The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Just recently, when discussing the Michael Brown shooting and whether or not race had anything to do with it, Fox News contributor Jonathan Hoenig said, "You know who talks about race? Racists." One moment while I provide Mr. Hoenig with the well deserved slow-clap. :: slow-claps for two seconds :: So, that was quite the line by Mr. Hoenig, wasn't it? "You know who talks about race? Racists." Well, wasn't he just talking about race? So, by his own words, I guess that makes him a racist. Also, if he wants to be consistent, does this mean that people whom talk about gender are sexists and people whom talk about sexual orientation are homophobes? With that line of thinking, Hoenig would engage in the following back-and-forths: Hoenig: "So, who are you voting for?" A woman: "The Democratic candidate, because he's been adamant about his support for equal rights for women." Hoenig: "You sexist feminist nazi!" ...

As I've said previously, there are times ESPN appears to be a hybrid of themselves and TMZ. Nowhere was that clearer than recently, when ESPN reporter Josina Anderson inquired St. Louis Rams players about openly gay teammate Michael Sam's showering habits. She then reported her findings to ESPN, saying that an anonymous player contended that "Sam is respecting our space," while both defensive tackle Kendall Langford and linebacker Alec Ogletree told her that they "weren't tracking" their openly gay teammate's showering habits. In response to the report, Rams defensive end Chris Long tweeted this message: "Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it." First off, kudos to Chris Long and the St. Louis Rams players for reacting in the manner they did. Secondly, shame on ESPN for running with this non-story they're attempting to make into a story. Sadly, ESPN has become the combination of a sports channel, a celebrity gossip magazine, a...

Team owners crack me up sometimes. Remember how Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert reacted when LeBron James fled Cleveland for Miami? Now James is back in Cleveland and Gilbert has since apologized for his (over)reaction. Since James signed back with the Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Love asked to be traded to the Cavs, officially was this past week, and now Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is speaking ill of Love. Somewhat ironically, Taylor said this not too long ago about his former All-Star: "Kevin and I have always had a good relationship. Kevin has always said I want to win. I said I want to win, too, stay here and let's do it together." As soon as Love was traded to Cleveland, however, Taylor's comments became less positive, as he made the following remarks on ESPN Radio 1500 AM in the Twin Cities on Tuesday: - "I think where maybe he got away with some stuff not playing defense on our team, I'm not sure that's how it...

Online dating is an interesting phenomenon which appears to be steadily growing in popularity. While I've given such sites a gander on multiple occasions, despite its growing popularity, I see many pros and cons about such sites. As far as pros go, I think the main one is, unlike when attempting to start a conversation with someone at a bar and only going off their physical appearance to prompt you to do so, these sites provide a great deal more information, which can be quite helpful. As I've always said, no matter how physically attractive a person might be, that attraction can only hold my interest for so long before I get bored and lose complete interest in getting to know her better, and I start thinking, "Well, if I had known she couldn't hold a decent conversation before approaching her, I would have saved myself this headache and not talked to her at all." At least with online profiles, it can save people time, energy, and money on Advil, because they...

Ever since President Obama was elected in November of 2008, the Republican Party's main goal has appeared to be making him a failure, or to at least appear that way in the eyes of the public. When he was elected to serve his first term as president, the GOP's main goal was to make certain he was just a one-term president. After he was elected to serve a second term, the GOP then decided it was their goal to make sure a Democrat didn't win the 2016 presidential election. For going on six years, the Republican Party has appeared to reside in a world known as Oppositeobamaland. Wherever the president has stood on an issue, without even hearing what he has to say, high ranking members of the GOP have said, "Yeah, whatever he said, we're against that! Oh, he's against it? Well, then we're for it!" When hearing the GOP constantly dispute the president on any and everything political, I've often times wondered if they'd react similarly to non-politica...

For as long as I can remember, I've contended that Fox News is as perplexed about bias as a newborn is about quantum physics. A recent segment of theirs regarding the Michael Brown shooting once again lends credence to that theory (closer to fact). First of all, allow me to define "bias" for those at Fox News. Bias is "to cause partiality or favoritism in (a person); influence, especially unfairly." On Monday's Fox & Friends , the following was a headline used to prompt discussion: "Media Bias: Is 'Unarmed Teen' Description Misleading?" Fox News contributor Linda Chavez asked that very question, and followed it up with the following commentary: "That description in and of itself actually colors the way in which we look at this story. We're talking about an 18-year-old man who is 6'4'' and weighs almost 300 pounds, who is videotaped just moments before the confrontation with a police officer strong arming an e...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 11.9 K followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 3 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me by either commenting on this blog or e-mailing me at CRozniecki@gmail.com. Unless I'm out of town, I'm typically very good at responding rather quickly.

