Tonight was the last college baseball game played at Omaha's iconic Rosenblatt Stadium. The College World Series, CWS for short, has called it home since 1950. As is the trend in baseball, a new downtown stadium is being constructed in Omaha which will signal the end of Rosenblatt. Like most iconic sports stadiums of the past it will not live on, it will be torn down in the name of progress. The unjust ending for Rosenblatt is that is will be turned into, acccckkkkkkkkk, a parking lot for the zoo next door. Personally, I think this is a major injustice. There is something about college baseball and those red, yellow, and blue seats that just go together like a hot dog and a coke.
The last game was a gem. A classic pitchers duel that went into extra innings. In the end, the South Carolina Gamecocks won their first ever NCAA baseball title with a 2-1 win in 12 innings over UCLA with a walk off hit. It was a fitting ending to the College World Series' time at Rosenblatt.
I am sure that the new stadium, TD Ameritrade Park, will serve the CWS well in the coming years. I have my fingers crossed that it will have those sweet red, yellow, and blue seats but I am not holding my breath.
Here is my list of the best names in college baseball for 2010. I didn't watch as much baseball this year as in the past. There just wasn't as much coverage with the friggin' World Cup going on. Don't worry, I haven't watched even 1 second of World Cup soccer action and never well. I am much too strong to be drawn to the Dark Side of the force.
The same rules apply as my original list in 2009.
* Only one player from any team can make the list
* You can only make the list once
The Best Names In College Baseball 2010:
Starting Pitcher: Boogie Anagnostou, Rice
Relief Pitcher: Jason Fuqua, Arkansas
Catcher: Yasmini Grandall, U of Miami
1st Base: Blake Dean, LSU
2nd Base: Cody Regis, UCLA
3rd Base: Nick Vickerson, Mississippi State
Shortstop: Caleb Bushyhead, Oklahoma
Left Field: Rand Ravnaas, Georgetown
Center Field: Matt Den Dekker, Florida
Right Field: Yoandy Barroso, FIU
Designated Hitter: Russell Moldenhauer, Texas
Coach: Jim Schlossnagle, TCU
Mood: Nostalgic
Song of the Day:
"I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down."
- Bittersweet Symphony
The Verve
It's Ironic: That my bank sends me a paper confirmation each time I set up an electronic funds transfer.
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Max Kebble's Big Day!
Today is Thursday, April 15, 2010 and there is lots of stuff of note happening today. Some would say the biggest event is the deadline to file your 2009 federal tax return. Technically, today is only the deadline to file your taxes if you still owe the IRS money. If they owe you money there is no penalty for late filing. In fact, you have 3 years to get your money back from the IRS if you overpay them. After 3 years you forfeit that money to the government but 3 years seems like plenty of time to file to me. As a result, I would say this is not the biggest event of the day.
Others would say that the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball is the biggest event of the day for April 15th each year. I agree to those who say that Jackie Robinson is one of the most important figures in American history and probably did more for race relations than Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. combined. This year is the 63rd anniversary of Jackie becoming the first African American to play in professional baseball. As anniversarys go, the 63rd is not a particularly memorable one so I say this also is not the biggest event of the day.
"What could be bigger than Jackie Robinson and the IRS combined" you say? "Glad you asked!" is my reply. Today is also National High Five Day. Yes, it's true, the 3rd Thursday of April each year is National High Five Day. Now I realize that this holiday isn't celebrated as much as St. Patrick's Day or Talk Like A Pirate Day but it is about time that National High Five Day got some damn recognition!
The only way today could be better is if it were also Patriot's Day, but alas Patriot's Day with it's wonderful 11:00am Red Sox game is Monday, April 19th this year.
Mood: Up High!
Movie Quote of the Day:
"You want out of here so bad you probably memorize bus schedules."
-Footloose
Song of the Day:
"You can set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill, but I still wouldn't trade it for a Coupe de Ville."
- Pickup Man
Joe Diffie
Others would say that the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball is the biggest event of the day for April 15th each year. I agree to those who say that Jackie Robinson is one of the most important figures in American history and probably did more for race relations than Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. combined. This year is the 63rd anniversary of Jackie becoming the first African American to play in professional baseball. As anniversarys go, the 63rd is not a particularly memorable one so I say this also is not the biggest event of the day.
"What could be bigger than Jackie Robinson and the IRS combined" you say? "Glad you asked!" is my reply. Today is also National High Five Day. Yes, it's true, the 3rd Thursday of April each year is National High Five Day. Now I realize that this holiday isn't celebrated as much as St. Patrick's Day or Talk Like A Pirate Day but it is about time that National High Five Day got some damn recognition!
The only way today could be better is if it were also Patriot's Day, but alas Patriot's Day with it's wonderful 11:00am Red Sox game is Monday, April 19th this year.
Mood: Up High!
Movie Quote of the Day:
"You want out of here so bad you probably memorize bus schedules."
-Footloose
Song of the Day:
"You can set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill, but I still wouldn't trade it for a Coupe de Ville."
- Pickup Man
Joe Diffie
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Punch
By now you have probably heard or seen the sucker punch that Baylor women's basketball player Brittney Griner dished out to Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle in a game on March 3rd. Everyone in the world has said repeatedly that there is no room for what she did in the game of college basketball blah, blah, blah. The problem is that no one at any level of authority is backing that statement up.
Baylor University suspended Griner for 2 games for the incident. Well, really they suspended her for 1 game. The NCAA has a mandatory 1 game suspension for behavior like this and Baylor tacked on 1 additional game. Neither the The Big 12 Conference or the NCAA tacked on any additional penalty to the one self imposed by Baylor University. Are you friggin' kidding me?
The university is supposed to come up with a fair and just punishment that takes into consideration the seriousness of the violation committed - Griner broke Barncastle's nose with the punch. Frankly, I think that Brittney Griner should be banned from the sport of women's college basketball for the rest of the 2009-10 season, maybe even for life.
For comparison, two other recent athletic suspensions have also caught my eye. Vermont suspended men's hockey player Justin Milo for the rest of the season on February 16, 2010. At the time he was the second leading scorer on the team with 21 points in 20 games played. He didn't commit an on ice incident, head coach Kevin Sneddon decided: "It was in the best interests of our program and (we) will move forward without him." The Catamounts dismissed one of their top players while fighting for their Hockey East and NCAA playoff lives.
The other recent suspension comes from my alma mater, the University of Maine. They recently suspended their starting men's hockey goaltender Scott Darling "indefinitely after violating team rules." Darling had a 15-6-3 record and the team's other two goalies were 1-9-0 at the time of the suspension. This was the third time that Darling has been suspended in his 2 years at Maine. It is suspected that the violation is related to alcohol but there is no official proof. Maine suspended Darling the weekend before the Hockey East playoffs began.
So one of the best players in women's college basketball punches an opponent in a game and gets a mere 2 game suspension while two equally crucial men's hockey players were both suspended indefinitely by their team for incidents that didn't even occur on the ice. Did Brittney Griner get special treatment because she is one of the up and coming stars in the world of women's college basketball? It sure looks that way.
Mood: Ashamed.
It's Ironic:
That St. Louis University is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference since it is located 929 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Why worry, each of us is wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on our backs." - Ghostbusters
Baylor University suspended Griner for 2 games for the incident. Well, really they suspended her for 1 game. The NCAA has a mandatory 1 game suspension for behavior like this and Baylor tacked on 1 additional game. Neither the The Big 12 Conference or the NCAA tacked on any additional penalty to the one self imposed by Baylor University. Are you friggin' kidding me?
The university is supposed to come up with a fair and just punishment that takes into consideration the seriousness of the violation committed - Griner broke Barncastle's nose with the punch. Frankly, I think that Brittney Griner should be banned from the sport of women's college basketball for the rest of the 2009-10 season, maybe even for life.
