Sharpton, Jackson bore each other to death amid Jacko's demise.

In their never-ending, irritating quest to entrench themselves into any and all major news events, publicity whores Al Sharpton (top) and Jesse Jackson (bottom) are demanding answers to questions surrounding the death of the "King of Pop", Michael Jackson. As Jackson family members convened outside MJ's home, Sharpton and Jackson exchanged verbal barbs over who can best serve the Jackson family's need during this time of grieving and in the process, killed each other.

Details are sketchy and sadly, no one is intervening on behalf of Sharpton or Jackson because...no one cares.

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"Get a grip...and a life, Michael Hunt!"

Michael Hunt is a sports columnist for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel - my hometown newspaper. An article appeared in today's paper (thanks for the head's up, mom!) written by Mr. Hunt - "Favre taking us on a ride - again".

My response to Mr. Hunt and Letters to the Editor is as follows:


Why is the nature of journalists (and fans) to feel the need to SPEAK FOR ME and the way I FEEL about Brett Favre? Here's another great example: Michael Hunt's article in yesterday's paper, "Favre taking us on a ride - again" (MJS June 17, 2009). As Mr. Hunt's column is a personal opinion column, I would prefer his headline read: "Favre taking ME on a ride - again". You see, Brett Favre is not taking Jeff Ircink on any ride. He never has - except perhaps the "ride" of watching him play every Sunday (and that includes last season as I boycotted the Pack in favor of the Jets). Whatever Brett plans to do - unretire or stay retired - makes no difference to me. It doesn't affect my life like it obviously affects thousands of you who scream and moan that "Favre did this" and "Brett's doing that" or "oh it's that time of year again...will he or won't he?". It's his decision. The media and fans are constantly throwing phrases around like "his image is tarnished", "once he was a legend" or "my hero has fallen". You know what...that's YOUR problem - not Brett's. Or mine. Here's my phrase for all of you: "Get a a grip - and a life."

Jeff Ircink
Los Angeles (and WI native)

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Tom Brokaw says, "Take this, rednecks."

So respected newsman Tom Brokaw is commenting on the Obama presidency - not sure if this was after the inauguration or when - this week, and he says this:

BROKAW: I just want to say one thing. Eh, having been in the South in the sixties and Los Angeles and Watts and northern urban areas, umm, uh, when we were evolving as a country. I'm thinking of all the bigots and the rednecks and all the people that I met along the way, and I'm saying to them, "Take this."

Interesting. "Take this, you rednecks and bigots". Is that what the election of Barack Obama was all about to Tom Brokaw? I thought it was about CHANGE and NO MORE and HOPE - not vengeance? First, Robert Reich tells President Obama that white, male construction workers should be left out of Obama's construction stimulus package and now Brokaw anoints himself the conscious of America?

That's reverse discrimination. It's wrong. Just as wrong as the way blacks were treated in the U.S. for hundreds of years. But one doesn't make the other right. That's like blaming all whites for the plight of the black man; it's the same as me getting mugged by a black man and me saying, "I hate all blacks." Isn't it? It is. Does anyone honestly believe that our president wants a stream of consciousness running through America that's akin to "this Presidency is the black man's vengeance on the white man?"

I hope not. For all our sakes.

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"Douche of the Week": Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports.com.

I worked on my grandparent's farm often as a child. I shoveled pig shit and cow shit. I've stepped in it and got it on my clothing. I even smelled like shit. Jeff Goodman's column on FoxSports.com today is the definitive example of how one can WRITE SHIT and how readers can READ SHIT.

In the grand tradition of douche bag, hack sports writers at FoxSports.com ( Schein, Glazer, Kreigel and Hench ), I present to you, in his coming-out party, Jeff Goodman, senior college basketball columnist. Oh, yeah - Goodman was ANALyzing the Jets OT road victory over the Pats last night and he's a college basketball columnist!

First off, doesn't FoxSports.com have enough drip, NFL writers to cover the NFL that they let a COLLEGE BASKETBALL columnist take a crack at setting back yellow journalism another 100 years? STRIKE ONE.

Let me walk you through what it's like to be a douche bag and spew forth douch bag-like thoughts to paper.

a) Goodman rips on the Patriots' "back ups". STRIKE TWO.

Goodman said, "The Patriots won't use excuses, but I'm going to do it for them." (Oh goody...New England has a wet nurse whose teats are big enough to feed the entire Patriots team!)

Goodman said, "This wasn't exactly the vintage New England Patriots...Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see Tom Brady or Rodney Harrison on the field in New York's 34-31 victory on Thursday night. The Patriots were also missing their star linebacker, Adalius Thomas, who went down with what appeared to be a season-ending forearm injury last week, and starting defensive end Ty Warren, who sat out the loss to the Jets with a groin injury." (But you may see a team of 2nd stringers at your doorstop ready to pummel your head in for not giving them the credit they deserve - playing one heckuva game against the Jets.)

