Hilarious Moronic Media Quote of the Year Award goes to...

...SI's hockey writer Michael Farber, who said the following on TSN about the Islanders and their first overall pick in June:

"...New York Islanders, who have decided to poll fans about what to do with the number one draft choice. There are great hockey scouts right there, and they know what they're doing. This is an insult - one, to your scouts. ... But if you are listening to your fans, it's an insult because you're pandering people who don't know what they're doing."

Reminds me of the story Eric Bischoff had to tell Harvey Schiller after Schiller complained about the violence on a WCW TV Broadcast. Bischoff had to say, "Uh, Dr. Schiller...you didn't believe that was real, did you?

So an esteemed (cough) member of the mainstream media (cough) thinks that this Islanders contest if to help them actually decide who the team will pick with the draft pick? C'mon. We've all seen lazy journalism in our days but this one is unreal. A lazy writer goes on TV without looking into the real issue (marketing) and thinks it's real? Did any Islander fan out there who entered the contest (like me) to go to Montreal REALLY BEVIEVE THAT the Islanders were so perplexed about what to do that they has to turn to the paying customers for advice? Puh-leeze.

This is tough for me because I grew up reading Farber in Sports Illustrated back when it mattered. The only people who care about SI any more are the people who work there and the media-types who still think it's a call to the big leagues to get a job there. It's sad, but it's true.

I mean, hey, Michael--the Islanders have scouts! Lot of them! The assistant GM is a former scout who...get this...still does some scouting! Are we really thinking that they're going to discount all that travel and hard work just to chuck it all and go with the guy the fans pick?

It may be hard to see from Up There On High but this is why people hate the media, Mike.

In other great (but not surprising) news, would you believe that Kate Murray skipped another Lighthouse meeting on May 11? Would you? OK, that one was easy. But would you be surprised to learn that Ms. Murray has a father (not the surprise) who has a job paying $40 dollars an hour as a "part-time clerical aide"? And that he will be getting an annual public pension of $49,188 when he retires? And that the man is 83 years old?

According to Newsday's Eden Laikin, this is apparently all true. Maybe we should have a contest to select which of Kate Murray's relatives should get a new cushy job that they'll be way overpaid for! I'm thinking there have to be other Murrays out on the Island who can use a little money for nothing!

That's the real shame of government right there.