Category Archives: sports

The sport of kings, and of corporate welfare

Posted on September 19, 2013 by oddmanout215

Most non-fans of horse-racing, if they think of the sport at all, probably picture frantic racetrack patrons at ticket windows, or at computers, placing last-minute bets as horses and jockeys mosey up to the starting gate. But an article on … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, Philadelphia, sports, taxes, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sun flurries and sportswear in South Philly

Posted on February 21, 2013 by oddmanout215

On Sunday there were sun flurries. Very pretty, swirling on the parking lot under a semi-clear sky, but only for a few minutes. I was working outside a big-box store that sells sportswear. Ball caps bearing team logos, shiny clown … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, life in the big city, pop music, sports, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scab referees removed

Posted on September 27, 2012 by oddmanout215

NFL team owners, apparently rattled by public outrage over bad calls by scab referees during the first three weeks of professional football season, have agreed to let a little more of their enormous wealth trickle down to the referees union: … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NFL players paid to injure — shocking!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by oddmanout215

Like Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca, I’m shocked — shocked! — to hear National Football League players are being paid to injure players on opposing teams. From Steve Coll of the New Yorker: On Friday, the National Football League disclosed … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, mainstream media, sports, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

We love you, Joe Pa

Posted on November 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

Here we are again, wondering where to draw the line between fans and fanatics, admirers and cultists, loyalty and blind obedience to the great leader. The issue came up after hundreds of students rioted to protest the firing of long-time … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, mainstream media, Politics, pop music, sports | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Frazier dies. Fight of the century continues.

Posted on November 9, 2011 by oddmanout215

You had to be there, I guess, to appreciate the significance of the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight, on March 8, 1971. Not necessarily at ringside, but aware of the mood of the country. It was as if a civil … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Recession, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, sports, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why it’s so easy to hate LeBron James

Posted on June 14, 2011 by oddmanout215

It’s not because he embraced the nickname King James and has “Chosen1” tattooed on his back. It’s because he’s too arrogant or stupid (same thing?) to resist taking verbal shots at basketball fans who rooted against him during the NBA … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Recession, Politics, sports | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fergie and Fyodor do the Super Bowl

Posted on February 7, 2011 by oddmanout215

Yes, we shall set them to work, but in their leisure hours we shall make their life like a child’s game, with children’s songs and innocent dance. — from the Grand Inquisitor’s speech in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov And … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, pop music, sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Fast Eddie’s casino freakout on 60 Minutes

Posted on January 10, 2011 by oddmanout215

I’m Fast Eddie Rendell, and I’m smarter than the rest of you guys, always have been. It took me years to make you understand that casino gambling is the solution to shuttered factories and tens of thousands of lost jobs. … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, economic collapse, livable cities, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, sports, taxes, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Martians land in Meadowlands!

Posted on December 21, 2010 by oddmanout215

There it was in big bold caps, the main headline on the front page of Monday’s Philadelphia Inquirer: BEYOND BELIEF. Had Obama created a jobs program? Had Martians landed in New Jersey, or among Florida’s frozen oranges? No, it was … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Obama, Philadelphia, Politics, sports, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments