I got an email this morning from a guy I used to work with in St. Paul. He moved to Montana a few years ago because his wife was transferred there. Now this fellow is a conservative chap but he is not the fire-breathing type that is heard so often on talk radio. In other words, he probably wasn't fired up over Michelle Obama touching Queen Elizabeth the other day.
My ex-colleague was all a twitter this morning, however, over the fact his wife got a bonus check of $19,000 but, after taxes, only netted around $11,500. His anger was twofold: 1) The amount of taxes being taken out. 2) What that tax money was being used for.
I understand all that but I felt I needed to (gently) remind him something. I have been out of full-time work since mid-October. Without getting into specifics, it would take me roughly 35 weeks of full-priced unemployment checks to match his wife's after taxes money from her bonus check.
I don't begrudge her the bonus for a second. I am sure she "busted her ass off" (as her husband put it) and deserves every penny she got. Good for her.
It's just that a lot of us folks would love to "bust our ass off" for just about anybody. So, having sympathy for folks complaining about the size of their bonus check is tough to do.
If, in some people's eyes, this makes me a bad, selfish person for thinking (and writing) along these lines, so be it.
Nobody ever said life was fair.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thanks, George
George Kell died today. He was 86 years old and had been out of the limelight for many years. The obits recalled how he won an AL batting title, nipping Ted Williams in 1949 by something like two thousands of a percentage point. It was the highlight of a long productive career that ultimately brought him to baseball's summit, the Hall of Fame.
When I was a kid, he was one of the voices of summer in Detroit, doing the TV broadcasts of the Tigers. In those days, most teams only showed about 40 games, most of those on the road. Kell's big southern drawl boomed loud and clear from wherever the team played. He was cheery without being a homer. He knew the game well because he had been a good player. He didn't try to be anything more than a guy who made baseball games fun for Tiger fans. In short, he made Tiger broadcast entertaining and informative. There were no lectures about lazy players. George didn't have to do that because he knew pictures didn't lie.
Basically, he did a toned down version of radio on TV, narrating the game without getting into a lot of useless detail. He didn't need to engage in a lot of useless banter about players' wives, etc. He simply wanted to tell us what was going on in the game he was doing and the other games around the league.
In short, he was a man who knew what he did best and didn't try to go past that. It takes a certain amount of discipline to do that. And when I listen and watch some of today's talkers, I find myself liking George's relaxed, southern drawl all the more. I never heard anybody say "The Cincinnatah Redlegs lead ..."
The more I think of it, his voice sounded like a cold glass of Vernors' Ginger Ale on a hot summer afternoon.
He once gave me an autograph in a hotel lobby in Boston, talking to me for 10 minutes about Joe Coleman, a pitcher the Tigers had acquired from Washington the year before. At one point he said,"When he learns to control that curveball, he's gonna be some kind of pitcher." That night, Coleman did just that, fanning 10 or 12 guys in a 2-0 win.
The old boy knew his baseball and told us just what we needed to know - nothing more. Silence is indeed sometimes golden.
George Kell understood that fact well. For that fact alone, we should all be grateful.
When I was a kid, he was one of the voices of summer in Detroit, doing the TV broadcasts of the Tigers. In those days, most teams only showed about 40 games, most of those on the road. Kell's big southern drawl boomed loud and clear from wherever the team played. He was cheery without being a homer. He knew the game well because he had been a good player. He didn't try to be anything more than a guy who made baseball games fun for Tiger fans. In short, he made Tiger broadcast entertaining and informative. There were no lectures about lazy players. George didn't have to do that because he knew pictures didn't lie.
Basically, he did a toned down version of radio on TV, narrating the game without getting into a lot of useless detail. He didn't need to engage in a lot of useless banter about players' wives, etc. He simply wanted to tell us what was going on in the game he was doing and the other games around the league.
In short, he was a man who knew what he did best and didn't try to go past that. It takes a certain amount of discipline to do that. And when I listen and watch some of today's talkers, I find myself liking George's relaxed, southern drawl all the more. I never heard anybody say "The Cincinnatah Redlegs lead ..."
The more I think of it, his voice sounded like a cold glass of Vernors' Ginger Ale on a hot summer afternoon.
