Podcast: Celtics Gloating/Sports-injuries Discussion/Farewell Comments

Thundergun Out!

And so it ends here. It has been a wild and crazy time for me as I wrote for the Semi-Pro sports blog and I know that deep down I am going to miss it. It was my first real blog, and the first place where I didn’t know who exactly was reading my work and that feeling was kind of exhilarating. As of right now, meaning I Just checked it to confirm, we have over 1,500 blog views and I’m not sure how the other blogs did but I am quite content with that number. Our first post was on January 24^th and I would guess, based on the activity from the other guys that this here would be our last post. Just over 1500 views in 3 ½ months is not bad. It breaks down to about 15 views a day and when we started I never would have guessed that we would have amassed so many by the end of the semester. And so what if most of our views were Russian robots trying to push advertisements, I’ll take any views we can get.

I remember my first post like it was yesterday. First Post

The Super Bowl hadn’t even happened yet and I thought the build up to the game would make for the perfect inaugural entry on to the blog. It was a tiny little guy, short and to the point. I wasn’t really sure how to do anything so I put my pictures in the middle, they were both different sizes, and it just looked awful. My writing style was vapid and lacked the research that I have come to jam pack my blogs with these days. I hadn’t yet grown into my identity of Thundergun, but you have to start somewhere, and this is where my story began.

Along the way I have written some things I am truly proud to call my own. My personal favorites are actually both lists.  

Wing Sauce 

MLB Power Rankings 

I love writing lists of the sport variety for some unknown reason. Tell me to make a grocery list and you’ll probably end up getting milk, cereal and four boxes of Cheez Its. Ask me to list the five best inside linebackers in the NFL however, and you’ll get 2,000 words of highly researched analysis. It’s weird, when you are passionate about something, like the way I am about sports; the words just seem to come easier. Add to this the amount of blog fodder that I am able supply in between facts and you got yourself the self-sensationalized writer before you.

And so with that I bid you adieu, but fear not however, because Thundergun will rise again!

Knicks Break Brooms

I was wrong. There I said it. Now we can move with our lives and forget how I predicted that Amar’e Stoudemire wasn’t going to play in game four, and that the Knicks had little chance in the game regardless. All signs pointed to my prediction but those sneaky Knickerbockers pulled a fast one on me because I did not see this coming. Maybe I let my fandom get in the way of clarity because not only did Amar’e suit up, but also he scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds, and most importantly the Knicks won game four of their best of seven series with the Miami Heat.

The injury didn't see to slow down Amar'e

The Knicks are still down three games to one against the heavily favored Heat but they really showed spunk today in their 89-87 victory in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden. By winning they staved off elimination and avoided an embarrassing sweep in the process. Now they need to find their sunglasses as they are set to head to back to Miami for game five Wednesday. It was their first playoff victory in 14 tries and as a Knicks fan i can tell you; it feels really, really good. After their abysmal showing on Thursday it is hard to believe that they were able to turn it around to pull this one out. They didn’t look like the same team. They were excited, they were playing defense again, and their superstar Carmelo Anthony was back to performing like he did when they closed out the season 18-6. ‘Melo had 41 points in the victory and none were more important than his tie-breaking three with 54.5 seconds left that gave them a lead they would never relinquish. 

'Melo finally looks comfortable in NYC

Anthony was absolutely lights out in the game today, shooting 15/29 from the floor to go along with 10/14 from the charity stripe. At least from my computer screen (my housemates and I don’t see eye to eye on television as a “necessary” bill) he looked like a man possessed. Born in New York City, it has always been Anthony’s dream to play for the Knicks. He was drafted in 2003 with the third overall pick to the Denver Nuggets and it seemed like a long shot that these two parties would ever get together. A long ways away from his roots, Carmelo flourished in Denver while always hoping for his chance to go back and play for his hometown team. After 9 seasons with the Nuggets the stars finally aligned for Anthony last season when the Knicks acquired him and the rest is history. After a bumpy start and what seems like an insurmountable mountain to climb against the Heat, the Knicks and Anthony finally look like the team that can contend for a championship. I wouldn’t put my money on them this year, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Hooray For You Tube

Lately, I have noticed that my posts all share a cynical tone toward the world of sports. I don’t want the few readers that Semi-Pro does have to be turned off by my writing. I can imagine that the last few posts of mine could have done that, and I want to change how Thundegun is perceived by the “masses”. I don’t want people to envision me as some contemptuous d-bag sitting at his computer steadily tearing down sporting figures left and right. That’s not me. It’s just recently; I have found it easier to write in this wild rant style as I work out my frustrations on the figure(s) who have been a source of aggravation. That however, is all behind us, and now I want to show people that Thundergun does indeed have a softer side. For your benefit, I have before you a “feel good” piece. If this doesn’t prove to you that I can do more than seethe about sports I don’t know what will.

