So I got a parking ticket recently while parked on the street at the University of Penn. I parked on the street because the lot was full and I had to continually put quarters in the meter. Somewhere around 2PM I went out to put more quarters the meter and the time was not registering. Quarters in, no time allotted on the meter. I’m not sure whether the meter was full or broken or what but it seemed to have worked up until that point. I even went as far as to document this phenomenon in a grainy Blackberry video.
So I put a note on the hood of the car saying that the meter was broken and low and behold I get a parking ticket, $36. Now I have some proof that this happened on my phone but the real question is whether or not to dispute it. I would save a couple dollars by paying the fine and actually working for the two or so hours it would take me to fight the ticket in court. So what do you do here? Take the fine even though it’s not your fault or take the time out of the workday or lose more money in lost work time then I would if paid the fine and get my ass to court?
Well it seems somewhat counter intuitive but I’m going to fight this parking ticket. I don’t like the idea of admitting guilt when I didn’t do anything wrong. I could see if I just parked the car and forgot about it all day. I would take the fine no big deal. However, I did go out every 3 hours, get an obscene amount of quarters from various lunch trucks and feed the meter so I didn’t get a ticket. It just so happens the meter broke on the 3rd time I had to put $4 worth of quarters in it.
I have no reason to lie to you the reader or the court about the truthiness of the parking situation but I am opening myself up to not only losing money on the parking ticket but also the lost wages. I would just rather not admit guilt to something when I’m not guilty.
Now I know sometimes in relationships men are ostensibly forced to apologize for things they don’t feel like are big deals or even infractions and I have been guilty of this from time to time just to continue with regular sexual activity. This, however, is a different situation. This is me against the Parking Authority and if I don’t stand up for myself they will continue to screw me. As opposed to apologizing to your girlfriend for something stupid and being able to screw her again.
I’ll let you know how pissed I am when this whole thing backfires right in my face.
Has anyone else seen that the news is suddenly full of stories about kids being hit and killed by…..Televisions!? The first Delaware Valley incident that caught my attention was earlier this week in Kensington, That resulted in only an injury, the second, yesterday in Burlington county new jersey resulted in the death of a two and half year old boy! In doing a little research I found this is not at all uncommon. Every major city in the country reports many such instances every year. For example; Last November in Florida a 16mo old boy was killed when an older sibling climbed a 4ft tall TV to turn it off and ended up toppling it over onto his infant brother. Almost the exact same thing happened in Phoenix,Az. 3 times in as many months!
Even though I immediately started to suspect a combination of poor parenting and the trend towards huge TV’s (even though the one in Jersey yesterday was only 27″), as it turns out the vast majority of cases I looked into the police have put the blame on faulty TV stands and not the TV’s or parents. Which begs the question… What is with the problem with the TV stands!? Are people not putting them together properly , are the little plastic discs under a modern TV too small to support the weight or are the crappy fiber-board stands sold today too cheap to even be safe in your home!? If your thinking ” Whew, I’m safe ’cause I used a cool wall mount” you’d be wrong because in a few instances it was a faulty wall mount or installation of the mount that caused the TV to fall. So unless your Builder Bob your not safe there either.
I could be way off here but we didn’t seem to have this problem years ago, even with the 2 ton sets we grew up with because furniture was made by a craftsmen, came assembled already and making a quality product was still job one. Of course the old school TV’s came already in a sturdy, balanced stand but even the hulking sets of the 80’s and 90’s were supported by real, honest to goodness furniture. I think this just another case of the increasingly ignorant consumer being screwed by the man at price-mart.
Maybe the lesson is to put out the three or four dollars for one of those furniture securement kits to keep your children, pets and property safe?
I don’t know what the answer is but maybe before you have the family over for the holidays you should take a second and make sure your TV is securely mounted to the wall or get those chinese directions out and give your realistic looking, veneered wood TV stand the once over.
So allegedly Tiger Woods cheated on his wife numerous times or something and this is supposed to be serious news. Really, who gives a crap? It’s more likely to effect his bank account than his golf game so why do we even pay attention to these things? It serves no purpose to report on it other than he crashed his car or whatever and he was slightly hurt. Everything else is rumors, gossip and conjecture at best.
