(I wonder who will read this. I follow this blog via RSS, so I see updates no matter how few and far between. But I'm guessing most visited the site directly or via bookmark and gave up on new content years ago. So enjoy, Brian and Bryant.)
Yup, I saved Brian's post on nationalism... back in May, dang...
In theory
I think people should be free to do what they want as long as they're not hurting each other. There's nothing implicitly disrespectful about wearing a nation's flag, and people should be allowed to be proud of their personal affiliations.
Food for thought:
Should a student be allowed to wear a swastika at school if he's a Neo-Nazi? How about if he's Hindu or Buddhist? Should we ban the wearing of gang colors? What if a new gang comes up for every color of the rainbow? Or if you just really like red? If a rock band is coming to play at the school, should no one be allowed to wear a shirt with any other band on it, for fear of offending the performing guests?
What if a Cambodian student wears the Cambodian flag, not necessarily to oppose or offend anyone, but because there's no school-recognized day for them to celebrate their nationality? It seems imbalanced to begin with that only a select few nationalistic holidays are recognized.
We often don't know the underlying reason for others' behavior, and making assumptions and limiting freedoms is a dangerous path to go down.
In practice
In the real world, I admit I would guess that the flag-wearing was not a coincidence, and I can see why it could be taken in a negative way and might result in animosity or worse. So I see how preventive measures might be justifiable.
In closing
If it's just a handful of guys wearing American flags, and they intend it to be anti-Cinco-de-Mayo, and the only result ends up being that they're exposed as being jerks to the rest of the school, is that a bad thing?
Nov 16, 2010
Nov 12, 2010
Randy Pausch
Today I was going to write about running (I had a good run today!) - but then I stopped myself. You guys aren't runners! Who really wants to hear about someone who enjoys inflicting pain on himself? I'll just end up sounding crazy! (I'll just cover the subject another day)
So while I was reading the older posts (Which reminds me, I have to respond to Bryant's about MGS4! I finally played it and beat it this year!) I came across the "Edit Posts" button! After clicking on it, I discovered two interesting things:
1.) I noticed Jon was thinking about responding to an old post.
2.) I started a post back on July 26, 2008 entitled "Randy Pausch." Nothing else written, just the title.
While I'd love to talk about #1, I'll wait until Jon finishes his thoughts. I'll talk about #2 instead. I was so close to deleting it, since I had no idea who Randy Pausch was, or why I was even thinking about writing a post on him. But I decided to wiki him instead, and I'm glad I did.
Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He was one of six professors asked to give a lecture on life experiences. The twist to this was that he was diagnosed with terminal cancer before opting to do this lecture. He decided to go through with the lecture and gave one of the most touching speeches I have ever heard (I mean it's right up there with Mr. Rogers Dartmouth commencement speech). His lecture was titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." It touches on a lot of what I think life is missing.
I'm going to watch it later tonight just to reflect why I didn't write more about this speech two years ago. Here's the link! Note though, his lecture is about an hour long. I got most of his information after 20 minutes or so...
So while I was reading the older posts (Which reminds me, I have to respond to Bryant's about MGS4! I finally played it and beat it this year!) I came across the "Edit Posts" button! After clicking on it, I discovered two interesting things:
1.) I noticed Jon was thinking about responding to an old post.
2.) I started a post back on July 26, 2008 entitled "Randy Pausch." Nothing else written, just the title.
While I'd love to talk about #1, I'll wait until Jon finishes his thoughts. I'll talk about #2 instead. I was so close to deleting it, since I had no idea who Randy Pausch was, or why I was even thinking about writing a post on him. But I decided to wiki him instead, and I'm glad I did.
Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He was one of six professors asked to give a lecture on life experiences. The twist to this was that he was diagnosed with terminal cancer before opting to do this lecture. He decided to go through with the lecture and gave one of the most touching speeches I have ever heard (I mean it's right up there with Mr. Rogers Dartmouth commencement speech). His lecture was titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." It touches on a lot of what I think life is missing.
I'm going to watch it later tonight just to reflect why I didn't write more about this speech two years ago. Here's the link! Note though, his lecture is about an hour long. I got most of his information after 20 minutes or so...
