J Soul

Last month, I wrote a pretty bad, yet cheesy, poem about Jose Canseco, and what I thought about his ‘name calling’ in his books and interviews. I made up my mind about him from the beginning, and never gave his word a chance. But that changed today, when I finally gave in and bought one of his books. I bought his newest release, ‘Vindicated’, from a Penn Station bookstore that was selling it at 20% off (not that the discount is what led me to buy it). It was time for me to give ‘Jose’ another chance. After all, my former opinion of his ‘allegations’ and ‘name calling’ was mostly fueled by the media bigwigs at ESPN or CNNSI, instead of my own cerebrally-formed opinion. So, here it goes.

[Start of 'Bizarre Story' Break]

I was riding the LIRR with my girlfriend, on our way to visit my grandparents, when a whole bunch of Mets fans got on the train at Woodside (I say Mets fans because they all had Johan Santana jerseys on). One of them caught a glimpse of what I was reading, and said down at me, “What does it say about A-Rod?“. I ignored him, and kept on reading, because I wasn’t about to get into a conversation with a guy on his way to a baseball game who already looked drunk (at 11:00am, mind you). He turned to a friend of his and continued by saying, “This kid is reading that Canseco book. Man, @&#% Canseco… and @$&% A-rod too“. Kid? Amazing how an 18 year old “kid” calls a 26 year old a kid (I know he was 18 because a friend of his had said “you’re NOT drinking at the game, you’re only 18″). Okay, how in the world would he know I’m 26 anyway… but that’s besides the point. Back to the post…

[End of 'Bizarre Story' Break]

I’m not going to give away the meat of the book, because I believe everyone (who has an interest in this topic) should buy the book and give it a chance. The guy is simply recalling his life, from start to present day. Sure, he names a bunch of players and recalls a lot of conversations, but that’s purely secondary to what he really talks about in the book. The majority of this new book was focused on two things (at least from what I took from the book):

A) Why steroids and performance enhancing drugs were kept so ‘quiet’ during the post ‘Strike of 1994′ years of baseball. (I happened to have the same ‘theories’ that he had)
B) How steroids created a ‘Level Playing Field’. (That’s where I was a little skeptical)

My opinion on Jose’s claims haven’t change dramatically, but simply looking at what he has to say (lie-detector passed and all) has given me a whole bunch of new theories to rack my brain with. I will agree with him on this, though. “Chicks Dig The Longball”. How many of you remember that commercial with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Big Mac? Jose made a reference to that commercial in the book, and how it was a funny reference to the state of baseball back in the (now referred to as the ‘Juiced’) era. Fans (and sports coverage hounds like ESPN and others) love the home run ball. Whether it’s a solo shot, a grand slam, or a game-winner… there’s something about the ball being crushed into the next atmosphere that gives baseball fans an incredible rush. After reading this book, I’m starting to believe in the idea that Steroid use was kept quiet because it kept fans (notice I didn’t say ‘all fans’) in their seats, buying more tickets, buying more food/alcohol, and fueling the baseball economy.

None of this means I’m a believer in everything Jose says. What it means, is that I was knowingly hand-fed media garbage and used their opinions as my own. I accepted it without questioning it, and now I want my own opinion back.

So what have I learned from all this? While I never did know a whole lot about Jose Canseco, his book has given me some neat theories to play around with. Thanks Jose!

Believe what you want. Believe who you want. We’ll all believe who we want and what we want. It’s our god-given right to do so. But me? After all of the ‘Canseco Nay-Saying’ I did? I’m glad he opened his big mouth. Then again, the media-opinion-hungry kid on the inside wants this guy to fade away into the darkness that is the “Steroid Era” and never been heard from or seen again, along with everyone else involved. But then I’d just be a media-puppet… and we all know that’s no fun!

Respect My Authoritah!

