This is only semi-sports related. After his team's victory over South Florida last Saturday, UConn coach Jim Calhoun sat at his press conference, ready to ask questions. The first question came from a political activist acting as a reporter, and from there it got ugly. It began innocuously enough, with the guy asking about his salary. Calhoun attempted humor (he's a very caustic individual) by saying he's not giving a dime back and that he wants to retire someday. It quickly escalated, with the "reporter" talking about the budget crisis and Calhoun's high salary. After attempting humor again with his "I make a lot more than that" remark (that admittedly some could find off-putting), he became angry and started citing his statistics. The UConn men's basketball team makes the university $12million a year, according to Calhoun, and that's from where his salary is generated. It ended with him screaming at the guy to come back at him when he gets his facts straight. The "reporter" also angered the real reporters in the room by making a comment along the lines of "if you guys covered this, I wouldn't have to", for which he was roundly booed.
The fallout from this incident has been severe. He has been on every Sportscenter episode since, talking about the reaction to his comments. The governor of Connecticut spoke out and said that she is sure that Calhoun regrets the "embarrassing" incident. Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio have been discussing it all week. It reached its nadir for me this morning when I flipped on Good Morning America and it was the topic of discussion. Obviously, people are heated about this question.
So, I am jumping into the ring. It may or may not surprise you, but I side firmly with Jim Calhoun on this one. There are many problems with the "reporter" and his line of questioning. First of all was his timing. The press conference came about 15 minutes after the victory. This is no time to catch people in a trap, unless you are trying to set him up to look bad by catching him off guard. I think its important to note that Calhoun's victory over South Florida was the 799th of his career. With his win at Marquette last night, he became only the 7th coach in college basketball history with 800 career wins. It seems disrespectful to me to ask about his salary in wake of his momentous personal achievement.
Secondly is whether the question is right to ask at all. I will say this: I don't have a problem with the discussion taking place. Is $1.6 million (or more if you believe Calhoun) too much for a state employee to be making during a tight budget (not to mention a possible budget deficit)? Mike and Mike said that they had state workers from Connecticut calling in all week saying that they were being forced to take a reduction in salary, so why shouldn't he? This gets back to a pet peeve of mine with Americans. We have this tendency to want everybody to have it as bad as we have, when in my opinion we need to focus on getting everybody to have it as good as Calhoun has it. Why hate on someone who's worked hard and gotten to the pinnacle of his profession and is now being rewarded for it?
Lastly, there is the question of markets dictating the going rate. Obviously if Connecticut cut his salary, Calhoun could find approximately 324 schools that would fire their guy to hire him in a second. He's been loyal to UConn and built that program by himself, so it seems like he wouldn't do that. If he did, however? He'd be lambasted and hated in New England. That just doesn't seem right to me.
So, on this question, I fall decidedly into Camp Calhoun. I'm not a huge fan of the guy, but I think he's dead right about this. And, he speaks out on a lot of issues surrounding college athletics, and I think he's usually right. I just don't like his whiny press conferences after his teams get manhandled by my Panthers. Where do you fall on this issue?
Here's the link to the Youtube clip, if you haven't seen it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdz05ql-j_E
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A New Pirate Generation
So, I don't know if you know this, but in January I became a first time Pittsburgh Pirates season ticket holder. Sure, there were a few seasons (maybe 2 or 3) back around the turn of the century when my dad split a 40 game package with Shrec (that was just to ensure our seats at the newly built PNC Park). But I don't count that, because at that time, I went to those games on my dad's dime. This January, I made the decision to become a season ticket holder by myself and for myself.
I bought one seat. Left field bleachers, section 135, row B seat 17. I'm basically in the good part of left field, not down the line but not too much down the center; probably right where a good left fielder would normally position himself. Here's the kicker: I bought the full season plan. Yes, that's right, 81 games!
Now, the nice thing about the plan is that it's more like 81 tickets than 81 games. What do I mean by this? I mean that I have 81 tickets for people to go to games. I'm hoping to go to somewhere between 40-50 myself. For the games I don't go to, I can trade them in ahead of time and get another ticket to a certain game. So say Patty calls me up and wants to go to the game tomorrow. I can take my Sunday ticket (just as an example, but I probably don't plan on going to too many Sunday games) and trade it in for a ticket next to me, for my mother. It's really a first class operation - which lends credence to the fact that the Pirates are first class all the way, right up until the product they put onto the field.
