Gotta Love Phillies Fans - Again

This ad hoc series on fan behavior continues.  We wrote in the past about about Met's fans, and then about Phillies fans, and now, Phillies fans again.

Yesterday, our Philadelphia brethren added to their legacy of irreverence.  On Science day, an event conjured to imbue intellectual curiosity into our impressionable youth, the Phillies organization partnered with the University of Pennsylvania and arranged to have a robot throw out the first pitch.  Seemed like a interesting approach, and in another city, probably would have been a stellar success.

In Philly however, the land where fans have booed Santa and cheered when opposing players were injured, the robot failed to impress.  Perhaps they were expecting 90 mph on the black, but the engineers toned down the velocity to protect the team mascot at the receiving end of the pitch.  The robot unleashed a soft one-hopper and was resoundingly booed.

You can read more and see the video of the first pitch here.

Travel Notes

Feet 
As per my earlier post on this topic, the disturbing trend of barefoot flying has shown no sign of abating. According to my non-scientific study, the propensity to remove footwear in flight is highest among those with the gnarliest toes. On my most recent flight, two out of four people in my row removed their shoes and socks for the trip.

Karma 
So a chunky lady with a large stain on her shirt forced her way past me in the security line. I was not late, so I didn’t really care. After we passed through the scanner, with her directly in front of me, she was randomly selected for a complete luggage search. As I strolled by the search scene, she glanced my way, and I uttered a one-word greeting, “karma”. She gave me the finger.

Pillows
Do adults really need to carry a full-sized, foam pillow into the airport, through security, and onto the plane? Since the typical airplane seat cannot accommodate a full-sized person and such a pillow, those who carry them aboard must hold their pillows in their laps. Doesn’t look all that comofrtable to me.

Overhead bags 
There is constant tension between the airlines, who would like passengers to carry less luggage aboard their flights, and the public, who like to carry as much as possible with them. I contend that the root of this problem is the airline industry’s inability to handle luggage with respect. If we passengers could check bags and have them arrive in good condition, we might consider doing so more often.

Kids on Planes 
Screaming kids who kick my seat used to bother me. Then I procreated three times and added to the world’s population of screaming seat-kickers. A couple of years ago, one of my progeny vomited on a fellow passenger during a trans-Atlantic flight, so I am now running a deficit in my annoyance “delivered-received” account. We’re about to take off on a long flight and I have a screamer right behind me, good chance to work down my remaining balance.

Earth Eclipsing the Sun

Here's something you don's see everyday, a view of the sun, with the earth partially blocking your view.  This was taken from the Solar Dynamics observatory, orbiting the earth at about 22,000 miles above the surface.

Putting the "Mad" in March Madness

It's that time of year again; I blogged about it almost exactly a year ago. You know what I'm talking about.

It's that time, when the best college basketball teams in the country face off against one another, and the public is unified by their intense interest in young men whose names they had never heard a week earlier.  It is also that time of year when some person of note makes a loud, public ruckus about the obvious social flaw revealed by our national apathy toward the woman's tournament.

This year, the ruckus-maker is Geno Auriemma, coach of the UConn woman's team, who used his post game press conference after an early-round win, to blast the UConn fans for not showing up to cheer.  His premise was that the fans are spoiled and consider it "a given" that the team will make it to the final four.  He surmised that they are all waiting until the more important games before showing up.

History and market research both tell us that he is wrong.

I think that most agree about certain, positive aspects of school sports programs.  They are great opportunities for student athletes to learn about dedication, teamwork, and leadership.  Many participants learn invaluable life skills and important lessons about winning, losing, commitment, and sportsmanship.  For those who choose to participate, these programs can change their lives in many positive ways.

However, benefits to the student athletes do not translate directly into "interesting spectator opportunities" and, unfortunately, woman's basketball is boring to the masses.  You can put it on TV but it won't pull a large viewing audience.  You can play it in a big arena but not many will come to see it.  And you can attach heightened importance to each game in a championship tournament, but most don't really care.

Memo to Geno, the fans aren't spoiled, they just have more interesting ways to spend their time and money.

The Three Musk-a-tears

Contributed by Auggie
Insensitive sports fan
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When Lebron James decided (on national television) to take his talents to South Beach last July to join Dwayne Wade and newcomer Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat became instant villains in the minds of many NBA fans. Count me among the many. I didn’t really have a problem with Lebron’s decision, and though his chosen method of announcement was boorish that’s not what swayed my opinion. No, for me it was the introduction party they held shortly after joining forces complete with an ostentatious video of the new “Big Three” (Wade, James & Bosh) strutting around a stage with smoke, music and flashing lights in a production that would have made Lady Gaga proud. “Hey everyone, look at us!” I guess it didn’t occur to them to include their inconsequential teammates in the video. All these theatrics were happening before they won a single game of course. And there was Bosh, perhaps the proudest one of all, right in the middle of the action with his scowl face (in mid-season form) and clenched fists swaggering around like he had just slayed the dragon. Quite a display of hubris from the man who single handedly renders the term “Big Three” a misnomer. They should call it “the big 2 with tag-along Chris”. Wade and James could pick up a three guys off the street and still win 45 games but Bosh seems to think he is a vital cog. Nope, I’m not Bosh fan.

