My Response to Jon Heyman

During the Battle of the Bay Series Tuesday evening, CBS Reporter Jon Heyman tweeted about the Oakland Coliseum...

A shame the a's and giants have to play these games at the coliseum while ATandT sits empty. #shame
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 29, 2013

Before you continue reading, let the statement sink in for a moment.  Whether you are a fan of an opposing team or a fan of the Oakland Athletics, this tweet did one thing and one thing only; they insulted a fan base and as predicted, many A's fans are not happy about it including myself.  Though, I am very disappointed for what Heyman said, he continues to go on and take the low road and decline and interview with the A's "flagship" station KGMZ.

Heyman to Rise Guys on declining interview via text:"Sorry no disrespect but don't want to get caught up in fake controversy." (continued)
— 95.7 The GAME (@957thegame) May 29, 2013 

Heyman cont'd: "Just meant to draw comparison between best and worst baseball stadiums.Surprised A's fans love Coliseum so much.(cont'd)
— 95.7 The GAME (@957thegame) May 29, 2013 

Heyman (3/3):"I'd have assumed they'd agree with their team and ownership that they prefer a new stadium."#Athletics #SFGiants
— 95.7 The GAME (@957thegame) May 29, 2013

To educate Heyman, I would like to first off and say that his mention about our team and ownership prefer a new stadium. I agree with him that the A's need a new yard, but in my opinion, I want the stadium to be in Oakland and NOT San Jose as current owner Lew Wolff wants.  There is also a sticky situation that has been going on for 3+ years because the Giants do not want to give up Santa Clara County territorial rights that the A's gave up to the Giants in the 1990's as a "gentleman's agreement" so they would not move to Tampa Bay.  Even though the territorial rights have prevented the A's from moving to San Jose, I am thankful the Giants are doing this because this pretty much forces Wolff to try and build a stadium in Oakland or perhaps sell the team to someone who will.

Die Hard Fans as you can get
(Photo courtesy of Spencer Mills)

Throughout my lifetime, I have lived and breathed the Oakland Athletics, while practically calling the Coliseum a second home.  I love the place.  My second home might be out of date, but it is still my home.  I could be anywhere in the world, close my eyes and I am able to paint a photo in my head walking through the Coliseum seeing the myriad of fans, smelling the hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and seeing the beer flow like water.  My parents have been taking me to A's games for so long, I don't even remember when my first game was.  I do know that I had my first baseball emotion at 6 years old when Kirk Gibson hit the home run off Dennis Eckersley in 1988; I cried.  My parents were season ticket holders in the early 1990's and then stopped because they got divorced and could not afford them anymore.  I still tried to get out to as many games as I could and dad/mom would take us.  I was afraid the Angels moved to Oakland when the entire Coliseum started to change to a blueish color, but luckily I found out they were just filming a movie (Angels In The Outfield).  I was depressed in 1994, when I watched Ray Fosse talk about the players strike and ended baseball way too early than I wanted it to.  I danced to Icebox and the Hard Hat Construction Crew "YMCA" when Mt. Davis was being built.  I caught my first baseball from Section 216 from Jim Edmonds with help from my uncle. I lived through the teams of the 1990's that were just terrible with Ariel Prieto and Todd Van Poppel not turning out to be what we all thought.  1999 gave me a glimmer of hope where the A's contended until late September.  In my first year at UC Riverside, I sat in my dorm room watching the A's win the West on the last day of the season.  I sat through the 20 game winning streak and remember Game 18 specifically thinking the game was over, until the Los Angeles station broke in during their sports programming saying that Tejada hit the walk-off.  I remember the Giambi non slide, the Lowe crotch chop as Terrence Long went down looking.  Loved Jason Kendall for his grit even though he never could hit a home run.  I loved it when watching the College World Series, seeing two future drafted teammates square off (Huston Street and Kurt Suzuki, the latter whom I followed in college).  After finally securing a full time job after school and going to so many games, my parents thought I should become a season ticket holder, which I finally did in 2011, which has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have met a whole bunch of awesome people just like me that live at the Coliseum.  If I go and see someone I don't see someone I know, I am in shock.  It's not just a home, its a beautiful home where the "fanily" lives. I met an awesome group in the Right Field bleachers through a mutual friend during that time and it's been awesome fun.  I am privileged to call these people I have met friends as there has been a bond that has been created outside of the Coliseum as well.  I hung out with a lot of these same folks at an Oakland hotel at 3am watching our team play Opening Day in Japan in what turned out to be one of the most improbable years in team history.

