Quote of the Day

"Google sucks!"

B-Loc

Return to "Mannywood"

“I’m Back-Part Two”

Those were the words from Manny Ramirez to the media before he makes first home appearance at Dodger Stadium since returning from his 50 game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The “Mannywood” section of left field has returned and it appears all has long since been forgiven and forgotten.
Manny went on to say that he expects an ovation comparable at least to that which he received when he arrived via trade from Boston. “Or better” he quipped. He has been on a tear since his return, with 3 homers and 9 RBI. Couple that with the Dodgers played exceptionally well during his 50-game absence and you can almost ink the Dodgers in as National League Champs in October. Manny has always thrived under the bright spotlight and said that he loves all the attention. It gives him the motivation to play hard and play well. What Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire wouldn’t give to be in Manny’s shoes these days. The aforementioned have all been virtually outcast from baseball while Ramirez has the opportunity to win another World Series title, and possibly MVP, in the same season that he tested positive for PEDs. And to top that off, millions of fans around the world still wanted to see him play in the All-Star game. Such is the world we live in I suppose. Certain people, be it celebrities, athletes, musicians, etc. are placed on a platform where only one thing matters. The performance. As long as you bring it every night, the public turns a blind eye, even if it involves cheating to enhance that very performance. The culture of “don’t do as I do boy, do as I ask.”

Six feet above

Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois is under investigation by the FBI after 4 workers were charged with exhumation of many human remains and then the re-selling or those burial plots. It apparently is the largest crime scene ever in the state of Illinois, with the cemetery's size of over 100 acres. The Feds believe that as many as 300 or more bodies may have been disturbed in this process, and the majority of the cemetery is closed while the investigation continues.

First off, having worked in the cemetery/funeral business, or death-care for those in the industry, it's deeply disturbing to even imagine a criminal act like such ever taking place. A running side "joke" throughout cemeteries is that when you run out of space, you'll just dig up the plots from pre-1899 and re-use them. It was just that. A joke. And everybody got a good laugh out of it. Never would anybody ever consider actually carrying out full disinterments for the sake of a couple extra grave spaces. These days however, nothing is immune, no matter how immoral or unethical it may be. Shoot, it's not like it's the first time either.

While working in Memphis I saw firsthand the effects of scandal in the cemetery business. Clayton Smart and his group of cohorts were responsible for the Forest Hill fraudulent scam and theft of pre-paid funeral plans. All it did for that city was completely turn residents away from the aspect of pre-planning their funeral & cemetery arrangements. It may sound crazy to most people but as much as it costs to live, it costs a hell of a lot to die. And for everybody who say "just do with me whatever, throw me out back in a sheet." It doesn't work like that. Their is a substantial savings to taking care of these guaranteed expenses ahead of time. But after this problem in Illinois, and previous in Memphis, who is going to trust the death-care industry? It's a shame that in this world we live, people will try to take advantage of anybody, anytime, even on the worst days of their lives.

You now have families with loved ones who may or may not have been displaced, and no idea where the remains may have been taken. That's a burden that no apologies, excuses, investigation, trial, or anything will ever be able to fix.

Don't hate Cassel

The Kansas City Star first reported that Matt Cassel has agreed to a long-term deal with the Chiefs to be their quarterback thru at least 2014. Cassel will reportedly earn in excess of $10 million per year, after having only one full season of playing experience. Not professional experience, but PLAYING experience. John Clayton stated “Cassel is believed to be the only quarterback in NFL history to start an NFL game without starting a game in college.” This didn’t just happen overnight. All the pieces just happened to fall right into place.

The New England Patriots took a chance on even drafting the QB out of USC who was the backup to both Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. Again I repeat: "without starting a game in college."

Bernard Pollard decided to be the hero and take out Tom Brady for the entire ’08 season.

Cassel played admirably as a Brady’s fill-in, leading to a $14 million 1 year franchise tag. At the time, nobody expected the Patriots to start ’09 with two 8-figure quarterbacks.

