30% = Success!

“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” - Ted Williams

What a game.

My wife and I started watching the Ken Burns documentary “Baseball”. We’re only in the first inning (the documentary is divided up into ten), but are already captivated. It talks about the early beginnings, how it changed over the years, and slowly became the game we know today.

"Baseball is a leisurely game that demands blinding speed, and the only one in which the defense has the ball. It follows the seasons, beginning each year with the fond expectancy of springtime and ending with the hard facts of autumn… ...It is a haunted game in which every player is measured against the ghosts of all who have gone before. Most of all, it is about time and timelessness, speed and grace, failure and loss, imperishable hope--and coming home." - quote from “Baseball”

One of the big complaints I’ve heard over the years is that baseball is a slow game. It takes too long. Nothing happens for long periods of time. My friends, that is the beauty of baseball.

I read an article by Emma Baccellieri (@emmabaccellieri on Twitter) entitled: “MLB Plans to Implement Pace-Of-Play Changes Against Players’ Wishes” that really fired me up. The first sentence says it all: “Over the objections of players, MLB hopes to implement a pitch clock and tighter restrictions on mound visits this season…”

I know what you’re thinking. “Don’t other sports have clocks?” Sure they do. Football has a clock that determines delay of game, about 25 seconds once a referee signals the ball is ready for play. Basketball has a shot clock. Both sports are divided into quarters (football - 15 minutes, basketball - 12 minutes), with a break after the second quarter.

So, wouldn’t a pitch clock speed up baseball like the ones in football and basketball? Not necessarily. As a matter of fact, the clocks in football and basketball really don’t speed up the game either.

As I’ve stated, both football and basketball work off of quarters. So, football and basketball games are only an hour long, right? Hell no.

An average NFL game lasts THREE HOURS AND TWELVE MINUTES. An average NBA game lasts TWO HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES. You know, short games.

Baseball does not have such time constraints. It is a game where you have as much time as needed in order for one team to win (nine innings standard, with extra innings in case of a tie after the first nine). It is a game of strategy. And it is the longest running sport in our nation’s history.

“But J.P., there is so much time standing around with nothing happening. A pitch clock would speed that up.”

This may come as a surprise to all of you football fans (this is being written during the playoff games), but for a game that runs over three hours, there is only about eleven MINUTES of actual play. So, the next time you are standing out in the cold, wearing face paint and your favorite player’s jersey, just remember that.

Furthermore, a pitch clock would only add a level of pressure that could lead to injuries. There are enough rules that a pitcher has to follow (ever hear of a balk?) that adding a pitch clock would only pressure poorer performance - which can lead to injuries to both the pitcher and the batter. Unless you think the game could use more “wild pitches” . . .

Emma Baccellieri's article points out that the pitch clock has been in use in the minor leagues for awhile. I've seen it. And the clock ALONE is not that bad of an idea. It can help keep the focus of the game for the pitcher. But the big difference between the minor and major league versions is that for the minors there are no penalties if not observed. It's the PENALTIES proposed that, if implemented, will be to the detriment of the players and the game.

I’m with the players on this. Baseball has never been a game of the clock. Don’t change that. Baseball is the only sport where players can’t run out the clock or take a knee. It’s not until that last out that the game ends.

And that is the way it should be.

© Emittravel 2018

You Should Trust Our Technology - Even If We Don’t

My wife and I took a trip to the lovely state of Utah last summer. We spent time with good friends at Nerdtacular and hit all five National Parks during our two-week stay.

Upon our arrival home I noticed that a $200 pair of sunglasses were missing from my checked luggage. Being obviously upset, I contacted both the airline and the TSA (Transportation Security Administration). I had placed the sunglasses into my luggage, checked it at the counter, and waved “goodbye” to it as it was handed over to the TSA.

I had contacted both, because it could easily have been accessed by someone from either group.

The TSA representative on the phone told me that IF the TSA had inspected my bag, they would have left a note saying they had done so. Since there was no such note, the TSA clearly did not inspect my bag. The representative then told me that, since I cannot lock my bag to prevent theft, I should either use cable ties (that can be cut by the TSA to inspect) or a TSA-approved lock - where they have a key that will open it.

A couple of things here. First, if someone is going to rob your house, do they normally leave a note explaining that they did it (including WHO)? If I was going to rob your house, I certainly wouldn’t leave a calling card! This isn’t a “B” movie from the 1970s! It’s more obvious that someone, even under the pretense of an “official” TSA inspection, saw something they wanted, took it, and did not leave a note.

Second, isn’t the argument why a TSA-approved lock isn’t appropriate the same as giving the government/police a “back door” to the encryption on your phone? If there is a key that can unlock any TSA-approved lock, than wouldn’t that be “hackable” - by anyone?!?

On Christmas Day, my wife and I flew out of Cleveland and went to Ft. Myers. Her folks are retired and live there, so we try to get there as often as possible. We DO NOT want them here (Cleveland) in the winter. You know, we LOVE them!

