Monday's Random Thoughts: Let's Party Like it's 1864

 

I’ve had a few things rattling around in my brain that I felt like I needed to write out and express. And with a few friends saying they missed my weekly blogs, I figured there was no time like the present to get some of those thoughts out.

Wanna know what the biggest one is? It boils down to one word – one number really: 1864.

This is the year we want to go back and get our legal precedence from? When the Civil War was still active? Before Marty took the DeLorean back to the Old West to save Doc Brown? OK, so the last one’s fiction, but when you think about that era in America, isn’t that one of your frames of reference? Want a more historically accurate example? Sure – 1864 is before the events that were depicted in “Tombstone” happened.

Seriously Arizona?

Look, I understand there are people that are dug in on ending all forms of abortion, and hey, you be you. But this the straw you’re grasping at?

If we’re going that far back, let’s go all the way back. Let’s outlaw the cars you drive to get around. Give up your phone. Say goodbye to your indoor plumbing and electricity while you’re at it. (Honestly, there might be some people who’d be OK with all of that because it would mean no one would be bothering them about their guns – of course, there wouldn’t be semi-automatics, so maybe not.)

That’s the thing about the whole abortion battle that baffles me – the complete disregard of science and technology. We have the ability to know exactly what is going on with a pregnancy for almost every step of the way. Doctors can now know if the fetus isn’t viable. They can diagnose conditions that will put the mother in danger for her long-term health (and ability to have more children down the road) with a level of certainty that if it was cancer, we’d have no problem believing or supporting it.

But for abortion? No. Can’t have that.

Look, again, believe what you want to believe. I’m not here to say that abortion is the answer in every case, but we need to start realizing that not every law or rule needs to be this or that. There has to be spaces in-between – and not just some randomly chosen cut-off date.

How about we start thinking about it this way: Maybe if a doctor (or two doctors if you wish) give their expert opinion, maybe we don’t fight against it. There should always be exceptions for those who are victims of rape and incest. Who knows, maybe if you got off your high horse, maybe you could convince some people that there can be a cutoff date for women to decide to have an elective abortion – but if something changes after that date and there is a medical emergency, then they should still be allowed while under a doctor’s care.

Of course, none of that will happen because it makes sense. And there are too many people who are stuck in the “my-way-or-the-highway” mode of thinking to listen to reason. We see it in the House of Representatives whenever someone suggests that the two sides *gasp* work together to get something done. The extreme members would rather burn the whole thing down than do something that the majority of Americans want done if it goes against their personal beliefs – including abortion, gun control, health care, infrastructure, etc., etc., etc.

But maybe, just maybe, the invoking of 1864 will be a tipping point toward some sanity in this country. We sure could use it.

PRETTY GOOD, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: So Gwen Stefani (my alma mater’s most famous alum) and her fellow Orange County ska brats played together on stage for the first time in nine years, and all seemed right in the world.

For those who missed it, No Doubt stepped back into the spotlight at Coachella this past Saturday, and sounded pretty good despite the time apart. I watched along on the livestream on YouTube, mostly because I’m not hip enough to spend a weekend in the desert (or, more accurately, my hips wouldn’t survive a weekend at a festival), and was hopeful that it would be a grand return.

I did get a little worried at the start, as they opened with “Hella Good,” which had some Hella Bad sound quality – something I chalked up to them starting on a stage extension that was separate from the main stage. Once they got back to the stage, however, it was all old school Orange County.

Gwen was a foul-mouthed OC Gen X brat, and the rest of the boys rocked out as a group that had been going strong for years, bopping and bouncing around the stage like they did 30 years ago (yes, it’s been that long). Olivia Rodrigo was a pleasant surprise on stage, and she looked excited to be there, and fit right in with the SoCal vibe.

I only had one major quibble: When she introduced “Just A Girl,” Gwen mentioned that the song seems more relevant that it ever has … and then she just left it there. I get not wanting to alienate any fans, but it wouldn’t hurt to use the platform to encourage all the women in her audience to be informed and – if they agree to the sentiment of the song - get out the vote. If not, it seems like there are some that would like her words “Oh, I'm just a girl, living in captivity; Your rule of thumb makes me worrisome” become the law of the land.

QUICK HITS: Wrestlemania 40 was amazing, top-to-bottom. Yes, I watch WWE. And the product has become one worth watching. The stories make sense, they follow logic, and the performers are putting on great shows, worthy of returning the phrase “pro wrestling” to the lexicon instead of “sports entertainment.”

