Free Speech is Bullshit

Society wins when there is an open and honest exchange of competing ideas.  The best political or economic philosophies win.  But what happens when we are no longer capable of debating ideas?  What happens when we take the U.S. Constitution for granted?  You know what happens?  The First Amendment is Fucking Bullshit.  I felt it necessary to use such vernacular to to convey my feelings on the subject.  I thought; I actually believed in something that was real; something that had meaning.  But it clearly does not.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”   -Amendment I (ratified effective December 15, 1791)

The far right (politically speaking) like to assert that President Barack Obama is "shredding the Constitution" or "hates the Constitution" or "doesn't understand the Constitution".  These people are scoffed as being ignorant, racist, or some other pejorative.  The [not-so] funny thing is... President Obama (and his Administration) have shown a disregard for the Constitution but not for the reasons that right wing-nuts would like you to believe.  The erosion of the Constitution began before President Obama took office.  The last twelve years have seen the [un]Patriot Act, Predator-Drone strikes on "enemy combatants" and recently on US citizens abroad; notably Anwar al Awlaki.  We have witnessed the civil rights atrocity that is the Bradley Manning case.   You may ignore such instances by thinking "they are the bad guys".  But the evidence that al Awlaki was doing the things he was accused of is suspect to say the least.  Further more we are offered the protection from "unreasonable searches and seizures"(Amendment IV).  We shall not be "deprived of life, liberty, or property without the due process of law" (Amendment V).  The [un]Patriot Act allows for warrantless wire-taps and other invasions of our (assumed) privacy.


I was planning on writing a long piece on Tarek Mehanna and the long-term ramifications of his conviction and sentencing. Included would be historical perspectives on the Sedation Acts of 1798 and 1912. I had planned to craft an argument that sounded like the Founding Fathers or the [modern day] Tea Party had their constitutionally protected rights squashed by the "Big Bad Federal Government". But all of that would have simply been cute window dressing for the real issue. The issue of free speech and free press is taken for-granted.  Blindly we the citizenry tout free speech without thinking about what it means. The ability to discuss our grievances and offer opinions and ideas comes second nature  We forget the free exchange of ideas is not easy.  Debate is hard and can be emotional.  The amount of intellectual capacity necessary to agree with someone is minimal. The greatness of "America" is the freedom to exchange ideas; to debate them. The agreement of those ideas is not a pre-requisite to voice an opinion; offer a perspective; or question the government.


If you are unfamiliar with Tarek Mehanna use the Google Machine (it is simple enough, just type the word or phrase you would like to learn about and click "google search").  But, here is the gist of the Takek Mehanna case.


1.  He was sentenced to 17 1/2 years prison.
2.  In 2004 Mehanna and a "friend" traveled to Yemen to train in a Jihadi camp.
3.  Camps were shut down by the time he arrived in Yemen.  He returned to U.S. to finish Pharmacy School.
4.  He was found guilty because he advocated Islamic and Jihadist causes form his home in the United States.


That is right.  Tarek Mehanna was found guilting on Terrorism charges and sent to jail for translating jihadist material and placing it and videos on the "interwebs".  He did not specifically plan any attacks (foreign or domestic).  Tarek Mehanna was not found guilty of providing financial support to any terrorist organization(s).  Tarek Mehanna was found guilty of political thought.  Is this the standard now in the United States of America?  What if someone made a kids version of Mein Kampf?


So what do we do with Ted Nugent?




How about Sharron Angle?  She seems to argue that the citizens have the right to take up arms against the government.



I am not advocating violence against the government.  I actually believe that WE THE PEOPLE have the power to shape our government through the use of the ballot box.

I may not agree with a systematic effort to attack innocent people.  Those people are going to work in an office building or attending a wedding do not [need to] think they are going to die because of bombs or gunfire.  I do not agree with the use of force in lieu of diplomatic talks and an honest effort for peace.  But, I image the people in Afghanistan do not like to see their friends and family members killed by American or International forces. The overwhelming majority of the Afghans (about 92%) do not even know what 9/11 is or was.  Thats right over 90 PERCENT of the people in Afghanistan never heard of the "Twin Towers".  They are fighting "our" soldiers because they are there?  What else would you do if Russians occupied your town?  So let me be clear, I do not advocate violence of Jihad.  But, I do advocate for the rights of American Citizens to share ideas.  The wonderful concept of free speech allows for the best ideas to win.  We honor people like Nelson Mandela as an international HERO.  The former political prisoner (deemed a terrorist by the South African Government) is one of the most respected men on the planet and symbol of determination and dignity.

