Rants

All posts tagged Rants

Yadi’s Bad Call

Published August 4, 2011 by LS Murphy

Jeff Passan, a well-known hater of the St. Louis Cardinals, wrote a column yesterday about the issue of player-umpire relations. While I agree with Passan that more needs to be done to fix this problem, I found it interesting that he waited until a St. Louis Cardinal, in this case Yadier Molina, made a dramatic show of arguing a called third strike to write the article.

Of course, Passan likes to rile up Cardinals fans so that may be why. It also bothered me that the Yahoo! Sports Minute showed the clip with the commentary from the Brewers broadcasters and not the Cardinals broadcasters. Yeah, like the Brewers announcers are going to say that Yadi had a point. They aren’t stupid. Their market is Brewers fans, not fairness to any situation.

It’s a point of contention with Cardinals’ fans that the national media ignores our team or just shove it to the side with such blatant lack of real journalistic ethics. If Yahoo had any journalist ethics, they would have used the commentary from BOTH teams. But I digress….

Back to Passan’s column.

Did Yadi spit on Drake? Maybe. I know that when people are yelling that spittle flies. Happens to the best of us, after all. Regardless, it’s an unfortunate situation and he does deserve a punishment.

But what about the umpires?

Really? In situations like this where a call is blown, what punishment to they get?

The most famous blown call in Cardinal history came in the 1985 World Series. Cards fans know this one by heart. In case you don’t know the story, Don Denklinger blew an easy call at first during the eighth inning of game six. The Cards lost momentum and eventually the championship. While Denklinger dealt with the ire of fans, what punishment did he receive from MLB?

None.

Then there was the blown call last year that didn’t cost a championship, but it cost a player something almost as hard to achieve: a perfect game. Armando Galarraga lost el perfecto when umpire Jim Joyce pulled a Denklinger. Joyce and Galarraga handled the situation with more professionalism than any bank CEO has. Still, other than being added to the list of Worst Calls in MLB History, what punishment did he receive?

None.

Players make mistakes. Umpires make mistakes. They are human. It’s part of the game. Yadi deserves whatever fines/suspensions he gets. He lost his cool. BUT shouldn’t the umpires be fined for making the bad calls that make things like this happen? Shouldn’t umpires be held to the same standard of MLB players?

Maybe if there was equal ground, there would be equal respect…

 

Colby & the TRADE

Published July 28, 2011 by LS Murphy

World Series rings are not won based on a player’s potential. Neither are League championships, Division championships, or even single season games. It’s that simple.

While I appreciate that Colby Rasmus has incredible potential, it was time for him to move on from St. Louis. He wasn’t happy here. He never would be either. A player that asks for a trade two seasons in a row, doesn’t want to play for that team anymore, no matter how much smoke (or money) you blow up their a$$.

People are screaming for LaRussa’s head. People are screaming for Mozeliak to stop catering to LaRussa. So instead of looking at it from a baseball perspective, look at it from a standard employee/employer perspective.

As an employer, you have an employee who doesn’t want to work for your company. He’s not living up to your expectations. You can’t fire him because he hasn’t done anything wrong. The employee just doesn’t fit with the whole of the company.

As an employee, you feel like your boss is always picking on you. Your coworkers are on your rear about how to do this and how to do that. Then you have your father telling you how to do your job as well.

The best solution for all involved is for the employee to move on.

This is what happened when the Cardinals traded Colby Rasmus to Toronto. I wish him well. I hope he lives up to his potential. And I hope he grows some balls and tells his father to butt out of his career. He’s 24 not 14. He can vote, buy booze, and go to as many strip clubs as he wants. Why does he need his father to hold his hand as he figures out his career?

Good Luck, Colby.

Hasta Luego, Borders

Published July 19, 2011 by LS Murphy

Courtesy Windows7Reports.com The news of Borders liquidation isn’t a surprise to those who’ve been following the once mighty stores downfall. That doesn’t make it less depressing.

 Is it because of e-books? Maybe to a degree. Borders had its own e-reader.

 Is it because of Barnes & Noble or Amazon? Maybe, but it can’t be blamed entirely on competition.

 Is it because of the economic downfall? More than likely this is the case. Add that to rapid expansion and general mismanagement and you have the ingredients for disaster.

I, for one, am sad to see Borders go as I frequented the two stores near me quite often. It won’t be the same to walk into a different bookstore. The employees of Borders were always kind and always knew what I was looking for, even if I didn’t.

Goodbye, Borders. You will be missed.

Save Del Taco

Published June 24, 2011 by LS Murphy

When word got out that developers planned on tearing down the iconic Del Taco building on South Grand, people took to the Internet to voice their displeasure. Right now, the “Save St. Louis Del Taco” Facebook page is at just over 8,500 followers.

A lot of people are wondering what the big deal is. I’ll tell you.

