What an intriguing question...should men marry...wow, I could talk for days on this subject, but as brevity is the soul of wit, I shall be brief...
Well, from experience, the divorce courts are HORRENDOUS on men...the prejudice against fathers in general is despicable, and many good, quality, fathers are lumped into the mix with shitheads and deadbeat dads simply because history has portrayed the man as the "criminal" in the event of divorce.
Regardless of WHY my first marriage failed (and I filed for divorce), the court basically bent me over a table and screwed me. Typical judgements against the father include:
- no chance of joint custody (my lawyer told me not to waste my time filing for joint custody, it wouldn't be granted at all)
- basically 10% of your "adjusted take home pay" for every child from the marriage (when all was said and done, I was forking over 23% of my NET pay to my ex)
- visitation every other saturday/sunday
I was like "what, that's it?".
I have some thoughts on this bullshit...
The courts need to recognize that unless you divorce for "extenuating circumstances", like infidelity, drug use, alcohol addiction, or breaking the law, simply divorcing for "irreconcile differences" does NOT constitute grounds for keeping the father mostly away from his kids. Simply being incompatible is not a reason to restrict the visitation rights of the father.
Same with custody - the fact that my X and I couldn't go 3 days without arguing about something does NOT make me an unfit father, and I should share custody unless I'm a danger to the kids. Giving the mother sole control over the children, in "regular" divorce cases, is simply assinine.
Child support absolutely needs to be overhauled, in a couple of ways. A) you need to take into account the earnings of the mother - in my case, even before I forked over 23% of my net pay, my X earned 10K more than I did a year - how the hell is THAT equitable? B) you need to institute a better tracking system for keeping an eye on the money and the ways in which it is spent - who's to say that the kids aren't getting clothes from goodwill while mommy is getting weekly facials and massages nice designer clothes. Also, it would be good to institute a system where receipts are provided as proof of expenses, and if abuses are noted, things need to change.
My last thoughts are these:
Spend more time with the person before you propose or decide to get married. Too many people are marrying too quickly and consequently finding out that "whoa, this woman farts in public, I can't deal with that" and the lawyers are on the phone.
Also, 2 words...marriage counseling. Too many couples, when they hit the skids say "that's it, I want a divorce" - invest the time to SAVE the marriage before you jump off that bandwagon - after all, "for better or for worse", right?
Also, I've seen and heard of too many people who just won't change or compromise their attitudes, behaviors, and the like just for their spouse - HUH? People need to realize that marriage is not each person giving 50% to make 100%, it's each person giving 100% to make 100%.
As I tell the Mrs - we may not have it all together, but together we have it all. A good marriage, like the one I have now (although Mrs Thew is currently pissed at me), is easy, comfortable, and just plain fun. So I'm all for marriage, but all for making sure it's the RIGHT marriage, something we are not very good at these days.
10.31.2007
Marrying Sam
Here is a thought provoking question: should men marry? I have my own thoughts, but will hold them for a bit to let Thew (one divorce, second success) and Tdub (?) to offer comments. To offer a taste:
"[N]o matter how decent, hardworking, and caring you may be as a father, that in the event of separation, you will more than likely not get custody of your child, you will lose up to 80% of all of your assets, you will have to pay up to five times the cost of raising a child, and most importantly you could never see your child again.”
"[N]o matter how decent, hardworking, and caring you may be as a father, that in the event of separation, you will more than likely not get custody of your child, you will lose up to 80% of all of your assets, you will have to pay up to five times the cost of raising a child, and most importantly you could never see your child again.”
10.29.2007
Back!!!!
Well, it's been a while but I'm back. Thew called me last week and told me I was slacking on the Blog! LOL!!!
Having a new puppy is a LOT of work. My life revolves around when is she GOING to poop and when did she LAST poop! Oh and making sure she doesn't poop IN the house!
Let's see I'll try to catch up.
Top 10 Places I Would Love to Visit.
In no particual order other than Ireland. That will be the first place I go.
1. Ireland
2. Japan
3. Scotland
4. Hawaii
5. Paris
6. New Zeeland
7. Greece
8. Italy
9. Egypt
10. Africa
Top 10 Driving Moves (that drive me crazy?)
1. Failure to merge. The concept seems to be lost on most drivers. Here is a helpful tip, if you are ALREADY on the freeway and are driving in the right hand lane, your job is to make room for those drivers who are entering the freeway. Your job is NOT to speed up and cut them off. Learn to merge!
2. Tailgating. Dude if I could go faster I would, but sitting on my butt is not going to make the person in front of me go any faster. Oh and if we're on the freeway, traffic is heavy, and I cannot move to another lane to let you get one more car length ahead and you sit on my butt....fair warning...I'm gonna slow down. WAAAAAYYYY down. I just want to see if I can get your frustration level so high that your head will explode!
3. People who do not realize that on a 2 lane highway, the left lane is for passing and the right lane is for driving. If you're in the left lane and just putzing along, you're an idiot and your gene pool should be wiped from the face of the planet.
4. Pulling out of a side street in front of me then not accelerating to at LEAST my current rate of speed. If you're going to pull out in front of me, then have the decency to speed up because someday you're going to pull out in front of some idiot who is not paying attention and they'll smash you to bits. Hmmmm.....
