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
Monday, November 21, 2011
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
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.
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:
3D
Coming Right Atcha
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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 AtchaMonday, November 7, 2011
Everyone Should Honor This Day
Today is a day that should get much
more recognition and exposure than it does. Today is Veteran's Day, a day to
honor the brave men and women who have served and currently serve in our
country's armed forces. If it were not for the troops that fought in 1775, the
United States would not exist. If it were not for the troops in World War II,
the United States would not have emerged as the leader of the free world.
People can attribute to these victories to George Washington, Franklin D.
Roosevelt and Harry Truman. They just gave the go ahead, they did not fight the
wars.
The United States Army, Navy and
Marines were created as a direct result of the American Revolution and haven't
looked back for 236 years. The Marines celebrated their 236 birthday yesterday.
In between the signing of the Declaration of Independence and today this
country has had its ups and downs, but the one constant that has remained is
that our country has had the best military in the world. Even so much that they
are called upon to help in all the world’s problems. The military for the most
part has been a volunteer military, only forcing service in time of war. That
is what makes the United States military so great. The soldiers do this on
their own accord and they put their lives on the line to protect the liberties
that all of us take for granted. So today, I ask you to thank a friend of yours
that serves or has served in the military. If you see a soldier walking about,
stop and thank them as well. They deserve your respect and your gratitude. Here
are some people I would like to thank.
Timothy MacCartney Sr. - United
States Army
Timothy MacCartney Jr. - United
States Army
Cary MacCartney - United States Army
Craig Tomanini - United States Army
Jill Murray Wildt - United States
Marine Corp.
Sam Wildt - United States Navy
Don Mason - United States Army
Eric Catalanotti - United States
Army
Robert Catalanotti - United States
Army
Justin LaMonda - United States
Marine Corp.
Denny Brigley - United States Army
John Finneron - United States Army -
P.O.W. World War II
David Layman - United States Navy
Dan Thibodeau - United States Marine
Corp.
Kim-Cameron King - United States
Marine Corp.
Mary McCue - United States Marine
Corp.
Rusty Williamson - United States
Navy
Nick Fortunato - United States Navy
Paul Dell'ovo - United States Air
Force
Paul Vigneault - United States Navy
If I got anyone's branch of service
wrong I apologize. Please drop me a line to correct. If I forgot anybody, it
wasn't intentional. Thanks again for your service and Happy Veteran's Day.
3D
Coming Right Atcha
Worcester Election Blog
In these trying and difficult economic times for local economies, it is every resident of the City of Worcester to come up with ideas for ways for the city to save money on the budget. I am still confused as to how the City of Worcester has all of these budget gaps because they are the personification of government bureaucracy. Try going to get anything from the city without having to pay for it, and try paying by check.
In the past year it has come to our attention that house valuations from the city assessor’s office have evaluated properties too high. Are people not paying their property taxes? If not, then there should be no income loss there. Especially when property taxes continue to rise. Then there is the cost of the yellow city trash bags. They were introduced several years back to tax renters in the city. That program was designed to make everyone pay a "property tax" and in return that income would offset and keep property taxes from rising. When initiated the bags cost $5 for 10 small and 5 large bags. Since being introduced the price of bags have risen $2.50, and so hasn't property tax rates. So much for that program helping out city residents. Definitely no income loss there.
But cutting those fees and taxes are not the savings idea that I have for the city. The savings idea that is minimal and probably insignificant but a savings nonetheless. It would save the city $34,000 a year, that's it. I propose that the City of Worcester eliminate the office of mayor. It's pointless, it's costly and it's not needed. Under the charter of the city the City Manager is the chief executive and mayor is nothing more than a figure head and the facilitator of council meetings. Beside the fact that it is a very highly paid part-time job the mayor holds no influence in delegating in the local government. Sure the mayor sits as the deciding vote on the School Committee. Here is a novel idea, if we desperately need someone to preside over these meetings then have the committee's elect a chairperson amongst themselves or, wait for it.......have the City Manager do it. My thought is the City Council elect a chairperson amongst themselves to oversee council meetings and have the City Manager run the School Committee meeting. The City Manager's contract come up to the City Council and would be a conflict of interest. In any case, you see my point for the unnecessary need for the position of Mayor for the City of Worcester. I'm sure the city budget could find a place for that salary.