*Oh and I also noticed that I use I a lot in my pieces and at least for this specific entry I would like to cut down on that in order to refrain from personal judgment. I hope you enjoy it.

You Tube is great. Anyone that doesn’t like You Tube is either lying or has never used it before. So many great things come from the video-sharing website that burst onto the scene in 2005. It seems so long ago since You Tube became such a sensation that it would be hard to imagine a life with it. The site is just chock full of videos on just about anything because people are constantly uploading stuff to it. Right now people are putting up videos of cats doing cute things or dumb people injuring themselves. If you want to find a video on the Internet, you find it on You Tube.  You’re probably asking yourself, what this has to do with sports?  The answer my friends, is that along with producing hilarious cat videos and redneck lawnmower races, sometimes it can also make dreams come true.

Anyone can post a video to You Tube, that’s why there are so many videos present on the site. This time last year, D-III quarterback Alex Tanney of Monmouth College in Illinois decided to put a video he made on the site, highlighting his ability to perform football trick shots. This year, he is attending the Buffalo Bills rookie camp. The trick shot video showcased the starting quarterback’s abilities in a number of non-game situations. His strong and deadly accurate arm are on display in a five-minute highlight reel that has him throwing footballs out of windows into passing by trucks and into garbage cans from stories above. My descriptions clearly cannot do his feats justice so the video will be attached so you can see for yourself. 

Little did Tanney know that when he put the video up it would become so popular? To date it has over 1.3 million views. It is a fun little video and yet now it is the source of his numerous mini-camp offers. It is not often that a small-time D-III school sends a kid to an NFL tryout. To put this in perspective, Monmouth College has just 1,321 students, Ohio State, a breeding ground for NFL talent, has around 50,000 undergrads. So yeah, the school is itsy-bitsy. The odds of one of their players being invited by multiple teams (more than just the Bills inquired) to their preliminary workouts are astronomical and the importance of the You Tube video cannot be over looked. Tanney now gets a shot at living out his dream to play in the NFL because he put himself out there and showed everyone just what he was capable of.

Boom, told you I could do it.

-Thudergun Out!

The ACL Curse Strikes Again: Mariano Rivera Edition

For as long as I've been alive and able to understand what Baseball was, I have been watching Mariano Rivera dominate the 9th inning at the back end of the Yankees bullpen.  It was unfortunate to hear that he was the most recent famous athlete to have been struck by the torn-ACL bug.  How and when the injury occurred was also disappointing, as Rivera was warming up by fielding fly balls before a recent game when he collapsed in pain and was not able to leave the field under his own power.  Rivera was distraught when asked about the injury after the game, as I'm sure most Yankees fans were as well, and he expressed doubt about whether he would ever pitch again.  More recently however, he made the definitive announcement that he would overcome this injury at age 42, and pitch again.  He invited fans to mark his words.

Although opposing hitters might breathe a sigh of relief in knowing they won't have to face Rivera during crunch time in the near future, everyone in Baseball as well as any true fans have to root for him to recover and come back strong.  He is a living legend, one of the best pitcher's in Baseball history (which is pretty long by the way), and without a doubt the best relief pitcher/closer of all time.  If there was an official statistic for most bats broken, he would surely be record holder.  What there is a stat for in playoff ERA.  In 141 innings pitched during the postseason, Rivera has a staggering ERA of 0.70.  That is the average amount of runs he gives up, not due to errors, in 9 innings pitched.  Less than one.  As a closer he would only typically appear for 1-2 innings at a time.  Needless to say, that ERA is incredibly low, and speaks to his brilliance.

