Did East Boston bet the wrong horse?

The Casino Debate continues across Massachusetts as lawmakers from across the commonwealth continue to look for more ways to raise revenue and prevent money going to gambling havens in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Voters in East Boston were given a chance to vote on a potential casino last week but defeated such a proposal by a 56-44 margin. Many of the residents who voted against the casino said the prospects of more crime and traffic and decreasing property values were enough to shun the idea of more money flowing into the city.

This has been a question that many people in different cities and towns have had to ponder when the question arose on a ballot. Is the prospect of more money in the municipal coffers enough to put up with the increased headaches and inconveniences that such a question can bring?

East Boston said it wasn't but now some are having second thoughts.

Shortly after defeating the casino referendum, neighboring Revere is considering putting up a casino. The earlier idea was to have a casino stretch out over both towns. Now that East Boston took itself out of the picture, Revere is considering having the casino solely within its city. East Boston residents spoke out in an article in Sunday's Boston Globe. Many residents say the casino next door will mean the same headaches they were trying to avoid but none of the benefits. Others are saying if they had known of the possibility of a casino going up in a neighboring town, they would have voted differently.

I say shame on the residents of East Boston for not knowing Revere would have planned for a casino on their own.

The Wonderland dog racing track was doomed after voters approved a ban on the sport. The ban was passed in 2008 and took effect in 2010. Since then, there have been some whispers about Revere hosting a casino. East Boston is home to Suffolk Downs, a horse racing track that many believe could benefit from the casino. Money brought in from the new games would go toward payouts from the races, increasing the winnings for those who go to "play the ponies."

Many of the residents are lamenting the idea of having more problems but not more money. East Boston casino proponents should have realized this and seized upon it when the vote came up.

Is there time for East Boston to reverse course? Maybe. It would mean circulating petitions for another vote. Getting the vote to happen and passing such a resolution before the deadline for the state background check passes will also be a monumental task. Finally, East Boston now has a former ally-turned-rival in Revere. Will Revere hold off on its new quest so East Boston can change course and become partners again. Will the commission allow for more time if these two communities decide to join forces again in pursuit of a license? There are many factors in play here. Maybe allowing both communities another chance will help lessen the burdens and increase the windfall for both. Maybe the ship has sailed for East Boston.

Barack Obama and Syria

Last night,  President Barack Obama addressed the nation regarding Syria and its stash of chemical weapons. After going back and forth between a military strike and letting diplomacy win the day, the President said he was willing to try diplomacy but left the option of military action open in case peaceful attempts failed.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel referred to the "Diplomacy First" course of action, telling a Congressional Committee, "For this diplomatic option to have a chance at succeeding, the threat of a U.S. military action, the credible, real threat of U.S. military action, must continue."

Americans have been quick to attack the President's course of action and, in some cases, inaction. They have been quick to call the President weak and indecisive. Some in Obama's own party are having a difficult time supporting him. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) has said, "The effects of a strike are too unpredictable... I believe we must give diplomatic measures that could avoid military action a chance to work."  Representative James Langevin (D-RI) has also expressed concern, primarily with retaliation from Iran and Russia.

The President has plenty to think about. He doesn't want to allow a dictator to murder innocent people but he also doesn't want to turn the situation into another fiasco like Iraq when President George W. Bush told the world Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and the world needed to act. The result was a power vacuum in Iraq, threats of Al Qaeda infiltration, and no such weapons found.

These disasters were undoubtedly on the minds of British Parliament members when they voted to oppose Prime Minister David Cameron's measure to assist the United States if the situation in Syria led to a military strike. Parliament did not want a repeat of events that started more than eight years ago.

President Obama is walking a fine line and, no matter what he does, he will be attacked by opponents. If he chooses to enter Syria, he will be a "Warmonger" and the United States will be the World's Police again. If he sits back and waits for events to unfold, he will be weak and indecisive.
The truth is this: The United States and the world learned hard lessons from going into Iraq years ago and those lessons are playing themselves out now.

WZLX made all the wrong moves this morning

When a high-profile tragedy or crime takes place, there is usually a joke or two that will permeate not long after the incident has occurred. Sometimes the joke is funny and sometimes it is low-class and in very poor taste.

In the case of WZLX and the Karlson and McKenzie Morning Show, the latter was definitely a proper description.

On this morning's program, "K & M", as the morning show is commonly referred to on the Classic Rock station, staged a skit in which Patriot Tim Tebow fictitiously admits to framing former New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez for murder. In case you missed it, here is a little bit of the backstory:

This past week, Hernandez was believed to have a connection to the murder of Odin Lloyd. Days passed and local and state police collected enough evidence that not only allegedly connected Hernandez to the murder, it warranted charging the 23-year-old Hernandez with first degree murder as well as a host of weapons charges.

