More Olympic Thoughts

We are now at the midway point of the 2012 Olympics.  I've been able to watch at least a little bit of the competition each day.  Here are some random thoughts and observations:

The Broadcast
Overall, I am satisfied with how the Games are being televised by NBC.  However, it would be nice to see a little more variety of events other than just the "big three" (swimming, gymnastics, and track).  I realized that a lot of other events are being shown on other channels during the day, but like many people, I can only watch in the evenings, so it would be nice if every sport got a little "moment in the sun".

Speaking of the broadcast, there's been a lot of hand-wringing about the amount of tape-delay and the networks "spoiling" the results of events that haven't yet aired.  I just can't get myself worked up over this issue.  This may shock some people, but London is in a different time zone than the United States.  There are no live competitions taking place while it is prime time in America.  Of course, with the amount of money that NBC is paying for the broadcast rights, it is obvious that they will air most of the events when the viewing audience will be greatest.  Regarding spoilers, get a grip people.  It's just not that hard to avoid finding out who won.  Here's an idea - tear yourself away from your electronic gadgets for a few minutes.  Maybe even interact with other people.

Another common theme in the broadcasts has been the post-race interview.  Each American athlete, before they can even catch their breath, has a microphone and camera shoved in their face and is asked some inane questions.  Seriously, has any athlete, Olympic or otherwise, ever said anything interesting or insightful under such circumstances?  This time would be better spent on replays or perhaps some technical explanations of the events.

Each sport also features special guest commentators, who are usually former Olympians.  The quality and enthusiasm levels of these experts has certainly varied wildly.  It seems that in swimming, the announcers are about to have heart attacks from the excitement, while in gymnastics, the commentators that I've heard have been so critical as to suck the joy away from the proceedings.

One final thought on the broadcasts - watching the parents in the stands has been a high level entertainment in its own right.

Other Olympic Thoughts
Who designed the warm-up jackets that the American athletes have been wearing during medal ceremonies?  Seriously - gray?!  Call me crazy, but how about a little bit of red, white and blue?

I like watching gymnastics, except for the balance beam.  I get so nervous when they do flips and land back on the beam - I actually cringe and can only watch through half-open eyes.

Michael Phelps is a phenomenal athlete.  However, the praise is getting to be a bit much.  A Facebook friend posted that Phelps shouldn't swim, he should just walk across the water.

Certain events just look ridiculous.  Synchronized diving is one example, but the greatest example may be the breast stroke, where the swimmers' heads keep popping out of the water.  Speaking of swimming, why do they give medals for all the different strokes?  The point of swimming races is to cover the distance in the shortest amount of time.  Since freestyle is fastest, why do the other methods?  They don't give track medals for running backwards, or hopping or skipping.  (Yes, I know they give medals for race walking.  See above comment regarding ridiculous-looking events).

Recommendation
I loved watching the Opening Ceremonies, but the Parade of Nations really highlights the inherent inequality of the Games.  Some nations, such as the United States, send hundreds of athletes, while other nations send only a small handful.  I was then struck with an idea that I think would level the playing field, and also help us better determine who the greatest athletes truly are.  The idea is that each nation only send ten athletes - five men and five women.  These athletes have to represent their nations in as many events as possible. 

If that idea won't work, my other idea is for each athlete, regardless of sport, to compete while wearing a sombrero.  I think the Sombrerolympics would be even more entertaining than what we have now.

Anyway, that's all my Olympic thoughts for now.  Enjoy the rest of the Games, and I'll be back next week with some post-Olympic thoughts.  Thanks for reading.

Let the Games Begin

Tomorrow, the Summer Olympics begin in London.  This is my favorite sporting event, and I plan to spend some time watching every day for the next two weeks.  To me, there is something about the Olympics that elevates it above the normal sport-watching experience.  One of the best moments is the Opening Ceremony, when all of the athletes parade into the stadium.  It can be jarring to see the differences in the number of athletes that each nation sends - the group from the U.S. seems to go on forever, while many nations only have a small handful of Olympians.

