- 03:07 PM
- 04/19/24
Hey, I wonder if I will have a case when this is over? Let's see....I played (or should I say, got a uniform, shagged a lot of flies during BP, and warmed a bench seat) as a walk-on where I spent most of my college time. (However, it was only for one year.) Due to the fact that I dated a girl whose father was a Bird-dog scout for a MLB team, I was given an opportunity to attend a MLB camp. Let's for one moment NOT take into consideration that I was not as good as most of the other players attending the camp. Let's ignore the fact that I probably could not hit a 95 mph fastball, even if my life depended on it. Let's take away the fact that I was probably faster than only, maybe, 5% of the players who were in the try-outs. Maybe, just maybe, I can find someone to sue over the potential millions that I could have been making as a MLB player (because of course, I would NEVER have had to spend any time in the minor leagues...God forbid). Then of course, I would have gone on to take Tommy's place as manager of the Dodgers, or maybe even still be managing today instead of Mr. Joe Torre. Yes...this is out of line. I have to sue someone. This can't be happening to me. SOMEBODY HAS TO PAY! No. Of course as a male, all the Title IX's in the world will not help me. However, I am sure that I can make a case out of something, against someone, for some reason. I have to. I am sure that I was held back for some reason other than the fact that I really just wasn't as good as I thought I was. The sad part is that our taxpayer dollars are going to be used to pay for this BS lawsuit. I am sure this will go through several appeals, tie up countless court hours, take us many headlines, and by the time it is all over, the girl will be out of high school, will still not be as good as her fellow competitors, will still be crying when she is cut from her Community College team, and her mommy/daddy will still be stroking her hair and telling her that the system is what is screwing her over. (Hey, maybe Uncle Rico -from the Nepolean Dynamite movie- can work his way back to 1982 with a case like this.)
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 10:39 PM on May 03, 2005
could not have happened to a nicer person...
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 01:06 AM on April 28, 2005
This sure is a pretty shitty topic. I know the whole world is going down the toilet, however this thread is crap. It reminds me of something that came out of the south end of a north bound horse. I knew I had a crappy day but this thread is really like the shit hitting the fan
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 11:51 PM on April 20, 2005
Well, well, well. I guess that should just about cover the topic of race. What was the original thread? I suppose I am also guilty of following the rabbit trail and hopped away from the main point.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 12:27 AM on April 15, 2005
Several "big named" African-Americans are really doing more harm than good, especially in regards to racial equality. Let's see......does the word "Ebonics" mean anything? If anyone in this country is under the age of 50 and they are still bitching about slavery, segregation, having "the man" keep them down, etc, then my original comment about Stupidity does not respect race, creed, color, or sexual orientation. In fact, stupidity can strike anyone, at any time, in any place. is right on target. Especially when there are so many organizations dedicated specifically toward helping minorities (ACLU, NAACP, etc.) Just let someone come up with the National Association for the Advancement of Caucasions (NAAC) and just wait for the hellstorm to start. 99.999% of the caucasion people living in the country never owned slaves. Just like 99.999% of the African-Americans living in this country were never owned. It is because of people like "The Reverend Jesse Jackson" and his wonderful attempt to excuse his total ignorance of something as common as the English Language (Ebonics...oh yeah, stupidity now has a new name) that allow anyone, especially African-Americans, to remain enslaved to their own lack of ambition. Excuses do not serve to make things better, only to use smoke and mirrors in order to take the focus off the actual issue. Thanks Jesse, Jermaine, Rev Sharpton...however, please do not keep trying to help my friends (of African-American origin). They have taken responsibility of their own lives and have stopped listening or giving your stupid excuses. "If you think an education is expensive...try ignorance."
