For those of you that don't follow professional baseball very closely, or for those of you that do, but were away from your tv's, or laptops within the last 48 hours.....Albert Pujols is no longer a St. Louis Cardinal. Yeah, it's for real. He has packed up shop and headed out west. Next spring, Albert will be putting on a new jersey, for the first time in his professional career.....11 years. And it will read Angels across the chest. As in Anaheim Angels.....or California Angels....or Angels of Anaheim, via Los Angeles, or whatever they are called these days. It's pretty interesting that the team that was able to lure Albert away from St. Louis, most closely resembles St. Louis, in the way that they play ball, right down to the way they are coached. I also find it interesting that the team mascot is the Angel, or Angels.
Interesting because, that's what Albert has pretty much been....as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals for 11 years. Since he has been a professional athlete and been thrust into the spotlight, courtesy of his athletic prowess, and pennance for hitting home runs, he has not once been in trouble with the law. Nor, has any member of his entourage (he doesn't have one), been arrested for beating a stripper, or running over a metermaid with their car...or what have you. He instead turned much of what I would assume would be nervous energy, in anticipating opening day of the next season, and used that energy to bring a boat load of doctors and dentists, with him to the Dominican Republic, where he is from, so they could help people there in need of medical attention, at no cost to them. He has supplied thousands of Dominicans with mattresses, paid for out of his pocket. He has donated millions of dollars, and spent several hours of his own time and energy, raising money for research and care for children with downs syndrome. His stepdaughter, has downs sydrome.
For 11 years, an Angel, is pretty much the right word to describe Pujols...as far as how he has behaved himself, and conducted himself while being a St. Louis Cardinal. So, I'm not sad. Disappointed a little, but not sad. I say that now, of course. But my opinion may change, when next spring, ESPN is doing full coverage from Anaheim on opening day and Pujols cranks out 3 home runs in his first game as an Angel. But, then I'll think.....yeah, that's about right. Good luck to you Albert. You brought us some unbelivable moments, and a couple of championships. I can't think of a better place that could use your Angelic services, than L.A.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
It's over....turn out the lights....shut it down...we'll see you next year.
Yep, that's right. Your favorite little fantasy football team, the Alley Cats.....are officially done. A heartbreaking loss, I repeat....a heartbreaking loss, this past week, has officially eliminated the Alley Cats from playoff contention. I knew we were in trouble going into Monday night, but remained optimistic. We were down to one player remaining for the Monday night game, Drew Brees. The score was 94-137, in favor of Da Bears, the team the Cats were playing last week. Da Bears only had one remaining player going on Monday night as well, but it was a receiver for the New York Giants, Victor Cruz. Now, just a little back info on Victor Cruz. He's a bum! I shouldn't say that.....but, he literally has come out of no where this year, and has had himself a fine little season. He's a boom or bust guy though. He will get about 120 yards receiving from 8 catches, with one of them being a touchdown....or he'll get you 12 yards on 1 catch. I was hoping for the latter. Brees and the Saints came out on fire! And within just a few minutes, I was right back into the game...and in the third quarter, I took the lead! Now, at this point I went to bed with a good, solid 15 point lead.
Well, apparently sometime between the time of my head hitting the pillow, and the time my alarm clock sounded the following morning....Victor Cruz caught himself a 75 yard touchdown pass!! Game over, season over......ugggghhhhh. I still needed quite a little bit of help, to get into the playoffs. I needed the team that has a firm grasp on the number 4 seed, to lose the last two games on their schedule. Not impossible, but not likely, all the same. So, now I have absolutely nothing to do on Sunday afternoons. My winter is shot. I would just watch the games, for the fun of it...but my favorite team, the St. Louis Rams are having themselves a worse season than the Alley Cats. They have only won 2 games so far this year, and aren't looking like they can go on any winning streaks any time soon. So, I got nothing. Only 2 and a half months before players start reporting for spring training!!
Well, apparently sometime between the time of my head hitting the pillow, and the time my alarm clock sounded the following morning....Victor Cruz caught himself a 75 yard touchdown pass!! Game over, season over......ugggghhhhh. I still needed quite a little bit of help, to get into the playoffs. I needed the team that has a firm grasp on the number 4 seed, to lose the last two games on their schedule. Not impossible, but not likely, all the same. So, now I have absolutely nothing to do on Sunday afternoons. My winter is shot. I would just watch the games, for the fun of it...but my favorite team, the St. Louis Rams are having themselves a worse season than the Alley Cats. They have only won 2 games so far this year, and aren't looking like they can go on any winning streaks any time soon. So, I got nothing. Only 2 and a half months before players start reporting for spring training!!
Why are people too scared to play their human card?
On the heels of the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky, child abuse scandal, another shocking story broke last week....about an assistant basketball coach at the university of Syracuse, and a couple of children who were ball boys for the basketball team. The main difference in the two stories, is that there isn't an eye witness testimony, as far as the assistant basketball coach, who's name is Bernie Fine, and the two children he has allegedly assaulted. There isn't that person, who has witnessed the transgression, the horrible act, with their own eyes. For the better part of last week, and the beginning part of this week, it was a, he said-she said case. Or rather, a he said-he said case. I'm not going to get into whether or not I think Bernie Fine is guilty of these allegations. The accuser, Bobby Davis, is accusing Fine sexually assaulted him from the age of 13, up until he was 27 years old. I don't know we'll ever know the truth about what happened between, Fine and Davis. Other reports, have surfaced recently, that have linked Davis, sexually with Fine's wife. It appears as though, there was some sort of sordid love triangle between the three. There are also reports, that Fine had loaned Davis over 5,000 dollars and was attempting to collect on that debt, and that's what spurred these allegations.
I'm not a detective. I don't play one on tv. I will let the authorities sort out all the details, and trust in them to arrest all guilty parties. The one thing that is somewhat similar in this case, and the Sandusky scandal at Penn State....is that there, once again, seems to be a let down in the moral code. A lack of humanism if you will. Apparently Davis, recorded a phone call between he, and Fine's wife. The dialogue coming from Fine's wife, would have you believe that she in fact, knew of the assaults, and had suspected for quite some time, that her husband was a child molester. Davis, then took copies of the recording and mailed them to ESPN, and to the Syracuse newspaper, the Post-Standard. From there, there was no action taken by either party. Now, so far, there have been no new accounts of Fine violating any more children after the telephone conversation recording between Davis, and Fine's wife. That being said, why on earth didn't ESPN, or the Post-Standard turn in this recording to the authorities!? If someone gave you a tape of a conversation, and one of the two parties involved in the conversation stated that they were going to kill someone, wouldn't you tell somebody, so that they could stop it? ESPN is bigger than any, and I mean ANY media outlet, they are owned by Disney, who has built their empire, to pretty much entertain children and their families. Who are they scared of? Why were they trying to protect Fine, and Syracuse?
It basically comes down to the fact that people these days, are scared to do what they know, down in their heart of hearts is the right thing to do. People would rather turn a blind eye, and pretend they didn't see anything, than risk personal harm, or any other damage....to help someone else. When asked why they didn't turn in the tape to the authorities, Vince Doria, who is the head of ESPN news, stated on Sirius XM's Mad Dog Radio sports channel, that he doesn't think it's ESPN's role to play detective and turn in evidence to the police. He stated that as journalists, it isn't their job to turn over any evidence that happens to come their way. Well Vince, what if it had been your child? What if it had been your child that had been assaulted, and it could have been prevented, had someone done what was the morally right thing to do, and that's turn over everything they had, to stop a predator! Be a human being!
I'm not a detective. I don't play one on tv. I will let the authorities sort out all the details, and trust in them to arrest all guilty parties. The one thing that is somewhat similar in this case, and the Sandusky scandal at Penn State....is that there, once again, seems to be a let down in the moral code. A lack of humanism if you will. Apparently Davis, recorded a phone call between he, and Fine's wife. The dialogue coming from Fine's wife, would have you believe that she in fact, knew of the assaults, and had suspected for quite some time, that her husband was a child molester. Davis, then took copies of the recording and mailed them to ESPN, and to the Syracuse newspaper, the Post-Standard. From there, there was no action taken by either party. Now, so far, there have been no new accounts of Fine violating any more children after the telephone conversation recording between Davis, and Fine's wife. That being said, why on earth didn't ESPN, or the Post-Standard turn in this recording to the authorities!? If someone gave you a tape of a conversation, and one of the two parties involved in the conversation stated that they were going to kill someone, wouldn't you tell somebody, so that they could stop it? ESPN is bigger than any, and I mean ANY media outlet, they are owned by Disney, who has built their empire, to pretty much entertain children and their families. Who are they scared of? Why were they trying to protect Fine, and Syracuse?
It basically comes down to the fact that people these days, are scared to do what they know, down in their heart of hearts is the right thing to do. People would rather turn a blind eye, and pretend they didn't see anything, than risk personal harm, or any other damage....to help someone else. When asked why they didn't turn in the tape to the authorities, Vince Doria, who is the head of ESPN news, stated on Sirius XM's Mad Dog Radio sports channel, that he doesn't think it's ESPN's role to play detective and turn in evidence to the police. He stated that as journalists, it isn't their job to turn over any evidence that happens to come their way. Well Vince, what if it had been your child? What if it had been your child that had been assaulted, and it could have been prevented, had someone done what was the morally right thing to do, and that's turn over everything they had, to stop a predator! Be a human being!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving
Well, I don't know if it was because my expectations were so low, for this holiday.....or if I had just accepted the fact that it was going to be a long day, so I may as well try to make the best of it. But, I have to say...this past Thanksgiving was one of the best I've had in recent memory. We made it out to my Dad's house around 1 pm. And as usual, had to wait for a few family members to get there, for about half an hour. Once everyone had arrived, we dug in. Now, at my Dad's house on Thanksgiving, there is the usual holiday fare....turkey, ham, green bean casserole, hot rolls, etc. Most people usually have mashed potatoes, and some variety of gravy. Here is where my Dad's house is different. My stepmother always makes noodles. Frozen noodles, that are bland in flavor, lacks any seasoning of any kind, and are about as tasteful as paper. That's what is supposed to be used as gravy. I hate the noodles! However, I eat them to be nice to her. Once we had dinner, and desert. We left my Dad's after a few hours, and headed back to our house.
For some reason, we thought it would be a great idea, to invite a few friends over to my wife and I's house, for a Thanksgiving late night dinner. It actually turned out to be a huge success. My wife had a friend and her family show up, I had a friend and his family show up.....everyone got a long great, and got stuffed...some for the third time that day. The adults had a few adult beverages, everyone's kids got along great and played....it was actually a really good time. Again, I don't know if it was because my expectations were low...but I really enjoyed everyone's company and had a great time. So maybe I'll use this as a lesson, going forward with the holidays. Or, maybe not........
For some reason, we thought it would be a great idea, to invite a few friends over to my wife and I's house, for a Thanksgiving late night dinner. It actually turned out to be a huge success. My wife had a friend and her family show up, I had a friend and his family show up.....everyone got a long great, and got stuffed...some for the third time that day. The adults had a few adult beverages, everyone's kids got along great and played....it was actually a really good time. Again, I don't know if it was because my expectations were low...but I really enjoyed everyone's company and had a great time. So maybe I'll use this as a lesson, going forward with the holidays. Or, maybe not........
Friday, November 18, 2011
Black Friday.
It's funny, when you think about it. All I said in the title section of the header for this blog, was two words. Yet, I'm sure all of you know exactly what I'm referencing....moreover you were probably flooded with all sorts of emotions about this day. Black Friday. A more suitable name, there could not be. The day after Thanksgiving, some 152 million shoppers will hit retail stores across the U.S. That's not counting all the people who decide not to get up at 3 in the am, but rather do their shopping from the comfort of their computer at home. 152 million shoppers! Black Friday. Such a dark nickname, for the opening day of the holiday shopping season. How did it get that nickname you ask? Well, the nickname actually goes back to the year 1975. Apparently some officers from the Philadelphia police force, coined the nickname because of the massive traffic mess it created in their city.
The day after Thanksgiving certainly isn't black for the retail stores, that are brave enough to open their doors to the public at 3-4 am. Most retailers cash in on Black Friday. In 2009, Americans spent over $10.66 billion dollars on Black Friday. Several retailers don't actually turn a profit on the year, until Black Friday. It used to be common practice, for most retailers to give their employees the day off, the day after Thanksgiving. Especially if they had to work on Thanksgiving. With the rate that people are spending money on Black Friday, the stores have responded by running their best deals of the year. As a result, it's all hands on deck for most retail shops.
You can imagine, with the increased traffic flow to some of these stores....and the limited space some stores have to deal with....it can be pretty crazy, and dangerous even, in some stores. As a matter of fact, there have been so many injuries, and deaths, that if you google Black Friday injuries, you'll have several sites dedicated to just that. Some sites have even ranked the most gruesome stories. Although, it is hard to deny some of the sales at these retail stores, the day after Thanksgiving....I think I'll do what the other half of America does, as far as holiday shopping. Which is wait until the week of Christmas to get it done. I like my sleep.
The day after Thanksgiving certainly isn't black for the retail stores, that are brave enough to open their doors to the public at 3-4 am. Most retailers cash in on Black Friday. In 2009, Americans spent over $10.66 billion dollars on Black Friday. Several retailers don't actually turn a profit on the year, until Black Friday. It used to be common practice, for most retailers to give their employees the day off, the day after Thanksgiving. Especially if they had to work on Thanksgiving. With the rate that people are spending money on Black Friday, the stores have responded by running their best deals of the year. As a result, it's all hands on deck for most retail shops.
You can imagine, with the increased traffic flow to some of these stores....and the limited space some stores have to deal with....it can be pretty crazy, and dangerous even, in some stores. As a matter of fact, there have been so many injuries, and deaths, that if you google Black Friday injuries, you'll have several sites dedicated to just that. Some sites have even ranked the most gruesome stories. Although, it is hard to deny some of the sales at these retail stores, the day after Thanksgiving....I think I'll do what the other half of America does, as far as holiday shopping. Which is wait until the week of Christmas to get it done. I like my sleep.
It's that time of year!!