* The Arizona Coyotes are apparently headed to Salt Lake City for next season. Yeah, it’s time for the NHL to get the team out of the 4,600-seat college arena, and into something more appropriate. Not that Salt Lake City’s Delta Center is a perfect location (it was built for basketball – hockey games there aren’t well lit in the corners), but it at least is a professional facility that will be able to better handle the demands that professional hockey places on its arenas.

* The former president’s trial starts today. If you thought your jury summons was inconvenient, can you imagine what the people reporting in New York are dealing with as they show up to the courthouse for their public service? I wish them well.

Maybe, just maybe, they're not all out to get you

 

The thing about today’s instant satisfaction world of 24/7 news and social media websites is that everyone thinks that there has to be a conclusion right now.

Or right now.

Or now.

Dangnabit, why not now?

What is taking so long?

OK, so I drove the point into the ground. But that seems to be the general feeling out there. We have to make declarative statements about what has happened before we really know what has happened.

The latest case in point is the cargo ship crash that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. Even before 24 hours had passed, there were people shouting from the rooftops that this had to have been some sort of terrorist attack. Or it had to be because the company was too woke because of its diversity. Or … insert whatever other conspiracy theory you want to throw in here.

 I got a novel idea: How about we let the investigators investigate and then tell us what actually happened? Can we do that?

Yeah, I know that will take time, and the result won’t be as sexy as some conspiracy theory that you absolutely know was true no matter what those deep state cops find. But maybe let’s let them do a little bit of the job before we start jumping to conclusions.

Anyway, if this was some terrorist inside job, let’s just say I haven’t heard of many terrorists sending out Mayday calls to warn the victims of their attack that the attack is imminent to try and save lives. Just sayin’.

Or, maybe, people just don’t want to know the truth – and that’s even more frustrating. The truth gets in the way of their worldview, and having someone screaming at you online that it was an inside job is much easier to deal with than having to find out that maybe there isn’t a deep state controlling things or that one side is out to get the other (no matter what side you’re on).

Look, I’m not above having conspiratorial thoughts about things in the news (and there was an event pretty recently that my conspiracy flag was ready to fly). I just generally keep them to myself because I really don’t know the truth. Is what I’m thinking plausible? Sure. But is it likely? Well, let’s let it play out a little bit before we start crowing about it.

But let’s look beyond what happened in Maryland to the long-term picture. The Key Bridge is relatively new in the grand scheme of things, having opened in my lifetime. But when it was built, I’m betting that the cargo ships that used that waterway were not the size they are today. The margin of error in steering under the bridge has probably become much smaller. And if you were paying attention to the news, this is the THIRD time a ship has hit a bridge this year across the world. Also, don’t forget we’ll be hearing about supply chain issues again sooner than later, since that is a big hub for the east coast. Get your toilet paper now.

So do all your friends on social media a favor and take off your tin-foil hats. Be engaged with trusted news sites and turn off the Youtube or TikTok “expert” who is shouting that it HAS to be true because if they really knew it was true, you’d be seeing the “expert” being interviewed by someone besides themselves shouting into their selfie camera.

 

An Open Letter to Starbucks

Dear Sirs,

 

Why is there caffeine in your frozen lemonades?

 

Did I miss it all these years where caffeine was a natural part of lemonade? Sugar, sure. But caffeine? I was pretty sure that wasn’t a part of the equation. Even the add ins for your pineapple passion fruit version of the drink – dried pineapples and strawberry puree – don’t sound like they should add in the 50 milligrams of caffeine for a grande (medium) that your online nutrition facts say that the drink has.

 

Fifty milligrams, by the way, is more than a 12 ounce can of Diet Pepsi (35 mg). I guess I should be glad, it’s still less than a Red Bull (111 mg) or Monster (86 mg).

 

Why do I bring this up? Well, first off, it’s personal. I, along with many (many) other Americans, have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. And one of the big things that cardiologists tell you to do when you have AFib is to cut back on (or, preferably, cut out) caffeine. I started dialing back my intake of caffeine until I had my stroke, and then I just stopped drinking diet colas in general.

 

But secondly, have you noticed an uptick of otherwise seemingly healthy people having more issues than they have in the past? Senator John Fetterman had his stroke not long after I did. I’ve had other friends who have had brushes with similar issues. And Bronny James and his cardiac event? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has had his share of your drinks (along with other energy drinks) in his lifetime.

 

Look, I get it – it’s not your job to police what we put in our bodies. But let’s face it, you have families lining up to get drinks from your establishment. I’ve seen kids as young as 8 (probably younger) walking out with the calorie bomb Frappuccinos you sell, most of which are loaded down with enough caffeine to replace an energy drink.

