OSG On Toronto Radio To Discuss ATL-to-WPG

The HQ appeared on "Norm at Night" to discuss the whole Atlanta-to-Winnipeg idea...

It was 25 minutes of riveting radio on Sirius...

And it's right here...

The "Big E" Eric Cohen and Stormin' Norm Rumack cursed while the HQ did not...

The Wild West Of Journalism and Blogging... And Where Paul Shirley Fits...

And where do the two really cross...

In the old days, we used to call "blogging" by another name- "writing a column."

We do it here, and it seems as the saying could go these days: Blogs are like a-holes... everybody has one... seemingly, that's true...

Anyone with an IP address, a computer, and an electrical outlet is making opinions and breaking stories because they can. A lot of the "breaking news" we see these days isn't based in fact. It's pinned down to gossip, rumor, innuendo, hearsay, and wishful thinking- sometimes a combination of any and/or all of those...

It can be a useful tool like Van Leeuwenhoek's movable type, or it can incite riots and make damn sure that there isn't any kind of repercussion for hateful and unsubstantiated speech.

We here at the HQ have made a point to use journalistic tendencies that we were taught when we were growing up- strange as that may seem to a lot of you. We know there are lives and actual people involved. There are reputations, jobs, and future jobs at stake for those who talk and those who are talked about.

The HQ has had plenty of stories come across its desk, but 99-percent of them have sat on the table not moving because of the factors we just discussed.

There are differences between opinion, name calling, and abject hatred.

Unfortunately, that line is being blurred in the wild west of the Internets... but a lot of people still cross it these days...

The latest high-profile example of this is professional basketball Paul Shirley. He had made a bit of a cult following for himself over at the four-letter's Internets hub. He knows music. He knows the life on the road as a basketball vagabond, and he is an extraordinarily talented writer.

But on his personal site on flipcollective, he drew a line he knew he shouldn't have crossed... even admitting as much in his opening paragraph.

He decided he wasn't going to donate to any Haiti relief efforts- his prerogative. The HQ knows people who have no interest in the idea because they feel Louisiana is still twisting in the breeze after Katrina- once again, understandable.

Totally...

He even used the hurricane as an example as to how the situation should have been addressed after the fact- even if some of his intel is, somewhat, inaccurate:

We were quick to vilify humans who were too slow to respond to the needs of victims, forgetting that the victims had built and maintained a major city below sea level in a known target zone for hurricanes. Our response: Make the same mistake again. Rebuild a doomed city, putting aside logic as we did.

And now, faced with a similar situation, it seems likely that we will do the same.

Shirley makes valid points about developmental tail-chasing in countries after disasters, but in his discourse to any nation who may be faced with this issue in the future he leapt over the line... his sarcasm not playing well at all.

Dear Haitians –

First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.

As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?

Sincerely,

The Rest of the World

And there's the rub in the diatribe...

While the notion of as Paul puts it "...the tired, knee-jerk cycle of aid/assist/rebuild would be replaced by a new one: Aid/assist/let’s-stop-and-think-before-we-screw-this-up-again..." while somewhat thoughtful and common-sensical is more Pollyanna-ish and unreachable.

We can only encourage case-by-case analysis of these issues, and the process has to be catch-as-catch-can or "If-Then."

Is Haiti in trouble... yep... always has been... government has always been by rule of a gun even though it's the first independent nation in Latin America and the only black-led republic in the world. That action came at the work of a slave rebellion.

But it's not for us to dictate policy as a republic to another republic that wants to find its way and reclaim its place after a horrific disaster of such catastrophic proportion- in whatever form that is...

Odds are, in financial terms, after Haiti gets on its collective feet the investment will be tenuous when it comes to future results. But "we don't know that yet."

Even if we have a gut feeling we already do...

Shirley's final point: "...children are brought into the world by their parents. Those parents have a responsibility – to themselves and to their kids – to provide. They have a responsibility to look around – before an earthquake happens – and say, “I need to improve this situation, because if a catastrophe were to happen, we’d be in bad shape.”

The people of whom I write are adults. Functional, human adults with functional, human adult brains. It is not too much to ask that they behave as such. That they stand up and say, “Yes, we screwed this up the first time. We are forever indebted to you. Now show us how we can do it right. So that, next time, we won’t need your help.”

But if you can't... going in to the game... adjust the mindset of the players or have the lesson plan sink in, the game will forever be flawed...and it's not your game to play. You're just a spectator unless you really want to step in to it...

Had Shirley made that point... and that above point alone... the earlier, careless reference in his open letter would have been unnecessary and moot.