For comparison, two other recent athletic suspensions have also caught my eye. Vermont suspended men's hockey player Justin Milo for the rest of the season on February 16, 2010. At the time he was the second leading scorer on the team with 21 points in 20 games played. He didn't commit an on ice incident, head coach Kevin Sneddon decided: "It was in the best interests of our program and (we) will move forward without him." The Catamounts dismissed one of their top players while fighting for their Hockey East and NCAA playoff lives.
The other recent suspension comes from my alma mater, the University of Maine. They recently suspended their starting men's hockey goaltender Scott Darling "indefinitely after violating team rules." Darling had a 15-6-3 record and the team's other two goalies were 1-9-0 at the time of the suspension. This was the third time that Darling has been suspended in his 2 years at Maine. It is suspected that the violation is related to alcohol but there is no official proof. Maine suspended Darling the weekend before the Hockey East playoffs began.
So one of the best players in women's college basketball punches an opponent in a game and gets a mere 2 game suspension while two equally crucial men's hockey players were both suspended indefinitely by their team for incidents that didn't even occur on the ice. Did Brittney Griner get special treatment because she is one of the up and coming stars in the world of women's college basketball? It sure looks that way.
Mood: Ashamed.
It's Ironic:
That St. Louis University is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference since it is located 929 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Why worry, each of us is wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on our backs." - Ghostbusters
Monday, February 15, 2010
Snowmageddeon!!!
I had two competing theories about the Winter of 2010 back in December. They were polar opposites and I knew that only one of them would pan out.
A) Snow in early December is the sign of a mild winter to come.
B) Every 7th winter in Washington DC is horrible, with tons of snow.
As you probably know by now, Theory B is the big winner. The trend of every 7 winters being a ferocious one in greater Washington DC lives on.
My first year here, 1996 was horrendous. Although to me, having spent the previous 22 winters in Maine, it didn't seem that bad. By the time the winter of 2003 rolled around, with the famous President's Day Blizzard, my Yankee blood had thinned out enough so that I was totally miserable.
Flash forward another 7 years to the winter of 2010 and I am enduring the worst winter in the history of Washington DC. Ever. So far I've shoveled 63 inches of the white stuff off my car this winter season. That is a new all time record for snow in one winter and it is only mid-February. In fact, that is 5 more inches of snow than my hometown up in Maine has gotten this year. Joy.
Deja vu all over again:
It is not only DC that is in the grips of a record winter. Baltimore and Philadelphia are also sharing the love and have also set all time snowfall records this winter. Meanwhile the winter festival in Portland, Maine has been canceled due to a lack of snow and the snow is hard to find at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC.
A storm even rolled through the deep south last Friday and left snow in places like Florida, Alabama and Georgia. As a result of it, 49 of the 50 U.S. states had measurable snow on the ground on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The only state without any snow was Hawaii. Hawaii sounds pretty good to me right now.
Mood: Cold
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
"The Virginia Lottery: screwing you out of your hard earned money."
Movie Quote of the Day:
"He set an American League record with 4 wild pitches in one inning." - Major League
A) Snow in early December is the sign of a mild winter to come.
B) Every 7th winter in Washington DC is horrible, with tons of snow.
As you probably know by now, Theory B is the big winner. The trend of every 7 winters being a ferocious one in greater Washington DC lives on.
My first year here, 1996 was horrendous. Although to me, having spent the previous 22 winters in Maine, it didn't seem that bad. By the time the winter of 2003 rolled around, with the famous President's Day Blizzard, my Yankee blood had thinned out enough so that I was totally miserable.
Flash forward another 7 years to the winter of 2010 and I am enduring the worst winter in the history of Washington DC. Ever. So far I've shoveled 63 inches of the white stuff off my car this winter season. That is a new all time record for snow in one winter and it is only mid-February. In fact, that is 5 more inches of snow than my hometown up in Maine has gotten this year. Joy.
Deja vu all over again:
It is not only DC that is in the grips of a record winter. Baltimore and Philadelphia are also sharing the love and have also set all time snowfall records this winter. Meanwhile the winter festival in Portland, Maine has been canceled due to a lack of snow and the snow is hard to find at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC.
A storm even rolled through the deep south last Friday and left snow in places like Florida, Alabama and Georgia. As a result of it, 49 of the 50 U.S. states had measurable snow on the ground on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The only state without any snow was Hawaii. Hawaii sounds pretty good to me right now.
Mood: Cold
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
"The Virginia Lottery: screwing you out of your hard earned money."
Movie Quote of the Day:
"He set an American League record with 4 wild pitches in one inning." - Major League
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Rest Of The Story
I wrote in late December at how mystified I was that Jason Bay went to the Mets for only 10% more than what the Sox offered him. It turns out what I had then for information was just the tip of the iceberg. I now 100% understand why Jason left the Sox for New York and I don't blame him one bit.
It came out this week that the Sox wanted Jason to sign a contract with all kinds of medical clauses and conditions in it even though he has been nothing but healthy in his MLB career. The Sox offered him 2 guaranteed years at $15 Million and then 2 more at $15 Million if he met certain health and productivity levels. The Mets offered him $16.5 Million per year for 4 years, guaranteed, plus an optional 5th year.
It sounds as if there is still a lot more to this story which we may or may not ever find out. Anyway, I certainly understand now why Jason took the Mets offer over what the Sox offered him. He made the best decision for himself and his family and I wish him nothing but the best.
In fact, I now am questioning the business tactics used by the Red Sox in general. If this is how they treat their best player - Jason led the Sox in Home Runs, RBI and was 2nd in Runs Scored in 2009 - during contract negotiations that doesn't say much about the organization. When you combine this with how they have treated Mike Lowell - The MVP of the 2007 World Series - over the past few months I have a very bad taste in my mouth for the Sox right now. If they keep it up they are going to get a bad reputation and the best players may start passing the Sox up no matter how much money they offer them.
Mood: Disappointed.
Failed Advertising Slogan Of The Day:
"The day you give someone a Lexus is the day you lose your soul."
It came out this week that the Sox wanted Jason to sign a contract with all kinds of medical clauses and conditions in it even though he has been nothing but healthy in his MLB career. The Sox offered him 2 guaranteed years at $15 Million and then 2 more at $15 Million if he met certain health and productivity levels. The Mets offered him $16.5 Million per year for 4 years, guaranteed, plus an optional 5th year.
It sounds as if there is still a lot more to this story which we may or may not ever find out. Anyway, I certainly understand now why Jason took the Mets offer over what the Sox offered him. He made the best decision for himself and his family and I wish him nothing but the best.
In fact, I now am questioning the business tactics used by the Red Sox in general. If this is how they treat their best player - Jason led the Sox in Home Runs, RBI and was 2nd in Runs Scored in 2009 - during contract negotiations that doesn't say much about the organization. When you combine this with how they have treated Mike Lowell - The MVP of the 2007 World Series - over the past few months I have a very bad taste in my mouth for the Sox right now. If they keep it up they are going to get a bad reputation and the best players may start passing the Sox up no matter how much money they offer them.
Mood: Disappointed.
Failed Advertising Slogan Of The Day:
"The day you give someone a Lexus is the day you lose your soul."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Feeling Lucky, Punk?
Only a little more than two full years until the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. You better start planning how to commemorate this event now if you haven't already.
What better way to remember this historical tragedy than by hopping on a boat on a cruise from say, England to New York? Yes, it's the Titanic Memorial Cruise by the British travel firm Miles Morgan Travel. You and a few thousand other random people can pile onto the luxury ocean liner MS Balmoral in Southhampton, England for 12 days of adventure on the high seas.
You may want to hurry if you are interested in taking part as 12 of the 21 cabin types have wait lists and another 5 have limited availability according to their website. Right now the lowest priced cabin is about $4,324 US Dollars. I say about because the price is actually in British Pounds on the website. Thank god for online currency converters.
I am glad that there are so many people willing to tempt fate and hit the high seas 100 years to the week that the Titanic sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic. This just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. There is no way in hell I would go on this trip, not even if you paid me. I don't even want to speak the word Titanic the whole month of April 2012. Have fun for me and make sure to bring your life jacket!
