Mulling Some Changes

I haven't written since the end of July.  No shortage of things to write about, I just haven't had the time or the inclination to write.

My heart hasn't been in anything lately.  It might be a sign of age, maybe a sign of being jaded.  My heart just isn't in it.

Athletically, nobody really cares about the officials.  I thought it might be an interesting topic to blog around, but nobody really cares.  I might have to explain what we actually are expected to do.  It would be like stereo instructions: nobody really cares as long as it works.

This blog will change again.  I just have to decide what needs to be done.  Please comment and let me know what you would like me to write about.

-Every athlete owes Arnold Palmer a huge thank you for the money they make now.  Arnold was one of the first to use an agent, and one of the best with the fans.  With Mark McCormick's guidance, he took endorsements to a new level.  Every professional athlete, regardless the sport, owes Arnold a debt of gratitude.

Personally, Arnie was the foil to one of my heroes, Jack Nicklaus.  But I had an Arnie's Army moment.  It was 1993 at the TPC of Michigan.  Arnie was well past his best days, even in the no-cut paradise of the Senior Tour.  Arnie was miles out of the lead, but still playing and hitting some good shots.  On the eighteenth hole, Arnie had hit a good drive, and with a mid iron in his hands took aim at the green.  The smooth move of the club, the blacksmith-like forearms slashing through the ball like Thor's, almost making the earth move.  The ball settled fifteen feed from the hole, a good shot.

As he walked to the green, he had to cross a bridge, which brought him next to the gallery ropes.  He looked in the crowd, nodding and smiling.  I had that moment where it looked like he looked right at me and gave a smile and a wave.  He had no idea who I was.  It crossed my mind that way, and I heard the person next to me, a total stranger, say it, "HE LOOKED RIGHT AT ME AND WAVED."

Truthfully, he didn't.  He had charisma and sure made it feel like he singled you out of the crowd.  I suddenly understood, and gained an even greater respect for Arnold Daniel Palmer.  I wish we had more people like him right now.

-The Chicago Cubs broke their 108 year streak just over a month ago.  If you look back to my post "They Won't Miss My Money", you will find I switched my allegiance to the team of my young childhood, the Cincinnati Reds.

I don't regret the decision.  I am happy for the lifelong Cub fans that were finally satisfied.  I have a Father-in-Law that used to make the trip to Wrigley with his older brothers in the early 50's.  I think of my wife's Grandfather, who passed away in 2003, two months short of his 100th birthday.  He never missed a game from the day he retired.  Look at those dates: he was born the year the Wright Brothers made the first flight.

Feel bad for Cleveland Browns fans: making them a winner, especially with that organization, is going to take a long, long, LONG time.

You Might Be...

I'm going to apologize up front.  I'm going to plagiarize the format, but some of the content has a kernel of truth, or the product of an active imagination.

-If dropping your pants in a parking lot before a ballgame seems totally natural, you might be an umpire.  Or an overserved tailgaiter.

-If you have tossed three generations of the same family out of the same game, and they were all on the field, you might be an umpire.

-If you tossed a father and a daughter out the same game and neither one was on the field, you might be an umpire.

-If the explanation for a particular call begins with, "I'm not sure what the thought process was, but hear me out.", you might be an umpire.

-When you get hit on all five pieces of equipment by foul balls in the same game, you might be an umpire.

-When you carry an I.D. on the field so they can identify the corpse if things go badly, you might be an umpire.

-When you identify bruises by the pitcher that threw the ball, you might be an umpire.  Might also be a catcher.

-Your reason for officiating is money for your kids and it ends up being a way to pay your alimony, you might be an umpire.

-You begin arguments with your wife with words, "On page 47 of the rule book...", you might be an umpire.

-When you call more strikes on your throws to the pitcher than on the pitcher's throws to the plate, you might be an umpire.

-When your dogs barks at you when you come home from work at a regular time instead of four hours later, you might be an umpire.

-When you brand new lawnmower is still new in July, you might be an umpire.

-When you've argued ball and strikes on Christmas morning, you might be an umpire.

-If a coach has ever asked you if his pitcher still has anything on his fastball, you might be an umpire.

-If you love the thought of being part of the game years after you should have left the field, you might be an umpire.

