Fresh Meat

I'm adding a new blog to the blogroll, and I feel like I should explain why, because I think that those who regularly read me will think I've lost a proverbial screw, but I haven't.

Welcome, Blog Maverick. Blog Maverick is the blog of none other than Mark Cuban, owner of many things, but most notably of the Dallas Mavericks.

Let's get something out of the way. I don't like basketball, at least, I don't like watching basketball. I don't like the NBA. I don't like his show. These facts do not, however, mean that I do not have respect for the man. He is what I think is the ideal for any sports-team owner: a fan first, and an owner second. I respect that immensely. I also think that we are kindred spirits, in a way. I love to yell at sporting events. I criticize everything, too. The major difference is, because I don't own a team, most folks'll probably never hear about it. Kudos to you, Mr. Cuban, for still voicing your opinion and getting in trouble for it.

Which is the real reason I added him to my blogroll. He was just fined by the NBA for this blog entry where he criticizes the NBA:

I won’t say what I really think about the genius that started the season on election day since it’s probably the same person that started the season on Halloween in previous years. There’s only a presidential election 1x every 4 years. We start on that day..Genius. Let’s see, which are going to get more highlights and press coverage Nov 3rd. The kickoff of the NBA season or the election. The NBA has a great idea to feature “Premiere Week” and we start it on Election Night. Brilliant. It’s had an impact on us. We sold out our pre season home games, but we still have plenty of seats left for the home opener and also for the first couple games of the year. To help balance the brilliance of NBA marketing starting us off on election day, we created a special 3 pack of tickets. $25 dollar tickets (regularly 30 or 39 dollars) for 3 the first 3 games, for $75 dollars. Get em before they are gone!

Thanks for telling it like it is. Don't let the bastards get you down.