This Week in Rock- Jim James of My Morning Jacket

This Week in Rock will attempt to highlight humorous anecdotes from the world of Rock 'n Roll. The inaugural post should be about the long-awaited (read: 17 years) new album, Chinese Democracy, from Guns N' Roses. In case you gave up on them, as I did after the abortion that was The Spaghetti Incident, G N' R has been slowly shaping this sure-to-be crap sandwich through myriad drug addictions, band infighting, and typical rock star idiocy. Remember Buckethead? He was one of the guitarists brought in to replace Slash. He is best-known for playing on-stage while wearing an upside down Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket over his head to protest the on-going chicken holocaust in fast-food joints around the globe. I believe they describe him as being an "avant garde guitarist". I describe his as a fucking freakshow.
But alas, even Buckethead and the re-generation of Axl Rose don't take top billing this week. That award goes to Jim James, lead singer and main axe-shredder of My Morning Jacket. MMJ, and Jim in particular, thrive on high-energy jams and loud reverb thrashings to get awesome. Anyone who's been to a show can attest to the sweetness of how they rock out. But unfortunately, Jim got a little too rock star at a show in Iowa City the other day, and as a result, they have canceled their upcoming European Tour. How did this happen, you ask? I give you the band's words:
"We were finishing up the last few bars of 'Off the Record,' and just like any other night we were all having a great time. Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer, the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage. Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso, and was immediately taken to the hospital."
Let me be the first to wish Jim a speedy recovery. I've seen them perform Off the Record before, and I can see how he ended up in the hospital- the song fucking rocks and they jam that bitch out something fierce. But how do you fall off the stage? And how do you fall off in such a way that you aren't caught by all the adoring fans in the front row? This bit about the lights darkening for a split-second I'll buy, but still, he must have been running to the front of the stage and just ate shit on the sub-woofer. I don't know the layout of the arena, but there must have been a space between the stage and the crowd for him to fall, and the fact that he was so badly injured means that the stage was higher (no pun intended) than usual or he landed on his guitar awkwardly and busted up some ribs.
Either way, this is a shame, and hope he's not out of commission too long. But when you rock out so hard that you injure yourself and have to cancel an entire tour, you will be the feature story on This Week in Rock.

Florida Teens Volunteer to be Tasered, Police Officer Fired

MSNBC reported (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27300639/) that a 22yo police officer was fired for tasering teens at a party. I guess kids think it is awesome to get shocked at 10,000V. When I was a kid, I thought it was awesome to huff Elmer's out of a sock. The times they are a changin'

Watch more LiveLeak videos on AOL Video

ESPN: SAC THE FUCK UP

As profootballtalk.com reported yesterday ESPN, in re: to Benedict Favre, sent around an intra office memorandum which in part reads, "DO NOT REPORT... DO NOT REPORT... DO NOT REPORT... DO NOT REPORT." What the fuck is this? From the network that fills its time with mock drafts and Skip Bayless's senseless banter, it really comes as no surprise that when there is actual news we have to get it via deadspin. Report the fucking news and cut back on the bullshit. However, keep Dr. Lou as I believe as demonstrated from last week's rant he is becoming more interesting as senility encroaches. It is clear that the Doctor is in fact not in... The Doctor is out to lunch.

Who really gives a shit anyways?

As everyone knows, Game 1 of the Fall Classic starts tonight with the Phillies heading to Tampa to face the Rays in what will no doubt go down in history as one of the least watched and worst series' of all time. If you are looking for an exciting series, you will be sadly mistaken. The real series was played last week in Tampa and Boston.

With that in mind, who really gives a shit about this series anyways?Both cities involved in this series are secondary markets with a shitbag fanbase.