5. Honking at me right when the light turns green. Dude, seriously. The light JUST changed. If you're in that much of a hurry go home and invent a teleportation device and make all our lives better.
6. Take a year and a 1/2 to make a right hand turn. Meanwhile I get to actually come to a complete stop waiting for you to navigate through that tricky right hand turn, while some yahoo behind me honks his or her horn. Turn the freakin corner!
7. Not moving over out of a lane that is about to end due to construction. Let me just say this, if you sit in that lane and wait till you actually get all the way up to the flashing arrow to make your move over to the lane I've been in all along, I am NOT going to let you over. As far as I'm concerned, you can sit there all day cuz you're a dirt bag who should have done what the rest of the intelligent drivers did, got over when we saw the HUGE flashing arrow and the 53 signs telling us the lane was ending up ahead!!!
8. Stopping on an entrance ramp to the freeway. If there is no stop light, stop sign or any other indication that you should stop, then don't. If you're too timid to accelerate and merge into freeway traffic, then stick to the surface streets and leave the freeways to the rest of us who actually want to get to our destination before our next birthday.
9. Gawkers aka Rubberneckers. Oh my god! Could you be any nosier! I've talked about this before but this drives me up the freakin wall. It's an accident or it's some poor soul whose car has broken down. What is it NOT is an excuse for you to get your daily dose of reality TV. Move!!!!!
10. Smokers. Ok these have got to be the SLOWEST drivers on the planet. Have you ever gotten behind a car that was moving really slow and wondered what in the world is going on? When you pass them turn your head a little and take a little peak at the driver. I bet you he or she is a smoker. And if he or she is smoking and talking on the phone at the same time, get the hell out of their way. That is just an accident waiting to happen.
I think I'm caught up now!!!
Having a new puppy is a LOT of work. My life revolves around when is she GOING to poop and when did she LAST poop! Oh and making sure she doesn't poop IN the house!
Let's see I'll try to catch up.
Top 10 Places I Would Love to Visit.
In no particual order other than Ireland. That will be the first place I go.
1. Ireland
2. Japan
3. Scotland
4. Hawaii
5. Paris
6. New Zeeland
7. Greece
8. Italy
9. Egypt
10. Africa
Top 10 Driving Moves (that drive me crazy?)
1. Failure to merge. The concept seems to be lost on most drivers. Here is a helpful tip, if you are ALREADY on the freeway and are driving in the right hand lane, your job is to make room for those drivers who are entering the freeway. Your job is NOT to speed up and cut them off. Learn to merge!
2. Tailgating. Dude if I could go faster I would, but sitting on my butt is not going to make the person in front of me go any faster. Oh and if we're on the freeway, traffic is heavy, and I cannot move to another lane to let you get one more car length ahead and you sit on my butt....fair warning...I'm gonna slow down. WAAAAAYYYY down. I just want to see if I can get your frustration level so high that your head will explode!
3. People who do not realize that on a 2 lane highway, the left lane is for passing and the right lane is for driving. If you're in the left lane and just putzing along, you're an idiot and your gene pool should be wiped from the face of the planet.
4. Pulling out of a side street in front of me then not accelerating to at LEAST my current rate of speed. If you're going to pull out in front of me, then have the decency to speed up because someday you're going to pull out in front of some idiot who is not paying attention and they'll smash you to bits. Hmmmm.....
5. Honking at me right when the light turns green. Dude, seriously. The light JUST changed. If you're in that much of a hurry go home and invent a teleportation device and make all our lives better.
6. Take a year and a 1/2 to make a right hand turn. Meanwhile I get to actually come to a complete stop waiting for you to navigate through that tricky right hand turn, while some yahoo behind me honks his or her horn. Turn the freakin corner!
7. Not moving over out of a lane that is about to end due to construction. Let me just say this, if you sit in that lane and wait till you actually get all the way up to the flashing arrow to make your move over to the lane I've been in all along, I am NOT going to let you over. As far as I'm concerned, you can sit there all day cuz you're a dirt bag who should have done what the rest of the intelligent drivers did, got over when we saw the HUGE flashing arrow and the 53 signs telling us the lane was ending up ahead!!!
8. Stopping on an entrance ramp to the freeway. If there is no stop light, stop sign or any other indication that you should stop, then don't. If you're too timid to accelerate and merge into freeway traffic, then stick to the surface streets and leave the freeways to the rest of us who actually want to get to our destination before our next birthday.
9. Gawkers aka Rubberneckers. Oh my god! Could you be any nosier! I've talked about this before but this drives me up the freakin wall. It's an accident or it's some poor soul whose car has broken down. What is it NOT is an excuse for you to get your daily dose of reality TV. Move!!!!!
10. Smokers. Ok these have got to be the SLOWEST drivers on the planet. Have you ever gotten behind a car that was moving really slow and wondered what in the world is going on? When you pass them turn your head a little and take a little peak at the driver. I bet you he or she is a smoker. And if he or she is smoking and talking on the phone at the same time, get the hell out of their way. That is just an accident waiting to happen.
I think I'm caught up now!!!
Better than Cal - Stanford?!
Check THIS out...
