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Some of the stuff we do as reporters
May 31, 2007Being a crime reporter can be tough some times. The demands of the job aren't too tough; it’s the unexpected that always hits you the hardest.
I still remember seeing my first dead body. A man was trying to cross Old Iowa Park Road and didn't make it. The photographer and I arrived a little after the accident happened, and the site is something I will never forget. He was just lying there. The ambulance took him away hurriedly as if he was going to survive, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen.
I never imagined when I took this job that something like what I just describe would be something I would come across. I'm not saying this as a bad thing; I'm just saying it’s a thing.
Some of the stuff reporters and photographers have seen can sometimes only be met with disbelief.
I still remember my “welcome to” days at the paper. A photographer was telling me about an accident he saw where a car full of teenagers rammed their car underneath a trash truck. If I remember his story correctly, no one lived, but the image that haunted him was the sound of the people in the car made as people tried to get them loose.
The same photographer told about his trip to a house fire and when he arrived he saw a person running out of the in flames, with skin melting off their body. This I hope I will never have to see.
The reason for this blog is a disturbing story I spotted in the courthouse a week or two ago. I can still remember almost every detail. And as a new father, I doubt I will ever forget it.
A man was sentenced to 10 years in jail for basically crippling a infant for the rest of their life. The baby didn't die, but the things he did should never be forgiven. He broke the baby's arms and legs and caused internal bleeding to the baby's brain.
I didn't know what to think when I started to read the police paperwork. My stomach hurt, I was light headed and I then realized I would have to go back to the paper and relive the details in the simplest of ways possible to tell the public.
It was tough. The monsters we live with today.
As I'm writing this, I'm thinking in the back of the mind like this might appear to be a call for sympathy. It's not; I just figured I had a story or two to tell.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
New Maverick Kobe Bryant?
May 29, 2007That's the possibility I've heard circulating on the internet, I just hope it ain't so. The trading chip of course being Dirk Nowitzki.
As Buddy Holly more famously said "that'll be the day that I die." I don't want the Mavs to trade the big German for anybody, unless they can clone a Michael Jordan in his late 20s, then that would be OK.
But I guess that's why I'm not a G.M. Could you image the trade. Just say it, "Dirk for Kobe, straight up."
As I’m typing this, it almost has an appealing ring to it. Dirk for Kobe. Kobe the Maverick. Kobe the Maverick!
We all know Kobe probably wants to leave the Lakers, but why. Yeah his team is the LeBron Cavaliers of the West, but at least he has Lamar Odom.
I'm starting to like Luke Walton too. The Lakers aren't that bad, and I don't know if Kobe's request for THE NBA symbol, Jerry West, is going to make everything better.
Everybody wants to tar and feather Dirk after their first-round exit, but is shipping him to L.A. the thing to do? Would Mark Cuban do such a thing?
Posted by Clayton Hein at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Clouded Death of St. Louis Cardinal Josh Hancock
May 24, 2007I'm sure everyone is aware of the death of the pitcher Josh Hancock. He was drunk and he crashed into the back of a tow truck on April 28.
He had weed in his car, he was speeding, using his cell phone and he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. Yes, it’s a tragedy, but what Josh's dad is doing is even more tragic.
He should preserve the memory of his son in a different manner, and you can't do that with a glut of lawsuits.
Here's the recent ESPN.com breaking story....
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2881602
The dad wants to sue the restaurant who served his son. His reasoning is justifiable, since he claims they served him, knowing that he was past any manageable blood alcohol level. No big deal in my eyes.
But the dad wants to sue the tow truck company and the driver that was stalled out, or the reason the tow truck was at the scene. You have got to be kidding me.
I can only imagine, maybe, just maybe, that the restaurant that served him might be a little responsible for the wreck.
But here's my suggestion. If Hancock was also high, and I haven't any reports stating that he was, why doesn't the dad sue the drug dealer for influencing his son in a "wrongful manner?"
Maybe the dad should sue the company of the vehicle that his son was driving. Something about not making a seatbelt installed that HAD to be used properly.
The nerve. I know it hurts to see a family member go and maybe he's just angry by throwing these lawsuits around like Frisbees, but you have to have some type of restraint.
Just a thought.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I got crapped on
May 23, 2007That's right, yesterday I got crapped on by a bird. And it wasn't that much of a lucky day — I have the losing lotto ticket to prove it.
I was walking out of my house when splat, bird poop landed on my right shoulder. It was a strange brown/white consistency. I'm just glad it didn't stink.
