Buffalo Boy's Blog
Giving You More Than Just My Two Cents
Shitty Field
Category: Miscellaneous | Sports
Goodbye Stingrays
I had to wait to write this only because when it initially happened I was bitter. I have always used this blog partially to vent and I could easily do that here. I won't. I still am bitter about how the powers that be handled it, but not nearly as much now as I was. All I will say is that about two weeks ago I was told that Stingrays Swim Club no longer wanted my services after 6 years as coach.No warning, no explanation really beyond lip service and when I was ready to talk the talking was minimal with no specifics mentioned.
It stung and all Im going to say is thank you to those who need thanking for their support and those who don't deserve the thank you's well you know who you are as well.
First I want to thank the coaches I worked with, they are second to none the best group of coaches I have been around in the 10 years or so I have been involved as a coach.
Most importantly, the kids who swam with me, this past year my group I coached grew in numbers to about 18 strong and we had 13-15 per night showing up for practices, easily the biggest group I have had since my first year. Obviousy that meant nothing to the powers that be. But to say the least when the kids are coming to practice its more fun and this past year especially was one of the best years i have had coaching period. So a big thanks to the swimmers who made coming to practice a joy for me.
Lastly, this was in retrospect a good thing. I now have two+ hours a night I didn't have before, Im still interested in coaching somewhere, sometime but not right now. Maybe in the fall, maybe I wait and see if I get a teaching position and take on coaching a high school team. Either way I will find my way back.
In the meantime Ill borrow a phrase from my friend and fellow blogger Fred Patterson of Canadian Thinker, Don't be sad it's over, be glad it happened. And at this point, thats all I can say.
Category: Swimming
Big Eddie- Let the Tax Cuts Expire
I love Ed Schultz, he tells it straight on his show and is all for the middle class and working poor of this country. He also talks about issues that no one else is touching namely the fact that not only do the Bush tax cuts need to expire on the wealthiest 2% of this country, we need new labor laws that will keep manufacturing jobs in this country.
Who else touches that topic. The free trade agreements this country has made are KILLING US. You want to know why there are no jobs you can go back to Reagan, Bush senior, Clinton and Bush Jr. for continuing free trade. We need to start taxing goods from other countries and provide benefits to good made here.
Manufacturing jobs have bled from this country because of free trade because labor overseas is so dirt cheap and they can ship those goods here with no tariffs or taxes and we buy them cheaper, end result? Jobs outsourced.
Add to that, the fact that there is no transparency with how coorporations spend their money on our politicians which means the rich coorporations foreign or domestic will own our politicians, the middle class? Piss on us, what politician will listen to the middle class. Coorporations can outspend any labor union and not have to disclose what politician they bought off.
Nothing has been done about the supreme court ruling from this past winter and here we are inside 100 days before the mid terms. Its a scary thing. The top 2% own 83% of the stock in this country. 66% of the wealth belongs to the top 2%.
The most perplexing thing is talking to the repukes who will make you think that these are massive tax increases on everyone, the most massive tax increase ever...whoa scary stuff and gets most people to believe in that. Its not a huge tax increase on anyone other than the top 2% earners in this country, its massive because that is where all the wealth is. You want to create jobs? Get that money flowing through the public pipes. That keeps teachers employed, saves social security and medicare and helps with spending on much needed infrastructure repair that this country needs desparately.
The tax increase? From 36 to about 39%. Do the repukes seriously want us to think that the wealthy paying an extra 3% in taxes is going to kill anyone in this country? Prove that keeping it the way it is is going to create one job....so far it hasn't. And it didn't under Bush either.
Big Eddie talked it up today:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Deadline Approaches
At the start of the Jays season the general mood in Toronto and amongst fans was simply that Doc had gone and there was no where to go but down and keep sinking.
Suffice it to say this team has done anything but sink, its proven that it can play with the big boys in the division and may not be as far away as some had thought.
A few things before I get into trade deadline stuff, I wanted to mention the good things about this club since Alex Anthopoulus has taken over:
1. They are much more aggressive scouting players and have proven it with several risky and not so risky signings notably of Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. It was a $10 million deal that not only outbid the Yankees but was the most given by the organization to an amateur player....ever. Who says they won't spend.
2. Vernon Wells is back.
3. Jose Bautista...hes got 30 bombs after tonight. Don't trade him, how could you? Hes got a year left, time to make a long term deal with him and hes got an outside shot of hitting 50 home runs which would be a club record. Want to see the seats full in September? Keep him and watch the countdown to 50.
4. No injuries, knock on wood.
5. The pitching staff is young but talented and holding together. Shaun Marcum is back, Romero had no sophmore slump and Brett Cecil and Brandon Morrow have held their own. We officially have not one but two of the best lefties in the American League in Cecil and Romero, how many can say that?
