Okay, I haven't posted anything in ages. Well, between Thanksgiving, being sick, work and being a lazy fuck, I've been busy. I felt like I had to chime in on the Hollywood writer's strike. Being an un-abashed cinephile and TV fan, the strike has directly affected my life. I don't know what do without my daily doses of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Conan O'Brien. I'm at a loss as to how to fill my time and have mostly filled it by watching copious amounts of porn. This has led to massive chafing. You might be asking yourself 'but i don't understand the strike??' Rather than explain it in my eloquent way, I refer you to this excellent Youtube video:



I have to say that I am equivocally on the side of the writers. I mean, how could I support the giant corporations over the little guy? Are the writers well paid now? Yeah, they really are. But compared to what actors and studios make off their material they're getting shit. Seriously studios - just pay them already! This is only hurting Holywood and the shitty reputation that it's gained amongst the American public. Give them the right to their fucking intellectual property. They're not even asking for anything extravagant. And please, do it quickly; if I'm forced to watch only reality TV for the next few months I may go all OJ on somebody.

Tackling steroids

I look at you, then you me
Hungry and thirsty are we
Holding the lion's share
Holding the key
Holding me back cause I'm striving to be...

Better than you (Better than you)
Better than you (Better than you)

Lock horns I push and I strive
Somehow I feel more alive
Bury the need for it
Bury the seed
Bury me deep where there's no will to be

Better than you (Better than you) ,
Better than you (Better than you)

Oh, can't stop this train from rolling
Oh, no, nothing brings me down
No, I couldn't stop this train from rolling on and on on
No, no, forever holding on...

Metallica - Better Than You

So the most prevalent story in sports is steroid use. At this point, it could come out that Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are pumped full of roids and I wouldn't be surprised. The thing is, if you're a pro athlete, you have one of the most coveted jobs in the world. There are millions out there that want your job and are only maybe a little less talented than you. You will try and get any competitive advantage you can to keep your job. As athletes age, there just isn't a way for them to compete against younger, stronger individuals. They want to keep their livelihoods just like any of us would. Now I'm not going to condone steroid use (I would never touch the shit), but it is understandable. And seeing as everyone is using steroids, why not say 'fuck it' and just let athletes use them?
Steroids are bad for you. That cannot be argued. But every athlete that uses them knows exactly what they're doing (no matter how many times they use that damn flaxseed oil excuse). They know that in the long term they're going to pay the consequences, and if they're willing to accept what will ultimately happen to their bodies who are we to stop them? Let them do what they want, let steroid use be legal. Instead of secretly doing steroids wouldn't you rather know if your favorite player is shooting up? There will always be a certain contingent of athletes that will refuse to use roids and will play the game clean - and it would be nice to see them getting credit for continuing to play the game clean even if they have other options. You want role models, your non-using athletes will be great examples for kids out there.
This poses two problems however. Number one, it does encourage young people to use steroids. That would be bad. I'm not sure if we even know the full extent of steroids on young people but I cannot imagine it would be anything good. Perhaps, though, when a large percentage of the players they grew up watching start dying off at a young age, people will stop using steroids of their own free-will. If you want to stop steroid use it seems like this sort of self-policing might be the best way to go.
The second problem, and the one you most hear about in baseball, is how this will affect the record books. Steroid use would most likely create inflated stats and upset the traditionalists as their heroes of yester-year are replaced by the young punks of today. My contention, though, is that these records barely mean anything as it is. We try and use statistics as a barometer to compare players across generations, but that comparison will always prove to be nothing more than conjecture. I mean, look at Wilt Chamberlain. He played in an era where players were shorter and didn't life weights. How can you in anyway compare him to Shaq or Olajuwan? What about Babe Ruth - he dominated a league while evidently being a fat fuck and drunk half the time. Put him on a strict diet and fitness regimen, and who knows what he could've done (although maybe his hitting prowess was directly correlated to his fat, sort of like the obese man's Samson). The only way to rate players is against their peers. So the vast majority of sports records simply don't mean that much. Not one sport has not been affected by improvements in technology and training techniques. If you ask most people, they'd still take Aaron or Mays over Barry Bonds any day of the week.
The whole steroid case is putting a damper on sports. Let's not kid ourselves - the majority of athletes are likely using. They're simply too competitive not too. Trying to test them and stop them is a fruitless effort and everyone knows it. There's just too many different things out there and the creators will always be able to stay one step ahead of the testers. So what's the point? Let people use steroids. You know what it can do to you. If you're dumb enough to use don't you deserve what happens to you? Hell, we haven't outlawed cigarettes even thought they're vastly more dangerous to the general populace. Eventually athletes will choose between using steroids and living. If they choose steroids... so be it. At least it'll make for some competitive games.