It takes a special person to do the job of calling balls and strikes, fair and foul, safe and out.  I have been privileged to be a part of it.  I look forward to a few more years before I have to walk away.

A Tale of Two Millionaires

It is not unusual for millionaires to square off on an athletic field these days,  Happens daily in Major League Baseball.  It just doesn't happen on a high school field very often.  It happened in our area recently.

The scene was Penn High School during the Sectional Championship Game.  The host school, Penn, was facing Elkhart Memorial High School.  In a scoreless game, Memorial had loaded the bases against Penn's ace pitcher, Skyler Szynski.  Memorial Senior Jon Bailey came to the plate.  It was a battle of millionaires.

Wait...what?

Penn's Skyler Szynski is well known in our area,  As a junior, he was the winning pitcher in last year's State Championship Game.  He throws in the low to mid 90's and has been dominant.  He signed with Indiana University as a Junior, but was being pursued by Major League Baseball teams.  Within two weeks of this showdown, he was drafted by the Oakland A's in the fourth round.  A couple of days later, he signed, receiving a seven figure bonus.

The question in your mind is, "How is Jon Bailey a millionaire?"

He is a millionaire, his bank account doesn't know it yet.

I first became aware of Jon when he was 11, playing Little League.  Always a team player, he took the occasional demotion to the bench, handed out by his father well.  He played hard and worked even harder.  Kids love to hit: Jon loved to take ground balls.  He became fundamentally sound as well as being a good athlete.

By the time high school started, he was into three sports.  He played tennis, something he hadn't done before, made varsity in basketball as a freshman, and continued his baseball career.  By the time he graduated, he earned 11 varsity letters, ironically only earning three in baseball.

One story from his part time job at a local supermarket magnifies his character.  He was given $20 for his lunch and to buy a couple of other necessities during his lunch break.  During the first part of his shift, an elderly lady came through his line with the bare necessities, and was $20 short of meeting her bill.  Jon was aware, and without even worrying about it, paid the rest of the bill out of his pocket.  He called home to see if he could get a little more cash, the only way his mom, and the rest of us found out.

He has been a good teammate, a leader on the field, and a good student.  He worked hard and will be rewarded at the next level by Grace College, which pains me as a Bethel graduate.  The day will come.  He will be a millionaire, even if his bank account never finds out.

What happened in the showdown?  Szynski missed once, blew one by Bailey, and then watched as Jon hit one over the fence to give Memorial a 4-0 lead.  It was his first high school home run.  Penn won the war, scratching out a 5-4 victory.

Will they ever meet again on a baseball field?  It is possible, but doubtful.  They don't play in the same league now.  Hopefully, they play in the same classification where real life happens.

Hundredth Running Surprise

The Indianapolis 500 completed it's hundredth run with something unexpected.  A rookie winner crowned by an age old strategy: milk the gas tank for all it is worth.  Alexander Rossi was the beneficiary of Bryan Herta's strategy to get his face on the Borg Warner Trophy.

The Indianapolis 500 brought out an overlooked part of racing that casual watchers miss.  The number of people who have to perform to win a race is phenomenal.  We talk about the drivers and the cars, but the people that prepare them, the strategists that make the decisions, the people that put together the financial deals to get the cars on the track all had to perform.  One mistake in any area can be enough to end the dream of winning.

An interview with the three drivers who have won four Indy 500's underscored this point.  A.J. Foyt said all the preparation and execution is just as important as having everything go right on a given day.  Rick Mears said any of them could have won 10 and reminisced about his first win when a car left the pit lane and lost it's right rear tire.  It missed his car by inches.

All three drivers named at least one other time they should have won and didn't.  Another thing they all agreed on was there were more drivers who should have won one 500 and didn't than had actually won the race.  It took every bit of preparation, execution, strategy and luck.  One part of the team that failed to perform is enough to make the difference.

Maybe it is overemphasizing winning when there is one winner and, in the words of Dale Earnhardt, "Second place is just the first loser."  Only one face goes on the trophy, and it's not for finishing second.

Wow, What a Change!

It has been a huge change in my life lately.  I can't believe how much it has changed in the last three months.