6. The first major trade of Alex Anthopoulus' career as Jays GM was a short term success so far. Yunel Escobar is worth the price of admission to watch him play defense and he can hit too, Might be the most exciting player since Alomar and White defensively.
Okay, now on to trade deadline stuff:
1. Lyle Overbay- What are we waiting for? Probably for someone to take on the salary considering Lyle just isn't the hitter we got 4 or 5 years ago. You are probably going to have to package him up with John Buck but that will work out perfect because we have Brett Wallace waiting patiently at Las Vegas, I say patiently because he is only hitting .301 with 113 hits, 24 doubles and 18 home runs with 61 runs and 63 RBIs This guy can mash.
2. John Buck- he was signed to a one year deal and is going to get lots more this offseason so hes got to go and we have to get something in return, might even get a team to over pay on him because hes still young. Plus we have another guy waiting even more patiently than Brett Wallace, our future catcher JP Arencibia is tearing it up in Las Vegas, he is hitting .309, 29 doubles, 29 home runs with 63 runs and 74 RBIs. What are we waiting for? if Wallace and Arencibia were steaks they'd be so ready they'd be well done/burning on the grill. They are ready for the majors already.
3. Aaron Hill and/or Adam Lind- Both under performing yet last years numbers are still fresh in a lot of teams heads so this is a move you make if you get a team to overpay for one or both. Id prefer to keep Hill over Lind only because Hill offers you the fact that he is a great hitting second baseman and they are few and far inbetween. Maybe you can land yourself a quality bullpen arm, possibly a quality closer with one of them.
4. Don't trade Bautista, see above.
5. Scott Downs- Hes 34, a lefty out of the bullpen and thats valuable for contenders, its a money move but seriously, we can do better than downs next year. Downs for Chamberlain for a low risk, high reward type deal? Get Joba out of the pressure cooker in NY and maybe he relaxes a little and pitches to his capability.
Overall this team I think its safe to say has surprised a lot of people, they are 13 out of first in the toughest division in baseball. They have a realistic shot at catching the Boston Red Sox in the standings which would be huge for this organization, to show they can fit right in there with the big money teams. Especially for a team that hasn't spent the money yet. They have fought the Yankees tooth and nail, gave Tampa a good run in their series with them and they have played Boston tough as well. Plus we proved that we are far and away better than the Orioles 11 straight againt the O's, we are definitely not last place material.
Go out this offseason and revamp the bullpen, tweak the pitching staff and this team could contend next year. Alex said when its time to spend the organization will spend, this offseason while sooner then expected may be the time. to spend a little to fill in the gaps.
Category: Toronto Blue Jays
I've Been Lazy
I admit I've been lazy, been distracted by other things instead of updating Buffalo Boy. I do homecare for a living and we do everything on computer and there are nights on end where I am sick of being on a computer.
However that is no excuse for leaving this site unattended and for anyone wondering Buffalo Boy is still alive and well just on sabaticcal.
To be honest I have been lacking the overall will to write much lately, I guess I have been sitting back just watching the political environment unfold, the sports world, Mel Gibson's tirade and a whole host of other issues and just kind of numb to a lot of it lately and thinking of what I can write about.
One thing I am noticing is that everything gets sooo over played in the media world that you get sick of seeing the same damn lead stories refurbished and opinionated on that it makes you sick. News isn't news anymore its opinion. Leave opinion for bloggers and the news networks need to focus on facts not opinion thats how the whole Sherrod thing got started. Opinion and twisting the facts, in this case a video.
So that said, I feel like my batteries are slowly recharging and Im actually in a mood to post stuff again, just needed a bit of a break.
Category: Blogging
Fox and Hannity a Joke
Even Bill O'Reilly is apologizing for his and his networks piss poor excuse for breaking news. Say what you want about CNN, MSNBC and the other major news networks but they don't go airing bullshit excuses for stories just to make the president and his administration look bad. You can go back to the ACORN scandal that did in an organization whose only purpose was to get those less fortunate registered to vote.
This whole Shirley Sherrod thing has blown up in the wrong faces and its put its focus on the wrong people. Isn't Fox News coming under more fire for this? Why does Sean Hannity still have a job?
This whole thing stunk from the beginning and Fox News should be facing some stiff fines/punishment from someone. At the very least the educated amongst its viewers should be seriously questioning why they go to this station for news.
Lets re-examine that word. News.....what does that word mean anymore? I blame all the news networks for this fact, news networks have become more based on opinion based shows from either side of the political spectrum than what news should be based on....FACT
FOX however takes it to a whole new level, they purposefully air stuff without vetting it, take those bullshit videos of the tea party demonstrations against healthcare last summer when they were showing crowds from a different rally. FOX news is doing nothing more than adjusting and totally falsifying its content to satisfy their intended audience who will watch and listen blindly and believe it regardless of the truth.
