NFL rookie hazing prank damages players’ reputation, my ego

Football season = fun season in The Unusual Suspects camp (seasonal depression notwith-standing). And with the huge, HUGE Steelers v. Ravens game set to start around 72 hours from now, it’s safe to say I’m in the zone. Is there a bigger rivalry in the sport today? Methinksnot. I would be happy to debate that point with whomever, just keep it clean.

Anyways, as much as I love professional football, there’s occasionally a story that makes my skin crawl – see Roethlisberger’s hijinks, Ray Lewis walking after committing murder and the rampant citations for domestic abuse. Add to that list the story of Dez Bryant, rookie wideout for the Dallas Cowgirls. Boom.

As the story goes, Bryant refused to carry shoulder pads for the team’s veterans after practice earlier this year, which is apparently something all first year Cowboys are supposed to do; a hazing of sorts. The act of rebellion caused a slight stir in the media after those veteran players spoke out against the pompous rookie.

So to get back at Bryant, his teammates did what any reasonable fraternity of overgrown men would do: they stuck him with a team dinner bill of nearly $55,000!! According to Tweets from the players and staff, everything on the menu was ordered (some items multiple times) and many bottles of wine were purchased to go. Obviously, this wasn’t the Olive Garden.

Now I know, who am I to judge how anyone, much less a multi-million-dollar-earning NFL player, spends their money? Typically, I could care less. But there are two things that grind my gears about this situation.

1. There’s a lot of talk about a potential NFL lockout next season if owners and the players union can’t agree on some new terms. One of those terms, obviously, is more money for the players… What kind of message does this prank send the owners? I realize this stuff is common in NFL locker rooms, but giving the owners public PR gaffes like this is just like giving them dozens of rounds of live ammunition at the negotiating table. I don’t want to see replacement players next year and I sure as heck don’t want a lockout.

2. Stories like this expose what a shallow, resentful, jealous person I can be, as I can’t help but gag at the thought of this kid, probably five years younger than myself, shelling out in one night more than I make in a year - as a part of a joke no less! I know these guys make huge bank, but millions of dollars doesn’t mean anything to me… that’s not even real. But to hear $55,000, a hopefully reachable figure at some point in life for the common Joe with a college degree, it’s so… deflating I guess is the best word.

So until next time, let’s keep these fun little stories under wraps, ay boys? My pride needs some time to recover.

See you at 4 p.m. for The Ride Home.

...For The Ride Home: Reggie Bush is out for six weeks, Kanye is going to be on SNL and Wyclef says goodbye to presidential hopes

I love me some romantic comedies. And per recommendation from the people who read this particular blog, I threw this in my Netflix que, and had the opportunity to cuddle up with it Sunday evening. It was...just OK. Not great by any means, and may have wandered into "good" territory from time to time. The way things came to ahead near the end (when she has the four dudes in front of her) was touching, I suppose. It's all about love, you know. Next up? I'm not quite sure, actually. I've had the first "Wall Street" in the position, but nobody wants to send it to me yet. So we shall see. Hello, friends. Welcome to Tuesday, and welcome to an abnormally warm day for late September. That's a good thing, though. Right? I stumbled upon La La's new show in VH1 last night and yes, I am officially hooked. I'm fairly certain I was a middle-aged house wife in all my other lives. What I'm doing in a morose mid-20s dude-body kind of baffles me. Hope to see "The Town" tonight, though that, as always, is up in the air. But people say it's good. People say it's super good, actually. Can't wait for DVD on that one. In the meantime and in-between-time, follow a few links, enjoy a nice glass of Kool Aid, and try to think positive. Because positive things happen to positive people, right?

Wow. Beginning to wonder about Reggie Bush. He’s got a ring. But he isn’t nearly as good as everyone planned. And now he’s out for six weeks with a broken leg. (Fox Sports)

Elisabeth Moss officially files for divorce from Fred Armisen. Damn. I was so rooting for them. (People)

People spend more than half their day consuming media. My, how times have changed. (The Wrap)

Muck Rack Daily: Your source for all journalist tweets. (Media Memo)

Kanye West will be on SNL in a few weeks. So, here is what we have so far: This Saturday, Amy Poehler and Katy Perry. The following week, Kanye West and Bryan Cranston. After that, we see Jane Lynch and Bruno Mars. And then following all of that is Jon Hamm. What ever happened to being excited to find out who is going to be on “Saturday Night Live?” (MTV)

13 bands who became legends in four years or less. (Alternative Press)

I told you The Presidents of the United States of America have the best attitude ever. (Twitter)

Wyclef Jean officially ends his bid to become president of Haiti. Does this mean a new Fugees album is near? (New York Daily News)

...For The Ride Home: Why the Celtics signed Shaq, Letterman talks Twitter and you should pay more attention to Bill Withers

