Stay-cation? Not this year…

With all of the doom and gloom reporting of $5/gallon gas coast-to-coast arriving by the fourth of July, CNBC has been recycling the following paragraph in their articles for nearly a month now:

Instead of visiting theme parks and ballgames, they’ll be more inclined to find fun things to do at home–”stay-cation” has quickly embedded itself in the American lexicon–and will cook burgers and hotdogs on the grill before heading out to a fancy restaurant.

We’re bucking the trend.

In just over a week from now, we’ll be hitting a few theme parks.

Even a couple of ball games.

I’ll even go out on a limb and say we’ll eat at a fancy restaurant too during our 2k mile trek.

Yep — been there, done that on the “stay-cation” front. That’s what all of my “cheap weekend” posts here, here, here, here, here, and here have been about.

This time, we’re setting sail and taking a real 10-day/9-night vacation.

Day one will be mostly spent in the car — course set for…Cleveland.

I know, who will sit in the car for nine or ten hours straight to go to Cleveland?

We will.

We don’t have any planned stops along the way, but if we leave early enough in the morning, there’s nothing to stop us from making a few unexpected adventures off of the interstate…

Upon arrival, we’ll be taking in our first ever Cleveland Indians game at Jacobs Field. Sorry, I won’t call it “Progressive Field“. Corporate sponsorship has gotten out of control…

Apparently, the field (why don’t they call it a stadium?) was recently ranked as the best ballpark in some Sports Illustrated poll. That’s not the reason we’re going though. We’re not fans of baseball or even the Tribe, though they do have a pretty cool looking logo.

Thinking about it, I don’t think I can name a single player on the Indians…

Sandy Alomar played there. I only know that because his brother Roberto played for the Blue Jays back when they were actually good. Then he spit on an umpire or something. What a jerk.

I’m pretty sure Bob Feller played in Cleveland too. I had no idea who he was, Hall of Famer apparently, when I got his autograph as a kid at a minor league baseball game in the 1980′s… He didn’t seem real happy to be doing the minor league ballpark thing, if I recall correctly…

Anyway, it’s just something to do, outside the car, on the first night of our activity-packed vacation. I just hope it doesn’t rain…

Posted on June 18th, 2008 at 8:51 am by Brainy Smurf
Sports, Vacation | 1 Comment »

Turning Corners is Really Tough…

Just another sports rant…

Our local sports guy on the radio — a raving idiot that I can hardly stand, actually — was going on and on and on about this story this morning on my way to work, so I decided to look into it a little more.

A few excerpts from the article I found first:

Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang is expected to be sidelined until at least September after injuring his foot running the bases, prompting club co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner to chastise the National League for playing without a designated hitter.

An examination in New York on Monday showed Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot Sunday during the Yankees’ 13-0 interleague win at Houston. He will be on crutches and wear a protective boot for a minimum of six weeks.

“My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century.

“Am I (mad) about it? Yes,” Steinbrenner added. “I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.”

Wow.

I mean, it is unfortunate when a star player gets hurt but this was of his own doing. It’s not like he was cheapshotted or anything. As far as I can tell from the story, no one even touched him — it is baseball after all.

In all seriousness, I don’t think it’s the National League that needs to grow up, I think it’s Hank Steinbrenner that needs to.

Give me a break. I mean, if Major League Baseball wants to join the 21st century, shouldn’t they be using aluminum bats by now?

Making a rare appearance on the bases at an NL park, Wang pulled up rounding third and hobbled home on Derek Jeter’s single. Wang doubled over after scoring, pointed toward his right foot and was helped off the field.

“This is always a concern of American League teams when their pitchers have to run the bases and they’re not used to doing it,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s not just us. It’s everybody. It probably should be a concern for National League owners, general managers and managers when their pitchers run the bases. Pitchers have enough to do without having to do that.”

Pitchers have enough to do, huh Hank?

They throw a freaking ball and are paid millions to do it. I dunno, my job entails a lot more than throwing a ball as hard as I can for a couple of hours once a week. You don’t see me complaining, do you?

Can these guys possibly be babied any more?

And what about the pitchers in the National League? Last time I checked, they had to bat and run the bases all season long. Oh yeah, they pitch too… I guess they’re just more skilled athletes…

I wonder if they get paid more in the league that’s stuck in the 1800s?

After the game, Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina summed up the problem that AL pitchers sometimes face at NL parks.

“We don’t hit, we don’t run the bases,” Mussina said. “You get four or five at-bats a year at most, and if you happen to get on base once or twice, you never know. We run in straight lines most of the time. Turning corners, you just don’t do that.”

This is the quote I love best, “We run in straight lines most of the time. Turning corners, you just don’t do that.”

