Thursday, December 29, 2011

2011 in Retrospect - A New Years Blog

I took the week after Christmas off from writing because I have been extremely busy.  Who would have thought that being on vacation I would need to rest.  However, my last blog of the year is a chance for me to reflect on the year that past.  There were some great moments, some head scratching moments, some frustrating moments and some forgettable moments.  Of all the moments I really can't say I wouldn't change a thing because there are moments that are out of your control and quite simply you would change if you could.  Also, I would like to capture a "best of" list of things I found interesting over the past year.  I will close this out with my "Person of the Year".  Rest assured people, it will not be the protester.

Things that I learned over the past year:

· The City of Worcester has bureaucracy down to a science and I can't say it's worse than any other town than the "Woo".  We built a house this year and it covered every type of moment I listed above.  I have heard people that moved into a new house say "I'm never moving".  Sorry folks I just one upped you.  Not only am I never moving again, they will have to get rid of me Occupy-Style.  In building a house there are regulations and ordinances that are required, which is fine, but have them accessible to people.  You telling me as you go just makes me think you are making it up as you go.  None of the agencies that you deal with when building a house talk to each other, and they are spread out all over the city.  God forbid if you left something off your application or specs, they will not tell you, until you have waited so long that you call in frustration.  This whole experience could take up my whole blog and may some day, just not today.
· I learned that ankle surgery is more invasive than I thought, even though I have been through two of them.
· When throwing business to a friend it is wise to make them understand that you are doing them a favor, not the other way around.  You may be getting a good price, which is why you went to them in the first place, but they need to do the job as if you were any other customer.
· I understand the news and meteorologists really amp up storms when they are coming through our area.  In some cases it is good that it wasn't as bad as they say.  For instance, when Tropical Storm Irene came through Central Mass. the disappointment people had about the impact of the storm was overwhelming.  What did people want, their houses on the next block?  Just don't get it.
· Here is another tidbit on weather from 2011.  After the record amount of snow we received early on the area went on to experience a Tornado, an earthquake, a Hurricane (it was a Tropical Storm when it finally touched), and then finally snow before Halloween.
· I also learned that I have been spelling Honey wrong all these years.  Watch Winnie the Pooh daily and you too will learn it is spelled Hunny.
 Here is my best of list for 2011.  Nothing major, just some things I found entertaining.

Best Facebook Status - "I was wondering if Snap still had the power" - Courtesy of Michael Beaulieu.  It was completely random and out of nowhere

Best Sporting Event Any Level - Bruins win the Stanley Cup.  It is kind of tough to go against that especially the run that Tim Thomas was on. However, on a personal level umpiring a baseball District game with Tantasqua Regional High School two days after that area was devastated by a tornado was a close second.  Those kids played for more than a District title that day.

Best Political Gaffe - There are lot to choose from but Rick Perry's performance in presidential debate where he forgot to department of Energy of agencies to cut.  In his mind he had already cut them out.

Biggest Nuisance - Occupy Worcester.  The Occupy movement overall was a nuisance, but Worcester took the cake because it had the City Manager disagreeing with the Mayor on how they should be treated.
 
Best description of an NFL team - The Vikings' pass defense has really gone from the Cover 2 to the Cover None. Courtesy of espn.com

Most unfortunate story - Prof Avery boycotting care packs for our soldiers

Most pathetic story - Washington. Enough said.

Worst prediction - The world coming to an end by Harold Camping. Twice.

Best What the?  A Foxboro Doctor opposed to the casino in that town saying he will treat sexually transmitted diseases if Foxboro gets a Casino.

People of the Year

Since Time Magazine used its influence to bring recognition to a group, so will I.  However, instead of giving the people of the year to a group of people that hate America, I am going opposite of that.  3D's People of the year are The U.S. Navy SEALS.  On Monday May 2, 2011 they killed the man that most Americans wanted dead since September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden.  Besides the fact that these soldiers defend our nation thanklessly, the SEALS do the toughest of tasks that are asked of them.  They are the true people of the year.

Happy New Year everyone.  Thanks for reading and may I continue to entertain you in the coming year.

3D Coming Right Atcha




Thursday, December 22, 2011

3D Ramblings 12/23/2011

No crazy opening, no delays.  Right into my Ramblings of the last two weeks.  Today does mark the 123rd anniversary of Van Gogh cutting his ear off and giving it to a prostitute.  That is just some messed up stuff.

Casino Gaming in Massachusetts - If you thought Massachusetts politicians were corrupt before.  Well we haven't seen anything yet.  These guys will be tripping over themselves to get a piece of the gaming pie.  I thought for sure that Barney Frank not seeking re-election would have led to him leading the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.  For those of you in Foxboro who are against Robert Kraft and Steve Wynn putting up a Casino across from Gillette, you were delivered a critical blow as one of the proponents of a Foxboro Casino was named Chairman of the gaming commission.  He also stated that he will not issue licenses to any bidder that doesn't meet their standards.  That means to the bidder: "Show me the money".

Barney Frank out - So Barney Frank decides he no longer wants to represent his district in Washington anymore.  He figures his damage has done enough to the American public.  Also, losing a piece of his district to the re-mapping of the districts probably took away his main sheep that followed his call.  Simply put, he knew he was a target and he knew could possibly get beat.

Side Jobs - So the state and the city have a difference in opinion when it comes to officials working in their offices, working other jobs on company time.  The State Auditor said that Register of Probate Official Paul Lacava was in the wrong when he would leave his office at the courthouse to teach classes at a couple of the area colleges.  The auditor was spot on in calling out Mr. Lacava and Registrar of Probate Steve Abraham.  The City of Worcester on the other hand sees it differently.  They see no issue that City Clerk David Rushford performing marriages at City Hall during working hours.  I don't see an issue with that either, however, the issue I have is that Rushford gets to pocket the fee for the marriage.  I see this as worse than what Lacava did.  Not only is Rushford using his position at City Hall to do these services, he is using city time and facilities.  If he is going to pocket the fees then the city needs to tax him as a business, charge him rent for the use of city hall and dock him pay for the time of each service he is collecting a fee on.

Coach after my own heart - University of Cincinnati head basketball coach Mick Cronin after a brawl with cross town rival Xavier spoke out against his own players.  He did not defend a single one that was part of the melee.  At his press conference he did not speak of what type of suspensions he was going to hand out, he was talking about if he would have enough players to suit up for the next game.  That was awesome. He knew his players acted like thugs and he wasn't going to have it.

Ochomatchmaking - Last week Chad Ochocinco once again took to Twitter to play match maker.  He tried to hook up an 18 year old boy and a 25 year old single mom.  It was a disaster.  I have a match for Chad.  Him and his playbook.

Debt Deal - Kids! Stop fighting or I will send you to your rooms.  It is actually painfully pathetic to watch what is going on in Washington.

Another Coach after my own heart - The University of Georgia football program was notified by the NCAA that head coach Mark Richt, violated NCAA rules when he, get this, paid his assistant coaches out of his own pocket because he felt they weren't being paid enough and the university would not raise their salaries.  All I can say to that is, F* the NCAA.

Facebook Timeline - On December 28, Facebook will launch Timeline for everyone.  If you haven't seen it yet, it looks pretty cool.  But to see everything you have done while being on Facebook re-appear is pretty eerie.  Mark Zuckerberg has become Big Brother, as George Orwell wrote "He, who controls the past, controls the future."