Nov 5, 2010
San Francisco Giants - World Champions
I know it's been a while since any of us posted minus Brian, but I felt like I had to get some thoughts down after just a crazy crazy month of baseball.
If start thinking about the Giants during the Spring, I thought they definitely had the tools in place to win the division. They had good starting pitching, a good closer, and some reason for optimism with their hitting (signing Huff & De Rosa and we still had Panda).
Then came the first couple months of the season and you watched this see saw ride of the Giants going up and down and never being really consistent as a group. De Rosa ended getting hurt and being out for the season, Molina was still slow and not hitting as well, Sanchez wasn't back from injury, their #5 starter was a bust and Pablo was in a slump. I also couldn't believe how hot the Padres started! There was some reason for optimism because Barry Zito actually looked good. (that obviously changed quickly)
Then a lot of good things started to happen in June and July - they bring up Posey (trading Molina), brought up Bumgarner, signed Pat Burrell, Sanchez was back from injury and the Giants pitching was doing real good. They had a lot of low key deals in July, but I thought paid the biggest dividends - trading for Ramirez and Lopez (who I think is very close to the MVP of the playoffs).
August was obviously rough, I think the starters were like 0-8 to 10 or something like that and Timmy couldn't find his groove. They were 6.5 behind the Padres and I started thinking, oh man, no playoffs again!!! The Giants get desperate and sign Jose Guillen, trade for Fontenot, and claim Cody Ross from waivers. The latter two I barely knew and the former has been described as a "cancer" in multiple club houses.
Then around Aug 20+ and on, the Giants were just on. They clicked in every aspect minus Zito's starts because he blew big time after the All Star break. I couldn't believe it had to come down to the last day of the year especially after all they had to only win 1 out of 3 against the Padres with Zito (automatic loss), Cain (guaranteed win), and Sanchez (coin flip). It ended up being that Sanchez was the hero that day and the Giants were on to the playoffs.
I knew they would probably beat Atlanta, but when they got to Philly, I thought for sure that is where the Giants run would end. They had to face Roy Halladay, arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Oswalt who is a #1 on any other staff, and Cole Hamels who arguably could be #1 on a lot of staffs as well + he won the World Series MVP. Just as the Giants had done a majority of the year, they just kept surprising me. The hitters showed zero fear against these great pitchers and the Giants rotation showed no fear against the Phillies mashers (Howard, Utley, Werth). And btw - after that series I definitely knew who Cody Ross was. But admittedly, if I was voting, I actually would've given the MVP to Javier Lopez. That guy single handedly dominated the lefties on the Phillies team and was always Mr. Reliable. To be honest, I get worried about the bullpen minus Lopez and Wilson.
Luckily for the Giants, they got a match up against the Rangers. I really thought in my head, this was the best match up they could get and really thought it was a 50/50 match, potentially giving the Rangers a little bit more because they had Cliff Lee and the probable AL MVP - Josh Hamilton. Once again, the Giants acted as if they had been to the playoffs every year and showed no fear. I was listening to Murph & Mac in the morning and they kept talking about "particles" being in the air and that's when I really started to believe there was something special going on. I couldn't explain and I am not always the biggest proponent of fate / destiny, but there was some higher power going on in baseball for the Giants. This series wasn't even close to be as tense as I was during the Phillies series and I think it's because I actually believed that the Giants could win (though I would never admit that outloud because I am superstitious).
When the Giants won, it was hard to think of a happier moment (though my wedding probably tops the list with the Giants winning being a close 2nd). And this adds to the fact the lowest low of my life was when they lost to the Angels in game 6, 2002 (close seconds were some bad break ups or my parent's divorce). When Wilson got that last strikeout and he did his signature point to the sky, I screamed louder then I've ever screamed before. Once again, one of the few times in sports where I could possibly have had tears.
I was really proud of the team because of so many story lines:
So looking forward at next year, the team has some big decisions to make....
Who to resign?
- Definitely Huff and I say a maybe on Uribe. I think the Giants could use a more consistent bat then Uribe's free swinging, but he has some utility and you gotta love his clutch power.
Who to let walk?
