George Carlin died Saturday..

And I am brokenhearted. I saw George through three different decades of my life and up until the end when I saw him in Vegas two years ago, he was on his game, satire at its best and grumpy as hell. From MSNBC:

Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital Sunday, a spokesman said. He was was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, died at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PT after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.

Sigh…His routine on the seven words you couldn’t say on the air was groundbreaking. From Wiki:

Carlin and his “Seven Dirty Words” comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation. The words are (with examples):

1. Shit – The bird shit on the statue.
2. Piss – I have to piss like a race horse.
3. Fuck – Fuck you.
4. Cunt – She has a nasty cunt.
5. Cocksucker – Go to hell, you cocksucker.
6. Motherfucker – You are a motherfucker.
7. Tits – Hey, nice tits.

He was a friend of Lenny Bruce and he continued the Bruce traditions of being a non-conformist. He is with Lenny now perhaps, one can hope anyway.

He was to be honored Nov 10th with the Mark Twain award for American Humor. It will be posthumously accepted now I presume. The infamous routine can be viewed here..

The Phoenix lands on Mars today.

Since I spent roughly 20 years of my life working in the space program in some capacity..this makes me proud.

Yes, it cost $450 million, but when you consider the millions we throw away each month in Iraq, which is a better return on our investment?

Here is the website for the mission. There are more pictures on their site.

Something for the Indy 500…

A sweet blogger bud of mine, Robert, created the following song and video for the radio gents known as Bob and Tom 14 years ago. It was on one of their albums too! Robert is a resident of Indiana and its quite apropos for today. From his post on this song:

Way back in 1985 I wrote a parody of David Lee Roth’s version of “Just a Gigolo” for the Bob and Tom Show. It was about getting stuck in the heavy traffic on the way to the Indianapolis 500. The song appeared on Bob and Tom’s first charity project, “Bob and Tom’s White Album”. From that point forward, the song became a staple in the Indianapolis region during the month of May. I still recall driving to the race one morning and hearing the song on the radio while I looked around at other drivers singing along with my song. A great memory for me.

Why can’t we be friends?

This is no joke. From the Associated Students at UCSB website:

Meet Gregory Pike and his furry entourage: Booger, Kitty, and Mousey. Every day he walks around State street with Booger, the dog, on a leash. On top of Booger sits Kitty, who holds on to the harness around Booger like a saddle. On top of Kitty sits Mousey (who is really a rat), wrapped closely around Kitty’s neck. Its obvious the bond between these animals is deep – they all accept one another as members of the same family, regardless of their species. Greg has been spreading this message of peace, respect, and tolerance for eight years, and has become an integral member of Santa Barbara society, known and loved by our community.

When your MLB hometeam sucks…

Current standings: 5th NL WEST(WHICH MEANS THEY ARE IN LAST PLACE) Record: 15-27

How do you handle it? Do you ignore the fact that a bunch of elderly men with walkers could beat them?

When friends bring up how lousy they are, do you just sling a nasty retort their way or beat the living shit out of them?

When they are on, do you sit and silently watch them suck or do you get drunk and scream obscenities at the tv?

These are burning issues for me. My team can’t find their collective ass with both hands. Its killing me. I might need to start medicating myself before and after each game.

Buzzie passes..

From the Padres:
The Padres mourn the loss of the club’s first President, Emil Joseph “Buzzie” Bavasi, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 93 in San Diego. Bavasi joined C. Arnholt Smith’s effort to bring a National League franchise to San Diego in 1967 and, after securing a team, served as the Padres first president from the club’s inception through 1977. He was inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Breitbard Hall of Fame at the San Diego Hall of Champions in 2007.

“Buzzie was a giant in Padres Baseball history,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Dick Freeman. “His presence in the original Padres ownership and management group was the determining factor in San Diego being awarded a National League franchise. He was a great baseball man. I will always remember him for his unwavering support and his great sense of humor. He was a superb storyteller. I will miss him greatly.”

As for Fox Fantasy Sports..you worthless sumbitches can kiss my hairy ass. Fuck you..twice even. What do you get when you let MicroSoft manage your website?? A clusterfuck of mythic proportion!

Insert Padres in place of the Cubs..

Sorry, but I loved this rant..I really do.

Baseball’s worst free agent signings evah!

For an interesting MLB read, check out Jon Heyman’s column. I don’t agree with the order, but I do agree all these teams got hosed..Here are his top five:

1. Hampton, $121 million, Rockies (and Braves). The deals for him and Denny Neagle ($55 million, five years) set the Rockies back five years. On the other hand, the complicated trade to send him away and get the Rockies on the path to the World Series was a stroke of genius. The Braves, who got him from the Marlins in November 2002, two days after Colorado dumped him, are known for wise pitching decisions, but this has to be their worst.

2. Carl Pavano, $40 million, four (long) years, Yankees. Never really looked interested. Changed agents more times than he actually pitched.

3. Albert Belle, $65 million, five years, Orioles. Brought surly mood, diminished power and bad hip to Peter Angelos’ brand of bad baseball.

4. Chan Ho Park, $65 million, five years, Rangers. Poor Tom Hicks. Or should I say, rich Tom Hicks. Park showed up without much zip on his pitches, then delivered almost zip for the money.

5. Jason Giambi, $120 million, seven years, Yankees. He apologized for who knows what but hasn’t yet apologized for taking all this money, which is, of course, obscene. He’s still got $26 million to go in this the final year alone, assuming the Yankees decline the option year for a measly $5 mil.

My personal favorite Kevin Brown is on the list too..Dodgers got hosed in that one..big time

They shoot horses don’t they??

Someone needs to tell Buddy Black to see Alex and buy a fucking clue.

Trevor Hoffman is done..stick a fork in him Black. We can not afford to let Hoffman keep blowing saves..we are UNDER five hundred as it is, you stupid sumbitch..

Life…its a big no-hitter sometimes..

Randy Wolf..the perennial injury-prone strikeout king almost got a no-no last night..just gave up two hits for the Padres. 

I have my courtdate with the Workers Compensation Board..D-day is May 6th 8:30am. We will find out if I can see the QME of my choice hopefully. The insurance company is attempting to use a technicality to disqualify him..they don’t like that he usually advocates for the patient..moi. 

I will be heading down to SoCal tomorrow..dogsitter that I am. Hopefully she has internet..I didn’t figure to ask..dumbass me. 

Have a good Thursday folks..the weekend is just over the horizon.