Adding spice (ahem... juice) to pro baseball

Self-righteousness from Jason Giambi. Having already admitted to juicing himself up with steroids, the pro baseball player with the New York Yankees now decides to lay the blame elsewhere.

''What we should have done a long time ago was stand up -- players, ownership, everybody -- and said: 'We made a mistake.'

Players, yes. Obviously. The team owners, yes again. They openly support drug users and pay them grand salaries for cheating. But everybody? Granted, even Major League Baseball (MLB) played a role by not being strict about punishing the use of performance enhancing drugs. Then again, the players (through their union) are not very amenable to rigorous testing and stringent bans. The MLB has to negotiate with the union about test frequencies and punishment levels! Ever hear something similar about the Olympics?!

Giambi's agent made sure his contract with the Yankees had an interesting proviso: that he cannot be dropped even if he tested positive for drugs! If this isn't a statement of guilt, I'm the cliched monkey's uncle.

This is a great gambit by Giambi:

1. admit to steroid use in the past,
   
2. claim that it did not help him hit home runs (question: why use the stuff if it does not help you?!),
   
3. then continue to juice up and biff more home runs.
   

It is hilarious to see the likes of Giambi go hitless for extended periods of time just after another player (like Rafael Palmeiro) gets busted in a drugs test. The hitting prowess disgustingly and miraculously returns overnight, once the storm has passed from the media light.

Why not lay the blame squarely where it should be parked? The players who routinely cheat by using illegal substances to boost performance.

Only in America...

On April 28, Josh Hancock, a pitcher for the St. Luis Cardinals professional baseball team, died in an auto accident. He plowed into the back of a tow truck that was helping a stalled motorist, and died almost immediately. He was found to be very drunk, had marijuana in his car, was talking on his cell phone, speeding, and not wearing a seat belt.

Tragic accident. But five bad judgment calls grossly diminished any chance of survival. To the sane mind, it is clear that Josh was responsible for this accident.

Until you hear his father's latest salvo. Granted, the personal loss is great. To levy a lawsuit against the bar that served the drinks is a bit much, though. You cannot win in this country. If the bartender had refused to serve the drinks, Josh himself would have sued for infringing on his freedom to drink to the end of the world.

To quote the lawyer masterminding this latest frivolous lawsuit:

"It's understood that for the entire 3 1/2 hours that Josh Hancock was there that he was handed drinks," Keith Kantack, a lawyer for Dean Hancock, said. "It's our understanding that from the moment Josh Hancock entered Mike Shannon's that night that he was never without a drink."

Basic question: why do people frequent bars, if not to drink? Why stay there for 3.5 hours, if one had no intention of drinking away every minute of that time?

And it does not stop there. The lawsuit names the tow truck driver and his company as defendants! Apparently, 7 minutes (during which he was assisting the stalled vehicle) was "exorbitant" for clearing a vehicle off the roadway! Wow! Talk about high standards!

The madness actually continues: the stalled driver is also named as a defendant! The poor guy broke down on the highway, and is now being punished for somebody else's mistakes (in the plural).

It is time for some personal responsibility. But as they say, only in America...

A different kind of toll road

An aging elephant in the Indian state of Orissa is apparently imposing a toll on all passing motorists. The toll is in the form of food! People can drive past the elephant only if they roll down their window and exit the vehicle, allowing the pachyderm to sniff around inside for fruit and vegetables. Any such items found are gulped down, and the motorist waved through! Many drivers in the US adjust their trip departure times to beat out congestion. These Orissa drivers may have to tweak their schedules to match the elephant's meal times (at least if they want to ensure that their produce purchases make it onto their family's dining table!)

Here is a link to the full article.