Jeff Francoeur called us some of the best fans in baseball.  Justin Verlander called the Coliseum the loudest place he has ever played in.  Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, MC Hammer, Adrien Brody, Danny Glover, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson stepped foot into the Coliseum field and that's just for baseball.

After sleeping on the comments, I have the following message for Jon Heyman...

Thank you for what you said about the Coliseum and their fans.  You just made us love the Coliseum even more, while you gave the A's and their fans/players no respect.  The team that was supposed to win it all because their offense was superior?  They are sitting 5.5 games behind us right now because you can't admit their pitching staff sucks.  The defending World Series Champs have lost two straight to us.  Want to say the A's are "padding their record" against divisional doormat, Houston?  That's cool, but 9 other teams have done to Houston, which Boston and Oakland hasn't done.  Keep on doubting us! That's fine by me, because when the A's "shock the world" once again in 2013, what is going to be your response this time?

"Not too bad for a dump..." is what I am pretty much expecting...

Why I Dislike Geographical Rivalry Games

First off, hats off to all of the servicemen and women who have served the for the United States of America. Holidays seem to be the only time we remember them, but I don't believe its enough. Whether your brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc served, be sure to spend as much time as you can with them when you have the chance.  You just never know what tomorrow brings.

For the next three days, not including yesterday, Major League Baseball is holding Interleague Play games between "Geographical Rivals."  Some aren't as geographical, such as Atlanta/Toronto or Seattle/San Diego, but there are those that make sense such as Tampa Bay/Miami, Mets/Yankees, Angels/Dodgers etc.  Major League Baseball says that this time is a great time for the fans, which I tend to disagree with this statement.

Being a "fan" of a sports team or anything in general, I consider to be a loose term.  For example, I am a big fan of cheese, but I don't educate myself in the history of cheese.  I just love to eat cheese.  To a person who knows the best kinds of cheeses and their history, they may not consider me a fan of cheese and choose to avoid talking about the subject with me.  Some people are willing to educate those that are less knowledgeable, while others don't care and say "I believe what I want and I don't give a rat's ass what you say" mentality.  The example about cheese, can really apply to anything.  No matter how educated one is about a subject, people will always have an opinion about something.  Opinions about a subject will usually be based upon one persons past experiences, as well as general stereotypes which are subconsciously thought about.  If we were to play word association with the words below, what would be the first word that comes to mind?  Please keep these answers to yourself as these are just to prove a point.

Asians
Mexicans
Caucasians
Oakland Raiders
New York Yankees
Democrat
Republican

Depending on your background and what geographical region you live in, you can probably associate those 7 groups with different names.  For the sake of example, lets go with Asian.  Being Asian myself, I am pretty sure you can think of a wide range of words from extreme ends of the spectrum from, "Go back to China because your blind ass can't drive" to "Smart and beautiful people that are awesome."

The reasons I stated above are the reasons, I dislike attending the current "Bay Bridge" Series between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants.  I feel that there are too many fans on both sides of the spectrum at these games and all these can lead to is problems.  All teams fans are guilty of this, whether we admit it or not.  Tensions are high between fans at these games and fights will happen, especially if there is alcohol involved.  Friendly jabbing among fans can escalate quickly and someone could get hurt.  My problem with this through experience via fans and family members is that some "fans" are only interested when two of the local teams get together.  With the advent of social media such as facebook and twitter, this is much more prevalent.  Joe and Jane Smith who never post about sports are posting about how awesome their team is, while the fans who have been there the entire time are thinking, "Since when did these people care about my sports team?"  Also on social media sites, there are people known as "trolls" which is defined to be those who stir up problems between different fan bases.  Since they are "hiding behind a keyboard" chances are the people that are "trolling" will not be reprimanded for their actions, so you could really call people whatever you want to and I am very disappointed with some of the language that I see.  I believed that the USA had some of the most open people on the planet at one point, but after seeing what is said on twitter, I am not surprised that we are behind in some of the times in major issues, but that is for another day.

On the flip side, I have met fans and talked to fans on twitter of teams I don't root for and have had great conversations with them.  I find that talking baseball with a knowledgeable baseball fan is very fun and entertaining especially if they know their teams history.  If there is a way I can be educated about their team through these experiences, this will make me a much better fan in the future.  If there is someone that is interested in the game and wants to learn what you know, then don't be afraid to open up and take them under your wing.  We could always use a few more A's fans on this planet =)

Why Downtown/Off Strip Las Vegas is Underrated...

In my last post, I discussed 10 Tips that Las Vegas Virgins should know before going to Vegas.  Now I will discuss how the Downtown area/Fremont Street is very underrated compared to the pizzazz of the strip.  First however, there is something that I did not mention in my last post that can be useful. Those would be Player's Cards.

