Mini-rant About Shitty Cincinnati's Conference Realignment Problems

I am an Ohio State alum and supporter that lives in Cincinnati... where most of the time Ohio State athletics are straight up ignored by broadcast media.  I would say during college football season, about 40% of the folks in this area are Buckeyes fans, and 40% Cincinnati, with the remaining 20% divided between Notre Dame, Kentucky, and the various MAC schools. 

Cincinnati was a MAC school back in the old days, and when I was growing up it was in the Metro conference, followed by the Great Midwest, then CUSA, and finally the Big East, in order to beef up their football program.  Since the last round of expansion started a couple years ago, Cincinnati fans have bitched and moaned about how it just isn't fair, and framed within the argument that they should be in the Big Ten, which is laughable.  People with level heads realize that Cincinnati needs to get in the ACC or Big 12.  When WVU bolted from the Big East last year, supposedly Louisville approached WVU about forming an "alliance" where WVU would only go to the Big 12 on the condition that Louisville be accepted as well.  When WVU didn't go for that, supposedly Cincinnati offered Louisville the same alliance, only to be rejected.

When word spread last week that Maryland and Rutgers had joined the B1G, media folks around here basically shit themselves.  I have never heard so many people bitch and moan, with their side essentially being "it isn't fair".  Cincinnati wants to act like they are on the same level with Ohio State athletically and academically, so this conference realignment has their supporters in a tizzy because no one actually wants them.  Aside from many other excellent and valid reasons, the B1G would never consider them because they are already in Ohio State's market, and would bring no new audience to the B1G Network.

So when THIS story broke this afternoon, the local media immediately began spinning this as "Hey, why WOULDN'T the ACC want us?", when in reality what is going on is UC is begging the ACC to expand by three teams (UC, Louisville, UConn), because if they only expand by one to replace Maryland, it will be Louisville or UConn, and Cincinnati will be out in the cold, stuck playing football in the rapidly declining Big East.  According to reports on sports talk radio this afternoon, Cincinnati basically is pissed at Tulane being added to the Big East, and is desperate to get out - desperate enough to blatantly court the ACC. 

The "problem" with Cincinnati is that it has excellent facilities for a Big East school, but substandard for B1G/ACC/SEC/B12.  Nippert stadium only sits 35K, and they have trouble selling it out for most games.  If they have a major home game they play at Paul Brown Stadium, which they have trouble selling out at 65K.  They have a 13K seat basketball arena, but they often do not sell it out for home games (a problem ever since they fired Bob Huggins).  The city's market is so divided up with fans and alumni of different schools, that Cincinnati has a major problem convincing anyone that they are a prize worthy of adding to their conference.  Is a school like Texas or Oklahoma going to want to play Cincinnati in a 35K seat stadium? 

So anyway, I hope they end up being forced to back to the MAC. 

Tricia Macke is a Bigot

I am a massive proponent of freedom of speech.  Always have been, and always will be.  Although the First Amendment guarantees the right to say virtually anything, it does not shield a person, group, or organization from the consequences of what they say.  

People seem to forget this, or perhaps never understood this to begin with.  The essence of "freedom of speech" is that the government cannot deny you an opinion, or censure you for expression of an opinion.  

In the age of the internet, there are almost limitless ways to express an opinion, and to find out the opinions of others. Blogs, Twitter, social media, viral videos; as well as traditional media such as television, magazines, and books provide a multitude of ways to read about any subject - and there is no shortage of people willing to offer an opinion.  

So, recently a local Cincinnati news anchor for the Fox Affiliate decided to go on Facebook and comment about someone else in her line of work:
 



What you have here is someone expressing their right to freedom of speech.  In doing so, Tricia Macke revealed that she is either an ignorant bigot, or a troll.  Make no mistake about it: Macke stated that Maddow, who is an open and well-known lesbian, was a man.  There is no other context to it, so it was either done in a mean spirit, or to rile up her Facebook followers.  

Maddow is the very popular host of "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC.  Maddow is openly liberal, openly gay, and Macke is an anchor on a local Fox affiliate.  Perhaps Macke was trolling just to attract more attention to herself, and thus potentially increase her newscast's ratings, or her popularity.  Maybe, the idea was that word of what Macke posted would get back to Maddow, and it could become some viral thing and Maddow would talk about it on her show? Who knows.  




