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January 30, 2005
Las Vegas Day Six
Today was definitely a Michael Waltrip day! I saw him three times today - at the 5K, at an autograph signing and at a Meet & Greet. He really is great with his fans! The details of the day will have to wait as I'm really tired right now but the above photo is from the autograph signing.
Me with Michael. This was from the Meet & Greet. Jim and I also got a photo taken with both of us with Michael and Kyle Petty. I haven't seen how it came out yet as we won't be picking it up until tomorrow but I suspect it might come out kind of funny and not in a good way as I got taken by surprise in that photo. So luckily Michael was nice enough to pose for another photo with me.
After the Meet & Greet, Jim and I went out to eat at a really good restaurant in the Paris casino. After dinner we went up to the top of their version of the Effiel Tower. I wasn't sure it would be worth the price of admission but the views were incredible from up there!
Posted by silverdsl at 01:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2005
Las Vegas Day Five
Bright and early we got up this morning and headed out to take our helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. We got really lucky because it was nice and sunny in the morning and almost as soon as we got back it got really cloudy. Right now it's raining pretty hard here. But the Grand Canyon trip was amazing and it's definitely the highlight of the trip so far.
Not only did we get to see the Grand Canyon but we also got to see Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam from up above as well. So that made for some really cool photos. It was a bit tricky taking photos from a moving helicopter though! I'd see something and by the time I got focused we were by it. There was also the glare on the glass to contend with. But some of the shots came out neat.
We got to land inside the Grand Canyon on land that belongs to an Indian Reservation, which virtually all it's income comes from these landings. After we landed we got out and walked around for about a half hour. It was just incredible to see the massive walls of the canyon up close. Just seeing a small taste of the Grand Canyon makes me want to go back and explore much more of it.
Everywhere we looked out the helicopter there were some amazing sights of the Grand Canyon, the mountains, the desert, Lake Mead and Las Vegas. I will definitely remember this for a very long time! When I get back I'll have to post some more photos because there were so many awesome sights.
The only unfortunate thing is that we had to miss the tour of Orleans Racing and Las Vegas Motorspeedway that the group went on this morning. It was unavoidable because this was the only time we could take the helicopter ride since it was rescheduled from Wednesday. Even though the group got to very briefly see Brendan Gaughan at Orleans Racing, I think the helicopter ride ended up being something even more memorable than the tour of Orleans Racing would have been.
Then this afternoon we went outlet shopping and then out to eat at the sushi place that we like at the Aladdin.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2005
Las Vegas Day Four
Today the weather cleared up somewhat - yay! So Jim and I took a ride out to Red Rock Canyon, about an hour away from Las Vegas. It was so amazing! I've never seen mountains like we saw in Red Rock Canyon. It was incredible. Now I know it's not anything like the Rocky Mountains or places like that but these mountains still looked pretty huge to me!
Seeing the desert was pretty neat too. I was surprised by how much greenery there actually was. Apparently there's more rain in that area of the desert than there is elsewhere so it can support a lot more than it might somewhere that they only get an inch or two of rain. It was pretty cool to see cacti that were native rather than growing in a pot!
There were still plenty of clouds today unfortunately but the 13-mile scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon was still beautiful anyway. Scenes like this were what we saw all around us.
In the desert after a lot of rain there is always the risk of flash floods. There were several places where it was also very obvious that floods had done quite a bit of damage. After all the rain yesterday there must have been some flooding since we came to this area where water was flowing across the road and there was plenty of standing water elsewhere.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)
Accidents
One thing that made us very nervous driving around today was that there was a huge amount of accidents. Unlike in the New York area where a traffic report talks about congestion on various road and mentions accidents as a cause of traffic tie-ups, here, at least on the station we were listening to, just gives a big long list of places where there are accidents. And everywhere we drove there were accidents were people had rear-ended each other, mostly at lights. The thing is that often it wasn't just two cars, it would be a chain-reaction thing with like ten cars. It seemed that the rain was the cause since they really don't get a lot of rain here. Either the roads were king of oily because it doesn't rain much here or people just aren't used to driving in the rain. I just don't think I've ever seen so many accidents on one day, even when I've driven around in the snow.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:25 AM | Comments (0)
"O" - Cirque du Soleil
Wow! I can't possibly put into words how amazing this show is. It's not a circus but there are trapeze acts and clowns. It's not a ballet but there's all sorts of dancing. It's not a play but it was very theatrical and had a bit of a plot. Overall, it was just a spectacular show and one I'll remember for a very long time. Much of the show was based around a large pool of water, which appeared and disappeared as they needed it. Clearly, a great deal of time was spent developing this show very precisely.
There were three female contortionists who were particularly amazing to me. The way these women bent their bodies backwards and around themselves was so unnatural yet it came easily to them. Just incredible. All the acrobatic and trapeze type acts really were outstanding.
One thing that impressed Jim and I was how the performers had to be so multi-skilled. They needed to be dancers, acrobats, swimmers, divers and performers. Doing this show definitely takes a lot of talent and I really admire those who both performed in this show and created it.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:12 AM | Comments (0)
More From Las Vegas
So here's one of the shots that I took of the strip from the Voodoo Lounge on top of Rio last night. This picture can't do justice to how beautiful and amazing it was to see everything all around in every single direction all lit up. Not just the strip but streetlights and houses every which way that I turned went far into the distance. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.
In spite of the rain, we decided that we would head out to the Hoover Dam because Jim has always wanted to see it and it really wasn't too far of a drive to get there. Unfortunately I forgot to change lenses before I walked over the dam so I didn't have quite as wide of a shot as I would have liked so it's hard to show just how massive the dam actually is. It's incredible to think of how much work and how much mountain and earth was moved to create this dam. We didn't take the tour because we didn't have time but just walking around on top of the dam was quite a sight!
The ride to the Hoover Dam was pretty interesting too. Of course it would have been nicer if it wasn't raining but it was still pretty cool to see the desert and especially all the mountians. It's so different from the way it is in New Jersey that's for sure! There are some mountains out our way but not anything like these.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:04 AM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Las Vegas Day Three
It's been beautiful weather in Las Vegas for a while but of course now that we're here it's pretty much supossed to rain for a good part of the week. We already had to cancel the Grand Canyon helicopter tour we were going to take today and hopefully we can fit it in early on Friday morning, when it might be clear for at least part of the day. I also wanted to go to Red Rock Canyon and that's kind of in doubt since it's supossed to rain all day today and much of tomorrow too. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will clear up at some point so we can head out there.
We switched over from the Aladdin to the Orleans a little while ago. The Orleans is definitely not the Aladdin, where they paid a lot of attention to detail and making sure things were pretty much immaculate. But the room is nice and big and we've got a view of the strip which should look really awesome at night all lit up. I'm really glad we decided to rent the car so we can get back and forth between here and the strip fairly easily.
Last night we went to the Rio to the Voodoo Lounge which is on the 52nd floor. There is an amazing view from up there of the whole strip which was unbelievable to see. If I get a chance later on I'm going to download some of those pics and maybe throw one or two of those up here if they came out okay. I got a very yummy drink there, a Voodoo Doll, made of bananna and stawberry liquior.
Tonight we're going to see Cirque de Soleil's "O" at The Bellagio which I've heard is amazing so I'm really looking forward to that.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2005
Yummy Stuff
So far Jim and I have eaten in a bunch of different places in Las Vegas. I'm all screwed up in terms of when I get hungry because of the time change so that's a problem but hopefully that will straighten out soon. Thus far my favorite meal has been the sushi we had late last night as a snack at the sushi bar here in The Aladdin. The smoked salmon in the Philadelphia Roll was some of the freshest and best I've ever tasted. I could have eaten it all night! Otherwise the other really yummy thing that I had was a Pina Colada at a casual burger place in the Desert Passage. One of the best Pina Coladas I've ever had and I hope I can get another one before we leave. We've tried a couple of restaurants that were recommended but those didn't live up to the hype so I won't waste time blogging about those now.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
Las Vegas Day Two
So today we traveled up and down the strip checking out all the different casinos. It's absolutely unbelievable how huge each one is! Every casino and hotel is so spread out with so much inside - stores, restaurants, theaters, hotel rooms, conference centers and of course the casinos. One of the most impressive in terms of the attention to detail in terms of the theme was The Venetian, a piece of which is pictured above. Great care is taken to make visitors feel like they really are in Venice with Gondola rides through a canal and all. The only thing is that I couldn't help but think of Epcot in Walt Disney World and the Italian area there because much of the architecture and stature were extremely similar.
The Luxor was another cool casino. Jim wasn't too impressed with it but I've always been intrigued by Egypt and the pyramids since I was a little girl. So I thought the Luxor was pretty neat. The only thing is it was very dark inside and I've heard the rooms are that way as well so I'm not sure I would enjoy staying there though.
Of course all of the casinos have fancy restaurants, bars and nightclubs. I took this particular photo outside a seafood resturant where the bottles were embedded in a see-through wall that water flowed through. The photo isn't that clear but I thought it was kind of neat.
There was no way for us to see every casino but so far the one that I thought was the nicest was the Bellagio which we went to last night. That's the fanciest and most expensive one on the strip and everything there is very well taken care of. The fountain show there is amazing too and at some point I'll have to post some photos of that too. As for the one I liked the least I'm not sure but I didn't think The Mirage lived up to the hype in that a lot of books said how nice it was and how much there was to see there.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
I'm Not Plastic
And that is why I'm not sure I fit in here in Las Vegas. I wear makeup but I don't layer myself with it and I'm not into plastic surgery or wearing flashy clothes and jewelry. But that seems to be the look of a lot of the women here. I can dress to impress but the only people I'm trying to impress and make happy is myself and Jim. I like to dress up but I'm not going to put on three inch heels to walk around the strip. I'd rather be comfortable than fashionable I guess.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:02 AM | Comments (0)
Las Vegas Day One
Yes, we did make it to Las Vegas! And we're already having a great time though we are very tired. It's only 9:30 p.m. out here but we're still on East Coast time which has us all messed up.
