Who's to blame?

I found this article in the Lexington Herald today. It is about the video game Grand Theft Auto. Probably many of you have heard about it since the newest version of it has hidden in it characters having sex. Well while I do agree that there is no place for this kind of thing and that kids shouldn't be playing it, I must admit I have a problem with this article. Read for yourself then read my take.

VIDEO GAME VIOLATION A CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN
Recently, the Herald-Leader reported that a video game company violated state and local laws by selling a game with sexually explicit images to minors.

The company, Rockstar Games, claims that it did not do anything wrong.
Its defense is that the images are not readily available and that the consumer must make an effort to view them. That's foolishness.

To follow this logic a publisher could put pornographic pictures in a magazine as long as he taped the pages together. The consumer would have to untape the pages to view them.
Where are our lawmakers on this?

With the Herald-Leader and most every other state paper reporting that a crime has been committed, why have charges not been filed?

What could possibly be so important in Frankfort or downtown Lexington that we will not come to the aid of our children when a company breaks the laws made to protect them?

Nick Zagaruyka Lexington


One of the problems I have is that this isn't the 1st Grand Theft Auto game with obscene content. All of them have it. Shooting, Killing, Stealing, Vulgar Language and they have had Nudity before, its just this time they added sex and suddenly that is over the edge. Give me a break.

I don't like it anymore than most do but the facts are (as sad as they maybe) somethings in this country are legal that some don't agree with. Also I don't see how someone can live with themselves profiting on something like this, but that's just me.

So I wrote the following article and sent it to the Editor of the paper and I got a call that they are going to print it. I will post a link once they do but until then here is what I originally wrote. I sent in my take on Randolph Morris and they changed some of it when they printed that one. Let me know what you think.

The True Crime against children

Nick Zagaruyka's letter on July 27 about the video Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas talked about a crime against children. It didn't point out, in my mind, the real perpetrators against the children: Their parents.

Sure the game is vile and extremely obscene and will not be played in my house, but it does have on it an only over 18 rating. So why should we be having this discussion?

Because some parents don't do things for their kids things that were done for them. Like take the time to see what it is they are buying and how it will affect their child. They assume since it is popular that it's ok, yet they want to cry foul when it isn't that way.

I certainly don't claim to be the best parent in the world, nor am I saying that Mr. Zagaruyka falls in to the stereo type that I have mentioned.

But one thing is for sure there are too many that do, and they should take a little bit of time to invest in their childs life rather than listening to "But mom all the kids are playing it".

Check this out next time your kid wants a new game www.esrb.org

Here it is and yes it was edited a bit.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/editorial/12262009.htm

KY catching up

Remember when you were a kid and the only one that argued a call was you? After the game your parents were mad at you for "showing yourself", and you went home in trouble. Well that isn't the trend these days. The lastest thing is for the parents or the coach to throw a fit or even worse a punch.

I really enjoy teaching kids sports but I won't help out in a regular league and here are a few reason why. 1. Some of the parents. 2. The attitude of some parents and coaches. 3. Some Coaches and 4 The PARENTS and COACHES !

Here are some examples to support my reasons that I found this week.

Last week, a T-ball coach in Pittsburgh was accused of offering one of his players $25 to hit a mentally disabled, 8-year-old teammate in the head and the groin with a baseball so the coach would not have to play him in an important game.

In January, a 47-year-old man in Toronto allegedly reached over a glass partition to choke the hockey coach who benched his 8-year-old son.

A father in Connecticut was charged with assault after he allegedly hit a softball coach in the head and chest with a bat during an argument over his daughter's suspension for attending a prom.

In May, a group of parents in California knocked a girls' high school rugby coach unconscious after he tried to stop a fight between a parent and a referee.

The worst happened in April when a 45-year-old man in Texas shot and critically wounded his son's football coach. It was the result of having his son kicked off the team and told never to come back. The funny thing is the father had been kicked out during the regular season and wasn't able to even go watch his son because of the way he acted.

We all hear those stories and have our own local stories of crazy parents or coaches around but nothing that bad in KY right? WRONG. KY is now caught up with the times.

Just last week, our state added its own twist when Andrew Jones, 37-year-old head of the Fleming County Softball League, was charged with second-degree and fourth-degree assault for allegedly striking the mayor of Ewing in an argument over umpiring at a girls' game July 10.

Its one thing to hit an ump it's another to hit the Mayor of your town but when your Mayor is a Grandmother its takes it to another level. I just wonder how a man can live with himself after he has hit a grandmother over a softball game. The key word in that sentence is GAME!

I pray everyday that I can have the same attitude as my father. When it came time to sign up for something my father would tell me about it and if I wanted too great if I didn't great too. He just wanted me to have fun and not live out the experience that he missed or misses by not being able to play sports. Learning the game, learning to get along with others and having a good time, that is what these leagues are for. Not developing the next Michael Jordan, Derrick Jeter, or Tom Brady.

The funny thing is my son this past week asked me if he could play soccer this season, to which I said yes. So its time to see how I will react. By the way he has never played, doesn't own a ball but I tell ya the kid can kick it a mile, COME ON PUT HIM IN COACH!

WSOP Bigger than NASCAR?

You think NASCAR is a growing sport, then you should know that Texas Hold'em Poker is exploding. The WSOP just crowned their newest champion. That's the World Series of Poker if you don't watch or have someone in your house that watches ESPN.

The WSOP isn't just one game, it is a 6 week series of different types of poker games leading up to what is called the Main Event. It is a $10,000 buy in tournament. With having to pay 10K you may think that this is a small field, and it was the first one they had in 1970. It was started by Bennie Binion to see who the best poker player in the world is, he found 7 to play.

