So it's been a little while since my last post. My life has been a little crazy since then. Right after the last post, my family and I went to Houston to see friends. While there, we attended a Cleveland Indians Houston Astros game. I have to say, I am very impressed with Minute Maid Park. The people were very accommodating to us as we had a teenager with a bum leg on crutches. The ushers offered us a wheel chair to escort her to and from her seat. The game was a blast for the Tribe faithful. The good guys won 19-6!!
http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?id=330420118
This game was also the first time I was able to take my 3 year old son to a Major League Baseball game. He did well for a three year old. He was a little restless, but enjoyed the pizza and especially the peanuts and Cracker Jacks. It was a very chilly night in Houston. The had to dome open as rain was not in the forecast. The temperature at the start of the game was about 65 degrees. By the 7th inning, my wife left because the temperature had plummeted to the low 40's. All in all it was a successful trip to the old ballpark.
I was able to golf a round while in Houston. My friend Mike and I golfed at Houston National Golf Club. This was a very nice course. The course was set between housing developments creating more than a few breath taking moments as we both experienced some errant drives. The highlight of the round was our golf cart died on the 17th hole. By that time we were as worn out as the cart and feeling the effects of some Mexican beer.All in all it was a good round of golf with great weather.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Boston Marathon Explosions
Today is one of those days where I do not know what to tell my 9 year old daughter what everyone is talking about. I can explain to her what happened. I can explain to her that towards the end of the Boston Marathon, two bombs exploded and hurt many people. I can explain to her that (as of 11:30pm) 3 people have died and that one of the dead is about her age. I can explain to her that first responders were on the scene almost immediately and were able to help the people that were hurt in the explosion. But what I cannot explain to her is why this happened. I have no words to convey to her what the person, or people that did this were thinking. When she asks why, I cannot begin to explain.
We need to understand that some things in this world do not make sense. Actions by irrational people cannot be explained, especially to a nine year old. Most people are rational. Most people cannot allow their minds to work like criminals. In the next few days and weeks, the media will ask the question why. Why would someone do this? Why would they kill and injure people? Was is a political statement? Was it a way to prove a point? The problem with questions like this is we are asking rational questions about an irrational person. More than likely, those behind this were not in the proper frame of mind. They probably do not care about the well being of others and moreover they more than likely do not feel bad for what they did. Rational thought dictates that the person is capable of emotions. Emotions are one of the miracles that separates us from the animals. People who commit crimes like this are monsters incapable of feeling emotions. This is a major reason why we may never know why this act was committed. Irrational thought has spurred the most recent atrocities in the United States.
All we can hope for is that the monster(s) responsible for the events of today are brought to justice like the President promised us today. We should all take a moment to say a little prayer for those who were lost and those fighting for their lives. Keep their families in your hearts as well. The beautiful this about sports is it offers us a break from the real world. Sports will always be there for us. Those who were lost today were fans of sports. We should remember them the next time we go to a sporting event. As P.T. Barnum was prone to say, "The Show Must Go On."
We need to understand that some things in this world do not make sense. Actions by irrational people cannot be explained, especially to a nine year old. Most people are rational. Most people cannot allow their minds to work like criminals. In the next few days and weeks, the media will ask the question why. Why would someone do this? Why would they kill and injure people? Was is a political statement? Was it a way to prove a point? The problem with questions like this is we are asking rational questions about an irrational person. More than likely, those behind this were not in the proper frame of mind. They probably do not care about the well being of others and moreover they more than likely do not feel bad for what they did. Rational thought dictates that the person is capable of emotions. Emotions are one of the miracles that separates us from the animals. People who commit crimes like this are monsters incapable of feeling emotions. This is a major reason why we may never know why this act was committed. Irrational thought has spurred the most recent atrocities in the United States.
All we can hope for is that the monster(s) responsible for the events of today are brought to justice like the President promised us today. We should all take a moment to say a little prayer for those who were lost and those fighting for their lives. Keep their families in your hearts as well. The beautiful this about sports is it offers us a break from the real world. Sports will always be there for us. Those who were lost today were fans of sports. We should remember them the next time we go to a sporting event. As P.T. Barnum was prone to say, "The Show Must Go On."
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Columbus Blue Jackets Playoff hopes
It's Monday, April 15th and the Columbus Blue Jackets have yet to be eliminated form playoff contention. This is a complete shock to anyone who watched them in January and February. The Jackets didn't get off to a great start this season. After beating Nashville to start the lock out shortened season, they proceed to go 4 and 16. Many of these games were lost by 1 goal or in overtime. It was at this point in the season that something magical happened. The Jackets learned how to win the close games. It started with 2-1 overtime win against Colorado. To this point in the season, the Jackets would find a way to lose. They would take silly penalties, allow an odd man rush resulting in a goal, or they would just seem to give up. At this point in the season, they figured out how to play well in close games. They reeled off 4 more wins, 3 in overtime or shoot out. They learned how to win with their backs against the wall. They learned how to overcome little mistakes, bad calls, and cheap goals. Their goalie, Sergei Bobrovski turned into a brick wall.
Sergei Bobrovski has spurred the recent upswing in winning. Bobs has come out of nowhere to become a force in front of the net. Sergei is undefeated while facing 30 or more shots per game. This seems backwards, usually goalies weakens a little after facing more and more shots on goal. Sergei seems to get better as he goes deeper in games. Bobs started his NHL career in Phily racking up a record of 28-13-8, which is a record in Philadelphia for a rookie goalie. During the playoffs that year, he struggled and was replaced as the starter. He was a backup for the next season and was traded to Columbus after the lockout was over. Sergei has been fantastic in Columbus posting a record of 16-10-6 thus far. He has 4 career shutouts, all in Columbus, all this season. Bobrovski seems to be the goalie that the Jackets need to build around.
The last six games of the season will be tough ones. Columbus started a late season West coast trip with a win in Minnesota Saturday night. Tonight, they face Colorado, Wednesday they play at Anaheim against a tough Ducks team. Thursday, the Jackets find themselves in Los Angeles to face the Kings and Jeff Carter. Sunday brings the team to San Jose and Thursday they play in Dallas against the Stars. On Saturday, April 27th, the Jackets finish the season, and their stint in the Western Conference, against the same Nashville team they started the season against. With the playoff race as close as ever, they will need a strong road trip to make the playoffs. It seems that the NHL did not do Columbus any favors when it comes to the schedule. Only the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets have one home game left.
For this team to do what has only happened once before in Columbus (make the playoffs) they will need to overcome, like they have since late February. They will need to play better than they have all season. They will need to limit mistakes, make the most of opportunities, and continue to get great play by their net minder. Here's to hoping that they have one last run in them.
Sergei Bobrovski has spurred the recent upswing in winning. Bobs has come out of nowhere to become a force in front of the net. Sergei is undefeated while facing 30 or more shots per game. This seems backwards, usually goalies weakens a little after facing more and more shots on goal. Sergei seems to get better as he goes deeper in games. Bobs started his NHL career in Phily racking up a record of 28-13-8, which is a record in Philadelphia for a rookie goalie. During the playoffs that year, he struggled and was replaced as the starter. He was a backup for the next season and was traded to Columbus after the lockout was over. Sergei has been fantastic in Columbus posting a record of 16-10-6 thus far. He has 4 career shutouts, all in Columbus, all this season. Bobrovski seems to be the goalie that the Jackets need to build around.
For this team to do what has only happened once before in Columbus (make the playoffs) they will need to overcome, like they have since late February. They will need to play better than they have all season. They will need to limit mistakes, make the most of opportunities, and continue to get great play by their net minder. Here's to hoping that they have one last run in them.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Buckup Cup
I am not one who usually watches golf on television. The most PGA I've ever watched is while at my Dad's house while he was watching it. I LOVE to golf. There is something romantic about the game. The smell of the fresh cut grass. The feeling of a nice summer breeze blowing in your face. Guy time with your best friends over a cold beer and nice cigar at the turn. I would golf everyday if I could. But, I would never watch PGA on television, until now.
