tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20534583506504273142024-02-01T22:38:18.114-08:00Gregg HirshbergGregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-43876544590779868432015-12-02T08:00:00.005-08:002016-06-22T06:13:00.992-07:00Weight<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently attended my high school reunion, 20 years went
by fast. But I didn’t really go to see anyone in particular, I’ve done a good
job of keeping in touch with those friends. I went for two reasons. The first
being that I didn’t want the same anxiety that plagued me throughout high
school, to prevent me from going as it had kept me from participating in so
much already. The second being the fact that the invitation reminded us all,
that as 18 year olds we had written letters to ourselves that we would open 20
years later. Only I had no recognition of that letter, and I had to know what I
said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I went with a friend, and we stayed for maybe 30
minutes. Saw a handful of familiar faces, and way more faces I’m sure I had
never seen before and I probably won’t ever see again. Which is totally fine
with me. Then the box with these letters came out. In 20 years, you’d think
they would have been organized, right? Even a little bit. Like, they could have
all been facing the same direction. Anyway, I tore my envelope open and fished
out my letter. Good to know that in 20 years my handwriting hasn’t improved in
the slightest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made it through the first paragraph and couldn’t
believe how whiney it was. Basically, all I did was list what traumatic events
had gone on through those four years. For which, honestly, I think I probably
had more than my share. But still, that’s what I wrote? Nothing funny? I made a
joke in the yearbook, that in 20 year I’d probably be watching the OJ trial
(and hey, there’s a made for TV movie coming, so I wasn’t entirely wrong) but I
didn’t even name the real killer in my letter. It was pretty horrible. Like I
was going to forget being carjacked, my mother getting cancer or pops being laid
off, and I needed a reminder? And even if I needed a reminder why did I have to
write it in such a whiney voice? So 20 years later, there was something new to
regret about high school. Great night, glad I went. I could have stayed at home
and picked lint from my belly button, and felt more satisfied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But thinking back to that list, and some other trying
times I’ve gone through (which I’m not going to list here) and comparing the
lowest of my old lows, I can’t help but think that they don’t even compare to
the tough times of today, and seeing my daughter struggle with her own fight
with anxiety. I’d go through every rough time or bad memory a million times, if
I could take this burden off of her shoulders. I’d gladly serve the prison
sentence that was handed out to my carjackers, if it meant she could wake up
tomorrow morning without that excruciating weight on her shoulders. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-62218484098610036622015-11-02T05:19:00.003-08:002016-06-22T06:13:36.610-07:00Forever Loyal<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please pause, while I take a moment to pat myself on the
back. The World Series went pretty much how I expected it to. I mean, I thought
it would go six games, but I was pretty close. I told my wife, and quite a few
friends, the Royals would win the series. And the reasons behind my thinking,
proved to be the exact reasons why they did. It’s been said over and over
again, but the Royals don’t make many mistakes. And more than that, they never
miss an opportunity to capitalize when their opponent does. I just heard a stat
on the radio, that the Mets lead the series for 11 more innings than the
Royals. Yet we only managed one win. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve never been a big fan of the disclaimer “no offense,
but” only I really mean it. No offense, but the Mets handed the Royals three
wins. Not because we didn’t care, or lacked heart, but we made big mistakes at
key moments. And to their absolute credit, the Royals made the most out of all
of them. And make no mistake, they helped cause them. The hell with the stat
heads, and I’ve always considered myself to be one, but the Royals won because
they apply pressure in every facet of the game. They put the ball in play, and
make you get them out. They get on base, and then put pressure on the pitcher
and catcher with their base running. They apply pressure by running
aggressively, so a first basemen has to hurry a pretty simple throw, but one he
doesn’t have to make often. It’s why I’ve enjoyed watching them the last two
seasons so much. It’s how I always tried to play the game, even if I was so bad
and played at such a low level. Yet, had Cespedes caught Escobar’s fly ball in
game one (or had our Gold Glove winning center fielder been in the game, as he
should have been) we very well may have won game one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In game four, Daniel Murphy’s error cost us a two run lead.
Then there was Cespedes’ running mistake in the bottom of the 9<sup>th</sup>. And
last night, if Lucas Duda makes an accurate throw home, that game is over right
there. So that’s what stings the most this morning. We could have, and should
have, won those games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Luckily for me, the sting is lessened by the fact that
the Royals win made my girls so happy. Unfortunately, their happiness was
curtailed by their sympathy for me, and I really wish they were able to properly
bask in the glory. But for me, this loss isn’t a complete loss. The better team
won, and they’re a great group of guys who are nearly impossible to root
against. The family is happy, and the city is getting some much deserved shine.
And the Mets start 2016 right back here in Kansas City in 153 days, when we
will get after taking care of some unfinished business. Man, baseball is a
helluva game. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-25969735462053513152015-10-27T05:28:00.000-07:002016-06-22T06:13:52.296-07:00October Classic<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNCrJa5FD7nCo7m5s9xAqGFtjJTC2WY215ctocTGcS58I98TgqcXlbSpbbObkt8dUp3moWV04ihZvTurmkX3yX3K_2LP0VEAN_kyM0DkxpeKbjRzPNRDG_r7X1a8ylh7w9eTsCTjh80uQ/s1600/2015-World-Series-Royals-Mets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNCrJa5FD7nCo7m5s9xAqGFtjJTC2WY215ctocTGcS58I98TgqcXlbSpbbObkt8dUp3moWV04ihZvTurmkX3yX3K_2LP0VEAN_kyM0DkxpeKbjRzPNRDG_r7X1a8ylh7w9eTsCTjh80uQ/s320/2015-World-Series-Royals-Mets.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I like to believe that I’m pretty hard to surprise. Perhaps
it’s due to an over active imagination that works right alongside an overly
anxious, that leads me down weird and winding road, where I consider even the
most preposterous of situations. Or maybe I’m just an arrogant ass. I’m not
entirely sure, but the truth is, that it’s probably some combination of the
two. But I am genuinely surprised that I am about to watch the New York Mets
and the Kansas City Royals play in the World Series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mean, I first started talking about the possibility of
this match up back in late April. The Mets were in the midst of what ended up
being an 11 game winning streak, and had the best record in baseball at 13-3.
The second best record belonged to the Royals, who were 12-4. And even after
last year, I was telling a buddy that the Mets were built somewhat similar to
the Royals. We had a great fielding center fielder, a superb young catcher,
some bullpen arms that throw really hard, and a homegrown vet who was the heart
and soul of the team. But the Mets and their fans, were most hopeful about the
rotation we thought we had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet at the same time, a promising young rotation had
burned us before, 20 years ago with Generation K. Three pitchers who were
supposed to lead us to the promise land, and would be the foundation of a
contender for the next decade. Then the arm trouble started, and that bright
future we were promised, became the ghost story evert Met fan would one day
tell their children as a pre-cautionary tale. When Matt Harvey went from
starting the All-Star game at home to having Tommy John surgery by the end of
the year, we were all terrified of Generation K II. If Hollywood could only
serve up reboots, why shouldn’t baseball?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">May and June came, and the Mets began to fade. On the 4<sup>th</sup>
of July, we were just a .500 team. The future still looked bright, but our
hitting was ridiculous. The Royals were battling for the best record in the
American League, and re-match of the 1985 World Series appeared much more
realistic than a Mets-Royals series. But baseball is a funny sport, and it’s a
long season. A month later we were back in first, and the Royals continued
marching towards October. And the “promising” rotation of the Mets was
exceeding expectations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s when my wife and daughter really got nervous. When
I first mentioned the idea of the two teams playing each other in the World
Series, they kind of laughed it off. They said it sounded horrible, mostly
because they felt I would be unbearably annoying. I mean, that doesn’t sound all
that far-fetched, and a few years ago they would have been exactly right. But
as I documented last year, I really liked this Royals team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The idea of my Mets playing their Royals sounded better
and better. They feared a “house divided” but the way I’ve looked at it is; if
the Mets are going to lose in the World Series, I’d much rather they lose to
the team my family loves. How could I really get upset at something that would
bring them so much joy? And hell, these Royals are one likable bunch. Losing to
them wouldn’t hurt nearly as much as the 2000 World Series loss to the Yankees
hurt. It wouldn’t compare to the stomach punch that was the 2006 NLCS against
the Cardinals. Seriously, still waiting on you to swing Carlos Beltran
(originally a Royal).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a win-win series for me. I want my Mets to win,
there’s no question. But if losing means seeing ear-to-ear smiles painted on my
wife and daughters faces, that’s pretty hard to chalk up as a loss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Either way, I’m ready. Let’s Go Mets!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-38359071503056739632015-08-17T05:24:00.004-07:002016-06-22T06:09:16.984-07:00Back to the PG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What does the
Marvel Universe have in common with hip-hop? Well, currently, nothing. And for
that matter, probably not much in the future. But if it were up to me, there
would be an entire inner weaving series of movies made about hip-hop, much like
the Marvel Universe. It’s a thought I’ve played with in my minds’ eye for a few
years, and after seeing how well the NWA story was told in <i>Straight Outta Compton </i>I’m pretty confident that it’s a solid idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Straight Outta
Compton</i> introduced the guys who made up, for my money, the second most
influential group in the history of modern music. Along with brief
introductions to some significant characters who remained on the peripheral of
the story. There was Tupac, Snoop, Warren G, Suge, and if you paid close enough
attention, you even saw Chuck D. Now, they don’t all deserve to have movies
made about their lives and careers, but they could all have recurring roles
throughout this universe of movies. And Suge would be a cross between Loki and
Ultron. Or if you take the DC approach, he’s the “League of Shadows” all on his
own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next movie would be a Dr. Dre biopic, with more time
spent on the Death Row years. Where we would get more familiar with Snoop as
well as Tupac, we’d see the introduction to the East Coast-West Coast war,
where we would also see Diddy for the first time. The Dre movie takes us
through his launching the careers of Eminem and 50 after he formed Aftermath.