The explosion hit in just after the 2002 event. In 2003 there was a record field of 839, 2004 it went to 2576, and in 2005 it ballooned to 5619. All the players either put up or had put up for them the 10K to play. In addition to that there was over 13,000 people who took part in one of the smaller games that require much less to enter.

So what is the big draw. Just like the phenomenon of Who Wants to be a millionaire, people watch it and then go and play with their friends. Soon they begin to think "Ahhh I could do that, I beat my friends all the time I know that I can beat these so called Pros."

Sure the rules are simple but it truly does take skill. Not only do you have to be a master of numbers and statistics you also have to be able to read peoples non-verbal queues. The Pros live this kind of action day in and day out, and that is why some guy from Gary, IN doesn't have a chance. With a surprising number of the pros having their Phd's in some type of mathematics it's like shooting fish in a barrel for them.

But the biggest reason its so popular is the money. This years WSOP main event winner, Joseph Hachem (pictured) is a pro from Australia and he took home 7.5 million. Makes you want to get 10K together and practice saying "I'm all in."

Until I can come up with 10K to blow I will just stick to www.pokerroom.com where they give you fake chips and the ability to play people from all over the world.

Know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run

The All-Star game came and went with me watching all of 10 minutes. I love to go to a baseball game but unless its Boston vs New York (this sat. At 1 on fox) or the playoffs I don't want to watch.

This year was one that saw Kenny Rogers of the Rangers go to the game even though he is currently serving a 20 game suspension for attacking a cameraman. That sounds like a lot but in reality it is on 5 games for him since he pitches. Not much of a punishment.

Should he have gone? Nope. I understand that he was voted on by the players but so what. I could care less how good a season he is having. He assaulted a guy. Sure the guy needs a second chance but let him do his time and show us he is truly sorry.

I enjoyed that the fans at the game who booed him. Booed him when he was announced pregame and when he came onto the field. There was also a thunderous cheer when Andruw Jones hit a 2-run homer off of him. Some justice I think.

The media was reporting that the players felt that the fans were on Kenny's side. Because they dislike the media just like the players do. Well a guy standing on the field doing his job and as he turns around gets blindsided by pro athlete is not something that I endorse. Hopefully the players got that message tonight too. But what will happen is the players will spin it and say that Rogers took the spot of a Detroit Tiger player and since they were in Detroit that is why they booed him. Yeah keep telling yourselves that if it helps you sleep at night.

MLB continues to do everything it can to push fans away. Seems there is always a strike just around the corner, steroids and the lack of them taking a harsh penalty for those who use them and when the best of the best or the 'role models' get together for a game, they allow a guy who less than a week before attacks a guy on camera because they say it not a real game and there is nothing they can do to stop him from playing.

Guess the only thing that would have made the night better was if the lovable Barry Bonds was there telling us all how great he is.

Waste of Justices time

Well if you haven't seen or heard by now the lastest Harry Potter book is about to hit the stores. The official time that you can begin to purchase it is 12:01 am on July 16th.

This book sales are going to be huge, I mean a couple of months ago the title was unveiled on the Today show and kids and adults both were sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to hear them say, It will be call Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

So today I am looking at my yahoo page getting caught up on all the real news and I read a story about a grocery store that sells 14 copies by mistake. You would think well no big deal right. Ahhhh no.

It happened in Coquitlam, British Columbia where a clerk put them out not realizing what he was doing. So the publishing company gets involved by taking it to court. Court!

A justice ruled that they people couldn't look at it, read it , or even keep it until the day it is suppose to be released. They are going to be getting the book with a autograph by Rowlings and some other goodies but give me a break.

Is the crime rate so low in British Columbia that this gets immediate attention? Can't you hear the exces now, Heavens the book is out now 14 people will know before the rest of the world. Arge, what if they tell? I guess those 14 people in a week could read the 600 page plus book and tell us all and then nobody would buy their own copy.

Probably was a good idea, not to mention a great PR move. Almost as good a move as when I got mad as a kid and stopped a basketball game cause they wouldn't pass me the ball and I went home. Well it was my ball you know.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=492&e=1&u=/ap/harry_potter_early_sale

Randolph Morris and the NBA Draft

Well the NBA draft came and went and no UK player was picked (shock). I think most fans understood why Kelenna left and naturally we wish him the best. Morris on the other hand, while we wish him the best too, a little confusing.

I would like to know who the 'sources' were that told Morris he was going to go middle to late first round. But really I would love to hear why they think he wasn't drafted. Coach Smith wasn't in the loop, since Morris would just fax him things now and again. That must have been the NBA's first clue that the kid wasn't ready, when he wouldn't stand up like a man and tell his coach what his plans were. So what did those sources see?

I guess they didn't see him at UK where he was dominated by smaller more experinced players most of the time. They didn't see that he is a guy who didn't realize he was 6'10" until the NCAA tourney when he got his 1st double double of the season.

Maybe they saw a clip of him in high school where he dunked over a 15 year old kid that would love to just be the manager of a Division one school. Perhaps they looked at him and saw a kid nearly 7 foot and thought "he has to be able to play", after all he was at Kentucky.

Not really sure what they saw but I know what I saw. I saw a kid listen to people that are gamblers. Gambling that if Morris does get picked then they will be able to cash in on their brillant insight. I saw a father blinded by the flashing lights of the NBA over the common sense of a 5th grader.

The biggest thing I saw was a kid who disrespected a coach who knows the hard work it takes to be successfull and has proven himself in the basketball world.

On second thought maybe Morris is ready for the NBA.