- How do you know your local Major League Baseball team is cheap? When the team is actually willing to strike an agreement with the players' union to increase spending in the wake of complaints the team payroll has been so small as to violate baseball's revenue sharing provisions, that’s how. The Florida Marlins are annually one of baseball’s cheapest teams and manage to stay remarkably competitive in spite of that fact, but that wasn’t enough to placate the players’ union. The deal was announced Tuesday in a joint statement by the Marlins, the union and Major League Baseball, but none of the parties commented beyond the statement. The agreement runs through the 2012, when the Marlins' new ballpark is scheduled to open and additional revenue should begin flowing in. "In response to our concerns that revenue sharing proceeds have not been used as required, the Marlins have assured the union and the commissioner's office that they plan to use such proceeds to increase player payroll annually as they move toward the opening of their new ballpark," said Michael Weiner, executive director of the players' association. If you could pardon me for a second so I can laugh at having written Weiner (Weiner, Weiner, Weiner, Weiner, Weiner, Weiner, Weiner, Weiner) we should be able to proceed…………okay, I’m good. Under the terms of the agreement, the two sides would go to arbitration if further disagreements arise. The problems arose because of a clause in baseball's basic agreement that calls for each club to use its revenue sharing receipts in an effort to improve the team. The Marlins are not the only team to fail to comply with that mandate, but they are one of the most egregious offenders. The team would surely counter that because of piss-poor attendance in their current home, they have had no choice but to have the lowest payroll in the majors three of the past four seasons. Unfortunately for the team, being competitive doesn’t alleviate the burden of having to spend the money they receive from revenue sharing. For example, last season the Marlins finished six games out of first place in the NL East with a payroll of $37 million, while the division rival Mets finished 17 games behind Florida despite a payroll of $142 million. "The Marlins have consistently made every effort to put the best product on the field, and our record supports the fact that we have been successful in that regard," team president David Samson said. "Throughout the discussions, the Marlins maintained that there had been no violation of the basic agreement at any time." Based on the fact that you caved in and negotiated this new agreement, D., I’m going to assume that what you just said was a lie. Moving on…………
- And so the battle rages on. Jay v. Conan, Conan v. Jay, Jay v. NBC, Conan v. NBC and fans v. NBC. As the Peacock attempts to iron out changes to its late-night lineup, the man currently hosting "The Tonight Show" is being a bit of a whiny b*tch. Conan O’Brien, who has worked for only a few months in the 11:35 p.m. time slot vacated by Leno, is none too happy with the network’s plans to shift Leno from the 10 p.m. time slot he had moved to with his new show back to his old time slot following the network’s Olympic coverage in February. O'Brien suggested in a statement Tuesday that he will not accept NBC's proposal to move him and “The Tonight Show” to 12:05 a.m. ET. NBC wants to make the swap, giving Leno a half-hour beginning at 11:35 p.m., because his performance at 10 p.m. with “They Jay Leno Show” has been mediocre at best. "My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of 'The Tonight Show.' But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction," O'Brien said. "Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more. There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work." On the one hand, I can understand where O’Brien might be perturbed. Leno’s departure came as part of an agreement reached six years ago, giving “The Tonight Show” at 11:35 p.m. to O'Brien. O’Brien worked in the time slot for seven months and is now being asked to give it up. His ego is undoubtedly hurt, but here’s the thing…….he’s not funny. Seriously, talk to people you know who watch late-night TV and ask them if they are watching more, less or the same amount of “The Tonight Show” now that O’Brien is hosting. I don’t know what it is about the guy, but a freakishly tall, really pale white dude with an awkward, forced sense of humor just doesn’t do the trick for me. Leno isn't the funniest comedian ever, but he’s head and shoulders above O’Brien. So while O’Brien may have the right to be angry on principle, the reality of the situation is that he’s not funny enough to demand better treatment. According to Jeff Gaspin, chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, the plan was for Leno to host a new, half-hour show at 11:35 p.m. ET, followed by "Tonight" with O'Brien at 12:05 a.m. and Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" show moving to 1 a.m. Now, O’Brien is refusing to budge and Fox's president of entertainment, Kevin Reilly, is making statements about how that his network may be interested in O'Brien should he leave "Tonight." Both Leno and O’Brien cracked jokes about the situation in their respective monologues Monday night, but that’s definitely not going to be the last these two have to say about it. The last pre-change shows will air February 11, after which the Olympics seize the airwaves for two weeks. After that, who the hell knows……………
- Freaking New York City is on the warpath against unhealthy foods and beverages in all shapes and sizes and it doesn’t care who knows it. After taking on and taking down trans fats, the state moved on to high-calorie fast food and sugar-laden soda drinks. What’s next? Well, the New York City Health Department has set its sights on none other than salt. On Monday, the department announced a campaign urging restaurants and food companies across the country to voluntarily reduce their products' salt levels. "Salt is a huge problem in our diets," said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control Program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "The majority of us consume too much salt, which increases blood pressure and puts us at risk for heart attack and stroke." I can't argue with any of that and as much as I love tasty seasoning on my food, reducing the amount of salt in what you eat is just a good idea no matter your age, ethnicity or physical conditioning. The plan is for New York City officials to team with cities, states and national health organizations across the country with the goal of cutting the salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over five years. The math seems a bit convoluted, but Angell estimates that doing so would reduce the nation's salt intake by 20 percent. With the average American adult consuming about 3,400 to 3,500 milligram of sodium a day when most of us need only about 1,500, that’s a major concern. Taking in twice as much of anything as what you need is bad, but when that something has the potential to damage your health the way excess salt does, it’s an even bigger issues. So why target from pre-packaged food and restaurant meals? Because according to the research done by the state of New York and its partners, the excess salt in Americans’ diets does not come from salting food at the table or while cooking, but from meals prepared for them in restaurants. That last source accounts for nearly 80 percent of the average person's total sodium intake, Angell said. "Consumers can always add salt to food, but they can't take it out," Dr. Thomas Farley, the city's health commissioner, said in a written statement. "If we can reduce the sodium levels in packaged and restaurant foods, we will give consumers more choice about the amount of salt they eat and reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke in the process." Following that logic, it’s a given that any such effort would need the support and cooperation of the food industry. This announcement caps off a full year of city officials meeting with industry leaders, company representatives, restaurant owners and health experts to come up with a plan. Those efforts have resulted in a list of proposed benchmarks for 61 categories of packaged foods and 25 classes of restaurant food to help companies and restaurants nationwide reduce salt in their food. The obvious concern is that a nation that has grown attached to heavily salted foods won't take well to less salt in their grub and that they will hate the different taste of what they are eating. But according to Angell, reducing salt in a food does not mean reducing flavor. "If salt is reduced gradually, we won't notice a difference in our palate," Angell said. "Our palate will adjust and we'll enjoy foods as much as we do now.” I’ll go along with the campaign because it’s a good idea and America is far too FAT right now. Something needs to change and if salt is on that list, so be it…………
- There are so many ways I could look at news that more than $1 million worth of jewelry, electronics and other possessions were stolen from R&B hack Usher Raymond’s car in a break-in stopped at a cell phone store near one of Atlanta's busiest shopping malls. On the one hand, I could muse about what an utter and complete tool Usher was for cruising around anywhere with that much ice, gear and personal weath inside a car - A CAR. Unless your car is an armored truck with two guards riding in it, it is not secure enough for that kind of wealth to be left inside unattended, period. I don’t care if you have the best, most complete security system ever made for a car, there is no way you should leave $1 million worth of your belongings inside. I could also marvel at how much of a target celebrities are these days and how people are looking for anything or anyone that stands out so they can take a shot at them and cash in. But instead, I will choose to focus on the sweet karma of this situation. Usher has been foisting his garbage dance/pop/R&B music on us for years and pretending like his tunes don’t suck when it’s pretty clear that they do. He’s good-looking and so women love him and he can dance so they love him even more, but make no mistake about it - his music sucks. So let’s just view this break-in, which occurred on Dec. 14 when Raymond and a second man stopped at the aforementioned cell phone store, as some justice for all of us. We can’t stop Usher from putting out crap-tacular music, so this will have to do. Better still, the suspect made a clean getaway, with the only definitive eyewitness account pointing the finger at a man in a Chevy Impala with tinted windows who popped open the door of Usher’s SUV and made off with the loot. The incident is currently under investigation and police have no suspects at this point. Here’s hoping it stays that way…………
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