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 04:14 AM on April 14, 2005
College basketball just exploits them before they go to the pro's. Is this really the solution to un-educated basketball players? These guy's have a shelf life of about ten years if they are lucky! Then ther'e broke and back on the street with no education whatso ever. This has become the new drug dealership! Hey, I know plenty of caucasion NFL and MLB players who have played the game and have gone back into the world that the rest of us live in, but have fallen on their miserable faces. IT SICKENS ME THAT ANYONE WITH A MINIMUM IQ OF 50 TAKES EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS AND MAKES IT INTO A RACE ISSUE. Stupidity does not respect race, creed, color, or sexual orientation. In fact, stupidity can strike anyone, at any time, in any place. MY PEOPLE this...my people that...BULLSHIT! I grew up in Alabama. Yes, I am caucasion. However, my great-grandfather actually WAS a sharecropper. MY people NEVER owned slaves, servants, or indentured help. In fact, until the last 20-30 years of his 88 year old life, my great-grandfathernever even owned land. My grandparents, nor my parents ever really made a ton of money. I did not have anyone GIVING me the money to go to college. I HAD TO WORK, SAVE, actually STUDY in order to keep my GPA above board, and still made an attempt to be successful in sports. MY PEOPLE did not have the cash nor the influence needed in order to "buy" my degree, nor was anyone willing to just GIVE it to me. Would someone please pass the tissue to this poor, spoiled, rich kid, who if not for athletics would probably not even be able to find a job in an actual industry, to just SHUT UP, PLAY THE GAME, STOP YOUR WHINING, MAKE YOUR MONEY, TRY TO DO SOMETHING GOOD WITH IT, and when it is all over, once again, SHUT UP and just go home. In the words of Herschel Walker, "I want to say 'Thanks you' to the University of Georgia for this opportunities". Of course there are those who will disagree with this but of course, in this country, it is your right to disagree.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 06:42 PM on April 13, 2005
Still waiting to see if any of the "marquee players" seem to get popped. It is one thing to use the #38, 39, or 40 on a 40 man roster, it is totally another to smack a Bonds, Sosa, Rodriguez (either Alex or Pudge), Jeter, Salmon, etc. (Not implying that any of the above have taken steroids, just naming a few of the more "name in lights" players). If Bud is planning to really take a stand, then he is going to have to face off with one of the "big names" in order to really make an impact. Even then, unless the punishment is greater than a token slap on the wrist, Selig and Company are just blowing smoke. Hmmmm....blowing smoke. I wonder if they will ever start testing for certain smoking habits....after all, some things that are smoked are actually illegal, thus implying that laws are actually being broken. Man, imagine that. Ballplayers who are actually expected to obey laws and are expected to take responsibility for their actions if they don't. MLB as well as the rest of professional athletics would become a better place.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 02:45 AM on April 12, 2005
Hey, hey, hey...DON'T EVER CRACK ON THE MONKEY! Those of us who support the California, I mean the Anah...oops, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, United States, North America, still love the Monkey!
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 03:06 AM on April 08, 2005
Hey, my name is "BigAl4Auburn" what the hell do you think I want to believe? I have been around Bo, on the diamond and off. In my opinion, he was probably one of the most naturally gifted athletes ever. No, he did not gain 48 pounds in one off season. Bo has one of the best, biggest hearts of anyone that I have ever met. He is active in the lives of many children who live at the "King's Ranch" in Alabama (similar to Boys Town, etc). If Bo says he didn't do it, then I will stand beside him until the cows come home. Even if something comes up that may cast a doubt on him, I choose to NOT believe. I cast my vote for Bo! War Eagle!