The first Olympics that I remember was the 1984 games in Los Angeles.  I have no memory of the 1976 games, and I imagine there was little coverage in America of the boycotted 1980 games.  In 1984, the Soviet Union and several other countries boycotted, which allowed the U.S to do exceptionally well in the medal count.  For a short time, Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton and many others were household names.

One thing that I find interesting about the Olympics is how certain sports gain prominence during the Games, but are then completely ignored (at least by most Americans) for the next three years and eleven months.  I guess we only have so much room for sports that aren't football, baseball, etc.

Back in 1996, the Olympics were held in Atlanta, and my Dad and I attended for several days.  It was an incredible experience.  We did get to see several of the "glamour" events, such as track and swimming, watching the badminton competition was equally compelling.  Seeing the athletes who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of Olympic glory was awe-inspiring.  But perhaps the greatest moment occurred at the track competition.  One of the event we saw was a women's long distance race (it may have been 10,000 meters) that involved many laps around the track.  As the race went on, one runner was hopelessly in last place, to the point were all the other competitors passed her and finished the race while she had a couple of laps still to go.  I don't remember this woman's name, or even which she represented, but as the bell rang to signify that it was her last lap, everyone in the stadium stood and cheered for her to finish the race, which she did.  This exhibition of sportsmanship remains one my fondest memories of watching sports.

Will the London Games give us a truly great moment that stands the test time?  I plan on watching to find out, and I hope you will too.

2012 Baseball Predictions

Now that the baseball season is in full swing, it's time for my annual predictions. As always, these are based almost entirely on wishful thinking and wild guesses. Here goes:

A.L. East
Yankees
Rays (WC)
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles

A.L. Central
Tigers
Twins
Royals
White Sox
Indians

A.L. West
Rangers
Angels (WC)
Mariners
Athletics

N.L. East
Nationals
Phillies (WC)
Marlins
Braves
Mets

N.L. Central
Cardinals
Brewers
Cubs
Reds
Pirates
Astros

N.L. West
Giants
Diamondbacks (WC)
Dodgers
Rockies
Padres

A.L. Playoffs
WC game: Angels over Rays
Division Series: Yankees over Angels in 4; Rangers over Tigers in 5
ALCS: Yankees over Rangers in 6

N.L. Playoffs
WC game: Phillies over Diamondbacks
Division Series: Cardinals over Phillies in 5; Giants over Nationals in 4
NLCS: Giants over Cardinals in 5

World Series
Yankees over Giants in 5

New MLB Playoff Format

Major League Baseball recently announced a change in their postseason format, adding two additional wild card teams.

Before I discuss this new change, I think a short history lesson is in order.

When professional baseball began in the 1800s, there was no postseason. The team that was in first place at the end of the season was declared to have won the pennant. Starting in 1903, the first place teams in the American League and National League played in the World Series.

In 1969, the leagues expanded to 12 teams each, and split into East and West divisions. Therefore, the number of playoff teams doubled to four.

Since 1995, each league has been divided into three divisions. The three division winners and one wild card team (the team with the best record amongst all teams that didn't win their division) would advance to the playoffs. The total number of teams to make the playoffs each year was eight.

Baseball, more so than any other professional sport, is rooted in its traditions. At each point of expansion outlined above, millions of purists wrung their hands over how the sport was heading towards ruin and that baseball's regular season was being severely devalued. (On a side note, if you want to have an interesting conversation, ask a baseball fanatic for his opinion of the designated hitter).

One of the major complaints of the system that has been in place in recent years is with the wild card. Teams that did not finish in first place during the season were given a second chance at a championship; a chance on almost equal footing with the other teams. Once the playoffs began, there was very little difference between a division champion and a wild card.

The change that will begin in 2012 will have the top two wild card teams in each league reach the playoffs. These two teams will play a one game, do-or-die playoff, with the winner to move on to play a best-of-five series against the top team in the league. This will make winning a championship significantly more difficult for the wild card teams. The nature of a one-game playoff will require the teams to use their best starting pitcher, and then be at a disadvantage against a well-rested team in the next round.

