in

Jerramy Stevens, pack your bags.

The Seahawk tight end has been the subject of a downward media spiral since his arrest last Tuesday in Arizona for driving under the influence and possesion of marijuana. That same day, the Seahawks signed veteran tight end Marcus Pollard to a one-year contract, showing signs that they are unlikely to re-sign Stevens. Now, Seattlites are huddling behind the Seahawks to get Jerramy Stevens out of Seattle.

The Seattle Times publised a column on Friday ripping Stevens' behavior at his condominium residence. Columnist Nicole Brodeur paints the picture:

One resident woke to find his deck splattered with vomit. Another found used condoms. Others told of being awakened at 3 a.m. by loud fights, or were startled by strangers who partook of their patios. And they have had it. The noise, the fear and the man behind it — fifth-floor resident Jerramy Stevens...

"He's been gone for a month now," one resident told me. "And it has been like a vacation for us."

Seahawks fans already know Stevens is a liability. (How many dropped balls did he have in that Superbowl against the Steelers?) Now the Seattle Times is selling the idea of getting Stevens out of town to the non-sports fans who are more concerned about civics than athleticism.

But let's not be quick to judge Stevens. I mean, how many encounters can a professional athlete have with the law? (From the Seattle Times...)

  • June 2, 1998: Stevens arrested on charges of second-degree assault armed with a deadly weapon and fourth-degree assault. Stevens and a friend engaged in a fight with a 17-year-old, according to the police report. Stevens' friend struck the man with a baseball bat, and witnesses said Stevens stomped on the man's face after he fell, according to the police report. Stevens agreed to a charge of misdemeanor assault.

  • July 10, 1998: Stevens tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. He was sent to jail five days later. He was sent home on Aug. 5.

  • July 27, 2000: Stevens arrested for investigation of sexual assault.

  • July 28, 2000: Stevens released from jail after prosecutors determined they wouldn't be able to charge Stevens in the 72-hour window of his arrest. He was never charged in the incident.

  • May 4, 2001: Stevens cited for reckless driving and hit and run after crashing into a concrete apartment building in Northgate on May 3 while a 93-year-old woman was sleeping.

  • June 1, 2001: Stevens pleaded guilty to hit-and-run causing property damage, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 240 hours of community service. A 90-day jail sentence and $1,000 fine were suspended.

  • April 3, 2003: Stevens was stopped by Medina police after rolling through a stop sign in a residential neighborhood. Two open bottles of champagne were seen on the car floor in front of the passenger's seat. Stevens was charged with driving while intoxicated.

  • June 10, 2003: Stevens pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving.

  • June 12, 2003: Stevens sentenced to five days in jail for violating probation on the 2001 charge of hit-and-run property damage.

  • June 23, 2003: Stevens sentenced to two days in jail for the reckless driving charge, fined $1,000 and ordered to perform 25 hours of community service, picking up trash. The judge disclosed the breath-test results, which measured Stevens' blood-alcohol concentration at 0.14 percent and 0.17 percent.

  • March 13, 2007: Stevens arrested in Arizona and charged with driving while intoxicated and possession of marijuana.

Now that we've seen the evidence, I think we can all agree that the Seahawks need to kick Jerramy Stevens' dumbass the hell out of Seattle.

in

I'm getting annoyed now by bloggers who do nothing but bitch about their lives. I make an effort to read other people's blogs -- those by people I know and some that I happen to stumble across -- but no longer can I tolerate those who use their blogs to whine about their supposedly shitty lives on a consistent basis.

I understand that some people are truly in a bad place and use their blogs, like journals, as an outlet and alternative to doing something extreme like hurting themselves. I get that. What I'm sick of are the "I graduated from college and am lost in life" bloggers. These people shouldn't have blogs because all they do is waste their time bitching about their lives online instead of getting off their asses and doing something productive and actually helping themselves.

What really amazes me is how these bloggers can reiterate "woe is me" in dozens and dozens of unique ways, always emitting the same message without repeating exact phrasing. You'd think the same bloggers could use that creativity to solve their problems instead of whine about them. Until that creativity is redirected, I think I'll shorten my online reading list.

in

300: A Review

Synopsis (courtesy of Fandango): In 480 B.C. a state of war exists between Persia, led by King Xerxes, and Greece. At the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas (Gerard Butler), king of the Greek city state of Sparta, leads his badly outnumbered warriors against the massive Persian army. Though certain death awaits the Spartans, their sacrifice inspires all of Greece to unite against their common enemy. Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) and Lynn Varley.

Analysis (courtesy of Paolo): When I first saw the previews for this movie, I was turned off. The cinematography looked too fake and overproduced for my tastes, especially for a film based on (somewhat distorted) history. Yet, after I received nearly immediate recommendations from Matt and Sergio, I bought my ticket for Saturday night. When the credits rolled, I could understand why this film has gone on to gross $70 million already.

Audiences are immediately won over by the underdog approach of the story: The small (300-man) but mighty Spartan elite army is to fight millions of invading Persians. Patriotic, American themes lace the story line. Defending freedom, fighting slavery, and Western civilization vs. (Middle?) Eastern civilizations are major story themes. Bonus: I can't remember the last time I saw so much T and A in an R-rated movie.

This movie bleeds testosterone. More than half the movie is battle – fantastic, visually compelling, gory fight scenes. I'm thinking one of the producers of "300" took a poll and figured out that most of what people liked about "Gladiator" and "Lord of the Rings" were the fight scenes, and said, "Let's make a movie about one of the greatest battles in history." Good idea.

Gerard Butler gives a great performance in a Mel Gibson-Braveheart sort of way as the protagonist Spartan King, Leonidas. He rarely speaks outside of a half-yelling, growling kind of tone. He's a badass. It's perfect. Lena Heady gives a standout performance as Queen Gorgo (Correction amended). She conveys power, intelligence, and she's sexy – often wearing next to, and sometimes, nothing. (Note: I'm not being sexist. I'm respecting the director's decision to be authentic to the times.)

I recommend this movie to anyone wanting to see a great action film and encourage you to see it in theatres (or IMAX) as you'll need big sound and the big screen to gain the full experience of such an epic movie.