Rant #2,838: Time For Livin'

How was your Presidents’ Day holiday?
 
I celebrated the holiday—which falls in February for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdates but now is a day that honors all of our presidents—by doing next to nothing.
 
There was no work for me, because those in the various military services that I deal with had the day off, so there was nothing for me to write or edit.
 
My son wasn’t working on Monday, so I did not have to take him back and forth to work.
 
So it was a day where I could just do not much of anything, so that is what I did.
 
I digitized a whole selection of my records—I am getting into one of my favorite acts of yore, The Association of “Windy” and “Along Comes Mary” fame again—and I also watched an absolutely horrible movie that doesn’t even bear worth mentioning much about here.
 
I guess if was a day to recharge my batteries, and it worked.
 
I feel ready to go today, and I hope that you do too!
 
I am sure that today I will get some work to do, so that will keep me occupied for a spell.
 
And my son works today, and for the rest of the weekday workweek, so I have to drive him back and forth to his job, which I really don’t mind doing at all.
 
One day, I am confident that he will learn to drive, but right now, I don’t mind being his chauffeur.
 
And today after work, we will both go and get a haircut.
 
Even bald people like me need to get their hair cut, and yes, the word "hair” is in the singular because quite frankly, that describes my situation best.
 
And I will do the usual things that I like to do, such as watch some TV, read the newspaper, and of course, dine on scrumptious fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
 
And tonight, I will watch professional wrestling with my son, and consequently fall asleep right in the middle of it, like I always do.
 
 Such is the exciting life of a (semi-) retired person.
 
I had an interesting conversation with my eye doctor over the weekend.
 
My son had an appointment, so my wife and I went with him, and as he was going to get the exam, my doctor asked what I was doing with myself, and I brought up that I was recently in the local newspaper in a story about retirement.
 
He asked me what was the theme of the story, and I told him that at least on my end, it was that I was forced into retirement and Social Security against my will because I could not get a job for a variety of reasons, including my age and the existence of the pandemic.
 
He said this to me in response:
 
“I would think it would have been easier for you to get a job during the height of the pandemic, simply because everyone was working from home.”
 
And then he went to take care of my son.
 
This is what I have come across, not just from him, but from others, in relation to my situation, and it proves once again that you cannot possibly understand the situation I was in unless you have walked a mile in my shoes.
 
The doctor was being nice about it, but he has no understanding of this situation.
 
He will never be out of a job, he will never be told, or have it insinuated, that he is too old for the job at hand, he will never have to search around and scrimp for work like I did.
 
So although I don’t want to paint this as a “woe is me” episode, I guess the fact of the matter is that if you haven’t ever been in this situation,, you can’t possibly have any true understanding of it, so these are your thoughts, as misguided as they are.
 
And that leads me to the head of the misguided group the baseball players, the owners and the executives of Major League Baseball, a group I spoke about yesterday.
 
They actually had a meeting of several hours yesterday, so they must have read yesterday’s Rant about how the fans are the ones getting the biggest kick in the butt from their inaction.
 
And they plan on meeting again today, so maybe there is some movement to resolve this impasse.
 
Again, their stupidity demonstrates that even people with lots of money, more money than they can possibly know what to do with, can be stupid ignoramuses about it, and these people are certainly not the sharpest bats in the locker, because they have no idea how badly they are all shooting themselves in the foot as the impasse goes on.
 
Even I—an old, (semi-) retired, washed up guy without much money—can see that.
 
So maybe if these rich people opened up their eyes a little bit, they could see that too.
 
But I guess it is all in a day’s work for a (semi-) retired person like myself, who might have little to do during the day but keeps the wheels turning in his head pretty well.
 
Better than rich people half his age, that’s for sure. 

Rant #2,837: Stop This Game

An Open Letter to Major League Baseball Management and Owners, and to the Player’s Association:
 
“Stop this already.
 
Stop this bickering, stop this he-said-he-said stuff, stop this overall nonsense.
 
Sit down with each other and come to an agreement.
 
And do it now, because billionaires and millionaires arguing over whatever piece of a billion-dollar pie that they are going to get is so ridiculous at this point, and so counter to what is happening in the greater society that you people supposedly live in and are so interested in.
 
Do you see the greater picture here at all, or at least a little bit?
 