Goodman said, "Sure, Brady's replacement, Matt Cassel, played the game of his life, throwing for a career-high 400 yards and three touchdowns and hitting Randy Moss on a perfect pass with one tick left in regulation to force overtime. But he's still not Brady — and never will be....Now, if it had come against the real New England Patriots, it would have been different. But this Patriots group that took the field on Thursday night — the group that has won half of its games against truly inept teams — is mediocre." (Most teams would take a mediocre team that went into OT, don't you think? I'll contact the NFL today and make sure they note this win was against the mediocre New England Patriots, Goodman.)

Funny, I didn't see this college basketball writer's analysis of the game last year when NE lost to the Jets who were playing without Jets' QB Chad Pennington. I wonder if that loss didn't count either?

Here's another good point BY ME. I don't recall the NE media dismissing credit to the Patriot's back ups during their 6 wins thus far this season (most of which were under Cassel), nor do I recall the NE media stating that this Jets' win was against a seasoned Cassel, not a back up in his first couple starts as the Patriot QB.

One more notable point - by MOI. Would Goodman and the NE media and fans have made this distinction between the "real Patriots" and their counterpart "back ups" if the Patriots had won? I don't think so. They would've said the Jets suck and can't even beat our 2nd team - AND we'll take the win, regardless of who got it.

b) Goodman questions Favre's comment that this is a "top win". STRIKE THREE.

"This one ranks right up there," Favre said. "In the moment it's easy to say, but it may be at the top."

Goodman said, "Are you serious? In an 18-year career filled with more than 40 4th-quarter comebacks, this victory ranks at the top? No chance."

Where does Goodman get off dictating what Brett Favre is feeling at the moment the Jets won? Was Goodman on the field? Did he play in the game? Jets, for one week, are #1 in the AFC East. Hadn't been there since 2001 or so. "In the moment" could mean Favre wants to bitch-slap Goodman, but what does Goodman know?

Three strikes. Out. You're a douche bag, Goodman. Like every other douche bag at FoxSports.com (except of course the commentors on Sunday morning - Howie, Terri...they're exceptional). And anyone - my friends or family, puppy dogs, the mentally challenged or even little newborn babies who take stock in anything this asshole has said above...is a douche bag as well. I don't follow college basketball but if you're observations are anything like they are for the NFL, your department is in serious trouble. My name is Jeff Ircink and if you have would like to debate anything I've said here, email me at irc_64@hotmail.com.

Keep your shit articles to yourself, Goodman. On the other hand, I would love to get an email from a real, live douche bag. Douche bag.

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Jets @ Pats. NFL Network. Tonite.

There's a lot of hype leading up to this evening's game. The Jets and Pats are tied for the lead in the AFC East division at 6-3...with New England holding the tie-breaker as they beat the Jets earlier in the season, 19-10 (not a stomping as some asshole sports writers would have you believe). Jets are a different team then they were the 2nd game of the season. Favre is feeling more comfortable with the Jets' playback and his players - and vice versa. The Jets' running game has gotten stronger. Their defense has picked it up. Brett's learning to "manage" the game and not just gunslingin' it all the time (which he will do).

More importantly, the Jets are gelling as a team behind the leadership of Favre and a fortified OLine and defense. Forget Brett's new to the team and still learning the system or that he's prone to INTs. The second Favre steps on that field the Jets feel they can win the game. Instant credibility. Instant cache. That comes with the legend that is Brett Favre - holder of every major QB record in the NFL (and then some). It is now innate with Favre. It's who he is.

So - the game. It's not a make or break for the Jets. That's not an excuse if they lose tonight. It's the reality of the situation. A Jets' loss isn't the end of their season. What a Jets' win DOES prove is that it's a statement as it pertains to their progress as a former 4-12 last season; a statement that they can dominate by playing all 4 quarters under a new QB and a number of new players on the OLine and the defense...and it can HELP define the rest of their season. But does aJets' loss to the Pats end their season? No.

I don't make predictions. Sports journalists make them because that's all they have to do and most are idiots. Predictions are for slow-minded, simple people. My dead grandfather can make a prediction about this game and he has a 50/50 chance of nailing it. So what. And if you're wrong, you come across (to me) as a moron. I obviously want my Jets to win, but I'll never publicly predict a score. 'Cause I'm not slow-minded, nor simple.

And after all, this is my blog and I'm always right. GO JETS! GO FAVRE! UNLEASH HELL ON COACH BELICHEAT AND HIS PATSIES!!!

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President-Elect Barack Obama. A "friend" to the black man?

The tide has taken a definite turn and a Democrat will sit in the White House for the first time in 8 years. And - Obama's the first black man to do it (well, 1/2 black, 1/2 white, with a questionable smattering of Middle Eastern for good measure). Interesting election.

My friend was listening to talk radio on his way into work this morning. A black woman was being interviewed. No doubt, she was excited about Obama's election. Her comments, however, left me - well, flabbergasted. I'm paraphrasing her, but she said something along the lines of, "I won't have to pay my gas. I won't have to pay my mortgage. President Obama's gonna help me out!".

Ignorance, unfortunately, knows no barriers.

I read an article last week, "What Obama Can't Change: Lives of Blacks", written by Jason Riley, a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial staff. Riley quotes economist Thomas Sowell, who spent decades researching racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. and abroad. Sowells's findings - in books like "Race and Culture: A World View," "Affirmative Action Around the World" and "Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?" - show that political activity generally has not been a factor in the rise of groups from poverty to prosperity.