Mood: Horrified
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Boy, this is a mother dictionary." - Say Anything
What better way to remember this historical tragedy than by hopping on a boat on a cruise from say, England to New York? Yes, it's the Titanic Memorial Cruise by the British travel firm Miles Morgan Travel. You and a few thousand other random people can pile onto the luxury ocean liner MS Balmoral in Southhampton, England for 12 days of adventure on the high seas.
You may want to hurry if you are interested in taking part as 12 of the 21 cabin types have wait lists and another 5 have limited availability according to their website. Right now the lowest priced cabin is about $4,324 US Dollars. I say about because the price is actually in British Pounds on the website. Thank god for online currency converters.
I am glad that there are so many people willing to tempt fate and hit the high seas 100 years to the week that the Titanic sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic. This just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. There is no way in hell I would go on this trip, not even if you paid me. I don't even want to speak the word Titanic the whole month of April 2012. Have fun for me and make sure to bring your life jacket!
Mood: Horrified
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Boy, this is a mother dictionary." - Say Anything
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
So long, dumbass!
The big news in the world of baseball today is that Jason Bay is not returning to the Boston Red Sox but is signing with the New York Mets instead. This isn't exactly a shocker, the Mets have been portrayed as the front runner to land Bay the past few weeks. The shocker is the contract that Bay got from the Mets compared to what he turned down from the Red Sox.
The Red Sox offered Bay 4 years at $60 Million, a cool $15 Million per year. The Mets are giving Bay 4 years at $66 Million, which works out to $16.5 Million per year. Jason Bay will get an extra $1.5 Million per year to play for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2006 and lost 92 games in 2009. He could have stayed with the Red Sox for $1.5 Million less per year and been on a team that has been to the playoffs in 6 of the last 7 years and has won 2 World Series Titles in that time.
I don't get it. I can see if the Mets were offering him $5 or $6 Million more per season but to go from a championship caliber team to a cellar dweller for a mere 10% more in salary is ludicrous to me. Is Jason Bay that obsessed with money? If so, that is really sad.
On the plus side, I am ecstatic that he didn't end up with the Yankees. That is always my biggest fear as a Red Sox fan. In fact, so far, things seem to be going in the Sox favor for 2010. The Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is gone to the National League - sweet! The Sox signed John Lackey without having to give away half our team or best prospects - sweet! The Mike Lowell to Texas trade fell through - double sweet!
Only 50 days until Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to Ft. Meyers on February 18, 2010.
Mood: Flabbergasted.
It's Ironic:
That local radio station Mix 107.3 airs commercials touting "Commercial free Mondays" on Mondays.
Song Of The Day:
"I'm noddin' my head like "Yeah!" Movin' my hips like "Yeah!""
-Party In The USA
Miley Cyrus
The Red Sox offered Bay 4 years at $60 Million, a cool $15 Million per year. The Mets are giving Bay 4 years at $66 Million, which works out to $16.5 Million per year. Jason Bay will get an extra $1.5 Million per year to play for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2006 and lost 92 games in 2009. He could have stayed with the Red Sox for $1.5 Million less per year and been on a team that has been to the playoffs in 6 of the last 7 years and has won 2 World Series Titles in that time.
I don't get it. I can see if the Mets were offering him $5 or $6 Million more per season but to go from a championship caliber team to a cellar dweller for a mere 10% more in salary is ludicrous to me. Is Jason Bay that obsessed with money? If so, that is really sad.
On the plus side, I am ecstatic that he didn't end up with the Yankees. That is always my biggest fear as a Red Sox fan. In fact, so far, things seem to be going in the Sox favor for 2010. The Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is gone to the National League - sweet! The Sox signed John Lackey without having to give away half our team or best prospects - sweet! The Mike Lowell to Texas trade fell through - double sweet!
Only 50 days until Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to Ft. Meyers on February 18, 2010.
Mood: Flabbergasted.
It's Ironic:
That local radio station Mix 107.3 airs commercials touting "Commercial free Mondays" on Mondays.
Song Of The Day:
"I'm noddin' my head like "Yeah!" Movin' my hips like "Yeah!""
-Party In The USA
Miley Cyrus
Sunday, December 6, 2009
December 5th is Evil!!!
I don't know what it is about December 5th, but for some reason it likes to snow in NoVa (Northern Virginia) on that day. Here is the weather for the last several December 5ths:
2009 - Cold, snow - 4 inches
2008 - Sunny, cold, high of 40
2007 - Cold, snow - 3 inches
2006 - Sunny, cold, high of 41
2005 - Cold, snow - 3 inches
2004 - Warm, high of 59
2003 - Cold, high of 33
2002 - Cold, snow - 6 inches
The normal high temperature is "around" 50 degrees for December 5th. I say "around" 50 because I checked 2 different websites and got 3 different answers for it. Weather Underground says it is 48 and The Weather Channel has both 49 and 51 listed as the "average" high in different parts of their colossal website.
The last eight December 5ths have been quite a change from the four before them when it was always warm and we had 2 record highs set for the date within a period of three years:
2001 - Sunny, warm, record high of 77!
2000 - Warm, high of 51
1999 - Warm, high of 66
1998 - Partly sunny, warm, record high of 73!
For the record, my first two years in NoVa featured fairly uneventful December 5th weather:
1997 - Sun to clouds, high of 46
1996 - Cold, high of 39
I suppose when you average it all up you come out with a normal high of "around" 50 degrees.
You might think that I would be appalled at snow in December and in fact it is just the opposite. I think snow in December is the sign of a mild winter to come. I was actually very worried that we are due for a really bad winter this year. The first winter I was in NoVa, 1996, was horrible and seven years later the winter of 2003 was also a bad one. If the seven year pattern holds, 2010 is due to be another rough year with a huge snowstorm hiding somewhere in it. The more snow we have now, the less likely that outcome is in my opinion. I will take 4 inches of snow in December over 24 inches in February any day!
Mood: Chilly
Song Of The Day:
"But under my hood is internal combustion power and Satan is my motor."
-Satan Is My Motor
Cake
2009 - Cold, snow - 4 inches
2008 - Sunny, cold, high of 40
2007 - Cold, snow - 3 inches
2006 - Sunny, cold, high of 41
2005 - Cold, snow - 3 inches
2004 - Warm, high of 59
2003 - Cold, high of 33
2002 - Cold, snow - 6 inches
The normal high temperature is "around" 50 degrees for December 5th. I say "around" 50 because I checked 2 different websites and got 3 different answers for it. Weather Underground says it is 48 and The Weather Channel has both 49 and 51 listed as the "average" high in different parts of their colossal website.
The last eight December 5ths have been quite a change from the four before them when it was always warm and we had 2 record highs set for the date within a period of three years:
2001 - Sunny, warm, record high of 77!
2000 - Warm, high of 51
1999 - Warm, high of 66
1998 - Partly sunny, warm, record high of 73!
For the record, my first two years in NoVa featured fairly uneventful December 5th weather:
1997 - Sun to clouds, high of 46
1996 - Cold, high of 39
I suppose when you average it all up you come out with a normal high of "around" 50 degrees.
You might think that I would be appalled at snow in December and in fact it is just the opposite. I think snow in December is the sign of a mild winter to come. I was actually very worried that we are due for a really bad winter this year. The first winter I was in NoVa, 1996, was horrible and seven years later the winter of 2003 was also a bad one. If the seven year pattern holds, 2010 is due to be another rough year with a huge snowstorm hiding somewhere in it. The more snow we have now, the less likely that outcome is in my opinion. I will take 4 inches of snow in December over 24 inches in February any day!
Mood: Chilly
Song Of The Day:
"But under my hood is internal combustion power and Satan is my motor."
-Satan Is My Motor
Cake
Friday, November 20, 2009
If It Ain't Broke...
