Show Him The Door!

The New York Knicks can own New York City if they wanted to. There could be blue and orange all over NY, even Yankees fans would be ok with that. NY would have its Golden Boy, Carmelo Anthony much like the Yanks did with Derek Jeter. Madison Square Garden could be the best place in sports but it's nothing but a pipe dream these days. The Knicks sold hope and promise. Now they just sell live action soap operas at MSG.

Phil Jackson's days at MSG should be numbered

Saturday night the Knicks hosted the defending World Champion Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time this season in prime time on national television. For the second time, they were embarrassed. The Cavs took a 27 point lead at one point in the game..27! To the Knicks credit, they climbed within 5 with a minute left but that's where the magic ran out. That's been their M.O. They strap you in for a roller coaster ride and fail to deliver in the end. Everyone in the city knows this, so does everyone in the NBA. The only ones who don't see it are the people running the Knicks organization.

Saturday night's game showed everything was wrong with the Knicks. They missed 14 free throws. They lost by 11. Something so simple couldn't be executed. The fans booed the Knicks for their awful performance. Melo shook his finger "no, no, no" in response. The Knicks fought back from a 27 point deficit, got as close as 5 points but Lebron James took over in the final minute and dished out an outstanding pass to a wide open Kevin Love to hit a 3-pointer to seal the win. The same Kevin Love the Knicks are trying to acquire from the Cavs for Melo.  Melo and Kristaps Porzingis were a non factor in this game. They are the guys that are suppose to be driving this team into the playoffs. The other guy that was suppose to be helping them this season was Derrick Rose sat out his 4th consecutive game with an ankle injury. I guess he should just disappear again like he did a few weeks ago without explanation. At least that would get the Knicks some sympathy...right?

This has led to speculation that Carmelo Anthony is going to get traded sooner than later. The debate has gone on for weeks, should the Knicks keep Melo? Is it his fault the Knicks are in disarray or is it Phil Jackson's? Melo doesn't care how people view it, all he cares about is winning as a NY Knick but it's starting to show in his performance on the court. When asked about all the off the court drama Melo said:



Off the court drama starting to affect Melo on the court

"I'm still keeping it [mellow], still keeping it cool, man. It definitely kind of tests you, can put you to the test...You have to dig deep within yourself to get through it on a day-to-day basis, figure out a way how to still go out there and play at a high level every night, play hard, lead this team."That's kind of where you have to dig deep at, despite of everything that's going on, that's surrounding -- I don't even want to say us -- me. It's testing me. It's testing my will. It's testing me as a human being. It also is making me stronger throughout this process."

The Knicks would be crazy to trade Melo especially if they don't get high caliber players in return. The problem here is Phil Jackson. The guy outside of drafting Porzingis has been a disaster for the Knicks. Even now I'm thinking that he paid someone to scout and do the drafting for him. He's so out of touch with the team and the city that it's apparent he's the problem. Getting Rose this past offseason was a nice touch and good idea in theory but it was a one year experiment at best. That experiment has gone up in flames. Joakim Noah was signed to a 4 year $72 million contract, the guy has eight  games this season without scoring a single point. Now he looks like a guy who's going to be coming off the bench the rest of his career. Good moves Phil. Rose disappeared one night and missed a game. No one knew where he was or if he was ok. Phil declined to speak that night about it. How? You have nothing to say? The fans who pay way too much money to come watch THIS Knicks team aren't owed an explanation as to why one of the team's elite players suddenly vanished? Poor decision Phil.

Phil and Melo are headed to an ugly divorce

The problem isn't Carmelo. I've witnessed him score 25 points in one quarter just a few weeks ago. That set a Knicks Franchise record for most points in one quarter. That's saying something. He's still got enough left in the tank to make this team great again. Porzingis has enough right now to make this team great again. The problem is no one else on the team is capable on a consistent basis. There are flashes around the team but nothing consistent. Nothing to supplement an off day by Melo and/or KP. LeBron has his support system in Cleveland. Steph Curry has his in Golden State. Where's Melo's? That is on you Phil and only you. That is why you sir need to be shown the door, not Carmelo. Take the money with you...this city wants a winner and you my friend are no longer one.

