Crying Foul–Time For Fans to Play a Little Defense

As a sports fan, it makes me sick if the allegations in Inside ‘The Decision’: Miami’s coup was a ‘surprise’ built on long-coveted goal of James, Wade and Bosh are accurate. “The premise that the trio had been talking about teaming up for months hinted there was a plan in place. That potentially would be against rules, and could raise concerns from the league since Bosh and James were playing for teams battling for the playoffs in Toronto and Cleveland”.

Is this the reason despite having the best record in the league, LeBron James was unable to lead the Cavaliers to the finals? It would be pretty hard for the league MVP to justify leaving had his team gone to the final round two years in a row. Nick Arinson, son of billionaire Heat owner has had access to the three since the World Championships in Japan back in 2004, and is now a “rising executive with the Heat”. Was Heat GM, Pat Riley, really taking a risk the last few years in not signing key players in order to save up the team coffers for a deal such as this, or did Arinson and Wade provide him an inside track to the plan years ago? So much for parity in the NBA (the reason for the draft lottery); David Stern better look into the allegations.

Who knew parties and high paying jobs for athletes friends are part of the bargaining with these mult-million dollar contracts? “It was also made known to James that the Heat would take care of his friends the same way the Cavs did — special treatment at the arena, changing practice and travel schedules to allow for money-making late-night parties in various cities, and perhaps even hiring a James associate in a high-paying position in the organization”. I doubt it’s just the NBA.

No matter what, I say the buck stops with the fans. How, you ask? Fans buy the tickets or watch the games on television and fans buy the sponsors products. Without the promise of fans, there is no such thing as a lucrative professional sports world. One only need look back as recently as the early eighties. The book When the Game Was Ours, points out an NBA rep couldn’t get past the front door of McDonalds and Sprite to make a sponsor pitch before Larry Bird and Magic Johnson came into the league. If there is no fan interest, there is NO MONEY! It’s no coincidence a struggling little company, one of the first to jump on the NBA sponsor band wagon, is now billion dollar sports drink, Gatorade.

John Wooden: They Called Him Coach

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Coach John Wooden

Friday night marked the passing of a great man.  Coach Wooden was described as “about as perfect a sports personality as there ever was”, by sportscastor Dick Enberg. But sports fans aside, this man’s lessons reached far beyond the basketball court.

Hall of famer Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and one of Wooden’s many student athletes remembers, “He set quite an example. He was more like a parent than a coach. He really was a very selfless and giving human being, but he was a disciplinarian. We learned all about those aspects of life that most kids want to skip over. He wouldn’t let us do that.”

Virtual Holiday Greeting 2009

Sometimes it’s all about setting the mood. Never mind that Christmas day itself is over. Before you go any further, click on my virtual fireplace below and let the music (of my oldest brother, Philip Pfaltzgraff) set the scene while you read on.

Vikings Should Go Green

Greenbay fans would probably say their NFL rival has already changed color with the acquisition of former Packer quarterback, Brett Favre. But the green I’m thinking of is much more “sustainable” than the color of a jersey, and it would mean sacrificing some of that “purple pride”.

Before I go any further, let me qualify this is not coming from some girl who hates sports. I followed Cedar Falls High school’s basketball team to state my senior year by paying my own bus fare. I made a poster (as only a radical fan would) for Morningside College’s basketball team when they went to the Final IV (Div II) and made the trip to Springfield, MO. I won a national contest to see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play his final game in the NBA by answering eighty “trivia” questions about him. And when I moved back to the midwest from Atlanta, Minneapolis was considered worthy in part, because they had three professional sport franchises (it was before the Wild).

I was caught up in the Twins pennant race at the end of the summer. I think it’s ironic (and cool) a former Laker is now coaching the Timberwolves. And like the rest of the city, I’m thrilled the Vikings national attention this year is for their plays on the field (not off).

Dear Mr. President

Since when is it a bad thing to have the President address the children of this country? How do you turn asking school children to write a letter telling the President how they can help him, into partisan politics?

You’d think this was Cuba or Russia and not the United States of America.

I suggest parents have a little more confidence in the way they’re raising their children. Provide them with a strong consistent foundation (walk the talk), allow them a little room so they aren’t afraid to ask questions (if they don’t ask you, they’ll ask someone else), and the older they get, don’t be surprised if their viewpoints don’t always line up with yours (no matter how much YOU have indoctrinated them).

It’s not as if the Department of Education mandated the kids tell Obama why they support his views on health care reform. I imagine letters from elementary students would actually read something like this:

Nothing is Free, Including National Health Care

Didn’t you hate when you’d ask for something and your parents would tell you, “money doesn’t grow on trees”?  I’m betting as parents yourself, you’ve used that line any number of times with your own kids.  My daughters will also tell you one of my favorite mantras is, “nothing in life is really free”.

Don’t get me wrong, I love getting free things.  Who doesn’t?  Even Oprah Winfrey (who has a bezillion dollars) loves to get things for free.  But what I’ve tried to teach my kids is somebody has to pay for everything and in reality, the bottom line is, the person who thinks they’re getting something for free is usually the one paying for it.

I have to admit, I have not (and don’t plan to) read all the lengthy (and undoubtedly legal jargon-filled) proposals for a national health care system (before I finish this post anyway).  At the very least it would give me a headache which would then increase my own health care costs.  Tylenol for the headache, a visit to the optometrist for eye strain, maybe a trip to a chiropractor for an adjustment from the neck strain of pouring over said proposals.  Surely you get the picture.

