Behind The Dish: 2012

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Behind the Dish - 10/20/2012

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Enough already. Maybe you’d given up hope. Maybe you’d forgotten about this Blog all together. Maybe I have been caught up with life too much. Whatever the reason, it’s all going to be ok. Don’t fear my loyal readers. The time is here. The time is now. It’s the one and only. It’s… Behind the Dish!!!

- Yes everyone, I know. I promised I’d try to get this blog out for you every week, but unfortunately life isn’t the way it used to be for me. When I was single, I had so much free time to write what I wanted, when I wanted. Now, it’s a different time. Being married with children means now that my time is theirs. Luckily, my wife and I have agreed that we would take some time every Saturday just for writing. I can sit down, work on Behind the Dish, and then spend some time on my book, while my wife works on her stuff. Therefore I know I can’t promise you a new Behind the Dish every week, but I can darn sure give it my best shot and hopefully I can make it happen!!!

- So it’s baseball playoff time and the media only cares about football! Give me a break! Yeah, who cares about the Detroit Tigers dominating the American league, or the better lucky than good St Louis Cardinals? ME!!! I do!!! People wonder why I hate listening to the media, whether it’s sports, new, and/or especially politics. Baseball is my sport so maybe I’m a bit biased, but football happens a few days a week, and only a couple games actually mean anything. In LA, there is no team here, and yet they spend hours every day going over every minute, pointless detail of last week’s games, and next week’s games. It’s actually even worse sometimes during the offseason as the media whines and moans about how they can’t wait anymore for football to talk about. Cause A-Rod striking out on and off the field isn’t good enough. Barry Zito returning to his Oakland A’s form isn’t good enough. A 4 game sweep to knock New York out of the playoffs isn’t good enough. I like football, but it isn’t the end all be all of sports. Some of us out there like to hear more about the others. Don’t agree, I don’t care.

- WWE has had a rough go for the last few years, with Wrestlemanias being the only real bright spot, especially Wrestlemania 28. So in desperation mode, they turn to the same guy they always do… Vince McMahon. When you can’t trust anyone around you, and your top guy is hurt, you do what you have to do. I usually roll my eyes at times with this kind of thinking, but two weeks ago, when Vince faced CM Punk on RAW, it was quite the highlight. And with the emergence on Ryback and hopefully soon Dolph Ziggler, and with the tag team of Team Hell No, maybe the WWE can start to build new stars finally. Maybe the tag team division can get back on its feet. But I’ve been wrong before, and will be again I’m sure!

September 20 th was my

birthday! 1 month ago I know. However I would like to take this time to thank my family and friends for making it so special. It has been quite the year. My oldest son turned 4, and my youngest son turned 1. I have been promoted at my work to Post Commander and continue to impress everyone I work for at my company and at my post. I got some amazing gifts, and even though it really wasn’t about the gifts, they really were awesome!!! So thank you again to every one for making my birthday so special, and thank you all for a great year, and here’s looking towards the next year with great resolve and anticipation!!!

Now before anyone gets butt

hurt or thinks this is about them, please get over yourself. This isn’t about any one person in particular. This is about the overall use and abuse that has become Facebook. Many of you know where I’m coming from. Many of you have experienced the same feelings of disgust and just had to roll your eyes and log out. To me, Facebook was a place to find people you know and connect with photos, status updates, and games. Now, Facebook too many is nothing more than a place to whine, complain, preach, and tear down those around them. Not a day goes by where I don’t check into Facebook and see people and their drama. I know I’ve created some myself, but I made a choice to end it and only be positive and try to encourage others to be as well. Now, I can’t post a picture I find funny without it starting a debate. Then people get offended when I take it down and say I don’t want that going on on my page. It’s my page; I have every right to put a stop to things I don’t want to see. Some people say, “You know, you can just skip it and not read it.” You know what, if I didn’t want to read anything you had to say, I wouldn’t add you in the first place! I read because I care. But that doesn’t always mean that I care about what I read. Then there is the unfriending thing. God forbid someone think different than you. I’ve seen people unfriend others because they weren’t in the same political party, or because they cheered for a different sports team. Really?!!! When did I go back to grade school? Or maybe I never left. There are a lot I still like that Facebook gives me, but it’s those chosen ones who think they know better than you, or who stand and speak without any thought or regard for others. There’s a reason I don’t post my political affiliation. There’s a reason I stopped creating drama. It’s because I realized that I’m not nor was I ever on Facebook to offend or hurt others. I am on Facebook to stay connected with others. To share what’s good about life, even when it seems there is nothing good about it to begin with. I say we start a movement right here and now. Let’s all post on Facebook that we are freeing ourselves from all the negative. For everyone to join us and keep Facebook a place we LIKE going back to. Let’s leave the negative and drama where it belongs… Twitter!!!