So we got to Newark Airport bright and early at 6:30 a.m. to make sure we were there early enough to catch our 9:15 a.m. flight. Luckily, while there were a few weather related problems due to ice, we only left about a half hour late which wasn't too bad considering what a huge storm there was over the weekend. The flight wasn't bad though I started to get very restless by hour four of five.
The first thing we did after we picked up our rental car was head to the Aladdin. We ended up with a truly awesome room! The above shot is the view from our room. So we can see the fountain show at the Bellagio across the street right from the room which is so cool. This is a really huge room and the bathroom is bigger than my bedroom at home! It's too bad that we're only staying here two nights but we wouldn't be able to afford it for longer than that. We'll enjoy it while we're here that's for sure!
After we relaxed for a bit we headed up to the Stratosphere where we ate lunch at Top of the World which is a rotating restaurant all the way at the top. The view from up there is amazing! Unfortunately while it's warm in Las Vegas, at least compared to the way it is in New York, it's cloudy so the pics aren't as good as they might be on a sunny day. But it was still pretty neat to see the view of all of Las Vegas from the top of the Stratosphere.
Then tonight we've been walking around the various casinos and checking out the sights. There is so much to see and do, much more than we'll be able to see. I'm looking forward to tomorrow because we're going to try and visit as many of the casinos on the strip as possible.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2005
Yet Another Former Yankee Back
Back in August of 1997, the Yankees traded for Rey Sanchez to play second base. A lot of people barely remember him but I distinctly recall how awesome he was defensively. He then went on to play for a bunch of other teams but apparently the Yankees never forgot about him either because they just signed him for a second go-around in pinstripes. He's 37 so he's surely lost a step in the field and he was never able to hit much but he can play a lot of positions so as a utility guy he should be ok. It's not like they threw at lot of money at him either - just $600,000.
I just wish that the Yankees would look at more players who never played for the Yankees. Sometimes it seems like all they do is re-sign former Yankees, usually when they're at the end of their careers. The Yankees probably want to recapture some of the magic of the most recent World Series wins but there is no way to recreate the specialness of those teams. They just need to work on building the best team they can in the present instead of trying to relive the past.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)
From Daytona FanFest
From Nascar Scene: Apparently Michael Waltrip was asked at FanFest in Daytona last week by a female fan, "Can I take you home? I need a new toy." So Michael responded, "You would just play with me for a little while and throw me off in the corner, and I couldn't handle that." So much I could say but I'll be good... heh.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)
More on Third Watch
Yet another subpar espisode of a show that is increasingly harder and harder to watch. I can't even begin to rehash the ridiculousness of the terrorism part of this episode or Ty's role in covering up the suicide of his father's killer.
Jason Wiles/Bosco fans were thrilled because this was the first episode of the season to feature him for more than 30 seconds. I guess the rest of the season will be him dealing with still trying to recover from being shot. In one scene they showed Faith's daughter recoiling in horror when Bosco's bandage fell off his face because of how "horrible" his scar is. Well, if he was really shot in the face as badly as he supossedly was I would say that the scar would be even more horrific than what they depicted and probably a lot bigger too.
Cruz apparently has some sort of possibly terminal illness which wasn't identified and she is refusing treatment for. Speculation is that it's either HIV/AIDS or cancer. HIV or another sexually transmitted disease makes sense because that would connect it back to the storyline when she got raped. The thing is that as someone pointed out on a fan site, they write the character as an absolute bitch who is impossible to like and then try to garner sympathy for her by having these things happen to her such as the rape and now the illness. It's sad anytime someone goes through those things but I have a had time really feeling sorry for this character considering how nasty she can be and how often she mistreats others.
I really should start watching some of the re-runs. I forget which cable channels carries them but they're on Mondays-Fridays at night. The old shows were the much better ones for sure.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:00 PM | Comments (0)
Just in Time for Our Trip to Las Vegas
Judge Throws Out Lap Dance Law
A Nevada judge threw out a law making it illegal for strippers to fondle or caress their customers during lap dances, saying that it's too vague. So at least for now, until Las Vegas can enact a more specific law, which I'm sure they will do quickly, strippers can no longer be arrested for "fondling" their customers. I wonder if all the strip clubs in Las Vegas are suddenly going to see even more business than usual because of this?
That's really the only aspect of strippers that bothers me - the physical touching. I don't mind if Jim goes to strip clubs and looks at the strippers but more than that wouldn't really go over too well with me. But there are a lot of women who don't even like it when their significant others look at other women, strippers or otherwise. I think it's human nature for both men and women to admire those that they find attractive and I wouldn't expect that to stop just because someone is in a relationship or married. Of course acting on it is a different story but looking doesn't bother me.
Posted by silverdsl at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - Outer Banks Wave
Outer Banks, North Carolina, 2003. This is a photo of a wave at sunset down in the Outer Banks. I just thought it was kind of neat how the light of the setting sun was reflecting off of the wave. I was actually surprised by the waves in the Outer Banks because at least where we were they were a little smaller than I imagined they would be. For some reason having heard talk of rip tides and other hazards of swimming in the Outer Banks I figured the waves would be a lot bigger and rougher than they were. Other parts of the Outer Banks surely have bigger waves as there is much surfing and other water sports but it seemed relatively calm, at least from the beach, where we were.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:52 PM | Comments (0)
Media Overkill
For the past few days I've been wanting to write an entry about Donald Trump's latest marriage but I decided that I did't want to be a part of giving that ridiculousness any more attention than it deserves, but I guess I can't stop myself from writing about it at least a little. I really don't understand why this wedding is getting all the media attention it's been getting. I guess I'm in the minority for not caring about every last detail about this wedding. Most others seem to think it's the most interesting thing ever, but I don't really care about her ring, the place they're getting married in, the food or how many dresses Trump's bride wasted money on. Society's fascination with celebrity and all it's trappings really amazes me sometimes.
The amount of money spent on that wedding is outrageous and sickening. I understand that these folks live a lifestyle that I don't understand and will never be a part of but I think that it's possible to do a wonderful wedding and not spend $3 million. In fact, I know its possible because Jim and I are planning what I hope will be a very nice wedding and we won't be spending a fortune on it. Actually, even the amount we will be spending, which is considered very reasonable and less than most couples spend on their weddings, pains me to spend on an event that is only one day. But I've always dreamed about getting married at an inn in Cape May so to make that happen I have to be willing to spend at least a little money. However, we sure aren't going to spend our life savings on one day, even if that means cutting corners or not doing things the most extravagant ways possible - which is just fine with us.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
Snow Shoveling
Jim and I just got back in from shoveling all the snow from the massive snowstorm from last night. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad. Luckily yesterday we went out during the storm to shovel a couple of times so we wouldn't have all of it piled up to do today. That made a huge difference. The weather forecasters said we were going to get a lot more snow early this morning between 4-9 a.m. but that didn't seem to happen, at least around here. Another good thing was that was the light and fluffy snow as opposed to the heavy, icy stuff so it wasn't to hard to shovel.
I feel pretty good about our chances for being able to catch our flight to Las Vegas tomorrow.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. These chairs were on a nice big lawn that had a wonderful view of the ocean and Marginal Way. I would love to be sitting on those chairs in the warm summer sun, than be here in snowy New Jersey. Of course it's probably even colder and snowier up there right now than it is here!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
Jeff Hammond to Make Pro-Wrestling Debut
Jeff Hammond is a TV commentator for Fox Sports for Nascar events and apparently he will also be a professional wrestler as of February 13th when he wrestles in a tag team match for the TNA during a pay-for-view event. How does this man, or Fox Sports for that matter, expect us to take him seriously as a commentator, which is in essence a journalist, when he participates in an event like this? Wrestling is a completely fake and scripted sport and I think it's something that a professional journalist should steer clear of. I guess Hammond is just trying to have some fun or maybe he's always dreamed of doing some wrestling but it just seems kind of odd that he would participate in this.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)
The Day After Tomorrow...
...Jim and I are leaving for Las Vegas. But besides that The Day After Tomorrow is a movie about how drastic the effects of global warming might be. In the movie tornados destroy Los Angeles and another ice age freezes all of the Northern United States including New York. A scientist sets out to save his son who is trapped in New York and somehow miraculously, when everyone else is dying, he does it.
To say this movie is beyond ridiculous is an understatement. It's certainly possible that global warming will cause climate changes. But on this scale, this quickly? I don't think so. In addition, the plot has holes big enough to drive a fleet of trucks though. Biggest is that there is no way that this guy would be able to make it to New York and rescue his son by foot from Washington D.C. under these conditions, no matter how much arctic experience this guy has. But any number of things just made me roll my eyes about this movie.
The special effects were pretty good though so that was entertaining at points. But there's no way that seeing giant waves crash against the Statue of Liberty or a giant ship float through the streets of Manhattan would make me forget how dreadful the movie really is. Perhaps instead of spending a fortune on the effects, they could have spent a little more money creating a script that was a little better.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Kirk Shelmerdine Sells Sponsorship on Ebay for Speedweeks
Most of the teams in Nascar are part of big organizations that are very well-funded. But there are some drivers, such as Kirk Shelmerdine, who both own and drive their own car, that struggle to find the necessary sponsorship and finances to keep going week after week. So Shermerdine has gotten creative and is selling sponsorship opportunities on Ebay for the qualifying races for the Daytona 500 in February. The decal that he's selling right now is 4"x4" but if the bidding exceeds $7,500 the winner would be given associate sponsor rights, which may include a larger decal or more prominant positioning on the car.