Not only did Rivera make a living dominating in the most intense, pressure packed situations, he did so with essentially one pitch.  The cut-fastball was that one pitch, it has become a common weapon in a modern pitcher's arsenal, but was not so common even 10-15 years ago; Rivera can take some of the credit for popularizing this pitch.  His cutter is so devastating he didn't need anything else.  It is quite an amazing feat to be so successful for so long when hitters know that some type of fastball is coming every single pitch.  Although I do vaguely remember Rivera having a slider he used occasionally back in the late 90s, the more dominant he became the less he deviated from the cut-fastball.  It is impossible to quantify the value that Rivera had to the Yankees the past 16 seasons with 5 World Series rings to show for it.  We wish Mariano a speedy recovery.  In the mean-time, the Yankees will need to make some adjustments in the absence of their legendary lights-out closer.

Amar'e Stoudemire is an Idiot

A couple posts ago I wrote about how Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics lost his cool and basically chest bumped a referee getting him suspended for their next game. As one of their top players, it was a big deal for Rondo to have to sit out in their series against a tough opponent in the Atlanta Hawks. I gave Rondo a bit of leeway on the matter being that it did appear he tripped on his way to accosting the official that subsequently tossed him from the contest. Luckily for the Celtics players like Paul Pierce stepped it up (36 points) in Rondo’s absence and the C’s were able to steal the second game in Atlanta 87-80. Rondo’s lack of composure really could have cost the Celtics but now the series is tied at one game apiece as they play game three in Boston tonight. When I heard about this story I was so quick to judge Rajon for his actions being that the playoffs are a time where cool heads prevail. Little did I know that the very next day another player would make similar headlines in a far more boneheaded manner. After falling 104-94 in the second game of their series against the Miami heat, Knicks starting power forward and six-time NBA all-star Amar’e Stoudemire took out his frustration on a fire extinguisher case and severely injured his hand. 

Amar'e and his injured arm

Did I say boneheaded, because I meant to, and even if I did I think it’s necessary that I say it once more. Stoudemire’s action was absolutely inexcusable. I gave Rondo a break but I simply can’t do it in this case. He took himself out of the series because he couldn’t keep his emotions in check. Maybe you can tell, seeing how the last couple posts I have written have been about the Knicks, but I am an enormous fan and to find out that one of their star players had to be treated by paramedics after the game  for a self inflicted wound made me blow a gasket. Stoudemire is the second most important player on the Knicks behind Carmelo Anthony and the affect his absence has cannot be understated. When attempting to take down arguably the strongest team in the NBA in the Heat you absolutely have to have all of your big guns. In Rondo’s case the Hawks are a good team but they are most definitely not the Heat. I would imagine that Miami’s “big three” of Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James started liking their chomps when they heard the news about Stoudemire’s injury. To go and basically derail any hopes of your team winning its playoff series is down right dastardly on Stoudemire’s part.

             

It has been a frustrating series for Carmelo

I realize that it was a dumb mistake that I’m sure he wishes he could take back but after watching the Knicks’ feeble attempt last night in game three I am not quite ready to let bygones be bygones. The game, which was played on the Knicks home court of Madison Square Garden, should have been a ruckus setting, but instead it was almost too painful to watch. After their starting shooting guard Iman Shumpert went down with a knee injury in the first game of the series you could see the Knicks had lost some of their swagger. Last night however, they looked like a team who had already thrown in the towel. The 87-70 drubbing by the Heat was close for the first three quarters but when it came down to it in the fourth, Miami steamrolled the undermanned Knicks to the easy victory.

             

Now down three games to none in their best of seven series the Knicks have their backs against the wall. Stoudemire will most likely not be able to redeem himself in this series as he will sit out again in game four due to his injured hand. It would appear that the Knicks playoff run will come to a close at least a couple games sooner than expected. They had such high hopes heading into the series with the Heat after winning 18 of their final 24 games on route to securing the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. All of that seems like a long time ago now and the Knicks look ready to pack it up and start fresh next year.

Miami's three-headed dragon

At this point I would like to make it clear that I am not saying that with Amar’e New York would have prevailed, but it would have been nice to actually see their star player on the court, instead of on the sidelines with a wrapped up hand. I love the Knicks, but the Heat are a bona fide juggernaut and even if New York had played with all of their stars they would have been hard-pressed to take down Miami.