Attack on Christianity - Why is it when we see people being arrested for religious actions, or decorations are being taken down they are of the Christian variety.  Why is attacking Christianity the cool thing to do?  How is it a "Christmas Tree" is offensive, but a Menorah at Newton Square gets to go up unbothered every year?  This country was founded on religious persecution, but reverse discrimination on Christianity is not only acceptable, but encouraged.

Take-Out - Last night we played an away game at Acton-Boxboro.  On the way home I ordered a pizza to pick up on the way home.  Is it me or do all take-out orders take 15 minutes to prepare?  No matter what time I call or what I order, it is always 15 minutes.  Just saying.

Merry Christmas – There! I said it!  I want to wish all the people that read my blog a Very Merry Christmas.  I truly appreciate your support.  As long as you keep reading, I will keep writing.  If you all tell me to stop, I won't, but I want you to think you have a say.  Merry Christmas

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Remember, if you have a topic you would like me to comment on or right about please e-mail me and I will try my best to comment.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The death of John Bon Jovi

So on Tuesday long time rocker Jon Bon Jovi did his best Jesus impersonation by dying and returning from the dead.  He was more efficient however, he did it in one day.  Seriously, this thing came and went before I even noticed.  My wife told me about this morning and I had no idea.  So it got me thinking of why these tabloids bring death into their story lines.  Not that anybody cares that celebrity couples relationships are marred with infidelity.  People think those stories are true, and they are harmless.  Stories of reporting ones death is classless and stupid.

So some of the past death celebrity hoaxes that have been reported and their cause of death have been:

Charlie Sheen - Date of Death: Dec. 26, 2010, snowboarding accident.  Well, giving what the country had to go through during his "winning" crusade, maybe this was just wishful thinking.

Adam Sandler - Date of Death: Dec. 29, 2010, snowboarding accident.   Since the Charlie Sheen death hoax didn't work the tabloids figured they could sneak Sandler by people for the same type of accident three days later.

Lindsay Lohan - Date of Death: July 13, 2010, overdose, although not surprising or out of the realm of possibility, maybe wishful thinking.  See Charlie Sheen.

Paris Hilton, stabbed in prison in 2007 - This just sounds like a bad porno movie

Will Smith - Date of Death: 2007 - 2009, car accident. The tabloids tried this 4 different times.  Wouldn't you just quit when it didn't work the first time.

Mayor Thomas Menino - Date of Death: April 1, 2005 - Anybody realize the date on this one.  However, this one had legs as famous shock jocks Opie and Anthony were fired for reporting this death on April Fool's Day.  Ok, it was a joke, but in complete poor taste.

When Michael Jackson's death was first reported I thought for sure it was a hoax.  I mean the man went from black to white, his death was begging to be under much speculation.  On the flip side of all the death hoaxes are the clowns that think people who think dead celebrities are still alive.  Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Tupac, Michael Jackson, Keith Richards and Andy Kaufmann are still dead.  Ok, Keith Richards is not dead, but shouldn't he be?  The people who believe these celebrities are still alive are just as whacko. 

So with all these hoaxes it makes every report that I hear about a dead celebrity skeptical.  But at the end of the day, Abe Vigoda is still alive.

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Christmas (Shopping) Story

So this holiday season has totally gotten away from my wife and me.  Cut us some slack we have had a busy last couple of months, but getting Christmas shopping done was a priority this past weekend.  So we had to come up with a game plan because we wanted to get it done this weekend and leave only each other to shop for, which is easy because I am on vacation and she can go when I am at either a practice or game.  This had the potential to be a stressful day but we handled it with the precision of sniper during World War II.

The plan was to just get up and go and be done before the stores got absolutely crazy.  So we were up around 7 a.m. and we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee, muffins and munchkins for the little lady.  Our usual stop is Honey Dew but we had a gift card for DD and just had to use.  Sorry Honey Dew, please forgive us, we will be back on Sunday.  As I order my 2 coffees with cream (1 decaf), 2 Coffee Cake muffins and 3 chocolate munchkins the DD employee says to me "Will that be it honey?".  I immediately looked at my wife who was laughing because she knows that type of banter bothers me. 

So the list wasn't very long it was 4 nieces, 1 nephew, 1 god daughter and her brother, because he's kind of the man.  We spent the week accumulating lists from their parents and off we were.  The first stop was Target, we got there at 7:52, the store did not open until 8:00 and there was a group of ladies outside the door waiting to get in, coffees in hand.  Kohl's, which is right next to Target was open and my wife suggested that we go there and then hit Target.  Easy for her to say since she already ate her breakfast, as I don't like to eat and drive unless I have (see blog from 12/16).  As I was eating my breakfast I was watching the group of ladies gearing up for the morning.  It was like a scene from Hopkinton on Patriots Day Monday in April.  They looked like they were getting ready for a Marathon.

So the doors open up at 8:01.  So this brings up an interesting argument.  The store's hours say that they open up at 8:00, heaven forbid that they open up one or two minutes early because there are people waiting outside.  However, I understand why they don't, they need to get the store ready.  But in this case they opened late, not significantly and when we went in there boxes in the isles everywhere and you could not find an employee to help you anywhere.  If I were the type of shopper that needs constant assistance I would be annoyed. But I am not and I wasn't.

My wife and I attack the small list we had pretty quickly, but when it came to getting a Wii game for my niece we needed assistance and that is where we lost some time.  Not only did the girl tell us she would be right there, I had to go back in get her and listen to her say "I'm sorry, I forgot", no kidding.  So we take care of my niece and nephew with the assistance of a quick call to my brother-in-law.  Then it was to my two nieces.  This was going to be difficult because I have never heard of what they wanted.  So we looked around for 10-15 minutes and I finally said "this is why Al Gore invented the internet".  I went to Target on-line pulled up the product.  Not only were they insanely priced, they were online only items.  Game plan needs to be re-worked.  Nieces off to the side for the moment. 

So now to my god daughter and her brother.  I could have made this purchase with relative ease, but I complicated it more than I had to, but then I regrouped.  I usually get her the same type of gift every holiday and birthday, it's the safe play.  But my friend had made mention that he was putting his daughters Christmas list together so I text him and his wife to ask for an item off the list.  After waiting for responses I started to say how difficult I was making it, so my wife found something within our safe play range and we went with it.  Her brother got clothes because my wife has something about buying little boys clothes that makes her happy.  That is a reason why I want my wife to have a girl the next time around.  While looking for gifts I saw that same group of women from the front of the store surrounding a Target employee in front of an empty shelf.  They looked perturbed that the store would actually sell what they wanted to buy

So now it comes to shopping for our little one who is ironically with us.  Our daughter loves books so my wife drops me off at Barnes and Noble and her and I go hang out in the kids section while my wife heads back to Target to shop for her.  My daughter was crazy in the store as it seemed to have been the meeting place for parents because all the stores at Blackstone open up at different times, totally screwing up games plans for people.  Lucky for us all our stores were open.  While my daughter was tearing apart the kids’ book section I had downloaded the Amazon app and finished off the shopping for my nieces on my phone.  God love technology.

