Silly Viedo For Class

Steven Tyler's a Letch, and I Like It

Steven Tyler was in the TV booth at the Sox game just now, promoting his upcoming tour and date at Fenway.  He had some pretty funny comments, confirming all of the sexual promiscuity stereotypes about rock stars. 

Remy: What happens when you forget the words Stephen?
Tyler:   I just scat until they come back to me (beeb boop, boob boob.)  You know, with the audience, you never know what's going to happen out there.  Sometimes with those kids, their shirts come off, and it's hard to pay attention to the words and what you're singing.

Remy: You guys played right up the road last year on the 4th of July.  How was that?
Tyler: Oh that was a great experience.  Being down the road here, and on the 4th.  The fireworks went of twice that night if you know what I mean.

Just amazing.  I think guys sometimes hate hearing songs like Hot Blooded, but we're also a little admirous, and of course jealous. 

Joe Morgan Quotes on Opening Night

I'm going to blog all of the dumb quotes on MLB's Opening Night from Joe Morgan.  Followed by a comment from me:

5:15: "Ortiz had a good season. He just didn't have the walkoffs and late-inning heroics that he had become known for."  -Really?  What about hitting below the Mendoza line for the first two months of the season.  Isn't that what the issue was?

5:20: "I don't know if people realize... this is Koufax and Marichal.  These are two of the best pitchers of their era."  -Close, but no cigar.  Sabathia might be, but Beckett isn't a surefire hall of famer.

5:29: "What is it 280 down the line?"  -Come on.  Jon just said 302 feet.  Do you need him to correct you again?  Apparently.

5:30: "Do they call it Pesky's pole?" -Joh says "They do, that's why I called it that."

5:55: Jon: "Curtis Granderson hitting that first home run in his first at bat of the season."
         Joe: "That's better than starting 0 for ten before you get your first hit."
         -No Comment

Just so you know, 551 consecutive sellouts.  Last non-sellout was May 1 2003.

7:20: Jon: "What was your preferred nickname?"
         Joe: "The Sweet pea."
         -What I like about this, is that it's THE sweet pea

7:22: Orel: "One of the worst things you can tell a pitcher is to 'stay back.'  Well, 'stay back' is fine, but stay back with rhythm and motion."

I think it's worth mentioning that this is a great game.

8:47: Orel: "A-Rod, leading off the next inning, would have loved to have had the chance to tie it up.  but now that they've allowed that run, he'll just have to get on base."  -That's right Orel, he'd rather it be a one-run than a two-run game.

Homophobia in the Law

The Attorney General of Virginia is asking for unprecedented repeal of anti-discrimination laws:

Ken Cuccinelli II has urged the state's public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arguing in a letter sent to each school that their boards of visitors had no legal authority to adopt such statements.

In his most aggressive initiative on conservative social issues since taking office in January, Cuccinelli (R) wrote in the letter sent Thursday that only the General Assembly can extend legal protections to gay state employees, students and others -- a move the legislature has repeatedly declined to take as recently as this week.

This is a horrific request and all I can think of when I see intentional discrimination like this is slavery.  A couple hundred years ago, people all over this country thought that slavery was morally legitimate, and half the country seceded in order to maintain laws which would keep the practice in place.  At the time, it was more of an monetary need than anything else, as the entire economy of the southern half of the country was dependent on a steady supply of extremely cheap labor.

This however, is an entirely moral issue.  Just as you'd be very hard pressed to find very many people in this country today who would support a return to legalized slavery, I hope you'll find the same about sexual discrimination in 100 years.  I think it's pathetic that we might have to wait that long to at least outlaw this form of bigotry.

The Stark Plan

I agree wholeheartedly with Jayson Stark on both his points here.  Participating in the Olympics would be bad for Major League Baseball, and the WBC should be held at a different time.  Play all the preliminary games a little later in spring training than you otherwise would, and then hold the semi-final games and the Finals over all-star week.  It'd be a big Baseball fest with an international home run derby, the futures game, and most importantly, the big time WBC games.  (I don't even think you need what would be a watered down all-star game.  Just announce the chosen players and let interleague play decide the home team for the World Series).

And one more change I would make, whether or not you changed the timing of the thing.  When choosing WBC rosters, make the provisional rosters larger, and tiered.  Each country chooses 3 players for each position, and brings only the first guy on the depth chart.  The teams also grab a couple of utility guys, the same way a normal MLB squad would.  Derek Jeter won't have to worry about missing valuable ST time sitting on team-USA's bench.  And if there are a rash of injuries, a utility player won't have to start a semi-final game out of position at 1B, you just call up the next starter, who has been hitting everyday in the Cactus or Grapefruit league.