- Burrell - with DeRosa coming back next year and potentially putting Huff in Left (assuming Panda can only play 1B), I think Burrell is the odd man out. He provided some pop for the Giants, but he's just not consistent enough. The Giants need to have someone who can hit consistently and not always trying to swing for the fences (i.e. Uribe). Also his glove and speed are terrible.
- Renteria - I love the guy for what he did and I will never bad mouth his previous contract again, but I think unless you want him as a back up, I'd rather see someone like Burriss get a shot at being a role player.
- Guillen - Besides not playing in the playoffs, now he's under that Balco scrutiny. We had enough of that with Bonds and we don't need that for a liability in the OF.
- Mota - I can go either way, but I don't think the Giants will be rough with or without him. It is nice having a veteran in that young bullpen though. I actually rather the Giants re-sign/offer arbitration to Chris Ray.
Who to offer Arbitration?
- Casilla - solid arm in the bullpen, though can get a little wild.
- Lopez - one of the best lefty specialists that I've ever seen.
- Ramirez - coin toss like Mota. He was solid, so I wouldn't mind seeing him back, but wouldn't be crushed if he left.
- Ray - same boat as Ramirez & Mota. Keeping 1 or 2 out of the 3 would be good enough.
- Ross - I think the Giants need to keep him. He's solid in the OF and brings a good presence to the plate. Not that he's got a ton of it, but he's adds more speed / athleticism to the Giants.
- Sanchez (Jonathan) - they'll bring him back, but I kind of wish they would trade him for a bat. He's so hit & miss and even though he found more consistency this year, he still worries me ever game he goes out on the mound.
- Torres - this is a must - he's a plus defender, has speed and power at your lead off spot. He just needs to work on his patience and he'll be awesome.
Ideal Free Agent signing:
- Carl Crawford (OF) - he's got speed & power and can hit for average. He'd be an awesome OF compliment to Torres and Ross. You can then have Mark DeRosa be super utility and a safety net in case Sandoval is still too fat to play third.
That's enough for my super Giants blog, but I hadn't felt the need to blog in a while until now. I already can't wait for 2011!!!
If start thinking about the Giants during the Spring, I thought they definitely had the tools in place to win the division. They had good starting pitching, a good closer, and some reason for optimism with their hitting (signing Huff & De Rosa and we still had Panda).
Then came the first couple months of the season and you watched this see saw ride of the Giants going up and down and never being really consistent as a group. De Rosa ended getting hurt and being out for the season, Molina was still slow and not hitting as well, Sanchez wasn't back from injury, their #5 starter was a bust and Pablo was in a slump. I also couldn't believe how hot the Padres started! There was some reason for optimism because Barry Zito actually looked good. (that obviously changed quickly)
Then a lot of good things started to happen in June and July - they bring up Posey (trading Molina), brought up Bumgarner, signed Pat Burrell, Sanchez was back from injury and the Giants pitching was doing real good. They had a lot of low key deals in July, but I thought paid the biggest dividends - trading for Ramirez and Lopez (who I think is very close to the MVP of the playoffs).
August was obviously rough, I think the starters were like 0-8 to 10 or something like that and Timmy couldn't find his groove. They were 6.5 behind the Padres and I started thinking, oh man, no playoffs again!!! The Giants get desperate and sign Jose Guillen, trade for Fontenot, and claim Cody Ross from waivers. The latter two I barely knew and the former has been described as a "cancer" in multiple club houses.
Then around Aug 20+ and on, the Giants were just on. They clicked in every aspect minus Zito's starts because he blew big time after the All Star break. I couldn't believe it had to come down to the last day of the year especially after all they had to only win 1 out of 3 against the Padres with Zito (automatic loss), Cain (guaranteed win), and Sanchez (coin flip). It ended up being that Sanchez was the hero that day and the Giants were on to the playoffs.
