TWELVE BASEBALL TEAMS ARE ALL INJURED?

TWELVE BASEBALL TEAMS ARE ALL INJURED?

As of today, August 22, 2021 there are 319 baseball players on the Major League Injury List. This means that they are not allowed to play for a minimum of ten days after being placed on the list and it may be extended to sixty or more days. This is an average of ten injured players a team for each of the thirty big league teams. In fact, the 319 players who are on the injured list represent the equivalent of TWELVE fully-staffed major league teams. 319 injured players of the 750 roster players are not earning their keep. 43% of the best ball players in the nation are injured! I think that is a pretty clear indication of a major problem.

Further inquiry showed that 184 were incapacitated by injuries that affected some component of the arm - the shoulder, biceps, elbow, wrist, hand or finger. 58% of the injuries were related to the act of throwing a baseball. 57 injuries to the hip, knee, ankle, achilles tendon, or foot comprised another 18% of the total. 241 of the 319 injuries involved the arm or the leg of a player. 35 injuries involved an oblique muscle or back issue. A variety of other conditions that involved such things as the eye, toe, covid protocols, family issues or undisclosed reasons make up the rest of the reasons.

I find these numbers astounding for a number of reasons. At a time when professional athletes are probably in better physical condition than at any other time, why are there so many injuries? l think the answer is quite obvious. Athletes are trying to exert the human body well beyond the limits that our physiology is designed to handle. Pitchers throw harder than ever and a pitcher throwing a baseball over 100 mph is a common occurrence everyday. The human arm is not designed to withstand the stress, strain and torque applied to the bones, muscles and ligaments of the arm, elbow and shoulder. Thus we have at least 150 pitchers who are injured as a result. I don’t think it is rocket science. Even with the best medical trainers, equipment, technology and science, the human arm is only capable of a certain amount of abuse.

Leg, abdominal, and back injuries are another example of exerting the body beyond its limits. A major league ball player has the potential to become a multi-millionaire if they can excel at the game. Thus they throw harder, run harder and swing at the ball harder in order to become elite. And “elite” is where the money is. The players are prepared to ruin their bodies for the rest of their life if they can have one or even two exceptional years that ultimately leads to huge contracts. A tiny percentage of players reach that pinnacle but at what expense? Two of the biggest contracts issued in the past two years were to Mookie Betts ( $365 million) and Francisco Lindor ($341 million). They grabbed the Golden Ring and won the jackpot. Both are currently on the injured list for the first time in their careers and after a major injury does the body ever completely recover? My contention is  that a human body can only withstand so much abuse before it starts to become susceptible to more and more breakdowns. Time will tell.

Many players are placed on the injured list as a “precaution” rather than risk further injury. A strained muscle or a sore arm or a twisted ankle would never have forced a ball player out of the game even a few decades ago. Al Rosen played an entire season with a broken index finger and was happy to compete. Today’s players seem to be motivated more by a big payday down the road so will be happy to sit out active completion while a minor boo-boo heals.

Major League sports has become the Holy Grail to wealth. Develop a skill, exploit it to the maximum, achieve fleeting success and if you can earn the multi-million dollar contract before your body betrays you, then you are set for life. Future chronic health issues, walking with a limp, major surgeries be damned. You are a winner? 

ARE YOU READY FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?

 ARE YOU READY FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?

Next week marks the beginning of another school year for most Calgary students. During my lifetime I experienced 51 first days of school - 12 as a student, 5 in university, and 34 as a teacher. Every one of them was filled with positive anticipation and excitement! Somehow, I sense that the same joy that I remember is missing this year. It has been replaced by a feeling of uncertainty and gloom.

Last year’s school calendar was decimated by Covid with many shutdowns, isolations, restarts and disruptions. Students were exposed to a learning environment that challenged them on many levels. Some students worked successfully at home, while others found that at-home learning was very difficult to adjust to. My grandkids were at home four different times either from school closures or individual infections involving classmates. Students didn’t know what to expect from week to week and I think their learning was certainly different than it had ever been before. 

