I could make a whole series of posts on what I think is wrong about golf, but for now I'll just focus on this - it needs more John Daly-like people, and less Tiger Woods. And lest I be misunderstood, let me clarify that I don't think Tiger Woods is bad for the PGA or golfers, as the exact opposite is true.
While he's gotten much better in recent years, most common people couldn't relate to Tiger. So few people in this world come from his family's money, achieve his level of success, have his mental toughness (while he's on the course, at least...no idea about how mentally tough he is elsewhere), or anything like that. And I'm pretty sure he's a double-minority to boot, so you know he's encountered some racial bias in the South (if not elsewhere). John Daly, on the other hand, is closer to the common man. The common man isn't addicted to alcohol and nicotine, mind you, nor has the common man been married and divorced as many times as him. He's shown so little focus on his game it's basically mockable. If there's such a thing in golf, Daly is the representation of the common, mainstream sports fan in America.
Both have won multiple majors. Both have had their day in the sun. Both have devoted fans. Both have attributes that are good for the game. But here's where the big difference comes in - in the most common man-friendly tournament on the tour - the Phoenix Open - you won't see Tiger Woods. It also just so happens to be one of the most attended golf tournaments - if not THE most attended golf tournametn - that's not a major championship. It could be because of the AZ weather in February. It could be because of the snowbirds. It could be because AZ is known as a major golf state. Or it could be because there's a huge potential fanbase out there that just wants to have a little beer and a ciggy with their golf instead of a polo shirt and slacks in the sun. Relaxed. Accessible. A familiar, comfortable experience.
Tiger isn't really any of these on a wide-scale basis. Daly is. Screw your Buicks and your Gillette's. I want to see someone sponsored by MGD and Dodge/Ford/Chevy.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Better to remain silent
People blog for many reasons, I 'spose. We started blogging as an easy means of communicating to our related communities what's going on in our lives. I jumped on as something of an experimental, bandwagon blogger and just kept on going, picking up some fairly loyal readers and friends along the way. I use it now mainly to vent thoughts of all types, silly to serious, mundane to insightful.
Blogs are what I'd call "huge"now, and influence politics, sports, and all other sorts of opinions that don't matter...and some that probably do. One area I wish there wouldn't be a blog is the online newspaper *sigh*
Not all that long ago AZRepublic started allowing readers to register w/their site and post blogs. That's not so bad, but it also allows them to comment on the articles directly after the articles. What this has led to is the idiot-with-a-microphone syndrome on the masses. For those that haven't experienced what I'm talking about, when you give an idiot a microphone, typically one of the first things they do is prove their idiocracy by saying something into the microphone, be it gibberish or some stupid comment (are those two really qualitatively different?) at a louder-than-normal volume which then gets amplified even more by the mic so that you can't really ignore it.
These posts are the cyber-equivalent of shouts of gibberish into a microphone.
As an example, the following message was posted after an article discussing potential cancer-causing health concerns at a local high school (at least five teachers and multiple other students have developed brain tumors in the past 7-9 years; others have had unexplainable respiratory problems; mold and CO gas are present):
"Don't doubt it from Corona. Crappy school in the 80's, guess it hasn't changed much. Tempe High all the way."
WTH??? Is this guy Uncle Rico or something??? What does the school potentially being "crappy" twenty years ago have anything to do w/their health concerns, and how does Tempe High potentially being better relate to that? Maybe this is his way of saying San Dimas football rules?
I don't claim to be smarter than the folks that post such things (although I probably am and, if you're reading this, chances are you are, too), and I don't claim that my opinions are always right (unless my opinion happens to be contrary to that of my nemesis, in which case I'm right by default). I just don't want to be within eyeshot or earshot of such stupidity. If you don't like my blog, fine. Don't read it. But I need to read the news somewhere, and it already has enough bias/spin. Please don't make it worse by proving you have equal or less intellect than Bill and Ted.
Blogs are what I'd call "huge"now, and influence politics, sports, and all other sorts of opinions that don't matter...and some that probably do. One area I wish there wouldn't be a blog is the online newspaper *sigh*
Not all that long ago AZRepublic started allowing readers to register w/their site and post blogs. That's not so bad, but it also allows them to comment on the articles directly after the articles. What this has led to is the idiot-with-a-microphone syndrome on the masses. For those that haven't experienced what I'm talking about, when you give an idiot a microphone, typically one of the first things they do is prove their idiocracy by saying something into the microphone, be it gibberish or some stupid comment (are those two really qualitatively different?) at a louder-than-normal volume which then gets amplified even more by the mic so that you can't really ignore it.
These posts are the cyber-equivalent of shouts of gibberish into a microphone.
As an example, the following message was posted after an article discussing potential cancer-causing health concerns at a local high school (at least five teachers and multiple other students have developed brain tumors in the past 7-9 years; others have had unexplainable respiratory problems; mold and CO gas are present):
"Don't doubt it from Corona. Crappy school in the 80's, guess it hasn't changed much. Tempe High all the way."
