Spurious Signal Propagation

So much has been going on lately that I started alliterating subheadings in my head to try to keep them straight, and try to organize my thoughts about them.

While pondering them in recent days, they seemed to resemble too much unwanted feedback on a landscape of information and occurrences. I tried to have a serious discussion with my wife about religion - and wound up with a headache instead of anything meaningful. That doesn't usually happen.

All of this reminded me of what in radio terms is called spurious signals, or "undesired signal energy present at any frequency at the output of a device that was not present at the input". It's all the noise that gets in the way of what really needs to come through. More about this later.

Here is a sampling of some of that intentionally organized, yet unwelcome random stuff that stands in the way of real progress in my own personal growth - perhaps more of a picture of how my brain works (or doesn't) than one might like.

Brought to you by two letters of the English alphabet.


Surveillance, Secrecy, Snowden - Past is Present 

Has anyone else noticed that this entire episode started out eerily like the first several minutes of The Bourne Ultimatum, right down to the same media outlet breaking the story?
Hopefully it doesn't follow the plot line completely, even though I'm sure that the reporter Glenn Greenwald and his staff are taking whatever precautions they feel are necessary. The same can be said for their source.

Despite all of the additional revelations and events that have transpired over the last two weeks, I will stick with my first impressions about Edward Snowden after reading the interview that the Guardian conducted with him in Hong Kong, and released two Sundays ago - 

"I carefully evaluated every single document I disclosed to ensure that each was legitimately in the public interest," he said. "There are all sorts of documents that would have made a big impact that I didn't turn over, because harming people isn't my goal. Transparency is."

Courageous, misguided, naïve, unafraid, narcissistic - these and so many other adjectives have been used to describe the man. I personally think that he did a service to the cause of personal privacy and controls over what the government can find out, and what they can do with it.

I was listening to Mike Pintek talk about this on KDKA last week. He referred to the Pentagon Papers controversy, which this affair is being compared to, as "ancient history".
Please, Mike - we were both alive when it happened, and just because it happened 40 or so years ago does not make it any less relevant. 

Daniel Ellsberg is also still alive, and commented rather astutely in the Guardian on Snowden's actions:

"Snowden did what he did because he recognised the NSA's surveillance programs for what they are: dangerous, unconstitutional activity. This wholesale invasion of Americans' and foreign citizens' privacy does not contribute to our security; it puts in danger the very liberties we're trying to protect."

Ellsberg also makes a comparison of the NSA's activities to that of the East German Stasi during the heyday of the former Soviet bloc. The 2006 Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others is an excellent dramatic rendering of what it might have been like to live in a society where the fear of someone listening actually affects the nature of the discourse, regardless of the innocence of that discourse.

That is perhaps the best point I have heard in response to all of the reporting, hype, and outcry - that people will "self-regulate" themselves into what they think is palatable to what the government will tolerate.

This is an affront to the liberty of thought that no free society, that wishes to remain so, can tolerate for very long. The fact that all of this started to become public knowledge on the 49th anniversary of the publication of Orwell's 1984 has apparently not been lost on a lot of people.

The government may choose to throw the book at Edward Snowden, or do nothing at all - let him live out his days with one eye continuously looking over his shoulder. There is, however, enough of an outcry on both sides of the political spectrum - including ACLU litigation and a very popular White House petition demanding Snowden be pardoned - that some action to curtail the NSA's activities will likely have to be considered.

We The People, at least those of us who care deeply about the free expression of ideas and dissenting opinion, will not stand for it. Apparently, many citizens are planning to take to the streets this 4th of July in support of the Fourth Amendment. How appropriate is that?


Sewickley Sewer Street Shutdown Surprise - Prolonged

Over the several months, an ongoing project to connect portions of Aleppo Township and Glen Osborne to Sewickley's sewer system has resulted in several street closures and other traffic-related issues - many not communicated in a way motorists and citizens would probably appreciate or expect.

This trend apparently continued with the closing of Beaver Street in the heart of the Village two weeks ago. The Herald's story, dated Tuesday June 4, announced the closure and detour of Beaver at Logan Street to last two days.

The Quaker Valley School District sent a mass e-mail the previous evening, attempting to quickly notify parents of the closure. Communications Director Tina Vojtko made it a point to write that "we were just informed late this afternoon" of the impending detour - I imagined I could almost hear the banging of annoyed fingers on Ms. Vojtko's keyboard as it was being written.

I can't tell you if I was surprised or not to go to church two Sundays ago and see the closure - and associated heavy equipment - still in place. It was later reported that the "2 day" closure ended a little over a week after it commenced.