We are still in a pandemic, where the great majority of people have had their lives changed, some forever.
 
Millions of people have lost their jobs, millions remain out of work, millions are wondering where their next meal, or mortgage payment, or money to live will come from.
 
Maybe you don’t think that this effects you, but if you don’t, then you really are living in some other galaxy.
 
First, let me address the players.
 
Look, we live in a capitalist world, and nobody is telling you that you should not make as much money as you can, but how much money is enough?
 
I know, your focus lately is on younger players, who often make dirt wages and themselves can barely afford to live, but again, your view is so short sighted, I have to wonder what world you are living in.
 
Everyone in life has to start at the bottom for the opportunity o reach the top, and that goes for not only baseball players, it goes for everyday people like teachers, journalists, cooks, garbage men … I mean, everyone.
 
Few people walk into a million-dollar job right out of high school, or even college, so why shouldn’t there be a salary pecking order in baseball, too?
 
I made $180 a week in my first real job out of college in 1980. Yes, $180.
 
And through the years, I improved my salary through hard work, and at my last job, I actually more than doubled my original salary there—and it took over 20 years to do it.
 
I was never a millionaire, but I felt I accomplished something to get to the level that I eventually attained.
 
Many of these lower minor leaguers are very young, and they received huge signing bonuses, so even if their current wages aren’t spectacular, they have gotten more bang for the buck than others in their age group will ever receive.
 
And for those who never got big bonus money, hard work will pay off for them as it did for me, and as they reach another level in their careers, they will get their money.
 
And now I want to specifically talk to those players who reached the major league level, make more money than they ever dreamed they could make, but have seemingly forgotten their humble beginnings.
 
I remember that Hall of Famer Mario Rivera said that he came from a dirt poor family, and as a child, he would play baseball using a milk carton as a glove.
 
How many of you came from such humble beginnings, and now have reached a level where you not only have the best glove that you can have, but festoon yourselves with earrings and rings and necklaces that make you a walking and talking jewelry store?
 
Have you completely forgotten where you came from?
 
And now for the owners …
 
You don’t get off scott-free here either.
 
Why did you lock the players out so early on in the negotiations? Did you really believe that thais tactic would force the players to sit down with you and do what you wanted them to do?
 
Instead, the action only deepened the chasm between you and the players, and it also rankled the fans, who could care less about you running the business and owning the teams.
 
And like the players, have you yourselves forgotten your own humble beginnings?
 
I congratulate you for being major successes, and many of you are self-made men and women. That is all fine and good, but do you remember the times before you were wealthy, when you were just one of us?
 
Somehow, I don’t think so.
 
And to both factions here, you are destroying the National Pastime with your actions … actions which have a ripple effect on us peons, if you will.
 
What about the vendors at the stadiums you are shutting down who can’t work because of your actions … the ticket takers … the parking lot attendants … the team shops personnel …
 
None of then can work, can bring home a salary, can help their families, while you bicker over a billion-dollar pie.
 
Are you so far aloof that you don’t recognize what you are doing has a major domino affect on the little guys and gals of the world?
 
The other day, Joe Torre was asked about what was going on with the two sides, and he said that both of you should be wary of alienating the fans, and that you should also be wary of making this thing bigger than baseball itself.
 
You should both take heed of what the Hall of Famer said, because he is correct.
 
Stop this game, stop this nonsense, and sit down and not come out of the negotiations without an agreement that you both can live with.
 
Again, we are in a pandemic. The world has been shut down because of it.
 
Sickness is one thing; greed is another.
 
Shutting down the National Pastime for greed is bad enough, but shutting it down for greed when people the world over are suffering as a civilization is another thing.
 
You guys can have all the money in the world, but let me tell you, you look like foolish simpletons by continuing yoiur rigid stance—
 
And all the money in the world can’t buy back the interest of the fans somewhere down the line.
 
You are losing us or have lost us forever—
 
And don’t you think enough is enough already? 

Rant #2,836: Sing a Simple Song

Good morning.
 
It’s Thursday, February 17, and it is time to get up in the morning.
 
“Rise and shine and get out that glory, glory
 
Rise and shine and get out that glory, glory
 
Rise and shine and get out that glory, glory
 
Kingdom of the Lord.”
 
