Worse Human Being: Mark Blount or Charles Manson?

Welcome to a new feature we’re running here at Game Four called Worse Human Being. In it, we take two awful people and compare and contrast them on a number of different levels to determine which is the worse human being and most deserving of our scorn. In our inaugural debate, we’ll be looking at Minnesota Timberwolves “basketball player” Mark Blount and infamous cult leader Charles Manson. Let’s go to the tape!

Name: Charles Manson

Vitals: November 12, 1934 – Present

Famous For: Organizing a cult that would commit the famous Manson-Tate murders; being a complete psychopath.

Little Known Fact: Wanted to be a musician. He was actually a friend of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson and the Beach Boys recorded a song Manson wrote.

Case for Being a Terrible Human Being: Inspired this. Oh, and that whole cult/murder thing.

Name: Mark Blount

Vitals: November 30, 1975 – Present

Famous For: Being this person’s doppelganger; “playing” basketball; chewing gum; having concrete blocks in place of human hands.

Little Known Fact: Has actually recorded 21 rebounds in one game. No, really!

Case for Being a Terrible Human Being: The man doesn’t give a rat’s ass about anybody but himself. Put together a run of “slightly above mediocre-ness” long enough in the 2003-2004 season to trick the Boston Celtics into giving him a large contract (6 years, $39 Million), then proceeded to not put forth any effort again. Following a trade, he then proceeded to blast the Celtics for 16 points and 10 (!) rebounds in his first game against his former team, skipping down the court like a jackass and showing something that I almost mistook for emotion—before realizing it was Mark Blount and that he was incapable of such things (similar to rebounding).

Verdict: This is a tough one. Here we have a man who is responsible for unspeakable atrocities, of whose name brings about cringing for an entire group of people! And we also have Charles Manson, who seems like a pretty bad guy too. I don’t know. I guess I’ll say Manson. But not by much.

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Did you realize....

It may have minimal to do with professional, college, or even amateur sports, but I felt people needed to know. Did you realize that Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer? Apparently it's true. Learn more about your favorite action star at chucknorrisfacts.com. After all, kickboxing's a sport right?

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Bid High and Bid Often

According to the Seattle Times the Seahawks have some business savvy fans. Someone bought a hot dog during the Seahawks/Panthers game last weekend and is saving it...for the lucky winner of their ebay auction.

The dog also has its own MySpace account for added publicity. It's been vacuum sealed and placed in a freezer for "freshness". mmmmmmm In the words of Homer Simpson, "This better be the best tasting [hot dog] ever." Apparently it also comes with a "Super Bowl win money-back guarantee" and a free t-shirt, so the winning bidder will get more than just a $4 hot dog for their 10 grand. At least they have that going for them, which is nice.

People will buy (or bid on) anything. This is getting somewhat ridiculous. Personally, I don't blame the guy selling it, I think it's ridiculous that someone with a positive Ebay rating has actually bid that much on it. If he actually collects he's the smartest "get rich quick" schemer in the state of Washington. He's taken the appropriate actions to insuring he gets paid, reviewing bidder before allowing them to post. I hope he gets his money and I hope the person who buys the dog puts a lot of ketchup on it.

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Javy Lopez Wants Out of Baltimore...or More Money. Whichever Comes First

According to the Baltimore Sun, Javy Lopez, the Baltimore Orioles Catcher, reportedly either wants an extension or a trade to a team that will let him catch more often (although it looks like San Diego is no longer an option). Word has it that the 35 year old Lopez is seeking an extension somewhere around $24 million for 3 years. Just for reference, Lopez is currently operating under a 3 year, $22.5 million contract he signed 2 years ago. Lopez’s numbers the season before he signed that contract? .328 Average, 43 HR’s, 109 RBI’s, and an OPS of 1.065. Outstanding numbers, especially out of the Catcher position.

Lopez’s numbers last year? .278 average, 15 HR’s, 49 RBI’s, and an OPS of .780. Hmmm…I’m not so sure he’s earned that raise just yet.

Here’s my point: When did it become perfectly acceptable for average to slightly-above-average players to start dictating their terms of employment? Lopez is an aging player at a position that by it's very nature dictates that players at this position age rather poorly, and now he wants a raise from a contract that was signed following a career year?

