Michael, Manny & Oscar

Some days I sit here and wonder what it is I want to talk about and nothing jumps out…this is one of those days. Sure I could kill a minute or so commenting on Tuesday’s Michael Jackson Memorial, an outrageous example of excessiveness that probably best sums up what we have become.

I mean was it really necessary for a good portion of the free world to stop what they were doing and for every TV network to show you celebrity after celebrity fawning over a person who was a virtual recluse for a good portion of his life? Does anyone question the first real public appearance by his children coming on a stage in front of thousands of people including a tearful goodbye from his 11-year old daughter? I might even venture to say Michael himself would have been opposed to that. Sorry but count me among those who had a tough time dealing with the entire event although thank goodness it’s over….it is over isn’t it?

I could spend some time on the disgraceful way ESPN and others handled the return of baseball player Manny Ramirez. He of course just returned from a 50-game drug suspension but the way ESPN treated the story you would think the Dodgers slugger had fought his way back from cancer treatments. From his minor league warm-up games to his major league return it was like “all hail the king.” Ramirez, in his fourth game back last night was ejected by the home plate umpire after throwing his batting helmet and other gear following a called strikeout. Of course this will be laughed at as “Manny being Manny” and he can continue to go on being a great role model and shining example of what’s wrong with professional sports today.

I have a few more lines here so let me mention the death of Oscar G. Mayer at age 95. He did not die of a drug overdose or was not shot by a scorned girlfriend….rather he passed away of old age. He was the third in a line of Oscars…his grandfather Oscar F. Mayer founded the meat processing company maybe best known for their jingle “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.” Too bad they didn’t have a memorial service for him…there are plenty of hot dogs who would have attended.