Tim McG

I had the honor and privilege of seeing Willie Mays play several times at the 'Stick. He was, in fact, as good as they say he was. Happy Birthday, Willie!

Declawed...was the cat de-toothed, too? Look at the kid's face. It sure looks like he was hurt to me. That crying clearly isn't the cry of a kid who was just surprised. Women have high-pitched voices, too. And this voice sounds far more mature than a brother or sister's voice. You know, with all due respect, it sure seems to me that there is an awful lot of justifying going on here and I would hazard to guess there are a fair amount of folks posting who don't have kids making some pretty terrible assumptions. Just sayin'.

No it doesn't. I think that this thread could be an interesting example of a psychotherapy study. Maybe some of you are reading waaaay too much into this little snippet. Has it occurred to you that maybe the child had been crying for who knows how long and maybe they thought that the cat (new?) would calm it down? "No, mommy! I don't want that cat on my bed!" SMACK - or some such... Of course, it could be another story - maybe one dreamed up here, but the bottom line is that we just don't know, do we? Striking a cat is wrong and it's no surprise that the cat struck back and, no, the person(s) filming and/or posting it aren't to blame either. Maybe it's to prove a point... or..... we don't know do we? Oh c'mon. Why else would the kid be crying? You know, I have never been to Japan, but I am fairly certain it exists and I really don't need proof. By the same token, kids don't cry [or retaliate] without provocation. TBH, I think you are assuming far more about the child's crying.

Banality sells. Just ask milk toast queens Rachael Ray and Heloise.

I wonder who the hyper-hipster PR yutz is who came up with the description.

That was impressive, Berigan. I'd be curious to know how many 40 year-olds have done that, too.

Sorry, Jim. Bifocals Assuming that the parents were the ones who recorded and posted this, in my opinion they can only be faulted if: 1) They told the kid to hit the cat. 2) The child was seriously hurt. The latter doesn't appear to be the case. I like this video because of what it shows about life. Life is learning, and this child just learned a valuable lesson. He hit the cat hard, and learned that there were consequences. Presumably he's fine, and a little smarter. My problem is the child was already crying at the start of the video. This would clearly indicate he already got scratched by the cat. The only "lesson" I see here is learning to hit in retaliation. Seems to me there are far better ways to accomplish this task than allowing, and on camera, an animal to leap at then claw and bite the child, don't you think?

Sorry, but an asshole getting their comeuppance is enjoyable no matter how old the asshole is. I guess if you're part of the crowd with no memory who thinks kids are always little angels, it would seem odd. This is a child, fer crissakes. How on EARTH do you equate innocence with being an asshole? Seriously, Jim. This is a clear case of a parent who cares more about getting a YouTube moment than he is protecting his own kid. With all due respect, I think you are over justifying this.

With all due respect, I don't think this is funny at all. If I live to be a thousand years-old, I will never understand how a crying child is a source of entertainment to anyone...especially to the "parents" who film this stuff. Nothing funny about a kid getting hurt and probably already got scratched before this was video taped. I, too, seriously question the "judgement" of the person recording this then putting it on YouTube as a potential source of further derison as the kid gets older and his peers see it. It was almost as if the person recording this was encouraging this crap. Unless, of course, the "parents" are abusive SOBs themselves.

I did R-H-E and the score at the end of each half inning. Then I'd play "ballpark" music; stuff you'd hear at a pro stadium. Did some ads or hawk the snack bar items. No birthdays, though. Coaches thought it would be a distraction. During the game I'd announce the position and/or number along with the name of each player at bat. Announced PRs and PHs as well as defensive subsitutions and pitching changes. Before the game, I did a welcome, ran through the roster of each team's starters and then a National Anthem announcement. Either a student would sing it live or I'd play a version of the Star-Spangled Banner on the CD changer. End of the game, R-H-E and the final score with a thank you for attending/drive safely ending. Yesterday, I announced my good-bye...and I will miss it.

Rest in Peace, Junior.

Stadium announcer...and it was a blast

On a personal note: I announced my last HS baseball game last night. After 23 years, it's time for me to step aside and let some other guy take a whack at it. The team I announced for won so it was cool to go out on top of my game and with a win. It was a good run, but it was time.

I just keep telling myself: It's still early. Ugh.

An amazingly bad call by the umps in the Rockies vs. Dodgers game: Blown call...by a mile. Man, that's like the third no-no this year, isn't it?

This is a total shock: Junior Seau found dead.

....and doing "The Wave"; football schtick. Classless is as classless does. Even with all that, it was by far the loudest, most involved Dodgers' crowd in three years. It was great to see & hear, brought back memories of when the Dodgers actually mattered. Good point. I saw that same enthusiasm with the 49ers at the 'Stick this year....been ten years for those guys. But "the wave" and when your own pitcher is throwing? It was good to hear Vin Scully's voice again, I'll give you that.

....and doing "The Wave"; football schtick. Classless is as classless does.

If you read the article the yutz from the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Board wants us to believe fireplaces and agriculture cause the pollution. Sure. I really don't know of anyone who lights up the fireplace in August. The real cause is cars and diesel trucks/trains. Interstate 5 and Highway 99 and the railroads of Santa Fe-Burlington Northern and Union Pacific all run the length of the Valley. The trucks from Mexico don't have to follow any pollution standards. Add to that the coal-fired co-generation power planets and Ag waste co-gen plants and you have soot galore. Then, and how this got done is a testament to the weak-kneed and pro-business Air Quality Board, we have a toxic waste incinerator belching metric tons of pollution into the air. Lastly, it doesn't help that the Bay Area oil refineries in the Martinez Straights are allowed to pollute with impunity. All that pollution gets carried into the Valley by the winds, as well. Basically, this Jaime Holt is full of bought-and-paid-for pro-business cow manure and its subsequent methane gas pollution. Don't even get me started on the mega-daries in Tulare-Kings Counties.

True dat. I lived in the LA/OC area back then. We had clean air...now it's worse than LA! Grrrrr

It would be nothing new for this Giants fan whose Giants LOST last night to the Padres. Minimalist hitting for a rookie pitcher just up from Fresno. Ugh.

...with a little help from the Niners' Kyle Williams and his three fumbles. Just sayin'.

Gah! I sure hope it doesn't go any farther than this

Could be worse! http://www.mibazaar.com/pollutedcities.html True. The bad news is this isn't a so-called "Third World" country, We have the technology to control such pollution.

The San Joaquin Valley has not one, not two but FOUR cities on the top ten list! Gotta love those conservative politics which place industry and taxes on businesses above lung health. Woo-hoo! [hack, wheeze] Air Pollution City