If you ever wanted to get amped for a trip to Las Vegas and want junk mail with room offers from various casinos sent to your mailbox or e-mail, then sign up for a players card at the various casinos you go to. Some of these player cards come with incentives such as a free slot or table play and discounts off restaurants when you first sign up for them.  Even if you aren't a gambler, there are chances that even if you use your card for a little bit, the casinos will send you offers.  Las Vegas hotels are expensive in general, so having these cards will help you when you travel on future trips. Are you a big fan of Bellagio, Aria, Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand?  Well you are in luck as they are under the same M-Life players card.  Fancy some Caesars Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood?  They use the Caesars Entertainment Card.

Prime Rib from Four Queens - I like my meat rare

1. Cheaper Food Options - Just because it's the Las Vegas Strip, the food is going to be a bit more pricey.  Tourists don't know and they want to just eat good food and will splurge a little bit more while on vacation.  If you want something more reasonable, check out downtown.  Four Queens has an excellent cafe called Magnolia's Veranda.  They have a Prime Rib special for $11.99 per person and the meat rivals some of the better cuts of meat that you have probably have had ever.  I have also have had their Teriyaki Chicken and that is awesome as well and very filling at 3am.  Another good spot is the Paradise Buffet and Cafe.  Here you could get their buffet or order off their menu.  If you are a fan of Oxtail Stew, the portion here is really good and very filling.  If you want to go off strip and want Asian food, check out the variety of spots on Spring Mountain Blvd.  Tofu Hut serves up some cook your own Korean Food and Pho So 1 serves up some of the best Vietnamese noodles I have ever had.  Another place you can't go wrong are the Station Casino's Buffets, which run between $10-$20 a person depending on the time you go.  A tip for anyone hitting up the buffet in general though.  Try to get into the buffet during the end of their lunch hour and pay those prices.  Thirty minutes later, they start changing their dishes out to dinner and you get twice the fun!

2. Cheaper Gambling Options - The same places that I mentioned above also have much cheaper gambling options than their strip counterparts. Unless you are in Vegas at 8am on a Tuesday morning, chances are really good you will not be able to find a $5 blackjack table.  Heck, you might have a hard time finding a $10-$15 dollar blackjack table.  Downtown and off strip casinos have multiple options of $5 tables everywhere and your dollar will definitely last much longer.  Also, from what I have seen, comps are much easier to obtain with a players card.  For example, I have gotten offers to stay at The Orleans for a free two night stay for just sitting down and playing blackjack for about an hour at about $5 a hand.  Comp offers work well on future trips.  I'm not sure about their slot machines, but I do notice there are more cheaper slot options than the strip.

3. Hotels are much Closer Together - In late 1994, a 5 block stretch of Fremont Street was closed to vehicular traffic for good, which created the Fremont Street Experience that is seen today.  On the street, there are many side shops and vendors selling trinket type items and also there is a couple of stages which provide live entertainment during the evening.  Also if you are to look straight up, there is a canopy which provides a free light and sound show at night.  There are also many outside bars to pick up your favorite beverage of choice.  In this five block stretch, you will probably pass by about 5-7 different casinos.  Compared to the strip, this is a short walk and you can see a whole bunch of different themed hotels in a matter of minutes.  The distance between hotels is what helps you with your food options I stated earlier.  You could go to your favorite cafe in one casino and a couple of minutes later you could be at your favorite dessert stop.

4. The Rooms are Very Good - When my father said that he wanted my friend and I to stay Downtown with him for a night, I didn't expect much from the rooms when I stayed there.  Honestly, I expected them to be run down.  My buddy and I stayed at the Golden Gate and while the room was about the size of a cramped bedroom, it did the job and was clean.  There wasn't much of a view, but the bed was comfortable and I wouldn't have a problem staying there again.  However though, I would rather stay at the California Hotel because I thought their rooms were much nicer.  I was honestly surprised because if you would have told me the room was on the strip and you paid over $100 a night for it, I would not be surprised.  The worst experience I have had in a room has been Imperial Palace (renamed The Quad), which is in the dead center of the strip.  I try to avoid that place at all possible, until they renovate their rooms, which they said they would in the near future.

5. Homely Feel Downtown - While Downtown, I felt like I was more at home.  When on the strip, I felt completely overwhelmed and in shock by all of the stuff that is going on.  You have larger than life buildings, shows, people trying to hand out adult entertainment advertisements etc.  Downtown, you don't get this and it doesn't feel "too touristy" if you get what I mean.  I love having a good time, but the Downtown area just seems a bit more friendly and down to earth.  The crowd Downtown is mostly older people so if you are looking for your clubbing and pool crowd, this part is definitely not for you.

