Rodeo Rob's Round-Up

2004-11-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

Tap tap tap, is this thing on? Hello? Is there anyone out there? This microphone is a bit rusty, so I can't tell if its working or not. Can you hear me in the back of the room? Hello? Ok, let me know if you can hear me. I see a few faces out there, but its been awhile since I've used this mic that I can't really tell if its projecting at all. Please let me know.

2004-11-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

I know I know, its been months since I've written. Yeah yeah, I'm a lazy piece 'o crap and the like. Whatever, heard it all before.

So as much as I'd like to promise more consistent updates on this site, I can't. But I don't know, after this lovely election, I felt the need to say something. May not be much, and it may offend some people I hold dear to my heart, but it has to be said.

I just wanted to thank the people who decided this election, the evangelicals who felt it was so damn important to keep homosexuals from marrying. I can't tell you thankful I feel that--despite a failed war, lousy economy, rising health care and energy costs--we, the U-nited States of America, felt it was more important to keep people of the same sex from marrying. Man will I sleep well tonite.

To think all this time I was led to believe our enemy was either Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden. Turns out it was the people who live down the street from me, the people who live their life as they please and never hurt anyone.

Thanks, America, the land of opportunity and freedom, for setting me straight. 'Preciate the guidance.

The next time I hear about another friend laid off, or about another soldier killed in a war--whether you support it or not--was launched under false pretenses, I blame the real enemy--ourselves.

2004-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

So obviously my maintenance of this here 'blog has not been up to par. But hey, things have been kinda busy in Casa de Rodeo as of late, and I just haven't had the energy to keep this thing running consistently.

Oh well. Shit, as they say, happens.

So anyway, what's new?

2004-09-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ok. I hate this new Blogger format. I just wrote this whole long-ass entry and it got erased. So FYOU blogger!!!!

I'm not writing it all again.

Anyway, how are ya'll? Its been awhile... I actually wrote a nice post to welcome ya'll back, but its been deleted. And I'm not writing it again.

Oh well, that's what happens when you entrust anything to computers, you get screwed!!!!

Computers suck.

2004-07-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. Its been awhile. Too much stuff going on and not enough time to deal with it all. All I know is that work is busy, social life is solid, and Bill Cosby is a genius.

2004-06-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like the masses have spoken. Wow, what a response, three whole readers said they read my blog!!!! (And as an aside, I must say I really can't stand this new blogger format. I have no idea how far along I'm writing because the script never stops).

Anyway, my lowly Orioles continue to confound the imagination, finding ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I've said many times that I'll be happy with a .500-plus record, but man, if we just had one or two pitchers, this team could be contending this year! Big fat Sidney Ponson has lived up to his promise of being big and fat, but is a far cry from the pitcher we saw last year. Look, I know this is the Yankees world and we all just live in it, but just once, I'd like to see the O's beat those jokers in the Bronx. Its not like the Yanks are going to win the World Series this year. My prediction is the Anaheim Angels will run amok this year to win their second crown in three years. So since they're not going to win it all, the Yanks just need to let the O's win one game against them this year, PLEASE! This is absurd. The O's since 1996 have some psychological barrier when it comes to the Yankees, like they actually believe they can't beat them. I don't think I've quite seen anything like this before since Papa Shango and his voodoo tricks left the WWF oh-so-many years ago. This has to stop.

Let's see, what else... I'm headed to the land of Mickey Mouse tomorrow. Spending four nights in Walt Disney World, hanging out with a bunch of cartoon animals and utility executives. Not sure which group is real or not, as they both live in a fantasy world.

BTW, anyone catch CBS News "breaking" the story about the Enron traders cussing? Talk about the biggest non-story this side of the cicadas. I mean, give me a break. I had a copy of that transcript three weeks ago, and guess what, there's no news!!! I read the damn thing and yeah, its funny and disturbing, but its nothing anyone covering this industry didn't already know went down. Big deal, Enron traders cussed as much as any other commodity trader, who cares? Everyone already knows they gamed the market, so what does this prove?

Just goes to show what makes news nowadays. All you need to do is find a villainous company, dirty language, and old tapes and you've got a story! Great reporting, CBS. Way to "obtain" those tapes, tapes that were made available to every single reporter who asked. BTW, if anyone wants a full copy of the transcript, let me know. Once I get back from Orlando, I might be able to disperse them...