That’s right, kiddies! If you’re a Dodger fan (or just a fan of baseball) living in Los Angeles, and you can’t afford Field Level Box Seats at Dodger Stadium, your pre-game autograph days are over! T.J. Simers over at the Los Angeles Times wrote an article about Dodger Stadiums latest rule. According to this new rule, only fans with tickets to Field Level seating will have access to pre-game autograph opportunities that most fans of other teams have. If you read T.J.’s article, you’ll read about one fan’s stadium experience after being turned away after the new rule took effect, while his seats were just outside of the Field Level Box Seats. As a fan of the game in New York City(aside from being a Mets fan), I’m always psyched to head to Shea Stadium about two and a half hours before games to chat with players and grab some autographs. It’s something I’ve done since first going to Mets games as a kid, and it’s something I’m looking forward to doing with my future kids.

If you look closely, you can see the Field Level ushers turning people away even with the game already in progress!

How can a storied organization like the Dodgers turn away not only the adult fans, but the children (whose family or friends can’t afford box seats) that come to ballgames hoping to get an autograph from one of their favorite player? Well, according to a Dodgers PR guy, an area in Center Field will is dubbed as “Autograph Alley”, where one former Dodger will sign autographs before every game. Ex-Dodgers like Lee Lacy and Jim Gott have already showed up to the centerfield area, where no current players are expected to venture out to before a game. But what 10-year-old wants Lee Lacy’s autograph? Wouldn’t he/she rather have Andruw Jones’ autograph? What about Brad Penny?

In a follow up article on the LA Times website by T.J. Simers, The Dodgers are awaiting ‘more data’ as they begin to reconsider the new rule, while fans have been pushing complaints through. If you have anything to tell the Dodgers Organization about this new rule, send an email over to fanfeedback@ladodgers.com and let the Dodgers PR people know exactly how you feel.

[Thanks, Veronique, for linking this post to the LA Times Blog!]

Welcome to the United States of America, where in Los Angeles, the dollar gets you autographs of your favorite athletes. Now get back to your “Reserved” seat, lower class citizen! If I were a Dodger Fan in Los Angeles, I’d be almost as mad as Phillip Wellman when he argues with umpires…

Go, Phillip, Go!

Doing my usual web-browsing for baseball news, I came across this Yahoo article on Alex Rodriguez and the Florida Marlins. The article had nothing to do with statistics or the game itself. It had to do with money. This article was about how Alex Rodriguez ($28 million) makes more money, annually, than the entire current roster of the Florida Marlins ($21.8).

If you’ve read my previous “Major League Greedball” post, you’d know my stance on the flow of money through sports, and where I believe it should really be going. I have nothing against Alex and his talents, or any other player in baseball and their talents, for that matter. I just have a hard time believing in the sport with so much money being dumped into it, when all that money could be going to more important places (in my opinion), like into the pockets of educators. Now, I’m not saying that highly paid players don’t give back to their communities. A lot of players have foundations, charities, or donate money because of a clause in their contract. That’s all wonderful and great. But at $28 million a year… if Arod doesn’t win any World Series rings as a Yankee, that’s one big waste of money, in my opinion.

I’ll feel a little better when the $21.8 million Florida Marlins make a playoff run… or will Jeff Loria sign a truck-full of high-priced Free Agents at the end of the season to win a World Series, and fire everyone when they finally win it? How very “Huizenga” of me to say…

While the first video shows Barack Obama as the winner of the upcoming presidential election, that doesn’t mean I share that same vision of ‘hope’. As it turns out, I’ve lost all interest in this year’s Presidential Election. I’m a big fan of Ron Paul, and I hope he shows up during the final campaigns as a nominee. Wait, did I say Ron Paul? It’s too bad you can’t sense sarcasm from reading words on a screen. If you could hear me read that last sentence back to you, it would make me laugh too! But aside from all that hoopla , I’ve been completely turned off by all of the inter-party bickering between Clinton and Obama supporters. As a registered democrat, I no longer feel like I’m part of a united party, but part of a divided a party. (Sarcasm… taking over… make it stop!)

(Thanks CNN and FoxNews for brainwashing me with those terms, and thanks K.C. for helping me point out my own sarcasm!)

But I digress… Enjoy this awesome clip of one person’s vision of this year’s presidential race!

For some reason, ‘Obamachu’ just sounds wrong…

It could also go down like this…

She should have used “Bill’s Big Mouth”!

