This Bud’s For You: The Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Call to Action

Bud Selig’s contract as the Major League Baseball Commissioner has been renewed yet again. What started out as an interim position has moved well beyond what the term “interim” denotes. It began in September of 1992 when Selig replaced Bart Giamatti (the commish that banned Pete Rose). Selig was elected unanimously by the baseball owners in July 9, 1998. He’s been along for the ride ever since.

Selig was born as Allen H. Selig on July 30, 1934 in Milwaukee. He made his money as a car dealer. He had strong community ties and a true penchant for the game. He bought the Seattle Pilots for $10.8 million.

Ultimately, he’d lose his investment and his team until 1970 when a Seattle bankruptcy court order brought the Milwaukee Brewers back into business. Eventually, he became a majority owner of the Brewers. He is the only baseball commish to have owned a franchise and upon the bestowing of his current title, he put his daughter in charge of the family franchise. In January of 2005 the Brewers were sold, putting to bed Selig’s 35-year run with the franchise. Continue reading This Bud’s For You: The Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Call to Action

The Liberal Press: More myth than fact

The MoBseen: Observations as seen through the eyes of Mark

The Liberal Press.  A moniker used to describe America’s media.  Media of all sorts; radio, print media, and TV and the Internet.  For years I’ve wondered how this term came to describe the media and reporting in the United States.

In my mind, it flew in the face of what I saw and heard and read on a daily basis.  The likes of Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, Imus, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Martha Zoller, Pat Buchanan, Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck and a laundry list of other talk show hosts are widely syndicated, very popular and all very conservative.

Many, such as Limbaugh, Imus and Coulter, to name a few,  have become media icons. Very recognizable, syndicated in dozens of cities and consequently very rich.  Many of these conservative talk show hosts also write columns in major market newspapers, are guests on TV news shows, are active in the world of blogging and all have their own web sites devoted to their point of view. They all have access to worldwide media that allows them to state their point of view. Continue reading The Liberal Press: More myth than fact

Saying Goodbye to the Year of the Pig

2007, year of the pig. Lest we forget, in this time of times, these things that may well be forgotten, and in no particular order:

1. America woke up and noticed that its infrastructure was collapsing - in July during a New York City steam explosion and then again in August when a highway bridge in Minneapolis disintegrated into the Mississippi during rush hour, leaving 12 dead. America thought that was too bad, then rolled over and went back to sleep. No word on how the nation’s little things like, say, the power grid, suspension bridges, or tunnels feel on the matter.

2. Can’t forget the Great Boston Aqua Teen Hunger ForceTerror Bombing Campaign in January, where stupid Lite-Brite signs of stupid 10 pixel robots placed around the city as a movie promotion brought the Homeland Security Dept to it’s knees. Continue reading Saying Goodbye to the Year of the Pig

2008: The Merciful End of The State Quarter

In 1999, I was traipsing somewhat aimlessly through my early college years, playing in rock and roll bands, working the register at a music store, and writing heartfelt vignettes about my blissful suburban childhood. And, I was excited about quarters.

The 50 State Quarters Program had just launched – nay, galloped – into the American consciousness with the Paul Revere-esque Delaware edition, which depicted the brave, ailing Caesar Rodney, blazing through the night en route to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to declare the nation’s independence.

My dad had long since bequeathed to me his collection of bicentennial quarters, which are forever locked in a square, glass-block coin bank. Now, instead of keeping an eye out for the rarely-passed-on 1976 favorite, I would have nine years’ worth of new quarters to collect. At first I carefully dropped the new state quarters into the glass bank, letting the Massachusetts Minuteman and the Statue of Liberty mingle with the stoic Continental drummer of the 1976 edition.

Back then I would trade my own regular quarters for the new State quarters. Now, on the cusp of 2008, the grand finale year for the State Quarter project, I’m sick of the whole thing. Continue reading 2008: The Merciful End of The State Quarter

Horse Racing in Maryland, a $2 Billion Industry? Wanna bet?

The MoBseen: Life’s observations as seen through the eyes of Mark.

We, the voters of the Free State, will have the chance to vote on slots coming to Maryland.

Current polling by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies and the Washington Post Polling suggest that Maryland residents are in favor of Maryland slots and those favoring slots continue to outnumber those opposing slots. The question remains of course, where to put the parlors and who will be the beneficiary of the millions generated by this new gambling.