The annals of history are filled with  men and women that were deemed enemies, heretics, agitators, terrorists, and deviants.  We need to step away from the small concaved lens we use to view our world.  We need to think about the ramifications of how we punish other viewpoints.  Often we forget the importance of laws and court-cases are not felt immediately.  Tarek Mehanna may go to jail today and it does not impact our lives.  But, I ask you to think about how this may be interpreted in the future.  If we stand idle what does it say about our values and our rights (in the future)?

If you do not agree with what I have to say, well, that is fine.  But at least afford me the opportunity to voice my opinion.  Agree that we are all free to express our grievances; we are free to discuss in public; we are free to assemble; we are free to worship as we choose.  If we cannot agree on these simple concepts then the Constitution and (more specifically) the First Amendment are Bullshit; and possibly Fucking Bullshit.

I Love the NFL Draft

The NFL Draft offers everything possible in television; hope, action, suspense, mystery, drama, human interest stories, and of course stars.

Hope
The NFL Draft offers hope to (nearly) all the cities, fans, and franchises. Fans all think about how well their team did in the draft. Fans, GMs, coaches, players, and even The Browns feel like the get better from the draft. It's like the NFL's fix-it-weekend. The NFL is designed for bad teams to improv quickly from one year to the next.  Fans feel great about their favorite team (sans top ten draft choices) drafting players they never heard of before the combine if at all.

Action
This years draft featured the trading of the 2nd pick weeks before the draft.  Ultimately, picks 2-7 all involved trades.  In 2003 the Minnesota Vikings allowed their 15 minute clock to expire. What followed was a flurry (likes of which has not been seen since the Golden Corral began offering its chocolate fountain of dysentery) of teams rushing to the podium to make their selection before the Vikings.  Minnesota selected Kevin Williams from Oklahoma State. Williams became an anchor for their Defense.

Suspense
The players attend the draft have a general idea where they will be drafted. Aaron Rodgers could have been the first pick in the draft (that honor went to Alex Smith). Instead he slid and slid down to Green Bay as fans watched the uncomfortable Rodgers wait and wait and wait.  How about Thurman Thomas? He fell so far (into the 2nd round) that he ACTUALLY FELL ASLEEP in the NFL Draft Green Room.

The suspense was minimal during the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.  No player fell.  No real shocks. I guess thats what happens when the Oakland Raiders do not have a first round selection.  Remember this gem:



Mystery
The only real mystery that is involved in the NFL draft is on ESPN.

Drama
What were the Miami Dolphins thinking when they drafted Ted Ginn jr and Cam Cameron touted his kick/punt returning (because thats what top ten draft choices are for... punt returns)



Human Interest Stories
We get to learn all kinds of titillating facts during the NFL Draft
1.  Tim Tebow helped provide circumcisions in the Philippines.
2.  all other human interest stories that do not contain Tim Tebow are not worth mentioning.

Stars
The NFL draft is like a reunion show for our favorite sitcom that went off the air 4 months ago.  They all look so different.  Some have bulked up with off season work outs. Others are not even wearing their uniforms?  If there is one thing I have learned from NFL United Way Commercials is that NFL players always where their jersey.




Thanks NFL you are the best!

American and 3rd World Economics (Published 2011)

...deficits don't matter -Dick Cheney

During the 2010 election cycle all we heard about was jobs, jobs, jobs.  With good reason, considering that since the economic collapse of 2008 the unemployment rate has risen dramatically.  According to Google the unemployment rate was at 4.4 percent in May 2007 and by May 2011 it was 9.1 percent.  So the newly elected Republicans and speak Boehner said it is time to get to work on jobs.  Mitch McConnell was then quoted as saying “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."  The republican goal is not to increase GDP or create jobs.  The GOP is not going to fix problems but rather obstruct and exacerbate existing troubles we face in the United States.

Meanwhile states across the country pass voter ID laws (which equate to a poll tax).  This is done as a way to reduce voter participation.

But why would the republicans want to restrict voting rights?  The Tea Party was a populist movement right?  Watch this clip of Paul Weyrich (founder of the Heritage Foundation) from 1980.