I knew they would probably beat Atlanta, but when they got to Philly, I thought for sure that is where the Giants run would end. They had to face Roy Halladay, arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Oswalt who is a #1 on any other staff, and Cole Hamels who arguably could be #1 on a lot of staffs as well + he won the World Series MVP. Just as the Giants had done a majority of the year, they just kept surprising me. The hitters showed zero fear against these great pitchers and the Giants rotation showed no fear against the Phillies mashers (Howard, Utley, Werth). And btw - after that series I definitely knew who Cody Ross was. But admittedly, if I was voting, I actually would've given the MVP to Javier Lopez. That guy single handedly dominated the lefties on the Phillies team and was always Mr. Reliable. To be honest, I get worried about the bullpen minus Lopez and Wilson.
Luckily for the Giants, they got a match up against the Rangers. I really thought in my head, this was the best match up they could get and really thought it was a 50/50 match, potentially giving the Rangers a little bit more because they had Cliff Lee and the probable AL MVP - Josh Hamilton. Once again, the Giants acted as if they had been to the playoffs every year and showed no fear. I was listening to Murph & Mac in the morning and they kept talking about "particles" being in the air and that's when I really started to believe there was something special going on. I couldn't explain and I am not always the biggest proponent of fate / destiny, but there was some higher power going on in baseball for the Giants. This series wasn't even close to be as tense as I was during the Phillies series and I think it's because I actually believed that the Giants could win (though I would never admit that outloud because I am superstitious).
When the Giants won, it was hard to think of a happier moment (though my wedding probably tops the list with the Giants winning being a close 2nd). And this adds to the fact the lowest low of my life was when they lost to the Angels in game 6, 2002 (close seconds were some bad break ups or my parent's divorce). When Wilson got that last strikeout and he did his signature point to the sky, I screamed louder then I've ever screamed before. Once again, one of the few times in sports where I could possibly have had tears.
I was really proud of the team because of so many story lines:
- Huff never going to the playoffs in 9 seasons and I think Sanchez was like 6 seasons - but they off and win the World Series.
- Renteria getting the game winning hit in 2 different World Series. This is especially crazy considering he was pretty much a non-factor all year and was forced into the lineup because Panda is too fat to play D.
- Posey and Bumgarner are two rookies who played huge roles for the Giants this year. Alot of the Giants change in mentality and rise to stardom was due to Posey's call up in March.
- All of their midseason pick ups were huge. Burrell helped a ton during the year (stunk in the playoffs), solid utility man (Fontenot), Ross (you've heard how big his HR's were), Lopez (my MVP), Ramirez (solid righty of out the pen) and then you had some season contributions, but didn't play in the playoffs (Ray & Guillen).
- How much respect the Giants rotation gets and all of them homegrown.
- Tim Lincecum already having 2 Cy Youngs and now a World Series ring - he's got a tremendous start to getting to the Hall of Fame.
- Brian Wilson is a comedian - he's got great presence and now the world gets to know him as well.
- Giants 1st World Series win in SF and first in like 54 years -just incredible to watch history like that. Especially when you think that they had teams with Mays, McCovey, Cepeda, Bonds, Clark, Mitchell, Williams, Kent, etc. The Giants may not have been as talented as previous Giants teams, but this was one of the few times I could see that cliche of the team playing together as a team.
- They win a World Series with their highest paid player sitting out, their 2nd highest is a bench/role player, and their star from last year is sitting on the bench.
So looking forward at next year, the team has some big decisions to make....
Who to resign?
- Definitely Huff and I say a maybe on Uribe. I think the Giants could use a more consistent bat then Uribe's free swinging, but he has some utility and you gotta love his clutch power.
Who to let walk?
- Burrell - with DeRosa coming back next year and potentially putting Huff in Left (assuming Panda can only play 1B), I think Burrell is the odd man out. He provided some pop for the Giants, but he's just not consistent enough. The Giants need to have someone who can hit consistently and not always trying to swing for the fences (i.e. Uribe). Also his glove and speed are terrible.
- Renteria - I love the guy for what he did and I will never bad mouth his previous contract again, but I think unless you want him as a back up, I'd rather see someone like Burriss get a shot at being a role player.
- Guillen - Besides not playing in the playoffs, now he's under that Balco scrutiny. We had enough of that with Bonds and we don't need that for a liability in the OF.
- Mota - I can go either way, but I don't think the Giants will be rough with or without him. It is nice having a veteran in that young bullpen though. I actually rather the Giants re-sign/offer arbitration to Chris Ray.