I’m not sure I’ll be able to get over this one for a while and I think my title makes that pretty clear.

Last Night in the NBA: A Pair of Sweeps in the First Round?

Last night's NBA docket had two games on the schedule.  Many had presumed the series between the New york Knicks and the Miami Heat would be a marquis match-up.  Though it does have star presence, it has thus far disappointed as far as being competitive.  The game was close at the end of the first half, as the Knicks were stingy on defense and looked like they might have been capable of taking game 3 at home and breaking their playoff win-less streak, which as of last night is the longest in NBA history, at 13.  What occurred next was a 2nd half blowout, as Miami closed it out in dominant fashion in the 4th quarter and won by a 17 point margin, 87-70, which constitutes a blowout.  The Knicks once again appear to be defeated and will most likely be swept for the 2nd straight year in the first round of the playoffs.  It is safe to say that in the off-season, Knicks management will have to reconsider the composure of their roster, and the whether the dynamic between their two star players Carmelo Anthony is healthy enough to succeed in the playoffs.  I personally believe they were two stars forced into a bad basketball situation; building a great team is not as simple as getting the two best players you possibly can afford and the rest falls into place.  Nevertheless, the Heat seem to be on there way to another Eastern Conference Championship, as Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose out of the playoffs.  I still like my Celtics chances to knock them off, if we are fully healthy (Ray Allen playing at his best) but short of that, the Heat may be inevitable in the East.

On the western side of the bracket, the defending champion Dallas Mavericks were in action last night, but like the Knicks there were defeated and are now in danger of being swept down 0-3 in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Although the first two games of the series were highly entertaining, close, competitive games that were both decided by the last shot, it seems the Mavs are simply out of gas, with a depleted roster in comparison to their championship squad last year.  Tyson Chandler, the highly valuable defensive center was traded to the Knicks in the off-season, yet ironically both teams find themselves in identical positions.  Chandler may have been better served, and provided a better chance to get back to the finals had he stayed put.  Then again, it doesn't appear that either teams are championship ready at the moment, and I'm sure off-season restructuring will occur, after both teams inevitably lost their 4th game and get bounced from the playoffs.  No team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit to win the series.  The Knicks ain't gonna go it.  If the Mavs were to make history, that would be really cool.  However, Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook are destined for the next round at least, I'm quite sure.  That matchup will presumably be against the Lakers, which will be a must-see series for any sports fan, especially given the last time they met was a double overtime thriller that also involved Metta World Peace's notorious elbow to the head of James Harden.  That should be a good one.

Kobe and Pierce Turn Back the Hands of Time

On Tuesday night, two aging stars and future Hall of Famers, who have both been questioned regarding their elite status in the NBA due to their age mileage, showed those doubters what they could still do.  Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce both had dominant games to lead their respective teams to big playoff wins.  The Lakers were already up 1-0 in the series against the Denver Nuggets, but now have a strangle-hold on the series.  The Celtics were playing without Rajon Rondo due to a 1-game suspension that was discussed on this blog, as well as Ray Allen due to injury, and they had loss their first game to Atlanta and were in big need of win.  Pierce carried them on their back, being aggressive right from the opening tip, scoring his team's first 9 points.  Although the middle portion of the game Pierce wasn't as assertive offensively, as the game remained close he exploded in the 4th quarter, outscoring the entire Atlanta Hawks team in that period.  Both Bryant and Pierce had the entire spectrum of their offensive game working and on display, which in both cases is quite a thing to witness.  They actually have similar strength's in some ways, as they are two of the most prolific mid-range shooters this league has seen, both being uncanny in their ability to fake out the defender in various ways to get them off balance or off their feet.  Pierce finished 12-26 from the field with 36 points and 14 rebounds.  Kobe was a staggering 15-29 from the field, finishing with 38 points.

All this to say, that some of the crafty veterans in the NBA are showing they are not quite ready to hand over the torch to the young stars who may have an advantage regarding youth-based athleticism.  Tony Parker and Tim Duncan of the Spurs are another prime example of this phenomenon in action.  In addition to Pierce's performance, his 35 year old teammate Kevin Garnett had a strong game, with 15 points, 12 rebound, and 5 assists.  Beyond that, his intangible defensive presence cannot be quantified but was obvious to anyone who watched the game.  Everybody is talking about The Heat and the Thunder advancing to the finals, what's wrong with Celtics vs. Lakers?  Not a thing in my book.