Downtown Las Vegas is where it was all happening back in the day, so if you are looking to see some of the nostalgia of Las Vegas, this is the place to be.  I always believed in being able to look at some of the past history of the city and downtown provides a great experience.  For those that are World Series of Poker fans, check out Binion's and see where the first tournaments were played.  You can even seriously take a photo with a million dollars there as well...

Stay Positive Everyone!

Tips for the Virgin Las Vegas Trip

Dad, Stepmom, Grandparents and Friend
at Tender Steakhouse at Luxor

This entry will be a bit different than the ones that I have written in the past as here I will focus upon my most recent trip to Las Vegas with my buddy Alex, my grandparents, dad and stepmom.  One thing that occurred to me is that I noticed is that people who have never been to a location before tend to not research things beforehand on what they want to do.  I try to research as much as possible when planning any trip.  I try to find the best routes to get to sightseeing destinations and maps.  Each trip I go to Vegas, I laugh at all of the people who completely underestimate the size and length of everything.  In Las Vegas everything is done bigger.  Here are 10 Tips that I believe that are important for having fun and saving money while in Las Vegas....

1. If You Take a Cab from the Airport and the driver suggests the tunnel, say NO - From the airport to the strip, most think that the fastest way is through a tunnel to the freeway and then exiting.  This is wrong.  You will pay $40 in cab fare and the taxi will be long hauling you.  Tell them to take Swenson and the ride depending on traffic will only cost you $18-20.  If you still think that is still too expensive, then go with the shuttle busses which run under $10.  The shuttle busses may take a little bit longer due to dropping off many people at other hotels, but it is way cheaper.  Never take the limousine unless you really want to pay the extra dough.  Not worth the cost in my opinion.  If you are in a group, the limousine could possibly be a better deal.  Do the math amongst your friends and see what works for you.

2. Las Vegas Strip is way BIGGER than you think - The distance of the Las Vegas Strip is 4.2 miles if you are driving.  If you are walking, then it can feel much longer because of pedestrian bridges and stopping off at casinos etc.  Before one of my trips, I asked my dad how tall he thought Bellagio was.  He estimated about 25-30 stories which comes to about 300 feet high.  According to wikipedia the main tower of Bellagio is 508 feet tall and its total gaming space is 116,000 square feet.  Another casino, The Palazzo Las Vegas has the largest floor space in the United States and 10th largest in the world at 6.9 million square feet.  Younger folks in their 20's tend to make this mistake of underestimating Vegas because they all dress up nice and fancy, which makes for some great eye candy, but they will definitely be paying for it by the end of the night.  The ladies may look phenomenal in their heels, but wait three hours and see what happens when you have to walk back to your hotel.  That is not good... My suggestion here is to wear flats or have a friend bring a backpack or bag to carry extra shoes in.

Vegas has a ton of Eye Candy for both Sexes

3. Hotel Room Tips - You are in Vegas to have a good time and chances are those that read this are probably going to drink a ton, gamble and eat a ton of food.  When you check into your hotel, remind yourself to take a photo of your room number.  When you are trying to get back to your room at 4am and you are completely trashed, having the photo of your room will help you.  You don't want to be that person who tries to open every single room door with your key, only to finally realize that you were on the wrong floor and/or knocking on the wrong door.  Another tip is being careful with the food/refreshments inside of the room.  They are very tempting to eat, but also at the same time they are very expensive.  A way to solve this is to hit up the Walgreen's on the strip and pick up essentials such as water, snacks, sodas, juice etc.  The prices are a little bit more expensive than your Walgreen's in your neighborhood, but this is a much better alternative than spending $5 for that 12 oz can of coke you just drank from the minibar.

4. If you are to meet up with Friends in the Casino, tell them a LANDMARK - Casinos are huge and they want you to get lost in them.  I have never been to an IKEA before, but I am told that the store is confusing and their signs want you to basically never leave their building.  The best thing when meeting up with a group of people is to find a huge landmark inside of the casino.  One thing that most casinos have is a Sports Book and it is relatively easy to find.  Another spot would be a theatre or a restaurant.  Don't ever tell anyone to meet you in front of a specific slot machine because those slot machines are spread throughout the casino.  This will definitely not help you.

5. Wear a Watch or You Will Constantly Be Asking People the Time - Casinos have NO CLOCKS.  They want you to forget about the outside world and live in theirs.  As much as you try to do it, you will definitely lose track of time and the best thing to try and take care of this is to wear a watch.  Some of you will come back and me and say, "I have my phone."  My response is better be safe, than sorry, especially when your phone dies at some random hour.