Fast forward a few months and the Heat are in the middle of a five game losing streak and there is Bosh sitting at the post-game podium in tears. Ordinarily my senstive side would rise to the surface and I’d feel compassion for a fellow human in pain, but in this case I laughed so hard that beer came out my nose. Later on Bosh complained that he doesn’t feel comfortable in his role and suggested he’s not getting enough touches. Well imagine that; you put three guys together who are accustomed to being the focal point of their team, you have one basketball to share, and they can’t all be the big star. Who could have seen that coming?

Despite Miami’s recent struggles I wouldn’t count them out. They have the talent, and if they get hot during the playoffs they could ride that wave to a championship and have the last laugh on all us new found Miami haters. In the meantime, forgive me if I revel in their agony.

Ruby Tuesday

Forty-four years ago today, the Stones hit number one on the US charts with "Ruby Tuesday". 

It's a nice song that has, as this short article summarizes, an interesting back story.  The short version is that Ruby Tuesday was the B-side of the single "Let's Spend the Night Together", but DJ's in the USA were uncomfortable with the explicit sexual references on the A-side, so they played Ruby Tuesday instead.  Next thing you know, it's at number 1.

For me, I have been searching for the meanig of the words "Ruby Tuesday" for many years.  I have scoured the internet, read way too many books on the Stones, and even written directly to Bill Wyman, who claims to love responding to letters from Stones fans.  So far, no luck in unearthing why those two words were chosen as the song's title.

I thought I was on to something once, and may have been, when I noted in Bill Wyman's excellent book "Stone Alone", that he referred to a particular day in Stones history, when Mick and Keith were arraigned in court for drug possession charges, as "Ruby Tuesday".  Alas, I could never confirm the meaning of that particular reference.

If you think you know something about this...please let me know.

Go Ahead...Try to Watch Without Laughing Along

The best part, is that the paper being torn is a job rejection letter.  Talk about a father turning a negative into a positive.

Larry King Interviews Den

If you're not a regular reader of the WWDS blog, you probably had a hard time following the meaning of my comments when Larry interviewed me.  I hope it was clear that I didn't want to throw anyone under the bus, he just kept picking at the scabs until I bled.

Larry King Interviews Den
by: dfortier

The Multi-tasking Edge

As far a words and terms go, "multi-tasking" is a fairly new one. It didn't really enter the daily vernacular until personal computers came along in the 80's. Given the relative youth of this term, we are still grappling with its meaning and it's connotations.

I think most would agree on some loose definition of multitasking that refers to engaging in multiple activities at one time. It is often used in a manner that communicates optimal efficiency. Like when a mother moves clothes from the washer to the dryer, while she is on hold with the doctor's office, and she's keeping a watch on the 1-year old in the jumpy seat. Or when a student sends a text to their fling, while on the phone with their squeeze, while watching a movie with their ex.

Of course, there are also times when such efficiency is not appreciated.  Like when someone is checking their voice mail and sending texts during a meeting we called to make sure they are focused on identified priorities.  Far from singing the praises of their productivity, we say these people have ADD and we mock them.

Therein lies the usual contradictory interpretations that so many "new" words embody.

As for me, I do not enjoy multi-tasking and never really have.  Mostly, this is because I know that most of my intellectual strengths are maximized when I am allowed to focus.  I am more of an information processor than I am an instant reactor.

My job demands multi-tasking now to ensure that our organization is firing on many cylinders, but  I don't think I am personally, optimally productive in an environment where I must constantly shift my focus from matter to matter.  I also think that most people, despite a common tendency to brag about multi-tasking abilities, are not nearly as productive as they might be with a more sustained focus on one task at a time.

So if you brag to me about your multi-tasking habits, I will probably conclude that you have over-estimated your own productivity.  And if you disparage me for my penchant to focus, I will probably conclude that you have under-estimated mine.

What is Your Favorite Word?

I like words.  In fact, I like them a lot.  Two instances from my childhood suggest that I had this trait from a fairly young age.

I fondly recall the year I got a small, paperback dictionary in my Christmas stocking.  I remember lying in bed and reading it, discovering new words.  Of course I also remember hunting down some mysterious words with known reproductive connotations, most of which I had heard my older brother utter but not define.  This was shortly before we both got into trouble with the parents for referring to our younger brother as an "ovum".  Such were our insult skills at that age.

I also recall earning the family nick name "tech peck".  "Tech" was short for "technical".  It referred to my very literal respect for the meaning of words, and how I was prone to correcting family members for improper word choice and/or ambiguous phrasing.  I have no idea what "peck" meant, but I suppose it was chosen because it rhymed with "tech" and seemed demeaning when pronounced with a tone of disparagement. 

In the span of a couple days last summer, two different people spontaneously told me about their "favorite word".  One mentioned during a hike in the Maine woods that "verdant" was her choice, seemingly because it described a particularly pleasant aspect of nature.  The other, for some reason, was fond of the word "rogue".  I understood this was partially due to the fact that it is a short, unique word that seems to sound exactly as a word meaning "rogue" should sound.

These back-to-back experiences set me on an introspective course to determine if I have a favorite word.  I have pondered this many times over the past months, in the shower, on long runs, while driving, and whenever I encountered good words.  So far, I guess I don't have a favorite.

Today in the Huffington post, blogger Marc Middleton wrote that his favorite word is "mindfulness".  He explains why he likes it; you should click through and read his post if you are interested.

So anyway, now I am wondering; does everyone have a favorite word, except me?  Did I somehow not know that, in addition to a favorite color, a favorite baseball team,  and a favorite Victoria's Secret model, we are all also supposed to have a favorite word too? 

Let me know where you stand on this one, imaginary readers.  Wait a minute..."imaginary"...that's a nice word..