Yankee Stadium Tour

Today (actually, yesterday) I went on a tour of Yankee Stadium. The tour was great, we started in the press box, went to the locker room then straight out to the dugout (where we got to sit on the same bench that that players sit on) and made our way around to Monument Park to end it. I got some really nice pictures of Yankee Stadium with the field covered in snow. My girlfriend also did a fine job of taking some pictures of me with the Stadium as the backdrop.

My favorite was the dugout. We got to sit on the bench and get a real feel for the environment, being level with the playing field. Our tour guide even pointed out the water cooler that Paul O'Neil made friends with over the years and the railing that you see Jeter hop over every time someone gets a BIG hit!

I also enjoyed the Yankee locker room, but for "player privacy" reasons we were not allowed to take pictures in there. It was interesting to note the location of player lockers (Jeter was separated from others by an empty locker and a closet on both sides of his cubby, Bernie and Pavano were in the corner slots to the left and right of the entrance right when you walk in, pitcher lockers were mainly grouped together) and the fact that Bernie still had a ton of stuff left in his locker while the others seemed to be rather empty. I am too exhausted right now to do it but I will most likely put up some pictures of the tour tomorrow.

Changing a Tire (in 26 easy steps)

Follow these steps to change a sisters tire in the freezing cold:

1. Report to flat tire site
2. Remove spare tire and tools from trunk, under garbage
3. Tell sister to turn off your car alarm by placing key in ignition and turning
4. Tell sister to turn the car off
   
5. Wonder why hubcap won't pop off in the freezing cold
6. Eventually pop off hubcap
7. Tell sister to turn off your car alarm again, this time turning key one notch
   
8. Get down on floor and look under car for solid spot to place jack
9. Play with jack and wonder what separate gold ring is for
10. Tell sister to turn off your car alarm
    
11. Jack up the car, turning the misfit lever in all directions while bashing hand on freezing concrete
12. Clean off blood
13. Insert wrench onto wheel's lug nuts and unsuccessfully try to loosen them from the frost
14. Tell sister to turn off your car alarm
15. Put all strength into loosening lug nuts, inevitably realizing its impossibility
16. Receive a shovel with a metal pole, which has an end cut off to slide onto wrench, from friendly onlooker
    
17. Insert shovel and smash lug nuts loose while enjoying the bone-cracking sound
18. Remove loose nuts with wrench
19. Tell sister to turn off your car alarm
20. Place spare tire on car and tighten
21. Lower car
22. Tell sister to turn off your car alarm
23. Get frustrated that garbage wont allow flattened tire to be stored in trunk
24. Wash blood and oil off hands in local mart
25. Decide to put flattened tire in own trunk
26. Report back to work
    

YANKS: What's going on in Tampa?

Today is the first workout for Yankees pitchers and catchers. Media got a chance to see the starting 5 pitch side-by-side then a second group which consisted of Rasner, Hughes, Karstens, Sanchez and Ohlendorf. (source)

Joe Torre encouraged Bernie to show up at camp, saying that there is a good chance there might be a spot for him. "[He] mentioned several roster scenarios that would allow them to carry Bernie, including Doug Mientkiewicz playing against both RHPs and LHPs or Miguel Cairo playing first against RHPs." No word yet from Bernie, but bringing Bernie to camp would surely excite teammates Jeter, Posada, and Mariano, who have openly spoken about their feelings toward the situation. For now, the best Bernie will get is a non-roster invitation and there will not be a trial run at 1B. (source)

Mike Mussina appears to have spoken his opinion on Pavano to the media. He believes that Pavano has to prove to the Yankees that he wants to pitch for them. No specific quotes out just yet. (source)

UPDATE: Mussina and Pavano had a meeting and both addressed the media today (Feb. 16). Neither players are upset at each other.

Happy V-Day Patty (and everyone)

METS: Green is Gone

Rotoworld reports that "the Mets have declined their half of [Shawn Green's] $10 million mutual option for 2008." A smart move by the Mets. He wasn't much of a force last season and there was no reason to think he would be one this upcoming season, despite his strong performance in the playoffs. Endy Chavez is a better replacement in right field with much more speed.

Rotoworld also says that the Mets had no intention of picking up his contract since they acquired him from the Diamondbacks last season. He was just a playoff move for the Mets, because he had experience and is a veteran player. It will cost the Mets $2 million to buy out his contract.

Shawn Green says that he is not retiring and will continue playing again in the 2008 season. (New York Post)

FILM: Thomas Crown Affair

Thomas Crown Affair, another film starring Pierce Brosnan, is much like The Matador and After the Sunset in a sense that Brosnan is sneaky, adventurous, and creative. Yes, it sounds like James Bond, back to his good old tricks, but he is no spy for a government agency. He is operating on his own, creating chaos for his own pleasure.

