Tortilla Soup: Spork Girl's

The Spork Girl threw together a fantastic tortilla soup from whatever we happened to have in the kitchen. I had to bring home some cilantro to complete the product...and what a product it was. WOW. And I'm not just saying that because she's standing over my shoulder as I type with a rolling pin in her hand.

The broth-based soup was loaded with chicken, squash, cloves of garlic, spinach (yes, spinach), a small amount of sausage, onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and whatever else she could think of (including, of all things, Cavender's Greek Seasoning).

Throw some cheese on the bottom of the bowl and cover with ample amounts of soup and...WOW. Loved it.

RATING: Five stars out of five.

Dan Patrick is an Arrogant Ass

I guess I couldn't make it any more clear. I like Dan. Respect him, even. But today I caught him interviewing Jeremy Roenick about some disparaging comments he made about certain hockey fans:

Among his comments Saturday:

"We're going to try to make it better for everybody, period, end of subject. And if you don't realize that, then don't come," Roenick said.

"We don't want you at the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey," he said at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational in suburban Pittsburgh.

Omitted from the article were the several "kiss my @ss" comments he made.

Were they unnecessary? Of course? Over the top? Crude. Yes.

But then Dan Patrick interviewed him about it. It seemed all that Patrick was trying to do was pin Roenick in a corner, trying to get him to admit that he was out of line. Roenick, one of the bigger jerks in hockey that I can recall from being an ambivalent fan, comes out looking like the better man. He defended himself well and held his ground.

I thought the point of an interview was to get the facts, not get into a pissing match with the subject or try to trap them into saying something outrageous.

Dan Patrick entered the Jim Gray zone. I hate Jim Gray. Worst. "Reporter." Ever.

All I got out the interview is a greater sense of Patrick's smugness, arrogance, and self-importance. You're not bigger than sports, Dan. Stop acting like it.

God is the QB for Florida State

I know that playing for a big-time Division I football program can give somebody a god complex, but this is ridiculous:

Suspended Florida State quarterback Wyatt Sexton was taken to a Tallahassee hospital on Monday evening by local police after causing a disturbance in the street, then identifying himself to police as "God" and the "son of God."

If he gets reinstated to play this year, my money is on the Almighty.

Enough With the Supplements Already

I'm borrowing liberally from a piece by TC Luoma over at T-Nation about yet another attempt by Congress to legislate human behavior and take away another personal freedom.

On May 26th, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced a bill that would ban DHEA. This legislation, S. 1137, would classify DHEA as an anabolic steroid and remove it from the market. Similar legislation is expected soon in the House of Representatives.

First of all, DHEA is a naturally occurring hormone with a wide range of benefits ranging from boosting immunity to improving mood and sleep patterns. Additional research shows that it might be a valuable tool in fighting obesity, cancer, and even Alzheimer’s disease. In no way shape or form is it an anabolic steroid.

So what's the big deal? A lot of you are thinking, "Oh, it’s just DHEA. I don’t have any use for that supplement, anyhow." Maybe you don’t have any use for it, but that’s not the point. The point is that it has to stop somewhere, and the time to draw the line is now. It’s DHEA today, but tomorrow, it’s creatine. Don’t believe me? Creatine is already on their list of targets.

After that, it could be amino acids, or fish oil, or any of the things we use to improve our body and our health. The supplements will probably still be around, but they’ll be made by giant pharmaceutical companies and you’ll need a prescription to get them.

This may sound alarmist, but pharmaceutical companies wield immense power. Vioxx, made by Merck, was recently found to double patients' risk of heart attacks and strokes. Thousands of wrongful-death and injury lawsuits have been filed based on claims the company hid Vioxx's risks. Was Merck condemned by the government the way companies who produced ephedra or prohormone products were? Not a chance. Merck voluntarily removed Vioxx from the shelves. No congressional action needed? Why not? I don't know why but you can bet lobbyists and campaign contributions certainly helped.

And with Congress grandstanding--with extreme ignorance, I might add--about steroids and fanning the flames of overreaction, there seems to be a which hunt on our hands. Anything that the government can't regulate is a target of suspicion, paranoia, and a Congressional subpoena.

Again, DHEA is a non issue for the majority of people who use supplements. But first they took away ephedrine. Then they took away prohormones. And Congress is not done. Not by a long shot.