I have a crazy group of friends. We are sports nuts. I grew up and with and around most of these guys, and the others just kind of found us. One of these crazy guys I grew up around is Buck. Buck is the quintessential sports guy. Buck is a die hard Detroit Red Wings fan. I would guess that I've seen him in Red Wings gear more often than I've seen him wear "regular" clothes. Buck also loves the game of golf. His son was a very good golfer in high school. Bucky, Bucks son, went to college to play golf. Bucky graduated with my brother so I've known them both for some time. Buck runs a PGA game called the Buckup Cup. In short, this is a competition where we select 5 golfers for each of the Major events, as well as the Memorial tournament. The player with the most money earned by his 5 selected golfers at each tournament wins the "prestigious" Buckup Cup. I've always heard the guys talk about the Buckup Cup in the past, but as I do not watch the PGA on a regular basis, I never tried my hand at playing, until now.
This season, I've decided to toss my hat in the ring for a chance to hoist the cup. This has created an interesting situation. I've spent the past two days watching the Masters Tournament. I actually care about the outcome now and guess what, I like golf! Shocker, I know, but this boring game is actually exciting to watch. I've golfed with very talented golfers and thought, man they should try to turn pro. After really watching the first two rounds so far, I realize how much better the pros are than anyone I know. PGA golf is awesome to watch. These guys are absolutely amazing. I'm excited about golf again because of the Buckup Cup.
It is amazing how much more you pay attention to something when you have a vested interest in what you are watching. I want, no need, to hoist that cup at the end of the last major this season.
I have a crazy group of friends. We are sports nuts. I grew up and with and around most of these guys, and the others just kind of found us. One of these crazy guys I grew up around is Buck. Buck is the quintessential sports guy. Buck is a die hard Detroit Red Wings fan. I would guess that I've seen him in Red Wings gear more often than I've seen him wear "regular" clothes. Buck also loves the game of golf. His son was a very good golfer in high school. Bucky, Bucks son, went to college to play golf. Bucky graduated with my brother so I've known them both for some time. Buck runs a PGA game called the Buckup Cup. In short, this is a competition where we select 5 golfers for each of the Major events, as well as the Memorial tournament. The player with the most money earned by his 5 selected golfers at each tournament wins the "prestigious" Buckup Cup. I've always heard the guys talk about the Buckup Cup in the past, but as I do not watch the PGA on a regular basis, I never tried my hand at playing, until now.
This season, I've decided to toss my hat in the ring for a chance to hoist the cup. This has created an interesting situation. I've spent the past two days watching the Masters Tournament. I actually care about the outcome now and guess what, I like golf! Shocker, I know, but this boring game is actually exciting to watch. I've golfed with very talented golfers and thought, man they should try to turn pro. After really watching the first two rounds so far, I realize how much better the pros are than anyone I know. PGA golf is awesome to watch. These guys are absolutely amazing. I'm excited about golf again because of the Buckup Cup.
It is amazing how much more you pay attention to something when you have a vested interest in what you are watching. I want, no need, to hoist that cup at the end of the last major this season.
"Only" $1,000,000.00
Greetings sports junkies and sports nerds! I am a lifetime fan of sports in general. I played football in high school as well as participated in track and field. I continue to be an active "athlete" today as I bowl in the winter months and golf during the summer. As a lifetime sports fan, nerd, nut, whatever, I have generated many opinions regarding sports. I thought I would enjoy sharing these opinions with whoever stumbles upon this blog. The blog is called svfd757'sBaseblog as baseball is my favorite sport, but I will talk about sports in general. This is my first foray into blogging so take is easy on me!
My first post is something I have thought a lot about recently. We as fans, and sportscasters in general, have almost forgotten how much one million dollars is. We hear about sports teams signing athletes to multi-million dollar multi-year deals, yet we don't fully remember how much money this is. My first idea is to put to paper how much a million dollars is. For example, $1,000,000.00 contains a lot of zeros. Considering the average american, according to the US census, makes somewhere in the neighborhood of $69,000.00. Notice how many fewer zeros are in that number.
