The Poster Boy For NFL Bad Behavior

Adam “Pacman” Jones

Take a close look at the NFL promotional picture above. It could double for his mug shot too. This guy is an embarrassment at so many levels. He’s a joke when it comes to behavior, and he’s a joke when it comes to playing on the field too. He’s yet another example of a spoiled rotten, over paid and over indulging athlete who needs to be kicked out of the game for good.

Let’s be clear here…Pacman Jones is in no way related to this cute little Pacman…

Read on …

The NFL season has just started, with a number of surprises. And, believe it or not, but time is also running out to buy advertising space for Super Bowl XLIII.

That’s right, the famously high-priced Super Bowl commercial airtime is almost sold out already for the end of the season game, as the season just gets underway. Of course there’s much hype about how the landscape of the NFL changed over the weekend with the Tom Brady injury. On top of that, the New York Jets are winning with their latest acquisition of the retired Brett Favre. The on again, off again quarterback career of Favre transitioned to the Jets this year after his former employer got tired of a quarterback, who in my opinion, is nothing more than a cry baby who doesn’t really know what he wants to do. Then there’s the energized Buffalo Bills team. Here’s a franchise that’s been the Super Bowl Bridesmaid many times, but never the bride. Could this be the year for a Jets and Bills Super Bowl run?

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There was a time when cheating brought with it the stigma of embarrassment, turning a person into a social outcast. There was a time when the phrase cheaters never prosper resonated in the minds of people looking for integrity, causing them to think twice before cheating, and in many cases, stopped a person from cheating. But, such is not the case these days. Instead, cheaters seem to be exalted. As a matter of fact, cheating seems to be expected in many arenas.

Barry Bonds*, the poster boy for cheating with steroids, gets defensive when it’s pointed out that he cheated all the way to the record books. When he found out his record breaking baseball would end up in the Baseball Hall of Fame with an asterisk
on it, Bonds* said if the ball is placed in Cooperstown with an asterisk on it, he would never set foot in the building. Reality is this, Bonds* shouldn’t even be considered for the hall of fame. Pete Rose will never be named to the baseball hall of fame because of gambling. If Rose will never find himself in the hall of fame, why should Bonds* show up there.

What does all of this mean? Apparently the phrase cheaters never prosper has morphed into cheaters are made hero’s.

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American swimmer Michael Phelps entered the record books over the weekend winning his eighth Olympic gold medal as his swim team won the 400 meter medley. With the win, Phelps surpassed the previous record held for 36 years by Olympian Mark Spitz. Facing reporters following the race Phelps said it was not an easy feat. Commenting on the accomplishment he said, “Everything had to fall into perfect place. If we had to do this again, I don’t know if it would happen exactly the way we wanted it to.”

Leading up to the record breaking swim by Phelps, all eyes seemed to be on the Olympics wondering if he would topple the 36 year old record. Now that it’s happened, will people still watch the Olympics? Do people really care about the Olympics? In the big picture, do more people watch the Summer Olympics, or the Winter Olympics? I have no idea what the answer is to any of those questions, but I do know one thing for sure, the first modern Games have been around since 1896.

Since the Games started, many events have come and gone. Some good, some bad…

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Everyone seems concerned about what will happen at the Summer Olympics this year in Beijing. Many want President Bush, and other leaders, to do a mini-boycott of the games by not showing up for the Opening Ceremonies. Of course in the long run, such a boycott would do absolutely nothing. Others are decrying the games because of human rights issues in China. Still others are upset with the oppression of Christian’s in China. It is no secret that athletes have been told they are not allowed to take Bibles with them to the games.

I guess with all that in mind, I do have a few questions — Did no one think of this earlier? Does this come as a surprise? - and last but certainly not least - Who thought it was a good idea to host the games in Beijing, China in the first place?

Now, on top of the above concerns, lets toss in a fear of terrorist attacks, and smog issues!

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What will it take for NASCAR to finally start parking drivers for aggressive on-track actions. It’s only happened once, that I can remember, and that was in the truck series. Kevin Harvick found himself parked for aggressive on-track actions. Some would say that was the turning point for Harvick which went a long way to help mature him as a driver.