He once gave me an autograph in a hotel lobby in Boston, talking to me for 10 minutes about Joe Coleman, a pitcher the Tigers had acquired from Washington the year before. At one point he said,"When he learns to control that curveball, he's gonna be some kind of pitcher." That night, Coleman did just that, fanning 10 or 12 guys in a 2-0 win.
The old boy knew his baseball and told us just what we needed to know - nothing more. Silence is indeed sometimes golden.
George Kell understood that fact well. For that fact alone, we should all be grateful.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Is it really that hard to be nice?
A friend of ours is being inducted into her college's athletic Hall of Fame next week for her tennis achievements. My wife and I were invited to come to Florida to see her induction but, alas, can't make it.
So, we'll take her out to dinner here and celebrate her good fortune. We'll toast her success perhaps with a drink or two.
I bring this up because, as a country, we seem to resent it every time somebody other than ourselves does well. Every lottery winner is looked at suspiciously. A lot of people caught in the AIG crossfire -- lower level people who had little to do with the major fraud the company is accused of and who worked hard at their jobs to earn their bonuses -- are catching hell from everybody.
We have, by and large, become a mean-spirited country. It has always been that way for some politically minded-souls. But now this seems to be extending to more than those folks who live and die politically.
There are a lot of folks who are actually mad at President Obama because he actually had the audacity to spend the time to do something fun like fill out a NCAA bracket for ESPN. He went to California to give a couple of speeches and worked out some time to appear with Jay Leno. A lot of people got whacked out of shape over that one. How dare he enjoy himself even a little bit during these parlous times?
What the killjoys don't understand is that we all need breaks from our daily work routine. We also all need praise at times. And, while we may be modest about accepting congratulations for something well done, the fact is we need that input from someone, too. All work and no play (or, to put it another way, all work and no joy) does more than make somebody dull. It makes that person angry and unhappy.
Angry and unhappy people - the folks who are jealous of other people's success or good fortune -- often do irrational things.
It is easy to wish ill on someone else. It takes just a second to do so and, for some people, it seems to be cathartic. (A former colleague once called me up and gave me a profanity-filled tongue-lashing because he thought I had dissed his boss in public. The fact that he was wrong in his assertions is irrelevant in this case. The point was he then called up his old boss and told him he defended him and verbally slayed me. Maybe he felt better about himself for doing this. Maybe he earned a raise for doing so.)
Me? I'd rather be happy for a friend's success. It may not be as therapeutic as yelling at someone or holding a grudge. But I sleep a lot better at night.
So, we'll take her out to dinner here and celebrate her good fortune. We'll toast her success perhaps with a drink or two.
I bring this up because, as a country, we seem to resent it every time somebody other than ourselves does well. Every lottery winner is looked at suspiciously. A lot of people caught in the AIG crossfire -- lower level people who had little to do with the major fraud the company is accused of and who worked hard at their jobs to earn their bonuses -- are catching hell from everybody.
We have, by and large, become a mean-spirited country. It has always been that way for some politically minded-souls. But now this seems to be extending to more than those folks who live and die politically.
There are a lot of folks who are actually mad at President Obama because he actually had the audacity to spend the time to do something fun like fill out a NCAA bracket for ESPN. He went to California to give a couple of speeches and worked out some time to appear with Jay Leno. A lot of people got whacked out of shape over that one. How dare he enjoy himself even a little bit during these parlous times?
What the killjoys don't understand is that we all need breaks from our daily work routine. We also all need praise at times. And, while we may be modest about accepting congratulations for something well done, the fact is we need that input from someone, too. All work and no play (or, to put it another way, all work and no joy) does more than make somebody dull. It makes that person angry and unhappy.
Angry and unhappy people - the folks who are jealous of other people's success or good fortune -- often do irrational things.
It is easy to wish ill on someone else. It takes just a second to do so and, for some people, it seems to be cathartic. (A former colleague once called me up and gave me a profanity-filled tongue-lashing because he thought I had dissed his boss in public. The fact that he was wrong in his assertions is irrelevant in this case. The point was he then called up his old boss and told him he defended him and verbally slayed me. Maybe he felt better about himself for doing this. Maybe he earned a raise for doing so.)
Me? I'd rather be happy for a friend's success. It may not be as therapeutic as yelling at someone or holding a grudge. But I sleep a lot better at night.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Another encouraging sign!
As a country, we seem to be in need of serious encouragement these days. So, it is time for me to do my part.