What they will face this year is also very uncertain. Calgary has been relatively restriction-free for the past couple of months but Covid infections are beginning to rise again and there is a cloud of uncertainly hovering in the air as we await next week’s start up. As a result, while students anxiously await the return to school to meet and mingle with their friends in a social setting, they are also reminded of what happened last year. What will this year look like?

Time will answer that question as it always does but I think we need to reflect for a moment on our first-day-of-school past experiences. I don’t feel they will ever return to the same joyful anticipation of the past before we were disrupted by Covid. Flu viruses have been with us forever. Covid is not a new disease: it is a variant of some former virus that we have just not been exposed to before. Viruses have been, are, and will continue to be with us forever. They may not be as serious as Corona has been, but the reality is that they will probably mutate into more infectious and dangerous forms in the future. The challenge is for the medical researchers and doctors to try to stay on top of the problem and become master vaccine-developers. They are challenged to stay ahead of viral mutating and that is no small challenge. Not only our new school years of the future will be determined by how successful they become, but our entire way of life will be affected. 

I don’t mean to sound pessimistic but rather realistic. Just as many other aspects of our life have been affected by Covid, our reaction and procedures to cope with a pandemic will continue to modify our personal lifestyles. Covid has reshaped our work place environment, our social interactions, our holidays and celebrations, our financial situations and how we behave and make choices every day. We are going to have to continue to become more flexible and adaptable to changes in our world that will be as significant as those that we had to face over the past year and a half. I think we best develop a mindset that recognizes that our lives have changed forever and will continue to do so. 

Over the next years, it will not only be the first-day-of-school feelings that will be different, it will become more far-reaching than that. There is an old expression, "You can never go back home” since the “home” as we knew it, has changed. I think that we can now anticipate that,” We can never go back to the life we used to have” as it will be impossible for the same reason! Enjoy today, plan for tomorrow, and fondly remember yesterday! 

I think I hear the school bell ringing!

ARE CELL PHONES THE ONLY DRIVING DISTRACTION?

ARE CELL PHONES THE ONLY DRIVING DISTRACTION?

Misuse of the cell phone has become a regular issue for car drivers. Since the advent of the handheld phone, we have now had to enact distracted driving laws to keep morons from holding their phone in their hands and talking while driving. It makes nothing but sense, but there is another villain in the distracted driving arena that we are not addressing.

Over the years, a large number of accidents are caused by people doing other things than paying attention to their driving. I have witnessed people not only talking but texting while trying to steer their car. I have seen women applying lipstick, combing their hair and putting on makeup. I have also seen men combing their hair, shaving with an electric razor and once I watched a guy brushing his teeth at a stop light. I always wondered if he swallowed his spit or spewed it out of the window. I will never know. 

Any parent who is transporting young kids is constantly distracted by child noises, verbal and physical altercations among the kids, and throwing objects that may hit or at least distract mom or dad, the driver. Perhaps young kids should be relegated to the rear trunk or the kind of cage used to transport dogs to prevent them from negatively influencing the driver. Kind of a paddy wagon for kids! I might work on that idea!

The most distracted driving experience I ever encountered occurred when we lived in Istanbul. Often, we would ride on a dolmus, which is small bus holding about ten to fifteen passengers. I remember holding my breath and saying a few silent prayers when I watched our driver steer the bus, shift gears, hold his phone to his ear, make change for boarding customers and passing the money back over his shoulder while taking a big drag on his cigarette! When things got dull, he would then fiddle with changing the radio station playing on the bus! I will have to research if Turkey has now instituted distracted driving laws to reduce the stress on passengers

However, internal distractions are not the only culprit in causing a driver to be distracted. Many businesses have bill boards or signs along roads and highways designed to attract the driver’s attention. Are they not as much of a distraction? During any election period, campaign signs decorate every road - main or residential. I have been trying to read one election sign that shows ( I think as I am still trying to slow down enough to read it) the person’s name as Hallelujah! I am not sure yet, if that is a candidate’s name or an exclamation that we are holding another election! I just know that it distracts me every time I see it. How intelligent is it to have candidates and their supporters clustered at a high traffic intersection waving their arms and signs at motorists to garner support?

