The San Francisco 49ers don't negotiate with terrorists, the best album of 2009 and FAT-centric TV on Tuesday

- It is the policy of the United States not to negotiate with terrorists and the San Francisco 49ers seem to have embraced the same philosophy in dealing with holdout draft pick Michael Crabtree. To make a long story short, Crabtree was expected to be a top 5 pick and the top receiver chosen in the 2009 NFL Draft but ended up as the second receiver selected and the tenth pick overall. In spite of that, he and agent Eugene Parker have continued to insist that he be paid as if he had been the first receiver chosen and had been selected where they felt he deserved to be drafted as opposed to where he was actually drafted. Thus, Crabtree hasn't accepted the 49ers' offer for approximately five years and $20 million with a reported $16 million guaranteed. He’s seeking money comparable to the five-year contract with at least $23.5 million guaranteed that was given to Oakland Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the No. 7 choice and the receiver who was inexplicably taken ahead of Crabtree (ironically, Heyward-Bey played in Week 1 and had as many catches as Crabtree had sitting on his couch at home). But the 49ers aren’t budging and head coach Mike Singletary said that he’s asked the team’s front office to keep him completely out of it so he can focus on the 53 players he has on the active roster. "At this time in the year, that may be the case," Singletary said of making a new offer. "At this point, the whole Crabtree thing, it's over there. I'm focused over here." However, he did say that the team’s decision makers have talked about changing their offer to Crabtree and I feel confident in saying it’s not for more money. They just won their season opener on the road against the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals and looked good doing it. The Niners also know that Crabtree won't be drafted nearly as high if he sits out the season and re-enters the draft next year. They’ll hold his rights up to draft day, meaning he won't be allowed to work out for any other teams. Those teams will also have to weigh the possibility of drafting a guy who a) hasn’t played in a year and a half, b) will clearly be tough to sign and c) apparently is more focused on getting paid than becoming a great NFL player. So while he would be way, way behind if he did sign with Frisco this season, it’s Crabtree’s best move. That $16 million in guaranteed money is going to look awfully good compared to what he will likely be offered next year if he’s drafted again. So I applaud the Niners for doing the right thing and continue to marvel at Crabtree and Parker’s delusional thinking, selfishness, short-sightedness and idiocy. Well done guys, you are officially the contract terrorists of the National Football League…….

- I find myself wondering if receiving a one-week reprieve on death row is the best thing ever or the worst thing ever. That’s the dilemma facing inmate Romell Broom, a prisoner in Ohio facing execution for abducting, raping and fatally stabbing a 14-year-old girl in East Cleveland in 1984. He was slated to be executed Monday, but Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland on Tuesday gave a death-row inmate after authorities tried for hours to find a vein to administer his lethal injection. "Difficulties in administering the execution protocol necessitate a temporary reprieve," said Strickland's Warrant of Reprieve, filed in court Tuesday afternoon. In other words, the doctors administering the lethal dose of drugs to put Broom to death can’t find a vein and so they can’t execute dude yet. I know, I know, if you’re killing a guy, why can’t you just hack it and make it work? Well, our constitution sorta mandates that this type of thing be done and humanely and safely as possible, not cruel or unusual in any way. So after spending more than two hours trying to find that elusive vein, prison authorities had to call of the search for the time being. What that means is that Broom’s execution has been pushed back a week and again I ponder whether that’s good news or bad news for him. On the one hand, if you know that you’re going to die and never experience a single thing on the face of the Earth ever again, even a week of life could be considered a blessing and a chance to make further peace with what you’ve done, perhaps try to make peace with people you’ve hurt. On the other hand, if you know you’re going to die, living another week with the sword of Damocles hanging over your head, so to speak, would be a pretty miserable way to spend that week. Of course, assuming that Broom did in fact commit the horrendous crime for which he was convicted (no sure bet with our justic system, which entrusts a person’s fate to 12 idiots not smart enough to find a way out of jury duty), then who cares how miserable and unhappy he is for the next week? For all the pain and suffering he’s inflicted, it’s only appropriate that he be left to dangle on the hook a while longer. The final verdict here? For everyone but Romell Broom, this is a great thing and for Broom….who cares………

- There was quite a contrast on two major networks, NBC and Fox, tonight in the 8 p.m. time slot. Both featured FAT-centric programming, but with very different slants. On Fox, the absurdity that is More to Love continued, as a gaggle of FAT chicks vied for the affection of an obese guy. And before I get the same angry emails I get every time I travel this road, allow me to assert once again that I don’t believe everyone needs to be model-thin to be beautiful. However, I have a problem with glorifying people who are in most cases obese and in need of serious weight loss by slamming them into a reality show with other FAT people to show that they deserve to be loved too. Yes, everyone deserves love, but that doesn’t mean it’s cool for them to be 50, 60, 70 or more pounds overweight. In fact, FAT people finding love wouldn’t even be on my radar or be upsetting me if a major network wasn’t seeking these people out and looking to promote them. On top of that, you all know my loathing of the concept of finding “true love” on a reality show, because of all the things to be found on one of these freak-fest reality dating shows, love is not one of them. But I digress…..for a better example of FAT-centric television, look no further than NBC, where The Biggest Loser returned with a collection of 16 morbidly obese people looking to turn their lives around. The show is back for its eighth season and although there are some people who still somehow manage not to lose significant weight despite having two top-notch professional trainers, all sorts of medical and dietary help, being on a ranch where the explicit purpose is to help people lose weight and competing for a huge cash prize if they can lose the most weight, the fact is that dozens of people have had their lives changed on this show. They’ve shed hundreds and hundreds of pounds and emotional baggage along the way and have become much healthier versions of themselves - yes, some of them have become very thin, but others have merely been able to attain a much healthier, more moderate weight and lifestyle. I guess the bottom line here is that we should not be glorifying FAT people for being FAT and thinking it’s cool and beautiful, because it’s not. Get healthy, shed a few lbs. and you’ll find that your world is a much better place where it’s easier to breathe and not get exhausted doing the most routine of physical activities………

