It is what it is

If it is what it is, what it is is usually not what you want it to be.

Just ask anyone.

"I don't believe in redemption and all that kind of crap. It is what it is," said Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez last night after his first postseason RBI since 2004. What it wasn't was a playoff victory for A-Rod.

"You never want to go into a bye week with a loss, but it is what it is," said Lions quarterback Jon Kitna. What it wasn't was another step closer to Kitna's predicted 10 wins for the Lions.

“This is as good a time as any if they call my number. You can’t pick your time. If this is the week, this is the week. You can’t start getting picky and start wishing we were rolling right now. It is what it is," said Chiefs quarterback Brody Croyle, for whom nothing was
anything until he replaced injured starter Damon Huard this past week.

Rest assured that it never is what it isn't, unless you're Bruce Froemming umpiring during the playoffs. And it never isn't what it is, no matter what the Cincinnati Bengals hope.

It is what it is when you're out for the season, according to Broncos center Ton Nalen. It is what it is when you're showing off to the crowd after an interception, according to Patriots linebacker Junior Seau. It is what it is when no one expects your team to make the
playoffs, much less the NLCS, according to Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba. It is what it is when when no one expects your team to win at the start of the NHL season, according to Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett.

No one's quite sure when "it is what it is" became what it is, but Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi may very well have brought the quote into the mainstream when he used it to avoid answering any questions upon his return to the NHL following a suspension for delivering a cheap shot and breaking the neck of Colorado Avalanche player Steve Moore. Over and over after a game against the Avalanche on Oct. 28, 2005, Bertuzzi repeated his new pet phrase. Ever since, hardly a day goes by without someone letting us know it is what it is. When Barbaro broke his leg during the Preakness in 2006, jockey Edgar Prado was so overwhelmed he let us know little more than it was what it was. When former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar was criticized for sounding unsteady during preseason football broadcasts in 2006, he channeled Popeye in letting everyone know, "There's no problem. It is what it is and I am who I am." Browns receiver Braylon Edwards believed he caught a touchdown pass on the final play of a game against the Steelers last season, but since it wasn't what he thought it was, Edwards said it is what it is.

But don't think it's only what it is in the sports world. Before disappearing, Atlantic City mayor Robert Levy apologized for fabricating his service record in Vietnam by saying, "It is what it is, and I apologize for the embarrassment I've created for myself and my family." Even President Bush, when discussing in April vetoing a bill on a withdrawal timetable from Iraq, used everyone's new favorite quote.

What we do know is this -- "it is what it is" is the new "no comment". It's the phrase you're going to hear when someone has nothing to say but doesn't want to sound like he's saying nothing. Which is of course exactly what it is.

 

That was what it was -- a good read.

 

?

 

I yam that I yam.
-- Popeye J. Yahweh.

 

Please take this to PM.

 

IT IS WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS!!! Fun to read.

 

And Have a Happy Beer Day.

 

Ok, I laughed so hard I scared one of my kids.