 Friday, August 11, 2006
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde NY Sports Fans
New York sports fans
need to have their heads examined. I don't know what it is, but what
makes a
Mets fan boo Carlos Beltran on Opening Day? Sure he had bad numbers in 2005,
sure he is making a ton of money, but this is how you motivate him to play hard?
He played in pain most of last year, so why not chalk it up and start fresh in
2006? What ever happened to turning over a new leaf on Opening Day. Give the guy
a chance, we know he is capable.
Now the same thing
is happening to ARod over
at the Stadium. The Tank wants to trade him. Yankee fans relentlessly boo one of
the greatest players in baseball. The situation has gotten so bad that fellow New York 3rd
baseman, David Wright, had to come
out and defend him!
ARod is "only" projected to have 119 RBIs (after
130 last year when he was MVP) and 34 HR. When I present this info to Yankee
fans they say "But he only hits home runs when we are already in the lead."
So what?!?! Pitchers are afraid of him. He still gets the big
hits. he can take you deep at anytime. He plays everyday and protects the other
batters in the lineup. He plays hard. Only Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter are
batting better than him this year (and Daman not by much.)
Contrast the boos
with Mike Piazza's return to Shea Stadium. So many standing ovations and cheers.
Mike hit a home run and the crowd made
him come out for a curtain call. What class. I don't think this ever
happened before in Shea Stadium, a player from another team making a curtain
call! Mike was reluctant since he did not want to show up the Mets, but said:
"The game is nothing without the fans." (Even more
class.)
So Mets and Yankee
fans you all can learn something from this: stop the unnecessary boos. Boo when
someone dogs it, but not because they are in a slump. If you cheer ARod every
day you will only help him hit and help the Yankees win. If Carlos Beltran has a
slump don't boo, remember all the good he has done this year. These guys are
capable, don't forget that. I know booing is as much a New York right
as complaining about the subway but show some class. Keep it up and in a few
years all the good players won't want to come play here anymore, despite all of
George's money.
Posted by Steve in New
York.
Break out the brooms at Shea and Kansas City
As great as the Mets have played at Shea this season, it was their first three game sweep over MMP and the NL West leading San Diego Padres.
Speaking of sweeps, thank God for the KC Royals sweeping the Boston Red Sox. Even though the RS had an emotional pre-game meeting, the Royals came through for me and themselves. The next time I see someone from KC, e.g. ESPN's Jason Whitlock, Mr. Buck O'Neil, etc. drinks are on me. (This is in keeping with my tradition for buying drinks for out-of-town friends whose teams beat my opponents. For instance, as the Oakland As took three out of four against the RS at Fenway, I am going to buy my buddy San Diego Rich drinks the next time he is in the City or I am in San Diego as SD Rich is a huge As fan.)
The Yankees unfortunately lost 5-4 against the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees still thankfully lead the RS by three games with two games in hand.
Go Yankees! / Go Mets! / Go Royals!
Post by The Tank in New York
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Dreaming of a Subway Series
Wednesday night at Shea Stadium presented the best of the past and present. It was great having "Metal Mike" Piazza (MMP) back in town. He hit a couple of home runs but the Mets still won. Kind of weird writing it but time moves on and so did MMP to San Diego.
As for the Yankees, Randy Johnson pitched an unbelievable no-hitter through six innings. He then lost the no-no and the Yankees barely but thankfully held on 7-6. Most importantly, the Red Sox lost to the Royals. The Royals played the RS tough at Fenway and lost a couple of tough 1-0 games.
The dream scenario for me is to see the Mets and Yankees face off in a Subway Series in October. I couldn't get a ticket to the last one. I tried every trick in the book short of knocking off my manager's boss, Director Steve, who got tickets from a vendor; I hated one of the vendor's consultants but Director Steve is a good guy and a huge baseball fan so I couldn't do that to him. Plus, he is my manager's boss -- would have hurt my employment and career development.
As summer becomes fall, you'll hear more from The Tank.
Posted by The Tank in New York.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
The Commercialization of Everest
On May 14 2006, David Sharp climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest, a superhuman feat. On top of the tallest mountain in the world at 29, 028’ (8,850 M) it must have been a thrill- the Himalayas are mesmerizing.
 After taking in the summit and all its beauty, David started the long decent down to camp. Unfortunately he got hit with altitude sickness and on the way down at 28,500’ (8, 686 M) and was left behind for dead by his team (who officially declared him dead). Sharp then crawled under a rock overhang next to a dead Indian climber for shelter. Other teams were attempting to summit that day and forty other climbers near the summit walked right past him and let him die. Some passed him twice, once on the way up to the summit and once on the way down.
Double-amputee climber Mark Inglis made it up and down safely and when interviewed by the media told of Sharp’s story. At the exact same time another climber was left for dead by his team, Australian climber Lincoln Hall. Luckily Hall was found alive by some other climbers who selflessly gave up their own summit attempt and stayed with him until a party of 12 sherpas came to carry him down. (Hall did made it and is now ok.)
Hall lived and Sharp died. Hall was rescued by kind climbers and Sharp was passed by selfish climbers. The morality of Everest is under attack.
I say to all of those who judge the climbers who walked past Sharp on the mountain that day: you can only judge if you have been at altitude on a climb. I have been to Everest and lived and worked with the Sherpa for a month, they are the kindest and warmest people you can ever meet. If Sharp looked like he was alive and a rescue was possible, they would have done it. Several people did stop and help, two climbers even gave him some of their own oxygen, but they were confused and thought he was with another team, not stranded. Sharp was not responding clearly enough for them to think otherwise. Later on Sharp was laying down next to the dead Indian climber and was presumed dead. There is much confusion at altitude where the oxygen is thin. Hall was not in as bad of shape and was more responsive, was in a less confusing situation and made it.
Sir. Edmund Hillary and Jon Krakauer (of Into Thin Air fame) have loudly complained that tragedies like this are the result of the commercialization of Everest. This is not the commercialization of Everest, this is the popularity of Everest; people want to do Everest and it gets crowded. Statistically more people die on Everest in the 1960s when nobody was on the mountain than they do today when it is crowded. David Sharp most likely would have walked past himself. David Sharp would also most likely also have stopped to help Lincoln Hall.
Most professional climbers disagree with Hillary and Krakauer’s criticism. But some "real" climbers now want to keep the "paying" climbers off the mountain. Let me tell you, every "paying" climber I met was an amazing person who was in amazing shape with lots of experience. Anyone who trains, has some experience, and is willing to pay for an expedition should be allowed on the mountain. They just have to understand the risks that they could end up like David Sharp. I am sure that David Sharp knew and understood those risks. I don’t think we should condemn the people on the mountain that day.
Lastly, I have climbed several mountains, been at high altitude, have even been to Everest (not to the top) and some of my friends have asked me: “What if I was on a summit push that day, what would I do?”
I would have given some spare oxygen to Sharp if I though he was alive (and if I had some spare oxygen) and moved on. I walked past a climber in very bad shape at about 14,000 feet on Mt. Rainer. I stopped and said "Are you all right dude?" He said "No, but I will be ok, I’ll be going down with my guide when he returns from the summit." At that point lacking any emergency equipment and oxygen myself, not to mention the severe pain I was in, I moved on. (He did make it down, I checked.)
Could this guy have been another David Sharp? The fact of the matter is this: people on the mountain have to make life or death decisions and sometimes the correct decision is to move on. The world may not want to hear that but that is the simple truth.
Posted by Steve, in New York.
Editors Note: Read what Garry Porter has to say about this in our interview here.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
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