So this past Saturday was the season ticket holder open house at the ballpark. I scheduled an appointment with my account rep (Kevin - a nice guy). I met him at 12:30 and he took me on a tour of the park. I went into the locker room and saw the weight room, batting cages, film room, etc. We went down the tunnel and up the stairs into the dugout. I stood on the dugout steps, looking out at the view of both the most beautiful ballpark and the most beautiful city in the country. I went to see my seats, which I knew were good, but it was cool just to be there anyway.
Kevin was telling me about all of the perks of being a season ticketholder. They will have a few battice practice sessions for us, so before games I'll go down into the batting cages and take some cuts against the machine (the machine knows every pitcher in the game and can pitch like it; same arm angles, same pitches, everything. I will stand in against a 98 MPH fastball from Randy Johnson, or maybe Mariano Rivera's devasting cutter). Then after the season, they have a "field day" for us, where we go out ONTO THE FIELD and take BP and shag some flies. My dad is very concerned about my performance on this day. I think he's ready with my medical insurance card and an ambulence - luckily AGH is a few blocks away.
Anyway, it really is a new Pirate generation for me. I've always been a fan but this year I am taking it to another extreme. I'll be looking for people to go to games with; let me know if you are interested!
I bought one seat. Left field bleachers, section 135, row B seat 17. I'm basically in the good part of left field, not down the line but not too much down the center; probably right where a good left fielder would normally position himself. Here's the kicker: I bought the full season plan. Yes, that's right, 81 games!
Now, the nice thing about the plan is that it's more like 81 tickets than 81 games. What do I mean by this? I mean that I have 81 tickets for people to go to games. I'm hoping to go to somewhere between 40-50 myself. For the games I don't go to, I can trade them in ahead of time and get another ticket to a certain game. So say Patty calls me up and wants to go to the game tomorrow. I can take my Sunday ticket (just as an example, but I probably don't plan on going to too many Sunday games) and trade it in for a ticket next to me, for my mother. It's really a first class operation - which lends credence to the fact that the Pirates are first class all the way, right up until the product they put onto the field.
So this past Saturday was the season ticket holder open house at the ballpark. I scheduled an appointment with my account rep (Kevin - a nice guy). I met him at 12:30 and he took me on a tour of the park. I went into the locker room and saw the weight room, batting cages, film room, etc. We went down the tunnel and up the stairs into the dugout. I stood on the dugout steps, looking out at the view of both the most beautiful ballpark and the most beautiful city in the country. I went to see my seats, which I knew were good, but it was cool just to be there anyway.
Kevin was telling me about all of the perks of being a season ticketholder. They will have a few battice practice sessions for us, so before games I'll go down into the batting cages and take some cuts against the machine (the machine knows every pitcher in the game and can pitch like it; same arm angles, same pitches, everything. I will stand in against a 98 MPH fastball from Randy Johnson, or maybe Mariano Rivera's devasting cutter). Then after the season, they have a "field day" for us, where we go out ONTO THE FIELD and take BP and shag some flies. My dad is very concerned about my performance on this day. I think he's ready with my medical insurance card and an ambulence - luckily AGH is a few blocks away.
Anyway, it really is a new Pirate generation for me. I've always been a fan but this year I am taking it to another extreme. I'll be looking for people to go to games with; let me know if you are interested!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
My Pittsburgh Problem
Well, I will respond to Blake's desire to have another blog from me. I've had a bunch in the hopper recently (like when I met the comic Larry Miller...)but I find that after spending 8 hours a day at work in front of a computer, the last thing I want to do when I get home is type more. I started a new shift at work this week, working from 8:30-4:30, so I have to catch the 7:27 bus to make it on time. This means that I'm at work between 7:45 and 8...so maybe I'll have time to blog in the mornings.