Tebow, a fairly recent acquisition of the Patriots, is known almost as much for praying on the football as playing for it. His demeanor and attitude is hardly what one would expect from an NFL player. You shouldn't expect the charges levied against Hernandez to be the norm but, unfortunately, run-ins with the law are becoming more and more common in the National Football League.

I understand morning shows on the radio attempt to inject humor to help people start their day but what happened on WZLX was wrong to the proverbial "nth degree". This was a tragedy. A man lost his life and another is seeing his own life disappear bit by bit as he sits in jail waiting for his day in court. Aaron Hernandez is 23 years old. He played professional football, lived in a nice house and had endorsement deals. He, his children, and potentially his grandchildren were taken care of thanks to the salary of a professional contract. He now risks throwing it all away because of one sliver of time that could possibly cost him everything. Lloyd was a 27-year-old semi-pro football player. He knew Hernandez. He was dating the sister of Hernandez' fiancée and apparently had some sort of history with Hernandez. The two were at a nightclub together earlier in the month. According to stories, Lloyd spoke to some people at the club with whom Hernandez supposedly had problems. The story gets worse from there with the aforementioned details.

WZLX tried to make light of a tragic situation and they failed miserably. People should be held accountable. I am not looking for anyone to be fired but there should at least be an apology.

Hail to the Redskins

What do you do when you're an elected member of Congress and you can't balance a budget or avoid sequestration?

You go after professional sports, of course.

I'm sure you remember the steroids hearings in 2005. Osama in Laden was still in hiding. There was a war in Iraq. As usual, there were problems upon problems in Washington but why look into those problems when you can subpoena multi-millionaire athletes and ask about steroid use in the clubhouse and who knew about it.

Now there is another cause being taken up by members of Congress. It's one that has been broached on numerous occasions and now, members of Congress have approached NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, team owners, and FedEx about changing the name of the Washington Redskins. FedEx is mentioned because it is a major sponsor of the Washington Redskins, owning the naming rights to the team's stadium.

According to the Washington Post and nfl.com, the representatives seeking the change are Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota), Raul M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin), Michael M. Honda (D-California), Donna M. Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Zoe Lofgren (D-California), Barbara Lee (D-California) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia).

The letter states, "Native Americans throughout the country consider the 'R-word' a racial, derogatory slur." It goes on to compare it to the "N-word".

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has no intentions of changing the name. He appears to have the backing of Goodell.

This is a non-issue that is being taken up by elected officials who think it's easier to beat up on professional sports than focus on the real issues at hand.

I previously mentioned it's easy for anyone to be offended by a team's name. It's one thing for people to protest over the name of a soprts team. It's another for members of Congress to take it up and make it a priority. If these people can turn their attention and efforts to more important problems than mascots, we will truly see progress being made.

Mark Cuban's latest $cheme

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has seen his team wear the same uniform for over 10 years and that's long enough for him. Cuban wants a new logo for his team but he's not looking to a marketing office or designer to show him what they have. He's looking to Joe Fan.

Yahoo! sports reported today that Cuban is looking for a new look for his team. According to his blog, that new look will come in the 2015-16 season. Cuban is giving all fans everywhere a chance to design the new uniforms for the Mavs. The rules and terms of the contest are posted clearly on Cuban's website. The Mavericks will own the rights to your design as soon as you send it and for your effort you will get...

A pair of tickets.

What a crock.

As a writer, I am all too familiar with people asking you to write for free. Somehow people out there think there are certain professions where people don't need money. With the exception of this blog, I refuse to give my services away. NOBODY should be expected to write for nothing. Nobody should be expected to work for nothing. Your work is free when your supermarket says you don't need to pay for your groceries. But how will I get exposure? Let the inferior writers, et al worry about not getting exposure.

Mark Cuban has made billions of dollars many times over. He now wants someone to design a lo for free. A design that will be marketed and merchandised and will make him billions of dollars more.

I don't know where the idea of working for free started but I believe it's been around for far too long.
I used to spend time on Craigslist looking for writing jobs. I found over 99% of them all said the same thing: "We can't afford to pay right now." If you can't afford to pay for someone you need to do it yourself or post it in the "Volunteers" section. When I see something in "Jobs" or "Gigs" that does not pay I flag it as miscategorized and I hope you do too. It doesn't belong in a section where people are looking to be compensated.

The call for a new logo went out two days ago and, to date, there are already over 380 comments. Many of the comments, no doubt from hardcore Mavs fan scan't wait to get started on it. Others like me don't see why a multi-million dollar organization refuses to pay for someone's efforts or offer a piece of the windfall that is soon to follow the logo's release.

Cuban knows there are people who would jump at the chance to give away an idea for nothing more than the sake of exposure and bragging rights. I truly hope they will open their eyes soon and see what they are really giving away.

Let Boston keep Sean O'Malley

Pope Benedict XVI announced he will resign from his office on February 28. The pontiff has held his title since succeeding Pope John Paul II in April, 2005.

The announcement has sparked the usual speculation and interest that accompany any conclave. CNN reports a British bookmaker is handicapping the list of possible successors. Although the story makes no mention of Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley, some are mentioning him as the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Rumors surrounding O'Malley stem from a story in the National Catholic Reporter. The story cites multiple sources within the Vatican who suggest O'Malley's calm demeanor, able handling of the sex-abuse scandal in Boston as well as his humble demeanor and brown habit appear to give the Vatican a chance to embrace a new image after centuries of purported power games and a legacy of secrecy. O'malley sold the Cardinal's residence in order to pay settlements stmming from the sex abuse crisis and now has one room in the seminary.

O'Malley has deferred the speculation by telling the media he hasn't lost any sleep over the rumors and he has a round-trip ticket when travelling to Rome for the Conclave.

O'Malley, in my opinion, has done an admirable job of heading the Archdiocese. The abuse scandal is just one of the many responsibilities that come with his job. I for one hope he is not elected as the 266th pope.

My reasoning for this is simple: Archbishop O'Malley is too important to the Archdiocese of Boston to leave and lead the entire faith. There is still much work to be done by the Church in Boston. O'Malley is the best man for that task.

Subway

Subway continues to deal with the public relations fallout from their $5 Footlongs. The trouble started when Matt Corby decided to measure one of the "Footlongs" and, to his chagrin, realized the featured sandwiched were literally coming up short. Corby took his discovery to Facebook and posted a photo on the chain's page. The photo resulted in thousands of "Likes" and comments from Subway fans all over the world.

Subway, to its credit, addressed the issue. The chain told Corby, "[T]his bread is not baked to our standards."

Subway is also saying the length of the bread is apt to change when it is being baked. This is nothing new. Go into McDonald's and, when ordering a Quarter Pounder, The menu featured behind the counter will remind you that the weight of the Quarter Pounder is "Before Cooking".

In addition to the bread's length being suspect, let's not forget American Airlines. The airline many years ago decided to remove one olive from each salad served on its flights, saving $40,000 each year. The move soon grew to removing meals altogether. Subway could regain some lost goodwill by providing food on flights to hungry passengers at a substantial (no pun intended) discount but I digress.

Many people are wondering why Corby has a vendetta against the chain. Why would someone be so upset about a sandwich being an inch shorter than advertised. It's not like Subway is the first company to advertise something that isn't exactly what it claims to be. That may be the case but what if I put it this way. If you were to go to your local subway and order a $5 Footlong and only pay $4.50, would there be a problem? If the person behind the counter said you were short, could you say, "It's only 50 cents. What's the problem?"?

Subway thought it had a way to save some money. They got caught. It's up to them to make it right.

Lance Armstrong

This week, Lance Armstrong admitted to doping and lying about it. The confession came in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Armstrong has joined the swelling numbers of athletes who have recently admitted to cheating in order to help them achieve impressive statistics, victories, honors, accolades and the multi-million dollar endorsements that usually come with them. Armstrong successfully eluded monitoring agencies and their testing methods for years. After retiring, Armstrong felt the need to come clean about the, "one big lie that I repeated a lot of times."

The success that Armstrong enjoyed was not without it cost, which of course did not befall Armstrong but the countless interlopers and bystanders who had the audacity to question his tactics and means, including suing or threatening to sue people if he felt his secret was in danger of being exposed.

Since Armstrong's confession, the sports world has responded with considerable backlash. People all over have called him names I am not going to write here.

Cheating is as old as the games where the cheating is taking place. There are always different names for them: performance enhancement, looking for an advantage. Some feel it's poor sportsmanship. Others think it's legal until someone gets caught. Red Auerbach was notorious for turning off the hot water in the visitor's locker room. The visitor's locker room was too small and cramped. Auerbach did it as means of intimidation and getting an advantage. Today, there would be grievances filed with the players' union.

Cheating means something wasn't on the up and up. The game was tarnished. The record is not legit. The player still has the money and, except in the NCAA, the team still has the championship.
So what. What is it the fans have lost by knowing Lance Armstrong cheated. What was so valuable and dear that was invested by the fans by watching a race or a game. How do they feel they have been cheated? What have they lost?

Nothing. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles and the bronze medal he won in the 2000 Olympics. So what? The guy who won fourth now gets a bronze for something that happened over 10 years ago?

Lance Armstrong made himself look foolish by denying what people suspected all along. Is he going to have to give back the millions of dollars he got in endorsements? Will there be fines to be paid to the Olympics, Livestrong, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the other teams and organizations he lied to? Probably not. He will fade back into his private life with his millions of dollars. He will move on with his life while countless other people will shake their heads and act as if Lance Armstrong owes them something because he cheated and lied. He humiliated himself. Hopefully that will be enough of a lesson before the next person thinks about cheating.