The actual provincial government which passed the distracted driving laws is constantly posting dozens of signs. While signs indicating speed limits or destination signs are necessary, there are a host of others. Some signs reflect my travelling speed back at me or overhead signs with traffic information cause me to look upward instead of at the road I am travelling along. Construction zone signs are a regular interference when driving, not to mention the millions of orange traffic cones scattered along sharp drop offs or broken pavement. The only sign I appreciate is the one that informs me that traffic fines will double or triple if I exceed the speed limit!

So, I think that the cell phone may be getting a bum rap as the primary cause of distracted driving. I have seen dozens of other culprits including the people who made the laws!

WANT TO BE A $170,000 A YEAR BABYSITTER?

 WANT TO BE A $170,000 A YEAR BABYSITTER?

After a lifetime of searching, I think I have found the job for me if I should be resurrected sometime in the future. I am going to become a Norland Nannie or perhaps a Norland Pappie. I am going to look after the children of the rich and famous and make a bundle of cash. 

Norland College soon to become Norland University (that could spawn another blog) is located in England and trains nannies for well-healed families, mostly in Europe. Kate and Will have used Norland Nannies so that is a pretty good recommendation for the profession. 

In North America, we have been more accustomed to low-cost baby sitters to look after our children and thus the term nannie is not often used. Our child-care givers basically feed, water and tend to the safety of the children under their care, which does not usually call for a post-secondary degree. It is honourable work and requires a love of children (preferably) and a lot of common sense and a responsible attitude. I think I qualify.

A Norland Nannie must attend four years of training and a year of residency with a family before achieving the official designation. At a cost of $21,000 a year for the program it is not for the frivolous nor uncommitted. On the other hand, graduates can start earning about $170,000 US when they pick up their first assignment. I know that there are few professions that can match that starting salary! 

Of course, the training program is very extensive and requires as much perseverance as it does patience. All nannies must partake in ongoing self-defence programs in order to be able to protect their wards from possible kidnapping. They must learn and become proficient at various martial arts. They are trained with the same intensity of race car drivers to avoid pursuit and make avoidance maneuvers when driving a vehicle. This is obviously not the same program that Mary Poppins graduated from.

In a completely different course, the nannies must also become very proficient cooks, sometimes for the family as well as the children. Peanut butter sandwiches will not always cut it. Trainees must learn to make their own sushi and other more non-traditional food items often from the cuisines of foreign countries. My least favourite courses would probably be the ones involving sewing and needlepoint. I would have a hard time rationalizing why I am sewing a cross-stitch little picture, as I am sure the kids could care less if I am skilled or not. So, the program possesses very diverse elements, some which are practical and some traditional. But all have high standards and must be completed successfully. 

So, becoming a Norland Nannie may not ultimately be as attractive as it might have seemed at first glance. However, in addition to the very attractive salary, the other benefits are also very appealing. Generally, nannies are provided their own living quarters, have days off, have health benefits and travel with the family when they are out of the mansion, castle or estate. Regular exotic vacations with the family are certainly a nice perk.

When I start searching for an appropriate family for my Pappi work, I think I will focus on a one child family, probably a boy, who is not an infant, loves to play on his iPhone or computer and who enjoys binge watching television. If you know of any families that meet my criteria, let them know that I might be available. I am sure Darlene wouldn’t mind me taking a small job out of the house for a while!

PS I think she just went downstairs to find my suitcase!

WILL YOUR GOVERNMENT HELP YOU OUT OVERSEAS?

 WILL YOUR GOVERNMENT HELP YOU OUT OVERSEAS?

