First, I'm sorry about that last post. It just wasn't funny. Between that and the extended rant on the Country Music Television 100 Greatest Duets of All Time Countdown, my readership has dropped significantly. Part of the problem is that I'm a bad blogger. I just don't want to post as often as I should to draw enough traffic to this site consistently. I also don't want to be that guy that writes one or two original sentences and then blogs about what every other blog is blogging.

The rest of the problem is that I've been in a bad mood lately. Baseball season is starting up again and the optimism of Red Sox Nation has been aggravating me. Not that you haven't heard 10,000 times at this point, but Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched a near flawless round of batting practice the other day. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but enough already. JA Adande was absolutely right on Around the Horn today. Until he pitches and wins in a game that counts, who cares?

The answer to that not entirely rhetorical question is apparently 2 million Red Sox fans who hibernate until spring training starts. I think it was growing up with this phenomenon every time football season ended that turned me into the bitter enemy of Red Sox Nation that writes this blog in my darksome lair. Actually, it's only dark because I don't feel like getting up and turning on the light. Plus, when does anyone ever get a chance to use a word like darksome in this day and age. But back to the matter at hand...

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell assures us that Matsuzaka is as advertised. Leaving aside for a moment the question of how serious were Red Sox hitters taking a batting practice session this early in the training program, the real question is what did we expect the pitching coach to say? Could it be lost on Mr. Farrell that he got the job because the pitching coach was one of those purged in the race to play the blame game after last season's collapse? Is it not present in the back of his mind that Francona probably won't survive another season if they don't make the playoffs?

I would be much more convinced that he's giving the media his honest opinion had he come out and said that Matsuzaka had this, that and the other thing to work on going forward. I didn't really expect him to come out and say that Matsuzaka sucked, but I just want to see one other person in New England who isn't out to praise or bury Caesar until some results are in. I guess that isn't entirely honest, since I'm hoping like crazy that Daisuke comes in and falls flat. But at least I'm waiting for it to happen before I start shooting off my mouth. Of course having to climb out of the burning wreckage of the Bears bandwagon a few weeks ago has tempered my eagerness to predict any outcomes for a while.

One thing I resent about this story is that for as much ESPN coverage as I watched over the weekend, I had to wade through half of that article in USA Today before I found out that the hitters Matsuzaka faced were minor leaguers. Even if he faced Ortiz, I would not have put much stock in the performance at this stage (considering pitchers and catchers have already been in camp for a week, and should be somewhat less rusty than position players). But to get all kinds of crazy over pitching to four minor leaguers on February 24th? That seems insanely optimistic, even for Red Sox Nation.

I have some concerns about the proposed three strike conduct policy being bandied about NFL circles these days, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow (on the off chance that you care what I have to say). The rest of today's post will be devoted to a disturbing trend that is creeping me out this week. I've had enough of people shaving their heads. First it was Britney Spears. Now it's Sean Salisbury.

I know that's not a link to a story on his shaved head. I'm not sure any stories exist on it at the moment. It's only an hour since I saw it on Sportscenter. But I found that site and had to link it. Join his online team at your own risk. I just think it's gone too far. He looks horrible, even though he wasn't exactly a looker in the first place. Britney looks terrible, but she wasn't better for the alleged drinking and drug use. So no more head shaving. Of course if I find out that he has cancer, I'll be looking to crawl into a hole and die of shame, but what would this blog be if I didn't have to come out and apologize for a statement that made me look like a giant tool every couple of weeks or so?

At the risk of being a giant hypocrite, you have to read Deadspin today. There are so many things worth noting. First, Rome is Burning will/might be preempted next fall for an NFL Live style show on college football with the Gameday crew. This is great news, even though I hate Lee Corso and Chris Fowler because I hate Jim Rome much more than the two of them combined. And the tool from Kentucky would have been perfect for a tool of interest segment if they hadn't beaten me to it.

Also there is the camouflaged Bible. I never realized how many defenseless animals go unshot because unwitting hunters scare them off with the Good Book. Now, if this were one of those fake Bibles hollowed out to hold booze bottles, I could see a market for it. Who knows, maybe I'm on the road to being a good blogger? Today, blogging about other blogs...two days from now...daily posts.