 

But selling a frozen lemonade doesn’t need to be one of those drinks, does it? I mean, lemonade is lemon juice, water, and sugar (or other sweetener), right? On a hot day, a frozen treat like that should be refreshing – not something that gets us a caffeine fix.

 

Anyway, thanks.

Box Scores? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Box Scores!

My first newspaper job was as a sports agate clerk. 

(Agate, for those of you at home, refers in printing as a roughly 5½-point font size. Roughly 1/16th of an inch. Your normal writing program defaults at 11 or 12 point, so it would be something printed at half the size of what you see when writing a formal paper or letter.) 

It was my job at the daily Anaheim Bulletin to compile all the day’s box scores, standings, and other sports statistics into the space designated for that day (usually a half of a page). I did my best every day to make sure we had every game in there, and always found room for at least some of the daily transactions. One of my favorite things to do was to make sure the most obscure things would get in there whenever I could. World Team Tennis, sure. Indoor soccer, definitely. Hockey, always (remember, this is 1990, we’re talking about). 

The agate page was always one of the pages I looked at daily as a youngster when I’d grab the newspaper at home. I read the paper daily. Sure, it was the sports section and comics, but I was at least looking at the paper. As a young sports fan, the agate section was where you went to check on your favorite teams and players, and how they were doing on a daily basis. And if the paper had room to run daily updates on how the roster was stacking up statistically, even better. 

So, yeah, count me among the disappointed to see the Los Angeles Times drop its agate completely. Ditto, the New York Times cutting its sports department and ceding control of it to The Athletic. (Side bonus, I realized that I have access to The Athletic through my NYT subscription.) 

Disappointed, yes. Surprised, no. 

Think about it. Where are you reading my opinion column about this? A blog post online, either from your laptop, desktop, or handheld computer (or smart phone, whatever). With that device, you can look up any box score of any game on any myriad of sites on the internet. And they’ll probably have highlights and advanced statistics and a full write-up for you, too. All in the palm of your hand. And all of it without getting ink stains on your fingers. 

Of course, that’s the point. Holding and reading the paper is a tactile experience that can’t be replicated by looking at a box online. For example, I really wanted to read the book Ready Player One (and Two), but I really didn’t feel like I had the time to do it. Instead, I got them both as audio books, so that I could listen to them while I worked out. Only problem was that I never was able to get into the flow of the book that way. So I went ahead and bought the two books, and had them read in the span of two weeks. 

What this boils down to is that the population of people who are actually reading a physical paper is dwindling. Generation X is probably the last that grew up with the newspaper, and knowing the importance it carried in our day-to-day life. But as the years have gone on, the importance of the newspaper has declined at a steady pace, to the point we reached this weekend, with the elimination of sports agate, and a sports staff. 

And it’s not going to get better – ever. 

Just wait – the daily print edition of most newspapers is going to be next. And probably sooner than any of us are willing to admit.

A Hill I'm Going to Die On

I get asked a lot what my job as a sports information professional entails.

 

Well, there's a lot. Here's the break down: Write press releases, take pictures, update the web site, run social media accounts, be a DJ, act as (or coordinate) public address and other game operations, run the scoreboard (sometimes), make graphics (for social media and publications), and last, but certainly not least, do live game statistics.

 

Obviously, I don't do all of those things at once all the time. But it's that last job there that is, generally speaking, the most vital. Game statistics are the final record of the game. It will be what others look at to gauge their success over time. There's a reason that we know that Aaron Judge set his American League home run record in 2022 - because there were people around to keep the statistics of every baseball game played through history.

 

As a statistician, I take my job seriously. I want to get everyone the credit they deserve for their accomplishments. Some sports are harder than others, and it really helps when you are able to have multiple people spotting and watching to help you track those games. For example, during football games, I have an extra spotter, but our public address guy and scoreboard operator also will usually be tracking the play and are able to call out the numbers for me to enter into the system. For the indoor soccer team, there is a team of spotters on field level who call out the player numbers as well.

 

I made a point of mentioning what the spotters are calling: Player numbers. I don't have a roster in front of me at games. I have a computer program that has quick keys to signify anything from a shot in soccer to a tackle in football to a dunk in basketball or a strike in baseball. As I enter that information it is VITAL that I (or my spotters) can see the numbers on the uniforms.

 

And this is where we get to the title of this blog post. I am sick and tired of bad uniforms. And people need to stop making them bad on purpose.

 

Here's the blue on black. It's not bad standing still. But a bitch at full speed.

