Yeah I'm sick of it

A few hours ago I actually had someone comment on how great it is that we are getting all this rain. Unbelievable! I mean seriously this is like day 12 or something of straight rain. I honestly don't think I have felt this depressed in a long time. Really how do people in Seattle do this? I mean I can honestly say I see the attitude of all the people around me changing, for the worst. How can anyone at this point still say it's so great that we are getting all this rain? No joke I wanted to bite the woman's head off that said that. Lucky for me I can keep my cool but man was that close.

To any weather geek out there, what the heck is going on? Is it like some stupid cloud is just sitting over the east coast with nothing else to do? As much as I love the east coast this is really getting to the point of utter annoyance. I’m actually contemplating what it would be like to live out west. I mean why not, look how laid back those people are. Less rain means more exercise, better attitudes, happier lifestyle and all that jazz.

So for the sake of depression please STOP THE RAIN!!

What a TIME for baseball

Well as many of my friends that even care to read this blog probably already know, I’m an Oakland Athletics fan. No, I’m not from California, no I haven’t been to Oakland before and no I’m not a band wagon fan. As a kid I loved the A’s mainly because of Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley etc. I was never a big fan of their color scheme but hey I care more about the team than some color scheme. So since those earlier times in my life as a kid I stuck with the A’s and I still support them to this day.

So to get more into my point since this is the opening week for yet another baseball season I have to do a little bit of complaining here. Last night ESPN did something they almost never do. They broadcast an Oakland A’s game. Not only that but they started the game at 9:00 pm eastern time. Yes, indeed a 9:00 start time for a west coast game. Now before you say wow that’s late, keep this in mind. For the rest of the season all west coast games come on at 10:05 eastern every night! So as you can imagine I was more than excited that I had somewhat of a watchable game that didn’t go off after 1:00 a.m.

Before you think I’m done with this whole baseball time slot issue think again. I have to get my beef in while the beef is good. Baseball does the worst scheduling of games you could ever imagine. How the heck Bud Selig has not figured this mystery out is beyond me. Who the heck starts a baseball game at 7:00 west coast time which is 10:00 east coast? Heck I’ll go a step further who starts a game on the east coast at 7:00 which ends sometime around 10:00? No one on the entire east coast can stay awake for a 10:00 start time of baseball games and even remotely expect to make it to work/school the next day and actually function. Look I’m sorry west coast homers, but what the heck is the problem with starting a game at like 6:00 or 6:30 your time? Not only can you watch it but we east coasters can at least have a chance to watch your games too. Monday night football figured it out, 8:30 start times are not a bad thing!

Baseball playoff time scheduling dilemma is at its best. OK so how many people have watched baseball playoffs? Probably not many if you’ve seen how good old Bud handles this one. First round games are a best of five series, ok good I agree (NBA take the hint, this is a good thing). However first round playoff games are played (and I don’t make this stuff up) at 1:00/2:00 in the afternoon on like Tuesday and Wednesdays! Yeah WTF I have no clue. I remember watching Oakland and the Twins a few years ago play first round games while I’m sitting at work trying not to see the score so I could go home and watch it on the DVR. The best however is the World Series. Take a guess at what time these games start… Yep try like 9:27 p.m. EST on like a Monday night! Who the heck is going to stay up for that crap? And to top all this off teams play a 162 game season, 8 teams total make the playoffs (which I really like, again hint, hint NBA and NHL) but then your lucky if you see one playoff game given the whacky time schedules. Bud, you’re doing a train wreck of a job at this stuff, you are killing me.