In less than a week, most of you will be with various family members...hopefully enjoying each others company, and indulging in a massive amount of food. I'll be completely honest, up until I got married....I really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Now, we have to have the conversation (argument), about where we're going to go? How long are we going to be there? What are we going to take? What are we going to do afterwards? It's a production. I almost miss the days when I had to work on Thanksgiving. Which is sad, because the holidays are supposed to be about enjoying each others company, getting away from the grind....and just taking a break from it all. I don't know about you people, but I now dread the holidays. I tell you what my dream scenario would be, as far as how the holiday season should go. Wake up on Thanksgiving day, around 10:30 in the am. Have a quick breakfast...nothing heavy...maybe some toast. Then take a shower and get dressed, because company will be coming to our house for dinner around noon. I greet several members of our family, and take their jackets as they arrive. We have a bountiful dinner and watch some football. Then everyone promptly leaves, around 1:30 pm, and I take an hour nap. Keep in mind, all the while my wife is doing cleanup duty, and watching the kids. After the nap, I give my wife a hand with the rest of the cleanup, make myself a snack, and play outside with the kids. Because, the temperature is a beautiful 72 degrees, on this Thanksgiving day. Then around 8:00 pm, my wife puts the kids down for the night, and we have some friends show up, for a modest Thanksgiving dinner. We visit, maybe play some marbles, and have a few cocktails. Then our friends find their way to the door around 10:00 pm, and I play XBOX until midnight. My wife has been in bed for about an hour at this point....so that way, she can watch whatever she likes in the bedroom and I don't have to hear her complain about what I'm doing in the living room. Then a little after midnight, after I have done all I need to do to get myself ready for bed, I turn it in for the night.
Now, is that so bad to ask for? Sadly, here's how I see it all playing out. I wake up Thanksgiving day, around 6:00 in the am. I get the baby dressed, diaper changed, and feed him. My wife is on toddler duty, she gets him dressed and breakfast made. This brings us up to about 8:00 am. Now, I have to hear my stepson wine about being bored, so I suggest he goes outside to play. He does. I am still on baby duty, while my wife makes whatever dish she has settled on, to bring to her Grandmother's house in Neosho. The Grandmother who lives on a farm, and has a gravel drive up to her house, that is half mountain, half volcano. Which is pretty much a flat tire waiting to happen, but whatever....I would rather go there, than listen to my wife gripe. My wife finally finishes up around 11:00 am, and we get the kids together and leave our house in Carl Junction. We make it to the farm around 11:45 am. The toddler gets out and starts to play with his cousins, who have been there for about an hour already. They have been there early, because they live in Neosho, and got the message from the host about being there early. We did not. So after everyone gets settled and introductions/greetings have been completed it's about 1:00 pm. We sit down, wherever we can find a spot and eat. After dinner, it's about 2:00 pm. I have to listen to my wifes family complain about whatever situation, they are dealing with now....health, kids, job, take your pick. I do my best to engage them. Finally around 3:30 pm, we head back to our house. I have a massive headache. We get home, I take some Tylenol. It's about 4:15 pm. We have invited some friends over, much to my dismay. They show up and we have a small early dinner. Just enough to keep the bloat going. They are annoyed with the stepson, who is bouncing off the walls because since he's been up he's been on a steady diet of sweets and soda. All of our friends also don't have any kids he can play with that are his age, so he thinks it's a good idea to entertain our guests. His act gets old, now I am forced with a decision to make. Do I crack down on his behavior, or let him get all this energy out of his system, to the chagrin of our guests? I choose the latter, because I don't want to argue with my wife.
After this dog and pony show gets over, it's about 7:00 pm. At this point, I am shot. I do my best to help my wife with kid duty, and cleanup duty. Our guests have been gone for about an hour, and I don't foresee them coming back anytime soon. We clean up the house until we run out of energy, and then turn it in after we put the kids to bed. Kids in bed by 8:30 pm. Us about 9:30 pm.
Good times, good times.
Then comes Black Friday, and that's a whole other story in itself.
Now, is that so bad to ask for? Sadly, here's how I see it all playing out. I wake up Thanksgiving day, around 6:00 in the am. I get the baby dressed, diaper changed, and feed him. My wife is on toddler duty, she gets him dressed and breakfast made. This brings us up to about 8:00 am. Now, I have to hear my stepson wine about being bored, so I suggest he goes outside to play. He does. I am still on baby duty, while my wife makes whatever dish she has settled on, to bring to her Grandmother's house in Neosho. The Grandmother who lives on a farm, and has a gravel drive up to her house, that is half mountain, half volcano. Which is pretty much a flat tire waiting to happen, but whatever....I would rather go there, than listen to my wife gripe. My wife finally finishes up around 11:00 am, and we get the kids together and leave our house in Carl Junction. We make it to the farm around 11:45 am. The toddler gets out and starts to play with his cousins, who have been there for about an hour already. They have been there early, because they live in Neosho, and got the message from the host about being there early. We did not. So after everyone gets settled and introductions/greetings have been completed it's about 1:00 pm. We sit down, wherever we can find a spot and eat. After dinner, it's about 2:00 pm. I have to listen to my wifes family complain about whatever situation, they are dealing with now....health, kids, job, take your pick. I do my best to engage them. Finally around 3:30 pm, we head back to our house. I have a massive headache. We get home, I take some Tylenol. It's about 4:15 pm. We have invited some friends over, much to my dismay. They show up and we have a small early dinner. Just enough to keep the bloat going. They are annoyed with the stepson, who is bouncing off the walls because since he's been up he's been on a steady diet of sweets and soda. All of our friends also don't have any kids he can play with that are his age, so he thinks it's a good idea to entertain our guests. His act gets old, now I am forced with a decision to make. Do I crack down on his behavior, or let him get all this energy out of his system, to the chagrin of our guests? I choose the latter, because I don't want to argue with my wife.
After this dog and pony show gets over, it's about 7:00 pm. At this point, I am shot. I do my best to help my wife with kid duty, and cleanup duty. Our guests have been gone for about an hour, and I don't foresee them coming back anytime soon. We clean up the house until we run out of energy, and then turn it in after we put the kids to bed. Kids in bed by 8:30 pm. Us about 9:30 pm.
Good times, good times.
Then comes Black Friday, and that's a whole other story in itself.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Alley Cat update
Yep, it's that time! To find out how your fellow classmates fantasy football team is faring, in this unpredictable NFL season! Well, the Alley Cats are 4-5 and are sitting in 6th place. We had a devastating loss a couple of weeks ago, to the division leader....The Cork Soakers. But it's alright...we are looking towards the future! Specifically the final playoff spot. With around 4 weeks left in the fantasy season, the Cats are down...but not out! We are closer to out, than down now however. After the abysmal showing by Vincent Jackson last night against the Raiders. His quarterback, Philip Rivers was partly to blame, but Jackson was having trouble getting open against a Raiders team that is susceptible against the pass. Long story short, I got a pathetic 2.20 points from Vincent. Not good. I am playing a team by the name of Gator Nation this week, who is in 3rd place.
The good news is that after one game I have a lead against him. The bad news is that it's not even a 3 point lead. But, as I said....we are down but not out! Other members of the Cats are just going to have to pick up the slack, because I am NOT missing the playoffs this year. Consequently, if I did, it would mark the first year of the Cats not making the playoffs. So, lets just go ahead and keep the streak of winning and making the playoffs going. What do you say!? That's really all I got...have a good weekend everybody!
The good news is that after one game I have a lead against him. The bad news is that it's not even a 3 point lead. But, as I said....we are down but not out! Other members of the Cats are just going to have to pick up the slack, because I am NOT missing the playoffs this year. Consequently, if I did, it would mark the first year of the Cats not making the playoffs. So, lets just go ahead and keep the streak of winning and making the playoffs going. What do you say!? That's really all I got...have a good weekend everybody!
A strike against humanity.....
Some of you may not have heard, and in case you haven't, there's a fairly large scandal taking place right now in Happy Valley, PA. Penn State University, specifically. One of the most iconic figures in college athletics is right in the middle of this scandal. Joe Paterno. Up until a few days ago, Paterno had been head coach of the football program at Penn State. He had a reputation as being a fiery little guy, both on the field and off. In addition to building a stellar football program at the University, he also has raised millions of dollars for the school....either by donating his time for functions, such as a campus ball, where the proceeds from the tickets sold go directly to the school. Or by coaching the football team to a big bowl game, where upon millions of dollars goes to both the schools playing in the game. He has built a library, and other buildings at the school. There is a bronze statue of the man on campus. I told you about several of the good things he has done in his life, because if you do, or have, heard of the scandal Paterno is involved in at the school.....all of those things will become irrelevant to you. They have to me.
You would be hard pressed to find a former player of Paterno's, that had a bad word to say about him. In fact, several of his former players went on to coach with him at the school. One of those players, was a man by the name of Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky played on the defensive line for Paterno, and Penn State from the years of 1963-1965. After he graduated he got a few gigs coaching at some smaller schools, until Paterno gave him a job as defensive line coach at Penn State in 1969. By the year 1977, Sandusky had worked his way up to defensive coordinator. Sandusky, by all accounts was a great coach. In fact, was named assistant coach of the year, both in 1986 and 1999. In 1999 Sandusky retired from coaching. He remained a mainstay at the University, often hosting football camps at the school, for young children. Just about a week ago, the story broke...that Sandusky had been arrested and charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault, and a handful of other charges. I'm going to spare you the gory details, but it turns out that Sandusky was basically using his football camp program to lure young boys to the campus, get them alone, and do things to them.....that makes you cringe to think about.
These aren't just allegations. This investigation has been going on for over 3 years. Sandusky has admitted guilt to these charges. If he's convicted he could face up to life in prison. Where does Paterno fit in to this scandal? Well, apparently in 2002....a grad assistant of Paterno's by the name of Mike McQueery, happened to witness one of these heinous acts. McQueery, was apparently bringing some shoes to the locker room, to put into Sandusky's locker. Which is odd to me that a man that wasn't on the staff, would have a locker at the football facility. It was apparently late at night when McQueery went into the locker room. He saw that all the lights were on, and the showers were running. After McQueery put the shoes into the locker, he turned and looked towards the showers. There he saw a naked Sandusky, having his way with a naked 10 yr old boy. McQueery, who was 28 at the time and a former football player, was so shocked by what he saw, that he didn't do anything to break up the scene, but rather left the facility and went to be consoled by his father. After talking to his father, McQueery the next morning, went and told Paterno what he had seen the night before. Paterno, shocked himself, told McQueery to go home and that he (Paterno), would take it from there. Paterno told the athletic director, Tim Curley, and the senior vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz. Now, by the letter of the law Paterno did all that was required of him. Curley and Schultz did nothing with the information that was given to them, and in the course of the next 6 years 8 more boys were violated.
Here's where I have a problem with Paterno, and the rest of the lot that didn't do as much as they should have. McQueery should have broken up the scene in the locker room that night. He should have gone straight to the police after. Paterno should have gone to the police, after speaking with McQueery the next morning. And Curley and Schultz certainly should have done the same. The in-actions of these men, ultimately resulted in the loss of 8 boys innocence. The fact that Paterno didn't do his due diligence to see this matter through to the end, over the course of the 6 years is mind boggling to me. Not only did he not follow up on these allegations, but he allowed Sandusky to visit the facility any time he wanted. He allowed him access to the field, the locker rooms, the weight rooms (which he (Sandusky) was using as little ago as last week), he let him go to bowl games with the team, where he saw Sandusky with children. And Paterno, and his lot of minions did nothing! His lack of motivation in seeing a conclusion, to this matter is what got Paterno canned a couple of days ago. You may have seen footage of the riots on campus, of current students upset to see the icon go out the way he did.
That's the other thing that is disturbing in my mind. The amount of supporters Paterno has. If you find yourself, as one of these supporters.....I urge you to read the grand jury testimony from this case. If after you have read it, and you still find yourself thinking that Paterno got the raw end in this deal.....ask yourself a couple of questions. How would you feel if you were a parent of one of the victims? And you found out that Sandusky could have been stopped years before your son was violated, but the powers that be decided to sit on the evidence/information. How would you feel if you were one of the victims themselves? How would you feel almost 10 years later, knowing that if some people had acted properly....Sandusky would have been behind bars, instead of behind you? If you still find yourself believing in Paterno.....well, that just makes me sad.
You would be hard pressed to find a former player of Paterno's, that had a bad word to say about him. In fact, several of his former players went on to coach with him at the school. One of those players, was a man by the name of Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky played on the defensive line for Paterno, and Penn State from the years of 1963-1965. After he graduated he got a few gigs coaching at some smaller schools, until Paterno gave him a job as defensive line coach at Penn State in 1969. By the year 1977, Sandusky had worked his way up to defensive coordinator. Sandusky, by all accounts was a great coach. In fact, was named assistant coach of the year, both in 1986 and 1999. In 1999 Sandusky retired from coaching. He remained a mainstay at the University, often hosting football camps at the school, for young children. Just about a week ago, the story broke...that Sandusky had been arrested and charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault, and a handful of other charges. I'm going to spare you the gory details, but it turns out that Sandusky was basically using his football camp program to lure young boys to the campus, get them alone, and do things to them.....that makes you cringe to think about.
These aren't just allegations. This investigation has been going on for over 3 years. Sandusky has admitted guilt to these charges. If he's convicted he could face up to life in prison. Where does Paterno fit in to this scandal? Well, apparently in 2002....a grad assistant of Paterno's by the name of Mike McQueery, happened to witness one of these heinous acts. McQueery, was apparently bringing some shoes to the locker room, to put into Sandusky's locker. Which is odd to me that a man that wasn't on the staff, would have a locker at the football facility. It was apparently late at night when McQueery went into the locker room. He saw that all the lights were on, and the showers were running. After McQueery put the shoes into the locker, he turned and looked towards the showers. There he saw a naked Sandusky, having his way with a naked 10 yr old boy. McQueery, who was 28 at the time and a former football player, was so shocked by what he saw, that he didn't do anything to break up the scene, but rather left the facility and went to be consoled by his father. After talking to his father, McQueery the next morning, went and told Paterno what he had seen the night before. Paterno, shocked himself, told McQueery to go home and that he (Paterno), would take it from there. Paterno told the athletic director, Tim Curley, and the senior vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz. Now, by the letter of the law Paterno did all that was required of him. Curley and Schultz did nothing with the information that was given to them, and in the course of the next 6 years 8 more boys were violated.
Here's where I have a problem with Paterno, and the rest of the lot that didn't do as much as they should have. McQueery should have broken up the scene in the locker room that night. He should have gone straight to the police after. Paterno should have gone to the police, after speaking with McQueery the next morning. And Curley and Schultz certainly should have done the same. The in-actions of these men, ultimately resulted in the loss of 8 boys innocence. The fact that Paterno didn't do his due diligence to see this matter through to the end, over the course of the 6 years is mind boggling to me. Not only did he not follow up on these allegations, but he allowed Sandusky to visit the facility any time he wanted. He allowed him access to the field, the locker rooms, the weight rooms (which he (Sandusky) was using as little ago as last week), he let him go to bowl games with the team, where he saw Sandusky with children. And Paterno, and his lot of minions did nothing! His lack of motivation in seeing a conclusion, to this matter is what got Paterno canned a couple of days ago. You may have seen footage of the riots on campus, of current students upset to see the icon go out the way he did.