To put this in perspective, Bengie Molina, who put up numbers eerily similar to Lopez’s 2005 numbers (.295, 15, 69, .782) and is also 4 years younger than Lopez, still has had no luck as he seeks out a 2 year deal in the neighborhood of $12 million. In other words, Molina can’t find a job despite the fact that he is younger, cheaper, and as good (if not better) offensively as Lopez, yet Javy thinks he can demand an extension that will pay him about $8 million a year until he is 38.

Good luck with that one, Javy.

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Snippets

Happy Birthday Arena League Football

NFL Network is gunna start showing NFL games. What a concept.

The Cleveland Indians finished their trade with Boston and Philly and now may be in discussion with the Reds now that they have a new owner and interim-GM. Who's next? Jeff Weaver maybe?

Remember when there were thousands of different baseball card companies? Now there's only two.

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Boost In Public Appeal?

For those who missed it during the NFL playoffs, here's the TO Boost Mobile commercial.

For the record, it was supposed to be a one-time only airing on CBS during the divisional round of the NFL playoffs (ended up airing during the Patriots/Brocnos game) but it aired again during the AFC Championship game.

My question is, who does this help more? Terrell Owens or Boost Mobile? I mean, I know it's been announced and a lot of people have heard of it via different mediums, and I'm sure the new boostmobile.net site has gotten plenty of hits since the commercial has aired, but really isn't the point of a TV commercial to have it on TV? As much as you can afford so that it is seen by the most amount of people possible?

And as for TO, do you think he came to Boost Mobile and pitched this idea himself? Just to promote himself as a big time competitor? This has got to be his idea right? I don't get it, does he think NFL coaches and GM's are watching this ad and saying to themselves, "man, he IS a competitor, he's not as big a problem as Andy Reid made him out to be in Philly. Let's give him a shot". I kinda think Boost Mobile made out in this deal.

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Snippets

Is Barry Bonds really going to be able to put up with cameras on him even when he's not on the field?

I think its a bit early to start naming your kid after Ben Roethlisberger

Pat Borders, former World Series MVP for the Blue Jays, is still playing...kinda

Mike Martz still might coach in the NFL, just not in just not in St. Louis.


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Relinquishing Ricky

Boston says goodbye to a fan favorite and gets an all-star that hasn't been fully healthy for two seasons. Ricky Davis had a few issues in Cleveland but really became a basketball icon in Beantown. He always stepped it up in the 4th quarter. He was a good guy all around, donating some time to charity events and being open to fans.

Don't get me wrong, Wally Szczerbiak's good, and it's never bad to have another future 1st round pick, but people love Ricky in Boston. He'll be missed on and off the court. I think Ainge knows what he's doing, I really do. I just hope it shows next year for everyone in Boston to see.

Here's what Peter May of the Boston Globe has to say about it


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Adult Little League?

Well, I was, well, I still am a big supporter of the World Baseball Classic. I think its a fine endeavor. I really do. Especially since baseball was taken out of the Olympics, I think its the best way to expand the sport most people love. Baseball is nowhere near the level of World soccer is, but the WBC is a step in the right direction. I just hope it's not hosted in the US every time it comes around. I also hope it lasts a little longer than the XFL did.

The pitch count...fine. There's too many MLB players in this thing and you know what, they've got too much to loose. Wait, scratch that, their backers (the MLB teams that pay their salary) have too much to lose if they blow out an arm in what some look at as a meaningless alternative to Spring Training. Well you know what, what's the difference between this and someone like Miguel Tejada playing ball in the Dominican Winter Ball league? Not a whole much. The mercy rule...whatever. If a team doesn't want this to come into effect, then don't let it. Like it's been said before, "if you don't like it, stop us". At the same time, perhaps if the players involved care enough about the competition they won't allow the rule to come into effect. My thoughts is that if I'm on the team blowing the other out of the water, I think about letting up so to help the state of the WBC for the future. But then again, maybe that a big reason I have nothing to do with playing in major league baseball.

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Not Just Penny Slots

According to Guerrilla Sports, Brad Penny isn't satisfied with just chugging milk for money.