Lastly here are my (very few) suggestions to improve baseball scheduling. Start games no later than 9:30 p.m. EST. Never start playoff games before 5:00 p.m. EST on a weekday (weekends do whatever). Broadcast more than just Yankees vs. Red Sox games or Yankees against anyone games. Oh and before you continue to take advantage of the loop whole, not broadcasting Yankees games includes not broadcasting them on Fox on weekends, ESPN (anytime), Comcast, MLB channel just to include a few. They have the YES network, use it. Oh wait they do it’s just ESPN, FOX and Comcast think it’s a good ideas to simulcast the Yankees on all their networks in case one of them forgets to put the Yankees on. That way they are covered. Just get some fair and balance. Finally cut the season short so that it ends on July 31st and by August 1st the playoffs can begin. This gives you an entire month to wrap up the playoffs and gear up for football. Honestly who cares about baseball after college football and NFL start? I’ve got no interest. I mean really if you have USC vs. Ohio State as an example and they are on at 8:00 primetime, who the heck is tuning into to some Saturday night baseball game? Oh and of course first pitch is at like 9:37 p.m. or something like that. I mean really? Am I totally off on this?

Ray Ray!

J. Lovelace

I was going through some files on old disks and came across something that I had to post on here. This is Jonathan's favorite basketball player of all time. It's Ray Ray!

Just a few irritations on this rainy Sunday

So I noticed today, like everyday things were just sort of bugging me. Not to the point that I felt like saying or doing anything about it. Nope I was just simply observing the everyday irritations of the world and people in general.

I’m sitting in church today and there were about three things I just could not stop thinking about. This is usually the norm for me too. I find it hard to concentrate at church, but I’m not writing about that today. No, today it started with the smell of bad breath. This is nothing new either. I think just about every Sunday someone I’m sitting around has terrible breath. I mean laugh about it, but it’s true. And this is that, dried up haven’t had a drink of water in your mouth for like hours, kind of bad breath. Not to mention the fact that it sits around you and just hovers like a cloud of fog on Afton Mountain. Why in world can’t people just pick up the toothbrush before they come to church? Heck mouthwash at least. I mean really is it that hard?

My next irritation had to do with smell again. What is the deal with people coming to church smelling like that plate of eggs and bacon they just finished shoving down their mouth? I mean what are these people doing, putting on their entire outfit, to include their coat mind you, and then cooking up their big old Sunday morning breakfast? It’s as bad as those people that burn firewood in their house and then go out in public and think no one can smell that! Seriously though, can people just cook breakfast either before they shower or at least leave your coat off while you’re fixing it? Or do like about 90% of society and cover it up with cologne or something.

Thirdly, and this one hits on my hatred for self-centered people. If you’re sitting in a pew and you have your coat and purse sitting beside of you taking up the amount of space that one or two more people could be sitting in, MOVE IT!! I mean really people we have men, women and children half the time looking for a seat but can’t because those self-centered idiots have to have their precious coats and purses and whatever else they can carry with them, nestled up beside of them on the pew. Oh but it gets better, if you attempt to ask them to move down or scoot their stuff down to make room, it’s like they look at you with this, “Did you just ask me to donate you my kidney?” face. Yeah idiot I did, move your crap so I/we can sit down.

Finally I think I know why I’m in just one of those irritable modes today. It’s only been raining for about three or four days straight. But hey “We need the rain”. This rolls right into my last irritating event for the day. So I’m trying to make my way through a parking lot and of course it’s raining and it’s nasty out. As I try to make my way through these various parking lots and across roads I am once again driven to almost insanity at the unselfishness of the people around me. Why is it when people are in their nice warm and dry cars, do they insist on not yielding to pedestrians who are visible wet, cold and desperately looking for the quickest routes to get inside or at least under cover to avoid rain? Do you really have to be somewhere so important and in such a short period of time that you can’t wait two extra seconds for some sorry sap to cross in front of you so they can enjoy that same dry feeling your getting from being inside your car? Seriously why are people so selfish?

Enough with the Chocolate already, I get it!

So just about everyone in the world with the exception of maybe some person in like Indochina and me prefers chocolate over vanilla. Let me make it clear that I do like chocolate so no I’m not chocolate hating here. I’m just so tired of chocolate dominating the entire flavor market for everything.

Has anyone ever tried vanilla milk? I absolutely love that stuff, when you can find it. And when you do find it you have to stock up because it’s either only out for a limited time or going out of stock to never be replenished. Why is that?