2004-06-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

Jeez, it has been a long time since I've posted, blogger has a
completely new interface and everything. And its really annoying,
as the sentences just run out the window and if you don't press the
return key, you'll be off the damn screen!

So anyway, its been a month since I've been up in these parts. Been
busy, and going away next week too. Going to Orlando for work.

Anyway, don't know if anyone is actually out there, so I'll keep this
one short. If you're out there, let me know and I'll write more. If
not, then I'll just disappear into the dark, dark night...

2004-05-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Phew. That was one hell of a bender there. Guess since I don't drink that much anymore I've lost out on some of that tolerance stuff people are always talking about. That's a good thing, but sometimes it helps to remember that just because you used to be able to drink 8 beers in one evening five months ago doesn't mean you can five months later.

Ouch.

Anyway, pretty disturbing few days of news over in Iraq. Apparently a couple of our soldiers decided to sabotage the Iraqi mission and set our image back practically 20 years by abusing some prisoners. It does not matter that some of those captured probably did worse things to other people in that same prison, the thing is, we came in to clean up the mess, and instead we're not only adding to it, but making it worse.

This is perhaps the most I've ever questioned whether we were indeed doing the right thing. I think the answer is that, no matter what intentions we had going in, we certainly are going about it the wrong way. And I find that downright depressing.

2004-05-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

Alright, now that we're clear...

So my girl is outta town, that's why I'm incredibly drunk right now. Well, its not that I'm THAT drunk, but its been awhile since I've been home on a sattyday night, after a night of drinking with peeps who ain't her.

Not that I'm a freaked-out maniac pansy-ass or anything, but I finally got better things to do with my life besides get trashed on a weekend. And it sucks that my girl ain't here b/c, well, it sucks.

I guess I've never had this happen before; so I don't quite know what to think or how to act, other than the fact that I'm wasted off my ass and I'm going to have quite the headache tomorrow.

Damn I miss my girl... sniff sniff....

2004-05-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

Man, its been awhile since I've done this: The drunken rage on the blog. Yeah, that's right, I be drunk off my ass.

And you know what sux? The Orioles. Goddammit! They can't beat those sorry-ass Indians? I mean, c'mon, give me an f'n break!!!

These are the f'n Cleveland f'n Indians, for godsakes. These guys are more pathetic than the Red Sox! Jesus! They're a bunch of freakin' nobodies.

Give me an f'n break. Cleveland.

Yes, I'm still INCREDIBLY F'N BITTER over the 1997 ALCS..., when those goddamn muthaF'in Indians beat the O's in six games. I've never forgiven Tony Fernandez, or Armando "There Goes Another One" Benitez for that one...

2004-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

You know, this whole Iraq thing still has me puzzled. I supported the war, still think it was the right thing to do, and know that leaving now would make things so much worse. But jeez, how much worse can they be? My god, people are dying everyday, innocent Iraqis, our soldiers, its just sickening.

Sometimes I wonder what I can do; not that I can change the world or anything, but maybe there's something in my own little world of energy journalism that could, well, I don't know. Obviously the infrastructure in Iraq needs help, and I think it might be worth seeing if I could be sent over there to see what's going on. Not that I think it'll happen; I'd probably chicken out. But who knows.

I do have a good friend over there now, and I think of him often. I wonder what he goes through every day. Sometimes I wish I were there, often times I think of how lucky I am that I'm not. I don't know, though. Some people didn't have a choice but join the services and they're stuck. Should I be so arrogant and not even think of doing something?

2004-04-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm one to brag or anything, but I see that my O's crushed the Devil Rays tonite 9-1. Meaning that their win streak has been extended to 5 games, and their lead atop the AL East continues.

Hey, again, I'm not an idiot and I don't expect the Birds to win the division this year, but I think it should serve notice to the rest of the division that this ain't the same ol' Orioles that people have beat up on the past several years. These guys can play, and I think can challenge for the division title next year, if not sooner...

So you Yankees and Red Sox, keep beating the tar out of each other. Keep expending all that pent-up frustration on each other and let the O's slip through the cracks. Because that's what's going to happen, and it'll happen sooner rather than later.

2004-04-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

So a quick look at the standings shows that my beloved Orioles are sittin' pretty atop the AL East, above the dreaded Yankees, the whiny Red Sox, the sputtering Blue Jays, and the hapless Devil Rays.

Hey, its only April, but an O's fan can dream, right?

