Reflections on Beijing

Well, The Olympics are finally over and we can all get on with our lives. After 2 weeks of the ABC network broadcast - the All Bob Costas network, that is, I'm ready to devote my TV time to something else. I think a new season of the Biggest Loser starts soon! That should help sharpen my intellectual-ness or something.

I just want to jot down a few Olympian thoughts while they're still relatively fresh in my mind. Here in no particular order, are my Top Ten:

1. The Commies put on a good show- a great show, really. It's amazing how Chinese artistry and industry can be enter twined. Too bad it comes at the end of a bayonet. Pity the poor Londoners in 2012. How do they follow Beijing?
2. Michael Phelps gets the best of both worlds- 8 Gold Medals, a ton of product endorsements, and relative obscurity. Sure, he's got the most gold medals of anyone in Olympic history, but he'll still be able to live a fairly normal life. Let's face it, nobody really cares about swimming outside The Olympics (unless you're drowning- then it becomes important.)
3. Usain Bolt is fast- really, really fast. Let's hope we don't find out in two weeks that he's been blood doping. If that happens, let me go on record to say I'll never watch The Olympics again.
4. Speaking of Bolt- what do the American sprinters do now? After getting thrashed by Bolt in the 100 and 200, the Americans looked dazed and confused. Don't be surprised if you see U.S. sprinters Walter Dix and Tyrone Gay driving UPS trucks by next week.
5. Were the female Chinese gymnasts wearing Garanimals matching outfits? I swear one of them had on a Ling-Ling panda top-and-bottom set. With footsies. They should've had Barnie present them with their gold medals.
6. Did I mention I'm tired of Bob Costas? Let's hope he only comes around every four years too.
7. Badminton is not a sport. I don't care how you spin it. What's next? Tetherball? Jacks?
8. Same thing with Ping Pong, er, table tennis. Changing the name doesn't make it a sport either.
9. Did you see the Tae Kwon Do referee get kicked in the fact after disqualifying a contestant? No kidding. A Cuban athlete who got DQ'd, was so upset with the ref's decison, he kicked the guy right in the face in front of a billion or so people. Not a good career move. I wonder if Fidel will have him executed. On second thought, he'll probably be living in Miami by next week.
10. There is life beyond archery, BMX bike racing, and beach volleyball. Let's get on with it.

All About Favre

Can you stand one more article on Brett Favre? I can't. And that's saying quite a lot since I'm a big Packer fan, and have worshipped at the Brett Favre shrine every Sunday for 16 years. But the whole media circus surrounding his comeback, retirement, comeback, etc., has nauseated me to the point where I don't care if I ever see him again- at least until Week 1.

Like many of you, I had a sneaking suspicion that his comeback was almost predetermined at his retirement press conference this past Spring. Favre's an emotional guy and it was obvious to me that he made his retirement decision prematurely. Let's face it, if you had 300+ lb. guys beating up on you for 6 months of the year, you might consider retirement too! I just wished he'd waited a few months before making that decision so he could heal up and recharge his competitive battery. Kinda makes you wonder what kind of advice he's getting.

When they say, "It's all about the money" in this case, it hasn't been. He could've made $20 million staying at home in Mississippi hunting alligators (or snipe, or whatever they hunt for down there.) Favre just wants to play football. It's sad that he won't end his historic career as a Packer. He's just following in the footsteps of the other immortalized Titans of the NFL:
Johnny Unitas- Baltimore Colt turned San Diego Charger
Joe Willie Namath- NY Jet turned LA Ram
Joe Montana- SF 49er turned KC Chief

None of those Hall of Fame quarterbacks lived up to their legend after leaving their glory years and teams behind them and my bet is that Favre won't either. The Jets were 4-10 last year. I think the addition of Favre maybe gets them 2 or 3 more wins, but it's not like they're winning the Super Bowl. Let's hope after this season, Favre retires and stays retired so we don't have to suffer through this again. July is about as bleak a month there is in the sports world, we don't need 30 more days of Favre in July next year.

What's in a Name?

Well my friends, I've changed my blog from CrazeeRants to ItzaCrazzeeWorld. I know, you're probably thinking, "why would he mess with an established brand like that?" I confess- I have similar thoughts. You don't see Nike changing their name or signature "swoosh" logo. Nor will you see Coke messing around with their brand. You old timers may remember the "New Coke" fiasco about 30 years ago when Coke tried to get steal Pepsi market share by introducing New Coke which was supposed to make original Coke go the way of the horse and buggy. Let's just say that decision fizzled.

Despite the risks, I'm compelled to change my blog name for a very simple reason. I can't keep track of all the passwords associated with all my different accounts. So, call it sku rationalization or whatever, but CrazzeeRants is gone. The New and Improve Itza Crazzee World promises great...uh...good...er, well, it'll just be there.

While we're on the subject of names, I was thinking about titles and how some professions attach titles in front of their names to make the owners seem more important- you know, Dr. Smith, Dr. Jones...etc. I don't know why they get that distinction. Maybe it's because they went to school for eight years. Heck, if that's the case, I should be a doctor too! Dr. Rice, majoring in Beerology, with a minors in Hops and Barley.

Pilots are afforded the same distinction as doctors. They're called "Captain" wherever they go, except when their off duty. Then you can just call them sir.

Priests are called, "Father" which is pretty ironic considering their vows of celibacy. Of course, that's only for Catholics. Other denominations have titles like Reverend. The one I like is Brother. Sounds really comforting and non-threatening. I'd much rather say a confession in front of a Brother than a Father. Fathers might send you to your room without supper!

The one that really slays me is Chef. There's Chef William (not Bill), Chef Pierre, Chef Marco. What the heck did these guys do to warrant getting a title in front of their names? O.K., so they can make a fabulous crepes suzette, but c'mon, you don't see the the head cook at Denny's calling himself Chef Jose?

Of course, in this hyper-sensitive culture of ours where we have to make everyone feel "included" and "special", I think it's only fair that we all have titles. Otherwise someone's feelings might get hurt. So, please, from now on, call me Sir James.