• I hate to say this about a black man, but former Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley is nuts. I said so when the cubs signed him; all the time he played here; and after he left for Seattle. Well, Bradley is in trouble again, this time with the law. Earlier this week, he was arrested on a felony charge of making criminal threats
He was arrested at a residence in Encino, Calif. two hours after police received a call from an unidentified woman in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles saying a man had threatened her.
Bradley was released after he posted $50,000 and will have a court date on Feb. 8. The Mariners owe Bradley $12 million for next season. I wonder if they will be as glad to see him go as the Cubs were.
• Currently number 2 on Amazon.com’s best selling books list is “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua. This book contrasts Western and Chinese parenting through stories of Chua’s “relentless insistence on straight A’s and daily hours of mandatory music practice, even while vacationing with grandparents” (quoted from Amazon.com).
Ms. Chua “insists that Western children are no happier than Chinese ones, and that her daughters are the envy of neighbors and friends, because of their poise and musical, athletic, and academic accomplishments” (again from amazon.com’s description)
Now, as a result of my marriage, I know a lot of Asian people, and while they are smart, pleasant, high achievers, many that I know have extreme issues with their parents (I’m not talking about the Indignant Wife and her family, by the way). Either they try not to drown under their parents’ demands, or they rebel like teenagers. (It should be noted that Ms. Chua was nearly disowned by her parents for marrying a Jewish man instead of an Asian).
I haven’t read this book, nor do I intend to, but I would warn all parents to stay away from this parenting style. Yes, Western parents are too lenient, and some of the discipline Ms. Chua recommends is good (and we try to instill this into the Indignant Children), but to have a rigid parenting hasn’t done much for many adults I know other than to make them unhappy and vowing not to raise their children the way they were raised.
• The Golden Globes are a joke. Yes, they have a nice show and the stars show up for the awards, but the fact that they nominated “The Tourist” is obviously due to the fact that they wanted to cozy up to stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie rather than any artistic merit. Last year, Ricky Gervais hosted the show and he was a hit, but he did step on some toes.
I would have thought that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association would have learned its lesson and chose someone else to host this year’s show, but they didn’t and Gervais blasted Robert Downey, Jr., the HFPA and especially HFPA president Philip Berk. Gervais told jokes about Berk’s age, about the HFPA and religion and Berk told The Hollywood Reporter Gervais “definitely crossed the line. The British comedian was quoted as saying’ “Just because some people got offended, “it doesn’t mean you’re in the right. “A lot of people are offended by mixed marriage. It doesn’t mean they’re right.”
Personally, I’d make him permanent host of the Golden Globes, or perhaps even the Oscars.
• It’s funny that just a few months after he detailed his hatred for tennis in his book “Open,” Andre Agassi has been elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame. According to the book, Agassi hated tennis from early childhood, finding it lonely out on the court. But he didn’t have a choice about playing the game because his father drove him to become a champion. But the sport that made him rich. It’s not that he doesn’t deserve it; he was a great player.
The baseliner known for his aggressive returns, career Grand Slam among eight major titles will be inducted into the Newport, R.I., hall on July 9. Of course, without tennis, he wouldn’t be rich and famous and he wouldn’t have married fellow Hall of Famer Steffi Graf. It was only his marriage that stopped him hating tennis. Ironic, isn’t it? Somehow, I don’t think he will say anything like this when he is inducted.

• Auburn’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton announced that he would forego his senior season and enter this April’s NFL Draft No s#$%! I’m surprised he didn’t make the announcement at midfield right after the ball went through the uprights in Auburn’s 22-19 win in the National championship game.
• By the way, will Newton’s Dad take a pay cut when his son turns pro?
• Just five days after the assassination attempt, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is reportedly making a miraculous recovery. Something to feel good about today!
• Just five days after the assassination attempt, former Alaska Governor and presumed President Candidate Sarah Palin announced she will deliver a keynote speech on January 29th at a Safari Club International convention. This club is solidly “pro-gun,” calling itself “the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide.” Something not to feel good about.
• Once again, Barack Obama hit a home run with a speech. The President’s speech in Arizona after the incident was intelligent and inspiring. A similar speech, his race speech he made during his campaign for president, was his greatest moment and became the moment he gained my full support for President. Something else to feel good about.