And next we could enter the world of Bad Boy, who crossed paths with Jay Z
early on. So from the Bad Boy movie, the next movie could be about Jay Z, which
would be an interesting story alone, and would introduce icons Russell Simmons,
Kanye, Beyonce and Nas. A Diddy movie would also include Simmons, and hip-hop
isn’t middle age right now, without Russell. His label, Def Jam, launched the
careers of Run DMC, LL Cool J, and The Beastie Boys. And a Def Jam story can’t
be told without Rick Rubin, who might be the most interesting character in this
entire universe. Or any other universe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was never a comic book fan, so I’m not familiar with
the Marvel Universe beyond the movies I’ve seen or heard are coming down the
pipeline. But I know hip-hop well enough to know whose story necessitates its
own movie and who would be better off as a Hawkeye or Nick Fury. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have another idea for a universe of movies, but we’ll
save La Cosa Nostra for another time. Oh and by the way, much like <i>Iron Man</i> I have to say that <i>Straight Outta Compton</i> was a lot better
than I expected. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-52305395529727353612015-07-20T05:46:00.002-07:002016-06-22T06:09:28.667-07:00Miracle Worker<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They were right. I mean, over the years they said an
awful lot, and they were right about more than they were wrong, but they really
nailed it. I’m not sure exactly who they are, and neither are you, but you’ve
heard from them all your life. But when they said you’ll never known pain,
until you see your child suffering, they couldn’t have been more right. Of
course, without passing on some kind of wisdom that would have given me the
ability to alleviate some of my daughters’ pain, they weren’t being all that
helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But they were right all the same. When I was 13, I was
fairly certain I knew hurt, anger and disappointment on a more personal level
than the 13 year olds around me. Because when you’re 13, you know everything
better than anyone else. Now with the little maturity I’ve gained, I’ve learned
that everyone has their own bag of problems they carry with them wherever they
go. It’s the fact I can’t say or do anything, to pass this wisdom on to my own
13 year old that is currently eating me alive. I feel like I’m a five-star meal
for a Burmese python. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can tell myself that she’s going to be okay. She’s a
super bright girl, with a great sense of humor and heart that no snake could
ever change. And it’s all true, she is that smart and has a huge heart. The
girl that loves art, passed on the opportunity to enroll in the advanced art
class, so she could spend one hour a day working as an assistant to the art
teacher with her special needs class. I mean, sure I’m bragging, but I’d be an
ass to not brag. But knowing she’ll be okay isn’t any help at the moment. Maybe
that’s a ‘Me’ problem, but it is what it is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m learning that telling her stories about my own experiences
as a sensitive, anxious 13 year old (or 38 year old) only really helps me.
Sure, I can commiserate with her, but I still never walked even a step in her
shoes and we both know it. So they were wrong. They said the teenage years are
the hardest, and 7<sup>th</sup> grade is the hardest year of your life. But it’s
not even close. Seeing your kid go through those years is way harder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m pretty sure I now know exactly how Helen Keller felt
before Anne Sullivan came along. I have so much I want to communicate to her,
some real wisdom (I think), but the sounds won’t make any sense and the
gestures probably just look rude. So if you know a miracle worker…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-10293979279999828972015-07-17T05:23:00.002-07:002016-06-22T06:09:45.017-07:00Do What You Can<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like to tell myself that I don’t understand all the vitriol
I’ve heard or read since Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award,
but that’s not the case. I understand, at best, it’s all ignorance and at
worst, it’s good ol’ fashion hate. On one level, I can understand disagreeing
with her winning the award. There are so many courageous men and women, who at
least have a toe in the sports world. What I can’t grasp, is how people can
judge how courageous someone else is, or isn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact of the matter is, we have no idea how brave
anyone else is. The barista that served you a latte at Starbucks, she may have
had to sneak the kids out of the house in the middle of the night to escape an
abusive husband. The kid you just walked by in the mall, yeah, the one who had
his head buried in his phone and never even looked up as he nearly walked into
you. Maybe his mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer, and just getting out
of the house took every ounce of courage he had. And I mean no disrespect to
those who serve our country, but the fact is, they aren’t all super heroes in
uniform. The vast majority have more courage than I can even imagine, but there
are also some who just wanted to pull the trigger without legal repercussions. Who
knows?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mention the military, not because I think their courage
needs to be questioned. But because that’s become the popular example. “Caitlyn
Jenner doesn’t deserve this award, it should go to someone who serves. They’re
risking everything for us.” Now, it’s true that they are, but this is an award
given out by a sports network to people involved in sports. So there’s that.
And furthermore, where was the outrage when Michael Sam won? Why weren’t we
demanding that a wounded warrior was more deserving than Robin Roberts? Truth
is, if you believe someone from the service deserved the award, by your own
logic, the award shouldn’t even be named after Arthur Ashe. He didn’t give a
limb in service of this country. Why was he more deserving than the vets who
had just served in the Gulf War? He wasn’t. But…and this is important here, he
was an athlete and ESPN was (and remains) a network devoted to covering sports.
And Ashe faced his tragic death with the courage and grace we should all
admire. It was a different time, but that’s the grace and courage that Jenner
showed when she risked so much to be true to herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may not agree with how she’s living her life, and you
might be one of those who keep calling her “Bruce.” But then you’re the same
person who would have kept calling Muhammad Ali, “Clay.” And most importantly,
you missed the point of Jenner’s beautiful speech. “I know I’m clear with my
responsibility going forward, to tell my story the right way, for me, to keep
learning, to reshape the landscape of how trans issues are viewed, how trans
people are treated. And then more broadly to promote a very simple idea: accepting
people for who they are. Accepting people’s differences.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I probably shouldn’t even go here, but I just can’t help
myself. There’s been a lot of talk that Lauren Hill, the college basketball
player who lost her battle to cancer this year, but only after she took the
court and touched the lives of millions. I love her story, and it breaks my
heart. Driving to work on Tuesday, I heard her parents on the “Mike & Mike
Show” on ESPN radio, and I was tearing up in the car. Hill’s fight, and her
efforts to spread awareness, took great courage. And I have the up-most respect
for her, but…the truth is, her fight was actually a little easier than Jenner’s.
More tragic, but a little easier. Hill knew how her story would end. She knew
she was going to die, and that it would happen much sooner than it should. But
when you already know the outcome, it makes doing the brave thing a little
easier. That doesn’t make her struggle and easier, or her loss any less tragic.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, remember what this is: an award from a network. Getting
upset about who they decided to present it to, well that’s really making a big deal
about something that isn’t that important. Can you name three past winners?
Hell, I named two above, and you probably already forgot their names. So if
ESPN giving an award to Caitlyn Jenner upsets you, that’s a you problem. Good
luck with that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-12169176676692094292014-10-21T05:28:00.001-07:002016-06-22T06:10:00.860-07:00Little Big League<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiez5Tio9F_G66M1PZuCLmybKVE9KwoeBLseQRC8RYwctW3o0FLR6pnslxiMdDuLX9qiD1khKUEkQ69rc8aOa4G6ffnQJuv62RqgaRwpXtOE49V6bwm3w1bjqU4Da3-DkTP-qE_PEQ1VXlo/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiez5Tio9F_G66M1PZuCLmybKVE9KwoeBLseQRC8RYwctW3o0FLR6pnslxiMdDuLX9qiD1khKUEkQ69rc8aOa4G6ffnQJuv62RqgaRwpXtOE49V6bwm3w1bjqU4Da3-DkTP-qE_PEQ1VXlo/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m going to tell you why you’re rooting for the 2014
Kansas City Royals, or why you should be. These Royals are essentially a little
league team. No, that’s really not an insult, but instead it’s the greatest
compliment I can give. They play like a bunch of 12 year olds. Not just the
enthusiasm, which is copious. But they play the way we were all told to play.
