury News.com - Johnson wishes Schilling well

These are Randy Johnson's quotes:

• "I haven't talked to him in a while."
  
• "I guess maybe he'd had enough and didn't want to try to come back from his surgery. I know he's got other business ventures that he's doing, so maybe he's enjoying that a little bit more. He's had a great career and I wish the best for him.
• "I don't have an opinion about me, so I surely don't about anybody else."
  
• "Somebody who has a vote can vote. I don't know what the parameters are."
• "I've moved on."
  
• "I'm thinking about this year. I'm not thinking about that World Series or my Cy Youngs or anything. That was eight years ago. It does nothing for me now. I'm eight years older."

http://www.mercurynews.com/giantsheadlines/ci_11997967

Are you f*cking kidding me?!?!?!?!?!?

Just read an article that the Senate is going to hold hearings on the BCS. Yes, that BCS. Yes, that Senate. Seriously. Right, now. The Senate must have a little down time with nothing really that important going on for them to focus their attention. Stories like this make me wonder how anyone can dislike politicians and possibly, ever, question their motivations. Any Senator who spends one second on this issue at a hearing should be ashamed of themselves, and hopefully members of their respective districts take notice.

Oh, and it is not just the Senators, as you read about the brilliant, doing his job for the American people representative who is sponsoring legislation, actually spent time to write a bill, that would prevent the NCAA from calling a football game a "national championship" unless the game culminates from a playoff system. Great job. Very impressive. I hope you are very proud.

I don't think they taught this in Journalism school

So, last night, President Obama held a press conference. At one point, CNN's Ed Henry asked a question, and the President gave a curt response. One question, one response. I didn't think it was really a big deal at the time.

Nope, coverage, not of the press conference, but of this one question, has received more news coverage today than the press conference itself. So much news today not about the question, or the response, but the response to the question and the response. And it isn't just other networks or newspapers talking about it, but CNN, and Ed Henry himself.

Ed Henry, Really? You are a reporter. You aren't supposed to be the story. It was a single question, and a single response. I don't really believe that warrants a response, let alone nearly 700 words. Is this how far the journalism profession has fallen that one possibly tough question and one possibly tough answer warrants dominating the news cycle the following day. I don't think this one question deserves to be recognizes or condemned. It was a question. Get over yourself Ed.

Is there any journalistic integrity left anywhere. I don't think this should be a story at all - if there is a story in the specifics of the President's answer or any answer, fine. But a day's worth of news about Ed Henry and the President and what does it mean. He is a reporter, it is his job to ask questions. To ask tough questions that occasionally might elicit a harsh response, that sometimes may be warranted, and sometimes it might be an overreaction.

If someone else wants to write about this, fine. I don't really think it is a story. But I don't think a journalist should ever be writing an article about reaction to his own one question. These networks and companies are so desperate for ratings, that they will jump all over anything. Journalism ethics be damned.

This is right along the lines of these news shows calling themselves, "The best political coverage" or similar terms. Newspapers and news networks should just be that. News. Not this bullsh*t of creating on your own labels for your own coverage. Does anyone other than CNN call it the best political coverage? So CNN should not. If you have to advertise your own news show as no bias, no bull, it is probably a pretty safe bet your are full of sh*t. And CNN is far from the only one, it really is every network. And it is just another reason why it is increasingly difficult to take any news on any of these networks seriously. Their priorities are not based on delivering the news. That is far, far down the list with money and advertising and ratings being at the top of the list for the networks; and just getting publicity for yourself at the top of the list for the reporters.

I read this article here by Eric Alterman about the press conference. I agree with everything Alterman writes. I think regardless of your political views, opinions of the President or any of his ideas, we can agree that cable news is failing at its job of informing the American public on what matters. This failure is only going to become more alarming as newspapers continue to go away. Alterman points out the questions on substantive issues had to come from other outlets - not the cable news reporters and not even major newspapers. Maybe this will be the only way to teach these so-called reporters a lesson: stop wasting our time in your attempt to entertain instead of inform, or else, lose your ability to have the President answer your questions.