The HQ enjoys Shirley's work. If he wants another roster to dance with, we'd be more than happy to host him.

But, rest assured, it's a zero tolerance policy with an AP style book in tow... the irresponsibly-phrased back seat driving done other places will never be done here...

Tearing Up Good Real Estate

Brother J-Dub Tuesday on the course at TPC Los Colinas on the Cottonwood Valley Golf Course teeing off at 18.



Not bad. Those of us back at the OSG HQ have seen better swings on a saloon door. We are digging the hat though.

Another Dirty Dozen

The Dozen is Back...

I know that I just went on a rant about how stupid early season polls are, but we here at the OSG have decided that we want to do them too. Because of that I have to give you a list. Though if things don't change, I may protest the 1st 5 weeks of the 2009 season on principle.

The 12...
1. Southern Cal (They were here last week and beating anyone from the ACC is like a scrimmage game)
2. Georgia (Losing Jeff Owens hurts, but the offense is pretty darn good)
3. Oklahoma (They don't play anyone, but if they did, they'd still be here)
4. Ohio State (Without Beanie, they'll be in trouble-I can't believe I'm talking about someone named Beanie)
5. Florida (They made Hawaii look bad too, but really, Hawaii is kinda bad)
6. LSU (Can you say Ryan who? They will be fine...for now)
7. Texas (I have them fairly high, we'll see if it lasts)
8. Missouri (No defense here, the offense is good, but if they can't stop anyone, they will eventually get beat)
9. Auburn (They are going to be tough, better as the year goes)
10. Alabama (Manhandled Clemson, but they may not be such a big deal now)
11. West Virginia (I just don't know if they are this good, not sold)
12. Lousiana Tech (Just because. Derek Dooley is a pretty good coach, not a team you will want to face this year)

The Fab 5 (or the worst of the worst)
5. Michigan (Ha Ha!)
4. Notre Dame (Just because)
3. Syracuse (Again, just because)
2. Dave Wannstedt (He couldn't win in the pros, he hasn't won in college)
1. The Winner for the worst of the Week- THE ACC. (Guys, if Clemson is the best you've got, you are in deep, deep doo-doo. Can't wait for Hoops already, eh!)

And there you have it.

We're Baaaaaaaaaaack!

Yes, we are back. The OSG is back and we are badder than ever. We’ve missed everyone over the past several months, but we are damn glad that you are coming back. For those of you new to us, sit down, get comfortable and take a look around - the OSG is Sports, all Sports, nothing but Sports all the damn time!

We’ve been Busy...

There’s been a lot going on, in all of our lives and jobs and everything in between. For me, hell, I’ve been all over the place, the adventures still continue and in some cases they’ve been stranger than ever.

February…

I’m skipping January because J-Dub graciously posted my story about the Georgia/Hawaii Football game (The Sugar Bowl). Take a look if you have a minute, it was a lot of fun and there were a couple of funny photos in there.

The other big story was the Falcons hiring yet another new coach, Mike Smith. When he was hired, there was a collective “Huh?”, but as we’ve gotten to know the guy, we’ve grown to like him and wish him nothing but the best of luck - he’s going to need it.

February as usual was Braves Spring Training. Spring Training is always a lot of fun, probably one of my favorite things to cover and there are always a ton of interesting and fun stories to tell. This year, intrepid Sports Anchor Mark Harmon and I got to meet the Quilt Lady, she and her friends were a hoot. Their main objective- to get everyone who plays for the Braves to sign the Quilt.

There were a few other good laughs in there, family dinner with the other TV Crews is always a highlight, and this year was really special. It was WSB-TV Sports Anchor Bill Hartman’s last, he’s retiring in September (future column and possible OSG Radio Interview). Bill spent the evening at the Columbia Restaurant telling stories from when he got in the business back around 1969 or 70. Very cool stuff about things like Jerry Quarry and Muhammed Ali, historical stories, things that have never been talked about much, I can’t say enough about how much fun it is to hear Bill tell these stories.

March…

March, well, it certainly lived up to the “March Madness” nickname. Brother Wilkie touched on the Tornado-strewn SEC Basketball tournament, I was there as well and let me just say, “I’ve seen a lot of things, but I damn sure ain’t seen anything like that.” It was just a scheduling fluke that I wasn’t at the Georgia Dome when the tornado hit, with Georgia playing late (after 10pm) we decided not to go because we couldn’t turn anything for the 11pm News.

Standing on the floor of Georgia Tech’s basketball arena watching the SEC tournament on that Saturday had to be one of the most surreal things I’ve ever seen. Seeing Georgia win the first game against Kentucky wasn’t much of a surprise, you could tell 5 minutes in that it was going to happen. Seeing them win, then beat Mississippi State 4 hours later…no way. Seeing them win the next afternoon over Arkansas…never.