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 02:58 AM on April 08, 2005
mbd1, I think I read somewhere that UNC also won in 1984. According to the article, some never before heard about guy with the name of Michael Jordan was playing at the time. (I really don't meant to be a smartass, I really did read an article about this...it is NOT because I already knew about it. The article could actually be incorrect.) Anyway, if they won in 1984, then according to your posting, their total WOULD equal four. Alas, my beloved Tigers did not even make it to the tourney, so I will just have to congratulate the Tar Heels.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 12:57 AM on April 05, 2005
Alex who? I also crap bigger than him (not "take craps bigger than he does lil_brown_bat....my crap is bigger than he actually is...not that I really care to discuss fecal habits) Let's just wait and see if Bud and company have the baseBALLS to suspend a "Big Name" player, (i.e. Bonds, Rodriguez, Sosa, etc). I think suspending should only be the first step. However, let's see...hmmm...If I took illegal drugs on my job, I would be suspended, then the 2nd time I did it I would be suspended again, the 3rd time = 3rd suspension, 4th = 4th....even the state of California and their ultra-liberal way of thinking starts putting drunk drivers behind bars after the 2nd or 3rd offense. What kind of STOOOOPID IDEA is it to allow up to four incidents before the commissioner even has to do anything? What about 1st offense = suspension, 2nd offense = suspended for entire next season and remainder of current season, 3rd offense = banned from MLB? These are baseball PLAYers....PLAY, get it? If they can't follow the rules, let them get into another line of work, just like the millions of others that work in this country.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 02:35 AM on April 04, 2005
Remind me again...just because a former NFL player is actually able to gain employment after his playing days (which judging from most of the former NFL guys that I know, actual hard work, outside of being on the gridiron, is a foreign concept)...is this really a reason to have this on a SPORTS thread discussion? (This comment is NOT to show disrespect the former NFL guys that actually do something AFTER football...I suppose I could just be biased by the off-field accomplishments, or should I say antics, of the dozen or so that I personally know.) If I wanted to throughly discuss national safety, politics, the abilities (or lack thereof) of a missile defense system, I would gladly join a discussion of the GOP or DNC. During this time, I will continue to be grumpy over the fact that the Auburn Tigers were undefeated in the 2004 NCAA Div-1 football year and they were still not able to play for a title shot. (Yes, yes, yes, I know that USC suffered the same fate in 2003, but I didn't think it was right then either). WAR EAGLE!
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 01:55 AM on March 30, 2005
because the smell of the balls is just an important as how they are thrown around....
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 10:35 AM on March 14, 2005
What's new? Well... it's Shaquille O'Neal's (and Willie Stargell's) birthday today. Gather those rosebuds. Well, the birthday gift goes to Kobe. Of course he had to pay for his own gift. What is he gonna do the next time something like this happens though? Even the public with the "sheep" mentality (that most of our country has) will not believe that he is actually innocent. (Just a reminder, in this country...you are innocent until PROVEN guilty.) Today is also MY birthday as well. Perhaps I can get my ex-wife to stop acting like she does and she can also stop trying to get make my life a pain (after she did re-marry only two days after the finalization of our divorce and yet I waited for years to even start dating.) Maybe Kobe can give me some legal pointers!?
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 07:50 PM on March 06, 2005
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know better than anyone how the race card figures into the whole MLB thing. In fact, the whole reason that I was unable to make it in the "Big League" is because I grew up in a lower (at best) middle-class, white family home, in Centeral Alabama. If it were not for the fact that I was raised by my grand-parents (my dad went for a walk and never came back, my mom then had a nervous breakdown and was unable to raise my brother and me,) I could have made it. It is due in part to the fact that I had to work a job during college that I did not make the cut. Let's not take into consideration that when I played in college, that I was average (at best). Never mind that if ranked according to talent, ability, and performance, I was probably the lowest ranked player on the team. I probably should not consider that I only hit between .225 and .250, with a fielding % that just barely allowed me to call myself a ballplayer. Yes, I did get to attend a tryout for the Dodgers, but it was probably only due to the fact that I dated the daughter of one of the scouts. YEAH!!!I'm sure it is ONLY because I am white that I did not make it. The fact that as far as ballplayers go, I was probably in the "suck" catagory. Barry's excuse is just smoke and mirrors. The usual M.O. in this country is to always have an excuse for when you do wrong. "Yes officer, I was driving after having several drinks...but you see, the reason that I was doing so is because ________" (Fill in the blank with any lame excuse other than to take responsibility for own actions.) Again, I have to look at things from the perspective of being a dad. If I don't teach my kids the difference between right and wrong, then I am the problem when they get out of line. I have to take the responsibility if I don't teach them the right way. It is NOT the responsibility of MLB to teach my kids. It is NOT Barry Bonds responsibility to teach my kids about the dangers of steroids. However, until MLB actually starts to back up their tough talk, instead of just starting more tough talk, then the steroid issue will still rage on. Barry, stop your whining. Stop your racial crying. BE A MAN! Take responsibility for your actions. I think I speak for most of the public when I say that I can respect someone who is big enough to take the heat for their own actions. GROW UP!