The last it was at the Solomon Pond Mall to grab a Disney character for our daughter.  This was creative as we had our daughter with us and we couldn't not take her in there.  So the plan was for me to run interference with our daughter while my wife made the purchase.  While at the mall we saw the funniest thing ever.  A car in front of us while we were looking for parking spot parks.  Then immediately pulls out, cuts us off and then parks in another space...30 feet closer to the mall.

I guess that is the point of this rambling story.  The Christmas shopping season does things to the human psyche that makes some people become irrational like waking up at 4:00 am the day after a Holiday to go shopping, make people go crazy over parking spots and make people call complete strangers honey (that happened to me twice that day).  Needless to say that we did all of our Christmas shopping is a little over 3 and a half hours.  We made Christmas shopping our bitch and we were very proud of ourselves for that.

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Mayhem is everywhere....

So the NTSB announces the other day that they are urging a national ban of cell phone use while driving. That includes talking on the cell phones as well. Ok, I get the call for safety and I understand that cell phones are a huge distraction to drivers. I have been regularly annoyed by drivers on their cell phones that either are driving way too slow, are weaving in their traffic lane, come to abrupt stops because they are not paying attention to where they are going or cross three lanes of traffic because they were too busy talking on the phone. I get it, I really do. However, a national ban won't be able to do anything because it will definitely be difficult to police and it won't change anything. A ban on something like that is pointless. As one of my old coaches used to say, "You can't fix stupid", and that is exactly what this is, a ban on inconsiderate behavior.

Why do all these government agencies need to go to the absolute extreme when it comes to promoting something? If you take a look at the top 6 causes for accidents released by the World Health Organization you will see that distractions are the top cause of accidents. Followed by Driver Fatigue, looking at scenery, other people in the car, playing with the radio and reading. Distraction amount to about 25 and 50 percent of accidents, but the main contributor is not talking on your cell phone. The distractions are many, but according to a study conducted by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), texting -- rubbernecking -- or slowing down to gawk at another accident -- caused the most accidents, accounting for 16 percent of all distraction-related crashes. So as usual a government agency is off base with a support of a ban.

If you take the other top 5 causes of accidents how does the NTSB feel about those? What type a ban can we put in place for a person that has worked 27 straight hours and just wants to get home, not let him drive? Do we force car companies to make side windows opaque to keep drivers from looking at scenery? That just causes another safety issue, can't do that. Drivers shouldn't have people in their car to avoid getting into an accident. That will really freak out sports moms across the country. I'm not even going to comment on reading because it is just stupid that people even do that, and no offense, Darwinism needs to step in at that point

Besides the irrational thought about such a ban, how would it get enforced? There has been a seat belt law in place for many years now and people still drive without their seatbelts. A police officer could see someone talking on their cell phone, pull them over and by that time not only is the person off the phone, they were able to stow away the phone proving they were not on it. The court dockets will increase significantly on appeals for violations that can't be proven because of lack of evidence.

If you really want to keep people off the phone, the NTSB needs to urge the motor companies to have their vehicles equipped with a Bluetooth or wireless connection so drivers can sync up their phones to it. If that doesn't work they need to work with the FCC to urge all cell phone manufacturers to supply a Bluetooth headset with all the phones they sell. It doesn't have to be the best quality, just enough to use in the car. If they want a better one they you can sell them a better one.

Instead of coming up with solutions to improve safety in the car the NTSB feels the need to interfere with people’s lives. Rather than saying to be safer in your car purchase a headset to talk while you are driving, they just want to take it away. I guess my coach was right, you just can't fix stupid.
3D
Coming Right Atcha

Sunday, December 11, 2011

It's a boy...wait...no it's a girl...wait.....

This past weekend we had a family gathering on my wife's side of the family. There are three ladies that are pregnant in the family, including my wife. The conversation shifted to who was having what. This is a topic of conversation because the reasons that are giving are absolutely hilarious and warrant commentary. From my experiences, I couldn't guess the sex of a baby if someone told me what it was beforehand.

This conversation was so comical it was out of control. It all started with my wife's cousin, who just recently had a baby says to my wife "You're having a boy. You've got the look." So naturally we ask what the look is and she explains that my wife's face changes and it means she's having a boy and her husband was totally on board with this theory. She couldn't explain it and then said that her theory has not been proven. Well, I am glad we got that covered because I would hate to see her get sued for malpractice on a prediction.

So that becomes the buzz for the next thirty minutes or so. My wife's aunt then comes in and with all confidence and to be honest all-knowing, says that she predicted that one of her daughters was going to have a girl, and she did, and the other a boy, which she did. So she predicted that my wife was having a girl and that was that. Then my wife's sister-in-law buys into "the look" theory and agrees that my wife's face has changed. Good Lord. The funny part of this story is that right before we are ready to go home my wife's cousin does a Mitt Romney and recants her prediction and now says she isn't sure, after she had everybody convinced that my wife had "the look".

So this gets me thinking about all the crazy stuff people say when someone is pregnant about what sex they are having. The old wives tales are endless in this regard and are just basic head scratching. For instance my mother gets the due date and matches it with the lunar calendar to determine the sex. That's great until it doesn't match up and you get a response from my mother like "....she is going to have a boy or a girl...” true story. Thanks for that revelation.

My mother-in-law does this thing with a ring and piece of string. If the needle goes over the palm back and forth it's a girl and it goes in a circular motion it's a boy, or it is the other way around. Regardless, that could easily be manipulated with a flick of the wrist and I bet you will never get the same result consecutively.

So, with all this stuff I started to research old wives tales to determine the sex of a baby. I found 51 of them. I am sure there are more because women in other countries are a lot crazier that the United States. Here are some of them:
  • If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl. If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy. Ummm, what if it's 140bpm?
  • When your face gets fuller and rounder when pregnant, it means you’re going to have a girl. If your face is long and narrow, it’s a boy. Maybe this is the look???
  • This test involves a key. If you pick up a key at the top (the roundest part), you are going to have a boy. If you pick up the key at the bottom (smallest part), you are going to have a girl. If you happen to grab the key in the middle, congrats, it’s twins!
  • The Drano test combines a tablespoon of Drano and urine together. If the mixture turns green, it’s a girl. If it turns blue, it’s a boy.
  • People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.
  • This tale only applies if you have had previous kids. If you have and that child’s first word was momma, you will have a girl. If your first child’s first word was dadda, you’ll have a boy. What happens if your child's first word was Bob?
At any rate, why do people feel the need to take the surprise away from a couple? I love the surprise factor. I love saying it's a boy and starting speculation. If my wife and I wanted to know, we would have the doctor tell us. We didn't find out the last time and we never brought it up. We already have names picked out and we will find out what the baby is just before everyone. So, for you expecting couples out there enjoy this time and just nod and say "ok" when you are being told what the sex is. On that note, anybody want to get into a baby pool?

