In local highschool hockey games (almost typed hickey games), sometimes the games are played completely without audience. Like, nobody at all is allowed to watch except players, coaches, and refs. Because the fans beat each other up. Including the parents.

Actually, hockey may be the one sport where behavior-policing is really taken seriously around here, because hockey is the only sport I know of where people have died by violence in the playing of it. (A ref, a parent -- not any kids yet.)

Yeah, that's pretty much the opposite of the way that situation should be handled.

Unreal. This past basketball season for the boys one of the games the losing team refused to shake hands with the other team. I was outraged that the coach let them get away with that bullshit. If my boys aren't good sports they will not be playing sports. Period.

Actually, hockey may be the one sport where behavior-policing is really taken seriously around here, because hockey is the only sport I know of where people have died by violence in the playing of it.

The funny thing about hockey is that the NHL is the only pro league that does the end of the game handshake. When they're playing, that is.

Some MLB officials got all incensed when the Dodgers and Cardinals congratulated each other at the end of their playoff series last year.

If my boys aren't good sports they will not be playing sports.

This. Yeah, the handshake is often perfunctory and kinda lame. It's also actually important -- the whole play hard on the field and then manage to be civil to each other business is a good thing.

Some MLB officials got all incensed when the Dodgers and Cardinals congratulated each other at the end of their playoff series last year.

That's crap.

Ok. What do y'all think of this. Our anniversary is coming up, and Mr. H has kinda coveted Charlie. I'm thinking of getting him one (I don't think he'll get it for himself since I just dropped almost $500 getting him a chair, so he knows spending is off limits for a while). Only, I want his to be a little better than Charlie. I'm thinking of getting his a shuffletatu, a case for all the accessories, and a little thing to keep the headphones in- total cost about 30-40 dollars more. Or I could spring for the $149 version, but I'm not sure that he cares that much about it fitting twice as many songs.

When I played high school soccer, we were not necessarily good sports -- there was the occasional licked palm before the post-game hand slaps -- but at least we knew that the People In Charge thought sportsmanship was important. You know? I mean, kids suck sometimes, but the hope is that as they grow up and get more sense, they realize that some of the annoying shit grownups made them do was actually the Right Thing.

Heather, that's totally a kind-of-person type question, so I dunno, but me, I'd be more impressed with fun extra stuff than the additional memory. If nothing else, it looks like more fun to open.

I think if you don't know he craves the biggest shuffle (like I would), then he probably doesn't. And stuff is stuff! There's more!

That's kinda what I think too, plus with the tatu, there'd be less danger of me thinking I'm grabbing Charlie on my way to work, plugging in and getting Gene Clark or what have you instead of my poppy punky music.

t Catching up. Pant, pant!

Happy birthday, Raquel and Kathy.

Gud for President.

I'm for whatever team FredPete is for, because he is nice and there was taunting and because I flat do not care about basketball.