Sunday afternoon

And yet another game has been cancelled. This is our third rainout and we have only played three softball games this season. So not much else to do except watch baseball, write, and catch up on Who's Slamming who podcasts.

1) What makes a stolen moment such a precious thing? I guess it's just because you can't be mine.

2) Great R&B show at Swedish Days. Many Temptations songs, a little Stayin' Alive. Those guys had some energy!

3) Thank you Hahn's for the free donuts. Delicious, but one was enough.

4) Devil With a Blue Dress. That girl must have been the inspiration.

5) Is sarcasm really that bad of a character trait as long it is not overdone? Then again, I guess the challenge is figuring out how much is too much.

6) How the hell can we lose to Ghana in two straight World Cups? emBARRASSING.

7) Good to see Pete Holmes' comedy career going well. He was always a little goofy in college, but I never anticipated he would do a half-hour special on Comedy Central.

8) The trade of Bobby Sanguinetti was inevitable. I don't have an issue with that. But Nino is now an Islander. The Rangers could have traded down from the 10 spot and still grabbed the player they wanted and maybe picked up another pick. Negotiations with Marc Staal are not going well whatsoever. Dan Girardi inexplicably wants 3 million dollars per season for 4 seasons and he's not that good anyway. Not a good weekend for Rangers fans.

9) I am so ready for Ribfest on Thursday. Steepwater (Delta Blues and boogie), West Side Wonders (rockabilliy), Los Lonely Boys (Texican rock and blues), Charlie Daniels Band (Country and southern rock). Not to mention Pigfoot, Howlin' Coyote and my favorite, Texas Outlaws!

10) And I saw them today. The poor man's replacement himself. What a douche!

Bryan Danielson column

On June 7, Raw ran a three-hour show, advertised as Viewer's Choice. For the first 2 and a half hours, it was a non-descript show and I found most of it very boring.

Jericho and Show in a body slam challenge. Ho-hum. The Hart Dynasty against Great Khali and Hornswoggle. So the fans picked the giant and the midget over the Uso clan? More likely, WWE rigged that one. And two days later, I see this new tag team on Superstars? The C show? Way to kill momentum for two young guys!

The dance-off between Santino and Kozlov was a great surprise. The giant, stoic Russian suddenly got over as a big babyface with his dancing "ability" and had the crowd cheering like crazy. I never saw that coming.

The A-Team guest host angle with Dusty Rhodes, Roddy Piper, Gene Okerlund, Ted DiBiase...was pointless and will sell no tickets, no merchandise, and no PPV's.

Then came John Cena vs. CM Punk. As Cena takes the advantage, NXT winner Wade Barrett begins sauntering down the ramp towards the ring. All of a sudden, the seven 7 other rookies from NXT Season 1 attack Punk and Luke Gallows. Then all eight of them enter the ring simultaneously and surround Cena. They beat Cena and then Skip Sheffield kicks TV announcer Matt Striker in the face. Then Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel attack Lawler. The rookies destroy the ringside area and beat up the ring announcers and time keeper and whoever they can get their hands on. Then I saw the image that I thought meant little except to further the angle. Daniel Bryan, who I'm calling by his real name from here on, is choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie in a camel clutch position. Eventually, they all attacked Cena some more and destroyed the ring. Danielson yelled “You are not better than me!” at Cena, kicks him in the head, and spits in his face.

The angle was amazing, surprising, controversial, exciting, and had wrestling fans, including me, buzzing. Eight new starts had been created instantly. For the first time in years, I was pumped for the next Monday to watch Raw.

Then Friday morning, June 11, I see the headline on Facebook:

"WWE has agreed to terms on the release of Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson)."

I thought it was a joke. I figured he would be taken off TV for a week or two and then come back. But he is a veteran, very respected in the locker room, and clearly the most accomplished of those eight rookies. If they're going to have the NXT crew in matches against the WWE pros, Danielson would probably do the bulk of the work along with Barrett and Gabriel. Certainly, he didn't do anything that was overly outrageous in the attack, at least compared to the other seven. As it turns out, when he choked out Roberts with a tie, he overstepped the boundaries. Someone got mad, like a sponsor, or a toy company, or Linda's Senate campaign, or some bigwig shmuck who has stroke. It was apparently too reminiscent of Chris Benoit.