You know the rest of that saying, I know you do. Your parents probably used it almost as much as "were you raised in a barn?" or perhaps "I'm glad you aren't my kid, you stupid imbecilic retard." OK, that is actually a line from the movie One Crazy Summer.
Anyway, every now and then a company takes what is by all accounts a wonderful product and "improves" it but the end result is that it gets fucked up all to hell. The best example of this endeavor is the 1985 introduction of, drum roll please, New Coke.
One of my favorite childhood treats and something I still seek out to this day when I am back in New England are Necco Wafers. For those unfamiliar, Necco stands for New England Confectionary Company and they are based in Revere, Massachusetts. Necco has been making Necco Wafers since 1847. They come in rolls with 8 assorted flavors. They have standard flavors like lemon, lime, chocolate and orange but also very unique flavors of clove, wintergreen, cinnamon and licorice. Just popping one in my mouth instantly takes me back to days of yore.
Well, it used to but not anymore. Necco has suddenly "updated" Necco Wafers in 2009 after 162 years of continuous sales success. Translation: "they have fucked them all to hell." Their website brags of making the candy out of all natural flavors and blah, blah, blah. That is all well and good but they suddenly taste like shit. No, I take that back, they taste like the shit that eats shit.
If I get really ambitious I may email the company to let them know they fucked this one up. A quick search of the web reveals there are lots of longtime Necco Wafer fans just as pissed off as I am. I wonder if their management team used to work for Coke in the mid-1980s?
Mood: Violated
Song Of The Day:
"I love you like a fat kid love cake."
-21 Questions
50 Cent
Anyway, every now and then a company takes what is by all accounts a wonderful product and "improves" it but the end result is that it gets fucked up all to hell. The best example of this endeavor is the 1985 introduction of, drum roll please, New Coke.
One of my favorite childhood treats and something I still seek out to this day when I am back in New England are Necco Wafers. For those unfamiliar, Necco stands for New England Confectionary Company and they are based in Revere, Massachusetts. Necco has been making Necco Wafers since 1847. They come in rolls with 8 assorted flavors. They have standard flavors like lemon, lime, chocolate and orange but also very unique flavors of clove, wintergreen, cinnamon and licorice. Just popping one in my mouth instantly takes me back to days of yore.
Well, it used to but not anymore. Necco has suddenly "updated" Necco Wafers in 2009 after 162 years of continuous sales success. Translation: "they have fucked them all to hell." Their website brags of making the candy out of all natural flavors and blah, blah, blah. That is all well and good but they suddenly taste like shit. No, I take that back, they taste like the shit that eats shit.
If I get really ambitious I may email the company to let them know they fucked this one up. A quick search of the web reveals there are lots of longtime Necco Wafer fans just as pissed off as I am. I wonder if their management team used to work for Coke in the mid-1980s?
Mood: Violated
Song Of The Day:
"I love you like a fat kid love cake."
-21 Questions
50 Cent
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Happy Anniversary Baby!
If you pay any attention to the stock market you know that yesterday, September 15, 2009, was the one year anniversary of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. It marked the beginning of the absolute free fall of the financial markets that took place over the ensuing 6 months, so it was indeed an important anniversary.
However, there is another one year anniversary today that no one has been talking about. It was one year ago today, September 16, 2008, that The Reserve's Primary Fund, a money market mutual fund, "broke the buck." The reason it broke the buck was it held some Lehman Brothers notes and paper which instantly became worthless. This caused the asset value of the fund to drop below the sacred $1.00 threshold. This was a HUGE event and it caused banks, businesses and individuals to rethink the security, safety and liquidity of all money market mutual funds, but no one is talking about it.
The Reserve was the pioneer in the money market mutual fund industry. Their breaking the buck is the equivalent of the Surgeon General of the United States admitting he has taken up smoking. The breaking of the buck was only the beginning of the troubles at The Reserve. Within a few days they froze all assets in all of their money market mutual funds, even ones that had no exposure to the toxic Lehman Brothers debt. I know this because I had one of The Reserve's other funds, the US Government Money Market Fund, in my IRA, Roth IRA and brokerage account. In an instant, the majority of my cash reserves was suddenly frozen, illiquid and inaccessible.
One year later the Reserve Primary Fund still has not returned all it's money to shareholders. This is an absolutely unacceptable outcome after 12 months have passed. The only thing more unacceptable than that is that there has been no new regulation of the financial services industry over the past 12 months. Nothing, nada, zilch.
Mood: Perplexed
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
West Virginia: Lame and Annoying
Song Of The Day:
"Happy Anniversary baby! I've got you on my mind."
-Happy Anniversary
The Little River Band
However, there is another one year anniversary today that no one has been talking about. It was one year ago today, September 16, 2008, that The Reserve's Primary Fund, a money market mutual fund, "broke the buck." The reason it broke the buck was it held some Lehman Brothers notes and paper which instantly became worthless. This caused the asset value of the fund to drop below the sacred $1.00 threshold. This was a HUGE event and it caused banks, businesses and individuals to rethink the security, safety and liquidity of all money market mutual funds, but no one is talking about it.
The Reserve was the pioneer in the money market mutual fund industry. Their breaking the buck is the equivalent of the Surgeon General of the United States admitting he has taken up smoking. The breaking of the buck was only the beginning of the troubles at The Reserve. Within a few days they froze all assets in all of their money market mutual funds, even ones that had no exposure to the toxic Lehman Brothers debt. I know this because I had one of The Reserve's other funds, the US Government Money Market Fund, in my IRA, Roth IRA and brokerage account. In an instant, the majority of my cash reserves was suddenly frozen, illiquid and inaccessible.
One year later the Reserve Primary Fund still has not returned all it's money to shareholders. This is an absolutely unacceptable outcome after 12 months have passed. The only thing more unacceptable than that is that there has been no new regulation of the financial services industry over the past 12 months. Nothing, nada, zilch.
Mood: Perplexed
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
West Virginia: Lame and Annoying
Song Of The Day:
"Happy Anniversary baby! I've got you on my mind."
-Happy Anniversary
The Little River Band
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Best Names In College Baseball 2009
I have spent the past few weeks following the 2009 NCAA Division One Baseball Championship. First the Conference Tournaments, then the Regionals, Super Regionals and finally the College World Series. Needless to say I have watched a ton of baseball over the last five weeks.
I now present my list of the Best Names In College Baseball - 2009. I did not scour the internet, reviewing team rosters or the 2009 MLB Draft to find the ultimate list. These are simply the best names I ran across as I watched games in 2009. My only rule is Only 1 Player from any team can make the list. Sorry, Russell Mauldenhauer, Brandon Belt beat you out.
1st Base: Brandon Belt, Texas
2nd Base: Cory Kovanda, Ohio State
3rd Base: Colby May, Georgia
Shortstop: Tyler Cannon, Virginia
Catcher: Myckie Lugbauer, Maine
Designated Hitter: Bryce Nugent, Marist
Left Field: Cole Calhoun, Arizona State
Center Field: Mikie Mahtook, Louisiana State
Right Field: Logan Power, Mississippi
Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State
Relief Pitcher: Logan Munson, North Carolina
I plan to do this each year, and if so the only other rule I will add is you can only make the list once. Talk is cheap though.
Mood: Nostalgic
Song Of The Day:
"Are you real to me? Or are you non dairy...creamer?"
-Non Dairy Creamer
Third Eye Blind
I now present my list of the Best Names In College Baseball - 2009. I did not scour the internet, reviewing team rosters or the 2009 MLB Draft to find the ultimate list. These are simply the best names I ran across as I watched games in 2009. My only rule is Only 1 Player from any team can make the list. Sorry, Russell Mauldenhauer, Brandon Belt beat you out.