- While most of the world is looking to move forward in the 21st century, big ups to a province in Indonesia for actively looking to move backward to the second or third century A.D. Lawmakers in a devoutly Muslim Indonesian province voted unanimously Monday that adulterers could be sentenced to death by stoning, even after voters overwhelmingly chose to throw conservative Islamic parties out of power. As the country’s new government, led by the moderate Aceh Party, is set to take over, this regional parliament controlled by hard-liners is holding fast to the most backwards, socially-stunted ways of life. In a unanimous vote, the 69-seat house passed the bill even after members of the moderate Democrat Party voiced reservations. None of them had the kahones to vote against the bill even though it fundamentally violates international treaties signed by Indonesia. There is hope that once the Aceh Party takes over, they would amend or tone down the law. Most of the country’s Muslims practice a much more moderate form of the faith than these whack jobs who want to run around stoning people, so there is hope for overturning this archaic law. Sadly, the practice is still allowed in some form in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Nigeria. Under the terms of the new Indonesian law, adulterers can be punished by a minimum of 100 lashings and a maximum of stoning to death. Yes, that’s a minimum of 100 lashings, how munificent of you. The law also contains sections addressing homosexuality, another behavior considered morally unacceptable and thus punishable by public lashings and more than eight years in prison. As you’d expect, homosexual rights groups are especially outraged by this portion of the bill and claim it violates national and international treaties signed by Indonesia protecting the rights of minorities and women. But hey, at least it puts you on the map, Indoneisa….even if it is for being a backwoods, backwater place where people are stoned to death for adultery as they would have been two thousand years ago………..

- I have heard the best album of 2009, and it is…..The Great American Midrange by The Elms. If you’re never heard of The Elms, well, you’re missing out. These are four hard-rockin’ boys from Indiana, guys from the Heartland who play straightforward, American rock ‘n’ roll. They sing about things the are real and which truly matter in life, not the Hollywood-centric crap, drug-laden parties, expensive cars and rock star lifestyle that too many bands are caught up on. For The Elms, TGAM is their fourth studio album and the first released on their own record label. It’s a 12-song masterpiece of bluesy, Midwest rock that pulls no punches, tackles tough subjects and is thoughtful and interesting from start to finish. Better still, if you buy the album from the band’s Web site, theelms.net, you can get the album itself and a bonus of an acoustic version of every song on the album for the same price. There are legitimately a half-dozen amazing songs on the album and all 12 are worthwhile. Strut kicks off the album and I’m not lying when I say that I’ve literally listened to just the opening riff about five dozen times. A five-second burst of mellow, acoustic guitar gives way to the most bluesy, slashing rock guitar you’ll ever hear and off you go on a rockin’ journey. Lead singer Owen Thomas’ tenor voice is strong, confident and flecked with just the right mix of attitude, honesty and emotion throughout the album, but especially on this song. “I walk out and stand in my front yard/It’s plain to see that the times are hard/What’s a man to do when he’s had enough?/You put on your boots and you strut your stuff,” the opening verse declares. There are just too many great song on this album to discuss in detail, but Unless God Appears First is a Paul Westerberg-esque song with the same bluesy, rock ‘n’ roll guitar sound as Strut thanks to lead guitarist Thom Daugherty. Daughterty and bassist Nate Bennet are also great on backing vocals and this song is a great picture of living life being who you are and sticking with that. Back to Indiana is something of a tribute to the band’s home state, a fast-paced, hard-rockin’ song about getting home to the girl you love and the place you love and from what I’m heard, the band is already hard at work on a video for the song, which should be fantastic. The album does have a mellow side, and not just with the acoustic versions of the 12 songs. This is How the World Will End is an amazing song, challenging society’s conceptions of how things should work and declaring openly that unless we start treating one another with love, kindness and compassion, that’s how the world will truly end, not by bombs and disasters. The Good Guys is a song in a similar vein, a bit more upbeat and faster-paced, but we can all use a reminder that living the right way is a long, tough road and always will be. But as I said at the top, I could go on all day talking about this album. The bottom line is that if you love to rock and you love great music with thoughtful, introspective and expositional lyrics that are more than just catchy phrases over a good beat, this is a fantastic album, the best one I’ve heard this year……….