Well folks, my free writing time

is just about up, so if I want to get a page or two written for my book today I’m going to have to say goodbye for now. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for being you. I love you all and wish you nothing but the best for your upcoming week ahead. God bless you, and don’t forget those immortal words… Be Excellent to Each Other!!!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

BTD - 09/15/2012

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages… It is time once again to be a part of something you don’t have to tell your grand kids about. Heck, something you don’t have to tell another living soul about, and probably won’t. It the one, the only… Behind the Dish!!!

Please note that this blog was written a little bit ago, but I have updated all information to be current as of 9/15/2012. It is also two blogs combined, so hey, double the insanity!!!

Well everyone, it’s been an interesting time lately to say the least. Personally, things have been great and downright crappy all at the same time. While at home, life has been fantastic. My wife is amazing and does everything to keep myself and our kids comfortable and happy. My sons keep me on my toes and I love them so much. Seth, my oldest is back in school, and is loving it. My family has helped me so much so often. I’m so proud of my sister Heather as she has lost 40+ pounds and looks great! My mom has seemed to enjoy her time without work, and seems to be trying to make photography her next profession. My friends have been and continue to be so supportive. Big props go to the Great One, Greg for everything, and for going above and beyond for me lately. Greg is a giver with no thought of reward, and I love him for that! Without him, I couldn’t start my car everyday! He has always been there for me and I only hope I can be as giving as he is.

Then, on the other hand, it’s been rough for me as well. My Grandmother continues to have a hard time. I know that’s not rough on me technically, but it eats away at me that I can’t be there right now. My Grandma is a wonderful woman who has been a guiding light for our family. Please send your prayers her way as she has done for so many in hers. Then there is my work. The man the normally does the scheduling for our company is out for 6 weeks. Everyone seems to be in a panic about it, and finger pointing is running rampant. So, I have had to do all the scheduling for my post. It’s not something I was asked to do or volunteered for, I just did it! Not looking for a promotion or raise from it, I just want it done right! So I figure everything out and send all the scheduling info to our main office. On top of that, something hit me hard this week, and almost had me rushing to the ER. For almost three days I dealt with massive pains in my stomach, waist and chest, combined with headaches, the feeling I needed to vomit, constant sweating and chills. My nights were mostly spent sleeping in a puddle. Hope you’re not eating right now. As of today I am feeling much better. I can sleep without sweat, and I can get around without having to stop and wince all the time. The pain is gone, but with not getting much sleep during the week, it always helps to catch up on the weekends. Thank You Hun!!!

Now… On to the rest of the world!!!

How about those Angels?!!! I can’t recall a time in my life when I have been more frustrated! Either the Angels were good then bad, or bad then good. Not good, bad, good, bad, good, bad, good, bad… Make up your minds!!! This team has all the promise in the world! And yet they can’t play consistently for more than 1 or 2 games!!! At this point most of us expected them to be winning the West or at least in the hunt. Nope! They are currently in the hunt, but for a Wild Card slot. And even then, once they get close, they do something stupid like drop 3 of 4 to Oakland! Now the A’s are the most surprising team in baseball, but lest we forget that the Angels had swept them in the series prior. It’s not like the A’s went out and acquired a bunch of great pitchers and hitters after our sweep of them. So what is the problem?