Something needs to be done because cable news reporters aren't asking questions and filming stories based on what is the most important. They are going for ratings and entertainment. The way CNN followed up on the Ed Henry question underscored this. CNN and Henry wanted to get good television by trying to goad Obama. When he gave them a response that they felt they could spin and stretch into their pre-determined Obama shows anger story - they ran wild with it. And their friends were all too happy to join in. They don't want questions and answers about substance, about issues. They want a show about anger, who is angry, who is the most angry, and when were they angry. As we face this economic crisis, I have just one simple question - why the f*ck does that matter?

Can we please put an end to . . .

People saying, "So, working hard, or hardly working?" Every time I hear that, I laugh, and I laugh. Today, in line to pay for my lunch, I heard a guy behind me say this to someone else. I really couldn't believe it. I thought we had reached the point where this wasn't said anymore. I guess I was wrong. We must put a stop to this. Take two seconds, and think of something else to say if you insist on making small talk. How about just say, "How's it going?" Not exactly breaking any records for being clever, but it is much, much better than working hard, hardly working.

While we are at it, let's also put an end to, "So, it cold enough out there for ya?", and might as well toss in, "So, it hot enough out there for ya?"

Have I mentioned I Hate the WBC

I hate the World Baseball Classic. This is only part of the reason. Every single spring training, fans are told not to pay too much attention to anything we see. Pitchers are just getting stretched out, hitters are getting their timing down. Results are not important. It is just preparation for the season, and the players ready themselves to use the time to be ready for opening day. But now, the Incompetent One Bud Selig sees dollar signs in the WBC, and he doesn't care about anything else. That the best players don't want to play - who cares. That players are pushing themselves, especially pitchers, to try to win in games that are treated as meaningful. Lose a game, and be called failures. So the players who actually do play, push too hard, too soon. And they just are not ready.

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci had some ideas that might help - put the interests of the players above the interests of the sponsors. If the players are happy, and want to play, and the best players compete, everything else will fall into place. Only problem, Dollar Sign Bud couldn't care less about the players. Taking any step that might lighten anyone's pockets, even if it would significantly help the players and help the game, he would never consider. This is the same man who in a shameful attempt to help ratings, decides home field for the sports biggest event based on the result of an exhibition game. The man is a failure, and as long as he is in charge of anything, whatever it is, will no doubt be flawed and fail as well.

With the WBC, Seig is legacy shopping. He is clearly thinking about what his baseball commissioner obituary is going to say. He is searching for a lead, and he thinks creating this grande world wide tournament may be it. Well, I have news for you Bud. Your legacy is set, the headline has already been written. It is steroids. Not only was it on your watch, but you and your ignorance/indifference allowed steroids to stain everything about the sport over the last 10-12 years. Up next, is probably canceling the World Series. Everything else is a footnote.

The WBC is something that on paper may make sense - baseball is an international game, let's have an international tournament. But there just is not a time to play it that makes sense - where it can be played with the best players competing at their bests. If that is the case, then it should not be played. But competition always takes a back seat for Selig - a backseat to sponsors and ad revenue.

A big time question - Duke v. Pitino?

My friends and I like to have e-mail debates centering around "who would you root for" - a question that typically involves two sides that no one would be particucularly happy about rooting for ever. With the release of the NCAA tournament, I was asked, who would I root for in the championship game if it came down to Duke and the Rick Pitino coached Louisville. I had to take a moment. But then my answer was clear.

Duke.

This was an amazingly tough choice. But I do not want Pitino to succeed at Louisville. I know success has degrees, and by many definitions, he has had success at Louisville. But he left Kentucky where he was right in the middle of putting together a dynsasty. And he did all of that so he could come to the Celtics, be the arrogant, unflicnhing a-hole he is, and ruin the Celtics. My favorite team. And then he goes back to college, and all is forgotten. Well f*ck him. He doesn't get to win another championship, and make his stay in Boston really nothing but a minor footnote. The man is a smug arrogant a-hole. Who else writes a book called "Success is a Choice," and then writes another similar book. Hey Rick - you failed in miserable fashion in Boston, did you just choose not to succeed then? And by the way Rick, the second you left, the team turned it around. So it wasn't the players, it wasn't the defense, it wasn't the pressure of playing in Boston or the negativity from talk radio - it was you. All you. One-hundred percent. No debate. As a Celtic fan, I am thankful every single day, that Rick Pitino will never again walk through that door.

