Mixed Bag

I have been working my ass off this week, and I haven't been able to bloviate on any of the week's happenings. So, here is a grab bag of bullshit.   1. President Bush injected a bit of common sense into the immigration debate by pointing out that deporting 11 million people is unrealistic. The bottom line is that they are here to stay and more will be coming. This is a good thing. America should be an open country where people are free to come, work, live their lives, or what have you. I applaud the President for being right on this. But don't...

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Leinart's Folly? Knowing When to Say When

Had USC quarterback Matt Leinart declared for the 2005 NFL Draft, it is widely-presumed that he would have been the first overall selection, with the San Francisco 49ers taking him instead of Utah quarterback Alex Smith. In that alternative history, Leinart would have signed for at least what Smith received (6 years, $49.5 million, including a $24 million signing bonus, which...

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DePaul Sports Law Symposium

The 2006 Annual Sports Law Symposium will be be held tomorrow at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. It will be hosted by the DePaul Journal of Sports Law and Contemporary Problems. I am happy to be speaking at the Syompsium, and here is the speakers' schedule:• Morning Panel 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Legal Issues Surrounding Professional Sports Venues MODERATORRobert...

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Ballpeace: Doug Mientkiewicz and Red Sox Reach Agreement on Baseball

The year-and-a-half long legal battle between the Boston Red Sox and former first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz over the ball from the final out of the 2004 World Series is over. Mientkiewicz and the Sox have agreed that the ball will go to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where it will remain, forever.Last November, the Sox filed a lawsuit against Mientkiewicz, claiming that the team...

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Gas Prices

Gas prices are going back up which is no surprise. The other thing which is no surprise is that people are screaming over the fact that oil companies are actually making money. The horrors!!   Prices are determined by the interplay between supply and demand. The current high gas prices have been created primarily by a possible war with Iran in addition to the real war in Iraq. Secondarily, domestic drilling and refining of petroleum in the USA has been curtailed by the environmental movement in addition to those who have a "not in my backyard"...

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Property Taxes

Property taxes have been a big debate in the SC General Assembly this year, and I can tell you how it will end. There will be a modest decrease in property taxes with a modest increase in the sales tax. Later, those property taxes will be increased. I could be wrong on the details, but if you're a SC taxpayer, I can tell you that you will find your anal sphincter widened at some point in the future to accomodate an even larger tax phallus and a lame promise of a complementary reacharound.   The best way to reform the property tax is to abolish...

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The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend: Hunters and Environmentalists

Christina Larson of Washington Monthly has an engaging piece on the growing political alliance between hunters and environmentalists, and how that alliance may affect the sport of hunting (Larson, "The Emerging Environmental Majority," Wash. Monthly, May 2006). Traditionally, these two groups have gravitated towards very different political channels. Hunters have usually been...

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Professional Hockey Player Sues for Workers' Comp

In the interest of full disclosure, an article about this post appeared this week on the pages of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (humbly written by one of your bloggers). The case involves an interesting workers’ compensation claim brought by a professional hockey player against his team.Daniel Focht was a forward for the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, a minor league team affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. He later went on to play a few years in the NHL. In December 1999 and September 2000, he was...

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Hefty Fine (but no suspension) for Penn State Coach

We would like to thank Michael and Greg for once again including us on the esteemed guest blogger roster. As a matter of background, we do not yet have the good fortune to practice or study legal issues in the world of sports on a full-time basis. Our current involvement in this growing area is limited to our weekly radio talk show. Sadly, during the rest of the week, our legal “acumen” focuses on other topics – although occasionally we are able to include some sports topics in our during-the-week jobs. Generally, in preparing for our show,...

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Illegal Immigration and Bigotry

I can't help when I read or watch CNN concerning the current illegal immigration controversy and noticing how so much of the opposition to illegal immigrants is nothing more than concealed prejudice. Like it or not, a lot of white folks don't really want these "beaners" in their communities.   This shit bothers me because I lived with a Mexican for a year, and he was the nicest, hardest working fellow I have ever known. In addition, I have met many others who simply wanted to work and live. They are an asset to our country, and I don't care...

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Geese and Golden Eggs

Once upon a time, there was a farmer and his wife who happened upon a goose who would lay a golden egg each day. This egg was enough to satisfy the needs of the farmer and his wife for that day. The goose would lay an egg each day for the farmer and his wife, and the couple was very happy because this wonderful bird provided for them each and every day.   But as with all good stories, you know the farmer and his wife wasn't happy with this arrangement. They became greedy and wanted more. So, they tried to get the goose to lay an extra egg...

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Larry Bird and Legends Wine: Exceeding the Limits of Plausible Endorsement Deals?

Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe scripts a humorous column today on Larry Bird endorsing an $80 bottle of wine called "Legends." (Shaughnessy, "It's Vintage Bird," Boston Globe, 4/21/2006). Shaughnessy finds it ridiculous that Bird would claim any expertise in wine, and particularly wine from Napa Valley:I removed the bottle of red (Meritage) from the box, looked at the...

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The Cigarette Tax Revisited

The State published an edited version of my letter opposing an increase in the cigarette tax here in SC. I also read that the tax hike was defeated. It is a small victory but still sweet.   I wrote another letter to The State which I really doubt will be published since this issue is now dead. I hate to let such bloviating go to waste, so I will publish it here:   Dear editor,I was disappointed to read the State's editorialsupporting an increase in the cigarette tax. I opposesuch an increase both on the basis of principle aswell as a...

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Throwing Games and the NBA Draft Lottery

True Hoop discusses an interesting post by Craig Kwasniewski regarding lottery-bound NBA teams seemingly attempting to lose games in order to secure more ping-pong balls in the forthcoming lottery. Other writers have observed the same phenomenon. For instance, Celtics Blog recently chronicled "Operation Shutdown," the sudden rash of "injuries" experienced by the Celtics, which closed out the season by losing 5 of their last 6 games--games started by bench players, while Paul Pierce & Co. sat out. Many Celtics fans, myself included, were disappointed...

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Minarchy

I encounter certain arguments against my libertarian position, and these arguments come from those quarters that I will call "conservative" though that term has pretty much been stripped of its meaning thanks to Republicans and the Bush administration who resemble the Democratic Party more and more.   My position is that of the minarchist. I believe that what America needs is a minimalist government that functions solely to repulse foreign threats and preserve freedom internally from criminals and terrorist elements. The reason I am not an...

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