It may be cloudy outside with snow still on the ground. Our 401Ks have been cut to 201Ks. Minnesota's Senate race still isn't decided ... four months after we voted.
But hope is on the horizon.
It's Opening Day at Connie's Creamy Cone - the local ice cream parlor.
Connie's is a delightful place. Connie lives in the neighborhood and uses a lot of high school kids who are polite and helpful.
They have even added doggie cups, the perfect size for the Happy Dog, Pete (who is a regular customer).
Life is about to get a lot better.
It may be cloudy outside with snow still on the ground. Our 401Ks have been cut to 201Ks. Minnesota's Senate race still isn't decided ... four months after we voted.
But hope is on the horizon.
It's Opening Day at Connie's Creamy Cone - the local ice cream parlor.
Connie's is a delightful place. Connie lives in the neighborhood and uses a lot of high school kids who are polite and helpful.
They have even added doggie cups, the perfect size for the Happy Dog, Pete (who is a regular customer).
Life is about to get a lot better.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sure sign of spring
The weather people are having a grand time forecasting anywhere from 4 inches to a foot of snow tomorrow. Even though they are couching this with the usual that this storm could go in various directions and may end up just nicking us a bit, it no longer matters.
I just saw something that makes the thought of a little snow insignificant. While walking the happy dog this afternoon, I just saw two kids age 10 or so playing catch.
Snow be damned. Spring is on the way!
I just saw something that makes the thought of a little snow insignificant. While walking the happy dog this afternoon, I just saw two kids age 10 or so playing catch.
Snow be damned. Spring is on the way!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Happy Birthday, Bro
My brother Paul turns 58 today. We're the closest in age (he's 27 months older than me) among the four of us boys. For many years, I thought we were diametric opposites. Paul was the best student of the bunch. He set a high academic standard that, on my best day, I couldn't approach.
He is musically inclined (still plays the guitar and his wonderful son Miles plays the oboe) whereas I once broke a piano key and cracked the top of a clarinet.
As a kid, I used those reasons as an excuse for not doing as well as I should have. Youth is indeed sometimes wasted on the young.
For many reasons, we were never particularly close growing up. It was nobody's fault - just one of those things. But you learn as you get older to appreciate people who are very good at what they do ... and learn from them as to how they do it.
Paul may have been a natural academic but that doesn't detract from the fact he worked very hard in the classroom. From the first day at St. Francis Grade School right through getting his medical degree from Michigan State, he always disciplined himself when he felt he had to.
Success followed him but that is the way the system is supposed to work. He's earned everything he has. One thing the right wing is correct about: there are way too many people who envy success instead of acknowledging (and celebrating) it.
I will always be grateful that Paul was there to care for our guardian Pete (yes, the dog was named her - I like to think she is quite pleased to know it from her post upstairs) during her last days as she battled cancer. He left a good medical practice to take a position in a small town in Oregon to tend to her. That was one of the most unselfish acts I have ever witnessed. If nothing else, it deserves this small notation here.
(He is still honoring Pete in a way. He doctors to senior citizens in the Denver area.)
Paul has been a kind and patient older brother over the years, accepting my idiosyncrasies without commenting one way or the other on them. It took me a while to appreciate that but better than late than never, right?
I wish I had a better way of paying that kindness back than this small public ode. But this seems to me the best way to do it.
So, happy birthday, bro. I admire all that you have done and thank you for the knowledge that you are there when I need you.
Hope you have a great day.
He is musically inclined (still plays the guitar and his wonderful son Miles plays the oboe) whereas I once broke a piano key and cracked the top of a clarinet.
As a kid, I used those reasons as an excuse for not doing as well as I should have. Youth is indeed sometimes wasted on the young.
For many reasons, we were never particularly close growing up. It was nobody's fault - just one of those things. But you learn as you get older to appreciate people who are very good at what they do ... and learn from them as to how they do it.
Paul may have been a natural academic but that doesn't detract from the fact he worked very hard in the classroom. From the first day at St. Francis Grade School right through getting his medical degree from Michigan State, he always disciplined himself when he felt he had to.
Success followed him but that is the way the system is supposed to work. He's earned everything he has. One thing the right wing is correct about: there are way too many people who envy success instead of acknowledging (and celebrating) it.
I will always be grateful that Paul was there to care for our guardian Pete (yes, the dog was named her - I like to think she is quite pleased to know it from her post upstairs) during her last days as she battled cancer. He left a good medical practice to take a position in a small town in Oregon to tend to her. That was one of the most unselfish acts I have ever witnessed. If nothing else, it deserves this small notation here.
