Back from vacation in Wisconsin, and not a moment too soon. I need some rest and relaxation.
Nothing beats camping with the kids, but it's about as laid back as Tom Arnold on Red Bull. I wouldn't trade it. Well, I might trade the neighbor in the next cabin who started each sentence with a snot rocket. And I could do without the mosquitoes wearing saddles. I'm okay if I never share another "comfort station" with people who don't see the need to flush, but that's the small stuff. The big picture: great lifetime memories.
Didn't have a TV on vacation, and the only newspaper available was some local deal that had fishing on the front and the NBA finals on page 3. Somehow there was still an article on Steve Alford waiting for his contract extension. 350 miles isn't enough for me to get away from that one.
In between soggy swim diapers and visits from Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, I was able to read a book: Love Me, Hate Me. A SoundOFF viewer, and Barry Bonds fan, recommended the Bonds biography to me when I was wandering around Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago. What a page turner. Just an absolutely fascinating read. Author Jeff Pearlman goes out of his way to present a balanced look at this supremely talented baseball legend and lightning rod for controversy. Pearlman interviewed 524 people from Bonds' past and present. After reading the book, I need to revise my statement that Bonds is the biggest jerk in all of baseball... He's the biggest jerk in all of sports. He's also one of the greatest players of all time pre-steroids. He never needed that crap for anything except home run records, which this book makes painfully clear he wanted in the worst way. Yes, Bonds occasionally does something nice, but for the most part he's treated people like dirt his entire life. Teammates, coaches, relatives, employees, you name it. Sharing the blame are all the adults who never made Bonds follow the rules because he was so talented. It's a chilling portrait of entitlement gone amuck, and nobody benefits. Bonds comes across as an insecure person who wants to be loved in the worst way.
As I write this, Carolina just won the Stanley Cup. Does anyone care? Did anybody notice? The NHL playoffs are riveting drama, and nothing beats a game 7, but the ratings on NBC are lower than Joey reruns. Much lower. In fact, I suspect its the fewest viewers the network has ever had in prime time. And that's saying something these days.
You know where hockey gets it right? In the final minutes. It's SO exciting and non-stop. Meantime, the NBA slows to a crawl. Pass the ball in, timeout. Commercial. Pass it in again, timeout. Commercial. Dribble, shoot, foul. Timeout. Commercial. Shoot a foul shot. Timeout. Commercial... They need to fix this.
Dan McCarney now makes more than a million a season. Wow. As I've said many times, coaching salaries are WAY out of control, but Mac is now in the middle of the Big 12, and there's no doubt he belongs there. This should also put an end to any speculation Jamie Pollard will soon fire Mac. Pollard thinks McCarney has done an incredible job, all things considered.
Time for sports... back with more soon.
keith.murphy@whotv.com
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5 comments:
Great blog Keith. Keep up the good work.
we love the Blog! Glad you had a wonderful and much deserved vacation! How did Andy survive without you???
separated at birth--Mark Cuban and Taylor Hicks?
Do your kids know how lucky they are to have such a great dad? I know you don't write about them often, but I can just tell they are very important to you soggy swim diapers and all!!!
Do your kids know how lucky they are to have such a great dad? I know you don't write about them often, but I can just tell they are very important to you soggy swim diapers and all!!!
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