This however went too far, it got an innocent woman fired, luckily cooler heads prevailed, Shirley Sherrod knew she didn't do wrong, the other networks eventually did their homework and called FOX on the bullshit.
News networks on both sides of the aisle need to do less opinion based shows and more fact based shows. I will grant MSNBC one thing, their mainly liberal lineup which I watch nightly fills their broadcasts with these little things called FACTS. CNN especially Anderson Cooper is a bit more opinion based.
Take the opinion out of the news, they won't because opinions, especially controversial/onesided ones draw viewers and ultimately that is what these news networks are all about.
30 years ago you could turn on the news and thats what you would get, news, now you get Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly spewing crap, though O'Reilly I will admit has done his fair share of sticking up for and actually realizing and admitting his wrongs lately.
Instead of focusing on Sherrod and the Obama administration lets focus on the crappy journalism of Fox News and their inability to vet their stories if only to make someone look bad.
And while we are bringing up racism at Tea Party ralliesCategory: Politics
Golf Needs More of This
MIguel Angel Jimenez hit a trick shot by banking the ball off a wall at the British Open yesterday. He has no chance at winning but he will probably be talked about more for this shot than the winner unless Tiger Woods pulls it off.
I think its safe to say that golf needs more stuff like that shot. These players are pros, Im sure in practice rounds they take funky shots that either pay off or don't. Players who don't have a chance in hell of winning on day two or three of a tournament should do more stuff like this, take a chance, wow the crowd. At the very least it makes it interesting for the fans and I'll bet it draws more casual fans like me out of the woodwork.
It reminded me of Tin Cup, he may not have won but he took center stage for taking a chance:
Category: Sports
My Top Five Arnie Movies
Here are my top 5 Arnie movies in no particular order:
1. Predator- This film was loaded with studs including Jesse Ventura, the trailer doesn't do the movie justice by any means. 2. Running Man: More muscle heads and Richard Dawson was just awesome as Killian 3. Commando: Arnie kills everyone with a plane full of weapons, full of one liners. Not to mention Nick from Cheers and Alyssa Milano. 4. Totall Recall: "Get your ass to Mars" 5. Red Heat: Belushi for me gets this movie into my top five. The chemistry between him and Arnie was really good in this movie Sorry Terminator fans, they are not on my top 5 list. The first Terminator would have been my 6th pick if that makes anyone feel better.Category: Movies
I'm Back!
I haven't been posting for a while, if for no other reason than its summer, I have been busy and honestly, I haven't had much to say.
I have been listening and watching and checking things out though and staying tuned but what more can be said about the oil spill that hasn't already been beaten to a pulp?
I do have a few things I want to get off my chest though:
1. The Sabres: Their only big name signing is Rob Niedermayer, Its a name only, the last name is familiar but really this is a third line guy at best. Sure he gives some depth but if this is the only forward signing/move of significance Darcy Regier has come to the end of his stay here as GM. Other than Niedermayer he has signed a guy by the name of Conboy who will be a fourth liner or depth for Portland at best and this Whitmore guy who again, hes Portland depth at best.
Nickels and dimes but no big money. You can't nickel and dime your way to the playoffs and if this is going to be our offseason maybe there needs to be a shake up in the front office.
2. Got to the break and the Jays are hanging around .500, When Doc left everyone in Toronto thought doomsday was upon this team. Not only have they been entertaining, they have been downright competitive and have shown they can play with the big boys. Any other division than the AL East and this team is very close to a playoff spot if not winning their division. It could still get interesting, Boston is not that good with all their injuries the Jays could make a run at third place. Look for Lyle Overbay to be subject of trades for the rest of this month and possibly John Buck.
3. A lot of you were wondering what was going on with my post on facebook and all I can say is I will comment more on here later about what happened this past week, need to give it a little distance before commenting.
4. I am so sick of watching the state lawmakers delay and stall getting a budget together. This will do nothing but hurt citizens of this state. I already has by closing state parks and this fall its going to hurt our schools. quality teachers are being cut and some from schools that can ill afford to have staff cut. Ultimately it hurts the education kids will get. How anyone can consider cutting education or healthcare is a good thing is beyond me. Lets start with cutting the New York State Thruway Authority and go from there.
Until the budget gets passed how bout our governor grow a set of balls and take away every government lawmakers pay starting with his own. Yes, I say every state politician from the governor on down to the state assembly go without pay until they get this states budget done without cutting healthcare or education. Its possible, figure it out.
Sorry for the lack of posts, Ill be on more now, I have a few extra hours a day I didn't have as of this past week.
Category: Miscellaneous