Here is what happened though: Macke was suspended from her job for two days.  


What Macke said was bigoted.  If you take what she posted in that Facebook thread, she knew what she was saying was bigoted, and she stood by it.  Her apology after she was suspended and took down the post is irrelevant.  Was she sorry about what she said, or sorry about getting caught? 

Over the course of the recent election cycle, so many people said so many stupid things, and in many cases the chickens are starting to come home to roost.  The owner of Papa John's Pizza came out against "Obamacare", and is now saying a bunch of really dumb stuff because he doesn't want to pay health care expenses for his employees.  People are boycotting and petitioning Macy's because Donald Trump said really dumb stuff on election night (and a lot of other racist stuff before that). 

There are consequences to things that you say, do, and post on the internet.  Athletes and celebrities post dumb stuff all the time, and when they start to feel the repercussions, they often want to cite "freedom of speech" for why they should be given a free pass.  

No.  


People need to learn that you can say anything that you want, but that you have to deal with the repercussions of what you say.  Tricia Macke said bigoted things, and she pretty much deserves to pay the price for what she said, regardless of the reason. Just like all of the people, including kids, that posted racist stuff on election night. 

There is a major difference between stating an opinion or view that is different than other people, and saying hateful, ignorant, and bigoted things.  You certainly have the right to say it, but people also have the right to call you out for saying it.  

My 2012 Reds Season Postmortem

Right now the easy and cliche thing to say is that the team had a great year, and that after the pain of this loss goes away, the 2012 season will seem great upon reflection with a clear head.  While it is true that the team had a phenomenal regular season, this Reds team broke my heart over the last three days. 

I honestly do take solace in the fact that all of the key players on this team are under contract for the next two years, and in some cases beyond.    Sure, we might lose a guy like Scott Rolen, but I feel confident with the young guns this team has. 

It hurts a lot though.  No team in the National League has ever won a best-of-five series after losing the first two games at home, which the Giants did against the Reds.  The Reds had not lost three straight games at home all season, until the Division Series against the Giants.  The Reds won the first two games in this series, and all they had to do to go to the League Championship Series was win one game at home in three attempts, and they failed; two of the games in spectacular fashion. 

I do not think this is coincidence, and points to an even bigger trend with this team.  There is just something about this Reds team, and pressure games, and pressure situations, specifically at home.  Although this team is not in a major media market such as NYC, Boston, LA, etc., but the Reds dominate the media in this region.  The Reds have a massive fan base that went from at one time being widely regarded as a knowledgeable and supportive group of fans, to being a pack of naysayers that act like woebegone Cubs fans, and have an attitude towards the team like Philly fan.  Every time there is an important game at home, the stadium fills up, and the Reds go out and lose, almost without fail.  Then, this city just rakes the team over the coals.  Tell me if any of this sounds familiar: 

• Jay Bruce should be sent down to AAA
• Joey Votto should play hurt because he is being paid $20 million a season.
• Trade Drew Stubbs if he keeps striking out, and not bunting. 
• The Mat Latos trade was a bust, Votto should have moved to the outfield and Alonso should be at first.
• Why isn't Chapman a starter? 
• Bronson is playing the guitar too much.
• Why isn't Todd Frazier playing everyday? 
• "Fire Dusty".

It is just truly mind numbing.

I honestly thought the Reds would get to the World Series this year. They should have beat the Giants, and I liked them against either Washington or St. Louis in the NLCS.  I honestly thought that the team would probably crumble under the pressure in the World Series, or perhaps even in the NLCS, but I thought that they would at least get that far, and get that taste to make them hungrier.  Hopefully, this loss has the same effect, but at this point I am worried that choking away this series will permanently derail this team mentally. 

I hope not. 

Some people will want to see Dusty Baker gone.  I classify people that hate Dusty in two groups.  One is the group that is going to bitch about the manager no matter who it is, because they know baseball better than the paid professional.  This would be a great place to rip on "fantasy guy" thinking success in his league makes him an expert, but most of these jerks don't have enough patience to play rotisserie baseball.  

The other group are what I call "Listens to 'Cubs fan'"; the guy that believes Dusty Baker is a awful manager that feeds his players into a meat grinder, because y'know, Cubs fans are assholes.   