Three days later, I found myself on the floor of the (_____ insert phone company here) Arena in Washington D.C watching the Bulldogs prepare to play Xavier in the first round of the NCAA tournament and the only thing I could think was, "How the hell did this happen?"

April…

April didn’t offer tons of relief. Masters Week came a week later than normal, but it came…and went…and was over before we knew it. There really wasn’t a whole lot of intrigue or excitement, the tournament just kind of happened. I guess for lack of anything else, the highlight of the week was the new and improved press dining area (yes, they have one of those). It actually had food other than the traditional bagged sandwiches and it was pretty good.

The biggest of the strange sights of the past few months would have to be the Hawks and the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs. I’ve got to say, if you had said “How are the Hawks going to do against the Celtics in the Playoffs?” I would have said “They are going to get swept.” Well, not only did that not happen, they gave the city of Atlanta and the NBA world notice, “You better take us seriously.” I’ve got to say, the sight of a full Philips Arena and the deafening sound of the crowd was one of the most exciting settings I’ve been around in a long time. For game 3, I turn around and right behind me on the floor, Rapper T.I. and a little later I saw Jermaine Dupri in the crowd. There were old Hawks and new Falcons; it was an actual event surrounding a basketball game, something not seen in a long, long time in Atlanta.

The other highlight would be the NFL Draft. The Falcons picked former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. Again, there were more than a few raised eyebrows over that one, but the more we see and interact with Ryan, the more we believe that he just may be the “Real Deal” (No, not Evander Holyfield).

May…

There hasn’t, thankfully, been as much going on in May and that quite frankly is a good thing. There have been the traditional Braves stories, a few football stories and a few other odds and ends - but no holy crap moments.

Today…

This brings us to today, the grand, triumphant return of the OSG. Hopefully it will be more successful than other such returns like the Four Horseman or Degeneration X but only time will tell. We just want you to keep reading, keep checking us out and keep in touch. We’ve got a lot of things that we are working on, if they are successful, you’ll be seeing us a lot more often in a bunch more places. Yes, like everyone else on the Internet, we have a plan for Global Domination, the plan is still coming together, but with your help it WILL come to fruition and we will be able to entertain and inform in the best way possible.

--Phil Cantor

"The time has come, my song is over, thought I’d something more to say”- Time (Pink Floyd)

Cold Pizza Fight

OK, this is flippin' hilarious, and you have GOT to listen to this...

Actor and Chicago Bears' fan Michael Clarke Duncan (left) and sports reporter Skip Bayless get into a heated fight about Duncan's love and knowledge of the Chicago Bears, on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza."

My favorite line of the whole rant was from Skip: "Michael, if you're a Bear superfan, then Ricky Bobby was a genius."

Shake and bake, baby!

--John V. Wood

Mystify Me...

Mystify…

Okay, can someone please explain to me how of all people…Chan Gailey became a hot “NFL” coaching commodity? Yes, I know that he’s now been ruled out in Pittsburgh (1/16). But what I want to know is how does he get to that level to begin with?

It’s who you know...

I guess in a way, this proves without any question that the NFL is very much a closed fraternity.

This past week on our Count/Pointercount “7 in 7” segment, Gil Tyree explained the coaching tree that helped carry Bobby Petrino to the Atlanta Falcons. He explained the connections and evolution that brought Petrino through to the place that he is now. (Or as Jon says “At least until the next job”)

It really is Carousel...

Yeah, it really is. Coaches go in to be “Re-Born” and come out with new or better jobs. Heck if you are Jim L. Mora...you get fired one week and are interviewing by the end of the same week for a job.

Believe it or not, there is sort of precedence for all of this. I don’t know how many of you followed the NBA in the late 70’s and through the 80’s, but look at what they did with coaches as a prime example.

Take for instance - Kevin Loughery. Loughery somehow managed to coach in the NBA for 22 years. In that time, he coached 6 NBA teams and had a career winning percentage of 41. Yet he kept getting jobs! Guys like him, Stan Albeck, Gene Shue and Bill Fitch…made careers of bouncing around the league as coaches.

Weren’t we talking about Gailey?

Yes, we were talking about Chan Gailey. Gailey is another example of what I just spoke about. He got his interview with Pittsburgh because rather than recommend a former assistant coach for the job…former Steeler Head Coach Bill Cowher recommended Gailey. Same thing in Miami, he got the interview because after his stint as Offensive Coordinator in 2000, he stayed friendly with the owner Wayne Huizenga. In fact, his chief competition for the Miami job is none other than Jim L. Mora.