The rules have changed for qualifying in 2005 so it's going to be a lot harder for drivers like Kirk Shelmerdine to get into as many races as he did last season. Now he will have to make it in on speed, which might be tough as his team has usually struggled in that area. So with that in mind he is not including sponsorship for the Daytona 500 as part of this package but if he should make it, the winner will be offered the opportunity to sponsor him in that race separately.
If I had a bunch of spare cash hanging around, I might be inclined to bid on that auction. We could put Jim's website on the car and get the site some extra publicity, even through a Yankees website really doesn't have much to do with Nascar. But it would help out a struggling race team and that is a good thing. However, since I haven't won the lottery lately, I don't think I'll be bidding on that auction! But it really speaks to how expensive things are in Nascar when even being an associate sponsor on Kirk Shelmerdine's car costs $7,500. Primary sponsorship on that car must go for a pretty penny and that is a team that gets little to no attention and doesn't have much success on the track.
For a company it might not be a bad deal putting their logo on his car for Speedweeks since there is a tremendous amount of attention paid to all teams at that time, perhaps more so than for any other Nascar event. Even if Shelmerdine doesn't get too much TV time, there will still be a lot of fans who will see the car in person at the track. But a lot of companies will probably hesitate about sponsoring a not very well-known driver who won't fare well. Which is unfortunate because without additional funding there is no way he will be able to field a more competitive car.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:01 PM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2005
Jade's Blog Bugs Some
Jade Gurss, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s public relations person, has his own blog. When I first heard about Jade's blog I figured it would just be mostly Junior related entries. But it is much more than that. Jade is none to thrilled with the war in Iraq or the current administration and he does not hesitate to make his opinions known on those topics. Anyone who knows me knows how much I like people who aren't afraid to express their opinions even if some people don't like what they have to say. So in spite of the fact that I'm not particularly a fan of Junior, I read Jade's blog all the time, especially since he is an excellent writer.
If anyone is familiar with the typical Nascar demographic one might know that most Nascar fans have conservative beliefs and are most likely to be Republicans. So not surprisingly, Jade's blog entires that are critical of the situation in Iraq or the President do not get a good reception with a lot of people. Now I have no problem with people disagreeing with Jade in relation to his opinions, even strongly, but what's amazing to me is that based on some of the comments, some people feel that Jade should stop writing what he wants to write about in his own personal blog because he has opinions that are different than most of his readers. That bothers me. This is Jade's personal blog and therefore he should have the right to blog about whatever he wants.
I've discussed here before that I don't understand why some feel so offended by opinions that are different from their own. I just can't wrap my mind around why some people are so intolerant and close-minded that they can't even bare to read opinions that they disagree with. Personally I like to read different viewpoints and opinions. I may not agree with everything that is said but it gets me to think. Jade's blog is often very thought provoking and I think that is a very good thing.
What's even scarier though is the impression that I get that some feel that since Jade's opinions are in the minority, at least as far as the Nascar community goes, he should shut his mouth. Well, just because someone has an unpopular opinion or are in the minority about how they feel, doesn't mean that they don't have the right to express those opinions. Being part of the majority doesn't always make one right. When it comes to opinions everyone should be able to state how they feel without fear of taking heat for it as Jade is now.
There is no question that most people who came over to Jade's blog, at least initially, did so because they were fans of Dale, Jr. So some of those people feel misled because the blog isn't all Junior or all racing all the time. Well, it's the off-season so there isn't always going to be something related to racing or Junior for Jade to blog about. Not only that but I suspect that part of Jade's goal might be to try and expose some people to some new ideas that they might otherwise not read about if not for his blog. That is also a good thing.
What's funny to me are the people who think that Jade would get no hits to his blog if not for his status as Junior's PR person. No doubt that helps get him a lot of traffic but a well-written blog will have readers even if it's written by a nobody. If I can get hits on my blog and I have no connections to anyone of importance than so can anyone else. But the idea that because everyone is Junior or race fans so Jade should cater to those people and what they want to read about is ridiculous. Jade should be writing about what he wants to write about and what he feels is appropriate, regardless of what his audience wants.
I've got to give Jade a lot of credit for speaking his mind. Regardless of who he might be or who he might be connected to it takes some courage to take a stand on issues related to politics. I think that is especially true when the majority of people in Nascar most likely have opinions that are so different from his. I hope he continues to blog about controversial topics no matter how much it might bother some.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)
Going to Las Vegas
Whooo-hoo! Tonight starts the longest vacation I've ever taken at once from work! Yay! Jim and I are going to Las Vegas on Monday through the following Monday and I won't be back at work until Febuary 2. I'm very much looking forward to this trip.
While I'm in Las Vegas I'm going to try to continue to update this blog everyday, mostly with Las Vegas related stuff. So I'm hoping to have some entries about things we do as well as some photos. Supossedly we have internet access in our room at both hotels we'll be staying at so I shouldn't have any problems getting online. So assuming the technical stuff goes right it will just be a matter of finding the time to do some entries.
A note for those folks from NYYFans: Since we will have internet access we will be checking the site and the forum. So we will be able to take care of any problems that crop up just like we do when we are at home. So that doesn't mean anything goes on the forum next week.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
Rogers Clemens Won't Be Retiring After All... Again
Clemens Re-Signed by Astros for $22 Million
After winning the 2004 National League Cy Young Award, Roger Clemens said he was leaning towards retiring... again. It should come as no suprise that he changed his mind and he will now be returning to play for the Houston Astros in 2005 for $18 million. This is the highest salary ever for a pitcher and the highest one year salary for any player. Clemens was outstanding in 2004 so there's no question he deserves to be well-compensated but $18 million is a lot of money for a 42-year old, who is surely at increased risk of injury than younger players regardless of how well he might take care of himself. But after not being able to sign Carlos Beltran the Astros not only had some spare cash on hand but probably also realized that they needed to re-sign Clemens to make their fans happy with at least one thing they did this off-season.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
Crew Members Takes Stand on Alcohol, Quits RCR
David Smith, who worked for Richard Childress Racing in various capacities for 25 years, including as Dale Earnhart's crew chief, has quit because the #07 car will be sponsored next season by Jack Daniels. Smith apparently used to have an alcohol problem until he found God. When he went to work for RCR in 1979 he told Richard Childress that he would work there as long as there were no liquor, dirty magazine or gambling sponsors. But now that Jack Daniels has come on board he said, "If I associated myself with [liquor] and one person took a drink because of me and then went out and drove their car into something or killed someone, how could I live with that?"
I applaud Smith for standing up for what he believes in. It's not easy to take a stand, especially when it involves leaving a job where he's been for 25 years. Even harder is that he has to speak publically about the way he feels and that takes some courage too.
However, I don't quite understand what makes liquor different from any other kind of alcohol. Richard Childress has a winery and presumably some of the revenue from his winery goes into running RCR. All three RCR cars have Budwieser decals on them so that they are eligible for Bud Pole Award funds. Granted a major sponsor will attract a lot more attention than a side business or a decal but the fact remains that RCR has been associated with alcohol and has recieved money from that association for some time. Someone could drive into a tree as a result of drinking beer or wine, just as much as they could drive drunk from drinking alcohol.
Petty Enterprises is one of the only organizations that doesn't put the Bud decal on their cars, because they also take a very strong stand against alcohol or at least the appearance of endorsing it. I would guess that they are also unlikely to ever take sponsorship money from a casino or magazine like Playboy. So it would seem that if Smith wants to stay in Nascar he might want to see if there are any openings at PE.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
Finally Pit Road Speeds to be Electronically Timed
From Jayski's: Pit Road Speed to be electronically timed: Nextel Cup Series director John Darby says hardware for the pit road speeding system is being installed at racetracks and NASCAR hopes to have software perfected in time to use it at the Feb. 20 Daytona 500. NASCAR enforces speed limits on pit road to help protect crewmembers from being hit by cars. Teams have complained that the old monitoring system, which involved officials timing cars by hand with stopwatches, led to inconsistent and inaccurate enforcement. Darby says there wasn't anything wrong with the old system but NASCAR is changing at the teams' request. Under the old system, Darby says, officials had discretion to not penalize drivers who might have sped on pit road, for example, to avoid an accident. But with electronic monitoring, Darby says, officials have no choice but to make speeding penalties black and white, regardless of the circumstances.(USA Today)(1-21-2005)
This is way overdue. In this day and age, with the technology that is available to Nascar, they shouldn't be using stopwatches to monitor pit road speeds. That had led to accusations, which were probably valid, that enforcement of pit road speeds was sometimes arbitrary and inaccurate. This way there is no question about who is speeding and who isn't.
What I don't understand is Darby's comment about how now officials will have no choice but to enforce speeding penalities, even if a guy is trying to avoid an accident. Just as when the official was standing there holding a stopwatch and had to decide whether to penalize a driver or not, when the electronic timing device tells an official that a driver is speeding, they can still decide whether there were any extenuating circumstances. Or perhaps Nascar, who was very resistant to making this change, is seeking to punish the teams who asked for this.
Of course if Nascar can't get the software perfected in time or there are any problems installing the hardware, they won't end up using it, at least not for the first part of the season.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
BANG Closes Shop?
