Archive for A Perfect Winning Smile
My news and views
Posted by: | CommentsHello again to my circle of readers. My, but did the local college football season just get much longer? It’s a good thing basketball season is just around the corner. We need something to cheer. Big Blue Madness is just a day away. Well, the NFL continues to surprise. This is definitely the year of the QB. 400-yard passing games are becoming commonplace. Thankfully, my fantasy football losing streak is over. I did have to sweat it out, though. The Bengals are now on the high side of .500 at 3-2. They are a young exciting team to watch with a solid defense and a developing QB Dalton and young eager receivers. They have a chance to have a respectable season due to a weaker schedule because of last year’s debacle.
As most of you know by now, my mother is in the hospital. It has been touch and go and I thank all of you for your prayers and consideration. This was my first experience with ICU in a while. It seems the staff are more impersonal than ever. Policy is all that is drilled into their heads. You call for a nurse on what appears to be an answering service. If your nurse if off the floor, heaven help you. One look at the nurses station can reveal anywhere from 7-10 people sitting at computer stations without moving a muscle to help. I think they spend more time entering records than they do in patient care. Out on the main patient floors, however, you find a different story. They seem more like old time nurses who genuinely want to help and listen. For many, listening seems to be a lost art.
Until next week, Doc.
Is it hot enough out there?
Posted by: | CommentsHello again to my clique of loyal readers. Is it hot enough for everyone? Personally, I could do without the free sauna. If this keeps up, I’ll have to start being a morning person. It appears the NFL is going to reach an agreement just in time to take all of our money and divide it up among themselves. This is not coming without distractions though, as the retirees are suing over post-concussion after effects. Hello, it’s football you were playing, not chess. If they keep modifying the rules enough, it may soon become touch football.
Will the mess in Washington D.C. get resolved in the latest daytime soap opera? Both sides are willing to sell us down the river for votes as long as the other side takes the blame. It would be funny if so much weren’t at stake. Posturing to get what they want without stating the facts seems to be what politicians now do best.
Just a word about my latest pet peeve. What is up with people who insist on backing into parking lot spaces but give no turn signal and then get upset when you are in the way? I’m sorry, but I can’t read your mind to know you want to back into that space.
Until next week, Doc.
Let’s talk baseball
Posted by: | CommentsHello again to my gathering of loyal readers. This week will be devoted to the sport of baseball and my beloved Reds. At this writing, the Reds have lost 6 of 7 games in interleague play and have scored only 7 runs in the past 4 games. They are getting solid pitching by and large, especially from Leake, Cueto, and Arroyo. Wood and Volquez have been spotty but have had their moments. The hitting, however, has been sorely lacking. Votto and the catchers have been solid, but Phillips and Bruce are slumping. 3rd base, shortstop, and left field have yielded very little production and Stubbs strikes out too much at leadoff. With Sappelt and Cozart hitting well of Louisville, it’s time to give them a chance. Sappelt is a fast base hitter who doesn’t rely on hitting it out of the park. The Reds badly need people who just get on base to achieve some consistency.
It seems re-alignment is a hot topic these days. Two issues seem to be fueling this. One is the unfairness of the unbalanced schedule and divisions with differing number of teams. I totally agree this is unfair, especially to the Reds, and needs to be corrected. The second issue fueling this is the desire for expanded playoffs by teams in divisions stuck with perennial powerhouses such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies. I am OK with adding a 5th playoff team from each league as long as the playoffs conclude by the end of October. Realignment suggestions have mostly centered on moving either the Astros or Diamondbacks to the American League. I think the Astros would be the better choice since they have never won a World Series and would leave the NL central with five teams and balance the divisions. I am not in favor of putting all the teams together in two big leagues. It is not good for fans to have their team be in 14th place and 25 games out at the All-Star break. The only drawback to two 15 team leagues is the need for one interleague series all season long. I don’t like this but can live with it as long as the number of interleague games are not increased and the September matchups are scheduled between lower-ranked non-contending teams. Six 5-team divisions seems like the best solution to me so they will probably do something different.
Until next week, Doc.
Congratulations to Animal Kingdom
Posted by: | CommentsHello this week to my company of readers. It was nice of the weather to cooperate for the Derby and to see the record crowd. The long shot winner just added to the excitement. I can’t figure out why the “experts” dismissed the chances of certain horses, including Animal Kingdom, just because they had not previously run on dirt. I don’t know how it would be possible in today’s money-tops-all climate, but I believe the Derby would be much better if the field were limited to 14 horses. With the large field, too much luck and chance comes into play and quite often the best horse doesn’t get an opening. This may partially explain why we never have a triple crown winner. The race would be much better served with a smaller field of quality horses of which most could then run in the triple crown races creating rivalries, a definite asset for all sports.
Do restaurants think the public are all morons? They are trying every trick in the book to serve smaller portions but make you think you are still getting just as much. The sundae dishes have shrunk, the plates are smaller, the salad plates have gotten more shallow, and the soup bowls and spoons have shrunk. Do they really believe that no one notices?
It appears we are in a backwards weather pattern this year. Warm and sunny Monday – Wednesday, but cold and/or rainy Friday – Saturday. This is depressing to be working on all the pretty days and off on the lousy ones.
I normally do not mention my church in this column, but this week I would like to mention two things. First, we had a wonderful baptism ceremony this past Sunday with one of the most beautiful names I have ever heard, Shayla Rose, pronounced Shi-la Rose. Second, our choir on May 22, in honor of Armed Forces Day, will be performing a medley to salute America and our troops. This should be very inspirational and I’m much looking forward to this anthem. If you want to feel patriotic, come to Messiah-Trinity Church on May 22 at 10:45 am.
‘Til next week, Doc.
