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What Wisconsin is Fighting for

You probably didn't watch Jericho, not many people did. At least not enough to keep it around for longer than one and a third memorable seasons. While the scheduling and lack of promotion contributed to its premature demise, so did what seemed like a fantastically absurd plot. Once you get past the shock value of a mushroom cloud on the horizon of a small middle America town, the twists became too much for most people to buy into.

But for those who stuck around till the end, there was a message that maybe wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed: make sure the government is serving the people and not just a select few.

What does this have to do with the controversy and dueling protests going on in Wisconsin? Simple...despite Gov. Scott Walker's claims it's an effort to balance the budget - and for the record the pay cuts and pension changes he proposed are fair given the state of the economy - that's not the true meaning behind this effort.

State of the Sounders

Year Two of the Seattle Sounders is halfway over, with 15 games down and 15 to go. Suffice to say, it hasn’t gone as planned. A squad pegged for championship contention has been languishing near the bottom of the Western conference table. Some ill-timed defensive lapses, a series of questionable calls, a front-loaded schedule and a simply decimating run of injuries have all contributed to a disappointing season to date.

Still, despite all the doom and gloom found in the comments on Sounder at Heart and Joshua Mayers’ Seattle Times blog (see here and here for recent examples), even with all the problems to date and low standings, I’d still take just about any odds that the Rave Green make the playoffs.

There's plenty of reasons to believe the raucous crowds at Qwest will have lots to cheer about before the season is up. Reasons why beneath the jump:

LeBron: Anywhere But Chicago

Woo Hoo! NBA Free Agency 2010 Extravaganza is underway! Someone tell the World Cup, Lindsay Lohan's coke dealer and pelicans tarred by the oil spill to get the hell off the front page. I have to know what kind of coffee Chris Bosh's housekeeper's ex-husband had and what that means for LeBron, Pat Riley and George Mikan's future NBA plans.

In other words...can we just get this over with already?

I’m a huge sports fan who’s finally coming back to the NBA after The Great Sonic Robbery of 2008, and even I’m sick of hearing about this free agency class. The problem with the breathless anticipation is that there are too many variables, too many possibilities, and no one – especially not Stephen A. Smith – knows what’s going to happen. I don’t think the top players know, either.

What a Ride

After the jump are my way-too-late thoughts on the U.S. being eliminated by Ghana last week and what to expect next from U.S. Soccer. First, a brief explanation on why I'm about 100 Internet Years behind the curve:

You can't tell from the typos and misspellings I often miss on my posts, but I'm a perfectionist. I don't like to hit "publish" or "send" or "approve" until I'm absolutely, positively without a doubt in the universe sure it's ready. And I still ALWAYS go back and make some changes after the fact. This is why I'll never pursue blogging as an actual career - I could never hit deadlines regularly and never put my name to something I don't think is worth reading...though some will say I've done that plenty of times here :-)

It's been nearly a week since the U.S. was eliminated from the World Cup, and I wrote about 90% of this post within 18 or so hours of the match ending. But I never felt it was QUITE ready to share. I'm very much against the grain as a blogger, in that the priority is usually a rush to get online first.

However, I'm sick of seeing "article" after article with absolutely nothing of substance five minutes or 30 minutes or even a few hours after an event takes place. I'd rather wait too long - or not post anything as I did (didn't) during Survivor - than not have my posts be clearly thought out and hopefully contribute something new to the discussion. Whether that makes my blog a better read or a waste of time is something for the marketplace to decide.

Bring on Ghana!

It hasn't even been 12 hours, and I don't know what to say that hasn't already been written. That winning goal was amazing, stupendous, magnificent. The entire game was intense, hard fought and simply breathtaking (NOTE: Video only shows after the jump. Don't know why.)



One thing I did point out previously: the mental toughness of this U.S. squad is a HUGE asset to have. For the opposition, it's got to be demoralizing during a game - and by now possibly intimidating beforehand - to know no lead is ever safe, no lulls in the action will be coming, and no matter what you do, they're gonna keep after you from start to the bitter, tired end.

Never Afraid Again

Starting today, I'm breakin out of this cage
I'm standing up, I'm a face my demons
I'm manning up, I'm a hold my ground
I've had enough, now I'm so fed up
Time to put my life back together right now

Eminem’s new song is just ridiculous. Wherever he went to, he’s back. And more importantly, he’s come to peace with the journey he’s been on. To anyone who appreciates what his albums have meant to millions of fans (present company included), it’s a heartwarming thing to see.

You know the saying “that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? Well Marshall Mathers is pretty much the Incredible Hulk by now. When you’re as screwed up as he’s been, it’s a constant battle to remain upright, and one he’ll be waging for the rest of his life. But for the first time, today I’d bet on him making it all the way to the finish. And more importantly, I suspect HE WOULD bet on himself, too.