So A-Rod opted out of New York. Is anyone surprised? Not here. He used a cheap excuse (uncertainty over other veterans' plans to resign or move on) to walk away from the club that he never really embraced; but truth be told, we never really embraced him. Seattle, Texas, and now New York have realized that A-Rod is a gamer...during the regular season. He's batted a PATHETIC sub-.200 in the post season with the Yankees, including a big DONUT HOLE O-FER with RISP (like 0-18). Winning in the regular season will be much tougher with him gone, but frankly, winning in the post-season might not. Hey, I heard Mike Lowell is available...
Pats - Colts. Circle it. Game of the year in the AFC, possibly in the NFL. In my opinion, the Super Bowl, regardless of whatever patsy the NFC sends to the field in February...
So A-Rod opted out of New York. Is anyone surprised? Not here. He used a cheap excuse (uncertainty over other veterans' plans to resign or move on) to walk away from the club that he never really embraced; but truth be told, we never really embraced him. Seattle, Texas, and now New York have realized that A-Rod is a gamer...during the regular season. He's batted a PATHETIC sub-.200 in the post season with the Yankees, including a big DONUT HOLE O-FER with RISP (like 0-18). Winning in the regular season will be much tougher with him gone, but frankly, winning in the post-season might not. Hey, I heard Mike Lowell is available...
Pats - Colts. Circle it. Game of the year in the AFC, possibly in the NFL. In my opinion, the Super Bowl, regardless of whatever patsy the NFC sends to the field in February...
10.26.2007
Back in a Jiffy...
I have been away from the blog for a while...far from being lazy, I have actually been very busy work. I am a project manager at a healthcare software application consulting company, and am juggling 4 nationwide customers, 6 projects, and base product software testing and development. So it's for a legitimate reason, in that I'm actually being productive for the boss man.
So, to catch up with my pal TILAM, here are my Top 10 driving moves I simply CANNOT ABIDE!
1 - wait until the last minute to move over 3 lanes to your exit ramp.
2 - allowing some asshole to move over 3 lanes at the last minute to their exit ramp.
3 - trying to "inch" through the intersection to beat the red light, thereby getting stuck IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION!
4 - speeding up to cut me off and get in front of me in the 1/2 car length space rather than slowing down a bit and moving over into the 5 car length area behind me.
5 - stopping on the highway ramp (on or off ramps) to give some lazy hobo $5.
6 - stopping in the middle of the road to let some idiot pull out either into or through traffic.
7-infinity - engaging in any or all of the following activities while driving (although the list is probably longer these are the ones I have seen); reading, doing a crossword, shaving, applying makeup, flossing your teeth, watching a DVD on your dashboard, eating, getting a hummer (umm, guilty here, sorry), letting your "fingers do the walking on your passenger" (hmm, yep, did that one too), having sex (uhhh, yeah, here on that one too), changing the music while LOOKING AT THE DASHBOARD, surfing the internet via wifi, et al.
God Bless Road Rage for emotional release...
**********
With regards to the top 10 places I'd love to visit...let's break it down into "rehash" and "new".
Rehashin...
The Pyramids of Giza are high on the list. Just an incredible sight to see, and to wonder how the hell they were built.
29,003 feet above sea level, on top of Mount Everest would be a pretty cool place to share a cold one with my brother.
I'd be remiss as a good Catholic if I did not visit the Holy Land as well.
And to think that the Taj Mahal was really built as a BURIAL PLACE for a favorite wife, I'd still love to wander around the halls.
Oddly enough, and one of the commonalities between the 2 of us, I'd also like to visit the birthplace of my mother in Hungary, and Yugoslavia in the 1-outhouse town where my father was born, if only to "leave my mark".
Et Al...
And to round out the list, I'd be very interested in visiting the following places:
Stonehenge would be in the top few. To walk about the stones, the grass, feel the old power coursing through it, would be a thrill for a fantasy story buff like myself.
Steeped in myth and ancient beliefs, the Acropolis is also on my list. The Temple of Athena, the Parthenon, too many others to list and link. Fascinating stuff.
Call me crazy, but space exploration fascinates me. I'd love to set foot on Jupiter, if for no other reason than to feel the climate, the storms, the clouds, and to step into the great red spot.
TILAM, your video is no longer available...
So, to catch up with my pal TILAM, here are my Top 10 driving moves I simply CANNOT ABIDE!
1 - wait until the last minute to move over 3 lanes to your exit ramp.
2 - allowing some asshole to move over 3 lanes at the last minute to their exit ramp.
3 - trying to "inch" through the intersection to beat the red light, thereby getting stuck IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION!
4 - speeding up to cut me off and get in front of me in the 1/2 car length space rather than slowing down a bit and moving over into the 5 car length area behind me.
5 - stopping on the highway ramp (on or off ramps) to give some lazy hobo $5.
6 - stopping in the middle of the road to let some idiot pull out either into or through traffic.
7-infinity - engaging in any or all of the following activities while driving (although the list is probably longer these are the ones I have seen); reading, doing a crossword, shaving, applying makeup, flossing your teeth, watching a DVD on your dashboard, eating, getting a hummer (umm, guilty here, sorry), letting your "fingers do the walking on your passenger" (hmm, yep, did that one too), having sex (uhhh, yeah, here on that one too), changing the music while LOOKING AT THE DASHBOARD, surfing the internet via wifi, et al.
God Bless Road Rage for emotional release...