Personally, I think that Dusty is a quality manager, albeit perhaps he is a manager that builds a team for the regular season, and not the playoffs.  I am not sure how to fix that, without taking a chance on a first-time manager and hope to catch lightning in a bottle.  I am not sure that a guy like Chris Spiers or Rick Sweet is the answer to going farther in the post-season. And what experienced manager that has been to the "next level" is out there to take the Reds job?  Joe Torre?  Tony LaRussa?  Riiiiiight....

When it is all said and done, I would have liked the Reds to win the World Series this year, but I did not expect it.  I did expect the team to go down swinging.  Losing three straight games at home does not indicate that the Reds had the grit and determination in them to get to that next level.  

I was there in 1995 when the Reds beat the Dodgers to advance to the ALCS.  Seventeen years ago, when I was seventeen years old.  At Riverfront Stadium.  I do not want to wait seventeen more years for another championship, let alone to get to the second round of the playoffs.  

That is why today's season ending loss feels so miserable.  

Live Strongstyle

I am very critical of myself, especially when it comes to things that I create, or performances.  I have always had a profound lack of confidence in a number of things throughout my life.  My family always encouraged me in art when I was younger, and I loved to draw.  However, I was always hesitant to show my work to others because of my belief that what I was doing was shit.  

In the queue for this blog I have a handful of pieces that I started regarding "Live Strongstyle", and what exactly it means.  I start writing a piece to explain a point that I want to make, and at some point I decide that what I am writing is drivel, and just move on to something else.  In other words, I think it sucks, so I stop writing it, and never publish it. 

So, here are some of the core beliefs of my philosophy about professional wrestling, life, working out, and following a dream.  These are the things that make up my personal philosophy of "Live Strongstyle".  

• In wrestling, the idea of "strongstyle" is to blend together many different forms of combat, in order to display a complete and realistic form of fighting.  "Strongstyle" is virtually a pseudonym for "mixed martial arts", because both terms are about blending different fighting disciplines to create a new form of combat.
  
• "Strongstyle" is not about hitting someone as hard as you can, it is about realism. 
  
• If you want professional wrestling to be perceived as a sport, shouldn't wrestlers train for matches like athletes?
  
•  Professional wrestling is a unique artform in which in which opponents are teammates.  There is no such thing as a clash of styles, because each match is an opportunity to showcase weakness and strength.  Weakness and strength change based on who is in the ring. 
  
• In life, you do not perform without training and practice.  Every career, trade, or practice requires learning.  Athletes must train.
  
• Professional wrestling is an artform that not only requires a degree of authenticity, but also requires crowd interaction.  It isn't about proving what you are doing in the ring is real, it is about the fans believing it.  It doesn't matter how hard you hit someone if the everyone says it looks fake.  However, it doesn't matter how light you hit someone if everyone believes it is real.
  
• If wrestling is your passion, then that passion needs to fuel your work.  That passion and fire needs to be evident to the fans watching you work.  That passion should fuel your workouts.
  
• Continuity.  Everything that you do in the ring needs to make sense. 
  
• Strongstyle is about taking things that work, and discarding things that do not.  Shouldn't you do that away from the ring too?  If someone or something is not working or making your life better, shouldn't you remove it from your life? 
  
• Working in different territories in front of different fans makes you better.  No matter if you are in Japan, the UK, Germany, Austrailia, Mexico, or Mars, working is working.  Things that work in one place might not work in another, but the things that do work for a reason.  Learning all of the things that work everywhere will allow you to work everywhere.
  

I will update this column as needed.  Improving, adding, and removing.  

This Is How You Pay Dues, Kid

 “If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that.”
― Charles Bukowski, Factotum

During the fall and winter of 2000, I lived in a dilapidated house in McKeesport, PA with no running water.  No running water meant that I had nowhere to shower.  Nowhere to go to the bathroom.

    When veteran wrestlers talk about "paying dues", most of them have no idea what they are talking about.  "Paying dues" is another way to say "sacrifice".  Going through training isn't necessarily paying dues.  Being a rookie and getting ribbed by the vets isn't necessarily paying dues.  Jerking the curtain and losing every match isn't paying dues.  Paying dues is going to places and doing things that you might not want to do, but you do so anyway because an opportunity to reach your goals may present itself.  I paid dues by moving to Pittsburgh for a chance to wrestle and train on a regular basis.