That is my savings idea for this election season and I am sure I can think of more savings that I will comment on later on. Now for my endorsement, the highly coveted 3D endorsement for Mayor of Worcester goes to, Bill Coleman. This is Coleman's 4th time running for Mayor, it may be more, but I lost track. He obviously wants the job. He has my endorsement because he is a new face in the landscape of Worcester politics and it is quite obvious political hacks at City Hall need to be replaced. I am not riding the wave of anti-incumbency, or any specific movement. I have the strong belief that if you cannot do your job on the council, you don't deserve another term and should be replaced. And you should definitely not be able to grow roots their either. I am sure I have made my term limits position widely known. So vote for Bill Coleman and anyone else that has not been at City hall before too.
VOTE TOMORROW NOVEMBER 8TH
3D
Coming Right Atcha
In the past year it has come to our attention that house valuations from the city assessor’s office have evaluated properties too high. Are people not paying their property taxes? If not, then there should be no income loss there. Especially when property taxes continue to rise. Then there is the cost of the yellow city trash bags. They were introduced several years back to tax renters in the city. That program was designed to make everyone pay a "property tax" and in return that income would offset and keep property taxes from rising. When initiated the bags cost $5 for 10 small and 5 large bags. Since being introduced the price of bags have risen $2.50, and so hasn't property tax rates. So much for that program helping out city residents. Definitely no income loss there.
But cutting those fees and taxes are not the savings idea that I have for the city. The savings idea that is minimal and probably insignificant but a savings nonetheless. It would save the city $34,000 a year, that's it. I propose that the City of Worcester eliminate the office of mayor. It's pointless, it's costly and it's not needed. Under the charter of the city the City Manager is the chief executive and mayor is nothing more than a figure head and the facilitator of council meetings. Beside the fact that it is a very highly paid part-time job the mayor holds no influence in delegating in the local government. Sure the mayor sits as the deciding vote on the School Committee. Here is a novel idea, if we desperately need someone to preside over these meetings then have the committee's elect a chairperson amongst themselves or, wait for it.......have the City Manager do it. My thought is the City Council elect a chairperson amongst themselves to oversee council meetings and have the City Manager run the School Committee meeting. The City Manager's contract come up to the City Council and would be a conflict of interest. In any case, you see my point for the unnecessary need for the position of Mayor for the City of Worcester. I'm sure the city budget could find a place for that salary.
That is my savings idea for this election season and I am sure I can think of more savings that I will comment on later on. Now for my endorsement, the highly coveted 3D endorsement for Mayor of Worcester goes to, Bill Coleman. This is Coleman's 4th time running for Mayor, it may be more, but I lost track. He obviously wants the job. He has my endorsement because he is a new face in the landscape of Worcester politics and it is quite obvious political hacks at City Hall need to be replaced. I am not riding the wave of anti-incumbency, or any specific movement. I have the strong belief that if you cannot do your job on the council, you don't deserve another term and should be replaced. And you should definitely not be able to grow roots their either. I am sure I have made my term limits position widely known. So vote for Bill Coleman and anyone else that has not been at City hall before too.
VOTE TOMORROW NOVEMBER 8TH
3D
Coming Right Atcha
Friday, November 4, 2011
3D Ramblings
In the two weeks of I have been blogging three times a week I thought I
would run out of steam. I realized that once I got going I had more to say than
I originally thought. I am trying to talk about important issues, issues that
are interesting and quite honestly any idea that pops in my head. That leaves
many topics that get missed. So starting today I will start 3D Ramblings, a
bi-weekly blog with 10 issues and a quick quip or comment about it. These 10
topics may have their own dedicated blog later on but I want to comment on them
now. So let's roll the 3D Ramblings Top 10. In no particular order.