The film, which debuted in 1999, comes inbetween famous Bond films Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough so it only makes sense that Brosnan maintains his cool attitude in the Thomas Crown. This is what made Brosnan famous after all. Thomas Crown, along with The Matador and After the Sunset are no masterpieces. This is not an insult, they are just more playful than the Bond films. They were not created to win Grammy's or envoke sequel after sequel, they were created for pure one-time enjoyment and Brosnan fills the roles of both sides very well.

Bond plays a rich man who owns a museum in Manhattan. Suddenly, a very expensive work of art is stolen from the museum, which brings law enforcement into the picture. Enter Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) who sells insurance and happens to know a lot about detective work. It seems like every Brosnan film has a Bond girl. This is his girl.

I find it funny that the scene of the crime, and main location of the film, is a museum. A landscape for an artist. Its twists and turns are not necessarily designed to make you think, rather they are designed to let you sit back and watch things unfold. Though you might have some guesses for the ending (there are subtle clues throughout the film) it is not designed to keep you at the edge of your seat, pointing out every little detail. It is designed to keep you back in your seat, enjoying the masterpiece that he is creating, much like an art connoisseur admiring Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Sit back and enjoy the art. I sure did.

METS: Trachsel to the Orioles

As reported by Rotoworld and FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal,

Steve Trachsel and the Orioles have agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.1 million contract with a $4.75 million option for 2008.

This comes after the Orioles found out that Kris Benson (another former Met along with Trachsel) needs surgery. Trachsel will likely compete for the 5th spot in the starting rotation. Trachsel was with the Mets last season but the Mets decided not to pick the pitcher up again after two poor postseason pitching performances.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Trachsel is the only remaining Met from the Mets 2001 ballclub. Since then the team has practically been completely rebuilt.

Barack Obama? How Silly.

Isn't it funny that one of our Presidental candidates' name's rhymes with Iraq Osama?

America's Disturbing Future - MTV

To steal another quote from The World Is Flat:

In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears... Young people there hang from the rafters and scalp tickets just to hear him speak... In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears--and that is our problem.

A problem with the American educational system is that people are increasingly taking the "fun" career path. They aren't interested in hearing what Bill Gates has to say, they want to hear what body part Britney is flashing this week. More and more kids are starting to think that greatness can be achieved without hard work. Eventually, many of them will reach a point of dissapointment.

Rather they wan't to find a job that is less demanding of them and allows for more personal time. Since we spend the majority of our lives at work, why not find something that we love doing? The problem with that thinking is people don't realize that it sometimes takes hard work before you start enjoying something. For example, you cant enjoy all the vastness of science without understanding the basics and to understand the basics it takes time and commitment. They want immediate satisfaction.

I attribute a lot of the laziness and stupidity in our society to a single source: MTV (well, not just MTV, but MTV could be the spokesperson for the movement). MTV shows, most notably The Real World, is a cancer to our brains and trains vulnerable/impressionable people to act and think like bimbo's. Since when do people sit around and whine all day? Since MTV and other likes taught us that it is OK to act that way.

Wondering why people just "have to watch the show," I asked my girlfriend and sister. They both gave me the same answer: it is entertaining. OK, it might be funny to watch people act like morons but the shows purpose is not to entertain, they are clearly trying to educate. Little life lessons are thrown into overdramatic situations and presents a false sense of what real life is like.

Here is the way a "Real Worlder" thinks: My sister just bought 3 sweatshirts and a pair of sweatpants for $460 from bloomingdales from some new line that she claims "everyone will be wearing, they just don't know about it yet." She was in denial when I told her that it costed no more than $20 to make the sweatshirt she was holding. She also has transmission and steering problems with her car but she insists that her recent purchase was a wise investment. I told her not to rip the price tags off incase she changes her mind and hopefully she will gain some sense and bring a piece or two back. I understand that it is possible for her to hold a higher value on the sweatshirts than I, but her argument is that she doesn't have any winter clothing. She says that every winter. Some people need to learn the true value of a dollar and the way hype/marketing works.

Dave Chapelle did a spoof on The Real World called The Real Mad World. Here is a clip from his show:

Roasting a Puppy

This was reported on January 27, 2007, on Pantagraph.com:

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Two teenagers accused of duct-taping a puppy's snout and paws and cooking the animal alive in an oven pleaded guilty Friday to animal cruelty and other offenses.

Prosecutors said Joshua Moulder, 17, and his brother, Justin, 19, broke into a newly refurbished community center, where they tortured and killed the 3-month-old puppy, damaged computers, broke glass and splattered paint on the walls.

The brothers then brought neighborhood children to see the dead puppy and threatened to kill them if they reported it, prosecutors said.

They will be sentenced next month.

