LA Native to NFL: Stay Away

I am aware that by making this statement I am declaring myself as Public Enemy No. 1 but I do not care. NFL, stay away from my city.

This has all come to boil since I read an article in the LA Times a few days ago. As Mr. Dwyre points out, we have been lead along this path for far too long and have nothing to show for it. Some are confused. Some are angry. Some just do not care. I am a combination of all three. I am confused as to what is stopping them (even though I know the physical obstacles, I wonder why they cannot just get it done). I am angry that this has been dragged out for so long. And I do not care anymore because it has all become a 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' scenario.

But why 'Stay Away'? That seems a bit harsh.

But, does it?

This is a city who has had TWO teams leave, and one come back only to leave again. We had our chance. But wait, you say Jacksonville has had their chance. Yes, they have, but even the Jaguars are making money, and given that selling a franchise today is worth more than yesterday you can bet your sweet ass they are going to stay where they are until someone with bags of money comes walking through their door. Do we really want the Jaguars here? They. Are. Awful. They don't even want Tebow. Sure, San Diego is the likeliest bet to move here but they should not. Everyone should stay away.

Full disclosure, I am a Tennessee Titans fan. I remember watching the Music City Miracle and being floored by what I had just seen. From then on, I made a bet that they would win the Super Bowl..........and I have stuck with them ever since.

I can see Titans games out here from time to time on TV. They are sometimes on Sunday or Monday Night Football or even the Game of the Week. I also have the option to see ANY OTHER GAME. No, I do not have the NFL Sunday Ticket package because I am not made of money, but the national broadcasts allow me to see other teams I may not normally see on any given Sunday. Some of the games are total duds, but I watch anyway because I like football. If there was a team in Los Angeles I would be subjected to watch their games (unless they were blacked out). Having lived in the Bay Area for four years I can tell you that watching crappy 49ers and Raiders games is not how I want to spend my Sunday. I would turn the TV off and wait until Sunday Night Football. I do not want to have that happen here.

Being the son of a Realtor I can tell you the three most important things in property buying: Location, location, location. Do you know where the geniuses intend to put this NFL stadium?

Right next to the damn freeway.

But wait. Isn't there another option? What about that other location in the City of Industry?
Exactly, it's in the City of Industry....

Parking would be a nightmare downtown, not to mention the traffic. It would be worse than going to Staples Center for a normal sporting event or LA Live for a concert. Hell, even when I go to Kings games the parking is hard to come by, and I get there at least an hour early. This would mean I would me taking the Metro to EVERY game because it would be hassle free. Gold Line to Red Line to Blue Line to Pico. Boom. It would be beautiful at night to see LA Live, Staples Center, JW Marriot and Farmer's Field lit up but it would be a major pain in mine and the collective asses of Los Angeles.

We have been led down this road before. I was around when the Raiders and Rams were here. I had a babysitter who was a Rams cheerleader and I went to a game once and all I remember was getting a plush blue & yellow football after the game. That is all I remember of LA football. Since the Rams and Raiders (thank God) left USC and UCLA football have taken over. That is where most people have gone to get their gridiron fill. I realize it is not the same game but we here have lived without an NFL team for almost 20 years and have survived and thrived. Don't jeopardize that. Stay away NFL.

Chris Brown channels Frank T.J. Mackey NSFW

Apparently Chris Brown was at a night club and he decided to tell the club patrons what he thought of women. Guess what? He thinks they're objects to be owned. Who knew that was his position on women? Go figure.

Here's the video from TMZ:


Is he the new Frank T. J. Mackey, of 'Seduce and Destroy' fame? Let's compare with Frank's infomercial:



Chris Brown has some big shoes to fill, but he's getting there.

WaxVac...OW!

This might be the biggest overreaction/overacting I have ever seen:

Who puts a cotton swab that deep into their ear anyway? Also, the cleanup for the product looks gross.

LA Wants 2024 Olympics. In other news I want to marry Charlize Theron

It could happen. But it probably won't. I'm talking about Los Angeles hosting the 2024 Olympics. I'm not talking about Charlize and I, because that's definitely going to happen.

The LA Times is reporting that the city council has notified members of the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) that they want another Olympics here. Previous games took place in 1932 and 1984.