Instead, lets stick to something simpler, that even my kids can understand.  FREE PIZZA!  Nothing we love better than going to Papa Johns or Punch Pizza and not having to pay any money for that piping hot pie with pepperoni (for the kids) or goat cheese and arugula (for me).  Trust me, if a coupon comes my way, I WILL use it.  But my girls will tell you just because the garlic dipping or wood burning delight didn’t require we shell out any cash, someone paid for it.  When was the last time food suppliers were giving out ingredients for free?  I doubt the employees volunteered to make our dinner for free.  Our “free” supper was part of the marketing budget, which is ultimately figured into the price of the pizzas we do shell actual dollars out for, which means in reality, WE paid for our “free” pizza. Now how to get this back to health care?

You’ve Got Texts?

Nope, just not the same.

As I watched the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romantic comedy with my two daughters last night, my 16 year-old lamented the loss of the good old days. I’m sure you’re thinking, “I remember that movie, it wasn’t that long ago”, but the longer I watched, the more I agreed with my daughter.  Oh to go back to a time when cell phones were only for people who were trying to look important and e-mail was still a phenomenon.   

My oldest would’ve been five, her sister three, when this particular chick flick made its debut in 1998. I didn’t even get a “home” computer till ’99. Just like the movie, it had a dial up modem and my girls gleefully remembered the sound and the progression of the AOL characters on the screen as the computer was in it’s various stages of connecting.

You may recall the premise of the movie was based on the big bad conglomerate bookstore (Barnes & Noble?) running out the mom and pop shop by coming in with their discounts and fancy cafe coffee shop. Not only had the concept of wi-fi not yet been invented (a staple of all those bookstore cafes these days), cellular phones (which were hideously big and clunky) were anything but mobile (there wasn’t even one used in the movie).

The only way Joe and Catherine could communicate was via the internet when they were (gasp) at home! Picture e-mails written like real letters, “Dear Shopgirl…” (certainly longer than 140 characters) and instant messaging before it was taken over by teenagers (and their secret abbreviated language).

Google Voice – One More Reason to Jump on the Google Bandwagon

Why, oh why didn’t I buy stock back when Google was just a little start-up company?  It was considered start-up at one time, yes?  I always say the computer and I are on a need to know basis, but Google goes a long way in making me appear tech-savvy.

I admit, I held out for quite awhile thinking there was no way Gmail could be as safe as pulling AOL or MSN into Outlook.  What if they lost my e-mail or even worse, what if someone at Google might be hacking into my Gmail trying to discover all those state secrets I don’t know?  I realized equating the internet (more specifically Gmail) with the likes of the boogie man was merely a figment of my imagination, and those lurking creatures on the world wide web are about as dangerous as the ones under my bed.  So I turned my soul over to Google, because they keep creating all these wonderful applications (for lack of a better term) that not only make me look tech-savvy, they actually make my life easier.

IGoogle is my homepage because it gives me easy access to everything I need on the web in one place.  Gmail is way more than just e-mail since I can also IM (instant message), and voice or video chat in real time.  Google Calendar sends me e-mail reminders as well as SMS (text) which beats post-it notes everywhere, so I’m not late returning a book to the library, paying a bill or miss a hair appointment that was pre-booked six weeks earlier.  Google Docs comes in handy with no MSWord on my Mac, and since I don’t have Photo Shop, I rely on Google Images (how do you think I get all the pictures for this blog).

If you’ve somehow resisted the pull towards technology, they may just get you with Google Voice.  When I recently moved I dropped the land line (hard line, home phone, or whatever you want to call it), because I was paying for a service I rarely used.  Of course every time I have to fill out some type of form, it always asks for two numbers and I can’t help but wonder if I’m looked down upon for having only one.

No more!  As of last night I am back in the ranks of the two phone number family.  I heard about Google Voice several months ago, but after my friend got me all excited about this new service he then told me they weren’t handing out any new numbers.  It was kind of cruel to cause me to have Google envy when he knew there was no quick fix, but I did my research (yes, I Googled it) and found I could ask to be notified when they opened the service to the minions.

Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror

Where were you on Thursday, June 25th when you heard the news Michael Jackson had passed away?

I’ve never been a Michael Jackson fan per say, but songs like I’ll Be There or ABC bring a smile to my face. I love Ben, who the heck cares that it’s about a rat? During a recent move I came across the album Off the Wall, too bad I don’t have a record player anymore.

As expected, the death of Jackson has dominated the news the last few days. Many people are crying hypocrisy, after all many of the same media folks singing MJ’s praises are the same ones who referred to him as Wacko Jacko when he was alive. It is strange given in the last decade, very few would outwardly admit to being a fan of Michael, but clearly the majority of people now want to reminisce and pay homage.

I think his death has given us a permission of sorts to remember and mourn the Michael Jackson we grew up with. He was such a cute boy and handsome young man, but somehow couldn’t see the same man in the mirror most of us saw. It is sad that Michael may not have realized how admired he was for his musical prowess, but given his penchant for strange and unpredictible behavior in the last couple of decades, it’s understandable why few were willing to risk their own reputations by speaking out on his behalf.  His passing allows us to concentrate on the musical genius Michael was and to pay tribute to his accomplishments that have paved the road and opened doors that will effect untold generations to come. 

Kobe vs. LeBron

A friend recently said his son wanted to know who was better, Kobe or LeBron.  He went on to challenge me by saying, “Okay Laker fan…Magic right?  Kareem?”

Why must everyone insist on having one athlete be better than another?  As time goes on it’s inevitable someone else will always come along to claim the title of “most dominant” because athletic prowess is susceptible to aging.  

The NBA is littered with dominant athletes throughout it’s history. The real debate probably started with Wilt Chamberlain.  He’s the only player in NBA history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season or score a 100 points in a single NBA game.  His titles include scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and even assists.