That's the other thing that is disturbing in my mind. The amount of supporters Paterno has. If you find yourself, as one of these supporters.....I urge you to read the grand jury testimony from this case. If after you have read it, and you still find yourself thinking that Paterno got the raw end in this deal.....ask yourself a couple of questions. How would you feel if you were a parent of one of the victims? And you found out that Sandusky could have been stopped years before your son was violated, but the powers that be decided to sit on the evidence/information. How would you feel if you were one of the victims themselves? How would you feel almost 10 years later, knowing that if some people had acted properly....Sandusky would have been behind bars, instead of behind you? If you still find yourself believing in Paterno.....well, that just makes me sad.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Top 5 St. Louis Cardinals memories
That's right, you've waited for it.....and now it's here! Thank you for being patient with me. Those of you that are subscribers are a loyal bunch, and I wanted to wait until this past postseason was over, and a few other things that are going on in my life....kind of settled down a bit, so I could give you a countdown worth your wait. So, without further delay.....my top 5 memories.
5. This memory takes place at the same game as the unassisted triple play. A few innings after the triple play had been turned, the Cardinals were losing the game. Bottom of the 8th inning, we manage to get a few runners on base. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Bobby Cox, the manager of the Braves....decides to bring in his closer to get the final out of the inning, and no doubt...come back out for the 9th to get the last 3 outs for the save. Well, Albert Pujols had different plans. With the Cardinals down by 2 runs, Pujols faced John Smoltz, who was the Braves closer that year. And with a 1-2 count against him, Pujols launches a home run to left field. The drama wasn't quite over yet. In the top of the 9th, the Braves were trying to return the favor. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Jason Isringhausen pitching for the Cardinals, and 1 out, it looked like they just might do it. So, I stood up....my friends (who were Braves fans tried to hold me down), and I just started waving my hands, as if to get everyone in the ballpark to stand up and cheer for Izzy, to get the last 2 outs. Sure enough, they obliged me. And the Braves hit a ground ball to the shortstop, which Renteria turned a double play on! Great ending to a great game.
4. In 2005, the Cardinals were back in the NLCS playing the Astros....again. After splitting the first two games played in St. Louis, the Cardinals went to Houston to play the next three. The Cardinals dropped the first two games in Houston, and looked ugly doing it. In game 5, with the Cardinals trailing by a run....down to their last strike, they managed to get a base hit by David Eckstein to extend the game. Jim Edmonds then walks, and Albert Pujols steps to the plate. The Astros had their closer pitching, Brad Lidge. Pujols crushes a hanging slider off of Lidge, over the left field wall. And when I say wall, I don't mean the wall that, serves as the wall to the bleachers, or the wall of the Crawford Boxes. I mean the outer wall of the stadium! Which, if they wouldn't have had the roof closed to the stadium....that ball may still be flying! What was really cool about this game to me, was where I was watching it. I was in a bar in Chicago, I was living there at the time. And I was the only Cardinals fan in the place. So, when Albert crushes that ball....the whole bar just goes quiet. I still get chills.
3. The very next year, the Cardinals were back in the playoffs...in the NLCS, playing the Mets. We really didn't have any business being in the playoffs that year. We were very much a rag tag team, but we had a lot of scrappers on the team. And a rookie closer, who was on fire....Adam Wainwright. Game 7, was played in New York. Despite my better judgment, I went down to the bar my roomate worked at to watch the game. Since, he worked there, I guess you could say I was considered a regular. So, everyone knew I was a Cardinals fan. I bought some victory cigars before the game, kind of like a good luck omen. If you didn't watch it Game 7 was an unbelievable game. A couple of homeruns by some Cardinals players, players that you wouldn't have expected to be able to hit a homerun, came through big. And a clutch start from Jeff Suppan, set up the Cardinals to have the lead, going into the bottom of the 9th. Long story short, the bases get loaded. La Russa brings in Wainwright to pitch to the Cardinal killer himself, Carlos Beltran. Wainwright freezes him with a curveball and Beltran goes down looking. The entire bar went silent.....I still get chills. I passed out a few cigars to some Cubs fans....who didn't appreciate the gesture, but were still nice about it, and congratulated me. I then went up to the manager of the bar, who hates the Cardinals....I said, "Hey Ben, here's a cigar, we're going to the World Series." My roomate still talks about that.
2. Number 3, used to be my number 2. That is until, last Thursday night. In case you didn't know, or have been living in the dark the past week. The Cardinals have won the World Series for the 11th time. Game 6 will go down as, arguably the greatest game in World Series history. Not just Cardinals history, World Series history! With the game going into the 8th. The Cardinals trailed the Texas Rangers by 3 runs. Long story short, the Cardinals get a home run from Craig, and a clutch 2-run triple from David Freese, who was down to his last strike, and the Cardinals down to their last out, to tie the game. The drama wasn't done there. The Rangers get a huge 2-run homerun hit by Josh Hamilton to take the lead in the 10th. The Cardinals scrap back with 2 runs in the bottom half. Joe Buck, who was calling the game said it best. "The Cardinals just won't go away." Then after holding the Rangers in the top of the 11th, Freese comes up huge again. He hits a walkoff homerun to the deepest part of the ballpark. "And we'll see you tomorrow night..." That was Joe's call, paying homage to his father Jack, who used to call Cardinals games. Just an unbelievable game, and admittedly.....one I almost didn't watch. I almost turned it off in the 8th, because I just couldn't watch another team celebrate in my ballpark. Man, am I glad I didn't.
1. Speaking of Jack Buck, my all time greatest memory has a little to do with the man. When I was 12, my dad took me on a trip to St. Louis. Just me and him. We went to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, the Arch in St. Louis, toured Busch stadium, and then saw a ball game after the tour. We were standing in line to get bleacher tickets. A lady, that was standing in line with us, struck up a conversation with my dad. Long story short, she was a regular to Cardinals games. She told us what row/seat to ask the teller for, as far as our tickets. It was because of her, we sat on the front row of the bleachers in right center. The Cardinals were playing the Reds. The Reds were taking batting practice, when we took our seats. One of their batting practice balls had rolled to the fence, right in front of us. An outfielder from the Reds picks up the ball, and without looking lobs it into the stands, right into my hands! The ball was marked with a red CR, for Cincinnatti Reds. The Cardinals won the game, courtesy of a late 3-run triple by Willie McGee. After the game, the lady we talked to before the game pointed out a few of the Cardinals in street clothes, that were leaving the game. I was able to get John Mabry, Mark Petkovsek, Mark Sweeney, and Ozzie Smiths autographs. She didn't need to point out the Wizard, I would recognize him anywhere, in any outfit. He was so nice to. He had a mob of people by his SUV. A few people started to push, trying to get closer....all he said was, "I'll sign everyone's autograph, please don't shove." And he did! It was unbelievable. While I was marveling at my baseball, my dad shouts..."Josh, get that guy's autograph, the guy in the white hair!" I looked over to the stadium, and coming out of a door to the ballpark, was sure enough, a guy with white hair. I ran over and politely asked him for his autograph. I had no clue who it was. He took my ball, and pen.....and looked at the ball before he signed it. My dad caught up to me, and was more excited than I had been earlier. "I just want you to know, I've listened to you on the radio since I was a kid!" It was Jack Buck. He smiled and said thanks. Then he asked me where I got the ball? I told him, and he smiled and said..."Sounds like you had a pretty good time at the game." He then asked if we liked the game, and where we were from. It was unbelievable.....what was really cool was seeing the way my dad lit up.
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it, hope you didn't fall asleep reading it.....and hopefully it lived up to the hype! Have a good weekend everybody!
5. This memory takes place at the same game as the unassisted triple play. A few innings after the triple play had been turned, the Cardinals were losing the game. Bottom of the 8th inning, we manage to get a few runners on base. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Bobby Cox, the manager of the Braves....decides to bring in his closer to get the final out of the inning, and no doubt...come back out for the 9th to get the last 3 outs for the save. Well, Albert Pujols had different plans. With the Cardinals down by 2 runs, Pujols faced John Smoltz, who was the Braves closer that year. And with a 1-2 count against him, Pujols launches a home run to left field. The drama wasn't quite over yet. In the top of the 9th, the Braves were trying to return the favor. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Jason Isringhausen pitching for the Cardinals, and 1 out, it looked like they just might do it. So, I stood up....my friends (who were Braves fans tried to hold me down), and I just started waving my hands, as if to get everyone in the ballpark to stand up and cheer for Izzy, to get the last 2 outs. Sure enough, they obliged me. And the Braves hit a ground ball to the shortstop, which Renteria turned a double play on! Great ending to a great game.
4. In 2005, the Cardinals were back in the NLCS playing the Astros....again. After splitting the first two games played in St. Louis, the Cardinals went to Houston to play the next three. The Cardinals dropped the first two games in Houston, and looked ugly doing it. In game 5, with the Cardinals trailing by a run....down to their last strike, they managed to get a base hit by David Eckstein to extend the game. Jim Edmonds then walks, and Albert Pujols steps to the plate. The Astros had their closer pitching, Brad Lidge. Pujols crushes a hanging slider off of Lidge, over the left field wall. And when I say wall, I don't mean the wall that, serves as the wall to the bleachers, or the wall of the Crawford Boxes. I mean the outer wall of the stadium! Which, if they wouldn't have had the roof closed to the stadium....that ball may still be flying! What was really cool about this game to me, was where I was watching it. I was in a bar in Chicago, I was living there at the time. And I was the only Cardinals fan in the place. So, when Albert crushes that ball....the whole bar just goes quiet. I still get chills.
3. The very next year, the Cardinals were back in the playoffs...in the NLCS, playing the Mets. We really didn't have any business being in the playoffs that year. We were very much a rag tag team, but we had a lot of scrappers on the team. And a rookie closer, who was on fire....Adam Wainwright. Game 7, was played in New York. Despite my better judgment, I went down to the bar my roomate worked at to watch the game. Since, he worked there, I guess you could say I was considered a regular. So, everyone knew I was a Cardinals fan. I bought some victory cigars before the game, kind of like a good luck omen. If you didn't watch it Game 7 was an unbelievable game. A couple of homeruns by some Cardinals players, players that you wouldn't have expected to be able to hit a homerun, came through big. And a clutch start from Jeff Suppan, set up the Cardinals to have the lead, going into the bottom of the 9th. Long story short, the bases get loaded. La Russa brings in Wainwright to pitch to the Cardinal killer himself, Carlos Beltran. Wainwright freezes him with a curveball and Beltran goes down looking. The entire bar went silent.....I still get chills. I passed out a few cigars to some Cubs fans....who didn't appreciate the gesture, but were still nice about it, and congratulated me. I then went up to the manager of the bar, who hates the Cardinals....I said, "Hey Ben, here's a cigar, we're going to the World Series." My roomate still talks about that.
2. Number 3, used to be my number 2. That is until, last Thursday night. In case you didn't know, or have been living in the dark the past week. The Cardinals have won the World Series for the 11th time. Game 6 will go down as, arguably the greatest game in World Series history. Not just Cardinals history, World Series history! With the game going into the 8th. The Cardinals trailed the Texas Rangers by 3 runs. Long story short, the Cardinals get a home run from Craig, and a clutch 2-run triple from David Freese, who was down to his last strike, and the Cardinals down to their last out, to tie the game. The drama wasn't done there. The Rangers get a huge 2-run homerun hit by Josh Hamilton to take the lead in the 10th. The Cardinals scrap back with 2 runs in the bottom half. Joe Buck, who was calling the game said it best. "The Cardinals just won't go away." Then after holding the Rangers in the top of the 11th, Freese comes up huge again. He hits a walkoff homerun to the deepest part of the ballpark. "And we'll see you tomorrow night..." That was Joe's call, paying homage to his father Jack, who used to call Cardinals games. Just an unbelievable game, and admittedly.....one I almost didn't watch. I almost turned it off in the 8th, because I just couldn't watch another team celebrate in my ballpark. Man, am I glad I didn't.
1. Speaking of Jack Buck, my all time greatest memory has a little to do with the man. When I was 12, my dad took me on a trip to St. Louis. Just me and him. We went to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, the Arch in St. Louis, toured Busch stadium, and then saw a ball game after the tour. We were standing in line to get bleacher tickets. A lady, that was standing in line with us, struck up a conversation with my dad. Long story short, she was a regular to Cardinals games. She told us what row/seat to ask the teller for, as far as our tickets. It was because of her, we sat on the front row of the bleachers in right center. The Cardinals were playing the Reds. The Reds were taking batting practice, when we took our seats. One of their batting practice balls had rolled to the fence, right in front of us. An outfielder from the Reds picks up the ball, and without looking lobs it into the stands, right into my hands! The ball was marked with a red CR, for Cincinnatti Reds. The Cardinals won the game, courtesy of a late 3-run triple by Willie McGee. After the game, the lady we talked to before the game pointed out a few of the Cardinals in street clothes, that were leaving the game. I was able to get John Mabry, Mark Petkovsek, Mark Sweeney, and Ozzie Smiths autographs. She didn't need to point out the Wizard, I would recognize him anywhere, in any outfit. He was so nice to. He had a mob of people by his SUV. A few people started to push, trying to get closer....all he said was, "I'll sign everyone's autograph, please don't shove." And he did! It was unbelievable. While I was marveling at my baseball, my dad shouts..."Josh, get that guy's autograph, the guy in the white hair!" I looked over to the stadium, and coming out of a door to the ballpark, was sure enough, a guy with white hair. I ran over and politely asked him for his autograph. I had no clue who it was. He took my ball, and pen.....and looked at the ball before he signed it. My dad caught up to me, and was more excited than I had been earlier. "I just want you to know, I've listened to you on the radio since I was a kid!" It was Jack Buck. He smiled and said thanks. Then he asked me where I got the ball? I told him, and he smiled and said..."Sounds like you had a pretty good time at the game." He then asked if we liked the game, and where we were from. It was unbelievable.....what was really cool was seeing the way my dad lit up.
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it, hope you didn't fall asleep reading it.....and hopefully it lived up to the hype! Have a good weekend everybody!
Starving for fame.
I try to stay away from reality television. The only television I watch, ususally revolves around sports. That said, there are nights, when I am home and my wife has control of the television. She, to her credit, usually does a really good job in landing on a program, we both would enjoy. To some extent, anyway. I, like I said earlier, don't care a great deal for reality television. Moreover, I don't care for the people on the shows, the people who make the shows, and the networks that air the shows. It's all garbage to me. The only reason it's on television, is because it's cheap fodder, for the networks to produce. That's right, like so often in life.....it all revolves around money. Where's the creativity behind putting a camera crew, in a B-list celebrities house, editing it, and then airing it a few months later. I don't get it. I don't get the attraction. I get why it's on. Again, it's cheap to make, and there is an audience for it. I just don't get why there is an audiene for it.
Case in point, the other night I was in the line at the grocery store. I happened to see the covers of a few of the tabloid publications. Which, is as far as I go, with the tabloid publications....the cover. I see that a couple of them are running stories about Kim Kardashian, and her new husband Kris. Apparently after just 3 months, she decided to file for divorce. Which is a bit of a surprise, because just a few months prior....the main headline on the newspaper tabloids, was that she was getting married to Kris. Or, where they were supposed to go on their honeymoon. What dress/designer, was she going to wear? And now....72 days after the wedding, she wants to call it quits. What a shocker. Almost as if, she didn't want to get married to the guy in the first place. Almost as if, she got bored with th guy when the cameras weren't following her around, or people weren't asking her..."What are you guys going to do next?". This, the made up wedding, just like most of reality television.....was/is a joke.