**********
With regards to the top 10 places I'd love to visit...let's break it down into "rehash" and "new".
Rehashin...
The Pyramids of Giza are high on the list. Just an incredible sight to see, and to wonder how the hell they were built.
29,003 feet above sea level, on top of Mount Everest would be a pretty cool place to share a cold one with my brother.
I'd be remiss as a good Catholic if I did not visit the Holy Land as well.
And to think that the Taj Mahal was really built as a BURIAL PLACE for a favorite wife, I'd still love to wander around the halls.
Oddly enough, and one of the commonalities between the 2 of us, I'd also like to visit the birthplace of my mother in Hungary, and Yugoslavia in the 1-outhouse town where my father was born, if only to "leave my mark".
Et Al...
And to round out the list, I'd be very interested in visiting the following places:
Stonehenge would be in the top few. To walk about the stones, the grass, feel the old power coursing through it, would be a thrill for a fantasy story buff like myself.
Steeped in myth and ancient beliefs, the Acropolis is also on my list. The Temple of Athena, the Parthenon, too many others to list and link. Fascinating stuff.
Call me crazy, but space exploration fascinates me. I'd love to set foot on Jupiter, if for no other reason than to feel the climate, the storms, the clouds, and to step into the great red spot.
TILAM, your video is no longer available...
10.24.2007
10.22.2007
A Weekend in Boston Sports
It was a good weekend in Boston. The Red Sox completed the come back and won a spot in the World Series and the Patriots made Miami look like a DIII school.
Boston did what it should have (and the Yankees should have BTW) in beating Cleveland. No disrespect for Cleveland, but I think that the Sox were arguably the better team, though Cleveland may have been the hotter team coming into the Championship Series. Yesterday's game, like many in the playoffs, was not particularly pretty with errors, bobbles and blown calls (Lofton was safe at second...though not from the umps angle and the third base coach should have sent Lofton), but the game did not end up being close. The Rockies are a feel good story, but I say the Red Sox in 5.
Thew pissed me off the other day by saying something to the affect of, "sure...anyone can be as good as Brady with those receivers, show what he does with a lesser team." I replied, "See Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl XXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX." Boston sport fans are particularly sensitive about Brady, who is not as self-promoting as Peyton Manning, who talks about team first and is generally humble about his performance. Statistically, Manning has put up bigger numbers then Brady, but Brady has not had the overall receiver core or the run game of Indy. But Tom wins Super Bowls.
Belichick is out to prove something this year though. After everyone dumped on him because of Spygate, he made it his mission to make a simple point: we will crush you anyway. Prior to the Pats first punt Sunday, the 10 prior possessions against the Cowboys and the Dolphins went: TD, field goal, TD, field goal, TD, TD, TD, TD, TD and...wait for it...TD. Sixty-two points. Brady's QB rating is nearly 140 after seven games. The Patriots have scored on EVERY opening drive this year. 16-0 is possible.
Yes, the Pats will play Indy in Indy in two weeks. That will be a game to watch. And, of course, the Steelers, but the real interesting game will be against the Jets. Belichick wants to humiliate Mangini for crying about the camera. December 16 in Foxboro. I expect the Patriots to do everything they can to run up the score....
Boston did what it should have (and the Yankees should have BTW) in beating Cleveland. No disrespect for Cleveland, but I think that the Sox were arguably the better team, though Cleveland may have been the hotter team coming into the Championship Series. Yesterday's game, like many in the playoffs, was not particularly pretty with errors, bobbles and blown calls (Lofton was safe at second...though not from the umps angle and the third base coach should have sent Lofton), but the game did not end up being close. The Rockies are a feel good story, but I say the Red Sox in 5.
Thew pissed me off the other day by saying something to the affect of, "sure...anyone can be as good as Brady with those receivers, show what he does with a lesser team." I replied, "See Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl XXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX." Boston sport fans are particularly sensitive about Brady, who is not as self-promoting as Peyton Manning, who talks about team first and is generally humble about his performance. Statistically, Manning has put up bigger numbers then Brady, but Brady has not had the overall receiver core or the run game of Indy. But Tom wins Super Bowls.
Belichick is out to prove something this year though. After everyone dumped on him because of Spygate, he made it his mission to make a simple point: we will crush you anyway. Prior to the Pats first punt Sunday, the 10 prior possessions against the Cowboys and the Dolphins went: TD, field goal, TD, field goal, TD, TD, TD, TD, TD and...wait for it...TD. Sixty-two points. Brady's QB rating is nearly 140 after seven games. The Patriots have scored on EVERY opening drive this year. 16-0 is possible.
Yes, the Pats will play Indy in Indy in two weeks. That will be a game to watch. And, of course, the Steelers, but the real interesting game will be against the Jets. Belichick wants to humiliate Mangini for crying about the camera. December 16 in Foxboro. I expect the Patriots to do everything they can to run up the score....
10.19.2007
The Road Not Taken
My Top Ten Places to Visit that are in no particular order.
1. The Pyramids at Giza. To me, the greatest wonder of the man-made world.
2. The Great Barrier Reef. Shark diving would be cool, but exploring the GBR would be endlessly fascinating.
3. The Taj Mahal. This might well be the most beautiful building in the world.
4. The Top of Mount Everest. Why, because it is there.
5. The Serengeti. Nothing like a safari with my boys.
6. Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace on Lake Como. Click on the link...enough said.
