Debate or Orioles?

Really--do you need to ask?

Tonight is the final baseball game of the regular season. It is also the first presidential debate.

The Orioles have played all season and a large number of things come down to tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or Friday night.

There are so many options and permutations.

The Presidential debate will not settle anything. Tonight's baseball game will settle a lot.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Hotel Window - Denver, Oct 2012

Denver International Airport in the Distance

I did something different this time. I took the image during the late afternoon as the sun was setting behind me over the mountains and the white tops of the carnival tent looking terminal at Denver International Airport could be seen in the distance.

It was a pretty scene and I zoomed a bit on the airport terminal.

The sky was clear and the day was warm and inviting. The trees are beginning to change over from green and into their autumn colors. It was one of those season ending nice days that get etched into your memory.

I keep getting a room that does not face the mountains in this hotel. I like the mountains, but the prairie has its appeal as well. I like staying here because there is always a great view out of my hotel window.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Trouble with the Curve -- Review

Trouble with the Curve, although touted as a baseball movie, this movie will appeal to those who are not baseball fans. The movie is a story about the relationship between a father (Clint Eastwood) and a daughter (Amy Adams).

The father is baseball scout suffering from failing health and eyesight. The daughter is a high powered lawyer who is one the fast track in her law firm for partner. The baseball team is confronted with technology advocates and the scout refuses to use a computer. He evaluates talent on sight. There are some classic technology battles in this story--can a computer and statistics really tell you everything you need to know about a person or a team. The movie conflicts with the premise of the movie Money Ball, that in fact computers are better than eyes on scouting.

Add in a little love. A lot of past history and a bit of basebll and you have a good solid, yet predictable movie.

I enjoyed the movie and the character development. Clint Eastwood was masterful in the part and amy Adams played the conflicted daughter very well.

Recommendation: Go see this movie.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Monday Musings - October 1, 2012

1. A storm swept through last evening with strong winds to churn the still green trees and which dropped the temperature about 15 degrees accompanied by some cold rains--the first cold rain of the coming season. I wonder if it was September saying good-bye?

2. Don't look now, but the team some pundits projected to lose 120 games, just made the MLB playoffs for the first time since 1997. Go O's.

3. I have to admit, for the first time in a long whole, I don't have a good idea of what happened around the world over the weekend--I have been kinda focused on a particular stadium in Baltimore.

4. I used my new smoker to smoke a chicken and some ribs yesterday--although I have some more tweaking to do, they came out all right. Practice makes perfect, so I expect there will be more smoking in my future.

5. Here's an interesting thought--on this day in 1908 the Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model T. I remember what Henry Ford reportedly said about customers--"If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse."  Truth is, he probably never said that, but that is a discussion for another time.

6. A kick ball, three boys, and bases equal about an hour of fun.

7. What is the best time of the day? Morning of course, because at dawn the day is still full of hope and promise.



-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What I did Last Night

My birthday celebration continued yesterday. Yes, I'm spoiled.

We went off to Bin 201 for a personal tasting for the entire family. Three birthdays were celebrated: mine, Mike's and Jeremy's. It was a Birthday Bash for the Boys.

Bin 201 did an awesome job with the personal wine tasting. It was fun. The wines and the food selections were great. We were there for two hours getting a personal tasting of wines from Paso Robles, Barossa Valley, Spain, and Sicily.

Afterwards though, we went across the street to Cadillac Ranch and I got to ride the bull. Really. I have never in my life ridden a bull. It was over pretty quickly. Thankfully and no bones were broken or bruised in the making of the video.

OK, it wasn't pretty.

Thanks to Chris, Nicole, and Nicole for setting up such a great evening.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tinge of Autumn

I noticed it this week in some of the trees on my street. The first signs of autumn's brilliant colors creeping onto the trees.

First Colors of Autumn

There is a maple tree at the top of the street which always seems to be the first one in the neighborhood to take on the color of autumn. And it has begun. It is a stunning tree standing alone and I see it often reflecting the first rays of morning light. Although now that the season has changed I am going to work in darkness and no longer get to enjoy it reflecting the golden rays of the dawn.

I am noticing the color of autumn in other trees as well. The first hints of red on the edges of the leaves.

Last Saturday, when autumn arrived, reportedly, Jax got up in the morning and was shocked to find the leaves still on the trees. He thought that magically, overnight, all of the leaves would fall from the trees so that he could play in them. Fortunately, we still get to enjoy the leaves as they change color before they fall to the ground.

But, autumn is here and the colors are coming. I could complain that summer is gone, but it is a lot more fun to find joy in the daily changes around me.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Post Season Dreams

They arrived yesterday and were waiting on my doorstep when I arrived home.

