And They Wonder Why I Watch Wrestling

Sitting here tonight in front of the laptop, I'm reflecting on today's sports events and thanking God that I'm not a huge sports fan like a lot of people I know. Some of them would be testing the strength of their closet rods with a paisley tie noose if they had my "sports luck". Let me set the scene for you by giving some examples sport-by-sport.

MLB: My uncle is a huge Phillies fan, so I followed the Phillies off & on as I was growing up. In the mid 90's my stepdad & mom took me to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Immediately I was hooked & started rooting for the O's as my AL team. I really looked up to Cal Ripken Jr., a class act in every definition of the phrase. Then the 1996 playoffs happened. Jeffrey Maier, a Yankees fan, reached out at the right field wall & snagged a ball away from Tony Tarasco. What should have been ruled an out (if it hadn't been for the interfering little snot) was ruled a home run by first base umpire Richie Garcia. Since then the O's have had losing seasons EVERY year. As of late my NL team, the Phillies, have had good fortune, but lost this year in the playoffs after setting a ball club record for regular season victories.

NFL: Though I wasn't big into football until the late 90's, I was raised in a Redskins household (living in Carlisle, PA where they practiced, it was hard not to be). I also started following the Indianapolis Colts...I like the team as a whole, but I really was a Peyton Manning fan. He reminds me of the NFL's answer to Cal Ripken Jr. The Colts have been consistently good up until this year, when Manning was sidelined with a season-ending neck injury & the rest of the team decided to forget how to play the game without him. It's not even worth mentioning the Redskins. Just when they show flashes of brilliance, Dan Snyder (their owner) blows them out as if they were candles on an obscenely huge & costly but underachieving birthday cake. One other side note: I have plenty of NFL jerseys of players I like from various teams. All of the players are either injured, retired without the accolades they should've had, or dead.

NCAA CFB: Penn State has always been my first team, but I started to like Hawaii. They'd always be my team in seasons of NCAA Football for the Playstation. It was even better when Colt Brennan led them to HUGE seasons, even appearing against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. They lost the Sugar Bowl, Colt Brennan was drafted by (who else?) the Redskins as a 3rd string QB who was injured & was last seen on the side of a milk carton, & haven't made any big waves since (no tsunami jokes, please). Penn State, while they've had some good seasons, has not been at the same prominance they once were. Kinda hard to do that when you play teams that should be Division II & barely beat them, then get horribly dismembered in games against ranked opponents.

NASCAR: As with all of these other sports, my family has always watched NASCAR. I really didn't get into it until the middle-to-end of the 90's, but I always liked to see Dale Earnhardt win. He was a badass & it was fun to see people so divided when he'd win. Of course, everyone knows he was killed at the Daytona 500 in 2001. I've rooted for his son ever since, which was good while he was with DEI, but hasn't been so great since he joined Hendrick Motorsports. I thought that would be a turnaround point for his career, but it hasn't been great so far...just mediocre. Australian Marcos Ambrose has also gotten my support the past few years. He finally won his first Sprint Cup race this year at Watkins Glen, but other than that & a few good finishes, he's not close to any championships.

So, as you can see, I've had my share of rough spots in sports. Most of you can probably relate in some way, shape, or form, but I feel personally like I'm an albatross around the necks of all sports figures/teams that I choose to support. I almost feel sorry for them that I like them. But even in my sports depression, I don't feel the need for harakiri because there has always been one professional sport that I can rely on: professional wrestling.

Most of you are going to laugh hysterically at this point, but frankly I DON'T CARE. Each one of you at one time or another has watched it & ENJOYED it. Now, you may not watch it anymore or you may just watch it off & on, but you can't deny its entertainment power. I'm damn proud of the fact that I've watch wrestling since I was five years old, starting with the Hulk Hogan era in the WWF. There have been rough points throughout the years (early 90's WWF & WCW, late 2000's WCW, WWE in the past few years, etc...) when I've questioned my loyalty, but I realize it's just like anything else...it has its cycles.

