Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year

The past few weeks, it seems as though people have really been on edge, and who can blame them? The Red Sox are playing well which means their fans have returned to their unbearable levels of smug. The Yankees are likely to join them in the playoffs, which pisses everybody else off. However, baseball isn't the only source of frustration.

Beyonce was robbed of the MTV Video Music Award for best female video by Taylor Swift, no less. I guess watching the two videos, Kanye had a point. I mean, Beyonce did make one of the best videos of all time! (By the way, who determined that Taylor Swift should write her own songs? At some point, shouldn't her manager pull her aside and inform her that they sound exactly the same? And that they aren't good in the first place? And for the record, if you think dressing like this will score you the hot guy you want when the competing girl is dressed like this, well, that's just crazy. Besides, what kind of message does it send 12-year-old girls? That you can be ugly and still get the hot guys? False. One more thing. Her genre is 100% pop with less country than Pepsi has nutritional value, so please, for the love of all that's sacred, stop calling her a country singer.)

Congressman Joe Wilson shouted "You lie" during the president's speech about health care, but what nobody's talking about is that he was using an earpiece to listen to ESPN radio. When they said his South Carolina Gamecocks would only win three games this year, he simply couldn't contain himself. Don't hate the player, hate ESPN.

But now that the fall is here, tempers have eased, and civility has been restored. The weather has cooled, football has kicked off, and scripted television has returned. As a result, the focus of this blog is likely going to change from a state of entropy to something discussing the shows worth watching on the TV. Of course, I promise I won't stop making fun of stupidity. It might even stop me from running out of things to write about.

Obviously, the summer wasn't without its share of shows worth watching. Shows like Entourage started in the summer (with Sloan featured in a much more prominent role), but with the majority of new programming being reality shows, there was little worth scheduling around. Thankfully, it's the most wonderful time of the year for couch potatoes.

End of boring post.

Ten most hated athletes

Every morning, I begrudgingly wake up and turn on channel 68, HLN. It started because I put a TV in my bedroom, and stumbled across Robin Meade one morning. She, and her daily low cut shirts, almost makes me enjoy getting up. This morning, she unveiled a list of the 10 most hated athletes as compiled by Forbes. It's my intent to explain why Forbes is wrong.

1. Michael Vick - This one seems like a no-brainer given his dog fighting conviction. Way to go out on a limb. Here's the thing. Vick killed dogs. Donte Stallworth struck and killed somebody with his car while driving drunk. He spent 24 days in jail. Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg while in a crowded nightclub and got a similar slap on the wrist. It's a sad day when people care more about dogs (which would behave as Vick had them if not for people) than other humans.

2. Manny Ramirez - I don't agree that he's even the most hated player in baseball. In fact, I don't even think he's the second most hated player in baseball. Sure it came out today that he used steroids in 2003. There were 103 other players on that list. I prefer to spread my hate evenly.

3. Alex Rodriguez - Easily the most hated player in baseball. Great player. Good looking. Over paid. And also on that list in 2003. I lied. I definitely hate him more than both of the players above.

4. Terrell Owens - He's not really hated. The attention he gets is what people hate. This is the same reason people hate the Yankees and Red Sox. It started as apathy but quickly turned to hate when we couldn't get away. (see also Brothers, Jonas)

5. Kobe Bryant - Acquitted of raping a hotel worker. To ensure his level of public hate would reach unprecedented success, he bought his wife a FOUR MILLION DOLLAR RING. Moreover, he plays for the Lakers who garner extra hate for being successful for so long.

6. Allen Iverson - So he doesn't like to practice. Who does? It's hard to hate the one player who doesn't view representing the United States as a chore and actually considers it an honor.

7. Isiah Thomas - Once a very good player. Once a terrible general manager. Now the coach of Florida International. Hated? By Knicks fans. Laughed at by everybody else.

8. Stephon Marbury - I would venture to say 90% of non-NBA fans have never even heard of him. There's no way he should even be mentioned in the same list as people like A-Rod. Fail.

9. Nick Saban - So he coached very successfully at LSU, went to the NFL and coached the Dolphins (You should already know the result.), and returned to college coaching at LSU's rival, Alabama. That makes him hated? He pulled a Pitino (Kentucky, Boston Celtics, Louisville). Pitino did not pull a Saban.

10. John McEnroe - Who hated this guy? Everybody I know wishes he still played because he would make tennis exciting. Maybe there are a more chair umpires than I realized who hate him enough to get him in the top 10. Plus he stopped playing 25 years ago.

Here's how the top 10 should have looked:

1. Barry Bonds. Not even in the Forbes top 10. Really?

2. Alex Rodriguez.

3. Michael Vick

4. Tom Brady. For his success, looks, and taking Giselle off the market.

5. Rick Pitino. Left Kentucky (crazy fans), for the Celtics, then to Louisville (who UK hates). Plus his hair tried to eat me.

6. Charlie Weiss. Fat coach of Notre Dame who lamented never being given a fair chance at coaching in the NFL because of his weight. While riding a Rascal.

7. Kobe Bryant

8. George Steinbrenner. Pioneer of the $250,000,000 payroll and owner of a $1,000,000,000 ballpark with $1700 seats.

9. Adam "Pacman" Jones. Can't stop from committing crimes. People dream of playing in the NFL but never will. He does and keeps blowing it.

10. Roger Clemens. Paid $20,000,000+ to play HALF of a season with the Yankees. Plus he's the steroids whipping boy for pitchers.

So thank you, Robin, for sharing this terrible list with me. Hopefully, someday it'll re-emerge as number one on my list of terrible lists.