• What is it about Texas? Is the “madness ray” being fired by aliens at Earth especially effective in Texas? The latest Texas politician to be drinking some Kool Aid worthy of Timothy Leary is Rep. Louis Gohmert. Again, just days after the Arizona assassination attempt, Rep. Golmert apparently plans to submit a piece of legislation that would make exceptions to a number of firearms laws by allowing members of Congress to carry guns in D.C. and even into the Capitol building, including the chamber floors. To shoot who? I’ve been in the Capital building and security is very tight. The only people armed at the security guards, and of all the times I have been in Washington, I have never, ever seen a member of Congress on the street. This leads one to believe that this guy not only thinks it’s the Old West; but that having armed members of Congress would help the legislative process. A week ago, the thought of members of Congress engaged in open warfare would have been funny to liberals; sincerely wished for by Tea Partiers. But that s#$%’s not funny anymore.
• I believe in recycling. The Indignant family recycles paper, cans, glass, boxes, newspaper, Christmas trees and nearly anything else. The Denver Broncos obviously believe in recycling too, having hired former Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox to replace Josh McDaniels I know that coaches are hired to be fired, but Fox wasn’t out of work two weeks before landing a new job. Despite a 73-71 regular season record and leading the Panthers to a 5-3 record in the playoffs, I don’t think Fox is that good of a coach.
• NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a 16-year-old prostitute this week. These are misdemeanor charges that mean that the 51-year-old Taylor won’t have to serve any time in jail, but the plea will require him to register as a sex offender. Taylor will serve six years’ probation. Is this yet another case of a famous person not paying for a crime? Is the penalty too lenient? Perhaps to both, but this is far from the first time Taylor has enlisted the skills of a prostitute. Considering the STDs out there, he’s lucky to be alive, or at least to still have his organ.

I’ve been really busy this week, so I’ve not had time to comment on what happened in Arizona over the weekend when the deranged scumbag tried to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shooting her in the head and killing nine other people. An inadequate as it is, I add my sentiments of grief and condolences for the family of those killed and wounded.
But before I go on, I know that I have proposed some fairly heated invective on this very site, and while I don’t believe that I have proposed violence against anyone, I apologize for and retract any comments that could be construed as calling for anyone to be injured or worse for their beliefs, including former President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Chaney. (I still believe that these men and many members of their administration should be tried as war criminals in an International tribunal.)
But it has been sad and even slightly amusing to watch the chief hate mongering politicians and political pundits try to distance themselves from the act. Sarah Palin has removed the crosshairs on her website that identified districts targeted for removal, which includes Congresswoman Giffords’ district. However, she hasn’t taken any responsibility for perhaps putting the idea of shooting politicians she disagreed with on the website in the first place. Rush Limbaugh did what he usually does, refused to own up to his hatred by saying that the young man who committed the massacre is deranged and couldn’t be proved to get ideas from him. In fact, it is all a Left wing, liberal conspiracy to even try to link the attack on the hate speech of the far right.
The level of discourse has gotten to a 1960s shouting match that reminds me of young people and old people yelling at each other, but with steroids. There were rules that broadcast networks had to give equal time to differing opinions until the “great fraud” of Republicans, Ronald “I wasn’t a great president, despite what some people want to rewrite history” Reagan eliminated. (Could you imagine if Faux, I mean Fox News had to broadcast opposing positions without being interrupted by the like of Beck and O’Reilly? Some people may be forced to rethink some positions… Nah, they’d just change the station to “Dancing With the Stars.”)
But the rhetoric has to die down. There was a time when the Senate Democratic and Republican leaders came to work together and played in weekly card games. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing without turning into the person with opposing viewpoints into a villain. And, I’m sorry Tea Partiers and conservatives, you are the main purveyors of it.
Ann Coulter’s books, Glenn Beck crying jags, Bill O’Reilly’s incivility became the coin of the realm, and we liberals countered with Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, but you don’t see them calling for nearly the level of hyperbole as their right wing ilk. But like religious people have done for centuries, anyone who questions their beliefs are infidels and unbelievers and should be killed. (Notice I did not limit this comment to Christians.)
But it’s time now to look at what we have wrought. As I know that I have said here, I welcome opposing viewpoints – my main problem is that the arguments of many people I run across are based on the lies of Fox News. (A friend of mine says that he has a litmus test for people who he will argue with: if you believe that the President of the United States was born outside of this country, he refused to talk with them – they cannot have an intelligent conversation.)