You have to tough it out in the rough times to get to the great times (a good motto for pretty much anything). If I hadn't toughed it out, I'd never have seen the nWo era in WCW in the late 90's. I'd never have experienced the original ECW, which was some of the best entertainment ANYWHERE even to this day. DX would have been just two letters in the alphabet, The Rock would have been a mediocre Sean Connery movie, & I'd never have felt the joy of imagining delivering a Stone Cold Stunner to my bosses every single day. (If you've ever thought about doing that, gimme a Hell YEAH!) I'll admit that wrestling is currently in a low point, but I see signs of improvement. WWE has a future Hall of Famer in John Cena that entertains the crowd every single time he steps between the ropes, a controversial wrestler named CM Punk who isn't afraid of ad libbing & saying things that aren't quite in the script, some great heels (bad guys) like the Miz & R-Truth that also make you laugh, & some like Mark Henry or Alberto Del Rio that you love to hate. The WWE's only competitor, TNA, also has a great show on Thursday nights. Many fans are critical of it because the storylines seem jumbled (and they do), but they show signs of improvement with a change in head writers. The level of talent in the ring has always been there. Watch any X Division match for high-flying action from young talent like Brian Kendrick or Austin Aries, see Hall of Famers and legends like Ric Flair, Sting & Hulk Hogan still compete, & see some of the main-eventers that have been with TNA since its inception like AJ Styles & Robert Roode make their case for legend status some day.

Like I said, some of you will roll your eyes & attempt to make fun of me for enjoying a "fake" sport with pre-determined outcomes, featuring guys & girls in situations resembling soap operas, but I really don't care. As many wrestling fans can tell you, there is an old saying: "For those who don't know, no explanation will do. For those who do know, no explanation is necessary." I still enjoy watching all of the sports that were mentioned above, but I'm not nearly as discouraged as some of you will be when watching them. So what if Dale Jr. wrecks on the 3rd lap of the race? The O's didn't make it to the post-season AGAIN? No problem. The Redskins just drafted WHO? Not a big deal. I mean, yeah, I'll still have a level of frustration, but it'll pass. Most nights I'd rather predict who will be in a tag match with whom & what the outcome will be then watch it unfold than to go to bed angry from another loss where I thought my team had a chance. Call it "playing it safe" or what you will, but I look at it as always finding something positive. If you're looking for that, maybe you should give wrestling a chance.

By the way, what got me started on this? As I said at the beginning, I was reflecting on today's sporting events. Dale Jr. was favored to finish well in the race today, but finished in the mid 20's. Marcos Ambrose was poised to win but got involved in a late race crash that sent him back further in the field. The Redskins lost yet another game in a season where they actually showed some promise but can't quite deliver. I just turned on the Colts/Saints game to see the Colts losing by 34 points. Yet through all of this, I'm looking at the match results for the WWE Vengeance PPV tonight & I'm smiling, wondering what Triple H is going to do when he calls out Kevin Nash tomorrow night for interfering in his match. Screw you, ESPN...I love Monday nights for a different reason!

Blogger's Block

My wife is watching another rerun of "Sex & The City", where Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) narrates every episode as if she's writing another of her columns. A lot of episodes show her in front of her laptop, typing away as if the right words and sentences come easily. For her, maybe they do. But for someone like me, I need the inspiration. Realizing I hadn't written here in a while, I signed on, read through some of my previous posts & tried to think of something interesting to write. What I came up with was this...what you're reading now. Interesting? I highly doubt it, but at least it's something.

My problem lately is that I really want to write, but the things I want to write about are best left in a diary. Does anyone actually do diaries anymore? Those handwritten day-to-day volumes of one's most inner-most thoughts seem to have gone the way of the dodo & the rotary phone, unless someone tells me they actually still use them. It's just become so easy for everyone to share what they're doing, where they're going, etc... via social media, but the thoughts that we think to ourselves & never dream of sharing with another living soul stay bottled up. Many times these thoughts are the things on which we continue to dwell until they eat a hole right through us. I'm not saying I have anything like that, but maybe a diary would still be a good idea for a lot of people who are struggling. Perhaps instead of therapy, drugs, or something else, a diary could be a big, inexpensive help. On the other hand, it could plunge someone further into madness or obsession, depending on how it's done.

So what have we learned from this post?

1) I still have nothing interesting to write after five months and I need to come up with something better for the next post.

2) I should not become a psychiatrist or therapist, as I'm suggesting a diary as a possible substitute to therapy or medication.

3) Quite possibly I'm the one who is most in need of therapy and/or medication.