So what do I think of this change? Let me start by outlining what I think would be the best playoff format for Major League Baseball. Currently, there are 30 teams. I would expand and add two more teams to make 32 (or, less appealingly, contract two down to 28). Each league would have two divisions of eight (or seven) teams each. Only the first place finishers would make the playoffs. In each league, the division winners would play a best-of-seven series to advance to the World Series. Basically, I am advocating for a system substantially the same as was used from 1969 to 1993. However, this would involve reducing the number of playoff teams from eight to four. For a variety of reasons (mainly financial), there is zero percent chance of this ever happening.

Having said all that, I LOVE the new change that is being made this year. If we are going to have a three division per league set-up, I feel that it is important to put a premium on winning the division. The reason why baseball's schedule is so long (162 games), is that the difference in quality between teams can often be quite subtle and take a long time to manifest itself. Teams that are of good but not great quality should have to face a significant disadvantage. Also, one game playoffs are inherently exciting. Each season, the postseason will kick off with two games of maximum consequence for the fans to enjoy. And if teams complain that a one-game playoff is unfair, then win your division and you won't have to worry about it.

Even though MLB has made some questionable decisions in recent years (not the least of which is giving home field advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the All Star Game), I think that they made the perfect change here. They simultaneously increased the number of teams that can claim to be playoff participants (making the networks happy), but also improve the chance of the better teams winning. Well done, Baseball.

Book Review: "11/22/63" by Stephen King

In this book, King departs from the horror genre for which he is best known to tell a tale of a man who attempts to alter the course of history.

Jake Epping lives in Maine in 2011 and is told of a time portal that will transport a person back to 1958. His friend Al had previously used the portal to attempt to thwart the Kennedy assassination. However, Al developed terminal lung cancer and would not be able to finish the job. So Al returns to 2011 and convinces Jake to try. Jake travels back and assumes the identity of George Amberson. After preventing a horrific local crime, George makes his way to Texas to find Lee Harvey Oswald to determine if Oswald acted alone, then to determine how to prevent the assassination. During these years, George takes a teaching job, where he impacts many students, and also falls in love with the school librarian, Sadie.

As the time draws near, George discovers that the past is extremely resistant to change. Numerous obstacles crop up to get in the way. Also, George struggles with how much of his "past" (future?) to reveal to Sadie. A constant worry is of the "butterfly effect" and how much the future will be different when George/Jake goes back to 2011.

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that I thought the ending was perfect and appropriate. I highly recommend the book, even if you're not a fan of Stephen King.

C.D. review: "Alpocalypse"

In June, "Weird Al" Yankovic released "Alpocalypse", the 13th album of his illustrious career. After listening to the album several times, I will now give a track-by-track review.

1. Perform This Way
The lead single is a parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga. There was some controversy surrounding this song. As Al tells it, when he approached Lady Gaga's management about this parody, Gaga asked to hear the completed song before she would give her blessing. After recording the song, permission was denied. Al then put the song on You Tube for free. Later that day, Gaga said that she had never heard the parody; blaming her manager for turning done permission. This cleared the way for Al to finish the album. Overall, this song is a strong parody, making fun of Lady Gaga's unique sense of style and way of calling attention to herself.

2. CNR
Five of the songs on this album were released more than two years ago as "Internet Leaks". This was one of those tracks, so I've been listening to it for quite some time. One thing that non-Al fans might not know is that only about half of his songs are direct parodies. Many of the others are what Al calls "style parodies", which are funny original songs that attempt to mimic the sound and style of popular bands. CNR tells of the many exploits of TV's Charles Nelson Reilly; including the revelation that he "ran a 4-minute mile blindfolded with an engine block strapped to his back". The music is in the style of the White Stripes. Overall, this is probably my favorite song on this CD.

3. TMZ
A parody of "You Belong To Me" by Taylor Swift, this song pokes fun at our celebrity-obsessed culture. I never really understood the popularity of TMZ and similar TV shows; this is certainly a topic ripe for mocking.

