Ok, so this is going to be a random thoughts blog — sort of like Larry King’s column in USA Today. In fact, I’ll even put names in bold, as does Larry King, who, by the way, I saw at a Dodgers game a couple of weeks ago. Speaking of baseball, that’s a good place to start because:
* It looks like that Interstate World Series some people talked about ain’t gonna happen. The Dodgers have a shot, but the Angels might as well pack their bags now.
A friend and I had a discussion about whether we should hate the Yankess because of George Steinbrenner’s money. (While Steinbrenner has retired from ownership, it’s his money that built this team.) My friend Dan’s thought was that we should hate the Yankees because they have an unfair money advantage. But my take, as a Cubs fan, is that I would appreciate an owner who’s wiling to pay for winners. Through the years, the Tribune Co, which owned the Cubs (and is not affiliated with the SLO Tribune), made a killing. Yet, they decided not to build great teams, knowing fans would fill Wrigley Field with or without championships. Lame money hoarders.
* Wearing a new wetsuit is like wearing a pair of new whitey tighty underwear for the first time. Great feeling. I might even wear it to bed for a while.
* If indeed the whole balloon boy thing is a hoax, the kid’s dad is an idiot. Did the guy really (allegedly) think little kids would sell his bogus story? For a guy so into science, he seems pretty dumb. But now I’m thinking about writing a novel where this kid flies away in a balloon . . .
* I’m a Bears fan, but I can’t help but root for Brett Favre. Yeah, the guy’s wishy-washy, but so what? He loves the game. And Favre, who just turned 40 a week ago, makes me feel I’m not too old. So if anyone wants to join me, I’ll be throwing a football around the Trib parking lot this afternoon.
* Why aren’t we sending Oprah Winfrey to the Middle East? Seriously, Oprah can do it all: She helps catch criminals, she saves San Luis Obispo sandwich shops from going out of business, and now she gets Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield to chum it up on TV. Forget Hillary — Oprah is the one who will broker peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
And just think of the ratings!
* Apparently, I’ve become the Chuck Liddell reporter here at the Tribune. In addition to writing about Liddell’s biography and his experience on “Dancing With the Stars,” (Read Liddell’s “Dancing” diary here.) this Sunday you can see my story about John Hackleman, the trainer who taught Liddell how to knock people out. Speaking of older guy’s still getting it done, Hackleman’s 50 and looks pretty rock solid.
Hackleman and I will be tossing the football in the parking lot tomorrow.
* Beatles movies are weird. I watched “The Magical Mystery Tour” movie for the first time this weekend. The surreal stuff works pretty well as long as it’s put to music. But without music, it’s just freakin’ weird. Part of it had to do with the 60s — acid and all that. But also? British humor is just odd.
If the half the Beatles weren’t dead, I’d recommend we enlist Oprah to get them back together.
Favre photo: AP
Posted on October 19th, 2009 by Pat
Filed under: The World According to Pat
This post is so disjointed I don’t know how to respond to it. Lessee …
- Dodgers suck.
- I’d rather not hear about your underwear fetish.
- Balloon boy is clearly a hoax. Dad should have coached his kids better; he could have gotten away with it.
- Oprah for President!
- Don’t forget your Zac Efron coverage!
- Beatles rock.
Count me as one who hates Steinbrenner. What he has done to baseball is a shame. He’s created a bunch of greedy, outrageously pompous players and agents with self-inflated egos who care more about money than baseball. Steroids are one result of this money-based sham. Overly expensive ticket prices are another result. I love baseball. I hate what Steinbrenner has done to it. In fact, I see the Yankees as the Dark Side. When good players cross over to the Dark Side, baseball dies a little bit more with each one. Sure, the Skankees make it to the playoffs, and sometimes they even win the World Series. But the baseball season is packed with things like great double plays, solid base hits, amazing outfield catches and scrappy young players who hit for the cycle. And most of the guys making those plays don’t have salaries in the nosebleed section.