First and foremost, you hustle. You always hustle. Play defense well. Catch the
ball, throw to the cutoff. Don’t try to make the great play, just play smart defense
and hustle and the great plays will happen. Learn how to lay down a bunt and
learn how to run the bases. Throw strikes, and trust your defense. If they
can’t catch up to your fastball, that’s great, but throw strikes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They do everything your little league coach taught you.
And they play like 12 year olds. They love to run, and they love to get dirty.
They chomp their gum, wear rally caps and spit seeds. But even the players on
the team remind you of kids you played with. Alex Gordon is the great athlete,
who does everything like the cool kid in school. He can strike out four times
in a single game, but he never looks phased. Eric Hosmer has the punky
haircut and is always pumping up his teammates, and man can he hit. And anytime
he gets a hit, the first thing he does is look back to the dugout and pumps
everyone up even more. Mike Moustakas is that super intense kid, the one
you want on your side if there’s ever a fight. He’s the strongest kid on the
team, and you get the feeling that his parents are probably too hard on him,
but he lives and dies with the team. Salvy Perez is the big lug of a catcher,
always quick with a joke and a word of encouragement. And he’ll swing at
anything and everything. Lorezno Cain is the kid who started later than everyone
else, but he’s such a great athlete that he’s already one of the best players
on the team. He’s just a freak athlete, but he doesn't even realize it yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And everyone really likes each other. The parents sitting
in the bleachers can tell, and watch with pride as the dirty up their uniforms.
They have an air of confidence, but never seem arrogant. There’s just no quit
in any of them. They go up against teams with bigger and stronger kids, whose
parents pay for all the best coaching and ridiculously expensive bats and
cleats, and they beat ‘em. They appreciate every victory, and never take it for
granted.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe it’s the last summer before someone leaves to join
a traveling team, or a dad’s transfer takes someone else away to a far
off exotic city, or maybe they’ll stick together all the way through high
school. None of that matters to a 12 year old on the field. That’s the
stuff grown-ups worry about; these kids just want to keep playing. And
man, they sure are fun to watch. </span></div>
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Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-58522891346865367622014-10-01T05:31:00.000-07:002014-10-21T05:30:17.361-07:00Be Royal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdBxpvUNwq9GerkTBefBoLjcSRmOCxC5d_fTVdwaMJrDnckZgNhNheh8VxzoKnNE10nilIUorFYSzpdifMsP6tdwbp7iBcNej59GwV300WQ3McBleYWMB97MTmM_f-NXfHpYbOXvQMhyE/s1600/Athletics+Royals+Base_Cham640100114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdBxpvUNwq9GerkTBefBoLjcSRmOCxC5d_fTVdwaMJrDnckZgNhNheh8VxzoKnNE10nilIUorFYSzpdifMsP6tdwbp7iBcNej59GwV300WQ3McBleYWMB97MTmM_f-NXfHpYbOXvQMhyE/s1600/Athletics+Royals+Base_Cham640100114.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was 12 when we moved to Kansas City from back east. And the truth is, before we moved, the Royals were my second favorite team. I had a 1985 Fleer sticker of Royal Stadium, and thought that it looked like a pretty cool stadium. But more than that, the Royals reminded me of the Mets. My Mets had a young dominant pitcher in Dwight Gooden, and the Royals had Bret Saberhagen. The Mets had centerfielder that could fly with Mookie Wilson and the Royals had a Wilson of their own in WIllie. Both teams had right fielders who could hit the cover off the ball and gritty third basemen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hated the idea of leaving my friends and my Mets, but Kansas City didn’t sound like a horrible place. And we were going to live just 30 minutes from the stadium, compared to the nearly two hour trip we had back east. It was 1989 and the Royals had a pretty good team. But then we moved here, and I felt completely lost. I convinced myself that cheering for the Royals meant that I was being disloyal to the Mets. I quickly grew to hate living here, and rooting for a Kansas City team would have required positivity and enthusiasm. Being an angry 12 year old made that impossible. And so I quickly began to despise the Royals and the Chiefs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I made friends, even some who were Royal fans, my anti-KC feelings became part of those friendships. It’s great to root with people, but rooting against them is more engaging than being apathetic. So as the 90’s went, and the Royals ran their franchise into the ground, it became great fun to root against them. It helped take the focus off my Mets, who quickly became horrible themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I kept my anti-KC for years. Years became a decade, and soon a second decade. I made an exception when I attended the University of Kansas, and fell in love with Lawrence and the tradition of Jayhawk basketball. Plus, Lawrence never felt like the rest of the midwest to me. The Royals kept assembling ridiculous rosters and the Chiefs kept disappointing their faithful fans. So that was pretty fantastic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things began to shift when I found someone who wasn't just willing to marry me, but really wanted to. And being a Kansas City native that I loved, I started to warm to the teams of her youth. Aspects of Kansas City that I used to mock, started to become appealing. It’s really affordable, and very family friendly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I knew it, and without realizing it, I built a life here. Fantastic friends and a great family of my very own. So while other cities are sexier and have more to offer, Kansas City became home. And the Royals, after going through more rebuilding projects than any fan base should ever be asked to endure, started to show some promise. Along with the promise I saw on the field, there was seeing my wife cheer for them. And then it finally happened. I accepted the Royals and Kansas City became home. Not home “until…” but it’s really home. It’ll never be where I’m from, and I’ll always love Long Island and the memories of back east. But it’s where my daughter is forming her childhood memories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night’s 12 inning win brought back memories of seeing the Mets beat the Astros in 16 innings in the 1986 playoffs. And there’s nothing as memorable as a baseball team that won’t quit and finds a way to win. Go Royals. You know, unless they’re playing the Mets. </span></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-25354770262412725122014-08-12T06:01:00.000-07:002016-06-22T06:10:38.476-07:00You're the Shepard<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like everyone else, I’m dazed by the loss of Robin
Williams. Social media does a lot of things well, and a lot of things have room
for improvement. But it’s hard to say it does anything better than react to the
loss of a beloved figure. The fact that Williams’ was as cherished as ever,
even though his work hasn’t been up to par for years, is absolutely beautiful to
me. But do yourself a favor, and catch his guest appearance on” Louie” from
2012. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have, as I’m sure you do my favorite Williams’ roles.
John Keating, Sean Maguire and Adrian Cronauer were three iconic roles. That’s
three iconic and career defining roles. Three old friends I could easily spend
a Saturday afternoon with. The great teacher I wish I had, the therapist that I
really connected with that never came along and the best morning DJ to ever walk
the earth, who taught me everything I ever needed to know about the Vietnam
War.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ll quote them often and thanks to Williams, I’ll always
remember my father saying “shazbot.” But I’ll also always remember how I felt
yesterday, when I heard the news of his passing and how he passed. While so
many like to accuse a suicide victim of taking the easy way out, I just don’t
see it that way. Williams’ suicide brought back a lot of darker memories for
me. I’m reminded of a period of my life, from probably 12 until 22, when the
same option was very much in play. I’m thankful that I received help and never
went through with any attempts, and I’m mindful that the darkness of depression
is always closer than I like to admit. Like the fact my daughter posted on
Facebook a year or so ago, “you are never more than 10 feet away from a spider.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand that for me, depression is probably never more than 10 feet away, and I have to remain vigilante to keep it at bay. I haven’t had those kind of thoughts in nearly 10 years, and I’d like to believe I never will. It breaks my heart that Williams
fell victim to his. Last night I was online looking for my favorite Robin
Williams moments, and came across his appearance on “Inside the Actors Studio.”
