Odds & Sods

Well, things are all jolly between Odds and Sods. Both are tanned, ready, rested and back with a vengeance. However, if you are offended easily than this is the spot to rock out. Actually, I would like to stir the pot today and piss off at least one person, so maybe it's better that if you are someone that gets all bothered quite easily, you should really keep reading, or you can always just kindly exit stage left and try not to let the door hit you where the good Lord split you! Of course, this doesn't apply to any of the people I actually know who read my blog, just you know, those anonymous posters. Pesky bunch! So just who was it that pissed in my Cheerios this morning?

NEWS
Today marks 26 years since the Iranian hostage crisis ended. It just makes me sick that the media still falls all over itself to put that bastard Jimmy Carter on television. The former President's recent book shows a man who is bitter and an obvious anti-Semite. His Administration is without question the worst in the history of this country. In fact, we are still paying the price for his follies in dealing with Iran. Let's not even go into Carter being "stunned" when Soviet tanks rumbled over the Afghan border and ultimately into Kabul.

Jimmy Carter failed to support the Reza Shah of Iran which allowed the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to return from exile, which he spent in the land of the timid, also known as France.

The Shah was not a great guy by any means, however, he was much more friendly to the West and did not exhibit the violence that Khomeini would come to foment on a regular basis. The Ayatollah during his exile was able to circulate audio tapes with his anti-American rhetoric, which led to things such as the hostage crisis and a sudden surge in his popularity.

Iran is a major problem and again I don't seem to hear any pragmatic solutions from either political party in this country. But why am I not surprised...

I am soooo sick of this stuff about the Saddam execution; that is was a disgrace, messy, undignified. OK once again to our friends in Europe and elsewhere: It was a freakin' execution not a fucking tea party!!!!

You know I'm just really shocked that Hillary is going to run for President, I thought she would surely finish out her term as U.S. Senator. Silly me!

SPORTS
The NHL All-Star break is upon us which means we are in the dead of winter. It is winter, isn't it? So who do I think is the best team in the NHL right now? You might guess that I am going to say Buffalo or Anaheim, but no I am going to stick with that team from across the Hudson, the New Jersey Devils. They need one or two more players before the deadline that would help them to have a long run this spring. A guy that the Devils should target is Miroslav Satan. He would fit in perfect, and not just because of his name, but the guy is fast and is a natural goal scorer. If the Isles fall out of contention for a playoff spot, I expect Satan to get dealt.

The St. Louis Blues will definitely be sellers at the deadline, but buyer beware is urged. There are a lot of aging superstars on that team who are malcontents at best. Exhibit A: Keith Tkachuk.

Speaking of St. Louis, it was good to hear our old buddy Dave Checketts on with Mike and the Mad Dog last week to talk some soccer. Checketts (who leads a group that owns the St. Louis Blues and Real Salt Lake) was absolutely giddy over David Beckham. Meanwhile, Mike Francesa said that he never watches soccer and can't remember the last time he put it on for even a second. But that didn't stop Mr. Genius from telling Checketts and anyone else who was listening what he thought was wrong with soccer in America. Thanks Mike, anything else you would like to blow hard about, kindly give me some notice.

MSG's Fifty Greatest Moments will air tonight on NBC at 7 and then again on MSG Monday night at10 with the top five. I'm betting it's the Rangers' Cup victory, but a case can be made for Ali-Frazier, being that it was truly an international event. I'm interested to see how the top five shake out.

Back to the NHL All-Star Game, funnyman and good guy Denis Leary has put together a concert down in Dallas to benefit the Leary Firefighters Foundation. Click on his name if you want to know more...

ENTERTAINMENT
Well, I was forewarned by a friend of mine. When ECW was revitalized in the late spring of 2006, he told me it would only be a matter of time before Vince McMahon ruined it. Guess, what? ECW is officially ruined! As a result of Paul Heyman - also known as Paul E. Dangerously - being fired, the "extreme" has been taken out of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Heyman, a Scarsdale native, is the Godfather of ECW and invented the brand of wrestling that everyone else mimicked. It began in the mid 90s in a pool hall in Philly and injected much need life into pro wrestling, which at the time had become stale and very predictable. Yes, even something staged like wrestling can be unpredictable. ECW has become too much like the Raw and Smackdown brands and has lost its edginess. I'm betting it folds by the summer. Hopefully, Paul E. will resurface with something that is more like the old EC'FNW!

Finally, alright I'll admit I have a love-hate relationship with Rachael Ray. The chipmunk-cheeked t.v. star matches her beauty with her uncanny ability to take annoyingness to new heights.

Cheers!