7. The Holy Land. To walk the ground Christ walked.
8. Tahiti. Pure beauty. But I will probably settle for Costa Rica. Which ain't bad...
9. Greece. This was tough as I also want to go to Morocco, but the wealth of history is too much to pass up. I want to stand at Thermopylae and imaging the clash of armies. (Tdub wants to go there and imagine Gerard Butler in various states of undress.)
10. Linz, Austria and Szentgotthard, Hungary. With my parents, since this is where they grew up. Just to experience my heritage.
1. The Pyramids at Giza. To me, the greatest wonder of the man-made world.
2. The Great Barrier Reef. Shark diving would be cool, but exploring the GBR would be endlessly fascinating.
3. The Taj Mahal. This might well be the most beautiful building in the world.
4. The Top of Mount Everest. Why, because it is there.
5. The Serengeti. Nothing like a safari with my boys.
6. Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace on Lake Como. Click on the link...enough said.
7. The Holy Land. To walk the ground Christ walked.
8. Tahiti. Pure beauty. But I will probably settle for Costa Rica. Which ain't bad...
9. Greece. This was tough as I also want to go to Morocco, but the wealth of history is too much to pass up. I want to stand at Thermopylae and imaging the clash of armies. (Tdub wants to go there and imagine Gerard Butler in various states of undress.)
10. Linz, Austria and Szentgotthard, Hungary. With my parents, since this is where they grew up. Just to experience my heritage.
10.15.2007
Slackers!
Well, we had some momentum with our top 10 lists for a brief while, then hit a lull for a bit. So I'm going to attempt to revive some of the old brain cells...
What are the top 10 places you'd like to visit?
What are the top 10 places you'd like to visit?
10.10.2007
The Bronx IS Burning
Well, it's all over but the crying in the Bronx. After scorching the league following a 21-29 start, the Yankees made the playoffs for the 12th straight time, got the matchup they wanted, then got SPANKED! The Tribe pitched better, hit better (holy shit how many 2 out hits/rbi's did they get?!), and all around took it to the Bombers. It's a sad ending to what was shaping up to be a promising season - after collecting themselves so well, A-Clod burning it up on the way to probably another MVP season, the pitching coming around...well, it all kinda fell apart. Time to move on to Hockey season.
But before this, let me prognosticate about the future of the Yankee players:
Torre is gone. Too bad, but King George is gonna get rid of him.
Roger Clemens showed that he's old, slow, and no longer intimidating on the mound. He won't be back with the Yankees, although he MIGHT convince another team to piss away a boatload of money on his 6-6 record.
Andy Pettite will exercise his option and return to the team.
Jorge Posada will be resigned.
Mariano Rivera will be resigned, but I'm not really sure I care. Let the Sandman go, bring in Joba as the closer!
A-Rod is interesting...as fantastic a player as he is, it's really tough for me to justify his asking price (upwards of $30M a season?!) given the fact that he SUCKS ASS in the post-season. Even though he was dominant in the regular season like you'd expect, and he'll deservedly earn the MVP this year, Yankees are measured in POST-SEASON performance. I said this last year - until you shine and succeed and contribute in the post-season, you are NOT accepted. I think that they will retain A-Rod, but my feeling is that they should trade him for a top pitcher or let him go and use his salary to sign a top free agent pitcher - Rodriguez needs a market that has no expectations of him, a market that, like me with Mrs Thew, "just happy to be there". In TX and Seattle, they praised and worshipped him in the regular season, then didn't give a crap when he flopped in the post-season, they were just happy to make the playoffs. Not so in the Bronx - time and again you hear "our measuring stick is championships, not playoffs". He's a great player, but he's not a Yankee and not a good fit personality wise. Don't dispute his title of best player in the game, but I still think he's not a Yankee in his mind.
New York will survive and thrive. Jeter, Cano, Cabrera (how well did THIS guy play?), Abreu, Matsui, Damon, Hughes, Kennedy, Wang (even after his post-season debacle), these people will carry the load next year, the Yankees will once again be in the thick of the post season.
*****
An arbitrator ruled that the Falcons can recover $19.9M of their signing bonus to Michael Vick. Good.
*****
This is the problem with unions today. Thousands of workers at the Chrysler plant walked off the job today in a protest over an incomplete labor contract; I don't understand the mentality of crippling your employer so they can pay you more salary and benefits. Aren't you killing their business and revenue, so they will have less money to pay, therefore crippling yourself? Someone please explain this to me.
But before this, let me prognosticate about the future of the Yankee players:
Torre is gone. Too bad, but King George is gonna get rid of him.
Roger Clemens showed that he's old, slow, and no longer intimidating on the mound. He won't be back with the Yankees, although he MIGHT convince another team to piss away a boatload of money on his 6-6 record.
Andy Pettite will exercise his option and return to the team.
Jorge Posada will be resigned.
Mariano Rivera will be resigned, but I'm not really sure I care. Let the Sandman go, bring in Joba as the closer!