From last year's closure of Beaver Road in Glen Osborne, to the recent single-lane restrictions on Route 65 in the same community, up to and including this last closure, whomever is responsible at Sewickley Borough needs to make a better effort at communicating restrictions on traffic flow and other services, especially if those delays take longer than expected.

On my regular commute down Route 65 this week, I took note of the backhoe, fresh trenches, and pipe staged below where the road passes behind Osborne Elementary School. Hopefully something will be said about it..well in advance..if they intend to disrupt traffic again.


Sewickley Photoplay Philanthropy Shortage

The Village Theater Company is approaching a self-imposed deadline to obtain total pledges of $1.5 Million to construct a new movie house in the heart of Sewickley Village.

They've got a way to go to reach that goal by the end of the month. This past week I sent them an example of how a community comes together to make a great space possible - something that transcends the space itself.

Village Theater Company needs the community's help, at a fundamental level, to make this happen. It starts with financial resources, at this point in any amount. Best wishes to them in their efforts.


Penguins Paradoxically Plummet - Still Supportive

After following the Penguins during their successful campaign through a lockout-shortened regular season, and then over the first two rounds of playoffs that were rocky but eventually successful, it was distressing to see them basically not show up at all the first two games against the Bruins.

Since the Pens' season ended, there has been the predictable amount of speculation, announcements, signings, and accolades. Here are a few observations while we're waiting for next season to start:

1. Despite the post-season reaffirmation of Marc-Andre Fleury as the team's "franchise goaltender", this doesn't really explain or forgive his being thrown under the bus by Coach Dan Bylsma during the playoffs. If the team elects to jettison Fleury after saying this, it will  be tough to get behind anything they have to say in the future.

2. As for Coach Bylsma himself, General Manager Ray Shero apparently believes the team needs stability at the coaching level, and that the current coaching staff is best equipped to manage the team through numerous personnel additions, and perhaps some deletions.
Nevertheless, there's a bit of serious evaluation warranted for the way in which the team basically didn't show up for the first 2 games against the Bruins, and how to prevent that in the future.

3. It's nice that we have Evgeni Malkin for a long time, but the team's overall effectiveness will be diminished if they can't re-sign Kris Letang.

4. Sidney Crosby is probably the best individual player in the NHL. Those who play with him seem to agree with that statement - Congratulations, Sid, on your award.
With that in mind, consider the following statement from Wikipedia:

Although the rules do not specify any other distinction between the captain and his teammates, the captain has numerous responsibilities to the team, particularly in North American professional hockey. The captain is a dressing room leader, and also represents the players' concerns to management. During the game, captains are expected to motivate their teams, particularly captains who are stars or franchise players.

Considering the talent that Ray Shero amassed for this year's campaign, including Brenden Morrow and Jerome Iginla - both of whom left their previous teams as the captain - is there room for discussion as to which of the Pens may be best qualified to serve in that role in the future?


Public Station Programming Problem has Solution Starting

Two years ago this week, I wrote about the loss of jazz music programming on the FM airwaves in Pittsburgh. Two recent events have brought the return of this programming to local radio a significant step closer.

Pittsburgh Public Media announced the closing of their purchase of Bethany College's radio station, and the establishment of studio facilities in Pittsburgh's southern suburbs. According to the Post-Gazette, the group estimated that the station could begin broadcasting jazz music and other offerings of the currently online-only Pittsburgh Jazz Channel by sometime next month.

The group singled out Essential Public Media, the owners of the former WDUQ, for selling them some of that station's old equipment to help facilitate the start-up. It was nice of EPM to try to make amends in this way.

The station's current transmitter site will cover mainly the south and west suburbs of Pittsburgh, on 88.1 FM.  The group states that it will be actively seeking additional frequencies and transmitter sites to cover the remainder of the Pittsburgh area, and is seeking public support to gather funds for that purpose.

Coincidentally, this week the FCC announced that they are accepting applications for Low Power FM station licenses, made possible by the passage of the Local Community Radio Act in 2011. This could be an avenue for the jazz radio folks to gain access to the FM airwaves, while admittedly at low power, but with the proper transmitter placement could attain the coverage goals that they're looking for.

Great credit should be given to the Prometheus Radio Project for helping to spearhead the passage of the law, and for continued efforts to educate and inform non-profits and community groups about the availability of LPFM to inform, connect, and motivate local communities to action.

Come to think of it, there may be an opportunity for some forward-thinking locals to band together and make a go of it in our immediate area. I can say from personal experience that it can be lots of fun and hard work, with intangible rewards, and sometimes meaning beyond words.

Speaking of signals..Radio Free Leetsdale, anyone?

Enjoy the summer. 

