I did not think this would come fast enough. Only a few hours before the opening pitch in the 2011 MLB season, and just like my many fellow fans, I'm alive to witness it. I pulled out my old Sox hat, and realized how lucky we all are to have survived the baseball apocalypse in early November, 2010.
There were many things that led to the horror we all experienced back then. Some experts thought it started when Bobby Thompson hit his historic, and yet tragic, homer. Others say it's when Brooklyn lost the Dodgers. We all missed many of the signs leading up the the events that forever changed MLB. The fall of the Oakland A's empire of the 70's, and of the 80's Baltimore Orioles. The creation of a false God known as "The Big Red Machine." We had the drug abuse in the 70's and 80's, and the steroid eras of the 90's and 2000's. Maybe the biggest sign we missed was that the Sox won it all. Yes, both of them.
With death comes new life, and with it the rebirth of the MLB. In this post- apocalyptic time, we do not have to worry about things like the "Curse of the Bambino" or that of a young boy. It seems that baseball will be restored to the glory days where our division favorites reside in New York, Boston, Minnesota, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and for the new fan, Colorado.
So let's all celebrate the beginning of a new season, and for at least the next few days every fan can dream that this is the season his/her team will win it all. To all my friends from the City by the Bay still wearing those Halloween colors, your 15 minutes of fame are over, and with the end of the baseball Mayan Calender your great victory is now in the past.
Cubbie fans, there was no "Curse of the Billy Goat" or that of Bartman. You just were never good enough to win it all.
"Wise Guy"
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Madness
Every year around this time I feel like I'm back in college, cramming for a final that I never seemed to do well at. What class am I talking about? Bracketology. This final is one that cannot be completed in one afternoon, but takes over 3 weeks. It is broken up into 63 parts called games, and it requires you to watch over 125 hours of college basketball before you get your final grade. It's one of toughest tests I will ever take, but I am not alone. This is a test that everyone in the free world takes.
This test measures not only your knowledge of college basketball, but also your emotional state of being. It brings out joy and laughter, as well as anger and sorrow. Sometimes in the same game. In this state of mind, you get just as much joy when your favorite team wins as when your most hated team loses (Duke).
To all those who are taking this final, I have Kansas over UCon in the finals. You now know two teams that will not be in the final four.
P.S. For all my UCLA buddies, I have them bounced in the first round!
"Wise Guy"
This test measures not only your knowledge of college basketball, but also your emotional state of being. It brings out joy and laughter, as well as anger and sorrow. Sometimes in the same game. In this state of mind, you get just as much joy when your favorite team wins as when your most hated team loses (Duke).
To all those who are taking this final, I have Kansas over UCon in the finals. You now know two teams that will not be in the final four.
P.S. For all my UCLA buddies, I have them bounced in the first round!
"Wise Guy"
It's déjà vu all over again... (Bon Jovi)
Today has finally arrived and I feel like I'm in great shape. Just like any prize fighter before me...Wait! I've done this before. To borrow a phrase from a wise old man, Yogi Berra, "It's déjà vu all over again." What Am I talking about?
I normally take my wonderful wife of 23+ years to see her idol once every 2-3 years. I am good with that because it normally takes me that long to recover. Most of you read my post from about a year ago (I feel like a prize fighter), and understand what I go through to prepare myself for such an event.
Now, only a year removed from my last concert and 6 months removed from California, it's just my luck that Bon Jovi would extend that same concert tour and will be performing in San Antonio on St Patty's Day. With tickets in hand, it is like we are getting ready for a shuttle launch. She started the countdown a week ago, and with a little more than day she has also started the car to ensure it is running when we blast off. When I mentioned that it would be cool if we wore green to the concert, she gave me a strange look and asked, "Why? Bon Jovi is Italian not Irish."
That's when I thought, "Houston, we have a problem!"
"Wise Guy"
I normally take my wonderful wife of 23+ years to see her idol once every 2-3 years. I am good with that because it normally takes me that long to recover. Most of you read my post from about a year ago (I feel like a prize fighter), and understand what I go through to prepare myself for such an event.
Now, only a year removed from my last concert and 6 months removed from California, it's just my luck that Bon Jovi would extend that same concert tour and will be performing in San Antonio on St Patty's Day. With tickets in hand, it is like we are getting ready for a shuttle launch. She started the countdown a week ago, and with a little more than day she has also started the car to ensure it is running when we blast off. When I mentioned that it would be cool if we wore green to the concert, she gave me a strange look and asked, "Why? Bon Jovi is Italian not Irish."
That's when I thought, "Houston, we have a problem!"
"Wise Guy"
Monday, March 14, 2011
You Had a Golden Ticket
Just like in the Willy Wonka movie, the NFL owners and the players had a golden ticket. The stakes are a lot higher than those of the chocolate factory. Around 10 billion more. The sad part is that you let your golden ticket expired.
After one of the most successful NFL seasons, and the highest rated Super Bowl ever, the owners and the players' associations decided to play a high stakes poker game with revealed cards, then spent a week bluffing each other only to realize they both had nothing. The losers are the fans.
We'll now be held hostage for the next 3 months to a year. We will go through a handful of "almost had a deal" to a number of "we will cancel the season." We will be forced to choose sides. We will be led to feel sorry for million dollar athletes who will be forced to spend a small part of their savings, or borrow against future millions, while the rest of America struggles through a bad economy, high unemployment and gas prices, salary freezes and furlough days. As fans, we pay what's necessary to help support the teams we live or die for, and in so doing, we support the many greedy million and billionaires who make up the NFL.