Many people I talk to blame the manager. I understand their points, but I don’t agree that the Angel’s woes all stem from the failure of the manager. If the games were lost due to bad decision making and nothing else, then I understand, but I don’t believe that to be the case. I don’t believe that Mike has the power anymore to make all the decisions. It was proven that with the firing of Mickey Hatcher. Mike didn’t like that and was very vocal about it. The new GM has control. So what is the manager’s job? Well, it’s to do everything he can to win with the tools he is given. Is it his fault that Dan Haren and Irvin Santana couldn’t pitch their way out of a barn for most of the season? Is it his fault that Albert Pujols could barely hit .200 for all of April? Is it his fault that no matter who he went to in the bullpen that they couldn’t close the deal until our new closer showed up? It’s hard for a manager to manufacture runs for his team when they aren’t getting on base too. I also don’t want to hear that he’s not motivating the team or getting having them in the right frame of mind to play. If my job paid me millions of dollars to go to work, I’d be pretty darn motivated. I know, I know, it’s not always about the money, it’s about the game. But still. This is a team designed to be a great mix of veterans and young guys. It’s the veterans job to not only perform but to lead the young guys. That’s a given. It’s that way at every level. In high school, the seniors guided the rest of the team. Now on some teams like Tampa Bay, there are no real veterans because the good ones leave for greener (as in money) pastures. In that case, Managers and coaches have to try and find ways to motivate their players. But as we get older and more responsible we learn to do what we have to do in order to be our best. So is the manager to blame? Yes, but only to an extent. It’s time for players to take responsibility for their failures, not just their successes.

Now it’s not too late for the Angels to make a run, but it needs to happen now. With that said, now is not the time for us Angel fans to lose interest or give up. As long as the Angels take the field, I’ll be cheering and supporting my favorite team. We need to come together as fans and fill the stadium, cheer our hearts out and show our Angels that we believe!

On Monday Night RAW this week, a very scary moment has been all over not only wrestling news sites, but TMZ, ESPN and FOX Sports. The moment came as hour two of RAWs three hour broadcast was coming to a close. While Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler were calling a match, suddenly the commentary stopped and some strange breathing could be heard. It was at that time that Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack. He was carried and then stretchered to the back where for approx 15 minutes, WWE’s medical staff performed CPR before he was sent to a local hospital. WWE’s medical staff saved his life that night. After that scary moment which was not shown on TV by the way, WWE continued their broadcast and Michael Cole became an amazing class act, informing us of the King’s condition and continuing the show without commentary. As I’m writing this, Jerry Lawler is doing much better. Every day since, word has come in of his condition improving. He even sent out a tout to his fans thanking them for their support. It was a scary moment that I won’t soon forget.

I’m going to call it here, but I will add more maybe as early as tonight or even tomorrow. I will do my best to make sure this becomes a normal weekly blog and not just a random one. Thanks for reading and please don’t forget to leave your comments below. Always remember my friends… Be Excellent to Each Other!!!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Behind the Dish - 08/18/2012

From the mind of a man that has no clue, comes the one blog that stands heads and tails above the rest! This is the original. This is the one and only. This is your place for all things meaningless and fun. This… Is… Behind the Dish!

- Hello and welcome Dishers! It’s been a long time I know. The last time I wrote a Behind the Dish, Myspace was still relevant, Facebook was just getting going, and Twitter hadn’t even been thought of yet! My oh my how times have changed.

- Facebook, Twitter, Tout, etc. What did we do before social media? How did we live? How did we tell people what we were doing, or how we were feeling? These questions have become like the meaning of life questions for the next generation that will have no clue about life before digital media and instant information. No idea what it was like to wait till tomorrow to read a newspaper for sports scores or updates on world events. No idea why we are so in love with switching not only songs, but artists and albums with one touch on any mp3 device. How the thought of pausing and rewinding live TV makes many older generations heads spin. How we were patient enough to play a record, or even a tape. How we had the guts to leave our homes to rent movies. How exercise was about more than a Wii Fit board. How we could possibly dare to trick or treat wherever you wanted for hours on end, never once having to inspect candy. Now my head hurts and I feel sad.