But let’s rewind for a moment and figure out how all this happened to begin with…

The number one problem in the United States is the expansion of income inequality.  The average American worker has not seen an increase in wages over the last 30 years.  According to Michael Snyder in 1950 the ratio of earnings between average executive and worker was about 30:1.  In the last 10 years that ratio has varied between 300:1 - 500:1.  While the rich have gotten richer and corporate profits have increased (although not at the rate in the increase in CEO pay, which makes one wonder how they can justify the increase in payment) taxes are at historic lows.    In 2008 taxes on corporate income as a percentage of GDP was 1.8 percent.  Iceland was 1.9 percent and they had a worse disaster economically than the United States.  By comparison 19 countries had a rate that was 3 percent or greater and the average was 3.5 percent globally.  Bruce Bartlett notes that

 …federal taxes are at their lowest level in more than 60 years. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that federal taxes would consume just 14.8 percent of G.D.P. this year. The last year in which revenues were lower was 1950, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

The postwar annual average is about 18.5 percent of G.D.P. Revenues averaged 18.2 percent of G.D.P. during Ronald Reagan’s administration; the lowest percentage during that administration was 17.3 percent of G.D.P. in 1984.

The “Bush Tax Cuts” have cost our national treasury $2.5B.  These numbers demonstrate the laissez faire style or supply side economics of Milton Friedman.  The thinking is that when large corporations have greater capital they can expand production leading to an increase in jobs and therefore economic growth.  These profits do not “trickle down” to the working classes.  More jobs were created while Bill Clinton was President than during the Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 Presidencies combined.  Exxon Mobile last year was the most profitable company EVER.  The reason: simply, Supply Side Economics (Reaganomics/trickle down) does not work.

There is only so much money one person/family can spend.  An average family earning $50-$100k per year will likely spend most (nearly all) of that between housing, food, vacation, entertainment, cars, education, clothing medical expenses, etc.  But as Robert Reich (Former Secretary of Labor) noted in his book Aftershock in 2007 Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis made almost $100M.  To spend that much money he would have to spend $380 per minute.  This is a feet that is nearly impossible.  The dollars that working families earn go directly back into the economy.  The $100 million that Kenneth Lewis earned sits there and does not stimulate the economy.

Things like unemployment benefits dollar for dollar have a greater impact on the economy than a tax decrease for the wealthy.  The reason is known as a multiplier effect.  The money that someone receives via unemployment immediately goes back into the economy through the purchase of vital goods and services such as food and housing or auto repairs and medical services.

Housing

The housing boom and bust drained consumers of their spending potential.  As housing prices increased home “owners” drew out their equity to buy cars and boats.  Consumers were sold mortgages without being told the necessary disclosures.  CountryWide Financial was one of the largest home loan lenders in America and their sales people were instructed to get people to agree to a home loan within five minutes of speaking to someone over the phone.  Angelo Mozilo CEO of CountryWide Financial recently settled for $73M with the SEC to avoid a trial and fraud charges.  This was touted as a victory even though he made $260M between 2005-2007.

Why is fraud important when dealing with Sub-Prime mortgages?  Other than ripping off consumers and selling them into loans they could not possibly pay…  Sub-Prime mortgages were packaged together and sold as a commodity known as a Credit Default Swap/CDO.  CDO’s work like this...

Mortgages are packaged together as a security that is sold to investors.  This does one thing in particular that was dangerous for the economy.  Loans did not need to be backed by anything.  Often loan applications would be done as an “income stated” loan.  This means the person seeking the loan would only need to provide a verbal statement regarding how much they earned each year.  One can guess (correctly) that these applications would have false data. 

The loan would be sold by the originator (therefore, losing all the risk because they already made their commission on the loan) to a larger investment firm (Lehman Bros, JP Morgan, etc).   Once the sub-prime loans were sold to the brokerage house they were traded as part of a system that includes “tranches”.

Tranches are tiers of an investment.  The tiers have varied risks and payout procedures.  Think about a building with multiple floors.  The first floor is a riskier investment but it pays out quicker while the top floors are “safe” investments that pay out progressively later.

The subprime mortgages would be packaged together with a few traditional mortgages to increase their rating as an investment even though they would be “piles of crap” (which I think is a technical term).  After a while however, the sub-prime mortgageswere packaged alone and the ratings agencies (S&P and Moody’s) “assumed” that about 80 percent of securities would receive the AAA rating.  Economists estimated that the securities would only have been comprised of 10-15 percent sub-prime mortgages but that figure was actually closer to 85-95 percent.  Most of the sub-prime loans had a 2 year teaser interest rate (allowing borrower to pay interest only, or an adjustable rate loan) so they were ticking time bombs waiting for their ARM to expire.  Then investors would buy the Credit Default Swaps taking out insurance (AIG for one) against the Securities sold as AAA. The insurance was a bet against the existing securities that were known to be "piles of crap".

After all this no one went to jail except possibly one junior executive and Bernie Madoff.  His crime was stealing from Rich People I would have to assume.