Philly, no doubt has fans but the fans are the kind of toothless/inbred scum that would even be looked down upon at my family reunion in Waterloo, NE. The Philly fans are known for their idiocy and vile tendencies at their sporting events. Really, a microcosm to the nature of the city at large. For a specific example of their idiocy, one needs to look no further than their rally cry for the Series, "Why can't us?" What the fuck does that even mean? I have terrible grammar and generally understand a redneck rally cry when I hear one, but this is beyond comprehension. "Educated" Philadelphia is standing up against this slogan, but I have no doubt that if Philly miraculously pulls out the Series win there will be tee-shirts printed with this slogan. This shirt would rival only the Giants for the worst victory shirt of all time (for those of you who don't remember... 18 wins and 1 GIANT LOSS).

Moving on to the Rays...

The team is one of the most exciting in baseball, with a young squad that is locked in to long term contracts this team could be a fixture in the post season for years to come. Unfortunately there is not much to say about the Rays fanbase. Excluding Dick Vitale? I have yet to see a Rays fan who is genuinely passionate about this team. Sure there are casual fans and sure the nation at large is pulling for them, but no one gives a shit about Tampa Bay or Tampa Bay sports in general. As a sports bigamist, in my many interactions with sports fans from all over the country I have yet to meet a loyal Tampa Bay fan... prior to a month ago, that is. However, unlike the Phillies faithful who have done nothing in support of their team, I do respect the fair-weather faithful of the Gulf Coast for taking action in their grooming habits. Mohawks for the guys is one thing, but the women showing their support by shaving landing strips is pure magic. However, this is simply not enough.

The point of this...

This series could have the lowest viewer ratings of all time. While Philadelphia is a major market, most of their fans probably don't own TVs or have electricity. Tampa Bay simply does not have the fans. This series is going to be boring as shit, Tampa Bay takes it in no more than 5. As much as I hate to admit it, a team with pink hats really could have helped spark interest in this series.

An Open Letter to Tony Kornheiser

Dear Tony,
I'm writing to you today with a heavy heart. I remember when you had a little more hair, a little less fat, and were pioneering the new genre of "In Your Face Sports Shows" with Michael Wilbon. It was January of 2002- I had just returned from a semester abroad in London, and my beloved New England Patriots were in the midst of an incredible run at their first Superbowl victory. Being outside the country for the entire regular season, I was reliant on Boston Globe and ESPN.COM game recaps, and some guy named Bill Simmons to add a little of the fan's perspective of what was going on in Drew Bledsoe's absence. Flipping through the channels after class, I stumbled upon something truly revelatory: 2 diehard sports fans, both accomplished reporters and columnists for the Washington Post, and both good friends, having realistic conversations and debates over the day's biggest stories. Entertaining, knowledgeable, and likable, Pardon the Interruption became must-see-tv for any sports fan.
Fast-forward to present day Monday Night Football: you are an annoying blowhard in the booth. As the member of the broadcast team supposed to represent the voice of the fan, you all too often see the game through your columnist's eyes. Instead of taking more of an opportunity to elicit knowledge from Jaws on things that fans wonder aloud, such as what exactly constitutes illegal formations on the O-line, or the X's-and-O's reason why a particular defensive scheme is so successful, we are subjected to sophomoric punch lines and pop culture references that fall flat time and time again.
The opening monologue about how the game weaves itself into the fabric of American society and the melodramatic halftime soliloquy on how "the whole world's changed but nothing's changed because the score is different than the experts predicted" is the worst form of hype. Give me a break. And no one cares who's on your fantasy football team, unless they are in your league and are playing you that week. They are the only people who care.
Tony, I had to get this off my chest. I still like you, I still watch PTI everyday, and enjoy your work there immensely, but I can't stomach you in the booth. I just can't. Now, this is not to say that you can't get better, or that you're always terrible on MNF, it's just that more often than not, I find myself distracted by some trivial nonsense you puked up to inject humor into the game, or some tangential reach into the deep recesses of the human soul, when sometimes, a football game is just a game.
And for the record, Brett Favre is a fucking assclown, and always has been.

