Sports Talk Radio @ MindSay

I like sports as much as the next guy, but one thing that is really starting to get on my nerves is the endless analysis by these overly serious schmucks on TV and radio.  I can't watch ESPN anymore when they are breaking down some sports highlights and discussing these things like they are life and death issues.  You know what I want to see?  The damn scores, some highlights and news.  I don't want sports to be serious.  That is the beauty of the games, to not take things so seriously and to relax and enjoy things for what they are. 

I also don't like hearing about the minutiae of these athletes’ lives.  I don't want to know where they live or what they do in the off-season.  I don't want to know their beliefs on certain topics, I want to see them perform at the highest level, and not attempt to be a politician, musician or philosopher.  That is an entirely different topic unto itself, celebrities using their status as a platform for whichever cause they see fit.  These people are more often than not performing their acts of charity as public relations work, or have such a weak knowledge of the issues that they soapbox about that it is laughable.  Case in point Sheryl Crow trying to show people how to live "greener."  She went around a few summers ago telling everyone how much better off the world would be if we only used one square of toilet paper each time we went to the bathroom.  She would then proceed to load up the caravan of buses and head to the next stop on their massive tour.  The world could definitely be more green, I agree with you 100% Sheryl.  If only you and your celebrity brethren would just shut your mouth. 

I got nothing, because I sat down and watched TV and now my brain is officially off duty.  This happens whenever I watch or listen to sports, or talk radio, I just kind of zone out.  This is probably a sign that I should do less of these activities.  Put that on the "to do" list.  I should go lay down, sleep would definitely be welcome at this time.  I think I'm ready for the warm to just be here.  It is nice to get moving around in the sun and get the sweat going.  So yeah, I'm looking forward to that.  This may or may not also be because I don't have a jacket that I really like at this point in time, which makes windy, coldish days a tad unbearable.  I was just listening to Phil Collins advice though; No Jacket Required. 

I think I have a new favorite section of the newspaper.  It used to be as a kid, I would go straight to the Lifebeat and read some cartoons, and try to tackle that Sunday Wordsearch.  Then as a teenager I would drift mainly into the sports section.  Well the sports section sucks now.  It has been completely ruined by ESPN, the electronic media, and talk radio.  I still flip there for columns, but it is useless for sports news; that is unless the power is out. 
So I've been exploring other sections of the paper recently.  The main section is alright, a few good things here and there on average.  The local section is pretty much the same, pointing out the ill placed priorities of Rhode Islanders and our politicians.  But what is really interesting is the commentary sections.  People blasting columnists and fellow commentators on their various beliefs and literary foibles.  I have a few of them set aside from the last two days that I feel compelled to touch on.  For example, yesterday some lady wrote in to write that it was time for Obama to step aside and concede to Hillary, so the democrats and republicans can face off head to head.  That was the basis of her argument.  There was no intelligent reasoning behind it, just that she felt he should just give it up now, with the lead mind you.  That's Rhode Islanders in a nutshell.  Arrogant, and uninformed. 

So, I'm from the Philadelphia area, and everyday on my 40 mile commute into work I listen to WIP, a local sports talk radio show. Every Friday they have a winner of the week and a weasel of the week. The winner is someone who did the most positive thing that week, and the weasel did the worst. Pretty self explanatory. As an example, the week that the Sixers traded for Chris Webber, the Sixer's manager was the winner of the week. Since C-Webb has been sucking royal donkey dick, he is no longer considered a winner.

But moving on, the hosts pick who they think the winner and weasel is, and then callers call in saying who they think is more deserving of the title. The hosts decide if the caller is right, and if he or she (normally it's a he) is, that person gets a prize.

Today, someone called in saying the Pope should be the winner of the week. This put the hosts in a very bad spot. They admitted, "The Pope is one of the greatest men of our lifetime, no question. But we can't give him winner of the week." The caller retorts with, "But why not? It's his last chance to get it."

The Pope did not become winner of the week, but not for the reasons I don't think he should be. Yes, the Pope was a wonderful man. A truly great man. And million upon millions of people are mourning his lost. But the winner of the week is a title reserved for someone who did something amazing that week. Someone who affected Philadelphia in a positive way. The Pope died this week. It's kind of tasteless to give him an "award" for the positive thing he did this week, when the thing he did was die. If you want to recognize his life, dedicate a show to him or create an award that honors him as a person, but don't say, "Congratuatlions, you did the best thing for Philadelphia this week by dying."