All things are possible. It’s just a matter of putting your mind to it. For instance, I’m a coke addict. The beverage that is. Been drinking so many of them a day for so many years if they were to plant me I’d probably sprout as a sugar cane stalk. I’m finally making a concerted effort on reducing the number of them per day to one or two.
Maybe I should just go cold turkey on them like I did when I quit smoking. Unlike cigarettes, those things won’t kill you in moderation. So I’ll stick with the plan. I’m substituting iced tea and water instead of that 16 oz Coke each time I hit the fridge.
All I know is I’m applying my mind to it and the reduction is working. It’s about making conscious decisions.
Sports Commentary
This is just the tip of the iceberg
I read a story today in the New York Post on a local player on the Wizards Bradley Beal. My guess is this kind of stuff has already been happening and this is just the first recognized incident of fans blaming gambling losses on players and cursing them out after the game because they lost money and making it personal with the player that he has cost them money and is deserving of being treated like Sh*T. I really loved Bradley Beal’s response to the fan and even if he did knock the cap off his head the fan deserved worse and should be removed from the arena for future games.
I knew this crap was coming. The next thing is it’s going to escalate to physical threats and attacks. People aren’t rooting for their team, they root for their gambling money. And when it gets into serious funds and people’s inability to control their own gambling you can be talking about life and death.
So be prepared for this and much worse in the future. Unfortunately, this frustration of gambling losses probably extends into their homes and workplaces.
Ravens and Lamar
Interesting watching the saga of the Ravens and Lamar playing out. My take – it’s the outcome that has been brewing since the start. Rookie quarterbacks who come in and set the world on fire with an organization don’t get paid what they are worth for contributions. By the time they reach the end of that contract, you have a huge gap and all that dedication to the team from a player’s perspective should be compensated. You have done everything they asked for and more. And you’re taking the risk with your own body. Owners and coaches don’t step on the field and get hit like that.
Then you have fair market value. Well, the owners made their own bed by driving up salaries and guarantees. And one guy makes a mistake in Cleveland and fairly the top players say this is the new market value.
It would be my opinion the owners said either to themselves or collectively said we can’t do this and are trying to reestablish the new value for top-tier quarterbacks. And forget that and just look at how the Ravens are run. They are not afraid to let go of established players in their primes. They keep a cycle of good young players, a mix of a few veterans and a few scattered stars they get at a bargain and sometimes pay handsomely while they are here but there is always churning. And the way the league is set up with salary caps teams decides on the balance of superstars or distributed talent.
Kansas City won last year with a ton of rookies who stepped in with established pros and a superstar quarterback. As those very talented rookies continue to develop can they afford to pay everyone in a few years? Nope.
What I can’t figure out is the Jets and Rodgers. Why wouldn’t the Jets want a QB who is over a decade younger and in the same class of talent?
As far as Lamar, I understand if he feels like he hasn’t been treated fairly. But it’s the same lesson we all learn. While the competition on the field might be fair, running those NFL businesses the goal isn’t fairness, it’s who keeps the most money and management holds a lot of the strings.
I think it’s a matter of Lamar wanting maybe just a little (and I mean little) more than his going rate and that the Ravens aren’t coming up with their best offer because they aren’t going to change their stripes in how they run the organization.
Baseball Season
I’m excited about the start of the season Thursday. I think some of these rule changes will help the game from a fan’s perspective. I’ll give baseball one thing. They get the All-Star game right. Every player is giving their best. There is a home-field advantage for the winning team in the World Series. NBA and NFL should just skip their All-Star events, they are nothing more than a poor exhibition.
As I used the hear the little league ump yell. PLAY BALL
Random Thoughts of the Day
- It’s almost the blooming end of March.
- I did some metalwork today. The furnace filter track got bent so I brought out the persuader.
- Finding a better balance today.
- Sometimes you make an impact without fully realizing it.