A-Rod is interesting...as fantastic a player as he is, it's really tough for me to justify his asking price (upwards of $30M a season?!) given the fact that he SUCKS ASS in the post-season. Even though he was dominant in the regular season like you'd expect, and he'll deservedly earn the MVP this year, Yankees are measured in POST-SEASON performance. I said this last year - until you shine and succeed and contribute in the post-season, you are NOT accepted. I think that they will retain A-Rod, but my feeling is that they should trade him for a top pitcher or let him go and use his salary to sign a top free agent pitcher - Rodriguez needs a market that has no expectations of him, a market that, like me with Mrs Thew, "just happy to be there". In TX and Seattle, they praised and worshipped him in the regular season, then didn't give a crap when he flopped in the post-season, they were just happy to make the playoffs. Not so in the Bronx - time and again you hear "our measuring stick is championships, not playoffs". He's a great player, but he's not a Yankee and not a good fit personality wise. Don't dispute his title of best player in the game, but I still think he's not a Yankee in his mind.
New York will survive and thrive. Jeter, Cano, Cabrera (how well did THIS guy play?), Abreu, Matsui, Damon, Hughes, Kennedy, Wang (even after his post-season debacle), these people will carry the load next year, the Yankees will once again be in the thick of the post season.
*****
An arbitrator ruled that the Falcons can recover $19.9M of their signing bonus to Michael Vick. Good.
*****
This is the problem with unions today. Thousands of workers at the Chrysler plant walked off the job today in a protest over an incomplete labor contract; I don't understand the mentality of crippling your employer so they can pay you more salary and benefits. Aren't you killing their business and revenue, so they will have less money to pay, therefore crippling yourself? Someone please explain this to me.
10.05.2007
Semper Fi
I have just finished three very good books about military. The first was Generation Kill by Evan Wright about a platoon of First Reconnaissance Battalion Marines, which are the Marine Corps' special operations unit. Wright gives a pretty engaging account and does a pretty good job suppressing any political tendencies he may have. The second book was Shooter by Jack Coughlin, the top-ranked Marine sniper. Finally, I read Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell about Operation Redwing which, by a quirk of fate and kindness, became the largest loss of life ever by the Navy SEALs.
Each was very different, but I was glad to have read them in that order. Generation Kill, though giving you an often disturbing picture of the Iraq invasion, involves little tragedy amongst the men you become attached to in the book. Shooter is a much more intimate book as Gunny Coughlin gives the reader vivid details of his targets, tracking them and then the "smoke checks." Riveting stuff.
Lone Survivor is powerful. Luttrell's four man SEAL team go hunting for a Taliban bad guy. Goatherds stumble upon them and they argue whether to kill them. They don't and soon thereafter, the team is attacked by the Taliban they are hunting. Outnumbers 40-1, they nonetheless hold off the attackers until three of the group is ultimately shot and killed. Luttrell survived and his tale of the Pashtun tribe that takes him in, thereby swearing to protect him, gives insight into the Pashtun tradition and Afghani history.
Each was very different, but I was glad to have read them in that order. Generation Kill, though giving you an often disturbing picture of the Iraq invasion, involves little tragedy amongst the men you become attached to in the book. Shooter is a much more intimate book as Gunny Coughlin gives the reader vivid details of his targets, tracking them and then the "smoke checks." Riveting stuff.
Lone Survivor is powerful. Luttrell's four man SEAL team go hunting for a Taliban bad guy. Goatherds stumble upon them and they argue whether to kill them. They don't and soon thereafter, the team is attacked by the Taliban they are hunting. Outnumbers 40-1, they nonetheless hold off the attackers until three of the group is ultimately shot and killed. Luttrell survived and his tale of the Pashtun tribe that takes him in, thereby swearing to protect him, gives insight into the Pashtun tradition and Afghani history.
American Patriotism
Armed Liberal over at WindsofChange has a thought provoking discussion of patriotism vs. nationalism. He also has a follow-up to Matt Yglesias' follow-up. Now Yglesias is a very smart guy, but I find him much more reasonable in person (say at BloggingHeads.tv) than in print. I would suggest that Matt likes to be provocative rather then persuasive because provocative keeps readers coming back.
Now, I firmly believe that patriotism is different than nationalism, which is simply a "modern" version of tribalism. Further, there is an American culture that, I think, is clearer to the outside world then to Americans. You see that in the opinion of immigrants, who will often tell you, for example, that the mobility of American society is something foreign to, well, er, foreigners. In most nations-states based on ethnicity, there is a caste system of some sorts...that is, your birth is your destiny. Further, if you are a woman, life can be much, much worse. (In the film The Kingdom, Jennifer Garner walks around Saudi Arabia like it was Phoenix. Uh...no. A woman HAS to cover up in the Kingdom or she risks being beaten. I am not kidding.) I guess it is natural for Americans-by-choice to feel stringer about their chosen country then natural-born Americans.
I am very proud to be an American. My father was seven or eight when the Nazis rolled through his home town in Bosnia fighting Tito and the Partisans; my mother was 12 when the Red Army crushed the Hungarian Revolution and she and her family left everything for Austria. (You will be hard pressed to find two more patriotic Americans.) I do not think it is tribalism to believe firmly in the Western, Judeo-Christian tradition. Nor do I think we are perfect...just the best system so far.