From Jayski's: BANG CLOSED? hearing that BANG Racing, who was to run a limited Busch Series schedule in 2005 has closed its doors. Travis Kvapil, now in the #77 Kodak Dodge, was to driver for BANG, and drove in the Truck Series last season for the team.(1-21-2005)
If this is true it comes as no surprise what-so-ever. Larry MacReynolds suddenly left and Toyota also suddenly pulled their support of BANG last season. I'm thinking this may turn out to be another case of someone pulling the wool over the eyes of a lot of people in Nascar. Alex Meshkin talked big and maybe he had good intentions but everything with BANG seems to have fallen apart in a pretty big way. There was some talk last season of them not paying bills in a timely fashion and I wonder how much truth there is to that.
Travis Kvapil is lucky that he got the offer to drive the #77 because if all he was going to be doing next season was race Busch for BANG he might have some problems right now. Mike Skinner is also lucky that he hooked up with BDR last season when things went bad between Toyota and BANG. Unfortunately the other BANG employees aren't as lucky since they are all out of work. Hopefully they can find positions with other teams.
I would really love to know all the details of what happened with BANG but odds are this will be one more thing that will be swept under the rug.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2005
Photo of the Day - Spaceship Earth
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, Jan. 2004. Here's a shot of Spaceship Earth and some palm trees. I have so many photos of Spaceship Earth! There's a million angles to take photos from. I could probably post a Spaceship Earth Photo of the Day every day for at least a month, maybe even a few months. Something about the design that's on SE that really grabs me. I guess it's because I've always loved taking photos of things with patterns.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)
Jason Wiles To Leave Third Watch
This comes as no suprise to me but Jason Wiles who plays Bosco on Third Watch is leaving at the end of this season. Bosco has been barely seen thus far this season as Wiles was recovering from hernia surgery so TW had the character recovering in the hospital from being shot in the face. Given that they made it questionable as to whether Bosco would ever return to police work I had a feeling that Wiles might not be planning on re-signing for season 7 because having him unable to recover fully would be the perfect way to write him off. Of course since he's the most popular actor on the show many fans are saying that they won't watch once he's gone.
But I'm not suprised that Wiles wants to leave. Third Watch has been dreadful this season. Though somehow many die-hard TW fans think this is an amazing season I think the writing has been incredibly weak. So I suspect that Wiles and all the other cast members who have left the show recently don't want to stay with a sinking ship. This past week's episode was absolutely horrible and completely implausable. Basically it dealt with terrorism, something that is taken incredibly seriously in New York after 9/11, yet the NYPD that was depicted on TW took a very lax attitude toward the terrorist threat, as if they were just dealing with a drug deal. No way would the NYPD not call the FBI and other associated organizations if they captured one of the most wanted terrorists. It's things like that which drive me nuts because it's just sloppy writing.
I would be a little surprised if TW returns for season seven. Many cast members have left and many of the remaining characters have been ruined to the point where it's ridiculous that they still have jobs with the NYPD. It's really a shame what has happend to this show because at one time it really was outstanding. The show featured solid writing and good storylines. Not any more.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:11 PM | Comments (0)
Todd Helton Loses Weight
Before Balco, a player who lost weight in the off-season probably wouldn't attract much attention. But post-Balco and in light of increased testing for steroids by MLB, any time a player loses more than a couple of pounds it's going to get people's attention. So with that perhaps in mind there is a story in The Denver Post about how Todd Helton is losing weight in the off-season due to his new fitness program. Apparently Helton's power numbers were down last season and the thought is because he was too bulky hence the push to lose weight. I can't help but wonder if the Rockies or Helton's people were afraid that if he just showed up at spring training having lost the weight it would raise questions in people's minds about whether the weight loss was due to stopping the use of steroids. Of course it's also possible that the "fitness program" is a cover because Helton did in fact stop using performance enhancers and he's shrinking. I'd like to think that's not the case because I've always liked Helton a lot but you never know. Even the best of guys could be using performance enhancers.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
Ward Burton Still Doesn't Have a Ride for 2005
From Jayski's: AND II Jeff Burton said his brother, Ward, does not have any firm racing plans for this season. "He's a capable driver," Burton says. "Unfortunately, he's gotten caught up in the fact that people want to hire 12-year-olds."(USA Today/AP)(1-20-2005)
It's not just that all the teams want to hire young drivers. XM played Jeff's press conference from yesterday at Daytona and he said that Ward has gotten offers but he's turned them down. In addition, in spite of Jeff trying to convince him otherwise, he will only consider Cup rides. Of course he will also only take a ride that is going to be competitive. So I don't think that leaves Ward with many options and it may make it unlikely that we'll see him back racing any time in the near future. I can understand him not wanting to take a crappy ride. That wouldn't do his career any favors. But I don't understand why he wouldn't consider racing on a different level. There's not as much money or attention paid to the Busch and Truck series but it is a way to continue racing and potentially get back to Cup if he impresses somebody. He has no chance of winning races or making an impression on anybody if he's not racing at all. It's been said that he's on the top of everyone's list if they need to make a driver change but I'm not sure about that. If he's not racing he's out of sight, out of mind, not to mention he seems like he's picky so that may make some teams shy away from him.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman Still Not Talking
From Jayski's: Rusty and Ryan still not talking: #2-Rusty Wallace, 48, and #12-Ryan Newman, 27, had a falling out last fall at Martinsville Speedway. They haven't talked about it since, and the animosity between them has festered. Their strained relationship is generating a fair amount of banter and media attention during Daytona testing. During a Dodge dinner Tuesday night, Wallace was asked if he received a Christmas present from Newman. He laughed, raised an eye and gave a definite ``no.'' A week earlier, Newman was asked how things are going with Wallace. ``We're just peachy,'' he said wryly.(more at the Tampa Tribune)(1-20-2005)
I don't understand how Penske can allow this to continue. Teammates need to be able to share information and work together at certain tracks. Yes, their crew chiefs can do all the talking for them but I think there still needs to be a level of civility between teammates. No one has to be best buddies and it's okay if they don't like each other but I think they need to be able to talk if need be.
What's strange to me is that the incident didn't seem to be that big of a deal to me. It's not like Ryan wrecked Rusty or called him names. I can understand Rusty being frustrated and wanting to express that he felt that things should have gone differently but this seems to take things way too far. I think it's even more ridiculous because I believe Rusty owns part of Ryan's team. So it would seem that would be even more of a reason for the two to be on speaking terms. The only thing I can think of is that there is other bad blood between the two that isn't known publically.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
Hundreds of Giant Squid Wash Up on California Beaches
For some unknown reason 500 or so giant squids washed up on Laguna Beach and Newport Beach in California. Usually these squid are found in the deep sea and only surface at night and it's not common for so many of them to wash to shore like this. These aren't small squids either. Some of them weigh as much as 17 pounds. That must be quite some sight (and smell) to see so many of them washed up on shore like that. I've been to various beaches when lots of jellyfish have washed up but never anything else in such massive quantities.
This reminds me of when I went with my parents to Block Island. One day we were on the beach near a pier, not too long after a big storm and there were some interesting things being found that had washed up, probably due to the storm. One person found a giant starfish which was dead. It was huge and I can still remember the arms dangling down. I've never seen anything like it since.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2005
Photo of the Day - Bear
Bronx Zoo, 2002. Looking at the photos I took at the zoo that day really makes me want to go back to the Bronx Zoo and soon! Unfortunately, I think I'll have to wait until it's a lot warmer and not snowing out. I would guess that most of the animals are hiding out right about now, trying to keep warm.
But look at the claw on that sucker. I definitely wouldn't want to run into a bear in the wild that's for sure!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
Fuel Singer Drops the F-Bomb at Inagural Event
Fuel singer Bret Scallions made quite a big goof-up at an inagural event yesterday hosted by the President's daughters. In the midst of their set Scallions said "Welcome to the greatest fucking country in the world!" Luckily for him the President hadn't arrived yet but in attendance were thousands of kids and their parents as well as church groups. Scallions did immediately realize what he did wrong and apologize, which was a good move, but it was a pretty huge mistake to make in that particular setting. While I'm sure that the majority of people in the audience, including most of the kids, had heard the word before, it just wasn't the right venue to be cursing in.
The irony is that Kid Rock was initially supossed to perform at this event but was dropped because many felt that his lyrics were offensive and inappropriate. Well, I suspect given that Kid Rock would have toned down his act and performed songs appropriate for his audience and the event. Today Kid Rock probably laughted hysterically when he heard this story.
Other acts that performed at the event included Three Doors Down, Ryan Cabrera, Ruben Studdard and Hilary Duff, all of whom managed to perform without cursing.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
Anna Benson to Get Reality Show on VH-1
Anna Benson, the model and wife of Mets pitcher Kris Benson is going to get her own reality show on VH-1, which will apparently chronicle her life as a baseball player's wife. One might ask why she is worthy of a reality show as opposed to the wife of a more well-known player like Alex Rodriguez or another superstar. Well, the reason would be that Anna is not only beautiful but is also known for talking to anyone who will listen about the graphic details of her sex life with her husband. Kris seems to have absolutely no problem what-so-ever with his wife's behavior, which seems a little odd since I'm sure that her comments make him the butt of many jokes among his teammates.
One of her most memorable recent comments was on the Howard Stern Show where she said that she would sleep with all of her husband's teammates if he ever cheated on her. Other comments include talking about how she hadn't had sex with Kris in Shea Stadium... yet, and taking credit for guiding her husband's career, as well as providing guidance to the team's he's been with. Ms. Benson apparently thinks she's the most intelligent woman on the face of the planet and that everyone should be anxious to hear everything she has to say. It's true that people look forward to when she give interviews but that's mostly so they can laugh at her.
