Today at THT
I found out yesterday that I can have someone killed for about $160. Unfortunately it was my cat, so I’m in a pretty crappy mood this morning. On the bright side, the two cats that remain in Chez Calcaterra have been on their best behavior since I had to put Lizzie down, as they now know I am not one to be trifled with. On the even brighter side, I’m not going to subject you to 4,000 words about it. I’m more of a denial/repression guy, so what I need is a distraction. Hey, here’s some distracting stuff:
I know this is a bit unusual, but while on her death bed, Lizzie demanded a burial at sea with full honors, so if there aren’t as many updates today, it’s because I’m either looking for a color guard or en route to the North Atlantic.
No bashing intended. At least any bashing with any real animus behind it. I like Simmons. I just didn’t figure I could say anything about a dead pet this week without referencing it. The shot about the Karate Kid or whatever it was the other day was simply gratuitous.
Sorry to hear about the cat.
And on Simmons – Did even his most die-hard fans actually read that column? Once I figured out that “the Dooze” was his dog I moved on to better things. I actually like his writing, but this kind of self-indulgence is what earns him real enemies among bloggers. His dog? Seriously?
I don’t begrudge him the indulgence. He brings a lot of readers to ESPN so he should be allowed that kind of thing once in a while. And in all honesty, it was a well-written piece.
It’s just that that level of sharing is not my cup of tea. I share—I talk about movies and my unemployment and all of that—but I try to keep it a little more brief. Everyone’s mileage varies on that sort of thing.
Like I said above, I didn’t link it to mock him. I just figured that if I mention my dead cat two days after he wrote about his dead dog someone would mention it anyway, so I thought I’d preempt.
Sorry for your loss, Craig. That really and truly sucks.
Losing a pet is always a rough thing. Hang in there, Craig.
Regarding Simmons, I’d rather read 10 columns about his dead dog than read the schlock that Rick Reilly spews.
I read the ethicist column, and it is an interesting point, that in having two (or more) clients competing for the same pool of dollars, the interests of both cannot be equally well served.
My problem from an outsider’s perspective is that, like the Beltran case and the Ramirez case, the pool seems artificailly small in definition. Saying Beltran wanted to play in New York and that that conflicted with Williams interests is true only if Beltran would play ONLY in New York. Same with Ramirez. Is he willing to play only in LA? If so with whom is he competing for dollars among Boras’ free agents?
Marshall does acknowledge the lack of consensus among ethicists on this question.
I still don’t like Boras, but more because he never seems to be “off”, like he’s inhumanly programmed to be negotiating all the time. But I do respect his achievements, and while he and his clients may occassionally misread a situation (Varitek) that seems rare on the whole. And even more rare is any indication that a client has felt ill served. That’s the bottom line.
Dead cats remind me of my mom’s parents. Poor rural people. I remember when they got indoor plumbing. Anyway, cats and farms go hand in hand and my grandparents who could not afford to spade cats would drown a litter if they found it. My grandmother would put the newborn kittens in a grain bag and submerge it in water. Never saw her do it but heard about it multiple times over the years….
Craig, sorry about your pet.
Thanks Len.
Sorry ‘bout the cat CC (and so I’ll forgive you for the Ziggy reference
)
Seriously, hang in there.
what’s with the Bill Simmons bashing lately? do you guys have a feud we don’t know about?