Unbeknownst to most Americans, microwave ovens were actually invented in the late 1940's, but when they became a staple in just about all household kitchens in the late '80's, it seemed to have an effect on societal behavior. Comedians and media pundits coined the phrase "microwave society," referring to the entitlement carried by citizens in an "I need it yesterday," culture.

By the mid '90's, "Al Gore's invention" was starting to invade every home with a PC but there's no way AOL and Prodigy were going to cut it with 10 minute JPEG downloads. So then came Ethernet, DSL and broadband connections. There was no stopping bus 2525 now; any answer to any question was literally at our fingertips. If information is power, then gods we have all become.

But was that enough? Of course not, now that we have it fast, we also need it mobile. We can't be chained to some desk with a big overheated brick of a PC tower, we've got mundane places to go, people to annoy, what good is all that information if you can't take it with you. So fine then, here's a laptop, problem solved. But wait, it's kind of cumbersome. Ok, make it smaller, here's a netbook. Oh cool, but it's kind of weak, what else you got?

Hmmmm, ok what about a smartphone?

Checkmate! And while you're at it, throw in a camera, music, video games, GPS, and the ability to talk to people without ever having to actually talk to people. Ahhh, now we are happy!

Except for when any of those things go on the fritz for even a microsecond. (See the great Louis CK's bit on technology) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grxL5umOE6g&feature=related

And while you're at it, I want to be able to watch and listen to anything I want anytime and anyplace. I can't be fumbling around with CD's and DVD's all day long, requiring a very unsettling trip off the couch. Connect all that Internet power to my television and stereo too.

Still, it seems like there's an unnecessary step complicating our lives. Hitting that button has to go. How long until I can just wi-fi my brain? I want to know kung fu, Keanu style.

Don't get me wrong here; I'm not at all an adversary toward the progress of technology. I'm a rabid consumer of everything with a version number. What is slowly turning me into the old man on the porch screaming at the kids to get off his lawn is the effect this is having on our memory as a whole. Perhaps it's the megaton of low radiation we all take a bath in everyday from our "little helpers," but our long-term outlook on subjects has been eradicated, especially in the world of professional sports.

Ah, the point emerges! Yes the target of all this ranting is just how ignorant and reactionary the sports world has become. And if you thought it took way too much build up to get here, then yes, you are part of the problem.

The narrative in sports seems to not only change by the day but by the hour as well, now that newspapers have been virtually replaced by blogs and podcasts, a slumping player can be ripped a new orifice in the afternoon and then heralded as the savior that same night.

Most disturbing is the turncoat treatment of even the most established stars. Show the slightest chink in the armor; fans and media immediately send Bill Paxton to scream "game over man" through a megaphone at your retirement ceremony.

-Albert Pujols starts out 2012 in a slump . . . it's the beginning of the end?
-Derek Jeter has one bad year in 2010 . . . time to find a new shortstop?
-Andrew Bynum strings together a few great regular season games . . . he's better than Dwight Howard?
-The Green Bay Packers win a Super Bowl in 2010, go 15-1 in 2011 but lose in the playoffs . . . fans want Mike McCarthy fired?
-Dwayne Wade has one bad playoff game . . . he and LeBron can't play together?

That last one really made me shake my 802.11a/b/g/n/ soaked head. As a Knicks fan I begrudgingly watch Miami Heat games like a Nascar hater watching a race with the sole hope of seeing a glorious fireball of a wreck. But even my empire state of mind can't help but notice that 95% of the time it seems like LeBron and Wade are sharing some kind of Cyberdyne Industries wireless network link where each knows what the other is going to do before their brains even fire the synapse. But just hours after the Heat lose to the Pacers in game 3 and Wade only scores 5 points in his worst playoff performance of his career, Mike Greenberg adamantly states on a nationally syndicated ESPN radio show, that Wade and LeBron don't really fit together.

Huh? Because of one game?

Have we all become the character "Ten-Second Tom" from the film 50 First Dates? Should Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately" replace the national anthem before all sporting events? Are we really beginning to talk about Taylor Swift in the same breath with The Beatles and Michael Jackson?