(He is still honoring Pete in a way. He doctors to senior citizens in the Denver area.)
Paul has been a kind and patient older brother over the years, accepting my idiosyncrasies without commenting one way or the other on them. It took me a while to appreciate that but better than late than never, right?
I wish I had a better way of paying that kindness back than this small public ode. But this seems to me the best way to do it.
So, happy birthday, bro. I admire all that you have done and thank you for the knowledge that you are there when I need you.
Hope you have a great day.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Alex Rodriguez's real "sin"
By now, just about every sports fan in the country has seen or read about Alex Rodriguez's use of steroids a few years back. We'll leave the arguments as to what should happen to him now to more learned minds.
But it seems to me what Rodriguez did was damage a lot of very innocent athletes ... and it says here he owes them a big apology.
We are a big brush country. We tend to take one person's problem in a specific area and apply to everybody involved in that activity.
Because he is one of the best players in his chosen spot, what's good for Alex Rodriguez is considered by many to be good for a lot of people.
Except in this case, it isn't so. Worse, he made it appear as if this was a minor peccadillo that could have happened to damn every player in baseball. The result of that is the next time somebody jumps up dramatically and starts putting up numbers he had never done before, the blanket of suspicion will immediately arise. Since the commissioner is not indicating there will be any form of punishment, it can appear to the outsider that Rodriguez is skating clean.
Instead of throwing himself on the mercy of the court of public opinion, Rodriguez tried to talk his way out of trouble. He didn't do a good job in that regard. As a result, the folks who don't regularly watch these things may start thinking everybody is like that.
Well, not all athletes are weasels. And the fact is that most folks who do something stupid (It wasn't illegal) eventually pay for it themselves. Rodriguez not only hasn't paid any penalty of this faux pas but it helped get a contract worth a bazillion dollars.
That makes one of the lucky ones, I guess.
This is also the guy who said publicly a reporter was "stalking" him for the story. A few days later, he called the reporter to apologize. Too late. The damage was done. Again, the star got away with doing something that may not have been illegal but certainly was wrong.
And that is the bigger problem. The good folks in athletics outnumber the bad eggs by a wide margin. But the bad eggs are the ones who get attention.
It says here this bad egg needs to get cracked in some way, shape or form. It isn't likely to happen, though. But it could if enough pressure is put on the $17 million man (BB commish Bud Selig) to do so. It wouldn't be just for the good of the game. It would be for the good of athletics in general.
But it seems to me what Rodriguez did was damage a lot of very innocent athletes ... and it says here he owes them a big apology.
We are a big brush country. We tend to take one person's problem in a specific area and apply to everybody involved in that activity.
Because he is one of the best players in his chosen spot, what's good for Alex Rodriguez is considered by many to be good for a lot of people.
Except in this case, it isn't so. Worse, he made it appear as if this was a minor peccadillo that could have happened to damn every player in baseball. The result of that is the next time somebody jumps up dramatically and starts putting up numbers he had never done before, the blanket of suspicion will immediately arise. Since the commissioner is not indicating there will be any form of punishment, it can appear to the outsider that Rodriguez is skating clean.
Instead of throwing himself on the mercy of the court of public opinion, Rodriguez tried to talk his way out of trouble. He didn't do a good job in that regard. As a result, the folks who don't regularly watch these things may start thinking everybody is like that.
Well, not all athletes are weasels. And the fact is that most folks who do something stupid (It wasn't illegal) eventually pay for it themselves. Rodriguez not only hasn't paid any penalty of this faux pas but it helped get a contract worth a bazillion dollars.
That makes one of the lucky ones, I guess.
This is also the guy who said publicly a reporter was "stalking" him for the story. A few days later, he called the reporter to apologize. Too late. The damage was done. Again, the star got away with doing something that may not have been illegal but certainly was wrong.
And that is the bigger problem. The good folks in athletics outnumber the bad eggs by a wide margin. But the bad eggs are the ones who get attention.
It says here this bad egg needs to get cracked in some way, shape or form. It isn't likely to happen, though. But it could if enough pressure is put on the $17 million man (BB commish Bud Selig) to do so. It wouldn't be just for the good of the game. It would be for the good of athletics in general.
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