What do I mean bad? I had a basketball team come through with black jerseys and blue numbers. Not light blue, THIS BLUE. I had a high school football team once that had white uniforms with light gold gradient numbers that were impossible to read on a sunny day. I have had soccer and basketball teams that come in with either a white or black top with just a colored outline for their number (so, technically, it's a white/white or black/black situation). And I've had multiple teams come in with gray jerseys with black numbers. And/or, the number will be some weird font that makes it impossible to distinguish numbers (Brazil's funky looking font for their numbers in this World Cup bother me, too).

Black on black. No. Never.

Enough with this madness.

 

Let's get one thing straight - they started putting numbers on uniforms for the ease of everyone involved to keep track of who each player was. Baseball was first in America, but there are stories going back to Aussie Rules Football being the first to implement it. The whole idea was for broadcasters, fans, and statisticians to be able to figure out which player hit that home run by just looking at the back of their uniform. They sold programs by telling you that "you can't tell the players without a scorecard." It seems like a no brainer, You put numbers on the uniforms, you should be able to see the numbers.

Why do teams do it? Aesthetics - "It looks cool!" - is a big thing. People who don't know or think about the practical reasons that numbers are used just want to make something that will look cool enough to sell lots of or makes for something that is eye-catching. 

 

The other reason is more devious. Old school coaches - especially in football - would do it so that when other teams were watching film, they couldn't easily identify players. But in today's digital age, no one is using film. Hell, no one is using video tape. And almost every team is using an online video sharing service that athletes can use to create their own highlights to send out to coaches at the next level in the hope of being recruited. So hiding numbers really doesn't serve the same purpose it once did.

You'll also ask, aren't there rules against this sort of thing? Well, yes there are. I know, because I looked them up (at least the ones for the team sports I deal with at the college). And each sport has uniform guidelines that teams are supposed to follow - some are longer than others. There are graphic examples in most of them showing that numbers on the back should be a certain height (usually 8 inches) and numbers on the front another height (usually 4 inches). Some of them even have width guidelines for the "stripe" or "stroke" of the thickness of the font. And all of them (except NCAA baseball, which has the least written about uniforms) plainly lay out that numbers should be a clearly contrasting to the uniform. And every one of the examples I laid out above are considered out of guidelines.

 

But what none of those sets of guidelines has any real consequences for failing to follow the rule. I think I saw that the NCAA football rule book said maybe a 15-yard penalty before the kickoff. NCAA basketball probably would award a technical (and two free throws) before the game. Nothing that would necessarily be a full punishment that would affect a team long term. I suppose you could hit a team with a lost time out, maybe. Or fine a team for doing it at the pro level - but those leagues have people who make sure that the numbers can be seen. (Oh, and have access to replays and have multiple people keeping stats.)

So, I am up here on my soapbox screaming at the world trying to raise awareness that we need to stop making bad uniforms. Numbers need to be seen - and be on the front and back of jerseys in most cases. It will help the fans, the broadcast audience, and people like me - who get called into question when stats aren't correct.

Wanna Fix Mental Health? Start 'em young.

 

As we reach the end of another school year, we were slapped in the face last week by the reality of the country we live in.

There’s no reason to rehash what happened. Because, in all likelihood, we will have to go through it all again within the next few weeks (thanks to summer vacation, it hopefully won’t be at a school).

Through all the noise of people arguing about what we should or shouldn’t do, there has been one thing that those arguing against further gun control keep bringing up – mental health. We need to address why young people are doing this over and over again. They always bring up the usual suspects: video game violence, lack of religion, the eroding of “traditional” family values. And through it all, the number one solution from some is to harden schools. Improve security. Make them more like prisons. And, gawd forbid, arm the teachers.

However, I would argue that one of the best solutions that I can think of – and we’re playing the long game here – is the exact opposite. We need to soften schools.

What exactly does that mean? If the people who make the decisions are going to throw all kinds of money to help fortify the schools, why don’t we find a way to make sure that our schools are places where kids are going to feel safe, protected, loved, and helped? Make them a place where students are excited to be rather than places that they dread.

Remember, we’re looking at the long game here. So let’s look at some options to address things long term.

How much better might a child grow up if they weren’t hungry all the time, or facing food insecurity every day? Let’s take that money and invest in making school cafeterias places where they can get healthy food they want to eat. There were several instances in my time working at the elementary school where the students didn’t want to eat the food they were being served by the cafeteria because the district’s food budget wasn’t covering better, healthier options. Several studies over the years have shown how much better a child does in school when they are able to have breakfast. A good lunch will help propel their growth just as much – especially if they go home to little or no food.