So, I thought episode eight was great. In fact, both seven and eight are easily my two favorite episodes of "Man Men" thus far this season. But the more people I talk to about it (and people, who, I may add, have opinions I fully respect and seek), the more I find that episode eight wasn't an episode that people entirely loved. I find myself disagreeing more and more with the "smart" "Mad Men" fans - the ones who claim to love the show for all the "hip" reasons (if that makes any sense). And that bothers me. Makes me feel like a "stupid" "Mad Men" fan. Now, with all of that said, I didn't much care for episode nine. Naturally, this leads me to believe most of the fans of the show will think it was brilliant, or it was one of their favorite episodes. It's like I'm on the outside looking in to the inside in which I already reside. Sally Draper. Sally Draper. Sally Draper. We love you, sweetheart, but enough it enough. By the end of the hour, I was begging for the show to end simply because I couldn't stand her brat-like demeanor. She's got to go live with Don eventually, right? I mean, come on now. That writing is on the wall. Even the doc was annoying, complaining about children and "failing tests." Goodness, people. How much whining can one "Mad Men" episode hold? The most redeeming factor? Roger Sterling was a big part of this go-around. And if you noticed, he didn't make any appearance last week. Also, I sort of root for him and Joan to work things out (which is why you see the above picture). Side: How many of you also thought he would take that gun from the hooligan and fight for his and Joan's stuff? I was on the edge of my seat. No way that dude got away, I thought. And just when I was beginning to warm up to Miss Blankenship...Boom. The final 20 seconds were fabulous as you saw Peggy get into the elevator with Joanie and the doc and you just have to smile at all the metaphors being thrown into your eyes. Goodness, I babble, don't I? In any case, welcome to Week 26, all your comments regarding "Mad Men" are welcome and encouraged (I'll be checking!), and we hope you have a fantastic rest of the day.

Half of this blog is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. And this play was pretty neat. (The Big Lead)

A writer talks with the directors of “Still Bill,” a movie catching up with the man who wrote the greatest song ever written, Bill Withers. Months ago, I had the idea for this exact story, pitched it to a friend, who responded with a “well, I don’t really think you’ll be able to pull that off” kind of statement. Three months later, not only has someone else thought of it, but it’s someone who writes for the same Web site that I do! This is equal parts saddening, infuriating, disappointing and heart-breaking. (Popmatters)

The New York Times profiles Jason Whitlock. I can’t understand why Le Batard’s quote is getting so much traction. The same thing was said about Keith Olbermann nearly a decade ago. (The New York Times)

David Letterman talks about Twitter. We know he’s not perfect, but you have to love Letterman. You just have to. (The Star Press)

English is dead. Read this. Now. (Washington Post)

Eddie Vedder got married Saturday. Though I can admit I’m not the biggest Pearl Jam fan you could find, he looks happy here, and I’m happy for him. Tim Robbins was the best man. (Rolling Stone)

This may be a post someday: I kind of find myself rooting for Michael Vick to do well. Come on, now. We all love a redemption story. And as long as he keeps saying he knows he’s the back-up (which he admittedly didn’t always say), you ought to root for him. (ESPN)

Kobe said he had one more ring than Shaq. And that’s why the Boston Celtics signed him. (Yahoo)

Your weekly “Mad Men” recap. RIP Ms. Blankenship. (Entertainment Weekly)

...For The Ride Home: John Mayer quits Twitter, the New York Jets say goodbye to a Super Bowl run and Penelope Cruz is pregnant

Hope to sit down with this tonight. Woody was up for an Academy Award last year for his performance, so it's got to be good, right? I hate having those "well, I kind of want to watch this only because I know I should watch this and there is a possibility I may really like it, but not love it" kind of movies come through Netflix. It seems I've come through a patch of those types, too. Hello, Tuesday. First and foremost, I must apologize on behalf of this blog's other brain. He seemingly fell out of touch with his schedule and was unable to offer anything to you lovely, pretty faces this morning. Send all of your hate mail to him. That said, though, I will more than make up for today's lack of a post tomorrow when I offer up the big, old comprehensive review of this year's Video Music Awards. And when I say it's going to be long, goodness, it's going to be long. Promise. Until we get to tomorrow, though, we must offer up these links for your reading pleasure, and relay our most sincere wishes that you and yours have a lovely middle-of-September evening. Enjoy it, friends. The warm days are slowly disappearing.