I think about 7 women have come out and stated publicly that they had relations with Mr. Woods and I have been advised by my counsel to neither confirm nor deny my involvement with Tiger, sexually that is. Seriously though, the media has beaten this subject to death so much that gossip TV show Extra interviewed Ashley Dupree (Elliot Spitzer’s call girl) to see what she had to say and what advice she could give Tiger Woods about this ordeal. That’s exactly who I would turn to for a real good take on the situation, a high priced hooker. She sure has a unique understanding of relationships, being the other woman and intimate knowledge of how a infidelity can ruin a marriage. She does make some interesting points though:
“My case in point: Here you have all these girls accepting gifts, money, trips from Tiger in exchange for sex — all the while knowing he is married. And now they all can’t wait to tell their stories in exchange for even more money from the tabloids? And I was the hooker? At least I kept my mouth shut.”
This also reminds me of something that Mr. BeerSlugger wrote about how different people are perceived in the media after it’s known that they cheated or whatever. Brad Pitt being the big winner in this case after successfully swapping wife Jennifer Anniston for Angelina Jolie with little to no public backlash. Meanwhile, every other guy in America gets the asshole treatment if they are accused of cheating on their wife. This controversy will eventually calm down but at what cost to Tiger Woods All-American image?
Television has gotten so bad that I watched C-Span yesterday for 40 minutes and besides watching Allen Iverson return to the Sixers it was the best 40 minutes of TV I watched all day. There’s mad debates taking place on Capitol Hill about the Healthcare Bill. Stuff got pretty intense, this senator going at that senator, trading verbal jabs even if they were slightly more courteous than the ones lobbed on shows produced by MTV. The best part is that I watched and learned about something that actually matters and effects me unlike whether or not Tiger Woods was putting from the rough with a couple of Sally Slutbags.
Thank God JWow's breast don't move or there could be some wardrobe malfunctions.
By: Billy Beerslugger
This weekend I subjected myself to more MTV than I have watched probably since 2002 or so. I could not get away from the phenomenon that is “The Jersey Shore”. Guido’s, Guidettes, Blowout’s, fake tans, muscles and a whole lot of attitude. Pretty much what i expected from this show but after I watched it as research (I’m a hypocrite), then sat in with my roomates to watch a portion of it, then went over a friends house and they were watching it I seriously will not watch this show again. I stopped watching “The Real World” after Pedro died in season 3 and “The Jersey Shore” is nothing more than a rehash of the Real World formula with the twist of having all Italian American’s as house inhabitants and a whole bunch of sterotypical behavior. I can tell you how this show in it’s entirety will go: fist fights, fist pumping, drinking, shit talking about roommates, roommates hooking up (some of whom have boyfriends), roommates getting in a fight after hooking up, girls getting pissed about other girls being in the house, half the show being bleeped or blurred out, lame Guido stereotypical behavior, people get fired from their job selling t-shirts but are ultimately let back to work because it’s really hard selling t-shirts, some girl gets punched in the face by a dude. Now save yourself the couple hours of your life and learn something.
For as much complaining as I’ve heard coming from the New Jersey tourism associations it didn’t stop them from running an ad during the show about Ocean City NJ.
Now onto the next farce I’ve seen on MTV that should have been pulled, DJ AM’s Gone Too Far follows the deceased record spinner while he tries to help them kick their addictions to drugs and alcohol. The problem I have with this show still being on the air is that DJ AM died of a fucking drug overdose. Wouldn’t that kind of be like if Oprah starred in a show about losing a weight and then her stomach explodes from eating too many Twinkies? This isn’t to say that DJ AM is a bad dude or that it’s easy to kick drugs but it’s not exactly inspiring that the host of a show about kicking your drug habit dies from a drug overdose. Do you see what I’m saying here? The guys credibility is completely ruined.
So the Answer is coming back to Philadelphia. When I wrote the Iverson article last week I didn’t really think the Sixers would ever re-sign him given the acrimonious split in late 2006. It’s the kind of homecoming you hope for as a true Philadelphia sports fan. The situation reminds me of how Jeremiah Trotter and Hugh Douglas came back for the Eagles Super Bowl run in 2004. Hopefully Iverson is more Trotter than Douglas in terms of production.