WTH??? Is this guy Uncle Rico or something??? What does the school potentially being "crappy" twenty years ago have anything to do w/their health concerns, and how does Tempe High potentially being better relate to that? Maybe this is his way of saying San Dimas football rules?
I don't claim to be smarter than the folks that post such things (although I probably am and, if you're reading this, chances are you are, too), and I don't claim that my opinions are always right (unless my opinion happens to be contrary to that of my nemesis, in which case I'm right by default). I just don't want to be within eyeshot or earshot of such stupidity. If you don't like my blog, fine. Don't read it. But I need to read the news somewhere, and it already has enough bias/spin. Please don't make it worse by proving you have equal or less intellect than Bill and Ted.
If only the games ended at halftime
It looked for a half like Georgia really did belong in the tournament. Then the reall Georgia showed up (along w/the real Xavier) and the 2nd half happened. ASU may not have belonged in the NCAA - I'm one of the ones that thinks the NIT was the correct bid for them - but Georgia and UofA definitely didn't belong in there, either.
Buh-bye, Bulldogs.
(Sorry, Trevor. They just aren't an NCAA team this year.)
Buh-bye, Bulldogs.
(Sorry, Trevor. They just aren't an NCAA team this year.)
The anti-team
With 3:12 left in the first half, perenial powerhouse Kent St. has 8 points on 4-20 shooting. Eight. Ocho.
If I was their player, I might not come back for the 2nd half. If you're their coach, you have to be embarrassed. I mean flat out, painfully Billy-Donovan-Style-After-Florida-misses-the-NCAA-tourney embarrassed. Of course he also has to take credit for their lack of performance, but still...
If I was their player, I might not come back for the 2nd half. If you're their coach, you have to be embarrassed. I mean flat out, painfully Billy-Donovan-Style-After-Florida-misses-the-NCAA-tourney embarrassed. Of course he also has to take credit for their lack of performance, but still...
Only in a game like WoW...
...can you have a two-handed mace, two-handed axe, a sword, 5 vials of oil (presumably glass vials which, magically, don't break), a piece of wolf meat, and 3 apples in a...
"small blue pouch."
WTH??? Have you seen these things?? It's the size of a freakin' COIN PURSE that hangs off your belt. Assuming that all that crap *could* fit into a super-elastic, high shearing strength coin purse, how would it look haning off of your belt? It'd be like a giant, flopping, multi-bladed tumor jangling off your hip.
God forbid you sit down wrong with that thing hanging off your waist!
"small blue pouch."
WTH??? Have you seen these things?? It's the size of a freakin' COIN PURSE that hangs off your belt. Assuming that all that crap *could* fit into a super-elastic, high shearing strength coin purse, how would it look haning off of your belt? It'd be like a giant, flopping, multi-bladed tumor jangling off your hip.
God forbid you sit down wrong with that thing hanging off your waist!
Friday, March 7, 2008
You got SERVED!!!
A while ago I realized that I *really* like being served. No, Kiki, not the type of service I'd get just outside of Clark County. I mean good service at a restaurant or something like that.
I've previously ranted about freakin' fast food places not being able to get a simple order right ("Dude, I'm asking you to do LESS work by NOT putting cheese and pickles on my hamburger, but apparently your work ethic is so high that you couldn't possibly live with yourself if you let that hamburger get out the window without them,"). I think I had to go through multiple bad experiences before I realized how much I appreciate the good ones.
It finally sunk in when I was at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Liddell/Silva fight in December w/my ol' pal Sonny. We normally get pretty good service here (and it's a GREAT venue to watch most major sporting events, particularly professional fights) but that night it was off. The place was busy, sure, but the liquor was flowing. Mad tips would be had. You figure that more tables = more tips, but we watched two servers look at us, ask us who was helping us, and then walk away having done nothing after we told them that we hadn't been helped yet. WTH??? The third lady finally got it right ("Hey, more tips for me! Sorry about the long wait...what can I get you boys?") and we were fine from that point on.
There are three elements of service that need to be there for a positive interaction. In order from easiest to hardest (or, I guess most common to least often found)...
- Observe/listen
- Respond
- Humbly submit yourself/subordinate yourself to the entity you're serving
It's those places that do all three well and consistently that will continue to receive my business when I'm given the choice.
I've previously ranted about freakin' fast food places not being able to get a simple order right ("Dude, I'm asking you to do LESS work by NOT putting cheese and pickles on my hamburger, but apparently your work ethic is so high that you couldn't possibly live with yourself if you let that hamburger get out the window without them,"). I think I had to go through multiple bad experiences before I realized how much I appreciate the good ones.
It finally sunk in when I was at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Liddell/Silva fight in December w/my ol' pal Sonny. We normally get pretty good service here (and it's a GREAT venue to watch most major sporting events, particularly professional fights) but that night it was off. The place was busy, sure, but the liquor was flowing. Mad tips would be had. You figure that more tables = more tips, but we watched two servers look at us, ask us who was helping us, and then walk away having done nothing after we told them that we hadn't been helped yet. WTH??? The third lady finally got it right ("Hey, more tips for me! Sorry about the long wait...what can I get you boys?") and we were fine from that point on.
