Dan Wetzel Just Doesn't Get It

I usually don't take sports writers opinions too seriously. After all, they're writing about a game. A game that happens to be a billion dollar per year industry, but a game nonetheless. But Dan Wetzel's column about the NBA's minimum age rule just rubbed me the wrong way. I know he's paid to write about sports but he either fails to grasp, or chooses to ignore, the real issue in the Derrick Rose situation.

You can find his column here.

While the NBA's rule may be self-serving, and the NCAA's amateur regulations less noble and more greedy, I find it hard to argue that a person is not better off having spent an extra 9 months in the classroom. I know we're, for the most part, beyond the days where professional athletes will ever have to worry about supporting themselves financially after they leave the game, but education for education's sake is its own reward. I know this assumes that the student-athlete is actually taking classes, rather than simply meeting his minimum credits to maintain eligibility, but that is more a discussion for collegiate athletics as a whole rather than the NBA's minimum age rule.

As for the SAT, although it does have its flaws, it is not without value. Yes, there are very intelligent people who score poorly on the test, and there are less intelligent people who get high scores based entirely on the strength of prep courses and practice exams. But in this country, any 18 year old should be able to score 750 on the SAT. Sadly, this is also not an issue that falls on the shoulders of the NBA or the NCAA, but on the U.S. public education system and our collective priorities as a society. Perhaps that is where the indictments should begin, rather than with the NBA. After all, regardless of what happens with this story, in the end the NBA got their superstar and Derrick Rose got paid.

Teabagging Comes to MSNBC

I wish I could take credit for having seen this myself, but it was on Videogum, my new home for news.  It is absolutely amazing.  I would like to say that I'm surprised with how far Countdown took the puns, but really why should I be?

Enjoy...

Does This Still Qualify as News?

Former LA Raiders quarterback (and monumental bust) Todd Marinovich was arrested again for violating the terms of his probation. Apparently he missed a rehab progress review.

Check out the story on yahoo here.

In other news, a certain Vanderbilt Commodore got traded to da Bears. If they can nail down some semi-functional receivers and their defense can get young (a competent quarterback who can keep them fresh and off the field is a start) they could be dangerous in a year or two.

neeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrdd alert

so i think officially crossed the threshold to being a nerd. and I did it without learning a computer programming language and without touching a 12 sided die or visitig a renaissance faire.

no. I opted to pay actual money for an iPhone app. and not just any app but one that allows me to blog from the phone. in fact, I'm writing this right now on my overpriced toy. why shouldn't I be allowed to share my innermost confessional thoughts (like my raiders/lebowski comparisons) while waiting for the train or passing the dumplings I ate for lunch?

so now I have one more way to avoid human interaction during the few, arduous times I dare to leave my cell of a room.

ps. Curty, if you still check in on this you should stay tuned. I'm working on something just for you.

Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Not Smarter Than The Average Huggy Bear

Raiders RB Justin Fargas is apparently in a video with some fool named Yukmouth in which "the Yuk" rants and rants about how much weed he smokes. While he does explicitly say that Fargas doesn't smoke, the fact that the video was filmed in his house just screams bad decision (Update: there are reports that the house may not actually belong to Fargas). I can't think of anything in that would get him suspended, but there's really no telling what Goodell will do, given his history of cracking the whip. In reality, the main thing this does is hurt Fargas' standing with the team at a time when he's fighting for a starting role in a crowded backfield. As it stands, it was already looking like 2009 was the year of Bush/McFadden.

Anyway, it looks like the video has already been taken down from the site, but here is another video of Yukmouth so we can bask in the glory of his ridiculousness.

Best of Norm McDonald

It's long but entirely worth it. The only comedian that I still need to see live.

Not Quite Breaking News: Santa Claus Fucked to Death

I remember my brother showing me these video a few years ago, but I had completely forgotten about them until now. Absolutely hilarious.