It’s kind of bittersweet though in that I’m not really sure the addition of Iverson puts the Sixers in any real contention to win the Eastern Conference but stranger things have happened. At this point, with Speights and Lou Williams gone for an extended period it can only help more than hurt.
So I’m not a real big sports radio listener and I choose not to listen to it especially when a big headline will dominate the airwaves for the next couple days as in Iverson, Vick etc. However, with the verbal jabs I’ve heard from colleagues and commentators about what kind of player and of what caliber person they perceive Iverson to be I do get somewhat miffed.
1) Iverson is not a team player:
Well if you hear any of his teammates talk about Allen Iverson I have never heard anything bad come out of anyone’s mouth. Yes he clashed with coaches, yes he missed practice, yes he got into some situations which weren’t exactly kosher but if you think he had anything on his mind but winning when he’s on the court then you’re crazy. If not being a team player is taking all the shots then I’ll refer you to the bullet point below.
2) Iverson the Ball Hog:
For much of Iverson’s Philly career the plan from Larry Brown was for Allen to take most of the shots. Dart to the rim and get fouled. Allen takes the shots, they live on the foul line and the rest of the team plays great defense while allowing Iverson to expend his energy on the offensive end. Who was going to take the shots? Eric Snow?
We never got him a complementary player, maybe because he didn’t want to share the scoring or any marquee player was afraid he wasn’t going to give up the ball but during his years in Philadelphia I ask you, who would you rather have shoot the ball?
3) He’s not a winner:
It’s true, Allen Iverson couldn’t win it by himself. It’s also true he didn’t have a whole lot of help. Everyone slurps Jordan but he had players Iverson never had. The Answer never had a Scottie Pippen. Iverson only played concurrently with two All Stars, Theo Ratliff the year he got hurt and Dikembe Mutumbo, neither of which were known for scoring.
For every team that worked out a great trade or drafted a player that helped win a Championship, Iverson was given has been’s and never will be’s. Chris Webber, Tyrone Hill, Jumaine Jones, Tim Thomas, Derrick Coleman, Larry Hughes, Toni Kukoc, Kieth Van Horne, Matt Harpring. Webber was playing on one leg and we paid him 36 million to not play, Coleman would have been a great 3rd option, Kukoc was 25 lbs overweight by the time he got to Philly and every guy we drafted we traded away or didn’t make an impact.
Granted it’s hard for a rookie to grow in a system predicated on getting the star player 30 shots a game but does anyone think if we got a legit second scoring option and still had the defensive players in place that Iverson wouldn’t go deep in the playoffs every year? (note: the unsung hero of the 2001 season in George Lynch who was never the same player after breaking his foot in the playoffs that year).
So we have Iverson back, if he scores 19 or 90 it’s good for the city, good for attendance and good for the fans who love the guy. You can make insinuations about why they brought him back or that he takes time away from the young guys but the young guys aren’t exactly doing much right now.
If anything I hope the guy (and he does) realizes what a special place he has in this city and how coming back for his farewell tour is the kind of reunion only seen in Hollywood movies. To bring it all back where it started, to cap off a Hall of Fame career in front of the fans that made him a household name is something that most Philadelphia Superstars either never wanted to or never could do. (Besides Dick Allen).
At the very least, I’m interested in Sixers Basketball again if only just to see one of it’s greatest players make one more playoff push. It should be interesting.
If you’ve been lucky enough to dodge the poor economy and still have enough money to even be considering buying a new or lightly used car, your among the fortunate. If you want to keep it that way you’d better become an educated consumer long before you ever set foot on a car lot.
Use these tips to help get you smartly behind the wheel of your new ride without the years and years of unmanageable debt that can come with it.
Lesson 1: Getting the Power.
There are many schools of thought on cash buying vs. utilizing your credit but we’re going to assume here that your financing;
NEVER get the car and the financing at the same place! If you do, you have squarely put all the power in the dealers hands. Think about it, if you need them for the car and the approval…what have you got in your corner? Nothing, that’s what. Instead, seek out financing from another source before you ever go to the dealership. You can obtain your own financing at your bank, credit union or one of many independent finance companies like Capitol One. If you secure the financing on your own, the dealership is only providing the car. That changes the game and makes that car no different than a vacuum cleaner or box of cereal….you can choose to buy it from whatever store has the best price. How many dealers sell fords or Hondas? A LOT, so the dealer is forced to earn your sale or risk losing it to his competitor across town. Side note: Capitol One for example has a blank check auto financing program online that takes about 1min to get an approval or denial. If approved, you get the terms and interest rate and they snail mail a blank check that you can use at any dealer within 45 days for up to the approved amount. If you don’t use it in the 45 days the check becomes void and you don’t have a loan with them to worry about. In short…your free to use your “power” wherever and whenever you choose.
Lesson 2: Using the power
Comparison shop. You compare Best buy, Wal-mart and Amazon if your looking for a big screen TV right? Why not with your car purchase!? Be sure to identify a car with incentives (Cash back, extra value trade-in’s, etc.) and check it’s price online with at least 2 or 3 different dealers. Once you’ve identified a car be sure to also check with your insurance company to see what your new insurance rate will be and figure that in to your monetary decision. Also look into or inquire about fuel efficient models that might be available. Check sites like KBBto find the value of any trade-in you might have. Knowledge is power.
Since you brought your own financing your in control of the deal….don’t get sucked into discussing how much a month your looking to pay, that’s a sucker move. Instead work on the overall price of the car. The monthly payments will work themselves out once you know the price of the car (you already know the term of the loan because you have it worked it before you got there). Be sure to let them know, that you know ,you can get this same car from their competitor for less or whatever price you got during your internet/phone search. Focus on the price of the car.
Be stern but try not to walk off the lot if your confident this is the best place…if you leave and come back they are going to know you couldn’t find a better deal and be firm on their price. If you have to leave though…do it, just go elsewhere.
If you’ve got the price as low as you think you can get it, (unfortunately if you’re not buying from a CarSense type place this part is all on your research, preparation and ‘Feel‘) then try to work some more value in by getting add-ons or upgrades. Seem hesitant and say something like “ If it had the better sound system or a portable DVD player I would be much more sure”. I’ve scored several times with that one. The dealer would rather lose a few hundred on the electronics than the whole car sale.
Last but not least, once you have everything worked out and your confident in the price your getting for the car, have them run you through their finance guy to see if he can get you a better interest rate or term. (If your financing isn’t in stone that is …That’s why I like programs like Capitol One’s) If they ask what rate you already have, tell them ¾ to a point lower and make their guy work to better the deal. If he does, take their financing and walk out confident that you got the best deal on not only the car but the financing too.
Car buying is serious business but as this video shows, no matter what you get on the car….get keyless entry.
Why can't my boyfriend be more like this guy on TV? Thoughtful, Romantic, Good Looking. He just doesn't get it.
By: Sean Millski
That right, romance. Let’s face it Fella’s, the ladies want it and, like it or not, it’s your job to give it to ‘em. Especially this time of year because with the holidays comes the 10 extra pounds from grandma’s sweet potatoes and, as if that wasn’t enough, the cold weather sets in. The extra weight and extra layer of clothes leaves your girl down and out. With the beaches closed and the sun on vacation, she’ll huddle on the couch fighting off the winter blues with a set of flannel PJ’s and Na-Na‘s lovingly wrapped left-over’s. All the while trying to figure out what exactly it was she liked about you in the first place. So, unless you want a full blown girlfriend crisis on your hand, you better step away from the fruitcake and do something about it.
If you don’t know what to do don’t worry because whether your just starting to date or you’ve been married for years the same rules apply to getting through the frigid months with your girl happy and intact. The first thing you need to do is put the wrench, spreadsheet or game station down and get started on making your lady feel like she’s still number one in your book. Here are some useful hints and tips that might help you along;
Take some of the burden off her.
The modern woman, college coed to busy mom, feels strained and overwhelmed with all of life’s little duties so start with making time for her to relax and spend some fun time with you. Most women will tell you that the most effective foreplay a man can do for her is to do the dishes or clean the bathroom. If your just dating you can still do your part by taking the initiative and making the weekend’s plans. Make it easy for her to just go along and enjoy. Don’t cross the line to controlling…your going for helpful. Oh, and if you clean the bathroom, do it like she would! Don’t wipe it down with the dirty pair of boxers you just took off!
