None of Us Are Angels, All of Us Have Been There.

Regardless of how this thing shakes out, Miss New Jersey definitely has my vote in the next Miss America pageant.

Amy Polumbo, aka Miss New Jersey, who was being blackmailed with some, um.. cough, cough- denigrating photos (*raised eyebrow* followed by *snoring*), has released the photos to the Today Show.

I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Give the girl a break. She's a 22-year old college student. As, oh, about 99.99999999% of the population that has been to college (and probably 99.9999999999999999999% of those that have not attended) can attest- welcome to, er... LIFE.

Note to moms, dads, grandparents, the NCAA and that pesky little censorship group, "The Committee to Save Miss America"... college kids:
a) Drink
b) Drink
c) Engage in and enact sexual acts with friends and lovers
d) Drink
e) Have fun doing it
f) Drink

Now, as a parent of young children, am I looking forward to those days faaaaar down the line when my kids come home with an, "Um dad, there's some pictures of me out there..." story? HELL NO! But, I cannot point the figure because if I do, I better be looking in the mirror. And that's not because I feel I parented badly- NO. It's because I know, as most do, when the time comes there's not much my kids can say they did that I hadn't already done. Short of any (um, er... well) criminal act, my kids- and most kids- deserve a little bit of understanding in these situations.

And really, this blackmailing of Amy Polumbo to me is such a non-issue that I am commenting on it to show people and groups like "The Committee to Save Miss America" that they are truly morons. And a solid pat on the back to the pageant officials who told Ms. Polumbo she can keep her crown.

Seriously who comes up with this shat? It's like Miss Congeniality 3 or some B-movie on Lifetime. Wait, aren't they the same?

In fact, I think what would make this truly a, well, "happy-ending" story would be if Amy Polumbo wins the Miss America Pageant. Come on, you know "The Donald" loves a good ratings booster! Nothing says "Nielsen Ratings" or "movie rights" better than a script like "pretty girl gets wronged then wins" plot line. I say this year's pageant should be rigged to make it happen. Can we get Sandra Bullock and Michael Caine in here please?

Poor Sports Reporting

I find the major sports websites (which, to clarify, I respect much less than the quality sports BLOGS out there) are severely lacking in their reporting skills these days. I could list numerous reasons, but right up there has got to be the abuse of the A/P wire. What really bugs me about the way sites like the 4-letter use the A/P is because there is simply no true reporting- no thoughtful questions or insight that makes you want to read or take an interest. By the way, this is something that the blogs out there like Deadspin, Dan Shanoff, and AOL Fanhouse do very well.

Case in point... OK ,so no one will probably bring up the NHL in the off-season (let alone during the season) other than me, but I just need to point out yet another reason why "chop shops" like the 4-letter are so weak in their sports reporting:

Sheldon Souray signed a 5-year deal with the Oilers, which seems like a little bit of a shock that anyone these days, let alone the premier FA defenseman on the market, would signed with Edmonton.

But then you look where Souray grew up- Elk Point, Alberta, Canada. Hello! 2 and a half hours outside of Edmonton!


Gee, I wonder why the guy signed there? Souray even says it was not about the money. But does anyone interview the guy and say, "Well, Sheldon, if it was not the money, then what are the specific reasons for signing in Edmonton?" or, "Sheldon, did growing up in Alberta play a factor in your signing here?" and, "Were you an Oilers fan growing up?"

Now , it is quite possible, even probable, one of the local Alberta guys did ask such questions. But because the big guys utilize the A/P instead of their ridiculous reservoir of personnel and send someone up there, you would never know if those questions were asked.

Ah well, at least I still have the sports blogs.