A Great Day for Dollars

Fame...and shame. From March 2012, the new statue of Mario Lemieux in front of Consol Energy Center, with the disintegrating Civic Arena in the background.

As many of you know already, I have been a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins since I was a teenager. Some of my fondest memories of growing up involved Saturday night trips to Pens games. A bunch of us would catch the same 16A bus, walk up 7th Avenue to the Civic Arena, and go to the ticket window for a seat in the 'E' balcony. 


After the ticket and round trip bus fare, there was still enough of a $10 bill left for a popcorn or a drink. 

Pittsburgh Civic Arena, circa the 1960's. Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation

I have a common feeling of nostalgia, with many others that I know,  about the 'Igloo'. I saw lots of other things there besides hockey - tennis, soccer, Roller Derby, concerts - once with the roof open. Its loss makes sense only to those who possess a greater vision for the vitality of the city and the region that surrounds it. That's a nice way of saying that the arena wasn't special enough to save because of the land it sat on. 


Like many other Pittsburghers, along with the ghost of perhaps the region's greatest architectural visionary - Edgar J. Kauffman - I politely reply, "Hogwash".  It doesn't make sense to go crying over spilled landmarks, though.


The arena's construction in the 1950's took out a large chunk of Pittsburgh's Hill District, and they want it back. Can't blame them, really. 

Consol Energy Center interior. 

In the arena's place is the Consol Energy Center, which I've been fortunate enough to visit twice since I moved back to Pennsylvania. I got to see the Penguins several times in Denver and Phoenix, and managed to to see my first home game there last month. I brought Leslie, who had never been to any Penguins game before.


Since my most recent hockey viewing experiences had been in Denver, while at the game I was comparing Consol to the Pepsi Center, and one word kept creeping into my thought process - tight. 


The Consol center's website claims that the venue has "the most comfortable seating arrangement in the NHL — seats up to 24 inches wide, with an accompanying increase in legroom". Those seats must be really expensive, because the very expensive ones I had were just the usual size, with a little less legroom than similarly sized arenas such as Pepsi Center. 

I also noticed that the hallways behind the seats were a bit narrower than what I've seen before. While there is a lot of space allocated to food courts, reducing wait times for consumers, there appear to be fewer public restrooms, increasing wait times for those who have consumed, and need to go. 

This is sort of understandable - they decided they had to wedge a full-size multi-purpose arena in between Centre and Fifth Avenues. Not as easy task to design and build, and equally not as easy to navigate around. 

In the larger scheme of things, these are minor annoyances in comparison to what you're there to experience - and for that part of it, Consol achieves what it was designed to achieve. It provides the capability to use all manner of multimedia tools and marketing gimmicks common to today's professional sporting event. I'm familiar with the 360-degree LED display rings and advertising blimps from watching the Colorado Avalanche. 

The audio-visual capabilities, leveraging of text messaging and Internet resources as part of the overall entertainment experience, sweet digs for the athletes, and the apparent commitment to making customer service a priority all seem to cement Consol's reputation as a first-class venue of its kind. I wonder what their evacuation plan looks like, though...

As a result, Pittsburgh is back on the map for all manner of sports and entertainment events - and the money that they bring in. The NCAA Basketball tournament, numerous high-end concert tours, and next year's NCAA Frozen Four - all will help support the hotel, restaurant, parking, drinking, ticket scalping, and related sub-economies within the city and the immediate metropolitan area. 

The Penguins are an exceptional organization, much improved over those intermittent lean years, what with multiple bankruptcies, changes in ownership, and uncertainty over whether the team would stay here. In remembering that last obstacle - getting a new arena - and reading about it from Colorado, it felt as if no one wanted to fail, but also that the Pens were going to do what was necessary to thrive - not just survive - on their terms. That attitude is a testament to the team's owner and most famous face.

Which brings us to the present day, as the Penguins prepare to begin another playoff run, this time what is sure to be an entertaining series against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Pens have displayed the same level of class and professionalism as that displayed by Mario Lemieux over his storied career as both a player and an owner. 

This does not sit well with a lot of other teams and media in other cities. The Pens' most recent visit to Denver was a lovefest for the visiting team. A friend that was there said it looked and sounded as if there were more Pittsburgh fans in attendance than Avs fans. 


The voices elsewhere claim that the Penguins enjoy special treatment from NHL management. Sidney Crosby is vilified , not only by the fans in other cities, but by national media both in the US and Canada. This includes NBC analyst and former coach Mike Milbury, and CBC commentator and former coach Don Cherry, who reminds me of Classy Fred Blassie of WWE fame.