    Pittsburgh is not a place I would pick to reside for any other reason.  I moved into a house that was owned by the promoter that I was working for, Jim Miller.  Miller had owned the house for a number of years, but in the few years prior had trouble keeping tenants.  Well, at least tenants that paid rent.  If it was not for Miller essentially paying me $400 a month to live in the rundown Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport, I surely would have left the Steel City in search of greener pastures.

    I am not naive enough to think that Miller was cutting me some kind of special deal because he knew I was going to be a star that was going to make a lot of money; the guy needed to make payments on that property.  The idea behind my tenancy was that I would maintain and upkeep the house, and get two or three roommates to eventually move in and they would kick in actual rent payments.  The benefit to me was that I could stay in an area where I was starting to pick up bookings, and have an easier time paying my bills. Ironically, at the time I wasn't even wrestling regularly for Miller's promotion.

    Miller had started his company in 1994, when his neighbor approached him about setting up a wrestling ring in the backroom of his candy and sports memorabilia business that he was running out of a virtually abandoned shopping center in an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh.  This neighbor was a young up-and-coming wrestler by the name of "Shocker" Sean Evans, who was doing everything he could to get more ring time himself.  At that time, his family lived in the house that I would eventually move into in 2000. Eventually Miller's promotion was successful enough that he converted his candy shop completely into an arena, and hired some local veteran wrestlers to run a training school there - the Pittsburgh Wrestling Academy.  By 1999 Miller's "Pro Wrestling Express" was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, running weekly events at the dirt mall, producing local television, and the only reputable independent organization in the area.  Coincidentally, right after I relocated to Pittsburgh after graduation in the fall of 2000, Miller lost his lease at the dirt mall, had two other venues fall through, and had most of his wrestlers defect to an upstart promotion running that was able to secure a regular venue.  Then Miller had a somewhat serious auto accident, and for awhile his promotion was not running any wrestling events.

    I was not getting booked anywhere on a consistent basis, and I assure you that I was not making any money wrestling.  I had to have money, so started l started looking for any kind of crappy day job; A regular "nine-to-five" that I could work around my wrestling commitments.  I started working at a credit bureau, where I was processing credit reports for mortgage loans, and it was every bit as exciting as it sounds.  However, the job fit into my schedule well enough since it wasn't something that conflicted with wrestling, and it I could easily walk away from it if an opportunity presented itself.

    Sadly, the only opportunities that were presenting themselves were small time wrestling cards in the Pittsburgh area and down in West Virginia.  I was trying to get as many bookings as I could, but I was only picking up one or two bookings a month, and those bookings were not very big in the payoff department.  I still had a place to live though. I had enough stability that I was able to develop a routine and really focus on getting my body prepared for the pounding wrestling would give it. 

    I was stopping by the grocery store every day after work and buying a three pound bag of frozen chicken.  Everyday.  I had to develop this routine because I didn't have a refrigerator, and I could only keep food on hand that would not spoil if left overnight in a cooler.  I would cook all of the chicken every morning before work, along with a cup of rice, and that would be my food for the day.  I was also hitting the gym like a fiend.  I knew I needed to put on some size to have a more credible look, and I was convinced that I could become a heavyweight by hitting the gym twice a day.  I would get up early in the morning - around 5am - to fix my food and to pack my gym bag with my work clothes.  I would then hit the gym early and put in about an hour of cardio, before showering, shaving, and then heading off to work.  After work, I was hitting the gym again. After a few hours of pounding the weights, I would hit the shower again, before heading to the grocery store and starting  the routine over.
  
    Keeping this gym routine was made easier because the gym had running water.  The house I was renting from Miller did not.  You see, when I moved into Miller's flophouse, I discovered that the previous tenant had run up a water bill that was well over $1000, so the county shut off service.  Usually an individual in this situation would be able to set-up a new account in their name, and water service would be turned on within a few days.  However in this situation, the prior tenant had never set-up an account of any kind, and the past due amount had actually been billed to the property owner - which was a phony business that Miller used as a front.  So, the water was off until either myself or Miller paid the bill. With my financial situation, I didn't have over $1000 to hand over to the water works, so I had to do without water until I saved up enough money to pay the debt.  If anyone is asking why Miller didn't pay it... you obviously do not know Jim Miller.