Voting
All of this helps the richest 1 percent of people in America.  The goals of the Republican party is not to broad the base of people but rather limit those with power.  The voter ID Laws are said to fight corruption and voter fraud.  But voter fraud is almost nonexistent in the United States (about 20 cases and 3 convictions per year). In Texas a citizen can get around the voter ID law if they have a conceal and carry permit... now who are those people most likely to vote for?


The Debt Ceiling
The debt ceiling has been raised 60 times in the last 50 years without much of a peep.  The downgrading of the American credit is the result of a Manufactured crises.  The democrats caved to the demands of the Republicans who have sold their allegiance to Grover Norquist who makes the GOP Candidates sign a pledge saying they will not raise taxes under any circumstance.  I really question the constitutionality of signing such a pledge.  How can anyone be an honest actor with this kind of albatross around their neck. The GOP will not raise taxes under any circumstance and the Demorats will certainly cave in as about half are corporate Democrats any how.


Solutions
We need to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The question from an economic perspective what would we do with all those soldiers?   1.  if the only reason you are fighting a war is that it is employment for thousands that is a grotesque principle. 2.  We should  get them and many other Americans to work rebuilding American infrastructure.   This includes the roads and bridges that we utilize a daily basis but also here is a radical idea.  How about we begin on creating a national high speed rail system that can connect cities or how about a national wi-fi system that would help business by increasing the connectivity and therefore productivity through the use of wireless devices. We need to invest in our future today.  This is a time to increase funding for schools and police & fire departments.  We need to fight the urges of globalization and end free trade agreements Not increase them.  Presidential candidates should be ashamed if they find their official t-shirts were made Latin America.  We need to have tariffs that can make local companies competitive.  This would keep jobs in America.

420

Weed, Dank, Green, Chronic, Cheebah, Pot, Mary Jane, Hemp, Grass, Tea (popular among the beat generation), Wacky Tobacky, Endo or Indo, Trees, Bud, Ganja, Herb.  I figured I would say a little something about murrra wannah...

I suppose Peter Tosh said it quite succinctly

 

The Marijuana debate has raged since (and before) the ControlledSubstances Act of 1970 where Marihuana (DEA spelling) is considered a Schedule I drug while Opiates are classified as Schedule II drugs. Schedule I drugs according to DEA have

A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.

B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

So in the mind of the Federal Government Marijuana is more dangerous than opium??? ok well lets first get something out of the way. Marijuana is NOT harmless. But we (American Citizens) consume harmful drugs everyday that ARE legal. This list includes of-course Tobacco and Alcohol.  Prescription drugs are abused everyday.  According to the National Drug Institute about 7M people use prescription drugs non-medically. Caffeine is consumed in large quantities and do not forget all the food additives whether it is rBGH in dairy products or the ever controversial aspartame found commonly in diet soda.

Even though it is not "harmless" there has never been a case of someone overdosing on Marijuana.  It would be silly to think that smoking pot leads to violent behavior that is often associated with alcohol.   Mostly Weed leads to junk food and a new interpretation of Socrates.

But, besides being a recreational substance that most people have tried why should we legalize Marijuana?  There are a couple of reasons:

Economic:

Harvard Professor of Economics Jeffrey Miron wrote about how the legalization of Pot would save the Federal Government over $13B per year.

• The report estimates that legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. $5.3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2.4 billion would accrue to the federal government.
• The report also estimates that marijuana legalization would yield tax revenue of $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like all other goods and $6.2 billion annually if marijuana were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco.

So legalize it and tax the seeds and stems out of it.  If the people are going to buy it why not from a local certified hemp shop. That seems better than an oddly shady exchange at the house on the corner with the broke-down Cutlass Supreme in the driveway.

Whole new industries may emerge.  Buyers and distributors.  Sellers and growers.  Farmers could grow crops that do not need government subsidizing.  This would be a conservative position, would it not?  New growing techniques and strains could be developed for medical purposes (SCIENCE!!! I say, Botany class just became a little more interesting).

Social:

Portugal actually legalized all drugs (or decriminalized) which actually reduced the amount of [previously] illicit drugs used.  Instead of treating drugs as a criminal issue it is considered a public health issue.  Treatment instead of jail.

The drug violence in Mexico is dramatic.  Morgues in cities like Ciudad Juarez, Mexico overflow with bodies (some decapitated) resulting form the drug wars between Cartel and Government Agents and Cartels v Cartels.  Corruption reigns supreme as those that attempt to fight back are either bought or killed.  By January 2012 over 47,000 people have died as a result of the drug wars in Mexico (since 2006).

