Bettor's Guide Hope You Lose

In the Bettor's guide section of the N.Y.Post,  the legendary Hondo, offers up gambling advice for those willing to place a wager. One of his favorite customer's is avid Central Park player and manager Jack "Bandanna Man" (BM) Cutler

Bandanna Man is betting on himself this time as he moved to L.A. today and will probably only come back to visit this summer. This is the second time in a good friend of mine has moved away and he will be missed.

While admittedly not the best dresser

Bandanna Man has had his bad and good bets over he years, but always was a pleasure to be around

 and could always take a choke, I uh mean joke.


He went through hard times to build Bravery into a Champion

and enjoyed the thrill of victory
 
to the fullest in 2011


My favorite line from Jack as a manager came in the bottom of the sixth inning of a game where we were facing elimination. The other team had runners and 2nd and 3rd with one out. On the mound we all huddled and went over the options. The guys went with my recommendation of going after the hitter and play five infielders. It worked and after we got out of the jam as we were celebrating Jack turned to me and said "After is is all over can please explain to me what happened?" and laughed

He could laugh at himself. Jack didn't micro manager and was a self admitted idiot who surrounded himself with people he trusted. A good quality. If it wasn't for Softball I would never have met this guy who I consider family. You will be missed. Selfishly I hope you lose this bet and come back to New York.

Softball just became a little less fun.

Precipice...Fiscal and Softball

The Fiscal Cliff has dominated the headlines for the last several months. Monday the tax portion of it came to and end with an agreement where neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted:

• The deal will grow the economy and shrink our deficits in a balanced way – by investing in our middle class, and by asking the wealthiest to pay  more.  The deal gives Obama bragging rights for raising income taxes on the wealthiest Americans -- the first rate increase for any Americans since 1993 -- it also leaves him breaking a promise. He vowed to raise tax rates for the top-earning 2% of Americans, including those with household income above $250,000 and individuals earning more than $200,000, but the House voted to stave off widespread tax increases and deep spending cuts by accepting a compromise. It makes permanent the Bush administration's tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 per year and couples earning less than $450,000. It will raise roughly $600 billion in new revenues over 10 years.
• Raising the threshold for higher tax rates shrinks the number of Americans affected. While nearly 2% of filers have adjusted gross incomes over $250,000, only 0.6% have incomes above $500,000, according to the Tax Policy Center.
• The bill also extends unemployment insurance 
• Despite the last-minute fiscal cliff agreements, Americans are still likely to see their paychecks shrink somewhat because of a separate battle over payroll taxes.The government temporarily lowered the payroll tax rate in 2011 from 6.2% to 4.2% to put more money in the pockets of Americans. That adjustment, which has cost about $120 billion each year, expired Monday. Now, Americans earning $30,000 a year will take home $50 less per month. Those earning $113,700 will lose $189.50 a month.
• The legislation also caps itemized deductions for individuals making $250,000 and for married couples making $300,000. Taxes on inherited estates over $5 million will go up to 40% from 35%, and that threshold will be indexed for inflation.
• The alternative minimum tax, a perennial issue, will be permanently adjusted for inflation. Child care, tuition and research and development tax credits will be renewed. 

Do I know what all of this means. - Not exactly, but what I do know is this:

1. They had to cut a deal. More taxes on everyone? No fucking way dude. C'mon they would have stormed the White House with pitch forks if that had happened.
2. Forget counting on your Social Security money 20+ years from now as the budget had been shot for years. All this drama has caused more social security to come out of your check, like your really going to see that money anyway? Don't count on it
3. Like I said above the budget is a mess and spending has to be cut. We have seen this before, but instead of cutting social programs like health care and education, how about unnecessarily military spending  for example.  Social change is more important.

As a recent comment of one blogs reminded me that Softball parallels politics in many ways
 "Rangers are a very good team but with Armando pitching, can be the best team in the league most of the time. A perfect example of how pitching has ruined the league. Armando hides this team's deficiencies as much as any other pitcher. Without him and the other pitchers who dominated the season and the playoffs, there are 7, maybe even 8 legitimate contenders for the league title, and the standings would be a lot closer. The games are so much more exciting with some scoring and with each team's strengths and flaws on display. Ironic how a league that has more parity than ever on the field is more polarized/elitist than ever because of pitching. "

The reader is referring to  The Central Park Big Apple League where the modified pitching fell off the cliff years ago. This was no more evident that in their championship game where Brother Jimmy's outlasted Radio Free in 19 innings. 19 innings? Get the fuck out of here. No way any modified 10 man game goes 19 innings. No way. Some players love the league this way. Others hate it. A compromise is needed.