Anyway, I find it completely ridiculous and absurd the way the media blew up the first Sox-Yankees series last week. I mean, you'd think the world was about to implode at the way they injected the feverish and sycophantic hype into a meaningless four-game series. Look, these teams play each other 19 f'in times this year. NINETEEN!!!!

Its time the sports media gave up on the collective blow job to both teams and focus on the rest of the league. News flash: The Yankees haven't won a championship in, gasp, almost four years!! The Red Sox in practically a century!!! I admit, they're two good teams, but both are in their decline and, if I were to be so bold, I predict that neither of them get out of the first round of the playoffs, that is if either make it in to begin with...

The Yanks are old, and the Sox can't afford to keep their team together. Put two and two together and you've got the end of a spirited rivalry atop the division. At least they'll be able to keep each other company as the O's and Blue Jays dominate the division again, as they did in the late 80s and mid-90s...

2004-04-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Just watched our beloved president handle himself quite well against them media folks. I must say, W. can work the press and turn all their questions around. I'm quite amazed that they don't let him out more often; I mean, he can make the elite media look and sound just like that: elite. Say nothing else about W., but he can certainly speak in a plain, simple language that most White House reporters can't, and, as they say, that plays well in the sticks.

I have to wonder, if given the chance to interview the president, what I'd ask. I mean, there are several questions that beg to be answered, but my thinking is that the elite media are just hoping to catch W. off-guard and make him look stupid. As a reporter, its been my experience that such a strategy generally backfires, because, well, most public officials are there for a reason and aren't morons. If you're trying to trap someone, you'd better have some damn good information that they don't know you have, because otherwise if you get caught, you look like an idiot. I've seen it happen right in front of me, and it ain't pretty.

I guess the point of this li'l entry is that the portion of the press conference I saw, W. hammered his message home and came out smellling, well, not quite like roses, but at least like something pleasant. Obviously he had a script as to who to call on and what not, and appeared heavily coached, but he still, at least to me, turned the tables on the media.

2004-04-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, back from Nawlins' and to freezing weather. Ah well, at least baseball is back. The Juice of Jesus, as a friend recently described it. Well, hopefully not too literal there, wouldn't want Mel Gibson taking credit for reinvigorating Major League Baseball...

So my O's got off to a rockin' start Sunday, crushing those pesky little Red Sox 7-2. Man, what a powerhouse... I thought they'd actually go undefeated this year!!!

But, then they had to blow the whole damn season with a pathetic loss today to Curt "I like my mullet just fine, thank you" Schilling. You all remember Mr. Schillling, right? Yep, that's right, he was one of the three "prospects" the O's gave up oh-so-many years ago for that future Hall of Famer Glenn "I never met a bar-fight I didn't like" Davis. Boy, did the O's get a good deal in that one. Remember the other prospects? Hmmm... I believe they were pitcher Pete Harnish and outfielder Steve Finley.

Well, anyway, I think now the future of Baltimore baseball is bright for the foreseeable future. My predicition is that starting next year, after the Yankees collectively retire and the Red Sox implode, the O's and the Blue Jays will be back atop the division. And this year, I expect the Jays to give the Sox a run for the Wild Card, and actually think they'll pull it through...

What about you?

2004-03-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

I'm off to New Orleans Sunday for a few days. So that means I won't be able to post for awhile.

And the masses cried...

2004-03-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Anyway, now that I'm back in action, maybe I should weigh in on this whole 9/11 committee report and all. I think its funny that W. and his crowd are trying to paint this Dick Clarke guy--you know, the guy who wrote that new book saying W. blew the terror war out his ass--as a partisan sychophant. Even though he's been working for the government and the executive branch since the 1980s, meaning not only has he been working in government longer than W. has been working period, he's almost worked under more Republican administrations than Dick Cheney.

I don't know. I don't have a problem with W. wondering if Saddam really did plan 9/11, and I don't have a problem with going into Iraq to establish a democracy in that country. I do have a problem with the way he laid the case for war, basically performing a little terrorism of his own and frightening all Americans by saying that Saddam was going to nuke the hell out of the US if we didn't act RIGHTNOW. I also have a problem with the post-war, which we've bungled worse than than Bill Buckner letting the ground ball trickle through his legs in the '86 World Series.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I guess that doesn't really matter. I guess you could say I'm conflicted. I think in the end, if we can outlast the terrorist elements in Iraq and establish a solid democracy in the Middle East, than we've done a good thing. But I'm not certain W. can get us there. Not that I know much about John Kerry either. But if doesn't matter who's in the White House next year, because whoever it is, they're gonna have a whole shit load on their hands.