4) I know Sarah Jessica Parker's character's name on "Sex and the City" so have I watched the show many times before? You bet your Manolo Blahniks. Does it make it any better if I say that most episodes I watched just to see Kristin Davis (Charlotte York on the show)? No? Well...I tried.

Keep checking in...I promise I'll write a better one soon!

Conservatives: United We Stand, Divided We Fall

I had to take the time to write this blog, because every day I log onto my Facebook account and see the same things over and over again. No, not just the Farmville and Cityville requests...political statements that make absolutely no sense. I see a group of people who are so alike, yet are so far apart. It's like watching brothers and sisters playing "Marco Polo" but no one ever comes close to winning.

As many of you know, I am a conservative, but by no means am I textbook. I don't think there is anyone that fully fits an actual definition of a label to a "t". If they do, they're probably trying too hard to be the label and in the process they lose their true self. Most of the friends that I've made politically on Facebook have been conservatives (like-minded individuals tend to gravitate towards one another), but I do have some very liberal friends, as well as some who are very non-political. It's one reason why I refer to my timeline as a melting pot, because I have so many diverse viewpoints mixed together This blog, however, is mainly to my fellow conservatives. Right now, if the rest of the conservatives in this country act like the ones in my timeline, the liberals win again in 2012 and we will see a second term for President Obama.

It boils down to one simple fact: we conservatives can't agree on anything except the fact that we want conservatism to win. The problem is that no one really knows how to accomplish it. Take a look at the GOP candidates for President in 2012. Yes, I know not all Republicans are conservatives, but the two go hand-in-hand more often than not. Right now the front-runners are Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain. Rumored to also enter are Mitt Romney, Allen West, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachman and a host of others. But ask a handful of Republicans who they'd vote for and chances are you'll get different responses every time. Not one of the candidates in the field seems to be enough for everyone to agree on...and that's part of where the problem exists.

As everyone is fond of pointing out in this day and age, everyone is different and diversity is a good thing. I fully agree, but conservatives haven't quite figured this out. As soon as someone gets an idea that partially strays from the conservative playbook, they're dismissed. Everyone who runs for president as a conservative is automatically compared to Ronald Reagan. Not a bad person to compare to, especially since I consider him to be a great president, but you can't compare people like that. That would be like comparing me to one of you. We're all different and no two of us are exactly alike...just like snowflakes. So why do we put such emphasis on finding that ONE person who has EVERY view point the same as ours, when we know it will most likely only be possible in a Utopian world?

You see, this is where I feel liberals have an edge on us. Look at the last election and how quickly the Democrat field was narrowed down. In the end they were down to two candidates: Obama and Clinton, to which Clinton finally caved. I know it had to be killing her, knowing that she had HUGE support on the left and middle, but she bowed out for the good of her cause. Republicans and conservatives can't do this. If we don't like Romney because he had his own version of socialized medicine in Massachusetts, we can't back him, even though a lot of his other ideas are good for the country. We can't put support behind Palin because of her lack of political experience on a national level, as well as her "folksy" personality. Herman Cain is no good because he was once involved in the Federal Reserve. You see what I mean? We're quick to throw the baby out with the bath water just because of a couple of flaws. Instead, we should all be looking at who has the best shot of winning the election and promoting the great ideas that conservatism has to offer.

I hesitate to make this comparison for the possibility that it might be misunderstood, but I think everyone that reads this will understand its intent and realize the meaning is exactly as I have written here. When ratifying the Declaration of Independence, many Northerners (especially John Adams) were absolutely opposed at the idea of striking references to abolishing slavery, knowing how important the issue was. But slowly they realized that the first steps to be taken could not be huge leaps and that if they were to ever get slavery abolished, they must first get the Declaration in place, then work towards abolition and other goals. While some would argue that issues we face today are nowhere near the importance of the slavery issue, I feel we must do the same for the election. We must find a candidate with whom we agree on MOST issues, then once that candidate becomes president, we will work on the other issues which require fixing.