Face it the richer teams can afford the better pitchers, but like I insinuated above social change is more important than finance. Some good, weird, and unique softball ideas I have ideas are :

1. 2 Leagues 9 man softball (open pitching) and 10 man (modified)
2. Limit Ace Pitchers to one game a week, Even playoffs
3. Impose a radar gun. Say of you throw over X speed your in the 10 man league, else 10 man
4. Hire New officials with the balls to enforce pitching rules. The Ombudsman idea was OK, but never got going

None of these ideas are probably good alone, but perhaps some out of the box compromise combination will work as you cannot let the league fall over the cliff,

SB Hangover

After New Year's Eve

 
many people greet January 1st with a hangover.

While the original Hangover movie was a classic

drinking hangover's are sluggish, painful and difficult to shrug off. You pay a price the next day. Water and Sleep are two of the best cures.

In softball you don't necessarily need Johnny Walker, Bacardi, or Champagne to get a hangover as they are common. Let's identify a few:

Common Softball Hangovers

• Coming Off a Big Win Hangover - The everyday relentless nature of the game makes maintaining an emotional high very difficult especially when you play different opponents. You can have a thrilling post season comeback win one day to advance in the playoffs and the next day come out flat and get shut out in the Championship. I've seen it happen. Far too often.
• Bad Loss Hangover - Giving games away with poor play and mental mistakes can be very difficult to shrug off no matter how much water and sleep you get.
• Quick Turnaround Hangover - Playing a late night/afternoon game one day and then an early morning affair the next is definitely one of the hardest things about this sport. Again the game is relentless. 
• Lag Hangover - Not playing ball for long periods of times makes you sluggish and throws off your timing and muscle memory. 
• "Trap Game" Hangover - Your team has just beaten it's top competition and then you lay an egg against a quote unquote "inferior opponent". You essentially lose a game that you were "supposed to win". This type of losses sticks in your craw all season as deep down you realize there is something wrong with your team. Tough to shake off.
• Returning Season Hangover - That Championship glow from last year makes you complacent this year. A great player once told me "Anyone can win one year. Dynasties define greatness". Keep the confidence from prior success just don't drink the last year Kool-Aide too much.
• Drinking Hangover - Very few players can play at a high level and drink at the same time. Even fewer can function/play on a 4 alarm alcohol hangover. It's Painful.
• Public Fighting Hangover - An out in the open teammate/manager fight/argument always has a price and lingers. Take it from me I've had hundreds. Avoid as much as possible.

In softball and life, sometimes your lucky and you can look back and laugh at a hangover. Other times not so much. We all have to live a little so hangovers come with the territory just remember you always pay the  price for overindulgence.

December 31st Proves Legends Never Die

Today is December 31st and I want to wish a Happy New Year to you all. Next year has now become this year and it is a time to look forward to the adventure that lies ahead. 

However, I would be remiss to note that December 31^{st, 2012} marks the sad day exactly 40 years ago that the baseball world lost one of its greatest stars.  Following a massive earthquake that devastated the country of Nicaragua, Roberto Clemente helped organize a relief effort for victims of the disaster and accompanied one of the aid packages on its flight on New Year's Eve 1972 to ensure that the goods reached the proper hands.  Tragically, Clemente's flight crashed off the shore of Puerto Rico, costing the Pirates superstar his life at the age of 38.  Clemente was posthumously honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal and a Congressional Gold Medal by then-president Richard Nixon and the U.S. Congress, and given immediate entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame, as the BBWAA waived its usual five-year waiting period.

I highly recommend the following video narrated by the great Bob Costas on MLB network that captures his essence as a player, man, and hero

in every mass email I send out I write "it's more than just a game".. Clemente proved that.

Legends Never Die

Season Review : 5 of 10 ... Rangers ... it comes in 3's #1

In 2012 I was committed to and played on 11 softball teams. Yes 11 you read that right. This is the fifth of an eleven part season review series that provides a review of their trials and tribulations 

Season Review : Rangers

Record: 20-12
Final Standing: Lost in Semi-Finals
Insider Analysis : Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!!!

The old superstition "It Comes in 3's" is based on the idea that when two unlucky events occur within a short period, a third will happen soon. This is doubly true with the Rangers as :

1. For the 3rd consecutive years the team lost in the Semi-finals one game away from the finals. 3 - fuck, fuck, fuck
2. This would be a series of three straight days of elimination for me in September 2012.

I'm so hurt and disgusted I can't even further analyze.

Season Highlight:

From a team standpoint : A well played mid season sweep of perennial league powerhouse and 2012 runner up Radio Free, without Armando, was a very nice accomplishment.

The team was full of many good guys and two individual players performances clearly stand out :
 (1)  Brilliant non modified pitcher Armando who almost single handling won numerous games

 and promising young Oliver

who delivered mightily in numerous post season games.

What Next : Honestly, I don't know as after another bitter defeat, the team is fractured yet their is still a core. Let's see