Incidentally, Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Lou Pinella is my hero. He has been for years, but after the Rays' one-run loss last night, he reminded me why. He takes the manager's tirade to a point of high artistic merit. Whether he's screaming at the press (like last night) or dressing down his players (like last night) or tossing things around the infield to protest an umpire's call (not like last night, unfortunately), he always makes the game entertaining.
Which leads to my list: the most entertaining Manager/Coaches of my lifetime.
1. Pinella - he curses, he screams, he picks up bases and throws them, then replaces them, the throws them again just for good measure, then picks them up again and throws again just to test his long-game. I've seen the hammer throw and discuss, maybe Lou's just ahead of the game on baseball's next evolution.
2. Lloyd McLendon, Pittsburgh Pirates - He hasn't been in the managerial game for long, but I have a soft spot for him because the cadence of his name always intrigued me when I read it on baseball cards in the mid-80s. His managerial highlight came when he stole first base...by picking it up and taking it to the clubhouse with him after he was ejected for arguing a bang-bang call at first.
3. Earl Weaver - I was pretty young when Earl last managed the Orioles, but I can still remember arguing calls in dirt-lot kickball, kicking dirt on my opponent's shoes, and being inwardly proud to imitate old Earl. In the 120-year history of baseball, he couldn't have been the first manager to build sand castles on the ump's shoes, but I can only picture his pudgy, orange-and-black visage engaging in that classic protest.
4. Mark Cuban, owner, Dallas Mavs - ok, he 's not a coach or manager, but he's too entertaining to ignore. Cuban is what i've always wanted to be: a dorky kid who happens to own a billion-dollar band account and a professional sports franchise. Or, if nothing else, I've always dreamed of working at Dairy Queen.

That's all i feel like coming up with right now. Hopefully I'll add to the list as more ideas come to mind.

I will write something in this space every day.
I will write something in this space every day.
I will write something in this space every day.
I will space day in this something every write.
Write I will, this in something every space day.
Space write something, in this I will every day.

nevermind.

I heard this morning that Sen. Strom Thurmond finally shuffled loose the mortal coil last night, at the ripe old age of 100. Despite his faults, I have always had an odd interest in Thurmond, the Emperor Palpatine of the U.S. Senate. The Grandest Old Partier himself died last night at his home in South Carolina. I suspect he was killed by a chief aide, though, who tossed him down a reactor shaft, sparking a firestorm of blue energy. The killing was, based on my nonexistent reporting, in defense of the aide's only son, whom Thurmond was gradually swaying toward the dark side.
Snicker.
Also in the news, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas sodomy law yesterday. The decision invalidates anti-sodomy laws in 12 other states, including my own home, the Heart of Dixie. I'm no activist, but I strongly disliked the idea of a person being prosecuted for for simply getting their schwerve on in his or her chosen manner. The Marv Alberts, Bill Clintons and Lorena Bobbits of the world must be relieved.
The Alabama sodomy statute went beyond outlawing consensual sex between persons of the same gender. It outlines and outlaws so-called deviant sexual acts, including oral and anal sex, for Alabama's entire population. How The University's Greek system flourished in that kind of legal climate is beyond me.

It's now been almost three months since I last had a desk and a coffee pot to call "Work." I'm bored and unchallenged, but mustering the motivation to rejoin the working world has proven difficult: Income and positive balances vs. never missing Days of Our Lives.
The days of my life are probably boring, definitely not ready for prime-time reality television. But, in need of an outlet, I present this blog to whomever it may concern (if not interest).