Now, I firmly believe that patriotism is different than nationalism, which is simply a "modern" version of tribalism. Further, there is an American culture that, I think, is clearer to the outside world then to Americans. You see that in the opinion of immigrants, who will often tell you, for example, that the mobility of American society is something foreign to, well, er, foreigners. In most nations-states based on ethnicity, there is a caste system of some sorts...that is, your birth is your destiny. Further, if you are a woman, life can be much, much worse. (In the film The Kingdom, Jennifer Garner walks around Saudi Arabia like it was Phoenix. Uh...no. A woman HAS to cover up in the Kingdom or she risks being beaten. I am not kidding.) I guess it is natural for Americans-by-choice to feel stringer about their chosen country then natural-born Americans.
I am very proud to be an American. My father was seven or eight when the Nazis rolled through his home town in Bosnia fighting Tito and the Partisans; my mother was 12 when the Red Army crushed the Hungarian Revolution and she and her family left everything for Austria. (You will be hard pressed to find two more patriotic Americans.) I do not think it is tribalism to believe firmly in the Western, Judeo-Christian tradition. Nor do I think we are perfect...just the best system so far.
10.03.2007
10.02.2007
Driving Gaffes...
1) Lifting my head to see where the ball is going before I hit it - talk about a near miss.
2) Dropping my right shoulder - open face, push-slice.
3) Leading too soon with my lower body - open face, push-slice.
4) Starting my hands down too soon - over the top, pull-hook.
5) Opening up my left hip outward instead of moving it through the impact line - over the top, pull-hook.
6) Strengthening my right hand - leads to dropping right shoulder - see #2.
7) Standing too close to the ball - leads to pulling hands in during swing - leads to dropping right shoulder - see #2.
8) Standing too far from the ball - leads to reaching outward too far with my hands - over the top, see #3.
9) Lagging the clubhead behind to make a strong wrist release right before impact - clubhead way behind hands, push-slice.
10) Waiting for the group ahead of me to walk off the driveable par 4 green before I tee off - inevitably leads to an embarassing worm burner in front of the group behind you.
2) Dropping my right shoulder - open face, push-slice.
3) Leading too soon with my lower body - open face, push-slice.
4) Starting my hands down too soon - over the top, pull-hook.
5) Opening up my left hip outward instead of moving it through the impact line - over the top, pull-hook.
6) Strengthening my right hand - leads to dropping right shoulder - see #2.
7) Standing too close to the ball - leads to pulling hands in during swing - leads to dropping right shoulder - see #2.
8) Standing too far from the ball - leads to reaching outward too far with my hands - over the top, see #3.
9) Lagging the clubhead behind to make a strong wrist release right before impact - clubhead way behind hands, push-slice.
10) Waiting for the group ahead of me to walk off the driveable par 4 green before I tee off - inevitably leads to an embarassing worm burner in front of the group behind you.
10.01.2007
No HOPE for the Wicked
Greg Ryan broke the most cardinal rule in all sports, according to the words of wisdom stated by Crash Davis "A player on a streak always respects the streak".
By benching Hope Solo for the Brazil match, Ryan messed with chemistry, a recipe for success, and the comfortability of a team that was used to playing with Hope between the pipes, not Bri. Brianna Scurry, even at 36, is still a top flight goaltender, but it was clearly the wrong move - but this was known before the final lineup took the pitch against Marta and the Brazilians. What, a 50 game unbeaten streak? Strong goaltending in the early rounds of the WWC? Didn't matter. Ryan inserted a warrior, true dat, but an older and slower and rustier warrior against what could arguably be the top women's team in the world - certainly top 5. Tilam speaks the truth, the coach made a bad move and we paid for it, in an embarassing way. Perhaps he tried to get into the Brazilian minds by starting the US goalie that had beaten them in the last 2 matches, but this day I think that talent should have taken precedence, not mind games.
HOWEVER, that doesn't excuse Hope Solo's conduct. In any way. She was told not to speak to the media for any reason, and while I admit that I'd be frustrated and upset at this type of decision, he tirade and public expression of dissent was inexcuseable, and I'm not surprised she was dismissed from the team for the Norway match. I would have done the same. I am disappointed that on a team of really selfless "WE" players, she came out and publicly criticized the situation, her coach, and essentially, Brianna Scurry; perhaps she's just like the rest of the "me" athlete generation. What will be interesting to see is a) the fallout of her career with the WNT, and b) her relationship with the team even if she DOES stay. Some players have stated that this won't impact the team relationships, but...
Give Greg Ryan credit for stepping up to the plate and taking the fallout, though.
In any event, for those of you who watched the championship game, the 2 goals that the Germans scored were, in my opinion, very soft goals. Both balls went UNDER the arms of the diving Brazilian goalie, and a better (read: top notch) goalie would have made those stops, I believe. Stereotypical Brazil...
Hockey season has begun...YAY!
October baseball is coming up VERY soon...YAY! My prediction is that the Yankees and Angels will play for the AL crown. I'm going with trends, and the Yankees have owned Cleveland this year (6-0), while the Angels are too good and the Sawx not good enough right now to take that series. I don't like the Angels against the Yankees, it's a matchup that scares me, but I'm still going to be an optimist and say Yanks in 6. I have no idea about the NL - except for the fact that changes are coming down the pike for the Mets after their debacle of a Sept. Gonna have to call my Uncle Laszlo and laugh at him, he's a die hard Mets fan.
