NOT THAT I'VE REALLY BEEN PAYING ATTENTION

Perhaps it's just an oversight on my part.

But, when do you think we'll see the following in the media?:

 Strong criticism of the ACLU - sports "experts" standing up to admit they never expected Detroit and San Francisco to end up in the World Series - any article which first lists the amount received by someone in an injury court settlement - followed by the dollar portion they had to pay to their attorney from that settlement -, what the sports media analysis is of what  JOPA would have done if it was his grandchild in the shower with Sandusky, etc, etc, etc?

These are basically "off limit" topics - seemingly a sort of an official-unofficial decision as what to publish - or admit to - by many of our news sources.

Not all the failure-to- report subjects are earth shattering or even reliably  predictive of where our society appears to be heading.

Sometimes, the omission is as insignificant as to whether or not to report "definitely,  there is an official rule in baseball you must attempt to hit the opposing pitcher after he has done the same to one of yours!"

How about maybe even including an analogy of what would happen to you if you took responsive physical umbrage on your neighbor for what you perceived to be a intentional actby him  - or maybe just clobbering a neighborhood kid who you think was responsible for what happened to your own kid.

 Unfair analogy? You try standing at the plate while attempting to avoid a 95 MPH fastball aimed at your head - if you want to declare a lack of fairness.

Apprently, there are just things you don't write about or report - particularly if the intended target is large enough or powerful enough to ruin your career for life.
Think Senator Joe McCarthy.

 No attempt is made here to suggest one more previously undiscovered conspiracy - nor any grassy knoll intended. Just trying to point out certain topics that appear to be sacrosanct or low priority in the hands of the media.

Perhaps someday we will even see a intellectual debate in the media  - with no fear of recriminations - where one side makes an intelligent - well supported  argument- that this country should revoke any financial support or defense for Israel if they should  choose unilaterally to involve the entire world in nuclear war.

Yeah, there are sacred cows. Always were - always will be. Writing about the amount of financial support the Mafia gave to the Catholic Church was pretty much of a no-no when I was a kid.

I also saw nothing in the media recently to suggest, now that the extreme amount of child molestation in the Boy Scouts has miraculously come to light,  an appropriate penalty would be for all Eagle Scouts to turn in their medals, and all sites of  prior Boy Scout Jamborees be bulldozed over. (Oops, got the ruling body for the BSA confused with the NCAA. Sorry!)

But, lo and behold - I recently saw a glimmer of hope.

Phil Taylor, he who appears to have assumed the duties of Rick Reilly in the "Point After" - the last printed opinion page of Sports Illustrated - has emerged as my hero.

Cantankerous ole Phil had the audacity to write: "NFL You Have A Problem" - before itemizing the stupid and bully like decisions made by the NFL in recent years.

If you haven't yet come across it, I encourage you to read the entire article in SI's 10/08/12 issue - the one with Referee Ed Hochuli's picture on the cover.

Taylor did an excellent job in his itemization of all the ridiculous decisions and practices of the NFLleague in recent years that the media, for the large part, has chosen to overlook or, at the very least, under-report.

As expected, his enumeration of inconsistencies, the dual odors of greed, and duplicity, was done much better than any of those I've attempted to outline in my meager journalistic attempts via previous blogs critical of the practices of the NFL.

Even after the cogent reporting by Taylor  with meof what will probably be seen by the league as "an unprofessional whack job", one of his conclusions  especially hit home with me:

"It's partly our fault" - he writes and then goes on to support that argument clearly pointing out how WE" allowed this behemoth to come to be.

 I prefer not to repeat his comments word for word for two simple reasons:

 First, I really have no desire  to be sued by one of the many hungry attorneys out there for having repeated - word for word - what he said without gaining permission to do so.

My second reason is that I, again, really encourage you to access this excellent piece of journalism on your own.

Taylor's column serves as an excellent teaching tool on life for your kids or grandkids - whether they're sports nuts like you - or not - and by doing so you would honor a reporter and publication for having the guts to "tell the Emperor that he forgot to put his clothes back on."

So now, Barry's a "Happy Camper" - as my wife would say?

No, not really.

I'd have been even more impressed if the article had, just once, mentioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell by name.

Not that I was really paying attention, of course.