Don Cherry is kind of directly responsible for a feature in the new Consol Energy Center that was first started in the old Civic Arena - the rigid tunnel that is slid out when opposing teams enter or exit the ice. 

Cherry was the coach of the Boston Bruins when, after a controversial 2-1 win over the Pens during the 1979-80 playoffs, he and his team were showered with beer and pelted with debris on the way to the locker room, which they had to cross the ice to get to in the old arena. I was there, watching (not participating) from above in the E seats. The Pens lost the series in Boston, and the tunnel made its debut the following season.

This is one of many interesting memories from many years of watching the Pens, and hockey in general. The level of excitement, intensity, speed, and endurance is something that doesn't exist in any other sport. 

To excel as a team, a marketing force, and as an entity willing and capable of significant charitable contributions and community good will, the Penguins need to be financially viable. This process has led to ticket prices that are out of reach for the majority of us on a regular basis. A fact of life, no more or less than that. 

I'll probably plant myself in front of a big screen at a local watering hole at least once or twice during this playoff run, and may check out the really big screen outside of Consol if the opportunity presents itself. 

Luckily, I'm also a baseball fan. PNC Park is another incredible stage for the interactive community theater that is the essence of the game. I also enjoy minor league baseball - Grand Junction would get a team the year I moved away. From what I've heard, the Wild Things and the Curve are also worth the trip. 


Beat 'em Bucs. Let's Go Pens.

See you in the cheap seats.

Sports News and Ancient History

Two sports stories stuck out for me yesterday, because they touched upon professional sporting events that I was present at.

I don't get to many pro sports events. Maybe this summer I'll take in a Pirate game from the outfield seats at PNC Park - that's about all I can probably afford. I continue to marvel at the cost of hockey tickets. When I was in high school, $10.00 got you round trip bus fare and a nosebleed seat for the Penguins, with spare change sufficient for a drink or popcorn. Now I doubt that you can park the car for that much.

The effort by the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL to make the Super Bowl a giant telephone booth, and try to stuff as many people into it as they could, turned into an epic fail, thanks in part to the Arlington Fire Department and their no-nonsense policy toward safety.

The NFL and the Cowboys were trying to surpass the record attendance for a Super Bowl, which was set at Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena - the one with the Little Old Lady, not the one that used to have Gilley's. That 1980 game drew 103,985 people - this year's attempt to fill a $1 Billion sardine can in a giant freezer where North Texas should have been fell short by a mere 766.

The fans that paid premium prices for those unusable seats were peeved. Despite attempts by the NFL to mollify their grief with tickets to a future Super Bowl and other compensation, the weepy well-heeled were largely unimpressed, and with the assistance of drooling trial lawyers the lawsuits have started.

Serves the NFL and the Cowboys right. Among those 103,985 fans in Pasadena 31 years ago were myself, my brother, and my father. Some records were just meant to stand. That was the last NFL game I ever saw in person. It was fun jawing with some of the Rams fans that surrounded us, and it was a nice vantage point to see John Stallworth catch a beautifully thrown Bradshaw pass in stride for a 75-yard TD and the lead for good. Still, football is better on TV.

The last NBA game I ever saw in person was on December 9, 1988. I was in Salt Lake City for the inaugural International Conference of Emergency Medical Dispatch (now known as Navigator), and decided to spend one evening watching the Utah Jazz. I was a fan of their curmudgeonly coach, Frank Layden. The news cycle that evening was full of reports that Layden was stepping down to join the front office. His replacement, starting with that night's game, was Jerry Sloan.

Layden came out for a pre-game tribute and received a standing ovation. He remains very popular in the Salt Lake area to this day. The Jazz, whose roster included a rookie named John Stockton and some guy named Karl Malone, lost to the Dallas Mavericks that night.

Jerry Sloan remained the Head Coach of the Jazz until yesterday, completing the longest tenure of any current head coach in professional sports. He led the Jazz, with the familiar call of Stockton-to-Malone, to two NBA finals, and had the team in the playoffs the bulk of his coaching career.

He thanked the Miller family, majority owners of the Jazz, for their support and for their policy of allowing the coaches to manage the team with minimal interference. Sloan's success may not be defined by championships, but will be by the consistent, sustainable quality of his team's play over 23 years. There's something to be said about that philosophy.

Consider the Steelers, who despite Sunday's Super Bowl loss have had quite the run of quality teams over the last 40 years. This includes being a participant in 18% of all the Super Bowls ever played - 8 out of 45. Perhaps a lot of the credit for this belongs with the Rooney family's approach to hiring and supporting management, which sounds similar to the Jazz in that the Steelers, since 1969, have had exactly 3 head coaches - and all of them have won at least one Super Bowl.