 

 

Ruda's Ramblings: SUPERBOWL Preview

Super Bowl 51 is upon us, and the very team that dominated the offseason headlines with "Deflategate" has returned to the NFL's grandest stage to face the Atlanta Falcons for the Lombardi Trophy this Sunday.

In a season which saw New England go without their MVP for the first four regular season games due to suspension (going 3-1 during that span)Brady returned with a chip on his shoulder, leading the Patriots to their 9th Super Bowl appearance. Brady also has the opportunity to become the first NFL quarterback in history to win 5 Super Bowls. With Brady at the helm the Patriots offense is always dangerous, he makes the players around him better. Year after year no name players become household names within the Pats offense, this year is no different, ripping through the AFC with ease, they basically went untested. With that being said, not fast New England, don't start planning the parade just yet.

For the first time since 1998, the Atlanta Falcons have returned to the Super Bowl. Long gone are the days of the dirty bird, the Falcons this year took the NFC by storm bolstering a high powered offense which put up the 7th most points in NFL history. The Falcons finished the season totaling 71 points more than the next closest team. Led by Matt Ryan, who is sure to take home NFL MVP, this game can get out of hand real quick for New England if their defense isn't up to the task. The Falcons were not just explosive, they were also efficient. They scored a touchdown or field goal on 54.1 percent of their drives, the highest rate of any team since 2002. Only 5.7 percent of their drives ended in turnovers.

 

 So on to.... PREDICTION TIME! The Atlanta Falcons offense will prove to be too much for the Patriots, and Atlanta's defense will do just enough to preserve a victory. The Patriots secondary is small. Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu tower over Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, and Devin McCourty. The Falcons possess too many weapons on offense to key in on just Julio Jones, so Belichick has the undaunting task of keeping Atlanta's supporting cast of receivers(Taylor Gabriel, Austin Hooper) and backs(Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman)at bay while keeping the scoreboard within striking distance, a task they will fall short in. New England will put up points, but the Falcons will end up distancing themselves come the 4th quarter. Too Much for a mediocre defense to handle. Atlanta 38 New England 27 , Matt Ryan both NFL and Super Bowl MVP

Michael Ruda will be offering his insights, analysts and knowledge on the world of sports, WWE, and more as part of "Ruda's Ramblings". Also look out and subscribe to his podcast  WHAT'S THE RUCKUS

Ruda's Ramblings: Garden of Disarray

Sports franchises go through periods of times where they need to rid the roster, start over, rebuild from the ground up. For the New York Knicks, this has been going on for the better part of 15 years now. A franchise that was once a force in the NBA's eastern conference in the 90's, has become an afterthought, and a joke to most basketball fans. With the exception of the 2012-2013 campaign the Knicks have been a mess. A mess that has been created by an owner , a tyrant, for that manner, who is absolutely clueless in James Dolan. He had the right idea hiring Donnie Walsh, who had the vision moving in the right direction, but Walsh resigned, a move made which i firmly believe was a direct result of pressure from above to acquire Carmelo Anthony.

Cue the next big move, hiring Phil Jackson, the Zen-master, arguably the greatest coach in NBA history to head basketball operations. He'll fix this mess right? Well in his tenure here the Knicks have yet to be even competitive. Drafting arguably our best rookie since Patrick Ewing in Kristaps Porzingis, and a slew of offseason moves that landed us Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings , hasn't lived up to on paper expectations. In fact what we see on a nightly basis is a team that can score, but lack the discipline defensively that is needed to hold down the opposing team in the closing minutes of a game. They also sorely lack veteran leadership. That's where our supposed superstar comes in to play. Sorry knick fans Carmelo isn't that guy. He proves time and time again he hasn't matured enough to lead a franchise. He's a guy that would be a robin to a batman. A Scottie Pippen to a Michael Jordan. A player that compliments a superstars skill set.

For the Knicks to be competitive again the time has come to TRADE CARMELO ANTHONY. The time has come for a full youth movement, led by Porzingis. The kid has superstar written all over him. His game mirrors that of Hakeem Olajuwon, and Dirk Nowitzki rolled in to one. Trading Carmelo doesn't have to net us an A-1 guy in return either. Build through the draft. Hijack a team desperate for that championship piece like the Celtics did a few years back for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett when they dealt them to Brooklyn. And it doesn't have to be right this second. Wait for the right deal. Carmelo is going to be difficult to deal because his contract envokes a 15% salary increase once dealt rocketing his salary from 24 mill per to about 29 mill per, but there is a team out there that will be willing to take that on. Look at the way Lebron constantly whines to his franchise that he needs "playmakers".