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Worcester needs to get into the Holiday spirit

I was looking at the pictures posted on telegram.com of the Christmas tree lighting on the common in Worcester.  To be honest I have never attended the Christmas tree lighting in Worcester for two reasons.  The first is that I am a Scrooge; the Christmas Holiday season just aggravates me because it brings the worst out of people.  The second is because it's at 5pm on a Friday.  I'm sorry but like most people I have a job and to get to City Hall through the traffic and deal with the plethora of parking downtown for a two minute affair is pointless.
The very day that I was viewing those pictures on-line my wife and I took a trip up to coastal Maine to get away from the stresses that have come up over the past couple of months.  After a stop in Freeport, we stayed at a B&B in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.  The day we were there they were having their Christmas Tree Festival.  During the day they had Christmas trees on display at a local theater and they were auctioning them off.  They had visits with Santa for the kids.  They have art exhibits on display at the library, where the town tree is lit.  From there they have caroling led by a local brass band.  Then Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves come and light the tree.  But it does not end there, after the tree lighting there was a walk to the church where there is a live Nativity scene, because Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.  The finale is the lighted boat parade.  People decorate their boats with Christmas lights and decorations and parade into the harbor.  It was a very good experience, it got me in the mood for the holidays and it was fun.

Now, if Worcester did something like that I could totally be on board with celebrating that.  It is totally do-able and could bring people into the city from other cities and towns.  Worcester could not do it all in one day because the city is so spread out but it is something definitely can be done.  You could have some arts exhibits downtown on the common, or if it needs to be inside you could utilize the DCU Center, Hanover Theater or any other venue downtown.  Rather than doing the lighting on Friday, there could be caroling and ice skating (if that ever gets built).  On Saturday you could continue the arts exhibits and any other form of entertainment and then at 5pm light the tree.  The boat parade is also a factor that could be done during these two days.  It could be done on Friday night or following the tree lighting on Saturday, or even Sunday afternoon and it could be done on Lake Quinsigamond.  The logistics of such an event would totally need to be ironed out.  But this is something the Chamber of Commerce and The Historical Society can work with the City Council to come up with.  I purposely left out the Live Nativity Scene because God forbid (oops! excuse me) Heaven forbid we actually celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.  But if that is the case, I am sure that Fr. Madden at St. John's or Monsignor Piccolomini at Mt. Carmel would be more than happy to organize it.

With all the new building being done downtown, the city should try to attract more people downtown during the off hours, not just between 9 and 5.  That is what has been hurting the businesses down there, the off hours when all the people are not working there.  The City of Worcester needs to stop trying to be like other cities and create its own identity.  Just be Worcester, let’s come up with ideas and events that are Worcester's own and promote people to come into the city.  People should not just come to Worcester to go to the hospital or the courthouse.  Let’s do things downtown that show Worcester's pride.  Just a thought from a citizen that would like to not have to go to Maine to get into the Christmas spirit.

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

3D Ramblings 12/9/11

Wow!  Gone for three weeks and it has felt a lot longer than that.  For those of you who don't know we moved into a new house over the Thanksgiving weekend and we have been unpacking ever since and it seems like we will be unpacking for the next 10 years.  A lot has happened in the time that I have been offline so it has been tough to pick some of these topics and keep it fresh.  So here we go.  As usual there is no particular order to these based on importance.

POTUS crying wolf (again) - President Obama spoke on Wednesday about the state of the economy and that it was "a make or break time" for the middle class. I'm sorry Mr. President; the middle class has passed the point of no return a while ago.  This is the third such doom and gloom speech, so that just tells me that either we are in a perpetual mess or the policies that he keeps pushing just aren't working.  Also the President cannot claim "All hands on deck" and then take off for 17 days.  He's entitled to take vacation, but not after directing Congress to stay and work through Christmas, which they have agreed to do.  The President continues to be divisive and narcissistic when it comes to important issues.  Didn't he promise bi-partisan leadership in his presidential campaign bid?

Bad Call - As a high school sports official in two sports I need to tread lightly on this topic.  The game where a touchdown was nullified because of a penalty of excessive celebration costing a team a Super Bowl title has gone viral.  All I can say was that it was a bad call and as an official that has made his share of bad calls, I'm sure the official in question regrets it.  All that can be done now is to move on.  What's done is done.  An appeal will not produce anything but more controversy.  It was a bad call and that is that.

Sex Abuse - The Penn State incident has now opened the flood gates and more and more people will come out.  I just hope it's not a witch hunt and or people looking to profit.  These are serious issues and need to be dealt with; there is no room for attention getters.  A little advice for Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, unless you want to end in the same boat as Joe Paterno, just keep your mouth shut.  At this point it is clear that you had no knowledge.  Just shut up and let this play out.

Words with Friends - Alec Baldwin got kicked off a plane because he would not shut off his phone because he was playing the phone game Words with Friends.  Wow!  What makes this story even weirder was that his lawyer defends him by saying he loves the game so much that he will sacrifice such things as getting off a flight.  I am speechless.

NBA Lockout over - ho-hum starting on Christmas.  I am more excited that my Lady Naps open up at 5:00pm today at Burncoat.

Christmas Trees - This argument is getting old.  The Governor of Rhode Island calls it a Holiday Tree, fine he can call it whatever he wants.  But when protesters went to the State House to protest, one of the supporters of the governor said "Not all people celebrate Christmas in the Christian way..."  What the hell does that mean? He is obviously illiterate because Christmas and Christian have one thing in common, Christ!!!  So for all of you that only celebrate the commercial piece of Christmas you shouldn't attack the true meaning of the holiday.  It's the birth of Christ.  When we start using Holiday Candles at Hanukkah and Holiday whatever the symbol is for Kwanzaa, then you have a beef.  Until then, light up your Christmas tree.

Cain drops out of Presidential Race - He was a little late doing this.  The accusations were something he could never recover from.  I also like that he threw his support to a candidate immediately after dropping out.  He supports Newt Gingrich and to be honest I am in that boat as well.  Gingrich has shown that he is very intelligent and has been very good at shooting down loaded questions in the debates.  He went in with a "nothing to lose" attitude and it has paid off for him thus far.  However his brashness may hurt him the further he goes.  Hopefully not.

Porn Star Teacher - I have mixed feeling about the English teacher in Malden who had appeared in a Gay pornographic movie.  It is definitely not an example of what we want our high school age children to achieve.  However, there was nothing illegal with what Kevin Logan did, other than coming up with a horrible stage name. People can view pornography a morally wrong and has no place in our lives but it isn't illegal and Mr. Logan did not bring the subject to his classroom or crew practices.  Unfortunately for Mr. Logan the publicity of this story and the age group that he teaches, he has ultimately lost his students and that could be worse.  I don't feel this teacher should be fired but it will be tough for him to teach his class going forward.

Worcester Fire Fighter Death - Yesterday we lost another firefighter in the City of Worcester.  John Davies, who ironically enough was stationed at the Franklin Street station, which we all know was the site of greatest tragedy that the WFD has seen, died heroically while fighting a fire on Vernon Hill trying to saves lives of people believed to be inside.  Our thoughts and prayers should be with the WFD, the injured firefighters and the Davies family.

3D
Coming Right 'Atcha

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Another Ban in the Nanny State

Living in Massachusetts you grow up learning to live without.  I don't mean that the state is poverty stricken; I mean that the state's government officials like to decide what is in the best interest of you, the person.  They like to decide what is good and bad for you because they feel they are smarter than you in making that decision for you.  We are so lucky to have these smart superficial people making these life decisions for us. Heaven forbid we are able to make these decisions for ourselves, what would we possibly do?