When we arrived at her parents’ house and we started to unpack, I found the following:

Yup! My bag was inspected by the TSA. The funny part is the first paragraph (and is the purpose of this blog post):

“To protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and physically inspected. Your bag was among those selected for physical inspection.”

So, in order to “protect” me and my fellow passengers, the TSA is required by law to inspect ALL checked baggage. How do they do this? Well, they run it through a scanner. Much like they use for your carry on.

The scanner does not work. Why? IF the scanner worked, they wouldn’t have to physically inspect a bag. BECAUSE they physically inspect some bags, they admit the scanner does not work. If it did work, they would not have to physically inspect them.

But, I thought they do this to “protect you and your fellow passengers”? They don’t. If they did give a rat’s ass about us, they would inspect EVERY bag (as required by law). They don’t. They randomly pick a few and inspect them. Why should they inspect EVERY bag? Because they admit that the scanner does not work!

Apparently, the TSA inspectors are all multi-million-dollar lottery winners who pick winning tickets EVERY time. Because, if a plane holds about 140 people, with each person checking about 1.5 bags each (my wife and I normally check one bag each, though we see plenty of people in line with more than two), that means about 210 items are run through the useless TSA scanner for each flight. Then, out of the 210, maybe a half-dozen (generous assumption) get physically inspected. That means only one of every 35 bags are inspected. I’m not a math genius, but the odds of a “hot” bag getting by TSA is pretty good. And they do this in order to “protect” us.

I’m reminded of the classic movie “Airplane!” that came out in 1980. There is a scene in the airport security line where people are passing through a metal detector. There is an inspector watching a monitor. As men pass through the detector you see them walk by on the monitor. When a beautiful woman walks through, the image on the monitor is the woman walking through completely naked. Then a bunch of bearded men come through in camouflage, carrying rifles and bazookas. They pass right through. Then a little-old-lady walks through, the alarms go off, the guards grab her, slam her against the wall, and body search her. Meanwhile, more men with weapons pass through without setting off the alarms.

For a movie from 1980, when it came to safety and security technology, they weren’t that far off...

© Emittravel 2018

Not ANOTHER New Year's Resolution Post

Every year I make the same New Year's resolution. And, I'm happy to say, I've been very good at keeping it:

"I resolve to never make a New Year's resolution."

In my own, odd-humor way that is supposed to be funny. You may or may not agree. That's okay. Some would say it is rather lazy to not make a resolution. And they might be correct in that. But part of me thinks that changes in my life will take more than a pronouncement. And I think the same for you.

During one of the many televised New Year's Eve programs last night, someone I'm unfamiliar with sang John Lennon's "Imagine" right before the ball dropped in New York City. He did a nice job. And it was that song that spurred this particular post.

I'm not going to quote the song. I'm sure the simple mention of it has it playing in your head. It's one of those kind of songs. But what I am going to do is challenge you to think of what would be needed for that song to come a reality. Not just the lack of a heaven or hell; I'm talking about we all just getting along as one.

Would going to the gym more get us there? How about quitting smoking? Would even being more positive do the job?

I don't think so. It will take a lot more. It will take a lot more to get us past ourselves. You know: the very individuals who are the main blocks to progress. 

From Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve, the music my music players project are pretty much nothing but Christmas/Holiday tunes. One of the songs was from the Judd's 2000 celebration live album. Being a live album, there is some talking that is played. One of the things talked about was that, being the beginning of a new millenium, there was an overwhelming feeling of peace and togetherness. That we were approaching a new evolutionary state of humanity. Riiiggghhhttt.

I'm reminded of the song "Aquarius". Look it up. The 5th Dimension did a great job. They thought the same thing. 

It takes more than a declaration. It takes more than a feeling. It takes a radical change in US.

I make radical comments all the time. Usually to get people thinking. I recently made a comment to a person concerning racism. Apparently the lady who is marrying the Prince (England) is black. I questioned that. The person said that she was half black and half white. I said, "Oh yeah. If you are 99% white and 1% black, you are 100% black. That's okay. We are all black then." That got a rise. I told the person, "What color do you think Adam and Eve were? It has been estimated that the probable location of the Garden of Eden was Ethiopia. And, since you can get all colors from black, and no colors from white, Adam and Eve were obviously black." The person then replied, "I have black friends, but I'm NOT black."

If you have trouble seeing the racism in the above paragraph, you may just want to skip the rest of this post: it's not for you. Go to the gym.

As long as we humans remain the same, we will NOT EVER reach "the dawning of the Age of Aquarius". We will continue to drive the same. We will continue to talk others down. We will continue to live in a world of us versus them.

It takes more than a resolution. It takes a continuous, active focus on who we are, and effort to bring about the change we want to see. 

And no, don't expect everybody else to change along with you. Politicians will continue to be politicians (regardless of political stripe). Aggressive drivers will continue to cut you off. People will continue to kill other people because they think, believe, or look different. And people will continue to strive for Darwin Awards in spite of those that may get hurt around them.

You are only responsible for you. They say there is only one thing you take with you when you pass on: your character. Make it a good one.

© Emittravel 2018