The 2009 World Series have just started on Wednesday with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies facing off against the New York Yankees. A lot of the sports columnists, sports talk hosts, etc. said that when the baseball playoffs began that the Yankees and the Los Angeles will both end up in the World Series because Joe Torre would face the team where he won four World Series titles with during his tenure there. Oops, it did not end up that way because the Phils took the Dodgers out in 5 games ( and I like Joe and the Dodgers, too.)
Who is the overall favorite to win it all?
Despite the fact that the Phillies won the title last year, the oddsmakers picked the Yankees to defeat them in the series. New York, a club that have won 26 World Series titles, has a collection of all-stars and high priced but yet very effective free agents, were able to have the best overall record in the 2009 Major League Baseball. The Phillies, a franchise who won-loss record is definitely something not to write home about (especially within the first 100 year history of the club) has been a major playoff contender for the last few years. However, during the regular season, it seemed that the critics have been sleeping on the champs and taking about the other team in the National League. In the end, look who ended up in the World Series, that's right: Philadelphia. The starters for game 1 were CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Right now in Ohio, a lot of Cleveland Indians fans are pretty much upset about this matchup because both Sabathia and Lee were in the Indians pitching rotation as recently as July 2008, right before CC was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers( who ended up going to the playoffs on the strength of his pitching performances) and Lee (along with Ben Francisco) was traded to Philly last July (Lee became another important piece to the Phillies run to the playoffs.) The Indians had both starting pitchers and couldn't keep at least one of them for their own rotation and now they are in the World Series together.
My choice to take the title
If I was a betting man, I would choose the Philadelphia Philles to beat the New York Yakees in seven games. It is going the distance, by I see the Phillies taking the 2009 crown. Granted I like the Yankees ( and that says a lot because living in Ohio you are supposed to hate the Yankees) but Philadelphia has shown in this year's playoffs that when the chips are down, they can find a way to rally together as a team and win the important games down the stretch.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Balloon Boy Bursts into Oblivion
I know that everyone has heard about the whole Balloon Boy saga along with finding out that the story was a hoax. I remember hearing about the story on the evening news and hearing about how people were being captivated by this story and how people were glued to their TV screen and seeing how this was going to end ( I had no idea that this was going on until seeing it later on that night in the news.) Later that night when the kid was "found" and was interviewed on Larry King, he said it "was all for the show." I said to myself "that didn't sound good", especially if this was for a rescue mission. By the next morning, while the family were doing a series of TV interviews for the morning news programs people were starting to get really skeptical about the family's account of what happened. By the early part of the next week, true came out that the story was staged and it a hoax so that the family could get a reality show out of the whole deal.
What is wrong with people today? In the I-wanna-be-a-star-right-now culture we are living now, folks are willing to do anything to become famous ( in some cases, it's all about being infamous than famous.) Instead of using the God-given talent they are presented with or at least learn a talent, and spend valuable time and energy on the craft so that they can become really good or even great at it, people are willing to do anything to become a star. This may sound crazy, but fame is a drug for many people because it is as addictive as cocaine, heroin or anything perscribed by a doctor. Also, like a true addict, people are willing to do anything for it, whether it is losing their self respect or embarrass themselves on camera(or behind the microphone by saying crazy); exploit family members so that they can ride on the coattails oftheir sibling's success or even willing to lose their own money in order to become famous (You don't have to chase money because if you work hard enough and never give up on your dream, the money will come along.)
Blame it on the ...
I blame the parents, specifically the dad, for creating this hoax so that he could get some face time on TV and hopefully segue this into a show on the air. The mother was a willing participant but from according to the TV news reports, she was, at times, subservient to her husband and did everything he told her to do.The media is also fault for even covering this story (it had to be a slow news day for them to talk about this incident.) What they need to do is to cover stories that doesn't get any attention at all instead of talking about foolish stories about balloon boy (the nickname is funny because the boy was never in the balloon in the first place) and the nonsense fluff that should not get any attention.