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 01:16 AM on February 25, 2005
You really did not think that he would come clean did you? We really only expected him to spread his words like cream. Of course he would not actually admit anything in an attempt to clear his name. Barry has always been aloof and full of himself. Barry will still end up in the HOF and yet Pete will still be asking for admission. Go figure. Until MLB takes an actual hard-lined stand, like companies that operate in "the real world" (do the words ZERO TOLERANCE" mean anything?) there will still be 'roids. The greed displayed by the owners, players, and the commission will only serve to encourage different ways to beat a whiz-quiz. MLB does not really want to stop illegal drug use (P.E.D. or otherwise), because if they did, they would stop talking about it and start DOING something about it. As a dad, if I don't actually back up what I say about consequences when my kids get out of line, I am actually only exacerbating the issue. If I TELL them there are consequences but I never follow through, the REAL problem is not just with the kids but with ME!
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 11:57 PM on February 23, 2005
Are we supossed to tell kids nows the time to start if you want to be like so and so? Kids look up to these guys. And it's still not any cheaper to take a family to a family game. As a parent I have to take a stand. I do NOT believe it is for Bonds, Griffey, Big Mac, Canseco, Giambi, or any other athlete to be the role model for my children. It is up to ME to teach right from wrong and to model proper behavior. Until we as parents take back leadership of our kids, we will keep allowing MLB, NFL, NBA, etc., athletes to keep training our kids.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 01:43 AM on February 18, 2005
Big Mac, no matter what he did or didn't do, still had to be able to keep his eye on the ball. Just like Rodriguez, Bonds, Griffey, Salmon, Jeter or anyone else who played the game. Perhaps he became stronger, but for those of you who never played the game after high school, in college and in the minor leagues, the ball actually DOES get to the plate faster. In the majors, it is faster still. Don't be a player hater.
posted by BigAl4Auburn at 08:50 AM on February 17, 2005
Student sues, left off volleyball team
My local high school's field hockey team and girls' tennis team each play against teams that include boys on their rosters. Those boys requested to play and were granted spots on the team because of Title IX. If Title IX weren't around, they'd simply have been told to go take a hike. Then the teams are not really "girls tennis teams" then are they? Perhaps "co-ed team" would be a better term? The point that I was attempting to make really had nothing to do with Title IX but with the fact that there are many people who do not want to take responsibility for the fact that maybe, just maybe, they really are not of the highest caliber when it comes to athletics, academics, etc. Perhaps they should either get out on the practice field and work their asses off so that next year they can make the team, or they should give up. Michael Jordan is a prime example of how "HARD WORK" can pay off. Scottie Pippen is another example. Both of these guys missed the cut at some point in their early basketball days (either in H.S. or in college,) yet there are few with as many championship rings as these two. It just seems that there are so many people who want to have every excuse in the book regarding why they are not the grand pupa, champion, king of their sport. When the reality is that there may actually be better athletes that they are facing. The issue about me and my fantasy MLB stardom was only that....a fantasy. I have to face reality and understand that all of the laws, excuses, what-ifs, etc. are really just things that attempt to shine the light on other ares besides the fact that I may not be as good of a baseball player as the Derek Jeters, Chipper Jones', Garrett Andersons, Cal Ripkens, etc. Heck, I DO believe that I could probably do better than Jose Canseco, simply due to the fact that I have never let a ball bounce off my head and go over the fence. However, no matter how good I was, I was never in the same league as 99.999% of the MLB talent that actually made it to the limelight.