4. Skipper Dan
Another of the Internet Leaks, this song tells the tale of an aspiring actor who has not found success in Hollywood. Instead, he takes a job as a tour guide at Disneyland's Jungle Cruise ride. Not a particularly funny song, but is earnest and heart-warming in its own semi-twisted way.

5. Polka Face
Another feature of "Weird Al" albums is the polka medley. Al takes a few lines from a dozen or so popular songs, and sets them to polka music. As I've gotten older, I find that I am less in touch with the popular music scene. Therefore, Al's parodies and polkas are a way of keeping me a bit familiar with the current scene. The polkas tend to be funnier when you're familiar with the original songs.

6. Craigslist
This song is a spot-on style parody of the Doors. Each verse takes a shot at different types of unreasonable people that one encounters on the Craigslist site. This includes a man who wants to acquire your vintage '65 Chevy and only give up a wheelbarrow and sombrero in return; also a guy who is giving away used Styrofoam peanuts and acting like he's doing the world a huge favor by doing so. Another of the top songs on this CD.

7. Party in the CIA
With this Miley Cyrus parody, Al has no entered his second generation of parody targets (previously parodying Billy Ray's "Achy Breaky Heart" as "Achy Breaky Song"). This is probably the strongest parody on the album.

8. Ringtone
This style parody of Queen is my least favorite track. As part of the Internet Leaks, this song has been around for a couple of years, and it still hasn't grown on me. It tells the story of a man who has an embarrassing ringtone on his phone, but refuses to change it, since he spent a hard-earned $1.99 on it.

9. Another Tattoo
This song parodies "Nothin' On You" by B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars. I don't know anything about these artists or the original song, but sometimes that can actually aid in the enjoyment of an Al song. In this case however, it did not help. Overall, this is probably the weakest song on the album. It is basically a man listing all of the unusual and bizarre tattoos that he has on his body.

10. If That Isn't Love
The latest in a long line of Al's twisted love songs, such as "One More Minute" and "Good Enough For Now". A man reminds his lover of all the wonderful things he does for her. These include "When you're telling me about your feelings I try not to yawn" and "when you're cleaning the gutters on the roof I'll hold the ladder".

11. Whatever You Like
This song parodies the T.I. song of the same name. But this time, our narrator wants to impress his lady, but has much more limited resources. This won't stop him from supplying her with all the Top Ramen she can eat, or taking her for a hot date to watch the clothes spin around at the laundromat. A very solid and funny parody.

12. Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me
Anyone who has spent much time on-line knows what it's like to receive a barrage of unsolicited jokes, stories, and other emails from well-meaning friends. Most of us are too polite to say anything, but not Al. The CD closes with this ode to unwanted, inbox cluttering junk emails.

The CD also comes with a bonus DVD which contains videos (most of which are animated) of ten of the twelve songs.

Overall, "Alpocalypse" is one of Weird Al's best efforts. If you're not yet a fan, you can check out many of his songs on You Tube, then by all means, buy this CD.

Book review: "The Greatest Game Ever Pitched"

I recently read the book "The Greatest Game Ever Pitched", by Jim Kaplan. The book tells the story of a baseball game played in 1963 between the San Francisco Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers. The pitchers that day were Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn, who are both now in the Hall of Fame. As the title states, both pitchers were excellent that day; there was no score through nine inning. The extra innings kept piling up, and both pitchers kept going. In the 16th inning, the game was still scoreless and both starting pitchers were still in the game. Finally, in the bottom of the 16th, Willie Mays (another Hall-of-Famer) hit a home run off of Spahn to give the Giants a 1-0 victory.

This book not only tells the tale of this particular game, but also serves as a duel biography of both pitchers. Spahn and Marichal had many differences - Spahn was born and raised in Buffalo, while Marichal was one of the first baseball stars from the Dominican Republic. Also, in 1963 Spahn was over 40 and nearing the end of his career, while Marichal was in his 20s and just establishing himself as a star. In spite of these differences, Kaplan weaves together their stories and shows how the two had many similarities as well.

Overall, the book proved to be an interesting view into baseball across several decades, as well as a good insight into the lives of two great yet often overlooked pitching stars. I would recommend this book for any baseball fan.