Justice is served ... or is it?

Well, the punishment for Kenny Rogers' temper tantrum came down today and it is pretty hefty by baseball standards. Kenny has been suspended for 20 games and he was fined $50,000 by Major League Baseball. While this sounds like a pretty big deal, there are two factors which make this punishment a lot less harsh than it seems. By being suspended for 20 games, Kenny, who pitches every fifth game usually, will miss only 4 -5 games. Also, in case you didn't know, because of the strength of the Major League Players Association (their union), suspended players in MLB still get their full salary while they are on suspension. Yes, that's right - Kenny is getting a month-long vacation and getting paid for it.

So, it seems like this situation basically only hurts the team and the guys on that team, as their best pitcher is unavailable for the next month and they don't get to fill his roster spot with another guy. Ahhh yes, America's pastime indeed!

Brutality at the Ballpark

So, today Kenny Rogers, pitcher for the Texas Rangers, decided that television news cameramen could no longer film him walking to the field. Unfortunately, he forgot to tell the new rule to the camera guys. They were still filming away and Kenny decided that he would put a stop to it. In apparent rage, he shove 2 or 3 guys and threw down a couple of very expensive video cameras. All I can say is wow! What happened to this guy? He went from a fan favorite to a PR nightmare overnight. I hope he gets it back together because it will be a huge shame if this incident is what he is remembered for. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for him. I think he deserves a suspension and if he gets assault charges filed on him, he deserves that too. It'll just be a shame if his career ends on a note like this.

Some short movie reviews

I've seen a few movies on DVD here recently and thought I would throw my opinions out there.

I actually just finished watching The Incredibles a little while ago and I loved it. I can't believe it took me this long to check it out (NetFlix is a great thing!). I thought the animation was superb and the story was really great. I expect we'll see a sequel to this one in the not-too-distant future.

Over the weekend I watched Without a Paddle, starring Seth Green (Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Matthew Lillard (Shaggy from the live-action Scooby-Doo movies). This was a really funny movie, but I'm glad I rented it and didn't pay the $8.50 it would have taken to see it in the theater. It was good, but not that good.

I've got 86 movies in my queue on NetFlix, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these mini-reviews over the coming months. As far as commenting goes, what have you seen? Got a suggestion? Maybe your suggestion will get pushed to the top of my queue. Thanks as always for reading!

Blogging is fun

Well, I didn't think I'd like it much, but I do. I used to do a lot of writing, but really hadn't done much in the last few years, so it is kind of nice getting those writing juices flowing again. The only problem I'm having it topics. I think I need to let things just come to me a little more and stop trying to force the issue. Those of you that have blogs - let me know what kind of things you write about. I'm not real sure what to talk about and what not to talk about. Anyway, I'm done rambling now, so feel free to offer up your suggestions on what makes a good blog!

I Stand Corrected

Obviously, I was a little off on my previous post. I assumed (I guess that comes with my news addiction - see the previous post on that topic) that the three boys in NJ had been murdered, when in fact, they are saying that it was just a horrible accident. My sentiments on raising children in today's world stand, just without the NJ case as evidence.

Sad Stuff!

Just heard about the three New Jersey boys being found dead in the trunk of a car. Seems like stuff like this is happening way too often these days. I remember when I was a kid (no, it wasn't "that" long ago!) we never worried about stuff like that. Seems like these days you're better off just locking your kids in the house and never letting them leave. Things like this really make me glad I don't have any children.

Too much news?

In this age of instant information (i.e. the internet and cable news networks), do you ever feel like you're just trying to process too much information? I know I do. I admit it - I'm an information junkie - an addict. I probably look at CNN.com at least 10 times a day, just to see if there is anything new. Once I'm done with CNN.com, I've got to hit Dallasnews.com (web site for The Dallas Morning News) for the local stuff. It's insane. I can't go an hour without the info! How about the rest of you? Do you find yourself searching out news?

Time for a change?

Last night at work, we were discussing whether asking a woman's father if you can marry her is an outdated tradition, or if it is still the customary thing to do. Some of the ladies believe that they would be offended if someone they were dating were to ask their father for permission for their hand in marriage. The general tone I found in the room was that most of them actually would be offended. What do you think? Is this something that should not be carried on to future generations? Ladies, would you be offended, or is this something you want your boyfriend to do? For those of you that are already married, did your husband do this, and if so, did you want them to? Guys, what is your opinion on this? Do you want to ask the father, or do you feel like the past says that you have to? Please comment so we can see what people think!

Recent Movies

After about a 9-month hiatus of going to the theatre, I've been twice in the last three weeks. I guess that's what the summer blockbusters will do for you. I saw "Star Wars Episode III" a couple of weeks ago and thought it was great. I think Ewan McGregor has truly "become" Obi Wan Kenobi to me. It is a "Must See" in my opinion.

Most recently, I saw "Batman Begins" last night. I've been a fan of most of the Batman films, but in my honest opinion, this one beats them all. It is awesome getting to watch the transformation of a man into a superhero. I thought Christian Bale did a fine job as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, but I really thought it was the supporting cast that made this movie. Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are tremendous.

I've also recently seen both the new and original versions of "The Longest Yard" and I've got to say, while I'm a huge Adam Sandler shill, the original is hands down the better movie. That's not saying that the new one is horrible, but the original is just a bit better.

That being said, what did you think? Have you seen these movies? Seen other summer movies? Please comment so we can compare notes. See you at the movies ("Fantastic 4" is just a few weeks away!)!

Welcome to CJ's World - The Blog

Some of you know I've got a blog specifically for stories relating to trips I take, but unfortunately, the trips have been far and few between lateley, so I'm creating this blog for general thoughts and whatever else. Feel free to comment!