Thursday, December 6, 2012
Christopher J: Chevy Chase the most over-rated actor on televisio...
Christopher J: Chevy Chase the most over-rated actor on televisio...: Chevy Chase disparages TV sitcoms but keeps working on one...w hy would anyone care if taxes go up for this guy? So many actors looking...
Christopher J: How Our Tax Money Is Wasted in the Municipal Court...
Christopher J: How Our Tax Money Is Wasted in the Municipal Court...: An experience with the municipal court system in Belleville New Jersey shows how time and tax money is wasted, and how a town mistreats its...
Christopher J: Online Dating Sites: what girls need to know
Christopher J: Online Dating Sites: what girls need to know: As a guy who has been trying to meet women through all the various dating sites that exist - and there are many - a few things have caught m...
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Online Dating Sites: what girls need to know
As a guy who has been trying to meet women through all the various dating sites that exist - and there are many - a few things have caught my attention about some girls and their online profiles.
Sometimes when I click the “who’s viewed me” link on a site it displays a profile without a picture. Think about it, why would I write to someone who didn’t post a photograph - other than to ask them to add a picture to their profile. If I wanted to go on a blind date (which I don’t) I wouldn’t be on a dating site to begin with. If you want to meet someone, put your picture online. Your friends and co-workers already know that you’re single so what difference does it make if they see your picture? Plus, they probably won’t - you have to register with a site and create your own profile to search through a site, and let’s be real - most married people aren’t going to waste their time with it. They’re just glad that they aren’t single like you. Unless they want to cheat on their significant other, which is another story altogether.
Try to follow some the basics for photos…don’t post blurry pictures, tiny pictures that are hard to see, shots where you’ve cut out your ex-boyfriend, or pictures taken in a mirror. These don’t help your cause. Also, don’t post any photos of landscapes, ocean waves, or European ruins unless you are in them. If I wanted to admire the earth or artwork I wouldn’t be looking at an online dating site.
I don’t really need to see pictures of all of your friends, family, and children, either. Are you asking these folks if they’re OK with it? And, is it really a good idea to have your kids’ pictures plastered on a website? One or two shots with friends is OK but there’s no need to post 10 pictures of you drinking with your girlfriends.
Here’s a question for some girls: why do you post a picture where you’re wearing sunglasses? We can’t see your face, obviously. What are you trying to hide? Your eyes can’t be that hideous. Most girls have nice eyes. Show them.
A memo to overweight girls: it’s obvious if you’re just showing your face - if your picture or pictures are just headshots - we know that you’re overweight. You aren’t fooling anyone. A guy who isn’t into bigger women isn’t going to write to you anyway, so you might as well post a photo where we can see all of you. If you don’t feel good about your weight, try diet and exercise programs. They can work.
Some other musings about profiles, other than pictures…
Question for girls 5’0” tall and under: why are you looking for men that are at least 6 feet tall? I find this odd. Is 5’11” too short? Then, some girls who are 5’10” are willing to meet a guy who is an inch or two shorter than they are, at 5-9 or 5-8. Someone explain this to me.
Don’t write your profile in all CAPS. It doesn’t take a long time to tap the shift key.
Don’t write a profile that is almost as long as a short story. We don’t need to know your entire life story right off the bat.
On the other hand don’t write two sentences, or “e-mail me to find out more.” Put at least a little effort into writing something.
Don’t send winks, smiles, or whatever the site calls them. If you’re interested in my profile write a message and let me know why you’re interested. And, if you don’t fit what I’m looking for, at least explain why you’re hoping I’m going to overlook it and write back to you.
I’m sure I’m leaving some things out, but there’s always time to write more…
Sometimes when I click the “who’s viewed me” link on a site it displays a profile without a picture. Think about it, why would I write to someone who didn’t post a photograph - other than to ask them to add a picture to their profile. If I wanted to go on a blind date (which I don’t) I wouldn’t be on a dating site to begin with. If you want to meet someone, put your picture online. Your friends and co-workers already know that you’re single so what difference does it make if they see your picture? Plus, they probably won’t - you have to register with a site and create your own profile to search through a site, and let’s be real - most married people aren’t going to waste their time with it. They’re just glad that they aren’t single like you. Unless they want to cheat on their significant other, which is another story altogether.
Try to follow some the basics for photos…don’t post blurry pictures, tiny pictures that are hard to see, shots where you’ve cut out your ex-boyfriend, or pictures taken in a mirror. These don’t help your cause. Also, don’t post any photos of landscapes, ocean waves, or European ruins unless you are in them. If I wanted to admire the earth or artwork I wouldn’t be looking at an online dating site.
I don’t really need to see pictures of all of your friends, family, and children, either. Are you asking these folks if they’re OK with it? And, is it really a good idea to have your kids’ pictures plastered on a website? One or two shots with friends is OK but there’s no need to post 10 pictures of you drinking with your girlfriends.
Here’s a question for some girls: why do you post a picture where you’re wearing sunglasses? We can’t see your face, obviously. What are you trying to hide? Your eyes can’t be that hideous. Most girls have nice eyes. Show them.
A memo to overweight girls: it’s obvious if you’re just showing your face - if your picture or pictures are just headshots - we know that you’re overweight. You aren’t fooling anyone. A guy who isn’t into bigger women isn’t going to write to you anyway, so you might as well post a photo where we can see all of you. If you don’t feel good about your weight, try diet and exercise programs. They can work.
Some other musings about profiles, other than pictures…
Question for girls 5’0” tall and under: why are you looking for men that are at least 6 feet tall? I find this odd. Is 5’11” too short? Then, some girls who are 5’10” are willing to meet a guy who is an inch or two shorter than they are, at 5-9 or 5-8. Someone explain this to me.
Don’t write your profile in all CAPS. It doesn’t take a long time to tap the shift key.
Don’t write a profile that is almost as long as a short story. We don’t need to know your entire life story right off the bat.
On the other hand don’t write two sentences, or “e-mail me to find out more.” Put at least a little effort into writing something.
Don’t send winks, smiles, or whatever the site calls them. If you’re interested in my profile write a message and let me know why you’re interested. And, if you don’t fit what I’m looking for, at least explain why you’re hoping I’m going to overlook it and write back to you.
I’m sure I’m leaving some things out, but there’s always time to write more…
Friday, November 30, 2012
How Our Tax Money Is Wasted in the Municipal Court System
An experience with the municipal court system in Belleville New Jersey shows how time and tax money is wasted, and how a town mistreats its senior citizens
My father had always kept his car parked on the street in front of his house in Belleville, NJ. Not in front of anyone else's house, mind you. His second car was kept in the garage. When I visited recently I noticed the old car in front of the house was gone. I asked him what happened to it, and being 82 years old, he said to me, “They towed it away, they said I donated it." Of course, this is not what happened. Among some papers on his desk I found a parking ticket that read "abandoned motor vehicle."
I called the chief of police who said neighbors had complained that the car was parked in front of the house (his house, not theirs, I remind you. I guess some people have nothing better to do than look out their windows and get into other people's business). Then he said, "Well, the town has an ordinance that says a car can't be parked in the same spot for 48 hours." So I guess the cops in Belleville have too much time on their hands, being that they spent their time writing parking tickets to senior citizens. No wonder property taxes are so high in New Jersey. Too many cops doing nothing.
The chief said he was sent written warnings, about not moving the car. Well that isn't true. They sent nothing, because I went through my father's mail every day, and they never sent any warnings. Then the chief said, just go to court, and they'll dismiss the ticket. (Okay...but then why did you write it in the first place?)
So I went to the impound lot and had the car hauled away for $300, which I had to give to the impound lot owners, for their towing fee. The car was still running, but since my mother wasn't driving anymore, there was no need for my father to keep and maintain two cars. Then I scheduled a court date to contest the $260 abandoned motor vehicle ticket.
So I go to the municipal court in Belleville and meet with the prosecutor, who gives me a silly song and dance about how he can't recommend dismissing the ticket, blah, blah, blah. Nevermind that my father lived in Belleville, his entire life as a law abiding citizen, and paid thousands of dollars in property taxes during the past 50 years. Nevermind that there was no written warnings about the car, and nevermind that he's 82 and probably didn't comprehend that there was some obscure ordinance about not leaving a car in the same spot for longer than 48 hours. (By the way, there were no marks on the tires when I found it at the impound lot, so the cops had no proof that the car was parked there for a certain amount of time).
Finally I stood up and said to the wormy prosecutor, "Forget it, I'm just going to pay the ticket and go to the media with my story, about how Belleville treats their senior citizens." Of course, now the prosecutor says, "Don't do that, we'll call the cop and try to reach a settlement."
So we go in front of the municipal court judge to ask for a new date, and this judge rambles on about nonsense...where's your father, I don't know if we can do this, blah, blah, blah. This from a guy, like all municipal court judges in New Jersey, has his own private law practice but moonlights on the side as a judge in order to get into the state pension system and milk the taxpayers for money. Finally he relents and we have a new court date, three weeks later.
So I go to court on the new date - and there's a new prosecutor! I start to explain the situation, and after fifteen seconds he cuts me off with "I'm just going to ask the judge to dismiss this." He hustles into the courtroom, I follow him, he asks the judge to dismiss the ticket, and the same judge from the three weeks prior, the one who grumbled and groaned about setting a new date for a conference, says, "This is a minor issue. Case dismissed."