Some of you may be asking, "Who is Kim Kardashian anyway?". Good question. The best way I can describe how she achieved her celebrity status, is.....she is the daughter of a hollywood lawyer, who passed away, and who's mother married a fairly popular, at one time, olympic athlete. And she also has a sex tape. Yes, Kim Kardashian is the daughter of Robert Kardashian, who is best known as one of the "Dream Team". That's right, he defended OJ, when he was tried of killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend. Kim's stepfather, Bruce Jenner, won the gold medal at the 1976, olympic summer games in the decathalon. Besides the aforementioned, umm.....credits, Kim and her sisters star in a reality television show, called "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Produced and created by Ryan Seacrest, of American Idol fame. And that's really it. She is a star of our own creation. And as much as I can't stand seeing the magazines with her and her trumped up husband/boyfriend, whatever you want to call him, on them....I have sympathy for her. I really do. It must be really hard to be thrust into the spotlight at an early age, only to have the cameras turn off you....and onto the next big thing. You see it a lot with professional athletes who get long in the tooth, and have a hard time letting go. (Brett Favre).
I realize that this is the trend, and it's not about your accomplishments getting you attention, but rather how you look, or who you are hanging out with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I just miss the good ol' days of television. When you could turn on the TV, at 8 o'clock at night, and not see someone's dirty laundry being aired in front of you......or their cooka's.
Case in point, the other night I was in the line at the grocery store. I happened to see the covers of a few of the tabloid publications. Which, is as far as I go, with the tabloid publications....the cover. I see that a couple of them are running stories about Kim Kardashian, and her new husband Kris. Apparently after just 3 months, she decided to file for divorce. Which is a bit of a surprise, because just a few months prior....the main headline on the newspaper tabloids, was that she was getting married to Kris. Or, where they were supposed to go on their honeymoon. What dress/designer, was she going to wear? And now....72 days after the wedding, she wants to call it quits. What a shocker. Almost as if, she didn't want to get married to the guy in the first place. Almost as if, she got bored with th guy when the cameras weren't following her around, or people weren't asking her..."What are you guys going to do next?". This, the made up wedding, just like most of reality television.....was/is a joke.
Some of you may be asking, "Who is Kim Kardashian anyway?". Good question. The best way I can describe how she achieved her celebrity status, is.....she is the daughter of a hollywood lawyer, who passed away, and who's mother married a fairly popular, at one time, olympic athlete. And she also has a sex tape. Yes, Kim Kardashian is the daughter of Robert Kardashian, who is best known as one of the "Dream Team". That's right, he defended OJ, when he was tried of killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend. Kim's stepfather, Bruce Jenner, won the gold medal at the 1976, olympic summer games in the decathalon. Besides the aforementioned, umm.....credits, Kim and her sisters star in a reality television show, called "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Produced and created by Ryan Seacrest, of American Idol fame. And that's really it. She is a star of our own creation. And as much as I can't stand seeing the magazines with her and her trumped up husband/boyfriend, whatever you want to call him, on them....I have sympathy for her. I really do. It must be really hard to be thrust into the spotlight at an early age, only to have the cameras turn off you....and onto the next big thing. You see it a lot with professional athletes who get long in the tooth, and have a hard time letting go. (Brett Favre).
I realize that this is the trend, and it's not about your accomplishments getting you attention, but rather how you look, or who you are hanging out with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I just miss the good ol' days of television. When you could turn on the TV, at 8 o'clock at night, and not see someone's dirty laundry being aired in front of you......or their cooka's.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Game 7!! All hands on deck!!
I want to start this blog, by again, apologizing for delaying the top 5 St. Louis Cardinals memories of mine another week. Wait for it......I am doing so, because of the late developments from this past week, and game 7 being played tonight.....there could be a shakeup in the countdown! That's right people...after one of the greatest baseball games I have ever seen, there will be a game 7 in the World Series for the first time since 2002! Baseball, needs to be proud of itself. It had a great last few weeks of the season! There were so many playoff implications, as far as who was going to make it, what the seeding was going to be when the playoff teams were finalized, the first few rounds of the playoffs being great....baseball had been putting up some rating numbers it hasn't enjoyed for quite sometime. And it's about time! With the NFL, just barely escaping cancelling the season, which would have put it back...who knows how many years, as far as fan following....it may never have recoved. Even though, they are playing games now, they didn't have any training camps, or organized team activites through the summer, to help the rookies get better acclimated to the pro game, and help new free agents learn a new playbook...the product on the field so far, has been crap. There's no other way around it. The Packers and Steelers/Patriots are going to be playing in the Super Bowl this year. You can write that down. They three, are so much better than the rest of the league...it's a joke. The NBA will be lucky to have games on the docket by Christmas. Yeah, I haven't missed them either. The season was supposed to open a few weeks ago, but I don't think anyone noticed.
Back to baseball, because the other sports right now are down.....baseball had to have a big postseason, to establish some relevancy again. And the sport has not let us down. I have been watching baseball religously, for 20 years now.....and I can't think of a better baseball postseason, than the one we are having now. Now, I know you are going to say..."Well, you're a Cardinals fan...so, of course you are going to say this is one of the best postseasons ever." That's not entirely fair. The Cardinals in the 2000's, made the playoffs 6 times last decade. And in each of those 6 times, there hasn't been the theater that there has been with this postseason. Case in point, last night. The Cardinals were down by 3 runs going into the 8th inning. A home run by a bench player, a few other timely hits and by the end of the 9th inning the game was tied. The tie, was short lived however. In the top of the 10th inning the Texas Rangers (the Cardinals opponent in this World Series), had a player hit a huge 2-run homerun. Only to have the lead erased in the bottom of the 10th, when the Cardinals scored 2 runs to tie the game once again. Then, after getting the Rangers out in the 11th inning, without giving up a run.....David Freese, the Cardinals third baseman hits a walkoff homerun to win the game!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.....baseball on this stage, is unparalled...as far as excitement by any other sport. Enjoy game 7 tonight folks, and go Cards!
Back to baseball, because the other sports right now are down.....baseball had to have a big postseason, to establish some relevancy again. And the sport has not let us down. I have been watching baseball religously, for 20 years now.....and I can't think of a better baseball postseason, than the one we are having now. Now, I know you are going to say..."Well, you're a Cardinals fan...so, of course you are going to say this is one of the best postseasons ever." That's not entirely fair. The Cardinals in the 2000's, made the playoffs 6 times last decade. And in each of those 6 times, there hasn't been the theater that there has been with this postseason. Case in point, last night. The Cardinals were down by 3 runs going into the 8th inning. A home run by a bench player, a few other timely hits and by the end of the 9th inning the game was tied. The tie, was short lived however. In the top of the 10th inning the Texas Rangers (the Cardinals opponent in this World Series), had a player hit a huge 2-run homerun. Only to have the lead erased in the bottom of the 10th, when the Cardinals scored 2 runs to tie the game once again. Then, after getting the Rangers out in the 11th inning, without giving up a run.....David Freese, the Cardinals third baseman hits a walkoff homerun to win the game!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.....baseball on this stage, is unparalled...as far as excitement by any other sport. Enjoy game 7 tonight folks, and go Cards!
In case you haven't heard, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, was in town.....
First let me preface this blog, by saying I think it was truly great that they helped 7 families out, by building them new homes. There is no doubting that. And yes, the title was a joke. I'm sure you've read it in the paper, saw it on the local news.....Extreme Makover Home Edition is (was) in Joplin to build 7 new homes, for 7 families that had their homes destroyed by the tornado on May 22nd of this year. I know I had almost everyone of my friends post something on Facebook about it. One of them, actually ran into Ty Pennington at a local bar. Several of them, volunteered their time and efforts, rebuilding these homes. I want to be clear about this next point. I don't begrudge them for coming into town and doing what they did, because again, it was truly a good thing. I don't begrudge you, if you helped them with the rebuild, or got caught up in the fact that a national television show was shooting in the town you live in for over a week. That said, make no mistake about it.....Extreme Makeover Home Edition could care less about the city of Joplin. Ty Pennington and the rest of the people that star in the show, could care less about the thousands of people that have been displaced by the tornado.
My dad has a saying. He would always tell me, "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go to work, if I didn't get paid." Basically saying, he wouldn't go to a job, where he wasn't compensated. That's the case with this show. I know it may be hard for some people to hear/read, but Extreme Makeover Home Edition wouldn't be in town, if it didn't benefit them in some way. Ty Pennington wouldn't be in town if he wasn't getting paid, to do so! And if you don't believe me, I can put to rest any argument that their intentions weren't self serving with a series of questions.....why were there tv cameras/crews here? Why weren't they here a week after it went through, helping remove the debris, and then rebuilding? Why didn't they help rebuild a school, or business, to help put people back to work? Why did they wait over 5 months to show up to help? That's right, they were here, because they are in the business of making money. NOT because they really care about the people of Joplin MO. NOT because they care about the people who lost everything in the tornado that nearly wiped out an entire city. Again, even though their actions were self serving, I'm still glad they did what they did. I just wish they would have done so, without the false pretenses. I would have rather, they rolled into town with a demo crew/haul crew, whatever other heavy equipment they needed, and said...."Hey we're here, where do we need to start?"
Several other organizations, both public and private, have helped out in more ways than people will ever know. Certainly, on the national level. How many people heard about the handful of players from the St. Louis Cardinals coming into town to lift the spirits of the people working in the debris field, a week after the tornado came through? How many people know about the handful of players, and front office personnel, who spent the day, actually rolling up their sleeves and helping, with the cleanup process. The same can be said about the Mizzou basketball players and coaches, who spent a day down here doing the same. Where were their busses and camera crews? Who did their makeup that day?
My dad has a saying. He would always tell me, "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go to work, if I didn't get paid." Basically saying, he wouldn't go to a job, where he wasn't compensated. That's the case with this show. I know it may be hard for some people to hear/read, but Extreme Makeover Home Edition wouldn't be in town, if it didn't benefit them in some way. Ty Pennington wouldn't be in town if he wasn't getting paid, to do so! And if you don't believe me, I can put to rest any argument that their intentions weren't self serving with a series of questions.....why were there tv cameras/crews here? Why weren't they here a week after it went through, helping remove the debris, and then rebuilding? Why didn't they help rebuild a school, or business, to help put people back to work? Why did they wait over 5 months to show up to help? That's right, they were here, because they are in the business of making money. NOT because they really care about the people of Joplin MO. NOT because they care about the people who lost everything in the tornado that nearly wiped out an entire city. Again, even though their actions were self serving, I'm still glad they did what they did. I just wish they would have done so, without the false pretenses. I would have rather, they rolled into town with a demo crew/haul crew, whatever other heavy equipment they needed, and said...."Hey we're here, where do we need to start?"
Several other organizations, both public and private, have helped out in more ways than people will ever know. Certainly, on the national level. How many people heard about the handful of players from the St. Louis Cardinals coming into town to lift the spirits of the people working in the debris field, a week after the tornado came through? How many people know about the handful of players, and front office personnel, who spent the day, actually rolling up their sleeves and helping, with the cleanup process. The same can be said about the Mizzou basketball players and coaches, who spent a day down here doing the same. Where were their busses and camera crews? Who did their makeup that day?
Friday, October 21, 2011
The price of money
First of all, I want to preface this blog, by saying those of you who are tuning in to see my top 5 Cardinal memories, will have to tune in next week. I apologize for the week delay, however I have had a really busy week and I could do one....but I wouldn't have the time to put into it, to make it really good and worth your time reading. So, again....I apologize.
I will not, however, stray from the main topic which is usually the topic of most of my blogs, and that's the St. Louis Cardinals. Specifically, the best player on the team....Albert Pujols. Last night was game 2 of the World Series. The Cardinals were winning in the top of the 9th inning by the score of 1-0. The Texas Rangers (who the Cardinals are playing) manage to get a couple of runners on base, 1st and 3rd. A Rangers batter hits a deep fly ball to the outfield. The centerfielder fields the ball and makes a strong, but not entirely accurate throw to the infield. Pujols, who is standing in the infield, twiddling his fingers, all of a sudden decides to lunge and attempts to cut the throw off. The ball glances off of his glove, and rolls to the catcher. The runner on 3rd had already scored, and since Pujols didn't field the ball cleanly, the runner who was on 1st, moves up to 2nd and puts himself in scoring position. Needless to say, this was not good. Long story short, the Cardinals give up another run and aren't able to do anything in the bottom half of the inning and lose the game, 2-1. Now, as frustrated as I was in Pujols, I was willing to give him a pass, because he is such a good ballplayer, I have every bit of confidence he will make up for it, and them some, later in the series. What really frustrated me, was this morning when I wake up, and hear that Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman, left the game without talking to the media. Now, Holliday and Berkman should have stayed and supported their team and the sportswriters in St. Louis by giving them a few minutes of their time, but that said....what were they going to say? Nothing other than the same ol reterict that is uttered by every professional athlete after a loss. "We'll try to do better next game." Tough loss, but we'll bounce back next game." "You win some, you lose some...give credit to the other team." But, when you're Alber Pujols, and you are the best player in the game, sport even....and you have a significant role in whether or not your team won the game, by botching that relay throw, AND you want to be the highest paid player in the history of the game.....you have to talk to the reporters covering that game, and answer their questions. I'm sorry, but you have to.
What was the reason he left, you ask. We will probably never know. I'm sure the Cardinals PR staff will issue a public statement, stating some b.s. reason. Truth be told, deep down inside, we all know. Albert Pujols is rich, and he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do. I have a big problem with this. Albert Pujols wouldn't have made half of the money he has made in his life, if it weren't for the fans going to the games, and the reporters getting his name out there, or the broadcasters who tell the touching stories about what a nice guy he is, and how much he does for charity in the off season. Truth be told, we have made Albert Pujols a millionaire. Do you think, if you met him on the street and asked him for an autograph, he would give it to you? No, he doesn't have time for that. You have to go to one of the team sponsored autograph sessions and put down close to $300 dollars for that honor.
I know I come off as a Pujols basher. I'm really not. I hope the Cardinals find a way to keep him, and that he retires a Cardinal. And Pujols, isn't the only professional athlete who thinks they are above everyone else. That's the price of money. If you were to travel back in time, and go up to Pujols when he was playing legion baseball, on the outskirts of Kansas City....and you were to go up to him (and his pudgy frame), and ask him for his autograph, he would have gotten a kick out of it. I'm sure he would have talked to you for a good half an hour about baseball, life in Missouri, whatever. It's not until these athletes bank accounts become bloated, that they don't have time for the little people. I don't know....maybe I was born a few decades too late, but I don't think it's unreasonable for the people in this world, that don't have to worry about the things we have to worry about on a daily basis, to give a few minutes to the people in this world that do.