Yes, just like in the movie when Violet Beauregarde goes down the bad eggs shoot, the same should happen to those running the NFL. The Wise Guy would like you to join him for a boycott of the first regular season game, whenever that may be. Let's show the NFL who really runs the league ... the fans!
"Wise Guy"
After one of the most successful NFL seasons, and the highest rated Super Bowl ever, the owners and the players' associations decided to play a high stakes poker game with revealed cards, then spent a week bluffing each other only to realize they both had nothing. The losers are the fans.
We'll now be held hostage for the next 3 months to a year. We will go through a handful of "almost had a deal" to a number of "we will cancel the season." We will be forced to choose sides. We will be led to feel sorry for million dollar athletes who will be forced to spend a small part of their savings, or borrow against future millions, while the rest of America struggles through a bad economy, high unemployment and gas prices, salary freezes and furlough days. As fans, we pay what's necessary to help support the teams we live or die for, and in so doing, we support the many greedy million and billionaires who make up the NFL.
Yes, just like in the movie when Violet Beauregarde goes down the bad eggs shoot, the same should happen to those running the NFL. The Wise Guy would like you to join him for a boycott of the first regular season game, whenever that may be. Let's show the NFL who really runs the league ... the fans!
"Wise Guy"
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Winning?!?!...Won!
Sorry Charlie, but it's not about winning. How many times have we seen a winning team going into the 4th quarter, 9th inning, or 3rd period only to lose. A boxer dominating a fight only to get knocked out. You either win or lose.
The reason I bring this up is that Jim Tressel, head coach at Ohio State, won. Yes, he won. Let me explain. A few months before the 2010 college football season started Jim was tipped off by a lawyer, who is a former Ohio State Buckeye, that there was a federal investigation of an owner of a tattoo parlor who was known to distribute drugs. The owner was involved with 5 star football players who were selling their personal sports memorabilia for cash, tattoos, and probably other stuff.
Jim had two options. The first was to pass the information to his athletic department, and risk losing the star players, including Terrel Pryor, for a portion of, or maybe, all of the season.
The second option was to say nothing, hope no one found out, or hope that it at least came out after the season was complete. Jim Tressel took the second option. You see, Ohio State was one of the favorites to win the national championship, and their QB, Terrel Pryor, was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
The NCAA found out about the violations committed by the 5 star players right before the Sugar Bowl, and allowed them to play in the bowl game if they promised to come back next year and sit out the first 5 games of the season.
In hindsight, Jim made the smart move. He has to sit out the first 2 games next year and was fined $250,000 for not disclosing this information when he first learned of it. I'm sure there is a booster or two that will help Jim find the money. The first 2 games are Akron and Toledo. My pet goldfish can coach those 2 wins. By the way, Ohio State finished with a 12-1 record and won the Sugar Bowl (BCS Bowl), which earned the Big Ten 6 million dollars. They finished as the fifth best team in the country.
As a new Texan I say to you, "this is not Jim's first rodeo." Just go back 8 years with Maurice Clarret. The star running back received thousands of dollars and was loaned cars by a Buckeye booster. He also was involved in an academic scandal. He only played his freshman year, but led Ohio State to the 2002 National Championship.
My advice to you, if you have or know of a kid who is a superstar football player but nothing higher than a 3rd grade education, I would send him to Ohio State. He will probably come home with a cool tattoo.
My advice to Mike Montgomery. Stop with all the extra phone calls to possible recruits. That got Cal 2 years probation in basketball. If you pay them and fix their grades, you may be allowed to win a national championship. According to Jim Tressel, and not Charlie Sheen, that is when you'll become a winner.
"Wise Guy"
The reason I bring this up is that Jim Tressel, head coach at Ohio State, won. Yes, he won. Let me explain. A few months before the 2010 college football season started Jim was tipped off by a lawyer, who is a former Ohio State Buckeye, that there was a federal investigation of an owner of a tattoo parlor who was known to distribute drugs. The owner was involved with 5 star football players who were selling their personal sports memorabilia for cash, tattoos, and probably other stuff.
Jim had two options. The first was to pass the information to his athletic department, and risk losing the star players, including Terrel Pryor, for a portion of, or maybe, all of the season.
The second option was to say nothing, hope no one found out, or hope that it at least came out after the season was complete. Jim Tressel took the second option. You see, Ohio State was one of the favorites to win the national championship, and their QB, Terrel Pryor, was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
The NCAA found out about the violations committed by the 5 star players right before the Sugar Bowl, and allowed them to play in the bowl game if they promised to come back next year and sit out the first 5 games of the season.
In hindsight, Jim made the smart move. He has to sit out the first 2 games next year and was fined $250,000 for not disclosing this information when he first learned of it. I'm sure there is a booster or two that will help Jim find the money. The first 2 games are Akron and Toledo. My pet goldfish can coach those 2 wins. By the way, Ohio State finished with a 12-1 record and won the Sugar Bowl (BCS Bowl), which earned the Big Ten 6 million dollars. They finished as the fifth best team in the country.
As a new Texan I say to you, "this is not Jim's first rodeo." Just go back 8 years with Maurice Clarret. The star running back received thousands of dollars and was loaned cars by a Buckeye booster. He also was involved in an academic scandal. He only played his freshman year, but led Ohio State to the 2002 National Championship.
My advice to you, if you have or know of a kid who is a superstar football player but nothing higher than a 3rd grade education, I would send him to Ohio State. He will probably come home with a cool tattoo.
My advice to Mike Montgomery. Stop with all the extra phone calls to possible recruits. That got Cal 2 years probation in basketball. If you pay them and fix their grades, you may be allowed to win a national championship. According to Jim Tressel, and not Charlie Sheen, that is when you'll become a winner.
"Wise Guy"
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