Liberals (or “Progressives” a term that was coined after the “L” word became something you didn’t want to be called) are not trying to ruin the country or turn it over to the feared “they.” But the Tea Party and conservatives see the end to the white majority in this country. But 2050, this country will be predominantly ethnic and that scares people. As I’ve written on Facebook, what warms me at night is knowing that most teenagers know, live next to, have even dated someone not from their race. One of the largest segments of the population are “multi-racial” children (including the Chinese/African-American Indignant Children). With familiarity breeds knowledge, not contempt. If you live next to people of different races, creeds and religions, you find out that they are just like you – want to live happy lives, raise their children, be secure physically and financially. And in every group of people, there will be people you don’t like, or believe that they should be in charge, based on might, or religion, or whatever. There will always be these people – marginalize them, ignore them, allow them to blow away in the wind or end up in the LaBrey tar pits of history like the extinct dinosaurs they are.
That has to start now, and anyone, Left or Right who demonizes other people has to be called on it, then deal with the consequences.

Another group of people who should be shunned are those who take advantage of a tragedy for their own ends, especially when they make it a political statement.
One of the victims of the Arizona shooting was 9-year-old Christina Green (who is the granddaughter of former Chicago Cub manager and general manager Dallas Green). This young girl was bright and interested in politics and was taken to Congresswoman Gifford’s rally, only to be gunned down. To anyone’s knowledge, she harmed no one, and whatever political views she held, it was her business and well within U.S. law.
So, the “church” known as Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, that has made its name by staging protests at funerals of people who died of AIDS, gay people, soldiers and even Coretta Scott King, announced that they were going to protest at this young girl’s funeral.
What kind of people are these to try and upstage people at funerals in the first place? I’m not religious, but I was raised Methodist and in my readings of the Bible, I remember Jesus saying turn the other cheek, bless those who disagree with you; have compassion for the poor and in need of help. I don’t remember Jesus protesting at Lazarus’ grave?
Anyway, the people of Tucson said that they were going to have people wearing big angels wings and surround the groups so that they couldn’t be seen by the mourners; the Arizona State Legislature was considering legislation that would bar protesters at funerals from getting within 300 feet of services.
But eventually, the church decided to call off the rally. Did they suddenly get a huge dose of decency? No, they made a deal with a radio host not to protest there in exchange for airtime. However, church members will be protesting at the funeral of U.S. District Judge John Roll and other victims on Friday. Protesting what? Getting shot by deranged people? Lack of gun control? The level of hatred displayed in Arizona?
I don’t get it.

As most longtime NFL fans know, late Commissioner Pete Rozelle did a lot to better the league, make more money for the owners; and he was successful. And he believe in parity – that every team should be able to win. While he never said as much, it always seemed to me that he didn’t want to see great dynasties (although there were plenty during his reign – the Steelers, Cowboys, Raiders, the 49ers were teams who were good for a long time); it always seemed that he wanted the NFL to look like a bell curve – everyone between 9-7 and 7-9.
Well, we’re there folks. We have a sub – .500 team winning a division, and winning a playoff game for the first time since the league had divisional playoffs (Seattle). They knocked off the defending Super bowl champions (New Orleans) on the same day that the New York Jets ousted the team the Saints beat last February (Indianapolis). Kansas City came from nowhere to win the AFC South and disappeared after one game to Baltimore. The Chicago Bears went a very quiet 11-5, and may be the worst team to win the NFC Central since the bad old days of the 1970s. The injured Green Bay Packers overcame injuries to get into the playoffs and have gotten healthy and used unheralded players to be the most dangerous team in the NFC.
So, this weekend, we have games truly from the sublime to the ridiculous. The hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens will try to win on the road again, but going into Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. Ordinarily, the Steelers would be my pick, but the Steelers have seen their share of injuries and inconsistent play, so I think the Ravens will win. But it’s going to be a war – these teams have played each other twice, splitting the two games with each game a low-scoring affair and the winner coming out on top by a field goal each time. Furthermore, these two teams do not like each other. It should be a monster game.
The second game on Saturday has the upcoming Packers going into Atlanta to play the number 1 seed: the Falcons. This will be interesting: the Packers were expected to be great this year; the Falcons have been good for the past 2 years, but never this good. Will the home field advantage play a part here? I hate the Packers (as you know from the top of this site), but I think they are going to the FC Championship Game.
Sunday’s first game pits my Bears against the shocking Seahawks. Seattle beat the Bears earlier in the season but that was before the team put together a long winning streak. We still don’t know what Bear team will show up, but the Seahawks aren’t very good, as their record shows. And, they aren’t a cold weather team. So, I think the Bears will ring midnight on Cinderella’s ball.