I will not, however, stray from the main topic which is usually the topic of most of my blogs, and that's the St. Louis Cardinals. Specifically, the best player on the team....Albert Pujols. Last night was game 2 of the World Series. The Cardinals were winning in the top of the 9th inning by the score of 1-0. The Texas Rangers (who the Cardinals are playing) manage to get a couple of runners on base, 1st and 3rd. A Rangers batter hits a deep fly ball to the outfield. The centerfielder fields the ball and makes a strong, but not entirely accurate throw to the infield. Pujols, who is standing in the infield, twiddling his fingers, all of a sudden decides to lunge and attempts to cut the throw off. The ball glances off of his glove, and rolls to the catcher. The runner on 3rd had already scored, and since Pujols didn't field the ball cleanly, the runner who was on 1st, moves up to 2nd and puts himself in scoring position. Needless to say, this was not good. Long story short, the Cardinals give up another run and aren't able to do anything in the bottom half of the inning and lose the game, 2-1. Now, as frustrated as I was in Pujols, I was willing to give him a pass, because he is such a good ballplayer, I have every bit of confidence he will make up for it, and them some, later in the series. What really frustrated me, was this morning when I wake up, and hear that Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman, left the game without talking to the media. Now, Holliday and Berkman should have stayed and supported their team and the sportswriters in St. Louis by giving them a few minutes of their time, but that said....what were they going to say? Nothing other than the same ol reterict that is uttered by every professional athlete after a loss. "We'll try to do better next game." Tough loss, but we'll bounce back next game." "You win some, you lose some...give credit to the other team." But, when you're Alber Pujols, and you are the best player in the game, sport even....and you have a significant role in whether or not your team won the game, by botching that relay throw, AND you want to be the highest paid player in the history of the game.....you have to talk to the reporters covering that game, and answer their questions. I'm sorry, but you have to.
What was the reason he left, you ask. We will probably never know. I'm sure the Cardinals PR staff will issue a public statement, stating some b.s. reason. Truth be told, deep down inside, we all know. Albert Pujols is rich, and he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do. I have a big problem with this. Albert Pujols wouldn't have made half of the money he has made in his life, if it weren't for the fans going to the games, and the reporters getting his name out there, or the broadcasters who tell the touching stories about what a nice guy he is, and how much he does for charity in the off season. Truth be told, we have made Albert Pujols a millionaire. Do you think, if you met him on the street and asked him for an autograph, he would give it to you? No, he doesn't have time for that. You have to go to one of the team sponsored autograph sessions and put down close to $300 dollars for that honor.
I know I come off as a Pujols basher. I'm really not. I hope the Cardinals find a way to keep him, and that he retires a Cardinal. And Pujols, isn't the only professional athlete who thinks they are above everyone else. That's the price of money. If you were to travel back in time, and go up to Pujols when he was playing legion baseball, on the outskirts of Kansas City....and you were to go up to him (and his pudgy frame), and ask him for his autograph, he would have gotten a kick out of it. I'm sure he would have talked to you for a good half an hour about baseball, life in Missouri, whatever. It's not until these athletes bank accounts become bloated, that they don't have time for the little people. I don't know....maybe I was born a few decades too late, but I don't think it's unreasonable for the people in this world, that don't have to worry about the things we have to worry about on a daily basis, to give a few minutes to the people in this world that do.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Top 10 St. Louis Cardinal memories
I had someone recently reply to one of my blogs last week. I had blogged about the St. Louis Cardinals being in the playoffs, and I was pretty excited. The person who replied to the blog, didn't understand the passion I had for the sport, or team for that matter. And, to be fair....her lack of understanding on this issue, is shared by my wife, and some other family members, coworkers, etc. So, I thought I would take the time and blog about my 10 favorite Cardinal memories. I want to preface this by saying, that some of the memories are from games I went to, some are from games I watched with friends in a bar. So, without further delay...here are my top 10 St. Louis Cardinal memories. From last to first.
10. Now, the more I thought about this.....the harder of a time, I had trying to put these memories in order of significance. I'm going to lead off the countdown, with the memory I have of going to a Cardinal game for the first time in my life. I was 7 years old. It was July in 1988. They were playing at the old Busch Stadium. The team they were playing that night was the Houston Astros. I have no idea if they won or not, what was really cool about this hot summer night, was just the ambiance of being at a major league stadium. My favorite teams stadium at that. Our seats were upper deck outfield seats, and I couldn't even really see the field. We stayed until about the 6th inning, then it got too hot and I think my parents were worried that I might be getting dehydrated, so we left. I'll never forget this night though. It was also the first real vacation we went on as a family. The next day, we went to the Arch, which was really cool too.
9. This memory is kind of interesting in the fact, that it doesn't really have anything good to do with the Cardinals. In fact, it was actually bad as far as the Cardinals go. In late August of 2003, a couple of friends and I went to St. Louis to see a couple of games. The Cardinals were playing a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves. The two friends I went up there with, were Braves fans. The Cardinals weren't really good this year, they were kind of having a hangover from the year before. The Braves however, were in prime form. They played a night game that Friday, and actually moved the game back on Saturday to a 6:00 o'clock start time. Which was nice, because we had a late night Friday....so we could sleep in on Saturday. Anyway, late in the game on Saturday...about the 6th inning. The Cardinals were actually winning by a few runs. They had runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Jim Edmonds hits a screaming line drive to the shortstop (Rafael Furcal), who promptly catches the ball. 1 out. He was close enough to the bag at second, that he stepped on 2nd for the force out. The runner that was on 1st had strayed too far away from the base, Furcal threw it to the first baseman for the 3rd out. It was an unassisted triple play! Only a few other people in the history of baseball had performed such a feat. It was pretty cool. More from this game later...
8. In 2004 the Cardinals played the Astros in the NLCS. It was a great series, that went 7 games. The Cardinals had won the division, so they had home field advantage in the series. Now, I'm not going to go into too many specifics with this memory, but ultimately I watched the end of game 7 at the bar Champs, here in town. It was during the week, either a Wednesday, or a Thursday.....the bar wasn't very busy. They had the game on one of the big screens and the few other people in the bar, other than my friends were joining us in cheering for the Cards. A few of the big highlights of the game were a diving catch by Jim Edmonds, who hit a big homerun earlier in the game. It was the first time, since I could remember that the Cardinals were going to the World Series.
7. In 1996, the Cardinals were playing the Braves in the NLCS. The Braves had the better record that year, so they had home field advantage in the series. The Cardinals actually were leading in the series, when game 4 took place 2 games to 1. I was still living at home, at the time. My dad and I had worked with the antenna on the tv in the front room enough, to where we could slightly see the game. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Cardinals were down by a run. Brian Jordan comes up to bat with a runner on 1st. He promptly delivers a homerun into the bleachers in left field, for a walkoff 2 run homerun. It was the first and only, playoff game I ever watched with my dad.
6. Remember Mark McGwire? In the summer of 1998, he was in the process of breaking every homerun record baseball had. It was so crazy, that with every at bat, all the big networks would cut to the game when he came up, and hold their breath that, this was the at bat he hits number 62. He broke the record against the Chicago Cubs. My dad and I actually got the game to come in on the tv that night. I wasn't even aware they were playing, until my dad yelled at me to run into the living room. I don't know what inning it was, or if they even won the game. The only thing I really remember was it was a homerun to left, and it was probably the shortest run he ever hit that whole year. It didn't even make it into the bleachers.
I will post the next 5 memories next week, have a good weekend everybody...and go Cards!
10. Now, the more I thought about this.....the harder of a time, I had trying to put these memories in order of significance. I'm going to lead off the countdown, with the memory I have of going to a Cardinal game for the first time in my life. I was 7 years old. It was July in 1988. They were playing at the old Busch Stadium. The team they were playing that night was the Houston Astros. I have no idea if they won or not, what was really cool about this hot summer night, was just the ambiance of being at a major league stadium. My favorite teams stadium at that. Our seats were upper deck outfield seats, and I couldn't even really see the field. We stayed until about the 6th inning, then it got too hot and I think my parents were worried that I might be getting dehydrated, so we left. I'll never forget this night though. It was also the first real vacation we went on as a family. The next day, we went to the Arch, which was really cool too.
9. This memory is kind of interesting in the fact, that it doesn't really have anything good to do with the Cardinals. In fact, it was actually bad as far as the Cardinals go. In late August of 2003, a couple of friends and I went to St. Louis to see a couple of games. The Cardinals were playing a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves. The two friends I went up there with, were Braves fans. The Cardinals weren't really good this year, they were kind of having a hangover from the year before. The Braves however, were in prime form. They played a night game that Friday, and actually moved the game back on Saturday to a 6:00 o'clock start time. Which was nice, because we had a late night Friday....so we could sleep in on Saturday. Anyway, late in the game on Saturday...about the 6th inning. The Cardinals were actually winning by a few runs. They had runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Jim Edmonds hits a screaming line drive to the shortstop (Rafael Furcal), who promptly catches the ball. 1 out. He was close enough to the bag at second, that he stepped on 2nd for the force out. The runner that was on 1st had strayed too far away from the base, Furcal threw it to the first baseman for the 3rd out. It was an unassisted triple play! Only a few other people in the history of baseball had performed such a feat. It was pretty cool. More from this game later...
8. In 2004 the Cardinals played the Astros in the NLCS. It was a great series, that went 7 games. The Cardinals had won the division, so they had home field advantage in the series. Now, I'm not going to go into too many specifics with this memory, but ultimately I watched the end of game 7 at the bar Champs, here in town. It was during the week, either a Wednesday, or a Thursday.....the bar wasn't very busy. They had the game on one of the big screens and the few other people in the bar, other than my friends were joining us in cheering for the Cards. A few of the big highlights of the game were a diving catch by Jim Edmonds, who hit a big homerun earlier in the game. It was the first time, since I could remember that the Cardinals were going to the World Series.
7. In 1996, the Cardinals were playing the Braves in the NLCS. The Braves had the better record that year, so they had home field advantage in the series. The Cardinals actually were leading in the series, when game 4 took place 2 games to 1. I was still living at home, at the time. My dad and I had worked with the antenna on the tv in the front room enough, to where we could slightly see the game. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Cardinals were down by a run. Brian Jordan comes up to bat with a runner on 1st. He promptly delivers a homerun into the bleachers in left field, for a walkoff 2 run homerun. It was the first and only, playoff game I ever watched with my dad.
6. Remember Mark McGwire? In the summer of 1998, he was in the process of breaking every homerun record baseball had. It was so crazy, that with every at bat, all the big networks would cut to the game when he came up, and hold their breath that, this was the at bat he hits number 62. He broke the record against the Chicago Cubs. My dad and I actually got the game to come in on the tv that night. I wasn't even aware they were playing, until my dad yelled at me to run into the living room. I don't know what inning it was, or if they even won the game. The only thing I really remember was it was a homerun to left, and it was probably the shortest run he ever hit that whole year. It didn't even make it into the bleachers.
I will post the next 5 memories next week, have a good weekend everybody...and go Cards!
To eat, or not to eat....lunch at school that is.
I am a big food fan. I have my favorites, the same as everybody else. I don't care a great deal for vegetables, but I know they are vital to a body....so I do my best to eat them. I eat them, not only because they are good for me, but because I believe I am setting a good example to my stepson, by doing so. That being said, one thing I am not a fan of....is the breakfast/lunch, that is being served where he goes to school. He is a 1st grader at Carl Junction. It didn't really become an issue for me, until he invited his mother and myself to his school, for breakfast. What they served for breakfast, on this particular day was biscuits and gravy. At least that's what they were trying to have you believe they were serving. They had several flat oven pans that had some sort of bread material, they were scooping out and putting on a tray. There were also a few vats, filled with a type of white, fluid substance they were putting on top of the bread material. I use those words, "substance", and "material", because those were the best adjectives I could use to describe the food they were serving for breakfast that day. I couldn't believe my eyes! What in the world was this garbage!? Why are they charging us almost $30 dollars a week to feed him food, that couldn't have cost that much to feed the entire cafeteria!? If I were Governor of the state of Missouri, I wouldn't serve this junk to the inmates at a federal prison!
So, naturally I thought back to my old school days. I thought about what breakfast and lunch were like at my school, back when I was going. I attended school in Jasper, MO. Breakfast, actually hadn't been around all that long, when I was still attending school. They started the breakfast program, back when I was in junior high. Fridays were always biscuit and gravy day. They kept the gravy, from the Thursday lunch before (which was always a random meat and potato day), and added sausage to it to make sausage gravy. The biscuits were made fresh, even though they weren't homemade, they were more than edible. All in all, breakfast was certainly worth the .75 cents they charged us. Lunches could be hit and miss. But, if I had to put a percentage on it, I would say it would be about 85% hit, and 15% miss. The lunches back then were .90 cents, they would charge you an additional .10 cents if you wanted an extra entree. So, my lunch budget for the week would be roughly $7.00. Not $30!
Well, now I'm in a tough spot. Do, I continue to make my stepson go to school and continue to eat something, that if I saw a homeless person about to eat...I would warn them, that they might want to dine out of the dumpster down a few blocks, because it's that disgusting!? Or, do I pack a lunch for him and hope that over time, some bill gets passed and a few complaining parents get through to the right person, and a change is made for the better? I have to figure something out, because I can't go back to his school...and set a good example by injesting something that will make me vomit. Just a few stats for you.....according to the Food Research and Action Center, in 2010 the federal government spent $9.7 billion dollars on the school lunch program. The government charges the schools almost $3 a meal. What's interesting is that the government sends each school a cash disbursement, for their meals. Which means that it's up to the schools discretion, what vendor to use for food, how much they actually spend, etc. I wonder if they would open the books to the public, for us to see and make sure that this money is actually being spent on food?
So, naturally I thought back to my old school days. I thought about what breakfast and lunch were like at my school, back when I was going. I attended school in Jasper, MO. Breakfast, actually hadn't been around all that long, when I was still attending school. They started the breakfast program, back when I was in junior high. Fridays were always biscuit and gravy day. They kept the gravy, from the Thursday lunch before (which was always a random meat and potato day), and added sausage to it to make sausage gravy. The biscuits were made fresh, even though they weren't homemade, they were more than edible. All in all, breakfast was certainly worth the .75 cents they charged us. Lunches could be hit and miss. But, if I had to put a percentage on it, I would say it would be about 85% hit, and 15% miss. The lunches back then were .90 cents, they would charge you an additional .10 cents if you wanted an extra entree. So, my lunch budget for the week would be roughly $7.00. Not $30!