I dunno, I think I picked up turning corners as a toddler. You?

Must be a rough life as a pitcher in the American League…

Posted on June 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am by Brainy Smurf
Current Events, Rants, Sports | No Comments »

Burress won’t take the Field… I won’t pay the Mortgage.

From a story I lifted off of TSN this morning, apparently New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress is refusing to practise because the Super Bowl champions haven’t renegotiated his contract.

Burress reported to Giants Stadium for a mandatory minicamp Wednesday, but said he told the coaching staff he won’t work out without a new deal.

The wide receiver says he has three years left on his current deal.

Burress, who battled through an injury-hampered season last year, caught the game-winning touchdown in the Giants’ stunning 17-14 victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Um… why’d he sign a multi-year deal? I think the teams should start giving the players a dictionary every time this comes up (pretty much every season).

From the worst dictionary/encyclopedia ever, Wikipedia, a contract is defined as a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce.

Sure, he made a great catch to clinch the Super Bowl back in February — but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to honor his current contract for the 3 more years he’s obligated to.

I suppose he thinks there’s a mistake in the numbers — the Giants didn’t pay him to win the Super Bowl for them, so he wants compensation now… Sorry bro, you’re gonna have to wait (and perform) for another 3 seasons before a raise comes along…

I hope he sits on the sideline all season. Unpaid.

Addendum:

The more I thought about it and tried to compare it to my own non-NFL lifestyle, I realized that my mortgage contract with Countrywide has around 24 years left to go on it.

And I’m not 100% satisfied with the terms of the loan.  It costs me too much.

If I were Plaxico, I’d stop paying the mortgage and hold out for Countrywide to renegotiate the terms in my favor…

Oh wait, people are actually doing that already…

Ridiculous.

Posted on June 12th, 2008 at 6:11 am by Brainy Smurf
Mortgage, Rants, Sports | 1 Comment »

Resignation: When it’s time to move on…

So this afternoon I put the finishing touches on my very first resignation letter which, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I intend to drop into the mail on Friday.

In addition to my full-time day job, through my own personal company, I’ve done contract work for a professional sports team in the area for the past ten years.

The team is, by far, the biggest client my small company has.

The ongoing project has been one that I’ve been really proud of.

Financially, it’s brought in nearly $15k each year for the past few. Not an insignificant number.

But I want to walk away.

It’s tough because I’ve never just quit anything that I’ve been good at.

I feel like I owe them something. And like, by leaving, I’ll be hanging them out to dry. Maybe I’m giving myself too much credit.

The fact is, they actually owe me. They’ve been notoriously behind in paying their bills — currently around $2400 behind.

Oddly, that’s something that’s accepted in this line of business (web design and photography services), for whatever reason, and that has a little something to do with my desire to walk away.

The bigger issues are time and respect. What are they worth?

For the past 10 years, I’ve been essentially tied to a computer just in case an email came through. When I was younger, that was fine. The excitement of being part of a professional team, and the perks involved, was enough to make it worthwhile. Also at the time, working until the wee hours of the night wasn’t a problem. Just a continuation of the university lifestyle — except with a paycheck.

Now that I’m over 30, married, and have a house of my own to take care of, I really wish I had the weekends free. I’m sick of spending every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the arena.

I wish I could come home from my primary job, lie on the couch, and just watch TV with my wife. Instead, each day I come home and, if there isn’t a game to go to, I march straight upstairs to the computer and sit down for a marathon session fulfilling requests for the team.

Of late, those requests have gotten more and more ridiculous. To the point, they don’t actually even relate to the team, or even the sport. Can you believe that?

And that’s where the respect issue comes in. I’ve never missed a home game for this team. I’ve worked for them since their second season of existence. As of today, there is only one person, a great guy too, who has been with the team longer than I have.

Over the summer, after a lot of last minute backdoor deals, the off-ice management of the team was taken over by another company — not the company that manages the actual on-ice product who we all previously worked for.

They, naturally, brought in a few of their own people — which in turn caused a lot of the veteran employees to bail out. I took note. I should have joined them, but decided to try to stick it out thinking that I’m on the fringes of the office — it should be business as usual on my end.

The “new” people they brought in are, well, let’s just say your typical inexperienced recent college grads that have been given a big fancy title right out of the gate. They’re on power trips. Big time.

I’ve always been the sort to respect my elders. Even at my real job, though I may be considered “higher-up” than some that are far older than me, I still look up to them simply because they’re older or have been with the company longer. It just seems like the right thing to do — ask those with more experience for advice.

That’s not the case with the next generation. The most frustrating part is that they’re not even fans of the sport — there is no passion there.