In February, I was completing the vast majority of sixteen years supporting the Radiology Department with no end in sight.  I was satisfied, but not happy with my work, but I did it very well.  I had learned to be content doing my job.  It was okay.

I had an opportunity to change employers, but chose not to, primarily because of pension considerations.  However, I was presented with the opportunity to change departments and use my business degree.  After all, I have been using my psychology degree every day, i.e.-"What the heck were they thinking?"

Now, I am a department lead in another hospital in the same system.  It is a little daunting, but I am looking forward to the opportunity.  Now that I am over my brief illness, thanks to something I ate.  Just hope I am up to the challenge.

Even so, I am oddly dissatisfied.  I believe it is with my own desires.  I want so much more, but live with the uncertainty that I can complete the task.  Not sure why.  I have the ability.  Maybe my heart is somewhere else.

-James Hinchcliffe has authored a wonderful story, going from the edge of death to the pole position in a year's time.  He was brought into Andretti Motorsports as Danica Patrick's replacement.  The expectations were high, and he didn't produce.  He is a good driver, just hasn't been the driver expected.  After all, he couldn't just wow people by pulling off his helmet like his predecessor.

I think Hinch's perspective has changed.  He was almost on the wrong side of the grass, and that can make a man introspective when he has time to think about it.  Most of the time, they back off and cling to life.  The great ones decide, in the words of Cole Trickle, "They're more afraid of being nothing than they are of being hurt."

Johnny Rutherford lost an entire season to injury in the summer of 1966, lost a year recuperating, and eventually won three Indianapolis 500 mile races.  Nikki Lauda had already won a World Driving Championship when he had his horrific crash at Nurburgring, but won two more after recovery.

Hinch may be on the edge of something great, just like the expectations were when he broke into IndyCar.  Maybe the gentle reminder that you have an expiration date has focused his effort.

-As for officiating and umpiring, my school year activities are winding down.  I will have a few games to work during the summer, thanks to Harris Little League, Fairfield14U, and the Elkhart Titans.  I have a couple of observations at the end of a full year of education based officiating.

First, the games have indeed become faster.  The kids are more skilled and game savvy than they were in my day.  However, they also more likely to give up when behind.  Both are the product of extended seasons because of travel or club sports.  The more they practice and play the higher the skill level, even though they are less fundamentally sound because they make a higher level play without relying on fundamentals.  It makes the play more erratic.  Also born from this is the attitude, it's just a game: I've got another one tomorrow.  If I'm behind, it doesn't matter if I pull it out or try harder.  Another game is around the corner.

Second, parental expectation is off the charts.  Spending a fair amount of money on travel ball, the expectation is that scholarships are in the offing.  Hate to say it, but he freakishly talented with get the opportunity before the hard worker.  Anyone can work hard and get better, but if they can do physically do something without working hard, the next level can be taught and achieved more quickly.

That said, I still say work hard.  The coaches with appreciate the effort and the athlete will be better prepared for real life.  After all, the point of the games is to prepare kids for the game that starts at age 18.

Augusta Delivers

When Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts bought a nursery in Augusta, Georgia in the late 30's,  they knew something.  Alastair Mackenzie worked with Jones to put together a golf course on that piece of land, they knew something.  Wish I knew what they knew.

Eighty years later, the golf course they put together, Augusta National Golf Club, still beguiles and designates a worthy champion every year.  Even though the course has been altered in recent years to "Tigerproof" the layout, the greens had to be divinely inspired.  Their placement and design appoint a champion who navigates them the best on a given year.  It took more than human design to make that happen.

As I settled down on Thursday to watch openring round coverage, the name Danny Willett came up.  He was noted to be twelfth in the World Golf Ranking.  I asked the question. "Who is Danny Willett?"

We know who he is now.  He is the 2016 Master's Champion.  He navigated Augusta National the best on the final day and wound up with the Green Jacket.

Jordan Spieth looked like a repeat champion most of the day, but, based on the way he was swinging, it looked like he would have needed the jacket glued to his body.  He navigated Amen Corner poorly and that made all the difference.

Dustin Johnson played well, but navigated poorly.  It made all the difference.

Lee Westwood has been close in several majors, and he was just short one more time.  Navigated poorly early in the week.

