Random Thoughts

It's easy enough to make fun of preseason games or bitch about paying full price without getting to see the stars play, but that's missing the point. You'd have to be batshiat crazy to want to see Brady or Moss in a game like last night's. Last year Moss didn't take a snap in preseason and in Week 1 came out and had 140+ yards. What are any of the core players going to show you that you haven't already seen? It's like going to Ft. Myers hoping to see Tim Wakefield pitch; why wouldn't you rather get a look at the Justin Masterson types?

Besides, this year there are too many new faces and too many jobs up for grabs not to enjoy the exhibition season for what it is. While I confess I and the guys I was with were paying equal parts of attention to our beer, ribs and cigars as to the football, here are a few impression of last night's game:

Matt Cassell- Cassell the whole game with his helmet against his ear because it's like a seashell. Only instead of hearing the ocean, he was hearing "Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook." A lot of people are panicking on him, but you'd think by now Boston fans would be used to a guy with "Cassell" on the back of his jersey who can't pass and keeps turning the ball over. Honestly though, it's hard to gauge him in these little exhibition appearances vs. what they see in practice all season long. I mean, based on what fans saw in 2000, Michael Bishop was destined for Canton, Brady for a job at the San Mateo Circuit City and Bledsoe for early retirement at his lakeside house in Idaho. (Wait. That came true.) But it's hard to see where the coaches can find positives from this performance.

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Vs.

For more than a year, officials in Beijing have been designing a special laboratory to determine the sex of any athletes taking part in this year's Olympic games. "Suspected athletes will be evaluated from their external appearances by experts and undergo blood tests to examine their sex hormones, genes and chromosomes for sex determination," says Professor Tian Qinjie. The tests will not be conducted on every female athlete, but will be required if serious doubts have been raised about an individual competitor - invariably one competing in the women's events. "The aim is to protect fairness at the games while also protecting the rights of people with abnormal sexual development," he says.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced sex testing in 1968 at the Olympic games in Mexico City, after the masculine appearance of some competitors, many pumped up by anabolic steroids, had started to raise questions about the gender of athletes in female events. Unsurprisingly, gender-determination tests were seen as degrading, with female competitors having to submit to humiliating and invasive physical examinations by a series of doctors. Later, the IOC decided to use a supposedly more sophisticated genetic test, based on chromosomes.

This whole business of determining what is and what isn't a female athlete to me is fairly cut and dried. It calls to mind that story from earlier in the year where Oprah had a pregnant man on her show. Like I said at the time, the technical term for a man with a vagina is a "woman." I'm no doctor, but I don't need a medical textbook to determine gender, I only need a dictionary. I mean, you can sport facial hair, wear men's clothes and call yourself a man, but that doesn't make you one. Hell I can shave my head, put on a Red Sox #20 jersey and call myself "Youk," but that doesn't mean Francona's going to hand me a first baseman's mitt and pencil me in the lineup.

And you can say "Well what about the guys who get sex change operations and compete as women? How's that fair?" Because anyone who shows that level of dedication and willingness to sacrifice deserves an Olympic medal. It's not like Cartman pretending he's retarded so he could compete in the Special Olympics. Any guy who'll put it all on the line, so to speak, deserves to win. (Thanks to bonga for the story.)

As a bonus, here are some of the gender bending Olympians mentioned in the article. Judge for yourselves:

Heidi Krieger:

Santhi Soundarajan:

Edinanci Silva:

Dora Ratjen:

From ESPN's preview of Div 1 Independents:

There are many terms to describe Notre Dame's last season, but the most accurate, and probably least crude, would be "rebuilding year." The Irish returned just nine starters last season and were breaking in many skill position players, including true freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The rebuilding is over.

The Irish return 16 starters from last year's 3-9 team, including almost the entire offense. The depth was the positive that came out of last season because coach Charlie Weis threw a lot of guys into the fire who will be critical this season. ... And Notre Dame's schedule is a little easier than it has been in past seasons... It is conceivable that Notre Dame wins at least nine games and puts itself back into a bowl, but whether it's good enough to regain its BCS status is yet to be determined.

Goddamned outrage. Once again the national press is carrying out a vendetta against the Irish. How else do you explain ESPN acknowledging the incredible job Charlie Weis did? He kept the program afloat in a tough rebuilding year, testing his young recruits with a trial-by-fire, and bringing Notre Dame back to its former glory. Now to say it's "conceivable" that the Irish win nine games and go to the BCS is damning them with faint praise. Especially when you factor in the easier schedule. BC and Michigan alone constitute two wins automatically.