Oh, when it rains, it pours. Kris Jenkins is out for the rest of the season after last night’s loss to the Ravens. Now, there’s even talk of his career being in jeopardy. (ESPN)

Jay-Z and Eminem began their stint in New York last night. Who wants to make the trip for tonight’s finale with me? (MTV)

Interesting: Reporters and the notion of outing somebody who is gay. Not quite sure what to make of the dude from ESPN. (Bay Area Reporter)

Fox News executive winds up on airplane with three pretty big-name news anchors. Fox News executive complains. (New York Times)

Penelope Cruz is pregnant. Good for her. Watch “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona” tonight. Tonight. (People)

Mike Scioscia thinks the Major League Baseball season should be cut from 162 games to 158. How about, like, 94? (Bleacher Report)

John Mayer quits Twitter. Sad to see him go, actually. We linked a few Tweets from him, I believe. Dude can be funny when he doesn’t get in his own way. Yes, I know we just lost 50 cool points for admitting that. (New York Daily News)

Vince Vaughn and Kevin James are going to tour together. Hmm. (Pollstar)

...For The Ride Home: Letterman visits 'The View,' The Anvil gets arrested and more from the Mike Wise situation

Saw this last night. Watched it with two other people, and without any doubt, I was the one who enjoyed it the most (one of the others had already seen it, though). It was...better than I thought it would be. Actually moderately-to-a-lot better than I thought it was going to be. And it's hard to be funny. But there were moments that I thought were genuinely funny. If I thought only three of those moments were going to occur going in, it turned out that somewhere around five actually happened. That's a good ratio. Anyways, hello Week 24. How do you do? First and foremost, we here at The Unusual Suspects headquarters would like to offer sincere apologizes for not offering up a "Mad Men" recap this week, but 1) I wasn't able to watch it yet, 2) It's Tuesday, so it's too old to speak of now and 3) There will indeed be a link below that leads you to our usual "Mad Men" recap piece penned by Entertainment Weekly. To make it up to you, though, we would like to point out that there may or may not be something brand new that is brewing for tomorrow. Could it be a new feature? Could it be a huge announcement? Could it be wonderful? Could it make you love us that much more? Goodness, so many questions to be answered. You'll have to check back to see what all the fuss is about. Before that gets here, though, check out a few links, enjoy this September afternoon and think back to all the fantastic memories you made over Labor Day weekend.

The Anvil gets arrested for drug possession. I defy you to come up with five names of former professional wrestlers who adjusted to normal life easily. (Tampa Tribune)

Boise State clinched a national title berth last night. Today, they gain seven first-place votes in the AP poll. (ESPN)

Nobody buys newspaper advertisements anymore. Oh, this is bad. (Editor & Publisher)

Editor is charged by coroner for two interviews. Funny. (Twitter)

More from the Mike Wise fallout. Now, the Post’s ombudsman takes his shots. (Washington Post)

ABC News loses its leader. Get those resumes ready. (CNN)

Barbara Walters comes back to “The View.” David Letterman visits. (USA Today)

And here is your weekly “Mad Men” wrap-up. Need to catch up before this Sunday. (Entertainment Weekly)

...For The Ride Home: A new candidate for Michael Scott, Jay-Z & Eminem kick off their stint tonight and hello, college football. How are you?

A montage of "Saved By The Bell" photos. For no reason. I'm just tired. Really tired, actually. I can't understand why. Something about today that feels lackadaisical. It's hot. Really hot. In fact, it hasn't really been this hot since June, which, on some level is good because that means I didn't have to suffer through the hotness all summer. But it's bad right now, because, well, it's that hot. That said, I can't complain too much about the hotness. Much prefer hot over cold. And as we all know, cold is on its way. Anyways, hello, hello. Welcome to Thursday, the second-to-last day of the week, a week I have simply been begging to be finished with. One more day and then we sing, dance, take our clothes off, drink, eat, smile, laugh, and enjoy the other fabulous things life can offer from time to time. Until we get there, though, we must offer a few links for you lovely readers to ponder. From the bottom of our bottom-est hearts, we here at The Unusual Suspects headquarters hope that you have a wonderful evening and that you have sured up some Labor Day weekend plans, in spite of a possible hurricane that may just ruin lives. Be well, friends.

The college football season officially begins tonight. Here’s a look at USC before they travel to face Hawaii this evening. Man, the Trojans had an awful off-season. (SB Nation)

The other big thing going on tonight? Jay-Z and Eminem kick off their very limited string of dates in Detroit. Here they are, by the numbers. (MTV)

Interesting find: Paywall subscribers are worth a quarter of print readers. (Paid Content)

New York Times executive editor slams the Wall Street Journal. Love media fights. (Vanity Fair)

Late on this, but it’s a big deal: Paste calls it quits. (Journal-Constitution)

T.I. got arrested on drug charges. My goodness. After this guy tries so hard to recuperate his imagine with that idiotic MTV show, this happens. Joke city. (Billboard)

Ahhh, yes. Today is 90210 day. (Time)

Harvey Keitel throws his name in the hat to replace Michael Scott on “The Office.” (Entertainment Weekly)