6. ATM Fees are HORRIBLE - This is where pre-planning comes into play.  If you are one of those folks that may need an ATM, trying to find your bank at a casino is nearly impossible, unless you look it up online first.  Off the top of my head, I do know that Caesars Palace has some Bank of America ATMs in their forum shops.  Other than that, the ATM's charge monster fees between $3-$6 just to take your own money out and remember this doesn't include your own bank dinging you as well.  If you have to do it, I suggest going to check out Casino Royale.  Their ATM's charge $1 to take out some cash.

Some of the fine eats from Paris' Las Vegas Buffet

7. Food Options A Plenty - If you came to Las Vegas to be on a diet, you have come to the wrong spot.  Las Vegas has so many food options, it is mind boggling.  You can easily find a wide range of buffets, cafe's, steakhouses, etc. on the Las Vegas Strip.  Even though you did not come to Las Vegas for McDonald's, if you really want your fix of the fast food, then you can find that as well.  My favorite buffets are Paris, Wynn and also Mirage.  My least favorite are Harrah's, Monte Carlo and Circus Circus.  When the buffets aren't open at 3am, check out some of the cafe's/shops that serve quick eats.  A go to place for me at Paris is J.J.'s Boulangerie at Paris Las Vegas.  I enjoy their Prosciutto Sandwiches and their pizza.  Grand Lux Cafe at Palazzo is also a great option as I like their portion sizes.  For those with more expensive taste, the only fancy restaurant I have been to is the Tender Steakhouse at Luxor and I absolutely recommend it.  You can pretty much order any entree off their menu and be satisfied with your meal.  Don't eat too much of the bread and butter with oil/balsamic vinegar beforehand, as you might get too full and end up not finishing the main course.

8. Pre-Gaming and the Club Scene - You have stuffed yourself at the restaurants and you are ready to party! For those who love the club scene save some money and try to book your tickets in advance online.  By the time you get to the trip, everything is paid for already.  I have gone to one club in my life in Las Vegas (Marquee at Cosmopolitan) and we bought our tickets in advance.  This was a breeze for us as all we had to do was to pick them up, go through security and walk right in.  If you forgot to get your tickets, DO NOT buy them from the folks offering them on the street.  Those people are there to take advantage of you and your money.  I am sure most of them could possibly be trustworthy sources, but I just don't believe them.  They may offer you a cheap ticket, but if you can't get into the club, you are pretty much screwed.  The best thing to do is to stand in the very long line at the box office to try and get in and hope and pray you get in.  As for pre-gaming, try and purchase your alcohol off strip and drink before hand.  Club drinks can easily run you between $12-25 a drink depending on where you go.  I personally think the clubbing is all about the company you are with, so why not have a good time on a cheaper budget?

Drink enough Water or you might be "Out of Order"

9. Know What You Are Doing Before You Gamble - Gambling can be fun, but at the same time, if you are not careful you can lose a ton of money very quickly.  Make sure you set limits for yourself and only spend what you can afford to lose.  If this becomes a problem, then please call their Gambling Hotline Number at 855-2CALLGA.  Before you sit down at a table or a slot machine, figure out what you are doing first.  This is your money and Vegas wants all of it.  Going to a craps or blackjack table without doing your research can cost you a ton of money.  The first time I played craps for a long time was at Harrah's, New Year's 2010 evening.  A young guy not older than 23 wearing a Texas Longhorns hat held the dice for over an hour.  I only played the Pass Line with Full Odds and I walked away with $600 from my original $100 Buy-In.  The winning sounds great, but knowing what I know about craps now, I cost myself over $4000 in winnings that night.  The shooter was throwing numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) left and right.  That evening was the perfect storm for money making and I didn't know the game.  I was still glad I walked a way with money though.  Do your gaming research!

10. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate - I can't stress this part enough.  Whether you hit up Vegas in the 120 degree heat in summer or the 60 degree weather in December, I cannot stress enough about hydrating.  This is one problem I still have issues with.  When in Vegas I am so excited, I completely forget about the basics of drinking enough water.  I tend to walk around going from casino to casino and while I do chug waters while at a table, I don't do that enough.  For those that drink and are okay afterwards, I have no idea how you do it.  Las Vegas is very dry out there in the desert and drinking enough water really will help you in the long run.

This is only a few tips that I have offered to new folks and possibly people who have been to Las Vegas before.  If you have any other ideas that I didn't mention here, send them over.  I am sure there are a ton of them where people do other things which help them save a ton of money.