They’re not from the area — so they have no idea of the history or the market they now find themselves in. And they don’t care either. It’s just a job.

It’s obvious as day that they’ll likely only work here for a year or two before moving on — I’m sure you know the type. The day a new hire starts, for some reason, you can just tell if they’re going to stick or not.

In this business, for them, it’s a paycheck and a chance to rub elbows with pro athletes.

Well, from experience, that gets old. If you don’t love the game, it’s not the job for you. It doesn’t take long to come to the realization that 95% of professional athletes are selfishly arrogant SOB’s. That’s a fact.

What’s pushed me over the edge is that these disrespectful kids with fancy titles have been telling me how to do my job.

Again, I’m not one who won’t take orders from a higher-up.

But when, by all accounts, I’ve been doing a hell of a job since they were in the 4th grade and I’m told to take photos during “halftime” of a hockey game, well, that just rubs me the wrong way. I happen to know what I’m doing.

(For the non-hockey fans out there, hockey doesn’t have a halftime. There are three periods in a game and two intermissions. You’d think that to be employed by a hockey team, you’d actually have to have been to a hockey game before.)

Anyway, this move will put a pretty large dent in my income, but the idea of having weekends and evenings for myself is worth more than $15k ever could be.

Not looking forward to Friday, but looking very forward to the days ahead when I can finally, after all this time, go to a sporting event as a fan.

Go team!

Posted on November 14th, 2007 at 3:28 pm by Brainy Smurf
Life, Sports | 7 Comments »

Are you Ready for some Football?

Last night, my wife and I went to our first college football game. I’d actually been to many games in the past when I was in University, but in Canada, well, let’s just say college football isn’t exactly the “event” it is in the States.

We happened upon tickets to the University of Connecticut’s home opener when my wife was offered them by someone at work earlier this week — and seeing as we’d never taken in the ‘event’, and the price tag was $0, well, how could we not take that up?

So off we went to begin another inexpensive weekend activity. Let me start by saying that this was no Jordan Knight concert, but it was still an entertaining night.

Parking wasn’t so bad — it was included with our tickets. Making our way through the parking lots, or more actually a maze of tailgaters, though, was a little foreign to me.

The idea of tailgating doesn’t really have any appeal to me at all, though it seemed to be more popular than the actual game. Connectiut is a funny place like that. We’re posers. The number of people “pretending” to be big college football folks is downright astonishing. We’re not Purdue. We’re not Michigan. We’re not Notre Dame. We have a modest sized stadium that was built a few years ago — and now suddenly we’ve got acres of tailgaters with their little tents set up and flags flying high.

Three years ago, before the stadium was even built, well, I’d venture to say many local high schools could boast crowds that rivalled Uconn’s crowds. That aside, being that Connecticut fans are classic fairweather fans, once they realize that beating up on teams like the Maine Black Bears (they shut them out last night; 38-0) week after week isn’t really all that much to get excited about. I can’t wait for the day that a team like Michigan agrees to come here — well, they’ll see where they stand. I’d venture to guess shortly thereafter, the crowds will disappear — kinda like they did with the Hartford Whalers.

The funny part, even dominating the game, by halftime, most of the crowd had left anyway. And honestly, most of the crowd hadn’t even entered the stadium until the second quarter. So, really, it truly was more about the tailgating and less about the game for most of the “fans”.

Okay, enough negativity. The real reason for this post was that I could not believe the mount of money some of these folks must’ve spent on their tailgating set-ups. Multiple gas grills, really nice tents, flags that go for no less than $50 each, and tons and tons of food. And don’t forget the alcohol. We’re talking probably over $200 worth of consumables per car. Seriously.

Now, I’m not from the school of no-fun, but all that, for a 4-hour (the parking lots open 4 hours before game time) party? I dunno, you have to think, the set-up time is maybe a half ahour, after sitting in traffic getting in for a half hour. Cut that party down to 3 hours now. Getting the grills going and food on the go, maybe another half hour. For me to set something that elaborate up — well, I’m going to want to use it for more than a couple of hours. Maybe that’s just me, but for that kind of money, it’s not worth it as far as I’m concerned.

On the way out, I couldn’t help but take a picture of one of the dumpsters they have spaced randomly all over the lots. There was easily $200 worth of empties in each one. I’m all for free money, but I wasn’t about to dumpster dive — but it is something to keep in mind for those out there who are willing to get a little (or a lot) dirty. Really, you could walk out of there with $1000 worth of cans in a few hours I’m sure.

In the end, our night cost us $11 total. Two $4 sodas (cough! ripoff! cough!) and a $3 order of fries.

Not bad for the “event” of the week in Connecticut.

Posted on September 9th, 2007 at 12:17 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Rants, Sports | 1 Comment »