Who to offer Arbitration?
- Casilla - solid arm in the bullpen, though can get a little wild.
- Lopez - one of the best lefty specialists that I've ever seen.
- Ramirez - coin toss like Mota. He was solid, so I wouldn't mind seeing him back, but wouldn't be crushed if he left.
- Ray - same boat as Ramirez & Mota. Keeping 1 or 2 out of the 3 would be good enough.
- Ross - I think the Giants need to keep him. He's solid in the OF and brings a good presence to the plate. Not that he's got a ton of it, but he's adds more speed / athleticism to the Giants.
- Sanchez (Jonathan) - they'll bring him back, but I kind of wish they would trade him for a bat. He's so hit & miss and even though he found more consistency this year, he still worries me ever game he goes out on the mound.
- Torres - this is a must - he's a plus defender, has speed and power at your lead off spot. He just needs to work on his patience and he'll be awesome.
Ideal Free Agent signing:
- Carl Crawford (OF) - he's got speed & power and can hit for average. He'd be an awesome OF compliment to Torres and Ross. You can then have Mark DeRosa be super utility and a safety net in case Sandoval is still too fat to play third.
That's enough for my super Giants blog, but I hadn't felt the need to blog in a while until now. I already can't wait for 2011!!!
Jun 3, 2010
Ken Griffey Jr. Retires - A reflection
Every kid that has ever traded baseball cards in the 80’s and 90’s know one of the holy grails in trading: The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Card. This was the magical card that was worth $50.00 according to Beckett – and happened to be the ONLY one that was worth anything at the time. By just these facts, Ken Griffey Jr. became one of my childhood idols. But as childhood idols go, I lost track of baseball and forgot about baseball cards. I knew he was still playing, but it just wasn’t a priority to my teenage mind. High School came and left. College came and… Continued to come. Jeff was covering Ichiro while working for the Nichi Bei Times and it started to spark my interest in baseball and the Mariners. And then Alycia came onto the scene and it was all over. Baseball was back in my life again! I couldn’t call myself a fan of the game (I thought at the time Derek Jeter was a pitcher – a fact she continues to laugh about to this day!) but thanks to the internet, I caught up on the 10 years of baseball I missed.
Most of my old “heroes” left the game but not Junior. Sure, he wasn’t playing for the Mariners any more, but his excuse was admirable. He wanted to be closer to his family and play for the team that his father helped bring to the World Series.
I loved the 2007 story about Junior’s first time back in Seattle in interleague play. The fans gave their old hero a four minute standing ovation and continued to show support throughout the 3 game series even though he was playing in the visitor’s dugout. He reflected after the series that he would love to return to Seattle and retire as a Mariner someday.
Then, in 2009 the magical signing happened. Junior had an opportunity to sign with either the Braves or the Mariners. Supposedly he was leaning toward signing with the Braves to be close to his home in Orlando but he eventually ended up signing with the Mariners.
I followed the 2009 Mariners – it was a great time to be a fan. The Mariners were coming off of one of the worst seasons where reporters noted the lack of chemistry in the dugout. Junior is credited by single handedly turning the mood around and bringing back the excitement to the Mariners. Throughout the year, we heard about his walk off home runs and his jokes he would play. His 2009 season ended with his teammates carrying him around the ball park one last time.
Or so we thought.
He signed on again for the 2010 season, but people noted that he wasn’t quite the same. He was getting older and time was finally catching up to him. He still managed to pull off a game winning hit this year, but it was obvious that he was getting less and less playing time. A report came out about him sleeping through a pinch hitting opportunity. This last week, we saw little sight of him. Then, just yesterday he announced his retirement. It was a simple written statement telling us he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team he loves. He thanked his family for their sacrifices, the fans that supported him and his teammates that loved him. And then he was gone. No fanfare, no emotional goodbye - just a note a few hours before the game and he was on his way home.
The mood of the game yesterday was somber. Bradley noted that ‘On a day like this, it should rain in Seattle.’ The cameras caught self labeled tough guy wiping his eyes at the end of the tribute video playing on the big screen. He had a good day with a lead off single and two stolen bases. He attributes it to wanting to win for Junior.