About the lotto ticket, I've heard somewhere that when a bird graces you with its feces you are entitled to a little extra. I figured I'd take my chance at a scratch-off. It didn't work and I'm $6 broker.
Oh, well. I'm just glad I didn't get pooped on by a bird today, because I know I'm gonna’ get crapped on by somebody up here at work. It always happens - I just have the ability to see it coming up here.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
lotto
Congrats Portland and Seattle. And you too Memphis and Boston. You all got what you deserved.
You really shouldn't look to a savior Boston and Memphis, because you have great superstars (Gasol and Pierce) already on your roster.
I know you want to be more competitive, and I'm not saying you tanked the second half of your season to increase you chances at picking number 1.
Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will revitalize basketball in Washington and Oregon. Talk about some franchises that needed help.
All I've heard on radio and TV is the misfortune that Oden and Durant won't be headed to a big market/eastcoast team. "People in the East Coast don't stay up to watch those games" is the general sentiment.
Yeah they will. They’ll have a chance when they play road games and if they kids turnout to be that good, then they'll stay up. It's that simple.
Boston has some good young talent, and there isn't any reason they can't compete in the east. Memphis, sorry buy Jerry West has built a dud. Any you play in the West.
Boston has the No. 5 pick and Memphis the No. 4. Last time I check you can still get a marquee player at the 4 and 5 slots. Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh come to mind, and that was three years ago.
Stop complaining, go to the scouting tapes and pick a guy to help you win. Boston has holes, Memphis has holes, but who doesn't. Even the best team has a glaring weakness. But a championship team overcomes that weakness.
I can't wait to start watching Seattle and Portland basketball again. The Blazers haven't been good since Clyde the Glyde. And Seattle, you'd have to go back to the Kemp and Payton days for any type of excitement.
Basketball is on the upswing. Teams are definitely getting better and basketball is at a high since MJ/Bird/Magic left. I got me some basketball fever.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Random Sports Thoughts
May 16, 2007I'm still looking forward to game 5 of the Suns-Spurs series. Even though the outcome might possibly be tainted, I'm still going to watch.
No mater how much crying anybody does the NBA is not going to reverse the suspensions of Stoudemire and Diaw. I don't think they should have been suspended, but who am I? Suns in Seven!
Other random NBA playoffs thoughts - the Bulls are going to push a game 7 against the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace is going to lose it, and the Bulls are going to capitalize. But, the Pistons are going to show they are the better, battle-tested team and win in 7.
The Jazz, despite how good they've shown themselves to be, are not going to pull off an upset of either the Spurs of the Suns.
The Cavs, are going to beat the Pistons in the Eastern Finals, and they’re going to surprise the West by winning it all. LeBron James is going to be THAT good.
Final NBA thought- I hate Robert Horry.
Tank Johnson, a Chicago Bear defensive tackle, should be suspended for the entire NFL season. After Commissioner Roger Goodell put Pacman on the sidelines for the year, after 0 convictions, he better shelf the Tank for the season after serving jail time. How was this guy allowed to play in the Florida Superbowl???
Lastings Milledge, a big-time outfield prospect for the N.Y. Mets, is under scrutiny from MLB, media and the Mets for recording a rap song with the "N" word and other terms derogatory to women.
Millegde, if it’s my understanding, owns the record label. What happened to the entrepreneurial dream of American society? You're telling me it was OK for Shaq, Iverson and others to rap, but when this guy wants to make a buck rapping, he can't.
And it looks like they're doing it after the Don Imus fallout. Well Lastings isn't an old white guy on a nationally syndicated radio show. I guess only rich white people can make money off black rappers.
Brett Favre, who has sweat blood and tears for the Green Bay Packers, deserves more than he's receiving. He's skipping a mandatory mini camp, because of his daughter's graduation, and the Packers are sending a media-wide response of "how dare you." The graduation plans might not be legit, but in my eyes Favre has earned the right to do what he wants to do. He's the Roger Clemens of the NFL. He's has manned the sinking ship, aka Packers, for the last couple of years after monumental coaching and player changes. I think the only player Favre recognizes on his sideline is Al Harris and Donald Driver. I bet this is going to spin way out of control and Favre is going to get traded. Knowing the lowliness of a once respectable franchise, I bet the Packers are going to ship him somewhere like Oakland.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sopranos pt. 5
May 14, 2007Christopher Moltisanti died. My favorite character died. I was in disbelief last night. I had been following the guy for so long.
I've watched every episode and he's the character with the most depth. He had so many things going on in his life. And he died in a car wreck.