How I Show My Appreciation for Other Teams

Thursday was a tough loss for both of the teams I follow, who were are fighting for their playoff lives.  The Golden State Warriors upset the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 and then lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 6.  I felt the Warriors fought as hard as they could battling through numerous injuries, but just could not finish it in the end.  Talk about one hell of a season.  This team was not supposed to make the playoffs and they did, completely exceeding expectations.  I won't go into detail all of the injuries the team suffered through during the playoffs or during the season, but things look well for the future.  The San Jose Sharks lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in heartbreaking fashion having to try and kill off a 5 on 3 late in the game up 3-2.  Frustrating, but what can you do?

I will not go into details about how the Sharks and Warriors lost, but how social media can play a big part in ruining the fun of everything.  I was texting with a friend after the games tonight and I was looking through Facebook and twitter.  I follow various people across the globe and each person has their own viewpoints and reacts differently to when a team wins or loses.  Everyone does this in one form or another and what bothers me the most about when a team wins or loses, is how people talk on social media.  I will give a classic example that I was talking to my friend about to put this perfectly in perspective.  I may not like a certain sports team, but I find a way to appreciate the way a team or a player performs that particular evening or throughout the series.  A few years ago, I was given tickets to a Florida Marlins/San Francisco Giants game to be played at AT&T Park.  The pitching matchup was Josh Johnson against Barry Zito.  I grew up an A's fan and I will admit that I do not like the Giants.  While I do not like a particular team, what I can do is appreciate what a player or a group of players are doing to try and help their team win.  While I may wear neutral colors or secretly hope the other team loses, I will always appreciate a good performance.  That evening Barry Zito pitched wonderfully.  Many of his pitches worked and if I remember correctly Zito pitched 7 innings of scoreless baseball and I gave him a standing ovation because of his efforts.  At this point I am knowledgeable enough to figure out that I am a fan of baseball at that point.  I learned this because I had a really hard time getting over the Kirk Gibson home run off of Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series.  As an A's fan that was a horrible moment, but as a fan of baseball, what Gibson did was amazing.  On the flip side, I have had non-Warrior fans come up and tell me, "Dang, I wish we had Curry on our team because he is awesome to watch" or another player.  Many fans "hate" the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant and at one point, I did too.  I may not be a fan of the Lakers, but what I can do is appreciate a game by an all time great.  I find this to be a privilege and an honor to watch Kobe Bryant.  Many years down the road, I may be able to tell my kids that I got to see Kobe Bryant and also Michael Jordan play basketball.

As I stated in my previous posts and I will reiterate my point here is that I try to the best of my ability to look at a situation as a whole instead of one moment in time.  I do know of the saying about living in the moment, which I agree with, but also at the same time, I like to realize how far I have come to appreciate things in my life.  As frustrating as a team can be as a fan, you always have to keep a bigger picture that it's all just a game...

Sports is Life Described in About 3 Hours

Twitter brings out a ton of personalities and I happen to follow some of the best fans in the world.  After the Warriors lost Game 1 of their Western Conference Semi Final game vs the San Antonio Spurs, I thought about unfollowing Keith.  Why Keith?  Well, honestly I met him in person a few times and he is a great guy, but at the same time what disappointed me is that his tweets are completely not him.  Sometimes I believe that what he says on twitter is not what he says in real life.  I personally think he is doing too much politicking, so let's take a look...

How is Angel Hernandez still employed by Major League Baseball ? #athletics
— Keith Barnard (@KeithB322) May 7, 2013

Keith is talking about the umpire doing the Athletics/Indians game and is completely criticizing a man who is paid to officiate a game between "grown men".  He really needs to give the guy a break.  He is trying his best and all Keith does here is criticize about how terrible of a job he is doing.  Major League Baseball has some of the best athletes in all of the world and this man is one of the best at doing his job trying to make a living to feed his family.  Why can't Keith understand that?  Noooo, he cares about the team he is rooting for to win and not giving this man the benefit of the doubt.  Can you do a better job Keith?  Where do you work?  What if this man talked crap about what you were doing at your work today? The man is trying to make a living you know!

This is why I don't watch a lot of basketball....
— Keith Barnard (@KeithB322) May 7, 2013

The one thing that pisses me off about Keith is that he "claims" to call himself a Sacramento Kings fan and he personally wants them to stay in Sacramento, but he throws this tweet up there.  In all honesty, I don't think Keith cares about basketball at all.  He takes photos of himself at these basketball games, but my biggest issue here is he flip-flops his ideals more than a politician does.  Look at Keith's profile photo on twitter when you have the chance.  He does that kind of garbage to get on television.  I think he is just an attention whore to try and be noticed.  Check out the next tweet about what he said to me to set off this chain of events...