Since a good majority of readers who’ve left their comments here and on other sites haven’t been able to read into my sense of humor and assume I’m actually supporting anyone, I’ll have to get serious for a moment. If the selection for President of the United States came down to my vote, it would have to go to these guys. (Serious? Me? Did you fall for the sarcasm again? I just can’t stop!)

[ Readers. please keep the comments at a PG level ]

Thanks to all the readers for making this post a WordPress Top Post! And a special thanks to the readers who added this to their StumbleUpon pages for spreading the word about the post and the blog!

Have you ever been walking outside, and end up so preoccupied with sending out a text message from your cell phone, that you end up walking into something or someone? I’ve never done it… yet… but I’ve seen a lot of people do it. What boggles my mind, is how big a priority texting has become in comparison to walking “safely”. Is it really worth is to send out a text when you’re crossing the street or walking around on a crowded sidewalk, when you could be hit by a car or shaken up by a lamp post or a big scary dude? If you answered yes, then this video is for you. Either way, check out what a local London street has done to combat “texting accidents”.

Stand Still!

Remember the good ol’ days when musicians and artists would play live shows, and sounds just like (or even better than) their recorded albums? I sure miss those days. Paul Simon live sounded like a Paul Simon record. Billy Joel live sounded like a Billy Joel record. I’m sure you can catch my drift. Well, times have seemingly changed, and I felt like blogging about a topic that I’ve debated with some of my friends for a long while. What I’m going to do is share two videos, featuring a band called “Panic! At The Disco”. One video will be a produced music video, and the other will be a live performance. I’m interested in hearing which version of the song sounds better, and why you think so.

Remember, be as open and honest as possible. I’m really interested in hearing your truthful non-biased opinions. Watch, and discuss!

Produced

Live

[ This post can also be found on the Global New York Mets Fan Blog ]

Last night, I finally got a look at the new logo for CitiField (The new stadium for the New York Mets opening in 2009). Before I make any obscene gestures, let me say that I was really disappointed when I saw the logo. The only way to logo relates to the Mets, in my own opinion, is the orange and blue color scheme. Other than that, it looks pretty terrible. Can anyone tell me who created the logo? Who do I have to hunt down and yell at? Now, while I made some obscene gestures at my computer screen, feast your eyes on the logo of the new stadium of the New York Mets.

Thanks to Kingman over at Loge13 for the Logo.

Isn’t it lovely?… (Insert groans and whines here)

You know, it reminds me of another logo that I see all over the place… hmm… what could it be… Maybe it’s a ticket stub? Maybe it’s a Domino?… Wait! A domino! That’s why it looks like…

          
“Get the door, you’ve got Johan!”

I’m proud to be a Mets fan, but I’m certainly no fan of Citifield… yet.
I’m gonna miss Shea Stadium…

I’m a registered Democrat, but I’m not a fan of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton… yet. Neither candidate has given me that tingly “I want him/her to be president” feeling. But one thing I appreciate, is the amount of comedic imagery that comes out of elections like these. There’s bound to be photoshop gurus out there who love to create parody images of candidates, as well as just plain creative people who love to put together a good joke. I’ve found two photos that I want to share with all of you, that I think sum up just how funny election time can be. But remember, I’m not a fan of either candidate, so posting these photos is not tied to my own opinions at all. Although, I’d love to hear what you think about them. Enjoy!

Very Nice!

Ouch!

A few days ago, on the way home from Union Square, I saw this setup against a wall in the ‘L’ subway station. Each section of the cardboard setup that you see above featured a DVD that was about 9/11 and all of the ‘conspiracy’ theories that surround it. The photo doesn’t show much, and I only took it because I thought my phone was in ‘video’ mode. A fair amount of college-aged people were approaching the setup and asking questions, while the middle-aged and older crowd of the subway station backed off, and that got me thinking about what people really think about the events of that day.

What do you think about 9/11 conspiracy theories? I’m interested in hearing some of your opinions.

While I wait for your responses, I invite you watch today’s Video Zen with me. Enjoy!

I’m going to see him at Shea in July! Woohoo!

I’m a little fahklempt…
Talk amongst yourselves for a while.

Here, I’ll give you a topic: The 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections. Who do you support, and why?

Discuss!

Here’s a little dose of zen while you think.