Tuesday Random Thoughts
1. You’ve got to love Johnny Damon. He is leaving no doubt in anybody’s mind that he is a class A jerk. Speaking at the World Baseball Classic and “surrounded by reporters from New York, Boston and West Coast, he was asked again about the failed negotiations with the Sox and said he felt "disrespected."
"Absolutely, without a doubt," Damon said during batting practice of a Team USA workout yesterday. "They had three months to get something together after the season though. But they didn't. They stuck to their plan."
Asked about whether he felt he would be booed, "I'm going to hear from some fans and there are other fans who are very educated who have an idea of how things went down and how the Red Sox flat out disrespected me," Damon said. "I'm going to go out and do my thing so I'm not going to worry too much about that. All I can say it I gave it my all for four years. If it wasn't good enough I can't concern myself with that."
My question to Johnny Damon is this. What was the Red Sox plan? Not to overpay for an aging centerfielder who can’t throw to save his life? Was that the plan the Sox refused to abandon and you felt disrespected by? It seems like I’m writing the same thing about Johnny Damon every single day. I didn’t care that he took the most money and ran to New York. BUT don’t insult me by making it seem like you had no choice and that the Red Sox forced you to do it. I wasn’t going to boo you for being selfish until you opened your fat trap and started stuttered about all this junk. Now all educated fans should not only boo you but throw shit at you and make fun of you for the fact you can’t speak.
2. According to the Inside Track Bobby Brown was refused a room at the Radisson in Brockton the other night because he stiffed them on the bill the last time he blew through town. The Brockton Radisson! I’ve got to tell you that I couldn’t have made this up if I tried. Has it really gotten that bad for Bobby Brown that he can’t afford a room at the Brockton Radisson? We’re not talking the Four Seasons here. As bad as the finances have been here at the Stool over the past few years I think I could always afford a room at a hotel in Brockton.
3. Jenny Fitch better watch her ass. Ashley Van Boxmeer is an outfielder for Cal-State Fullerton and a real threat to dethrone Fitch as the hottest softball player on the planet. Boxmeer is also the the daughter of former Montreal Canadians and Buffalo Sabres defenseman (and current Kings asst. coach) John Van Boxmeer. As a side note, Jamie Chisholm should take this random thought as a direct challenge to get Ashley Van Boxmeer to be our friend on Myspace and possibly do an interview with us or pose on our cover. Also, I don’t know what song that is that plays on her myspace page but I’m addicted to it and want it on my Ipod now.
4. Good news. FSU Chick has decided that posing naked for an upcoming issue of playbody doesn’t conflict with her "one guiding principle which isshe won't do anything that would embarrass her family."
My guess is that neither does doing porn because that is clearly where FSU chick is headed and she’s headed there fast.
5. I try to abide by the rules of plagiarism and giving credit where credit is due as much as I can. So instead of just cutting and pasting this next story, I’m putting the link in for the site. But it’s a great story of Cal fans pulling a prank on an opposing player from USC. I’d love to see the Superfans step up and do something like this.
6. Anybody see the clip of the Southern Illinois Cheerleader who fell from the top of the pyramid and landed on her head yesteray? It looked like she may be dead when she hit the ground. But as she was being carried away in a stretcher the Southern Illinois Band struck up the Saluki fight song and wouldn’t you know it that this girl (I don’t call girls in stretchers chicks out of respect) broke out into a full fledged cheer. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I thought it was pretty cool that she kept on cheering right into the locker room, but at the same time it was a little over the top. I think a solid Mike Utley thumb’s up would have sufficed. Still this girl has a ton of guts and is okay in my book even if she looked a little silly cheering from a gurney.
7. Just how desperate am I to get Stoolies to our March Madness Party on March 16th at The Place. Well I’m going to make a trade right now. I’m going to give everybody a brilliant sleeper team for your brackets. Put UNC Wilmington in the sweet 16 and thank me at the party.
8. We couldn’t let more than 2 days go by without some Lindsey Lohan pics and thankfully some Lohan party photos surfaced on the Barstool Sports Message Board today.
9. Boston Globe - Somebody in Roslindale is deeply offended by the bikini-clad rubber-chicken doggie chew toys in the window of Pet Cabaret on Washington Street. Lisa Di Pietro, one of the pet supply store's owners, reports on her Pet Talk at Pet Cabaret about a phone call from an irate man:
''He asks how he is supposed to walk his children by our store and explain to them why there are naked chickens in the window."
The other owner, Lisa Schlossberg, ''explained to him that all chickens are naked, they usually don't wear clothes." And the chicken ''was wearing a purple polka-dot bikini, and so was not naked.
''He remained unconvinced. He threatened to call the mayor's office and report us. (I am not sure which department of Mayor Menino's office deals with rubber chickens.)"
