Major League Baseball Has Become a Pussy Sport, Fans Suffer

According to an AP story posted at Yahoo news, The Yankees rookie pitching sensation Joba Chamberlain has been suspended for two games for throwing two straight pitches over the head of Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox. He didn't hit him with a pitch, didn't get into a fight, he just threw two pitches out of the strike zone.

I'm so sick of MLB turning baseball into a sport for pussies. They allow body armor for hitters (one of the reasons that Barry Bonds can sit on the plate waiting for meatballs to hit), and eject pitchers for throwing inside or knocking down the hitters. How are the pitchers supposed to protect themselves from the batters hitting line drives right back up the middle?

Pitching inside has long been part of the game to keep things more even between pitchers and hitters. In today's game, because the players are so blatantly overpaid (and fans overcharged at the ticket box), MLB will do anything they can to keep them from getting bumps or bruises. This takes much of the strategy and entertainment out of the game and I don't like it.

I don't know how Bob Watson lives with himself after doling out this type of punishment.

Perhaps the Stupidest Thing I've Ever Done

I’ve admittedly made a lot of stupid mistakes in my life. Yesterday, I made perhaps the worst ever.

I rode my bicycle to downtown Bellevue and did a short weight workout at Epicenter Fitness at Bellevue Place. It was short, sweet and had me feeling good. I was looking forward to grabbing some sushi from nearby Sushi & Rolls Express, as I frequently do after a good workout. (Disclaimer here - I did register and design their simple website and advertise their business for them, but have never been compensated).

Usually when I leave Bellevue Place on my bike, there is nobody to block the way out and I just ride about the arms that let you in and out at the toll booths. This time, they were all occupied and I decided that I would just follow out the SUV in front of me. Unfortunately, I had no idea that the arm would come down so fast and it came down and almost decapitated me. It very closely knocked me off my bike and probably looked either funny as hell or horrifying (depending on how one looks at things). A number of people stopped their vehicles to see if I was ok. Normally I would be very embarrassed, but I was too injured to think about my pride.

I did manage to make it for my regular spicy tuna roll and then basically limp (or wobble) my way home, but the damage had been done. The worst part of this is that I already have been through major problems with my neck including two herniated discs … Today I am one hurting unit and am really hoping that this latest incident doesn’t lead me down the same roads again. By the end of the day, I’m having some real problems and actually went down and bought a new neck collar.

Not really sure why I’m writing this here, don’t want or need sympathy, I guess it just feels a little better to let my frustration out.

What's the Deal about Burying Glass Bottles?

Many years ago, I used to work for a pretty high profile guy who prided himself on being eccentric (not just weird or strange like myself, but plain eccentric). He used to bury glass bottles in the ground down by the bayou ... saying something about surprising the hell out future historians.

I haven't thought about it in a long time, but he did have some skeletons in his closet - I wonder if the burying the glass had anything to do with getting rid of those skeletons?

Bellevue Reporter Littering Our Driveways

I've asked very nicely - three times ... Each time my request has been ignored. It is time to do something about this problem.

Since the King County Journal was purchased and shut down, the new owner has started printing many of its "Reporter" newspapers more frequently. Not too long ago, the postage hikes hit the newspaper industry hard and they decided instead of mailing to every address in certain areas, they were going to deliver to every address in certain areas - including ours.

While I think there is a definite place for the Bellevue Reporter, I don't personally like it and don't have time to read it. I certainly don't want it thrown in my driveway. It is a waste of ink, paper, plastic and valuable time - both mine (for when I actually have to pick them up to put them in the recycle bin) and the person who continues to throw them in my driveway - even when there is already a stack of unread papers in the same spot ...

I have asked nicely three times and actually thought this problem was taken care of before I recently left on a two week business trip. When I returned from the airport, there may as well have been a sign on the front door "Out Of Town - Please Break In and Steal Everything" - which is what criminals must think when they see a stack of unread papers in the driveway ...

So this is not just a problem of litter and waste, but also a matter of safety. I don't want anyone thinking there is nobody home to watch the house because I have a bunch of papers (papers I don't want or read) thrown in my driveway.

I hope that 1) Sound Publishing and The Bellevue Reporter will start honoring requests from people who do not want their driveways littered. and/or 2) The City of Bellevue will force them to stop littering the driveways of Bellevue residents.

What do you think? How should this problem be solved?

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