I have no hatred for Carmelo. This ship has sailed. Its time to bring back meaningful basketball to the mecca again. Its time for Phil Jackson to realize that the triangle offense hasn't been successful since the early 2000s. Its time for the New York Knicks to get back to that gritty defensive style of ball that made us the bullies of the east in the 90s. No matter what team came in to the building the Garden was a place opposing teams HATED to play. Lets build that again, the time has come.

Michael Ruda will be offering his insights, analysts and knowledge on the world of sports, WWE, and more as part of "Ruda's Ramblings". Also look out and subscribe to his podcast  WHAT'S THE RUCKUS

How to Properly Lose Fat (Yes FAT not Weight) in 2017

This article has been contributed by Dan Cap courtesy of www.DCapFitness.com

In this new era of fitness trackers, we have more information than ever when it comes to our health and the good news is that it will get better as technology improves. You can see your current heart rate (or HR) based on your fitness watch or band (accuracy depends on price point and brand) and you can check how many steps you've taken so far in the day among other statistics. Taking steps (literally) is a motivating factor for many who don't have the initial motivation to get up and move. For the average or advanced gym goer, steps don't mean as much because you already have a set routine of how many days and hours you'll spend at the gym and which days you will be taking classes, doing cardio, or hitting the weights.

The primary goal for those just joining or getting back into their fitness routine in 2017 is losing 'weight'. Now the key word there is 'weight'. They use the scale as the determining factor. The scale should be a factor but not the main focus. Try the mirror test. Or try taking a selfie in the mirror daily or weekly and compare it to previous pictures. That will be the true testimonial for yourself. The focus should be on changing body composition. Too many people are married to the thought of losing pounds instead of losing fat and in return because they are stuck on losing pounds, they end up losing muscle along with some fat. Lets get into 'how to lose fat and not muscle'.

Nutrition (or 'diet' as everyone refers to it as) is the majority component when it comes to getting 'in shape' aka losing fat. Focus on the foods that you are eating first and make small tweaks of replacing a bad food or meal with a good one every day and you will notice a difference within a week. The main focus for foods should be for vegetables and protein rich foods. I won't list all the protein rich foods here because we have google for that and some people may be vegetarian but my specific go-to's are fish(cod, salmon, tuna), chicken (grilled with a little seasoning), and eggs (usually 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg). My goal is to aim for 1g per pound of body weight so I will have a whey protein shake right as I wake up. I know I don't eat enough protein in a day to hit my goal so this is the reason I go for a whey shake. Don't overdo it with the shakes and don't have more than 30g of protein at any 1 meal as the body won't absorb all of that and it will get excreted out(essentially you'll be wasting money). Focus on getting protein from actual food vs shakes. But why protein? Protein helps build and repair muscle. If you focus on protein-rich foods first, you are less likely to go for unhealthy foods. Then you'll be on your way to losing fat and building/maintaining muscle strength and toning.

Carbohydrates(carbs) are an interesting factor when it comes to losing fat. Somewhere along the years people, most likely influenced by a celebrity endorsement, went for these low carb or no carb diets because it made them lose weight. So again we go back to the determining factor that most people have(the scale) and not on body composition change. Carbs are good and essential for bodily functions. It's okay to limit them but only to a certain extent. I know personally when I dipped below 100g of carbs per day(I weigh 185), I couldn't think clearly. Low carb diets are known to suck the energy out of you and disrupt your thought process. Carbs are used for energy. When they are not used for energy, they are stored as fat. After going with the lower carb plan for a month or 2 I stopped because it was affecting my work and thought process and just wasn't worth it. These plans are not long term solutions. Intake carbs. If you intake too much, then expend aka workout.