Oh here’s one. Why do I have to go to Dairy Queen and look up at the ice cream and blizzard flavors and see about 98% of all flavors in some form or fashion having chocolate in them? Wait let me make a small correction, you will find “For a limited time” Cotton Candy Blizzards or the pumpkin or candy apple flavor. Forgive me if I’m leaving something out, I don’t think I’ve been to a DQ in over a year. Partly because I’m not really a fast food guy and mostly because I’m so sick of only having forty- thousand blizzard flavors all of which have some form of chocolate in them. What is this obsession with chocolate in our country?

Applebee’s I have to give you a little bit of love here. Two words, The Blondie! You want to talk about a dessert? That blows away any chocolate dessert I’ve seen on that menu. So for now I say thank you Applebee’s and do say for now because it’s only a matter of time before it will be taken out completely and probably replaced by some German chocolate cake or who knows what.

Notice I said 98% earlier. That 2% is not all reserved for my vanilla brethren either. Butterscotch usually makes an appearance every now and then. I have to give it to butterscotch though it’s not bad but I usually only eat it in protest to chocolate and well of course if vanilla isn’t available.

So here’s my thing. Chocolate, alright I got it. I’m only asking that instead of a 98% chocolate domination in this world that we just up the distribution to like say 20% or maybe even as high as 30% vanilla/non-chocolate flavors. Vanilla is to me what chocolate is to the rest of the world. Someone out there throw me a freaking bone here!

Virginia Governor to Sign Smoking Ban Bill

Thank God! Yeah it's not 100% yet but just about. And no it won't take effect until December 1, 2009 but it's so close to reality I can almost not smell it. I can't thank the Governor enough for finally doing something about this issue. Smoking has been one of the most annoying issues I think this country let alone our state has faced. Why has it been so difficult for the state of Virginia to figure out second hand smoke is not enjoyable? I care 0% about how much it may offend anyone that reads my stupid little rant here on my “weenie” little blog. I hate smoking, always have always will. Don’t give me this BS about how farmers profit from it, or how it will put them out of business. Just because someone is profitable with something that is clearly a health risk and in no way benefits an individual, doesn’t make it right. If we want to use that analogy then I guess banning illegal drugs puts the “poor” growers and dealers out of business too.

Look the bottom line is people who don’t smoke don’t enjoy inhaling second hand smoke. And what kills me is how people that do smoke are completely oblivious to how non-smokers are so opposed to it. Oh and the best is when you go to a bar or restaurant and someone asks me if you mind them smoking. My answer is always YES! I mean why am I going to lie? Ask an honest question you’ll get an honest answer.

The only real benefit I guess from smoking is population control. I guess if your dumb enough to do it then by all means kill yourself off slowly while the rest of society watches. We need a little more room in the world anyway it can get a little crowded at times. I will make one exception though, if you want to smoke maybe we can design some island in the middle of BFE and let everyone live there in smokers paradise.

I got nothing to say...

I’m pretty sure I know why I have very little to say lately. When football season ends it’s like the world goes silent for six or seven months. Let’s be honest the NBA is more or less a joke, college basketball gets a lot more exciting come March Madness, hockey (or in my case the Red Wings) is rarely on TV. anymore, baseball doesn’t even start until April and finally NASCAR…need I say more.

See here is the problem with just about every sport except football. It’s hard to appreciate sports that last practically all year long, have more than 50% of teams in their respective leagues make the playoffs, and then have no real significant offseason. I mean take NASCAR for example. They take maybe three months off then start the season back up. The NBA goes from late October to June. As much as I hate the football offseason, I have to admit it really makes you care so much more when it’s here.

So ABC/ESPN honestly you can stop trying to hype up things like a Suns vs. Mavericks games on a Sunday afternoon as a big attraction. Also NASCAR qualifying rounds is nothing to televise, it’s a waste of public airwaves. I will give it to golf, at least they know the first three rounds of any PGA Major is pretty much anticlimactic and just really get deep into the coverage on the final day. I’ll at least give them that. Oh and BTW putting on some random bowling match on a Saturday afternoon…you would probably get better ratings by just replaying some NFL game from the past season.

Other than that…I really got nothing.