He was brilliant, but I distinctly remember feeling that I was watching a
tortured man on that stage. He was manic. I heard that a member of the audience
was hospitalized due to a hernia sustained from laughing during his interview
with James Lipton. I don’t doubt it, and based on her laugh, I think I know who
it was. At least I remember the laugh. But Williams’ entire interview, and it
turns out his life, make me think of “Tears of a Clown” by Smokey Robinson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Now there’s some sad things known to man, But ain’t too
much sadder than, the tears of a clown. When there’s no one around”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has been made most clear to me, since hearing of Williams
death, is how powerful social media can be. I found myself thinking, as
everyone rushed to share their sadness or their favorite Robin Williams moments
and expressed more compassion and kindness than social has ever displayed; what
if we did this more often? What if, instead of waiting until Facebook reminds
us of birthdays, we occasionally just told our friends and family how we feel
about them? It’s naïve, simplistic and maybe even immature, but screw it. Maybe
choosing to be kind over being cool could help someone out on the day where
randomly hearing something kind could make all the difference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Because you know what? John Keating was right when he said, “no matter
what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-89276254628514945082014-06-19T12:37:00.000-07:002014-10-21T05:30:56.874-07:00Lets Make a Deal<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The basketball world continues to wait, with bated
breath, to find out what Lebron James will decide this summer. Does he opt out,
and test free agency? Does he return to Miami at a discount, allowing the Heat
some cap flexibility? Or does he opt in for one more year, only to revisit the
same decisions a year from now. But I’m not going to talk about that. Because I
have figured out a way for Kobe Bryant to potentially win his 6th ring. A ring
that’s very important to Bryant, because it would give him as much jewelry as
Michael Jordan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The catch, and Laker fans will hate this, but they’ll
have to trade Kobe Bean Bryant. A Laker for 18 season, who was widely
criticized for the pricey extension he signed with the Lakers this past season,
could do more to help the team by requesting a trade than he can do by playing
out his remaining years. No matter how good he is upon his return from
injuries, his contract has the Lakers handcuffed for the next two seasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realize trading an icon like Kobe would upset the fan
base, and generally I hate the idea of seeing icons change teams. While we like
to pretend it’s a newer phenomenon, it simply isn’t. We saw Michael Jordan in a
Wizards uniform and we saw Karl Malone in a Laker uniform. Patrick Ewing went
on to Seattle and then Orlando, and Hakeem Olajuwon finished his career in
Toronto.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here’s the trade:</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lakers trade Kobe Bryant to the New York Knicks and
in return, they receive both A’mare Stoudemire and Andrew Bargnani.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBcAx5RWy7TLOFOLHr_7d-BNUu0f43xFxRln3OF9ryKD3oh85V_lcCT1SRNbPJlfmB82eBAXHl4iwUaPrsd5rbxjaturhcYIaW2QeQ4vZ_DcgTiZTn0ACbY48CtqCUIg8_ici35JkMCAs/s1600/Kobe_Knicks_crop_north.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBcAx5RWy7TLOFOLHr_7d-BNUu0f43xFxRln3OF9ryKD3oh85V_lcCT1SRNbPJlfmB82eBAXHl4iwUaPrsd5rbxjaturhcYIaW2QeQ4vZ_DcgTiZTn0ACbY48CtqCUIg8_ici35JkMCAs/s1600/Kobe_Knicks_crop_north.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I get it, you think this sounds like a horrible trade.
Why would the Lakers want those two bums? Well, I can’t say they’d want them,
but here are a couple of reasons why they should. First of all, it makes them
worse. What, they should want to get worse? Absolutely. Getting this bad is a
great move. Unless there’s a miracle, the 2014-15 Lakers should be the worst in
the NBA. That guarantees them a top four pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. And the
real keys to this trade are the expiring contracts of both Stoudemire and
Bargnani. Trading Kobe allows the Lakers to free up $36 million for the 2015
season. When, potentially, Lebron James could be a free agent as well as Kyrie
Irving. The Lakers could afford both of them, team them up with two recent
lottery picks and still have plenty of cap space to fill out a competitive
roster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here is why Kobe Bryant should want to be traded to
the Knicks. He would be reunited with Phil Jackson, who is now team President.
He would be playing for his good friend, and first year coach, Derek Fisher and
alongside his buddy, Carmelo Anthony. But wait, there’s more. Derek, Phil and
Kobe could basically get the band back together. Pau Gasol is a free agent, and
could sign with the Knicks for the veteran minimum. Lamar Odom, who finished
last season with the Knicks, could also sign for the veteran minimum. The
Knicks are rumored to have an interest in Spurs back-up point guard, Patty
Mills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Potentially, the 2014-15 Knicks starting lineup could be:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PG- P.Mills<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SG- K.Bryant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SF- C.Anthony<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PF- P.Gasol<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C- T.Chandler<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along with a bench that would include Iman Shumpert, JR
Smith and Lamar Odom. They probably wouldn’t win 55 games, but no one wants to
see that team in the playoffs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb88KeTZ9XTI0Kglt78fGivHrKyGOZ2V6q0nyzcCvEgdD-RL_5GkcOyZDrMESAGP9FIyn3Kq8cMI_7JHf3btVtqW8ait7LZKIq1Ct9zvLV8F8C7tZ6L2Cr8q0vLpaayuImB3DaM6oA8Xh/s1600/kobe.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb88KeTZ9XTI0Kglt78fGivHrKyGOZ2V6q0nyzcCvEgdD-RL_5GkcOyZDrMESAGP9FIyn3Kq8cMI_7JHf3btVtqW8ait7LZKIq1Ct9zvLV8F8C7tZ6L2Cr8q0vLpaayuImB3DaM6oA8Xh/s1600/kobe.PNG" height="212" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-52705542305561547352014-06-12T09:38:00.002-07:002014-10-21T05:31:17.229-07:00Net Loss<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NBA All-Stars teaming up in Miami, we’ve seen this movie
already, right? Well, sequels to big budget productions are as predictable as a
Michael Wilborn name-drop on “PTI.” The sports world is abuzz with talk of
Knick forward, Carmelo Anthony, joining up with his besties in South Beach.
Making the “Big 3” the “Fab 4” aka, the Heatles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So every sports radio talk show, website and sports
related twitter feed are on fire. Most everyone is adamantly against this
union. Minus those who are Heat fans, of which there’s maybe 30,000 legit Heat
fans and another 3,000,000 enjoying their spot on the bandwagon. Of course, as
a Knick fan, I think this is a horrible idea. Losing your best player in 20
years is almost always a negative, and having him join a conference rival that
already has the best player in the game (maybe ever. Yes, I said it) isn’t
exactly raising my expectations for the Knicks. I don’t care how many rings
Phil Jackson has in his closet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This potential union is bigger than the Knicks. It would also
be bigger than the NBA. What? No single player, or team is bigger than the
sport. Well, yes. That’s always been the case. While the “Big 3” shifted the
balanced of the league for four seasons, uniting four members of the 2012
Olympic team is a whole new monster. Ultimately, it would be bad for the game
of basketball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On one hand, any time there’s a historically great team
playing, it’s good for the sport. No matter what sport it is. The Yankees of
the late 90’s, Jordan’s Bulls, Showtime, the Celtics, and Brady’s Patriots.
They were all among the greatest teams in their respective sports, and put
fannies in the seats and television’s tuned in. Just as we saw when Lebron
initially took his talent to South Beach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And “the Decision” had a greater impact, than just
further breaking Cleveland’s heart into a million more pieces. Chris Paul first
tried to join Carmelo and A’mare Stoutemire in New York, before changing his
focus to joining Kobe and Pau on the Lakers. A move the NBA itself blocked, before
shipping him off to the Clippers. So Dwight Howard joined the Lakers, along
with future Hall of Famer, Steve Nash. That didn’t work out, so Howard went to
Houston. The Rockets had recently acquired James Harden from the Thunder,
because they couldn’t afford to sign him to a long term deal. Turns out, they
dealt him a year too soon for a ton too little. But that’s neither here nor
there. For now. Kevin Love has asked out of Minnesota, and the belief is that
he is looking for a chance to join a winning team. The point is, the league
changed. Superstar players are trying to join forces. It was the only way to
remain competitive. And the money remained largely unchanged. The best players
were going to get their max deals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for Melo to join James, Wade and Bosh in Miami, all
four players will have to take significant pay-cuts. I’m not saying just a million
or two (how can you ever say “just a million or two” and not throw up?). No,
they’ll have to take over 50% in pay cuts to make it work under the NBA salary
cap. In the end, they’ll each have to give up between $50 and $70m. But shouldn’t
we applaud them? Shouldn’t we appreciate that four friends want to work together
and live in a beautiful city, while making millions of dollars? Sounds good
like a pretty good gig to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this is where I start questioning if this whole idea
is really that bad. As fans, we’ve become accustom to calling athletes greedy. But we can’t say that if this happens. We can’t
say they don’t care about winning, just their stats and paychecks, if they’re
willing to sacrifice so much just to win. Even if they’re creating a super team
and also depleting the level of the competition as a direct result of joining
forces. Like when Hulk fought alongside Iron Man and Thor in the Avengers. It
made them a whole lot stronger, and they didn’t have to worry about fighting
the Hulk anymore. Win-win, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only not so much. We saw the stars of league quickly
trying to team up in sets of threes after “The Decision” and if there’s a
sequel, the rest of the league will have to act accordingly. Kevin Durant and
Russell Westbrook can’t compete without teaming up with two additional great
players. Kobe, who would love to do it alone, would have to play nice in
someone else’s sandbox. Basically, the rest of the league has to put together
their “Superman V Batman” cast, just as Zac Snyder is trying to do in Hollywood
to compete with the Marvel Universe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This could really be a great thing, if we weren’t such a
greedy society. Rather than 30 NBA teams, imagine a league of 10 teams. 10
rosters filled up with the best of the best. The level of competition would be
insane, although there wouldn’t be a team in Oklahoma City or Portland. There
could be a second league, and maybe players could play their way into the top
tier. I’ve long thought that all four of the professional leagues should
contract some teams. It’s one of those situations, where less really is more.