Those are the lyrics to the children’s song “Rise and Shine,” or at least part of the lyrics of the song, which we were taught when I was a young kid at the then-brand-new P.S. 30 in the then-brand-new neighborhood that I grew up in, Rochdale Village, South Jamaica, Queens, New York,
 
When I got up from bed today, I started to sing those scant lyrics in my mind, and when my wife got out of bed, I sang them to her … and she probably thought I was nuts.
 
So with hopes of finding the song on the Internet, yes, I located the song, but I found that they kind of played around with the lyrics to this song way back when, only teaching us the “hook” of the song and changing the lyrics a bit.
 
According to the Child Song Lyrics site (https://www.lyricsondemand.com/miscellaneouslyrics/childsongslyrics/riseandshinelyrics.html) the actual lyrics to the part of the song that we were taught are as follows:
 
“Rise and shine
 
And give God the glory, glory
 
Rise and shine
 
And give God the glory, glory
 
Rise and shine
 
And give God the glory, glory
 
Children of the Lord."
 
No, I have no idea why they changed the lyrics a bit or why they didn’t have us learn the rest of the song—which talks about Noah and the Lord—but at least I know I am not crazy in remembering this song, and remembering that they taught us this song, or at least part of it, in school.
 
I also remember other songs that we were taught. I find it hard to believe that I do remember these songs, because in music class, the teacher I had, who went by the name of Miss Rampey, didn’t like me.
 
Oh, it wasn’t just me. She had her favorites—kids who actually had some musical talent—but kids like me, who had a tin ear … well, we were in the class, but according to her, we just took up space there, so I never learned anything in the class at all.
 
And then I lost—or had stolen—my recorder, that flute-like instrument that kids use to learn to read and play music with, and I was a goner in that class.
 
I have since learned that Miss Rampey lasted in that school for several generations, and that I wasn’t the only one to claim that she definitely had her favorites, so I know that I am not wrong about that memory.
 
Anyway, there were other songs that we had to sing in those days, Thinking back, I think we sang them at assemblies that our parents attended, just to show them that we were getting a well-rounded education there, but whatever the case, I find it hard to believe that we sang these songs and that I actually remember them.
 
“Will you buy my tortillas
 
“Wiill you buy my tortillas.”
 
I don’t remember the rest of the song, but looking around the Internet, we were evidently taught a Chilean folk song called “Buy My Tortillas."
 
I cannot find the lyrics, but again, my memory astounds me!
 
And there was another one about an Indian chief, a Zulu warrior, that we also sung about, but that is about all I can remember about that song.
 
I think the song was called “Zulu Warrior,” and when we sung the song, the emphasis was on the word “chief,” so when we sung it, it went something like this:
 
“Indian CHIEF, CHIEF, CHIEF” with us kids putting that emphasis on “chief” by yelling the word out those three times.
 
It is just so funny what I can remember from all those years ago.
 
I see those commercials for memory lose pills for people in my age bracket, and I tell you, I don’t need them!
 
Just remembering those bits and pieces of songs that I had to sing with my classmates all of those years ago tell me that my memory is just fine at the ripe old age of nearly 65, and I don’t need those things at all.
 
Couple that with all the clearer memories I have from those days and even earlier in my life, and I know that the old brain still works!
 
But what did I have for dinner yesterday?
 
I just don’t remember.
 
Maybe I need those pills after all … .
 
And before I forget, I have one of those confounded early appointments tomorrow, so I am going to have to take a day off from writing the blog.
 
So have a good Friday, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on … what day will it be? …
 
Oh yes, I remember ...

I will be back here on Monday! 

Rant #2,835: Betcha By Golly Wow

I will bet that you don’t know what I am going to talk about in today’s Rant.
 
That is a true play on words, because I am going to talk about sports betting, which has been around for eons, both legal and illegal betting.
 
But more to the point, I am going to talk about online sports betting, which has also been around for a while in many places, but has recently become legal in New York, with a couple of entities given permission to open up shop in the state.
 
This has been a touchy subject in the state for quite a few years, because New York State didn’t offer this online exercise to its citizens, but New Jersey and other surrounding states did, and our legislators—so keen on pointing out “the science” in everything—decided that we were missing out on a cut of the lucrative money pie, and implemented online sports betting beginning in January of this year.
 