So at this point you're thinking, okay thats great but it's worked for me before. I'm sure it has if you just looked at the scale but did you get a body fat analysis? These diets work short-term, and only if you are looking at the scale. Yes you'll look slimmer in the mirror and to other people but its deceptive. Its not mainly fat you're losing. It does not become a lifestyle change because it is something you can not and should not sustain and it disrupts your mind and body. Carbs are good because they produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate not to get too technical) which is basically the fuel you need to produce force. For those doing resistance (strength) training, this is good for you to have, especially before and after workouts along with approximately 10g of protein. Even if you're not a strength training person, carbs are still good and essential for you. If you're doing cardio, I'd suggest having a very small amount or none before a cardio workout as it uses a different energy system(aerobic) but afterward you can have a few more carbs and also protein. To sum it up, don't neglect carbs.

Fats are also essential. You may think, well why would I put fat in me if I'm trying to lose fat? There are different types of fat both in your body and in food. Read a nutrition label and you'll see the different types of fat under 'Total Fat'. There are good fats and bad fats. I won't dive deep into fats as this can get very detailed but stick with mixed nuts(if there are no allergies), extra virgin olive oil(stay away from fried foods as much as possible, especially when eating at a restaurant), and peanut butter. Fat will also be mixed in with other foods you eat here and there but focus on these for now.

Another factor for losing fat and not muscle would be your workouts. Everyone has their go-to for workouts. Beginners or those who don't know how to use weights properly will flock to the treadmill and either walk or run. Sure the treadmills have their place but you need to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Take a class (this goes for guys too). You'll get a good mixture of cardio and resistance (or strength as most people know it) training within a 45-60 minute window that will make you sweat and most likely sore for the next few days. Classes (including spinning, yoga, and dance) all have their place when it comes to flexibility, strength, weight loss, fun, etc. Mix in 1-2 cardio/resistance days per week along with 1-2 classes a week to get a solid workout week in. Your body will be sore at first but you will become familiar with the movements and will be a regular at the gym in no time, leading to your new lifestyle and a new you!

Buying food at the supermarket and preparing meals ahead of time is the best option for eating healthy. Changing your eating habits and workouts won't be a significant difference in a week where you may think you'll drop 10 pounds and be a model but it's part of a process that leads toward your success. Success is built in steps. It doesn't come overnight or in this case over a week. It is a constant battle. It is a lifestyle. When you become successful at your goal, you will appreciate the battles you had along the way so much more. Break down your big goal into weekly goals and start there. One of the things I preach to my clients is, if you hit a bump in the road and think its just too hard to get to your goal and want to give up, think about if going back to not doing anything will actually be a better option? The answer is always no. So you get back on the yellow brick road and keep going. It's the best option vs sitting back on the couch, watching TV, and staying depressed because you're not where you want to be with your health and fitness. Use your fitness watch/band, get up, keep the HR up, and change yourself!

-Dan

Dan Cap is a Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. He can reached for Personal Training, Online Training, or anything health related. Follow him on Facebook or at his website www.DCapFitness.com. Also down his app "DCap Fitness" on the App Store

 

Ruda's Ramblings: 2017 Royal Rumble

Sunday January 29, 2017 marks the kickoff of what wrestling fans consider the most exciting time of the year, WrestleMania season. It all starts with the 30th annual Royal Rumble pay per view. It  returns to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas for the first time since 1997 and will guarantee attendance numbers upwards of 60,000 people.

     For those not familiar with the WWE, the Royal Rumble, a fan favorite event, is headlined by a 30 man over the top rope match where the winner is granted a world title match main-eventing the biggest pay per view of the year WrestleMania. This years rumble features one of the most stacked list of entrants compared to years past headlined by the likes of Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, and Goldberg. So lets get in to my predictions of what i see happening Sunday.

RAW Tag Team Title Match

Cesaro/Sheamus (c) vs Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson :

Wwe has been teasing a Gallows/Anderson tag title run since they arrived on the scene last year, and thats what continues a tease, Anderson and Gallows will look as they're about to pick up the victory only to have it snatched away by some fluke ending. Cesaro/Sheamus Retain.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Rich Swann (c) vs Neville:

Should be a great high flying matchup, Neville takes the title because quite frankly these guys on 205 live have failed to connect with the crowd. Vinny Mac has short patience, Neville is a name the casual fan has come to know.

Women's Division Singles Match

Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax

Eh, time filler, interested to see if this is a squash match by Nia. Nia wins.

Women's Division 6 Woman Tag Match

Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Naomi vs Alexa Bliss (c), Mickie James, Natalya:

Another time filler, dont see where this one goes other than setting up Mickie James vs Becky Lynch.. ill go with little Miss Bliss' squad.