1st Base: Brandon Belt, Texas
2nd Base: Cory Kovanda, Ohio State
3rd Base: Colby May, Georgia
Shortstop: Tyler Cannon, Virginia
Catcher: Myckie Lugbauer, Maine
Designated Hitter: Bryce Nugent, Marist
Left Field: Cole Calhoun, Arizona State
Center Field: Mikie Mahtook, Louisiana State
Right Field: Logan Power, Mississippi
Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State
Relief Pitcher: Logan Munson, North Carolina
I plan to do this each year, and if so the only other rule I will add is you can only make the list once. Talk is cheap though.
Mood: Nostalgic
Song Of The Day:
"Are you real to me? Or are you non dairy...creamer?"
-Non Dairy Creamer
Third Eye Blind
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Going Postal
It has been all over the news the last few weeks that the United States Postal Service, USPS from here on out, was raising rates effective Monday, May 11, 2009. They did a nice job getting the word out on TV, radio and the Internet. I actually thought it was nice that USPS waited until after Mother's Day to raise rates. They usually raise rates this time of year and very easily could have done so on May 1st but they waited.
I happened to be out of stamps on the 11th so I took a drive to my local USPS office to stock up on the new denominations. The cost of a one ounce, first class stamp went from 42 cents to 44 cents. Still a pretty good bargain in my opinion. I can pop a letter in the mail here in Virginia and it is delivered as far away as Hawaii in two or three days for a mere 44 cents - sweet!
I went about lunchtime and the line wasn't too long and within a minute or two I was standing at the counter looking at a very nice cardboard sign displaying all the new rates. I needed 44 cent stamps and 88 cent stamps for oversized mail. (That's what she said!!!) They were both listed right on the sign as the correct postage effective that day - Monday, May 11, 2009 - but the Post Office didn't have either in stock.
Wait, What? Seems to me that the USPS has known for months that rates were going up so they should have been able to print a buttload of stamps with higher denominations for delivery to USPS locations everywhere in early May. In fact, a quick Internet search found an online newspaper story from November 2008 telling the World that Postage rates were going up in 2009. The article didn't know the new rates at the time but it shows that the USPS has been planning to raise rates for a minimum of 6 full months before it happened. That seems like plenty of time to stop printing 42 cent stamps and start printing 44 centers.
What the Post Office had instead was the Forever Stamp. They cost me 44 cents a piece but no denomination is listed on the actual stamp. So in theory you could buy a few rolls of these stamps now and use them for the rest of your life. They never expire and they will always be accepted by the Post Office. In fact, if you were smart you could have stocked up on them last year when they first came out. They only cost 41 cents then.
The other thing I needed was stamps for oversized envelopes, they are priced differently at 88 cents for the first ounce. They didn't have those either, big surprise. I settled for some 87 cent stamps. I have tons of 1 cent stamps I can use to make up the difference, no big deal. The only stamp they had in stock that I actually needed were 17 cent stamps, used for additional ounces after the first ounce. They only had these because the price stayed the same. I am sure if it had changed I would have been out of luck there too.
If this is how the USPS always acts I am now amazed that anything I put in my mailbox ever gets delivered anywhere and I certainly have a bit of an understanding for why people go postal.
Mood: Uninspired.
It's Ironic:
That Patriots Day is not listed as a holiday on my 2009 Boston Red Sox Calendar.
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
"Washington Post - If you don't get it, you're retarded."
I happened to be out of stamps on the 11th so I took a drive to my local USPS office to stock up on the new denominations. The cost of a one ounce, first class stamp went from 42 cents to 44 cents. Still a pretty good bargain in my opinion. I can pop a letter in the mail here in Virginia and it is delivered as far away as Hawaii in two or three days for a mere 44 cents - sweet!
I went about lunchtime and the line wasn't too long and within a minute or two I was standing at the counter looking at a very nice cardboard sign displaying all the new rates. I needed 44 cent stamps and 88 cent stamps for oversized mail. (That's what she said!!!) They were both listed right on the sign as the correct postage effective that day - Monday, May 11, 2009 - but the Post Office didn't have either in stock.
Wait, What? Seems to me that the USPS has known for months that rates were going up so they should have been able to print a buttload of stamps with higher denominations for delivery to USPS locations everywhere in early May. In fact, a quick Internet search found an online newspaper story from November 2008 telling the World that Postage rates were going up in 2009. The article didn't know the new rates at the time but it shows that the USPS has been planning to raise rates for a minimum of 6 full months before it happened. That seems like plenty of time to stop printing 42 cent stamps and start printing 44 centers.
What the Post Office had instead was the Forever Stamp. They cost me 44 cents a piece but no denomination is listed on the actual stamp. So in theory you could buy a few rolls of these stamps now and use them for the rest of your life. They never expire and they will always be accepted by the Post Office. In fact, if you were smart you could have stocked up on them last year when they first came out. They only cost 41 cents then.
The other thing I needed was stamps for oversized envelopes, they are priced differently at 88 cents for the first ounce. They didn't have those either, big surprise. I settled for some 87 cent stamps. I have tons of 1 cent stamps I can use to make up the difference, no big deal. The only stamp they had in stock that I actually needed were 17 cent stamps, used for additional ounces after the first ounce. They only had these because the price stayed the same. I am sure if it had changed I would have been out of luck there too.
If this is how the USPS always acts I am now amazed that anything I put in my mailbox ever gets delivered anywhere and I certainly have a bit of an understanding for why people go postal.
Mood: Uninspired.
It's Ironic:
That Patriots Day is not listed as a holiday on my 2009 Boston Red Sox Calendar.
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
"Washington Post - If you don't get it, you're retarded."
Monday, April 6, 2009
2200 Miles
Whew, the pressure is off me. Someone else is already hiking the AT this year and even documenting it to boot. Check it out:
www.2200miles.com
Ironically, he started his journey the very same day I waxed philosophically about wanting to do the same.
Best of luck Chris!
Mood: Jealous!
It's Ironic:
That the rustiest old clunkers deliver your pizza to you in 30 minutes or less.
www.2200miles.com
Ironically, he started his journey the very same day I waxed philosophically about wanting to do the same.
Best of luck Chris!
Mood: Jealous!
It's Ironic:
That the rustiest old clunkers deliver your pizza to you in 30 minutes or less.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Stinky Tree
Summer is by far my favorite season. I would take 12 months of July every year and only partly because my birthday is in July. But before it can be Summer it has to be Spring. Spring in NoVa is about a two month process from when the first few blades of grass turn green in early March to when the last tree leafs out in late April.
There are lots of obvious and no so obvious signs of spring each year in NoVa. Not too long after the first blades of new grass the prettiest little blue flowers pop up in lawns and parks everywhere. I don't know their name but they are one of the signs of spring it would be easy to overlook.
By mid March each year the Forsythia is starting to bloom and within a week or two the electric yellow blossoms dominate gardens and median strips alike all throughout the region. There is no denying that spring is on the way when you see it.
By the first week of April that familiar hum and the smell that goes with it are in the air as people begin their lawncare chores for the year. Actually, I believe that most lawncare is done by Landscaping Services in NoVa. It sometimes seems everywhere you look there is a latino with a bag of mulch and a leaf blower.
Trees of various shapes, sizes and colors begin to blossom the last few days of March or very early April. The most famous tree in our neck of the planet is the ornamental cherry tree. They are everywhere, not just around the tidal basin in DC.
For me the undeniable sign that spring is well on it's way and is an unstoppable force is the stinky tree. Each year NoVa is filled with a beautiful, blossom filled tree that makes you gag. From afar they are a sight to behold with their many branches reaching skyward covered in whitish-green blossoms.
I even dug out my Audubon Society's Eastern Forests book to see if I could figure out precisely what it is but had no luck. The leaves look exactly like the quaking aspen, the most widely distributed tree in North America, but I don't remember them smelling like this. Perhaps is is some other lesser known aspen or linden variety. Whatever it is, I always hold my breath as I walk underneath them.
Mood: Tired.
Song of the Day:
"Ooh, ooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell?
-That Smell
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
Forex: "A brand new way for you to lose money."
