8/18: Wikipedia and the IWC
• So a day or so ago I was chatting with one of my AIM peeps, and he mentioned that IWC writer Rick Scaia (is he still around?) has his own Wikipedia entry. For reasons unbeknownst to me I decided to head over and check this out for myself. I wonder who wrote this entry?
Rick Scaia is an internet wrestling commentator and recapper who is best known for his work on Sportline'sWrestleLine.com, which was shut down in 2001, and Online Onslaught, which Scaia founded in December 2001. Scaia took the name for the latter site from the name of his signature column for Wrestlemaniacs and WrestleLine. He has been writing online since 1995. Scaia is known for his scathing, yet constructively critical commentaries on the current state of wrestling. His tendency to point out the negatives about current wrestling stories while also suggesting positive alternatives separates his writing from the larger crop of cynical bitter-mindedness that often characterizes online wrestling commentary. The more balanced and patient take may be responsible for Scaia's allegedly considerable audience of current WWE employees. While the larger world of sports fandom might know Scaia best as the favorite wrestling columnist of ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, and while wrestling fans as a whole might remember him best for his former "Ask The Rick" column, within his more devoted audience, he will probably always be best known for almost being getting beaten up by professional wrestler Raven.
Curious to see if any other Internet Wrestling Reporters have their own little slice of Wikipedia, I decided to see who hit the big-time.
Dave Scheer. Nothing.
Bob Ryder. Nothing. (That "Ryder Report" ain't what you think.)
Scott Keith. Something.
Wade Keller. Something.
Dave Meltzer. Something.
Wrestlecrap. Something. 
The Shooters. Nothing. 
That’s about all I remember from my rasslin’ days. Oh, there was also Mark Madden. He had his own entry, too, but I was more interested in other parts of his Wikipedia references.
Madden has also worked within mainstream sports journalism. He has written for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, now-defunct Penguins Report, and the weekly Pittsburgh City Paper. … The Post-Gazette forced his resignation because of questionable taste, the same reason his column was abruptly dropped by City Paper … Madden was dropped from commentaries on WTAE-TV news after highly negative viewer reaction.”
Hmm, I detect a pattern. Actually, I cut out the rest of the WTAE part of this entry, which went on to say he is a guest on "Action Sports Sunday" on WTAE-TV, a half-hour sports discussion show. What I really found funny was that the Shittsburgh City Paper dropped him for "questionable taste," considering this publication is one of those urban papers that you have give away for free. And what does being an Internet Wrestling Celebrity and having your own Wikipedia entry mean? I have no clue.
• Sure animal-rights people will bitch about a pig having to die just so some psycho can hold and cut it up all in the name of “art” instead of putting the carcass to good use – like say, making some hickory-smoked bacon out of it. However, what’s even more appalling to me is that this exhibit was taxpayer funded. Oh well, at least it’s the Brits getting screwed over this time and not Americans. And at least the “artist” will be showing her tits. That's got to count for something, right?
• My new hero. Remember, this guy is a so-called CIVIL RIGHTS leader:
Andrew Young, the American civil rights leader who was hired by Wal- Mart Stores to improve its public image, has resigned from that post after telling an African-American newspaper that Jewish, Arab and Korean shop owners had "ripped off" urban communities for years, "selling us stale bread, and bad meat and wilted vegetables."
In the interview, published Thursday in The Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly, Young said Wal-Mart should displace mom-and-pop stores in urban neighborhoods.
"You see those are the people who have been overcharging us," he said of the owners of the small stores, "and they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs."
Now lets see if Mr. Young gets made fun of by some comedians posing as Bo-Sox radio announcers.
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