Friday, June 18, 2010

Disgusted



Normally, I try not to write anything too negative here. But I am just disgusted. It has now been 60 days since the Deepwater Horizon oil well blow out happened.

Disgusted that BP and our Government seem more concerned with trying to salvage oil that is spewing from the depths and to save the well then actually trying to stop the oil from spewing from the depths. And when they were trying to stop it, it was the same waste of time solutions that oil companies had back in 1979 which was when the last major spill in the Gulf happened. Only back then, it was in less then 500 feet of water, not the 5,000 feet that it is today. If it didn't work back then, what made them think it would work this time? Back then, the only solution that worked was to drill a relief well, which took them about 45 days to discover they were going to have to do this time. Who cares about saving the well? Blow the thing up! Think outside the box! Try SOMETHING different!

Disgusted that when BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward was brought before a congressional committee investigating this disaster, he had no answers.........to anything. And, he was given the questions in advance so that he could be prepared!

Disgusted at Congressional Committees that investigate, well, anything. All this is, is public grandstanding and both parties are guilty of it. About the only thing these committees accomplish is wasting time and tax payer money. I would love to see some of these people from Congress sit before a panel made up of the public, have it televised and see how they answer when asked some tough questions for a change.

Disgusted with the drill baby drill crowd on how drilling for oil in our country will free us of other countries oil. On the flip side of that, every time I mention "Boycot BP" I am told by the same people that all of this oil that gets pumped out of the ground gets all mixed together anyway, so if I get my gas at Speedway or Shell or where ever I choose that I will be getting some BP oil anyway. So all a BP Boycot does is hurt the local owners. It is true, the oil does all get mixed. So remind me, how does drilling in this country free us from other countries oil again if it all gets mixed together anyway??? Quit being part of the problem and start becoming part of the solution. Oh yes, and it is also the same crowd who wants smaller Government and is for "the people" but sure scream and holler when the Government isn't there to regulate something, like say, an oil rig that blows up in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. And then, actually comes to the defense of BP when our Government is putting pressure on BP to help out "the people" that have been effected by this disaster.

Disgusted that our Government seems to react extremely slow when it comes to this type of stuff. Katrina, the floods in Tennessee and now this "Gusher in the Gulf". I would have thought that after Katrina, we would have gotten more on top of our reaction time and take this stuff more seriously. Why our Government has not demanded more skimmers in the Gulf is a mystery to me. And why is BP the only company being investigated right now? They didn't even build the rig that blew up and I seem to remember some company called Haliburton involved with this. Why is it, that Haliburton seems to be at the center of so many controversial things going on in this world?

Disgusted at cable news channels and radio talk show hosts who throw out some kind of conspiracy theory to this spill. That makes a lot of sense. People that are so in love with the environment that they decide to ruin it in order to make a point. Give me a break. This was a negligent accident.

Disgusted that we could be so careless toward this beautiful land God gave us to live on and destroy the lives of all of this incredible wild life.

Just disgusted.........

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Perfect Game That Wasn't

Dear Mr. Selig

It has been said, that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will instantly jump out. But if you put a frog into a pot of water and gradually turn up the heat until it boils, the frog will stay in the pot of water until it dies.

Umm, excuse me, Mr. Selig. The pot of water you are standing in appears to be boiling.

Last year during the playoffs, Mr. Selig, you were gifted with several reasons why we need instant replay in Major League Baseball. For failing to act on that opportunity, now you have a public relations nightmare on your hands after Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers lost his perfect game last night on a bad call by 1st base umpire Jim Joyce.

I understand that you are a purist, Mr. Selig, and do not like the thought of instant replay. "It takes away from the charm of baseball" many say. Well, what is charming about a very negative story about your sport? All because you did not take action after last years playoffs when most of the fans were screaming for instant replay. Why not give the fans what they want? Why not improve your sport?

Today, the fans and the media are not talking about the incredible career of future Hall Of Fame Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. who decided to retire yesterday after 22 seasons and 630 Home Runs.

We are not talking about the incredible catch that Austin Jackson made to start of the 9th inning to save the perfect game.

We are not talking about how Galarraga only needed 88 pitches to get his perfect game, which would have been the least amount of pitches thrown in a perfect game.

We are not talking about how for the first time in MLB history that there were 2 perfect games thrown in less then a week from each other.

We are not talking about how for the first time in MLB history that there were 3 perfect games thrown in the same season and all with in a 1 month time period.

We are not talking about how, by using technology, that MLB was able to get this call right.

And, because a story like this brings out the worst in fans and the media:

We are not talking about the incredible amount of Grace that was shown by Galarraga towards Jim Joyce after the game.

We are not talking about how this call has devastated Jim Joyce, a man that has been considered one of the best umpires in MLB. A person who takes his job very seriously and immediately was apologetic to Galarraga to the point of tears after he realized his error.

We are not talking about how Jim Joyce stood up and accepted responsibility. Something few of us actually do when we make a mistake.

We are not talking about how when the call was made, Galarraga just stood there and smiled as if to say "really, you're just joking right?" and then he did not blow up when he realized it was no joke. He just concentrated on getting the next guy out.

Mr. Selig, you need to fix this problem! It is too late to fix The Perfect Game That Wasn't. What is done, is done and I don't see how you can over turn this play. However, this game will always have an asterisk by it. As will the careers of Armando Galarraga and Jim Joyce. And that is directly from your inability to act on instant replay. Give the fans, players and umpires what they want. Give them instant replay.

Jim Joyce said this after the game: "Every Tiger there was telling me that I had kicked the call because they had seen the replay, so the first thing I did when I got in this locker room I told Tim the clubhouse guy to Que it up and..and...I missed it, I missed it."

Mr. Selig, you are setting your umpires up to fail by not equipping them with the tools they need.

Sincerely,

Barry Skalski
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