In the past we have seen such bans on fireworks, no alcohol sales on Sunday, and tattoos.  Recently we saw a ban on an energy drink mixed with alcohol called "4Loco" and we also saw a ban on dog racing, closing several parks in Massachusetts.  So call me skeptical when I read an article written by a Worcester pediatrician and the President of the Massachusetts Medical Society, Dr. Lynda Young, calling on local politicians to ban cigarette sales in pharmacies.  Her reasoning was that cigarettes were bad for you and should not be sold in a place where health care products are sold.  I can barely contain my fascination with such a well put together argument.  I am curious to know how long it took her to research and come up with the conclusion that cigarettes are bad for you.  She claims that cigarette smoke is the leading cause of death in the world.  That is a well thought out and valid argument, it is also inaccurate.  The top two leading causes of death in the world are Heart Disease and Hunger, this pulled from data from the Center for Disease Control.

This is where the Nanny Staters (yep, that's what I am going to call them) just absolutely drop the ball and have lost all touch with reality.  Just like the other bans they fail to see the big picture and haven't figured out that people aren't as dumb as they think they would like them to be.  Does anybody remember the Volstead Act?  Probably not, because it happened in 1920.  But banning products or forcing people to purchase things is not only borderline unconstitutional but completely irrelevant.  I mean this ban isn't a complete ban on cigarettes, just in pharmacies.  But this isn't 1950 where stand alone pharmacies exist.

The problem with all of these bans/regulations is that they cater to the exception rather than the rule.  The 4Loco ban was an outrage because a couple of idiots went binge drinking with it.  Then why wasn't all alcohol banned?  The ban on fireworks has really helped control the possession during the 4th of July holiday.  The ban on dog racing was the dumbest thing ever.  It forced local businesses to close and put hundreds of people out of work.  The only ones who didn't lose their jobs were the dogs themselves, being shipped to racetracks out of Massachusetts.  The residents of Massachusetts still got to bet on those dogs, they just have to travel to Rhode Island, Connecticut or New Hampshire.

Like I said, what Dr. Young supports is not a complete ban but a ban of cigarette sales in stores that have pharmacies.  That's just idiotic.  Everything is bad for us, so if we ban cigarette sales in pharmacies because they are a contributing factor to lung cancer then just think of this:  One of the biggest problems in the country is obesity.  That would mean all candy, soda; chips and other junk foods would need to be removed from those same shelves.  That would mean all the cosmetics products that have been linked to cancer need to be removed.  The Wal-Mart’s that have pharmacies would need to remove their firearms from their shelves because shooting accidents have also been a large cause for death in the U.S. according to the CDC.  Let us not forget the grocery stores that have all these items in their stores with pharmacies

So basically the Nanny Staters would rather see business done elsewhere rather than in Massachusetts.  Because if you tell CVS, Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens etc to remove damaging products from their shelves because they have pharmacies we will see them drop that service.  My assumption is that the sales of the other products outweigh the pharmacy sales and I can't even imagine home much they enjoy dealing with the insurance companies.  So Dr. Young should stick to what she knows best, diagnosing the "owies" and the "sniffles" to the many kids that come into her office.  I am sure she is a wonderful doctor but she should leave the legislation to the legislators.  I am sure she would feel different about writing a script to a pharmacy that has a drive-thru, since car accidents are also a major contributor to deaths in the U.S.

3D (is back)
and Comin right Atcha!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

You can have every holiday you want, just leave me Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving!  Everyone who knows me, I don't like holidays much.  I think too much is made of them and they are over commercialized.  But not Thanksgiving.  That's why I love it, I love everything about Thanksgiving.  The family, the friends, the food, the football and especially the total relaxation.  There are no obligations that come with Thanksgiving.  Every other holiday means gift giving of some sort, not Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is filled with tradition and commonality.  Mostly everyone I know does almost the exact same thing on Thanksgiving.  Those traditions obviously change over the years but the change isn't that significant and it is so you can start a new tradition.

When I was a kid we would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the whole thing, and then head over to wherever we were going for dinner.  When I was in High School I would go out with my friends the night before, head to the football game the next morning, go to dinner and then meet up with my friends afterwards to do whatever it was that we did.  College and throughout my twenties was crazier, I would again, go out with my friends to the bars and we would drink ourselves into an oblivion.  Then next day we would go where we were going and then meet up again that night.  Now that we are married and have kids, us and our friends get together on Wednesday night and hang out.  On Thursday morning we go catch the football game and then we head to my in-laws for the day.  I just love it, it doesn't get any better than Thanksgiving.

I don't know why I love Thanksgiving so much, maybe it's because it is slowly becoming the forgotten holiday.  There is no commercial value to Thanksgiving and that's why stores go from Halloween straight into to Christmas.  Kudos to Nordstrom's, who hasn't bought into this whole Black Friday, decorate our stores for Christmas and blare Christmas music on October 15th.  They shouldn't have to.  Holidays are a time to spend with your families and reflect on the year that has just passed.  It is the time to appreciate what you have and no holiday does that better than Thanksgiving.  My wife and daughter don't need  Thanksgiving outfits, jeans and a sweater will suffice.  There is no disappointment of who didn't get what gift, just food, family, friends and football.

There are many things that I have to thankful this.  I am thankful that I have a job that pays the bills and challenges me every day.  I am thankful that I coach a great bunch of girls at Holy Name and that we kick off our season on Monday.  I am thankful for the opportunities that I have to be a baseball umpire and basketball referee.  I am thankful that I will be moving into a new home this weekend.  I am thankful that I have the best family and friends in the world.  I would put them up any group of friends and definitely come out on top.  I am thankful for a great 2 year old little girl that is always at my heels.  I am thankful for the addition of my family that is due to arrive this spring.  But most of all I am thankful for my wife, she is the most amazing woman.  The fact that she puts up me with me day in and day out is what is so amazing about her.

I just want to take this time to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you that read my blog.  Spend it with your families and stay away from the stores until Friday.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Friday, November 18, 2011

No sympathy for our soldiers???

With Thanksgiving kicking off the Holiday season you can't help but think about our troops overseas, no matter where in the world they are. The sacrifice of giving up these holidays with their family and friends is what they signed up for and you will never hear a soldier complain. They spend all the holidays eating meals with their fellow soldiers in a cafeteria style type of atmosphere and then maybe they are able to watch football if they are not on duty that night. Again, they do not complain. Would they rather spend these days with their families? Of course they would. I am not or never have been a soldier but I can imagine the homesickness during the holidays being somewhat unbearable. So any piece of home is greatly appreciated by these soldiers, and the support from people back home is deserving.
So last week when I saw that Suffolk Law professor Michael Avery sent an e-mail to his colleagues stating that they should not partake and the school’s annual care pack for soldiers drive was disturbing. It's not that fact that he did not want to participate, he has that right. It was the fact that the he claims the soldiers don't deserve it. His claim was "I think it is shameful that it is perceived as legitimate to solicit in an academic institution for support for men and women who have gone overseas to kill other human beings". Is this clown kidding me? He went on to say that sympathy for American troops in harm's way "is not particularly rational in today's world"

I think I just threw up in my mouth reading that last quote.