For a number of years now, I've been regularly complimented on my speaking voice. I hear myself differently than others hear me, so I can't exactly tell you what it is they seem to hear and like. However, through the years, I've heard others say the following about my voice: "You should be on the radio," "You could be like the male version of Delilah," "It's deep," "It's sexy," "Have you ever thought about becoming a DJ?" "Is your singing voice as nice as your regular voice?" "You've got the radio-face, man, no - I mean voice. Damn, I'm drunk," among other lovely observations. Just last week, a new friend of mine jokingly said (I think she was joking anyway), "With a sexy voice like that, you could have your own 900 number." In light of that comment, I thought I'd have a little fun with it and bring forth some ideas for my own 900 number. Hotline: White Chocolate Autom...

I wasn't sure I would ever hear a defense more ridiculous than the one Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder gave of his team's nickname, but given former NFL head coach Mike Ditka's recent tirade, I stand corrected. In an interview with RedskinsHistorian.com, Ditka said the following: "What's all the stink over the Redskins name? It's so much horse sh*t it's incredible. We're going to let the liberals of the world run this world. It was said out of reverence, out of pride to the American Indian. Even though it was called a Redskin, what are you going to call them, a Brownskin? This is so stupid it's appalling, and I hope that owner keeps fighting for it and never changes it, because the Redskins are part of an American football history, and it should never be anything but the Washington Redskins. That's the way it is." Judges, what do you think of Mr. Ditka's statement? "This is so stupid it's appalling..." In...

It was announced earlier today that the Cleveland Browns will go with Brian Hoyer at quarterback to start the regular season, much to the dismay of ESPN. Like with their former love Tim Tebow, their new love Johnny Manziel will start the season on the sidelines. Since neither Manziel nor Tebow have a whole lot to look forward to at the start of the NFL season and are each trying to vie for ESPN's continual love in spite of this, the two polar opposites will now appear on the classic game show, The Dating Game . Host Jim Lange: "Hello there and welcome to The Dating Game , where we have two fine young men hoping for a chance to go out with our lovely bachelorette, ESPN. How are you doing today, ESPN? Am I pronouncing that name correctly?" ESPN: "I'm pretty nervous, but excited all the same, and yes, you are indeed pronouncing my name correctly." Lange: "That's an unusual name. Where are you from exactly?" ESPN: "Bristol, Connecticut...

Regardless of what people say, even that one time when at a pricey all-you-can-eat buffet, there is such a thing as too much. This is definitely the case with regard to publicity. Remember the first time you heard a song on the radio and you loved it? Remember the fifty-third time you heard that same song on the radio later that week and you hated it? Me too... ESPN seems to have trouble understanding this concept, however. While I thought former Denver Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow was a very mediocre NFL quarterback (yes, I'm being nice), I had nothing against the guy and kind of pulled for him at first. But then ESPN came a-calling, decided to seemingly devote half of its airtime to this one player, and before long, about 72.4% of die-hard football fans (including myself) couldn't stand Tebow. Our dislike for him had nothing to do with his character, or for the most part, not even how he played football (although, some of those throws were mighty painful to watch)...

Like with the Chicago Cubs, I honestly feel bad for Cleveland Browns fans, and like the Cubs, I secretly pull for the Browns to make the playoffs each and every year. However, that's happened just once since pro football came back to Cleveland in 1999, and that was in 2002, where the Browns finished the season 9-7 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. That's right - ever since Cleveland welcomed back an NFL team, their Browns have made the playoffs once in fourteen years, and have an overall record of 73-152 (.324) in that span. Not only that, but their team has shown minimal signs of improvement in those fourteen years. In the past five seasons, Cleveland has amassed a record of 23-57 (.288). Sure, one problem has been the division in which they play. Playing alongside fairly recent Super Bowl winners in both Baltimore and Pittsburgh, to go along with the rising Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns have been lucky to finish 2-4 in those six inner-divisional games year in and ...

I, for one, would like to tip my cap to CBS NFL analyst Phil Simms, who, on Monday, said that during Week 4's game between the New York Giants and Washington, he likely won't use the term "Redskins" during the game. When speaking to the Associated Press  about matters, Simms said, "My very first thought is it will be Washington the whole game." He added: "I never really thought about it, and then it came up (the Week 4 game) and it made me think about it. There are a lot of things that can come up in a broadcast, and I am sensitive to this." To his credit, NBC NFL analyst Tony Dungy later said that, "I will personally try not to use Redskins and refer to them as Washington. Personal opinion for me, not the network." Last year, NBC's Bob Costas had a halftime segment regarding the team's nickname. Part of that segment went as follows: "Think for a moment about the term 'Redskins,' and how it truly differs fro...