And the results are in!
 
New York State generated more than $2 billion in sports betting in just one month, which puts in the state’s coffers millions of dollars in revenue.
 
And what is even better is that February, even though it is a short month, will probably surpass that amount, because of the Super Bowl,, and all of the betting revolving around that big game.
 
And then you have March, with college basketball’s March Madness, and you can bet that at least through March and into early April, each month will surpass the previous one for sports betting.
 
That is all fine and good, but as a real, true sports fan, I simply hate the betting aspect of all of this, because let’s face it: betting on sports has nothing at all to do with sports, does it?
 
When you are able to bet, during the Super Bowl, who is the first receiving team, who will score the first touchdown, and what color the Gatorade will be that will be dumped on the winning coach, you know that this has nothing to do with sports at all.
 
The companies that have been permitted to do their thing in New York have flooded the airwaves with commercial after commercial touting their sports betting site, to the point that these ads, at times, are about two out of every three ads that we see when we are watching our favorite programs.
 
And the availability only feeds the gambling addiction that some people have, even though there are the obvious disclaimers on these ads, just like in the alcoholic beverage commercials, about seeking help if you need it.
 
But let’s get back to the sporting aspect of all of this … there is none.
 
It has nothing to do with who wins or loses, who does well in the games, or who doesn’t do well in their pursuit of athleticism that us mere mortals can only marvel at ... and to root for our favorite team to stand out from the rest.
 
It has to do with pure greed, bringing the football “rooting” mentality to all sports.
 
Football has been labeled our country’s most popular sport, but any true sports fan knows that the only reason that football has reached this level of the conversation is that when you add the betting aspect into it, you have people watching the games who have no concern about the outcome, do not even understand the games, and only care about whether they are making money off of them.
 
Baseball remains our true national pastime, because you generally have people watching it who are not betting on things like who will get the first hit in the game or who will hit the first home run of the contest.
 
You have people watching the game who really care about the game and its outcome, unlike football, where the outcome is truly secondary to the money to be made on the game.
 
And now, with sports betting legal in New York, I see that the teams themselves are promoting this new legal “shine” to their games pretty aggressively.
 
For instance, on the Knicks' court at Madison Square Garden, you have the graphics for one of the betting companies right on the hardwood floor, and what’s worse, you have a segment of the pre-game show entirely devoted to the betting aspect of the game—and it is always hosted by young, attractive people to get younger viewers interested, and ultimately hooked on this.

(Sounds what they used to do in cigarette advertising, doesn't it?)
 
This is just so wrong … it is funny that the leagues themselves have forgotten all the betting scandals that have rocked their respective sports in the past, like the NYU college basketball scandal of the 1950s, the numerous betting scandals which have shaken both Major League Baseball and the National Football League—the “Black Sox” scandal, Paul Hornung—and of course, Pete Rose and his penchant for betting on his own team while managing that very team.
 
None of this means anything anymore, it is ancient history, and let’s all bet our money on the big game!
 
It is just so wrong, has nothing at all to do with athletics, and really, it stains college and professional sports even more than they are stained to begin with these days.
 
Yes, I know, sports betting under the table has been around forever.
 
Heck, our local newspapers have been running odds on the games since they probably began publishing.

And yes, I know about the lottery, Off-Track Betting, and all the other legal gambling exercises that have been in place for generations.
 
But to bring it all out in the open, and by doing so, pretty much making betting an acknowledged part of sports when it really isn't, it all rubs me the wrong way.
 
I certainly won’t participate, as I am more in tune with the athleticism of the athletes, and if my team won or lost, than seeing how much money I can make on betting whether a manager will be thrown out of a game, how many slam dunks will be made during the game, and how many home runs are hit during the game.
 
Sports betting has nothing to do with the real game, no matter what anyone says or the betting companies would like to have us believe.
 
It changes the way you watch a game, because when you bet on a game, you morph from a sportsman to a gambler, and that is not the way to watch sports.
 
And who is to say that the very athletes we root for won’t wind up entangled in some type of mess related to betting that will rival, and surpass, what Pete Rose was involved with?
 
Nope, no sports betting for me, because it destroys the very sports we are wagering on.
 
And you can bet on that.