Smylie Kauffman, Bernhard Langer, and Hideki Matsuyama navigated one day poorly.  Enough to not earn a Green Jacket this week.

The golf course found a way to designate the Champion.  It does it a different way every year.  It seems to find the best players and make them Champions.  I believe they have found a good one.  Danny Willet has the guts and nerve of a good one.  We have seen the beginning of another great champion, maybe a new parade of European Champions.

Augusta National will do it again next year.

What Now?

I haven't written in about a month.  I haven't felt like writing.

The new position is challenging me more than expected, but I am learning.  I fall down the steps every day, but at least I am still going forward.  It is more physical than my previous job, making for a lot of tired evenings.

Evenings where I am starting to get baseball field commitments.  I have nineteen dates lined up to umpire.  Surprisingly, all are baseball: not a single softball date among them.  Maybe I don't have the right decoder ring.

Most of our schools are on Spring Break right now, making for a week off.  That's not a bad thing either.  I can keep jogging and exercising.  It makes up for my lousy diet right now.

My birthday came at a lousy time.  Lots of sugar, large meals and junk food means no progress on a body that has lost ten pounds from the start of the year.  I am right about where I was before the holiday season jumped the scales.

I am absolutely magic when I am going nowhere, doing nothing.  It makes me absolutely bear like.  Don't make me angry.  You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.  (Probably had to grow up in the 70's to get that one.)

Yes.  I am in a lousy mood.  It will pass.  I will become my normal, charming self again.  Maybe.

-Personal stuff aside, I didn't even watch the Final Four games last night.   Might be a sign there is something else wrong.  However, like always, I have a couple of thoughts.

Villanova set a record for margin in a National Semifinal against Oklahoma. North Carolina was commanding against an overmatched Syracuse.  My thought, even without seeing the games, is that each team may have played their best game, leading to an anticlimactic Final.  The kind of game with an absolute no name hero and an over/under of 30 on turnovers.

Like always I hope for the best, expect the worst, and be happy with what I get.  Might be a good mindset to watch the Championship game.

I'd mention the Women's Final Four, but you only need one word: Connecticut

-Major League Baseball is back.  I keep hearing Astros and Cubs in the World Series.  It's getting a little nauseating, but there are valid points for both sides.  Houston has young stars which will need to prove they can produce for another season.  For anybody who remembers, I can say Joe Charbonneau and you can follow what I mean.

Who's Joe Charbonneau?  American League Rookie of the Year, 1980.  Batted .289, 23 homers 87 rbi for a last place Indians team.  By 1982, he was out of baseball.  He was last seen as an uncredited extra in The Natural, unless you watch collegiate wooden bat summer baseball. He's managing there. Biggest distinction?  Only 201 major league games in his career and more hair colors than Dennis Rodman, who came along a decade later.

In other words, watch the usual suspects:  Yankees, Red Sox and the Royals once again.  My Angels will have the player to watch in Mike Trout, but will start slow and finish just out of the picture.  It's been a patter the last few years.

In the National League, I see a little Maddon Magic leading the Cubs within a game of the World Series, only to be outdone in Game 6 of the NLCS by a two out, top of the ninth home run by someone who started the season in AA ball.  They proceed to get no hit in Game 7 by a pitcher acquired at the trade deadline.  Likely suspects?  The Mets, Nationals, or, most surprisingly, the Pirates top my list.  It would be fun to say Marlins, just because those were the last team to victimize the Cubs.  Wait 'till next year, indeed.

I'm glad baseball is back.  At least until Indianapolis gets here.

Winds of Change

It only took sixteen years.

Friday was my final day in the radiology department.  Tomorrow morning, I begin work in the Distribution Department.

I'm in the same hospital, pulling on the same rope, just in a different direction.  I will eventually use that degree I worked hard to get.  I will use some of my strongest talents and best abilities.  I will finally show what I can do best for the good of our patients.

I've spent most of the last 16 years in a job that had little to do with my training.  I've done it as well as I could, and tried to serve everyone to the best of my ability.  I believe I have become the best support person a radiology department could hope to have.

