Monday, October 31, 2011

Quick Hits: Volume XLIII

-Has any newspaper or blog yet come up with the headline "Herman caned?"

I digress.

GOP Presidential hopeful Herman Cain was revealed to have been accused of sexually harassing two women while in charge of the National Restaurant Association in the early '90s. What seemed to put Cain in a rather precarious position is that his company agreed to financial settlements with his accusers. But as Ed Morrissey pointed out, that does not necessarily prove guilt either.

If the settlements exist (Cain later admitted they did - ed.), and if they pertain to sexual harassment, then it’s certainly fair game for the media. This would differ from the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill allegations, as Hill never reported Thomas contemporaneous to the supposed harassment (and continued working for him after they supposedly occurred). The two settlements would indicate that the women involved undertook action contemporaneous to the claims, which is more substantial than Hill’s behavior. However, it’s not clear from the story whether the settlements themselves are settled legal complaints, or merely small golden parachutes that don’t make any reference to the reason for the departure of the two women.


Will this ultimately derail Cain's campaign? Hard to say at this point. From what I've been able to tell, Cain and his staff have handled this situation about as well as could be expected when conducting their expeditious responses.


-Perhaps the country's most famous socialite, Kim Kardashian, has filed for divorce from NBA player (and Minnesota native) Kris Humphries. Said filing took place on only day 72 of the marriage.

What really drives me nuts about these high-profile (and dysfunctional) marriages falling apart is the lamenting of the pro-gay marriage crowd. They squawk about how couples like Kardashian-Humphries or Tiger Woods-Elin Nordegren are allowed to marry but same-sex couples continue to be denied that same opportunity. Meaning what? If gays are allowed to marry that suddenly society will have unlocked the long lost secret to a solid union? Or perhaps if Kim Kardashian had just married her pal Paris Hilton, then all would have worked out OK? I know fans of....ahem....."amateur adult films" would be all aboard for that particular hookup.


-This NFL season, the Detroit Lions have been one of the surprise success stories in the first half of the 2011 campaign. After enduring a decade of absolutely wretched football, the Lions have started out 6-2, mainly due to young quarterback Matthew Stafford staying healthy combined with one of the more aggressive defensive lines, which is anchored by possibly the NFL's most feared defensive tackle in Ndamukong Suh.

But perhaps the most spectacular achievement by the Lions this season is they may actually have swayed me to root for the Green Bay Packers in two games this season. While the Lions' talent is undeniable, they have also become one the more arrogant (bordering on thuggish) teams in the NFL. From starting a brawl prior to their week seven game against Atlanta to their mocking Denver QB Tim Tebow's faith this past weekend, the Lions strike me as a very unlikable bunch.

So come Thanksgiving Day as well as the NFL regular season finale, I may actually root for the Green Bay Packers both those weeks when they oppose the Lions. Yes, Christmas miracles have come early this year.

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5 comments:

Gino said...

i've learned to largely ignore the sports press. they are no different than the entertainment press, with a need to gin up controversy and create saints and sinners where none exists.

they HAVE to, in order to stay relevent and employed.

i've read about the evil dirty player Suh is known to be, i also know that all these hard hits are part of football. the guy is NOT a dirty player.
i've seen replays of his atrocities, only to see that he was being flagged for nothing.

maybe i'm a lil partial. my son played NT, against at least four players who made it to the NFL (mark sanchez is one/nick reed of the bears is another) he knows what tough fotball is and what is dirty or not, and has been too often on the recieving end of unflagged dirty stuff.
he admires Suh, becuase he isnt dirty while still instilling fear.
my boy is my go-to on this one.

so, yeah, all this bad lions press is just press to me. it means nothing in the real world.

Brad Carlson said...

I don't form my opinions by soaking in the views of the sports press. I saw the Lions start a brawl with the Atlanta Falcons prior to their game, and thus believe they trash-talked QB Matt Ryan while he was hurt. I witnessed those jackasses on the Detroit defense mock Tim Tebow's expression of his faith.

It's one thing to play with confidence and energy. But I think it's rather pathetic that a franchise who has averaged about 3 wins per season over the past decade struts around like they've accomplished something. They've had a nice start to a regular season. Nothing more.

And for the record, I never said Suh was a dirty player. In fact, I like his game and sure wish he was playing for my favorite club.

W.B. Picklesworth said...

One thing that can certainly be said for the Lions, the start to their 2011-2012 campaign has created more buzz than any Lion season in recent (heck, distant) memory.

Gino said...

i'm sure tebow wasnt damaged by the mocking. when you make public spectacle of your faith rituals you invite a certain amount of 'spetacle' in return.

if you cant take it, dont display it. he's not the first or only Christian playing football, but he likes to show it the most.

Brad Carlson said...

I'm sure Tebow wasn't damaged either, Gino, and mocking him will not deter his public displays. But that said, the jerkoffs on the Lions' defense still came across as extremely classless and petty.