Opening Day

The baseball regular season started today!  If I get excited about spring training, I get uber-excited for opening day.  In fact, I think it should be a holiday.  I've talked about how in college, I use to skip class on opening day to watch all kinds of baseball.  While living and working the 'real world' I can't call in just because of a baseball game.  With that, I leave you with the following.  Enjoy. 

Some things that MLB should look at adopting in the future to shake up the system:

• Bringing back the double header.  Not the morning/evening game.  I'm talking about a game starts at one in the afternoon and the second one starts afterwards.  
• Adding a second wild card team to the post season.  It would make it more interesting as the season winds down.  I know that Bud Selig is looking at this and it has been mentioned, but it needs to happen.
•  Firing Bud Selig.  Is that possible? 

My Tigers lost their first game.  It was a close one up until the seventh inning.  The bullpen let me down, but there are still on hundred and sixty games left for them to make up for it.  The game gave me a little hope because they kept up with one of the better pitchers in the American League today (C.C. Sabathia).  

Six of one

At the beginning of this month, I wrote about the revolution taking place in northern Africa and the Middle East and how dangerous and scary the whole concept really is.  I wrote about it because I try my best to keep up on the world outside of the United States.  The main reason?  It's boring here.  Sure, we have the whole governors trying to get rid of unions for public workers, but, you know, that's sissy stuff compared to what else is happening. 

There was the earthquake and corresponding tsunami that hit Japan that is gathering headlines across the world.  A horrible situation, and it happens on more than one occasion.  I thought to myself the other day, why don't I really care about that as much as the violence across the other ocean?  I racked my brain and tried to come up with an answer.  I think I have one, but it's not very well formed and can come across as cold. 

I didn't care as much about the earthquake because it's out of control of the hands of actual people.  If there is anyone out there that can stop natural disasters, I am willing to hear you speak up.  It's something that just happens and all people can do is react to it.  To pick up the pieces and try to get them back together again.  With the revolutions, that is in control of the people.  It's up to them to decide what happens.  Once again, that is scarier than an earthquake.  And that's not to say earthquakes aren't scary, I'm sure that they are.  I just think that if something like that earthquake and subsequent tsunami is going to happen, what can we do as people except react and deal?  

So these worldly issues are six of one half dozen of the other to me.  Until they personally affect me, I think I will stay a little disconnected with the goings on across the globe.  I can only watch the news and listen to what is happening. 

You can (always) never go home again

We're home right now.  Not home as in Wichita, home as in The Soo.  It's under unfortunate circumstances as A's grandfather passed away last weekend.  So while were home, I took advantage to get measurements taken for the wedding of my best friend which is taking place this summer.  Its nothing major, something I've done many times before.

What was funny about it was that it was at the one tuxedo shop in our hometown.  When I walked in I had to smile to myself because I remember going there in high school and getting measured for winter formal and for prom.  It was such a grown up and exciting thing to do.  Now?  Who cares.  While I stood there and had the tape measure run around me and up and down my leg, I started thinking about hometowns and the old saying 'you can never go home again.'.  It's fun to come home a couple of times a year and see family and drive around town and see what things have changed and what things mostly haven't changed.  Small towns do not have major changes.  A few years ago, an Applebee's came into town and holy shit you would think that was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Can you go home again?  Thinking about living and working in my hometown makes me wince a little bit.  Not that it's a bad town, I love it.  It's small and stuck in a rut traditional.  It's a place to raise a family.  Small enough to know a lot of people, but big enough where you do not run into everyone you know every time you go out to the grocery store.  The problem comes with growth.  How long can one go knowing that the newest restaurant in town is an Applebee's?  When will the next new business get here?

Can you go home again?  Living outside of your hometown should come with a sort of expiration date for return.  A hometown return policy of sorts.  After three years, you cannot go home without seeing it in a different light.  Living in a city with close to five hundred thousand people changes your view of your hometown of fourteen thousand.  There are less options for shopping.  Less options of eating (although there are more local restaurants and less chains, which is great).  But more options for closeness.  More options for learning to live again in a small town.