Now to get back to my usual sports activities - rooting for the Pens (get well, everybody), and reading Tank McNamara - a hilarious comic strip that pokes fun at some of the hype and ridiculousness of the sports world today.

Have a good weekend.

Event Management: Hype vs Reality

Much hoopla has been thrown around concerning the new Quiznos Pro Challenge bicycle race series, to begin this coming August at several locations across Colorado. Grand Junction is not one of those locations this year, but there are several local residents making up a race committee that have petitioned the Colorado National Monument for permission to run one of these races through the Monument in 2012.

Apparently, the cycling community has nostalgic memories of bike races through the Monument in the 1980's. For those who are unfamiliar, the 1985 film American Flyers has some impressive race scenes through the park along Rim Rock Drive.

Initial attendance estimates reported by the Sentinel on November 5 quoted one of the organizing committee members as stating “We could get 50,000 people up the east side of the monument. This is JUCO times 10 easily.” Hopefully, they didn't get these estimates from the business planners of their name sponsor; Quiznos had two restaurants open and close in GJ within the span of a few years.

The event and emergency planning sections of my brain got jump-started at about that point, trying to imagine a number roughly equal to the entire population of Grand Junction lined up along Rim Rock Drive, and wondering where their cars will go, how services would be provided (such as porta-potties), EMS response issues, and transportation to and from parking areas.

This led me to question the veracity and logic behind the above estimate; was this truly realistic, or just an exercise in hyperbole to try and get local business interests fired up about the events? I'm personally weighing what's a more attractive proposition; standing in Grand Valley summer heat waiting for a fleeting glimpse at the leaders and the peloton as they pass, or watch it on cable in the comfort of my living room, likely with aerial coverage of the entire race?

Monument Superintendent Joan Anzelmo and her staff apparently had similar thoughts, which may have contributed to their decision last week to deny the permit application submitted by the organizing committee, who along with the likely participation of the business community turned to the Daily Sentinel editorial page for help.

In a paywalled editorial in the December 23rd edition, the Sentinel struck a somewhat conciliatory tone between the statutory responsibilities of Ms. Anzelmo and the supposedly clear advantages to all of us GJ locals to having a pro bicycle event in town. The Sentinel did quite a bit of research regarding federal regulations that govern events such as this in National Park Service areas, and arrived at conclusions such as the following:

"We believe the Quiznos Pro Challenge bike race can further the purpose of the 1916 National Park Service Organic Act if the event is properly tailored to protect the delicate flora, fauna and landscape of Colorado National Monument. At the same time, a properly conducted race would expose countless cycling enthusiasts to the beauty of our landscape and the wonders of what has been described as the religious experience of riding over the monument.

By limiting the number of spectators permitted on top of the monument and imposing other thoughtful limitations, the National Park Service can fulfill its dual obligations."

I'm still wondering how you "tailor" the event in such a way. If the estimates of attendance are somehow met, and the top of the monument is restricted, perhaps they'll attempt to make that area available for VIPs only. Not necessarily in keeping with the public access aspects of the park, however. And what's this about a "religious experience"? Are we somehow violating the separation of church and state here? ;)

If all of this can somehow fall into place sometime soon, Grand Junction will get a major bike race with some serious TV and movie production values, especially if they use a helicopter to follow the race. The Sentinel editorial called this "soft marketing". Lots of people stand to make money; the expertise and energy of many volunteer and youth organizations will likely be leveraged, and the community will largely be happy with the result.

However, those who toil in relative anonymity in the emergency services, including communications, planning, and emergency management personnel, stand to be faced with a daunting task should this race go forward. Is it something that stands to create too heavy a burden for locals, requiring a multi-jurisdictional response, similar to when Vail hosts a World Cup skiing event?

Perhaps the Monument is giving us a little sneak preview of how they plan on managing crowds and a potentially major public event. They're inviting all of us up to there to watch fireworks on New Year's Eve. Perhaps a dry run, even if it's at night in the dead of winter, might just help gauge how much logistical support will be needed to properly manage the event.

Rest assured that if the weather's good, people in the Grand Valley will flock to fireworks. I hope that the Monument gets a good idea of exactly what their capabilities are. Let's just say I'll be celebrating somewhere else that night.

Leslie and I tried snowboarding today at Powderhorn. We never made it to any slope, but the lesson in the practice bowls was enough to generate both laughs as well as several aches and pains. Evan worked up there today as well; everyone except me is asleep or in bed. It was a good day, and the staff at Powderhorn provided excellent, patient instruction and a quality experience, which is critical with an activity as expensive as theirs. Many thanks to them.

Have a good rest of the week.

What Makes a Local Business?

