Saturday, May 27, 2006

Just a follow-up to my earlier post -- Carl Monday has now posted some more information pertaining to his report on library masturbation.

Reading Carl's webblog is a hoot. You find interesting spellings such as:

When asked what we were dong there we told them...and asked for their reaction.

Classic. He also kicked FOX celebrity Bill O'Reilly's name (O'Riley) and said some viewers were ready to tie and feather him.

I saved a screenshot of the page if you'd like to view it. Monday needs to have someone familiar with the English language have a lok at his stuff before it goes up, though.

As for the points Monday makes, if the father came charging out at him ... so what? You don't know how to shut off your microphone? If your son (who is obviously troubled) was on camera in front of your house with a guy with Carl Monday's reputation, you wouldn't come out angry?

I'm not saying Monday's reputation is bad, by the way ... just that he does the kind of reports in which you don't want to be featured. I would have been more surprised if the parents had walked out calmly and introduced themselves as big fans.

Finally, Monday says after the confrontation, "We gathered our gear and began to retreat." That's a lie, and a stupid one that is directly controverted by the video, as I pointed out above.

After the initial shouting, Monday repeatedly pokes a finger at the father and the camera keeps on rolling. Only after the father moves toward the cameraman does he start backing up. Then Monday grabs at the father's arms and that's when the mother and the masturbator start getting pushy.

Take a gander at this filing from WKYC's investigative reporter, Carl Monday.

It's sickening, it's repulsive ... and I'm not even talking about the man who masturbated in a public library.

No, what's disgusting here is the lengths to which some reporters will go in an attempt to create a conflict and boost ratings. Let's go through a few of the tricks Monday and WKYC use to make this a little juicier.

* Why is the librarian confronted by Monday? From her answers to Monday's questions, it's not clear whether she remembers our Ohio State fan as the same man who was tossed out of the building three years earlier for the same thing. Should she remember him? Does Monday remember the faces of every scoundrel he's profiled in the past three years?
* "In the just the past six months, we found more than 50 incidents of violence, pornography and sex." So what? Notice that Monday give the number of facilities those incidents cover later in the report -- and that number is 28. Twenty-eight.
So, to put it in statistical terms, in a span of 180 days in 28 different buildings, there were more than 50 -- heck, let's call it 60 -- incidents. That means there was, on average, one incident every three months in each Cuyahoga County library facility. Sounds like quite an epidemic, huh?
* "Teens having sex in a men's room. Teens having oral sex." What exactly is Monday's plan to stop teens from having sex in library bathrooms? Bathroom monitors? Hidden cameras? Ban teens from the library?
And who's the victim here? Yes, it's inappropriate to have sex in the library -- but it's also misleading and inappropriate to lump those incidents in with a mugging and possible sexual predators.
* Why is it necessary for Monday to go to the man's house and confront his parents? It's obvious Monday was trolling for a confrontation -- he shows up on the parents' lawn with a microphone and a camera crew and springs the news that their son has being caught on tape masturbating in the library -- and then he has the gall to act shocked when he gets one.
It's difficult to hear, but the father makes a perfectly reasonable request to Monday:

"I don't like you getting in my face, either, or my son's face. You want to talk to me, you come to me without that stuff on."

It's clear the TV crew isn't welcome, they are on private property ... and Monday then chooses to repeatedly jab his finger at the father and continue the conversation. Gee, you don't think the father might get physical?

There's a point late in the video where the father moves toward the cameraman and Monday grabs his arm. The father has done nothing except remove the microphone from Monday's hand, yet as he advances, Monday twice puts his hands on the father. Isn't that the threatening behavior in this video?

These are public buildings. That means just about anyone, as long as they aren't carrying a shotgun or a two-handed broadsword, can get through the doors. With that average of one incident every three months, I'd say they're doing a pretty fine job of limiting the number of masturbators, predators and other offenders. Carl Monday disagrees, though, and that's fine. I nominate him to make frequent sweeps of library restrooms to keep people from having sex.

This isn't a free pass for library masturbators, or anyone else breaking the law. But when the reporter spends more time trying to embellish the story and create controversy than he does seeking answers for the issue, that's lousy journalism.

Friday, May 26, 2006

haven't put anything up in a while, but check out this fellow Greg Kennedy, who has built an eight-foot cone for juggling purposes. Pretty neat.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

A little late, but here's some analysis on this year's NFL Draft.