Can you go home again?  Living in a town that you longed to get out of.  I'm sure most people growing up in a small town think of one thing.  How long til I get the hell out of here?  Branching out, finding a new city.  The bright lights and big city living.  It's nice for a while, but then you start to compare.  Your hometown starts to look better and better as the glitz and glam wear off and you become just another drone in the big city.

Can you go home again?  To get out is one thing, but to get back in is another.  What would drive someone back home?  Homesickness.  Lack of a job.  Falling out with the city life.  Some people are wired to love the small town.  Anything outside the city limits is only worth seeing and not living.  Once you get back, its all about readapting to the small town living.  It can be tough and it would only be a matter of time before you would forget about all the highways, the skyscrapers, and the hustle and bustle.

Can you go home again?  Yes.  Yes you can.  No matter what anyone says, there will be a part of you that can never leave.  A part of you that will want to get back.  A part of you that will will you to stay.  And a part of you that will want you to get the hell out once you get back.

You can always go home again.  Anyone who thinks different is full of shit.

The youth and the future

As spring training winds down, the farm system for the Detroit Tigers looks promising.  I know that the farm teams don't win games and championships for the Tigers right now, but it is nice to know that the youth is there.  The big name players for the Tigers aren't getting any younger, but none of us are.

There were the big name pitching prospects like Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner that showed improvement, but everyone knew that they would end up back at the farm.  It'll give them time to develop into big leaguers.  Which is good.  Rushing them up to the big leagues can be bad news, especially if they are not mentally ready for the regression they will have as the professional hitters tear them apart.  It will happen.  It always does.  When it does happen it can be either good or bad.  If they have the thick skin and the brain to deal with it and evolve into a decent pitcher, they are a feel good story.  If they can't deal with it, then they just burn out and become a wasted pick.  Rick Porcello dealt with the regression last year and he is slowly developing with the Tigers.  I think that part of it is that Jim Leyland and Dave Dombrowski don't want to admit they made a mistake rushing Porcello and they just let him set in the third spot in the rotation and watch Verlander and Scherzer throw.  As long as he learns, that's all I care about.

On the field, there are some young hitters that are on the cusp.  Scott Sizemore, the eventual owner of the middle infield, was sent down to the farm as spring training winds down.  They tried him out last year in the big leagues and he struggled.  I mean STRUGGLED.  It didn't take long of Leyland to send him down, well aware he wasn't ready yet.  He needs more plate discipline.  There was the complete opposite situation with Brennan Boesch last year.  He started on a tear.  Then the pitchers figured him out and he faded away to nothing the second half of the year.  The question remains 'why didn't he get sent down?'.  I think it was another one of the situations where Leyland didn't want to admit he made a mistake.  And it's fine.  I love Jimmy Leyland.  Mainly because he scares me.  His stare can stop people in their tracks.  He is so calm and collected and then the wrong question or statement is said to him and he will rip a head off.

There are plenty of young and hungry players in the Tigers' system.  I cannot wait to see them start to make their way up to The Show.  Some on the verge of breaking through are players like Andy Dirks.  Slowly making his way through the system since being drafted in 2008, he has been turning heads this spring.  I got to see him a little bit in college.  He played at Wichita State, which has had a fairly decent program for several decades.  A program that doesn't win college world series' but competes each and every year within their conference and make it to the post season.  He is a player who is smart at the plate.  He doesn't carry a big bat, but can go yard.  He is more of a contact hitter, which is what I like to see.  I would rather see someone that can move the base runners as opposed to try to hit it out of the park.  Last year in the minors he hit just below .300.  He may not be known right now, but book him for making it to the Show in the fall.

Then there are players like Will Rhymes, Casper Wells, and Scott Sizemore that have been traveling in between Toledo and Detroit for a couple of years that continue to tease.  I don't know much about all the farm teams, but I have faith in the owners and the managers that they are making the right decisions for the club.