Pitino never should have left Kentucky, and if he wins a title in Louisville, well then - it all worked out in the end for him. Well, I dont want it to work out. I want it to always be over his head that he never achieved the type of success in Louisville that he had in Kentucky. And also, he has one title. Fine. But start to win two, and your place in history really changes.

Duke - yes I hate Duke, like any person really should. But how much more obnoxious could Duke get? The answer is none. None more obnoxious.

So, for now, I can just root for each team to lose so it will never come to such a terrible choice. And if it does come down to Duke-Lousville, I will be fine. I won't watch - will be too busy lighting myself on fire.

The Big List

I am sure I will add to this, and will probably expand on some of the items mentioned here, but here we go - the list - in no particular order - what do I hate....

New York Yankees, Duke, the Lakers, the BCS, sandals, really any footwear other than sneakers, talk radio, debt, bad breath, the dentist, haircuts, combing my hair, tying my shoes, pairing socks from the laundry, sweating, buying clothes, shopping, the supermarket, reality TV "stars," virtually any show that appears on The Soup, bars with cover charges, athletic trainers, chopsticks, moving, helping people move, asking people to help me move, asking people to pick me up at the airport, Bud Selig, the World Baseball Classic, Rick Pitino, NBA officials, NBA players who flop, sports agents, freecreditreport.com, celebrity gossip, not having change for the vending machine, the switch from cans to bottles of soda, people who turn the simple task of ordering a sandwich into the most complicated feat on the planet, people in a checkout line who wait until the last possible second to get out their form of payment as if they couldn't have seen that step coming, watching people trying to pick out which donuts they want for a dozen, meatloaf, Meatloaf, the media most of the time, ESPN most of the time, Fox News all the time, having cereal but no milk, having jelly but no peanut butter, having to set an alarm on the weekend, Proposition 8, the Today Show, turtlenecks, people who try to get on elevators or the train before letting the people off, the small yet growing bald spot beginning to form on the back of my head, the near impossibility anymore of being able to buy a ticket to an event at face value, the unwillingness of the powers-that-be to even attempt to address that problem, that I can't break dance, not being 6'0 tall, people who feel a need to provide a minute by minute time-line of their day via their facebook status, having my order screwed up, bars/restaurants that give you a hard time about splitting your check for multiple people over multiple credit cards, places that try to enforce a minimum charge before they will let you use a credit card, that bar in DC we went to with all the strange rules, spilling something on the rug in our apartment, spilling something and not realizing until long after the stain has set in, spilling something and realizing it but being too lazy to do something, spilling something and realizing it and actually doing something but making the stain much much worse, same goes for my clothes, ironing, wearing ties, people who hate everything, fish, Phish, that The Wire and The Shield and Arrested Development all are off the air, Abba, girls running on to the dance floor arms flailing screaming when Abba is played at a bar, listening to Johnny Sports Trivia explain every possible detail to the girl he brought with him to the game that he is attempting to impress, not knowing any of the questions at Jeopardy, companies that are using the state of the economy as an excuse to layoff low-level workers (I am talking about you Washington Redskins and other sports teams), people who don't turn right on red, people who take their sweet time crossing the street even if they are doing so against the light, wine, people who repeatedly and violently push the call button for an elevator as if that will get it there faster, I know he is already on here but I really hate Bud Selig, the liquid rule for getting through airport security, people who don't know the right way to put their luggage in the overhead compartment, people who know the flight is full but still decide to stuff all their belongings in the overhead compartment instead of just sticking their winter coat on their lap or under the seat, the overly-anal people about getting in line for a flight on Southwest, my rapidly declining vision ability, buying something only to realize shortly after "What was I thinking," that I can get a footlong sub from Subway for 5 bucks but not a 6-inch double sub for that same price,

Walking

I hate walking. And I don't mean walking for exercise, walking on a treadmill or anything like that. I mean just normal, simple, plain 'ol every day, right foot then left foot walking. Why? Because I am not good at it. I am a terrible walker. Said in my best Bill Walton voice, "Terrible." I don't fall down or anything like that. But I am completely incapable of walking more than one block without having one of those awkward confrontations with someone walking towards me. This is not an exaggeration. I will be walking. There will be someone else. We will approach each other. Now, most adults (if not children), have mastered the art of walking past another person, easily, even mindlessly, avoiding confrontation. Not me. Not ever. I always, always, get in one of those predicaments where we are face to face. I slow down, so does the other person. I start to move to one side - the other person does the same. Then we each try to go the other way. At this point, after a few side to sides, we usually untangle and go on our way.