Less teams would mean the remaining teams would have more talent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After thinking it all through, I’d like to stand at the
wedding and object. Not because it’s unfair, or because it kills any chance my
Knicks have of winning a title, but for the same reasons I object to Time
Warner and Comcast merging. Or Sprint and T-Mobile, okay, bad example. That one
is purely personal. Corporate mergers make for boring news and even more boring
basketball. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-30913736889409923772014-06-06T07:41:00.000-07:002014-10-21T05:31:44.178-07:00Oh Cramp<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sports world has lost its collective mind after
Lebron James left game one of the NBA finals with cramps. The image is pretty
powerful, seeing a guy as massive as James, hobbled and reaching for his left
leg. And while everyone that has ever experienced a cramp, can tell you how
painful it can be, it just doesn’t look the same as a broken leg nor does it
show up under an MRI like a torn Achilles. So this morning, social media and
sports talk radio is all abuzz. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first, and obvious comparison, is Michael Jordan.
Jordan supporters are quick to claim that cramps would never sideline the great
MJ. Hey, we all saw him play in the “flu game” where he battled a temperature
of 103 in game 5 of the 1997 Finals. Jordan played 44 minutes and scored 38
minutes, and the iconic images of him slouching on the bench and later falling
into Scottie Pippen’s arms are etched into the Mount Rushmore of sports images.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it’s easy to wax poetic about the great Jordan. The
truth is, no player has ever entered the NBA and been asked to carry as much
weight as Lebron from game one. Accounting for college games, regular season,
playoff and Olympic Games; Lebron has played more minutes than Michael, Kobe
Bryant and Magic Johnson. Kobe has played in 6 more games, but over 200 less
minutes. And basketball-reference doesn’t have all the minutes played in
Olympic Games, which is worth noting because through age 29 Lebron played 24
games in the Olympics compared to 8 from Kobe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jordan, Magic and Kobe are three of the all-time greats.
I’d rank all of them in my top five, but none of them are built like Lebron.
All that muscle, along with being as athletic as any of them, and all the time
he has spent on the court, has to take a toll. Cramps aren’t about mental
toughness or being soft, as many are now hinting. Lebron is simply unlucky that
he’s more susceptible to cramping, just as some of us mere mortals are prone to
debilitating migraines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the Heat end up losing the series, James’ legacy will
forever be tainted because of he unfortunately cramped up last night. And we’ll
continue to praise Jordan, who actually retired twice after winning an NBA
championship. Yet we never seem to question his heart or commitment. We’ll tell
our grandkids about Magic Johnson, and frankly, his lack of discipline off the
court quite possibly lead to him retiring at the age of 31. And we’re awed by
the laser like focus Kobe Bryant showed, while standing trial for the rape of a
teenage girl in Colorado. Somehow, that kind of focus is considered admirable.
I’ve had my issues with Kobe, and I’ve come around to the point that I’d
actually call myself a bit of a Kobe fan. But let’s be honest, assuming he’s
innocent, there’s something scary about someone being able to compartmentalize
like that. The very day he plead not-guilty in court, he flew to San Antonio
and scored 42 points. He was facing 20 years to life in prison. I don’t mean to
make this about Kobe, and what did or didn’t happen in Colorado, but that’s
just bizarre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We shouldn’t be questioning Lebron’s heart today. We
should be upset that an unfortunate electronic malfunction robbed us of what
could have been a game for the ages. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-59859156033347624122014-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:002014-06-02T09:00:54.107-07:00Chef Review: Swingers, All Growns Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFdSvmxLs2x8dPvOr1qASHPyRKU1-voNzADvUC0fm_zfN_2dEouDEcXriv3fgWsgFeRTltQNx7YcAO1I4MKdPnICN6DlsIJ79Df8trPUFw04h-UTDpQLc1DnzSnNVMLpVOEKXm6rQNZhk/s1600/Chef2014MoviePoster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFdSvmxLs2x8dPvOr1qASHPyRKU1-voNzADvUC0fm_zfN_2dEouDEcXriv3fgWsgFeRTltQNx7YcAO1I4MKdPnICN6DlsIJ79Df8trPUFw04h-UTDpQLc1DnzSnNVMLpVOEKXm6rQNZhk/s1600/Chef2014MoviePoster1.jpg" height="206" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of my all-time favorite movies, is now legally, an adult. So it’s perfect, that the all growns up version was just released. Jon Favreau reclaimed all the heart, soul and sweetness that made Swingers the perfect movie for a single guy in his 20’s, and used those ingredients along with some added maturity, to cook up another gem with Chef. C’mon, I had to make some kind of cooking analogy.<br /><br />Chef is the story of a famous LA chef, has a blow up in the most 2014 way possible after a negative, and personal, review from an even more famous food blogger. Beginning with a tweet war he can’t win, and ending with a viral video of a meltdown. It costs him, not just his job, but his pride. All the while, he’s unable to see just how badly his son is trying to connect with him.<br /><br />With his tale between his legs, he ends up taking his ex-wife’s advice (Sofia Vegara) and opens up a food truck. He hits the road with his loyal sous chef (John Leguizamo, who should really be a bigger star by now) and his son, to find his creative edge again and the adoration of his son.<br /><br />Like in Swingers, Favreau introduces us to a subculture that is much cooler than we ever thought. His music choices, as well as how he utilizes a song in a scene, is perfect. Much of it has an oddly familiar feel, only you just can’t remember where you’ve heard it before. I played the hell out of my Swingers soundtrack from 1996 through the end of the decade, and before I made it home from the movie last night, I had the Chef soundtrack playing on Spotify. Of course I was at a red light.<br /><br />Making Chef, in 2014, took real courage. The world has changed an awful lot since 1996, when Swingers was an indie darling. The personal story has been replaced by well-produced, big budget comic book movies. Favreau has changed just as much, he’s no longer the fat guy you recognize from Rudy or Vince Vaughn’s wingman. Now he’s the director and producer of the best comic book movies (Iron Man, Iron Man 2. produced Iron Man 3 and Avengers). Chef is every bit as personal as Swingers, only the priorities have changed. Beautiful babies, last minute trips to Vegas, and getting over the girl have been replaced, ironically enough by responsibilities. Find a job, be a good dad, make ends meet, and get happy. Loyalty, in the grownup world, means telling someone to not follow you out the door to unemployment, but telling them to stay and take advantage of the opportunity. Keeping your rep because someone bumped into your friend and didn’t apologize, that’s for kids. And so are K-cars.<br /><br />I am a notoriously picky eater, but Chef did more to make various foods appeal to me than anything else ever has. Do yourself a flavor, and go check out the feel good movie of the summer. (That has to end up on a poster, right?)Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-84738969898421634592014-04-29T05:46:00.003-07:002014-04-29T05:47:47.634-07:00Say Good Night to the Bad Guy<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Donald Sterling is a bad guy. I despise everything he
stands for, and I have long before his words were recorded. His bigotry and
business dealings have been well documented, so none of this is new. And it
would be great for basketball, if he was no longer a part of the NBA. But the
NBA shouldn’t do anything about this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like most everyone else, I like to believe that there’s
no room in society for this kind of antiquated thinking in 2014. But this kind
of thinking is way more prevalent than we are willing to admit. I think
allowing Sterling to keep the team, would do more to keep the lines of
communication open than forcing him to sell and making him a martyr for likeminded
individuals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is embarrassing to admit, but I’m one of those
people who read (and sometimes engage) with commenters on Facebook and
throughout social media. So as much as we like to think we’ve come so far in
the last 60 years, anytime race is in the news, the internet trolls make it
evident; we have a long way to go. Ignorance is an epidemic and it won’t be
beat by sweeping the ugly under the rug. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He’s an ass, and he made that very clear, but this is not
how you drive out the darkness. I think it would be fantastic if the fans,
sponsors and players want to force him out in very organic way. If players
refuse to play for him, I applaud them. If the fans want to stay at home, that’s
great. If the people apply so much pressure that Sterling is driven to sell,
that’s a huge win. That’s a statement that can’t be ignored. But the league
shouldn’t drive the bus. Forcing the 80 year old billionaire to sell his team
for close to a billion dollars won’t change a thing, it would only help the NBA’s
image for a single news cycle.</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not worried about Donald Sterling. We see him for
what he is. I’m worried about the owners, executive, coaches, fans, agents and
players that are just as ignorant but remain faceless. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-62593643799915777882014-02-10T05:53:00.000-08:002014-02-10T05:53:30.161-08:00Marcus Smart<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marcus Smart is the perfect player to root against. He’s
a great talent and a smart kid. Two facts that shouldn't be overlooked, he’s
talented and he’s a kid. After beating Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse last year, he
did a celebratory flip right on the giant Jayhawk at half-court. Every Kansas
fan took notice. It was a sign of disrespect, only it really wasn't. His flip
acknowledged that beating Kansas wasn't just another win in a long season.
Beating Kansas was an accomplishment worth celebrating. I hated him for it. And
I loved him for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smart could have been a top 10 pick in the NBA draft
after his freshman season, and he could have begun earning millions of dollars.
But he loved playing college basketball, and chose to come back. How can you
not root for the rare kid, who makes that decision? His Oklahoma State team was
supposed to be very good, and were the favorites to dethrone Kansas, as nine
time Big 12 Champions. And when Kansas landed the top recruit in the country,
who quickly became the focus of the basketball world, Smart took exception. And
while most players play the public relations game, Smart wasn't afraid to voice
his opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“They are saying he is the best college player there is
and he has not even played a game yet,” Smart told USA Today Sports. “It is all
talk. He still has to put his shorts on one leg at a time like I do. It is all
potential. I am not saying he can’t do it, but he has not done it yet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This isn't a kid just going through the motions, waiting
for his payday. Marcus Smart is everything we want in a college athlete. But
after a 15-2 start, his season quickly went to hell in a hand basket, finally
hitting rock bottom when he let the words of a loud mouth set him off. Smart
was obviously wrong for pushing the moron, but I loved how he took
responsibility for his actions. Again, another rare quality in today’s athlete.
Heck, it’s a rare quality in people today, no matter their athletic ability. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I’m rooting for Marcus Smart, you know, except for
when Kansas heads down to Stillwater next month. I hope Smart comes back and
drops 30 points per game, and has a fantastic NBA career. I know he’ll be a
model citizen on and off the court. The only bad guy in this whole mess, is the
50 year old who spent a nice junk of change, just to harass kids while they
were playing a game. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-38939948304788193412014-01-14T06:28:00.001-08:002014-01-14T06:29:19.861-08:00PEDs: Yes, Again<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“<span style="background-color: white;">I've had mixed feelings for years about doping. It's not that
I'm in favor of it. It's just that I've never found the standard arguments
against doping to be particularly compelling. So professional cyclists take EPO
because they can rebuild their red blood cell count, in order to step up their
training. I'm against "cheating" when it permits people to take
shortcuts. But remind me why I would be against something someone takes because
they want to train harder?</span>” Malcolm Gladwell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not sure who is more obsessed with
Performance Enhancing Drugs, Major League Baseball or myself. I think I may
have promised not to write about PED use anymore, and I could apologize, but
there’s maybe three people reading this, so I’ll risk it and hope you’ll just
have to forgive me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just can’t help myself. Every time there’s a
major PED story in the sports news cycle, the subsequent outrage just drives me
batty. Yes, it’s technically cheating. The rules say players aren't allowed to
take these drugs, so by taking them, they are cheating. That much isn't really debatable.
So while Alex Rodriguez isn't being suspended for flunking a test, I’m
confident that he did 95% of everything they say he did. I was a fan of Alex,
until he left Seattle. In part, it was because he spurned my Mets, and also
because I've never been a fan of franchise players leaving via free agency,
unless they are returning “home.” As Barry Bonds did when he went to the
Giants, and Ken Griffey Jr did when he went to the Reds. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't until Alex forced a trade to the
Yankees, that we realized how much of a prima donna he really is. Then on top of
that, he was just horrible in the post-season. But this isn't about Rodriguez.
I don’t really care what he did or how inflated his career numbers are. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I can’t wrap my head around, is how the very
day that the media is ripping him to shreds, we’re all celebrating the
greatness of Peyton Manning. And Manning is now, and has always been, a
remarkable football player. Manning has put together, perhaps, the greatest
career ever, by anyone throwing a football. And if he had a similar career
throwing a sphere, rather than a prolate spheroid, his numbers would all be
under a cloud of suspicion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manning is 37, and two years removed from a career threatening neck injury. He required spinal fusion surgery. That wasn't enough,
and he had another procedure on his neck. Manning missed an entire season, and
was released. He signed with Denver, and while his arm strength was obviously diminished
in 2012, he had the second best season of his illustrious career. Then this
year, Manning had, statistically, the best season of any quarterback in the
history of the NFL. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on appearance, there’s never been any
reason to suspect Manning of taking anything illegal. He’s currently listed at
6’5” and 230 pounds, the same weight he was listed during his senior year of
college. That was 16 years ago. Manning and I are the same age, and neither
myself, nor any of my friends, weight what we did 16 years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s not that I suspect Manning has taken PED’s.
My gut feeling is, that he actually has not. But the truth is, of the athletes
that have been linked to PEDs, most weren't overly muscular nor did we witness
some sort of noticeable physical transition. The outlier, of course, is Barry
Bonds. Bonds looked more like the Hulk at the end of his career, than a
baseball player. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly enough, both Bonds and Manning are the sons of
fathers who played professional sports. Barry and Peyton both had much more
productive careers than their fathers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the 41 players that Major League Baseball that
have been suspended for taking PEDs, only eight would be labeled power hitters.
The vast majority were either relief pitchers or largely forgettable hitters. Of
course, the list doesn't include Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa Mark McGwire or Jose
Canseco. But my point is, it isn't just the super strong and Hulk-like,
athletes using.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Forget about the big four sports in America for a
second, and look at the rest of the landscape. Where is doping prevalent? In
cycling (see; Armstrong, Lance) and track and field. Check out this list: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_athletics">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_athletics</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet, in
America, we seem to only suspect baseball players. When in truth, football
players and basketball players have so much more to gain from taking
performance enhancers. The list above contains mostly athletes who compete in
sports where speed, agility and strength are most important. Have you watched
baseball? It’s mostly about hand-eye coordination. Sure, being strong might
help you hit a ball further, or throw it harder. But it won’t help you make
contact more, and it won’t help you locate a pitch better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it
would help a running back run fast, and allow him to be strong enough to handle
being hit by a 250 pound linebacker. It would help a basketball player to train
harder, and build up the strength in his legs, so he can run and jump. And it’s
just too convenient, that, as of now, neither the NFL nor NBA, test for HGH. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So forgive
me, if I can’t just accept Adrian Peterson coming back from a torn ACL, and had
one of the best season of any running back, without borrowing some of Lance
Armstrong’s methods. And I can’t look at Lebron James, combines the body of a
power forward, with the speed of a point guard and can jump like a deer, and
not suspect that he may be genetically modified. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are we going
to question every great feat accomplished on a baseball diamond, and blindly
accept everything done on a football field or a basketball court? I can’t do
that. Then again, I don’t really care what these guys put in their bodies.
Because <span style="background-color: white;">why I would be against something someone takes
because they want to train harder?</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-37414370645881946262013-11-12T05:39:00.001-08:002013-11-12T05:40:29.363-08:00Moneyball<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a day last week where woke up yesterday morning
at like 5am, for which I’d like to thank Daylight’s Savings. Blech. But since I
couldn't get back to sleep, I decided to start watching Moneyball. It’s one of
those movies that I can always watch. I’m happy watching just 15 minutes or
watching the entire film. After texting a friend that enjoys Moneyball as much
as myself, I realized what Hollywood needs to do. I am even more convinced
today, after hearing about a “Full House” spin-off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I want, what’s important to me, is Aaron Sorkin and
Peter Berg join forces, and give us “Moneyball” the television series. Knowing
they couldn't have the cast from the movie, I’ve been thinking over the best
casting options. My first instinct was for Kyle Chandler (aka Coach Taylor) to
take on the role of Billy Beane. And I think he’d be fantastic, but it would be
so hard to see him as anyone other than Coach Taylor. So when I sit down with Berg
and Sorkin (what do you mean, “never gonna happen?”) I’m suggesting they cast
John Cusak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cusak’s cadence speaking Sorkin’s words, yeah, sign me
up. Sorkin could recruit Josh- er, Bradley Whitford to play A’s manager Bob
Melvin. The way I see it, you take 6 parts of Moneyball, 3 parts of “Friday
Night Lights” and one part of “Entourage” (coming from the first two seasons).