I'm all for donating to good causes and doing all we can to find potential cures for a number of debilitating and/or deadly illnesses, however, I also don't think it makes a whole lot of sense to risk many people's lives in a Jacka*s - type of stunt in order to do so. Of course, I'm referring to the Ice Bucket (Water) Challenge, where willing participants have to either donate money to the ALS cause (or other causes) within a certain duration of time or have a bucket of ice cold water dumped over their head. Many people have decided to both donate and have the bucket of water dumped on them, and to the cause's credit, it has raised over $15 million for ALS research. However, while rare, at least one fatality has been linked to this challenge, and former neonatal pediatrician Dr. Stephen Wealthall hopes it comes to a halt before anyone else dies. On July 7th of this year, Willis Tepania (40) died after going into cardiac arrest after having water poured over hi...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 11.8 K followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 3 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me by either commenting on this blog or e-mailing me at CRozniecki@gmail.com. Unless I'm out of town, I'm typically very good at responding rather quickly.

- While many baseball analysts lauded the move made by the Oakland Athletics in acquiring pitcher Jon Lester from the Boston Red Sox while giving up slugger Yoenis Cespedes, I thought it could wind up costing them come playoff time. While we're still a ways away from the playoffs, Oakland has lost five straight, seven out of ten, and now find themselves percentage points (well, point) behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League West. Meanwhile, Cespedes hit three home runs for the Red Sox last week. Also, while I said I thought Detroit made the better trade in acquiring David Price from Tampa Bay and they've struggled of late as well, I think they have a bit of a better excuse for their recent struggles than Oakland. When two of your starting pitchers and a set-up man all go down in the same week (Anibal Sanchez, Justin Verlander, and Joakim Soria), that's going to take a toll on any human team (as opposed to the robot team from the future film, The Matr...

Often times, we go about life not realizing what most people may honestly think of us or what kind of a positive impact we may have had on a person's life. Even if we perform a kind act for a person, unless he or she tells us, while we may very well be left feeling good about doing something for another, we'll never be 100% certain how that kind act impacted them. On a couple of occasions this past week, however, I actually received this very feedback from friends of mine which left me feeling pretty good. Every now and again, it's just nice to be noticed and appreciated. A few days ago, a friend of mine randomly wrote me and said, "No matter what life seems to throw at you, you always seem to battle through and have a smile on your face. It's inspiring." Just yesterday, another friend told me, "For all that you've dealt with and how you've dealt with it, I've honestly been inspired by you." I guess there are just times I don't ...

When talking about cardio workouts, a good friend of mine suggested I check out the "insanity" workout. She was even kind enough to send me a demo so I could decide whether or not to purchase the whole thing. Upon trying it out, I can say without hesitation that the title of the workout is most definitely not a case of false advertising. In fact, "insanity" may not even do the workout proper justice. I'm officially through day 15 of the 60-day workout and can honestly say my body has never felt sorer, my legs have never felt stronger, and I'm quite excited to think about how I'll look and feel when I've completed the 60-day challenge. For anyone who's interested, feel free to visit the link below and that will show you what all you need to do in order to take the 60-day challenge as well. There are also some clips of insanity workouts on YouTube if you think you may be interested, but aren't fully convinced you want to fork over any money f...

It seems that because of the Sarah Palin Channel , political satire may not be necessary, because I'm not sure Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert could have even satirized Sarah Palin better than she satirized herself with a recent speech she gave. Please join me in reading this one-of-a-kind speech, where Palin comes across as drunker than a man nicknamed Mr. Slur-a-Lot by his bar buddies. ...and yes, I may make a few remarks of my own regarding Palin's seemingly drunken tirade. Ms. Palin, please take it away! "We believe that Washington DC need to take less of our money it need more scrutiny, fewer bureaucrats... and it needs a  reminder of the principles laid down in the constitution that our leaders swear to defend." It appears as if the former Alaska Governor has decided to go the what's-grammar-again route. This should make for a few good laughs, or headaches, or perhaps both. Please continue... "Furthermore we believe crony capitalism is infecting bo...

