Taking A Break And Having A Real Meal...Just Like This Guy

As the political landscape of the country is turning into a bizarre Wizard of Oz motif, Dippy's 401K is headed into the toilet, and we are at the All-Star Break in baseball, I am taking a hiatus. I know that it is undeserved, but so was Paul Newman's Oscar. I am taking a break anyways. Call it a separation to clear my thoughts of work and family disturbances. Cloud my brain with good beer, good real meals and better times away from home (I know some of you are asking how this will be any different than when I am on a work related trip...just stop). I will become in the next few days what I hate the most...a tourist. I don't care, it's been awhile. It'll be fun. I think. I get to ride on a subway and dodge bullets. However, I hope to come back with my mind as fertile as Angelina Jolie's uterus.

I need to get away from work. I need to get away from dealing with the mustard gas fire that is Atlanta professional sports....

An aside here. I am truly wondering if I should divorce Atlanta professional sports. It should be (and is, according to Sensai Bill Simmons)allowed that if the owners of your teams professional franchises egregiously damage the team and the fan's psyche with crazy plans and even more ridiculous moves then you can divorce them and go somewhere else.

Case in point, The Hawks Josh Smith is being courted by a number of teams who are in need of his services. He is one of the most coveted free agents right now. He has been linked to a number of teams. The LA Clippers is one of them. Smith has been a key component of the Hawks pseudo resurgence. I'll admit that he has been a bit of an underachiever, however, he grew up a little bit in the play-offs. He is key to the team's future success. The Hawks need him more than most other teams. If the Hawks lose him to any other team (especially to the only inferior franchise in the NBA, the Clippers), then this will mean that the ownership "group" does not care about building for success. It will show that they are more concerned about the bottom line than winning. This group did the same thing to the Thrashers after their first ever play-off appearance last year. So I would not be surprised. Just like I was not surprised that Heath Ledger ended up dead in his New York City suite. I expected that to happen. Just like I expect the ownership group (nobody really knows who owns the Hawks or the Thrashers) to scuttle the team right after a play-off run.

The porn king that is Arthur Blank has totally destroyed the Falcons from now and into eternity. Matt Ryan? No offensive or defensive line? Signing Vick to a $100 million contract that is still being counted against the cap? Please. This is worse than Hannah Montana doing a porn video with the Olsen twins, which is probably Blank's (wet) dream. Well, I guess it would be worse from her father's perspective.

The ownership company that owns the Braves has hand-cuffed the GM from doing anything productive. They need to make a choice about the near and far future. They are leaning towards buying or doing nothing. The two worst moves the team can make. When your team ends up being run by a corporation (aside from the Yankees and the Angels), then your team is doomed to live in the bottom line world where mediocrity is OK as long as we make a profit.

So I am frustrated. The owners do not care about winning. They care even less about the fans. It is not a recent issue either. For the exception of the Braves in the 90's, the owners of all of the sports teams have done their level best to screw up everything. I am tired of dealing with it and living in the 3-13 world of the Falcons or the 24-58 world of the Hawks. So I am thinking of calling my attorney and drawing up the divorce papers just like A-Rod's wife (oh, she's already done it...OK).

That was a long aside. Getting back to the point. Once I clear my head with bad toothpaste, sketchy Richmond, Virginia food, and really damn good beer then I'll make a better decision about Atlanta sports, the market, gas prices, Iran, and whether or not to post Dippy's bail for teaching his puppy how to hide drugs in his mother's house.