A Lesson to Young Journalists: "It Takes Two to Lie. One to Lie and One to Listen"

I'm not a journalist.  Let's make this very clear.  If this isn't the first post you have read here, then you already know that.  So, like you, I just read news articles/watch TV and consume everything.  So, remember, I'm just like you.  We are, like, the same exact person.  More or less.  In the grand scheme of things.  Oh, by the way, don't forget to run the dishwasher later.

That being said, this troubles me.  Well, not so much troubles, just kind of annoys me.

Lisa Halverstadt is a reporter for the Arizona Republic and Arizona Central, and one of the main beat writers for the Coyotes in Arizona.  She tweets A LOT about the Coyotes situation.  She is a journalist, so as a citizen you intend for her to give you all of the important details of a story without commentary, etc.  She does a good job of this.  She really does.  She's also a walking contradiction.  Well, on Twitter at least, where it matters.

The Tweet in question.

First, this "tim larsom" character has terrible grammar and doesn't understand punctuation.  Also, his statement doesn't make any damn sense, so it's a wonder why Lisa even responded.

Second, what Lisa says is fine, that is what she is supposed to say.  She's a journalist.  Journalist are meant to be impartial.  Ipso facto.

Until you look at her Twitter profile picture.

That appears to be Jobing.com Arena in the background, home of the Phoenix Coyotes.  Does this say she is a fan.  No, not exactly (but her bias is somewhat obvious).  Maybe she just likes the arena.  Maybe, except Jobing.com hosts maybe three other events each month aside from Coyotes games.  So, yeah, not likely.  Can one even "like" an arena?  I "like" Sprint Center, but I'm not going to have pictures taken outside of it unless it represents something more than a pretty glass building.  Jobing Arena represents the Coyotes because it has nothing else.  Sprint Center represents misinformation and taxes (as of this date) because, well, it was built solely on misinformation and taxes.  The White House represents Democracy and the president, etc.  The Arc de Triomphe represents Napolean's ego and French victories.  The Gateway Arch represents...the wonders of steel...?  It's pretty simple.

Look, we all know today's world is different than it was ten, twenty, thirty, forty plus years ago.  Journalists, TV news broadcasters and presenters, news people, they all have personalities now.  You can talk to them on Facebook and Twitter and they sometimes do dumb shit and everyone flips out.  They are people.  Real human people.  They, of course, in some sense, are also still held up to the high esteem of journalist like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, who earned the trust and respect of the nation because they fought for the real story and asked questions (and possibly because they were old and white).  It is what it is.  Just thought I would point it out.  But, don't mind me.  Move along.  Remember, the dishwasher.

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."

After what seemed to be fifteen hours of third graders regaling the Glendale City Council with their assessment of "Hop on Pop," it ended.  The council, in a 4-2 vote, agreed to hand over the keys of Jobing.com Arena and the Phoenix Coyotes to former San Jose Sharks owner Greg Jamison, and to squeeze their taxpayers for $325 million to fund the whole mess.  It doesn't matter, though, for you see, the Goldwater Institute, the conservative watchdog group that scuttled the Matthew Hulsizer deal, isn't happy.  Nope, not one bit.

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs looked so weary when giving her address before the official vote.  Her exclamation of "sometimes you don't always get what you want" came straight from the heart, an exhausted heart, and it really hit close to home.  Her 'nay' vote was merely a formality, as she knew it would be, but in the end it didn't matter.  It doesn't matter.  At all.  Because, like Elaine, we know this isn't over.  Not by a long shot.  For one, Greg Jamison has not officially been approved by the NHL (what's the deal with him not disclosing his investors?  Are they freakin' crab people?).  And, obviously, for two, the Goldwater Institute has a lot of influence for a group constantly pissed off at local governments.  They will take this to court, and it will get drawn out.  Again.  And the NHL will continue to be annoyed, again.  But do nothing about it.  And, really, it doesn't matter what happens to the Coyotes.  Not anymore.  They have become an annoyance.  They may relocate, they may not.  Who cares anymore?  Just get something done.  It won't matter in a few years when the team is still losing money and the city is still in the crapper.  It's a hockey team, not oil.  But whatever.  All I know is that I'm not watching anymore public access television for a while.

When does the Mavs season start?

Why the Stanley Cup Final Is Better Than a Wedding

Via

Ah, weddings.  Who can deny the beauty of two people coming together to share the rest of their lives with one another.  Such a great thing humanity has culturally created.  Plus, they are great social events for the family and friends invited to share in the couple's special day...in theory.  Of course, in theory, communism works.  In theory.  But, look at weddings for what they are on the outside, without all of that lovey crap (all except yours, of course); free food, free booze, free party, single chicks with heightened emotional sensitivity, single (and not-single) dudes wading in a pool of their own testosterone...Look, I don't need to recap an entire movie plot for you.  Is this what we've become as a society?

Time Warner to Kansas City Hockey Fans: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

For lack of another/better choice, many people in the area (including your humble writer) are subject to the random channel switching and rate hikes of Time Warner Cable.  Ugh.  It is still not cool what they did to the Travel Channel.  And how many people had problems with their cable boxes over the summer when TWC did a system "update" that crashed the older hardware?  Anyway, those problems aside, there is an issue that directly addresses sports fans in the city.  Most notably, hockey fans.

Comparing the Big XII's and NHL's Impact on Downtown Kansas City

I don't want this to devolve into a discussion on college athletics on a hockey blog, and all of the hearsay and rumors and nonsense that changes almost daily, but I know it will.  So, just bear with me.

Just as a general common sense thing, let's list the top sports revenue things in KC in no particular order:
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Sporting Kansas City FC Wizards etc. etc.
4. Big XII Conference events
5. NASCAR/racing

One of those things occurs in downtown Kansas City occasionally.  Can you guess which one?

Continue for the answer.