As I've said before and I will continue to say, all Americans should unite on those ideas where we agree, then work together to get closer on the ones where we don't. Specifically, thought, I think the Republican party and conservatives in particular would benefit from this if there is any hope of victory in 2012. Conservative Facebook and Twitter friends (and any others who may be reading this), I challenge you to take in all opinions and weigh all possibilities before you dismiss someone that may just be our best hope at getting a fellow conservative in the White House. If not, we're opening the door for another four years that may continue this country in a direction we can't afford in so many ways.

I always look forward to your opinions, as long as they're presented in a respectful manner and with real thought behind them...or dripping with heavy sarcasm.

The End?

After all this time, I think I may be done with politics.

Yes, you all heard me right...I may be done with politics. For those of you who really know me, this will be either a moment of shock or a "yeah right" moment. But really, truly, I may actually be done this time. Unfortunately it took a huge tragedy to force me to this point.

It's been a while since I've been able to listen to talk radio at my desk because of my current work situation (one of my bosses actually sits beside me now & I know for a fact he's not a fan of talk radio) & I can honestly say that I haven't missed it all that much. While I miss some of the entertainment & high-brow humor that you don't find really anywhere else, I find myself a lot less pissed off. Surprisingly enough I'm still able to keep up on my current events & understand what is happening in the world. If there is one thing talk radio has taught me, it's that you take whatever they present as news, from multiple sources if possible, then come to your own informed conclusion. This vacation from talk radio had started my exit from politics, but it wasn't until the tragic events of this weekend that I made the decision to try & walk away completely.

As you all know by now, a shooting took place in Arizona that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords gravely injured and six others dead, including an innocent nine-year-old girl. Immediately upon hearing this news, I saw multiple posts about the shooting on Facebook & Twitter. I was expecting to see "prayers & thoughts" for those involved & their families, which I did see, but the majority of the posts sickened me. Here was a senseless act done by an obviously mentally deranged person & people were trying to assign logic to it by entering politics into the equation. Before anyone starts more finger-pointing here, I saw it from BOTH sides of the political aisle, not just one side.

The comments I saw included the following (& since there were many, I will paraphrase here): "I wonder what his political affiliation was", "Sarah Palin should be held accountable", "Blame Obama", "If it weren't for all the illegals...", etc... The comments went on & on & on & on & on... No one was able to look at this situation from the outside, take politics out of the equation, & see this for what it was: a horrible tragedy that should never have happened. If anyone wants to place any blame, I will tell you who to blame, though you may not want to hear it.

If you have a bathroom, here is where I will ask you to walk to it, go inside & look at the big glass thing hanging above your sink. Recognize the face? We the American people are all responsible for tragedies like this. We have placed so much weight on who wins an election & who is on the right side of what issues that we have created these monsters. Instead of having the human reaction & mourning for the losses of life, we automatically try to assign blame to political parties, ideologies, & individuals. We try to apply a twisted type of logic that should not enter into the equation. I take politics very seriously & I love engaging in conversation, but I'm not willing to kill someone whose party affiliation differs from me. That's what I'm afraid American politics is becoming.

Many of the people I consider to be political opponents as well as friends will know that I always try to look at each situation with logic and compassion, trying to see a subject from both sides. To me there is no political topic that can't be discussed or debated civilly & some kind of compromise or agreement be reached. There is always some kind of common ground where we can stand. I fear that less & less people are seeing this as common ground, but instead as a piece of ground to be won & claimed. If it can't be won by topping someone in an argument, then violence comes into play. When someone feels that by killing a nine-year-old girl they'll get their point across to me, the original point ceases to be the focus of my concern.

I implore anyone who reads this to now go from looking at themselves in the mirror, to finding that person or those people who you hold most precious & tell them you love them. All of the philosophies, ideologies, opinions, facts, issues, debates, etc... mean absolutely nothing if there is no value assigned first to human life. When we use the loss of that precious life as a gain for an agenda or cause, that cause or agenda no longer has any substance. It ceases to be relevant.

One day I hope we can return to the point where politics can be debated in a healthy manner, competitive but not to the extent of forgetting what is most important. Until that happens, I'm not really interested in continuing any further with politics. I'm trying to put an end to the politics as it exists right now by saying it's The End for me before humanity & decency comes to an end from the politics.

PS: If you're reading this, chances are I know you personally or through one of the social media I use on a regular basis. If so, know that I cherish & appreciate your love & friendship. I hope that you take my words to heart & that you will come to the same conclusion I did.