There are lots of obvious and no so obvious signs of spring each year in NoVa. Not too long after the first blades of new grass the prettiest little blue flowers pop up in lawns and parks everywhere. I don't know their name but they are one of the signs of spring it would be easy to overlook.
By mid March each year the Forsythia is starting to bloom and within a week or two the electric yellow blossoms dominate gardens and median strips alike all throughout the region. There is no denying that spring is on the way when you see it.
By the first week of April that familiar hum and the smell that goes with it are in the air as people begin their lawncare chores for the year. Actually, I believe that most lawncare is done by Landscaping Services in NoVa. It sometimes seems everywhere you look there is a latino with a bag of mulch and a leaf blower.
Trees of various shapes, sizes and colors begin to blossom the last few days of March or very early April. The most famous tree in our neck of the planet is the ornamental cherry tree. They are everywhere, not just around the tidal basin in DC.
For me the undeniable sign that spring is well on it's way and is an unstoppable force is the stinky tree. Each year NoVa is filled with a beautiful, blossom filled tree that makes you gag. From afar they are a sight to behold with their many branches reaching skyward covered in whitish-green blossoms.
I even dug out my Audubon Society's Eastern Forests book to see if I could figure out precisely what it is but had no luck. The leaves look exactly like the quaking aspen, the most widely distributed tree in North America, but I don't remember them smelling like this. Perhaps is is some other lesser known aspen or linden variety. Whatever it is, I always hold my breath as I walk underneath them.
Mood: Tired.
Song of the Day:
"Ooh, ooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell?
-That Smell
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Failed Advertising Slogan of the Day:
Forex: "A brand new way for you to lose money."
Monday, February 9, 2009
A-Fraud
I love baseball. Anyone who knows me well knows that. Any other sporting event I watch is just a way to kill time because there is no baseball on. MLB Network has certainly helped out in that department.
The big scandal these days in the world of professional baseball is that Alex Rodriquez now admits that he took steroids. What a shocker this is, um, no not really. I am not here to droll on and on about that. There is more than enough of that going on elsewhere.
I don't like Alex Rodriquez as a player or as a person. He openly cheats on the field - see the ball slapping incident of the 2004 playoffs for proof - and off the field too - on his wife. Still, he is arguably the best offensive player in the world. He is a grown man who gets paid millions to play a child's game. He will make more money per at bat than the average American will make all year. And I actually feel bad for him today.
To me, the real controversy here is really the betrayal by the very organization that is supposed to protect players like him - the Major League Baseball Players Association - MLBPA for short. Back in 2003 when baseball finally decided to do something about steroids they tested all players on each team's 40 man roster for steroids and illegal substances. The point of the testing was to serve as a benchmark, to find out how bad it was out there. Were 15% of players doing roids? Or was it 3%? Or 48%? The testing was mandatory but anonymous. Everyone participated because there was no other option.
About 1200 players were tested (30 teams, 40 players per team) and 104 of them tested positive for steroids or illegal substances. Break that number into a percentage and you get 8.7% of players who tested positive. Just like the Mitchell Report, a serious number but not an eye popping outcome in my opinion.
However only 1 name of the 104 guilty parties has been leaked to the press. MLBPA failed Alex Rodriquez and every other player by not ensuring that these anonymous test results stayed anonymous. Their sole purpose as an organization is to protect the rights of MLB players and they have supremely failed.
MLBPA should have made absolutely sure all test results were destroyed years ago the second they were no longer needed by MLB. While I do not care for A-Rod as a person or player I certainly don't want to see his civil rights violated. Even he deserves to be treated better than this.
Mood: Shocked.
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Your middle name is Ralph, as in puke." - The Breakfast Club
It's Ironic:
Kinda funny that both my trail running cousin and I took pictures of our shadows yesterday while we were out on the trail. Mine was taken in VA with a temperature of 67 degrees while his was up in Maine at a slightly lower reading, lol.
The big scandal these days in the world of professional baseball is that Alex Rodriquez now admits that he took steroids. What a shocker this is, um, no not really. I am not here to droll on and on about that. There is more than enough of that going on elsewhere.
I don't like Alex Rodriquez as a player or as a person. He openly cheats on the field - see the ball slapping incident of the 2004 playoffs for proof - and off the field too - on his wife. Still, he is arguably the best offensive player in the world. He is a grown man who gets paid millions to play a child's game. He will make more money per at bat than the average American will make all year. And I actually feel bad for him today.
To me, the real controversy here is really the betrayal by the very organization that is supposed to protect players like him - the Major League Baseball Players Association - MLBPA for short. Back in 2003 when baseball finally decided to do something about steroids they tested all players on each team's 40 man roster for steroids and illegal substances. The point of the testing was to serve as a benchmark, to find out how bad it was out there. Were 15% of players doing roids? Or was it 3%? Or 48%? The testing was mandatory but anonymous. Everyone participated because there was no other option.
About 1200 players were tested (30 teams, 40 players per team) and 104 of them tested positive for steroids or illegal substances. Break that number into a percentage and you get 8.7% of players who tested positive. Just like the Mitchell Report, a serious number but not an eye popping outcome in my opinion.
However only 1 name of the 104 guilty parties has been leaked to the press. MLBPA failed Alex Rodriquez and every other player by not ensuring that these anonymous test results stayed anonymous. Their sole purpose as an organization is to protect the rights of MLB players and they have supremely failed.
MLBPA should have made absolutely sure all test results were destroyed years ago the second they were no longer needed by MLB. While I do not care for A-Rod as a person or player I certainly don't want to see his civil rights violated. Even he deserves to be treated better than this.
Mood: Shocked.
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Your middle name is Ralph, as in puke." - The Breakfast Club
It's Ironic:
Kinda funny that both my trail running cousin and I took pictures of our shadows yesterday while we were out on the trail. Mine was taken in VA with a temperature of 67 degrees while his was up in Maine at a slightly lower reading, lol.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Coldest Day of the Year
Brrrr, it's cold out there today boys and girls. Doesn't matter if you are in Bangor, Maine or Atlanta, Georgia. Today was one of the coldest days in a long time over a wide swath of the country. Here in the NoVa (Northern Virginia) suburbs of Washington DC the high temperature was 17 degrees.
Now I know all you people out there with zip codes like 02492 and 04938 think I am a pansy for writing about a temperature of 17 degrees. That's balmy you say! But temperature is all relative to what you are used to. The normal high temperature here on January 16th is 41 degrees, so a high of 17 is pretty much unheard of. In fact, the last time we had a day this cold was February 4, 1996 - 13 years ago - when the mercury also topped out at 17 degrees.
I actually remember that day as a matter of fact. I had only been in DC for about 5 weeks and so 17 degrees didn't phase me a bit then. I actually went sightseeing downtown that day and walked all around the mall. Here's a pic in fact.
The ironic thing is that while much of the United States in in the deep freeze Alaska is having record high temperatures this week. Temperatures have been in the 40s and 50s in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness. Places like Denali National Park and Fairbanks, Alaska have set record high temperatures for the MONTH of January this week. All time records there have been shattered not by one or two degrees but by 10 to 15 degrees.
It's not unusual for it to get cold in DC, we have a few days every year where the temps don't get out of the 20s. The weird thing is we don't have any snow this time around. In fact, we haven't had any measureable snow all winter. We got a dusting one evening back in December but that is it. That simply means that we are due. Hopefully it won't all come at once, in March. That would totally suck.
Mood: Frostbitten
Song of the Day:
"We'll run away together. We'll spend some time forever. We'll never feel bad anymore."
- Island In The Sun
Weezer
Global Warming Stat of the Day:
There is enough water frozen in Antarctica to raise sea level by 160 feet. (Yowzah!!!)
It's Ironic:
That the only thing the 'prevent defense' used in football prevents is winning.
