Poll results

Last week's poll showed that most of my loyal readers think that the polar bear or the brown bear is the best kind of bear.

For the two of you that voted for koala, I am kind of embarrassed for you. While koalas are no doubt cute and cuddly (see photo above), they are not bears. Koalas are marsupials and have pouches. I appreciate you participating in the poll, but do your research next time!

Black bears only got two votes. compared to the five brown and polar bears got. I hope that Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton don't read the results (they might!). If they do they would probably appear on several shows denouncing my blog and calling it racist.

My other concern about polar bears being the best bear is that they are in trouble. The ice is melting. Pretty soon they won't be able to hunt seals and they will all die in the wild. Of course, if that continues, sea levels will rise and half the U.S. will be under water. So we probably won't be too worried about the polar bear population.

My friend Swan made a strong argument for polar bears though. He brought up the talking ones from the "Golden Compass." They were pretty bad ass and definitely give their race some bonus points.

But the brown bear made a wonderful appearance in "Anchorman," so they are no strangers to the big screen. There was also the brown bear from "The Edge," that hunted down Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Hopkins and Baldwin won out in the end, but that bear killed one man, and tracked his enemies through the wilderness. That kind of effort can't be overlooked and he deserved better than a spear through the heart.

If I ruined the movie for you, I don't care. You should have already seen it.

Beast of Burden - Rolling Stones

A note to Pirates fans

The Pittsburgh Pirates trades Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez yesterday for prospects. Ian Snell was also thrown in with Wilson in a move with the Seattle. The Pirates received first baseman/catcher prospect Jeff Clement, weak hitting shortstop Ronny Cedeno and three pitching prospects. The Sanchez deal brought back the San Francisco Giants' best pitching prospects Tim Alderson.

Most Pirates fans and the media are very upset about these two deals. Wilson and Sanchez were the last "stars" on the Pirates' roster. These people need to settle down, because they were good moves.

Telling baseball fans to be patient has become an annual thing in Pittsburgh, but this time they are moving in the right direction.

The moves were not straight salary dumps that former general manager Dave Littlefield was known for. Clement is a former first round pick that can hit more than 20 home runs and pitching prospects Aaron Pribanic and Brett Lorin are only 22 years old and have looked good in A ball. Yes, it's only A ball, but at least they have promise. Even if they don't pan out, do you really think Wilson was going to be a key part in a winning team. The Pirates tried that for years and look where it got them.

Alderson is only 20 years old and already in AA where he has a 3.65 ERA in 18 starts. The Pirates also don't have to send any money along with Sanchez. They sent $3 million in the Wilson deal.

So the Pirates dealt two guys that's combined for 10 home runs this season for a guy that could hit double that and three pitchers that could be on the major league roster in the next two years. They were not bad deals.

I'll go back further. If you're still upset about the Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan deals, you need to get over it. These were not star players. They might have been the stars of the Pirates, along with Wilson, but no other team in baseball would think, "this is a core we want to build around."

McLouth brought back a pitcher that is doing well in the bigs in Charlie Morton, and two of the Braves better prospects.

In the Morgan deal, we gave up a light hitting 29-year-old speed guy for a 24-year-old with 20-20 potential. Lastings Milledge might have some issues, but he's young and his talent is real.

These deals could be steals, or they could blow up in the Pirates' faces. But at least it's the right idea. The Pirates need to blow it up (and they have) and build from the farm and draft. In the dark times under Littlefield, the team would partially blow the team up, but wanted people to keep coming to the ballpark. Their solution? Sign over the hill veterans that no one else wanted. Please see Joe Randa, Jeromy Burnitz and Matt Morris.

Also, the prospects we got back are expected to be good. They are not Bobby Hill, who in his four-year career slugged six homers.

I know it's hard Pirates fans, but be patient. The ballpark is great, Andrew McCutchen is really fast and Zach Duke is good again. There are still reasons to go.

The Gauntlet - Dropkick Murphys

Swimming lessons

During our time on Guam, Yigo and I hit up the beach a lot. Whether we were attending a beach party or just running, we had a grand old time. There was a problem in the beginning though. Yigo was terrified of the water.

The dog was born and raised on an island, yet he was afraid of water. That was not going to work. Not only did I want to be able to throw a tennis ball in the ocean and have Yigo retrieve it, I thought swimming was a necessary survival tool on an island.

At first, he ran away from the water every time a small wave broke. The waves were small because Guam has a coral reef that makes the water very calm inside the reef. So when I say small waves, I mean they were less than a foot high.

I solved this problem by tricking Yigo. I got him to chase me around the beach, then I made a break for the water and he followed. Once Yigo got a few steps in, he realized where he was and instead of turning around and sprinting out of the ocean, he slowly backed out. It was like he did not want to turn his back on this giant, sneaky and wet thing.

The next attempt was me picking Yigo up and carrying him to where he could not stand. I stayed to grab him if he struggled, so do not think I am cruel. The result was not pretty. Instead of keeping his front paws under the water, which is how every dog I know swims, Yigo's front paws were splashing around crazy. He eventually made it to shore, but he was not going back in.

The lessons paid off though. A week later, Yigo was happy to jump in the water. He swam better, but he never went out to deeper water by choice. His biggest problem was he always tried to touch the bottom with his back paws, leading to a very unbalanced dog. But he no longer feared the water, so I count it as a win.