For some reason, it's okay for people to slowly kill themselves with cigarettes or take presription meds whose side effects have probably killed more people than all the supplements combined. But since those two industries are "regulated" by Congress and contribute millions of dollars to campaign coffers, regulated death is okay.

If you want to do something about it, the people at the Sports & Fitness Supplement Association (SFSA) have made it ridiculously easy for us to do so. Just click here to go to the "Save Our Supplements" website.

It’s time. Time to make a stand. Time to stand up for personal freedoms.

Again, my thanks and apologies to TC Luoma for pirating his words. His piece is much better than mine.

Fine, Shmine. I'll Get It Back With Interest

Here’s an article I read courtesy of Lou Schuler’s blog: "When Players Don’t Pay."

This past February, the Portland Trail Blazers made a routine if unhappy announcement: A player would be benched and fined for bad behavior. In this case, forward Darius Miles was suspended for two games without pay for shouting insults at his coach during practice. The suspension meant the 23-year-old Mr. Miles forfeited roughly $150,000 of his salary.

What followed the announcement, though, has also become routine in pro sports. Mr. Miles's agent quickly filed a grievance with the National Basketball Association's players' union. And behind the scenes, he lobbied the Trail Blazers to get some of his client's money back. One proposal called for the team to rescind the suspension -- and pay Mr. Miles interest on the sum -- in exchange for the agent's agreeing to drop the grievance, according to people familiar with the proposal.

The $150,000 is now sitting in an escrow account until an arbitrator makes a decision -- or the team cuts a deal with Mr. Miles.

I just want to vomit.

Everybody can see that these players, especially the stars, are constantly coddled. The air of entitlement is atrocious. Just watch Rasheed Wallace the next time a call doesn’t go his way. He expects the refs to change the call just because he’s Rasheed Wallace.

Now we find out that when these millionaire children get hit the pocket book—a small punishment for horrible behavior but at least it’s something—there’s a good chance the money comes back to them…with interest!

But who wouldn’t want the opportunity to get an acquittal from just making a jump shot? My Dallas Mavericks offered players the chance to reduce their fines by sinking baskets from designated spots on the floor. Oh, if that only worked in real life:

“Mr. Jackson, you are accused of child molestation and being a major freak. But we’ll let you get off scot-free if you can moonwalk while reciting the alphabet.”

And it’s not just the NBA. It’s any professional sport. Get this:

• Donovin Darius, NFL linebacker, fined $75,000, result, reduced to $55,000
• Kurt Busch, NASCAR driver, fined $21,000, result, received $84,588 from pooled fines;
• John Rocker, former MLB pitcher, fined $20,000, result, reduced to $500

What's really disgusting is that all leagues have appeals processes through which players can contest penalties, but they are closed-door proceedings whose results are almost never disclosed. The leagues want to police themselves, but keeping things behind closed doors does nothing to abate the growing public sentiment of conspiracies, greed, and corruption.

The plague of entitlement continues to spread. Mediocrity will continue to rise from this as athletes will get by more often on athleticism than talent and intellegence. And they'll learn that there are very few, in any, penalties for acting like idiots.

What are You Doing Phil?

My man Phil is doing it again.

Phil Mickelson, preparing to take another one in the @ss from El Tigre.

A Disturbance in the Force

There is something really wrong going on in the universe right now. I take a break from Donnybrooking (okay, I'm finished the end of the Pacers' season and the end of Reggie's career). Maybe it's the apocalypse. Let's review:

1. Michael Jackson is acquitted. He admittedly sleeps with children and serves them alcohol? And he gets acquitted?
2. Phil Jackson is going back to the team that unceremoniously dropped him like a bad habit and now must coach Kobe, who he called uncoachable in his book.
3. The most boring team in the NBA, short of the Hornets, made it the NBA finals for the second year in a row.
4. Harper, in a moment of sunburned weakness, actually confessed to me a feeling respect for Vijay Singh after he hit a hole-in-one at the Byron Nelson.

So let's count. Well, that's four disturbances in the force. Four horsemen of the apocalypse. This must be the end.

Oh, wait. Mike Tyson quit in the 6th round against designated punching bag Kevin McBride. That makes five signs.

Never mind. The end isn't near.

But let's hope it is for Detroit, Tyson, and Jackson. As for Singh? Only if Harper goes ballistic.