ChicagoTribune - A West Side woman who allegedly stabbed her elderly boyfriend to death because he was drinking her beer was ordered held Thursday in lieu of $500,000 bail. Regina Williams, 55, of the 1000 block of North Waller Avenue appeared in Cook County Bond Court before Judge Israel Desierto, charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Willie Anderson, 77, of the 2200 block of West Monroe Street.  About 6 p.m. Wednesday, the two were sitting in Anderson's car outside his home when Williams became angry that he was drinking her beer, authorities said. They began to quarrel, and Williams allegedly pulled a knife she carried for protection and began stabbing Anderson.  Afterward, Williams got out of the car and called down the street to Anderson's nephew, saying, "You better come get your uncle—I just killed him," according to her arrest report. Groebner said Williams got back in the vehicle and finished drinking her beer.

I hate talking about stories in which people got killed or died because it totally takes the fun out of it.   But what is going on with people getting stabbed in beer disputes lately?  This is the 2nd one this week. Is the economy really that shitty that people are getting maimed nowadays over a six pack of Natty Light?   That shit didn’t even happen in Hooverville.  Regardless this bitch is no joke.   I mean as if it’s not bad enough to stab your boyfriend for drinking your beer, she then had the audacity to yell down the street to the victim’s nephew to come get his body while she kept right on boozing?  Talk about adding insult to injury.   I don’t even think the dude from No Country For Old Men would do that.

Guess That Ass

The Olympics Opening Ceremonies are tonight and I could fucking care less.    But the First Lady is pumped.   I’ve never understood this dynamic.   Why do people who love sports like myself hate the Olympics while hippies, losers and First Ladies suddenly become interested?   It makes no sense to me?   I mean if you like watching lame sports like swimming, canoe and Pole Vaulting shouldn’t you LOVE football?   I mean it’s more exciting, better athletes and it’s always live.  Can anybody explain this phenomenon to me?  And don’t give me the human interest story angle either because you can find that type of stuff anywhere.        Am I the only one that feels this way?  Does the average everyday Stoolie like the Olympics?

Vote 1 for you hate watching amateur athletes compete in fake sports that you could dominate with 2 weeks of practice and 10 for you love it.

Way to hold onto the football dude. Thank God the video gave us an update on Allen's condition though because it totally would have ruined my trip to Saratoga this weekend if I didn't know he was okay.

PS - Who designed that field? There looked like there were poles come up everywhere. I don't think that was a goalpost. It was just a post.

Boston.com - The commissioner's office is investigating the circumstances of Manny's final hours with the Red Sox. The Globe has learned (from a source with direct knowledge of the inquiry) that Bud Selig directed Major League Baseball executive vice president Rob Manfred to contact all parties for an explanation of how things unfolded around last week's trading deadline. According to the source, Manfred has yet to report back to the commissioner. Here's why Selig's office is looking into the matter:The Red Sox had an option to retain Ram�­rez in 2009 for $20 million. They had the same option for 2010. Ram�­rez, who will turn 37 next season, wanted to be a free agent at the end of this season. His agent wanted the same thing. Boras inherited Ram�­rez's old contract and stood to earn nothing until Manny signed a new one. It was in the interest of the player and the agent to have the options dropped.Manny's only leverage was withholding services and playing at half speed. So that's what he did. Sitting out games against Seattle and the Yankees, jogging down the first base line (and maybe even looking at those three strikes against Mariano Rivera), he sent the message that he wanted out. He made sure the Sox knew he could not be trusted to play hard if they kept him until the end of the season with the options intact.After the trade, the Globe reported that Boras called the Sox and said Manny would stay and play hard for the rest of this year if the club merely dropped the options.

First of all I don’t know why Dan Shaughnessy insists on saying “a source” whenever he quotes a Red Sox official.  Everybody knows it’s Larry Lucchino.  But that’s neither here nor there.  I just don’t get what the point of this article is.   Does Shaughnessy/Lucchino think they’re breaking news here by saying that Manny tanked it?  Everybody with half a brain knows that Manny quit on the Red Sox.   Just like how everybody with half a brain also knows that there is no way to prove it and there is NO way Bud Selig is going to do anything here.    But the bigger issue for me is how Manny’s recent tear just reinforces what I’ve been saying all along about the difference between Manny and Nomar.   For the past two weeks I’ve heard everybody compare the two guys and it’s just not fair.    Nomar never tanked games in Boston.  Manny did.   And the proof is in the pudding.  When Nomar left Boston he missed 75% of the games with the Cubs that season with the same ankle injury that he was missing games with in Boston.  Meanwhile Manny is suddenly 100% healthy and playing his best baseball of the year.    That’s the difference!   Sure Nomar sulked and was unhappy, but he never quit on the team. People who point to that Yankees game when Jeter jumped in the stands fail to acknowledge that the injury that forced him to sit out that game also forced him miss almost the entire 2nd half of the season.    I’m just sick and tired of seeing his name dragged through the mud.  All I can say is thank god we have Lou Merloni on NESN 24/7 to restore Nomar’s good name.

Click for more of Boston's Melissa Satta.

And if you don't think she's from Boston than look it up.