Don’t rev a cold engine.
Any car guy can instinctively tell you that about his motor but somehow they don’t understand that it applies to their girlfriend too. Before you race the engine, you have to make sure she’s warmed up and ready to run. Whether it’s sex or dinner with friends…..a little patience will go a long way. If you don’t know what that means then the next tip is for you.
Send silent messages.
Use body language…a lot….but whatever you do, don’t make every contact or movement about sex. Learn to take emotion and put it into your finger tips. Touch her softly and with feeling that she can, well, feel. Women look at that little stuff, it’s big to them. What you do is far more important than what you say (read that last sentence like ten times).Take a gentle kiss on the forehead for example, it’s a simple gesture but it speaks volumes to a woman. Touch (not grabbing or groping!) can be a great way to get through to your girl. Use what I call “The Deft Touch”. Pay attention to the softer, more vulnerable parts of her body like the small of her back, the top of the hip, the inner forearm, the nape of her neck. Avoid the sexual areas like the plague. Lightly glide across the skin or firmly push with the palm. Try to make her feel safe, loved, cared for, special, attractive and desired…not kept or lusted after. It send’s a message that she’ll get in a big way. You touch her right….and she’ll return the favor in and out of the bedroom.
Give the right gift.
Romance doesn’t usually need to include a gift but if you decide to give one be careful, it’s a slippery slope. Flowers are expensive and are going to make them wonder if you are apologizing for something. Don’t do lingerie(get the wrong size and it’s curtains) or household goods under any circumstances! The best gifts are intangible like concert tickets or add-ons like a bracelet on her car seat after a trip to the zoo that says to My Hunny Bunny or some other cute animal related saying. Corny? Yes, but romantic nonetheless. Avoid homemade gifts too unless your absolutely sure they’re not lame…ask someone if your not sure. Design a memory…that’s the best gift of all.
Connect with her…
out of the house…out of the normal routine. It’s important this time of year to get her up and out. Get the blood flowing and the literal and figurative heart’s pumping. To help you decide how and what to do we’ve come up with a few suggestions;
Take her to the new National Constitution Center. Taking her there can show you have depth …The center features a state of the art, stadium seated, multimedia presentation in addition to a pretty big, interactive museum on the founding of our great nation….But the best part is that until Dec.31st, they are featuring an elaborate exposition on Princess Diana. This one is easy, I hate to make so many generalizations but, the ladies love princesses. Top it off with a romantic, horse drawn carriage ride through the park and you’ll be one step closer to being her prince charming! (a simple necklace or charm that says Your My Princess at the beginning of the carriage ride would be a good gift add-on example. Getting it now?)
Walk hand-in hand down a hopefully snowy lane at the free Dicken’s festival in downtown Narbeth on Dec. 12 from 1 to 4pm. The street festival features street performers, carolers, venders, performers and more. The ladies don’t like to be cold but they do love you to show them some affection in public. I haven’t been to this one but it sounds worthy.
Stroll arm in arm through Longwood Gardens beautiful winter display from now until Jan. 10th. It’s a great place and this time of year it’s the perfect romantic setting. This one is sure fire.
Finally, if you want or need to be fairly spontaneous, just go for a walk together or ask her to go outside with you and make snow angels (Stop making that face like you just smelled bad milk! That‘s what got you in this position in the first place!). Last but not least, make two snowmen in the yard and color them to look like you guys with spray bottles filled with water and food coloring. (You can talk all the man-smack you want…don‘t knock it until you try it.)
If you have any romantic trip or gift suggestions, please add them to the comment section below.
The essential list of Christmas/Holiday movies for your holiday season per myself. I left off animated features so don’t be mad that Polar Express or Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special isn’t on here.
10) Gremlins: A black comedy based at Christmas time, it features a a cute as can be Mogwai named Gizmo that spawns mutated versions of itself when it comes in contact with water and they wreak havoc on a small town during the holiday. Director Joe Dante also directed Innerspace and The Burbs. Little known fact is that Howie Mandel did the voice of Gizmo.
