Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Ethics?


 
 Recently USC head coach, Lane Kiffin,  put on a recruiting blitz for current Penn State running back Silas Redd.








     At the urging of Kiffin, current Trojan and former Pop Warner team mate of Redd's, Max Wittek, has bombarded Redd with calls.   Kiffin pleaded his case for transfer when he traveled to Connecticut for a 3 hour meeting highlighted with a power point presentation showing how Redd would fit into the USC scheme.



     USC is not alone, Illinois sent 8 assistant coaches to College Park to lure current Nittany Lions away to the Illini.  Current Penn St. players have tweeted about other coaches stalking them.  Does this seem hinky to anybody else?   The NCAA has stated that players from Penn St. may transfer and become immediately eligible, but shouldn't the players be the ones to initiate the transfer process?   Talk about sleazy tactics, but isn't that we West Coasters have come to expect from the Trojan program.   Kiffin should know how this feels, two years ago when the NCAA placed sanctions on USC for Reggie-Gate, other schools came calling and whisked away several prized players from the Trojan roster.  Laney-Boy cried foul when that happened, but doesn't seem to see the similarities to this situation.   Ah, selective memory, a wonderful thing.  Kiffin even went so far as to offer advice to current Penn St. coach at the Pac-12 media day.   Oh brother, hey coach O'Brien ever heard the Undisputed Truth's song "Smiling Faces"?

"Smiling faces, sometimes, pretend to be your friend.
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within.
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes,
They don't tell the truth, uh"

Sunday, July 29, 2012

On A Rant

     First, let me say I am not a political person.   I find the whole thing somewhat annoying.   If politicians were children (by age) we would ground them, send them to their rooms, and take away all their electronics.  Behavior that they exhibit would land them in the vice-principals office in a heartbeat.  Instead we have to endure their antics, as juvenile as they are.  When Obama took office, one prominent Republican said he would make it his first priority to make sure Obama was a one term president.  Funny, I was so naive as to think the first priority might be to solve our country's problems.   Silly me!

     Recently there have been studies and statements that our youth are facing obesity in major numbers.  One in three school-aged children are either overweight or obese.  Get out and move is the message sent by the White House.   Yet, we continue to cut physical education from our schools.   Play 60 from the NFL is a push to get out and play at least an hour each day, but the push seems to be geared to the urban populations surrounding the NFL cities.   Oops, forgot about us yokels far away from the franchises.   Yep, get out and play, but don't increase funds for P.E.  Great solution, thanks feds.

     Car accident rates are highest among 16 - 19 year olds in our country.   One of the major factors leading to this statistic is, are you ready, lack of skill.  "Novice teenage drivers have not yet completely mastered basic vehicle handling skills and safe-driving knowledge they need to drive safely" - California Department of Motor Vehicles.  Can you really be surprised?   Little to no driver's ed is taught in schools.   Once upon a time our schools required this class of all 15 year olds to prepare them for the hazards of the road.   In the small school district where I grew up, a local car dealership donated cars for use in the summer for practical experience behind the wheel with a driver's ed teacher.  Hmm, still could work.   Insurance companies are you listening?   I would bet funding the re-institution of driver's ed in our schools would be cheaper than paying out all the claims.   Think about it....

     Today I passed a new Eugene Police Department car.   It was, are you ready, a Prius.    Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of criminals than the ominous visage of a Toyota.    Are you serious?   If we are a part of city government and by that an extension of the U.S., shouldn't we be driving cars made in the U.S.?  Stick with Mopar, Chevy, or Ford.   You need to show some love for Detroit!   


     Wow, pretty heavy stuff coming from me.   Usually I stay away from this type of subject, but if you know me, you know I can get my dander up when the right button is pushed.   I promise not to publish more than a few of these types of posts.  Next one will have no socially redeeming value, as usual.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

I Blinked



      For just a moment I looked away and what happened?   The Tigers are in first place, a nice surprise.   I watched a Mariner's game with Ichiro leading off, blinked, and there he is in Yankee pinstripes!  It must be the time of year when time is warped by the baseball gods.

 


    The Tigers are finally performing as everyone predicted.   Prince Fielder has done more than hold up his end of the bargain, now others are chipping in. Looks like a race to October. 




  I have long thought of the Mariners as a feeder club for the rest of the major leagues.  But now they seem to have accepted a role as part of the Yankees farm system.   Watching a recent game, there were three former M's starting for the Yanks.   Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, and starting pitcher Freddy Garcia all were in the lineup for the league-leading Bronx Bombers.



     I know I'm doing it again, counting the number of ex-Mariners having great years with other clubs, while the Mariners find themselves in their usual spot, last in their division.   But can you blame me, this trend just seems to go on and on.



     Mariner owners, Nintendo, need to take a long look at management and scouting and shake things up.   Their usual tact is to fire the manager, a guy who is trying to do the best with what is given him.   Not his fault!   What is former Seattle Mariner manager Bob Melvin doing these days?   Oh just leading the Oakland A's to a record that may place them in the top Wild Card spot in the A.L.



    I feel for the current crop of Mariner up n' comers, I wonder if they secretly hope to go to another club where the bad juju of Safeco is flushed from their system.   I see great potential for several players, Dustin Ackely, Kyle Seager, Jason Saunders, and Mike Carp have shown flashes, but will their development climb or plummet?  Justin Smoak, once their prized trade acquisition for Cliff Lee has been sent down to AAA, batting a paltry .189!





    Free agency has not been their friend, signing Chone Figgins has resulted in a bust.  Figgins is currently hitting .189 and the Mariners still owe him $17 million.   








    Time for change in the Emerald City, c'mon can't the Mario Brothers see the need?  I could go on, but the following link is a better illustration of the Mariner front office's ineptitude. 10 Worst Trades In Mariner History





Hey, anybody miss me?