But, aside from the truck series, NASCAR officials seem to turn a blind eye to the dangers of drivers using their cars as on track weapons. Emotions run high on the road, and police arrest you for road rage. Emotions run high in a NASCAR race, and NASCAR officials turn a blind eye saying it’s just all part of racing. Sorry boys, but the phrase is “Rubbin’s racing” not “Intentionally aiming your car at another car is racing.” If NASCAR doesn’t soon address this very dangerous issue, someone is going to get killed. The sad thing us, that someone will probably end up being some unsuspecting fan, or some unsuspecting pit crew member. The drivers won’t get hurt. After all, they’re pretty much protected by the weapon, which in some cases has more safety features than a tank. But, as almost happened when Kurt Busch took a run at Tony Stewart in the pits last year, some poor pit crew member might get hit by a car and die.

This whole scenario came to light once again as a result of Juan Pablo Montoya’s on-track actions at New Hampshire last weekend. Apparently he was somewhat upset with Kyle Busch. So, what does he do? He aims his car at Busch, and takes him out. What does NASCAR do? They penalize Montoya by taking away two laps. Yeah, right. That’ll show him!

Come on NASCAR, give me a break. It’s time to smarten up and tighten down on such conduct. What will it take for you to finally figure out drivers who use their car as a weapon, need to sit out a race or two. It’s called road rage, and certainly does not put out the family-oriented image you’re trying to present. It’s pretty sad when parents have to explain to their kids that what the driver just did, you should never do in real life on the road.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

For race fans, Memorial Day Weekend is racing heaven! It all starts Sunday around the noon hour with the Indy 500 which is followed by the Coca Cola 600 in the top NASCAR series. Pure speed with 1,100 miles of going fast and turning left. Just as usual, this year provided lots of speed, action, and story lines. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat were present in everyone’s mind. Scott Dixon, who lost the IRL championship last year on the fourth corner of the final lap of the final race when he ran out of gas, took the checkered flag in the 92nd running of the Indy 500. He outlasted, and out ran the Indy car field for most of the day. On the NASCAR side, there were many leader changes. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle, I Don’t Know How To Drive, Busch, his brother, Kurt, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, and a few others all ran up front. In the end, it was a Kasey Kahne sweep as he not only won the Coca Cola 600 but was also the winner of the All Star Race one week earlier.

While race leaders all provide great story lines, I want to address Danica “Cry Baby” Patrick and her uncalled for actions at the Indy 500 this year. Two female storylines are rising to the top after Sunday’s race. One centers around Sarah Fisher, while the other centers around Patrick.

First, let’s consider Sarah Fisher. A great Indy car driver, but one who decided not to pursue the sex symbol status like Patrick. As a result, Fisher finds herself fielding her own team this year. During the month of May at Indy, it was an uphill battle. Especially after her primary sponsor, who signed a deal with her, decided to back out of the deal. I would hope Fisher’s lawyers have some lawsuits underway. After that set back, she scurried around, found some sponsor money, and even had fans handing her money just because she’s an underdog in a big money game. In the end, she was doing fairly well. But, an unfortunate accident took her out of the race. After emerging from the infield care center, a very emotional Sarah Fisher did her best to keep her emotions in check. Through tear filled eyes, she said she’s now needs to figure out if she can pull money together for the race in Kentucky.

Many are picking on Sarah Fisher for the fact that she cried. I’m sorry, but this is simply uncalled for. Sarah Fisher just can’t catch a break in a big-boys sport and she was showing raw emotion after a very trying month. Against all odds, she put herself out there to not only race in the Indy 500, but was also making plans to race the entire season. That may now be gone because of a sponsor deal gone bad, and being caught up in a crash that took her out of the field.

