Why we love sports

My fantasy baseball league ended its championship series yesterday and for the first time ever I won. Now I don't consider myself a fantasy baseball guru by any stretch but I did work hard on the draft and season this year.

So why do we do it. I think it satisfies a need in all of us to compete. Most of us who love sports played it at one time or another. I still play softball for my church, but no one is going to mistake me for a talented player. When I play softball, I want to win, and I do give it 100%, but mostly I love the game. Even though my team may even be better when I am not there, I love it.

For fantasy, I believe it is the thrill that we can enjoy the game we love and still have a stake in the outcome. Without it if your favorite team has a bad season, after July there may not be much to keep you interested. I happen to love a team that has not won a championship since 1948. A certain politically incorrect mascot from northern Ohio. This year was not a stellar year in Cleveland. I still love my team, but I love them a little more when they are competitive.

Winning is also much better than losing. I know that was an understatement, but I know last year I didn't put very much effort into my fantasy team in September, but this year I did. Now that the series is over I feel accomplishment. I did win some money, but I think the accomplishment and the rush of winning is the best thing about it. (but I will keep the money).

For those of us who still love sports and can't perform at a very high level, lets hear for fantasy sports.

What I would give to a Republic Leader, My vote

Hugo Chavez comes into our country and calls our President the Devil. The White House has no comment. We hear nothing from anyone of note in the Republican Party. Nancy Pelosi and Charles Rangel respond with appropriate indignation. What is wrong with the world. Next you'll tell me Michael Moore is having a smackdown with Cindy Sheehan.

For now lets ignore the fact that the comments Chavez made sounded more like something Howard Dean would say at a Democratic Party fundraiser. Where are all the Republicans. HAVE SOME GUTS!!! This guy is trying to win an ideological battle here. The people in the inner cities look at this guy as a hero. He has offered to sell gas cheap to the poor people if only the evil government would let him. My gosh spread the ideals of Capitalism! Explain to the people why markets work!! Get out and talk about why our system of government is the best in the world. Don't hide from the big bad Communist!!

We defeated the Soviet Union by spreading our way of life. People in Poland, and the former Eastern bloc have freedom today because of it. When he went to the U.N., Bush was talking about freedom. You would think some Republican would want to expand on that theme. Be a leader!!! If you lead it, people will come!!! (A little Field of Dreams lingo there).

Liberal myths and Conventional Wisdom

Through decades of main stream media reporting we have things that have become conventional wisdom that with a little bit of observation make no sense whatsoever.

Myth 1: Women make 75 cents on the dollar what a man does. The smell test makes me wonder how that is possible.

The liberals in our midst tell us that greedy businessmen will do anything to increase the bottom line. We see offshoring and outsourcing which is decried by left. They say they don't care about people only profits.

If this is true, and businesses could hire women for 75 cents on the dollar to what they pay men, why would anyone ever hire a man?

Myth 2: Oil companies have manipulated the price and not market forces. Prices are high for gasoline in the liberal world because of oil company manipulation. Things such as hurricanes, wars in the Middle East etc did not.
If this were true, would they allow prices to come down right before Labor Day one of the busiest driving weekends of the year? The recent decrease in price started the week before Labor Day. I saw gas a 1.99 as gallon yesterday.

Myth 3: Unions created prosperity and quality in the early and middle parts of the last century. The labor movement in the last century was important. They were horrible working conditions and slave wages that the power of unions helped to remedy. To extend that to say that they created prosperity and quality is yet another thing. I know some older retired workers who like to say that everything they have is because of unions.

If this were true, wouldn't it make sense to unionize offices? Wouldn't web designers, accountants, etc. be even more efficient and dependable if only unionized? Simply put the growth of unions corresponded to a time when most towns did not have competition for manufacturing workers. At that time our population had a work ethic that is largely absent today in many entry level workers. Unions were a necessary force and still are, but cannot claim credit for increasing quality or efficiency. Only competition and a commitment to excellence can do these things.