At this point, I want to clarify my stance on this. I am in no way saying that these athletes do not deserve the money that they are being paid. These guys have to earn what they can while they can. Their careers are way shorter than a regular Joe, working everyday. I am simply thinking that we as fans need to keep in mind just how much money we are talking about.
I listen to The Fan ESPN radio out of Columbus, Ohio everyday. The radio in my truck is never on anything else. I was listening to Mike and Mike one morning and heard them talking about contracts that were recently signed by two baseball players. Greenie made a statement about how one guy got "shorted" because he was "only" signed for 64 million ($64,000,000.00) over 7 years. This caught me as stunning that 64 million dollars and only could be used in the same sentence. This is where the idea for this post was born. This contract is worth $9,142,857.14 a year. That is roughly 160 times my annual salary, and I make good money for where I live. This means that I would have to work for 160 years, assuming I do not get a raise, to make one year's worth of this athletes salary. Again, I am not complaining, I would absolutely cash that check if it were offered to me. The use of "only" in this conversation is what got me thinking. We need to keep in mind that the numbers we throw around when talking about salary of professional athletes are enormous.
Again, I respect professional athletes. The things they can do with the human body is nothing short of amazing. I would imagine that a majority of the people walking around have never seen a 100 mile per hour fast ball or tried to catch a pass from a quarterback while being drilled by a corner back. They make the money that they make mostly because the market dictates that rate of pay. We as fans contribute to this market because we pay to see them play while wearing our jerseys and hats. Heck, I wear Chief Wahoo socks when I go to watch my Tribe play ball. All of the revenue generated by the sales of this merchandise contributes to the amount owners pay their athletes.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when we are talking about athletes salaries or buying merchandise.
I hop you enjoyed this article. I hope to get some feedback and interaction with this topic and welcome you to my universe.
My first post is something I have thought a lot about recently. We as fans, and sportscasters in general, have almost forgotten how much one million dollars is. We hear about sports teams signing athletes to multi-million dollar multi-year deals, yet we don't fully remember how much money this is. My first idea is to put to paper how much a million dollars is. For example, $1,000,000.00 contains a lot of zeros. Considering the average american, according to the US census, makes somewhere in the neighborhood of $69,000.00. Notice how many fewer zeros are in that number.
At this point, I want to clarify my stance on this. I am in no way saying that these athletes do not deserve the money that they are being paid. These guys have to earn what they can while they can. Their careers are way shorter than a regular Joe, working everyday. I am simply thinking that we as fans need to keep in mind just how much money we are talking about.
I listen to The Fan ESPN radio out of Columbus, Ohio everyday. The radio in my truck is never on anything else. I was listening to Mike and Mike one morning and heard them talking about contracts that were recently signed by two baseball players. Greenie made a statement about how one guy got "shorted" because he was "only" signed for 64 million ($64,000,000.00) over 7 years. This caught me as stunning that 64 million dollars and only could be used in the same sentence. This is where the idea for this post was born. This contract is worth $9,142,857.14 a year. That is roughly 160 times my annual salary, and I make good money for where I live. This means that I would have to work for 160 years, assuming I do not get a raise, to make one year's worth of this athletes salary. Again, I am not complaining, I would absolutely cash that check if it were offered to me. The use of "only" in this conversation is what got me thinking. We need to keep in mind that the numbers we throw around when talking about salary of professional athletes are enormous.
Again, I respect professional athletes. The things they can do with the human body is nothing short of amazing. I would imagine that a majority of the people walking around have never seen a 100 mile per hour fast ball or tried to catch a pass from a quarterback while being drilled by a corner back. They make the money that they make mostly because the market dictates that rate of pay. We as fans contribute to this market because we pay to see them play while wearing our jerseys and hats. Heck, I wear Chief Wahoo socks when I go to watch my Tribe play ball. All of the revenue generated by the sales of this merchandise contributes to the amount owners pay their athletes.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when we are talking about athletes salaries or buying merchandise.
I hop you enjoyed this article. I hope to get some feedback and interaction with this topic and welcome you to my universe.
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