R.I.P. Junior Seau (1/19/1969 - 5/2/2012)

The great NFL linebacker and father known as 'Junior' Seau passed away yesterday, in an apparent incident of suicide that took place at his home in Oceanside, California.  Born Tiaina Baul Seau, Jr.  on January 19th 1969, in San Diego, CA, Junior Seau was an incredible athletic talent who broke into the NFL when he was taken in the 1990 draft by the the San Diego Chargers.  He was a hometown kid, drafted out of USC, and what followed was an illustrious professional career, that was 20 seasons long, 12 of which Seau played well enough to be selected to the Pro Bowl.  Any time you have been selected as an all-star in a professional sport double-digit times, you know that is someone who is prolific at their craft.  Later in his career, after a 4-day retirement that was testament to how much he loved the game, Seau signed with the Patriots and was eventually named a captain.  More importantly than Seau's career accomplishments and accolades, he was a great man by all accounts, who was loved by so many, within the NFL and beyond.  Seau instituted the "Junior Seau Foundation" in 1992, which had the mission of assisting troubled youths with all the pitfalls of adolescence that many under-privileged individuals are effected by especially.  It is worth noting that Seau created this altruistic foundation during his 2nd year in the league; an endeavor that many would associate with veteran/retired players that are financially secure.  This speaks to his character, he will be sorely missed by so many.  Seau leaves behind three children and an ex-wife, whom he contacted to let them know how much he loved them soon before he tragically took his own life.  Furthermore, he was found by his long-time girlfriend, who happens to be the sister of a dear friend of mine.  The ripple effect of such a tragedy is far-reaching, and my condolences to the Seau family as well as the Nolan family.  If there is a lesson that can be articulated so soon after such an incident, it would be that anyone who is in distress and experiencing psychological turmoil should never keep it a secret, there are always plenty of family, friends, and co-workers who love you and would do anything to help you.  Please speak up, communicate to a loved-one.  Rest in peace.

Spring Ball: Revised

Spring Ball

I chose to revise this post because as my last lacrosse post I wanted to inform everyone the current rankings as we move into the final week before the championship games. I would also like to give my two cents on a few of the teams and how they might do come May 12th, first round of playoffs.

Original post can be found here

Notre Dame Irish

Regarding the Loyola Maryland vs Johns Hopkins game, if any of you couldn’t watch the game, Loyola had one of the worst starts they have had all year. However, they managed to tie up the game in the last 5 seconds of the game. During overtime Johns Hopkins scored the winning goal giving them the first win over Loyola this year. And as I predicted in my previous Spring Ball post, Johns Hopkins is starting to click with some impressive wins lately. However, with Loyola taking its first lost a few things happened in the current rankings. Notre Dame took the number one seed above Massachusetts at number 2. Loyola was bumped down to number 3 and Duke down to number 4 as well. 

Notre Dame is a very strong team that has always been seeded in the top five for past handful of years. I predict that they well have a good shot during the final four. Massachusetts is as well, dominating this season as they remain the last team undefeated. I would put money on Massachusetts losing at least one game before the playoffs due to the remaining tough games they have. That leaves Duke, Loyola and Johns Hopkins (number 5 seed) all with, in my eye, an equal shot for the playoffs and the final four showdown.

Massachusetts

Duke

The Red Sox Are Killing Me! (Revised)

I chose to revise this particular one based on the increased performance of several players since writing this while others have come to the forefront of my dissatisfied demeanor. My opinion has remained the same whilst my eye is fixed on a new set of players.

Old Post

*I would like to formally apologize in advance for the post you are about to read but sometimes my love of sports makes me go a little crazy and the only way to alleviate the insanity is to release one whirlwind of a rant.

I am a huge Boston Red Sox fan, I can’t stress that enough. They are my favorite team in all of sports, I watch every single game on NESN and I have been to more games at Fenway than I can count. Unfortunately, I am also a realist and although I really hate to say this, they are doomed to a year of mediocrity. They just don’t have the “It factor” that they have had in the past. It is early, the season just got underway a mere 20 games ago, but the writing is clear on the walls. At 10-10 they clearly aren’t out of it, but it still doesn’t look too good.