10. - Occupy (Insert City). I have no real opinion about these groups. They are exercising their 1st Amendment rights and like Sarah Palin, they will hopefully just go away. Until they begin to Occupy the correct city, Washington D.C. their protests are fruitless. Once they get a unified message, they will be taken seriously. For Example, in the Occupy Boston protest I saw a man holding a sign saying "Bring My Brothers Home, Stop the Greed". If they were in Washington that would make sense to me, in Downtown Boston, not so much.
9. - President Obama's troop withdrawal in Iraq. I totally understand both sides of the fence on this. It is time to start bring the troops home. However, if the President is using it to fulfill a campaign promise, then he is totally off base. And for God sake if you are going to take the credit for the withdrawal, don't pass off the criticism. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on "Meet the Press" responded to host David Gregory's question of concerns over Iran invading Iraq once the U.S. troops are gone. "Well, we are just following the timeline set forth by President Bush". So does President Bush get the credit for the withdrawal? Probably not.
8. - Winter Storm in October. WTF???
7. - College Football Conference shuffling. All of these teams are maneuvering into large conferences so they are able to be in a conference with an automatic BCS birth. I have a better idea. Come up with a playoff system and Boise State won't have to play in the Big East. The conferences are no longer geographical and must do wonders on these "student"-athletes "studies". They will be traveling three days a week for road games. It is time to declare DEATH TO THE BCS!!!
6. –Teachers Union Endorsements. Last week the Worcester's Teachers Union endorsed only four candidates running for the school committee. Ironically enough the four candidates endorsed were those that have been critical of Superintendent Melinda Boone. The Union claims that it is just a coincidence. That should make for a great work environment when Ms. Boone's contract is renewed. This is why unions need to stay out of politics. Because if your political agenda is not met, nothing will get done to protect our schools.
5. –Mass. Compared to U.S.A. Is anybody in Massachusetts surprised by the turn of events in the country? Let’s do a recap of some national stories that compare with Massachusetts stories. Solyndra: Evergreen Solar took tax payers money and declared bankruptcy, laying off hundreds of workers long before it was cool to do so. Healthcare Reform: We have had this in Mass for 5 years, my premiums keep going up. That will all change under Obamacare. If you support Obamacare and are offended by that comment, please don't blame Mitt Romney. The blame game is getting old (see point 9). Un-employment: Although the state's average is below the national average look at the companies that have left recently, Fidelity, HP and BNY Mellon, and they just got here. The comparison is so eerie that President Obama even copied one of Gov. Patrick's speeches during his 2008 presidential campaign.
4. - Kardashian and Humphries Divorce. This is really not newsworthy, nor does anyone really care. My guess is the lockout made Kim realize that she couldn't get to Jay-Z this season. Plus, even I didn't know who Kris Humphries was until he married Kim.
3. –Olver retirement. Congressman John Olver retiring from congress citing "family issues". Right! If you don't believe he was forced out by the goons in Washington to save their boy Jimmy Mac then I have some Solyndra stock I want to sell you.
2. –Social Security cash negative. The Washington Post reported that Social Security has gone "cash negative". Tell me something that everyone, other than the Obots and Baby Boomers didn't already know was going to happen. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
1. –Power Outages. People being without power for days. How can these companies not get their act together? This is why their needs to be a free market for utilities in the area. If people threatened to leave their respected companies when stuff like that happens, their response time will be quicker. How can you claim you weren't prepared? Your job is to be prepared. Turn on the weather channel for god sake.
Until next time
3D
Coming Right Atcha
10. - Occupy (Insert City). I have no real opinion about these groups. They are exercising their 1st Amendment rights and like Sarah Palin, they will hopefully just go away. Until they begin to Occupy the correct city, Washington D.C. their protests are fruitless. Once they get a unified message, they will be taken seriously. For Example, in the Occupy Boston protest I saw a man holding a sign saying "Bring My Brothers Home, Stop the Greed". If they were in Washington that would make sense to me, in Downtown Boston, not so much.
9. - President Obama's troop withdrawal in Iraq. I totally understand both sides of the fence on this. It is time to start bring the troops home. However, if the President is using it to fulfill a campaign promise, then he is totally off base. And for God sake if you are going to take the credit for the withdrawal, don't pass off the criticism. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on "Meet the Press" responded to host David Gregory's question of concerns over Iran invading Iraq once the U.S. troops are gone. "Well, we are just following the timeline set forth by President Bush". So does President Bush get the credit for the withdrawal? Probably not.
