Time to Pay the Price, Asshole

Okay -- I am sure that the liberal Hollywood crowd will be rallying around Roman Polanski, asking that he be forgiven for his little "misstep" over 30 years ago. I mean -- geez, it was only sex and it WAS 30 years ago, right?

Well -- I have a daughter who is about to turn 13, so it certainly gives me a little additional insight into what a sicko this piece of shit is. But -- not wanting to just form an opinion without at least a little of the real background, I read the grand jury testimony of the girl that Polanski raped.

Simple story: After taking photographs of her for a French edition of Vogue, he gave her champagne, part of a quaalude, took off her clothes, performed oral sex on her, had traditional sex with her, and then had anal sex with her. And yes -- she protested during this rape. Great guy.

I am sure that more details will be forthcoming regarding supposed judicial and prosecutorial misconduct. However, the fact remains that this slimeball raped a 13 year old girl and was hoping to arrange a deal so that he could walk with a slap on the wrist. When it looked like his deal was going to fall apart, he fled the U.S. to avoid sentencing, staying in France to avoid extradition.

Of course, I am a reasonable guy. I think it would be most fitting for the U.S. to grab him, send him to jail, and let him spend a little quality time behind bars with big, sex-starved guys with names like Bubba, Bull, and Moose. Heck, maybe he can even make a movie about his experiences -- once he gets that funny taste out of his mouth and he can sit down again.

A Fun Friday Night

Friday was a long day at work. Not that there was any one thing that was bad or stressful, but it was more a matter of cumulative wearing down. Not just the day or the week, but several weeks.

My usual routine had been to go to Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend to wind down after the busy season at work, but this year the Sin City trip just did not work out due to a special project I am leading. September has just been dragging on. At the end of the day on Friday I was asleep at my desk. My plan for the weekend -- get to sleep a little early Friday night and review a 500+ page training guide on Saturday.

I got home from work, ate, and was on the computer when my wife asked me to take my oldest daughter to the local convenient care health center. My daughter had been sick for several days and was feeling some pain. So ... I took her to convenient care at 7:15 p.m. The on duty doctor/PA recommended that I take my daughter to the hospital emergency room.

We got to the emergency room just before 8:00 p.m. On a Friday night. A busy Friday night. Time to begin grabbing the ankes. Thank goodness I had the foresight to bring my new copy of Sports Illustrated with me.

We finally got in to an examination room about 10:30. A few nurses came in to take vitals and some information. The doctor didn't make it in until 12:30 a.m. After a quick examination, he ordered a CT scan. This involved my daughter having to drink some contrast material and then, of course, having to wait. Nothing went quickly.

The CT scan showed nothing abnormal. It looks like the worst thing my daughter had wrong with her was some dehydration and a urinary tract infection. We left the hospital after 5:00 a.m. We stopped at the McDonald's drive through and got home at about 6:00 a.m.

Looks like the weekend plans will undergo some revision.

Separating the Player from the Person

Wow - what an interesting speech Michael Jordan gave at his Hall of Fame induction last night. It has spawned tons of internet chat and opinion. And ... it brings to light the notion of the player vs the man -- what you do vs who you are.

Was Michael Jordan the best basketball player ever? Yeah, it is fun to debate this. Having seen so many of Jordan's clutch shots, outstanding performances, and unbelievable feats, I believe Jordan to not only be the best basketball player of all time, but the best team sport player of all time. When the game was on the line, he almost always came through.

Six championships. A dynasty. Something unknown to Chicago sports fans. The best of the best.

But what about Jordan -- the man?

The induction speech seemed to show a small, bitter man. Why take shots at those who you feel have slighted you when you are receiving such a big honor? The answer is pretty evident. Jordan, the man, is all about Jordan.

Yeah, we know he is a great player. Ask his teammates. They won because of him, yet had to take crap from him all the time. It would be interesting to hear what they really think about Jordan.

While he did show some honor in marrying Juanita when she got pregnant, he cheated on her, probably to an extent that has been hushed with lots of mobney fans paid to see the greatest player in the NBA. Guys with kids -- guys who respect their wives and their families -- just don't do that.

I laughed every time I heard about Jordan and his gambling. Two things seemed evident: He couldn't stop, and he sucked. Ever hear a story about Jordan winning a bet? Not this guy.

Jordan deflected criticism aimed at him for not doing much to help the plight of African Americans. I feel sorry for any athletes or entertainers who have this burden placed upon them. But Jordan never really seemed to care much about it. He was always looking for the green and looking out for himself.

I guess that I could go on and on evaluating Jordan's stature as a man. But I won't. None of us would probably enjoy having someone hold us responsible for what we have done.

Botom line: If I'm picking sides for a street basketball game, I pick Jordan first before any player past or present. But if I am inviting someone to my house for a beer afterwards, he is way down the list. Don't be surprised to find that others feel this way too.

Simply the Best

Monday Morning Misc Musings

1) If Labor Day (celebrated in the United States and some other countries today) is a day that was designed to recognize the contributions of workers and the progress achieved through union movements, why do most people get the day off work? Shouldn't everyone work extra that day?

2) September can be a terribly exciting month for baseball fans if their team looks to be headed toward the playoffs or is in a heated pennant chase. Last year both the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs went to the playoffs -- the White Sox getting in only by playing an extra winner-take-all game against the Minnesota Twins -- a game I attended and can say was the most dramatic game I ever saw in person -- and the Cubs looking to be heading to their first World Series since World War II. In 2009, however, both teams' seasons are over.

I usually don't pay serious attention to the Chicago Bears football season until the baseball regular season is over. This year -- and especially with the Bears having a real quarterback -- the Bears season is primo right from the start.

3) I work in a profession that tends to attract pretty nice people as workers. If I am ever tempted to forget that evil exists, I need only remember two men I have known who were imfamous for their deadly deeds. One, Brian Dugan, was recently in the headlines as a murder trial will be coming up on September 22. In a very complicated case, two men were earlier sent to death row for ten years for the murder Dugan claims that he committed by himself. The men were later cleared, although some people question if they were really innocent. Dugan has been in prison since 1985 for two other murders. He used to live on the next block from my parent's house. We played together when we were kids.

The big enchalada, however, is a former college colleague, Michael Swango , also know to some as the "Doctor of Death." Swango is believed to have killed between 35 and 60 patients in the United States and later Zimbabwe. Poison was his specialty. It is almost beyond comprehension that someone trained in such a humanitarian profession could kill people with absolutely no remorse.

4) I reactivated my facebook account (which I never really used) and have recently been connecting with friends I have not had contact with for 15-25 years. What a trip! It is wonderful to find that so many of these people are living great lives.

5) I saw Inglourious Basterds last night. There was no mistaking that this is a Quentin Tarantino film. What a fantastic performance by Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa. Brilliant.

Happy Labor Day. Enjoy your day off -- if you don't have to work today, that is ...

And oh yeah -- the winning ways continue

Although I donked out of a few private tournaments last week, I did take down two more. I must be doing something right.