- As a die hard Angels fan, I’ve been broken hearted all season long. Sure, Mike Trout is having an MVP caliber season. Jarred Weaver has put up Cy Young numbers. Mark Trumbo put on a show during the Home Run Derby. Yet this is not about any individual. This is about the team, and the team can’t get it together. When the offense is good, the pitching sucks. When the pitching is good, the offense sucks. Who is to blame? Is it the players, who get paid way too much to play a game? Is it the coaching staff? Is it the manager? Is it us, the fans? Are we not giving enough of our support? Comment below and tell me what you think.

- As many of you know, my life is drastically different than it used to be. I am a husband and a father of two beautiful boys. My life is my family. I do everything now for them. That being said, I don’t get out much anymore and do a lot of the things I used to. I accept that, but never the less, I did see The Dark Knight Rises! Sorry, warned you all that I was a mad man lol. The Dark Knight Rises was to me the best movie I’d seen all year. Yes, even better than The Avengers. TDKR was a great ending to an amazing Trilogy. Very few trilogies can be fully engaging from start to finish like Christopher Nolan’s recent Batman saga. The original Star Wars trilogy to many started strong, built up steam with Empire, then threw a bunch of Ewoks at us and it was over. The Matrix Trilogy was just plain overkill by the end and confusing for most. I myself loved both trilogies, but will agree with many that TDKR was brilliantly done. If you haven’t seen it, do so while it’s in theaters. If you have, shut up and stop randomly spoiling the movie for others!

- If you know me at all, then you know I’m a huge WWE fan! And tomorrow is WWE’s second biggest PPV of the year, Summerslam! I have only one question for all other WWE fans that no one has talked about yet. If Brock Lesner is successful tomorrow against HHH, then does that mean that the WWE may be laying the ground work for Lesner vs Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29? Allow me to explain. The last 4 Wrestlemanias have feature The Undertaker vs either Shawn Michaels or HHH. It was a great story woven throughout 4 years and 4 amazing matches. While the three were leaving the ring at Wrestlemania 28, they all embraced, creating a wonderful moment for fans like me. Lesner has returned and even though he lost to John Cena, he is still a beast, and a very dangerous one at that. He “broke” Shawn Michaels arm on Monday, and has a very real chance of beating HHH tomorrow. If he does, to me the logical way to evolve this story is to continue his reign of terror on HHH and the WWE until HHH has no alternative but to reach out to the Dead Man. Leading Undertaker to refuse until certain situations force the Undertaker’s hand, and he accepts the challenge, and then defeats Lesner at Wrestlemania 29, becoming 21-0 at the biggest event of them all in Sports Entertainment! I should so be a WWE creative guy!

- This past week was my mom’s last as a teacher at Immanuel Lutheran School in Orange. Many things have led to this point, and I have no desire to relive them here, but needless to say, it was a sad day. As my mom was describing her last moments at a place she spent over 25 years and gave so much of herself to, I wanted to burst into tears. I held back for her, and let them fly on my drive to work instead. My mom is a wonderful teacher and is loved by all. She has shed you blood, sweat and tears to make children’s lives the best they could be. She is a shining example of what Christian Love is all about. I am so proud of my mom and I love her with all my heart. God blessed everyone who ever were fortunate enough to be her student, as well as a parent of one of her students. My only real regret about this is that my son Owen will never be her student like my son Seth was. Luckily for them, they will always have her as the loving, caring and supportive Grandma she always wanted to be.

- Well folks, that’s gonna do it for today. Be sure to check back often. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter (@BTDRadio) and now Tout (Also BTDRadio). I welcome all questions and comments, so don’t be shy and let them fly! It feels great being back and I hope to bring you all more from my twisted mind real soon. Maybe I’ll even start doing my podcast again if I get the time. Yes, this is easier and faster for me, go figure. Until then my friends, always remember what I always say, “Live a Life of Love, and Be Excellent to Each Other!”