I am humbled to have the opportunity to work on the business side.  I have run my own business.  I have hired and fired.  I have developed systems for use that could be followed and taught.  And I finally get to do it for the benefit of our patients.  I look forward to giving top drawer service to our floors to make our patient care even better.

I leave behind a department of people that I have been grateful to serve.  They deliver top drawer service to our patients and are underrated as techs.  Above and beyond is nothing new to our entire department.  I thank them for the ride.

I will miss the people, but still see them.  I will miss working side by side, but know we will still work toward the same goal.  I will miss the stories and the direct effect on diagnosing, then treating disease and illness.

My role as the radiation liaison for Cancer Forums was a specialty.  The number of patients we have helped well outnumber the ones that never made it to Forum.  I pray for continued success.

Some people may think I have taken a step backward.  I have finally taken a step toward using my best skills and abilities for better patient care.  I look forward to being part of another great team.

Back Again

It has been a few weeks.  I've been busy.  Doesn't mean I don't have opinions.

Mostly, disappointments.  Especially the two biggest events of the early year.

-First, the Super Bowl was one of the worst played Championship Games I have ever seen.  Denver won the game with their defense, which was the best part of the game.  Until the Broncos took the lead, I felt Braden Colquitt, the punter, was the MVP.  About the game's execution, I was in favor of it.

One thing I couldn't help but think about was how many titles Peyton Manning would have been part of in Indianapolis if they had half the defense the Broncos had this season.  Manning's brilliance would have rivaled Montana with a better defense.  (I still choke when I think Brady might be in that league). The numbers and the class which Manning operated are in a league of their own.  Pending investigation, of course.

-Today's Daytona 500 did something I didn't expect: made the Super Bowl look scintillating.  Only the inside line worked, and single groove racing is boring racing.  Ask anybody who has been to the Brickyard 400.  It was the Brickyard with a better climate.

The finish was worthy of a major event.  Denny Hamlin had the best car, the only car capable of pulling the outside line close enough to make a winning pass.  Chase Elliot's emergence will inject some new life into NASCAR.  He sounds good when interviewing, drives the wheels off the car, and, as long as he behaves off the track, will be a sponsor's dream.

-Leaving the world of sports, I would like to discuss something of real world importance.  In America, many people have an aversion to jury duty.  I have even joked about needing to follow the law because you don't want your future determined by twelve people that couldn't get out of jury duty.

Having recently served on my second criminal jury, I can tell you the process is better than expected. If the bailiff knows their job, they will make you comfortable, and treat you with dignity and respect. If the judge and lawyers know their job, they will do their best to spare you embarrassment.  You can concentrate on the job of the deciding the outcome of the trial.  

The best part of the trial experience comes after the verdict: in our jurisdiction you meet with the attorneys and the judge where any question is open.  You see all of the for what they are: real people, generally with a sense of humor, doing difficult jobs.  Being professionals, they do their jobs well.  The facts of the case will decide it for you.

I might make it sound trivial, but you do decide the fate of other people, but you are not alone.  I have served with 22 people, who were generally intelligent, fair minded, and down to earth people.  I couldn't have had better people to serve alongside.

Don't lie to get out of it.  Don't make up a plausible story to excuse yourself if it is questionably true.  Don't let your boss threaten to fire you if you are selected.  The law is not on your employer's side for that one.  Besides, the judge is a lawyer and will likely come to your aid.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" is a statement attributed to Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament.  If you can do the good, do it.  Don't expect someone else to do what you can.

Quite A Weekend

I've watched a lot of playoff football over the years.  I saw Frank Reich lead his team from down 35-3 to a win.  I saw the Dolphins go undefeated.  I saw the best running back in the league turned down for a slant pattern at the goal line.

I've never seen a playoff weekend like this before.

Let's start with Kansas City blowing out the Houston Texans.  It ended very early.  It was not pretty.  Maybe the dead giveaway was J.J. Watt playing quarterback.  I honestly believe there was a lack of belief in the Texans locker room.  You don't play J.J. Watt at quarterback if you believe you can win the game.

Steelers/Bengals game was the worst of what football could be and the best of what football could be.  Some of the plays were the best of football, summed by a Willis Reed-like performance starring Ben Roethlisberger.  We also saw the dark side of the best football, summed by awful actions from Vonteaz Burfict, Ryan Shazier, and the Cincinnati Bengal fans.  The NFL is filled with too many thugs, but the fans acting out against an opponent as they did is inexcusable.