Isn't this just the adult version of what every little kid used to do at recess? Or what college kids still do at frat parties? So, because it's Brad Penny setting it up it's a hit. At least he's spending the off-season productively. The Dodgers must be very proud. If anyone can find out what the record over there is for catching the chicken event, please let me know. Thanks.

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Can't We Just Get Along

Well, apparently Larry Lucchino and Theo Epstein can. They sat down together and discussed a few Red Sox issue. Theo claims there was never a "power struggle" and admits he made the wrong move with Renteria last off-season. It's a long article, and both men are very PR savvy, but it still makes for an interesting read if you're bored at work and you're boss isn't around.

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Captain, No Captain

Ozzie Guillen likes Paul Konerko. A lot. Apparently he's already announced that he is planning on making Konerko the captain of the defending champs for the 2006 season. Only one problem, Konerko doesn't want the title. He doesn't want to be singled out, he doesn't want to wear the "C", and he doesn't want to mess with the team chemistry that helped the team win their first World Series championship since 1917. Ozzie, here's a simple PR tip for you, discuss your plans with the player BEFORE announcing it to the media. There's no point in bringing to light a somewhat controversial issue to the public if it isn't going to happen anyway.

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Getting Old

I thought we were past this fad. About 7 or 8 years ago it was the biggest thing to have a "laser pointer". Every kid had one. My little brother wined and squealed until he got one. They had different patterns and different laser strengths. They were AWESOME. Then someone said they were dangerous. They could ruin your eyes. No kid cared. They'd point them at anyone at anytime. You'd see them at concerts. You'd see them at movies theaters. You'd see them in schools. Then they disappeared. I thought they were gone, for good. Now this happens. Ridiculous. Listen, I'm sorry you route for one of the worst teams in the NBA, but don't take it out on one of the league's best players while he's trying to take free throw shots. Get a life and put the laser pointer away.

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Can a Kid do the Kidnapping?

Ok, I know its the first story, and I know its not about sports...but bare with me I felt like I had to share this with you.

Apparently this 16 year old is so desperate for a drink he had to put a razor blade to his grandmother's neck. He's charged with a couple things, including "kidnapping". The irony.

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What Do I Know?

The problem with the first post on a blog like this one is that you can only make one. Granted, you can always go back and edit your own words so to not sound like a complete moron, but i hope never to lower myself to doing that. I've got this one chance to introduce these thoughts I have to anyone with enough spare time to read through their regular internet stops and then still be bored enough to stumble across this one. Maybe it will become one of those regular stops but probably not. But as Green day once said, and I paraphrase because my memory from high school isn't too great, this isn't being done for anyone but myself. Ok, that's not completely true, I like knowing what other people think of my ideas. I'm not necessarily going to change my thoughts or opinions based on those of others but having as much knowledge about any particular subject that one finds interesting, interesting enough to devote an entire blog toward anyway, is something I feel everyone should strive for.

This blog is dedicated to sports. And not just one sport but at the same time it's not an "equal opportunity" blog either. Don't expect the same amount of cricket articles as MLB articles. It'll be a blog that interest the writer(s) first, and if other people find it interesting along the way, great. That would be incredible. I hope that happens. I really do. Suggestions will always by taken, but when t comes right down to it, if there's little to no interest in a subject by those writing the stories, then there probably won't be a story posted about it.

This is a blog about thoughts. About ideas. About opinions. It's not fact. It's not news. If everyone remembers that opinions are allowed to be had by everyone, then everyone will get along. If everyone remembers that arguments work better when backed up with facts, then everyone would be a better debater. The thoughts and arguments posted here should not be taken as hard evidence for anything, but simply what they are: thoughts, ideas, opinions, and arguments. Basically, things that come out of our head after learning and reading what happens in real life.

This blog will be a portal to many other ideas and thoughts in sports. There will be many references to other blogs of this nature and also to locations of hard evidence that bring to light what exactly is being brought up. All the ideas here will be original, and if they're not they'll be credited. Promise.

With that I hope you get the idea. I know it's been done. This is not a blog that wants to compete with other blogs of this type. It simply wants to be a way to bring out ideas. If people like what they read, great. If not, I'm sure there are plenty of blogs out there that they would.

Until Next Time...

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