Why I admire Vince McMahon

Though I wouldn't mind the disposable income there are other things that I really respect about Vince McMahon. This man created an empire known as the WWE. The WWE is so huge and has such a large following built up over the years and I give 100% credit for this to Vince and his actions as owner of the league. Some owners and creators of leagues are just greedy and rely on people around them to get things done but not Vince. He has such a level of creative thinking that you really never know what is going to come next.
The latest news with Vince came where he had reserved an arena in Denver for a Monday night show but was told he could not have the arena due to a Denver Nugget playoff game that would take place even though he had a contract to use the arena for that night. At this point Vince was faced with a choice; he could mope away and act disappointed that he had to move his event or he could make a show out of it.
Vince took the later root in taking shots at the owner of the Pepsi center, E. Stan Kronke. He held an interview on ESPN where he stated that Kronke should be arrested for interpreting a good business man. To add insult to injury Vince moved his event to the home of the LA Lakers who are playing the Denver Nuggets. Was Vince done? No. He hired an actor to play Mr. Kronke and come out to the ring to open up the Monday night show. He made fun of Kronke having an initial as a first name and not having faith in his NBA team to do well in the playoffs. He then stated that when you push the WWE fans around the WWE pushes back as he proceeded to push Kronke out of the ring.
Vince took what could have been a let down to his organization and turned it into a chance to gain press attention and turn it against the Nugget ownership. I admire anyone who can be so creative and turn a possible negative situation into such a positive.

Walk off Weekend for the Yankees

This past weekend the Twins came into Yankee stadium and it was one of the most entertaining weekend series that I can remember in a long time. It wasn't the fact that the Yankees managed to win three games in a row but it was in the style that they did so. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all classic games. To make this series even more memorable for me I was able to make the Friday night and Sunday afternoon games.
Friday was a game where the Yankees looked somewhat flat and they didn't appear to have much of a chance to win through the first five or six innings. The player who had the most to do with the Yankees winning this game would be Brett Gardner. In the seventh the Yankees were down 4-1 where a hit by Brett took a funny bounce which he took advantage of to produce a no doubt about it- inside the park home run. Gardner is so fast that he really did not have to slide into home plate as he could have made it in standing with time to spare. In the ninth inning Gardner led off the game with a triple, giving the Yankees the spark they needed to start up the three run ninth inning needed to win the game. Melky Cabrera won the game with a walk off single.
Sundays game was a game where you had the feeling throughout that it was going to come down to one big hit, which it did. Pitching was key for both teams as AJ Burnett and Kevin Slowey worked their way out of jams up until the seventh inning where both pitchers gave up two runs. After the seventh inning there were several blown opportunities by both teams where the Yankees and Twins both left several runners in scoring position. The game ended in the bottom of the tenth with a walk off home run from Johnny Damon.
I can not remember the last time there were three consecutive walk off wins for the Yankees. In a season where I am somewhat down on the team in the way they were put together in a poor fashion and the organization forgot about their true fans the events of this weekend helped to peek my interest in them once again. How can you not be intrigued when there are walk offs left and right?

Craigslist says it will drop 'erotic services' ads

While looking through some news articles today I came across the fact that craigslist will soon be dropping its erotic services ad section of the web page. There has been pressure to do this due to the recent violent acts that have taken place over the past few weeks where individuals have met on the adult section of craigslist and led to violent crimes being committed. I can totally see why craigslist is making this move due to the increased pressure from individuals but the question I ask is, do you really think that this move by craigslist will do enough to curve to problem of people meeting online and violent acts taking place?
My answer to that question is an obvious no. What this move by craigslist will do is make it more difficult for people to find a free area to meet others. In this age of the quickly changing internet I am sure there will be some creep more than happy to fill the hole that craigslist used to fill in adding an erotic services section to their web page.
The answer to this growing problem is that people need to better understand the dangers of the internet and use it in a safe way. If you have any questions about what is safe internet usage, a page like this is a good place to start in your search for more information. The fact that craigslist is taking down this section is not an answer to the problem we are having, it is a start but as long as we don't see this as a final solution but as a start towards a solution we are on the right track.

Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom

While looking at the news this morning there was one story that caught my attention. The story is about a 17 year old boy who was told by his Christian school that he would receive incomplete grades on the remainder of his assignments and not be allowed to walk during graduation. Before the start of the school year the student did sign a form that set certain rules in place for the upcoming year but how much should that apply to a student's out of class activities?
This school in Ohio sees rock music as "part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds." You can see by this example that even though this school is a private institution that has a right to make their own rules, they take it to a new extreme level. From someone who went to a private high school I can understand them having tougher rules against drugs and alcohol but having rules against certain kids of music, hand holding, and kissing is just another story.
I really don't feel that raising kids in such a sheltered environment is the best way to go about it. Eventually, whether the parents like it or not, the kids will be exposed to the real world and certain things that you may be trying to hide them from. If you gradually let your kids experience certain aspects of life they will be a lot less shocked when they one day have to live in the real world.
This student has even expressed the fact that he understands the dangers of alcohol and sex on prom night but that did not seem to be enough to appease the principal and members of the school board. Proms are part of the normal high school lives for a great number of high school students and there is no reason to think that this student should not be allowed to go to a prom, even if he does go to a school with some harsher rules.

Baseball Fans in the tough economy

One of my favorite topics to read about has anything to do with baseball and how it relates to the business world. The article that I saw in today's Wall Street Journal has to do with exactly this and how some fans are taking advantage of tough economic times. The gist of the article is the fact that some teams are doing more to make the experience more enjoyable for the season ticket holders, something that I feel is long overdue.
Just think about it for a minute, how devoted do you have to be to buy all 61 home games on your favorite team's schedule? The answer to that is that you have to be a huge fan who if you ask me may deserve a little extra based on your devotion to the home team. Some of the benefits that teams may offer are earlier entrance times into the ball park so that the season ticket holders can have a chance to take in some extra batting practice. Another common benefit being offered to the season ticket holders are meet and greet sessions with the players.
Times are tough right now and it is about time for some of these organizations to realize that the business they are still getting is coming from some of the most loyal fans in the world, the season ticket holders.

Taking Issue with the Yankees

This past weekend the Yankees played a three game set against the Red Sox and were throughly embarrassed. After losing three consecutive games up in Boston the Yankees record dropped to .500 with a 9-9 record. Boston on the other hand have won ten straight games. The Yankees flaws are not simple as they involve many aspects of the way they are playing and can not be remedied with simple trades and call ups. I am afraid to say it but what the Yankees need is a shakeup to the core of the franchise.
Let's start with the game this past Friday night. Mariano Rivera was on the mound with a 4-2 lead and gave up a ninth inning bomb to Jason Bay which tied the game. The game ended in extra innings where Youk hit a walk off home run to beat the Yanks. I am not saying that I don't want Rivera closing for the Yankees but what I am getting at is the fact that they need to start preparing for the post-Rivera era. Rivera used to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees but when they got smart enough to put him in the bullpen they had him as a setup man for John Wetland. What the Yankees need to do is to put Jaba back into a setup man role so that they have the crucial closer position taken care of when Mariano does leave.
Saturday the Yankees had the offense to win the game but the pitching did not follow suit. The Yankees had a 6-0 lead only to see AJ Burnett blow the lead when he gave up eight runs over the next two innings. With the kind of contract the Yanks gave AJ this kind of performance against Boston when the team had a demoralizing loss the night before is just not acceptable. You get paid that big money for a reason and that reason is so that you will be 'the stopper'. The stopper is the guy who when given the ball when it is his turn to pitch is prepared to bring a team out of whatever kind of slump they may be going through at the time.
Sunday was a tougher loss because there was no single person who can be held responsible for their sub par performance. One thing I will point at from Sunday is the fact that the Yankees gave up three runs in the fifth inning. This is okay with me as long as they have some fight and come out hot the following inning to attempt to switch the momentum. The top of the sixth for the Yankees was a flat inning with nothing spectacular, letting Boston keep the momentum and ultimately the ball game.
I will always be a Yankee fan but I will admit that I find it harder and harder to put my full devotion into this ball club. The fact that they may not be winning has nothing to do with it, it has to do with the way the team has been formed and the way they are treating the true fans. I said this before the season starting and I will say it again, paying the best players available huge sums of money is not the way you put together a winning ball club. You need role players and I can count the number of role players that the Yankees have playing for them on one hand. Jeter has and will always be a role player, Posada knows how to call a ball game and is a role player, a role player who doesn't get enough attention is Nick Swisher, a relaxed guy who has a genuine love for the game and brings everything he has on a day in day out basis.
The Yankees have a new stadium and the message that I keep hearing is that it provides a great experience for the fans. Is that the reasons why the Yankees priced out their premium seats so that they remain empty for many games? Fenway to me is a fan friendly stadium. Their prices are expensive but they still manage to sell out every game. The atmosphere is intense there with people watching the game and having a genuine love for their team. The Yankee stadium crowd does not have tis same feel because of tourists and corporate ticket holders who do not have a great level of baseball knowledge.
Why should I give my undying devotion to the Yankees? All they have done for me lately is overprice their seats to keep me out of games and form their team in a fundamentally flawed fashion. Will I still watch the Yanks on TV and follow them over the course of the summer? Yes, but it has changed from what it used to be.

Body Language speaks volumes

This is a topic that I have addressed before and am going to address again. Like it or not people are judged and assumptions are drawn based on the way they appear in public. The last time I talked to people about this issue was during the Vick trial where he appeared lackadaisical and care free during his trial for charges of dog fighting. If a person enters a trial in this manner then I feel the result of the trial should be affected accordingly. This theory also works in the reverse fashion like when a person shows remorse and a willingness to change during a trial, they should be judged a bit more leniently.
The body language I want to take a look at is the body language of the 18 year old Somalian pirate who is going to be tried for holding a cargo ship hostage and shooting at the captain of the ship. The photo is of the young pirate being led to a federal building in New York. The federal agents that are leading him look very serious about their responsibilities and understanding of the fact that they have an important job to perform. The pirate seems to have a grin on his face. This makes me question wether of not this young man understands how bad a crime he is being tried for. I don't think he understands because he has been raised in a pirate culture where these type of actions are common practice that should not be punished.
I was talking to someone about the pirate the other day and he made the point that he feels somewhat bad for the pirate because he was raised so poorly. I can understand this logic because he did not have the opportunity to be raised properly.
Another theory is that this pirate is smiling to show his bravery and the fact that he will not be scared by the federal agent's tactics. I can understand this but I still feel that this simple display of body language shows a lack of understanding for the severity of his actions. This lack of understanding makes some sense because again the way he was raised has not taught him that his actions are wrong.