Uh, never mind that last one, that's a whole other article.

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Wow....The Dojo. First, I must apologize for my lack on contribution on this fine and fantastic Web site that is the life blood of the Cobra Kai. I am just catching up and wanted to chime in on a few things. I am striving to be a more ardent member of the Dojo especially since it is the only place I can connect with some members..............namely Rob "Roundhouse Missing In Action" Reger, Richard (David Wright is my hero cuz he is afraid of the Brewers" Guttierez and of course the GOAT.

On to business. My first order of business has to do with Koko's post referring to Mariano Rivera as the unquestioned greatest reliever of all time and the greatest there ever will be.

Well, I want to first state that Mariano is ONE of the Greatest of all time. He is a first ballot hall of famer, a man I greatly respect and I find to be a phenomenal reliever. He deserves all the credit he has been given especially after he surpassed former Milwaukee Brewer great Trevor Hoffman as the all time leading saves leader in MLB history.

While Rivera's accomplishment is magnificent, I beg to differ. I submit that Mariano Rivera is not the greatest relief pitcher in the history of baseball. Long time Yankee Announcer Michael Kay once noted on Rivera's save..."That ninth inning played out the way most of those play out for him - clean, efficient and he got it done." Here is the opportunity for me to start my discusssion. The vast majority of Rivera's saves were simple one inning saves. Rivera has exactly 11 career saves of at least two innings. Contrast that with 135 for Brewers Great Rollie Fingers.

Needless to say, the game is different now than it was a generation ago. Fine. But all the more reason not to declare Mariano Rivera the greatest relief pitcher of all-time. The greatest one inning closer of all time? Absolutely yes. But can we really say that Rivera is better than Rollie Fingers. After all, Fingers pitched 100 or more innings in eleven out of twelve seasons while Rivera has only thrown more than 100 innings once and that was in 1996 when he was the set up man for John Wetteland. Rivera would have been the best even if he had a different role, even if he was a pitcher who got 30 saves a year and pitched 120 innings." Yet I could just as easily argue that if Fingers was a one inning closer he would have saved 700 games. Now it's true that Fingers never saved 40 games in a season and had 340 for his career. Indeed, one could make the case that at this time two years from now, Rivera could have twice as many saves as Fingers. But quite frankly, Rivera could save 1,000 games and never do what Fingers did. While it could be said that Rivera revolutionized the role of the closer, Fingers revolutionized relief pitching itself.

Rollie Fingers also averaged about 1.8 innings per game for his career while Rivera has averaged about 0.78 innings per game. Rollie usually came in during tense situations in the 7th or 8th innings and saved the rest of the bullpen innings by being the iron man pitching 2-3 Clutch innings. On the other hand Mariano comes for 2 outs in the 9th and would notch up another Save. 2 outs as oppossed to 9????? Really? You think coming in and getting 2 easy ground outs puts you as the greatest of all time unquestionably while Fingers would have to come in and Grind out on average 7-9 outs for his saves?????? Mariano gets to force 2 outs and he gets a save for the record books while Fingers gets 7-9 outs for his Save for the books. Seems to me I would rather have Fingers helping my team out than some half inning diva who takes the credit the set-up men before him had to do the work for.

My last point is this also. To be the Unquestioned greatest at anything you have to be the BEST at your position in at least 1 YEAR. Mariano Rivera was NEVER...EVER....THE BEST AT PITCHER IN ANY GIVEN YEAR. While Rollie Fingers while leading thee Milwaukee Brewers to the World Series in 1981 Rollie WON NOT ONLY THE CY-YOUNG AWARD......ROLLIE ALSO brought HOME THE MVP! Mariano has NO CY-Youngs or MVP's of the regular Season to his Credit. Now....Mariano does have a post-season MVP..........but So does Rollie.

Lastly.......Rollie revolutionized the position.....Had one of the greatest signature mustaches of all time (Who doesn't love the Handle-Bar Stache) and he loved to party the Cobra Kai way....putting back many Pabst Blue Ribbons in his heyday back in Milwaukee.