But I guess John Fugelsang sums it up



If it was good enough for Abe Lincoln it is good enough for me.  To be honest, I don't smoke pot.  No real need to but why should it be illegal?  The social harms are really scant.  Even the medical information is surprising.  Cigarettes are more dangerous than Marijuana.  According to doctors at UCLA Marijuana may help lung function when used occasionally.  Some of the other benefits include pain control and appetite (who didn't see that coming).  So lets help reduce our deficits.  Maybe we could help fund our schools with a Mary Jane Tax?  If people smoking weed can help provide a better education for the kids why not?

My conclusion, treat Marijuana like Alcohol and Tobacco.  Maybe a minimum age of 19 and  no driving under the influence.

and just because its friday here's one more video

I am not a Muslim

During brief moments we can learn a tremendous amount regarding the culture one lives in.  While I paid for some shoes a woman approached the cashier to ask a question.  Typically this is the sort of mundane detail that we all rarely take notice of or think twice about.  However, this instance was different; this moment provided me with an insight into the perceptions of America.  The woman (I can assume she was white, only saw her fingers) began her conversation with the cashier by saying…

“I’m not a Muslim…” 

She was wearing a head scarf and was obstructing view of her face with a large hat.  I could then hear the woman explain that she had an acid burn to her face.  Clearly she is very self conscious regarding her injuries and I do not want to come across as attacking her.  That is not my intention.  This is actually an examination of our society.  The cashier did not seem to react to the statement one way or another.  I think that is due to how we train the people in the service industry to not make waves with the customer even when they say something that may or may not be insane…

When did we become a nation requires citizens to declare what religion, race, or ethnicity they may or may not belong too?  This is not something as simple as a law imposed on the citizens by a fascist government.  But rather this is a shift in our cultural norms.  We are moving towards a less accepting society.  We are not a post-racial society but rather we have shifted from racial bigotry (institutionalized) to ethnic and religious revulsion.  It is impossible to know specifically motive of the woman.  Possibly she felt others hold negative attitudes toward Muslims and did not want any trouble.  Or, possibly she hates Muslims and think they are all terrorists.

An ABC News poll from 2004 and a Pew Research Center Poll from 2010 illustrate how the feeling towards Islam has changed in America.  In October of 2001 (less than a month after 9/11 terrorist attack) a poll showed that 47 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Islam.  In 2003 only 39 percent had a favorable view toward Islam.  By 2010 that figure has dropped to 30 percent.   A situation that should have progressively gotten better has fundamentally worsened in the near decade since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The same ABC news poll showed that in January of 2002 41 percent of Americans felt that Islam teaches respect for non-Muslim beliefs by September of 2003 that number dropped to 31 percent.  During the same time period the question was asked, does mainstream Islam promote violence against non-Muslims? Incredibly 14 percent said yes in 2002 (4 months after 9/11) by 2003 34 percent felt that it encouraged violence.

OUR LEADERS

So where is all of this coming from?  A perfect case study of where we are in American can be found in the words of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley.

Recently, Governor Robert Bentley noted that only Christians are his “brothers and sisters”.  This is a man who was elected to the highest office in his state deliberately showing a negative attitude toward those who do not share his religious beliefs.  I posit that it is better to know how one feels rather than them living behind a thin veil of civility.  This way one can know who the racists are.  However, this type of attitude is egregious in a nation that is allegedly moving forward.  It appears that this was a myth. We are moving back.  Governor Bentley does not specify Islam or any other group but it does seem to be a curious statement.   That will probably lead to more people pointing out specifically “I am not a Muslim”.

Are we doomed as a society?  I hope not.  As Cornel West once said “I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope”.

Griffey jr and Justin Upton

Surprisingly Justin Upton does compare to Ken Griffey Jr at the starts of their careers.  Griffey holds a decisive advantage in batting average .301 to .267 however Upton is much closer to Griffey in OBP SLG and OPS (Griffey does lead in those categories).

When looking number of at bats need per HR, RBI, Double, Triple etc Griffey holds an advantage in doubles, HR and RBI.  Upton is slightly better in scoring runs (0.1 fewer at bats needed per run scored).  Upton has a distinct advantage in the Triples category.  Justin Upton has recorded a triple once every 87.46 at bats while Griffey at this point in his career needed 183.13 at bats. 

Stolen bases are very similar with a slight edge percentage wise to Upton with more total steals for Griffey. 

