Rules and Aberrations: The Genius of Dan Le Batard

Now I never used to be a fan of Le Batard. Hated when he was on PTI, thought he was just a loudmouth from Miami (there are a few of those). My opinion of Le Batard changed drastically when I saw him on 'The U'. His commentary on the Miami teams of the 80s was ridiculously on point. Then, two weeks ago on Mike and Mike, he came up with the absolute gem that is the inspiration for this here note.

"Las Vegas was built on the rule, while people chase the aberration."

Le Batard went on to mention the obvious fact that Vegas isn't hurting in the area of new casinos and that business is going rather well in the 702 (that isn't true for everyone in the region, but that's another matter). No one wants to hear it because it makes for dull and predictable television, but the rule works. That's why it's the rule.

So, what's the point? Glad you asked. The point is that the rule teaches us lessons that we often ignore looking for the aberration. Most of the time, this is out of convenience. Here are some statements that follow the rule rather than the aberration.

1. The Heat will win the NBA championship.

Depending on how long it takes me to write this (it's 5:34 on June 7 right now), this one may already be complete by the time this gets published. Still, though, it makes sense to start with this because this is the context in which Le Batard gave the quote. At any given time, they have 3 of the best 4 players from either team on the floor. It was true against the Celtics (Pierce), the Bulls (Rose), and is true against the Mavs (Nowitzki). No, neither Kevin Garnett nor Ray Allen is as good as Chris Bosh...but thanks for playing. Neither is a one-armed Rajon Rondo, although the case could be made for a healthy Rondo. I left the Sixers out for a reason. Given that NBA ball is 5-on-5, it only makes sense that the team with 3 of the best 4 players is going to win...as Le Batard said. That said, there'll be a party here early next week. Of course, this goes beyond sports.

2. Good women are the aberration...especially in Tallahassee.

I'm going to go a lot more in-depth on this one next time out. Speaking of which, sensitive folks without Y chromosomes may want to avoid that one. I will start this abbreviated piece by saying that most women who read this are the aberration. Probably the biggest issue that good women have - and I think I've mentioned this before - is that they think all women are good women. Even though I feel 'balderdash' is much too mice of a reaction, I feel like saying 'balderdash'. So...balderdash. There's a reason all those Poison Clan and NWA songs were made (whether the reason is good enough to warrant the fervor in such music is, naturally, much more debatable). Between the wrong numbers, games, lies, and everything else; this statement should be easy to understand. Speaking in terms of the 850, I've gotten far too much cosignage from both men and women who live there to really have to go into that. "All my girls are @thebomb"...no, they're not. You are, a couple of your friends are cool, and there's one who just hates the fact that men even exist. Show me any group of four female friends and I'll tell you who fits into what category in three days. Anyway, more on that next time out.

3.  Republicans are going to say stupid things.

Whether it's Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Scott, Herman Cain, or...okay, I could be here all night...someone in the right wing is going to say something that is completely asinine. "Let's count on 5 percent growth in the GDP"...last time we had consecutive years of 5% growth, Nixon really wasn't a crook (yet). I wasn't born, or even thought of. Covered Palin last time, gone in on Scott on numerous occasions, and Donald Trump's gaffes were on display for the world to see. Maybe he can pay someone to rewrite history for Palin and Michelle Bachmann...oh, wait: he doesn't have that much. Every once in a while, a Republican will say something that actually makes sense. I can't think of any such instances offhand, but I know that such rarities have occurred. Then again, there's the bonus of them forgetting that Ronald Reagan raised taxes 11 times and increased the federal workforce by 60,000 during his presidency. Actually, there's a lot of Reagan stuff they'd rather people not know.

4. Mainstream music is terrible, and pretty much has been since the mid-1990s.

Music isn't like athletics: "bigger, faster, stronger" doesn't apply. Sure, we have 808s and all that now; but I would hardly say synthesizers and auto-tune represented some next level in evolution the same way the guy who can bench 400 and run a 4.5 did. Put LeBron in the 1950s and he's destroying teams. Can't say the same about Ne-Yo or T-Pain. Now, I defend the modern acts a lot more than most people in my age group. It's not some reminiscing-type deal, no "things were better when I was little" style rant. The 80s and early 90s produced the best music known to man. I don't see how anyone can objectively argue that point. Now, there are some current acts who would fit in any era. Maroon 5 comes to mind. Maybe this Adele person I'm hearing so much about (wouldn't know because I haven't heard her music, but everyone seems to be talking about her). Most current acts seem to just be flashes in the pan. Case in point: AOL Black Voices is hardly an authority on anything - including simple grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style - but there is an AOL BV article naming 25 songs that have moved black America. None of them were released after 1995. Wait a minute: didn't someone said something about athletics?

