Obsession With Packing

What is this obsession that people have (mainly old people and mothers) with packing for a vacation or trip? Example: “did you start packing yet” (for a trip that your going to go on in months from now) usually old people and moms ask this question. Why they obsess over this and discuss this is a mystery to me. Perhaps it gives them something to talk about. But if you actually think about it, discussing about packing is utter nonsense and stupid. All packing is, is the act of placing clothing from your closet to your suitcase which should take no longer than 10 minutes, not 3 months the way old people and moms make it out to be. I understand that women need more time to pack then men. They have their makeup and creams and other beauty supplies. But for a man it should take no longer than 10 minutes. Underwear, pants, and a shirt, that’s all we need folks. It’s not something to make a big deal about. It’s not rocket science.

YOUR ALL SUCKERS!

One thing that many people get suckered into (including people who I once thought were smart) is the obsession with airline miles through credit card/financial purchases.

These credit card companies offer rewards such as airline miles as well as other prizes and gifts. They do this so that suckers like you buy things with that credit card. And everyone obsesses over these miles. They say “use this credit card, I get miles!”, causing people to spend their money freely and haphazardly, because they get miles in return.

Do you know how much these miles/prizes are worth money wise? 1%. One percent!!! You know how much one percent is? Its nothing! It’s not even worth talking about let alone obsessing about. It would cost you $50,000 dollars of credit card spending for you to earn a roundtrip airline ticket. Your wasting more money by using your credit card to buy things which you otherwise wouldn’t buy. These airline miles are an extra incentive for you to buy something, which you’re not sure about purchasing. You think to yourself that “hey your gonna get miles so what the heck” but the miles aren’t worth anything! Wake up people! The cost of rewards that you receive compared to the amount of money you had to spend to get that reward is like piss in the ocean. (piss being your measly reward and the ocean being the amount of money you gave away to get such a crappy reward, which you think is amazing).

All I’m saying is that people should stop obsessing over miles from credit card companies because its not nearly worth as much as you think, and it doesn’t deserve praise. Don’t allow these credit card companies to persuade you into using their card and to purchase more. They want you to subconsciously enjoy spending money. All these rewards are, are a psychological trick, its an illusion that makes you think that your winning by spending money on the credit card, but in reality they’re winning, and YOUR LOSING! Cause your all suckers!

Unnecessary Technology

Technology is a great thing. It has developed us as a world and has made so many things, which we once thought were impossible, possible. However along with technology comes something, which I like to call “unnecessary technology”

Unnecessary technology is confusing and flat out annoying. Why in the world do we need a car which doesn’t require you to put a key in the hole? Is it really such a nuisance to take the key in your hand and turn it?

Do we really need a cell phone/camera/internet/shaver/wipe your ass for you handheld device? All these technological unlimited options may be nice for the technologically advanced man. But I’m old fashioned (I still use disposable cameras and take notes in a notebook) and I hate unnecessary, superfluous, customizing options, which comes along with our technology. These options are confusing me and require me to use a lot of mental energy just to figure out how to use it. While the intention of this technology is to simplify our lives, its actually doing to opposite. I don’t need a phone with 20,000 buttons on it. I just want a simple phone that works, although I’m not sure if they make those anymore. Were not robots people, so lets stop acting like them.

Annoying Department Store Cards

 

What’s the deal with these CVS cards and Shoprite cards and Waulbaum’s cards etc.. These cards are just an excuse for these companies to steal from you. They claim to have all these “great deals” but only if you have a CVS card and if you don’t then they charge you enormous amounts for products.

 

First of all, who the hell is carrying these cards around with them all the time so that in the event that they go to these stores, they have them readily available. Unless you carry around a pocket book with you, you’re not going to be carrying this card. We have enough crap to carry around already; wallet, cell phone, keys, and we don’t need more clutter/crap to carry around in our already bulgy uncomfortable pockets. These companies know this and realize that they have the opportunity to rip you off with most people not even noticing. They create an illusion by making the public think that these cards are beneficial you.

 

Second of all, how can these companies justify their wanting you to carry around their stupid cards besides for ripping you off when you don’t have them handy?  What benefits do they get and what benefits do you get? Only one side benefits from these cards and its not you. The only benefit that you get by carrying the cards is being able to pay retail price and not retail price times 2. Why don’t these companies just give these “deals” to everyone with or without the card? Anyone can acquire the card. Its not like it’s an exclusive thing for special people. So what’s the point? What? None, besides for them being able to charge you more? I rest my case. 