How much better might a child grow up if there were enough counselors to help guide them through the rough patches? To help them cope with their lives in this hyper, short-term attention span society? Our schools do not have enough counselors to help them cope with the stresses they have to go through. Food insecurity is only one thing many children have to deal with. Anger from living in a society where a child goes home to see an exhausted set of parents who are constantly working to try and keep their family just above water, making sure their kids have the proper clothes, shoes, and school supplies, while also trying to give them the things they need to remain children. Schools nee people who are trained to help kids cope with – and teach ways to stop – bullying.

How much better might a child grow up if there was universal broadband? As children get older, and as the education system evolves, the need for home internet is going to get exponentially more important. This isn’t the era where a family can have a set of encyclopedias to look up the information they need to complete reports, or assignments. The pandemic put a spotlight on the immense gap there is between the haves and have nots when it comes to computer and internet access. We were lucky enough to continue working and being able to pay for better internet service. Many, many more were not. And those kids fell far more behind than the others because they didn’t connect online with their teachers every day.

How much better might a child grow up if there are more people supporting them in the classroom? I get that things have changed in the long time since I was an elementary school student, but I know that it helped the learning environment that we had instructional aides in the classroom every day in the early grades. One teacher cannot be everywhere at once to give the attention that each one of the 20 first grade students need when they are learning a new concept. Or to be able to separate students into groups based on their reading strength and just focus on one group and hope the other group (or groups) will remain quiet. Or to take one at a time aside to do individual assessments (schools tend to bring in substitute teachers to help on days like this). How much better would it be if instead of a 1:20 ratio, it was 1:10, even if it’s an instructional aide? Even if it’s just for four hours a day?

How much better might a child grow up if the teachers who were in their classrooms wanted to be there and were paid well enough to live in the neighborhoods they teach? A teacher’s attitude rubs off on his or her class. If a teacher is struggling, it will show, and it will change the tenor of the room. Especially if they’re being counted on to buy their own supplies, get their own incentives for the students, and, in some cases, paying for food to help keep the children in their class from going hungry. Right now, we expect too much from our teachers, especially with how little we pay them. Most “teachers” are also: counselors, protectors, doctors, nurses, psychologists, IT workers, surrogate parents, and students themselves. And none of that includes what their lives are like outside of the school campus, where they are also parents and providers for their own families, who have to put up with them bringing work home at night and on the weekend (we saw a woman grading papers at an Ontario Reign game once).

How much better might a child grow up if the school they attended was fit for use by the students? Schools are aging, and many need renovations to be make them environmentally safe. Many are too small for everything that a proper modern classroom needs. Desks and chairs are not outfitted in ways that a child can have a Chromebook on their desk and do anything else. Most probably need power upgrades to run new tech along with new roofs, insulation, and heating/cooling systems, not just a coat of paint and new carpet. And that’s not to say anything about the need for books, pencils, pens, crayons, paper, and enough supplies so that no child ever has to share.

Now will all these change anything, stop mass shooting on campuses? Probably not right away. There are too many things that are wrong that can’t (or won’t) be fixed in time to put an end to all of this madness. So, yes, there will be the need to make security fixes on some campuses. Many schools have gates are push open out, and you need a key to get in – and many of them are chained shut as well. And if the school has a public park attached to it as well (an extension of the playground), then there are entry points that are accessible by anyone willing to hop a fence. But the older the kids get, the harder it is to funnel them into one entrance, especially when they start driving. Add in the hormones of confused teenagers, and you will never be able to stop all incidents on campuses.

The thing that bothers me the most by the main argument I hear is that putting common sense safeguards in place won’t stop all these things from happening. To which I answer “Duh.” People argued that mandating seatbelts wouldn’t stop people from being hurt or killed in car accidents, but they sure as heck have helped cut down on fatal incidents. We can’t be looking for elusive cure-all solutions that are going to be 100 percent effective immediately, that’s impractical (cynically, I think that may be the point for some of these people). But make a start. Little changes can make a big difference.

After all, could you imagine a world where school age children are treated with a level of dignity and humanity that many espouse would be the Christian way of doing things? Treated in a way where their problems mattered and there were people who were willing to listen and help them? Able to go home after getting a nutritious, filling meal (or two) without feeling ashamed of their family’s financial situation (without being shamed by cafeteria workers because they can’t afford to pay their bill)? Or to go through the day without being bullied for being different because there are enough adults there to make sure that bullying is nipped in the bud?

Maybe then, a lot fewer of them might grow up so emotionally detached that they think the only way out is to get a gun and shoot up others.