9) Elf: I’m not particularly a big fan of this movie but it does have it’s funny moments and one liners. I guess I hoped it was a little more dark or had some more adult humor in it being that it was Will Ferrel’s next movie after Old Shool. Mary Steenburgen has been the mom in every movie since Clifford.
8 ) Trading Places: This movie you may not really think of as a Christmas Movie per se but it was shot pretty much entirely in Philadelphia which basically put it over the edge for me. Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd change work and socioeconomic backgrounds on a bet from their bosses. Murray and Ackroyd get even in the end but not without a bunch of humorous scenes, a view of early 1980’s Philadelphia and a completely gratuitous and non-essential shot of Jamie Lee Curtis’ breasts.
7) Bad Santa: Billy Bob Thorton is a safe cracker and his dwarf partner Marcus are mall thief’s extraordinaire. They use Billy Bob as a alcoholic Santa and his Marcus as an elf for cover. Billy Bob drinks, womanizes and commandeers husky Thurman Murmon’s house. There are too many one-liners in this movie to leave it off the list.
6) Home Alone: I remember having to get this movie the day it came out it was that big of a deal when I was a kid. The plot revolves around Macaulay Culkin being left at home during a family trip and dealing with “Wet Bandits” Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci. Lot of physical humor in this as you know and nothing gets kids laughing like people getting kicked in the nuts or falling down.It’s what has kept America’s Funniest Home Video’s in business for 20 years now.
5) A Christmas Story: many will argue that this should be higher on the list but a couple years ago TNT or TBS ran it on repeat for 24 hours which I subsequently watched the movie twice during the day, when I went to bed and when I woke up the next day and now want to never see the movie again. The Trailer Here!
4) Scrooged: An updated, comedic Scrooge yarn with Bill Murray in one of his best roles as an asshole TV Executive who is visited by three ghosts and eventually sees the error of his ways.
3) Die Hard: Bruce Willis starts the franchise off with a bang in this 1988 blockbuster which redefined action movies. Set on Christmas Eve, John McClain must save his wife and coworkers from terrorists who hold them hostage at a company Holiday party in a Los Angeles skyscraper. Check out the condense version here!
2) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation: “Shitters’ full!”. One of the classic Christmas Movies from the late 80’s which has Chevy Chase reprising his role as Clack W. Griswold this time seeking to have his extended family over for the perfect Christmas turns into anything but. This is one of the few movies I can watch over and over. SQUIRRELLL!!!!!!!!!! Check out the trailer HERE!
1) It’s a Wonderful Life: I can’t go through the Holiday’s without watching this movie. Released in 1946, Frank Capra’s drama staring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed speaks to the human spirit, hope and the power of family/friends. It brings us back to a simpler time in America and the protagonist learns all is not lost when even when it seems. If you’re looking for a feel good, uplifting Christmas movie this is it even if it’s a tad too long.
Others receiving consideration: The Ref, Miracle on 34th St., The Nightmare Before Christmas.
So Allen Iverson may retire, he’ll probably come back later this year to play for a contender but he’s not playing professional basketball right now after a short stint with Memphis. It’s somewhat sad to see a player I pretty much grew up with on the fence about his athletic future but in a lot of ways the retirement of most of my sports hero’s from my youth prepared me for this time. To tell you the truth I was way more taken aback by the trade of Chuck Barkley to the Suns for Jeff Hornacek and a couple other no names. I cried when Mike Schmidt announced his retirement. I was bitter that Randall Cunningham was run out of town in favor of Rodney Peete only to see Randall lead the NFL’s most prolific offense ever (to that point) 3 years later in Minnesota. I wasn’t particularly shocked that Iverson was traded away a couple years back because just like my last relationship, I could see the signs that things weren’t going to work themselves out.
I love Allen Iverson. He was perfect for a city that prides itself on the underdog status and made millions believe he could bring a Championship to Philadelphia for the first time since Dr.J was running up and down the Spectrum floorboards. He could drop 30+ on any team any night of the week and did most of his time in Philly. He played through injuries and he gave you everything he had any time he stepped on the court in a game (not talkin’ bout practice). I can still feel the goosebumps I got from going to the playoff game in 2001 against the Raptors and Iverson and Vince Carter both dropped 50+. It is a top two sporting event that I have ever been to.