Girardi’s Gotta Go

Girardi’s gotta go. This Yankee team has been underachieving and underperforming for 1 year and 1 month now, and Girardi is responsible. Enough with the injury excuses. Every team has injuries (just look at the Red Sox and Angels) and their not bitching and moaning. Even with all the Yankees injuries, they’re still putting an all-star team out on the field. So nobody wants to hear the injury card being played as to why the Yankees aren’t performing. It’s getting old. You’re always going to have injuries.

 

            An answer that I hate, which many players say in response to questions about their manager is “ well don’t blame the manager, he doesn’t hit the ball and he doesn’t catch the ball”. That statement is true, the manager doesn’t hit the ball or catch the ball however, the manager is responsible for those who do. The manager is supposed to create lineups and make logical in game decisions. He is supposed to keep things cool in the dugout and in the clubhouse. Whenever players give that stupid answer that “managers don’t hit the ball or catch the ball” I think top myself what are they saying? What does that mean? Then what does a manager do? So could I be a manager?

 

            It’s time to push the panic button and Girardi’s gotta go. He is an arrogant manager who doesn’t know how to handle his players or the media. His baseball strategy is perhaps the most mindboggling thing of all. He refuses to make normal in game decisions. I feel like he has to make every decision based on his stubborn unintelligent baseball mind. He’s trying to rewrite the book of managing. He makes every absurd/questionable move with the mindset that if it works then everyone is going to point to him and say “wow what a genius”. But thankfully all his stupid moves backfired and he was unable to receive the recognition that he so desperately wants.

 

            What pisses me off more than Girardi himself are the Girardi defenders. These emotional/unintelligent/stupid fans who don’t know anything about baseball. They love him because he was on the ’96 Yankees. So what?? Who gives a shit? He wasn’t even a great catcher, he just happened to be on the team that year. That doesn’t make up for being the worst manager of all-time. He shouldn’t be entitled to a get out of jail free card because he was on the ’96 Yankees. But he does because most fans are emotional and love him for no good reason at all.

 

            I believe the answer to Yankees problem is Buck Showalter. He’s been around the game for years He’s a respected veteran unlike Girardi. He knows how to manage unlike Girardi and he’s the best guy available. He took the Yankees to the playoffs in ’95, their first time there since 1981 and he was quickly booted out of New York by George Steinbrenner for their early dismissal from the playoffs against Seattle. By the way under George Steinbrenner’s rule Girardi would’ve been out on his can a long time ago.

 

One more thing about stupid fans is that only now are they are first starting to question and rethink all of the off-season signings. Now they are starting to rethink? Hello? I’ve been ranting since day 1 that CC Sabathia is not worth 7 years at $161 million dollars. You don’t give a guy who’s fat and out of shape a 7 year deal at $23 million a year. He’ll give you 2 to 3 years at most. So basically your spending $161 million for 2 years. Unless the Yankees win the world series in the near future (which they won’t), it’s not worth it. He’s an overrated, yes I said it, overrated pitcher who had a great second half of a season which made his career contract.

 

AJ Burnett is the next Pavano. Plain and simple. He is super injury-prone and he’s not that great. His career ERA is 3.86 with a record of 89-77. Basically he got an amazing contract for himself out of the Yankees desperation for pitching.

 

Teixeira is not as great as everyone makes him out to be. An 8 year contract is way too risky for any player. I hate these huge contracts. No single player is worth 8 years at $22.5 million a year. For that same price, I would rather have 5 mediocre players rather than 1 superstar name. I truly believe that 1 person is not worth that much. Perhaps the only player who has the talent to match such a contract would be A-rod (with steroids of course). I would much rather have 4 Javier Vazquez type players on my team that one CC Sabathia. It is just so much more valuable and much more money efficient. It may not look as pretty as a superstar but it’s much smarter. 

Season of Judgement for Girardi

This is Joe Girardi’s time to shine if he wants to be a true Yankee. This upcoming baseball season is not only a crucial one for the New York Yankees franchise, who are coming off a disappointing season, but it is also an even more crucial one for manager Joe Girardi. Girardi’s Yankee and possibly baseball future lies on what he accomplishes in the 2009 season.