Normally a time to sign big-time free agents, Red Sox management took the term off-season a bit too literal. No real rosters moves were done to improve a team that collapsed at the end of the year missing the playoffs in dramatic fashion. There were big free agents out there, ripe for the picking, that would have had a tremendous effect on the outcome of the season. Instead, Red Sox fans are stuck with a team that really doesn’t seem have what it takes to contend in their league. The Red Sox were not completely dormant in the winter months. One free agent acquisition has looked like a real winner so far this season. An unlikely source, outfielder Cody Ross has showed some great stuff early on and has provided when bigger name players have left us wanting more. Ross, as of today is second on the Sox in homeruns and RBI. Even with the Ross being such a pleasant surprise, this season has all the makings for a ridiculously disappointing 162 games (If you didn’t know that’s how many games are played in a baseball season).

Beckett and Lester need to perform

Along with the players they didn’t go out and get, the ones actually on the roster need to step it up an make some things happen. The most glaring disappointments have come from the pitching staff. Normally sources of wins and game stability Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have looked anything but reliable in the early going. So far the two are subpar, mirror images of each other. Neither Beckett nor Lester’s stat line resemble anything close to the ace status we expect from them. What is weird about their performances thus far is how equally bad each of them are doing.

Stat Lines 

This here is a link to the Red Sox pitching stats so far this season provided by  Yahoo Sports. This chart goes by ERA and about halfway down the page you can see both of them clumped together. After a quick analysis you’ll begin to understand what I am talking about when I say mirror image.. Their win/loss, ERA, earned runs, k’s, hits and innings pitched are all about the same. What I am getting to with all of this is that the Red Sox need these two guys in particular to turn it around or else there is no way the Sox are going to be able to compete. These guys have proven in the past that they can get it done and they need to do so once more. If Beckett and Lester keep this up, look for Red Sox players in October, coming to a golf course near you. 

Interim closer Alfredo Aceves

 As bad as these two have been this year, things have actually gone worse for the Red Sox when these guys come out of the game. This relief pitching staff may be the worst in baseball. I use the word “may” loosely, due to the fact that most baseball experts would concur with this suggestion. Although shaky at times the Red Sox had a stable enough closer for the last seven seasons in Jonathon Paplebon. This winter however the two parted ways and now he plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. The man they got to replace him, Andrew Bailey, injured his thumb this spring and is out for the better part of the summer. Now they are left with basically no proven guys in the bullpen and it shows. Alfredo Aceves has been given the interim closer position and has looked abominable. In seven save opportunities he has converted five, blown two and posts an ERA of 10.29.

I feel like I keep using terms like ERA all willy nilly, expecting everyone to know what I am talking about. ERA stands for earned run average and is the average number of earned runs a pitcher allows per nine innings. Basically it tells you what someone would average if they pitched the entire game. In the case of Aceves you can see how his 10.29 ERA would be problematic.Although I am picking on Aceves, he isn’t the only Red Sox pitcher stinking it up in the bullpen, Franklin Morales, Vicente Padilla and Mark Melancon have all been sources of frustration late in games. Every time a starter hands off the ball to a reliever I start to feel a bit squeamish.

Papi showered opposing pitchers with hits in April

At the start of the season I would have complained that the Red Sox offense wasn’t showing up to games, but of late that they have been on an absolute tear. “Big Papi”, David Ortiz had his best April in his career, batting .405 with 6 homeruns and 20 RBI. It’s great to see Papi have such a ferocious month to start the season. The last couple years he has struggled in the early going to shake off the rust that accumulated in the off-season. This year he just came out guns blazing and it’s a real testament to his conditioning being that he turns 37 later this year. Another bright spot is second year shortstop Mike Aviles, who has also been a force at the plate. I remember last year all of the grumbles I heard from Red Sox fans when we traded to get him from Kansas City. Now his 5 homeruns and 17 RBI have former naysayers chanting his name.

With the bats coming alive the status of the season seems less dire, but I’m never going to feel comfortable with the pitching staff  they have now. We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

Phew, that was one heck of a rant, but I kind of feel a little better now.