My only question is why? Why monopolize the Olympic tradition? Why not let another US city have a chance to show itself to the world? The article reports that Dallas, San Francisco and Boston are in the running. I've been to the last two and they would be fine locations. Excellent locations, actually. I have not been to Dallas so I cannot comment - other than if the games are held in August, it will be damn hot.

What about somewhere else? What about the Pacific Northwest? I know Portland doesn't want them but what about the Emerald City? Seattle.

Seattle is my type of city. I enjoy the overcast and rainy weather, the waterfront, the greenery, the Space Needle, the Real World, apples, and the smell of coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I like the smell. But wait, 2010 saw the Olympics already in the Pacific Northwest in Vancouver. But that's Canada, this is America. The country that saved Europe and the world from Germany - twice. I think they kind of owe us for a long time.

But enough about Seattle, the real issue at hand is that the guy who is not going to be Mayor of Los Angeles for much longer is pushing this agenda to try and sweep everything else he's done under the rug. That way IF it does happen, he can stand in front of a ribbon and cut it to let everyone know HE was the one who spearheaded this movement. Sounds rather selfish, no?

I, for one, am not in support of this. I live here. The traffic is already bad enough. Will it be better in 11 years? Who knows. What I do know is that I want the Olympics somewhere else. LA does not need the exposure - we're already full of people who need to be seen anyway. And some of them are barely famous as it is! Let's try and keep the Olympics out of LA and give someone else a chance.

I doubt a US city will win the vote for 2024 but if it does, it's not going to be Los Angeles.

Rise and Fire

Like I said: "It's March Bitches" and in honor of March I am going to post a few links on the best thing that ever happened to the Magical Maddening Month: Gus Johnson.

If you've never been to the Gus Johnson Soundboard, you've been missing out. You can relive all of your favorite Gus Johnson soundbites with the simple click of your mouse. Truly you could spend an hour or so just clicking different combinations and listening to the man that made March Mad.

Sadly, Gus Johnson is no longer with CBS and calling NCAA Tournament games but you can still find his high-energy calls all over YouTube. Heck, you can even get t-shirts and hats with his signature catchphrase on them.

The dude is easily my favorite announcer based solely on his passion for each game he calls. He has energy, knowledge and makes the game entertaining. If you weren't paying attention and just heard him yell, you would turn to see what the hell just happened. He gets you involved in the game.

Now he has joined FOX and college football and has done a fantastic job there - with even some people hoping he'd replace Joe Buck as the normal NFL game of the week announcer. I don't have a problem with Buck but Johnson makes things more awesome.

So while I look forward to the NCAA Tournament, I lament that Gus Johnson is no longer a part of the action. As Johnson said to the Gonzaga faithful after they blew a 17-point lead to UCLA back in 2006: "Heart break city"

It's March Bitches

You know what that means?

That's right, by the end of this month people (including myself) will become consumed by college basketball. I love college basketball. I always have and I always will. It just has something that the NBA doesn't. Passion. You see the guys out there playing their guts out for their school...or to showcase their talent for the NBA. Either way, they're playing hard and the game isn't dominated by dunks. There is more guard play and perimeter play - which is what I enjoy in basketball. Sure, I love a good dunk, but I really love a good picket fence, upsets (Go Broncos) and of course the buzzer beater.

I know there are some out there that only follow college basketball when the tournament starts, and that's OK, but it really bugs me when people say people "Don't care" about the regular season. How about this season? There hasn't been a dominant and true #1 all season. Indiana? Beaten. Michigan? Beaten. Duke? Beaten. Syracuse? Beaten. Yes, every team has been beaten but this regular season has been as unpredictable as ever. That makes for an even more unpredictable March Madness. We should see more brackets like the one above because of this.

I'm a fan of chaos when it comes to March Madness. I want the upsets and Bracket Busters. Sometimes I do research, sometimes I just guess, sometimes I do a mascot battle to determine a winner. Whatever the case, it's just fun picking the games and seeing schools like Davidson and VCU go against the likes of a Duke and Michigan State, perennial powerhouses, and win.

I'm not going to make any predictions here, because conference tournaments still have to be played and those can have a significant impact on the field but I am just getting prepared for an awesome March.