Now I know all you people out there with zip codes like 02492 and 04938 think I am a pansy for writing about a temperature of 17 degrees. That's balmy you say! But temperature is all relative to what you are used to. The normal high temperature here on January 16th is 41 degrees, so a high of 17 is pretty much unheard of. In fact, the last time we had a day this cold was February 4, 1996 - 13 years ago - when the mercury also topped out at 17 degrees.
I actually remember that day as a matter of fact. I had only been in DC for about 5 weeks and so 17 degrees didn't phase me a bit then. I actually went sightseeing downtown that day and walked all around the mall. Here's a pic in fact.
The ironic thing is that while much of the United States in in the deep freeze Alaska is having record high temperatures this week. Temperatures have been in the 40s and 50s in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness. Places like Denali National Park and Fairbanks, Alaska have set record high temperatures for the MONTH of January this week. All time records there have been shattered not by one or two degrees but by 10 to 15 degrees.
It's not unusual for it to get cold in DC, we have a few days every year where the temps don't get out of the 20s. The weird thing is we don't have any snow this time around. In fact, we haven't had any measureable snow all winter. We got a dusting one evening back in December but that is it. That simply means that we are due. Hopefully it won't all come at once, in March. That would totally suck.
Mood: Frostbitten
Song of the Day:
"We'll run away together. We'll spend some time forever. We'll never feel bad anymore."
- Island In The Sun
Weezer
Global Warming Stat of the Day:
There is enough water frozen in Antarctica to raise sea level by 160 feet. (Yowzah!!!)
It's Ironic:
That the only thing the 'prevent defense' used in football prevents is winning.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Twenty-Oh-Eight
This time of year you can't turn on the TV, read the paper or surf the net without running into "The Year in Review" over and over again. Those things seem to come earlier and earlier each year, just like Christmas decorations at the mall. The problem with airing your "Year in Review" show on December 10th is that there are still 21 more days for stuff to happen. Here are two examples of that:
Bernie Madoff - he was arrested on December 11th and charged with investment fraud. His hedge fund investors may have lost $50 Billion - that's Billion with a B. Family fortunes, entire life savings and charitable trusts gone forever in an instant. This is major, big time news and should definitely be in your Year in Review show, list, blog...
The Shoe Thrower - that guy in Iraq threw his shoes at President Bush on December 14th. In the grand scheme of 2008 this is a relatively lame event, but the entire incident is over in 10 seconds. Surely you could cut out 10 seconds of Paris Hilton or Kanye West to fit it in.
Here's my attempt at a review of 2008.
Favorite Memory: Bonfire in Maine
Friday, October 10th. A warm fall night with copious amounts of Miller High Life, smores and Red Sox Playoff baseball via radio in Freeport, ME. It was the perfect ending for my last night of the year in Maine.
Best Song: "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" by O.A.R.
Best Play: The Catch, Superbowl XLII
Up until February 3, 2008 if you mentioned "The Catch" it was understood that you were talking about the throw from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark to win the 1982 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys. Not anymore. Now you are talking about the ball Eli Manning flings in the direction of David Tyree. Tyree leaps into the air to grab the ball, takes a pounding hit from the Patriots' Rodney Harrison and comes down with the ball clutched between his hands and helmet. Thirty six seconds later the Giants score the winning touchdown to end the Patriots hope of a perfect season.
Best Movie: Ironman
Biggest Surprise: Stock Market Collapse.
With one day of trading left the S&P 500 Index, which represents the 500 largest public companies in the US, is down a mind boggling 39.3% for the year. This is the worst year for the S&P Index since 1931. We have had bear markets in the past, but none as severe and swift as what we have seen in 2008.
Underdog of the Year: Tampa Bay Rays
You might expect me to pick my NY Football Giants win in Superbowl 42 but you would be wrong. The Giants proved that they could play with the Patriots in the final game of the regular season on December 29, 2007. It's awfully hard to beat a good team twice in a season, so I don't consider their Superbowl win much of a surprise.
What was a surprise to me was the Tampa Bay Rays making it to the World Series in 2008. This is a team that had never had a winning season since they came into existence in 1994. In fact, they had never finished better than 21 games under .500 in a season. They had finished in last place in their division every year except 2005 when they finished in...next to last place. A worst to first story indeed.
Mood: Hopeful
Song of the Day:
"Banks back then was lendin' money, the banker was the farmer's friend."
- A Month of Sundays
Don Henley
Bernie Madoff - he was arrested on December 11th and charged with investment fraud. His hedge fund investors may have lost $50 Billion - that's Billion with a B. Family fortunes, entire life savings and charitable trusts gone forever in an instant. This is major, big time news and should definitely be in your Year in Review show, list, blog...
The Shoe Thrower - that guy in Iraq threw his shoes at President Bush on December 14th. In the grand scheme of 2008 this is a relatively lame event, but the entire incident is over in 10 seconds. Surely you could cut out 10 seconds of Paris Hilton or Kanye West to fit it in.
Here's my attempt at a review of 2008.
Favorite Memory: Bonfire in Maine
Friday, October 10th. A warm fall night with copious amounts of Miller High Life, smores and Red Sox Playoff baseball via radio in Freeport, ME. It was the perfect ending for my last night of the year in Maine.
Best Song: "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" by O.A.R.
Best Play: The Catch, Superbowl XLII
Up until February 3, 2008 if you mentioned "The Catch" it was understood that you were talking about the throw from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark to win the 1982 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys. Not anymore. Now you are talking about the ball Eli Manning flings in the direction of David Tyree. Tyree leaps into the air to grab the ball, takes a pounding hit from the Patriots' Rodney Harrison and comes down with the ball clutched between his hands and helmet. Thirty six seconds later the Giants score the winning touchdown to end the Patriots hope of a perfect season.
Best Movie: Ironman
Biggest Surprise: Stock Market Collapse.
With one day of trading left the S&P 500 Index, which represents the 500 largest public companies in the US, is down a mind boggling 39.3% for the year. This is the worst year for the S&P Index since 1931. We have had bear markets in the past, but none as severe and swift as what we have seen in 2008.
Underdog of the Year: Tampa Bay Rays
You might expect me to pick my NY Football Giants win in Superbowl 42 but you would be wrong. The Giants proved that they could play with the Patriots in the final game of the regular season on December 29, 2007. It's awfully hard to beat a good team twice in a season, so I don't consider their Superbowl win much of a surprise.
What was a surprise to me was the Tampa Bay Rays making it to the World Series in 2008. This is a team that had never had a winning season since they came into existence in 1994. In fact, they had never finished better than 21 games under .500 in a season. They had finished in last place in their division every year except 2005 when they finished in...next to last place. A worst to first story indeed.
Mood: Hopeful
Song of the Day:
"Banks back then was lendin' money, the banker was the farmer's friend."
- A Month of Sundays
Don Henley
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Gasoline + Collusion = Gasollusion
I started buying gasoline in 1991 and ever since that first day at the pump the spread between the different grades of gasoline has been 10 cents per grade. Premium costs 10 cents more than Midgrade, which costs 10 cents more than Regular. It hasn't mattered if Regular is $1.00 per gallon or $4.00 per gallon, just add 10 or 20 cents to it and you will have the price of the other grades. This means that the spread is a fixed cost. The only variable cost is the price of the gasoline derived from the base commodity oil which constantly changes in price.
Now as prices for gasoline are cascading down the spread between the grades has suddenly increased for no apparent reason. At my local Shell station yesterday Regular was selling for $1.659 per gallon, Midgrade for $1.959 and Premium for 2.059 per gallon. So here in 2008, the spread between Regular and Midgrade has magicially increased to 30 cents per gallon while the spread from Midgrade to Premium remains 10 cents per gallon. This is a clear indication of collusion in the gasoline markets in my opinion.
If the spread between the grades was a percentage of the cost then it would naturally increase as prices went up and drop as prices fell. 5% of $1.00 ($.05) is less than 5% of $4.00 ($.20). This is exactly why Oil Companies like Exxon Mobil and Shell have been seeing record profits as oil rose in price. Their profit is a PERCENTAGE of the base commodity, so as it rises in price so does their profit.