I want to see Beane deal with free agents and working the phone to make a
trade. I want to hear his reaction to the contracts the Angels hand out like
prizes at a county fair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s simply no way that this wouldn't be the best show
on television. All that’s left is for Berg and Sorkin to sign on. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-42002566509589771132013-10-21T06:09:00.000-07:002013-10-21T07:35:10.216-07:00Greatest Common Factor<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">I’m not sure when it happened, but it was sometime
soon after getting married. I used to be a night owl. Up till 1 or 2 every
night, and up by 6 during the week and 9 on the weekends. Now, during the week,
I’m usually in bed by 10:30. Occasionally it’s earlier, and rarely it’s much
earlier. The joke is, that I am turning into my mother because I’m also now an
earlier riser, no matter if I want to be or not. Part of me can’t stand this
new schedule, but then I sort of like being up early. I get to work by 7, but I’m
usually 10-15 minutes early. Best of all, I’m off at 4. While most of the world
still has another hour or two of work, I’m already heading home. That’s when it
feels like I’m stealing time. To be honest, I’m not sure who I’m stealing it
from. Now the idea of working till 5, actually gives me some anxiety. Although
for me, anxiety comes with breathing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">So
last night I stayed up to watch some of the Colts and Broncos, and once the
game looked pretty much locked up, I turned in for the night. Meanwhile, the
Kyd was up late doing some homework that she had forgotten about. I was equally
annoyed that she waited till 11 on Sunday night to magically remember, and
proud that she actually remembered. She had math homework, and she’s really
come a long way. English was always her strong suit, she’s an amazing reader
(both in quantity consumed and retention) and a very good writer. Math used to
give her fits, but now she really enjoys it. Great news for me, since I was
always a big fan of math, plus I’m actually good at the math she’s doing. But
once she gets to high school, I may have to get a tutor of my own, just in case
she asks for help. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">A
little before midnight, I heard my wife ask “are you awake?” I wanted to answer
in the negative, but she’s too smart for that. Turns out, the Kyd was stumped
by Greatest Common Factors. And I still like Greatest Common Factors, which I
think is probably some sort of evidence of OCD. I’ll often see a license plate
on the car in front of me, and stay behind that car until I’m sure I’ve figured
out the Greatest Common Factor. But times sure have changed, now they teach
kids to find the Greatest Common Factor using some cake method. Sure, every kid
needs to start craving sweets while doing their homework. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Truth
be told, I was thrilled to be up late. I loved that I could help, and while she
usually can’t stand for me to help with homework, she was completely receptive,
appreciative, and patient. This all reminded me why I became a night owl to
begin with. When my parents always kept me on a strict bedtime, I was sure I
was missing something. So as soon as “bed-time” was removed from my life, I
made sure to stay up as late as I possibly could. I wasn’t going to miss
anything. I hope I haven’t missed too many nights like last night, and that I’ll
never miss another. But if 5 Hour Energy drinks cause cancer, please, don’t
tell me just yet. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-21611177989861039102013-10-04T05:51:00.001-07:002013-10-04T05:51:27.581-07:00Blurred Lines<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like so many others, I am a creature of habit. My wife may
think it occasionally borders on OCD, and she’s not wrong. Recently, I tweaked
(I might have to retire the use of “tweak” as it’s just way too close to “twerk”
but I digress) my bedtime routine. I used to just put on the television, and
find something that was just interesting enough that I didn't want to flip the
channel, but lacked action and humor. Usually it ended up with me watching an
episode of “Lockup” or “Drugs Inc.” Then, in an effort to make it easier for my
wife to fall asleep, I swapped an iPad in place of the television. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I look for documentaries that fit the bill; interesting
enough that it holds my attention for 20 minutes, but not so interesting that
it gives me a second wind. Last night I found <i>Miss Representation</i>. <i>Miss Representation</i> is a documentary
that delves into how the media portrays women, and how that impacts young girls
to teens, to women and even men. See, it doesn't even sound all that enthralling,
right? Sure, I've noticed how almost every commercial includes a beautiful woman
and her beauty is the focus of the spot, no matter if the ad itself is selling
perfume or a hamburger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what really hooked me, was listening to a group of high
school girls talk about their stories. Hearing tales of how they worried about
their weight in 5<sup>th</sup> grade. As well as the stories about how harsh
women are to each other. It really struck a chord with me, as a father,
husband, uncle, son, brother and as a compassionate human-being. I couldn't help but think about how we could diminish the impact of the onslaught of
images and influences the Kyd sees on a daily basis. Unfortunately, and
predictably, I haven’t been able to come up with a silver bullet. Instead, I've decided that I’ll sit and watch Miss Representation with down with my wife and
daughter. I’ll do my best to not say anything. I’m sure the Kyd will be plenty
embarrassed by all the shots of cleavage and skimpy outfits. It’ll be hard for
me to keep my lips sealed, but I’m hoping she takes away two thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One, it’s all crap. Her worth isn't derived from her body. Winning
the adoration of a boy isn't the end game, and she should never sell herself
short for any reason.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, I want her to know that I’m aware of the burden
society puts on her and her friends. Then maybe one day down the road when I
make a crack about how she’ll never be allowed to wear the house in a skirt as
short as the one that girl over there is wearing, isn’t about me wanting to prevent
her from attracting boys or because I want her to be afraid of sex. I just want
her to be seen for the smart, funny, talented, beautiful, compassionate, and creative
young woman she is. And more than wanting her to be seen that way, I want her
to see herself as smart, funny, talented, beautiful, compassionate and creative
young woman she is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe she’ll start to understand why I refuse to listen to
Miley Cyrus’ latest song, when it comes on the radio when we’re on our way to volleyball
practice. And maybe I need to turn the channel the next time a Victoria’s
Secret commercial comes on during the basketball game we’re watching. Or maybe I
just need to be sure she hears me compliment her, as well as her mother’s sense
of humor, intelligence and kind heart.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-9558749448946150372013-09-25T06:47:00.002-07:002013-09-25T06:47:18.278-07:00Breaking Wish<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like most of the country, I am obsessed with “Breaking
Bad”. No, that’s not even accurate. I am addicted. I’ll skip all of the obvious metaphors, but I
can’t get enough of the show or the cast. I want to have surgery so that I
sound like Aaron Paul. I hate myself for being a couple of years late to the
party, but I’ll be first in line for Vince Gilligan’s next project. He could
write a note on the wall of a bathroom stall in whatever they now call the
Oakland Coliseum, and you’ll find me literally knee deep in it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think the writers are nothing short of brilliant, and
for me to place this show above “The Sopranos” on my Mount Rushmore of
television dramas is the highest compliment I can give. There hasn't been a wasted episode, pointless
character or a single line that wasn't meticulously thought out. The premise
itself doesn't sound incredibly interesting.
And a show about a middle class and middle aged white person becoming a
drug dealer, just three years after “Weeds” premiered, smells of a copycat. Yet
they made the most interesting and most original series, the best ever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That all said, I think they’re making a mistake. Not with
the direction of the show, but with the Saul Goodman spin-off. For me, Saul has
always been a great character, who has given the show great comedy relief at
the exact right time. Before I stopped biting my fingernails, and began
devouring entire fingers. But he isn’t the character to carry an entire series.
He’s like Jack Black. Fantastic in a supporting role, but should only be the
lead in the perfect situation. Think: High Fidelity, School of Rock, King Kong,
and Shallow Hal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, the character that would make for the most
interesting spin-off is the last character they introduced us to. The man with
no name, played by the brilliant Robert Forster. (Thanks to the Podcast, I
actually do know his name)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What television doesn't need is another show about a
lawyer. Not even a corrupt, glorified ambulance chaser who offices out of a
strip mall. But a show about someone who owns a vacuum store and on the side
helps recreate identities and relocate all sorts of characters? That’s an idea
worth exploring. He’s someone I want to
know more about. How did he get into that line of work? Why? What’s his end
game? What are his methods? And can you
imagine all the different characters they could introduce?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not just the criminal masterminds like Mr. White, yo. There’s
the abused spouse wanting to start fresh. Maybe a disgraced politician that had
to withdraw from a race because of some indiscretions. Or the front man of a
band like The Cruisers. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-80554444613217158842013-09-09T06:53:00.002-07:002013-09-17T11:17:06.037-07:00Breaking Theory<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After last night’s “Breaking Bad” I have, like the rest
of the world, had to re-evaluate my prediction for how the show ends. Not that
I had really committed a single theory, but based on what we knew, Walt was
alive in the somewhat near future. Based on the, for lack of a better word,
flash-forward, we knew that Walt had left the Albuquerque area and assumed a new identity.