I don’t know whether to be amused by Jets’ Coach Rex Ryan or be annoyed. Ryan has the Jets deep in the playoffs for the second time in two years and this year’s team still has a very good (but not as dominant as 2009) defense, but the offense is suspect with the inconsistent play of QB Mark Sanchez. But the Jets again face the New England Patriots, who are the Rozelle buster team this year. The Patriots have been the best team all season, and humiliated the Jets 45-3 at their last meeting in Foxboro (where they meet again Sunday).
My comment about Ryan is due to his comment that Sunday’s game is between him and Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Now, that’s the main reason that I can’t stand New England – the little troll in the grey hoodie who is a defensive genius, but may have cheated by spying on an opponent in a previous Super Bowl and is generally dour. Ryan is a character like his old man Buddy, revered defensive coordinator of the 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle Bears, but I don’t think that if the game is tied, the player will leave the field, and a boxing ring will be erected and Ryan and Belichick will start beating the hell out of each other (although I’d pay LONG money to see that). Anyway, even with feet of snow in the East, I can’t see the Patriots losing to the Jets.
So, that would leave us with Packers/Bears and Ravens/Patriots. The Packers (much as I hate to say it) are better than the Bears, and if it plays out this way, I would say that the true Super Bowl would be the AFC game, because I would pick either Baltimore or especially New England to beat either NFC team (although the Packers could come close). Maybe I’ll be proven wrong by the Bears or one of the other games.
But I don’t think so.

As always, there is much discussion this time of year about the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both Robbie Alomar and Bert Blyleven are worthy of enshrinement in my view. Much has also been made of the voting or lack thereof, of players admitted or suspected of use of performance enhancing drugs.
Mark McGwire had admitted his drug use; but he remains the only eligible player with 500 or more home runs not in the Hall, and he didn’t make it this time either. Rafael Palmeiro came out from obscurity this week to still announce that his failed drug test was as a result of ignorance of the ingredients of a supplement. Like McGwire, he has the distinction of being one of the few men with 3,000 hits not in Cooperstown. Jeff Bagwell, although never formally found taking steroids, did not get the necessary votes to enter the Hall.
So far, Commissioner Bud “Head in the Sand” Selig has done nothing but issue valueless pronouncements on the steroid period he presided over. The Baseball Writers of America, the body that votes on enshrinement has no hard and fast rules one way or the other, and numerous writers have published articles and columns calling for some guidance.
I agree with them, and there is a deadline. In 23 months, voters will be asked to vote on the Class of 2013 and this will be the first year of eligibility for Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and the poster child of the steroid era, Barry Bonds. Of course, by then we should have verdicts on the initial criminal trials of Clemens and Bonds, which, while not legally binding at all for Hall voters (at least as of now), it will provide grounds in the court of public opinion.
So far, BBWAA members have been able to skirt the issue with McGwire, who many people don’t like anyway, and Palmeiro who was formally busted. But in 2012, the biggest names in baseball’s steroid era will be one the ballot and the powers that be won’t be able to hide.

When it comes to cheating, Americans usually do things to their bodies, like the East German swimmers. Maybe some college kid shaves a few points for a couple thousand dollars and a cheeseburger,
But when there’s cheating in international competition, it is deeper, and more ridiculous. Remember the Canadian figure skaters who got cheated out of the gold medal in the Olympics a few years ago? The Olympics used to be the gold standard of cheating.
But it seems that World Cup is the biggest cesspool in all of sports. Remember the incompetent referees in soccer’s World Cup last year? It was never proven that they were cheating, but there were sent home and had their remaining matches assigned to other referees? Well, we’ve got a new one to open the New Year.
A convicted match-fixer testified this week that he bribed a Bosnian referee to manipulate a World Cup qualifying match between Liechtenstein and Finland. A qualifying match between Liechtenstein and Finland? Boy there had to be big money on that match? Maybe only in Liechtenstein and Finland would anyone even care; it’s not like these are soccer powerhouses or anything.
Ante Sapina told a German court trying four men on fraud charges that he met the referee, Novo Panic, in the parking lot of a Sarajevo hotel to discuss fixing the Sept. 9, 2009, qualifying match that ended in a 1-1 draw. Both Liechtenstein and Finland missed the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and it could be because of this Sapina guy and Novo “I’m in a” Panic. Sapina said he paid Panic $52,850 for fixing the match.
I know that soccer is big in the rest of the world, but I can’t believe that anyone could make money off of a World Cup qualifying match? No one has a life so boring.