Strikeouts

There is a dramatic difference in the number of strikeouts when comparing the two players.  Griffey struck out once every 6.8 at bats while Upton is nearly doubling that rate with striking out once every 3.69 at bats.  It should be noted that that strikeouts have risen in baseball all-around.

So below are some stats.  Griffey has better numbers but it’s not as glaring as one might think.

Raw data from ages 19-23 for both Ken Griffey Jr and Justin Upton

Ken Griffey jr
Year	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO
1989	127	506	455	61	120	23	0	16	61	16	7	44	83
1990	155	666	597	91	179	28	7	22	80	16	11	63	81
1991	154	633	548	76	179	42	1	22	100	18	6	71	82
1992	142	617	565	83	174	39	4	27	103	10	5	44	67
1993	156	691	582	113	180	38	3	45	109	17	9	96	91
AVG	146.8	622.6	549.4	84.8	166.4	34	3	26.4	90.6	15.4	7.6	63.6	80.8
Totals	734	3113	2747	424	832	170	15	132	453	77	38	318	404
Rate with At Bats				6.48		16.16	183.13	20.81	6.06	67%	*	9.79	6.80

Justin Upton
Year	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO
2007	43	152	140	17	31	8	3	2	11	2	0	11	37
2008	108	417	356	52	89	19	6	15	42	1	4	54	121
2009	138	588	526	84	158	30	7	26	86	20	5	55	137
2010	133	571	495	73	135	27	3	17	69	18	8	64	152
2011	155	662	582	103	170	39	5	31	88	21	9	58	122
AVG	115.4	478	419.8	65.8	116.6	24.6	4.8	18.2	59.2	12.4	5.2	48.4	114
Totals	577	2390	2099	329	583	123	24	91	296	62	26	242	569
Rate with At Bats				6.38		17.07	87.46	23.07	7.09	70%	*	9.88	3.69

Notes
* success rate in stealing bases
Base on balls was based on Plate Appearances not At Bats

Griffey	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1989	0.264	0.329	0.42	0.75
1990	0.3	0.366	0.481	0.85
1991	0.327	0.399	0.527	0.93
1992	0.308	0.361	0.535	0.9
1993	0.309	0.408	0.617	1.03
AVG	0.3016	0.3726	0.516	0.888

Upton	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	0.221	0.283	0.364	0.65
2008	0.25	0.353	0.463	0.82
2009	0.3	0.366	0.532	0.9
2010	0.273	0.356	0.442	0.8
2011	0.292	0.372	0.536	0.91
AVG	0.2672	0.346	0.467	0.814

Megatron

How great was Calving Johnson in college?  So great that many people don’t even realize how BAD the quarterback situation was for the Yellow Jackets.

Consider the statistics that Megatron put up in comparison to Reggie Ball (QB during Calvin Johnson’s GT career).

Reggie Ball
Season	Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	TD	Int
2004	330	164	49.7	2,147	16	18
2005	380	182	47.9	2,165	11	12
2006	304	135	44.4	1,820	20	14
Calvin Johnson
Season	No	Yds	Avg	TD
2004	48	837	17.4	7
2005	54	888	16.4	6
2006	76	1,202	15.8	15

A couple of things stand out. 

1. Reggie Ball NEVER completed 50 percent of his passes during a season.
2. Reggie Ball only had 1 season that featured more Touchdowns than Interceptions.

Now to look at what happens when Reggie Ball is removed from the equation…

The Gator Bowl for the 2006 season did not include Reggie Ball (academic ineligibility).  So back up QB Taylor Bennett threw for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Calvin Johnson in the Gator Bowl?  He had 9 grabs 186 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Granted it’s only one game but Calvin Johnson probably could have put up historic numbers with a mediocre college QB.

Jam Session *Ultimate Edition*

As a lover of music I often wonder what it would be like to jam with some of my favorite artists.  So I started thinking about whom I would want to jam with.  The clip below is ?uestlove, John-Paul Jones, and Ben Harper jamming.

Band Leader / Trumpet

Miles Davis the musical revolutionary and visionary is the obvious choice for trumpet because of classics such as So What from the album Kind of Blue.  What separates Davis as a Band Leader however is the Album Bitches Brew.  When looking at the liner notes he organized the sessions to include multiple instruments such as a right or left piano and acoustic and electric bass. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down is brilliant.

Drums

?uestlove the dynamic drummer of Legendary Roots Crew.  Why?  The reasons… First of all he is dynamic and knows how to stay in the pocket. He has the precision of a human drum machine.  However, he is not repetitive and keeps it interesting.  A classic example of the dynamics utilized by Questo comes from You Got Me off The Roots Come Alive.  During this track he makes great use of the off-beats and syncopation.

