Things That Don't Work

Oh the frustration of not being a handyman. Never having the right tools for the job and not knowing what to do with them if you had them. They say you get what you pay for. I am still learning the lesson. My front yard resembles Yellowstone National Park with all the geysers I have in the summer due to a faulty sprinkler system that was installed several years ago. The lighting system I bought with a photo sensor for light and dark must have pink eye because it never wants to turn off. Why are some of us born with the ability to fix things and some born with two left thumbs? My answer to that question is patience. Something of which I lack. I do realize my shortcoming in the handyman category though. When something is broke the yellow pages come out and a part of  our economy is a little bit better off.

Baseball

"Throw a slider Albert". Those are the first words I can remember uttering about baseball. Imploring my Uncle circa 1955 to throw a certain pitch to me when I was 4 years old. I have no idea where I acquired the knowledge to name this breaking ball at such a young age. Baseball was my first love in sports and remained so for many years. Somehow I have drifted away from the game and find the need to re-acquaint myself as I get ready to enter the sixth decade of my life. What drew me to baseball in the first place? I think it was the sport in the 1950's that every kid played and the two biggest stars in America to me were baseball players, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. In the 50's, especially in the summer, kids were outside from sun-up to sundown. The way most of us passed our time was to play some form of baseball. I remember how it felt to be on a team at a young age and the excitement on the day of a game. I would constantly check the skies on game day searching for thunderheads that might cause a rain out and even take naps to ensure I would be rested at game time.  Youth baseball was a social event for parents. My 87 year old father says it was one of the happiest times of his life and still has lasting friendships to this day from spending nights with other adults watching their children at play. I continued playing Baseball through High School and College and as I got older I began to love the nuances of the game. I can still recall looking up at the sky while walking out to a practice in college and saying to myself how much I loved this game and that there was nowhere else I'd rather be. I still have vivid dreams of hearing the crack of a wooden bat as the sound echoes off of an empty stadium during a pre-game batting practice. I last participated in organized baseball in 1974, at the age of twenty three, playing in a local semi-pro league. As I began a career in education and moved from one small town to another the opportunity to play baseball diminished. I still had a passion for the sport because of the Kansas City Royals and one George Brett.  As long as the Royals were good and George was excelling I was an avid baseball fan. My competitive activities had switched to slow pitch softball. George Brett retired in the early nineties and the Royals began to flounder.  With the demise in KC my interest in Baseball began to wane. I still loved the sport and coached my sons in little league but the passion I once felt in playing or following a favorite team was not there. Recently, I find myself beginning to watch more baseball and I am even familiarizing myself with the Royals again even though they struggle to win on a consistent basis. Maybe it's like finding an old lost friend you haven't seen in years and re-discovering all the things you liked about them initially. I hope it is that way about baseball. Time will tell.

Reflections in Jayhawkland

So this is it? After 36 games starting in November, that's all! This years stunning loss in round two of the NCAA shows that nothing really is satisfying at this level unless you go deep into the Tournament. KU, unfourtunatley has a history of early exits in the last 20 years. The loss to Northern Iowa this year could have been predicted in the way Kansas played throughout the year. A team laden with talent never could quite put average teams away.  There seemed to be too much talk about a National Championship drive led by Sherron Collins even though his shot left him somewhere in early February and turnovers mounted.  Xavier Henry was mentioned constantly about being a one and done player but his sporadic play showed that he is not ready for NBA play let alone 1st round status.  Cole Aldrich was a dominant force on defense but his offensive skills in the post against opponents his size proved to be limited.  Kansas won 33 games and only lost 3 but expectations are that Elite teams make Elite finishes in the NCAA. Bill Self is a great coach but sometimes his stubborn resolve not to adapt to situations lead to his teams looking stagnant for certain stretches in games against all types of opponents.  Wouldn't it have been wise to speed UNI up in the first half with full court pressure in the form of a press?  I read in the paper today that he might not watch the game film. Too painful to watch. Seems to me it might be a good idea to see how  Bucknell, Bradley, Southern Illinois, Lehigh and UNI, teams who have much less talent, seem to give KU such problems in Tournament play.  Unfortunantley when you root for KU you are expecting the highest level of play from the countries elite basketball players.  Was this seasons a success? Most college teams would die for 33-3 records and league titles. KU 's success is measured by what is does in March. By that measure it was one of the biggest disappointments in the History of KU basketball.  I will be back again with the same fervor for the 'Hawks. I hope Coach Self finds a way to re-evaluate what needs to be done to get further than the first week in the NCAA Tournament; the gauge for his teams and he as a coach. Let's face it, there is all kinds of heat in the KU kitchen.

What will the next Decade be?

What will the next decade be? I hope I'm around: To see my family grow and Nan and I age gracefully. To live in a generous, prosperous country with less strife and discord. To see Politicians become less political and more compassionate. To see Terror end and our dependence on the mineral that fuels their hate wane. To see education and enlightenment valued. To hear laughter and babies cries. To still feel the love of my parents and mother-in-law. To see my sons and their spouses excel. To learn the meaning of retirement. To grow closer to my brother and sister and all my extended family. To play in the Wilbert Open. To see my grandchildren grow. To see an end to our involvement in two wars. To breath clean air and see blue skies. To fly, yes I said fly, well maybe.