For example, if Regular cost $4.00 then Midgrade might cost $4.20 - 5% higher than Regular grade - and Premium might cost $4.40 - 10% higher than Regular. However that is not what has happened over the past 18 years of ups and downs in the gasoline market. The spread has ALWAYS been 10 cents per grade, no matter what the price.
But suddenly in 2008 the exact opposite has happened. As gas prices have fallen the spread between the grades has RISEN!!! There is no logical answer for this except collusion. I have long wondered why gasoline goes up in price 10 cents at a time but only comes down a penny at a time. That does not speak of an efficient, free flowing market, it speaks of price fixing and collusion in the system between retailers and suppliers.
The next time you hear Congress is holding hearings on something stupid like Steroids in Baseball, call your Representative and ask him why Congress never looks into actual important issues. Things like Collusion in the Gasoline Markets, the Effect of Unregulated Hedge Funds on the Financial Market Meltdown and the Fabrication of Evidence for the War in Iraq to name a few.
Mood: Annoyed
It's Ironic: That my neighbors smoke outside so they don't stink up their own house but they stink up my house if I have my windows open.
Random Movie Quote:
"Brenda?" - Mallrats
Now as prices for gasoline are cascading down the spread between the grades has suddenly increased for no apparent reason. At my local Shell station yesterday Regular was selling for $1.659 per gallon, Midgrade for $1.959 and Premium for 2.059 per gallon. So here in 2008, the spread between Regular and Midgrade has magicially increased to 30 cents per gallon while the spread from Midgrade to Premium remains 10 cents per gallon. This is a clear indication of collusion in the gasoline markets in my opinion.
If the spread between the grades was a percentage of the cost then it would naturally increase as prices went up and drop as prices fell. 5% of $1.00 ($.05) is less than 5% of $4.00 ($.20). This is exactly why Oil Companies like Exxon Mobil and Shell have been seeing record profits as oil rose in price. Their profit is a PERCENTAGE of the base commodity, so as it rises in price so does their profit.
For example, if Regular cost $4.00 then Midgrade might cost $4.20 - 5% higher than Regular grade - and Premium might cost $4.40 - 10% higher than Regular. However that is not what has happened over the past 18 years of ups and downs in the gasoline market. The spread has ALWAYS been 10 cents per grade, no matter what the price.
But suddenly in 2008 the exact opposite has happened. As gas prices have fallen the spread between the grades has RISEN!!! There is no logical answer for this except collusion. I have long wondered why gasoline goes up in price 10 cents at a time but only comes down a penny at a time. That does not speak of an efficient, free flowing market, it speaks of price fixing and collusion in the system between retailers and suppliers.
The next time you hear Congress is holding hearings on something stupid like Steroids in Baseball, call your Representative and ask him why Congress never looks into actual important issues. Things like Collusion in the Gasoline Markets, the Effect of Unregulated Hedge Funds on the Financial Market Meltdown and the Fabrication of Evidence for the War in Iraq to name a few.
Mood: Annoyed
It's Ironic: That my neighbors smoke outside so they don't stink up their own house but they stink up my house if I have my windows open.
Random Movie Quote:
"Brenda?" - Mallrats
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
270
On any other day I would hear the number 270 and think it was about traffic. I270 in Maryland is just one of the many commuter hells that lurk in greater DC. But not today. Today the number 270 signifies something else entirely. As you all know by now it represents the number of electoral votes needed to be confirmed as the President of the United States.
As I write this it appears that Barack Obama is on his way to doing just that. No matter who wins today it is a truly historical day in the world of American politics. We will either have our first black president or our first female vice president. A glass ceiling will be broken today for sure.
The biggest surprise to me today at the polls was the return of paper ballot. We have had electronic ballots here in Northern Virginia for as long as I can remember. They were still there this year too but in addition you could vote by paper ballot instead if you prefer.
I chose the paper option because I thought when else will I get the chance to do it the old fashion way again? Then an election official told me on the way out that next year it will probably all be paper ballots. It appears the more things change the more they stay the same.
It actually looks as though Virginia may be a crucial cog in the Obama wheel this election day. He has apparently carried the state. A state that has not voted Democratic for President since 1964. Good to know that I was a part of history in the making.
Mood: Energized
Band of the Day:
The Presidents of the United States of America
As I write this it appears that Barack Obama is on his way to doing just that. No matter who wins today it is a truly historical day in the world of American politics. We will either have our first black president or our first female vice president. A glass ceiling will be broken today for sure.
The biggest surprise to me today at the polls was the return of paper ballot. We have had electronic ballots here in Northern Virginia for as long as I can remember. They were still there this year too but in addition you could vote by paper ballot instead if you prefer.
I chose the paper option because I thought when else will I get the chance to do it the old fashion way again? Then an election official told me on the way out that next year it will probably all be paper ballots. It appears the more things change the more they stay the same.
It actually looks as though Virginia may be a crucial cog in the Obama wheel this election day. He has apparently carried the state. A state that has not voted Democratic for President since 1964. Good to know that I was a part of history in the making.
Mood: Energized
Band of the Day:
The Presidents of the United States of America
Monday, October 27, 2008
Free Taco Day!!!
Another wonderful day is drawing near. A day that is up there with Christmas and Talk Like A Pirate Day. It's Free Taco Day and this year is is tomorrow, Tuesday October 28th from 2pm-6pm at your local Taco Bell.
For the second year in a row Taco Bell has offered America a free taco if someone steals a base in any game of the World Series. Last year it was Jacoby Ellsbury of my beloved Boston Red Sox who won us all a free taco, this year it was some Devil Ray. I don't even know which one and his name is not important. It's as trivial as who gave up Mark McGwire's 62nd home run in 1998. The answer to that is: who cares, give me my free taco dammit!
If you are really bored you could go to www.stealabasestealataco.com and read more about Free Taco Day. I nearly fell asleep just typing the name of the website in my browser window so good luck with that. The only thing you really need to know is it's tomorrow, from 2pm-6pm. I learned last year you want to get there early, right at 2pm, before the high school kids get there. You want to savor your free taco, live in the moment and take it all in - and this is all hard to do with 15 whiny teenagers in close proximity.
I even thought about making a map of all the local Taco Bells in the area and hitting each one for a free taco but then I decided that sounds like work. Besides, one meal from Taco Bell is plenty. In fact, the last time I ate at Taco Bell was on Free Taco Day last year.
Mood: Hungry!
Song of the Day:
"I said pressure drop, oh pressure, oh yeah pressures gonna drop on you..."
-Pressure Drop
The Specials (Or Izzy Stradlin's version if you prefer)
For the second year in a row Taco Bell has offered America a free taco if someone steals a base in any game of the World Series. Last year it was Jacoby Ellsbury of my beloved Boston Red Sox who won us all a free taco, this year it was some Devil Ray. I don't even know which one and his name is not important. It's as trivial as who gave up Mark McGwire's 62nd home run in 1998. The answer to that is: who cares, give me my free taco dammit!
If you are really bored you could go to www.stealabasestealataco.com and read more about Free Taco Day. I nearly fell asleep just typing the name of the website in my browser window so good luck with that. The only thing you really need to know is it's tomorrow, from 2pm-6pm. I learned last year you want to get there early, right at 2pm, before the high school kids get there. You want to savor your free taco, live in the moment and take it all in - and this is all hard to do with 15 whiny teenagers in close proximity.
I even thought about making a map of all the local Taco Bells in the area and hitting each one for a free taco but then I decided that sounds like work. Besides, one meal from Taco Bell is plenty. In fact, the last time I ate at Taco Bell was on Free Taco Day last year.
Mood: Hungry!
Song of the Day:
"I said pressure drop, oh pressure, oh yeah pressures gonna drop on you..."
-Pressure Drop
The Specials (Or Izzy Stradlin's version if you prefer)
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