What more can be said about A-Rod besides wondering what brand of pink lip gloss he’s wearing? The ambiguous third baseman took the only route he could by admitting to juicing six years ago. Just look at the scorecard:
Bonds, Clemens, McGwire: All disputed claims of steroid use. All now are about as heralded as O.J.
Pettitte, Giambi, and now Rodriguez: All admitted to using. All have been/will be forgiven on a certain level.
Of course, matters will be different for A-Rod once he starts to approach the Bonds/Aaron mark as the next home run king. The Couric interview where he denied ever doping will be played over and over. And every time he comes one home run closer, an automatic addendum — either verbally on television or mentally by the average fan sitting at home — of what he did illegally from 2001-2003 will be attached to the highlight.
The Yankees signed him for 10 years for a reason: He would be the anti-Bonds. The one who would break the record cleanly. A slobbering Michael Kay was set provide the PR from behind the mike, as he has since A-Rod came here:
“We’re witnessing the greatest player ever!!!” he was supposed to tell us in about six years.
“It’s only fitting that a Yankee would be in this position for greatness!!!”, he’d say with every gut-wrenching, light-yourself-on-fire “See Ya!” call.
That’s all gone now.
And that’s what the Yankees and A-Rod, a guy who was always about his numbers first and championships second, will get out of this for the cool price of $270 million dollars
Time to start DH-ing Sabathia, huh?
With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s only fitting that the movie version of the book, He’s Just Not That Into You, has taken over the #1 spot at theaters. But there’s a simple reason why this flick is only garnering two stars (out of four) from every major reviewer in the country:
1) Every movie Jennifer Aniston is in is hopelessly mediocre (Office Space being the only exception). Whether it’s Marley and Me, Derailed, Friends with Money, The Break-Up, Rumor Has It, etc, you’re guaranteed an unsatisfying but passable two hours.
2) The Drew Barrymore mystery: Whoever let her into the “Movies starring someone who is supposed to be attractive” club needs to have his privileges revoked.
3) The Ben Affleck rule (see Aniston, Jennifer, and multiply the mediocre factor by 274)
4) Any movie that was already covered in a Sex and the City episode and somehow showcases less frontal nudity is doomed to be average.
5) Justin Long (with the Mac/PC commercials notwithstanding) is more overrated than Duke.
The Obama honeymoon was supposed to last six months, but the marriage-made-in-heaven portrayal courtesy of most in the American media appears to be over in about 20 days.
I have a few questions:
If government is the only solution to our economic problems, then what exactly happened to that $800 billion we gave to banks back in October?
Can anyone, starting with the President or his tax-paying-challenged Secretary, explain where it went?
Did that bailout free up credit lines to allow businesses to operate without job cuts or failing outright?
So why should Obama’s most recent $800 billion stimulus be any different?
By the way, the same people who advocate aggressive government action in response to the financial crisis are the same critics who screamed about the Bush administration’s aggressive actions in response to 9/11. Once upon a time they called out the Bush administration for “fearmongering,” but now seem unfazed by Obama’s doom-and-gloom proclamations that Congress must pass a trillion-dollar stimulus without a minute to lose, or else “our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.”
The politics of fear, indeed.
But forget the domestic front. Here’s the most unsettling news I’ve heard since Obama took office:
The President is closing Gitmo, and there’s a possibility that some being held there will be sent back to their home countries for trials or be kept in jail. But in the Spring Break paradise that is Yemen, the government there decided to release 170 former Al-Qaeda members on the condition of (maybe you better sit down) them signing a letter promising they won’t commit terrorist acts in the future.
For those of you laid off from work in New York, your unemployed status may end up saving your ass.
If you’re a sports fan, the next six weeks until the March Madness will again be the longest of your life. Here’s our annual look at the state of winter sports in the tri-state area:
Knicks: Counting the minutes until 2010.
Nets: Better than the last-place-in-the-east predictions, but not exactly appointment viewing at 24-28.
Devils: A fourth Stanley Cup will be coming in June, but that’s four months away.
Rangers: Will be signing the sloppy seconds of the Dallas Stars in the form of the most metrosexual player in the history of the NHL, Sean Avery. The over/under on number of in-practice brawls is officially set at 4 (in the first week).
Islanders: Kansas City…here we come!
Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. John’s: Will be joining my Terps in the NIT.
Pitchers and catchers report when again?
Speaking of summer sports, I just secured my beach house in Sea Girt. And in a true reflection of our economic times, this four-bedroom home is $6000.00 less to rent this year than it was in 2003. It’s also half of what the famed 215 Chicago went for in 2004.
Many friends are not doing beach shares this year because of uncertainty with their own jobs or not having one at all. That said if you’re still thinking of renting your own house, it is strongly recommended that you negotiate on price…because these puppies ain’t going anywhere and the owners are desperate for some extra income. In baseball ticket-scalping terms, it’s the third inning of a Royals-Twins game down there, and the scalpers are getting very, very afraid of eating those tickets.
Hope that makes sense.
24 is once again the best show on television. And it’s great to see Billy Walsh of Entourage get some other gigs outside of HBO, although it took me about three episodes to recognize him since he’s now a suit himself.
Realhoboken.com doesn’t just exist for your entertainment, but to educate as well. To that end, here’s the top three Valentine’s Day restaurants that will give you the most bang for your buck:
1) Cafe Michelina: BYOW and the best Italian food in all of Hoboken. 2) Three A’s: Best service and the most underrated steak in town. 3) 10th and Willow: You can barely see the menu by candlelight, but the food and accessibility is the best-kept secret around (well, until now).
Valentine’s Day falls on a rare Saturday this year, so perhaps celebrating Friday night until midnight (so it counts) is the way to go…If long lines right out of the St. Patrick’s Day in Hoboken playbook just aren’t your thing.
Just don’t buy a Snuggie for your spouse and think that will suffice.
Unless your plan is to be single again…