As a Seahawk fan from day one, I was pleased to see a win, especially since they hadn't done much in the first three quarters.  I was not pleased to see the defense allow the Vikings inside the ten yard line in the final minute of the game.  It took a reincarnation of Ray Finkel to secure a Seahawk victory.  It just wasn't the Super Bowl.  The bottom line: The weather won the football game, not Seattle.

One normal game in the mix and it was the Packers/Redskins game.  Aaron Rodgers played like he hasn't in several weeks, and the Redskin defense can make a lot of offenses well.  Especially when the Packer defense solved Kirk Cousins.  You like that?

What I like is next week's match-ups.  All four match ups are intriguing. I like Kansas City and Denver in the AFC.  The Chiefs are hot, the Patriots have been faltering down the stretch.  The Chiefs' defense is an overlooked gem.  I know.  They made me a strong competitor in my fantasy football league.  Even with Ben Roethlisberger making a Willis Reed like start in Denver, the Broncos have turned to Peyton Manning to try to advance.  He knows how to do that, and I'll bet he's starving to play one more time.  Hopefully, a last run.  I hate seeing people talk about Peyton Manning the way they have talked about him this season.

In the NFC, I favor Arizona and Carolina.  However, Green Bay may not have shown all their cards two weeks ago when the Cardinals ran the table against the Pack in Arizona.  Arizona's defense is not the Redskins' defense and watch for a big game from Carson Palmer.  Seattle are still the champs, and if anything was proved today, sometimes you just have to find a way to win.  Russell Wilson is a lot younger than Tom Brady, which is why I use this argument here instead of  earlier.  Carolina has a defense which can take over a game.  Look for the Carolina defense to win this game: Cam Newton will have to win the rest to bring a title to Carolina.

So...am I off base?

Playoff Football

What I am about to say is gonna sound downright sacrilegious for an American male.  I finally sat down and watched my first NFL games of the season.  As a Seahawks fan, I watched Seattle at Arizona until they took that away against my wishes.  Finished watching the Chargers and Broncos.

When the weather was good, I umpired fall baseball.  I had work to do on the exterior of the house, followed by a set of pug puppies.  My calendar has been full.  Football fell to the bottom of the list.  A few people might say my priorities are out of order;  I say I'm living in  my world, not someone else's.

What I saw was simple: The NFL plays a boring brand of football.  The Seahawks played dynamic football on both sides of the ball, very inspired and look like a real threat come the playoffs.  Arizona looked like they mailed it in, but they have a lot of talent.  I believe Carolina is the class of the NFC, Arizona is great if the mood strikes them.  Watch out for the Seahawks.  They know how to win a championship.

Denver earned the AFC #1 seed, but it sure looks wide open.  New England has been uninspired the last couple of weeks, very much so today to love to a team that fired it's head coach.  Kansas City and Pittsburgh look the most dangerous to me.  Pittsburgh can score from anywhere on the field, and Antonio Brown is the best receiver in football.  Andy Reid has Kansas City playing inspired football, and he knows how to get to a Conference Championship game. Anything beyond that is a mystery.  I still favor the defending champions, New England.  They're the champs until someone beats them.

I love football, but I really love college football.  Even my Saturday calendar has been full of officiating, umpiring, announcing, and working on the house.  I watched Purdue's opening game at Marshall, then the two playoff games this past Thursday night.  Quite a disappointment that was.

The college playoff games were predictable, leaving a good matchup between Clemson and Alabama.   I hope the game lives up to the hype: it actually has the potential.  Alabama's experience is very attractive to me.  Clemson has a lot of offensive weapons and enough defense to make it very interesting.

Side note: I played in a Fantasy football league for the first time.  The draft process at a restaurant, While the outcome is still pending, I have a chance to tie for the best record in the league, losing the title on a tiebreaker.  I haven't watched a game.  How does this happen?

The NFL has gone to a clinical, by the numbers game.  If you know the numbers, you don't have to see them play.  Follow the numbers, watch the matchups, watch your opponent and what they have on their roster.  I can't be that smart.