I'm pretty sure @sniff009 is an embellisher and lacks integrity.
— Keith Barnard (@KeithB322) May 6, 2013

Out of all the people I trusted on twitter to say really nice things to me on twitter, it was Keith who did. It's like really?  This pissed me off.  When I texted him and asked why he said this, all I got was a huge middle finger and he started rattling off reasons why I was doing this.  Yeah, I sent him a ton of Social Reward tweets on twitter, but was that what set him off to say these things about me?  Maybe it was my fault for sending the Social Rewards tweets.  He never really said to me he didn't want me to send them.  In fact, he made fun of me for sending them out, so I jokingly sent him all of the tweets.  He never told me he didn't like them, so really?  This was completely uncalled for.  This is definitely rights for an unfollow.

------------

For those who watched the Warrior game or sports in general do you feel better now?  I completely berated a friend on twitter in three tweets and overanalyzed what he said.  I took everything out of context like a fan would do with their sports team on twitter.  My point is that losses hurt because we care about our favorite teams and I get that.  As I wrote in my last post, Sports are Humbling.  At times you can be on the highest of highs and then the next day the lowest of lows.  There are also middle grounds at times where you are just playing .500 at life.  Some things are bad in life and somethings are good, but when stuff gets bad, its all about how you rebound.  Oh and thank you Keith for helping me prove a point.  You are an awesome friend.

------------

You are putting together an awesome presentation that will get you a huge offer of a million dollars for your company.  You desperately need that raise and have been at the same job for 3 years waiting for your huge break.  This is the time for you to shine and everyone in the office says that your company will definitely get the contract over the competition, as you are favored to win.  Unfortunately, while putting the final touches on the project, your competition is rumored to make a huge comeback and will take the job instead.  Instead of finishing the project with the way you have been working on it for the past 6 weeks, you tense up and barely beat the deadline.  Your co-workers and boss are turning skeptical and wondering if the project that was so much in hand earlier is going to happen now. At the big meeting the client reads your proposal and your competitions.   The client realizes that you both need to show something else to get the offer.  You are frustrated at yourself that you should have gotten this job done easily and now you have to put in more hours at the office.  Your last minute mistakes have cost you as you realized you made some big ones that have messed up your calculations.  This extra time has now set back about four to five other projects that you have put on the back burner, but you realize that you need this project and must convince your client to take your proposal.

One week passes by and the client still needs to see more from both you and the competition.  Two weeks go by, then three. Now its been a month and the client needs it done now.  You have completely worked your ass off on this project and you don't want to fail.  Neither does your competition, but at the same time you found out the competition started out late, but is finishing really strong because of experience.  Self doubt creeps into your mind and you are really wondering if you are going to get this project.  Countless hours could be all for naught.  You panic, you hyperventilate, you can't breathe. You are just hoping you have got the project.  A month and a half ago this was in your grasp and now, it's gone...

The client has decided to go with your competition at the last second.  No specific reason why other than that their project was just "better" than yours. Your initial reaction is anger, frustration and you probably want to throw something at the wall at this point.  All of your work completed and you absolutely blew it.  You start thinking about that raise you were going to get which is not going to happen anymore.  The new car you wanted? Gone! The new video game? No No No Not Today!  What do you do?  Do you learn from the experience and move on or do you just quit right now and realize you are finished.  You think you will never ever become big time in your company.  Your co-workers who thought you had the project "in the bag" are now doubting how you perform under pressure think you are never going to recover from the mishap.  Their view changes about you and you start hearing your name going around the office as a big "choke".  You failed them as much as you failed yourself.

A little resiliency and hard work pays off

By the end of the week, your boss has realized that not getting this project has affected you to the point to where you are being unproductive at the office.  You are missing deadlines on everything and the potential that the Hiring Manager/Boss saw in you is going to waste.  Your mental toughness is gone and you are getting upset and snapping at people to the point where everyone has lost respect for you for choking the project away.  Two days later, the boss has seen enough and you are fired from your job.

------------

You wake up in your bed and check your clock and are sweating bullets.  It is 4 AM and you have realized it was just a bad dream.  You realize how much you have done in the past week and how you got your company the project.  The million dollars is yours and everyone at the office is happy for you.  You finally caught your big break at work and you have seized the opportunity under pressure.  The competition although experienced took the lead on you, but you were able to snatch it back.  You were resilient in the face of everything.  Even when your co-workers seemed to doubt you to be able to get the project done, you did and you got the deal.  Everyone is happy for you and says you have taken a big step in the company hierarchy.  "Thank goodness it's Saturday morning" you think as you go back to sleep for another few more hours and wondering what car you are going to get once you get your raise next week...