For the better part of his career he led the league in minutes, shots and points, later throwing in steals to the mix. But for every 50 point game, for every feat of athleticism, amazing shot or electric, hustle play he never won a championship. He’s won an MVP, been to All Star games, been rookie of the year but he could never win a title with him as the go to guy. It’s nothing to be ashamed of though, there’s lots of Hall of Famer’s who never got a ring. The thing is, Iverson can still get a ring albeit not with him starting somewhere. If he doesn’t accept the fact that he’s going to have to play off the bench somewhere, hopefully for a contender then he probably should retire. At 34 he can’t be “The Answer” for a franchise but he can be “The Answer” in short bursts coming off the bench and spot starting for a team that is jockeying for a Championship run.
Though for everything that made Iverson great in his career, pride, tenacity and a never say die attitude, these are things that may be holding him back from being a successful 6th man in the NBA. He still feels like he can be the man and help a team win the way he’s been “accustomed” to his entire career save last season. Problem is, no one else thinks the same way, at least not in a starting role.
So for him being “The Answer” he does leave us with a lot of questions. Will he come back, will he retire? What would have happened if Iverson had been paired with a legit big man? There was one thing he was the answer to though, ticket sales for the Sixers and most arenas when he was on the road. Everyone wanted to see the most electrifying player in the NBA in the early to mid 2000’s. Shame we’re here in 2009 and one of the greatest talents in league history hasn’t gotten any closer to a Championship than those halcyon days of 2001. Only time will answer the question if he will ever get back there and we’ll all just have to wait and see.
You know people are all up in arms over some sort of American Music Awards performance by Adam Lambert. I had to figure out who Adan Lambert was and apparently he was on that American Idol show. I’m not sure if he won or not but he’s also a homosexual (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I guess he kissed one of his male band members and did some suggestive dancing or something. I can’t really tell you what happened because not only do I not watch award shows for the most part but I also refuse to lookup a video that has guys kissing in it so I can disseminate to you why that doesn’t give me a warm feeling inside.
The performance has been labeled “Outrageous” and there has been a bunch of backlash from it including getting nixed from a Good Morning America interview (instead CBS’ The Early Show picked up the interview). I really wouldn’t have known about this whole thing if it wasn’t for a coworker who alerted me of the fiasco. The funny part is she described it as disgusting, however, she is absolutely pro gay marriage. When I probed her about this she told me that she was pro gay marriage but she didn’t necessarily want to see it on TV. I found this quite hypocritical in that gay and lesbian people who want to be married and have a wedding like straight couples would eventually have to kiss at the closing of the ceremony. Can you be pro gay marriage but not want to go to a gay marriage ceremony as well?
Not to say that a gay marriage ceremony would be anything like an Adam Lambert concert make out fest but if someone is claiming to be tolerant and progressive enough to give an enthusiastic yay vote on gay marriage shouldn’t that person also not want to throw up when they see two men slip each other the tongue during an awards show?
Why is it more socially acceptable for Britney Spears, Christina Aguilerra and Madonna all make out in succession but Adam Lambert can’t make out with his own band members without getting ditched from interviews? Not to say there’s a double standard but, well maybe that is what I’m saying. Why can guys like Stifler from American Pie and Ashton Kutcher make out or Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal movie but Adam Lambert is given the boot from a morning show interview? Is it because those movies are done for laughs or art and the other is done for perceived shock entertainment? Is it because Adam Lambert is admittedly gay and the other actors mentioned are (as far as I know) not?
I’m playing Devil’s Advocate a little here but I just want to point out some hypocrisy that is going on in America. You can be for Gay Marriage and not particularly want to see dudes make out, i get that. Just don’t be so be adamant about your support for the gay politics and then be disgusted when they make a scene in public, because they are going to make a scene it’s pretty much inevitable.
All this reminds me of a Public Service Announcement I saw recently which tries to fight back against the phrase “That’ so gay”.
I think this PSA proves without a doubt that it’s pretty gay to say “That’s so gay”!
By: Billy BeerSlugger
By: Sean Millski
Sports with Bob McFlurry
By: Billy BeerSlugger
Sports with Bob McFlurry