Don’t get me wrong. Chan Gailey is a good man and a solid football coach. He’s been at Georgia Tech for 5 years and had modest success there. Tech is not a national powerhouse any more in Football (though the fans think they are), but rather a good team that on a given day might surprise someone.

The problem with Gailey is this. He’s a solid coach…not a great coach. It’s not a positive thing for him that neither the Yellow Jackets administration nor the fan base is concerned with his name cropping up for other jobs. In fact – his boss, Dan Radakovich was quoted as saying “If something happens, we’re prepared to deal with it.” What does that mean? Who knows?

Ad Nauseam…

I know that we’ve gone over and over and over these stories the past couple of weeks. But you know what? It, in a way, has become a sport of its own. “Spin the Wheel…and find out where your favorite coach has landed.” All that would be missing is Wink Martindale to be holding the long skinny microphone and then you too, can find out where your coach will be today.

NOTE: The latest name to surface for the Miami Dolphins job…Mike Shula. How ironic would that be? In the span of a month Shula could be hired to replace the guy (lying Nick Saban) who replaced Shula after he got fired. Get it? No…I don’t get it either.

--Phil Cantor

“The time has come, my song is over, thought I’d something more to say” Time- (Pink Floyd)

The Big C...

I know I haven’t written in a while...

The whole "hearing-my-voice" thing instead seemed to take off - and we’ve stuck with it...

But there is a reason this time... important to me - and it probably should be to you. Not necessarily for the same reasons, but important nonetheless...

The Big C...

My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer a few months ago...

He was having problems with his stomach that he thought were more related to angina or something like that. Turns out- it wasn’t that way at all...

A year ago he was diagnosed with anemia. Doctors treated the anemia, but ((and, from this moment on, is strictly opinion without a whole lot of basis in fact)) failed to follow up or dig a little deeper into what could be the genesis of the problem.

His stomach ailments got worse and, then, when he went back to the doctors they asked a simple question.

"When was the last time you had a colonoscopy?"

His answer was "never."

The physician looking him over strongly suggested one, and they found a tumor the size of a softball in his intestines. 17 days later, he was operated on. The tumor was removed. They took out half of his intestines, more than two-dozen lymph nodes and one of two cysts near his tailbone.

And Thursday was his first day of 6 months of chemotherapy.

He asked, at the time of the operation, how long it would take for a tumor to grow to that size. The physicians told him "ten years." I would have, personally, taken 9 years of growth, and a little personal responsibility from a doctor instead of 10 years and a substantial operation.

But that’s in the past... I can still be hot about it as a pre-cursor for behavioral patterns. But the tumor was pulled, and that’s one of the important things here.

It’s not the first time I’ve been through chemo with someone I love, and it won’t be the last. I have experience in an area that I don’t want, and wished I didn’t need.

We were supposed to show up at 6:30 in the morning. The session was scheduled for six hours or so. But the people at his hospital have a different schedule for their own work hours. The Radiology/Oncology Infusion Room wasn’t set to open until 8. It’s good to know that hospital operational consistency is consistent throughout the country.

My dad had a chemo port installed under his right collar bone about ten days ago, which made the process a little easier. The inserting of the needle isn’t, really, for the squeamish. I’ve known people who have had to have it done through veins in their arm. Nurses have been known to misfire and create chemo burns, which are worse than 3rd Degree, that evolve from the inside out. Think of the inside of your arm being on fire, and you can’t do anything about it. That’s a chemo burn.

After a consultation with his personal Oncologist, he went to sleep and the nurses did their thing for most of the morning. I went back home, worked out, watched some soaps, and waited for the six hours to wrap up. But it really doesn’t wrap up after that.

He had a take-home test.

dot...dot...dot...

They gave him a fanny pack with more chemotherapy medicine in it. He had to wear it for 48 hours as the last segment of the "First Time." He had to get used to wearing it, sleeping with it, and showering with it.

The medicine they gave him ((insert irony here)) - 5-FU...

So, the moral here...?

Simple- get tested...

I’m, admittedly, a few years away from my first scheduled test. So, I know it’s on my list of things to do down the line.

And I’m not just telling guys to get tested on colon cancer. Get everything squared away- regular check-ups, learn your family history, know how things may progress on both sides of the family.

And the irony in my family...?

My dad is going through what his father went through later in his life. My aunt is going through the possible pre-cursors of heart disease that felled their mother.

He’s moved through the first par in one piece, and that’s a good thing.

But there aren’t good things that happen all the time.

