Baseball Managers

Last night I watched the Tigers vs Rays game. Unfortunately I turned it off somewhere in the middle of the game and didn't see the no hitter. However the game got me thinking about the managers. Why do the where the same uniform as the players? I know at one time that the manager would actually play for his team like Pete Rose in the 80's but still to today the managers wear uniforms. It's just odd to see an old out of shape man wearing the entire get up. Some of them go the extra step of getting some high socks to wear like Jim Leyland. No other sport does the coach or manager wear the same thing as the players. Imagine Phil Jackson wearing some shorts and a jersey on the sideline or Bill Belichick wearing some shoulder pads and a helmet.

One other thing that's odd about managers is why do they argue calls on the field. The umpires never see them come out and have their discussion and then go back and change a call. There is all this conversation that goes on about how to speed up the game and I think it would be very simple without changing the outcome. First would be to disallow any manger or coach coming onto the field to argue calls. Sure we won't get the explosive tirades that occur from time to time that are enjoyable to watch but generally they just waste time. Second Players shouldn't be able to step out of the batters box unless the pitch pushes them out or the play on field has changed (i.e. the man on first steals 2nd base and the player would like to look to the base coach for direction). These two things could easily speed up a baseball game by an hour. It's sometimes over a minute before a pitch can be thrown to a batter cause of all the antics between pitches with changing their gloves, taking some swings, looking at the base coach again and again and again.

Bottom line though Baseball's number one flaw which still puts me off from the game is that it doesn't have a salary cap. I think that could change the face of the game and allow every team to play competitively each year and have the same ability to offer free agents a contract as larger teams do.

Week 1

I have been working out everyday in some way since my last post. Although yesterday I slacked by swimming and saying that my workout will be swimming back and forth... not really pushing myself. I haven't done an official weigh in yet to see if I lost any weight, but I do feel better about myself and I feel like I lost a little. I will do an official weigh in on Thursday to see what I have lost in one week since my declaration. I think for tonight I'm going to run a mile and do some push ups and crunches after. This week my diet will mainly consist of, almond cereal (breakfast), tuna (lunch), and then something like grilled chicken, salmon, turkey burgers, and spaghetti.

My high point for the first week has to be that I went to Chili's and didn't eat something horrible. The entire time I was there I kept thinking about grabbing an appetizer of onion straws and get some of their cheese burger sliders. Instead I ended up eating grilled chicken with steamed veggies... :( It wasn't terrible but I knew I could have really devoured some onion straws.

The low point would have to be the night I decided to drink a six pack of Sam Adams Summer Ale. They were pretty good, but wouldn't be my first choice to drink. I know they had to be packed with carbs and calories and the fact that I drank them at night means that I didn't burn off any of it. I looked on the bottle to see if it had and info about carbs or calories but it didn't, which means they were probably jacked. All in all a few beers isn't such a low point since I have been trying to eat healthier and work out each day.

Getting Fit

The other night my fiancee in a different phrasing told me I'm getting a little thick for her taste. Well at least that's what I got out of the conversation. She says I don't love you any less for the way you look, aka if you were in better shape I would be happier. From this I told her that I will lose weight, I will work out, and I will try to turn a keg into a 6-pack. That last part probably won't happen but it's worth a shot.

Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time in what seems like a year or two. I ran which then turned into a walk because I got tired. I then did some crunches on the one machine and worked out my biceps and triceps. Total time was around an hour and in this hour I learned so much.

1. People still judge in a judgement free zone, I am guilty just as much as the people looking at me when I appeared to jump in a pool of sweat.
2. Anyone who doesn't wipe a machine down after use even if they aren't sweating should be given the death penalty. That's just nasty and rude.
3. There's always a creep that just walks around and sits down at machines and does nothing but watch people... creeping
4. If you do sit ups where you lift your entire body off the ground at Planet Fitness, your just showing off... Side note I know this sounds impossible but it did happen and I did watch the guy show off.
5. Daytime Soaps are the cheesiest shows on television.

After my lessons I cleaned myself up and decided to make a commitment to working out and lose 25 pounds over the next few months. I will be trying to do something each day to help me achieve my goal. Yesterday was the gym tonight I return to the crime scene to play basketball where my cell phone was stolen. No worries I won't be making the mistake again of having my phone on the table by the court.

I will be posting my weight loss progress the next few weeks and if anyone wants to join me and try to lose some extra baggage in the mid section let me know, maybe we can work out together.

NFL 2010-2011 Pre Season Rankings

ESPN just had throughout the week their ultimate rankings compiled from all of their analysts and reporters to make one master list. This inspired me to create one of my own and I will put where ESPN had them and maybe a sentence or two about why they landed there.

From worst to first:

Me ESPN

32 31 Bills: Their offense is one of the worst in the league and their division only got tougher with the additions to the Jets and Dolphins not to mention the Patriots.