First, the building is on the National Registry of historic places. It wouldn’t be on the list if it wasn’t unique. It wouldn’t be on the list if there wasn’t some historical significance. Why tear down something that has character? Is it as beautiful as the Fabulous Fox Theater down the street? Nope. But can you really imagine anything else in that spot? Nope. Even when Del Taco closes, as it inevitably will, the building will stand out in its individuality.

Second, people care because they have memories there. As someone who can’t show her daughter where she really went to high school because the building is gone, I can understand the outcry. Students at St. Louis University frequent the taco shop and create memories there. It’s no fun to drive past a location where something used to be and try to recall it. But seeing it as it once was, even under a different incarnation, still holds that memory. And continues to create memories.

This morning on the radio one of my favorite talk show hosts was all for tearing down the building and creating something new. In his opinion, it would give people jobs. Yes, that is true. BUT what about all the abandoned buildings in the area that are falling in on themselves? What about all the empty historical homes that could be refurbished and made beautiful again? There are jobs there too, but he didn’t say anything about that.

Tearing down the building is all about the cold, hard cash. The developers see an opportunity to add more business in one spot, thereby boosting their own income. There isn’t anything wrong with that. That’s what they do. If only they could see the value of history over the value of a buck.

Like so many other people, I hope the building stays. I hope that another restaurant can open up there and continue the late night food craving tradition. And I hope that the developers look at the building for what it is, not what they want to put there.

St. Louis has a rich history. It would be a shame to start tearing it down.

Rockin’ Thursdays

Published April 28, 2011 by LS Murphy

Today’s Rockin’ Thursday features my favorite song about revenge. There are a ton of songs out there about taking revenge on other peeps. Some are mean. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” is one that I think is mean. Yeah, she’s getting revenge on a cheating boyfriend, but it’s pretty stupid how she does it.

I dug my keys into the side

 Of his pretty little supped-up wheel drive

Carved my name into his leather seats

Took a Louieville Slugger to both headlights

Slashed a hole in all 4 tires

Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats

Sorry, but if you are stupid enough to leave your name at the scene of a crime, you deserve spending a night in the pokey. But maybe that’s just me.

Now, I’ll admit that I’d only heard of “Bust Your Windows” because of Glee, but it also seems to be overly mean. I mean, ladies, if the best you can do to get revenge on someone is to vandalize their car, then you aren’t using your brains.

I bust the window out your car

You know I did it cause I left my mark

Wrote my initials with a crowbar

And then I drove up into the dark.

Really?

*shakes head*

In my not-so-humble opinion, the absolute BEST song about revenge is Toby Keith’s “How Do You Like Me Now”. How many of us have sat back and thought about proving to our high school crushes that they screwed up when they didn’t give us the time of day? Oh yeah, success is the best revenge.

Sing along with the lyrics.

The Art of It

Published March 22, 2011 by LS Murphy

There is an art gallery near my office and I often find myself looking in the windows. I’ve always wanted to paint. I’ve always wanted to draw and sculpt, but I am not very good. My competitive nature requires me to master something in order to feel successful.

I’m getting over that.

Anyway, when I look in the gallery’s window, I see things I expect and a lot I don’t. There is a painting hanging there now, for example, that looks like a something a proud parent would hang on their fridge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s good or bad. What I am saying is that it doesn’t look like something that should be hanging in a gallery.

Of course, there are paintings and sculptures that blow my mind, that I get completely lost in. Landscapes are my favorites, although a portrait here and there can catch my eye.

So maybe I don’t get that one painting. Just like books and short stories, art is subjective. I like what I like and I don’t what I don’t. Like books, I don’t have to actually enjoy it to appreciate the creative aspect of it or the time and effort the artist puts into their piece.

I tried my hand at watercolors a while back. Go figure I pick one of the hardest mediums to test my artistic skills, or lack there of. I had a little success though. And by that, I mean that I ended up with a couple of paintings that weren’t the worst thing in the world.

My painting will never hang in a gallery, but I’m very proud of them. 

Even if they are only fridge worthy.

Robbing with Machete?

Published February 22, 2011 by LS Murphy

When I read this story yesterday about a man robbing a 7-11 with a machete, the first thing I thought was Jason Vorhees was on the lose in South St. Louis. I was totally flabbergasted. Who walks into a 7-11 with a freaking machete?

And, to make this even more interesting, the clerk finished his shift!

I’m sorry, but if someone robs me and threatens my life in the process, I’m not going to work the rest of the night. Nope, not going to happen. Probably another reason I don’t work in the convenience store industry and never have.

And this is just another reason why St. Louis gets a bad rep.

Thankfully, we have an awesome baseball team. Go Cards.