Avery is a Constitutional Law professor and he is able to recycle this garbage in his class room. He probably gets very excited when talking about the 1st Amendment. I am curious to know how is class time goes when he is talking about Article I, Section 8 that covers Congress' power to provide and maintain an Army and Navy. He has every right not to support this drive at his place of his employment, but to disrespect the men and women of our Armed Forces is way out of line. I have the honor to be friends with many people that are soldiers, and some that are former soldiers. They are the most stand up and respectful people I know. To be quite honest, I don't thank them enough for the service they do and have done for our country.

Now, if Prof. Avery has issues with the war, that's one thing. Everyone to some degree has issues with war. That just means you need to march to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and discuss that with the Commander-in-Chief. The President and Congress decide whether our soldiers go to war. Not the soldiers. They are simply carrying out orders directed by the commanders. They are protecting a nation and they are sacrificing a lot more than you, Prof. Avery. Do not show your aggression to the soldiers. They need our support, they want our support and most importantly they deserve our support. In writing this only one thing comes to mind and it's a quote from Jack Nicholson in a Few Good Men:

"........I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post......"

Nicholson's character in the movie was a little off but he couldn't have been more spot on. So when you are having Thanksgiving dinner this week surrounded by your family and friends. Take a minute to give thanks to the people that make Thanksgiving possible. When you are at stores shopping at 9pm Thursday, Midnight or 4 am Friday, if you are able to, purchase something for a soldier overseas, maybe even just a Christmas Card. It will do wonders for a soldier's morale.

 I agree with Prof. Avery on one point, I don't feel sympathy is rational for our soldiers. I think respect and gratitude is more deserving to our soldiers is more appropriate. I am honored to be an American Citizen and I am proud of the men and women of our Armed Services.

If you would like to send a care package to our troops there are many charities that provide that service, just search the net. Here is one that I like, Operation Gratitude .

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

3D Ramblings 11/18/2011


So much has happened over the last two weeks and cutting my list down to 10 was difficult.  I said my peace of the Penn State Scandal and I will say no more.  That story disgusts me on so many levels that I don't want to even think about.  One storyline that is missing on this list is about the Suffolk Law professor against sending care packs to our troops.  He gets his own blog, coming Monday.   This weeks 3D Ramblings:

  • Andy Rooney Dies - Love him or hate him the man was a media icon.  He was very opinionated and somewhat controversial.  If the setting that he reported from on 60 Minutes was his actual office, then he needed a maid as well.  He gave his opinion without any worry to who would come at him for it.  He came across as a grumpy old man in some respects, but that was just who he was .  He will be missed and 60 Minutes should do the right thing and not replace his piece on the show.  Many even some air of silence for a while.

  • European Economic Crisis - It's funny to think that three years ago during his Presidential campaign and his tour of Europe, as a candidate, President Obama told Americans that the U.S. needed to be a lot more like Europe.  I find it odd that we have not seen any snippets of those comments given recent events in Europe.  Europe has been a mess for a long time, as is the case with any socialist countries.  They will eventually run out of other peoples money leading to default and near economic collapse.  Sorry Barry, stick to things you know like organizing community actions.

  • Occuriots - Ok ok, I have not normally paid any mind to these people and the fact that they continue to be covered by the media irritates me.  Can the media please stop referring to these people as Occupy "residents"?  I'm sorry, residents pay taxes and it is quite obvious they are part of the 54%, you know the 54% of the population that doesn't pay taxes.  These have not become peaceful anymore.  What we have seen in Oakland and Atlanta are not covered by the 1st amendment.  I blame the local leaders for allowing these people to gain steam and not squash it from the beginning.  They have the right to protest.  They do not have the right to trespass, litter, destroy and defile property, and sell drugs.  Unfortunately the local leaders have painted themselves into a corner and this not going to end well on all fronts.  BTW, I saw my first "Save Tibet" sign at Occupy Portland.  I was wondering where those clowns have been hiding.

  • Wrongfully accused - I saw on the news a week back that man was charged with assault after drawing a gun on someone and then beating him.  What's wrong with that you ask?  The being charged was protecting his property when he caught a the "victim" breaking into his work truck and stealing items from it.  So if all the occuidiots are complaining about their 1st amendment rights being violated, this guy's 2nd amendment rights are able to get trampled.  So basically we are allowed to bear arms, just not use them.  Why is this man not able to protect his property?  His livelihood was being jeopardized and he is being punished for protecting those interests.  Please call me to this jury, it would be the first time I would be happy to serve.

  • Wal-Mart and other stores - Black Thursday? - Ok Family Values and traditions continue to get trampled on during the holiday season.  Black Friday used to be the worst for me when I worked at a mall in high school.  People would show up right when the mall open at 10 am, that's fine, those were the store hours.  But then the big box stores needed to push the hours back to 5am, that's fine, it's your business open at what time you want and then a few years ago stores started opening up at midnight of Thanksgiving.  Ok, a little crazy and disrespectful to your employees, but fine.  NOW, Wal-Mart announces it is going to better that, they are opening up at 10pm on Thanksgiving night and Toys-r-us follows up saying they will open at 9.  This is getting a little out of control and can we please let one holiday end before we start prepping for the next...No wonder I am a Grinch at Christmas time.

  • Carrier Classic - If you watched the game between North Carolina and Michigan State on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson I'm sure you will agree with this description for the people that didn't.  AWESOME!!!

  • Lt. Governor Accident - Ok this is old news and maybe under reported.  Something just doesn't smell right with the Lt. Gov. Murray's early morning accident a few weeks back.  He was heading towards Worcester at 5:30am.  He claimed he went out to get a coffee an paper and view snowstorm damage.  It was dark out, and he had no paper or coffee.  I am not saying there is malice involved, but something just isn't right with this story and I am having a hard time letting it go.

  • Herman and Gloria Cain - I think Herman Cain is a nice guy but he is starting to show he is in way over his head with his Presidential candidacy.  The accusations of sexual harassment haven't helped his cause and I am more apt to believe the first three silent accusers rather than the one that was tranced out by Attorney of the Mistresses Gloria Allred.  I'm not saying these accusations didn't happen, but I have not seen anything that they had.  For the liberal base that are attacking Gloria Cain for standing by her man, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones (i.e.. Secretary of State Clinton).

  • All State Commercial Guy - Those Mayhem is everywhere commercials crack me up.  If they came up with a sitcom of just 10 commercials each week like that, I would watch.  It is definitely must see TV

  • Worcester's ever changing political landscape - I hope you didn't think I was serious with the lead in because I was laying on the sarcasm pretty think.  Although we did get two new faces onto the council and one was because the incumbent decided not to run.  I just don't get the voters in this city.  People complain about the high taxes, the gloominess of the city, why do they have to pay for trash bags, why is dealing with city agencies so difficult...why, why, why.  I pose a question to the complainers.  Why do you keep sending the same boobs back to city hall?  It is the blind leading the blind down there and it is not going to change if the same people continue to stay there.  Worcester's major problem is that it can't get out of its own way and that starts with the city council.  We are a nation of wanting more but settling for less.  That needs to change and people need to take action and get some new people in local, state and federal positions.  So get out and support the Bill Coleman's, Bill McCarthy's and Steve Buchalter's and maybe we will get the change we need.


3D
Rambling Right Atcha
Rambling Right Atcha

Sunday, November 13, 2011

People are really fans of Jersey Shore?

