SHORETALK WAVES

Wasting Time in No Fun Land

2011-08-24T07:51:00.001-04:00

Could it be that I agree with Bill Belichick? Has the earth shaken beneath my feet? Well, it did sort of ...

According to Yahoo Sports' News, that hoodie wearing coach of the New England Patriots who drives all non-Pats fans nuts with his attitude and his supposed spygating has come up with a solution to a time waster in the wonderful world of professional football.

With every passing year it has seemed that the No Fun League has taken new measures to deprive fans of enjoying the game while raking in their billions of dollars. More commercial time is obvious but we have also seen players' personalities removed from the game ... forget about that touchdown dance in the end zone ... forget about smiling for the camera boys, this is a serious B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S!

The 2011 intrusion into our potential enjoyment of the game has to do with the Kick-Off. You know, the moment when the game begins and second half starts. It's also the traditional exchange of the ball from a scoring team to a non-scoring team. Well, this year the powerful brain trust comprised of those who do not like wide-open excitement has moved the point of the kick up to a point that almost guarantees that 80 to 90 percent of kick-offs will end up in the back of the end zone for a touchback. That means you all line up pretty-like, kick the ball, and then place it at the 20 yard line followed by an extended commercial break. Why waste the time and possibilities for injury on such a meaningless moment? If you don't want exciting kick-off returns then just place the ole pigskin on the 20 after a team scores and to start the game? Grrr ... football sure ain't what it used to be!

Now on to Coach Bill. I really can't believe he and I agree on anything because you see his Patriots may have moved into the Number One Team Hated by Bills' Fans like me slot since the Miami Dolphin rivalry has fizzled due to the disinterest of Fish Fans. What he is quoted as saying is

"Philosophically, plays that are non-plays shouldn't be in the game. I don't think it is good for the game. Extra points, when the odds are 99 percent range in extra points it is not a play. Let's move the ball back to the 15-20 yard line and not make it a tap in. Let them kick it. Same thing with the kickoff return, if you're just going to put the ball on the 20, put the ball on the 20." WAY TO GO BILL!!!

Of course, this could cost the NO FUN guys some commercial break time because it seems we get commercials whenever we blink our eyes during a game. We get to hear all about Bud after a team scores, after the extra point attempt, and after the ensuing kick-off. This sound idea would cost No Fun Land millions and millions of ad dollars, which is the sole reason the game is played (Well, you might say the game is also played for the bookies but that is a story for another day.) for these poor billionaire owners.

A significant number of National Football League games are now lasting more than 3 hours for a 60 minute game. The actual action that you get to see is more like 35 minutes because the other 25 minutes involves huddles and delaying tactics.

So, if COACH BILL can use his influence ... maybe we can speed the game up just a little bit.

Football has become our national game ... the owners know it, the players know it and we suckers keep feeding the addiction. And I have sitting at home tickets for the Bills' home opener so I will be there yawning away every time there is a kick-off or extra point but for once I am cheering Bill Belichik.

Maybe the No Fun guys will listen.

SHORETALK WAVES: And, the earth shook!

2011-08-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

SHORETALK WAVES: And, the earth shook!: The text message read ... 'Did you get the earthquake?' And, I was like ... 'what in the world are you talking about?' because standing in ...

SHORETALK WAVES: And, the earth shook!

2011-08-23T21:48:00.000-04:00

SHORETALK WAVES: And, the earth shook!: The text message read ... 'Did you get the earthquake?' And, I was like ... 'what in the world are you talking about?' because standing in ...

And, the earth shook!

2011-08-23T17:29:00.000-04:00

The text message read ... 'Did you get the earthquake?' And, I was like ... 'what in the world are you talking about?' because standing in a dress shop in Atlantic City there was nothing shaking other than my knees as I watched my daughter drape dress after dress after shirt after sweater across her arm in this 'dad buys clothes for the coming semester' day.

But, the earth shook and there on CNN were there every trustworthy reporters trying to find out who shook the most (Of course over at FOX they were blaming the earthquake on the President and the leadership of the Senate while extolling the virtues of the wonder woman from Minnesota.). In fact, my fellow University of Buffalo alum Wolf Blitzer vocal tone in talking about Richmond almost salivated for destruction that he could then talk about on HIS SHOW at 5 Eastern Time.

And, then there was the image of the President with a phone in his hand out on the golf course ... the in-studio talking heads stated that they didn't want to yet speculate who he was talking to ... I was sitting there thinking if he was me ... I'd be ordering pizza to be delivered into the Secret Service agents' hands (Do they have to food test the meals delivered to him on the road?).

We survived folks ... this time we made it without any apparent major damage but in thinking about a natural disaster like an earthquake, we are once again all one people. Republicans and Democrats even the Tea Party folks don't start brewing something disturbing during times when what matters is whether we are all ok.

And, here in the year of our Lord 2011 shouldn't that be our every day process ... caring about each other and making sure we are all ok. Forget the self enriching policies that push the poor deeper into the hole and reward those with the most ... ceasing the shouting and innuendo laced political dialogue where we now have candidates for President suggesting those with policies opposite their own are treasonous ... beginning to say yes to compromise rather than stomping our feet like little children and saying NO NO NO ...

An earthquake ... is a time to pause, after the shaking is done, to reassess what's around us.

This is my beginning ... my views at times counter the views of my very best friends but we remain friends because we respect what we each have to say. Like all of us I can be opinionated but I have surprised some people when they hear my opinions on the issues of the day because they would have thought I was on "the other side."

So I am heading off to the beach to look for tsunami's ... and to play some beach volleyball. It is my desire that SHORETALK WAVES creates some back and forth over the net dialogue so please join in!