What is wrong with people today? In the I-wanna-be-a-star-right-now culture we are living now, folks are willing to do anything to become famous ( in some cases, it's all about being infamous than famous.) Instead of using the God-given talent they are presented with or at least learn a talent, and spend valuable time and energy on the craft so that they can become really good or even great at it, people are willing to do anything to become a star. This may sound crazy, but fame is a drug for many people because it is as addictive as cocaine, heroin or anything perscribed by a doctor. Also, like a true addict, people are willing to do anything for it, whether it is losing their self respect or embarrass themselves on camera(or behind the microphone by saying crazy); exploit family members so that they can ride on the coattails oftheir sibling's success or even willing to lose their own money in order to become famous (You don't have to chase money because if you work hard enough and never give up on your dream, the money will come along.)
Blame it on the ...
I blame the parents, specifically the dad, for creating this hoax so that he could get some face time on TV and hopefully segue this into a show on the air. The mother was a willing participant but from according to the TV news reports, she was, at times, subservient to her husband and did everything he told her to do.The media is also fault for even covering this story (it had to be a slow news day for them to talk about this incident.) What they need to do is to cover stories that doesn't get any attention at all instead of talking about foolish stories about balloon boy (the nickname is funny because the boy was never in the balloon in the first place) and the nonsense fluff that should not get any attention.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Step It Up America- We Have A Major Problem On Our Hands
The senseless death of Derrion Albert, the 16-year old Chicago student who was caught up
and severely beaten by a group of teens during a fight in the city, makes you ask yourself what
is wrong with people nowadays- have they lost their mind? There are plenty of factors to blame for this tragedy and here they are:
The Students: If you watch the video either on the news or on YouTube (it is a very horrific video to watch) you noticed a bunch of students/teens watch the fight take place and no one did not bother to step in and stop the beating. Someone recorded the beating on a camera phone, but everybody else stood there and doing nothing while a fellow student was attacked and severely beaten until he was knocked unconscious. It wasn't until after someone kicked Albert in the head after he regained consciousness when a few people carried him out of harm's way and to a safe area, where he eventually passed away from his injuries.
The Police: You only wish that there was a regular police presence at every school zone in Chicago because they need it really bad. In the 2008-09 school year, 37 Chicago students were murdered, up from 27 deathsin the previous school year and so far in the 2009-10 school year, four have passed by because of violence. The school year just started a little over a month ago and four students have already died! That doesn't make any sense at all.
The Parents: For the most part, the majority of the parents out there really care about how well (or poorly) their child is doing in school. They will find ways to improve their kid's reading habits; try to solve their math problems; help out with their science projects; and perform volunteer activities at the school. However, there is a segment of parents out there who could care less about what their kid is doing at school.
If you have one parent or both parents spending more time running the streets than staying
at home teaching their child or children values, respecting other people and discipline them if they get out of line, then we wouldn't have so much problem with teens in this country (you are gonna have some problems with kids anyway because it's always been that way, but it wouldn't be as bad as it is now.) Parents need to get involved in their child (or children's) school activities. For example them should show their support at football and basketball games, but they must also need to attend Open House and get involved in any school-related activities such as Bake Sales, Parent Teacher Conferences, PTA Meetings, etc. The goal here is find out their child's progress (good or bad) at school, and find ways to make them a better student.
The School: If is a tough world out there for teachers. Even though you have some teachers have the "as long as they ctc (Cut The Check) I will show up and do some work" attitude, for the most part, teachers are doing the best that they can. Nowadays, teachers are more than just educators because they are also: counselors, disciplinarians, therapists, and in some cases another parent/guardian. If as student gets out of line, a teacher can't grab the kid and discipline them (the use of a paddle, etc.)like they used to years ago.(It seems that once capital punishment was taken out of school, the amount of violence has increased a great deal. You always had kids fight at school, but that was as far as it got.)
The Community: Right now, four teens are in jail without bail facing murder charges. However, the Chicago Police Department said that out of all the people who witnessed the beating, not one person has come forward and tell them what happened and who was involved in the crime. This whole "Stop Snitching" nonsense is just that: nonsense, and it has to stop now! These folks have to realize that if they have some information about a crime, that they contact the police department by remaining anonymous.They can either call, send an email, fax or text to the cops and no one is going to find out who gave up the info.
One of my favorite shows is "The First 48, a program that illustrates how detective can solve
a murder within the first 48 hours. In a number of episodes, there are some people who saw
the murder take place and once they are in the interrogation room at the police station, they refuse to talk to the detectives. Once the detectives tell them that if they withhold any information about a murder case, they would spend some time in jail, they start singing like
a canary by telling the detectives the suspect(s) name, their nickname, where they live at,
a detailed description on what the suspect(s) wore when the crime took place etc. The show
is living proof that the "Stop Stitchin" theory doesn't exist when you are staring at a possible jail sentence because it doesn't make any sense for you to go to jail for someone else's stupidity.
America needs to wake up and see that people, in this specific case, African-American teens, are dying in the streets because of gun violence. Everyone must get together, take a stand and put an end to it immediately because if we don't, it is going to get worse as the days, weeks, months and years go on.
and severely beaten by a group of teens during a fight in the city, makes you ask yourself what
is wrong with people nowadays- have they lost their mind? There are plenty of factors to blame for this tragedy and here they are:
The Students: If you watch the video either on the news or on YouTube (it is a very horrific video to watch) you noticed a bunch of students/teens watch the fight take place and no one did not bother to step in and stop the beating. Someone recorded the beating on a camera phone, but everybody else stood there and doing nothing while a fellow student was attacked and severely beaten until he was knocked unconscious. It wasn't until after someone kicked Albert in the head after he regained consciousness when a few people carried him out of harm's way and to a safe area, where he eventually passed away from his injuries.
The Police: You only wish that there was a regular police presence at every school zone in Chicago because they need it really bad. In the 2008-09 school year, 37 Chicago students were murdered, up from 27 deathsin the previous school year and so far in the 2009-10 school year, four have passed by because of violence. The school year just started a little over a month ago and four students have already died! That doesn't make any sense at all.
The Parents: For the most part, the majority of the parents out there really care about how well (or poorly) their child is doing in school. They will find ways to improve their kid's reading habits; try to solve their math problems; help out with their science projects; and perform volunteer activities at the school. However, there is a segment of parents out there who could care less about what their kid is doing at school.
If you have one parent or both parents spending more time running the streets than staying
at home teaching their child or children values, respecting other people and discipline them if they get out of line, then we wouldn't have so much problem with teens in this country (you are gonna have some problems with kids anyway because it's always been that way, but it wouldn't be as bad as it is now.) Parents need to get involved in their child (or children's) school activities. For example them should show their support at football and basketball games, but they must also need to attend Open House and get involved in any school-related activities such as Bake Sales, Parent Teacher Conferences, PTA Meetings, etc. The goal here is find out their child's progress (good or bad) at school, and find ways to make them a better student.
The School: If is a tough world out there for teachers. Even though you have some teachers have the "as long as they ctc (Cut The Check) I will show up and do some work" attitude, for the most part, teachers are doing the best that they can. Nowadays, teachers are more than just educators because they are also: counselors, disciplinarians, therapists, and in some cases another parent/guardian. If as student gets out of line, a teacher can't grab the kid and discipline them (the use of a paddle, etc.)like they used to years ago.(It seems that once capital punishment was taken out of school, the amount of violence has increased a great deal. You always had kids fight at school, but that was as far as it got.)
The Community: Right now, four teens are in jail without bail facing murder charges. However, the Chicago Police Department said that out of all the people who witnessed the beating, not one person has come forward and tell them what happened and who was involved in the crime. This whole "Stop Snitching" nonsense is just that: nonsense, and it has to stop now! These folks have to realize that if they have some information about a crime, that they contact the police department by remaining anonymous.They can either call, send an email, fax or text to the cops and no one is going to find out who gave up the info.
One of my favorite shows is "The First 48, a program that illustrates how detective can solve
a murder within the first 48 hours. In a number of episodes, there are some people who saw
the murder take place and once they are in the interrogation room at the police station, they refuse to talk to the detectives. Once the detectives tell them that if they withhold any information about a murder case, they would spend some time in jail, they start singing like
a canary by telling the detectives the suspect(s) name, their nickname, where they live at,
a detailed description on what the suspect(s) wore when the crime took place etc. The show
is living proof that the "Stop Stitchin" theory doesn't exist when you are staring at a possible jail sentence because it doesn't make any sense for you to go to jail for someone else's stupidity.
America needs to wake up and see that people, in this specific case, African-American teens, are dying in the streets because of gun violence. Everyone must get together, take a stand and put an end to it immediately because if we don't, it is going to get worse as the days, weeks, months and years go on.
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