Sincerely,
Judge Elihu Smails


Update 10/22/08:
Fanhouse has been tracking Kornheiser's idiocy on MNF and came out with an interesting stat: he mentioned Tom Brady's name 22 times, and Matt Cassel's name 9 times. In their words:
"Before the opening kickoff the score was already 5-1 in favor of Brady. On a night where Cassel completed 75% of his passes and threw three touchdowns, helping lead the Patriots to a 41-point performance on offense, Kornheiser, one of the guys announcing the game, referenced him by name nine times. He referenced a guy not playing 22 times. That's incredible, and completely predictable."
Imagine if the Brady-less Pats played the Favre-less Packers on MNF this year. The guy is fucking terrible and should be fired ASAP.

Bigger Asshole: Brett Favre v. Skip Bayless

Over the course of the past year most people have realized that Brett Favre is a giant asshole. Some people, such as my esteemed colleague Judge Smails, have recognized this for many years. Naysayers will no doubt argue that the asshole who walks among the Jets is just having fun. Don't be a moron. The man is, has, and always will be one of the biggest douchebags to play professional sports and that alone says something. Many people began to realize how big of a douchebag the man was this off-season when he decided to return to football creating a giant and unnecessary QB controversy. The Packers offered him 20 million to sit on his ass. This is quite the deal for someone who is an inch away from being picked off 90% of the time. Instead of taking this amazing deal, he decided that he wanted to have a little more fun. Why couldn't he just sit on his ass and play the occasional pickup game in his wranglers with his toothless, redneck friends?

As I'm sure most of you have read this week, to solidify his position as one of the biggest assholes in sporting history... the man sold out a team that did him no wrong. Brett "Benedict Arnold" Favre gave the Detroit Lions information regarding the Packers in hopes of a Lions victory. What a cocksucker. This whole fucking situation was a result of Favre's immaturity and self-serving nature. It is unfortunately not surprising that as of this morning ESPN, the channel who was quick to bring every up to date development in the biggest bullshit of all time "spygate," has yet to acknowledge Favre's immaturity and lack of fucking decency. Brett Favre embodies what is wrong with pro sports and people in general.

However, don't be mistaken there is arguably a bigger cocksucker in the world of pro sports as no asshole competition is complete without at least a passing reference to the biggest jack fuck ever to grace the ESPN networks, that's right the one and only... Skip Bayless. Cold Pizza was a fixture of my days for the better part of a year. I did not enjoy the show, I actually hated the show. I just wanted to see what this over-plastic surgerized power bottom was going to say next. It is not a coincidence that even people in Texas, the ultimate state of douchebag commradery, hate one of their own. How much plastic surgery is this man going to need to be the equivalent of the 'white' Michael Jackson. I have no doubt that he has the other accolades under his belt, including but not limited to child molestation.

Bayless and his baseless opinions have no room even in the shitbag halls of the ESPN networks. I would much rather watch "that's nasty" non-stop for a week straight than have to be subjected to 10 minutes of Skip Bayless talking about the positive sides of the WNBA and the NBA's expansion to Europe. This is the guy who said that America should not participate in the Olympics, but rather start their own Olympics because "their is no legitimate athletic talent outside of the states." Trust me, I am very ethnocentric, but this is just over the line. The guy has been on a high horse and apparently thinks that he gets a free pass ever since he predicted Jerry Jones' firing of Jimmy Johnson in the mid-90's. Someone needs to take him down a notch.

But in the end, only one can be crowned with the crown of shit... the winner has to be Brett Favre. While Skip Bayless, is undeniably one of the biggest assholes who has ever walked the face of this earth, my hatred seems to be merely based on personal disdain. Favre on the other hand is objectively a class A prick...

Stay tuned for the next episode: Worst "Professional Sport": WNBA v. NHL.

I would like to live with the birds in Youkilis's beard

Very few things excite me about Boston baseball. I could give two shits about the Manny controversy. Could give less of a two shits about Daisuke's season or Pedroia's run at the AL MVP. One thing though excites me very much... Kevin Youkilis's big burly manness. This manness starts and stops with his gorgeous, well-manicured red fur. For hours on end I think about what it would be like to be part of that patch. I imagine it is quite an experience. Imagine the scratching action that would have on your face. Hurts so good...

You Want This Guy With The Nuclear Codes?

What is wrong with this guy? I know John McCain has a legendary temper (Tony Soprano-legendary), but you'd think that a person running for the highest office in the land would at least be able to keep his anger somewhat in check during the final Presidential debate. I thought at one point he was going to throw that Sharpie at Obama's head and challenge him to an Honor Du-El.
The creepy smirk, the million-blinks-an-hour pace he was setting, and the audible "heh's and uhh's" while Obama or the moderator was speaking were incredible. The sheer lack of respect, and the obvious mountain of disgust he feels towards Barack Obama, caused him to roll his eyes as Obama stated that the targeted murder of union leaders in Colombia was a reason he opposes the trade deal. Now, reasonable people can disagree on the merits of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, but I think being dismissive of or emotionally ambivalent to an organized campaign to assassinate law-abiding citizens is not a quality that the Leader of the Free World should possess.
Tales around Washington go back decades of McCain's inability to control his temper- at staffers, at other Senators, at foreign emissaries, at the relatives of fellow Hanoi Hilton prisoners of war. A couple outbursts at like minded Republican Senators: "Fuck You", to John Cornyn, in a tense bipartisan meeting on comprehensive immigration reform; "Only an asshole would put together a budget like this", to Pete Domenici at a GOP budget meeting, who followed that remark with restraint, to which McCain retorted, "I wouldn't call you an asshole unless you really were an asshole"; and "No, (I'm not calling you stupid) I'm calling you a fucking jerk", to Chuck Grassley.
If this is how he treats his fellow Senate Republicans, people he most likely respects, how do you think he'd do in tense negotiations with Putin on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, or with trying to diffuse another Pakistan-India nuclear standoff? This guy is a nut, a former Navy brat bully who hasn't stopped trying to intimidate people who disagree with him.
I hope Joe the Plumber was watching this debate, as it became clear that if old angry John McCain becomes President, Joe the Plumber won't have many shitters to unclog as he'll instigate World War III before the 2010 midterm elections.
Anyway, this guy is unstable, and I don't want him anywhere near the launch codes.

This Team is Soft. Real Soft.

After watching this Sox team bend over and take it from some (admittedly) very good pitching by Tampa Bay, I'm left to wonder: Is no one on this team willing to man up? I never thought I'd say this, but this team looks complacent. And one motto I've always lived by, taught to me by a Catholic sympathetic to social Judaism, is don't get complacent.

Look for Dice-k to send the first two Rays to the ground in the top of the 1st Thursday night. Set the fucking tone, get them uncomfortable, and start inducing tentative swings by these young bucks. Do you think it was an accident that Pedro tossed that fat fool Zimmer to the ground? No. Do you think it was by chance that he no-hit the Rays for 8-plus innings after that clown Gerald Williams tried to knock him out? No, he was pissed. And no one on this team, with the exception of Youkilis, seems the slightest bit perturbed by their stunningly poor play.

Apparently, David ORTiz (in Buck Martinez-speak) was wearing a "Got Manny?" t-shirt after the game last night. What the fuck is up with that? I don't want to read to much into this, but that's either a harmless Papi gesture to his buddy or he's quietly protesting the fact that he doesn't have the same kind of protection behind him in the lineup. Based on how awful he's looked in the postseason, I'd say it's not because Youk is failing to inspire fear in pitchers.

Get some fucking balls. Buzz those Rays up and in. One of the main factors in the Sox comeback against the Yankees in 2004 was that after that 19-8 drubbing in Game 3, they consistently kept Matsui and A-Rod uncomfortable at the plate. If Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena are allowed to sit up there drinking daiquiris and teeing off on the Green Monster, why even play the game?

If I don't see a little fire from this team, coupled with how awful the Patriots are, I just might end it all.