Jared Hobaugh

It hurts to think that Jared is no longer with us. I thought for sure I would see him again. I feel so bad to think about how his loss must feel to Jason and Julie, to his mom and step dad. I think about the sadness his friends are going through. I know if I feel this bad it must be many times worse for Jace and Andy who spent so much of their time creating and playing music with him. I can still see Jared performing at the Blue Moon or the Pub or the Port. I can still hear his excitement for the next project. Where was he the last few years? I lost contact. I assumed it would be only a matter of time before our paths crossed. I had heard he was in Alaska living off the grid. Just like him I thought. Keith Lewandowski said he ran into him at a bar a few weeks back. I wish I could have been there. Talk about the Shaft days. Some of the best times in this old mans life. He had his flaws, who doesn't, but his enthusiasm was contagious. He had me believing on many an occasion. I had heard the band was reforming maybe, for one more gig later this year. I would see him then. Find out what he had been up to and then hear him sing those songs. Those songs, I can still see in my mind him up on stage or getting the sound just right before a show. Coming by to visit and asking how I was doing. Taking the time, you know, to make me feel like what I had to say was important. I always appreciated that. Jared was a "can do" guy. Form a band, refurbish an RV, plan a trip to California, run sound, record a CD, fly a plane. He was hardscrabble, find a way to make a living, be his own boss. I should have mentioned Rich Gilstrap earlier. Rich seemed to be very close to Jared. After Jared's dad passed Rich seemed to fill that void. I know Rich has a hole in his heart after hearing the news.
Cherish your friends. They can be taken away in a wink of the eye. I will never forget Jared Hobaugh. For a too brief period of time he and his bandmates made my life better. Made me feel younger following them and their music. So long Jared, I will miss. You will always have a special place in my heart.

Single Payer Thoughts

A single payer system would insure every citizen in the U.S. free health care provided by the National Government. Critics point to Socialism, high taxes, wasteful government bureaucracy and the demise of private insurance companies as reasons not to institute such a program. Opponents claim single payer systems in Canada, the UK and other Western European countries are failures. Billions, if not trillions, of dollars have been spent each year by private businesses and industries large and small to cover employees through private plans. A single payer system, it seems to me, would free up huge sums of this money in the private sector for businesses to use for product development and employee wage increases. Is it feasible that tax increases to pay for a single payer system would be offset by higher wages and profitability in the private sector? Citizens have been warned by certain congressmen that single payer plans would never work in this country. Many of these congressmen repeat verbatim the same talking points put forth by the Insurance Lobby. What is wrong with guaranteeing every American free Health Care in this country if it can be done in an affordable manner? Insurance companies have a huge stake in keeping the current system intact and have the money to influence legislation. Many in the medical professions fear a reduction in their income due to government provided Health Care and may side with private insurers in this debate. The biggest losers in the current system are individuals who lose health coverage or pay exorbitant premiums because employers can no longer afford to offer benefits. The current pending legislation that places a public option as competition with private plans is only a start. A single payer system should be the ultimate goal for our elected officials concerning health care.

Better Pay If You Want Good Teachers To Stay

It seems that education has been attacked for years in this country. Every ill of society has been blamed on our education system in some way. Politicians love to pontificate the importance of improving our schools, especially around election time. Public schools receive the harshest criticism from those who lead us in Washington. Teachers lack of training or motivation is often cited as a root cause of the demise of American education. Colleges are being asked to strengthen their training programs and make admittance into the teaching field more selective. I would agree that compared to when I attained my degree in education in 1973 standards are much higher and it is much more difficult to be admitted to the education program. Pay for Public School Teachers is still not equal to other professions with similar requirements. Why would an individual enter a program with such stringent guidelines when they are guaranteed relative low pay upon entering the Public Education sector? For years we were told that teaching was an avocation not a job and that teachers taught to inspire young minds. That the self satisfaction of enlightening children would make up for the long hours and low pay. Teachers were held to a high moral standard concerning their social activities, especially in small communities. They were expected to be examples of proper behavior to young people, not only while at school but in all aspects of life outside the classroom. I came to the conclusion after 31 years as a teacher, coach and administrator that much of this was Bullshit. Education is important. It lays a sound foundation. Teachers are the ones who make a difference, good or bad. They should be paid accordingly for the worth a society sees in an educated populace. Get rid of the bad and pay the good a fair salary. A lawyer can charge $250.00 an hour for counsel . What is an hour worth to educate ones child? Politicians talk the talk until it's time to pay. Then it's the same old tried and true excuse about a shortage in the States Budget. The first programs usually cut deal with education programs and teachers pay. Citizens complain about the need for better schools but as taxpayers bitch about any local tax increases that fund education. "Teachers get 3 months off" or I don't have any kids in school any more"; heard those retorts before? Want good teachers to stay? Pay them what you think they are worth. Or maybe that is what we have been doing for the past 100 years.