“A Chinese court has sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage, more than two years after he was first detained. Spavor, a Beijing-based businessman who regularly traveled to North Korea, was sentenced after being found guilty of spying and illegally providing state secrets to foreign countries, the Dandong Intermediate People's Court said in a statement Wednesday.”

This two-year-old saga is very troubling to me. I don’t know Michael, but I did know his mother and father, and so have a stronger feeling about the situation than if he were a total stranger. It is a very convoluted political story that highlights the lack of protection an individual possesses in a foreign country and the lack of power of any government to deal with these kinds of international incidents. 

I have innocently been on the fringe of a couple of scary overseas scenarios in the past. Once in Turkey, we were travelling on a bus, when it was stopped and police entered and forced a family of four off the bus and into a police van. Had they for any reason tossed me into their legal system I can’t imagine what the outcome would have been. In Uganda, I was a passenger in a van with other teachers and Ugandan officials which was stopped at make shift roadside check-stops many times manned by fully armed soldiers and child soldiers. Their primary purpose was to extort money but what if they had wanted to make a more powerful political statement? I might have been the Michael Spavor story instead!

The lack of individual safety in a foreign country is further compounded by the inept responses of Canadian government officials in dealing with these unsettling incidents. Governments must appear to be doing their best to right an international wrong but their effectiveness is non-existent. Their official statements are insults to the intelligence of the reader and simply are political requirements to appear they are fighting for the individual. 

For example, Canadian Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton said his government condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the sentence handed down to Spavor. They have been doing this for over two years already and what has changed by their condemnation? Nothing!

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced Spavor's sentencing Wednesday as "absolutely unacceptable and unjust," saying in a statement Canada's top priority is securing the release of the two men. I would comment that this action is far from their “top priority”  and probably somewhere near the bottom of a hundred other top priorities. Such as getting prepared for another election! Trudeau also said. "We will not rest until they are safely brought home.” It appears to me that Trudeau and company have been resting quite comfortably with regard to this issue for over two years, so now you can expect to see a formidable government intervention in the very near future. Don’t hold your breath!

But our government is not the only one that speaks out of both sides of its mouth. Both the administrations of former US President Donald Trump, and now US President Joe Biden have pledged to do all they can to assist the two Canadians. And apparently the effects of “doing all that they can” is a reflection that they really can do nothing but sabre-rattle. And I’m not sure that there is really any action that anyone can take at this point in a political power struggle involving two helpless Canadian victims.

Finally, in a statement Wednesday, the United States Embassy in China strongly condemned the verdict, describing it as a "blatant attempt" to use people as "bargaining leverage.” Boy, this kind of powerful rhetoric will probably bring the Beijing government to their knees by nightfall. 

Well, that pretty much ends my rant for the day. But it does highlight two significant truths. Don’t take your safety for granted either at home or abroad. Be vigilant and cautious whether you are visiting the Sistine Chapel in Rome or resting on a beach in Mazatlan. As a foreigner, you are really on your own. Secondly, government assistance for a traveller in distress is pretty much zero. Be careful out there, my friends!

IS THE GOLD MEDAL WINNING TEAM THE BEST TEAM?

 IS THE GOLD MEDAL WINNING TEAM THE BEST TEAM?

Today, I watched the Canadian women’s soccer team win the Gold Medal at the 2020 Olympics. It was an exciting game that the Canadians won in a shootout. Both teams scored one goal each in the regulation 90 minutes and then were both scoreless in the 30-minute overtime. Canada won the shootout 3-2 and consequently won Gold and can now claim to be the best women’s soccer team in the world, as of today! But are they?

I am not diminishing today’s win and the wonderful feelings of joy and success that are shared by all Canadian sport’s fans. I raise the question after I watched the total devastation displayed by the “losing” Swedish girls. They were all tearful and appeared shattered in the loss. But in reality, they were not losers they were second place finishers and Silver Medal winners. Second best at anything should not be taken lightly and yet if you watched the Swedish girls’ despair you might think that they were total failures. 