Had a good draft:

Arizona -- Leinart at No. 10 is a steal; OL 'Deuce' Lutui fits the system and is freaking 335 pounds, for God's sake.
Cincy -- DB Johnathan Joseph would have been a high first-rounder next season; Frostee Rucker has great potential for a late third-rounder.
Green Bay -- LB A.J. Hawk is going to be terrific; the trio of unheralded receivers will yield at least two keepers.
Miami -- If DB Jason Allen recovers from his hip injury, he'll be very good for a long time; WR Derek Hagan in the third round is a steal.
New England -- Assume Belichick works his magic. RB Laurence Maroney has the size and tools to be the best back in the draft, but has been lazy in college; WR Chad Jackson has good size and speed and is a possession guy; TE Dave Thomas is undersized but known as a good route runner. He just assembles the right parts, folks.
New York Jets -- OL Ferguson was the right choice at No. 4 and could have been No. 2 or 3; C Nick Mangold will beef up and be terrific; QB Kellen Clemens at No. 49 is a better pick than Cutler at No. 11; former Missouri QB Brad Smith is a great project at WR. Great job.
Philly -- In DL Brodrick Bunkley and OL Winston Justice, got the two biggest droppers in the draft -- nice picks; OL Max Jean-Gilles is a mountain well worth a fourth-round pick.
San Francisco -- Tight ends are always a risk, but Vernon Davis was absolutely necessary and will be worth it at No. 6; former Penn State QB Michael Robinson is a good gamble in the fourth round.
Tampa Bay -- OL Davin Joseph will develop into an outstanding guard; 6-8. 315-pound OT Jeremy Trueblood is a project but a late second-round steal; WR Maurice Stovall's 6-4 frame and willingness to cross the middle will make him a valuable target.
Tennessee -- The Titans got both QB Vince Young and RB LenDale White. That's a good draft.

Had a bad draft:

Buffalo -- Took Donte Whitner wayyyy too early when they could have traded down at least 7-10 spots; same story with John McCargo at No. 26; did well to land Ashton Youboty in the third round.
Chicago -- Danieal Manning will not develop into a starting NFL DB; Devin Hester is a possible return guy and not much else.
Dallas -- Bobby Carpenter is a reach despite incredible physical talent; forced to take Anthony Fasano earlier than necessary, although he will be good.
Denver -- Jay Cutler is a huge reach to trade up to No. 11 to get; Tony Scheffler went too early for a guy who doesn't block well.
Houston -- Awful. The Texans should have had D'Brickaswaw Ferguson and an extra pick either this season or next. Instead they took two overrated defenders and two projects for the O-line.
Indianapolis -- First-rounder Joseph Addai is not going to be a feature back in the NFL and Tim Jennings is a 5-8 CB. Draw your own conclusions.
New Orleans -- Sorry, but I'm not a Reggie Bush fan, especially not with Deuce McAllister in your backfield.
Oakland -- Terrible. DB Michael Huff is not worth a No. 7, especially with Leinart on the board -- get over your Todd Marinovich lefty fears; OLB Thomas Howard is just average, although fast.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Congratulations to Oakland's Jason Kendall for stepping up to the plate as our first nominee for "Biggest Pansy of the Year". Kendall took exception to a pitch thrown by Angel hurler John Lackey in yesterday's game (video here that you need to see for context). Normally, that would be just fine, except:

* The bases were loaded.
* It was a breaking ball that nearly came back into the strike zone.
* Kendall wears one of those stupid garbage cans on his elbow and hangs out over the plate.

In other words, Kendall is an idiot.

Viewers need to factor in what current A's teammate and former Colorado Rockies pitcher Joe Kennedy says about a similar run-in with Kendall two years ago:

It was kind of the same situation as today," Kennedy said. "No one really knew why it happened, but it was pretty similar. I threw a 1-2 fastball over the plate, and he leaned over and got hit by it. I told him, `Next time get out of the way,' and he came at me.

So, Kennedy is verifying what major-league pitchers already know for themselves -- Kendall is a cheater in the sense of breaking MLB Rule 6.08(b)(2):

6.08 The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first base) when...

(b) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless...

(2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched.


Now, I'm not in favor of pitchers throwing at hitters -- well, not most of the time -- but that's bullshit. Hell, the pitch was damned near a strike. I don't care what Lackey said -- it wasn't directed at the plate umpire. If he wants to give a little verbal abuse to Kendall for crowding, it's his dime.

Kendall wears the big stupid elbow pad and does lean way out over the plate. It was a fucking breaking ball, you sissy -- if he'd wanted to really get the point across (and if the bases hadn't been loaded), he'd have stuck a fastball in your earhole.

I'm hoping that's exactly what someone does during Kendall's first at-bat the next time these two teams play.