Anyway, I've been living on Mt. Washington for almost 8 months now; in fact, my lease runs out at the end of June at my current place. Recently I've been thinking of whether I want to move or stay where I am, and I'm thinking of moving for many reasons, the least of which is I can save some money. It's like an artificial raise; I pay X for my apartment, then I move somewhere that's, say, $50 cheaper a month. All of a sudden, I'm paying X-50 and saving $600/year...that's a raise! So this is one consideration. The most important consideration, though, is what is referenced ominously in the blog title. It's not what you think though. My Pittsburgh problem is that I love this city so much, and I love so many areas of it, and I think that so many places would be fun to live for various different reasons. So, when looking at apartments, I have a hard time deciding where I want to look and I end up looking at all of them. I could see myself living in at least 7 different Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Let's look at the list:
1. Mt. Washington - obviously my current place of residence. I love the commute from up here, at least to work, having the choice of a bus that is 20 yards from my door, or the incline. The views are great, and its centrally located - I can get to the airport, Monroeville, Gibsonia, Cranberry, and down 51 all pretty quickly. On the downside, it's a tough place to live in the snow when the roads get bad. Ultimately, if I stayed on Mt Washington, I think I'd strongly consider moving to the other side.
2. Northside - There are various neighborhoods over here that I would consider but I'll place them under the "northside" umbrella. I love this idea because it's walking distance to PNC Park (I'm a first time Pirates season ticket holder this year) and it could be walking distance to work as well, at least when its nice out. The bad part is that the Northside is maybe the most "dangerous" neighborhood I'm considering (dangerous for Pittsburgh, that is).
3. Southside - It's probably tied for the most expensive place that I'm looking. However, when I imagine city living, Carson Street is what I imagine. I think of waking up on Saturday mornings and walking down to the corner to get breakfast or coffee and a paper. I imagine going out on Friday night, being able to walk to bars and clubs, and being able to come and go as I please. I imagine being able to get all different types of ethnic foods in a matter of minutes. I love the Southside and would love to live here.
4. Squirrel Hill - The other expensive place I am looking at. Murray Avenue has the same sort of feel as Carson St, without all of the young people. Still, it's a cool neighborhood with many of the things I'm looking for. Downside is that I don't want to move to the east of downtown, it's by far the worst way to get where I need to go. Of course, I'd take the bus, but still...
5. Brookline - The "T" (subway) has a line through Brookline, which is one of the main reasons I like it. It has the feel of the suburbs while being in the city, which is a good and bad thing.
6. Beechview - Another neighborhood that has a "T" line running through it. That's really the only reason I'm considering it.
7. Bloomfield/Lawrenceville - While these are two distinct neighborhoods, I will condense them because they are beside each other. Lawrenceville has the reputation of being where all the artists are moving, so I'd like to stay away from there. But I love Bloomfield, Pittsburgh's Little Italy. It has a great "Carson St" street that runs through it, the section of Liberty Ave. When I originally thought of living in the city, Bloomfield is what I had my heart set on. I will continue to look here as one of my primary options.
So those are my choices right now. I have started the process. Any feedback? What am I forgetting to consider? I know one thing I didn't originally consider was the title of my blog... Josh in Brookline doesn't have the same ring. Anyway, I welcome any thoughts that you may have.
Anyway, I've been living on Mt. Washington for almost 8 months now; in fact, my lease runs out at the end of June at my current place. Recently I've been thinking of whether I want to move or stay where I am, and I'm thinking of moving for many reasons, the least of which is I can save some money. It's like an artificial raise; I pay X for my apartment, then I move somewhere that's, say, $50 cheaper a month. All of a sudden, I'm paying X-50 and saving $600/year...that's a raise! So this is one consideration. The most important consideration, though, is what is referenced ominously in the blog title. It's not what you think though. My Pittsburgh problem is that I love this city so much, and I love so many areas of it, and I think that so many places would be fun to live for various different reasons. So, when looking at apartments, I have a hard time deciding where I want to look and I end up looking at all of them. I could see myself living in at least 7 different Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Let's look at the list:
1. Mt. Washington - obviously my current place of residence. I love the commute from up here, at least to work, having the choice of a bus that is 20 yards from my door, or the incline. The views are great, and its centrally located - I can get to the airport, Monroeville, Gibsonia, Cranberry, and down 51 all pretty quickly. On the downside, it's a tough place to live in the snow when the roads get bad. Ultimately, if I stayed on Mt Washington, I think I'd strongly consider moving to the other side.
2. Northside - There are various neighborhoods over here that I would consider but I'll place them under the "northside" umbrella. I love this idea because it's walking distance to PNC Park (I'm a first time Pirates season ticket holder this year) and it could be walking distance to work as well, at least when its nice out. The bad part is that the Northside is maybe the most "dangerous" neighborhood I'm considering (dangerous for Pittsburgh, that is).