Scott Pioli leaves NE for the same position with the Kansas City Chiefs. By the way, finding a quarterback was his first priority. He just happened to love Matt Cassel, and was able to lure Mike Vrabel and Cassel from NE for a 2^nd round draft pick.

Now the Chiefs have a new head coach in former Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley. His work with helping the Cardinals and Kurt Warner to the Super Bowl should only benefit Cassel in KC. A lot of folks want to hate on Cassel but the guy was always in the right place at the right time. Like the classic saying goes: “don't hate the player, hate the game.” photo by Rich Sugg @ Kansas City Star

How I use Facebook

Facebook has not only been linking millions of people across the globe to the far reaches of their past, but also providing a social media outlet for the everyday person to broadcast themselves or their product. Along with Twitter, Facebook has become part of new information age of social media that has everybody buzzing.

I first started using FB in college to keep in contact with friends from high school as well as my new contacts I’d made post. It was amazing to see home many family members and relatives I came across, as well as friends I hadn’t seen in years. Definitely a great way to plan a high school reunion as opposed to tracking everybody through outdated phone books and cold calling.

Now I use FB not only for keeping in touch but also for marketing my product. With all of the different social media networks available online today, the opportunity to reach any and everybody really does exist. Most columns or blog posts online have a link system set up for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, Blogger, etc. These days you can communicate to the farthest reaches of civilization with the simple click of a button. For bloggers, you can get your thoughts on the screen, and linked across 8 different networks on the internet within 5 seconds. The opportunities are endless, so away this one goes. Those 5 seconds are up!

Entourage season 6 premiere

I have to admit I’d been anxiously awaiting this night for quite some time. The season-premiere of season 6 of Entourage, which is currently 3rd on my top 5 all time favorite television shows. Trailing only the Sopranos and the Wire, and just ahead of 24 and House.

If you really don’t know about Entourage by now, then you really need to ask somebody. Entourage has a cult like following with fans by the millions, while President Obama cites Entourage as his favorite show.

Though season 5 was far from exciting, the ending did leave fans excited for more.

Vincent Chase is back in the spotlight with his role in The Great Gatsby by Martin Scorsese. If there were ever an opportunity for VC to be mentioned with the top tier actors in Hollywood, then having the lead role in a Scorsese epic masterpiece would surely provide such an opportunity.

It’s crazy to think that VC would wait until his 30’s to get his license, but the storyline involving Enzo Ferrari is intriguing. It is rather strange to see VC hanging out by his lonesome. It wasn’t long ago that Turtle, Drama and E all needed Vince’s presence simply to get around Hollywood. The homeys appear to have come along somewhat.

It was nice to see Vince appear on Jay Leno, even though it dated the episode somewhat.

Eric’s ex Sloan definitely has a more featured role this year. It will be interesting to see how much she still influences his decisions. He seems to finally be branching away with his own personal career. Part of E wants to be on his own, but you can see the worry he has in leaving Vince to fend for himself on a daily basis. Even though he wants to leave he is still very hesitant.

The relationship between Ari & Lloyd already has begun to reach a breaking point. The Super Agent’s personal assistant is aspiring to become an agent himself. In turn, Ari gives Lloyd 100 days to prove himself. Should be interesting how that plays out.

Funny how it seems Turtle & Drama are still doing pretty much the same thing. Cool to see Jamie Lynn-Sigler still dating Turtle no matter how hard it actually is to believe. Can’t be a hater though, congrats are in order. Respect is given where it is due and Turtle made the “Meadow” thing happen on his own accord.

As for Drama, he’s still lounging around VC’s palatial pad, doing nothing.

Season 6 has been highly anticipated, and so far they didn’t disappoint.

On a lighter note, the season premiere was dedicated to Eileen Connelly, Kevin’s mom, who passed away in March.