Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, and a frequent guest on "Around The Horn" thinks it's preposterous that baseball does not play in a warm neutral site for the world series.(http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-plaschke22-2008oct22,0,2135305.column) Hey Bill do you ever think like a fan instead of a pompous annoying sportswriter. So what we had to suspend a game for the first time in 100+ years. Where should we play Bill? California, what about earthquakes. Florida, Texas, what about hurricanes. Baseball is a game. It is played in each and every U.S. state. Hey Bill those people in Alaska playing baseball, what a bunch of nuts huh. Believe it or not weather is part of the game. It's a sport that's supposed to be played outdoors.
Rewarding the fans, now that's a novel concept. I'm pretty sure that Phillies fans aren't sitting here this morning wishing that the games were in Corpus Christi. Hey Bill if covering the world series is too cold and wet, stick with the PGA tour then. Leave Baseball to us, the fans. You know what we're not sitting in the lavish press boxes with catered food. We're sitting in seats that are too small, and paying $7 a beer.
The world series isn't the super bowl. It's America's game and it should be played in America's cities.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
$100 Bills
I love when guys come into the pro shop and ask loudly in front of their buddies, "Do you have change for $100." We're a golf course that charges $55.00 for golf and a cart. What do you think. If you want your buddies to know that you have a $100 bill just tell them.
Prime
What is your prime. In sports it occurs at different times.
Baseball - You reach your prime somewhere in the 27-31 range. You become smarter as a player, and kind of figure things out. Baseball isn't necessarily based on pure athleticism so knowledge of the game combined with athletic ability is when you reach that point.
Ken Griffey Jr. best years were between the ages of 26-29.
Football - Football it varies by position. I think that it's well known that for Running Backs the age of 30 has proven almost without exception that is the beginning of the end. But for lineman and QB's it's kind of the baseball thing. Where running backs have to rely on instinct alone most other position need that "knowledge of the game"
Marshal Faulk best years were between 25-28
Steve Young, Joe Montana, and John Elway's best years were all after the age of 30
Basketball - Basketball really depends upon the position. Point Guards rely more on instinct and athletic ability so they peak at a much earlier age. Centers have throughout history have peaked in their late 20's and haven't done much later in their careers. I think obviously that has a lot to do with their size, and the bodies ability to handle the stress. Forwards peak in that coveted 27-30 range because their games need that mental ability to match their athletic ability.
Shaquille Oneal had his best years in his late 20's
Kevin Garnett was dominate from 27-30
John Stockton and Jason Kidd really got good when they were 25.
Hockey - I think Hockey players have the longest prime. Because I think the good ones can get by on athleticism early in their careers, and meanwhile they are figuring out the ins and outs of the game. By the time they've lost a step they figure out better angles, they figure out when and where to spend their energy. They don't waste time going around people, they set up the plays more.
If you look at Mark Messier which is one of the greats I know, he found a way to sustain a point per game avg. for 15 years with one exception. But even that year he averaged .98.
What about other sports
Tennis you're done when you reach your mid 20's
Gymanstic's you're best years are when you're a teenager.
Golf you're in your prime throughout your 30's unless you're Vijay Siingh
What about us average folks. When is our prime? My best years athletically were in high school. I'm not a gymnast. So why did that happen. Obviously it's the lack of being forced to work out, and eat healthier. So what are our best years. I think it's different for each person. Some of us it was high school. Some of us it's when you become a parent. Some of us it's when you are working your way up the corporate ladder. I think each person has a different prime. We're not all meant to be athletes, students, parents, spouses, coworkers. So whens your prime?
Baseball - You reach your prime somewhere in the 27-31 range. You become smarter as a player, and kind of figure things out. Baseball isn't necessarily based on pure athleticism so knowledge of the game combined with athletic ability is when you reach that point.
Ken Griffey Jr. best years were between the ages of 26-29.