5. College teams in revenue-producing sports (football, men's basketball) have to cheat - or at the very least, have questionable character - to win.

There's too much money involved now, and we all know that cash (which is at the root of most cheating) usually corrupts once it gets past a certain point. Let's look through recent BCS champions. Auburn: Cam Newton. There are people down here who still talk about Nick Saban's character. UF...30 arrests ring a bell? LSU...honestly, can't remember anything off the bat. USC...I'm sure everyone's been paying attention to the news lately. Same goes for Ohio State, and I don't think anyone can pretend Miami was totally clean. Tournament champions...yes, we had our issues (sorry Nate Miles). Duke never seems to do anything wrong (which seems a little fishy to me). Same with North Carolina. There had been rumblings with Kansas. Mr. "I'll coach the Magic for a day" is at UF. It's not just about champions, though. Anywhere John Calipari's been: problems. Oregon football, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State...even HBCUs are having issues with recruiting violations. The most important game winning programs play is the game of hide-and-go-seek with the NCAA.


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As stated above, there's a reason that the rule is the rule and the aberration is the aberration. It relates to statistical regression in a way: most occurrences of any action will have relatively little variation from the mean occurrence (however it's measured). We all want to look like geniuses, but I think sometimes - okay, often - people do nothing more than try to throw something at a wall to see if it sticks. No rhyme or reason, just "I'll say this outlandish thing to try to get people's attention, and if it actually works then I get the bonus of looking smart". They seem to forget that, going back to statistical regression, things always have a way of working themselves out and going back toward the mean...because that's the rule.

Random Thoughts: 06/06/11

I was originally going to do something else, but that can wait until later in the week. For right now...

1. Rafael Nadal played an amazing match yesterday...especially after Roger Federer had him down 5-2 in the first set. The French Open as a whole, actually, went as well as it could go without either Williams sister being involved - and that Djokovic/Federer semi was the best match I've seen all year.

2. I am tired of the Casey Anthony trial. All this reduced TV time for Richelle Carey is not the business.

Baseball and its Greatness as a Metaphor for Life

I know, it's been a long time. No Rakim. Legislative session ended a couple weeks ago (which means the couple weeks leading up to that point were fast and furious...okay, I'm killing the unintentional pun game today). After session ended I've been...well, not de-stressing, but...getting back into the lull of things that was life before then. This transitional period has left my mind in a suboptimal mood for writing, which is less than desirable considering the subject. When I originally came up with this idea, I knew it could be done really well if written correctly. Well, time to see if it is.

Patriotism, Capitalism, & Being Black In America

Race and politics are two very funny things. Since I have an interest in both, it probably isn’t much of a surprise that I started thinking about how the two often intertwine.

(Just to get this out of the way, I will not talk about Michelle Obama’s quote.)

I’ll use enough words without including basic facts, so I’ll leave those out and begin with patriotism. I will admit that the first time I heard the national anthem after 44 was elected, it sounded a little bit different than it ever did before. Still does. I don’t think it’s out of line or inaccurate to say that many black people feel the same way I do - about the anthem itself and the country in general. I’ve always been among the first to say that the overall effects of Barack Obama’s election are overstated, but at the same time I realize that the election gave many black people a pride in this country that they’ve never felt before. The election hasn’t really done anything monumental, but it has had some positive effect.

Blood Donation & A Hero Complex

I think it’s fairly common knowledge that I have a bit of a hero complex. I think it came from watching He-Man when I was little. He-Man was the greatest. I still watch it from time to time on QUBO. At any rate, I’ve always thought it was cool to be able to help people out in any way. You know what, maybe it’s not a complex: maybe it’s just that I like to help people and actually feel that reward that people say you get when you do nice things.