First off, congratulations to the Colorado Rapids on their first MLS Cup championship. It was a hard-fought overtime battle, and as much as I'm happy that the Rapids took the title, I feel for FC Dallas defender George John, from whose right thigh the ball deflected into his own goal, representing the margin of victory.

The "word of the day" today on KAFM was Kinescope, defined as a film of a broadcast television program. I produced today's segment, making it a montage of old TV show themes and historical audio from news and sports events, separated by the sound effect of changing the channels on a older TV set. Included among the snippets was Walter Cronkite's announcement of the death of President John F. Kennedy, 47 years ago today.

Ralph D'Andrea remembered where he was on this day in 1963. I was only 3, and don't remember it.

********

Whenever I travel and am looking for a place to eat, the best bet is typically the place that the locals gravitate to. This strategy usually does not disappoint. Most memorable for me in recent years is Becky's Blue Hereford in Ford, Kansas.

Over the years that I've lived in Grand Junction, I've enjoyed the occasional breakfast or lunch at Good Pastures restaurant, attached to what is currently the Quality Inn on Horizon Drive. There are lots of locals who do the same. The place had a genuine feel to it - good food, quickly prepared, with a friendly, knowlegeable and competent waitstaff that made you feel welcome and comfortable. There's a significant senior citizen clientele for which the business accommodated with smaller portions and discounts.

Good Pastures was a place that sustained the heartbeat of the community. When the long-time owner sold the business recently, it made a bit of a blip on the local business news scene. Quoting the Grand Valley Business Times story, previous owner Richard Tally said:

“We also want to thank our employees who have worked hard to deliver the quality of food and service our customers deserve. We will miss them. They have been like an extended family.”

Yesterday, a good portion of that extended family was outside carrying picket signs.

According to a KREX story from yesterday, it seems that the new owners, Raul and Cathy Wolf, saw fit to keep the existing staff long enough to train new hires, and then let them go. The fired staff claimed that their age and experience were factors in their dismissal. The response from Mr. and Mrs. Wolf to this was reported as follows:

"The new restaurant owners didn’t want to go on camera but they tell NewsChannel Five they can hire and fire who ever (sic) they want."

While this statement is essentially true, it seems to me that the new owners are somewhat tone deaf to a large portion of the restaurant's appeal. The same thing that keeps people coming back to the same lunch counter for years is what Good Pastures just destroyed. For better or worse, either for themselves, the community at large, or both, this was their legal choice to make.

The few comments that appeared on the KKCO website seemed to side mostly with the staff that was let go. Not being privy to what really happened, people will make their own choices in response to this. Life will go on.

Unless circumstances change, I think that my life can go on without any more meals from Good Pastures.

Have a good evening.

Football: Fruita's Fruition, and Frustrating Folly

Congratulations to the Fruita Cowboys heavyweight youth football team, which routed Palisade 40-6 in their league championship game last night. This is the team that was coached by the late John Fullmer, who was killed in a car accident in September. The team had dedicated their season to the memory of Coach Fullmer, and it's a fitting tribute to a man who put forward so much of his passion and commitment into the sport. Great job, kids.

James Harrison - from facebook.com

At the same time, there is a controversy afoot in professional football that for many strikes at the core of the game; the ability of a player to do what he has been taught to do since he began to play, perhaps as young as those boys in Fruita.

The furor emanating from players, fans, and media alike over the NFL's stated intent to suspend players who are judged to have tackled or hit another player in an excessive manner has taken a unique turn in recent days, focused primarily on the reaction of Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison to being fined $75,000 for a hit on a Cleveland Browns player this past Sunday.

Harrison is a very talented, very passionate player who has enjoyed great success. He also wears his heart on his sleeve and demonstrates a commitment to his profession that is an example for anyone who pursues a profession of any kind. As such, it's not that surprising to me that Harrison and his agent publicly acknowledged that he is considering quitting the game in response to what is happening to it.

The reaction to Mr. Harrison's statements have ranged from accusing him of whining to a passionate support of his stance in relation to other attempts by the league to profit from the sport's often violent nature, while leveling punishment when it is needed to save face. ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth called the NFL out for this very thing, and made several valid points.

I can easily dismiss this in comparison to other problems in my world and elsewhere, perhaps even with the cliche' "it's just a game". As we all know, however, it's more than that - it's a billion-dollar business with great numbers of citizens expending considerable financial, mental, and temporal resources as fans.

The NFL expects its players to set examples for those in our country who look up to them as role models and representatives of the league. In that context, I thought about what would happen if players like James Harrison decided that their own self-respect and work ethic trumped the considerable financial rewards that come from their participation, and elected to walk away from the game. What sort of message would that deliver, I wonder?