"Empirically, political activity and political success have been neither necessary nor sufficient for economic advancement," writes Sowell. "Nor has eager political participation or outstanding success in politics translated into faster group achievement."

One of Riley's examples points out Obama's stance on educational - Obama opposes educational choice. This will have a negative impact on poor blacks, who tend to be the ones stuck in America's worst public schools. Mr. Obama opposes school vouchers that would allow low-income black parents to send their children to the type of private school where he sends his own daughters.

If the jubilant, black lady on the radio was hoping she'd get a school voucher from Obama in order to improve her lack of education, she's screwed. And by the way...Jason Riley is black.

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My FoxSports picket poster.

I have very strong inclinations to picket the FoxSports offices here in Los Angeles over the Jay Glazer article on Brett Favre. However, I believe the story is slowly dying and I don't want to adversely affect Brett or the Jets.

Still - I made up a mock picket poster. I like it. Should I? They asked for it.

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Definition of "HEARSAY".

(From Merriam Webster online) "hearsay evidence": evidence based not on a witness's personal knowledge but on another's statement not made under oath.

FoxSports.com columnist Jay Glazer's article on Brett Favre contained information that wasn't sourced to Jay himself, but by unnamed sources. Brett Favre's account of the same information in Jay's article comes from Brett himself.

This means Jay's article is based on hearsay, which is inadmissible in any court of law. Therefore, it's a piece of shit article and Jay Glazer is a piece of shit, yellow journalist.

FYI: Here's the Wikipedia definition of "yellow journalism". The definition includes such words as, "exaggerations of news events", "scandal-mongering", "sensationalism", (i.e. "VIDEO: Watch Favre's Denial!" or "Read the Story that got the Controversy Started!"), or "unprofessional practices by news media organizations or journalists" and "heavy reliance on unnamed sources".

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Open blog post to "certain" Green Bay Packer fans & the media.

Shut the hell up.

The Packers looked real good with heir Aaron Rogers last night. Dumb comment after only 3 games, right? Exactly my point.

Didn't watch the game. Boycotting the Pack until Favre retires and Thompson is ousted as GM. But to you idiots, like "writers" - Sean Crowe's rants., Nick Gourdoux's sophomoric tales., and Steve Zsaban knows it all. - who've been quick to pat Thompson and the the other 2 Wise Monkeys' backs for their decision to rid Green Bay of Brett Favre, perhaps you should wait until the season plays out fully before you rush to snap judgements in your blog posts and online columns.

Crowning Aaron Rogers a worthy successor to Favre and applauding the 3 Wise Monkeys for their PR debacle earlier in the season after just TWO GAMES (not including last night's game against Dallas) is idiotic and mental. Perhaps it wasn't FAVRE who couldn't beat the Dallas Cowboys during his tenure as Packer QB. Perhaps it's the GREEN BAY PACKERS team who can't beat the Cowboys.

I'm not saying Favre and the Jets will beat San Diego tonite. I'm not saying the Jets will go to he playoffs with Favre or that the Packers won't go to the playoffs with Rogers. I'm saying 'let the season play out' before you rub your magic ball and start making half-ass predictions. And just be quiet.

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"How to Speak 'Load Talk' ", by Jimmy & Boomer.

What's with some TV sports commentators suddenly showing up on-camera drunker than skunks, ready to go on-air and spew forth their football nonsense? What? Well, that's what it seemed like this past weekend.

After the Jets' 20-14 win Sunday, CBS' Boomer Esiason noted, "We saw the best of Brett Favre and the worst of Brett Favre," as well as saying in the pregame chatter that he was "more skeptical than ever" that Favre would succeed.

And - Fox's Jimmy Johnson said the Packers "couldn't wait to say goodbye" since Favre's skills had "deteriorated".

"Load talk" is talk between guys who've been drinking too much. This, according to my Uncle Fran, who experienced much of it (load talk) while attending UW-Oshkosh in the early 70's and hanging out with his frat buddies.

Boomer's "worst of Favre" quote was in reference to Brett's 22-yard jump ball for a TD on 4th and 13. Hey Boomer...were you watching the same game I was? Apparently not, 'cause you would've known that the Jets' kicker was out of commission and the worst that could've happened is Favre's intercepted and Miami gets the ball at the 20. Besides, at 4th and 13, a first down would have put the Jets at the 3-yard line or so anyway. Favre did EXACTLY what any QB would do in that situation. Should he have thrown a 5-yard pass to a receiver who gets tackled and turns the ball over that way OR go for the TD? You're an ex-QB, dummy. Think - don't drink.

And Jimmy??? Favre's skills "deteriorating"? That statement has either demensia or a bad heroin high written all over it. Boomer? "Skeptical" of Favre succeeding? Why don't you both shut the fuck up, watch the game and stay out of the Kool-aid that Packer GM Ted Thompson's been feeding you. While you're at it, just retire from broadcasting. Your comments are stupid and without foundation. One game into the season and I'm already ragging on the media, though I'm not surprised. Serenity now. Serenity now.

The media sucks.

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