Most of the theories revolved around him calling Saul’s vacuum repair guy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stop reading now, if you haven’t seen last night’s
episode. Also, get your priorities in line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They left us believing that Hank and Gomez were dead, or
that death was imminent. Not since Trayvon Martin, has someone been at such a
disadvantage as a couple of DEA agents were against some ultra-militant Neo-Nazi
psychopaths. But let’s be honest, they had pretty horrible aim. They had the
better angle, more firepower, and shot first. Yet, somehow we never see Hank or
Gomez wounded. Or I missed it. This is completely possible, as I can neither
confirm nor deny that I had to pause the show, just to change my shorts. I was
sure they were going to snipe Hank like Tom Berenger would have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on the assumption that Hank and Gomez lose the
firefight, here is what I think is going to happen:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walt will be wounded. There’s just no way that none of
the bullets strike him. There hasn’t been a sitting duck like that since Tupac
on the Vegas strip. Which, by the way, happened 17 years ago Saturday. RIP,
Pac. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program. The skinheads aren’t
going to kill Jesse. Maybe they think Walt is dead, but Jesse survived the
shootout. So Landr-, er, Matt Dam-, I mean Todd’s crazy uncle is going to
snatch Jesse. Our beloved Jesse is their best bet at increasing the purity of Todd’s
cook as well as adding that blue persuasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we know that Walt did indeed survive. I think he ends
up turning State’s evidence, and testifying against the Skinheads. He could
just as easily spin a tale about how they got their hooks into him, just like
the story he spun about Hank in “Confessions.” And the Government will be more
concerned with getting the guys who gunned down two of their own. Also, since
the DEA has no knowledge of Hank investigating Walt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So Mr. White testifies, but something goes wrong. The
skinheads have Jesse cooking for them, but Todd finally perfects the cook, and
Jesse becomes disposable. We see Walt coming back, not to go after Jesse. Not
to face off with Walt Jr. Mr. White, who actually got away with being a drug
kingpin for a year, can’t help but come back to avenge his top pupil. The
cancer is back, and he doesn't have much time left. Sadly, neither does the
greatest show ever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-2921601612289497622013-08-28T06:48:00.001-07:002013-08-28T06:49:57.473-07:00Fantasy<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been playing fantasy sports since, well, since before I actually even started playing fantasy sports. In 3rd grade, a friend and I would draft teams. There was never any tracking of stats, so no winner or loser. You won, or lost, just from looking at the rosters. I finally went “professional” in 6th grade, and I've had either a football, baseball or basketball team every year since. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> But the newest idea for a league that I see in my minds’ eye is a throwback to 3rd grade. Simply because it is pure fantasy. No, I don’t mean that kind of fantasy. It can never be tracked. If you have ever watched a football game, you may have noticed that there were 11 guys from each team on the field. In baseball, there’s nine and in basketball you have five players. My idea is to draft a team of 11 guys, from all three sports. The catch: everyone has to play a position in every sport. Tom Brady can be your quarterback, but you also have to find a position for him on the diamond and a spot for him on the hardwood, as well as a defensive position for him to play in football. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If, for example, you do draft Tom Brady, he has to be your QB. But then you can pick what positions he’ll play in the other sports. For the baseball team, you draft two starting pitchers and one relief pitcher to go along with your eight position players. For the basketball roster, there’s your starting five made up of a point guard, shooting guard, small forward and a center. The bench should have a back-up for every position plus one extra player, and the team owner can select what position they play. As for your football team, you have a little more flexibility. The owner can decide if they have three wide receivers or two. A two back set or a single back. There has to be a quarterback, at least one running back and two wide receivers, but the other three offensive positions are flexible, but every player has to have their position determined upon drafting. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Below are examples using current players, and an all-time team:
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfWd3L_IUWuzGqj1mZ_apsnrVgTed5ko2kXn0JSmZQ0MYwD56WlrHkQe1AFC2Ud6nyrd9RpYNHguUuypzfhuLGfO1rOBXQ4ZiqKjTP3e1H3NGiMhpgVMlyZXbH8us0bnAmxYS6LHt4yql/s1600/Examples.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfWd3L_IUWuzGqj1mZ_apsnrVgTed5ko2kXn0JSmZQ0MYwD56WlrHkQe1AFC2Ud6nyrd9RpYNHguUuypzfhuLGfO1rOBXQ4ZiqKjTP3e1H3NGiMhpgVMlyZXbH8us0bnAmxYS6LHt4yql/s1600/Examples.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-52043403308153100332013-08-12T05:18:00.002-07:002013-08-12T05:19:08.996-07:00Fall & Winter Flicks<div class="MsoNormal">
After summer filled with meh-vies more than movies, here are
the trailers of the movies I am most looking forward to seeing in the fall and
winter:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
American Hustle, December 25th<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gsp-0WsMNUE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Monuments Men, December 18th<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CreneTs7sGs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Counselor, October 25th<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/S4Tm7HX7bkc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Inside Llewyn Davis, December 6th<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jl8DidbbTQM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Runner Runner, October 4<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UFPqyNvNzvU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Wolf of Wall Street, November 15th<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/idAVRvQeYAE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don Jon, September 27th<o:p></o:p></div>
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<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rTmappTfRfo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thor: The Dark World, November 8<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4KTvjFGgGkk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, December 20<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Elczv0ghqw0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br /></div>Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-88225578381139069982013-08-06T09:06:00.002-07:002013-10-18T05:49:47.031-07:0050 Years<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
knew when we took on the challenge, of organizing a weekend to honor my parents
for their 50 years of marriage that the payoff would be well worth it. But I
never really spent much time thinking about how much it could mean. Because you
know, arranging for temperatures under 100 degrees in August in Kansas City, is
really pretty time consuming. But my wise uncle put it all in perspective for
me, in a single sentence. “You've given them, what might be, the greatest memory of their lives.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A
great weekend was the original goal, but now I would have to consider anything
short of their greatest memory ever to be a failure. And with as much
confidence as I can muster, mission complete. But giving them a great weekend,
or the greatest weekend, wouldn't come close to evening things out.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m
pretty hard on myself in most areas of my life, but I know this much: I’m a
damn good husband with a fantastic marriage. Both facts being a result of the
parents I have and the examples they set for me. In 50 years, no matter what
life threw at them, they faced it all as a team. What they say is true, “imitation is the
highest form of flattery,” and I can’t think of any better way to compliment my
parents, than to imitate them. Minus dad’s walk. </span><span style="font-family: Century Gothic, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2053458350650427314.post-64545338438478084132013-07-29T05:45:00.000-07:002013-10-18T05:50:05.134-07:00Too: To a Higher Degree than is Desirable, Permissible, or Possible<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was too young. It happened too soon. It’s all too sad.
This is just too close for comfort. He meant too much to too many. Too many are
hurting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the weekend, a friend very suddenly and completely
unexpectedly, passed away. He was only 46. We weren’t close friends, but I had
known him for a little more than 10 years. He was, however, very close friends
to a good friend of ours. And that relationship, amplified the magnitude of
this earthquake by a 100 times. Maybe even a thousand. I really can’t do math
right now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not sure why I’m even writing about it, or what I’m
trying to say. It’s not as if I can make sense out of this. It makes no sense.
He was in great shape. I heard some of the details, rather, I was told some of
the details. But, similar to a scene from the movie Spanglish, there was a
crack in the world. I vividly remember being told what happened, but none of
the details stuck. My brain couldn’t manage hearing while trying to comprehend
what had happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, my heart breaks for his wife. My heart breaks for
his son and daughter. My heart breaks for his twin brother. There was so much
to admire and respect. He had a close knit group of friends, dating back to
high school and college. I saw the kind of relationship every brother hopes to
have. They lived within five miles of each other, and spent summer vacations
together in Destin, Florida. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toughest of all, was seeing the relationship he had with
his children. When I was in my teens to early 20’s, I couldn’t imagine being so
close with my father. Now that I am a parent, I can only hope to immolate what
he had. How many 20 year old daughters would post so many photos with their
father on Facebook? It sounds like such an insignificant fact, but I was always
really impressed. He wasn’t someone I’d text, I’d just see him around from time
to time. And while his poker playing style could drive me nuts, I always hoped
to learn more about his parenting style.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life is too short, and too precious. A late night movie
with friends is too easily taken for granted. Too many words go unsaid. It’s
all just too sad. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Gregghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08190360239418728795noreply@blogger.com0