Super Attrocious

Based on my last tweet you can imagine how excited I am about this year’s Super Bowl match-up.  A few years ago when they announced this year’s Super Bowl would be in Indianapolis I naturally pictured the Colts becoming the first team to play in their home stadium.

Didn’t quite turn out that way.  Now I am going to have to deal with the non-stop media drivel about how Eli Manning has surpassed Peyton and how awesome Tom Brady is.

Vomit on a stick.

The reality of these two atrocities is:

1.  Tom Brady is a great quarterback.  As a Colts fan I just don’t want to hear about it every day for the next two weeks plus.

2.  Eli Manning is a good quarterback.  There is no way in hell he is better than Peyton however.  Numbers don’t lie.  The fact that #18 led the Colts to 9 straight 10 or more win seasons and then they only mustered two this year says it all.  11 playoff appearances, 11 Pro Bowls, and four MVPs helps as well.

Wake Up Indiana Representatives

Legislation aside, walking away from your elected duties is flat out irresponsible. It is a waste of resources and time.

Wake up Indiana Representatives. I don’t care if you are Democrat or a Republican it’s lame.

The Telephone Game Is Alive and Well

It never ceases to amaze me that in the current era of instant information we still  misconstrue the facts in a major way.  At times it seems as if the media is more susceptible to publishing inaccurate information now more than ever.

Take last May’s assault on Osama Bin Laden for example.  The day after he was killed in Pakistan I read in great detail accounts on how the mission played out.  According to former Seal Team 6 commander,  Chuck Pfarrer, the details about the assault widely reported by the media were grossly inaccurate.

It was initially reported that one of the helicopters involved in the raid crash landed at the beginning of the mission forcing the Navy Seals to enter the complex and make their way upstairs from the ground floor where they encountered Bin Laden on the third floor.

Not true says Chuck.  The helicopter didn’t crash until Bin Laden had already been killed and in actuality, the Seals entered the complex from the roof top as planned.

I won’t regurgitate everything reported, you get the point.

So how is it possible that the media would get details about such a historic event so mixed up in this day and age?

It’s quite simple.  We are in a big damn hurry.

We live in an instant gratification society. No longer do we take the necessary time to understand information before we decide to forward or report it.  Once we figure out the details are wrong, it is too late to retract what we said because we don’t want to look foolish.

How often does this happen in our daily lives?  Think about how many times a day you respond to something without completely processing what it is you are responding to.  Are members of the media or our elected leaders that much different in this regard?

Cheating In A Marathon

I have run three marathons in my life.  As far as performance goes, let’s just say I finished all three and leave it at that.   Check out this tale about a British marathon runner caught cheating recently.

British Runner Admits To Cheating

Admittedly, I would strongly have considered this option if it was made available in all three races I participated in.  Problem is, there weren’t any busses in sight, and I didn’t think before hand to carry bus fare.

 

Sweetness

One of my favorite authors, Jeff Pearlman, is about to release a new book.  It is a biography about one of my favorite NFL players, Walter Payton.

I haven’t read the book yet.  No one has, except for Pearlman and his editors because it hasn’t been released yet.  However, due to an excerpt that was printed in Sports Illustrated, some people are slamming Pearlman because he has included some information he discovered about Payton that depicts him as having flaws.  Notably, being unfaithful to his wife and being addicted to pain killers.

Two notable malcontents are Mike Ditka and Michael Wilbon.  No one should be shocked that Ditka is upset.  Good coaches protect their players.  This doesn’t change when the games end and those involved start spending the majority of their time on golf courses and in television studios.

But Wilbon?  A fellow journalist? In a column penned for ESPN.com, he stated he doesn’t understand the purpose of writing this book.  Check out my initial reaction to Wilbon’s piece…

“I’m surprised a fellow journalist would rush to judgement without reading the entire book. Aren’t you guys supposed to gather all of the facts before making a judgement on something? How much say did Pearlman have in what SI printed as far as the excerpt is concerned? Not much I would imagine. 

Biographies of public figures have been around as long as man could print. Pearlman’s motive was to write about someone who interested him. It was published because others might think it is interesting.  Seems simple enough to me. 

Did you question him for writing about Clemens, Bonds, or the 1986 Mets? Nope. This time it’s different, because it’s one of your “boys” as you and Tony say.“

This whole debate leads to a greater issue.  Our tendency to expect famous athletes, or anyone famous for that matter, to be super human or perfect.  Some want to shut their eyes and close their ears when information is released about the things they struggle with in life. Others want to hunt for anything to knock our “heroes” off their pedestal.

I don’t understood either side of the spectrum.  The bottom line is that there isn’t a single perfect person on this planet.  Life is all about dealing with and attempting to overcome the individual trials we face.  At the end of the game, if we truly try to overcome, our trophy is getting to be with God in heaven, the only one that is perfect and has the right to judge us.

Sounds simple, but we all know it isn’t.  In fact, it’s hard as hell and gets the better of us much of the time.