3. Southside - It's probably tied for the most expensive place that I'm looking. However, when I imagine city living, Carson Street is what I imagine. I think of waking up on Saturday mornings and walking down to the corner to get breakfast or coffee and a paper. I imagine going out on Friday night, being able to walk to bars and clubs, and being able to come and go as I please. I imagine being able to get all different types of ethnic foods in a matter of minutes. I love the Southside and would love to live here.
4. Squirrel Hill - The other expensive place I am looking at. Murray Avenue has the same sort of feel as Carson St, without all of the young people. Still, it's a cool neighborhood with many of the things I'm looking for. Downside is that I don't want to move to the east of downtown, it's by far the worst way to get where I need to go. Of course, I'd take the bus, but still...
5. Brookline - The "T" (subway) has a line through Brookline, which is one of the main reasons I like it. It has the feel of the suburbs while being in the city, which is a good and bad thing.
6. Beechview - Another neighborhood that has a "T" line running through it. That's really the only reason I'm considering it.
7. Bloomfield/Lawrenceville - While these are two distinct neighborhoods, I will condense them because they are beside each other. Lawrenceville has the reputation of being where all the artists are moving, so I'd like to stay away from there. But I love Bloomfield, Pittsburgh's Little Italy. It has a great "Carson St" street that runs through it, the section of Liberty Ave. When I originally thought of living in the city, Bloomfield is what I had my heart set on. I will continue to look here as one of my primary options.
So those are my choices right now. I have started the process. Any feedback? What am I forgetting to consider? I know one thing I didn't originally consider was the title of my blog... Josh in Brookline doesn't have the same ring. Anyway, I welcome any thoughts that you may have.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Super Steelers
Well, in honor of our six time Super Bowl champs, I will offer six thoughts on the big game:
1. I am the original Santonio fan in Pittsburgh. Draft day 2006, I lived in Knoxville. I was watching while writing a paper, and the Giants were on the clock with the 25th pick. I called Keith and said "Dude, I have a feeling we're trading up here to take Santonio." As we were on the phone, Tags went to the podium and said, "With the 25th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Giants..." and I started to say the words with Tags..."trade the pick to the Steelers. The Steelers select..."and by now I'm shouting..."Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State". I was ecstatic. I hate Ohio State, but I loved this guy, and one thing said all I needed to know. They showed Santonio in his living room, and somebody there busted out a Terrible Towel and started waiving it, and he was genuinely thrilled to be a Stiller. He had a rough rookie year (remember when he fumbled punts seemingly every week?) but ended that year with a long TD catch to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs, and he's been pretty good ever since. Breakout star waiting to happen.
2. Ben is very, very, VERY underrated. People talk about his ability to keep plays alive, and he's fantastic at that. But he has become great in the pocket, making his reads, checking down when he has to. He hasn't even reached his prime yet.
3. I love Coach Mike. I was very skeptical at first, and I still don't think he's reached his potential as an X's and O's guy or a game manager. There were lots of mistakes in the game yesterday that a more seasoned guy I hope wouldn't make (the admission that he would take a safety scared me - that's the wrong call there). Still, he pushes the right buttons and guys respond to him. He seems to have a great relationship with Ben, and that's important. And it said it all when Willie complained about running, and Mike responded: "I walk past 5 Lombardi's, not 5 rushing titles." Eat it, Willie.
4. Larry Fitzgerald is a man among boys. He's my favorite player in the league, bar none. Of course, he starred collegiately at Pitt, and that's why I love him. I started loving the Cardinals when they drafted him, and then obviously the Cards became Pittsburgh West. He's still the best in my book, and it was a Steeler/Pitt fans dream yesterday with Larry having a huge game, but the Steelers still winning. I have to admit, I wasn't crushed when he scored to go ahead with 2:30 left in the game.
5. It's not enough to win a Super Bowl anymore. You have to do it in an historic way. The 2005 Steelers became the first 6 seed ever to win the game. This years' team has a few marks in history. First of all, they overcame the hardest schedule in league history, with opponents winning percentage just below 60%. Second, the defense was impenetrable for most of the year. They got All Pro seasons from Polamalu and Harrison, but other guys stepped up so well too. Woodley was a terror on the edge. Aaron Smith remains one of the most underrated DEs in the game. Casey is a huge bowling ball in the middle. Timmons, Farrior, and Foote held the middle down. However, the most important aspect to me this season was the coverage skills of the DBs. This was the best defensive backfield that the Steelers have had since 1992. They had legitimately 7 DBs that could cover (Ike, Deshea, McFadden, Willie Gay, Polamalu, Carter, Clark). That allowed LeBeau to sit back and let the 3 or 4 rushers do their job, which they were able to do a lot of the time. The third historical factor is in our QB. Ben will end up in the HOF if he continues this pace.