“I had somebody else’s legs out there today. … I was full of a lot of emotions and wanted, especially, to get a win tonight so Junior’s retirement would be right.
I hit left-handed because of Griffey. I wanted to play baseball, be an outfielder, make diving catches, style on a home run, because of Griffey. Guys like him don’t come around every day. He’s just as magical off the field as on it.”
- Milton Bradley after the game
Ichiro struggled at the plate with three strike outs but managed to hit a game winning infield single in the 10th inning. In rare fashion, he gave a display of emotion after watching the winning run cross home plate. His comments after the game sum up his emotions.
“Junior is a very special player to myself. … I don’t know how to explain it in words, but that’s how much feeling I have for him. I’m sure all of our players in the clubhouse wanted to win for Junior. It was a very important game because of what happened today.
Every moment with him is a treasure deep within my heart. I have played 19 years of professional baseball, and I could say he was one of my best teammates, and my friend as well.”
- Ichiro after the game
I admire Junior a great deal for all his accomplishments on and off the field. His work with kids who are terminally ill deserve recognition, but he’s too modest for that kind of stuff. He does it because he genuinely cares. I’ll miss his presence in the game, but I hope that he enjoys his retirement knowing he was one of the best in baseball. There’s so much more to say about him and what I’ll miss, but like Ichiro said, it’s hard to explain in words. So I’ll just end with a thank you.
Thank you for the memories Junior, you have been the perfect role model for our generation.
...
Now if only your rookie card would reach $50 again…
Most of my old “heroes” left the game but not Junior. Sure, he wasn’t playing for the Mariners any more, but his excuse was admirable. He wanted to be closer to his family and play for the team that his father helped bring to the World Series.
I loved the 2007 story about Junior’s first time back in Seattle in interleague play. The fans gave their old hero a four minute standing ovation and continued to show support throughout the 3 game series even though he was playing in the visitor’s dugout. He reflected after the series that he would love to return to Seattle and retire as a Mariner someday.
Then, in 2009 the magical signing happened. Junior had an opportunity to sign with either the Braves or the Mariners. Supposedly he was leaning toward signing with the Braves to be close to his home in Orlando but he eventually ended up signing with the Mariners.
I followed the 2009 Mariners – it was a great time to be a fan. The Mariners were coming off of one of the worst seasons where reporters noted the lack of chemistry in the dugout. Junior is credited by single handedly turning the mood around and bringing back the excitement to the Mariners. Throughout the year, we heard about his walk off home runs and his jokes he would play. His 2009 season ended with his teammates carrying him around the ball park one last time.
Or so we thought.
He signed on again for the 2010 season, but people noted that he wasn’t quite the same. He was getting older and time was finally catching up to him. He still managed to pull off a game winning hit this year, but it was obvious that he was getting less and less playing time. A report came out about him sleeping through a pinch hitting opportunity. This last week, we saw little sight of him. Then, just yesterday he announced his retirement. It was a simple written statement telling us he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team he loves. He thanked his family for their sacrifices, the fans that supported him and his teammates that loved him. And then he was gone. No fanfare, no emotional goodbye - just a note a few hours before the game and he was on his way home.
The mood of the game yesterday was somber. Bradley noted that ‘On a day like this, it should rain in Seattle.’ The cameras caught self labeled tough guy wiping his eyes at the end of the tribute video playing on the big screen. He had a good day with a lead off single and two stolen bases. He attributes it to wanting to win for Junior.
“I had somebody else’s legs out there today. … I was full of a lot of emotions and wanted, especially, to get a win tonight so Junior’s retirement would be right.
I hit left-handed because of Griffey. I wanted to play baseball, be an outfielder, make diving catches, style on a home run, because of Griffey. Guys like him don’t come around every day. He’s just as magical off the field as on it.”
- Milton Bradley after the game
Ichiro struggled at the plate with three strike outs but managed to hit a game winning infield single in the 10th inning. In rare fashion, he gave a display of emotion after watching the winning run cross home plate. His comments after the game sum up his emotions.
“Junior is a very special player to myself. … I don’t know how to explain it in words, but that’s how much feeling I have for him. I’m sure all of our players in the clubhouse wanted to win for Junior. It was a very important game because of what happened today.