So I was bored.  I needed something to write about.  So what do I do?  I watched the last two episodes of Jersey Shore in Italy.  This was worse than a train wreck, you just can't make this stuff up.  I am trying to figure out the popularity of this show, unfortunately I don't see it.  For the ladies, is it because the guys are attractive and fit, the girls are fashionable, they are always going out dancing?  For the guys, is it?....or?.....Apparently it's not the intelligence of the characters.  I literally felt dumber after watching that show.  I may hold the citizens of New Jersey accountable for letting MTV call the show "Jersey Shore".
I don't even know where to begin with this.  The two episodes that I saw were the season finale and the reunion episode.  So I guess I will start with the last regular episode.  I'm glad that I wasn't privy to the "drama" that went on in the house during the previous episodes, so I was a little lost as what was going on, but it wasn't hard to catch up. So, the crew is in their final days in Italy and there is sentiment that Mike "The Situation" is either not going to go back to Jersey or wouldn't be welcomed back.  All this because the roommates felt that he was being too much of an ass.  Really?  I really couldn't tell the difference between them being normal or them being an ass.  There had been tension in the house all season with Mike.  He apparently had "hooked up" with "Snookie" jeopardizing her relationship with her boyfriend.  Good Lord.  He became distant and began to try to grab attention by stating he wasn't going back to the Jersey Shore.  Nobody bought into it and he stated at the end of the show that he was going to return to Jersey.  I hate to break it to you Mike, you lose your meal ticket when you leave the show.  Without the show you are just another jug head.

What boggled my mind was they were in Florence and they waited until the last day in the city to go sightseeing.  I have been to Florence a couple of times and spent 5 great days there on my honeymoon.  I can't wait to go back because the city is fabulous and full of culture.  How can these clowns claim to be Italian and not respect a city like Florence.  I am revoking their Italian cards because they don't deserve them.  When being shown one of the statues of David done by Michelangelo, you've heard of him, right?  All the girls could say was "I'd do him".  Anyway, I can obviously see that these people do not appreciate the finer things in life.  The fact that they got lost going home from a club that they most likely frequented all season long, just shows their mental capacity is that of a 12 year old.  They would leave Italy and season was over.

Watching the reunion episode gave me a headache.  The one redeeming thing was that the host Amy Paffrath would make fun of the cast when they said stupid things, which was quite often.  So some of things I missed during the season were:
  • "Meatball Problems" - when Snookie and Deena would do something stupid they would call it a Meatball Problem.  The frequency and the stupidity of these "problems" doesn't make them Meatball problems.  You may need to get yourselves tested for much bigger problems.
  • Geography - Snookie answered a question from Paffrath of what she liked most about Italy with "The Geography".  Please see previous observation.
  • The Fight - This is by far my favorite.  So Ron and Mike get into a heated argument that leads to them challenging each other to a physical confrontation.  To get himself amped up, Mike rammed his head into a cement wall and knocked himself out giving himself a concussion.  That is great stuff.  I don't even have a joke there.
I am mad at myself by getting sucked into this and forcing myself to write about.  For those of you that love the show, you have some Meatball Problems.  Rest assured people you can bet on me never watching this show ever again.  If you have never watched it, please don't

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Recapping the GOP Debates

I have a confession to make.  I had not been following the race for the Republican nomination as much as I should have.  Debates with so many candidates get confusing and is somewhat boring because there are just some candidates that just don't belong there.  On the flip side of that is you get to hear the voice of the candidates that don't raise as much money as the front runners and get to see how qualified they really are.  So my wife and I decided last week that we would watch both GOP primaries last week.  The one on Wednesday that covered the economy and the one on Saturday that cover National Security and Foreign Affairs. 

I had been reading about the few candidates that the media constantly reports on, but I wanted to see what the other candidates had to say.  I am glad I watched because I saw some good debates and one of the biggest debate gaffes since Admiral Stockdale asked to have the question repeated because he had shut off his hearing aid in the 1992 Vice-Presidential Debate. During the CNBC debate held on Wednesday the moderators completely challenged the candidates and that is what you look for in a debate.  Unlike four years where the moderators were all part of the slobbering love affair.  I thought John Harwood and Maria Bartiromo did a good job with the questions they asked, and a very good job following up when not getting the answer to the question they were asking.  A couple of times during the debate Bartiromo and candidate Newt Gingrich intellectually sparred and neither one backed down.

The second debate was more lackluster than the previous debate.  It was does by CBS and covered National Security and Foreign Affairs.  I don't think the moderators were as tough on the candidates as they could have been.  The moderators, Scott Pelley of CBS News and Major Garrett of the National Journal, were more concerned on the debate rules rather than getting to the issues at hand.  At one point Pelley told the audience to not applaud.  Why have them there then?  The questions were not as challenging and left the candidates reaching for substance to answers.  The questions were what to do with Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  My favorite response to the question is Pakistan friend or foe came from former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.  He said that Pakistan has to be a friend because they are a nuclear power.  That's great Rick, so wasn't the U.S.S.R.  Where has Santorum been?  Pakistan has been hiding al Qaeda terrorists in their country, while they take aid from the U.S..  Do we wait for those nuclear weapons to get in the hands of terrorists before Santorum classifies them as foes?  Do me a favor Rick, stop complaining that you don't get any questions during the debates and shut up. They don't ask you questions because you say stupid things and they are protecting you from that.

I can't continue to write this without commenting on Gov. Rick Perry's memory loss during the CNBC debate when answering the question of what cuts he would make to the budget.  How anyone took Perry serious is beyond me.  He is riding the Tea Party wave of conservatism and he doesn't realize that too conservative isn't popular either.  When he was stumbling he could have covered himself by blurting out "Treasury", he would have at least gotten some laughs.  He is definitely falling into the Stockdale category of "Who am I? Why am I here?" from the '92 debate.  He tried to joke it off in the second debate, but too little too late.

The only uncomfortable moment in the debates came during the CNBC debates.  The moderators were adamant that the debate was to cover the economy when the candidates would steer off topic.  The John Harwood asks Herman Cain about his recent accusations and asks if he can be trusted.  After Cain handled it well and responded to the blindsided question, Harwood follows up by asking Romney, "As a business man would you hire Herman Cain among the accusations?"  Huh?  Romney handled it well and basically refused to answer the question.  I understand that at some point during these debates Cain will need to answer to the accusations.  But the moderators cannot make up the rules as they go.

It is quite evident that Romney looks like he is going to be the candidate.  The few things I noticed about the debate were that in neither debate the candidates did not go after each other. They even complimented one another, which the Republican Party needs.  Maybe it was the format and the rules, but it was refreshing.  The issues are more complex than people can image and to give the candidates 30 seconds to solve the economy, healthcare and foreign policy is just stupid.  Finally, I see a couple of candidates abandoning their presidency bids and are campaigning for the Vice Presidency.  I see John Huntsman as one of those candidates.  He has great experience both domestically and internationally.  Sorry John, there is no way there will be two Mormons on the ticket.  If Romney does win, I see a possible Secretary of State position in your future.  Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has become very combative with the media during the debates and has been a protector of all the candidates claiming that all the candidates would be better than President Obama, and that should be unified message coming out of the debates.

I am still undecided as to who I like in this field but I did enjoy watching the debates.  I plan to watch more.  The next one on television in November 22, on CNN.