I wonder how the Mets feel about this show? Given the nature of much of her most publicized comments this show could end up being very embarassing both for the Bensons, though I suspect they have no idea just how ridiculous this stuff makes them look, and for the Mets organization. It could end up being an interesting summer for the Mets and not just because of what happens on the field.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2005
Up to Four-Week Wait for IPod Shuffle
The demand for Apple's new IPod shuffle is such that customers who order one may have to wait up to four weeks before their order can be filled. Perhaps I'm missing something but the Shuffle doesn't seem all that special to me. There are a lot of similar MP3 devices for similar prices, some of which have more features. So instead of waiting four weeks people could just go get one of those with no wait. But because anything related to IPod is so hot and trendy nothing else would be an acceptable substitute for many folks.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)
More Than a Dozen Bed & Breakfasts in Cape May for Sale
Owners Cite Taxes, Cultural Shifts as Reasons for Selling
This is a troubling trend. At least 14 bed & breakfasts are for sale in Cape May and any number of those are expected to be converted into condos rather than continue as b&bs. Some of the owners cited factors such as the added taxes on hotels in New Jersey that guests don't want to pay, that Cape May isn't as tourist friendly as it used to be, and that increasingly many guests, particularly younger ones, don't like staying at B&Bs because they don't have as many amentities and don't appreciate the history of the old Victorian B&Bs.
Well, Jim and I love going to Cape May and staying in Bed and Breakfasts. I had noticed that there were any number of B&Bs on the market over the past year or so and I just figured it was just coincidence that so many were being sold. But apparently that isn't the case. I would hate to see the day when there aren't many B&Bs left in Cape May because that is exactly one reason why that town is so wonderful and charming.
That some guests don't want to pay the added expenses isn't something unique to staying at a B&B. Any hotel stay in New Jersey requires paying those added taxes. It's cited as an extra $35-40. Well, if $35-40 is a deal-breaker when it comes to going on vacation perhaps those folks shouldn't be going on vacation in the first place. Not that I want to spend extra money when I go away but I understand that there are taxes to be paid and expenses here and there that I can't get away from. I'm not going to skip going to Las Vegas because Jim and I will have to pay taxes on our hotel stay or plane ticket so why would people not come to Cape May because they have to pay taxes on their room?
As for the issue of Cape May not being as tourist friendly as it once was, I've never seen any hint of that and I've been going to Cape May since I was pretty young. There is the issue of the beach tags in that it used to be that all the motels and B&Bs could get buy a supply of beach tags to give to their guests which they (the B&Bs) could use all summer. Now Cape May requires guests to get their own individual beach tags which is an additional fee. I completely support this change. There is increased revenue to be made from guests having to purchase beach tags and that money is used to make improvements to the beaches and do work on other projects. Some also feel that there isn't enough touristy activities in Cape May but that is exactly why we like going to Cape May. There is no boardwalk and it's not the typical Jersey shore town. I would hate to see the beauty of Cape May spoiled by it becoming just like any other town on the shore.
Staying at a B&B isn't for everyone but we love it. From the beauty of the Victorian furnishings and the uniqueness of the rooms to the delicious breakfasts in the mornings. It's always such a wonderful experience. Not every B&B has TVs or full amentities like a Hilton but there are many that do have some of these things. It is those B&Bs that put in TVs or other amenities that will continue to survive and be successful. B&B owners need to be able to be flexible and adjust to the changing needs of their guests. What worked ten years ago might not work today. If most guests want cable TV or to not share a bathroom, then the B&B owners need to find a way to make those things happen, while still keeping with the philosophy of a B&B. Of course there will be some things that just won't be possible to do but sometimes it is necessary to make changes.
The one thing that B&B owners can't do much about are guests that don't appreciate the history of the places they are staying in and Cape May itself. I love the history of Cape May and I read everything I can on that subject. But a lot of people just don't care about things like that. Unfortunately that's something that's unlikely to change either. A lot of folks aren't interested in what came before, only what is happening in the here and now and only what effects them. Sad to say but that might be the ultimate downfall of Cape May, not any of these other issues. Because if you don't have people who appreciate the history of the town they will see no reason not to tear down some of the old Victorian houses and build huge hotels in their place. Which means that Cape May will lose what makes it so unique.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
Ridiculous Waste of Money
Trump's Bride to Wear Ultra-Pricey Dior Gown
When Melissa Knauss marries Donald Trump soon she will be wearing a gown by Christian Dior that costs anywhere from $100,000-$200,000. The gown, which is one of the ugliest wedding dresses that I've ever seen, is made from almost 300 feet of material and featured embriodary and more than 1,500 crystal rhinestones. Apparently the dress took 550 hours just to do the embriodary. It's such a huge dress that instead of sitting in a chair, Strauss will have to sit on a bench. That is until, she changes into another dress, this one by Vera Wang, after the first dance with Trump. So she's going to spend the amount that some people spend on a down payment for a house on a dress that she's not even going to wear all night? Insanity. Of course to Trump and his future bride this is pocket change but it just seems incredibly wasteful to me. Especially since the dress is so ugly it's almost laughable.
Then there's this from the article:
"Knauss, 34, wasn't intimidated by the hunt for her wedding dress or the ceremony of haute couture. 'Most women when they encounter fashion — whether it's in a magazine or in the mall or watching the Golden Globes — they compare it to what they can wear. Melania isn't like that, probably because she was born beautiful,' said Singer."
What's that supossed to mean? That she's somehow better than everyone else because she wasn't intimidated by shopping for her wedding dress or because she was born beautiful? Being beautiful doesn't mean that someone is better than anyone else. Knauss may be able to wear just about anything but she's not the only one. I can also wear a lot of haute couture clothes because I'm also very thin, though not as tall, but why would I want to? I don't need to spend a fortune on my clothes to look good. What someone wears doesn't make them any better or worse than someone else. It's human nature of course that people are judged on appearances but those folks who put too much value on what's on the outside, instead of what's inside a person and who they really are, are missing out on a lot in life.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:30 PM | Comments (0)
Always Spinning
Over on the Sterling Marlin message board there's a woman who posts there who is not only a big Sterling Marlin fan, but also works doing Public Relations for Nashville Motor Speedway I think it is. She also helps out some of their sister tracks at events. Since she's apparently been doing this for a long time she's gotten to know many of the teams and drivers quite well. So apparently she talked to someone at Chip Ganassi Racing who told her about some sort of upcoming annoucement but wouldn't say what it was other than it was something that was "good and exciting."
What's funny to me is that when was there an annoucement, particularly during testing, that a team didn't say was "good and exciting?" Unless a driver is dead, injured or fired, virtually everything that teams do or say gets a positive, shiny spin, otherwise they try to downplay it. Even bad races get cleaned up and spun so that sometimes you think you must have watched a completely different race from the one in the team's race report. Of course they have to do that but someday I'd love to read an honest race report about a bad race. Today our car just sucked, the driver acted like a spoiled brat, the crew screamed at each and the driver's hands had to be removed from around his crew chief's neck after the race. Might make for much more exciting reading!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
Photos of Young Victims of Tsunami Offend Some But Not Others
New York Times Readers Offended
Star Tribune Readers Not Offended
I've discussed before in an entry or two the issue of graphic photos and how often readers are offended when newspapers print those type of photos. What I thought was interesting is how New York Times readers wrote to complain that they thought it was inappropriate for the Times to have printed photos of dead Tsunami victims, some of whom happened to be children. Meanwhile at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, they didn't get any complaints when they printed a photo of parents grieving over their dead child's body, though they expected some. One might think that readers in the Mid-West are more likely to be offended by photos of the young victims of the tsunami that lost their lives but that is apparently not the case.
In relation to the Star Tribune, they spend considerable time thinking about whether or not that particular photos should run. They did get complaints about a photo they ran which showed an Iraqi election official being pulled from his car moments away from being executed and a photo of the Randy Moss fake mooning incident. The readers who complained about the Iraq photo felt it was too graphic for children to see. Yet, the man in the photo hasn't been killed yet. The photo is shocking to see that these things happen in broad daylight in Iraq and it was exactly that reason which prompted the photo editor to run it. Why is it the newspaper's responsibility to shelter these folks' children from things that are shocking or disturbing? It seems to me that is the responsiblity of the parents themselves. As for the Randy Moss incident, one reader felt that the newspaper shouldn't give him so much attention by running his photo because it will encourage him. That may be true that Moss enjoys the attention, but a newspaper can't stop printing news photos because the subject is an attention hog. That deprives the reader of knowing what exactly it was that Moss did that got people so worked up.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)
Randy Johnson Will Have it Rough For a While
Cone and Martinez on Randy Johnson
At an event in Manhattan last night David Cone and Tino Martinez were asked for their thoughts on Randy Johnson as a Yankee. While both thought he would be very successful on the mound, both believe that he will have a rough time adjusting to New York for at least half a season. Tino, who played with RJ in Seattle, says that he expects more "moments" like the incident with the CBS cameraman since RJ is both very intense and private. Well, perhaps New York isn't the best place for him if he's so private that he can't handle being filmed when he walks down a public street very well.
Cone says that RJ is going to have to learn how to compromise with the media, even on game days when he doesn't like to be bothered. I think that is going to be very hard for RJ. He strikes me as a guy who is extremely set in his ways and not used to having to change for anyone. But as Tino points out in the article, the media attention after most regular-season games in New York is on the level of that of post-season games, which is very different from the way it is elsewhere. So the media attention and demands for interviews aren't going to go away, no matter how much RJ hope that it will. And they aren't always going to take "no" as the be-all, end-all answer either. Sometimes like in the situation where the CBS camera man approached him even after RJ turned down an interview with the station, there will be TV or print camera people who will need to get something to use for their respective deadlines. Or there will be reporters who won't take kindly to being treated rudely or turned down repeatedly for interviews and will write about that in the next day's column.