 

Nominee for WTF Moment of 2011

Published January 4, 2011 by LS Murphy

Yep, we are only 4 days into the new year, but we already have one WTF moment to put on the books. (Besides the birds falling from the sky in Arkansas, but that’s just weird and a little apocalyptic.)

Christopher Beller is the lucky nominee who, if it turns out the way it should, will spend much if not all of this year behind bars.

The reason? He “allegedly” raped a 14-year-old girl. Oh, and he’s 48. Oh, and he “allegedly” bought the booze that got her totally plastered.

WTF?

That was the only thing I could think of as I read this story.

Here’s another thing that gets me….His bond was only $25,000. He should sit in jail until his trial.

Just…shaking my head here.

 

What YA Writers Can Learn from TV

Published December 29, 2010 by LS Murphy

Television, how I love you, but lately you have been getting on my last nerve.

Coming from someone who can honestly admit to a minor TV addiction, that’s saying something.

Why? And what does this have to do with YA writers?

Well, both answers are one in the same.

Raise your hands if you USED to watch House or any version of Law & Order.

*crickets*

Yep, I’m talking about series that go on too long.

For me, it gets repetitive and boring. When it gets to the point that I don’t care about the characters, no matter how awesome they may be, they’ve jumped the shark. This holds just as true for a book series as well as a TV show.

For those who don’t know what “jump the shark means”, it’s pretty easy to define. It’s that moment in a TV show when it ceases to be worth watching. The phrase comes from the infamous Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumped over a shark while wearing skis AND HIS LEATHER JACKET. No one in their right mind would get in the water in a leather jacket, much less Fonzie. Get real.

Television shows frequently jump the shark. But so do books.

There are a bunch of great book series out there, and then there are ones that should have ended after three books, or even after one.

Sorry, Stephenie Meyer. I’m going to pick on you for a moment.

I loved Twilight. I cried as I read New Moon. The chapter in Eclipse where Bella listened to Edward and Jacob talk about her, LOVED IT.

Then there’s Breaking Dawn. Cue shark… And we jumped it in Chapter 1.

Yes, I know it’s sold a gazillion copies and the movie adaptations are equally successful, but that doesn’t mean the book didn’t jump the shark.

Want specifics? Okay, I’ll point out 2 things. First, in the first three books, NOBODY called Jasper “Jaz”. Sorry, didn’t happen. Minor thing? Yep, it sure is, but minor things can spoil the bigger things. Second, Bella stopped being Bella in the first chapter. She was actually happy about going through the wedding ceremony. That’s not my Bella. That’s not the Bella who wanted nothing to do with any type of wedding except maybe a drive through Vegas style. It didn’t ring true to a character that, up to that point, I could relate to on an emotional level. And that’s where Meyer’s books thrive, on emotion. Change the character and you change the emotion.

The Twilight Saga went one book too many. Had it ended with Eclipse, there wouldn’t have been any backlash for Breaking Dawn.

It’s not the first, nor will it be the last, series to go one book (or two or three) too many.

So, writers, when you are planning your series, keep that phrase in mind. Don’t allow the love you have for your characters force you to jump the shark. Don’t allow pressure of the masses force you to write another book in your series, causing you to…Yep, jump the shark.

It’s your baby. End it when you know it’s write…er, right.

 

To Resolve or Not to Resolve

Published December 27, 2010 by LS Murphy

It is that time of year again. The time when most people sit down, take a good look at themselves, and resolve to make changes.

List of Most Common Resolutions

1) To Lose Weight (Diet and Exercise)

2) Get a Better Job

3) Quit Smoking and/or Drinking

4) Save Money

5) Get a Degree

(From USA.gov)

They aren’t always the most positive resolutions, but they have the same destination: to make a major change in your life.

On January 9, 2004, I decided to stop the resolution madness. I set goals for myself, to be reviewed and revised every three months or so.  What’s the difference?

I went to Dictionary.com for formal definitions.

For our purpose, RESOLUTION means:

A Resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

OR

The act of resolving or determining upon an action or courseof action, method, procedure, etc.

GOAL means: the result or achievement toward which effort is directed;aim; end.

Big difference when you think about it. If you just say “I’m going to lose 50 pounds this year”, it isn’t the same as setting out with a goal to lose that weight. I could tell you, “I’m going to write thirty short stories this year”, but that doesn’t mean much without a plan on HOW to do that. If I set it as a goal and review and revise every three months or so, I can see PROGRESS.

In 2004, I started out with ten goals. The last two or three were always easy so I would feel like I did accomplish something. It worked. I’ve stayed motivated and positive. Yes, my goals have changed. Sometimes they change every three months. And that’s okay. Who knows what I will want in three months?

Regardless of whether you call them “resolutions” or “goals”, WRITE THEM DOWN. Keep looking at them. Keep reminding yourself why you wanted these things. Review them, revise them if need be. But don’t just say, “I want to” and forget to actually DO it.

Happy 2011.