8. - Winter Storm in October. WTF???
7. - College Football Conference shuffling. All of these teams are maneuvering into large conferences so they are able to be in a conference with an automatic BCS birth. I have a better idea. Come up with a playoff system and Boise State won't have to play in the Big East. The conferences are no longer geographical and must do wonders on these "student"-athletes "studies". They will be traveling three days a week for road games. It is time to declare DEATH TO THE BCS!!!
6. –Teachers Union Endorsements. Last week the Worcester's Teachers Union endorsed only four candidates running for the school committee. Ironically enough the four candidates endorsed were those that have been critical of Superintendent Melinda Boone. The Union claims that it is just a coincidence. That should make for a great work environment when Ms. Boone's contract is renewed. This is why unions need to stay out of politics. Because if your political agenda is not met, nothing will get done to protect our schools.
5. –Mass. Compared to U.S.A. Is anybody in Massachusetts surprised by the turn of events in the country? Let’s do a recap of some national stories that compare with Massachusetts stories. Solyndra: Evergreen Solar took tax payers money and declared bankruptcy, laying off hundreds of workers long before it was cool to do so. Healthcare Reform: We have had this in Mass for 5 years, my premiums keep going up. That will all change under Obamacare. If you support Obamacare and are offended by that comment, please don't blame Mitt Romney. The blame game is getting old (see point 9). Un-employment: Although the state's average is below the national average look at the companies that have left recently, Fidelity, HP and BNY Mellon, and they just got here. The comparison is so eerie that President Obama even copied one of Gov. Patrick's speeches during his 2008 presidential campaign.
4. - Kardashian and Humphries Divorce. This is really not newsworthy, nor does anyone really care. My guess is the lockout made Kim realize that she couldn't get to Jay-Z this season. Plus, even I didn't know who Kris Humphries was until he married Kim.
3. –Olver retirement. Congressman John Olver retiring from congress citing "family issues". Right! If you don't believe he was forced out by the goons in Washington to save their boy Jimmy Mac then I have some Solyndra stock I want to sell you.
2. –Social Security cash negative. The Washington Post reported that Social Security has gone "cash negative". Tell me something that everyone, other than the Obots and Baby Boomers didn't already know was going to happen. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
1. –Power Outages. People being without power for days. How can these companies not get their act together? This is why their needs to be a free market for utilities in the area. If people threatened to leave their respected companies when stuff like that happens, their response time will be quicker. How can you claim you weren't prepared? Your job is to be prepared. Turn on the weather channel for god sake.
Until next time
3D
Coming Right Atcha
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
NBA Lockout: Players in control
Am I the only one who doesn't care if the NBA season isn't starting on time?
Probably not, but I thought I would put it out there. I don't care that games
have been lost because quite honestly, the season is too long anyway. It takes
6 months to eliminate less than half of the teams in the league, and then
another 2 + months to decide a champion with the remaining playoff teams.
That's another subject for another day.
This lockout is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen and blame lies solely at the feet of the NBA and its owners. The league and its owners have created this debacle and the players hold all the leverage because they are truly what the league is made of. As seen what happened in Cleveland last year, one player can truly make your franchise. The Cleveland Cavaliers went from the top team in the league to worst in the league because of one player's decision to take his talents to South Beach.
The players are in control of this negotiation and they know it. That's why there has not been an agreement and games have been canceled. Is that a selfish thought on the part of the players? You could say that. But this is where the NBA is in trouble. The NBA may be the premier basketball league in the world, which is only because of its talent, and the players know that.
Since basketball is a global sport the players are taking advantage of that exposure and signing lucrative "part-time" player contracts with teams overseas whose pockets are deeper and don't have salary cap restrictions such as the NBA. Those types of transactions just show you that the players do not need the NBA, and in Cleveland's case the NBA, and its owners, truly need their players. Now the elite players are planning a ten day world tour to play exhibition games, that may or may not happen, but it goes to show that the players can continue without the league. Recently, Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said that there were talks of the players starting their own league. When asked it about it on SportsCenter, his teammate Carmelo Anthony simply said "Tell me where and when and I will be there".