I'm hoping that Tony put him out of his misery, I hope. Tony and Chris were driving down the road, Chris couldn't keep his eyes on the road and they left the road after nearly missing another car and flipped multiple times.
Tony was wearing his seatbelt, Chris wasn't. You could see Chris was about to go. He was coughing up blood. Tony got out of the car, walked around to the driver's side and tried to save him. He couldn't, so he closed off his airway by holding his nose.
I was in a complete state of disbelief the whole show. I didn't know what to think. The only memory Tony could save from the wreck was that a tree limb entered the car and destroyed the baby seat. If Chris' daughter would have been in the car, she would have most certainly died. Chris also happened to be high on cocaine while he was driving. You don't find that out till later.
The rest of the episode was depressing. But here's how I think its going to end. Phil Leotardo, the New York boss, is going to kill everyone.
Tony keeps playing hardball with Phil, and Phil is getting fed up. Phil's at least going to kill Tony — that I know.
Tony Jr., or A.J., is going to commit suicide. I don't know why I'm thinking that way, but I have a gut feeling. He's too depressed for his own good. One minute he's fine the next he's down in the dumps. I'm guessing death by asphyxiation.
Not a lot else happened. Tony flew out to Vegas to get his mind right and slept with one of Chris' old acquaintances. He was eye-balling Chris' wife during the show, so somehow I think he's going to talk her into bed.
That's all I got. Only 3 episodes left.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Stuff moms teach boys
May 13, 2007It's mother's day, and besides the necessary thanks to my mom, Toni, I would like to offers some insight on the importance a mom has in a son's life. It's more than just cooking and cleaning you know.
1. Mom teaches children patience. After putting up with dads for years, the children have to learn how to put up with other pigheaded men. Most of the time if the son doesn't figure it out, his dad was a pretty good dude. See how arguing works for the best in a family? George Sr. must have been really whipped.
2. Endless enthusiasm and confidence building remarks. The first person to pick a son up is and will always be mom. My mom was the one who went to the games, took me to practice and was there even when I didn't need her. Dad's usually give tough love so to make sure their boy is a titty-baby. Moms, you're doing the right thing.
3. Appreciation for women. Most of the time, this trait doesn't sink through enough. But without my mom, I wouldn't be married for almost three years with a 3-month old child. I love my wife, and even though I driver her crazy I will never stop appreciating her and what she does. Thanks mom.
4. Mischievousness. Moms don't want their son's to be too close, so they let the boys push the limits. It’s fun to be mischievous. I don't know what I would do without that side of me. I mean, who doesn't like to get into trouble?
5. Toughness. Heck, they went through labor just to bring you into this world, and they "sure can take you out it." After seeing my wife go through labor I can only imagine the pain-in-the-actual-rear I was for my mom. Moms cry when they have to, which is important, but each mom has a level of resourcefulness to them when times are tough - the good ones do.
6. Resilience. Number 6 ties into 5, but you can't understate this fact. Women are tenacious when they want, or need, anything. They will give and give, but they know when to stop. Knowing what they want in a finished product, mainly by analyzing both sides, is their trademark.
I could go on and on, but what more can I say that I hope moms don't already know about themselves. We all know the regular Caring/Loving side they instill; I just wanted to say something a little different I guess. Thanks mom, every mom for that matter, and have a good one.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Ride the Rocket
May 10, 2007I'm glad the Rocket's back. Its too bad he's going to be in a Yankee's uniform, but I'm just glad he's back. He's one pitcher you have to see play before you die.
The things the guy can do at his age is amazing. He defies science every time he takes the mound. Maybe when the rosters get expanded later in the season, the Yanks will call up Chase Wright, and Chase can learn a thing or two from the legend.
Roger Clemens is one of the reasons I became a Red Soxs fan. I'm a man of many different hats, I have a Rangers, Astros, Cubs, White Soxs and Yankees Cap. I love New Era ball caps. I try to be fashionable, key word try. I went to by a Red Sox cap at the mall, but my head is too big and they didn't have my size.
Anyway...
Why is Roger sparking so much controversy in the last couple of days? The guy is doing nothing wrong. Curt Schilling has something smart to say about him, David Wells, Phil Garner, the list goes on and on of negative remarks.
If I wasn't a big fan I could almost confuse Roger for Bonds with all the hate going his way.
The guy makes a ton of money, but who doesn't want the max amount that they're worth? $4.5 million a month doesn't seem like that much for the best living pitcher in baseball history. I mean, the guy can still get the job done every five days.