By the way, the office scenario I just described to you was pretty much on point how the Warriors game went tonight.  Ponder that thought for a while next time you say a team is finished...

Humbled Through Sport

My apologies for the lack of posts, but there have been many things going on in life, especially sports and I haven't been posting at all.  April/May is a big time of year in sports with baseball season starting, the hockey playoffs and the basketball playoffs.  The process gets more crazy when your favorite teams are in the playoffs and you become a professional couch potato.  At the same time, the sports have been very fun and humbling at the same time.

When the Oakland Athletics clinched the AL West on the last day of the season, a million things ran through my mind, but the thing that stood out was being able to watch the first and second games of the season in an Oakland hotel conference room with many of these same people.  Here was a team that was supposed to be absolutely terrible and they win the west.  No one believed in them except for a few fans and the players inside the clubhouse.  An amazing feeling as a fan and I felt very humbled by the experience.  I think this is what attracts me most to sports and why I am able to see things through an entire season.  A team's regular season last months at a time, so there will be the highs and lows.  Currently for my teams, they are on a high.  The Warriors who weren't predicted to even touch the playoffs are beginning their second round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday evening.  The A's have taken 2 of 3 for the New York Yankees and are playing well in the early going, which seems to never happen.  The Sharks are up 3-0 on the Vancouver Canucks in their 1st Round matchup and look to close out at home on Tuesday.

Two days ago after the Sharks defeated the Canucks 3-2 in overtime, Sharks announcer Randy Hahn retweeted the Canucks flagship radio station Team 1040.  I tuned in for an hour and fans were calling in and panicking about not being able to score goals and getting pretty much "manhandled" by the Sharks.  After the Sharks won Sunday, I decided to tune in again Sunday night and many of their fans are talking about their goaltending and inability to score.  I am humbled once again because these fans reminded me of how the Sharks played earlier this season.  After their hot start, the Sharks went on a streak where they had trouble scoring goals.  An offensive outburst would be considered to be two goals.  Goaltender Antti Niemi kept the Sharks in games and gave the team a chance.  This is what the Canucks are going through.

Josh Hamilton Appreciation Night

On Monday, April 29 versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the RF Bleachers headed up by Wes Mills held a Josh Hamilton Appreciation Night where we cheered for Josh because he dropped the easy pop up that set off the chain of events for the A's to win the AL West title.  During batting practice, I really wasn't sure how Hamilton would take to the friendly ribbing.  Your first thought is that he was going to be a jerk about it because he did not want to be reminded of certain events, but that evening he was far from it.  He came over and entertained the fans and accepted a few Butterfinger bars from the fans and ate them while shagging fly balls.  He was very cordial about it and even was able to take a photo with the Butterfinger.  I give him major props for doing what he did because of how humbled he was.  During the game, he threw up a baseball to Wiggi complementing her hair and writing a bible quote on it.  I thought that was awesome.  I know throughout his life, he has gone through many issues regarding drugs and alcohol and has established himself as a fine baseball player.  I commend him that he was able to battle the demons and fight through.  I know Texas Ranger fans reading this will probably think he is a douche-bag for leaving Texas, but he is my second favorite visiting player behind Kansas City Royals outfielder, Jeff Francoeur.

All Worth it after 19!

Josh Hamilton Appreciation Night did not end on Monday though as the A's and Angels played 19 innings!  At 1:41am on Tuesday morning, the A's defeated the Angels 10-8 on a Brandon Moss home run to right field on a ball that was clearly out of the yard, but Josh Hamilton did not catch it, so once again, "THANK YOU JOSH!"  Want some bizzaro baseball from the game?  Check out this blurb from ESPN... Some stuff that was not mentioned, the A's and Angels lost a combined total of 5 players due to injury.  Oakland lost Chris Young, Coco Crisp and Brett Anderson, while the Angels lost Peter Bourjos and Luis Jiminez.  The Oakland injuries forced A's reliever, Jerry Blevins to hit.  He struck out on three pitches, but managed to foul a ball off.  I thought it was awesome to do the "JER-RY! JER-RY! JER-RY" chant from the RF bleachers.  You can put that on the, "Things to Keep Yourself Entertained During a Long Baseball Game" List.

Sports are very humbling.  You can be at the highest of highs one day and then the next day be at the lowest of lows.  This is why I love sports and am very humbled.  This is also what makes me a die hard fan.  I am willing to see things through the entire year as frustrating as things can be sometimes, because I always know that in the end, everything is completely worth the wait.