It will be interesting to watch how this plays out in the coming weeks. The NFL is apparently having problems selling out games of late. I feel that if they continue along this path, combined with the possibility of labor unrest after this season, the attractiveness of the game to those who play it and watch it will continue to diminish.

This Date in Baseball History

I was only seven months old when it happened, but the reverberations of this occurrence certainly impacted my childhood:

 
In later life, I sometimes reflect on this singular moment as something that defined what makes sports what it is to a lot of people. It certainly means a lot to the people of Pittsburgh, where this kind of history is ingrained in the culture. 

The Pittsburgh media have been providing special coverage of the 1960 World Series for several months now, ramping up to today. Today's gathering at what is known as Mazeroski's wall is an annual occurrence, but amplified by the anniversary as you would expect. Luckily, Bill Mazeroski is still around and very able to take part in the festivities. 

It's a great moment, made even greater by the Pirates being a decided underdog, and beating the Yankees.

Have a great day. 

An Ironic Scheduling Conflict

Last Friday I received my bi-weekly e-mail from the City of Grand Junction containing a link to the agendas for the following week's City Council meetings and workshops.

This week's listing included a "special workshop" for City Council tomorrow afternoon at 11:30, with a single, two-word agenda item - "Stadium Discussion". This sounds like a continuation of the workshop conducted two months ago, where Jamie Hamilton, Chairman of the JUCO Committee, outlined his group's need for City assistance in obtaining funds to remodel Suplizio Field. I've written about this already.

Later that afternoon I received an e-mail from Grand Valley Peace and Justice, inviting me to a work session at the Homeward Bound shelter on North Avenue at Noon tomorrow. The purpose of the workshop is to update the 2001 document Grand Junction's Response to Homelessness, and develop work groups to fashion a 10-year plan using information gleaned from the "Beyond Charity" brainstorming session conducted in May, which I also wrote about.

I was sort of amused at the coincidental timing of these two gatherings, considering that they each deal with subjects that some in the community consider essential to maintaining Grand Junction's quality of life. I may not agree with some of those perspectives, but considering that Council is committing another afternoon session so soon to discuss the refitting of Suplizio and the salvation of JUCO in GJ for the foreseeable future, I guess it is what it is.

At the same time, literally, those who commit themselves to helping the varying facets of Grand Junction's homeless community find assistance, shelter, and perhaps a way up and out of their predicament will attempt to marshal their at times disparate resources to find common ground, prioritize the need, and hopefully begin to map a coordinated effort that will be both effective and efficient.

The Daily Sentinel, which initially did not report on this activity, deserves credit for their story today that showcases the Grand Junction Housing Authority's grant program to help homeless families with security deposits and other fees associated with rental housing. The comments attached to the online version of this story reflect both the best and worst of our community's attitude toward the problem.

I'll be on North Avenue tomorrow. I hope that the media will continue what appears to be a recent trend of reporting on some aspects of the homeless issue, as well as maintaining a presence with City Council, while they discuss an entirely different "community need". I'm wondering how many of the poison-keyboard-equipped trolls that frequent the Sentinel's comment system will be at the ready when more about a new stadium appears in the paper.

For me, I will defer to Delta-area blogger Robert Laitres, part of the Bagel Street Irregulars blog at the GJ Free Press website, who summed up the paradoxical behavior of some in our area rather well in a thoughtful post from last week.

Have a good evening.

I Like Soccer

Leetsdale, PA - I have yet to watch any matches of this year's World Cup. This is not out of indifference or disdain, such as that expressed by fellow Grand Junction area writers Steve Beauregard and Gene Kinsey. It's just that I've been busy, and Leslie doesn't have cable. I did catch the highlights of the USA-England match online, and I think that the goalkeeper for England will likely not be walking into any local pubs for a while.

In response to these local naysayers, I like soccer..a lot. The fluid nature of play, combined with the skill and endurance required, make the game very appealing. I like the same things about hockey and lacrosse, and watch those whenever I can as well. Defense is as appealing an aspect of these sports as offensive prowess, and some of the low-scoring affairs, especially in hockey, can be some of the finest examples of athleticism and effort.

Contrary to some warped conventional wisdom, there are lots of soccer fans out there in the states. During the last World Cup in 2006, I was in Massachusetts, and was enthralled by the number of knowledgeable and boisterous American fans watching in bars and restaurants.

I also enjoy watching other sports that don't emphasize constant movement, but are driven by intricate strategies. Baseball, American football, and curling are examples of these. Leslie cringes whenever I mention curling - she thinks it's pretty ridiculous. I personally think that her affinity for the PBR is kind of interesting, but I also think that those riders and bulls are the real deal. Now if only the hype-generating marketing style that resembles what I have called "NASCAR with livestock" would back off some, then I would enjoy it more as well.