2004-03-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ohmigod, I think this is the first time I've posted in consecutive days! Wow! A blogger first! Well, I guess there really is a first time for everything. Whodathunkit?

So do you think I can think of any more phrases that can be shortened into one word?

I didn't think so.

Oh well, at least it was worth the effort.

2004-03-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hi.

What's new?

Can't think of anything to post.

Was in Dallas Thursday night for work. Whoopie!

Well, to be fair, I was actually at an airport hotel in Dallas, which probably, now that I think about it, really isn't in Dallas. Huh. Weird. I did SEE Dallas, for what its worth.

I tell ya, though, if you want to meet alcoholics, go to hotel bars or airport bars. Or, better yet, airport hotel bars. 'Cause thats what you'll find. Not all that much else to do in an airport hotel other than drink, unless you want to read or something.

Whatever.

2004-03-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

You know, I still can't quite get my head around this Spain/Madrid situation. I mean, I really think the terrorists won a pretty big victory by getting the people to oust the ruling class because they supported the U.S. in the Iraq war. Al Qaeda and those types must be thrilled, they got a big European power to completely back down, just what they wanted.

Look, I agree the Iraq situation is not good; I supported the war and believe, in the long run, the country and world will be better off because of what we did. The post-war has been disastrous, and has exposed our most vital flaws. I don't think W. is the person to lead the way from here, we need international support.

But I just can't accept Spain's response to the bombing. If nothing else, they should be more commited to their resolve to root out terrorism. They should be even more aligned with the US as we, hopefully, will get things right in Iraq.

I'm the last person who'd ever agree with Donald Rumsfeld, but there is something to his comments about Old Europe vs. New Europe. I've read plenty of editorials comparing Spain's response to the bombings to Europe's response to Hitler. Appeasement. If someone gets tough, then give them what they want and hope they'll be satisfied.

Well, it failed in 1936, and it'll fail again.

The terrorists must be ecstatic, and that scares the hell out of me.

2004-03-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well, the colors are kinda fruity, but I got links up and those little comment boxes, so now all ya'll can tell me how big a dumbass I am.

2004-03-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

Made some changes and, as Marge Simpson once said, Love it or Lump it.

2004-03-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

So I see good ol' Jayson Blair has a new book out, something about burning his master's house down or something. That's great, just what we needed, another disgraced human being making money off his embarrassing and potentially dangerous lies and livelihood.

I have a tough time feeling bad for this guy, he knew he was concocting lies and bullshit and thought he'd never get caught. When he does, he pulls a Pete Rose and blames everyone else. Yes, there is blame to go around, like to the New York Times staff and what not for hiring him in the first place and not having the balls to fire him when the problems were apparent.

Look, I'm not one to disparage affirmative action or anything, but at least in my view of what I know about the situation, it seems pretty clear that he was handled rather delicately by Times management. I find it rather unbelieveable that the Times and other major news organizations (like the Boston Globe and Washington Post, where he interned) could've dealt with and promoted someone with such a spotty track record. His college newspaper, the UMD Diamondback, had to run several retractions of his work, and what, did this never enter the minds of the editors who hired him later on?

I'm a reporter, I know what the pressures are like in a newsroom. I know people make mistakes and have to run corrections; hell, its happened to me and I know it will again. But when I make a mistake, its not because I made something up, its because I simply got something wrong. That happens.

But what Blair did was different, and no one ever put a stop to it until it was too late. I've seen reporters get warnings and eventually get fired if they constantly make mistakes. Every staff has a reporter or two that people are leery of giving high-profile assignments to because they can't be trusted. Reporters with bad reputations are either canned or kept out of the spotlight. Yet Blair, who's reputation consisted only of a basketful of retractions, was given assignments most reporters would salivate over.

I ask a simple question: Why?

2004-03-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Its too bad real life isn't quite as easy as writing these little mental jack-offs. I'm not trying to say blogging and writing are wastes of time; hell, I'm a writer in real life and, well, I'm obviously blogging.