By why does it have to get this far? Why with over 30-years of walking experience, why can't I do this correctly. Sometimes I begin to get mad at the other person (in my head). Use the rules of the road - stay to the right. You idiot, get to the right and out of my way. Only problem is, I don't stick to this rule. Chaos. I can't explain. I don't understand. I don't know why. I just know I can't walk.

And today, was the last straw. I know without question I need help. It is a nice day out, and I decide to get out of the office and take a quick walk for a break. Ok, I was told to leave my office while they fixed my computer because I had downloaded a virus by accident. Either way. Either way. I am outside, doing my walking. Everything going well. This is easy, anyone can do it. Then I am coming to a corner and planning on turning to my left down another street. Uh oh. I see someone in my path. It is going to happen, I can see it. He sees me. I am nervous. Why isn't he nervous? Can't he see what is only a few steps in his future? We get closer. Move to your right. I say this in my head both to him and to myself to myself. To the right. Phew, he does. He moves to the right. Oh no. Problem. I don't follow the rule. I go left. Why, why did I go left. This isn't Wee Britain. He now sees me, looks at my eyes. He sees fear, he must. He wants me to take the wide turn, while he stays on the inside. That makes sense. But it isn't what happens, because I keep going left. Stumbling and studder-stepping. We are inches apart. It is like a tractor beam. I can't shake loose. We are face to face. And we each come to a standstill. This is a first. A new low. No movement at all. Just me, an idiot, completely stopped, staring at this man. He looks at me, as if to say,"What the f#ck is wrong with you? Why can't you walk?" Maybe, sometime in the past, I would have been thinking the same, blaming him for our standstill. But I have to be true to myself. I know the truth. It is my fault. It is always my fault. I just can't walk and I hate it.

Did I really just hear you say you could care less?

One last time, can we please get this straight - the saying is, "I couldn't care less." Ok. Very easy. It is not, "could care less." Could care less does not make any sense. I own a hat. I love this hat. I could care less about it I guess. That really isn't letting anyone know about my level of caring about this hat. But, if I said I own a hat, and I couldn't care less about it, that lets the listener know that I hate this hate. I despise this hat. I am at the lowest possible level of caring when it comes to this hat.

And it isn't so much when I hear someone that I am talking to say "could care less." Yes, I wish they would use the correct phrase, but I can deal with that. It is when I see it in print or hear it in a movie or a TV show. It is one thing for it to come from someone's mouth in the moment of conversation. It is another when the phrase goes though some level of editing, and still comes out incorrect on the other side. Two of my favorite shows that I thought were cleverly written, Seinfeld and The West Wing, were as guilty as any outlet of using "could care less" on repeated occasions.

Similarly, I don't want to hear or see "ATM Machine" or "PIN Number." ATM - automated teller machine. PIN - personal identification number. Saying ATM Machine or PIN Number is just redundant. And again, it is one thing if I hear it said. But I feel as if it is rather common to see a billboard or an advertisement for a bank highlighting their 100s of ATM Machine locations in the area. Just drives me nuts.

And lastly, the word is "regardless."

State Nicknames

I hate State nicknames. They are pointless, and usually deal with rather obvious and not all that unique qualities of the different states. Some may be fine. But for the most part, they stink. To use an example, I will pick on one of my favorite states, Rhode Island ('hey, it's up and coming."). The great state of Rhode Island has cleverly dubbed itself, "The Ocean State." And boy are they proud of that. It is on signs as you enter the state, on their license plates. It is everywhere. Really, why shouldn't they be proud. They are a state. They are bordered by an ocean. The Ocean State. Freaking brilliant. I mean how many states can claim to be bordered by an ocean? I can't think of any other. So they slap it all over the place, letting the people know that Rhode Island and ocean go together like none other.

