Robots Among Us?

Growing up in a small town in Utah reaped many fond memories. Among them was when my dad piled our little family into the Chevy Bel Air and made the drive to the ‘big city’ for dinner. One night we made the jaunt to a brand new ‘fancy’ restaurant, The Sizzler Steakhouse. What a treat! Since I was the oldest, I got to order steak and salad with mom and dad. My little sisters were relegated to the kid’s meal equipped with crayons. I used to love those dinner salads in the little white bowls with a cherry tomato and Thousand Island dressing. Then, there were the fine ‘steaks’, those ½ ground rounds, smothered with ketchup, with the baked potato, veggies and a roll! Yum! Self serve ice cream for dessert, it just didn’t get any better. So, it was with bewilderment tonight as I watched the news and a Sizzler commercial came on hawking their new “Hand crafted burger.” Hand crafted? What does that mean? How else does one assemble a burger? Being a veteran cook at Glade’s Drive-in, I know what it takes to put together a hamburger. According to my recollection, usage of your hands is usually necessary. Now, Sizzler is going to 'hand craft' their burgers, which begs the question, how did they craft them previously? Did they have a team of robots or automatons, hidden in the back reaches of their kitchens, flipping burgers? I had pretty much given up on the Sizzler in recent years, but now I may have to go check things out. I might have to launch an investigation.  Come to think of it, what have R2D2 and C-3PO been doing since Star Wars faded off into a Galaxy Far, Far Away? Were they 'crafting' burgers for Sizzler? Oh well, now they are among the the millions of the unemployed. Maybe they'll find something at the cantina in Mos Eisley.

Fantasy Girls

Whew, thank goodness, the Women’s World Cup Final finally concluded yesterday with our U.S. gals suffering a crushing deFEET to the women from Japan. OK, so it was a nice sentimental win for Japan, considering what befell the island nation four months ago, but c’mon, our girls choked it away. What a let down after the ‘come back from dead’ win over Brazil. Kudos to Japan, they hung in there and delivered the penalty kicks when the match was on the line. So, another Gold Medal is garnered in the pitch. (Yea, I know a little Futbol vernacular!) Did I toss and turn last night in the aftermath of the U.S. defeat? Yes, I did, but it was because my sore back was killing me. Now, we won’t hear a thing about women’s Futbol until the next Olympics or World Cup. And, you know what, that’s OK, because who really gives a crap about soccer? Or hockey? (I never miss an opportunity to pick on “Soccer on Ice”) Just forget the 90 minutes of plodding boredom, and just go straight to penalty kicks. It would be like the Kentucky Derby, the most exciting 2 ½ minutes in sports! Yes, now we can focus all of our sports minded attention on the Boys of Summer. Who are they? Pee Wee, Mickey and the Duke? Nah. Hank, Whitey, and Willie? Not even close. Prince, Roy and Matt? Is that a joke? The new Boys of Summer are my future Fantasy Football picks for 2011! With the NFL lock-out virtually over, we can breathe a sigh of relief that the potential future void of a Fall without Fantasy Football will be filled! Hallelujah, Futbol is over, Football is here! Here is my final question to you: “What are you looking forward too the most, the World Series or your NFL Fantasy Football draft? Be honest. See, I’ve made my point. Sorry, Bud……….

Yaz, Hank and Jeets

Christian Lopez Grabs Derek Jeter's 3,000 Baseball, Gives It Back

It was the summer of 1969. I was a 13 year old buck-toothed baseball fanatic engaged in my final year of voracious baseball card collecting. During those long ago breezy summer days it was all baseball. We played all day, trading cards in our spare time. We watched Yaz, Hammerin' Hank and the Amazin' Mets on TV. The walls of my bedroom were covered with my baseball idols and collages of SI covers. A new kid on the block spotted a 2' x 3' poster of Yaz on my wall. The precocious 8 year old Brad just couldn't take his eyes of the Red Sox great. He just had to have Yaz. So, we made a deal. I dealt the Yaz poster for Brad's 1962 Topps Hank Aaron card, given him by his dad. I took advantage of Brad, but I wanted Hank worse than he wanted Yaz. I felt a little guilty trading my worn out, torn, $ .50 poster for a prized ball card of my favorite player. But, it didn't stop me. I felt bad for a few days, but then never really thought about it until today.
Last weekend, Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter became the 28th MLB player, and first Yankee to join the 3,000 hit club. Jeets always does things with style and hit # 3,000 was no different. He smacked a home run into the hands of Yankee fan Christian Lopez. So, what did Lopez do? He gave the ball back to 'Mr. Jeter' saying, "He earned it." What is this world coming to? No auction? No bargaining? Holy cow, maybe I'll just leave the keys in my car tonight and not lock the front door! In return for the ball the Jeter gave Lopez 3 bats, 3 balls, and 2 signed jerseys. The Yankees will provide 4 season tickets for the remainder of the season. I find this so refreshing. Remember the two greedy Giants fans who sued each other over who rightfully caught a Barry Bonds home run ball? Then, there was the sale of Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball for around $3 million. I wonder what that ball is worth today? Probably as valuable as a syringe and a 25g needle. What would you do? Would you give the ball back to Jeter like Lopez did, or would you cash in? What's right? What's wrong? How much is doing the right thing worth? Nicely done, Christian Lopez! I still have Brad Backman's 1962 Aaron card. According to e-bay, it is worth about $65. I'm sure the Yaz poster went into the junk heap long ago. If you're out there, Brad, I've got something for you.