In Leyland I trust.

Early morning post and St. Patrick's Day

For the first time in quite a while, I woke up way before my alarm went off.  There was a two to three month span late last year when I was constantly waking up an hour and a half to two hours before my alarm would be going off.  The first couple of times, I thought it was nice to get up early and get some writing taken care of, or watch some shows recorded on the Tivo.  Then?  Then it got really freaking annoying.  I would wake up, and not that slow wake up like you were coming out of a nice eight or nine hours of sleep.  Oh no, my eyes would shoot open, I would toss and turn and finally give up and go to the kitchen and put some more water in the coffee maker and turn it on.  I might as well pump myself full of natural caffeine to get past not sleeping much.  And there were people that would point to the extra coffee as the root to my less sleep, but if I was finished drinking it by one in the afternoon how would that affect my sleep at night? 

It is Saint Patrick's Day today.  I've written about this in the past and pointed out the fact that I hate that places put green food coloring in beer and call it good.  If you are going to support an Irish holiday, you need to drink like an Irishman.  Here are my complaints last year.  And from two years ago.  We'll go even further back to three years past.  So there is the obvious theme there.  If I lived in a smaller town that had a nice tradition, I would partake.  This year, I'm hanging out with a former co-worker.  We're going to drink some whiskey at his house and just kick back and relax.  Nothing too crazy.  Is it because I am getting old?  Perhaps.  Is it because when I go out to a bar, I would like to have good to great service?  Mostly.  Packed bars are not fun bars.  Who wants to yell and scream just to have a normal conversation?  Not I. 

If you are going to celebrate the holiday, grab some Irish whiskey or a stout beer and relax at home.  It doesn't sound much like celebrating if you are at home, I know, but it is more of recognizing the holiday exists without being out amongst the masses.  Call it celebrating the holiday or call it recognizing the holiday, I don't really care.  Grab a glass a raise it high and salute a man.  Or, salute a people.  

Less sports, more time

As the sports world freaks out over the NFL lockout, I want everyone to take a step back and take a big deep breath.  Now, exhale and kick yourself in the ass.  Who cares if the NFL season doesn't exist next year?  Think of all the Sunday afternoons you will get back.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching football just as much as most.  It's a nice Thanksgiving day tradition and almost the only time I get to see my Detroit Lions on t.v.  It's always nice to have on as background noise when reading the Sunday paper or making lunch or working around the house. 

But, come on.  Who cares about the possible lack of football.  You could be doing so much more on your Sunday afternoon.  Think of the three hours you sit in front of the screen watching just one game.  What can be accomplished in that three hours?  A walk in the park, reading a book, mowing the lawn.  The possibilities are endless.  Without football, you could spend more time with your families.  Have a picnic on a sunny fall afternoon.  Fresh air is good for everyone. 

So as millionaires and billionaires are arguing over who gets more money and what kind of rights they get to play the sport they supposedly love and how the players try to use the 'poor us, we won't be able to make money this year' card, think of anyone you know who has been collecting unemployment for extended periods of time because they can't get a job because of the economic issues for all of us who don't play professional sports.  And if thinking of that person (or persons) doesn't piss you off as you listen to the players complaining about not getting all their money, there is something very very wrong with you. 

Personally, I would welcome a break from the NFL just because they are spoiled with all they get.  Let them live paycheck to paycheck.  Let them struggle with trying to figure out which bills they can pay this month and get away with not paying.  Let them get evicted from their homes.  Let them come down to earth and reality that some others have to deal with and are still dealing with. 

Sports days of yore

I just finished watching an interview with Bert Randolph Sugar on ESPN's show, First Take. I have never heard of this guy before this morning and he is no real significant sports figure that was stuck in the minor leagues for his entire career. Not some guy from Indiana who could make three point shots with his eyes closed and never played in the NBA. He isn't even the fastest person to run the one hundred meter dash. He is a boxing historian. Today is the fortieth anniversary of Ali v. Frazier I. Giants of a sport long gone.