I have never held in my own hands tickets that provided admission to a World Series game. And even more, the two I have provide admission to a world series game for the Orioles, should they make it that far.

I love dreaming. I remember springtime in Sarasota watching the Birds play during Spring Training. Wishing. Hoping, that this year would be the year.

And maybe it will be. It is late September and we are still in the hunt with only a handful of other teams.

The tickets seem magical right now.

Six games remain in the regular season for the Orioles and they control their own destiny. Winning all six would be the best. Winning 4 of 6 would do the job.

The team the pre-season pundits picked to lose the most games in Orioles history has already made history.

There is so much more to do.

But right now is the time to dream of meaningful October baseball, the play-offs and the World Series.

I believe!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

One of the Greatest Birthday's Ever

Where do I begin? My birthday was yesterday and it was one of the most awesome birthday's that i have ever celebrated.

I want to thank everyone who sent me birthday greetings. They were awesome and I am humbled by how many of you took time to send me a special greeting.

The day was planned to be a full day. I took the day off from work, Chris had the day off as well, and we decided to do some things we haven to done in a while.

Gilbert Stuart George Washington

I started in the morning by going to the Walters Art Museum. I throughly enjoy art and the Walters has some great pieces. There was no exhibit in town, just the permanent collection. I enjoyed seeing the Gilbert Stuart Washington and paintings by Monet, just to name a few of the highlights. But I always get my mind expanded when I view art and consider the period and the subject.

Then it was off to the new Clint Eastwood movie, Trouble with the Curve. A baseball movie, but more than that a movie about the special relationship between a father and a daughter. I highly recommend it.

We finished the movie, headed home for a wardrobe change and then it was off to Camden Yards to see the Orioles wearing one one my birthday presents: a new orange O's jersey! Time to rock the orange at the yard.

Windmills Near Zaandam - Claude Monet

The O's badly needed a win to keep their post-season aspirations in tact and so this game had a play-off run feel to it. So there I was, with almost 27,000 of my new best friends watching a tense game through the top of the fifth inning. With the score 2-1 Toronto, the Orioles bats finally came to life and the nightcap of my birthday turned into a celebratory rout 12-2 Orioles. And in there somewhere I even saw my name on the scoreboard to acknowledge my birthday.

Wow! What a day. Thank you to Chris for making it happen--especially the scoreboard and me name to celebrate my birthday as well as for being there all day.

I may start taking my birthday off every year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

NFL Refs -- Overshadowing the Election?

It is a labor dispute.

It is bigger than when the auto workers walk off.

Bigger than when the airlines stop flying.

It is unbelievable that the league and the owners don't notice that every passing day the fans grow more supportive of the referees and less supportive of the league. And the results on the field make their position more tenuous.

There is just way too much money and prestige at stake.

And some of the bad calls are really bad.

I think it is taking on such importance because it provides a counter-point to the presidential elections which have been underway for two years, it seems. Maybe we will finally get a respite during late November.

Politicians should take notice about what really gets the interest of the American public. Maybe they should begin using football terms when discussing foreign policy to generate the same kind of interest in things that really matter in the world?

We are going deep against Iran on the next play. It is a full out blitz against the Taliban. 

OK--maybe not.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Tragedy of the NFL

The referee's strike continues in the NFL and the replacement ref's are under fire from everywhere: the owners, the coaches, the players, and the fans. Their product: sports entertainment, is losing its shine and turning to dust right before the eyes of the richest players in all of sports.

And what is the real tragedy?

That the over paid professionals cannot police themselves. They cannot play the game without needing officials for every call--no matter how obvious.

What is this teaching our youth?

Why do we tolerate such immature behavior from these overpaid sports "heroes?"

Someone said it is all part of the game.

Sunday evening, I saw Bill Belichick of the Patriots behave like a spoiled schoolyard ruffian. He even grabbed a referee after the game. I remember my high school football days--if such behavior had occurred then I am sure the league would have suspended the coach--immediately. I also remember our coach would not tolerate less than perfect integrity from the players and no fighting was ever allowed on the field. I remember one game when one of our players started a fight on the field. When he got to the sidelines the coach sent him home--right in the middle of the game. The behavior was not tolerated. Period.

Why do our professional athletes not adhere to the same ideals?

The tragedy of the NFL is that we now need officials to make every call, no matter how obvious, instead of just the close calls. Players should make the majority of the calls without the officials being needed. A fumble is a live ball and a dropped pass is an incompletion.  Players know, why can't they make the calls instead of needing an outsider to make an independent determination.

Wouldn't it be cool to see a player tell the ref that he dropped the pass, instead of acting like he made a clean catch?

Sadly, he would be unemployed the very next day.

That is another tragedy of the NFL. Too much money and too much emphasis on winning at the expense of sportsmanship.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD