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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Furcin' Justice
I hate professional sports. I should probably
make that clear from the very start. I do try to acknowledge my biases, and
boy, is this a biggie. I hate the idea that adults get paid to prance around on
fields or courts of fake grass or wood or clay, throwing, catching, deflecting,
and kicking balls. The fact that they get paid more than, for example, our
military heroes, is just icing on th
cake.
I make an exception for professional wrestling, but it's mainly acting anyway.
I'm sure there are people who feel the same way about professional musicians, actors, and writers. Good for them.
So that's issue number one. Bear it in mind.
There's this series of public service announcements about drug abuse that I personally find better than most, in that they don't try to blame potsmokers for terrorist attacks (which was the worst campaign idea since Reefer Madness, but for completely different reasons). There's one that stands out in my head at the moment... there's a swim meet, an announcer on a loudspeaker saying "We need a swimmer on lane 4," and then the narrator's voice "Just tell your teammates you couldn't make it to the swim meet because you were out getting stoned. They'll understand."
Perfect! Without getting preachy or making up ridiculous claims, it simply points out that actions have consequences, and you'll have to live with them and answer for them later on. Fantastic message...
If only it were true.
(Lost yet? Don't worry. I'm about to bring it all together now.)
There's this baseball player named Rafael Furcal, whom I'd never heard of before (this is not unusual; I'm sure there are hundreds of other baseball players in the same boat, and I hope they can handle that implied rejection). He plays for the Atlanta Braves. He's also a drunk -- well, that's really only half the story. Nothing wrong with being a drunk; some of my best friends are self-proclaimed drunks. Furcal is a drunk driver.
A drunk driver, in fact, who just received his second conviction, for going 90 mph while his blood alcohol was .127, which, while lower than his batting average of .381, is higher than the Georgia blood alcohol limit of .08.
Furcal allegedly had this to say for himself to the cops who nabbed him: "I play for the Braves. Can you give me a chance? I play for the Braves, please. I've got one [DUI] already." It doesn't relate if he followed it up with a huge belch (like Barney on the Simpsons) or just some tipsy hiccups. Perhaps he got all maudlin and began telling the cops how much he loved them. Who knows? One can only assume he's not a violent drunk; they rarely say "please."
Furcal's only one culprit in this mess, though. The other one wears a black robe, and he isn't a high priest of Satan (well, he might be, I suppose, but that's not why he's wearing this robe). This is the judge, who decided that Furcal wouldn't have to go to jail until the Braves lost in the playoffs.
Oh, Hel. Just read this article, from Sports Illustrated. I was actually amazed and impressed that SI spoke out against this ruling, particularly since SI.com is a partner of cnn.com, a Time-Warner company started by Ted Turner, who used to own the Atlanta Braves.
Luckily, the Braves lost last night. Justice will be partially served (if you consider a 21 day jail sentence and 28 days in a treatment facility "justice" for a second offense drunk driver, then feel free to skip the word "partially" in this sentence), starting today. I'd say I'm sorry for his teammates, but I've already made my opinion about professional sports clear.
So, if actions have consequences, then why did Furcal get to finish the playoffs? Why didn't he have to "just tell his teammates he was off driving drunk. They'd understand." And yes, I'll say it. What kind of message does this send to the kids, who unfortunately are taught through the actions of their elders that these millionaire idiots are role models?
Yep. things like this just piss me off. Comments for and against welcome (but I may argue with you).
________________________________________________________________
Recommended listening: Blondie, One Way or Another, available from the iTunes Music Store. Links will open iTunes on your computer, assuming iTunes is installed.
I make an exception for professional wrestling, but it's mainly acting anyway.
I'm sure there are people who feel the same way about professional musicians, actors, and writers. Good for them.
So that's issue number one. Bear it in mind.
There's this series of public service announcements about drug abuse that I personally find better than most, in that they don't try to blame potsmokers for terrorist attacks (which was the worst campaign idea since Reefer Madness, but for completely different reasons). There's one that stands out in my head at the moment... there's a swim meet, an announcer on a loudspeaker saying "We need a swimmer on lane 4," and then the narrator's voice "Just tell your teammates you couldn't make it to the swim meet because you were out getting stoned. They'll understand."
Perfect! Without getting preachy or making up ridiculous claims, it simply points out that actions have consequences, and you'll have to live with them and answer for them later on. Fantastic message...
If only it were true.
(Lost yet? Don't worry. I'm about to bring it all together now.)
There's this baseball player named Rafael Furcal, whom I'd never heard of before (this is not unusual; I'm sure there are hundreds of other baseball players in the same boat, and I hope they can handle that implied rejection). He plays for the Atlanta Braves. He's also a drunk -- well, that's really only half the story. Nothing wrong with being a drunk; some of my best friends are self-proclaimed drunks. Furcal is a drunk driver.
A drunk driver, in fact, who just received his second conviction, for going 90 mph while his blood alcohol was .127, which, while lower than his batting average of .381, is higher than the Georgia blood alcohol limit of .08.
Furcal allegedly had this to say for himself to the cops who nabbed him: "I play for the Braves. Can you give me a chance? I play for the Braves, please. I've got one [DUI] already." It doesn't relate if he followed it up with a huge belch (like Barney on the Simpsons) or just some tipsy hiccups. Perhaps he got all maudlin and began telling the cops how much he loved them. Who knows? One can only assume he's not a violent drunk; they rarely say "please."
Furcal's only one culprit in this mess, though. The other one wears a black robe, and he isn't a high priest of Satan (well, he might be, I suppose, but that's not why he's wearing this robe). This is the judge, who decided that Furcal wouldn't have to go to jail until the Braves lost in the playoffs.
Oh, Hel. Just read this article, from Sports Illustrated. I was actually amazed and impressed that SI spoke out against this ruling, particularly since SI.com is a partner of cnn.com, a Time-Warner company started by Ted Turner, who used to own the Atlanta Braves.
Luckily, the Braves lost last night. Justice will be partially served (if you consider a 21 day jail sentence and 28 days in a treatment facility "justice" for a second offense drunk driver, then feel free to skip the word "partially" in this sentence), starting today. I'd say I'm sorry for his teammates, but I've already made my opinion about professional sports clear.
So, if actions have consequences, then why did Furcal get to finish the playoffs? Why didn't he have to "just tell his teammates he was off driving drunk. They'd understand." And yes, I'll say it. What kind of message does this send to the kids, who unfortunately are taught through the actions of their elders that these millionaire idiots are role models?
Yep. things like this just piss me off. Comments for and against welcome (but I may argue with you).
________________________________________________________________
Recommended listening: Blondie, One Way or Another, available from the iTunes Music Store. Links will open iTunes on your computer, assuming iTunes is installed.
Posted: Tue - October 12, 2004 at 10:57 PM