V.A.N.S. - How They'll Get Us To Where We Want To Go (New & Original...Somewhat)

After starting and deleting this twice (which I pretty much never do), I finally figured out how I want this to go. So here we go.

We’re all vain. Whether we choose to admit it is a different matter altogether, but we’re all at least a little bit vain. How do I know this…or how can I assume it? We all have FB pages. We all read, write, and/or comment on blogs. Part of life, we just have to deal with it. Take a look at the social networking sites we use. We give our thoughts or say what we’re doing on Twitter. We tell where we’re thinking those thoughts or doing those things on Foursquare. We can take pictures of ourselves and post them on Flickr. Of course, Facebook is pretty much one-stop shopping.

Volume One Hundred Twenty: The "Why Kanye Was Right" Edition (02/27/11)

(Yes, this is the last of the archives...)

The actual title would have been “Why Kanye Was Right and Why Bill Cosby Should have Used the Jack Nicholson Line”, but FB and its character limits probably wouldn’t have gone for that. Also, I wanted to get another note in but time and circumstance have this one as the last of the month. I don't mind that at all, actually, since I like this one. Let's get to it.

If you haven’t heard by now, Kanye West made a certain tweet that has people buzzing. To paraphrase, he said that men should watch out for those women who want to have their children strictly for financial purposes. Okay, so he said it a lot more colorfully than that…but that’s what he really said. He told men to be safe, and there’s an uproar.

Volume One Hundred Eighteen: The Baseball Edition (02/20/11)

 (This one was random, but then suddenly it wasn't...)

I had a topic that I was going to write about (it's in the queue and will probably be next), but I went to the FSU baseball game yesterday and saw something that made me decide to write about it...well, a certain aspect.

Now, if you know me you know I'm a baseball fan. It's my second-favorite sport. I'd go on about baseball, but that would be boring and take attention away from the point of this whole thing. So this brother came out to the stadium with his two children. It was the cutest thing, and it combined a few items that got me to thinking. The result - well, part of it - is below.

Volume One Hundred Seventeen: The Valentine's Day Edition (02/13/11)

(This was a hybrid, of sorts. It was a retrospective look, a synopsis, and a regular note at the same time.)

So I'm sitting here listening to Teena Marie's "Ooh La La La"...and it pushed me into getting this next one out. I have to admit I had no idea what to write about until I thought: well, if the last one was written wiith the release date in mind, this one should be too. So, since today (or tomorrow, depending on when I put this out) is Valentine's Day...you can guess what the subject is.

"Love...so many people" - okay, I can't even sing in type. I'll just start by going into the vaults...

Volume One Hundred Sixteen: The 'Black Bill Belichick' Edition (02/06/11)

(This is one of my favorites too, probably right below the two King pieces.)

So this is the first of a TBD number of posts...well, if you read the last volume you already know the central theme of this month's posts. Let's get started.

I haven't seen the movie Black Swan and have no idea what it's about. I do know, though, that the 'black swan' concept is one in which you see one of something that is so different from everything else that its existence is really rare. I'm going to focus on a such phenomena, although I don't know if there ever has been one of these...the 'Black Bill Belichick'.

Volume One Hundred Thirteen: The King Edition II (01/17/11)

As I mentioned in the previous (non-football) note, this edition is going to tie a few different things together. I don't know how it's going to turn out yet, since I write as I go along - and obviously haven't gotten very far yet. No outline, no pondering. I admit I feel a little pressure since 1) I did one last year, and 2) I did kind-of lead up to this in the last note. So what am I going to do? Write and see what happens.

Volume One Hundred Eleven: 2010 Truths (12/30/10)

 (Disclaimer speaks for itself yet again...)

So the original plan was to end the year with the last note, but there were just some things I had to get off my chest. No, there won't be 2010 items here - not even I wish to write that much at one time. These are all statements regarding the year that will soon see its end. (Ed. note: that was the original plan, but things change)

Volume One Hundred: The Compilation, Vol. I (10/25/10)

(I also employed a quick-hitting one-line style in many of my notes. These were 100 of the best. Yes, I know I could have just posted this one as a reflection. Oh well.)

As most of you all know, I’ve been doing these things for a couple years now. Covered just about everything under the sun except football. Well, this is a snapshot of whatever has come to mind since I did the first one of these (well, those with the quick comments). Sans that ‘ado’ stuff people always talk about when they’re introducing things…

Volume Ninety-Five: Random Sports Thoughts Edition (09/16/10)

(Just some sports vibing...)