Myth 4: Democrats are for the working man, Republicans are for the fat cats. At the beginning of the 20'th century I would agree with this generalization. Today the largest contributors to the Democratic party are Trial lawyers, Entertainers, Organized labor (who get their money by force from their membership. A much smaller percentage of union membership actually votes Democrat). Big Business contributes to both parties. My theory is that they use it as protection money as they would with the mob. Big Business CEO's tend to be more left wing that right. Off the top of my head I can think of Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Ted Turner. There certainly are CEO's who are right wing, but they cannot be lumped as Republicans. College Professors are almost exclusively on the left. Not exactly the salt of the earth working men, although very definitely an important profession. Trial Lawyers as working man? They do work very hard in their professions, but not exactly the little guy. Today the Convervative Republican's natural ally is small business. Unfortunately the current Republican party has forgotten this alliance for the most part, and has adopted the party in power alliance of 'anyone who will trade votes for projects'.

I'm sure I could think of many more, and I'm sure someone on the left could do this same exercise with beliefs on the right. It is fun though.

Cat's in the Cradle brought to Life

Anyone who was alive in the seventies I'm sure remembers the Harry Chapin song "Cats in the Cradle". (Great song by the way). All my life my dad told me I was going to have a son just like me. (I don't think he meant it in a good way.

My son is six years old. Needless to say he is just like me. He is impatient, he is gives up too easily when things get hard. He has every negative quality about me that I am ashamed of. He is also loveable, and passionate about the things he loves. That is one of the things I love about him.

I'm sure he has some good qualities that he picked up from me, but the bad ones are the ones I notice, because I blame myself, when he has troubles since he is so much like me. The good thing about that is I know how to steer him away from the things that hurt me as a youth. I sure hope he listens, since he is just like me he probably won't. Oh well we will love him anyway.

A lot of attention has been paid by the media about partisans and the general fighting that goes on in politics. I have been reading Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. What I find fascinating is that political animals have not changed in one hundred years. Immigration was also a great issue. Labor attempted to keep Japanese out of the country because the would work for less money. (Sound familiar?) They engaged in ugly partisan battles, they at times they seemed to put the good of the country aside for political wins and they pandered to special interests.

I noticed that the special interests changed parties in some areas in one hundred years, and some did not. Labor and the Socialist tended to toward the Democrats, business tended to be Republican. This has not changed. Today though the more natural ally of the Conservative Republicans is small business, where in 1906 small business really didn't have an ally, but in the sense that they were average people in those days it was the deems. The Republicans were the most Protectionist and the Democrats were slightly less so. The party that called itself Progressive was the T.R Republicans. Today it is the 'Moonbat' wing of the Democratic party.

One thing that has struck me is that politicians, like us in every day life never seem to know where to quit. The progressive's instituted some needed reforms. In those days total laissez fare capitalism had excesses. Government regulation of 1906 helped the average Joe move forward his every day life

Unfortunately in the ensuing 100 years pols got addicted to regulation. Now the common sense reforms (that were radical in their day) have given way to regulation that strangles us today. The meat packing reforms brought on by the book 'The Jungle' instituted have given way to such extreme regulation that a small meat packer cannot make it because of the USDA requirements.

In some ways we as voters have not learned anything. In some ways we have learned a lot. The frightening difference I see today is the extent that the minority party will go to win a battle. In 1906 no politician would put the countries' defense at risk. Apparently we have't learned enough in 100 years.

Ray Nagin Never a Dull Moment or a Clue

Ray Nagin is going to New York hat in hand to ask for investment. This the same Ray Nagin who talks of 'Chocolate City' and criticizing New York for rebuilding the Trade Center yet.

Ray Nagin who as much as anyone created the current environment by not executing the very thorough evacuation plan his city had posted on the internet. Ray Nagin who still talks of the staggering deaths at the supporting, when the facts don't play out the way.

Business investment goes where the investors believe they can get the most return on the investment. Human compassion does come into play. If I were a rich person looking to make money on speculation, would I choose to invest in a city that is:
A. Below sea level.
B. Just a category 4 hurricane from being in the same shape.
C. Leads the league in government corruption
D. Show no signs of making corruption and victimology a thing of the past.

For all of his statements he has shown no desire to make New Orleans an environment where law biding citizens can get a fair shake from the hucksters and the corrupt police and politicians.

Here is a suggestion Mr. Nagin. Clean up the government of New Orleans, ask your citizens and leaders to show personal responsibility, and while you are at it demand that your national and local politicians have the same regard for the people that you demand of Washington, (ironically only Republicans in Washington seem to be bad in his eyes) and then investment will follow. Give the businessmen a reason to come there.