Whatever their term, it better be lengthy. You have to be beyond sick to torture and kill a 3-month-old puppy. It goes beyond what little children do to lizards and bugs as kids, these children should have known better. I hope they receive the same treatment as if they killed a 3-month-old human being. Rot in hell, losers.

Do I Need More RAM?

Trying to decide whether or not my laptop needed more RAM, I hit the forums. Someone responded saying,

The important thing is to look at your Task Manager. Under Performance, find Peak and and Physical Memory. If Peak is near or over Physical Memory, you need more RAM. I have 1GB of RAM and my Peak is very close to the amount of Physical RAM with most games, but when running the F.E.A.R. demo, it hits about 1.3GB so I have lost performance already. 2GB will help if you are running these "next-gen" games.

I do not run any of the next-gen games so I would only need about 1GB of RAM. It's funny, 512MB used to be the standard but 1GB is slowly becoming the new standard. When I multi-task, running several applications at once, the computer slows down significantly. I recently downloaded the Google Desktop and added a gadget that told me how much of my RAM was being used. Shockingly, around 90% of my RAM was being used and my computer wasn't running many applications at all. When the RAM shoots up this high, the computer starts using the hard drive and you experience significant lag, or so I'm told. My dad's laptop came with a 1gig and runs at about 50%, handling multiple applications at a much faster rate.

Upgrading your RAM is a cheaper way to speed up your computer if you cant afford a new processor. Be careful when you purchase RAM to purchase the right part. Each computer requires its own kind of RAM, you can't just plug in any old chip.

Top 10 Baseball Brawls (video)

ESPN Top 10 Baseball Brawls. I can watch Pedro Martinez get laid out all day long. Mets' newest acquisition, Chan Ho Park, is also involved in one of the brawls.

Wyndham Needs to STOP...

Here is a list of things that need to stop at the Wyndham (maybe some of you can relate with your jobs):

• Stop whining about being 2 minutes late then having no remorse for asking people to stay an extra 15 because you want to leave
• Stop putting yourself on the schedule when you don't plan on working
• Stop putting me with people who need more assistance than the people we are assisting
• Stop letting Tony get away with complaining out loud about every single thing he can think of, 24/7, it's bad for employee morale
• Stop doing things that you shouldn't be doing then b*tching when somebody corrects you
• Stop talking behind peoples backs
• Stop fearing the camera and everything that occurs in front of the camera, it is rarely monitored and only intentionally checked in case of an incident
• Stop yelling at me for eating a bagel in the lobby but having no problem with me eating from a jar of pretzels because they were provided by a resident
• Stop the mood swings
• Stop being upset because I'm reading a perfectly-hidden book while you sit there and read the paper

STOP, STOP, STOP!

MLB: Balls and Pujols

MLB has just announced that all teams have to keep their baseballs in temperature-controlled rooms (a few do now but all of them will be required from this point). This will keep the balls from shrinking in colder temperatures, etc. This idea is most recognizable with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Because Coors Field is at a higher elevation, it has thinner air and the balls need to be stored in a "humidor" to keep from being effected and easier to hit out of the ballpark. For more on the Coors Field effect, read an earlier post of mine. Here is the article announcing the new rule.

As for Albert Pujols, he officially became a U.S. citizen on Wednesday. Welcome to America! He lived the American dream before becoming an American.

YANKEES: Kei Igawa Shows Up Early

Here is a picture of Kei Igawa throwing off a flat surface about a week before pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in Tampa, Florida. Alongside Igawa is Derek Jeter, who has already made efforts to develop a friendship and make Kei Igawa feel at home.

Yankees vice president Billy Connors says that "[The Yankees] need him this year." Commenting on how Igawa looked after his workout, Connors said "He looks like he is going to be a real good pitcher." Only when he is tested against major league batting will we know how he will fare. He also needs to be tested in tight spots such as close games where the Yankees badly need a strong pitching performance.

I like the idea that the Yankees aren't as dependent on Igawa as the Red Sox are on Dice-K. Because the media, fans, and rivalry in New York baseball can be overwhelming, it is best not to pressure a pitcher who has not yet even experienced the majors. Not only are your skills challenged in New York, but so is your character and makeup. By placing Igawa in the number 4 or 5 spot, he will have a lot less pressure than Matsuzaka, who will be needed in the 2 or 3 spot under Schilling. Whether the Red Sox will admit it or not, a lot of their success rides on Dice-K. He certainly is more promising than Igawa, but how much more? At double the price of Igawa, he better be an obvious upgrade.

Among others to show up early to the camp were shortstop Derek Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada, and utility infielder Miguel Cairo. Having Posada there early with Igawa enabled the two to get started early in developing a friendship and common understanding of the game.