Both are certain that RJ won't be effected on the mound by any off-the-field issues that he may experience. But I'm not so sure about that. Tino cites how it took Roger Clemens a while to adjust to pitching in New York. Well, in the case of Clemens he did seem to struggle on the mound at times during his first year in pinstripes and there are those who feel that is because of the adjustment period. So if Clemens let some of the pressures get to him on the field then the same might be true for RJ as well.
Yankee fans are expecting RJ to dominate in all his starts immediately. However, that may not happen. I wonder how much patience they will show before they start giving him flack if he doesn't perform up to expectations right away? It sure didn't take fans long to turn on Alex Rodriguez and many of them still don't like him because he didn't put up MVP numbers. If RJ doesn't win 20 games next season and all his starts against the Red Sox he may be in for a rough ride in New York and not just from the media. I wonder how well he'll deal with all of that?
Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
Fox Blurs Cartoon Rear End Because of Fear of FCC Reaction
This is ridiculous. The networks are so concerned with getting hit with huge fines from the FCC that they are even concerned with what is in cartoons, even those meant for adults. A naked rear end on The Family Guy was blurred out in one of this past weekend's episodes in spite of the fact that five years ago it was aired unblurred without any problems. Not only was this rear end on a cartoon character but it was a completely non-sexual situation. Sure, cartoons and animated shows can cross the line just as much as any other show can but I think that Fox feels they need to blur an innocent butt show on a cartoon that isn't meant for children is scary. That indicates that far more is probably censored as well, much of which we never hear about. It's truly chilling the effect that Janet Jackson's naked breast has had.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)
When We Need a Break From the Chaos of the Strip...
While Jim and I are in Las Vegas I'm hoping that we can take a trip to Red Rock Canyon. It's about a half hour from the strip in Las Vegas and it's supossed to be really nice. There's a 13-mile scenic drive with pullouts for photo-taking so hopefully we will be able to do that. We're going to be seeing lots of sights in Las Vegas but I'd like to see some of the natural sights as well as all the neon ones. Of course we do have the trip to the Grand Canyon but I'd like to see Red Rock as well since we'll be so close. It'll just be a matter of figuring out what day to go and if we have time.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2005
Nascar Testing
So far half the Cup cars and all of the trucks have done testing at Daytona within the past week. I really have a hard time coming to many conclusions about anything from testing in relation to which teams are locked in for Daytona and which teams need more work. There are so many variables to take into consideration. First of all, each team is working on different things and different setups at any given time. So it's hard to compare teams to each other. Then there's the whole issue of sandbagging in which some teams seem slow because they are holding something back. Then, some say that some of the teams at the top of the speed charts are testing with illegal setups since there is no inspection process for testing. I have no idea why a team might do that but perhaps there is something that they hope to gain from it. So all in all, I find it very difficult to look at the speeds and have it mean much of anything. If a car of truck is fast that might be a great sign for Febuary. Or it might mean nothing. Likewise about a slow team. They might have extra work to do, or maybe not.
Then there's the requisite press conferences and media interviews. Of course every single team has nothing but good things to say about their team and their car or truck. I think a driver could go out there in a car so slow that a tortoise would be faster and they would still say that they have an awesome car. A driver might to ready to smash his crew chief in the face and he'll still say what a great guy he is and how well they get along. There are definitely some interesting things said during these press conferences but sometimes you have to work hard to pick out the honest opinions and the real newsworthy quotes from the standard BS that every driver and team says.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
Gaughan to PPI in a Cup Ride?
Brendan to be Bobby Jr.'s Teammate?
That's Racin' is reporting that Brendan Gaughan is close to signing a deal with PPI to run most or all of the Cup races in 2005 as a teammate to Bobby Hamilton, Jr. I just don't get it. Brendan said very recently that he is racing because he loves racing, not because he needs money so he's not going to take any ride that's offered to him. While Cal Wells seems like a good guy he can't even field one consistantly competitive team with the #32 so how is he going to field two good teams? So I guess I'm a little surprised that Brendan would opt to take this ride. It's definitely a better ride than say the #4 for Morgan-McClure but a second year of struggling in Cup won't impress too many people. If Brendan ends up in the car, I hope that PPI is able to somehow put together a good ride for him. Maybe having teammates to bounce information and ideas off of will end up helping the organization.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2005
Robby Gordon at Dakar
Apparently Robby Gordon finished 12th in this year's running of the Dakar Rally. As one can see from the above photo it is a grueling race that is run in very long stages through a number of different countries. The course is run on a very difficult course and wrecks aren't unusual. In fact, unfortunately two motorcyclists who were running the rally lost their lives. Robby and his co-driver wrecked badly at one point but were able to make repairs and continue on.
I would guess that after a long shower Robby is planning on sleeping for quite some time! Looking at him in the above photos is such a contrast to the way we see him on Nascar race weekends where appearances are just as important as anything else. It sure wouldn't go over well if the drivers looked like that on a regular basis.
Robby running this race shows that he is willing to endure a lot for his love of racing.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)
I Laughed For Two and a Half Hours Straight!
Ok, maybe I wasn't laughing the whole time but it sure did seem that way! Jim and I watched all the shows in Fox's Sunday night comedy lineup and we were hysterical laughing at one point or another in every show. We watched Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Arrested Development and two episodes of Family Guy. Usually I try to watch The Simpsons and Arrested Development but even with those shows half the time I don't pay that close attention. Well, I'm going to have to start watching a little more closely.
Both Malcolm in the Middle and The Simpsons have lost something from when they were first on but both are still a lot better than many other shows. Arrested Development is a show that I've loved since it first came on the air. I love how quirky it is. Some may not enjoy that there is no laugh track to "tell" them when to laugh but I like that it's different than the standard sitcom. I'm also very happy that it's gotten more attention than it used to because hopefully that will keep it on the air. As for the Family Guy I'm very happy that they brought it back. Just a very funny show that is also very quirky. I got Jim a DVD collection of Family Guy episodes and we had a great time watching those a couple of weeks ago!
I don't really watch much TV that isn't sports, news or The Real World on MTV, but I always have enjoyed watching the shows on Fox on Sunday nights.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
Truck Testing Wreck
Tempers Flare After Testing Wreck
The trucks were on the track drafting when Ron Hornaday checked up which set in motion a wreck which collected Jack Sprague, Terry Cook and Ted Musgrave. The trucks of Cook and Musgrave were completely wrecked which was particularly unfortunate for Cook since it was the only truck they brought down to Daytona with them. Musgrave's team brought out their backup truck which was apparently a pretty good one since the last update showed that his was the fastest truck on the track.
Tempers flared over this incident with Musgrave particularly upset with Sprague and I can understand why. It wasn't clear to me exactly whose fault the wreck was but during testing there shouldn't be multi-car wrecks. It's not like a race where everyone is going all out. While incidents do happen and sometimes there will be wrecks, I would think that everyone should be using a little bit of extra care around each other since it's important for the teams to get as much information as possible from testing. Ending up with a wrecked truck just makes for extra work back in the shop when the guys already have so much to do to get ready for the start of the season.
Steve Park hadn't been among the leaders in testing so far but that probably doesn't mean much. The teams will try all sorts of stuff during testing to gain information. So just because a guy doesn't have much speed during testing doesn't mean that he won't have any on race day in Daytona. Especially since some teams sandbag and don't show all their cards. Hopefully that's the case for the #62.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - Mask
New Hope, PA, Fall, 2004. Jim and I like to visit New Hope, Pennsylvania, which is a town filled with craft stores on the Delaware River and Delaware Canal. Lambertville, New Jersey is connected to New Hope via a bridge and it's also another nice town, filled with antique stores. The way that we drive to get there is beautiful and goes right along both the Canal and River, through other towns, many of which are quite tiny. We last drove out there during the fall and I look forward to the next time we can take that drive again when it's warmer out.
This photo is of a mask that was hanging outside a store in New Hope. There were two of them that caught my eye and perhaps I'll post that pic tomorrow or one of the canal. What attracted me to these were the interesting expressions on the faces of the masks which were hand-carved. Lots of neat stuff like that in New Hope.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:01 PM | Comments (0)
Utah Avalanche Deaths Avoidable
It's sad anytime someone loses their live but I find it particularly saddening when someone dies when it could have been avoided. And in the case of the five people who apparently were caught in the avalanche a few days ago in Utah that was the case. These folks in search of untouched powder to ski or snowboard on went into areas marked with skulls and crossbones because of how extreme the avalanche danger was. And for good reason as it turned out. I have no doubt that others disobeyed the signs that were put up to keep people out of the area and these were the unlucky people who gambled and lost big.
These avalanche books remind me of a lot of the stories in my books that discuss deaths in National Parks. While there are countless unavoidable accidents that befall people there are also a lot of situations in which people don't pay attention to warnings or take enough precautions and tradgedy strikes. The natural world can be beautiful but it can also be harsh. Sometimes when people go on vacation to these places they think of it like a Disney theme park and don't think of the dangers as being real. But unfortunately the dangers are very real.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:30 PM | Comments (0)
This Is A Joke Right?
Back in 1994 someone proposed an idea for a "gay" bomb, which was rejected by the U.S. Military. The idea was that a bomb would be filled with an aphrodisiac which would then cause homosexual activity among enemy troops. Apparently this was part of a proposal in which chemicals that effected human behavior would be developed and used as ways to negatively effect morale and discipline in enemy troops. While this particular proposal was rejected apparently the Military is still working on other non-lethal weapons.