There are three elements of service that need to be there for a positive interaction. In order from easiest to hardest (or, I guess most common to least often found)...
- Observe/listen
- Respond
- Humbly submit yourself/subordinate yourself to the entity you're serving
It's those places that do all three well and consistently that will continue to receive my business when I'm given the choice.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Increasing the effectiveness of birth control
If you want to help increase the effectiveness of any birth control measures currently being used by a couple who's never had a child before, simply show them the prices of diapers and formula.
I've never purchased any baby maintanence items before today, when I ventured down the baby isle at the store to pick up some items for the church's community needs ministry. Let me just say that the jaw hit the floor and I might need some denture work. I have no idea how long 40 diapers will last a newborn...maybe a week? Regardless, I saw the prices of diapers and envisioned taking a quarter out of the child's piggy bank every time they took a crap (not that I'd actually do it...but I'd want to since that's basically "disposable" gold it's pooing on). Then I saw the price of formula which, if it didn't give me an even more solid reason to question having children, definitely did give me a reason to keep any prospective children on that natural teet for as long as reasonable for the child's development.
Oh, and before the question comes out from y'all (since they were already asking it even before we got married out here), we don't know if or when we'll have kids but we know it's not a priority at the moment, nor a gigantic desire. We'll see as time goes on but right now we're quite pleased and content to have a family household of 2.
I've never purchased any baby maintanence items before today, when I ventured down the baby isle at the store to pick up some items for the church's community needs ministry. Let me just say that the jaw hit the floor and I might need some denture work. I have no idea how long 40 diapers will last a newborn...maybe a week? Regardless, I saw the prices of diapers and envisioned taking a quarter out of the child's piggy bank every time they took a crap (not that I'd actually do it...but I'd want to since that's basically "disposable" gold it's pooing on). Then I saw the price of formula which, if it didn't give me an even more solid reason to question having children, definitely did give me a reason to keep any prospective children on that natural teet for as long as reasonable for the child's development.
Oh, and before the question comes out from y'all (since they were already asking it even before we got married out here), we don't know if or when we'll have kids but we know it's not a priority at the moment, nor a gigantic desire. We'll see as time goes on but right now we're quite pleased and content to have a family household of 2.
New position, same issue
I like my new job in IT (which is actually pretty fun so far), but I have to get up at 4:30am to get to work by 6. That warrants a giant :-( At least I beat the majority of the bad traffic.
I don't know that mornings will ever stop sucking. I mean, if the military couldn't beat it make a morning person out of me then I don't think much else has a chance.
I don't know that mornings will ever stop sucking. I mean, if the military couldn't beat it make a morning person out of me then I don't think much else has a chance.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I'm back(ish)!
Hi all! After basically six months of blogosphere silence I'm back in the game...sort of.
No, I didn't commit suicide after OSU lost the national college football championship to an SEC team (as well as their third major sports championship within two years, all of which were lost to friggin' SEC teams), and as you can see I'm still a fan. So is my wife.
Trust me on that.
I know I want to keep blogging and hope to continue to do so with similar regularity as before the break. As most of my readers should now know, the reason for the break was focusing on engagement/wedding plans, then continued into the post-wedding changes. Since contact has been limited w/most of you, I'll summarize all that's new since the new year:
- New job
- New computer desk
- New wife and family
- New home
- New tires
- New church
- Soon to be new computer
- New blog layout (man, that last thing was hideous)
And while this excitement was going on, we also sprinkled in two surgical procedures, three illnesses, two family birthdays, a few holidays, and a partridge in a pear tree.
All of the posts above could fill up a blog post or three. Some I'll get to, some will be delayed, and some may simply be lost in the pile. I'll try to keep up my random musings along w/updates on my life, just as before.
Glad to be back, everyone. Hope all is well!!!
No, I didn't commit suicide after OSU lost the national college football championship to an SEC team (as well as their third major sports championship within two years, all of which were lost to friggin' SEC teams), and as you can see I'm still a fan. So is my wife.
Trust me on that.
I know I want to keep blogging and hope to continue to do so with similar regularity as before the break. As most of my readers should now know, the reason for the break was focusing on engagement/wedding plans, then continued into the post-wedding changes. Since contact has been limited w/most of you, I'll summarize all that's new since the new year:
- New job
- New computer desk
- New wife and family
- New home
- New tires
- New church
- Soon to be new computer
- New blog layout (man, that last thing was hideous)
And while this excitement was going on, we also sprinkled in two surgical procedures, three illnesses, two family birthdays, a few holidays, and a partridge in a pear tree.
All of the posts above could fill up a blog post or three. Some I'll get to, some will be delayed, and some may simply be lost in the pile. I'll try to keep up my random musings along w/updates on my life, just as before.
Glad to be back, everyone. Hope all is well!!!
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