And that is the point - Fine, you have a dumb nickname. It happens to the best of us. But maybe acknowledge that calling yourself the ocean state isn't exactly something you should be rushing to point out to the public. It doesn't exactly give anyone an indication of what is important, special or unique about the particular state. It could be too late to change the nickname, but possibly, don't be so proud of it. Or, get together, and decide on a new name - something that tells people something about your state - Rhode Island: The State you drive through when going from Massachusetts to New York if you want to avoid the Mass Pike. Something catchy like that. Or they could just use the old standard, "The 401."

A Tale of Two D-Bags

I hate the two guys I came across yesterday.

Let's start with D-bag #1. I am walking home from work (I should also mention I hate having to work on a 70-degree Saturday). There is a man in front of me, and before I know anything about him other than his appearance, I can tell he is a D-bag (see picture to the right, actual photo). Dark slacks, flannel button down shirt and the staple of D-bags everywhere, black sweater draped over his shoulders.

But don't worry, it gets worse. There is a homeless man sitting on a bench. This man asks D-bag #1 for some change. The guy says, "Sorry, I just put all my change in the meter." The homeless man then says back, "Oh, the meters are free after 6 on Saturdays." So D-bag #1 responds, "Yeah, you could have told me that before." Really? You are getting angry at the homeless man for not warning you that meters are free after a certain time (and keep in mind, wherever this guy parked his car, it was long before he came into view of the homeless man). D-bag then picked up his pace, and swiftly walked away down the block where I am sure he was headed to some wine tasting.

Ok, DB#2 - I get to my apartment, still trying to wrap my head around a person actually getting angry at the homeless about a parking meter. I am at the front desk because I have to pick up a package. The man at the front desk is on the phone, and I can tell whoever is on the other end, is giving him a hard time. I hear the man at the front desk say, "Yes, I called the cab company. . . . They said they will be here. . . . I called. . . . Yellow Cab. . . . I told them to call when they arrive. . . . They said they will be here . . . If they are not here by 5 of, I'll call, but they said they will be here. . . . I know you said you needed to be picked up by 7."

I have so many problems with this. First, why can't the guy call the cab himself? In the time it took him to call down to yell at the man at the front desk, he easily could have called any number of cab companies. This is an apartment, not a hotel. It never even occurred to me that the front desk's responsibilities could possibly include getting cabs for residents. But, here is the kicker - this guy was calling down, giving the man at the front desk a hard time about a cab that he could have called himself, but that had not arrived yet - it was 6:24. He said he needed the cab by 7. He still had another 36 minutes to go, and he was freaking out, yelling at man who was trying to help him, when if the cab had shown up, he probably would have complained that he was not ready yet.

I hate d-bags.

Welcome to What Do I Hate

Sometimes, I find myself walking down the street talking to myself. And usually it is about something that annoys me, bothers me, angers me. In my head, I often find this funny. But I also realize that if I don't find an outlet for these rants, that I am just going to continue walking down the street, talking to myself. And that is no good. So I have decided to put these thoughts in writing. Mostly just as a way to vent and keep my sanity at least to some degree. But maybe someone else will read this, and possibly be entertained. At times, I might write about something serious and important that bothers me, but mostly it will just be the mundane, everyday little things that get under my skin. Every now and then I may sprinkle in something that I actually like, or even love - just so that you won't think I am completely bitter. For the most part though, I'll stick to what matters - what I hate.

Also, I decided to do this because I need to occupy my time. I used to watch a lot of TV. I mean an awful lot of TV. Not anymore though. Not because I have matured, or anything like that. Let's not get crazy. But I am just out of shows. I am pretty much down to Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Flight of the Conchords. That's not very much time. I need something else to do. I guess I could read, exercise, or actually talk to other people. But this seeemed like a better idea.

So, for starters, I will say I don't like the word "blog" so I am going to try not to call this a blog. I don't know why I don't like that word, I just don't. I will call this my own page on the internet where I will write things periodically. See, much better. And I am perfectly sane.