My first question would is this even something that would have a negative effect? The troops might love having an increased sexual libido whether they express it with each other or with any women they might come across. Second, some cultures and countries may be more accepting than the United States as it relates to homosexuality and the expression of that in the military. Overall, it seems somewhat laughable that time was spend on developing this as a serious proposal.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:20 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2005
Jets Lose in Overtime to the Steelers
Not too much going on but Jim and I did watch the Jets/Steelers game earlier. For a while things were looking great for the Jets and we were thinking they might win the game. That was pretty astonishing because the Steelers are one of the best teams in the NFL. Well, two missed field goals later, either of which could have won the game for the Jets, and the game went into overtime. Even then the Jets could have had a chance since they had the first possession of the ball but they were unable to make anything happen. Then they were unable to stop the Steelers drive down the field and eventually the Steelers won the game on... you guessed it, a field goal. Great for the Steelers, not great for the Jets who had their chance and blew it. Seems that happens a lot to the Jets. At least they made it into the playoffs and fought hard against a very good team.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2005
Now I Get Why the Drivers Aren't Too Happy
Now it makes a little more sense why some of the drivers aren't too happy with the new set-up at Daytona which allows extra access to see into the garages of the drivers via windows. It's not just that they feel like animals in the zoo. As can be seen in the above photo there are also slots below the windows where fans can shove stuff in for the drivers to autograph.
In theory this is a great idea so the fans can get stuff signed but the drivers don't have to be swarmed by a huge amount of fans swarming them and running after them. However, in reality I'm not so sure this is going to work so well. There will be an endless amount of stuff shoved under there for the drivers to sign and no doubt there will be many fans who will simply camp out in front of their favorite driver's window waiting for him to come over and sign. Then once they start signing every single fan is going to want them to keep on signing. Sure, they can walk away but it's not like they can go hide in the hauler if they don't feel like signing any more. I can see fans getting angry if drivers and crew members don't spend a significant amount of time near the windows interacting with the fans and signing stuff. The fans may not be too sympathetic if a guy just feels like standing around bullshitting with his team. I think it would have been a better idea to just skip the slots and have just the windows. Then fans can see what's going on from fairly close-up but there's no pressure on the drivers to have to take time out and go over and sign.
I heard that they will be charging fans $85 entrance to get into the area where these windows are located. Not every garage has a window so I'll be interested to see how it shakes out during actual race weekends in terms of which teams are actually located in stalls with windows. No doubt this area will be tremendously crowded so it may not be worth the money for a lot of fans because it will be hard to navigate through all the big crowds of fans to get to the windows. Not to mention the already mentioned fans who will camp out in front of certain windows and refuse to move.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
Randy Johnson is an Avid Photographer
What makes the incident between Randy Johnson and the WCBS cameraman even more hard to understand is that RJ is a passionate photographer who once worked for The Daily Trojan, the newspaper at the University of Southern California, where he was a student. While at the Daily Trojan he was a member of the newspaper's photography staff, taking photos of events and various other things around campus. So surely RJ must have some understanding of the need to get photos, or in this case film, on deadline to go with a story.
Not only did he take photos when he was in college but he still does photography to this day. Back on the West Coast I believe he's had at least one exhibition of his work and it's been said that he has some talent. So it's hard for me to understand how he could be so surly to someone who is essentially doing something very similar to what he loves to do.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)
Apple Not Amused by Teen's Website
Since 1998, when he was 13 years old, Nicholas Ciarelli has been publishing insider news and rumors about Apple on his website, Thinksecret.com under a psuedoname. After a report on the site in 2001 tipped off readers to the G4 version of the Powerbook laptop, the site began garnering much attention and millions of page views a month. Apple sent letters to Ciarelli, asking him to cease and desist with publishing what they considered proprietary information to no avail. So now that he accurately predicted the arrival of new software and an inexpensive new computer, Apple decided that they aren't going to put up with it anymore and sued him for illegally misappropriating trade secrets.
More than likely, Apple is trying to go after who is feeding Ciarelli his scoops, as Apple apparently has a non-disclosure clause in the contracts that their employees sign. And for good reason. Leaked information could be used by another company and also takes away from some of the hype of their annoucements. But this kind of imformation is lusted after by technophiles and many sites post the latest information and rumors that they're heard about computers, gadgets and anything related to technology.
Ciarelli says that he is protected by the first amendment but the Uniform Trade Secrets Act says that third parties are prohibited from exposing information from sources that are knowingly bound by confidentiality agreements. More than likely whoever is feeding Ciarelli this information is bound by one of those agreements. I think Ciarelli also gets himself in trouble in the Washington Post article by admitting he makes a profit off the site. He says that most of the money pays for his server bill but then he says that he uses some of it to pay for his tuition. That opens him up to having to pay money to Apple for making a profit off of information illegallly optained about the company.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2005
Look at the Wild Junior-Beast!
One of the new changes that Daytona International Speedway made to make things more fan friendly is add these windows which allows fans to take a peek into the garages while the drivers are doing various things with their cars. It looks just like the way the gorilla exhibit at The Bronx Zoo is, with all the people pressed up against the glass staring at the gorillas.
Apparently not all the drivers are happy with this set-up for exactly that reason, that it makes them feel like they're on display in a zoo. Well, how exactly is it any different than anything else during a race weekend when fans are mobbing them and staring at them? At least this way the fans can see what is going on from fairly close up but they can't get so close that they're in the way and the drivers don't have to worry about having to deal with fans who want to chat or want autographs.
There are drivers who don't want fans to have any access whatsoever to the garage area. That's never going to happen as much as I think it's a good idea to restrict access for security reasons and to make it easier for the teams and drivers to do their jobs. I don't think Nascar is ever going to be able to fully get rid of all the spare people in the garage area. But who knows, maybe this is a step in that direction, in which they limit the direct access more but come up with more of these alternate ways of letting the fans see what happens in the garage area.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
Jeff Burton Does Busch Test in Mexico
Not a big deal really but I'm just wondering why full-time Cup driver Jeff Burton was the one to do the two-day Busch Series testing in Mexico instead of a full-time Busch driver. Did they not want to give one of those drivers an advantage over their peers? That's the only thing I can think of because Jeff Burton doesn't run too many Busch races anymore.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)
MLB Has a New Steroids Policy
Major League Baseball and the player's union have come to an agreement on a new agreement covering the use of steroids. Don't think for one second this is because either party wanted to do this, it's simply because John McCain threatened to introduce legislation to force them to address the issue and also because of the fan backlash and media outcry. This new agreement is a step in the right direction but it doesn't go far enough.
In my opinion, a first offense should be subject to a much longer suspension than just ten days. And second offenders should be subject to season-ending suspensions. Testing positive more than twice should mean a life-time ban. The possiblility of losing a season or their career is the only way to send a message to the players that this wont be tolerated.
What is still unclear to me is if players who test positive or get suspended will be named publically. Because if those positive results aren't known publically, what's to stop a team from coming up with a day-to-day ten day injury to cover a suspension? I think it is essential that players who are found to be using performance enhancers are named. The fear of what the fans and the media will do to players who test positive would be a pretty strong deterrent.
Another thing that could have been stronger is the testing itself. Every player will be tested at least once during the season and some players randomly tested more than once. That is a good thing. But I also think that every player should be tested during the off-season as well since that is when many player use. The agreement says that players will be randomly tested during the off-season so there will probably be players who will use and just hope they don't get tested.
Then there's the issue of HGH. MLB made a big issue of how they added HGH to the list of banned substances. Well, that is something that is completely empty item of note considering it can't be detected in a urine test so essentially MLB doesn't test for it. So players can continue using just as much HGH as they want and will probably never be caught. And I guess there are a lot of players using HGH.
Of course there was no way it was going to happen considering how widespread their use is but I would have liked to have seen stimulants added to the list of banned substances. Of course there are going to be players who use them for medical reasons which is fine. But there are way more players who use them as a pick-me-up than those who have ADD or another condition which requires the use of stimulants. But there was no way that the player's union would agree to anything that covered the use of stimulants because a large chunk of their membership would be effected.
It will be interesting to see what happens now that this policy is in place. I think there will be players caught using next season and beyond. But Donald Fehr, the head of the player's union who says "I will be surprised if over time this doesn't take care of the problem virtually completely," is in dreamland. Players are constantly looking for an edge, some way to be just a little better than the next guy. Right now there are probably any number of companies working on new undetectable performance enhancers. The players have an endless amount of money to pay for this stuff. So MLB is going to have to say on top of everything related to this issue because it's not going away anytime soon in spite of the new agreement.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:44 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ice, Ice, Baby
High Point State Park, Sussex, New Jersey, January, 2005. Here's a close up of the thick layer of ice that was on everything. I really like the way this photo came out!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
Dale Jr.: Finally I Was Able to Afford A Plane!
More Money than A-Rod and He Had to Save Up?
Amazing truly amazing. Today Dale, Jr. gave a press conference on a variety of topics, and he was asked about the plane that he just bought. This is what he said: (WHY DID YOU BUY A PLANE?) "Most of the time I'd ride with the team. It if was a place where they'd helicopter I'd hitch with Tony or Jarrett and they took good care of me, and that invitation is probably still open. I don't know. I just saved up enough money where I felt comfortable doing it. I've been trying to avoid getting a place because it's really expensive, but we got to looking at them and talking about it and it seemed like there was a couple of times where we got stuck and hung up at a few places. With your own plane you don't have to wait on the Napa team or all the guys to show up to take off. I gave Tony Jr. a ticket for every week so he's going to ride with me. And I can charge Jade (Gurss) trips back and forth and make some money back. I can pay everybody back that I hitched with before."