Well, now I'm in a tough spot. Do, I continue to make my stepson go to school and continue to eat something, that if I saw a homeless person about to eat...I would warn them, that they might want to dine out of the dumpster down a few blocks, because it's that disgusting!? Or, do I pack a lunch for him and hope that over time, some bill gets passed and a few complaining parents get through to the right person, and a change is made for the better? I have to figure something out, because I can't go back to his school...and set a good example by injesting something that will make me vomit. Just a few stats for you.....according to the Food Research and Action Center, in 2010 the federal government spent $9.7 billion dollars on the school lunch program. The government charges the schools almost $3 a meal. What's interesting is that the government sends each school a cash disbursement, for their meals. Which means that it's up to the schools discretion, what vendor to use for food, how much they actually spend, etc. I wonder if they would open the books to the public, for us to see and make sure that this money is actually being spent on food?
Friday, October 7, 2011
Playoff time baby!
No, I'm not talking about the Alley Cats. We still have several games of fantasy football to play before we get to the playoffs. Which by the way, the Alley Cats will have to finish strong to make. No, tonight I am talking about the Major League Baseball playoffs. That's right! The St. Louis Cardinals made a mad dash to the finish line, and with a little help (as blogged about last week), made it in, and have been making some noise! Saturday night in game 1, the Cardinals faced arguably, the best pitcher in the game right now. Roy Halladay, who pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies. Now.....just a few quick facts about the Phillies. They had the best record in baseball this year. They have a RIDICULOUS, starting pitching staff! They have two of the best pitchers in the game, at the front end of the rotation-the aforementioned Halladay, and Cliff Lee. Now, since the Cardinals were the Wild Card team going into the playoffs, they traveled to Philadelphia to start the series. And, like I said earlier, opened up against Halladay. We countered with Kyle Lohse, who has had a decent season. I would of liked to had a little better, but truthfully....I can't really complain with what we got out of Lohse this year. The game started out great! Lance Berkman, hit a huge 3-run homerun in the top of the 1st inning and we were off. Lohse was pitching great. He was mixing up speeds, location, pitches...he really kept the hitters off balance through the first 4 innings or so. Ran into a bit of trouble a bit in the fifth and gave up 3 runs, then the train came off the tracks in the 6th with 3 more. The bullpen didn't offer him any reprieve and gave up 5 runs themselves. But, the Cardinals showed grit and battled to the end. Something they didn't do at all last year. Final score of the game was 11-6.
Sunday night, we faced the other ace....Cliff Lee. We pounded him! Oh, it was great. Now, that night we countered with our ace, Chris Carpenter. Who was pitching on short rest. Typically, starting pitchers get about 5 days rest between starts. He was going on 3. He didn't pitch well to start the game. Walked some batters, gave up a few hits, all told he went 3 inning and gave up 4 runs. The bullpen, which was not good to say the least in game 1, was spectacular in game 2! They came in and gave up 0 runs the rest of the way, and the Cards battled back and scored 5 to take game 2. Game 3, I would rather not talk about. The series shifted back to St. Louis, for games 3 & 4. Our manager pretty much gave the game to the Phillies. A few bad decisions by him, and long story short...the Cards lose 3-2. Game 4 went about as opposite, as I thought it would go. Phillies come roaring out of the gate, and score 2 runs in the 1st inning. Which, I would be lying if at this point, I said I knew we would come back....I was ready to pack it in for the winter. I should also say, that the opening round of the playoffs in baseball is a best of 5 series. So, with the Phillies already holding a 2 game to 1 lead, if the Cardinals lost game 4, it really would have been over. But, this Cardinal team looks nothing like the Cardinal team in late August. And again, we battled back to score 5 runs. Final score of game 4 was 5-3.
The series shifts back to Philadelphia now for game 5, which is tonight. I am extremely nervous! I actually have the game on now, as I type. So, if there are some words that aren't exactly spelled correctly cut me some slack! That said, everyone have a good weekend, and go Cards!
Sunday night, we faced the other ace....Cliff Lee. We pounded him! Oh, it was great. Now, that night we countered with our ace, Chris Carpenter. Who was pitching on short rest. Typically, starting pitchers get about 5 days rest between starts. He was going on 3. He didn't pitch well to start the game. Walked some batters, gave up a few hits, all told he went 3 inning and gave up 4 runs. The bullpen, which was not good to say the least in game 1, was spectacular in game 2! They came in and gave up 0 runs the rest of the way, and the Cards battled back and scored 5 to take game 2. Game 3, I would rather not talk about. The series shifted back to St. Louis, for games 3 & 4. Our manager pretty much gave the game to the Phillies. A few bad decisions by him, and long story short...the Cards lose 3-2. Game 4 went about as opposite, as I thought it would go. Phillies come roaring out of the gate, and score 2 runs in the 1st inning. Which, I would be lying if at this point, I said I knew we would come back....I was ready to pack it in for the winter. I should also say, that the opening round of the playoffs in baseball is a best of 5 series. So, with the Phillies already holding a 2 game to 1 lead, if the Cardinals lost game 4, it really would have been over. But, this Cardinal team looks nothing like the Cardinal team in late August. And again, we battled back to score 5 runs. Final score of game 4 was 5-3.
The series shifts back to Philadelphia now for game 5, which is tonight. I am extremely nervous! I actually have the game on now, as I type. So, if there are some words that aren't exactly spelled correctly cut me some slack! That said, everyone have a good weekend, and go Cards!
No if, ands, or butts about it.....it's time to ban smoking in all public gathering places.
I used to be a big smoker. I'm not really proud of that fact. Absolutely nothing good came from me smoking for almost 10 years. NOTHING! It was something I wanted to do when I was younger, and I did it so much when I was younger.....I wanted to continue doing it when I got older. Obviously, there was the chemical addiction, but truthfully, I just really liked doing it. I liked hanging out with other people, when they were smoking. I liked to have one after a stressful day at work. And most importantly, I loved having one when I was drinking. In fact, I would go out of my way to make sure I had a backup pack on hand, when we went out to the bars. Not necessarily because I planned on smoking them, but there were the handful of times a lady would ask me for a cigarette....yes, I used cigarettes at times to open with the ladies. To sum it up though, I just loved smoking.
Then in the summer of 2005, while I was living in Chicago, a story broke on the local news that they were going to ban smoking in restaurants, and other establishments where, if the main source of income wasn't from alcohol....you couldn't smoke in that establishment. Needless to say it caused a huge uproar. The idea behind the new policy was that it would help bring out some of the people who wouldn't go out, and to downtown hot spots that would usually be clouded with cigarette smoke, and spend downtown entertainment money. That, and breathing air that doesn't have a lot of toxins in it, is obviously better than breathing in air that does. One of the big protestors of this new policy was a Chicago hero of sorts. Mike Ditka. In addition to being a hall of fame football player, and taking the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl and winning it, he also owned a restaurant/cigar shop in Chicago. So, if people weren't allowed to smoke indoors anymore, it would seriously put a dent in his cigar sales profits. Other owners of several other like establishments complained....but to no avail. The ban went into effect, and now there is no smoking in any establishment, bar or otherwise.
Chicago has always been referred to as the Windy City, but it has another lesser known nickname-The Second City. Like New York is the first city, and Chicago isn't as big as New York, but it tries to be (according to some). So, because the other two big cities in the U.S. banned smoking in all establishments, Chicago couldn't be left behind. At first, I was pretty bummed. As a smoker, I visited some family in Los Angeles in the winter of 2004. I stood out back at The Dresden, to smoke. Which in Los Angeles, the weather in January is pretty mild, but still....it was a nuisance nonetheless. So, I joined the other citizens of Chicago in despair. "What the hell are we going to do now?" Truth be told, I actually quit smoking before the ban took effect. I have some Puerto Ricans to be thankful for that. My roommate and I lived in, what you would call, the highest populated Puerto Rican area of Chicago. You would go into the grocery store to get food, and unless you spoke and read Spanish, you wouldn't know if you were buying creamy or chunky peanut butter. There was a public park, a few blocks from our apartment. My roommate and I would go down there to play basketball. Now, I am a pretty competitive guy. So, when some 15 year old Puerto Rican kid is running circles around me on the playground, because I can't keep up with him because I am wheezing.....I knew that they all were going to have to start smoking, or I was going to have to stop. So, I stopped. I also moved back to Missouri. I had quit for sometime when I moved back. When I got back, a group of friends and I, decided to go out on the town. We went to some karaoke bar, and had a good time. When I got home that night, and took off my clothes to go to bed....they smelled like an ash tray. I had noticed the strong smell, when I walked into the bar that night....but it quickly faded away once I had been there for a few minutes.
The more I think about that, it scares me. If cigarette smoke can attach itself so strongly to my clothes in that short of a period, what has it done to my lungs? The bottom line of this post, is that the city of Joplin needs to follow suit with the larger cities in the country.....and put an end to smoking in public establishments. That, or pass a law that makes everyone start smoking.
Then in the summer of 2005, while I was living in Chicago, a story broke on the local news that they were going to ban smoking in restaurants, and other establishments where, if the main source of income wasn't from alcohol....you couldn't smoke in that establishment. Needless to say it caused a huge uproar. The idea behind the new policy was that it would help bring out some of the people who wouldn't go out, and to downtown hot spots that would usually be clouded with cigarette smoke, and spend downtown entertainment money. That, and breathing air that doesn't have a lot of toxins in it, is obviously better than breathing in air that does. One of the big protestors of this new policy was a Chicago hero of sorts. Mike Ditka. In addition to being a hall of fame football player, and taking the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl and winning it, he also owned a restaurant/cigar shop in Chicago. So, if people weren't allowed to smoke indoors anymore, it would seriously put a dent in his cigar sales profits. Other owners of several other like establishments complained....but to no avail. The ban went into effect, and now there is no smoking in any establishment, bar or otherwise.
Chicago has always been referred to as the Windy City, but it has another lesser known nickname-The Second City. Like New York is the first city, and Chicago isn't as big as New York, but it tries to be (according to some). So, because the other two big cities in the U.S. banned smoking in all establishments, Chicago couldn't be left behind. At first, I was pretty bummed. As a smoker, I visited some family in Los Angeles in the winter of 2004. I stood out back at The Dresden, to smoke. Which in Los Angeles, the weather in January is pretty mild, but still....it was a nuisance nonetheless. So, I joined the other citizens of Chicago in despair. "What the hell are we going to do now?" Truth be told, I actually quit smoking before the ban took effect. I have some Puerto Ricans to be thankful for that. My roommate and I lived in, what you would call, the highest populated Puerto Rican area of Chicago. You would go into the grocery store to get food, and unless you spoke and read Spanish, you wouldn't know if you were buying creamy or chunky peanut butter. There was a public park, a few blocks from our apartment. My roommate and I would go down there to play basketball. Now, I am a pretty competitive guy. So, when some 15 year old Puerto Rican kid is running circles around me on the playground, because I can't keep up with him because I am wheezing.....I knew that they all were going to have to start smoking, or I was going to have to stop. So, I stopped. I also moved back to Missouri. I had quit for sometime when I moved back. When I got back, a group of friends and I, decided to go out on the town. We went to some karaoke bar, and had a good time. When I got home that night, and took off my clothes to go to bed....they smelled like an ash tray. I had noticed the strong smell, when I walked into the bar that night....but it quickly faded away once I had been there for a few minutes.
The more I think about that, it scares me. If cigarette smoke can attach itself so strongly to my clothes in that short of a period, what has it done to my lungs? The bottom line of this post, is that the city of Joplin needs to follow suit with the larger cities in the country.....and put an end to smoking in public establishments. That, or pass a law that makes everyone start smoking.
Friday, September 30, 2011
1st family vacation
Last weekend, my family (which consists of my wife, my 6 yr old stepson, and my 5 month old son), left to go to Branson for our first family vacation. We packed our bags and headed to Branson on Friday night. We made pretty good time. My wife was driving, due to me coming down with some sort of sinus/allergy infection. I did the best to get as much sleep as possible, that way I would be as fresh as I could be for the next day. And the next day, was the day that was the important one. We got checked into the hotel about 10 pm. Unpacked out family SUV, and got settled in for the night. Now, when I say we got unpacked for the night....my wife is one of those people that if it isn't bolted down in our house, it stands a good chance that it's going to get put into a duffle bag and loaded into the car. You could say, she practices the theory of "I would much rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.". So, after I spent a good 45 minutes hauling in the luggage and getting the pack and play put together for the baby to sleep in.....I got to go to bed myself. We woke up on Saturday morning around 8 am. The plan was to get ready and head to Silver Dollar City around 10 am. Well, around 10:15 am, that plan was shot. My wife had an uncanny knack to pump (those of you that have had a baby, know what I mean by that), right whenever we either need to leave. Anyway, we leave the hotel about 10:30 am. I decide that I don't need to look at the directions my wife printed off, due to the fact that I saw about a billion signs leading up to the hotel, that said the theme park was 1 mile this way..... Long story short, we we ended up taking the long way to the them park.
We get to the theme park around 11:30 am. My cousin was actually meeting us at the park. My stepson actually managed to sweet talk me and my wife into letting him bring a cousin of his to come along on the vacation to ride rides with him. So, it actually worked out really well. I was able to ride with my cousin, and my stepson was able to ride with his. I haven't been to Silver Dollar City since I was 14. I have to say, it was just as fun last weekend, as it was 16 years ago. Now, obviously they have added a few rides since then. Which helped the experience. The new rides which included, the Powder Keg, and Wildfire, are very nice additions to the staples, such as Fire in the Hole, the American Plunge, Lost River of the Ozarks, and Thunderation. And something else about that place......is the smell. I can't really put my finger (or nose, for that matter) on it. But, it's like a plethora of smells....cotton candy, funnel cake, bbq, wood chips, and sweaty people. I know, I know, on the surface those deadly combination of smells doesn't seem appealing. But, if you could find a way to bottle that smell.....I would buy it by the gallon! After a fun day of riding ridesd eating some fine food, we retired back to the hotel for the evening. We make the trip back on Sunday. While I was listening to the NFL channel on Sirius. Had to keep up with my fantasy team, the Alley Cats! We lost. But, I have a good feeling about this week...we play a team that hasn't won yet this year! I'll keep you updated.
We get to the theme park around 11:30 am. My cousin was actually meeting us at the park. My stepson actually managed to sweet talk me and my wife into letting him bring a cousin of his to come along on the vacation to ride rides with him. So, it actually worked out really well. I was able to ride with my cousin, and my stepson was able to ride with his. I haven't been to Silver Dollar City since I was 14. I have to say, it was just as fun last weekend, as it was 16 years ago. Now, obviously they have added a few rides since then. Which helped the experience. The new rides which included, the Powder Keg, and Wildfire, are very nice additions to the staples, such as Fire in the Hole, the American Plunge, Lost River of the Ozarks, and Thunderation. And something else about that place......is the smell. I can't really put my finger (or nose, for that matter) on it. But, it's like a plethora of smells....cotton candy, funnel cake, bbq, wood chips, and sweaty people. I know, I know, on the surface those deadly combination of smells doesn't seem appealing. But, if you could find a way to bottle that smell.....I would buy it by the gallon! After a fun day of riding ridesd eating some fine food, we retired back to the hotel for the evening. We make the trip back on Sunday. While I was listening to the NFL channel on Sirius. Had to keep up with my fantasy team, the Alley Cats! We lost. But, I have a good feeling about this week...we play a team that hasn't won yet this year! I'll keep you updated.