One thing that everyone seems to have noticed about this year's World Cup is the profligate use of the vuvuzela, or what I call a 'stadium horn'. The South African fans have been driving many to distraction with these. I had one in my trunk for years when I used to go to a lot of Pittsburgh Spirit games in the 80's. I think I got it at Mike Feinberg's on Penn Avenue.

Yeah, it was loud. Yeah, it was fun. Good for them.

My favorite teams are the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, Arsenal of the English Premier League, and Inter Milan of the Italian Serie A. Inter was in the news most recently for winning the UEFA Champions League title. They also have the coolest jerseys around.

That probably looks like Sanskrit to those who don't pay attention to soccer. That's OK. I don't pay attention to NASCAR, and I'm seriously in doubt about "Mixed Martial Arts" (AKA cage fighting) as an honorable display of the best humankind has to offer in the way of athletic endeavors. To each his (or her) own.

Now it's time to root for Team USA, because everyone knows that Americans love an underdog, and that's something we've been on the world soccer stage for many, many years.

We'll be at Children's Hospital all day today, as Michaela needs a transfusion along with a radiation treatment. The hospital has lots of creature comforts for the young patient and visitors; TVs with cable channels, and wireless Internet everywhere. Maybe there will be some good soccer on, if I can somehow get the channel changed from Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon. Good luck with that..

Have a good weekend.

JUCO Boom and Bust

Last night wasn't a good night to be a baseball umpire, or a homeless advocate trying to get your message out.

I went to the Unitarian Church last night to hear Randall Amster of Prescott (AZ) College speak about the criminalization of homelessness. Mr. Amster is a well-spoken subject matter expert with a penchant for activism, and a lengthy portfolio of books and numerous articles to his credit. He was both entertaining and enlightening.

It's too bad that the attendance was light (about 20 or so), and that there didn't appear to be a single news media representative in attendance. To their credit, KKCO did make mention of the event in their reporting on the gathering at "The Wedge" earlier in the day. I'm guessing that the sound and fury surrounding a certain JUCO game had the attention of the area and the media last night.

If you took in some of the TV reporting yesterday afternoon, Bryce Harper of Southern Nevada is the greatest thing since Navajo Tacos. Monday night he led his team over Iowa Western with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. Tuesday's early newscasts were singing the praises of the 17-year old phenom, expected to be drafted high, if not first, in the upcoming MLB amateur draft. JUCO committee chair Jamie Hamilton was taking note of the exceptional media presence that Harper had seemingly drawn to Grand Junction. How often does a 16-year old ballplayer make the cover of Sports Illustrated, as Harper did last year?

By the time 10:00 rolled around, however, a decidedly different tone was present, as Mr. Harper was ejected in the 5th inning for taking umbrage to a called third strike, and his team lost to perennial JUCO participant San Jacinto (TX), 10-8. The ejection will result in a 2-game suspension per NJCAA rules, as Harper was also ejected earlier in the season.

Barring two wins by Southern Nevada in the JUCO loser's bracket to get to the Championship Game, Mr. Harper's amateur baseball career will end with a decisive thud on the league's premier stage. He let his team, the fans, the leaders of his sport, and all of the assembled media down with his actions. You could almost call him the Exxon of this year's JUCO Tournament.

I was wondering why such an outstanding prospect would be playing JUCO ball. Last year's SI cover story spelled it out. Mr. Harper's parents, under the advice of an agent, pulled Bryce from high school and had him get his GED. This would allow him to enroll and play at the JUCO level, which would then make him eligible for the MLB draft. So the kid is built, seasoned, and marketed for baseball.

It's rumored that Mr. Harper will be drafted by the Washington Nationals this coming Monday. His coach is rumored to be offered a scouting job with the Nats as well. While it's clear that Mr. Harper has bigger fish to fry elsewhere, he showed to the JUCO faithful that he's also got a little growing up to do, and may not be remembered fondly among other JUCO players who made it to the majors, such as Kirby Puckett.

I wish Mr. Harper well in his quest for professional glory, if that's what he wants. On a day where a third perfect game in the majors this season was thwarted by an umpire's blown call with 2 outs in the 9th, he'll hopefully have plenty of opportunities to redeem himself as a pro.

That doesn't help us here in Grand Junction, however. In an enterprise where hype can sometimes trump history, Mr. Harper's unceremonious exit could put a damper on what has been a better attended and more exciting tournament so far this year.

I have plenty to do today. Enjoy your day as well.