Junior needed to save up to buy a plane? The man earned more money in 2003 (presumably last season too) than Alex Rodriquez, the highest paid man in baseball who spent his extra cash on a Picasso painting. Junior needs to catch a clue. A man who earns more than $20 million a year doesn't need to save up to buy anything unless he is extremely careless with his money and by all reports that is not the case with Junior. The average person will never have a million dollars, let alone earn $20 million a year. Yet Junior is talking about how expensive it is? Give me a break! He had no idea what something being expensive really means. I understand that planes are pricey and Junior doesn't like to spend a lot of money on things but he has more than enough money to buy a whole fleet of planes, let alone one plane. It's great that he's careful with his money and that he wants to ensure that he has some left in the future, assuming that's the reason and not that he blew through all his money, but I just think it's ridiculous for a multi-millionare many times over to publically fret about the cost of a plane and talk about having to "save" for it.
Sometimes I feel like I'm always picking on Junior, but he gives me so much to work with! You don't see Derek Jeter complaining about how expensive things are or Jeff Gordon flashing potentially offensive hand signs.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:58 PM | Comments (0)
Sidney Ponson to Shun Aruba
Fresh off being held in jail in Aruba for ten days for alledgedly punching a judge who contronted him about operating his personal watercraft recklessly, Sidney Ponson has decided that he will no longer call Aruba his homeland and will try to visit there as infrequently as possible. Ponson says that in Aruba it is intolerable because of how much of a celebrity he is so everyone wants to talk to him all the time. Well, now that he's disgraced himself by (alledgedly) punching a judge he may not have to worry quite as much about people running up to him so often. They too might be afraid of getting hit. Maybe he should try being grateful for all the attention. At least he had some fans there; he's none too popular in the U.S. based on much of what seems to be said about him.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:35 PM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ice
High Point State Park, Sussex, NJ, January, 2005. It was so cool to see all the patterns the icy tree branches made as they froze in place. What was also cool was how super-quiet it was there since we were in the middle of the woods and there were very few people and cars around.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:38 PM | Comments (0)
10,000 Users at NYYFans.com!
Today we hit the 10,000th mark for registered users at the forum at NYYFans.com! It's hard to believe that in 2000 Jim started the site and forum as an alternative to the offical forum at Yankees.com just thinking that some of his friends might stop by to chat about the team they all love so much. Well, five years later the site has grown tremendously to the point where it is the largest independent Yankees fan site/forum and probably one of the biggest fan forums for any of the teams. Not only do we have great discussions about the Yankees and baseball in general but we have an annual forum party at Yankee Stadium every summer where members of the forum come from all over the country. It really is incredible what Jim has done with the site!
Posted by silverdsl at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
"The Simple Life" Won't Film at NJ School
The Producers of The Simple Life wanted to film at a middle school in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey and have Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie work as substitute teachers and cafeteria monitors. For some odd reason the school thought this was a great idea but of course many parents were not so thrilled considering much of both women's fame comes from partying and in the case of Paris, an x-rated video. What astonishes me is that the school district didn't shelve this idea on their own, it was only after the producers approached them concerned about the controversy that the filming was cancelled.
There is no doubt that kids are exposed to all sorts of racy and potentially inappropriate material. But a school should be teaching kids about positive topics and exposing them to positive role models, not bringing in two women who are famous for... what exactly? Neither of these two women have done much of consequence other than have a famous last name. A much better use of the school's resources is to bring in men and women from the surrounding community who are successful in business and other industries through hard work, who would be much better examples for these middle school students.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
I Don't Care Why Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt Split
This morning on Good Day New York, one of the lead stories scrolling on the bottom of the screen was speculation about why Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt have decided to separate after four years of marriage. Am I the only person who doesn't care? Affairs, disputes over when to have kids or maybe they just grew apart in a way they didn't think they could overcome. Maybe they'll eventually divorce, maybe they'll get back together, I don't really care either way myself. I just don't understand what the facination is with the need to know the exact details of why it happened when it isn't anyone's business in the first place.
I'm the first person to admit that sometimes a good piece of gossip interests me. That's probably true of everyone. But I don't feel the need to know every detail of every celebrity's personal life. Sure, if it effects the way they do their job or it's particularly newsworthy then I think that it's a legitimate topic of discussion. But speculation about why a marriage has failed? They may not even know themselves all the reasons why. I just think it's unfortunate that there's such a need to know and so much media attention is being given to this story when there are probably much more interesting and more worthy stories to report on.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
Incident Taints Randy Johnson's First Day in New York
On his way to take his physical, the last step before becoming a member of the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson took exception to a TV cameraman from WCBS who was trying to film him walking down the street. Johnson grabbed the camera with his hand to obscure the shot, told the camera man to "Get out of his face," and "Don't talk back to me" when the camera man tried to defend himself. Yankees security then shoved the camera down. Later Johnson apologized and said that the past few days were "overwhelming." Well, better get used to it because in New York the media doesn't step aside and stop filming when they see you coming just because you're "overwhelmed."
I'm sure it's often a pain in the ass to deal with the media all the time. But here's a camera man just trying to do his job and get some tape of RJ heading to his physical for the evening news. If RJ doesn't want to stop and chat all he has to do is keep on walking. Instead he makes it into a confrontation for no apparent reason. It's been said that he gave an interview on WFAN in which he said he was "afraid" when he saw the cameraman running towards him. I'm quite sure they had camera people in Seattle, Houston and Phoenix, some of whom probably rushed towards him at times. That's what happens sometimes because they want to be sure to get their shot. After 20 years in the game he knows what the media is all about and how they operate. I find it very hard to believe that RJ at 6'10" was afraid of a cameraman coming towards him, something that has surely happened to him any number of times before.
I've always loved Randy Johnson the pitcher. He's impressive and dominating on the mound. However, at times Randy Johnson the person could use some improvement. He's got a reputation for being surly and he's gotten into it with teammates to the point where fists have almost flown. In addition, some have said that he has been known to be rude to fans as well when he doesn't feel like dealing with them. The things is that as long as he pitches well and wins his behavior will be tolerated both by fans and by the team. Already many are making excuses for his run-in with the cameraman, saying that it's not really a big deal. Well, if it was Jason Giambi who had a run-in with a member of the media fans would want him strung up outside of Yankee Stadium. And if it were a member of the Red Sox everyone would be saying how unprofessional and unclassy that player is.
Unfortunately I think it's highly unlikely that this is the last incident of this nature with RJ. While I'm sure there are plenty of times that he is pleasant to be around, there is no doubt that he has a history of lashing out and I highly doubt that's going to stop just because he's a Yankee.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ice
High Point State Park, Sussex, New Jersey, January, 2005. Yesterday Jim and I took a drive through Western New Jersey over to a nice little town in Pennsylvania, Milford, which has lots of cool craft and antique stores. On our way back we decided to stop off in High Point State Park, which as one can tell from the name is the highest point in the area, at 1,803 feet above sea level. It's possible to see Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey from the mounument up top.
Last week there was a storm which dumped mostly rain on Long Island and Eastern New Jersey. But up by High Point it was apparently a major ice storm. So every tree, bush, shrub and piece of grass was coated in a thick covering of ice. Which made for some really neat photos. I had been thinking that it would have been better if it was a sunny day but then I realized that if it was then the ice would probably have been melting and also the reflections of the sun off all the ice might have made it hard to take pics.
I've seen the result of ice storms before but I don't think I've ever seen ice this thick on everything before. I guess because of how high the elevation is there, it made for perfect conditions for the ice storm to cover everything entirely and then not melt off as easily as it might at a lower elevation. I could probably have spent all day taking photos there but unfortunately time was extremely limited. But I did get some and I think this week will be "ice" week in my blog.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
Almost Done Deal: Beltran to the Mets
The final details need to be worked out but apparently Carlos Beltran is going to sign with the Mets. It's a $119 million, seven-year deal, with an $11 million signing bonus. That's ridiculous money, in my opinion. There's no doubt that Beltran is a very good player and the Yankees could have used him as the centerfielder of the future since Bernie Williams is in the last year of his contract but that is a huge amount of money. Apparently Beltran's agent, the much-hated Scott Boras, contacted the Yankees over the weekend about a $100 million, six-year deal but the Yankees were unwilling to spend that much money and then have a $40 million luxury tax bill on top of that. So the Yankees apparently do have some limits after all.
A lot of people are extremely upset that the Yankees didn't throw a ton of money at Beltran and sign him. But as much as he would be a good addition, I don't think their 2005 season depended on his presence in the lineup. The Yankees survived last season in spite of Williams being in centerfield and I think they will do the same this season. In 2006 when Williams is gone, the Yankees will target a different centerfielder from those that will be free agents, all of whom will command less money than Beltran. Sure, those players might not be as good as Beltran but I don't think that the Yankees need an All-Star at every position to be successful.
My only issue with this is that because they weren't signing Beltran, the Yankees re-signed Ruben Sierra. He had some big hits for the Yankees the past two years and he's a good guy in the clubhouse but he's awful in the outfield. So he is pretty much locked into being a pinch-hitter and seeing time at DH. I think the Yankees need someone who can come off the bench who is good defensively in the outfield and can hit a little so that person could be used in place of Bernie or any of the other outfielders. Right now it looks like the back-up outfielder will be Bubba Crosby. He's ok in the field but he can't hit much at all. So I wish the Yankees had a better option there.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