In the "taking one for the team unnecessarily", I present Woody Austin. Did his best to extricate himself from a water hazard, promptly lost his balance and tumbled in head first for a quick dip (and the water in Canada is FRIKKIN' COLD this time of the year!), and STILL lost the hole. BUT, he also birdied 16, 17, & 18 to half the match. WAY TO GO WOODIE! (Hmm, how many times have I said that to myself....well, never mind).
Who's turn is it for the top 10 challenge? I believe it's Tilam...
By benching Hope Solo for the Brazil match, Ryan messed with chemistry, a recipe for success, and the comfortability of a team that was used to playing with Hope between the pipes, not Bri. Brianna Scurry, even at 36, is still a top flight goaltender, but it was clearly the wrong move - but this was known before the final lineup took the pitch against Marta and the Brazilians. What, a 50 game unbeaten streak? Strong goaltending in the early rounds of the WWC? Didn't matter. Ryan inserted a warrior, true dat, but an older and slower and rustier warrior against what could arguably be the top women's team in the world - certainly top 5. Tilam speaks the truth, the coach made a bad move and we paid for it, in an embarassing way. Perhaps he tried to get into the Brazilian minds by starting the US goalie that had beaten them in the last 2 matches, but this day I think that talent should have taken precedence, not mind games.
HOWEVER, that doesn't excuse Hope Solo's conduct. In any way. She was told not to speak to the media for any reason, and while I admit that I'd be frustrated and upset at this type of decision, he tirade and public expression of dissent was inexcuseable, and I'm not surprised she was dismissed from the team for the Norway match. I would have done the same. I am disappointed that on a team of really selfless "WE" players, she came out and publicly criticized the situation, her coach, and essentially, Brianna Scurry; perhaps she's just like the rest of the "me" athlete generation. What will be interesting to see is a) the fallout of her career with the WNT, and b) her relationship with the team even if she DOES stay. Some players have stated that this won't impact the team relationships, but...
Give Greg Ryan credit for stepping up to the plate and taking the fallout, though.
In any event, for those of you who watched the championship game, the 2 goals that the Germans scored were, in my opinion, very soft goals. Both balls went UNDER the arms of the diving Brazilian goalie, and a better (read: top notch) goalie would have made those stops, I believe. Stereotypical Brazil...
Hockey season has begun...YAY!
October baseball is coming up VERY soon...YAY! My prediction is that the Yankees and Angels will play for the AL crown. I'm going with trends, and the Yankees have owned Cleveland this year (6-0), while the Angels are too good and the Sawx not good enough right now to take that series. I don't like the Angels against the Yankees, it's a matchup that scares me, but I'm still going to be an optimist and say Yanks in 6. I have no idea about the NL - except for the fact that changes are coming down the pike for the Mets after their debacle of a Sept. Gonna have to call my Uncle Laszlo and laugh at him, he's a die hard Mets fan.
In the "taking one for the team unnecessarily", I present Woody Austin. Did his best to extricate himself from a water hazard, promptly lost his balance and tumbled in head first for a quick dip (and the water in Canada is FRIKKIN' COLD this time of the year!), and STILL lost the hole. BUT, he also birdied 16, 17, & 18 to half the match. WAY TO GO WOODIE! (Hmm, how many times have I said that to myself....well, never mind).
Who's turn is it for the top 10 challenge? I believe it's Tilam...
More Soccer Stuff
My Boys took it to the other team this weekend with a 6 - 0 shellacking of our opponents. Prince Tilam scored on a really nice direct kick from way outside the box...bent it into the far corner. Our last goal was a hard pass to the goalie (after 5 up, we stop shooting) who ran to kick the ball..and whiffed. Ouch. Not a way to score. So, after 4 games we have had 11 goals scored by 5 different players. (But then again, I was never worried about our offensive breadth.)
Now for the tough part of the season.
So the US WNT beat Norway 4 - 1. Hope Solo was not part of the team. According to Kristine Lilly, it was a team decision, so you wonder what the future holds for Solo and whether she can be part of it going forward. I suspect she will as the old guard (who was probably more taken aback by the comments) leaves. That said while I certainly agree with the sentiment of Solo's comments, she really threw Scurry (who has lived and breathed US Soccer for years) under the bus and that can't sit well with anyone on the team. She may have also given coach Greg Ryan a reprieve, if US Soccer chooses to "rally" around the coach. And that would be too bad, because that decision was such a bone-headed move, he should be let go.
In other news, Brazil lost to Germany 2 - 0. It seems the US game took the wind out of them.
Now for the tough part of the season.
So the US WNT beat Norway 4 - 1. Hope Solo was not part of the team. According to Kristine Lilly, it was a team decision, so you wonder what the future holds for Solo and whether she can be part of it going forward. I suspect she will as the old guard (who was probably more taken aback by the comments) leaves. That said while I certainly agree with the sentiment of Solo's comments, she really threw Scurry (who has lived and breathed US Soccer for years) under the bus and that can't sit well with anyone on the team. She may have also given coach Greg Ryan a reprieve, if US Soccer chooses to "rally" around the coach. And that would be too bad, because that decision was such a bone-headed move, he should be let go.
In other news, Brazil lost to Germany 2 - 0. It seems the US game took the wind out of them.
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