3D
Coming Right Atcha

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Football First in Happy Valley

Another scandal has rocked collegiate sports, however, a legendary coach is in the middle of this scandal and he needed to resign immediately or be fired, not allowed to retire at the end of the season to get a record breaking win. Joe Paterno needs to step away from coaching at Penn State now, plain and simple. The university dropped the ball on this one so Coach Paterno can get that one win to pass Eddie Robinson. Once again Penn State is putting football ahead of what is right. Paterno failed in his duty to do what was right in a scandal that rivals the Boston church scandal. He is college football's equivalent to Cardinal Bernard Law.

In the past we saw legendary coach Bobby Bowden being forced out at Florida State after a cheating scandal, which he may or may not have been directly involved in. He knew about it and the president of the school forced him to retire. All time winning basketball coach Bobby Knight was fired from Indiana University after an incident where he berated a student whom he felt disrespected him. Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was fired because he hazed a football player with an injury. Butch Davis (UNC) and Jim Tressel (OSU) were fired because they lost control of their players getting benefits from agents that in some respect the NCAA should be providing players. Lastly, Duke Lacrosse coach resigned amid a scandal of his players raping a woman at a party. The players were falsely accused, but the coach never got his job back.

All of those reasons to be terminated are somewhat valid and I don't mean to dismiss them as not serious. But these pale in comparison to what is going on at Penn State. If the examples above stopped at the desk of the head coach and he was ultimately held responsible, then the same needs to happen here. Paterno not only lost control of an assistant coach who was sexually abusing children. He knew about it. The fact that all Paterno did was give the name to his superiors is not enough, he should have called the police. If he was waiting for the school administration to do that, then he should have dropped the dime when it was clear that was not going to happen. Joe Paterno failed miserably in this regard and needs to be held accountable for that.  Read the indictment and tell me that Paterno could not have done more
People are defending Paterno claiming he did the right thing, as one of my Facebook friends stated "I guess we have different opinions on what "the right thing to do" is in this type of situation." he couldn't have been more spot on. When the AD and VP of the school did not report to authorities Paterno should have reported them as well. What Paterno did was not only wrong, it was criminal and how he will stay away from prosecution is beyond me. All Joe Pa had to do was pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1.

Jerry Sandusky, the accused coach, used his standing as a Penn State official to lure boys into his charitable foundation and prey on them. He would bring them to Penn State Football facilities and then he would have them sleep at his home. These were very vulnerable and underprivileged children he was dealing with. When the students wanted to distant themselves from Sandusky he became angry and confrontational. That is the work of a sick individual and anyone who protected him by not reporting him should be ashamed. To protect the sanctity of a football program over the innocence of an 11 year old boy is absolutely sickening. This definitely explains why professional coaches have the "I am better than the world" mentality. We have seen it all the top schools and all the top coaches. Nebraska, Ohio State, Miami, Auburn, Louisville, UNC and so on. Coaches are coronated as kings the moment they step into town and they act that way.

Joe Paterno failed miserably. Not in coaching, not in managing, but in basic human decency. Will the public respond to him being set free as they did with Casey Anthony, probably not. Paterno didn't commit the crime but he helped Sandusky get away with it for 11 years. He did not have to see all the incidences, he didn't have to know about all of them. He knew about one and that was far more than enough. There is no more respect heading towards Happy Valley. The school needed to do "the right thing". They should not let him retire, they let Sandusky retire and he used his retirement benefits to harm children.

If Penn State wants to truly show that football doesn’t come first, either forfeit the season or reject any bowl invitations.  They play one final home game, this Saturday against Nebraska.  Play the game and take all the proceeds from the game and give it to the victims that Sandusky violated.  Then end your season at Wisconsin on November 26.  It won’t do anything in the long run.  Joe Paterno should not get the media attention through the month of December promoting his last game.

3D
Disgusted and Coming Right Atcha

Unguarded: The Story of a Basketball Junkie

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of watching the ESPN Film "Unguarded". It is the story of Fall River native Chris Herren, a former high school and college standout who made it all the way to the NBA. Chris would eventually fall into a drug problem that would ultimately end his career. I have actually followed this story for the past year, as a former AAU basketball coach there is a buzz among the coaches and I had heard that Chris Herren was running basketball camps for AAU kids in Rhode Island. Several months ago I had an article in the Providence Journal about Chris' new life and promoting his book "Basketball Junkie". In that article it was announced that ESPN was doing a documentary on it. I bought the book and read it in less than a couple of days.
This film was well done, however it left out how far Chris would go to do drugs. The film was basically bits and pieces of his nationwide speech tour, where he would share his story with high school students, AA meetings and at the Daytop treatment center, where he was a patient. The Chris Herren story is a sad one, and if you know it from beginning, Chris never had a chance. He was your prototypical high school sports star in a town that loved basketball. He was following in his family's footsteps of great basketball players and had been anticipated as the next great superstar, at 12 years old. That is extremely unfair for a kid that age to pressure him into that type of role.

What the film is trying to capture is that Chris was a prisoner of Fall River. The town had sunk his hooks into him and would not let him go. As much as I wanted to believe that it is simply not the case. Chris had a very strong support system. His brother and especially his wife were always there for him, hoping to make him kick his terrible habit and his addictive personality. That was Chris' major flaw, he was a good person, a good son, a good brother, a loving husband and father. Neither the book nor the movie portrays him as an evil man as you see in many cases with drug abusers. If it was just a case of the city he was from, then once he left Fall River the problems would not have followed him to Fresno, Denver, Boston, Bologna, Istanbul, Tehran, and so on. Chris was a junkie and his body literally could not function without drugs.

In the film, Chris shared some stories of his actions during his drugged out times. The book is Chris sharing all those stories and the desperation he was facing as his body had conformed to his addictive personality. A couple of the stories shared.

  • When needing shoulder surgery as a member of the Boston Celtics his body was so accustomed to Oxycontin that he was not responding to anesthesia
  • When he was in rehab in Utah, while at Fresno State, his roommate’s girlfriend would sneak them drugs by putting them in a tennis ball and throwing it up to their balcony
  • While playing in China, he was at his apartment during an off day watching his son. He went downstairs to meet his dealer, he was already high. He had thought he had locked himself out of his apartment and broke down to door to get in. Come to find out, he was on the wrong floor.
The book and movie both miss the mark on one facet. They definitely mentioned it but they could have gone into it more. The true hero of this story is not Chris, but his wife Heather Herren. It could easily be claimed that Heather did not sign up for. That is wrong, not only did she sign up for it, she was going to beat this thing with Chris, she was the rock that made the family stay together. She treated Chris like he had any other sickness. Just because his sickness was a drug addiction, doesn't make him any less sick. She would not bail on him if he had cancer, so she would not bail on him during his dark times. Heather is the true hero of this story and as Chris stated in the first 15 minutes of the documentary when recounting a story, "Heather saves the day again"

I truly recommend seeing "Unguarded" and if you are truly mesmerized by this story then you should read "Basketball Junkie". It is a nice memoir and you will get the true detail of what Chris Herren was going through. I want to thank Chris Herren for sharing his story with the world, he is not alone, he has his family, his friends and everyone either watched his movie or read his book in his corner. Go get em Chris!

3D
Coming right Atcha