WWE Raw Womens Championship

Charlotte (c) vs Bayley:

Id just like to point out how far the women's division has come taking 3 match slots on a major ppv. Kudos to them. This match will probably steal the show. Round 1 of a trilogy culminating with bayley finally taking the title at WrestleMania. Bayley wins, but via dq or something like that. No title change.

SMACKDOWN LIVE - WWE Title Match

AJ Styles (c) vs John Cena:

How long has it been since cena has been wwe champion? 60,000 people, one of the major 4 ppvs, and a chance to tie Ric Flair as a 16 time champion.. Catering to cena. Shame cause styles has been amazing in ring. Cena takes the title.

RAW- WWE Universal Championship

Kevin Owens (c) vs Roman Reigns:

Yes, im one of those fans who are tired of the 3 year roman reigns push. No matter how hard Vince McMahon tries its not working. Owens is by far the best heel the company has, they'd be dumb to take the title off of him at this point since him and Chris Jericho have carried the raw brand. Owens wins, something occurs that starts a Jericho-Owens feud.

30 Man Over The Top Rope Royal Rumble:

24 spots have been announced leaving 6 "surprise" entrants. Names like Brock, Taker, Goldberg, Braun Strowman have all been thrown around as favorites. Too predictable. I was on board with Undertaker winning and facing Cena at WrestleMania, but it seems like creative has moved away from that idea. Im going to go out on a limb here and go with a bit of a surprise pick. Finn Balor. He has been attempting to get medical clearance this week, and should he be granted that i see him as one of the surprise entrants ( im also expecting Tye Dillinger, Samoa Joe, and Kurt Angle to all be surprises as well). Of course my pick has a big If attached to it so should he not enter, i have my plan b pick. Bray Wyatt. Its time for him to get that main event status, dude is solid both in-ring and on the mic, perfect time to throw the fans a surprise non predictable ending.

And that my friend is how i see Sunday's event playing out. Hopefully the event lives up to the hype.

Michael Ruda will be offering his insights, analysts and knowledge on the world of sports, WWE, and more as part of "Ruda's Ramblings". Also look out and subscribe to his podcast  WHAT'S THE RUCKUS

Tinder Invented Sex, Goes Insane

I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the VF article. Story after story about relationship-challenged New Yorkers. Men in New York treat women terribly and brag about it in Vanity Fair. Wow, you don’t say?


The VF article is a retread of a topic that’s been beaten to death by the media and dating bloggers for almost two years, but VF decided to hang out with a bunch of New Yorkers who rack up Tinder sex-mates like there’s no tomorrow and talk to them like they are adults or something. The writer clearly emerged from a cave last week and the first thing they did was go on a Tinder date and now she’s scarred for life.


Surprised the cover photo wasn’t an Annie Liebowitz-styled image of a 24-year old guy in a $2,500 suit crawling down a fire escape at 4am while looking at Tinder, on his way to conquer one more target before dragging himself back to his $6,000 a month apartment he shares with a bunch of neckbeards learning how to code while working at Venture-funded almost-hot StartupX.


“It’s an eye-opener and validation of a woman’s worst fear. The guys are swiping right to hook up and it’s all just a game.” Give me a break. The women who enable men to behave this way are just as complicit in the degradation of modern courtship as Tinder is. And Tinder is at the bottom of the pile, along with Ashley Madison.


In New York legs are spreading like there’s no tomorrow and in Japan people are so timid they have to date pillows and robots and fake women on texting services. Don’t get me started on the dolls. Can someone go to Japan and help those poor people out?


What the hell did online dating do to us?


62% of Tinder users are actually in a relationship. Let that sink in for a moment. Remember what happened with Ashley Madison last month? Just wait until Tinder is hacked. By that time we’ll be so callous towards each other that everyone will just laugh. “Honey, you know, it was just me and the guys having fun at the bar.”


Can we talk about the 26 million matches made every day on Tinder? Why doesn’t anyone compare Tinder’s performance to other dating sites? More is better? Is that it. That’s all we’ve got to talk about? How many of those swipes are artificially inflated by spammers and bots? Nobody talks about that.