And that’s what next time is all about...

Play it safe, everyone...I’ll talk to you soon...

--Jon Nelson

Everything Looks So Small...

At 39,000 feet, you get to think about a lot of things.

Most of the time, I can fall asleep during the pre-flight instructions when I’m going from story to story. You run around, and run around some more. You learn how your body works, and you learn how to work around your schedule.

But on two particular flights, I really couldn’t sleep. I had more thinking to do than trying to figure out if I can hold off on going to the bathroom before the pilots can turn off the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign.

Especially from the window seat...

Everything Looks So Small...

I’m quite skeptical of doctors in general… They have under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, neglected, and covered more ass than Levi Strauss. Something diagnosed as an ulcer turns into, actually, ovarian cancer. And I can see where the world changed. When we turned into such a litigious society people started looking out for themselves.

I’m clumsy and spilled hot coffee on myself, but it’s your fault.

I’ve tripped and fallen, but it’s your fault.

My father had to wade through a "legal analysis." Before the Medical Center he’s seeking treatment in would operate, they had to figure out their "official" diagnosis. What in the hell is there to analyze... ? He has cancer. You operate. You treat. You try to conquer. What’s to analyze... ?

I’ll tell you what there is to analyze. The idea of "How Can I Cover My Ass" so I don’t get sued...

And, then, there’s the idea of Doctoring By Omission.

I’ll paraphrase what my father’s Oncologist told him about his most recent round of CT and PET scans. He told us that the tumor markers hadn’t changed in size or element- which is good. But there is the one area that isn’t getting chemo that they can’t get to. They can’t see how, or if, the cyst near his tailbone will spread, metastasize or both.

He admitted they don’t have the technology to look at it. This is a Top Five cancer hospital in the country, but will remain nameless, that has openly just admitted to me that they can’t treat everything all at once. They can’t look at multiple cancerous areas that need treatment. But, they can surely hope things haven’t moved by the end of the 6-month chemotherapy cycle.

Which brought an interesting point-of-view from my brother... He thinks there is a conspiracy at foot to make sure things will stay in their favor to keep us under their thumbs until further notice. They treat one aspect of his illness, but don’t treat another- on purpose. This way, they can figure out that they have a "perpetual patient" on their hands and in his wallet.

Interesting theory... one, I’m sure, that has crossed a lot of other people’s minds over time.

They can’t flip him over like a pancake and check on things. But they can make sure they’re late, give us the wrong instructions, and give us confusing directives, if not other things I haven’t quite thought of yet, either. If you can’t tell, I’m a little more than annoyed.

And the one area that can’t be looked at is the one we all thought, initially, would be the one pounded by the chemotherapy. So much for introducing logic into the situation...

The fact that English seemed to be the second language of some, if not most, of the nursing staff didn’t really help matters off the top, either. Imagine trying to get explanations of your father’s chemotherapy play-by-play from someone whom considered English as their learned, and not native, tongue. Instructions and end results all given to you through thick dialects. Concentrating is hard enough as it is for something like this...

And I get that...? I know they all try very hard and want to make things better for not just my family, but countless others, but there are some elements of the process that would be infinitely easier if...

Just if...

dot...dot...dot...

When you're in the Infusion Room, you see how cancer has affected different people in different ways.

There are people who are just starting out (like my dad). There are those who seem to be veterans of the whole thing. And there are those who are, seemingly, beaten down by the whole process. There are those who kick back in the easy chairs. There are those who have lost their hair, wear the bandana, and have lost an incredible amount of weight.

Bottom line- they just look "over the whole f**kin' thing."

The one thing that sticks in my mind during that day more than anything was that Luke and Laura’s second wedding from "General Hospital" was on the television of one of my dad’s new bunk mates. I remember where I was when they married the first time. And I’ll remember where I was the second time.

One scene in particular hangs with me. Laura was forgetting little things like direction and location. Her short-term memory was going away- the by-product of the medication she was taking wearing off. Helena Cassadine appears from nowhere to explain to Laura, in no uncertain terms, that before the rose petals fell from her hair after the ceremony- she wouldn’t remember the happiness of the day at all.

She would be the person she was before she was revived- catatonic and listless...

Helena then snapped her fingers... and walked away.

It would all go away- like that...

And it did...

Makes you wonder...

Life is a vapor, they say. It’s like trying to grab a hold of a contrail from an airplane passing overhead.

We are all just passengers on the plane. And when it lands, it lands.

Whether we like it or not... and it’s not one of my favorite lessons to have re-emphasized to me...

Play it safe, everyone...I’ll talk to you soon...

--Jon Nelson