Every moment with him is a treasure deep within my heart. I have played 19 years of professional baseball, and I could say he was one of my best teammates, and my friend as well.”
- Ichiro after the game
I admire Junior a great deal for all his accomplishments on and off the field. His work with kids who are terminally ill deserve recognition, but he’s too modest for that kind of stuff. He does it because he genuinely cares. I’ll miss his presence in the game, but I hope that he enjoys his retirement knowing he was one of the best in baseball. There’s so much more to say about him and what I’ll miss, but like Ichiro said, it’s hard to explain in words. So I’ll just end with a thank you.
Thank you for the memories Junior, you have been the perfect role model for our generation.
...
Now if only your rookie card would reach $50 again…
May 9, 2010
Nationalism
It's been a few days since the whole Cinco De Mayo debacle and I just read in the paper about protesters in Morgan Hill celebrating their nationalism. This makes me wonder what is going on here.
If you don't know, a few students decided to wear American Flag shirts to school in Morgan Hill on Cinco De Mayo to "celebrate being an American." The school officials told them to either wear their shirts inside out or go home and change because they felt it was disrespectful to those that are celebrating Cinco De Mayo. Protesters say that students should be proud to be an American and show off that patriotism.
Now, before I get into sides and all that, stop and think about the situation a little bit. Form an opinion for yourself on the whole matter. Come back when you're done!
Done? Good. Here's what I think. I bet if you counted the number of times these students wore something patriotic during the whole school year, you would find that it would be zero or close to zero. I bet that these students decided to wear American clothing in direct opposition to Cinco De Mayo. It's not that they had some burning desire to show their American pride. They wanted to go up against a culture that wasn't their own.
It's one thing to be proud of the country you live in, but it's a whole other problem if you want to be proud of your country in the face of someone else. So this thing is growing - especially with what's going on in Arizona. Maybe there is something to take pride in. We hate immigrants no matter where they're from. We hated on the Irish, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Canadians and Mexicans at one point or another in our history. Did we have valid reasons for doing so in the past? Maybe or maybe not. Do we have valid reasons today? Again, maybe or maybe not.
So now we have a bunch of yahoos out there that have latched onto this cause. Not because they want to show American pride, but because they hate Mexicans. They're using this event as an excuse to vent the hatred. This scares me. Throw some intolerance in the mix and instead of a real protest you have a mob.
I have more to say, but I just had to sit down and type after reading the article. I'll read it again and finish my thoughts later. For now, I'm pissed.
San Jose Mercury News Story
If you don't know, a few students decided to wear American Flag shirts to school in Morgan Hill on Cinco De Mayo to "celebrate being an American." The school officials told them to either wear their shirts inside out or go home and change because they felt it was disrespectful to those that are celebrating Cinco De Mayo. Protesters say that students should be proud to be an American and show off that patriotism.
Now, before I get into sides and all that, stop and think about the situation a little bit. Form an opinion for yourself on the whole matter. Come back when you're done!
Done? Good. Here's what I think. I bet if you counted the number of times these students wore something patriotic during the whole school year, you would find that it would be zero or close to zero. I bet that these students decided to wear American clothing in direct opposition to Cinco De Mayo. It's not that they had some burning desire to show their American pride. They wanted to go up against a culture that wasn't their own.
It's one thing to be proud of the country you live in, but it's a whole other problem if you want to be proud of your country in the face of someone else. So this thing is growing - especially with what's going on in Arizona. Maybe there is something to take pride in. We hate immigrants no matter where they're from. We hated on the Irish, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Canadians and Mexicans at one point or another in our history. Did we have valid reasons for doing so in the past? Maybe or maybe not. Do we have valid reasons today? Again, maybe or maybe not.
So now we have a bunch of yahoos out there that have latched onto this cause. Not because they want to show American pride, but because they hate Mexicans. They're using this event as an excuse to vent the hatred. This scares me. Throw some intolerance in the mix and instead of a real protest you have a mob.
I have more to say, but I just had to sit down and type after reading the article. I'll read it again and finish my thoughts later. For now, I'm pissed.
San Jose Mercury News Story
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