I’m sure the owners of Pet Cabaret aren’t too scared about this wack job calling the Mayor’s office, but I would be if I were them. Let’s not forget that this is the same Mayor who was convinced by some bozo that newspaper news racks in Downtown Crossing were preventing people from shopping there and promptly had them all removed.
10. This past Saturday Night the First Lady and I were trying to decide on where to go for dinner. Our options were somewhat limited since we didn’t have reservations. Somebody recommended a place called Burton’s in Hingham. I’d never heard of it before and was extremely skeptical because the only restaurant that I’ve liked so far on the South Shore is Tosca. So I went online and tried to find some reviews of it before we decided to go there. And in one of the all time signs that the apocalypse is upon us guess who had the best restaurant review of this place? Barstoolsports.com. I almost passed out when I saw it. It was from the restaurant thread on the message board and this is what it said;
“Went to Burton's Grill yesterday for their pre-opening test run with the family & the GF in North Andover. Really really outstanding. We all got a different entree and all was outstanding. Upscale atmosphere.
Burton 's is a local steak house with 2 locations in MA. Forgot where the original is. Unfortunately they do not have a web presents, bad business move I think.
It is located on RT 114 in the new business complex across from the Eagle Tribune.”
After eating at this place I’d give it a high six or low 7. The waitress almost lost 2 points for lying. She told us that they were known for their meat and that their filet was better than the Capital Grille’s filet. I obviously found this statement highly suspect and ordered the filet just to test her. Not surprisingly I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Burton’s filet isn’t in the same zip code as Capital Grille’s. But overall it was an okay restaurant.
Reader Email
Email #1
Not for Nothing" but I am getting to the point where I can't watch a game, no matter how great, if Vitale is involved. He was at his all time worst for Duke vs. North Carolina. El Presedente: you should start a campaign to get him to SHUT UP. DAD
You’ve been saying that for 7 years now. I’d suggest that you stop watching games that Vitale announces so you can stop complaining about it.
Email #2
Prez,
The new cast of amazing race sacks. Granted CBS did a great job getting an eclectic group together. My 2 cents on the teams. Lake& Michelle- could be the first group that doesn't finish because of legal troubles. Wanda& Desiree- we get it, you're both "muy caliente" Eric & Jeremy- the type of guys who you thought in high school would become "brokeback". Lisa & Joni- the Amazon sisters.......god bless their husbands. Danielle & Dani- pearl necklace? Fran & Barry- every time Barry's face is on the screen I just want to throw a f-cking shoe at the TV BJ & Tyler- is it me or has the Black Crows career really taken a nose dive? All the rest..... Dorky Group, Black Power Group, Team Good-looking......I find the second readings to the Corinthians more interesting
Bonedust
I’m still not convinced Eric and Jeremy aren’t gay not that there is anything wrong with that.
Email #3
Hey Pres,
First and foremost I am pissed at major league baseball as well as the WBC. What is this crap showing games at 2 am and 4 am on espn and espn2 and then when I tune in at 4 am, the show only innings in which scoring occurs, secondly when the USA starts playing the game starts at 4 pm, I know it is championship week in the NCAA and the NIT and Final Four are starting, but I was hoping that the Classic would jump start the baseball season? Just a thought, instead espn and MLB has pulled a "BODE" my buddies and I have decided that anytime a person chokes they pulled a "BODE". It is great like when Chris Weber calls time out and has no time outs left he pulled a "BODE". I totally think MLB really missed the boat on this, I went to Lids yesterday to pick up a team USA hat and they said I can only order one on line, am I nuts here, also in this WBC is ok to root for any team or is it strictly by country, meaning should it be USA vs. the world?
Jim in Jersey "not for nuttin" but forget about it, it's a fugozzie.
I like the concept of the WBC. Anytime it is country vs. country, the sport is more interesting. As intense as the Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry is I think a gold medal game between Cuba and the United States would be even better. I think its lame that the MLB owners are against the WBC. I think it’s a great idea and I wish all the best players were in it.
Email #4
To Mack,
Clearly, I realize we gave up Ortiz for nothing. Thinking back, the Red Sox were the only team that showed any interest in him. Here’s why: In his six seasons prior to joining the Red Sox, Ortiz averaged a paltry 9.6 home runs per season. Even more astounding is the fact that Ortiz only averaged 75.8 games per season while with the Twins. Everyone saw Ortiz’s potential, but after six injury-plagued seasons it became too much to stomach. Sorry dude, he’s just due to get hurt again.
These emails are getting bothersome. What’s your point? That the Red Sox shouldn’t have signed him because you think he’s going to get hurt soon? Guess what? He’s going to die someday too. The guy has been lights out here. The Sox wouldn’t have won a World Series without him. You sound like a little kid whining about spilled milk. Even if he gets hurt which is just a wild guess by you, the Sox already have gotten much more than they ever could have dreamed out of him. It’s all bonus from here on in.