On the other hand, another female racer who spends more time sporting a bathing suit than a racing suit, is heralded as a tough competitor for her actions during the race. Danica Patrick, who always looks like she’s mad at someone and carries a huge chip on her shoulder, was involved in a racing accident on pit road. As she was leaving the very narrow pit lane exit, she was clipped by another driver pulling out of his pit box. This was going on all day. Patrick was not the only driver to be clipped at some point during the day. But, for Danica “Cry Baby” Patrick, she responded in a very unsportsman like way. She may not have been shedding real tears, but she certainly was acting like a cry baby. After being pushed back to her pit stall, she bails out of her car and starts walking down pit road toward the pit stall of the driver that clipped her. What in the world did she plan to do? Did she figure she was going to pick a fight with the driver or someone on his crew? Come on Danica. Did you plan to pull out your lipstick and use it as a sword?

It’s time for Ms Patrick to grow up. It was a racing accident and it had been happening all day. Maybe it’s time to realize just because you might look good in a swimsuit, the big boys are not going to simply move over and let you by.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

A story out of Lockport, New York broke earlier this week involving a hazing incident on a bus. Apparently after a Varsity baseball game, a few Varsity players took a couple JV players to the back of the bus and started slapping them around in some sort of distorted passage of rights onto the team. First there was slapping, then there was kicking, then it escalated to sexual abuse. The Varsity team teens involved in the incident have been charged. The Lockport School District Superintendent cancelled the rest of the baseball season and said the school is looking into the incident.

Now another report comes out outlining the fact that the coaches of the team have been arrested. That’s right folks, the coaches were ON THE BUS, when the incident took place. Yes, you read that right. The coaches were on the bus when the sexual abuse was taking place at the back of the bus. Police have arrested Wilson School JV coach William Atlas and Varsity Coach Thomas Baia charging them both with child endangerment.

Many times people wonder about the kids today and why they act like they do. Here we have an example of coaches, so-called adults, who should have known better, and probably knew what was going on, but they did nothing. Once again we have an example of so-called example setters, being clueless.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

From the Your Tax Dollars Hard At Work Files comes yet another example of bad accounting when it comes to the government - especially the New York State government.

The New York Racing Association announced this week it’s closer to emerging from bankruptcy. NYRA holds the state’s franchise to run thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga. The group said a federal judge approved its amended plan to pay back creditors. Just how will they pay the creditors back? Through a $150 million dollar state bailout! That’s right folks, the horse gambling industry in New York State was having money problems, so the New York State government decided to kick in $150 million dollars of taxpayers money to bail out an organization that encourages those with gambling addictions.

Did they have nothing better to do with the money? Hey, lets not forget this is the same state government that doesn’t even know how to balance a budget. When will the madness stop? When will someone step up and question such stupid spending. Of course this announcement comes at the same time New York State government is pondering suspending the gas tax in order to bring the price of gas down. But, some in this same government that so freely hands out money to help bail out a gambling organization are worried that suspending the fuel tax could create a hole in state finances.

I’ve got news for those in Albany, suspending the gas tax is the least of your worries when it comes to creating holes in your spending plan.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Once again Kyle Busch, the driver of the 18 M&M’s car in NASCAR, has proven he does not know how to race. Everyone thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, but reality is this. He does not know how to race. He’s a wreck waiting to happen everytime he climbs into the seat of a race car. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car, or a truck, he’s always one stupid move away from taking out half the field. Which, by the way, he has done many times.

Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 in Talladega serves as yet another example of the fact Kyle Busch does not know how to drive. There’s a saying in racing — Rubbins’ racing. In other words, many racers rub up against one another with their cars to move the other guy out of the way. But, for Kyle Busch, all he knows how to do is block. In other words, he erratically swerves all over the race track blocking people behind him who are trying to make a pass. That’s not racing, that’s an accident waiting to happen. On Sunday, true to form, Jeff Gordon and others were coming up behind Busch, who happened to be in the lead at the time, going 200 miles an hour. It was obvious they were going faster than Busch. But, what does Busch do, He decides to swerve all over the track blocking those behind him, causing them to slam on their brakes to avoid a major crash.

Again, that’s not racing. It’s simply stupid driving by a young kid who needs to be parked before he kills someone on the track. Making matters even worse, his owner, Joe Gibbs, thinks it’s great. That’s sad, I thought Joe Gibbs knew better.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus