had to go there eventually, might as well start it early!

I was just listening to an interesting interview on sports radio with former pitching great Jim Palmer, who was asked about the state of baseball, steroids, Bonds, McGuire, etc., and I thought he made an interesting point.

Specifically he was asked if he would vote for McGuire, Tony Gwinn, or Cal Ripkin for the Hall of Fame, all of whom come up for induction this year. He said no to McGuire because he was essentially a one-dimensional player…meaning he only hit homeruns. He went on to make the point that whether you think it’s a result of steroids, juiced balls, diluted pitching, or smaller parks, the fact is that homerun hitting is devalued in the current era because so many guys seem to be able to do it in great numbers! When Babe was playing he hit more home runs a season than whole teams because so few players were hitting homeruns, while Aaron’s records are a result if incredible consistency for a player who never hit more than 45 in a season. But never before the current era was there the frequency of homeruns from the number of players – Griffy Jr., Palmiero, Conseco, Giambi, A-Rod, Sosa, Mcguire, Bonds, and others.

I liked that approach, because it deals with the fact that we only have circumstantial evidence about steroid use (though one can argue that the abundance of circumstantial evidence is overwhelming and many have been convicted of more serious crimes with less!). It punishes, if you will, players who sacrifice an all around game for one specific stat. McGuire was never more than a 2 tool player. But it rewards the likes of Griffy and A-Rod, Gwinn and Ripkin, who were much more well rounded players and who achieved at high level in all facets of the game - they won gold gloves on defense, hit for high average, hit for power, ran bases well, and so on. Sort of like Bonds before he decided to go for the long ball…

and another thing

Does anyone else think the new US soccer jerseys by Nike are styled after the allied shirts from Victory?



Interesting that we wear these to the World Cup in GERMANY! Coincidence…I think not!

I saw that new soccer movie, Goal!, and I think it was actually pretty good. Not a top tier sports drama like Hoosiers, Chariots of Fire, or Miracle (also Friday Night Lights, Seabiscuit, Remember the Titans, Raging Bull). But it does fall in that second level of quality as far as I’m concerned – with Rudy, Breaking Away, Coach Carter, The Rookie, and such. And yes, it’s better than Bend it like Beckham.

Unfortunately they couldn’t bring themselves to completely stay away from a love interest, but at least it was minimal. The soccer action was not bad (best to date), and the use of pro players was well executed. It had some good ‘hooks’ – him being an illegal in the US and not able to go home if he gets cut from the English squad; his struggle with his father; the conflict with other hopeful players, and his effect on the established superstars. They also didn’t force him into the hero role too quickly; he spends a good amount of time adjusting to the pro European game before he gets called up.

By the way, I’m not giving away any spoilers here, don’t worry! I'd say see it in the theatre to support soccer, otherwise wait for video.

The film isn’t intended as such, but it is a subtle commentary on the lack of scouting in this country for our own good. I still believe that it is possible for the next great player in the world to exist here and never get noticed and developed. We rely too heavily on expensive private programs to develop young players, and precious few of those have the resources to scout the kids that are pushed into them by affluent parents. These clubs are also hampered by parental politics – since they pay the club, they feel they control what happens (in Europe the clubs are owned and funded by the major teams and players are developed in the clubs interest).

The volunteer coaches of the free teams are generally not soccer savvy enough to spot the early signs of a high performer…not the way we can in baseball, basketball, and football. It’s also true that many of the players who grow up around the sport are still poor immigrants who can’t afford to play and don’t see soccer as an option the way basketball is. I couldn’t help but watch the film and think it should be the true story of Alvaro Zuniga…the best high school player I’ve ever seen!

Coming Soon: My World Cup picks!

Deuce

Well it's day two and I've nothing particularly interesting to say. This is why blogs are such a good idea, but so poor in execution, I guess. Let's see if I can come up with anything without going to some of my old standards or previously written items...

Google just launched its Google Mars maps to go along with Google Earth. Once again I'm reminded of the fact that I'm absolutely convinced the humans will colonize Mars (possibly with terra-forming) and then eventually other planets outside our system. The history of mankind filled with expansion movements based initially on the need for resources (food from herds, then farmland) but more recently on the simple need for more elbow room! As we continue to fill the Earth at an alarming pace, we will soon need more space to occupy.
Certainly we can take advantage of undersea habitat technology as well as subterranean to satisfy the need, but I think that as we learn more about the possibility of an E.L.E on Earth (asteroid collisions and climactic changes) we will as a species realize that survival requires us to spread out across celestial bodies. The same technology that would allow for subsurface habitats would work for extraterrestrial housing, so it's not a big leap once we reach that point - for that matter we HAVE reached that point technologically; the only impediments are emotional and financial commitment.

Ok, as I write this an interesting counter-argument occurs to me…no I take that back! I was going to ask if humans have become so adept at creating and living in cities that the desire for space no longer exists on a scale required for a species-level expansion push. Have production and construction methods eliminated the need for individual land? These may or may not be good questions, but I think rather than settling in to urban life, we are in fact moving out of the period ruled by cities. I think that suburban sprawl is increasing, and the sophistication of both communication and distribution methods are allowing for the spreading out of the population.
Cities were powerful because they centralized systems and support services, allowed for the sharing of resources, and provided safety. But now physical proximity is less important for those things. Communication technology allows for instant global reach and the technology of distribution systems is growing rapidly (consider that highways are only about 60 years old and jet transport is only about 40!). As for safety, recent history (and weapons technology) suggests the spreading out is now safer than bunching up!

So, in the end I’m back to being convinced that we will eventually live places beyond Earth! Unfortunately, even as the price of space technology falls (see Spaceship One) I don’t think this will occur in my lifetime…

…damn!

First go

well...this is it - my first blog! I guess I've joined the trend. Why? I think I realized that I often go on these rants in my mind that I sort of want to share with people, but I'm never sure if people really want to hear them; this way, I can rant and if people care they can read it.
Also, I think it will be a way for me to have some of the conversations with my father that I can no longer have with him in person (since he's recently gone).

Anyway, this is my first entry and one which I needed in order to be able to see my blog site and see if its working.

For those of you out there reading...enjoy!