Wouldn't it have made more sense just to dismiss the ticket the first time? Wouldn't have made more sense for the cops to ask my father if there was anyone helping with things, and could you give them this warning letter about the car parked in front of the house? No. Instead these fools waste my time and tax money with their silly shenanigans. Political nonsense. Right wingers rage about too much government at the federal level, when the reality is there's too much government at the local level. Anyone who writes a parking ticket to senior citizen for a car parked in front of his own house ought to be ashamed of himself. All the problems in the world, and this is what cops, prosecutors, and judges are spending their time and our tax money on? It's a disgrace.
I called the chief of police who said neighbors had complained that the car was parked in front of the house (his house, not theirs, I remind you. I guess some people have nothing better to do than look out their windows and get into other people's business). Then he said, "Well, the town has an ordinance that says a car can't be parked in the same spot for 48 hours." So I guess the cops in Belleville have too much time on their hands, being that they spent their time writing parking tickets to senior citizens. No wonder property taxes are so high in New Jersey. Too many cops doing nothing.
The chief said he was sent written warnings, about not moving the car. Well that isn't true. They sent nothing, because I went through my father's mail every day, and they never sent any warnings. Then the chief said, just go to court, and they'll dismiss the ticket. (Okay...but then why did you write it in the first place?)
So I went to the impound lot and had the car hauled away for $300, which I had to give to the impound lot owners, for their towing fee. The car was still running, but since my mother wasn't driving anymore, there was no need for my father to keep and maintain two cars. Then I scheduled a court date to contest the $260 abandoned motor vehicle ticket.
So I go to the municipal court in Belleville and meet with the prosecutor, who gives me a silly song and dance about how he can't recommend dismissing the ticket, blah, blah, blah. Nevermind that my father lived in Belleville, his entire life as a law abiding citizen, and paid thousands of dollars in property taxes during the past 50 years. Nevermind that there was no written warnings about the car, and nevermind that he's 82 and probably didn't comprehend that there was some obscure ordinance about not leaving a car in the same spot for longer than 48 hours. (By the way, there were no marks on the tires when I found it at the impound lot, so the cops had no proof that the car was parked there for a certain amount of time).
Finally I stood up and said to the wormy prosecutor, "Forget it, I'm just going to pay the ticket and go to the media with my story, about how Belleville treats their senior citizens." Of course, now the prosecutor says, "Don't do that, we'll call the cop and try to reach a settlement."
So we go in front of the municipal court judge to ask for a new date, and this judge rambles on about nonsense...where's your father, I don't know if we can do this, blah, blah, blah. This from a guy, like all municipal court judges in New Jersey, has his own private law practice but moonlights on the side as a judge in order to get into the state pension system and milk the taxpayers for money. Finally he relents and we have a new court date, three weeks later.
So I go to court on the new date - and there's a new prosecutor! I start to explain the situation, and after fifteen seconds he cuts me off with "I'm just going to ask the judge to dismiss this." He hustles into the courtroom, I follow him, he asks the judge to dismiss the ticket, and the same judge from the three weeks prior, the one who grumbled and groaned about setting a new date for a conference, says, "This is a minor issue. Case dismissed."
Wouldn't it have made more sense just to dismiss the ticket the first time? Wouldn't have made more sense for the cops to ask my father if there was anyone helping with things, and could you give them this warning letter about the car parked in front of the house? No. Instead these fools waste my time and tax money with their silly shenanigans. Political nonsense. Right wingers rage about too much government at the federal level, when the reality is there's too much government at the local level. Anyone who writes a parking ticket to senior citizen for a car parked in front of his own house ought to be ashamed of himself. All the problems in the world, and this is what cops, prosecutors, and judges are spending their time and our tax money on? It's a disgrace.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Chevy Chase the most over-rated actor on television
Chevy Chase disparages TV sitcoms but keeps working on one...why would anyone care if taxes go up for this guy?
So many actors looking for work, and Chevy Chase is complaining about his nice easy gig at NBC? This guy needs to get a grip on reality. There's a lot of 69 year old actors out there who could have played the part of Pierce on Community. He needs to stop flattering himself, because having movie stars on TV shows hasn't proved to automatically make that show a ratings powerhouse.
Chase was quoted as saying, "I just sort of hung around because I have three daughters and a wife, and I figured out I might as well make some bread, every week, so I can take care of them in the way they want."
Community hasn't scored in the ratings for the past three years but it is a funny sitcom and has a strong following of loyal fans. Even without creator Dan Harmon in the fold, since most of the writers are staying on the show probably won't be much different this season.
Actors like Chase ought to stop complaining and instead be thankful that they have a job. Someone with his star power can just walk away, but his greed for money isn't allowing him to do that.
Chase was quoted as saying, "I just sort of hung around because I have three daughters and a wife, and I figured out I might as well make some bread, every week, so I can take care of them in the way they want."
Community hasn't scored in the ratings for the past three years but it is a funny sitcom and has a strong following of loyal fans. Even without creator Dan Harmon in the fold, since most of the writers are staying on the show probably won't be much different this season.
Actors like Chase ought to stop complaining and instead be thankful that they have a job. Someone with his star power can just walk away, but his greed for money isn't allowing him to do that.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Yankees were swinging the bats like slow pitch softball players during the playoffs
Yankee manager Joe Girardi said during the playoffs that his hitters had to make "adjustments." Unfortunately none of them did. All they did do was stand at the plate and hack away like they were playing slow pitch softball.
None of the Yankee batters tried stay back in the box, drive the ball where it was pitched and into the opposite field, or not hit lazy fly balls. It should be obvious that the Yankee hitters had success during the regular season because they were smacking around fastballs from mediocre pitchers.
But when a pitcher would throw a changeup or curveball in a fastball count, the Yankees appeared helpless. They were way too aggressive and chased bad pitches. Even in hitters' counts, the Yankees flailed at pitches out of the strike zone.
Some so-called baseball experts believe that a strikeout is no worse that grounding out, but with men on base it's always better to put the ball in play, since it can move runners around the bases, or maybe a fielder makes an error which can keep an inning going.
Curtis Granderson had a couple of good all-around seasons while playing with the Tigers, so next year instead of just to hit a home run every time he's up, why not just wait on some pitches and try to make contact. Singles, doubles, and triples are good to hit, too.
None of the Yankee batters tried stay back in the box, drive the ball where it was pitched and into the opposite field, or not hit lazy fly balls. It should be obvious that the Yankee hitters had success during the regular season because they were smacking around fastballs from mediocre pitchers.
But when a pitcher would throw a changeup or curveball in a fastball count, the Yankees appeared helpless. They were way too aggressive and chased bad pitches. Even in hitters' counts, the Yankees flailed at pitches out of the strike zone.
Some so-called baseball experts believe that a strikeout is no worse that grounding out, but with men on base it's always better to put the ball in play, since it can move runners around the bases, or maybe a fielder makes an error which can keep an inning going.
Curtis Granderson had a couple of good all-around seasons while playing with the Tigers, so next year instead of just to hit a home run every time he's up, why not just wait on some pitches and try to make contact. Singles, doubles, and triples are good to hit, too.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Yankees' lazy Cano one of MLB's most over-rated players
There was plenty of blame to go around in the Yankees' losses in the 2012 American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers. No one really hit well so it's unfair to get on any one guy such as Alex Rodriguez. Of course, we must recognize that the Yankees did win 95 games in the regular season and 26 other teams in baseball wish they were in the Yanks' shoes. Plus, the Tigers are hardly slouches.
Still, Robinson Cano is one player who gets a lot of accolades from some members of the media (well maybe just the Yanks' TV and radio announcers) but doesn't really deserve them. Yes he's a good hitter most of the time and provides solid defense in the field. But he's not the kind of player who can carry a team and doesn't always hit in the clutch during the regular season. He hasn't done much in any of the Yankees' post-seasons, batting .222 with a .267 on-base percentage in 203 at-bats. The 2009 world series was won without any help from Cano, as he went 3 for 22 with one RBI.
He's been defended as appearing lazy when he's really just making plays look easy; that may be true, but it’s also true he doesn't always run out ground balls.
Cano can be included among the fifty greatest Yankees of all time because of his numbers, but let's not get his plaque ready for Cooperstown just yet. He still has a ways to go to be included among the game's greatest second basemen of all time.
Still, Robinson Cano is one player who gets a lot of accolades from some members of the media (well maybe just the Yanks' TV and radio announcers) but doesn't really deserve them. Yes he's a good hitter most of the time and provides solid defense in the field. But he's not the kind of player who can carry a team and doesn't always hit in the clutch during the regular season. He hasn't done much in any of the Yankees' post-seasons, batting .222 with a .267 on-base percentage in 203 at-bats. The 2009 world series was won without any help from Cano, as he went 3 for 22 with one RBI.
He's been defended as appearing lazy when he's really just making plays look easy; that may be true, but it’s also true he doesn't always run out ground balls.
Cano can be included among the fifty greatest Yankees of all time because of his numbers, but let's not get his plaque ready for Cooperstown just yet. He still has a ways to go to be included among the game's greatest second basemen of all time.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Yankees' Swisher Never Would Have Lasted with George Steinbrenner
Yanks' Nick Swisher Can't Take the Heat of New York City
Funny how current Yankee players who never met George Steinbrenner have praised him; guys like Swisher would have been the object of the owner's ire.
How can a baseball player who makes $10.25 million a year and has a career batting average of .167 in 45 postseason games be upset about being booed?
Last week the New York Yankees Nick Swisher expressed his disappointment at being booed by fans at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees fell behind two games to none in the American League Championship series against the Detroit Tigers.
Swisher was quoted as saying, "The last thing I ever thought in this ballpark was that people would get on me that bad. It hurts. Sometimes I'm a sensitive guy and some of the things people say get under your skin."
Yikes. Get under your skin? How would he have handled George Steinbrenner's wrath at his 4 hits in 30 at-bats performance in the 2012 playoffs so far?
Swisher has been a consistently good hitter for the Yankees in four regular seasons with the team, but his bat has been silent in each postseason series with the team. Even while he was with Chicago and Oakland, he was 5 for 24, a .208 average, in playoff games.
I'm not sure what Swisher expects fans to do. Why would anyone cheer if you're not getting it done? Especially when tickets to a game cost $300-$400 each.
Get over it, Nick. You're just lucky old man Steinbrenner isn't alive. He's the one who would have run you out of town, not the fans.
Last week the New York Yankees Nick Swisher expressed his disappointment at being booed by fans at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees fell behind two games to none in the American League Championship series against the Detroit Tigers.
Swisher was quoted as saying, "The last thing I ever thought in this ballpark was that people would get on me that bad. It hurts. Sometimes I'm a sensitive guy and some of the things people say get under your skin."
Yikes. Get under your skin? How would he have handled George Steinbrenner's wrath at his 4 hits in 30 at-bats performance in the 2012 playoffs so far?
Swisher has been a consistently good hitter for the Yankees in four regular seasons with the team, but his bat has been silent in each postseason series with the team. Even while he was with Chicago and Oakland, he was 5 for 24, a .208 average, in playoff games.
I'm not sure what Swisher expects fans to do. Why would anyone cheer if you're not getting it done? Especially when tickets to a game cost $300-$400 each.
Get over it, Nick. You're just lucky old man Steinbrenner isn't alive. He's the one who would have run you out of town, not the fans.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
How can Yankee relievers be "fatigued" when there's 12 of them in the bullpen??
After the Yankees' loss to Minnesota the other day catcher Russell Martin agreed that "fatigue" may have been a factor in relief pitcher Boone Logan's uncorking a wild pitch that led to a run and then getting hammered by several Twins batters that resulted in the Twins taking the lead in the seventh inning. Granted, Logan has pitched in a lot of games this season (76). But there's a total of 12 guys in the bullpen due to the expanded September rosters, so are we to believe there wasn't someone else who could have gotten the job done? Another pitcher who wasn't as "fatigued?"
Manager Joe Girardi has done a good job this year and in past seasons managing the workloads of his relievers. So to blame "fatigue" on not making pitches is a bit of a stretch. Logan's hasn't pitched badly but he's never been overly tough on lefty batters, either. Sometimes managers rely too much of matchups; out of all the pitchers in the bullpen there's got to be at least one who isn't "fatigued." Come on.
Manager Joe Girardi has done a good job this year and in past seasons managing the workloads of his relievers. So to blame "fatigue" on not making pitches is a bit of a stretch. Logan's hasn't pitched badly but he's never been overly tough on lefty batters, either. Sometimes managers rely too much of matchups; out of all the pitchers in the bullpen there's got to be at least one who isn't "fatigued." Come on.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
NFL Owners Get What They Deserve with Replacement Referees
I Don't Feel Bad for the Green Bay Packers….The (mostly) men who own professional sports teams are certainly a group of odd ducks. It makes one wonder how they managed to make billions of dollars in their chosen professions, before they owned a team (unless you did nothing - just inherited your money, like the late George Steinbrenner).
Here we have the illustrious National Football League, a ten billion dollar business in itself, and the Scrooge-like owners refuse to part with an additional three million dollar contribution to the referees' pension fund.
Being a game official for a sport at any level is a difficult job, and of course even experienced NFL referees make mistakes. But not as many as the replacement refs have made in only three weeks of the new season.
Why would you degrade your product like this? NFL owners are a clueless bunch. Keeping experienced referees is an important part of pro football, so the billionaires need to be a little less tight-fisted and break the piggy bank. Time to take a .025 decrease in your profit this year boys. I know it's tough but I think you can handle it.
Even Green Bay Packer fan and anti-union Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants to bring back the unionized officials. Hmm, I guess this is what happens when you settle for less qualified employees, eh, Scotty?
Here we have the illustrious National Football League, a ten billion dollar business in itself, and the Scrooge-like owners refuse to part with an additional three million dollar contribution to the referees' pension fund.
Being a game official for a sport at any level is a difficult job, and of course even experienced NFL referees make mistakes. But not as many as the replacement refs have made in only three weeks of the new season.
Why would you degrade your product like this? NFL owners are a clueless bunch. Keeping experienced referees is an important part of pro football, so the billionaires need to be a little less tight-fisted and break the piggy bank. Time to take a .025 decrease in your profit this year boys. I know it's tough but I think you can handle it.
Even Green Bay Packer fan and anti-union Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants to bring back the unionized officials. Hmm, I guess this is what happens when you settle for less qualified employees, eh, Scotty?
Friday, September 14, 2012
The Yankees need to start hitting some singles
The Yankees lead the major leagues in home runs and have remained in first place in the American League's East division for most of the 2012 season, but their inability to deliver singles with runners in scoring position may come back to haunt them for the rest of the season, and in the post season - if they make it..
Derek Jeter is the only Yankee who has been consistent this year. He can hit singles, get on base and drive in runners. The problem is though, there isn't always someone in scoring position when he gets up to bat. Unfortunately the Yankees have a number of regular players with low on base percentages (see Curtis Granderson .322, Ichiro Suzuki .314, Russell Martin .313, Andruw Jones .297, and Raul Ibanez .294) which doesn't help if a team is trying to manufacture some runs.
Robinson Cano is player that can and has hit singles, but he's been somewhat inconsistent this season. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have delivered clutch singles in their careers, but both have missed time this year because of injuries.
George Steinbrenner never really understood that giving a player a big contract meant that they would always deliver at the plate when it counts, and right about now it appears that Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't get it either, unless he was expecting something different when he put this team together.
The Yankees have a few weeks left to turn things around, so let's see if they can earn that big money they're all getting. The price of a a beer at Yankee Stadium is twelve bucks, but the Yanks have to still be playing in October if the franchise wants to collect some of that dough from their fans.
Derek Jeter is the only Yankee who has been consistent this year. He can hit singles, get on base and drive in runners. The problem is though, there isn't always someone in scoring position when he gets up to bat. Unfortunately the Yankees have a number of regular players with low on base percentages (see Curtis Granderson .322, Ichiro Suzuki .314, Russell Martin .313, Andruw Jones .297, and Raul Ibanez .294) which doesn't help if a team is trying to manufacture some runs.
Robinson Cano is player that can and has hit singles, but he's been somewhat inconsistent this season. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have delivered clutch singles in their careers, but both have missed time this year because of injuries.
George Steinbrenner never really understood that giving a player a big contract meant that they would always deliver at the plate when it counts, and right about now it appears that Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't get it either, unless he was expecting something different when he put this team together.
The Yankees have a few weeks left to turn things around, so let's see if they can earn that big money they're all getting. The price of a a beer at Yankee Stadium is twelve bucks, but the Yanks have to still be playing in October if the franchise wants to collect some of that dough from their fans.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Congratulations to Former Vikings Defensive End Chris Doleman, Although Jim Marshall Also Deserves to Be in the Hall of Fame
Congratulations to former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Chris Doleman on his recent election into the NFL Hall of Fame. However, there's another Viking end who deserved to be enshrined in Canton before Doleman - and before John Randle as well, who was another great defensive lineman for the Vikings in the 1990's.
Jim Marshall manned right defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 through 1979, starting 270 consecutive games, plus 19 post-season games. A two time Pro Bowl selection, Marshall was a member of the Vikings' Purple People Eaters, the front four that led a dominant defense from 1968-1977. Two of the group's players, Alan Page and Carl Eller, are already in the Hall of Fame. Marshall is the Vikings' record holder in fumble recoveries with 29. He is second in team history with 127 quarterback sacks, and fourth in tackles for loss with 74.
The Vikings went to four Super Bowls during Marshall's career. How many Super Bowls did the Vikings reach during Doleman's ten years with the team? Zero.
It's way past time to stop holding the Vikings' Super Bowl losses against great players like Marshall. He had an outstanding career and contributed to winning teams. Based on his accomplishments he deserves to be a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Wake up, voters!
Jim Marshall manned right defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 through 1979, starting 270 consecutive games, plus 19 post-season games. A two time Pro Bowl selection, Marshall was a member of the Vikings' Purple People Eaters, the front four that led a dominant defense from 1968-1977. Two of the group's players, Alan Page and Carl Eller, are already in the Hall of Fame. Marshall is the Vikings' record holder in fumble recoveries with 29. He is second in team history with 127 quarterback sacks, and fourth in tackles for loss with 74.
The Vikings went to four Super Bowls during Marshall's career. How many Super Bowls did the Vikings reach during Doleman's ten years with the team? Zero.
It's way past time to stop holding the Vikings' Super Bowl losses against great players like Marshall. He had an outstanding career and contributed to winning teams. Based on his accomplishments he deserves to be a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Wake up, voters!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Alan Trammell, Tim Raines, Lee Smith belong in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Barry Larkin and the late Ron Santo for their recent induction into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. Both were deserving of the honor, and Santo's was long overdue.
Three other former players also deserve to be enshrined - Alan Trammell, Lee Smith, and Tim Raines.
Shortstop Alan Trammell played 20 years with the Detroit Tigers, and the six time all star's offensive and defensive numbers match up well with Larkin's. In 20 years Trammell hit .285 with 185 home runs, 1,003 RBI's, 236 stolen bases, and had a .977 fielding percentage. He also batted .333 in postseason games. Larkin played 19 years with the Reds, compiling a .295 batting average, 198 home runs, 960 RBI's, 379 stolen bases, and a .975 fielding percentage while hitting .338 in the postseason.
Relief pitcher Lee Smith, a seven time All Star, ranks third in major league history with 478 saves, behind only legends Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. Smith led the National League in saves in four seasons, and his career ERA of 3.03 compares well with Hall of Fame relievers Bruce Sutter's 2.83 and Rollie Fingers' 2.90.
Outfielder Tim Raines, also a seven time All Star selection, ranks fifth in baseball history with 808 stolen bases, but he also had a career batting average of .294 and an on base percentage of .385. He was a player who set the table for his teams, which included the Expos, White Sox, and Yankees, among others.
Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame is certain to be getting a lot of attention in the upcoming months and years. A number of outstanding former players will be listed on voters' ballots; some will certainly be inducted in their first year of elgibility. Stars such as Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio in 2013, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux in 2014, and Randy Johnson in 2015 are all likely to be enshrined in their first years. Pitchers John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez may get in during their first year in 2016 or in the following year, while currently eligible Jeff Bagwell may get in within the next couple of years.
An intriguing storyline involves four former players who all almost certainly would have been inducted in their first year - if they hadn't been implicated in the steroid investigation. Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens are all entering their first year of eligibilty in 2013; with Rafael Palmiero earning only 12.6% of the vote last year, even with his 569 home runs and 3,020 hits, it doesn't look good for Sammy, Barry, and Roger at this point.
Three other former players also deserve to be enshrined - Alan Trammell, Lee Smith, and Tim Raines.
Shortstop Alan Trammell played 20 years with the Detroit Tigers, and the six time all star's offensive and defensive numbers match up well with Larkin's. In 20 years Trammell hit .285 with 185 home runs, 1,003 RBI's, 236 stolen bases, and had a .977 fielding percentage. He also batted .333 in postseason games. Larkin played 19 years with the Reds, compiling a .295 batting average, 198 home runs, 960 RBI's, 379 stolen bases, and a .975 fielding percentage while hitting .338 in the postseason.
Relief pitcher Lee Smith, a seven time All Star, ranks third in major league history with 478 saves, behind only legends Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. Smith led the National League in saves in four seasons, and his career ERA of 3.03 compares well with Hall of Fame relievers Bruce Sutter's 2.83 and Rollie Fingers' 2.90.
Outfielder Tim Raines, also a seven time All Star selection, ranks fifth in baseball history with 808 stolen bases, but he also had a career batting average of .294 and an on base percentage of .385. He was a player who set the table for his teams, which included the Expos, White Sox, and Yankees, among others.
Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame is certain to be getting a lot of attention in the upcoming months and years. A number of outstanding former players will be listed on voters' ballots; some will certainly be inducted in their first year of elgibility. Stars such as Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio in 2013, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux in 2014, and Randy Johnson in 2015 are all likely to be enshrined in their first years. Pitchers John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez may get in during their first year in 2016 or in the following year, while currently eligible Jeff Bagwell may get in within the next couple of years.
An intriguing storyline involves four former players who all almost certainly would have been inducted in their first year - if they hadn't been implicated in the steroid investigation. Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens are all entering their first year of eligibilty in 2013; with Rafael Palmiero earning only 12.6% of the vote last year, even with his 569 home runs and 3,020 hits, it doesn't look good for Sammy, Barry, and Roger at this point.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Hey Yankee-Haters, why don't you buy some of those empty seats at Yankee Stadium?
Hey Yankee-Haters, why don't you buy some of those empty seats at Yankee Stadium? There's plenty of space to boo the team you hate.
Contrary to what Michael Kay and the YES Network say, there are some empty seats at New York's Yankee Stadium during games. Why don't Yankee-Haters buy some of those empty seats, jeer the Yankee players, and cheer for the opposing team?
"A sold out Yankee Stadium..." Well, maybe the tickets have been bought by brokers, but the seats are still empty. Fans who are Yankee-Haters ought to buy all those tickets, then go to the game and boo the Yankees. They could applaud when a Yankee strikes out or makes an error, and cheer when an opposing player gets a hit or makes a great defensive play.
Now, I know most reasonable fans don't want to spend their hard-earned money on going to a lot of baseball games to watch a team they don't even like, but think of the consternation that it would cause the Yankee management. They wouldn't be happy to hear people cheering the Yanks' opponent. And on the other hand, for the seats that aren't being bought by brokers - would they want to not bring in more money, by not selling those tickets? That would be quite a dilemma for the Steinbrenner clan.
So Yankee-Haters, put your money where your mouth is. Literally. Here's your chance to get some satisfaction and put your energy to good use.
http://www.mlb.com/http://www.yankees.com/http://www.mets.com/http://www.redsox.com/http://web.yesnetwork.com/index.jsp
Contrary to what Michael Kay and the YES Network say, there are some empty seats at New York's Yankee Stadium during games. Why don't Yankee-Haters buy some of those empty seats, jeer the Yankee players, and cheer for the opposing team?
"A sold out Yankee Stadium..." Well, maybe the tickets have been bought by brokers, but the seats are still empty. Fans who are Yankee-Haters ought to buy all those tickets, then go to the game and boo the Yankees. They could applaud when a Yankee strikes out or makes an error, and cheer when an opposing player gets a hit or makes a great defensive play.
Now, I know most reasonable fans don't want to spend their hard-earned money on going to a lot of baseball games to watch a team they don't even like, but think of the consternation that it would cause the Yankee management. They wouldn't be happy to hear people cheering the Yanks' opponent. And on the other hand, for the seats that aren't being bought by brokers - would they want to not bring in more money, by not selling those tickets? That would be quite a dilemma for the Steinbrenner clan.
So Yankee-Haters, put your money where your mouth is. Literally. Here's your chance to get some satisfaction and put your energy to good use.
http://www.mlb.com/http://www.yankees.com/http://www.mets.com/http://www.redsox.com/http://web.yesnetwork.com/index.jsp
Why does Major League Baseball even bother playing the All Star Game?
Major League Baseball's All Star Game has become nothing more than a silly exhibition game at this point. It's almost as a bad as the NFL's Pro Bowl.
Some of the players don't seem to approach the game as a competition. Just a different generation, perhaps. People and culture change, so maybe today's players just don't feel the same type of emotion about the All Star games as those 40, 50, and 60 years ago.
Then there's the money factor. Today's players earn so much in salary that the extra dollars that they collect from winning the All Star Game is almost insignificant. Why expend the energy and risk getting injured for a small amount of money? Forty years ago, those extra bucks could mean something to a player.
Inter-league play that began in 1997 has also diluted the excitement surrounding the All Star Game, as well as the World Series. It used to be that fans would see players from the American and National Leagues compete against each other only in the World Series and the All Star Game, so the midsummer classic had more drama and intrigue. Now that we've seen mixing of the leagues, the All Star Game has lost some of its luster. Even the Yankees-Mets rivalry isn't as intense anymore. Back in the early 1980's George Steinbrenner put a halt to the annual New York Mayors Trophy game between the two teams because it was so upsetting for him to have the Yankees lose to the Mets. Today, it's just another series against another team. Ho-hum.
The All Star game began feeling more like an exhibition in 1997 when pitcher Randy Johnson let a pitch fly over Larry Walker's head, just as entertainment, since Walker had previously expressed his fear in standing in the batter's box against the hard throwing lefty.
Major league's baseball's All Star Game accelerated its downward slide due to two incidents in 2002. Outfielder Tori Hunter made a sensational catch on a fly ball hit by Barry Bonds, robbing Bonds of a home run. Bonds picked up Hunter on his way off the field, with the two laughing. That display enforced the idea that the players weren't taking the game as seriously.
Then when Bud Selig ended the game in a tie, due to both sides running out of pitchers, the All Star game was seen as somewhat of a farce. Managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly felt it was more important to get everyone on their rosters into the game - meaning winning the game was on the back burner.
Selig's lame attempt to instill some competition into the All Star game by declaring the winning league would have home field advantage in the World Series hasn't had much of an effect. Why would a player from a last place team even care about that? And, what if he was traded by the July 31 deadline to a team in the other league that had a shot at the postseason? Where would his allegiance be then?
Inter-league play has become meaningless and should be ended. For the All-Star game, give the players on the winning team a ton of money, like $300,000 each. Players on the losing team would only get $15,000. That would make them compete and take it seriously. Maybe then it would again become the Midsummer Classic.
http://www.mlb.com/
Some of the players don't seem to approach the game as a competition. Just a different generation, perhaps. People and culture change, so maybe today's players just don't feel the same type of emotion about the All Star games as those 40, 50, and 60 years ago.
Then there's the money factor. Today's players earn so much in salary that the extra dollars that they collect from winning the All Star Game is almost insignificant. Why expend the energy and risk getting injured for a small amount of money? Forty years ago, those extra bucks could mean something to a player.
Inter-league play that began in 1997 has also diluted the excitement surrounding the All Star Game, as well as the World Series. It used to be that fans would see players from the American and National Leagues compete against each other only in the World Series and the All Star Game, so the midsummer classic had more drama and intrigue. Now that we've seen mixing of the leagues, the All Star Game has lost some of its luster. Even the Yankees-Mets rivalry isn't as intense anymore. Back in the early 1980's George Steinbrenner put a halt to the annual New York Mayors Trophy game between the two teams because it was so upsetting for him to have the Yankees lose to the Mets. Today, it's just another series against another team. Ho-hum.
The All Star game began feeling more like an exhibition in 1997 when pitcher Randy Johnson let a pitch fly over Larry Walker's head, just as entertainment, since Walker had previously expressed his fear in standing in the batter's box against the hard throwing lefty.
Major league's baseball's All Star Game accelerated its downward slide due to two incidents in 2002. Outfielder Tori Hunter made a sensational catch on a fly ball hit by Barry Bonds, robbing Bonds of a home run. Bonds picked up Hunter on his way off the field, with the two laughing. That display enforced the idea that the players weren't taking the game as seriously.
Then when Bud Selig ended the game in a tie, due to both sides running out of pitchers, the All Star game was seen as somewhat of a farce. Managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly felt it was more important to get everyone on their rosters into the game - meaning winning the game was on the back burner.
Selig's lame attempt to instill some competition into the All Star game by declaring the winning league would have home field advantage in the World Series hasn't had much of an effect. Why would a player from a last place team even care about that? And, what if he was traded by the July 31 deadline to a team in the other league that had a shot at the postseason? Where would his allegiance be then?
Inter-league play has become meaningless and should be ended. For the All-Star game, give the players on the winning team a ton of money, like $300,000 each. Players on the losing team would only get $15,000. That would make them compete and take it seriously. Maybe then it would again become the Midsummer Classic.
http://www.mlb.com/
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Lack of Leadership at American Colleges & Universities
In another post I wrote about how American are not always leaders. I don't want to only pick on them; there's other areas where a lack of leadership is clear. American colleges and universities, for one. An example of the lack of leadership from college presidents and other upper level administrators can be found in New Jersey. several years ago the state was allegedly going through a "financial" crisis, and the former brilliant governor Jon Corzine wanted to save money by asking state workers to take unpaid days off - employees were locked out, and not paid. Some unions at the state colleges agreed to have their workers take ten unpaid lockout days, while other unions agreed to take seven days. The college presidents and other managers? They took less, most only two or three. Why? They claimed that the state (governor's office) said they would have to save a "percentage" of state funds, not take a certain number of furlough days. So at higher education institutions like Montclair State University, high level administrators took only two unpaid days off.
How is this a lack of leadership? Well, if there really was a financial "crisis" - unlikely to be actually true, as it was more the Governor and other elected officials trying to win over voters by trying to show they were "saving" tax dollars - real leadership would have been the college presidents standing up and together saying, "New Jersey is in a financial crisis; so we're all going to take ten unpaid days off to help the state save money, and we hope all other state workers do the same." Now that would have been true leadership. What is not leadership is being a weasel and saying, well the amount of money we were asked to save was a percentage, and it only came to two days for us. Please. What a bunch of slimeballs. Only interested in serving themselves, not students or taxpayers. College presidents in the U.S. are overpaid as it is, so what would taking less pay mean for them? Come on. College presidents are almost as bad as some CEO's.
How is this a lack of leadership? Well, if there really was a financial "crisis" - unlikely to be actually true, as it was more the Governor and other elected officials trying to win over voters by trying to show they were "saving" tax dollars - real leadership would have been the college presidents standing up and together saying, "New Jersey is in a financial crisis; so we're all going to take ten unpaid days off to help the state save money, and we hope all other state workers do the same." Now that would have been true leadership. What is not leadership is being a weasel and saying, well the amount of money we were asked to save was a percentage, and it only came to two days for us. Please. What a bunch of slimeballs. Only interested in serving themselves, not students or taxpayers. College presidents in the U.S. are overpaid as it is, so what would taking less pay mean for them? Come on. College presidents are almost as bad as some CEO's.
Monday, June 11, 2012
An NFL training camp practice battle to watch: Minnesota Vikings' OT Matt Kalil vs. DE Jared Allen
The Minnesota Vikings' first round draft pick, offensive tackle Matt Kalil, is entering the NFL as the top-ranked lineman from the 2012 draft. It will be interesting to see how he fares in practice against All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen, the league leader in quarterback sacks with 22 last season.
Before the draft some scouts believed USC's Kalil was close to perfect as a blocker, and one of the most complete offensive tackles to come out of college since Tony Boselli - also from USC - who was the second player selected in the 1995 draft by Jacksonville.
Once the helmets and pads go on in July, the rookie will be tested by one of the best pass rushers - and all around ends - in the game today. Allen will undoubtedly make Kalil look less than perfect during training camp practices. But if Kalil can just hold his own against Allen, Vikings fans will have hope that the rookie will be able stand up against most opponents in the regular season.
The Kalil-Allen matchup will probably be reminiscent of practice battles in past years between Vikings' linemen. In the 1990's offensive guard Randall McDaniel and defensive tackle John Randle went head to head, and in the 1970's offensive tackle Ron Yary and defensive end Carl Eller lined up against each other.
All four of those players are now in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Vikings fans are hoping that Kalil and Allen will play up to the same high standards. If they do, Minnesota will be on its way to improving last season's 3-13 record. And, the future will look bright with Kalil at the key position of left offensive tackle. Last year's number one draft pick, quarterback Christian Ponder, won't have to worry as much knowing that his blind side is protected.
source for statistics: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/http://www.nfl.com/http://www.vikings.com/
Before the draft some scouts believed USC's Kalil was close to perfect as a blocker, and one of the most complete offensive tackles to come out of college since Tony Boselli - also from USC - who was the second player selected in the 1995 draft by Jacksonville.
Once the helmets and pads go on in July, the rookie will be tested by one of the best pass rushers - and all around ends - in the game today. Allen will undoubtedly make Kalil look less than perfect during training camp practices. But if Kalil can just hold his own against Allen, Vikings fans will have hope that the rookie will be able stand up against most opponents in the regular season.
The Kalil-Allen matchup will probably be reminiscent of practice battles in past years between Vikings' linemen. In the 1990's offensive guard Randall McDaniel and defensive tackle John Randle went head to head, and in the 1970's offensive tackle Ron Yary and defensive end Carl Eller lined up against each other.
All four of those players are now in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Vikings fans are hoping that Kalil and Allen will play up to the same high standards. If they do, Minnesota will be on its way to improving last season's 3-13 record. And, the future will look bright with Kalil at the key position of left offensive tackle. Last year's number one draft pick, quarterback Christian Ponder, won't have to worry as much knowing that his blind side is protected.
source for statistics: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/http://www.nfl.com/http://www.vikings.com/
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Why do Americans want politicians, not leaders?
These days there's more campaigning than governing going on. It seems like many Americans enjoy the nonstop campaigning and blame-games that all politicians seem to take part in. Maybe that's why reality shows have become popular. I think they're boring - why would I want to watch people argue about everyday stuff that I see myself everyday - but lots of folks just seem to get off on it. Then the majority of us get disgusted because the important things don't get taken care of.
Does the American government even belong to "the people" anymore? Those who have a lot of money to fund their "causes" seem to have most of the control over policy issues.
Politicians in the United States need to become leaders who will serve the public and deal with the tough issues in order to secure our nation's future. We have dilemmas now (energy, health insurance, job creation) because politicians in the past pushed things under the rug for so long. We need leaders, which means those who will be straightforward with people about what will be best and how long things will take to get better. And for us the people, it means making some sacrifices, something Americans haven't been asked to do in a long time.
Does the American government even belong to "the people" anymore? Those who have a lot of money to fund their "causes" seem to have most of the control over policy issues.
Politicians in the United States need to become leaders who will serve the public and deal with the tough issues in order to secure our nation's future. We have dilemmas now (energy, health insurance, job creation) because politicians in the past pushed things under the rug for so long. We need leaders, which means those who will be straightforward with people about what will be best and how long things will take to get better. And for us the people, it means making some sacrifices, something Americans haven't been asked to do in a long time.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Crazy Job Search/Interviewing Stories, Part VI: Montclair State University
I interviewed for a few jobs at Montclair State. One director I met with had this look of shock on her face when I said I didn't reveal my salary history, that to me salary is something to be negotiated after a job offer. Another committee I met with spoke among themselves for a while before even acknowledging I was there. A stress test perhaps? Or are they just morons who have no idea how to conduct a professional job interview? I guess I'll never know for sure, unless one of them reads this and responds. Wouldn't you try to engage the candidate and try to make them feel comfortable? I would. I would want to give a positive impression. Montclair State certainly did not.
Actually for another job at Montclair State the person who interviewed me, a guy named Chuck, actually called me back afterwards, and said, "I just wanted you to know that you interviewed well, even though we picked another person." I said, OK, who did you hire, just out of curiosity? There was no sound on the phone, for a second, then Chuck said, "We hired an African American woman who worked in the President's office." Oh. Well, nice to know I had a fair shot at the job!
Actually for another job at Montclair State the person who interviewed me, a guy named Chuck, actually called me back afterwards, and said, "I just wanted you to know that you interviewed well, even though we picked another person." I said, OK, who did you hire, just out of curiosity? There was no sound on the phone, for a second, then Chuck said, "We hired an African American woman who worked in the President's office." Oh. Well, nice to know I had a fair shot at the job!
Crazy Job Search/Interviewing Stories, Part V: Rutgers University
I know a lot of people out there who read this are just going to poo-poo my stories as sour grapes. But hey it's just my opinion; it's just that people seem to behave differently when they are hiring for an open job.
I interviewed at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, for three different positions. One was in the graduate career center. That one wasn't too unusual. But another time I interviewed with the undergraduate career center; I met a woman named Lynne who was an assistant director. She could not have looked any more disinterested during our brief interview. It's like someone had dumped the task of interviewing on her and she resented it. So she asked me a couple of questions, I answered, trying to demonstrate some enthusiasm, trying to make some kind of connection with her. Then she asked me if I had any questions; I asked one, she made a quick reply, and then said, thanks for coming in. We left the conference room and walked back to her office. She opened the door, and I don't remember what I said exactly, something along the lines of thanks for meeting me, I'm really interested in the job, etc., smiling as I said it. What did she do? She frowns and slams the door in front of me! Look people, if you're not interested in a candidate, fine, but there's no need to be rude. At least act like a civilized human being.
Another time I interviewed for an assistant director of the student center job at Rutgers Newark. I went into the conference room and there was about ten college administrators sitting on both sides of a long table. They asked me to sit at the front. I did and promptly sank into a chair that was lower than the others. I guess they like looking down at people. Anyway only one person, the dean that I would have been reporting to, asked me any interview questions. The rest of them just sat there and stared at me. Eventually the security director help up a flyer and asked me what I would do if I some supposedly radical group consisting of black people came to campus for some type of student program. Then he picked up a flyer and growled that they were going to be there next week, and slammed the flyer down on the table. The black folks sitting at the table said nothing; didn't even look at him. I'm not sure what my answer was, but I'm pretty sure it was generic. I was interested in the job (for some unknown reason) so I didn't show any bias one way or another. Anyway the interview ended and I left. Never heard from them again, thankfully. I mean, who knows..was it all some sort of act to see how I would respond to people just staring at me? How I would respond to an angry security director? Maybe. Or maybe they're just a bunch of wackos who have no idea how to conduct a professional job interview. I don't know. I don't really care either...I'm just glad my own diploma isn't from Rutgers Newark!
I interviewed at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, for three different positions. One was in the graduate career center. That one wasn't too unusual. But another time I interviewed with the undergraduate career center; I met a woman named Lynne who was an assistant director. She could not have looked any more disinterested during our brief interview. It's like someone had dumped the task of interviewing on her and she resented it. So she asked me a couple of questions, I answered, trying to demonstrate some enthusiasm, trying to make some kind of connection with her. Then she asked me if I had any questions; I asked one, she made a quick reply, and then said, thanks for coming in. We left the conference room and walked back to her office. She opened the door, and I don't remember what I said exactly, something along the lines of thanks for meeting me, I'm really interested in the job, etc., smiling as I said it. What did she do? She frowns and slams the door in front of me! Look people, if you're not interested in a candidate, fine, but there's no need to be rude. At least act like a civilized human being.
Another time I interviewed for an assistant director of the student center job at Rutgers Newark. I went into the conference room and there was about ten college administrators sitting on both sides of a long table. They asked me to sit at the front. I did and promptly sank into a chair that was lower than the others. I guess they like looking down at people. Anyway only one person, the dean that I would have been reporting to, asked me any interview questions. The rest of them just sat there and stared at me. Eventually the security director help up a flyer and asked me what I would do if I some supposedly radical group consisting of black people came to campus for some type of student program. Then he picked up a flyer and growled that they were going to be there next week, and slammed the flyer down on the table. The black folks sitting at the table said nothing; didn't even look at him. I'm not sure what my answer was, but I'm pretty sure it was generic. I was interested in the job (for some unknown reason) so I didn't show any bias one way or another. Anyway the interview ended and I left. Never heard from them again, thankfully. I mean, who knows..was it all some sort of act to see how I would respond to people just staring at me? How I would respond to an angry security director? Maybe. Or maybe they're just a bunch of wackos who have no idea how to conduct a professional job interview. I don't know. I don't really care either...I'm just glad my own diploma isn't from Rutgers Newark!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Memo to Joe Girardi: update the chapter in the Binder about utility players
Poor Eduardo Nunez. Asked to play the outfield without any experience. Joe Girardi and the front office have all that material and statistics, yet they throw a guy who's never played the outfield before into the fire. Just because he wanted to get another right-handed bat into lineup against a lefty pitcher? That's a questionable strategy. I understand they're short players because of Swisher's injury, but put Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez in the outfield and just let Nunez be the DH. While Jones and Ibanez aren't gold glovers, at least they can still make the routine plays. The Yanks could have given Nunez more time in the outfield during spring training, if they had wanted him to be more of a utility player. Time to update the binder, Joe.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Why are employers asking for workers' Facebook passwords?
Why are employers asking for workers' Facebook passwords? Why does anyone care? If people spent as much time on marriage as they do when going through the process of hiring an employee, the divorce rate in the United States would be zero.
First off, I have no sympathy for people who post revealing pictures online, join controversial causes, or write controversial material and sign their name to it, and then get upset when it's used against them in some way. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing it - but why not just mark the pictures as private or friends-only on sites like Facebook, or use an anonymous name when writing a controversial blog? That is, if you're looking for a real job. If you want to become a well-known pundit like Bill O'Reilly, then by all means publicize your views. Or if you want attention like entertainers get, then make those pictures available for the world to see. Just don't expect to get a regular job if you do.
That being said, I have no idea what looking at pictures on someone's Facebook page can tell you about how a potential employee will perform in a job. Will the people who do please come forward and explain this concept to me? I'm willing to change my opinion, if you tell me what your reasons are, and they make sense.
Am I supposed to believe that the people making hiring decisions are perfect? They've never made mistakes, gotten drunk, or done something stupid or silly? Come on. It makes no difference if you don't have a picture of it - you still did it, so how can you judge someone else? Why not find out what someone can actually do on a job, instead of just guessing as to how they would perform based on their Facebook page? What if you think their Facebook page is too boring? Does that knock them out as a candidate as well?
Funny how people get all flustered when it comes to hiring a new employee....but then, lots of people just jump into marriage or a relationship. If people spent as much time on relationships or potential relationships as they did when hiring a worker, the divorce rate in this country would be zero.
First off, I have no sympathy for people who post revealing pictures online, join controversial causes, or write controversial material and sign their name to it, and then get upset when it's used against them in some way. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing it - but why not just mark the pictures as private or friends-only on sites like Facebook, or use an anonymous name when writing a controversial blog? That is, if you're looking for a real job. If you want to become a well-known pundit like Bill O'Reilly, then by all means publicize your views. Or if you want attention like entertainers get, then make those pictures available for the world to see. Just don't expect to get a regular job if you do.
That being said, I have no idea what looking at pictures on someone's Facebook page can tell you about how a potential employee will perform in a job. Will the people who do please come forward and explain this concept to me? I'm willing to change my opinion, if you tell me what your reasons are, and they make sense.
Am I supposed to believe that the people making hiring decisions are perfect? They've never made mistakes, gotten drunk, or done something stupid or silly? Come on. It makes no difference if you don't have a picture of it - you still did it, so how can you judge someone else? Why not find out what someone can actually do on a job, instead of just guessing as to how they would perform based on their Facebook page? What if you think their Facebook page is too boring? Does that knock them out as a candidate as well?
Funny how people get all flustered when it comes to hiring a new employee....but then, lots of people just jump into marriage or a relationship. If people spent as much time on relationships or potential relationships as they did when hiring a worker, the divorce rate in this country would be zero.
Friday, March 30, 2012
My crazy job search/interviewing stories, part IV: Baruch College, Union County College, Hudson County College, Ramapo College
I must have wrote good resumes; people take 15 seconds or less to view a resume and decide if they want to interview the person. I did get a number of interviews. Although at colleges, most positions go to a candidate who will fill a quota, or to someone's friend.
Anyway, it could be me, maybe it's just the way the interview process works for other people. They feel it's appropriate to turn every answer that a candidate gives into a negative, like when I interviewed at Baruch College. If I'm such as awful candidate, why did you even call me in for an interview? The guy asking the questions looked more like an actor than the director of an office. Tall, dark, and handsome. Too bad he didn't seem to know much about interviewing.
The negativity continued at Union County College; I left thinking, why would anyone want to work at this place, surrounded by these miserable people?
An interview at Hudson County College found me listening to some guy on a power trip brag about his knowledge, and lecture about what he needed in an employee. Asking interview questions? I guess he forgot about that part.
At Ramapo College I walked into the conference room where the interview was held. I was told to sit at the end of a very long conference table. Odd thing was, the five people on the search committee sat at the other end of the table. Maybe they had a bad experience with other candidates? Did their clothes smell? Did they have bad breath? Maybe the interviewers wanted to see how a candidate reacted by this seating situation? If that's the case, what kind of reaction were they looking for? What would be a positive reaction? What type of reaction would be construed as negative? Or was it that the people doing the interviewing were just morons? Hmm, I think that might be it...
Anyway, it could be me, maybe it's just the way the interview process works for other people. They feel it's appropriate to turn every answer that a candidate gives into a negative, like when I interviewed at Baruch College. If I'm such as awful candidate, why did you even call me in for an interview? The guy asking the questions looked more like an actor than the director of an office. Tall, dark, and handsome. Too bad he didn't seem to know much about interviewing.
The negativity continued at Union County College; I left thinking, why would anyone want to work at this place, surrounded by these miserable people?
An interview at Hudson County College found me listening to some guy on a power trip brag about his knowledge, and lecture about what he needed in an employee. Asking interview questions? I guess he forgot about that part.
At Ramapo College I walked into the conference room where the interview was held. I was told to sit at the end of a very long conference table. Odd thing was, the five people on the search committee sat at the other end of the table. Maybe they had a bad experience with other candidates? Did their clothes smell? Did they have bad breath? Maybe the interviewers wanted to see how a candidate reacted by this seating situation? If that's the case, what kind of reaction were they looking for? What would be a positive reaction? What type of reaction would be construed as negative? Or was it that the people doing the interviewing were just morons? Hmm, I think that might be it...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Crazy Job Search/Interviewing Stories, Part III
I was pretty targeted in my job search, and knew how to write an eye-catching resume, so I did land a decent number of interviews. Some of the bizarre stuff that happens during the interviews though...I couldn't have made some of it up if I had tried. Previously I wrote about the dude at Goldman Sachs who abruptly ran out the door during the interview, and the woman with the greasy palm who shook my hand at Seton Hall University Law School.
I also had an interview once at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. The first person I met with said, "If you get this job, you will not have very big shoes to fill." Hmm. That's good, I thought. I did know the guy who held the job I had been applying for. I met him at a couple of conferences in years past and wasn't very impressed.
Anyway the first group interview went pretty well. One person said something odd, saying the student leaders were "seasoned." To me, a student leader is just someone who has attained a position of power. "seasoned" just isn't the word I would use to describe a college student who still has a lot to learn.
Then I met with two other people, a guy who talked about a business he had on the side from his college job, and the intramurals director who didn't look at me or ask me any questions. Weird. I tried to engage her but she just had this strange look on her face.
Later I met with a few upper level administrators and faculty members. Talk about goofballs. Two of the guys kept looking at each other while they talked in circles at me, never really asking me any direct questions. It seemed like they were totally unprepared and had never interviewed anyone in their life. Maybe they hadn't, who knows. A faculty member who slurred his speech, like he had been drinking, asked me a couple of odd questions. I politely answered, and asked my own questions, like it was a wonderful interview and I was glad to be there. The chair of the search committee, a guy named Mark, was affable enough. Unfortunately he was only around at the start and end of the day.
I didn't get that job, and I heard that the person who did was only there for about a year. I guess they didn't pick the right person, unless it's okay to spend all that time searching for a worker who is going to be in a position for just a year. Seems like a big investment of everyone's time for something so short term. Why not just have two or three people interview the person over two or three hours? Who knows. American colleges are models of ineffective bureaucracies.
I also had an interview once at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. The first person I met with said, "If you get this job, you will not have very big shoes to fill." Hmm. That's good, I thought. I did know the guy who held the job I had been applying for. I met him at a couple of conferences in years past and wasn't very impressed.
Anyway the first group interview went pretty well. One person said something odd, saying the student leaders were "seasoned." To me, a student leader is just someone who has attained a position of power. "seasoned" just isn't the word I would use to describe a college student who still has a lot to learn.
Then I met with two other people, a guy who talked about a business he had on the side from his college job, and the intramurals director who didn't look at me or ask me any questions. Weird. I tried to engage her but she just had this strange look on her face.
Later I met with a few upper level administrators and faculty members. Talk about goofballs. Two of the guys kept looking at each other while they talked in circles at me, never really asking me any direct questions. It seemed like they were totally unprepared and had never interviewed anyone in their life. Maybe they hadn't, who knows. A faculty member who slurred his speech, like he had been drinking, asked me a couple of odd questions. I politely answered, and asked my own questions, like it was a wonderful interview and I was glad to be there. The chair of the search committee, a guy named Mark, was affable enough. Unfortunately he was only around at the start and end of the day.
I didn't get that job, and I heard that the person who did was only there for about a year. I guess they didn't pick the right person, unless it's okay to spend all that time searching for a worker who is going to be in a position for just a year. Seems like a big investment of everyone's time for something so short term. Why not just have two or three people interview the person over two or three hours? Who knows. American colleges are models of ineffective bureaucracies.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
My crazy job search stories, part II
My last job search article discussed an incident that happened on an interview with a company in the private sector, Goldman Sachs. But I had some odd experiences while interviewing for jobs at colleges. (Oh, and “universities.” Excuse me for that major oversight).
Once I went to an interview at Seton Hall University Law School, and met with a committee of four people. So when I walked into the room each person introduced himself or herself and held out their hand. I smiled as I gave each person a firm handshake.
Unfortunately I grimaced when I clasped the last woman’s hand. Her hand was greasy. She must have just smeared it with some sort of hand lotion, before I entered the room. Now my hand was covered with whatever this oily slime was. Afterward I wondered if this was her, or the committee’s way of trying to trip up a candidate. A stress test of some sort? A clever way to see how someone would react to adversity? Perhaps it was a signal that if I got the job I would have to “grease palms” in order to get ahead in the organization?
Or maybe the woman was just a moron. Even with all their degrees some people who work in higher education are pretty strange.
They asked me a couple of questions, the asked me if I had any questions. I asked one and had a few more prepared but one guy with an unkempt beard (must have been a sleazy lawyer before landing his cushy job at the law school) abruptly thanked me for coming and stood up.
Needless to say I didn’t shake anyone’s hand as I left. I didn’t bother to send a thank you note either. I decided I didn’t want the job. I guess some lawyers really are slimy, literally.
Donald Trump is right to not shake anyone’s hand. Smart man…
Once I went to an interview at Seton Hall University Law School, and met with a committee of four people. So when I walked into the room each person introduced himself or herself and held out their hand. I smiled as I gave each person a firm handshake.
Unfortunately I grimaced when I clasped the last woman’s hand. Her hand was greasy. She must have just smeared it with some sort of hand lotion, before I entered the room. Now my hand was covered with whatever this oily slime was. Afterward I wondered if this was her, or the committee’s way of trying to trip up a candidate. A stress test of some sort? A clever way to see how someone would react to adversity? Perhaps it was a signal that if I got the job I would have to “grease palms” in order to get ahead in the organization?
Or maybe the woman was just a moron. Even with all their degrees some people who work in higher education are pretty strange.
They asked me a couple of questions, the asked me if I had any questions. I asked one and had a few more prepared but one guy with an unkempt beard (must have been a sleazy lawyer before landing his cushy job at the law school) abruptly thanked me for coming and stood up.
Needless to say I didn’t shake anyone’s hand as I left. I didn’t bother to send a thank you note either. I decided I didn’t want the job. I guess some lawyers really are slimy, literally.
Donald Trump is right to not shake anyone’s hand. Smart man…
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Why do bosses ask their workers to do this?
I’ve never understood why organizations ask their workers to do silly stuff that really has nothing to do with the kind of job a person can do, or has any relevance to the organization’s success.
Along those lines, what’s the point of “team-building” exercises? You don’t need to know about an employee’s private life. You do need to know how to help an employee improve their performance on the job. When hiring a new worker, you need to know if they can do the job in an efficient manner. Asking them what kind of an animal they would like to be isn’t going to help you to determine that.
A person’s private life is considered private because they don’t want the whole world to know about it. Getting to know someone too well can make me want to work with them less, not more. Team-building activities can make people too uncomfortable to work together, not work well as a “team.” Discuss performance and results, not inner demons.
Another question is, why ask certain people to do someone else’s job? John has a project to do but hasn’t finished it, so you ask Tom to do it since you know it will get done on time. That’s wrong. If you’re going to do that you better pay Tom a bonus. Come one, deal with John and let Tom do his own work.
Maybe a lot of these concepts came to be because certain people in organizations didn’t have enough to do, and they felt like they needed to justify their salary. ….
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Long-winded bosses, asking employees to evaluate themselves and their peers, and other American job nonsense
Ever have a boss who asks you to keep them on track, then when they start droning on about nothing at a meeting and then when you signal them to stop, they ignore you? I would think I’m not the only one. I guess whatever the boss was saying (I don’t remember anything of what they were talking about) was just too critical for them to say, that they couldn’t stop talking. Some people just need to make themselves feel important, I suppose.
Can anyone tell me what the point is of having workers evaluate themselves? How silly. Someone who is doing an excellent job is going to wonder why you, as a boss, don’t already know that. Someone who is doing a lousy job isn’t going to give themselves a poor rating, obviously (or not obviously to people who think these things up). Instead of self-evaluations why not ask workers what the organization can do to help them improve their skills – which would benefit the organization as well as the employee.
Maybe worse are “peer” evaluations. It doesn’t matter if the evaluations are confidential or not, who wants to work with someone who is critical of them? That’s hardly the best way to develop a “team first” attitude among your workers.
Does anyone have any proof that the above concepts actually do produce positive results in an organization, and I’m wrong? Let’s see it…
Can anyone tell me what the point is of having workers evaluate themselves? How silly. Someone who is doing an excellent job is going to wonder why you, as a boss, don’t already know that. Someone who is doing a lousy job isn’t going to give themselves a poor rating, obviously (or not obviously to people who think these things up). Instead of self-evaluations why not ask workers what the organization can do to help them improve their skills – which would benefit the organization as well as the employee.
Maybe worse are “peer” evaluations. It doesn’t matter if the evaluations are confidential or not, who wants to work with someone who is critical of them? That’s hardly the best way to develop a “team first” attitude among your workers.
Does anyone have any proof that the above concepts actually do produce positive results in an organization, and I’m wrong? Let’s see it…
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Creepy employers who ask you to donate to their charity
I once worked at a community college in New Jersey where a creepy, high level Dean went around asking staff members to fill out a form and donate money to some social/political charity. I don't remember the name of the organization. What's the point of pressuring employees to contribute to a certain charity? Just so you can brag to the world what a great boss that you are, that you got 100 percent participation of workers to contribute to a charity of your own personal or political liking? That's wrong. I told the Dean no, I have my own charities that I contribute to, and walked away. He left the office grumbling. I would think a high level Dean would have better things to do, like maybe helping students in some way.
What employees do with their money is their own business. Why not offer to match whatever employees contribute? I would guess a lot of bosses are too cheap to do that.
What's almost as bad is when your boss sends his kids to you to ask for money, for a fundraiser for their school or church. Come on. That's rude. And unprofessional.
Keep the job separate from this type of stuff. Please.
What employees do with their money is their own business. Why not offer to match whatever employees contribute? I would guess a lot of bosses are too cheap to do that.
What's almost as bad is when your boss sends his kids to you to ask for money, for a fundraiser for their school or church. Come on. That's rude. And unprofessional.
Keep the job separate from this type of stuff. Please.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
My crazy job search stories: Part I, Goldman Sachs
I’m sure lots of people have had strange experiences while searching for and interviewing for jobs. People who do the recruiting and interviewing of job candidates often have funny stories to tell. Sometimes I wonder though, if other people looking for a job have had anything similar to mine.
Once I went on an interview for a job as a college recruiter, with Goldman Sachs. This particular office was in lower Manhattan. The director of college recruiting was a guy named Mike. At the start of the interview he mused, “There’s mostly women working in college recruiting.” Hmm, maybe this gives me an edge, I thought. He didn’t ask me any questions though. He just rambled on for a couple of minutes about Goldman Sachs. Suddenly, he looked past me (his office was surrounded by windows). He stood up, grabbed a stack of what look to be like tickets to a game or concert wrapped with elastic bands, and raced out the door. I turned around, but he had already fled down one of the hallways, disappearing from sight.
So I sat there for a few minutes, wondering what I should do. Wait until he comes back? Leave now? It started to dawn on me that I wasn’t going to get this job even if I stayed, so I was about to go when a girl named Kim walked in.
“Mike had to go, but I’ll finish the interview,” she said brightly. Then she proceeded to talk a little about the job. She didn’t ask me any questions, or ask if I had any questions about th position. She did talk at length about the bars in the area and how everyone in the department liked to go out for drinks after work.
After a few minutes she stood up and held out her hand. “It was nice to meet you,” she said. For some reason I said thank you, nice to meet you too, instead of saying what I really felt, which was, why did you even bother to call me in….
I’ve thought that maybe they didn’t like the way I looked. If that’s the case, and I’m sure some interviewers consider that above all else (although they would never admit it), why not ask for a picture? A photograph with the resume on the back. It would save us all a lot of time and money. By looks, I mean beyond the blue suit/white shirt/red tie/polished shoes/clean shaven appearance.
Who knows. Maybe this isn’t as ridiculous as some others’ experiences. It feels like it was a waste of time and energy. On the other hand it’s given me something to write about, so maybe it wasn’t a total loss. Stay tuned for upcoming stories about job search…
Once I went on an interview for a job as a college recruiter, with Goldman Sachs. This particular office was in lower Manhattan. The director of college recruiting was a guy named Mike. At the start of the interview he mused, “There’s mostly women working in college recruiting.” Hmm, maybe this gives me an edge, I thought. He didn’t ask me any questions though. He just rambled on for a couple of minutes about Goldman Sachs. Suddenly, he looked past me (his office was surrounded by windows). He stood up, grabbed a stack of what look to be like tickets to a game or concert wrapped with elastic bands, and raced out the door. I turned around, but he had already fled down one of the hallways, disappearing from sight.
So I sat there for a few minutes, wondering what I should do. Wait until he comes back? Leave now? It started to dawn on me that I wasn’t going to get this job even if I stayed, so I was about to go when a girl named Kim walked in.
“Mike had to go, but I’ll finish the interview,” she said brightly. Then she proceeded to talk a little about the job. She didn’t ask me any questions, or ask if I had any questions about th position. She did talk at length about the bars in the area and how everyone in the department liked to go out for drinks after work.
After a few minutes she stood up and held out her hand. “It was nice to meet you,” she said. For some reason I said thank you, nice to meet you too, instead of saying what I really felt, which was, why did you even bother to call me in….
I’ve thought that maybe they didn’t like the way I looked. If that’s the case, and I’m sure some interviewers consider that above all else (although they would never admit it), why not ask for a picture? A photograph with the resume on the back. It would save us all a lot of time and money. By looks, I mean beyond the blue suit/white shirt/red tie/polished shoes/clean shaven appearance.
Who knows. Maybe this isn’t as ridiculous as some others’ experiences. It feels like it was a waste of time and energy. On the other hand it’s given me something to write about, so maybe it wasn’t a total loss. Stay tuned for upcoming stories about job search…
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Super Bowl with the most pressure: Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills
The Vikings and the Bills both have 0-4 Super Bowl records. What would happen if they met in the title game?
Losing a championship game - especially your fourth Super Bowl - can be pretty awful, but at least New England Patriots fans can take some solace in the fact their team has also won three Super Bowls. The Denver Broncos have two wins, somewhat making up for their four losses. However, the Bills and the Vikings don't have any victories to go along with their four defeats. Buffalo lost all four of their Super Bowls in consecutive years. Yikes.
So what would be a pressure-packed Super Bowl in 2013? Minnesota versus Buffalo. One would be the first team in NFL history to lose five Super Bowls. What's worse, the loser still would not have any wins in the big game. People would be talking about it for two weeks prior to Super Sunday. Television ratings for the game might go even higher than this past year.
For fans of the Bills and Vikings, the stress of this game would be immense, probably more so than for the players. I would not be surprised if many of the players weren't even aware of their franchise's history, and wouldn't know much about the significance of the game until after it was over.
But fans know. Players and coaches come and go, but fans remain. A fifth Super Bowl loss without a win for the Vikings or Bills might finally send some of us looking for something else to do with our Sundays in the fall.
Losing a championship game - especially your fourth Super Bowl - can be pretty awful, but at least New England Patriots fans can take some solace in the fact their team has also won three Super Bowls. The Denver Broncos have two wins, somewhat making up for their four losses. However, the Bills and the Vikings don't have any victories to go along with their four defeats. Buffalo lost all four of their Super Bowls in consecutive years. Yikes.
So what would be a pressure-packed Super Bowl in 2013? Minnesota versus Buffalo. One would be the first team in NFL history to lose five Super Bowls. What's worse, the loser still would not have any wins in the big game. People would be talking about it for two weeks prior to Super Sunday. Television ratings for the game might go even higher than this past year.
For fans of the Bills and Vikings, the stress of this game would be immense, probably more so than for the players. I would not be surprised if many of the players weren't even aware of their franchise's history, and wouldn't know much about the significance of the game until after it was over.
But fans know. Players and coaches come and go, but fans remain. A fifth Super Bowl loss without a win for the Vikings or Bills might finally send some of us looking for something else to do with our Sundays in the fall.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Here's hoping for a Detroit Lions - Cleveland Browns Super Bowl matchup in 2013
We’re done with football for a while but some some fans will once again go through another very long off season. Parity in the NFL has resulted in most teams reaching the Super Bowl at least one time. The Jacksonville Jaguars, in existence since 1995, have yet to make it. Nor have the Houston Texans, but they’ve been around for only 10 years.
On the other hand, two established franchises still have never been to a Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions formed in 1930 and the Cleveland Browns in 1946. Neither have been to a Super Bowl. The last NFL championship for the Browns was in 1964, just before the first Super Bowl. The Lions? A NFL title in in 1957. Since the Super Bowl began? Merely one appearance in the NFC championship game, in 1991. Whew.
Management of these two clubs need to put some extra effort into making their teams competitive. Manage your salary cap better, sign some quality free agents, don’t get cute in the college draft. Some teams may not have won a Super Bowl yet, but at least they’re contenders during most seasons. It must be tough to be a fan of a non-competitive team, sticking with them year after year. I give you all a lot of credit.
Here’s hoping the Lions and the Browns have successful off-seasons and are able to put a winning team on the field come September. Their fans deserve no less.
On the other hand, two established franchises still have never been to a Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions formed in 1930 and the Cleveland Browns in 1946. Neither have been to a Super Bowl. The last NFL championship for the Browns was in 1964, just before the first Super Bowl. The Lions? A NFL title in in 1957. Since the Super Bowl began? Merely one appearance in the NFC championship game, in 1991. Whew.
Management of these two clubs need to put some extra effort into making their teams competitive. Manage your salary cap better, sign some quality free agents, don’t get cute in the college draft. Some teams may not have won a Super Bowl yet, but at least they’re contenders during most seasons. It must be tough to be a fan of a non-competitive team, sticking with them year after year. I give you all a lot of credit.
Here’s hoping the Lions and the Browns have successful off-seasons and are able to put a winning team on the field come September. Their fans deserve no less.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
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