UPDATE: Congratulations is in order for Kei Igawa, who was recently married this off-season. News about the marriage had just recently surfaced. MSN news reports that "Igawa['s]... new wife has been helping him in Tampa, Florida, where he will join the New York club's spring training camp."

Intrinsic Motivation vs Economic Advantage

A quote from Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. It tackles working out of intrinsic motivation versus people doing "things that confer economic advantage" in our American workforce. This one hits home for me so I thought I would share it with you.

The sorts of abilities that matter most now it turns out are also the sorts of things that people do out of intrinsic motivation. Relatively few people become accountants out of a sense of intrinsic motivation. But intrinsic motivation is what propels people to become creators and empathizers, to become designers and storytellers and counselors and consultants. This weekend there will be accountants painting watercolors in their garages. There will be lawyers writing screenplays. But I guarantee you that you won't find any sculptors who on weekends will be doing other people's taxes for fun. In other words, there is a growing congruence between the sorts of things that people do because they love doing them and the sorts of things that confer economic advantage.

Of course not everyone can do what they love and earn a living doing so. But it is sad to see that people are soo drawn by the economic advantages of a job title that they ignore their hearts desires or don't even attempt to explore a more refreshing lifestyle. Like a computer science major who switches focus because of a passionate professor in an unfamiliar subject, you should give it some thought.

The Money Masters

A friend recommended to me a film called The Money Masters about how the Federal Reserve is causing our nations debt. As a private bank, the Federal Reserve was given COMPLETE CONTROL over our economies money. Controlled by banks, they were/are greedy, money-hungry people, or so the video says. Like other conspiracy stories, this really gets you thinking.

A quote, so you know what you are getting into:

"Every bank in the United States is allowed to loan out at least ten times more money than they actually have." This is fractional reserve banking. This is similar to how paper money was created, when money used to be receipts for peoples currency; gold. Back then, since people rarely took out the gold in their reserve, paper receipts were given out, in excess, as loans. Interest was collected on those loans and the money collected by banks grew to enormous proportions...

The video is about one hour and 43 minutes long so you might as well break out the popcorn and find yourself a comfortable seat. You can find part 2 of this video on the sidebar to the right of the video.

Learning How To Learn

A passage from Thomas Friedman in The World Is Flat, speaking about how children should go upon preparing for a job in the ever-changing future:

Go around to your friends and ask them just one question: 'Who are your favorite teachers?' Then make a list of those teachers and go out and take their courses--no matter what they are teaching, no matter what the subject. It doesn't matter whether they are teaching Greek mythology, calculus, art history, or American literature--take their courses. Because when I think back on my favorite teachers, I don't remember the specifics of what they taught me, but I sure remember being excited about learning it. What has stayed with me are not the facts they imparted but the excitement about learning they inspired. To learn how to learn, you have to love learning--or you have to at least enjoy it--because so much learning is about being motivated to teach yourself. And while it seems that some people are just born with that motivation, many others can develop it or have it implanted with the right teacher (or parent).

I have been saying something to this extent for a while now. If you don't love to learn, then you can't expand your mind. There are things out there that you don't know you enjoy until you try them. You have to find the motivation to learn so you can continue this expansion.

I have been pleasantly surprised, in my time at Hofstra University, to find enjoyment in classes such as Anthropology, Modern Art, and Age of Metropolis (a comparative literature class). My favorite professor was not from one of my major classes (business management) but from a class on classic literature. I never thought I could find interest in Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) or Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange) until I met this professor. He was so enthusiastic about his work and showed a passion that stuck with many of his students.

It is important to escape your everyday repetition and explore new things. You never know what you might find.

UPDATE: A formula from the same book: PQ + CQ > IQ or Passion and Curiosity is greater than Intellect (what you know).

What Happens To All That Clothing?

Steven Goldman of YES Network talks about what happens to all the Super Bowl t-shirts that were created prematurely for the losing team. Because there are tons of shirts and caps that are created for the winning team to wear immediately after their Super Bowl victory, they have to be made before the game. This means that there is a lot of excess clothing for the losing team. He says,

The good news is that the NFL doesn't destroy this stuff — it's sent overseas and distributed to those in need. Within a few weeks, the backwaters of the world will be outfitted in official NFL licensed merchandise. And if their caps name the wrong Super Bowl winner, they don't know and they don't care. They're just happy to have a cap.

The NBA has a similar program. MLB does not; they destroy all their shirts, what a waste. I can understand not wanting to find a faulty shirt on eBay but, as Goldman says, it's a small price to pay to keep poor children warm.

YANKEES: Spring Training Quick Hits

With the Yankees' pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in a little over 8 days, Yankees.com processed an article telling us what to look out for come camp time. It holds the projected lineup, introductions to new and gone players, prospects to look out for, and a couple other things.