I think Mariano is One of the GREATEST and I respect him dearly........I am simply stating a case for Rollie here that Mariano is not the unquestionable Greatest of ALL Time.........that's all I'm saying.

- So, I have a new problem to report.  The pussification of children in America and the long term results of this epidemic.  It seems like parents are so into babying their children that they are completely ignoring raising them to be adults (which, by the way, is the main purpose of being a parent in the first place.). Preparing kids for the realities of life has completely gone out the window.  I see this every day when I coach baseball.  It is pathetic.  "No, Johnny is not going to pitch this game because he hasn't been to practice in 2 weeks"  "I'm sorry that his feelings are hurt"  These are frequent conversations that I have. 

I actually witnessed this first hand by our other coach last week.  We got into it a little with another team and a player said he was going to go after his son.  When I was a kid, this would be like adding gasoline to a fire, for me.  So what happened?  The parent literally wanted us to forfeit the game to protect his son.  What a joke.

What is going to happen when these pussies hit the real world?  What's going to happen when they get rejected by a college or a girl or get into a fight?  I'm not advocating cruelty, but a little harmless bullying makes kids tougher.  Guess what kids?  Not everyone can win.  Not everyone gets the job.  Not everyone gets good grades.  Not everyone makes the same amount of money. Or has whatever job they want.  The problem is that, many times, the first time a kid gets told "no"  is after they are an adult and they freak out.  That's why you see more teen angst and suicides than ever.  This trend needs to stop, now. 

When I tell my kids "no"  the answer is "no".  I don't care how much of a fit you throw.  When I give out a punishment, that is the punishment, no matter what.  If somebody hits you, defend yourself and hit him back.  If somebody bullies you, ignore it or stand up for yourself.  If somebody throws at you in a baseball game, either pound the ball the next time you are up, or hit him back if you are pitching. 

I know a lot of you guys are either new parents or will be soon.  Please help me stop this trend.  Your kids will thank you someday, even though they might not like it now, your job is to prepare them for the real world, not be their best friend.

Really? Yankee cologne? Smell like a champion like Curtis Granderson? Granderson hasn't won a World Series Championship! More like smell like a sweaty, dirty, game used sock. This is dumb. Stick to your baseball instead of trying to take over every part of the world. Suprised they don't try to put "Yankees" into the World Trade Center Memorial.

A new edition of "Reel Reviews with Koko" has been posted for your reading pleasure.

In this season of the HBO series Game of Thrones (which you should all be watching and if your not then delete something on your DVR immediately) the city of Qarth was introduced. The city's moniker is "The greatest city there ever was or ever will be."

Mariano Rivera is the Qarth of relief pitchers.

If this freak injury to his ACL while doing something he's done for the past 17 years really is the end of MO's unparalleled career, then it's been a complete honor to watch this man do his thing in the greatest sport there ever was or ever will be.

Hopefully the great Rivera's unmatched work ethic and competitive fire will overtake any lethargic "everything happens for a reason" religious overtones that might be floating around his brain and he'll take the rehab as just one more challenge so he can come back and go out on his own steam.

In any case, he'll be one of the guys I get to blather "in my day . . ." to my kids about.

It looks like Stallone is definitely a man of his word. When he was recruiting talent for the first Expendables, he asked JCVD to be a part of it. The muscles from Brussels declined. When the movie became a hit, Van Damme repented and said he made a mistake. Being the stand-up guy that he is, Stallone promised JCVD that he could be in the sequel. Oh yeah, and it's got . . . CHUCK FUCKING NORRIS! Even though I thought the first movie was complete garbage, I'm all in for this. And I better get to see Jet Li kick Van Damme's ass all over the place. And of course Norris kick all ass.

This Saturday, 2-Time Super Bowl MVP and future Hall of Fame Quaterback Eli Manning will attempt to outdo his big brother once again, this time off the field as host of Saturday Night Live.

Highly doubtful Eli can top Peyton in this arena, especially with skits like this one when Peyton hosted a few years back.  I just hope there are plenty of Patriots/Tom Brady jokes in there.