6. The Boss was good at halftime. Not nearly as good as Prince in the (purple!) rain in Miami in 2007. But Bruce was still good. I was hoping for Glory Days, it's my favorite Bruce song, probably because I remember it as a 7 yr old, and I was pumped when he and Little Stevie introduced it ("It's Boss time!"). Who could possibly play the halftime show next year? I have no idea.
Well, that's enough from me. What did you think of the Super Bowl?
1. I am the original Santonio fan in Pittsburgh. Draft day 2006, I lived in Knoxville. I was watching while writing a paper, and the Giants were on the clock with the 25th pick. I called Keith and said "Dude, I have a feeling we're trading up here to take Santonio." As we were on the phone, Tags went to the podium and said, "With the 25th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Giants..." and I started to say the words with Tags..."trade the pick to the Steelers. The Steelers select..."and by now I'm shouting..."Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State". I was ecstatic. I hate Ohio State, but I loved this guy, and one thing said all I needed to know. They showed Santonio in his living room, and somebody there busted out a Terrible Towel and started waiving it, and he was genuinely thrilled to be a Stiller. He had a rough rookie year (remember when he fumbled punts seemingly every week?) but ended that year with a long TD catch to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs, and he's been pretty good ever since. Breakout star waiting to happen.
2. Ben is very, very, VERY underrated. People talk about his ability to keep plays alive, and he's fantastic at that. But he has become great in the pocket, making his reads, checking down when he has to. He hasn't even reached his prime yet.
3. I love Coach Mike. I was very skeptical at first, and I still don't think he's reached his potential as an X's and O's guy or a game manager. There were lots of mistakes in the game yesterday that a more seasoned guy I hope wouldn't make (the admission that he would take a safety scared me - that's the wrong call there). Still, he pushes the right buttons and guys respond to him. He seems to have a great relationship with Ben, and that's important. And it said it all when Willie complained about running, and Mike responded: "I walk past 5 Lombardi's, not 5 rushing titles." Eat it, Willie.
4. Larry Fitzgerald is a man among boys. He's my favorite player in the league, bar none. Of course, he starred collegiately at Pitt, and that's why I love him. I started loving the Cardinals when they drafted him, and then obviously the Cards became Pittsburgh West. He's still the best in my book, and it was a Steeler/Pitt fans dream yesterday with Larry having a huge game, but the Steelers still winning. I have to admit, I wasn't crushed when he scored to go ahead with 2:30 left in the game.
5. It's not enough to win a Super Bowl anymore. You have to do it in an historic way. The 2005 Steelers became the first 6 seed ever to win the game. This years' team has a few marks in history. First of all, they overcame the hardest schedule in league history, with opponents winning percentage just below 60%. Second, the defense was impenetrable for most of the year. They got All Pro seasons from Polamalu and Harrison, but other guys stepped up so well too. Woodley was a terror on the edge. Aaron Smith remains one of the most underrated DEs in the game. Casey is a huge bowling ball in the middle. Timmons, Farrior, and Foote held the middle down. However, the most important aspect to me this season was the coverage skills of the DBs. This was the best defensive backfield that the Steelers have had since 1992. They had legitimately 7 DBs that could cover (Ike, Deshea, McFadden, Willie Gay, Polamalu, Carter, Clark). That allowed LeBeau to sit back and let the 3 or 4 rushers do their job, which they were able to do a lot of the time. The third historical factor is in our QB. Ben will end up in the HOF if he continues this pace.
6. The Boss was good at halftime. Not nearly as good as Prince in the (purple!) rain in Miami in 2007. But Bruce was still good. I was hoping for Glory Days, it's my favorite Bruce song, probably because I remember it as a 7 yr old, and I was pumped when he and Little Stevie introduced it ("It's Boss time!"). Who could possibly play the halftime show next year? I have no idea.
Well, that's enough from me. What did you think of the Super Bowl?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