This type of leverage has been 25 years in the making and it all sits at the office of the NBA. They created this monster and the chickens have come home to roost. If there is a person to blame, and to no fault of his own, it's Michael Jordan. In the heyday of the NBA, the 80's, the league was structured the same but the marketing was completely different. On Sunday afternoon's you would see:
Although the league rode their two young superstars Larry Bird and Magic
Johnson it was a team oriented marketing strategy. On June 19, 1984 that all
changed. The Chicago Bulls with the 3rd overall pick selected Michael Jordan of
the University of North Carolina. Johnson and Bird were heading into the back
end of their careers and Michael Jordan was going to take the reign. Shoe
deals, underwear deals, and sports drink deals soon followed Jordan and the NBA
jumped on that bandwagon and once Magic and Larry were gone the promos would be
The NBA was no longer a team game, it had been individualized. Since then the players have cashed in on the individualization of the NBA. The endorsements these players get are astronomical in this world wide game. The players are promoting products in countries all over the world. Charles Barkley was able to become a marketing icon, he never won a championship. Lebron James is the heir apparent to Michael Jordan, no rings.
It is no longer about the rings, it’s about the dollars. If the NBA is not willing to give in to the players, they will go get it elsewhere, and they will get it. So if the NBA wants to end their lockout anytime soon, sign the proposal the players give you. If it means that teams need to fold, then so be it, it means they should have never had a franchise in the first place.
3D
Coming Right Atcha
This lockout is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen and blame lies solely at the feet of the NBA and its owners. The league and its owners have created this debacle and the players hold all the leverage because they are truly what the league is made of. As seen what happened in Cleveland last year, one player can truly make your franchise. The Cleveland Cavaliers went from the top team in the league to worst in the league because of one player's decision to take his talents to South Beach.
The players are in control of this negotiation and they know it. That's why there has not been an agreement and games have been canceled. Is that a selfish thought on the part of the players? You could say that. But this is where the NBA is in trouble. The NBA may be the premier basketball league in the world, which is only because of its talent, and the players know that.
Since basketball is a global sport the players are taking advantage of that exposure and signing lucrative "part-time" player contracts with teams overseas whose pockets are deeper and don't have salary cap restrictions such as the NBA. Those types of transactions just show you that the players do not need the NBA, and in Cleveland's case the NBA, and its owners, truly need their players. Now the elite players are planning a ten day world tour to play exhibition games, that may or may not happen, but it goes to show that the players can continue without the league. Recently, Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said that there were talks of the players starting their own league. When asked it about it on SportsCenter, his teammate Carmelo Anthony simply said "Tell me where and when and I will be there".
This type of leverage has been 25 years in the making and it all sits at the office of the NBA. They created this monster and the chickens have come home to roost. If there is a person to blame, and to no fault of his own, it's Michael Jordan. In the heyday of the NBA, the 80's, the league was structured the same but the marketing was completely different. On Sunday afternoon's you would see:
- "The Boston Celtics take on Arch Rival Philadelphia 76ers live from the Boston Garden".
- "Live from the Great Western Forum in Inglewood California it’s the Los
Angeles Lakers vs. The Boston Celtics in game 3 of the NBA Finals"
- "Michael Jordan and the Bulls take on Shaquille O'Neal and the Magic"
The NBA was no longer a team game, it had been individualized. Since then the players have cashed in on the individualization of the NBA. The endorsements these players get are astronomical in this world wide game. The players are promoting products in countries all over the world. Charles Barkley was able to become a marketing icon, he never won a championship. Lebron James is the heir apparent to Michael Jordan, no rings.
It is no longer about the rings, it’s about the dollars. If the NBA is not willing to give in to the players, they will go get it elsewhere, and they will get it. So if the NBA wants to end their lockout anytime soon, sign the proposal the players give you. If it means that teams need to fold, then so be it, it means they should have never had a franchise in the first place.
3D
Coming Right Atcha
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