The king of all sports
I don't know if any of you were paying attention to what was happening in major league baseball Wednesday night.....but many pundits, fans, fellow players and coaches have called it possibly the best night in the history of baseball. Certainly, if not the best night ever for the sport......it was at least the best night of the year so far for the sport. 6 games, which directly had some influence in what the playoff landscape looked like this year. I have blogged in the past about my love for the St. Louis Cardinals. As a Cardinal fan, I owe a great big thank you to the Philadelphia Phillies, who we play in the first round of the playoffs this year. The Phillies played the Atlanta Braves wednesday night. The Atlanta Braves were in control of the wild card spot in the National League, until this particular night. The Braves held a 9.5 game lead about a week into September. The Cardinals were dead in the water, a week into September. The Cardinals held a players only meeting around that time and since then have won 19 of the last 23 games of the year. With the Phillies win, it marked the biggest collapse of a team that held a playoff position in the history of the game. The history of the game! Baseball dates back to the late 1800's. What was so special about this night, was the fact that it was a record the Braves were able to hold for about 2 hours. About 2 hours after the game between the Phillies and Braves, the Red Sox followed the epic collapse of the Braves with one of their own. The Red Sox had over a 10 game lead in the wild card spot in the American League with less than a month to go in the season. The collapsed and the Tampa Bay Rays took advantage of it. In addition to the games between the Red Sox and Orioles (who beat the Red Sox in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs!), the Cardinals and Astros, the Yankees and the Rays (the Rays won in 11 innings on a walk off homer, after they were getting beat as bad as 7-0 in the 8th inning), the Phillies and the Braves......there were also games played by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers, that had heavy playoff implications. If both of those teams won, they would start at their respective stadiums in the first round of the playoffs. Actually, Arizona needed to win and Milwaukee needed to lose, in order for the Diamondbacks to get home field advantage.
I told you about these games and situations to illustrate a point. All of these games took place on the last day of the regular season. It's my prerogative, that when the game of baseball has moments like this, in games like this....it is unrivaled by any other sport. I know some of you may be saying, "Hey, isn't NFL football king of the sports world now?". And the answer is yes, to that question. However, how many times in the past 10 years have we had meaningless games the last game of the regular season in the NFL. Where teams that have locked up their playoff spot, don't even try to win.....or even play their regular starters to keep them from getting injured. How would you like to be the person who buys a ticket to the game where you don't get to see your favorite player, because he is being benched to stay fresh for a playoff game, you aren't going to go to. In basketball and hockey both, 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs. So, at the end of the year, there never seems to be any drama. What baseball lacks in excitement, in the course of play by play action....it makes up for in intrigue, history, and sportsmanship. If you saw the way the players in each of their respective dugouts were hanging on the guard rails, hanging on every pitch......so much drama, so much tension. Nothing could beat it. I can't wait to see what the playoffs have in store.
I told you about these games and situations to illustrate a point. All of these games took place on the last day of the regular season. It's my prerogative, that when the game of baseball has moments like this, in games like this....it is unrivaled by any other sport. I know some of you may be saying, "Hey, isn't NFL football king of the sports world now?". And the answer is yes, to that question. However, how many times in the past 10 years have we had meaningless games the last game of the regular season in the NFL. Where teams that have locked up their playoff spot, don't even try to win.....or even play their regular starters to keep them from getting injured. How would you like to be the person who buys a ticket to the game where you don't get to see your favorite player, because he is being benched to stay fresh for a playoff game, you aren't going to go to. In basketball and hockey both, 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs. So, at the end of the year, there never seems to be any drama. What baseball lacks in excitement, in the course of play by play action....it makes up for in intrigue, history, and sportsmanship. If you saw the way the players in each of their respective dugouts were hanging on the guard rails, hanging on every pitch......so much drama, so much tension. Nothing could beat it. I can't wait to see what the playoffs have in store.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Alley Cats get their first win!
Yeah baby! The Alley Cats are officially in the win column. Which puts us on the season to 1-1. And, at the rate my players are getting injured (Lee Evans, Marques Colston, Steven Jackson, Knowshon Moreno, Dez Bryant....I'll stop), is probably going to be the only time I am .500 the rest of the year. Seriously! I loved getting the win, but I had to shop at Football Players R Us, to get enough players to fill up my roster for this week. I know that their was almost a work stoppage, so there wasn't any training camp, ota's, spring practices.....I get it. But come on man! Put on some man pants! For Pete sake! You know how many days, I've missed at work due to injury.....0! Ok, so there was one time I missed half a day, because of the flu. But I have worked through broken toes, sprained ankles, pneumonia, colds.....etc. Now, I haven't seen an actual NFL players paycheck. But I would venture a guess, that they probably bring home more money every two weeks than I do.
Sorry, I'm alright.....I'm alright. It just gets frustrating, when you have to resort to playing a receiver who netted you 0 points last week, and has been out of prison all of 3 and a half months. (Plaxico Burress). Yeah, that's what I am dealing with at this point people. But, I am still somewhat optimistic about my matchup for this week. The guy I'm going up against has the starting quarterback for the Cowboys, (Tony Romo), starting for his team. The Cowboys play the Redskins on Monday night. Now, this is advantageous for me for a couple of reasons. 1. If the Cowboys decide that Romo is a game time decision, and doesn't play.....he won't have time to plug in a replacement for him, because all of the other NFL games were played on Sunday. 2. Even if he does play, he stands a good chance to face the best the other team has to offer, due to it being a prime time game. Which basically means, the Redskins defense doesn't want to look like a bunch of chumps out there in front of a national audience. Now what's really interesting is that Romo used to be on the Alley Cats roster, as little ago as a couple of weeks. I was forced to trade Romo to the Rogers Roids (team I'm playing), for a running back and a tight end, to help fill out my roster from the abundance of injuries I've faced in the first two weeks of the season.
So, if Romo has a good game.....I will be kicking myself. I will blog later next week of the results, cause I know you all are interested!
Sorry, I'm alright.....I'm alright. It just gets frustrating, when you have to resort to playing a receiver who netted you 0 points last week, and has been out of prison all of 3 and a half months. (Plaxico Burress). Yeah, that's what I am dealing with at this point people. But, I am still somewhat optimistic about my matchup for this week. The guy I'm going up against has the starting quarterback for the Cowboys, (Tony Romo), starting for his team. The Cowboys play the Redskins on Monday night. Now, this is advantageous for me for a couple of reasons. 1. If the Cowboys decide that Romo is a game time decision, and doesn't play.....he won't have time to plug in a replacement for him, because all of the other NFL games were played on Sunday. 2. Even if he does play, he stands a good chance to face the best the other team has to offer, due to it being a prime time game. Which basically means, the Redskins defense doesn't want to look like a bunch of chumps out there in front of a national audience. Now what's really interesting is that Romo used to be on the Alley Cats roster, as little ago as a couple of weeks. I was forced to trade Romo to the Rogers Roids (team I'm playing), for a running back and a tight end, to help fill out my roster from the abundance of injuries I've faced in the first two weeks of the season.
So, if Romo has a good game.....I will be kicking myself. I will blog later next week of the results, cause I know you all are interested!
Customer service? Anyone.....anyone.....
I am getting ready to load up our family SUV with all of my families luggage, we will require for this upcoming weekend. It's our first family vacation, so to speak. We have incurred a lot of expenses this past year, so instead of taking a week to go somewhere really nice, we are heading to Branson, MO to go to Silver Dollar City. I took today off, to help get things in order for the trip. Which got me thinking about some things. Let me be more specific. What really got me thinking about things today, was standing at the counter of the photo department, picture studio, whatever you want to call it at JCPenney for around 20 minutes, before someone would help me. All I had to do was pick up some pictures of my son. We took him in for his first pictures, by himself only, a little over a week ago. Apparently there was only one person working, so since she was taking pictures back in the studio, no one was available to help me at the counter. Or, at least if there was anyone else working, I couldn't see them anywhere. Which standing around for 20 minutes wasn't as bad as the day we actually had the pictures taken, when we stood around for over half an hour (after arriving at our appointment time) waiting to get my son's picture taken. Which I don't know if any of you that are reading this have kids, but if you do, you may know just how impatient a 5 month old can be. There was a small window for him to be in a really good mood, alert, not hungry, ready to be a ham........and we missed it. I was extremely unhappy with the quality of the pictures, after we finally got them taken. So, disappointed that I actually opted for the lightest package, and made arrangements to have my son's picture taken another time, at another place.
Now, I can't give you a definitive answer, as far as why we had to wait so long, either time we went there. But, if I had to pinpoint it down to one thing......I would have to say, it was in general due to bad customer service. Yes, there were other people there that day we were getting the pictures taken. Yes, there was a group in the studio when I went to pick the pictures up. I get that they were doing the best they can, I do....and I appreciate that to a degree. But sometimes, your best just doesn't cut the mustard. The reality of this situation is, that this happens at almost any place anymore. How many times lately, have you gone to a restaurant and ordered some food, only to have it overcooked, undercooked, half cooked. And you know you have to eat it, because we have all seen the movie "Waiting". So, what does a person do. Log a complaint with the manager, just chalk it up to a bad experience and never go back? How can we make a stand against this overwhelming change in attitude towards customer service? I'll come back to this.....
Maybe that's why there has been a dramatic increase in online retail sales. People are getting tired of traveling somewhere, having a bad experience, and then traveling back home. Not only do you make an evening of going out to eat somewhere, or going shopping for a car, freezer, whatever.....but you also incur a fuel expense to do so. Whereas if you order something online, all you have to do is just pay for the shipping and it's arriving at your door in minutes, or days. You can print movie tickets online, order food, car shop....the online shopping experience has no prejudices these days. Everyone is eager to take your money, it doesn't matter the method. So maybe that's what happened to all the people who used to work at places, where their employers put an emphasis on good customer service. They are all working for Amazon, or Best Buy.com....in some warehouse trying to keep up with the orders that are flying in, from people who are just sick of dealing with the incompetence. What did you do, whenever you wanted to watch a movie from the comfort of your own home? You probably, just as I, made the trip to your local video store and rented it from there. How many video stores are in Joplin these days?
Back to that "How do we make a difference?" question. Truthfully, you can't. Not one of us can. You just have to bide your time and hope this is just a fad, and that a new Sam Walton is going to make an appearance real soon.
Now, I can't give you a definitive answer, as far as why we had to wait so long, either time we went there. But, if I had to pinpoint it down to one thing......I would have to say, it was in general due to bad customer service. Yes, there were other people there that day we were getting the pictures taken. Yes, there was a group in the studio when I went to pick the pictures up. I get that they were doing the best they can, I do....and I appreciate that to a degree. But sometimes, your best just doesn't cut the mustard. The reality of this situation is, that this happens at almost any place anymore. How many times lately, have you gone to a restaurant and ordered some food, only to have it overcooked, undercooked, half cooked. And you know you have to eat it, because we have all seen the movie "Waiting". So, what does a person do. Log a complaint with the manager, just chalk it up to a bad experience and never go back? How can we make a stand against this overwhelming change in attitude towards customer service? I'll come back to this.....
Maybe that's why there has been a dramatic increase in online retail sales. People are getting tired of traveling somewhere, having a bad experience, and then traveling back home. Not only do you make an evening of going out to eat somewhere, or going shopping for a car, freezer, whatever.....but you also incur a fuel expense to do so. Whereas if you order something online, all you have to do is just pay for the shipping and it's arriving at your door in minutes, or days. You can print movie tickets online, order food, car shop....the online shopping experience has no prejudices these days. Everyone is eager to take your money, it doesn't matter the method. So maybe that's what happened to all the people who used to work at places, where their employers put an emphasis on good customer service. They are all working for Amazon, or Best Buy.com....in some warehouse trying to keep up with the orders that are flying in, from people who are just sick of dealing with the incompetence. What did you do, whenever you wanted to watch a movie from the comfort of your own home? You probably, just as I, made the trip to your local video store and rented it from there. How many video stores are in Joplin these days?
Back to that "How do we make a difference?" question. Truthfully, you can't. Not one of us can. You just have to bide your time and hope this is just a fad, and that a new Sam Walton is going to make an appearance real soon.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Beer, wings, family, and.......injuries!
A few posts back, I wrote about fantasy football. I declared myself, as not one of those "fanatics", or people who take it too seriously, that they aren't able to enjoy the game themselves. That said, last Sunday was the opening kickoff to the NFL season. Now, it's tradition for myself, my cousin, and a few of our friends to get to Buffalo Wild Wings early, get a table, and basically gorge ourselves on food and drinks, for about 6-8 hours. As a married man, it's probably the only day of the year, that I don't have to worry about taking care of the kids, helping my wife with whatever task she's assigned me for the day, or doing anything else other than watching football. I'm sure most of you probably aware, that last Sunday was 9/11. This part of my blog, doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of my rant, but it's still a pretty cool story. Anyway, my cousin and I had posted ourselves at a bar top table in the restaurant....ordered up some nachos with chili cheese dip, and started talking about the upcoming games and our fantasy matchups. Before kickoff, the stations broadcasting the games, cut to a piece that Robert De Niro taped for 9/11. Basically stating what happened, how we have dealt with it the past 10 years, and how we will always remember that day. The video then cuts to a member of the armed forces, who begins to play "Taps". I didn't really notice it at the beginning, but as the song played out I noticed that the entire bar, had grown silent. You couldn't hear anybody shushing anyone. It was almost as if everyone stopped what they were doing, and thought back to that day. The song ended, and the entire bar began to applaud. It was very cool.
Back to my rant. So, my cousin and I were by ourselves last Sunday. One of the mainstays of our crew, had a case of wussitis, or something along those lines. Anyway, the games get started and everyone settles in for a very long day of football. We had asked a waitress earlier, before kickoff, to politely turn the two televisions that were directly above our table to the two early games that had our interest piqued the most. The Detroit Lions vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the St. Louis Rams. My cousin is a big Lions fan. I know right. I am a huge Rams fan. Well, my cousin, on his fantasy team, was actually starting the quarterback, and one of the big playmaking receivers for the Lions. I had Steven Jackson, going for my team respectively. Steven Jackson, being an Alley-Cat mainstay. For those of you that don't know, my team is named J-Dizzles Alley Cats. Now, the Lions actually took the opening possession and marched right down the field. Got into the red zone, and after failing to score a touchdown, kicked a field goal. Great for my cousin. The Rams actually started the game on defense. And they came out on fire. The quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, is a guy by the name of Michael Vick. Who a few years ago, came into some fame away from football, by running an illegal dog fighting operation in the state of Georgia. He did over a year in federal prison, and is back in the NFL now. Now, for those of you who haven't seen him play. He's good. He's fast, and elusive, and he can throw the heck out of the ball. We shut him down three straight plays, to force the Eagles to punt. With the punt, and a short return, we actually start off with great field position for our opening drive. And it didn't take long for us to score. Steven Jackson took a handoff from our quarterback, and scampered his way 47 yards for a touchdown. Great for the Rams. Great for the Alley Cats. Great for me. Shortly after he scores and we go up 7-0. The Eagles begin their next possession, and the camera cuts to Steven riding a bike on the sideline. Now, most of the time, when players ride a bike on the sideline, they are attempting to stay lose, or work out some sort of muscle pull. Unfortunately for all the parties above, this situation was the latter. Mr. Jackson returned to the game for only 1 more play, before shutting it down for the rest of the day. Thanks a pad load Steven!