31 32 Rams: Bradford is injury prone on a team with a bad O-line and bad receivers. They also played terrible defense. The only bright spot is Jackson who played well last year with no help.

30 30 Buccaneers: This team is in rebuilding mode. I look at their team and see a bunch of solid average players but are lacking someone who makes big plays on offense and defense.

29 27 Chiefs: I will believe that they will be competitive all year but their defense will let them down or appear to give up in the middle of games.

28 29 Browns: The Browns were terrible in the beginning of last season but towards the end they were getting some things right. I think they will continue this but have a competitive schedule that will hold them back

27 24 Seahawks: The the Hawks will go backwards from last season. They will need to begin the rebuilding process starting with saying goodbye to Hasselbeck.

26 25 Raiders: They will probably win something between 4-7 games next season, but you just can't expect them to do well after the last few years of being awful. Campbell will help them more than Russell

25 26 Jaguars: They will win some big games but this has to many holes in their roster to be consistent. They will also have to play the Colts, Texans, and Titans all twice.

24 20 Panthers: They would be higher on my list if this was a month ago, but since Steve Smith broke his arm and may not be 100% at the start of the year really limits their passing attack and lost Peppers

23 21 Cardinals: Losing a HOF QB and Pro Bowl receiver will hurt the offense and a team that already struggled to get the run game started last year.

22 23 Broncos: McDaniels will be regretting getting rid of Marshall next year since he single handedly won 2 or 3 games last year for him.

21 28 Lions: I am a believer the Suh will have a huge impact for the Lions D and the team has a very young offense that was pretty solid last year and that will only get better with more experience.

20 22 Bears: Peppers and Urlacher healthy will help the defense plus Cutler will have more time to get fitted into the offense. I can see TO coming to this team and playing a solid season for the Bears

19 18 Redskins: McNabb will help them this season but it won't be enough in one of the most competitive divisions in the league.

18 14 Giants: Towards the end of last year their D wasn't playing very well and they couldn't get anything going on with Jacobs in the running game. I think they will probably tie the Redskins in record.

17 17 49ers: The team was hot and played great D most of the year, however I don't know if they can repeat it this year. I think that they play in the weakest division and will be the best of the bunch.

16 13 Bengals: I think they are similar to the 49ers in that their D played very well but I'm not convinced they can do it again. Also Benson in legal trouble again could face suspension.

15 12 Texans: Their offense was one of the best in the league last year but they will be in a competitive division that will hurt their record and will keep them out of the playoffs.

14 19 Titans: Chris Johnson is a beast and is going to tear up the league again. The Titans were the coldest team at the start of last year and ended it the hottest. I believe they will keep the heat up.

13 16 Steelers: Polamalu will be back to man the defense and they will be tough to score against bringing in key veterans who helped on the SuperBowl runs. Big Ben's suspension will hold them back from being a top team this season.

12 11 Dolphins: Henne will continue to grow with the addition of Marshall but it won't be enough to keep up with the Patriots and Jets

11 8 Chargers: Will not be as good with Jackson in the passing game. Malcom Floyd is not a #1 receiver and the offense could struggle. Weak division will help them win games and make the playoffs.

10 10 Falcons: Ryan is going to be a great QB for years to come and help the Falcons make a push to be the best in the NFC south.

9 15 Eagles: Kolb had no trouble slinging the ball around when he started two games last season. They have to many offensive weapons not to be good next season in addition to their solid defense.

8 3 Vikings: All signs point that Favre will be coming back to play. He had one of his best seasons last year, however I don't think he can do it twice. I believe their D and run game will win a bunch of games but that Favre will throw more interceptions that touchdowns and this will be his last year.

7 4 Jets: Best team on paper going into the year, but I think there will be issues. They lost Alan Faneca on the O-line and Sanchez has yet to prove that when they need the passing game to win that he can do it.

6 9 Patriots: They will be coming back with a very solid team next season with a young defense from last year that will only improve.

5 2 Cowboys: Romo comes in with a stacked team this season but will have trouble with their aging defense that will cost them some games.

4 6 Packers: Will be the highest scoring offense this season. They have a young offense that will get better and Aaron Rodgers will be in MVP talks this season.

3 7 Ravens: Are the same as the Jets except their D is a little better and they have a QB that has won games with his arm. As a Steeler fan I think this season the Ravens are going to be hard to beat.

2 5 Saints: The SuperBowl champs are not number one for two reasons. #1 Brees will be on the Madden cover this season and #2 The NFC South champions hasn't been the same team back to back in years.

1 1 Colts: They are number one because they are year in and year out the most consistent team in the NFL. They have won the more games than any other team the last ten years averaging over 11 wins a year. They had a shot at perfection last year until the coach decided to play it safe and bench the starters. They didn't lose any key players in the off season and will be in the top teams again this season.