Bass

Victor Wooten.  Why? So innovative that he is credited with developing his own technique known as the double thump.  The prime example of his skills can be understood by listening to The Sinister Minister or Amazing Grace from the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones album Live Art.  I actually wanted to leave him off because I thought he might be too good… But, you cannot deny talent.  Note regarding the Amazing Grace recording: only one instrument is creating all those sounds.

Guitar

Jimi Hendrix.  If I have to explain why Jimi Hendrix listen to anything from the Band of Gypsys specifically Machine Gun.  If you still don’t get it, just stop reading this blog and listen to a lot of music.

Me… Why me well I play guitar and this is my jam session so deal with it.

Keys

Booker T. Jones  Leader of Booker T. and the MG’s which were the house band for Stax Records.  Just listen to any soul record from the  played on just about every soul record (not from Mo Town) in the 60’s and a ton blues records.  Notably Otis Redding, Albert King, and Wilson Pickett.  Versatile and understated, Booker T would be great on the Organ.

Dave Brubeck  is most famous for Take Five.  But the reason he made the list is actually because of another track from the same album Time Out.  Listen to Blue Rondo A la Turk.  The changes in that record are truly phenomenal.  Much of the record Time Out is recorded in odd time signatures.  Most Jazz up to that point was exclusively done in 4/4.  Brubeck was an innovator.

Sax

Here the easy choice would be Charlie Parker or John Coltrane.  I am not trying to be contrarian but, I am going to choose Jeff Coffin.  Listen to Scratch & Sniff from Outbound.  Not only is he a great player but I feel that he is an innovator by utilizing technology and adding effects such as a phaser to the saxophone.  Also, in live versions of Scratch & Sniff he will finish the jam by playing two saxophones at once.

Vocals

This may be the most difficult and a very easily debated section.  I am including multiple people because they all bring different talents and styles.

The Gza is one of the most intelligent rappers of all time.  Listen to Duel of the Iron Mic.    From the album Liquid Swords  or really just listen to anything else. This cut is from the Chappelle Show.

Jill Scott is phenomenal and not just in the studio.  She does not need something to be auto-tuned or any other effects.  What I most love about Jill Scott is how she will through some scat in her live performances and it doesn't sound contrived its completely organic.  She is the female vocalist on the live version of You Got Me mentioned above or this live  Clip from Soul Stage. 

Ritchie Havens.  Why?  He improvised Freedom at Woodstock because the next performers were not ready as many artists were late reaching the festival.  This lead to one of the most memorable moments at a defining event of the 1960’s.  It would also be great to have him playing some acoustic guitar as part of the rhythm section.  So this is really a no brainer.

Wildcards

Prince:  The guy plays like 50 instruments.

Bela Fleck:  How many jazz banjo players are there, really? Charles Mingus: Upright Bass and visionary. Common and Mos Def: Two great rappers.

I think this lineup would create beautiful music and be very interesting.  Certainly I left off a bunch of people.  So tell me who you think should be included.  There is one rule though.  To make it interesting if you add someone you must take somebody off the list.  Otherwise there would be like 50 people jamming together.

Finally, Phoenix is lovely this time of year so if anybody can get this group (excluding the deceased) together I will offer my house up for a jam session.  Wow I listen to a lot jazz. Nothin' wrong with that.

New Years Eve (Originally Published 2010)

Why is the celebration of the New Year such a cultural staple?  Is it not just another day? 

Tonight is a night of celebrations and the crowd seems to be bigger and bigger every year at Times Square in Manhattan as we celebrate a holiday for what?  To forget about how crappy our lives are?  This is not the words of someone that is bitter or with a humbug spirit.  I just hope that my life is a little more meaningful than to celebrate an arbitrary change in the calendar.  New Years Eve is like a Friday on Steroids.  Why should Friday be any more significant that Wednesday?  I fully understand that typically we don’t work on Saturday and Sunday.  But, what does it say about society that we are looking towards Friday on Monday?  Is this what society has come to?  It reminds me of “Bread & Circus” during the Roman Empire.  The thinking was that as long as the people in the empire were fed and entertained they would not revolt.  So the Romans had gladiator fights at the Coliseum to entertain the masses.

We are creating our own “Bread & Circus” by getting drunk on December 31^st each year and watching a glass ball fall down as a million gawkers chant down from 10 to 1 in unison. 