Its just that I'm so incredibly frustrated with the world and my place in it right now, and I'm not exactly doing much to make things better. I watch the news and see people getting killed in my own city; I walk past homeless people and only rarely give them some help; I read news reports about terrorists killing innocent people in far-off places; and I communicate with friends who are writing some of these stories I'm reading.

And what the hell am I doing? I'm writing about energy policy in real-life, and about music at home. Sometimes I write on this here blog. Sometimes I don't.

I'm not bummed out or depressed or nuthin', I'm just frustrated. One of the worst things about being a journalist--or at least a good one--is having the ability to see all sides of any story. That may not sound like a bad thing, but it can be incredibly suffocating. I have friends on many different sides of many different issues and, while I do have my own views and opinions, I often find myself agreeing with the last person I talked to. (Yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition, which, as many people know, violates one of the first rules of writing that we all learned in elementary school).

As a reporter, this has taught me to talk to as many people as possible, that way I don't end up biased in my writing. But outside of work, this leaves me with an uneasy feeling. There are so many things I'd like to think I could speak out about, but I also know my views change about as frequently as Washington Redskin owner Dan Snyder fires/hires coaches.

Its not all bad, just makes me more of a listener rather than a participant. I guess the whole point of this is that I often wonder if I'm limiting myself. Probably not; my main man Joe Strummer once said that opinions are like blinders and they keep people from seeing everything around them.

So nevermind.

2004-03-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

So its been almost a week and I'm making my second update on this ol' blog here. Well, at least I didn't make any promises about daily updates and what not.

Anyway, so what's going on out there since I last checked in? Hmm... good question. Seems like we got John Kerry wrapping up the nomination. I guess its a good thing Edwards bailed out, gives the Ds more time to mount a united front and take on Bush Jr. I guess that's a good thing, but this also gives W's political spin machine that much more time to aim its missles clearly on John Kerry. And if W is good at nothing else, he can certainly make his opponents look bad.

My theory about this election has been simple: If W. was really vulnerable, Hillary Clinton would've jumped into the fray weeks ago and stole the nomination. This hasn't happened, and that tells me Bush may not be in as much trouble as he seems. That said, he's sure got some esplainin' to do about this whole Iraq thing, the economy, the whole gay marriage dealio and what not. W. certainly seems desperate, and methinks this latest offensive in Afghanistan and Pakistan to capture you-know-who is clealy geared to sowing up the election as early as possible.

Who knows, though. The longer people keep getting killed in Iraq and the longer Americans in the heartland go without work, the more trouble W is in. Now, Iraq is certainly a tricky subject. I think the real reasoning behind the war--certainly not the WMD bs--was still worth it. Establishing a democracy in the most undemocratic and tyrannical part of the world IS a good thing.

But I just can't believe how much we've bumbled the aftermath. This has had such tragic results, and it seemed so obvious from the get-go. Of course the fundamentalists were going to seize on this war as their proof that the US was out to colonize the "Holy Land" and steal all the oil. Of course Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups were going to try to stake their claim on the disheveled Iraq and try to tear it apart at its seams. It is such an easy target.

However, the gains to be won in establishing a democratic nation in that part of the world are well-worth some sacrifice. Its too bad we just weren't ready to clean up the mess we created.

2004-02-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well well well, here we go again. For those of you who don't know, this is my third take at blogging. Each time I've tried to keep consistent and perpetual watch over these here pages, and each time I've failed miserably.

Why should this be any different? Well, I don't know. I make no guarantees. All I know is that this time, I want to write more to improve the very sentence structure that you are reading. Not necessarily in that particular sentence, but you get the idea, don't you?

In a nutshell, I want this to be an experiment in writing, whether it be about sports, politics, music, philosophy, or just drunken ramblings. And since I have a girlfriend as of this posting, the drunken ramblings may be fewer and farther between. But that doesn't mean they won't make a guest appearance, because I know how much you love them, whoever you are.

Anyway, I'm not gonna promise daily or even weekly updates. All I can do is give you my best, which, admittedly, isn't much, but better than you'll find most anywhere else. Hopefully this can be a fun journey through the warped synapses and other matter that make up my jumbled head.

All I know now is that its time for dinner and to find out whether the Redskins really traded Champ Bailey, one of the few shut-down cornerbacks in football. (Yeah, good idea Joe, trade perhaps the best corner in football for a running back who's had the obvious benefits of running behind the best o-line in football. If Clinton Portis can reach 800-yards behind the 'Skins woeful o-line, that would be a miracle).