Football - Football it varies by position. I think that it's well known that for Running Backs the age of 30 has proven almost without exception that is the beginning of the end. But for lineman and QB's it's kind of the baseball thing. Where running backs have to rely on instinct alone most other position need that "knowledge of the game"
Marshal Faulk best years were between 25-28
Steve Young, Joe Montana, and John Elway's best years were all after the age of 30
Basketball - Basketball really depends upon the position. Point Guards rely more on instinct and athletic ability so they peak at a much earlier age. Centers have throughout history have peaked in their late 20's and haven't done much later in their careers. I think obviously that has a lot to do with their size, and the bodies ability to handle the stress. Forwards peak in that coveted 27-30 range because their games need that mental ability to match their athletic ability.
Shaquille Oneal had his best years in his late 20's
Kevin Garnett was dominate from 27-30
John Stockton and Jason Kidd really got good when they were 25.
Hockey - I think Hockey players have the longest prime. Because I think the good ones can get by on athleticism early in their careers, and meanwhile they are figuring out the ins and outs of the game. By the time they've lost a step they figure out better angles, they figure out when and where to spend their energy. They don't waste time going around people, they set up the plays more.
If you look at Mark Messier which is one of the greats I know, he found a way to sustain a point per game avg. for 15 years with one exception. But even that year he averaged .98.
What about other sports
Tennis you're done when you reach your mid 20's
Gymanstic's you're best years are when you're a teenager.
Golf you're in your prime throughout your 30's unless you're Vijay Siingh
What about us average folks. When is our prime? My best years athletically were in high school. I'm not a gymnast. So why did that happen. Obviously it's the lack of being forced to work out, and eat healthier. So what are our best years. I think it's different for each person. Some of us it was high school. Some of us it's when you become a parent. Some of us it's when you are working your way up the corporate ladder. I think each person has a different prime. We're not all meant to be athletes, students, parents, spouses, coworkers. So whens your prime?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Weak Society
How come there are so many babies out there. It seems like a lot of people these days are just products of a weak society. I see it at work, I see it amongst friends. I'd say that most people can't do anything that isn't easy.
Here's a small example. A guy is asked to work at 1 job at night. The problem is he needs to work at his other job in the morning, at 9:00 AM. So he tells the night job he can't work past 9:00 PM. What a baby, does said person really need the opportunity for 10 hours of sleep? Maybe that's the reason he's working 2 jobs at $10/hour. Now according to time magazine
Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don't live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hr. Sleeping 8.5 hr. might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hr.
There are just so many people out there that all they do is just bitch and whine. Instead of taking it amongst themselves to fix or solve a problem they just continue to bitch about it. Another issue in our lack of society is intelligence. I think a lot of this is just all tied together, which in turn makes our society weak. There are not enough go getter's out there. We'd all just rather sit on our asses and bitch about it. We don't go outside because it's too cold, or too warm, or too windy, etc.
I had a good conversation the other day with a friend, and we came to realize that we could not survive 100 years ago. We started thinking that everything we had done that day to that point, we used something that would not have been available 100 years ago.
Maybe it's just where I'm from. Maybe we're just products of the suburbs. We've always had everything we need, so hard work is not something that is instilled in us. Now when I talk about work, I'm not talking about being a bricklayer, or building houses. I'm talking about staying the course even thought there might be a few bumps in the way. Not always taking the easy road.
There are a lot of ways to define hard work. Hard work is getting your masters. Hard work is starting your own company. Hard work is saving money. Hard work is keeping in touch with your friends. Hard work is a lot of things to a lot of different people. I just think that a lot of us don't know what that means anymore. Hard work is not getting as much sleep each and every night.
We've got everything we need from the insides of our houses. We can have anything delivered, we can watch any movie, and show, listen to any song at any time. We can find out everything we need to know about our friends with out ever having to talk to them thanks to Facebook and Myspace. We can take virtual tours of the Grand Canyon so why do we need to go. We would never want to hurt any one's feelings. We can't tell jokes about people.
The overall lack of intelligence out there is unnerving too. We all have the right to vote. But is it right for us all to vote. If somebody doesn't take the time to research the candidates to find out what they stand for then why do they have a say in it? This isn't the NCAA basketball tournament where you want everyone to participate. I guarantee you that you can randomly ask any group of people 18-30 who the Vice President is and you wouldn't get more than 60% that get it right. So some people just are smart enough to make decisions for themselves even. I just think that my generation for the most part is pathetic. There are always exceptions, and I do know some truly smart and successful people. But to me those people are the true minorities.