Long story short Rams lose 31-13. And after the games on Monday night, the Alley Cats lose 155-196. I actually had 3 more players go down with injuries.....it was a long week. After a few tweaks, and waiver wire pickups the Alley Cats are back and ready for this weeks opponent.......which is my cousins team. I'm really glad I didn't play him week 1!
Back to my rant. So, my cousin and I were by ourselves last Sunday. One of the mainstays of our crew, had a case of wussitis, or something along those lines. Anyway, the games get started and everyone settles in for a very long day of football. We had asked a waitress earlier, before kickoff, to politely turn the two televisions that were directly above our table to the two early games that had our interest piqued the most. The Detroit Lions vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the St. Louis Rams. My cousin is a big Lions fan. I know right. I am a huge Rams fan. Well, my cousin, on his fantasy team, was actually starting the quarterback, and one of the big playmaking receivers for the Lions. I had Steven Jackson, going for my team respectively. Steven Jackson, being an Alley-Cat mainstay. For those of you that don't know, my team is named J-Dizzles Alley Cats. Now, the Lions actually took the opening possession and marched right down the field. Got into the red zone, and after failing to score a touchdown, kicked a field goal. Great for my cousin. The Rams actually started the game on defense. And they came out on fire. The quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, is a guy by the name of Michael Vick. Who a few years ago, came into some fame away from football, by running an illegal dog fighting operation in the state of Georgia. He did over a year in federal prison, and is back in the NFL now. Now, for those of you who haven't seen him play. He's good. He's fast, and elusive, and he can throw the heck out of the ball. We shut him down three straight plays, to force the Eagles to punt. With the punt, and a short return, we actually start off with great field position for our opening drive. And it didn't take long for us to score. Steven Jackson took a handoff from our quarterback, and scampered his way 47 yards for a touchdown. Great for the Rams. Great for the Alley Cats. Great for me. Shortly after he scores and we go up 7-0. The Eagles begin their next possession, and the camera cuts to Steven riding a bike on the sideline. Now, most of the time, when players ride a bike on the sideline, they are attempting to stay lose, or work out some sort of muscle pull. Unfortunately for all the parties above, this situation was the latter. Mr. Jackson returned to the game for only 1 more play, before shutting it down for the rest of the day. Thanks a pad load Steven!
Long story short Rams lose 31-13. And after the games on Monday night, the Alley Cats lose 155-196. I actually had 3 more players go down with injuries.....it was a long week. After a few tweaks, and waiver wire pickups the Alley Cats are back and ready for this weeks opponent.......which is my cousins team. I'm really glad I didn't play him week 1!
Serious? No, Sirius......
As I mentioned a week ago, I deliver medical equipment. For those of you who didn't read that blog, and in case I didn't mention it then.....I hate it. I work long hours, I drive long distances, I have to put myself in harms way by dealing with patients who are infected with a plethora of communicable diseases, etc. Now, I deliver all the inventory we have to offer, with a large cargo van. Needless to say, this thing isn't loaded. Uncomfortable seats, awkward mirrors, no cd player. I know right. So, shortly after I started working at Therapy Support, I purchased a Sirius radio. Which, for those of you that don't know. Sirius is a satellite radio service. At the time I purchased the satellite radio receiver, there were two companies, competing against each other. The other company being XM Radio. My cousin had purchased his radio, about a year before I bought mine. So, I had a good idea what receiver to get, what payment option to go with, etc. Now, the main differences between the two rival companies at the time was.....one had Howard Stern, and one didn't. Outside of that, you pretty much had the same programming for both the companies. Rock channels, country channels, pop channels, etc. I can honestly say that without that radio, I would be insane now. About a year and a half into my service, the two companies merged, and now today there is only one satellite radio service.....SiriusXM.
Now again, when I originally started my service, I was an exclusive Sirius customer. My monthly payments were around $11.00 a month. A small price to pay for sanity. However, there was some court settlement, to a lawsuit, I hadn't ever heard of, before the two satellite companies merged. Apparently some of the record labels had taken the satellite companies to court, stating that they had to pay them for the rights to play their music. So, long story short......they tacked on a couple of extra dollars a month to my membership fee. Again, a small price to pay for sanity. Then the merger. And of course, since I had "Double the channels, double the satellite experience!", I also incurred more of an expense. I think right now, I pay around $15.00 a month for the service. And until it hits $20.00, I will gladly pay it. And here's why. How many commercials do you hear on the local FM stations here in town? How much of the local programming, is actually spent playing music? You might get a good, solid, 20 minutes of music.....in an hour! It's bad enough, I have to sit through endless amounts of commercials when I watch football on the weekends, I really don't care to be subjected to the same worthless jingles, and pitches when I am in my uncomfortable, worthless van. For that reason alone, it's worth the money! Now, how many times when you are going on a road trip, family vacation, etc. And you are driving to your destination, you actually find an FM station that is playing music.....maybe even good music, you get to listen to it, for about 15 minutes before you get out of range of the station broadcasting it, and you are back to tapping the search button. You never have to worry about the stations cutting out with satellite radio. Once you find a station playing what you like, you can enjoy it for as long as your in the car.
I sound like a pitchman. I know. But if you are stuck in a vehicle all day long, that doesn't have any sort of output jack, or cd player.....man, does it make a difference. The radio situation at work, is by far one of the best perks of the job. So, if you are having a crappy day, and you are in your car on your way to work, school, whatever. And you look over and see a guy in a big white van, with the music turned up loud, singing with it......just know, that it probably won't be long until he reaches his destination, and then he'll be having as bad a day as you are.
Now again, when I originally started my service, I was an exclusive Sirius customer. My monthly payments were around $11.00 a month. A small price to pay for sanity. However, there was some court settlement, to a lawsuit, I hadn't ever heard of, before the two satellite companies merged. Apparently some of the record labels had taken the satellite companies to court, stating that they had to pay them for the rights to play their music. So, long story short......they tacked on a couple of extra dollars a month to my membership fee. Again, a small price to pay for sanity. Then the merger. And of course, since I had "Double the channels, double the satellite experience!", I also incurred more of an expense. I think right now, I pay around $15.00 a month for the service. And until it hits $20.00, I will gladly pay it. And here's why. How many commercials do you hear on the local FM stations here in town? How much of the local programming, is actually spent playing music? You might get a good, solid, 20 minutes of music.....in an hour! It's bad enough, I have to sit through endless amounts of commercials when I watch football on the weekends, I really don't care to be subjected to the same worthless jingles, and pitches when I am in my uncomfortable, worthless van. For that reason alone, it's worth the money! Now, how many times when you are going on a road trip, family vacation, etc. And you are driving to your destination, you actually find an FM station that is playing music.....maybe even good music, you get to listen to it, for about 15 minutes before you get out of range of the station broadcasting it, and you are back to tapping the search button. You never have to worry about the stations cutting out with satellite radio. Once you find a station playing what you like, you can enjoy it for as long as your in the car.
I sound like a pitchman. I know. But if you are stuck in a vehicle all day long, that doesn't have any sort of output jack, or cd player.....man, does it make a difference. The radio situation at work, is by far one of the best perks of the job. So, if you are having a crappy day, and you are in your car on your way to work, school, whatever. And you look over and see a guy in a big white van, with the music turned up loud, singing with it......just know, that it probably won't be long until he reaches his destination, and then he'll be having as bad a day as you are.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Fantasy Football
Yeah, I play it. I am one of those guys. It hasn't consumed me, like it has some friends of mine.....but I still play it every year....it still drives my wife crazy every year....and it's one of the few joys in life I feel like I have left. At least one of the joys, I can truly say I don't have to share with the rest of my family. I'm not going to go into detail, such as "How do you play it?", with this blog. This blog is being published, with the intent only, to let me vent. So last weekend we had our big draft. Now, with all fantasy football leagues, there is a draft. Without one, you wouldn't be able to have players assigned to any teams. I had the 7th pick in the draft. Which isn't good. Ideally, I would have liked to have had the second.....or eight pick in the draft. But, whatever, I made it work. As the draft was going along, and I was picking my players.....I began to feel really good about my draft. I didn't get the ideal players I had hoped, would be available when it came my turn to pick.....but I was filling my roster out quite nicely. The draft concluded, and as I scanned down my roster.....I felt really good about my team. Not great, but good.
One of the new additions to the league this year. Or, new gimmicks....whatever you want to call it. Yahoo, decided to declare a draft winner. They went ahead and projected how many total fantasy points each player, should rack up during the course of the season. The team with the most projected points in our league, won a medal. The J-Dizzles Alley Cats won that medal. Yeah, that's my team name. Now, just to give you a little back story into our league. It's named Hot Route. Why, I don't know. My cousin is the league creator. You would have to ask him, where he got that name from. Anyway.....the league was founded in 2006. I was living in Chicago at the time, so thank goodness for the internet. I was able to still draft at the same time as the other team owners. There are 10 teams total in the league. Some owners have had to be replaced, due to lack of maintenance on their respective teams.......and lack of interest over a period of time. However, there is a good core of about 5 owners, that have been mainstays since the inception of the league. I, being one of them. I actually won the whole thing the first three years of the league. Made the playoffs in 2009, and was in the championship game last year.....but lost. No other owner has had the success in Hot Route, as the owner of the J-Dizzles Alley Cats has had. Which, not to confuse anyone...is still me.
Which, brings us to tonight. I start out the season playing against one of my closest friends. Whose team name is The Cork Soakers. It's actually a pretty interesting matchup. Both of the starting quarterbacks for the teams playing tonight, the Saints and the Packers, were on our rosters. Brees on mine, Rodgers on his. I almost threw my phone against the wall tonight, when Rodgers threw his 3rd touchdown pass in the 1st quarter! Now also, keep in mind....we are very competitive...and we are guys. So, obviously there are playful texts being sent throughout the course of the game. And, I would have been disappointed if that wouldn't have been the case tonight. But, happily, the owner of the Cork Soakers was happy to oblige. So, when my phone went off, with that text message received chime....I knew it was him. Anyway, as far as the actual football game went, it was a pretty good game. The Saints went down big early, crawled back into it and actually had a chance to tie the game with 0.00 seconds left. There had been a defensive penalty in the endzone, so the Saints were awarded an untimed down. Now......here is where I really lost it. Brees, actually had a pretty good game. Started off slow, but finished strong. And you can ask anyone, he hands down, is the best player on the Saints. So, what do they decide to do with the game on the line? Give it to their best player and try to let him make a play? No.....they give it to their rookie running back, who runs the football right up the middle of both, the defensive and offensive lines. Needless to say, he wasn't able to score and the Saints lost the game. Now, why couldn't Sean Payton (head coach of the Saints) just let Brees throw the ball there? Doesn't he realize that both his best interests, and the best interests of the Alley Cats, hinge on how many touchdowns Brees throws?
I guess not. So, my feeling is the Saints deserved to lose that game, because of that worthless coaching strategy. How are the Alley Cats doing, you ask after the first game of the NFL season? Well, despite Sean Paytons best efforts....the Alley Cats are winning 64-44. It's going to come down to the games on Monday night, but I feel pretty good. Like I did about a week ago....when I drafted my team.
One of the new additions to the league this year. Or, new gimmicks....whatever you want to call it. Yahoo, decided to declare a draft winner. They went ahead and projected how many total fantasy points each player, should rack up during the course of the season. The team with the most projected points in our league, won a medal. The J-Dizzles Alley Cats won that medal. Yeah, that's my team name. Now, just to give you a little back story into our league. It's named Hot Route. Why, I don't know. My cousin is the league creator. You would have to ask him, where he got that name from. Anyway.....the league was founded in 2006. I was living in Chicago at the time, so thank goodness for the internet. I was able to still draft at the same time as the other team owners. There are 10 teams total in the league. Some owners have had to be replaced, due to lack of maintenance on their respective teams.......and lack of interest over a period of time. However, there is a good core of about 5 owners, that have been mainstays since the inception of the league. I, being one of them. I actually won the whole thing the first three years of the league. Made the playoffs in 2009, and was in the championship game last year.....but lost. No other owner has had the success in Hot Route, as the owner of the J-Dizzles Alley Cats has had. Which, not to confuse anyone...is still me.
Which, brings us to tonight. I start out the season playing against one of my closest friends. Whose team name is The Cork Soakers. It's actually a pretty interesting matchup. Both of the starting quarterbacks for the teams playing tonight, the Saints and the Packers, were on our rosters. Brees on mine, Rodgers on his. I almost threw my phone against the wall tonight, when Rodgers threw his 3rd touchdown pass in the 1st quarter! Now also, keep in mind....we are very competitive...and we are guys. So, obviously there are playful texts being sent throughout the course of the game. And, I would have been disappointed if that wouldn't have been the case tonight. But, happily, the owner of the Cork Soakers was happy to oblige. So, when my phone went off, with that text message received chime....I knew it was him. Anyway, as far as the actual football game went, it was a pretty good game. The Saints went down big early, crawled back into it and actually had a chance to tie the game with 0.00 seconds left. There had been a defensive penalty in the endzone, so the Saints were awarded an untimed down. Now......here is where I really lost it. Brees, actually had a pretty good game. Started off slow, but finished strong. And you can ask anyone, he hands down, is the best player on the Saints. So, what do they decide to do with the game on the line? Give it to their best player and try to let him make a play? No.....they give it to their rookie running back, who runs the football right up the middle of both, the defensive and offensive lines. Needless to say, he wasn't able to score and the Saints lost the game. Now, why couldn't Sean Payton (head coach of the Saints) just let Brees throw the ball there? Doesn't he realize that both his best interests, and the best interests of the Alley Cats, hinge on how many touchdowns Brees throws?
I guess not. So, my feeling is the Saints deserved to lose that game, because of that worthless coaching strategy. How are the Alley Cats doing, you ask after the first game of the NFL season? Well, despite Sean Paytons best efforts....the Alley Cats are winning 64-44. It's going to come down to the games on Monday night, but I feel pretty good. Like I did about a week ago....when I drafted my team.
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