As far as Pearlman goes, I believe his motive was to write a thorough biography.  He worked for three years on this book and interviewed over 600 people.  I have a feeling there will be plenty inside highlighting the great things that Walter Payton had accomplished as a human being.

Eventually, I will read Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton and I’ll celebrate the great things Payton accomplished and try to learn from the trials he faced.

Schwarzenegger Journalism

As I was getting ready this morning I stumbled across the Today Show’s news report on the top of the hour.  The 7:00am hour to be exact.

I half-listened as I got myself dressed for the day.  Upon completion of this mundane task I heard something that made me stop as I was exiting my bedroom.

The news report was the latest and greatest on the Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal.  Garbage I usually don’t waste much thought on.  As they were reporting about him riding a bike in Idaho or something, NBC actually referenced an article from The National Enquirer.

Huh?

When did the National Enquirer become a source for actual news?  Is this what journalism has come to these days.

Wow.

I’m Back Baby!

It has been a while since I last wrote for Average Adam.  Why, oh why, did I wait so long you ask?

That’s easy.  Mets Gazette took off and Tom, Frank, and I kept very busy writing, commiserating, and pulling our hair out about the New York Mets.

During the time I was away, I realized that Average Adam needed to change.  It didn’t have much direction and at times I struggled to post things worthy of reading.

There were two factors that lead me to this decision:

1. Mets Gazette has given me more than enough of my share of sports writing.  I love it and I am having a blast, but I found that I was forcing myself to come up with non-Mets related content and writing for Average Adam became a chore.
2. I want the freedom to write when I want and about what I want.  After all, this is my blog.  Why should I feel obligated to my on blog?

My solution?

Have less direction with the content.  It makes perfect sense doesn’t it?  Average Adam will not be completely about sports anymore.  It is going to be focused on whatever I feel like writing about.  Plain and simple.  Just like me.

Average Adam on The Radio

Tonight at 11:30 PM ET, Frank, Tom and I (The co-founders of Mets Gazette) will be special guests on Stache Radio with host Matthew Falkenbury. Daily Stache is a wonderful Mets blog comprised of talented writers that give terrific insight on the team day to day.

So, check them out and be sure to tune in tonight to listen!

Come On Dude

According to the Associated Press, James G. Falzon is suing the New York Mets, Major League Baseball, Jarden Coorperation (Rawlings brand bat maker), Luis Castillo, and Ramon Castro.

Why?

He suffered multiple face lacerations including a broken palate at Shea Stadium in 2007 because he was struck in the face by a shattered bat while his son was looking on.

Don’t get me wrong, it stinks that he was struck in the face and I completely sympathize with how that ruined his day. No one wants to see that happen.

However, go to any Major League or Minor League park and you’ll find very clear signage that warn you to beware of flying objects.

There is some inherent risk when going to a baseball game and forking over the big bucks for a nice seat. Flying objects like baseballs and broken bats is one example. Sitting around a bunch of people jibber-jabbering on their cell phones not paying any attention to the game is another.

Call me old-fashioned, but this situation strikes me as an unfortunate accident. Nothing more, nothing less. As my parents used to tell me when I was growing up, “That’s life kid. Sometimes life is unfair.”

Suing a bunch of people over an unfortunate accident and wasting a lot of people’s time and money is not the answer. This injury is exactly what health insurance is for.

What does this teach his kid? Something unfortunate happens so look for a pay day?

Ramon Castro being named in the lawsuit is the funniest (probably not to Ramon) thing about this ridiculous situation. He wasn’t even at the plate. He is being sued because Luis Castillo was using his bat.

I’ve got ten bucks that says Luis accidentally grabbed Ramon’s bat. Castro…..Castillo, who’s betting against me?

Oh well, another day, another frivolous lawsuit.

Average Adam Update

I know it has been a few days since I last posted.  There are valid reasons for this.

For those of you that know me, we are in the process of opening a $39 million dollar recreation facility.

Also, Mets Gazette is really taking off.  The little time I do have to write has been dedicated to the Gazette.

Yesterday, WFAN’s mid-day show talked about one of our posts at great length and it has generated a lot of traffic to our site (see below if you want to hear the broadcast).

For those of you not familiar with WFAN (probably many Midwestern Ants out there), here is a summary of the station:

WFAN is the flagship station of four New York professional sports franchises: the New York Mets, the New York Giants, the New Jersey Devils and the New Jersey Nets. A wide range of major sports events can also be heard on the station including a full slate of NFL games leading up to, and including, the Super Bowl.

Not to worry, I’ll get back to posting regularly once things die down.  At work that is.  Hopefully the Gazette doesn’t die down.

Article below was originally published on metsgazete.com.

Tom Greenhalgh
Mets Gazette Editor

This is a classic example of why we so appreciate all of our readers. We have no idea who it was, but someone shared our recent article, “The How-To Guide: Be Like Luis,” with WFAN host Evan Roberts.  Evan proceeded to recite the article as well as add his commentary alongside co-host Joe Benigno.

Thanks anonymous!  Click the link below for audio:

Mets Gazette on WFAN, NY