Individual Glory vs. Collective Success: A Primer on Team Sports

Stemming from the Reggie Bush siutation, someone asked the question not too long ago whether people would rather have the Heisman or a national title (I think it was national title, but I'm not 100% sure). I didn't answer the question then because I didn't have one. As one might imagine, I do now. I'd take the title (cue the lousy offbrand sports drink jokes) for two reasons.

Volume Eighty-One: The Mars vs. Venus Myths Edition (05/17/10)

 (Once again, the below disclaimer speaks for itself.)

So with all the news stuff - and especially with the links - I've somewhat gotten away from the "just go ahead and write something" style that I originally employed. Getting back to that a little bit, I'll probably have notes like this every now and again. Thing about these is that they're not as time-sensitive as the other notes so I can leave them in the pipeline until they're ready to go. Let's get it started...

Volume Seventy-Three: ~20 Albums I can Listen To Straight Through (04/25/10)

 (The disclaimer below actually speaks for itself.)

Disclaimer time...I came up with the idea of listing ~20 albums I can listen to all the way through and wrote the original list in about a 15-minute span between 3:15 and 3:30 AM Friday/Saturday as I went to bed. So if I left something out, put it on being tired. Also, the list is what I said it is: it's not a listing of favorites (the ranking would have been too hard). Not even saying I like every song on these albums: sometimes it's about track placement.

All of the albums were released after I was born, so there aren't any real 'classic' albums here. The latest was released in 2007. I'm almost positive most of the albums were released in the 90s. I may be off a year on release dates but I don't feel like looking them up. No remix albums, no greatest hits albums, no EPs (there is one soundtrack). Anyway, here's the list...and as always, commentary is welcome.

Volume Fifty-Eight: The Equality Edition (02/06/10)

 (If you ask me, this is the best note I've ever written.)

So I said I was going to write a note about whether black people really want the equality we say we want. I understand that I may sound like...hmm...like Bill Cosby a little bit with this, and that's fine. No need to delay things any further. Let's get the question out there: why on Earth would I say that black people may not really want the equality that so many gave their lives - both literally and figuratively - for? Several reasons are listed below.

Volume Fifty-Three: The King Edition (01/15/10)

 (This was the one that got my mom to take notice of my writing, and it's on my personal short list of "best notes I've ever written").

So I got this idea while I was writing the last note...thought that I'd write too much for it to be one of the ~20 topics in that note, so here I am talking about it now. I thought about my interest in seeing the msnbc special with Chris Matthews and Tom Joyner on Monday. I also thought about what Monday is and what Monday represents - mainly thought about the fact that those are two different things. I think most people blur those two things and don't fully observe the holiday as a result. People celebrate the man, which I will never argue with. What people don't do (enough) is celebrate the actions, the ideas, the cause, the movement.

Volume Seventeen: The S.I.N.E. Edition (05/18/09)

(This was one of those 'rant' posts. Some of these are still unexplained today.)

In case anyone is wondering, S.I.N.E. stands for [Stuff] I Need Explained. There are only 10 of these, as they're more in-depth. To the boogie.....

1. How is it that (so many) women use what men have as a prerequisite to spend time together and use what they have themselves as a barrier to that same thing? There's just something contradictory about that. "You have to have X, Y, Z"..."I have X, Y so I'm too good for you"...as many of you know or can surmise, stuff like this is one of the main reasons I have no desire to date again - and won't anytime soon.

Volume Seven: Murphy's Laws - The Club Edition (04/09/09)

(One of the funnier notes. A couple of my female friends disagreed with a few of these. I have no idea why.)

I've been known to subscribe to - and quote - Murphy's Laws fairly often. That said, I decided to come up with a few of my own regarding my favorite social environment (I can't speak on drinking experiences, so anyone with expertise in that area can feel free to offer laws related to drinking below). Also, feel free to add other laws as you see fit.

1. If you see a really pretty girl, she's taken.
Corollary: if she's not taken, she's nontraditional.
Corollary: if she's not nontraditional, you already know her.
Corollary: if you don't already know her, the lights have come on and she's not that pretty.