What is the equivalent of a right-swipe on a dating service? Replied to emails? If I email you and you email me back, that’s a match. Sam Yagan at Match told me that years ago. Back when he was the Co-founder of OkCupid, and they always said Match wasn’t worth the money and nobody should have to pay for a dating site. Money talks, right? $90 million for Sam and his team and now he’s at the helm of the company that’s changing society in ways they can’t stop, or even fathom because they’re right in the middle of it. Scary.


Maybe Mandy Ginsberg got out of Match at the right time. She’s now the CEO of The Princeton Review and on the board of JC Penny. I wonder what she thinks of Tinder.
Tinder’s definition of a match as two people physically moving their fingers about a quarter of an inch to the right compared with writing and responding to emails. Comparing swipes to responded-to emails is ridiculous; they’re not even comparable. But we’re talking about Tinder here, so anything goes.


How about this. Whenever two people like or favorite each other’s photos on a dating service, they are a match. Is that comparable to Tinder mutual swipes? I don’t know and I really don’t care anymore. And neither does anyone else, because all I read about in the media are stories about people on Tinder hooking up three times a week and 25 million matches a day.


What’s that other site, Hinge? Raised millions of dollars and copied much of Tinder and now it’s one of the most used services? Slow clap. They’ll sell to Match as well. You do understand that acquisitions like POF are arranged years in advance, right? It’s not like Sam Yagan and company woke up a few months ago with the brand-new burning desire to acquire POF.


Match CEO Greg Blatt Two years ago:


I think domestically, there’s nothing that we need to own, meaning we’ve got sort of everything checked off.
Yeah, right. Go Markus@POF. He’s the smartest guy in the industry. $575M for a company where what, 20% of it’s users leave every month! Markus destroyed Zoosk and a ton of competitors, warts and all, and gets a half-billion for the effort. Much applause for a job well done! Talk about taking the long view of the industry.


Online dating is barely recognizable from when I started covering it in 2002. Yes of course there are well-run sites captained by fantastic people, but those companies are extremely rare. How unfortunate.


Julie Spira says that women are meeting men on Tinder to change them. Now I’ve heard everything. Almost a year ago I wrote, Can Dating Sites Make Us More Civil? The answer is obviously a resounding no. Online dating has turned a large portion of the dating population into a bunch of maladjusted sexaholics (for the most part, if you read anything in the media about online dating these days). If you want to change the way men relate to women, Tinder is not the right medium to make that happen.


Really, it’s best not to think about it too much, we might get a conscious and realize how screwed up dating is now and that it’s mostly the fault of the dating industry for being asleep at the wheel while the money rolled in.


The Match Empire grew so large and boring! Sure it prints money, but for a category-leading brand, it’s become a real snooze. Can’t go wrong buying a Toyota, right? Makes me pine for the days when OkCupid was all the rage. To this day, Adult Friend finder is the most feature-rich dating or hookup app on the planet. Even OkCupid has changed very little in five years, just like Match. See a trend here? You think there are going to be any big changes at POF? Nope.


Remember when the industry cared about matching algorithms? Not any more. Well eHarmony has to, it’s in their branding and their DNA. Everyone else has “data scientists”, which is short for, “I have no idea what I’m doing but I landed this prime gig at dating site X.”


I’ve always felt like a bit of an edgy ombudsman regarding the online dating industry. Terrible way to make a living though. Having a conscience and all, difficult to get ahead. But I’ve had a lot of fun over the years and met some amazing people who toil behind the scenes who actually care about their customers. May they keep rocking on.


How quaint that Tinder and marketers have rebranded spammers and scammers as “brands”. Now that is something that Tinder got right.


In finality, Tinder is the worst thing to ever happen to the online dating industry. End of story

Should I Be Offended?...Is that Going To Offend People?

This is a subject I've been contemplating in my head a lot recently. It's such a sensitive issue. Ironic huh? The fact that so many people can have the same views as you yet that same amount have the opposite. What do you do? Stay quiet? Some people do. For argument's sake, I tend to throw my hat in the ring if I'm fully behind my belief and/or opinion. That rubs some people the wrong way, that's ok I'm running for a popularity contest. I do like to be liked, just like everyone else but I wont compromise my opinions so I can be liked.