        The house itself would best be described as a shithole.  The carpet was orange-red, and was covered in stains of unknown origin.  The walls were full of holes. Water spots dotted the ceilings both upstairs and down - which meant that the roof leaked and that the pipes did as well.  The previous tenant had left most of their stuff there, so after tossing all of his crap in a spare bedroom for storage, I started slowly fixing up parts of the house so they were habitable. For awhile I confined all my activities to one upstairs bedroom that I was able to clean thoroughly enough to not feel like I was in a crackhouse.

    When you do not have running water in a house, you do not have any way to flush a toilet.  You cannot flush it without filling the tank with water first.  My solution to this problem was a two gallon plastic red bucket, and stocking up on gallon jugs of water and bleach.  And plenty of disinfectant spray. If I had to urinate while I was at home, I would just pee into the bathtub, and then pour some bleach and water down the drain to wash it all away.  It was a totally different story however if I had to take a dump.  I would line my bucket with a plastic bag, squat down over it, and do my business directly into the bucket.  Afterwards I would tie the bag up, and take it outside to the dumpster.  I took a lot of Marine baths with a washcloth and water from a jug. The only place I could shower was the gym.

    I was eating out of a cooler, shitting in a bucket, and working a menial job in a city that I hated, all so that I could be closer to where I was able to get bookings.  That is paying dues.

    By the time summer rolled around I had the water back on again, and I was finally able to shower at home.  I had been able to increase the amount of bookings I was getting down in West Virginia, which allowed me to be more social with some of the other young guys struggling to get a break in the business in that area.  Finally in May of 2001, Miller was able to secure an old warehouse in McKeesport, which with some minimal renovation was to become the "Sportatorium".  While Miller was attempting various improvements to get the building in shape for holding matches, I was able to get a key to the building.  I was able to get the ring set-up for working out and training.  For the next few years, I was within walking distance of a wrestling ring that I had access to any time that I wanted.

    I was 23 years old, I was paying my rent from wrestling, I was able to train anytime I wanted, and I had running water.

    I had never been happier at any point in my life.

Sean Dahmer

US wrestling fans were introduced to Sin Cara the first time a bit over one year ago.  The first man to use the identity of "Sin Cara" was the wrestler well known throughout Mexico as "Mistico".  However, Mistico had long been accused of gimmick infringement by Monterrey based wrestler Incognito, who had previously wrestled as "Mystico".  Mystico was eventually signed by the WWE and sent to development, where he changed his name yet again to "Hunico", or "Epico" or some other nonsense that sounds Spanish, but is mostly racist.  Shortly after the debut of Sin Cara, Mystico showed up as Sin Cara too!

Anyways, this guy in the picture below is Sean Dahmer. 

 

The paragraph above this picture may or may not insinuate that this guy isn't really Sean Dahmer.  

Sorry Dash

As of August 27th, 2012, we have come to terms on the release of independent wrestling sensation Dash Bennett, although he was not under any kind of legal contract, and our company currently lacks any scheduled events, a venue, or money to fulfill prior negotiated compensation.  We wish Bennett the best in all future endeavors.

On a completely unrelated topic, we would like to announce that as of August 27th, 2012, we have come to terms with one half of the tag team Armageddon, Rapture.  There is no reason that you should confuse Rapture with his tag team partner, Revelation.  Or Dash Bennett.  Or Sean Dahmer, or Trent Reznik or whatever he calls himself now.  Nope, those guys are totally fired. 

And hey, this is the real Rapture.  Not the knockoff type that the Crusher Hansen's and Boomer Payne's of the world WISH they could be.  This is the real deal here.  Besides, Boomer was Revelation.  Right?  I forget really. 

And hey, it was kinda the same gimmick and all, but this guy totally wasn't one of the Steel City Machines. Those two guys didn't have names.  Did they?  I don't remember really, because that team was all about pushing the manager, Steffon Devereaux.  Who thought that was a good idea?  Who knows!  Either way, those two guys were Guido Corleone and Michael Vaine.  This isn't them - this is goddamn Rapture. 

Totally not Dash.