2008 proved to be a very poor year for Girardi. Coming into the season I was very optimistic and excited about Girardi, however after 1 month into the season I began to question Girardi’s leadership. I soon discovered that he wasn’t the manager I thought he would be. I started to question his lineups, his timing of when to play small ball, and his answers in postgame interviews. Towards the middle of the season I was furious with Girardi and wanted him out. I was more angry about the fact that I felt like I was the only one who was questioning and criticizing him. I was angry that the press wasn’t pounding him the way they have no problem doing with A-Rod. Perhaps the only one who stood out in my mind who was man enough to criticize Joe was Michael Kay, (the play by play announcer for the Yankees on the YES Network). A couple of examples where Michael Kay necessarily questions Girardi’s decision making would be on July 1st ’08 after a game against Texas. The Yankees were down by one run in the 9th inning with a runner on first and no outs. Melky Cabrera was coming up to bat. He was holding a .241 average and was 0 for 18 in his last 18 at bats. And rather than opting to pinch hit Melky (with Jeter available on the bench) or do the obvious of bunting him to move the runner over into scoring position with the top of the order coming up, he chose to let him swing away, and the unsurprisingly expected happened. He hit into a double play and the Yankees ended up losing by one run. More questions were raised about Girardi’s leadership specifically a few games earlier against the Mets when Girardi created a lineup without a healthy Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreau. Instead he chose to start Justin Christain and Brett Gardner with the reason that they were righties and would therefore perform better against a lefty Oliver Perez. It turns out that the plan backfired and they went a combined 0 for 8 and the Yankees went on to lose the game. Another head scratching Girardi decision was on August 11th against Minnesota when he decided to sit Johnny Damon while he was in the middle of a hitting streak. He was hitting .406 on the road trip, had five straight multi-hit games and was leading the American League with a .322 average. These are just a few of the countless head scratching decisions that Girardi made, which I believe caused the Yankees to miss the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. And to all those who blame injuries for the cause of the Yankees not making the playoffs, let me tell you this. Most of the significant injuries were pitching injuries with the exception of Posada and Matsui, and pitching was not last year’s problem, if anything the pitching surpassed expectations. The problem for last year was hitting with runners in scoring position. The Yanks ranked 10th in the American league in hitting with runners in scoring position, with a .261 average. Therefore you cannot point to injuries if you want to talk about last year’s failure. The problem was scoring runs. I blame the manager if there’s a runner in scoring position with no outs and they are unable to bring him in. each player (including A-rod and Texiera) must know how to execute a bunt. And the manager must make wise decisions as to when he should call for them. About 4 years ago I had the privilege of hearing Joe Torre speak at the learning Annex in Manhattan. He was speaking about the horrific 2004 collapse against the Red Sox, when someone raised an interesting question. Torre was asked why he didn’t bunt against Curt Schilling in game 6 of the ALCS. Schilling had a makeshift surgery on his ankle the day before the game, his sock was bleeding (which is now famously known as the bloody sock) and he was walking gingerly on it. He was clearly in a vulnerable state. Therefore bunting against him would seem to be the obvious thing to do because it would have to make him run off the mound, which he was clearly unable to do and would eventually knock him out of the game. Torre responded to that question with an answer that left me very puzzled and disturbed. He said that he can’t take a bat away from one of his players. To me that was another way of saying ’I care more about personal stats then I do about winning the ballgame’. My philosophy is; to do whatever you have to do to put runs on the board. Play for the run, even if it means bunting A-rod. If the situation calls for it, do it. Play conservatively when the game is close. Don’t just rely on the home run ball. If I were a manager I would start off spring training with bunting drills before any batting practice. Every player must know how to bunt.

I never understood last year’s strategy. Girardi would play conservatively when it came to making up the lineup card everyday by obsessing over the lefty righty business and over resting players. But when it came time during the game, he didn’t. He didn’t bunt and play for the run when situations called for it. Girardi must also stick with a consistent lineup, and not change it around every other night.

Other questions, which can be raised about Girardi would have to be his handling of his pitching staff. By that I mean pitching inexperienced rookies in crucial situations. But one that really made me scratch my head was the way he handled the whole Joba situation. He slowly turned him into a starter by getting most of his pitches in, in unimportant game situations while reducing his number of pitches when the game was on the line.

Girardi’s 2008 season is one, which can be summed up with over managing and obsessing about this lefty righty business. He acted as an actuary and not a coach. You don’t need a coach to make decisions based purely on numbers and statistics. You can save yourself a lot of money and just have a computer make those decisions for you. A coach is supposed to make decisions based not only on statistics but also with what he sees on the field as well as his gut feeling. This upcoming season is filled with optimism as well as skepticism, and its up to Girardi to utilize the tools that he’s been stocked with over the offseason with the acquisitions of Texiera, Sabathia, and Burnett. It’s up to Girardi to prove that he’s able of holding one of the greatest jobs in the world. Managing a team filled with superstars in New York is not an easy thing to do. However it is up to Girardi to prove whether or not he’s worthy of steering the $223 million dollar ship called the New York Yankees.