Here's a small example. A guy is asked to work at 1 job at night. The problem is he needs to work at his other job in the morning, at 9:00 AM. So he tells the night job he can't work past 9:00 PM. What a baby, does said person really need the opportunity for 10 hours of sleep? Maybe that's the reason he's working 2 jobs at $10/hour. Now according to time magazine
Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don't live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hr. Sleeping 8.5 hr. might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hr.
There are just so many people out there that all they do is just bitch and whine. Instead of taking it amongst themselves to fix or solve a problem they just continue to bitch about it. Another issue in our lack of society is intelligence. I think a lot of this is just all tied together, which in turn makes our society weak. There are not enough go getter's out there. We'd all just rather sit on our asses and bitch about it. We don't go outside because it's too cold, or too warm, or too windy, etc.
I had a good conversation the other day with a friend, and we came to realize that we could not survive 100 years ago. We started thinking that everything we had done that day to that point, we used something that would not have been available 100 years ago.
Maybe it's just where I'm from. Maybe we're just products of the suburbs. We've always had everything we need, so hard work is not something that is instilled in us. Now when I talk about work, I'm not talking about being a bricklayer, or building houses. I'm talking about staying the course even thought there might be a few bumps in the way. Not always taking the easy road.
There are a lot of ways to define hard work. Hard work is getting your masters. Hard work is starting your own company. Hard work is saving money. Hard work is keeping in touch with your friends. Hard work is a lot of things to a lot of different people. I just think that a lot of us don't know what that means anymore. Hard work is not getting as much sleep each and every night.
We've got everything we need from the insides of our houses. We can have anything delivered, we can watch any movie, and show, listen to any song at any time. We can find out everything we need to know about our friends with out ever having to talk to them thanks to Facebook and Myspace. We can take virtual tours of the Grand Canyon so why do we need to go. We would never want to hurt any one's feelings. We can't tell jokes about people.
The overall lack of intelligence out there is unnerving too. We all have the right to vote. But is it right for us all to vote. If somebody doesn't take the time to research the candidates to find out what they stand for then why do they have a say in it? This isn't the NCAA basketball tournament where you want everyone to participate. I guarantee you that you can randomly ask any group of people 18-30 who the Vice President is and you wouldn't get more than 60% that get it right. So some people just are smart enough to make decisions for themselves even. I just think that my generation for the most part is pathetic. There are always exceptions, and I do know some truly smart and successful people. But to me those people are the true minorities.
Friday, October 24, 2008
At Work.
I am at work right now. I work at a golf course. It is 40 degrees outside, and it has been sprinkling all day. Needless to say it is not golfing conditions. I have 3 groups out there today. I group just came in on the turn. 5 guys all in the 25-40 age range. First guy walks in and says, "It's hot out there, do you have any ice cream?" The other 4 all burst out in laughter.
I think to myself, nothing about what you said is funny. It's not creative, it's not witty, it doesn't have a good set up or punch line. Everyone knows it's cold out. So why did these 4 other guys laugh?
They laughed because they are all extremely stupid, and haven't had enough truly fun and exciting experiences in their lives to understand the difference between actual humor, and just stupid pointless comments.
These guys are golfing just so they can tell their buddies, that they love golf so much that they golf when it's 40 and raining. They all have bags and clubs that are worth much more than $1000/set. But these guys think that they should golf because that's what men do. They tell jokes because they think that's what men do. In the long run their just a bunch of idiots. But they did tip me $5.
I think to myself, nothing about what you said is funny. It's not creative, it's not witty, it doesn't have a good set up or punch line. Everyone knows it's cold out. So why did these 4 other guys laugh?
They laughed because they are all extremely stupid, and haven't had enough truly fun and exciting experiences in their lives to understand the difference between actual humor, and just stupid pointless comments.
These guys are golfing just so they can tell their buddies, that they love golf so much that they golf when it's 40 and raining. They all have bags and clubs that are worth much more than $1000/set. But these guys think that they should golf because that's what men do. They tell jokes because they think that's what men do. In the long run their just a bunch of idiots. But they did tip me $5.
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