I do however enjoy the circus that is New Years Day college football.  I and others have anticipated watching the match-ups for weeks since there announcement.  New Years Day marks the beginning of the end of the college football season which includes six mostly marquee match-ups.  This is the only significant difference between January 1 and July 24.  Other than the large amount of sales that are likely to be at the department and specialty stores.  Nothing says celebration like getting 40 percent off a TV or nothing shows how much you are showing your patriotism like by a discount mattress on Flay Day.

Secondly…

The masses decide that this is now going to be the year that I quit smoking or start a new workout plan (I imagine Monday will be a huge day for gym membership sales).  Mostly people will forget about a new year’s resolution in a couple of weeks and return to eating Burger King or KFC for lunch.  Largely we are lying to ourselves.  We use the New Year to con ourselves into thinking “this will be different” or my favorite “this is a fresh start”.  Different? Fresh? Compared to what? 

LeBron the Decision and Return (Originally published 2010)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

February 18^th 2002 he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a High School Junior.  He was then the most hyped athlete of all-time as he entered the NBA.  For seven season playing for his quasi “home town team” the Cleveland Cavaliers he was unable to win a championship; reached the finals once but did have multiple MVP trophies but was surrounded by mediocrity and players past their prime. i.e. Antawn Jamison and Zydrunas Ilgauskas  Then… nearly 10 million people watched “The Decision” in July.

For comparison the 2010 World Series averages 14.22 million viewers per game.

The criticism is reaching a potential boiling point as the Miami Heat makes their first trip to Cleveland with the Big 3.

How did we get to the decision?  Who is to blame?

LeBron James is a creation of us (fans and media).   The notion that people are upset over a publicity stunt is laughable.  I understand the frustration of a Cleveland fan (that he left the team).  But spare everyone with “I am not made he left, just how he did it”.  That is complete non-sense.   The city of Cleveland would have felt just as outraged if there was a text or a meeting with Dan Gilbert.

The media has grown exponentially to the point where athletes are in gossip magazines eating lunch with other celebrities.  But, we love it.  We love the drama that is Brett Favre.  ESPN has at least 5 television stations plus all of their online programming.  We have shows that breakdown the matchups in the NFL every week (on a daily basis).  Sports talk radio is popular.  We build up athletes to something that is far greater than they can even actualize.  Then, we (fans) don’t understand why we care more than they do.  

But, why should they?  It is a job that they do… Granted they are paid tremendous salaries to commit to their sport and perform.  With that also comes the scrutiny of the fans and media.  But, does an athlete have to be sullen after a loss?  Can they not enjoy themselves? 

People that live in Cleveland or any other rust-belt city are from there.  They have rooted for those teams for generations.  The people there identify themselves by their teams.  The athletes don’t.  They are entertainers.  They move from region to region.  They perform, and they better do it how we want them to or else…

Derek Anderson was “caught” smiling/laughing on the sideline during (an embarrassing) home loss to the 49ers.  The reaction by fans calling sports talk radio in Phoenix was ridiculous.  Fans say things like “I’d play for free”, or “he doesn’t have the heart”.  Derek Anderson is mediocre (at best) and the team stinks.

So.  We all have bad days at work… that doesn’t mean you act grumpy.  But we have cameras covering every angle.   For all that we have gained with the internet, sports talk radio, and television we have lost in perspective.  But this is not limited to a sporting arena.  The Presidency is quite different today than it was when Harry S Truman dropped the Bomb on Hiroshima.  As a society we crave constant information and then get mad when we see actions that do not fit with our values.  But the truth is the ideals of working society are miles from Billionaire athletes.

It is naïve to think that LeBron James doesn’t have an inflated sense of self-worth… why wouldn’t he.  LBJ has spent the last 10 years of his life being told how incredible he is.  We buy his shoes.  He is in countless commercials.  The decision (at least in his mind) was nothing more that a commercial.

I understand not liking “The Decision” or the decision to make “The Decision”.  But, move one.  Outside of Cleveland I don’t understand why LeBron is so hated.  Here in phoenix people despise the Heat.  It’s absurd.  How about we enjoy how great the NBA is and can be?  How about people stop demanding that athletes represent some abstract caricature that the fans have created?  Let’s stop talking about how great George Mikan, Red Grange, and Otto Graham were and reminiscent about the old days of ball players.  Remember Babe Ruth played on a steady diet of Beer, Hotdogs, and Hookers. 

December 2nd 2010

Enjoy the game and stop vilifying players.  It is easy to be critical… to complain how the players make too much money or they don’t care.  We need to step back and remember that LeBron James, Derek Anderson, and Chad Ochocinco are people.  But then again, I guess we aren’t either… fan is short for Fanatic.