- Love to say I told you so, Dennis Franchione, and so I will. I told you so. Over and over again. I said that you were handing piece after piece of ammunition to those who wanted you fired in the worst possible way. You lost big game after big game to rivals and then you were found to be selling inside information to boosters in a $1,200-per-month newsletter and keeping the money for yourself. Now, the school is (allegedly) going to exercise a buyout clause that allows them to get rid of you and bring in a competent coach. The buyout may cost the school $141,667 a month for the remainder of the contract, about $8 million total, but to get rid of Franchione, that’s a bargain. Paying this guy $2 million a season through 2012 and having to watch seasons of 8-4 or 7-5 every year capped by a second-tier bowl game would be excruciating. So it’s a good idea that the A&M administration has decided on, or according to them considering, buying out the coach’s deal. Texas A&M may be saying it will wait until the end of the football season before deciding Franchione's fate, issuing the following statement: “There are several false rumors circulating regarding the Texas A&M football program,'' but make no mistake, Franchione is gone. That’s what happens when you lose games, have illegal underground fundraiser newsletters and generally mire your program squarely in mediocrity.
- You can view the arrest of a New York priest on charges of stalking late-night talk-show host Conan O'Brien as a negative, or you can look at it as a positive. Yes, Rev. David Ajemian committed a crime, but at least he wasn’t committing another crime priests have come to be known for – molesting young boys. Still, not a good move by Ajemian, writing O’Brien threatening notes on parish letterhead, contacting his parents and showing up at his studio. Unless you can write jokes and bits to fill in for the show’s writers who are currently on strike, Ajemian, you need to find a better use of your time, possibly, I don’t know, doing your job as a priest. Actually, the more you read about this guy, the more disturbing he is. Ajemian referred to himself as "your priest stalker" in one note to O’Brien and complained of not being allowed in to see an earlier taping of the O'Brien show, court papers say. "Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans?" the note said. The letters and e-mails, which started in September 2006, continued even after Ajemian was asked to stop and were "intended to cause annoyance and alarm," prosecutors said. Yes, that would be alarming, especially living in New York, where millions pack a tiny island and your crazed stalker could be anywhere. With his show on hiatus due to the writer’s strike, maybe it’s time for Conan to take a vacation and get as far away from Ajemian as possible.
- Bad move by the Minnesota Vikings, no way around it. The team fined veteran wide receiver Troy Williamson one game check for missing last Sunday’s game against San Diego because of the funeral for his grandmother. Williamson was busy attending to matters related to the funeral, including making travel arrangements for his siblings, but the Vikings were busy ripping his game check from him. The team actually knew he would be missing the game beforehand and Williamson discussed it with coach Brad Childress. The coach offered the lame, idiotic response that the team was “just following a business principle.” Good principles coach, not supporting your players in their tough times. Fine them because they are going through a family tragedy and need to be with their loved ones. Good for Williamson for being where he should have been and for saying that he would have done the same thing no matter what punishment the team gave him. Also, good for the NFL Players Association for appealing the fine on behalf of Williamson, because the Vikings and other NFL teams can’t be allowed to set this sort of precedent, that no matter what difficult personal or family situation you’re facing, you need to be out there on the field or we’re ripping your paycheck. You suck, Vikings, you really suck.
- In an incredible twist of irony (insert sarcasm here), an individual working at a place where children frequently visit has been arrested on child porn charges. Robert A. Singer, 49, the spokesman for the National Children’s Museum in Washington, was arrested at his home this week on charges that he used his work computer to send explicit images of child pornography to others. One of those receiving the perverted images was an undercover New York City detective, which tends to be the downfall of many child porn pervs. They are either caught up in a To Catch a Predator sting by NBC’s Chris Hansen or undercover cops nab them. It amazes me how someone in such a prominent position with a national museum, so presumably a reasonably smart and well-educated individual, could be so incredibly stupid as to send those kinds of images from his work computer. Did you all learn nothing from Pete Townshend? It’s sickening enough that you freaks are out there, doing what you do, but I really don’t need to hear how stupid you are to top it off.
- Don’t mess with the smart kids. Matt Damon might have gotten away with it in Good Will Hunting, but renowned architect Frank Gehry is finding out that when you run afoul of M.I.T., you pay the price. Gehry designed the Stata Center at the school, and the building has been celebrated for its unusual walls and crazy angles, making it a sight to see. However, serious design flaws have led to persistent water leaks, drainage problems and mold growing on the building’s brick exterior. The school also claims in its lawsuit against Gehry that snow and ice have fallen dangerously from window boxes and areas on the roof, with the fallen materials blocking emergency exits and causing damage to the buildings. See, this is why you don’t want to design a building for a school full of uber-smart teachers and students. They have totally unrealistic expectations like not having mold grow on their buildings, not having major water leaks and not being in danger from falling snow and ice. Get over it, M.I.T., be glad you have a building at all.
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