Now a new problem arose. Yigo wanted to lie down in the water. I should not have to tell you this did not work. He tried to lie down, realized his head would go under water if he did, so he went back to the sitting position. But Yigo is stubborn. A few seconds later, he would try to lie down again.

Yigo might not be Michael Phelps, but he also does not smoke pot.

Night Swimming - REM

Let Vick play Week 1

The title of this blog should tell you that I am a dog lover. Dog fighting disgusts me. It is a sick display that should always end in jail time.

With that being said, Michael Vick did his time and deserves a second chance.

In case you missed it, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally reinstated Vick earlier this week, which will allow Vick to sign and practice with a team. As long as he does not do anything stupid, he can play by Week 6.

He should be able to play in Week 1. If Goodell wants to make it a conditional reinstatement, why not let him come back right away, and just suspend him if he breaks any league rules or laws?

Vick missed the past two seasons and was sent to a federal prison. Now his chances to get back to work in the NFL are hurt because teams might be unwilling to sign a player that can not compete until Week 6. It does not seem right to me.

Goodell has done a great job for the most part in his time as commissioner. I fully support cracking down on athletes that break the law. But Vick has already been punished. Let him show that he is no longer a sick man.

I Fought the Law - The Clash

Thoughts on traffic

Let me first make this disclaimer. I understand that traffic jams are caused by accidents, weather and general congestion.

Now let me tell all of you the thought that immediately comes to me when not moving on a highway with a 55 miles per hour speed limit.

It is all the fault of one or two people that, for some reason or another, are going very slowly. Never mind the open road in front of their cars, they feel going 30 is the right way to go about it.

That is right. I picture a posse of senior citizens or idiots on cell phones that are backing up traffic. And when I get moving again and do not see an accident, I just know one of these posses is to blame.

Am I the only one that wants to be at the front of a traffic jam where an accident is not involved? I just wish I was right behind the culprits to prove my theory right. Or maybe right in front of them and I can see them pulling off their diabolical scheme in my rear view mirror.

With the ability to take video with cell phones, and just about everything else, I am shocked there are not countless videos proving my theory.

Well, back to obsessively checking YouTube for my proof.

Miss Sweeney - Weezer

Phillies should trade for Halladay

Reports say that the Philadelphia Phillies balked at what the Toronto Blue Jays wanted for ace Roy Halladay. The Jays wanted pitchers J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek and outfielder Dominic Brown.

The Phillies should take this deal. They will probably still end up with Halladay, but if they do not, they are going to regret it.

Apparently the dealbreaker is the pairing of Happ and Drabek. I do not care how promising they are, the chances they become comparible to Halladay are slim.

Right now, Happ has eight career wins in 17 major league starts. Drabek has not pitched in AAA ball, let alone the majors. Halladay has 274 career starts, 144 wins and 44 complete games.

What is the hold up, Phillies?

Another reason I would take this deal in a second is that Halladay is under contract through next season. He is not a rent-a-player. If the Phillies get him, they are going to be the favorites to win the World Series for the next two seasons.

If that is not enough, here is another factor to think about. Philadelphia is not a small market like Toronto. The Philles could give Halladay an extension and lock him up for his career.

Wait, there is more. Halladay has such an effect on his team's pitching staff. Every pitcher in Philly will benefit from having him around. His work ethic is second to none, he gets to the stadium before anyone and he is a professional. Have you ever heard Halladay complaining about his run support, his coaches or his contract in the media? No, you have not, and you will not.

Promising prospects are nice, but pitchers like Halladay do not come around very often. The Phillies better pull the trigger or they will be kicking themselves later.

Sun City - Artists United Against Apartheid
Tell me Bono does not look like a werewolf in this video.

Madden 2010 "controversy"

In case you did not know, T.J. Houshmandzadeh made it public that he is boycotting Madden 2010. He is upset that his rating is not higher, specifically his speed and yards per catch.

Let me repeat this in case you were as stupefied as I was. A professional athlete was so in need of attention, he went to the media and told them he was upset with his rating in a video game. What made it worse is the media ran with it, reporting the "story" on several platforms.

A quick glance at Houshmandzadeh's stats last year should explain it. He pulled in 92 receptions for 904 yards, four touchdowns and a whopping 9.8 yards per reception. Those are not superstar numbers.

The former Bengal has an excuse though. The poor yards per catch and off year was a result of the offense he was in last season. He as playing hurt and his starting quarterback was out most of the year, but how can he be surprised his rating went down after a poor season? And there is that one really important thing to keep in mind. We're talking about a video game!

Houshmandzadeh then confronted the game developers on ESPN's First Take. He kept telling them how wrong they were, that it was not his fault, and that he will not play the game until they fix it. Then he claimed he did not take it personal. I'm going to have to call shenanigans on that statement, T.J.

As if having Houshmandzadeh complaining was not bad enough, First Take then let Dallas Cowboys' receiver Patrick Crayton question the game developers. He was not happy he was ranked an 86 or 87. Crayton only had 550 yards last year to go with four touchdowns. For his career, Crayton has never reached 700 yards in a season. And he thinks he deserves a higher rating?

At least Houshmandzadeh has been a top 10 receiver and pro bowler. I am not sure anyone outside of Dallas or fantasy football are quite sure who Patrick Crayton is.

Rickel's ratings:
Houshmandzadeh - 80. Would have been a 90, but he lost man points for making a big deal out of a video game rating.
Crayton - Who?

I'm a Man - Spencer Davis Group