In the wake of severe flood damage for Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder issued a state of declaration of disaster on Wednesday, where he made the following comments: "The flooding that continues to impact Southeastern Michigan is a disaster in every sense of the word. As local and state authorities work around the clock to deal with this situation. It is clear that the significant personal property and infrastructure damage, coupled with ongoing threats to public safety, warrants the state declaration. By taking this action, the state can fully coordinate and maximize efforts to support its local partners. I'm proud of our communities and residents throughout the region for pulling together in the face of these challenges. Please remember that safety must be our top priority, so I encourage everyone to exercise great caution as the cleanup continues." Mark Shauer, the Democratic candidate for governor, then made the following respon...

Please allow me to introduce everyone to Jonathan Saenz. Not only is Mr. Saenz an uber-conservative Catholic attorney, but he is also the president of a group by the name of Texas Values - an anti-abortion and anti-LGBT group which is dedicated to "preserving and advancing a culture of family values in the state of Texas." In August of 2011, Mr. Saenz's now ex-wife - Corrine Morris Rodriguez Saenz - decided to divorce Jonathan after being married to him for almost 10 years. Why did she decide this was the best move? Oh, it just so happens that Ms. Rodriguez-Saenz left her anti-LGBT husband for a woman by the name of Ercimin Paredes. Yes, Jonathan Saenz, a man who has supported the concept of gay conversion therapy, has said that legalizing gay marriage could lead the way to legalizing incest and polygamy, and is president of the anti-LGBT group Texas Values, was left by his ex-wife for a woman. Approximately 94.32% of the time, I feel the need to insert wisecracks w...

In Wisconsin's sixth congressional district Republican primary yesterday, State Senator Glenn Grothman narrowly won and will square off against Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris in the coming midterm election to replace retiring Representative Tom Petri. Allow me to introduce everyone to State Senator Grothman. Here are a few of his quotes and my commentary after each one: - "You could argue that money is more important for men." Clearly what the state senator meant to say was, "You could argue that money is more important for men than for dodo birds." Okay, so that's probably not true. The statement did make him sound like a dodo, however. - "[The wage gap can be blamed on] women's decision to prioritize childrearing over their careers." Those darn women whom work and have babies all by themselves, while men have nothing to do with those very babies! One has to wonder what Grothman would say if men were the ones getting pregnant...

Being a member of the Tea Party and likely attempting to make a presidential run, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul appears to be fully ready to pull a Mitt Romney and become the latest flip-flop king. In April, Paul said that "we are not changing any [abortion] laws until the country is persuaded otherwise." He also recently told a crowd in Iowa that, "I think almost nobody in here wants to ban birth control." Yet when he was interviewed by the American Liberty Association this past week, his words on that matter struck quite a different tone, as he said the following: "I've introduced legislation called the Life at Conception Act, to define when life begins: at conception. I've also probably co-sponsored 20-some-odd pro-life bills. I have a 100 percent voting record for pro-life. But I also have taken the time to go to the March for Life. When I was there, I was the only senator who showed up for the March for Life. ... So I do think it's importa...

According to a new McClatchy-Marist poll, the Republican Party may want to hit the breaks when it comes to talking about the impeachment of President Barack Obama. According to this very poll, only 26% of the public believe that Congress should begin impeachment proceedings, while 69% do not (net -43%). Those are the exact same numbers among Independents (26% and 69%). The numbers are even more lopsided among self-described moderates, of whom only 15% believe impeachment proceedings should begin, while 79% do not (net - 64%). If Republicans in Congress do in fact begin impeachment proceedings, this will give Democrats a 7% advantage among Independents in the coming midterm elections (39% to 32%), and a 22% advantage among moderates (49% to 27%). When it comes to suing the president, 34% of the public believe Congress should follow through with it, while 58% do not (net -24%). The numbers are similar with regard to Independents, as 35% feel Congress should sue the president and 55% ...

It seems that every time radio show host Rush Limbaugh opens his mouth, he further proves the title of Al Franken's book, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot . This was yet again the case when the conservative talk show host spoke to listeners about the death of actor/comedian Robin Williams, saying the following: "What is the left's world view in general? If you had to attach, not a philosophy, but an attitude to a leftist world view. It's one of pessimism, and darkness, sadness. They're never happy, are they?" He added: "[Liberals] are animated in large part by the false promises of America, because the promises of America are not for everyone. He had it all, but he had nothing. Made everyone else laugh, but was miserable inside. It fits a certain picture or a certain image that the left has. [I'm] talking about low expectations and general unhappiness." Lastly, Limbaugh uttered the following: "Robin Williams felt guilty that he was...