Winning any team sport is a major accomplishment that involves hundreds if not thousands of factors and issues. The Swedes dominated the game for much of the 120 minutes but still did not win. One sharper pass or one harder shot or one hesitation at a critical moment by a key defender could have provided a different result. When you compete at an elite or championship level, the gods of the sport have to be on your side. Would the result of the game have been the same if Canada had not earned a penalty kick after a video review of a controversial foul? The referee first signalled no penalty but changed her mind after a review. 

Whether it is the Grey Cup, the Stanley Cup, the World Series or an Olympic Gold Medal Game, a lot of elements have to fall into place for one team to eventually emerge as a champion. Do the players possess the skills, abilities, commitment and attitudes necessary to perform at the highest level over the completion? Is the coaching and support for the team of championship calibre as well? Can the team avoid injuries and remain healthy especially as the championship draws near? In tight competition over the season or games do breaks, referee’s calls, cold streaks, weather conditions, mental fortitude, and improved or diminished performance play a part in determining the final “best” team? Of course, the answer is a definite “yes” to all of the above, Any team that eventually wins the recognition of the best or a cup or a medal has had to have everything ultimately go their way over the season. Today, Canada’s girls' soccer team was rewarded after years of effort. Well, done and let's do it again next Olympics!

Today, we can lay claim to being the World’s Best Women’s Soccer Team. Starting tomorrow, we will have to play every game carrying that label and expectation in order to retain that title.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE GETTING OLD?

 HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE GETTING OLD?

This is not a trick question. All of you will be thinking that the answer is obvious, but I have an example that I know that none of you have ever considered. It just happened to me recently.

When you get older you are faced with many very significant changes in your life. On the one hand, some aspects of your life begin to shrink - your patience, your life savings and your eyesight. On the other, some aspects just continue to grow - your body mass index, your number of grey hairs, and your ability to fall asleep at any hour of the day. On the third hand, there are those lifelong practices that just evolve over time into new forms that illustrate that our life is a circle in many ways. Let me tell you that story!

As a youngster, I participated with my friends in all kinds of games and sports. We played baseball, football, hide and seek, marbles, kick the can, and just had fun. When my two sons were small, I tried to pass my love of baseball on to them and they both played Little League baseball. As a young dad, one of my greatest joys was going to their games and watching them play. I was a faithful spectator at all of their activities including hockey, track and field, volleyball, and soccer.

My watching sports eventually led to me coaching both Wayne and Paul in Little League. It was a highlight of every Spring for eight years to spend my time with them practising and coaching their teams. After they became adults there was little occasion to watch them or coach them as it would certainly not have been cool to be watching them with their teen or adult buddies playing pickup games. So my spectator life disappeared into limbo for about twenty years.

My passion for viewing sports was resurrected when my grandson Sawyer and granddaughter Helen began to play sports at an early age. It was a hoot watching them as five or six year olds play soccer while holding hands with a team mate and scoring into whichever goal was handy. It wasn’t highly skilled competition but it was fun. I watched Sawyer play soccer, baseball, football, hockey, ultimate frisbee etc. and enjoyed every 

minute. 

While Sawyer has transitioned into Drama and Improv, Helen has taken to competitive soccer. She is quite skilled and I have enjoyed watching her develop her soccer skills for the past six years. I am already beginning to feel sad that as she approaches her high school years that she may find other attractions beside soccer and my viewing days will be over.

Well, that is not the end of my story. I always loved watching my boys and my grandchildren compete as children, but now my advancing years have led me to watching a team sport that I never anticipated becoming interested in. I now journey to watch Senior Men’s Slow Pitch Softball! And the reason for this blog, to illustrate my aging process, is that I am now watching my son Wayne play in this 55 year and older league. The little kid who I watched cut his teeth in Little League is now playing Seniors’ Softball! How is that for an indication of how old I have become! Yikes!