Why was this interview so intriguing? It's because boxing is a dying sport and to listen to sports historians talk about events of years past, it makes me want to invent a time machine. It was intriguing because the sport has lost it's luster. Gone are the days of the Brown Bomber. Gone are the days Jack Dempsey. Gone are the days of 'The Greatest'. Smokin' Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, Max Schmeling, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, all names and faces of this dying, gallant sport. Men standing toe to toe for ten, eleven, twelve rounds and beating the holy hell out of each other to become the world heavyweight champion.

Bert Randolph Sugar covered the fight and as he reminisced about how great the fight was, about who was there, about everything that the event stood for, it made me want boxing to come back to the limelight. These types of fights were the event that people went to. These were the events that people overpaid for. It was also the events that 'anyone who is anyone' attended. Actors, musicians, politicians, presidents. Everyone.

We don't have that anymore. What do we have? Mixed martial arts? It's entertaining, yes. It's even fascinating. It can also be over in thirty seconds (but so can a boxing match). Here's the problem with mixed martial arts: there are too many events. It seems that every month there is another UFC event and another title defense. Maybe it is because there are so many people participating. The sport is diluted by the popularity. There are several sports writers that I enjoy reading and listening to on a consistent basis, and my views reflect their views and opinions. There are many that want boxing to return to prominence and re-establish it's dominance in the physical sports landscape, but it won't happen. The one thing that is missing from the sport of boxing is a face that everyone knows. A hero, a villain, a marque match. Get those things, and you get a resurrection. But who will carry the bloodied banner?


I wrote about missing out on historic baseball a few months ago, and as a sports fan, I feel that the one events that I would love to see come back to life is boxing. I didn't have a chance to see these events, I didn't get slapped across the back of the head for walking in front of the television while my uncle was trying to watch the fight like my dad did (always a great story). I get to see these fights in pictures. I get to hear about the greatest sporting events of the day through interviews and glorious descriptions.

Forward thinking

Growing up, Bob Probert was the biggest bad ass around.  I only ever saw him on the rink, so everyone understands where I'm coming from.  His primary focus was to fight.  Protect the assets. 

However, the greatest thing he ever did for hockey was pass away.  I do not mean that in an awful, soulless, uncaring way.  I mean that in the 'the death of one can benefit hundreds of others' kind of way.  After he passed away last summer (from heart failure not brain damage), his family struggled with the idea of letting this happen.  Apparently, he and his wife talked about donating his body to science.  For a guy known for being a bruiser and a bit of a goon, you have to give it to him for thinking about this after his retirement. The end result?  Probert was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) [don't worry, I had to look it up too].  In essence, brain damage from repeated head trauma.  Of course, it makes sense.  The guy got paid to take punches.  He doled out his fair share of abuse as well.  It is sad to think about.  Granted, I highly doubt he (or anyone) knew about CTE when he was playing.  But, if knowing now what we do, would he still have done it?  To what point do you lay too much on the line for your job?  That is what professional sports are.  Jobs.   

NFL players are starting to take this path as well.  There have been outspoken former players that are wanting/going to donate their brains to science so that they may be studied to see the effects that the sport that they love has on their most important organ.  It is good to see and hear about this.  Watching the sport, one does not think, 'gee, I hope that doesn't damage his brain in any way, shape, or form' while in the moment, but it definitely gets the mind waves going about this kind of situation.  At the end of it all, it's extremely scary. 

Think about physical professional sports.  Hockey, football, boxing, MMA, rugby.  If links can be made between repeated blows to the head and brain damage, why would someone continue to damage their body in this way?  For love of the game?  Possibly.  For the money?  Most likely.  If that is the case, what are the governing bodies going to do to curb the abuse?  You cannot take the fights out of hockey.  Well, you could.  It would be a horrible idea.  What you can do, is ensure that any fights that take place are few and very far in between.  The role of the goon has all but been removed from the NHL level of the game of hockey, but it still exists in the lower levels.  Allowing fights that are unnecessary can be stopped.  Fights for the sake of fighting can go by the wayside.  Fights that are fought to protect your star player or your goalie are still a viable solution to violence that feeds the fan. 

I think of myself as a hockey purist and that fights are part of the game.  However, the last thing I really want to see is someone to get seriously hurt.  Broken jaw from a fight?  I can deal with that.  Shattered eye socket from a deflected shot?  That's part of the game.  To see someone make it in the NHL for the purpose of fighting?  The game isn't like that anymore.  It's a finesse game now.  Goons are part of the history, not the present. 

Gary Bettman, please look at the data and get this one right.  Come on, you man crush Sidney Crosby is dealing with an elongated concussion and you cannot handle that.  For once in your commissionership, get a call right. 

Revolution?

Could a revolution take place here in the United States?  Listening to podcasts and reading articles about the protests and the overall revolution that is taking place in the northern part of Africa and in the Middle East has got me thinking if it were possible to happen here.  In order for it to happen, democracy would have to topple and something 'better', politically, would have to come along.  Looking at the reason for all the protests it has to do (generally) with getting rid of a leader that has oppressed their own people for decades.  We already have that issue covered with the twenty second amendment.  So what would we have to protest and revolt against? 

We have it easy living in the United States, thanks to the first go around with the revolution idea.  It helps that they fought a country that was an ocean away.  A revolution could not work here today.  There is too much organization within the government that could stomp out any inklings of a revolution.  The protests we see today here in the US are a joke.  Think about the Tea Party protests. 

*Sidebar* 

Tea Party people are fucking idiots.   

*Sidebar done*

So you have the Tea Party protests a couple of years ago.  Nothing says complete revolution like a bunch of right wing nuts complaining because their party is no longer in power and the new president is trying his best to put the country back together after the previous president screwed the pooch.  Being a democrat is not being a socialist or a communist.  Figure it out. 

I point out these protests by the Tea Party because they are the most recent and are well known to most everyone here.  The problem is that they would all gather for the day, shout random profanities and hold signs saying they hated the president and that he was a commie and a Muslim and was ruining the country and then?  Then they would go back to their homes, cook dinner, go off to bed after being crooned into a state of ignorance by Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh. 

If you want the government to change their thoughts and ideas, is a one day protest going to do that?  No.  If you want your government to listen to what you have to say, is yelling at them from afar going to get your point across?  No.  You want to start a revolution, you need to quite your job and take it on full time.  You need to be willing to march in the streets for weeks at a time.  And having a protest here and there will not work.  Organization is key.  A protest in New York City being held on the same day as one in Dallas or Chicago does not a revolution make.  You need to concentrate your people. 

The scary part of a revolution is death.  Let's face it, toppling a government is not going to be bloodless.  You think some fifty year old conservative is willing to give their life to a cause?  Please.  We are too selfish in this country to even consider it.  Would you be willing to go on a hunger strike in prison like Bobby Sands or Francis Hughes (look them up).  Imagine the pain of not eating for sixty days.  Two months?  Crazy.  Or an even more sever protest, would you be willing to set yourself on fire in protest to your government like Mohamed Bouazizi or Abdou Abdel-Moneim Jaafar?  All of them are martyrs to their causes but are also extreme cases of how hardcore someone can be for what they believe in.   

I know that this topic is pretty heavy.  Revolutions are not fun.  You can talk and joke about them with your friends, but the follow through is intense and insane.  Personally, I am happy to be living in this country for the fact that it is stable and we don't have a leader that will stay in power decade after decade.  No country is ever going to have everyone be happy.  There is going to be dissent and anger towards your government, that is just the way people are.  It allows everyone to complain about something they don't like.   





Besides, if we didn't have dissent and anger, we would have utopia, and who wants that?