So this is a company where on TV you can run people over with cars, blow them up, set them on fire, break into their house, bury them alive, but choking with a necktie is going too far? Instead of donating to my church or high school or kids who are starving, I'm saving my money up for "Parents Against Necktie Violence." Forget the war, forget the oil spill, it's this necktie violence that is clearly ruining our great country.

What clinched it for me was when I saw Danielson was accepting indy bookings. As much as I would love to see him back in ROH, he's done everything there, except winning the tag team titles. But I don't think he would have much to gain by returning to the indys.

Maybe it is an angle. I admit nothing is impossible. But it seems legit and I am so upset with WWE right now for letting him go. Screw you Vince, screw you Stephanie, and screw you Laurinaitis. You have as much ability to recognize wrestling talent as I do to be the President of South Korea!

2 weeks down

I'm leaving for Blues on the Fox in about half an hour and it's been a while since I've posted. So let's recap what's been going on.

1) Last weekend, I went to Wrigley Field and saw the White Sox edge the Cubs in a great pitcher's duel between Mark Buehrle and, somehow, Carlos Silva. Plenty of rain that day, but the game was played. Good to see the Sox win. Thanks to Joe for purchasing the tickets and driving. And nothing like some clam/bacon white and sausage/sauteed mushrooms pizza at Piece afterwards!

2) I tried the bison dogs, and while I prefer the beef, I like that the bison is the same price and that it is healthier meat. I think I will stick with the "1 of each" plan when the Mets come in come September.

3) That was a great winning streak the Mets put together, winning 8 in a row and 12 of 13. But it's over. Now Johan needs to step it up tomorrow afternoon and win this series in Yankee Stadium.

4) I am getting more and more into the World Cup. I never thought the US would rally after falling behind by two goals to Slovenia. Their rally absolutely floored me. And then to see that third goal was disallowed by a bogus referee. That was terrible. And the sad part is the incompetence of that ref overshadowed the comeback. That said, beat Algeria and advance to the Round of 16.

5) Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the Stanley Cup. And I'm happiest they won in Philadelphia. and all their fans got to see the Cup get presented to a visiting team.

6) That said, to Ed Olczyk. Shut up. Quit knocking the New York Rangers and the city of New York. The only Stanley Cup you ever won was in New York City. And for 50 of those games, you were wearing a suit jacket, not a jersey. So be thankful Neil Smith traded for you. And PS, for national broadcasts you are a poor man's replacement for John Davidson. It's like comparing Jim Ross and Michael Cole on Raw.

7) Florence Henderson is a guest host for Raw in July. Oh joy, I have to see that live and in living color (insert groan and a double dose of sarcasm)...

8) Finally got to tan outside by the pool this morning. The rain this spring has been ridiculous. I long for 80 degrees and hotter.

9) Ultimate frisbee soccer was too much for me to handle on Thursday. My feet swelled up and my endurance is just not what it was a few years ago. I kept it kind of quiet, but after about 30 minutes of play, I already felt blown up. At least I scored twice.

10) I am so sick of these twats who never post anything on Facebook except when they have date night and wedding plan updates. Lord help me, I just want to hit my screen with a sledgehammer sometimes!

Song pick: "Paradise Riviera" by Stevie Ray Vaughan. one of the best instrumental pieces ever recorded.

2 AM and I should be asleep

Then again, I just got home from the Cadillac Ranch. I acutually danced to one song. And I wasn't quite ready to crash under the covers. Something about the combo of LI iced teas, music, and after midnight that fuels my creativity.

1) I love this. So two certain baseball teams play each other next weekend. I can only wonder who the fraud will be rooting for...

2) Cooked up mustard-bourbon pork chops and roasted garlic mashed potatoes today. I was working so hard I felt the sweat streaming down my face. But I seriously may have outdone myself this time. Between the seasoning and length of time in the pan, I don't know if I have tasted a better pork chop in my life. And I have learned a key lesson. Roasted garlic makes the best mashed potatoes in the world.

3) Good job my Mets beating Florida twice. Now they have to learn to win on the road.

4) Has there ever been a phonier injury in the history of sports than Follie Perez suffering from patella tendinitis? He should be placed on the DL for a completely lack of backbone! Or because he simply blows!

5) Over the last 48 hours, I have prayed as hard as I can remember in a long time. I do believe in the power of community prayer.

6) At rare times, I may feel isolated. But it sure beats the alternative I could have been living with if I had chosen to take that particular path.

Song pick: "Because You Can't Be Mine" Merle Haggard