Astros Manager Phil Garner's comments were crazy. So he came out of retirement to play with the Astros the first time around. Don't be jealous Phil. You're not the one who determines the guys stipulations in his contract. If your boss didn't want a winner, he wouldn't have let Roger not come to the game if he wasn't pitching.
I'm just excited to see the guy pitch again. I remember every time the Astros came to Rangers' stadium the last three years, I would pray he was pitching, so I could go down there and see him.
I just wish I had the cheese to fly to N.Y. for a game.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Anarchy in straw country
May 09, 2007McDonalds has stopped using white straws, I think. They have defied logical american psychology and switched colors. I bet they didn't think anyone would notice. Well I did.
I was shocked when I unwrapped my straw today. I didn't know what to think. I almost didn't drink my drink. I'm so used to my white straws from McDonalds.
And for the sake of arguments, McDonalds has the best straws in the land. You gan get so much drink so quickly. Nothing can compete. And their straws really help when you have a milkshake. I know I don't like "suckface."
Back to the subject at hand.
Why would they go to green? What does lime green have to do with McDonalds? I know its not an Earth awareness event. I don't know of any benefits that use a green ribbon, like say breast cancer.
I hope there's no such thing as straw cancer.
I wish I could get to the bottom of this. Did they lose money with white straws. I asked someone at the paper this very question earlier and they suggested that some idiot poked their eye out with a white straw because they couldn't see it.
I don't buy it. Bring back the white straws. And no, I'm not racist. I love straws of all colors, I just don't want a green straw at McDonalds.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
toilet cleaning...
May 08, 2007You really got to read this story. I'm just glad someone got caught. I know the people were convicted criminals, but some stuff isn't necessary.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18557704/
See for yourself.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
What underwear do you have on right now...at this moment?
Polo underwear is too expensive. I know because I was suckered into buying a pair of boxers yesterday that cost $20.
Most of the time I prefer American Eagle boxers. They are reasonable when you can find the ones on sale, but most of the time they run about $15. American Eagle boxers last a good while. They don't hole up like most of the others.
I hate wearing anything Hanes and Fruit of the Loom. They last maybe six months. Whitey tighties are not for me.
And bras are entirely too expensive. I know women need comfort for that area, especially if they don't want to sag in their 40s and 50s. The right support is important.
But why is guys underwear so expensive. You don't really need to support much. And I know women buy the real good stuff just to look sexy. Don't lie ladies....
I don't know why a pair of boxers stirred this blog. A fellow reporter I know hasn't bought underwear since high school. Not really, that was just a misinterpreted statement I heard.
And why do some guys choose to wear different types of underwear. I know a guy who still wears his whitey tighties and he's almost 26 years old. I saw an article in the New York Times whose whole selling point was "what happens if you get hit by a car." Everyone knows your pants come off when you get hit by a car.
I also know the type of underwear translate to the type of confidence you exude. You can tell a lot about a guy's underwear just by measuring their confidence/outgoingness.
This would be a good spot for funny underwear response stories....I'll leave it up to you.....
Posted by Clayton Hein at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Spiderman 3
May 07, 2007Go watch the movie...its fun. Just don't show up late, you'll have to sit in the second row. Not fun.
Tobey McGuire is a dork, Kirsten Dunst is hot.
There's eye candy for all.
Yes, I was one of the people who saw the premiere here in Wichita Falls, and yes I grew up loving me some Spiderman. Yes I've read the occasional comic book, but I'm not as bad as some of the people who left the theater Friday morning.
I don't think I've ever seen that many Venom t-shirts in one place. I spotted an entire row at the theater where everyone had a Venom t-shirt on. That's the true fan.
I'm just afraid if the Spiderman saga goes on any longer, we'll have the same type of enthusiast of Spiderman as we do Star Wars and Star Trek. I just hope I don't stumble across a YouTube video where someone is trying to test their web-swinging ability.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Stupid study
May 02, 2007Blame it on a lot of free time. A recent study by two eggheads, a University of Pennsylvania professor and a Cornell University grad student, tried to prove a racial bias by the amount of fouls in the N.B.A. called on black players by white refs.
What a couple of losers. How about they try to prove the amount of time white ankle socks were worn by black players and how that differs from the amount of time black headbands were worn by white players.
They claim the difference in fouls "is large enough that the probability of a team winning is noticeably affected by the racial composition of the refereeing crew assigned to the game."
What a crock or crap.
How about they analyze the amount of male players in the league, affirmative action style, and compare it to an analysis of the amount of fouls women refs call on them. Or they could study the WNBA and see how many players have to sit for a woman taller than them.
I would really like to see that study.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
