King Andre

Say what you want about Mr. Agassi and his many incarnations but he has played the game at the highest level, for longer than anyone this side of Jimmy Connors.

The US Open began play today at Flushing Meadow. Andre has declared that this is his swan song.

I have rooted for him, I have rooted against him, but I have always enjoyed watching him play.
Can he conjure a magic run ala Jimmy in 1991?

This tennis fan, for one, will be rooting for him.

Much Ado about Nothing

So, I'm sitting at my desk at work and the guy next door comes over to tell me, "the DA has dropped all charges against Karr". My first thought was, "who does Karr play for?". I then realized he was talking about the Ramsay murder case.

I admit I hadn't followed it very much, and frankly I don't think it is news. I will grant you the murder of a 6-year old girl is a terrible tragedy. If you will concede that the fact that we have 6-year old beauty queens is, at best, unfortunate, I will not speculate on how that may have contributed to the events that transpired.

How many crimes (murder, abuse, neglect) have been perpetrated against little girls (and boys) in this country, since Jon-Benet Ramsay was murdered? That, my friends, is the real tragedy, and that should be the real story....

I'm getting a pair

So, I saw a very interesting piece on Outside the Lines yesterday.
Stephon Marbury is introducing and endorsing the 'Starbury One' a sneaker that sells for, get this $14.95.

That's right parents, there are no missing digits in that above price.
In an era where Air Jordans go for nearly $200 (American) and Lebron's signature shoe will set you back about $125.

The piece I saw on TV stated that the shoes are pretty much all constructed the same way, but there were plenty of questions about the $15 shoe having the same cachet (particularly with teens) as the higher priced footwear. We're talking an order of magnitude here folks. At the same cost to outfit one kid with Air Jordans, you can shoe your entire roster with Starbury Ones.

I will do my part and pick up a pair, as soon as I can figure out where to get them...

My First Song

So a couple years back, Ray Charles got a lot of play. There was a hit movie, Ray about his life.
Jamie Foxx totally nailed the role. Excellent movie, rent it the next chance you get.

Anyways, that is not the point of this post. As ever, it takes me a while to get to the point.
That same Christmas (I'm gonna say 2005), I received the soundtrack CD as a gift.

It is a great disc, I love it. One song stuck out for me, and that was I Can't Stop Loving You

When I was a tyke, I rode it the middle of the front seat of my daddy's car. I had my own steering wheel complete with a horn I could beep at will (and I did!). Listening to this song, it brought it all back, riding with Daddy, beeping my horn and listening to Ray Charles.

Sure enough, the song was released in 1962, when I would've been four. It's my earliest recollection of pop music. In fact, if I remember aright, this song made the Country Charts.

I listen to it today, apart from the flood of good memories it brings back, it's a damn good tune, and Ray's soulful interpretation is just plain genius.

The Way the Game is supposed to be played

I just got done watching the Little League World Series championship game. It was riveting.
Dominant pitching, tight defense, one key hit (2-run homer) and the boys from Georgia won 2-1.
I enjoyed it immensely.

Last Saturday, I journeyed to Fenway Park (already chronicled on this blog) and watched an excrutiating 13-5 game. Tons of bases on balls, shoddy defense an a couple long balls.

Gimme a 2-1 game where the outcome turns on a single play against a 13-5 slug/walk fest where the biggest challenge is to stay awake.

That's the way the big leaguers played when I was a kid (tight close games), but we've lost it. Can we ever get back?

How about a retinal scanner attached to my laptop?

Today I was once again frustrated attempting to retrieve some information from an account online (my IBM 401K). I couldn't remember my password, actually I couldn't remember my user ID either, but when I hit the "forgot Password" link, I learned that my user ID is really my social security number (on other accounts, it is mkudla on others it is kudlam, on some work accounts, it is my badge #...etc...).

Today's episode was a classic, I was told that my updated password would be mailed (not e-mailed) within 2 business days (how 20th century is that?) to my permanent address on file. Of course, the reason why I was accessing the account online is because my permanent address (who has a permanent address any more?) was obsolete. When I tried to update it, I was denied, because I couldn't login, because I didn't know my password.

This crap happens to me at least once a week. Between work (Windows domain(s), e-mail, Time Sheet, Benefits, 401K...) and personal (hotmail, expedia, amazon, google, bank, ticketmaster, cell phone, credit cards, stubhub....) I estimate I have at least 2 dozen different accounts I log on to, all with varying frequency. It's not just passwords, it's user names (or IDs).

This whole online thing sucks

Preseason Football Stinks

I watched my Giants the other night against KC. They looked great and won 17-0.
The Patriots were equally impressive last night in a 30-3 lambasting of the Cardinals.

So what? They're exhibition games. I hate exhibition games. All you do is pray that none of your team's key players get hurt. What fun is that? It just makes the wait for the start of the season more interminable.

What's the fix? Easy. The NFL went one step in the right direction nearly 30 years ago. Teams used to play SIX preseason games and 14 regular season games. Prior to the 1978 season, the schedule was amended to 4 exhibition games and 16 regular games. Much better. Let's do it again. 2 preseason games is plenty. Let's play 18 REAL games. I am ready for some FOOTBALL!!

Boston Massacre

When my daughter graduated from Providence College this past spring, I promised I would provide her two tickets to this weekend's big tilt at Fenway. I'm a lifelong Yankees' fan. Emily, born and raised in New England, roots for the Red Sox. It was only May, but we already figured this mid-August series would be huge.

I waited til the last minute, then ponied up a small fortune for 2 rightfield grandstand seats via Stubhub (the best of the legal scalper sites, in my opinion). I grudgingly put on a Boston hat and promised Emily I would not root for the Evil Empire, for this one day at least. We got there early and grabbed our seats. They were decent unobstructed view of everything but the extreme right field corner.

Spending time with my first-born was the highlight of the day. The game was a bomb. It was long and ugly, particularly for the Sox fans. I kept to my word and didn't gloat. Even as a Yankee fan, I didn't find the game particularly enjoyable but a W is a W.

Are the Sox done? Too early to tell. We all know what happened the last time the Yanks won the first 3 games of a big series against the Boston nine :-)

Any trip to Fenway park is a good time for me. Being able to enjoy it with my daughter, who has blossomed into a pretty hard-core fan, makes it all the more so...

Maybe next time we'll see a well-played close, exciting contest. You can bet there will be a next time.

Back Online

Well, I did it. A week and a half without using a computer. First time in at least 10 years.
Though I didn't bring my laptop to Aruba, there were Internet Cafes all over the place.
I wasn't really tempted to use any of them. Not sure what it means, maybe I needed a break or maybe I'm burned out. I figure next week at work will tell the tale. If I feel refreshed and energized, it will be the former, if I struggle to get through the week, it is the latter.

In any event, I plan to try and make a serious effort at this whole blogging thing....

Off the grid

Well, as I mentioned I just got married.
Today we leave for our honeymoon, in Aruba.

After much internal discussion, I've decided the laptop stays here.
Jocleyn agrees with the decision, so it's the right call.

I havent been disconnected for any period of time in a very long while.
Should be interesting.....

Gettin' hitched

Well, today is a big day for me. I am tying the knot with my lovely fiance Jocelyn.
The weather certainly has cooperated, as it will be an outdoor event.

It's all good.