Which brings me back to my topic. People are too sensitive these days. Everything bothers people. Weather, sports, politics, work, peers, coffee, holidays. You name it, someone's offended. In this day in age, we all have to be politically correct. Why? So we can get more Facebook and Instagram likes?? Who are we trying to impress? Why does that matter? Aren't we all at this point of our lives by doing things our way anyway? So why are we getting so offended by bullshit?




I'll give you some examples.

Example 1:

Simon Malls Holiday Display

Boycotting Simon Malls for their generic "Holiday display". They claim they wanted to create a more modern holiday experience. How are you going to modernize an old jolly fat guy in red suit? Is he going to be Justin Beiber with a six pack and a nicely trimmed beard? No! Leave it alone. There's nothing to modernize about Christmas. I get that there are people that don't celebrate the holiday but instead of pissing off the majority of the country that does, why don't we incorporate more? Not for nothing, but every religion does get their time to celebrate their big days of the year. It just so happens that Christmas IS the money making "day" that businesses spend months on preparing for. Money talks. Whether you agree with the greed behind the concept or not, it's the truth and it's what makes America the greatest and most hated country in the world. I was in favor of the boycott. While I hate the commercialization of  Christmas and the "What are you getting me " I do like the season, the music, the decorations, the cold, the snow that comes along with it. If it didn't then it's just another day turning into another week, turning into another month. Nothing wrong with wanting to make something feel special. Christmas is something that should feel special, not generic.

Starbucks 2015 Red Cups

Example 2:


Starbucks removed "Holiday themed decorations" on their cups and now all we're left with is plain red cups. Starbucks is claiming they want the consumer to use the extra space to use it as a canvas and decorate the cup as they wish. This is with the hopes of people taking to social media and posting their "personalized design" all the while promoting Starbucks in the process. Genius or a clever escape from controversy? I'm in the middle here. I love the "Holiday Season" so anything that makes it more generic I'm against but I'm going to take a wait and see approach here. While I don't think it really matters wtf Starbucks does because I'm only a consumer 2-3 months out of the year when they have their Valencia Orange Refresher in the summer and their Peppermint Mocha during the holidays, I do like the idea that those two items are significant staples of their respective seasons.

Example 3:




2015 NY Mets Failed To Win The World Series

The NY Mets recently made a run into the World Series and unfortunately came up short on their quest for a championship. This was BY FAR one of the most ridiculous and fun occurrences to happen in recent times. I am a die hard Yankees fan, to the point that anyone who knows me KNOWS this. There are not many things that I am passionate about, but the Yankees are one. I grew up idolizing Derek Jeter. The fame, the fortune, the dream of playing for your favorite team to come true with the absurd amount of success he has had. It just fills you up with jealousy, envy and amazement. I digress. So the time came where the Mets were the ones everyone was talking about. I was too, but I was going against them. I couldn't stand to see the "other" team in NY win while my team was out before the tournament even started. So it began, the banter. LETS GO METS...METS SUCK. For 4 weeks this went on and it felt like an eternity. I was just waiting for the Mets to die. They wouldn't. So I did everything I could to defend my Yankees. I went toe to toe with many Met fans. The general public who stood in the middle of the debate without a clear cut side said I should root for the Mets because it was NY. My answer was no. My answer was I was a Yankee fan. I was loyal to my team. They give me a team that I can be proud to root for every year. I wasn't going to cheat on them just because my "girlfriend" wasn't home and the Mets were right there. To this, it angered most people. First , why? It's my opinion. Second, what was wrong with showing loyalty? Third, people got so offended I was called names and got unfriended on social media. Uh-oh...oh no! Give me a break. You offended that a Yankee fan wanted the Mets to lose? Wow. Most people just take it as good ol' smack talk bur others took it personal, to the heart, and to the brain. I was shocked that people called me ignorant because I was being faithful to the team I love. But it showed that people take some things too seriously and sports shouldn't be one of them.

I could go on and on about all three subjects but honestly, I've spent enough time on them. EX1 I sided with the offended, EX2 I was in the middle, EX3 I was against the offended. Truth be told, all three are topics that some people got offended by and all three are topics people are just rolling their eyes at wondering why we're even wasting time on it. Everyone has a right to be offended, if they feel like there's a legit reason but if you have no reason to be offended then stop complaining and do something to help better the situation.

Until next time....