Let me know what you think and what you would change.

Handicap Stall

Have you ever used the handicap stall? I have. I think everyone should because the handicap stall takes everyone back to time when they were young and had no worries. Your just sitting there with your feet barely touching the ground, possibly even swinging them back and forth. I personally prefer the stall because it's just roomier than the others. In the case that I would be using one and someone who had to use the stall came in, I think that internally I would feel guilty of doing something wrong but come out trying to look like I had to use that one for some reason, whatever that look would be I don't know. What should you do in that situation?

Football Dream

I woke up today after having an odd dream. The dream was about a fantasy football league I'm in and it was draft day. I was so excited that draft day was finally, but I had to go to work. I worked a long shift and when I was off I ran into a few friends outside. We chatted and then went to get something to eat. After that I was on my way home when I realized that I have missed the draft meaning someone would be making my picks. I rushed home and my dad handed me a list of my team and this from what I remember is what I read:

QB Matt Hasselback

RB: Thomas Jones

WR: Chris Chambers

I don't remember the rest except that I hated my entire team. It was a very odd dream and made me want the football season to start soon

NBA Free Agent Frenzy

Today is D-day in the NBA. Teams have given away everything for a shot to land LeBron and some other pieces to make a championship push. I believe that LBJ won't be going anywhere. There are a number of reasons James will be back with Cleveland.

Reasons he will stay:

1. LeBron grew up outside of Cleveland
2. The city revolves around him
3. Byron Scott
4. Have the last meeting with LeBron before he decides where to go.

Reasons he won't go to

1. Miami : He will be #2 behind Dwayne Wade in the fans eyes
2. Chicago: He is trying to get away from being compared to MJ
3. New York/New Jersey: Big Markets but LeBron has his own market that would follow him no matter where he ends up. He is one of the faces of the NBA.
4. Clippers: Win some games and then we'll talk

Lebron is simply meeting with other teams to see what he is worth to them and then he will go back to Cleveland and say pay up.

Players that won't be leaving:

1. Dwayne Wade: He has no intention on leaving. He is the only player that is going to other big name players and saying come join me and play with the Heat.
2. Dirk Nowitzki: He and Cuban are attached at the hip. Cuban has treated and paid Dirk handsomely over the years and he will do so again. The only reason Dirk opted out of contract was so he could get additional years onto his contract.
3. Paul Pierce/Ray Allen: These two will be back especially after Boston announced that Doc Rivers will be coming back and he said "(he) would like to give it another shot with this group".

Players that will be on the move:

1. Chris Bosh: Will be going to join Dwayne Wade in Miami. He has played in Toronto his entire career, he is going to want some warm weather and Miami also got the cash to pay him.
2. Amar'e Stoudemire & Joe Johnson: Will be joining the Knicks to play for their former coach when they were with the Suns Mike D'antoni
3. Carlos Boozer: Will be playing for the Bulls. He is the 3rd on their list of free agents to go after behind James and Bosh.

Players that could end up anywhere and will play key roles in a teams success:

1. Rudy Gay: 19.6 PPG 5.9 RPG 1.9 APG Signed 5 yr $82 Million deal with Memphis
2. David Lee: 20.2 PPG 11.7 RPG 3.6 APG

5 roll Players that will help any team:

1. Richard Jefferson: 12.3 PPG 4.4 RPG 2.0 APG
2. Tracy McGrady (when healthy): 8.2 PPG 3.1 RPG 3.3 APG
3. John Salmons: 15.4 PPG 3.3 RPG 2.8 APG
4. Ronnie Brewer: 8.8 PPG 3.2 RPG 2.7 APG
5. Raymond Felton: 12.1 PPG 3.6 RPG 5.6 APG

My First Post!

Hey world this is my first post. Before I get started blogging everything I have ever thought of, I thought I should give a little background information about myself so you can see where I come from.

Mini Bio:

My name is Joe, I am a 20 years old and live in southern Pennsylvania. I am currently a senior marketing major with a minor in advertising at York College of Pennsylvania. I am engaged to a wonderful women whom I've been with since middle school. I am employed by a local grocery store where I stock shelves and do price changes. I am also interning for a local theatre and I am the marketing coordinator for SIFE at York College. SIFE is Students In Free Enterprise and we do a variety of volunteer projects to improve the quality of life and the standard of living in our community.

Interests:

I am a die hard sports fan. I stay up to date with all sports and have strong opinions that go with them. I am a huge Steelers fan, so much so that I tried to get my fiancee to have our wedding colors black and gold. I also am interested in video games, I have a PS3 and play mainly sports titles and 1st person shooters. I enjoy animals and have two cats (Snoop and Max).