I should point out to those opposed to Maryland slots that we already have gambling in Maryland and on a very broad scale; We have The Lottery, Lotto, The Daily Pick 3, The Daily Pick 4, (twice a day!) Bonus Match 5, Mega Millions, Multi Match, Racetrax, Maryland Hold’em, Keno, Scratch-Offs, and of course horse racing. We also have Off Track Betting (OTB) and XpressBet.

The fact is, we have no shortage of vehicles to separate money from man and woman here in the Free State! These, of course, are all state-ordained gambling games. This in addition to all of the illegal numbers that are run everyday and the illegal slot machines in bars throughout the state, bingo nights at churches, VFWs and fire halls (these licensed by the State) and of course the office pools during March Madness.

The politicians, led by the both Governors Ehrlich and O’Malley, have and are supporting slots. This in itself is not what puzzles me, it’s the justification that is used to “sell” the slots to the constituents. Continue reading Horse Racing in Maryland, a $2 Billion Industry? Wanna bet?

Camera Obscura: A Smalltown Photographer’s Guide to Covering International Politics

I am a photojournalist for a smallish daily newspaper in the Baltimore/DC area. NO, NOT that one.

To apply for credentials to cover the Annapolis Peace Conference, hereby known as the APC, because I’m so tired of typing the word ‘conference,’ required filling out an application with the standard personal info and numbers over a secure email program you had to download.

You also had to send in a photograph of yourself, sized at the odd 1- and-3/8th inches. After asking around the newsroom, I had to call my wife who figured out that meant 1.377 in computer talk.

All was diligently completed before the holiday and a confirmation email was received. Things were looking good. Let me add, I was really looking forward to this. The eyes of the world on my town; my coverage area. I don’t care what it is, if it happens in my town, I shoot it. So it’s especially great when something actually happens. Continue reading Camera Obscura: A Smalltown Photographer’s Guide to Covering International Politics

I is for International Imbroglio

Starting this is hard. I promised to have this done by Sunday night, and here it is Saturday night and 20 words down. I needed a deadline to actually produce, so I told Matt Sunday night. So here I am, the wife and baby asleep, trying to produce.Matt asked me what I was going to write about. “Something geopolitical,” I said. Smart sounding way a of saying I’m not sure. “Something geopolitica,l” it can really cover an endless body of blathering, as I hope we will soon find.

Maybe an introduction first, I’ve been on the boards but this is my first story. My name’s Joshua. 34, married 7 years, one daughter. Professional journalist, photojournalist in detail. Been in “the business” 8 years, now working at a daily newspaper in the Baltimore/DC area. No, not that one. Not that one either. The plan was to slowly move up the ladder and land at one of the big guys, then sit back and work for thirty years. It seems, however, that when I wasn’t looking the ladder had caught fire and maybe it wasn’t going as high as we were led to believe in the first place.

Continue reading I is for International Imbroglio

America’s Workaholic No Longer Trendy: Take a Nap

You’ve just had lunch. You’re at your desk, ready to steam engine your way through the rest of the afternoon with a lot of hard work, but before you know it that dreaded Sandman sneaks around the corner of your cubical and you’re suddenly nodding off. When you catch yourself a few moments later, you pray that your boss didn’t notice. From this point on, you begin the inevitable battle of keeping your eyes open for the rest of the day. Maybe you get a cup of coffee from the break room or pop some caffeine pills, but your progress is slow going no matter what you do.

You’re not alone. People all across America are experiencing the same thing, and because of globalization, so are many others in countries where the Western workaholic attitude is catching on. The good news is that more companies are starting to recognize the positive results of giving their employees their much needed nap time.

Nap Centers:

Believe it or not, there are Wellness Centers looking to make a buck off your mini siesta. In Manhattan, Yelo and MetroNaps are two such organizations. As featured in such articles as MSNBC and Portfolio, Yelo offers customers a nap and spa setting for $24 for 20 minutes. MetroNaps charges $14 for the same amount of time, but without the fancy treatment of a day spa.

The idea is slowly becoming a trend, despite old taboos about napping and laziness. Some centers are even offering customers portable beds that they can rent and take to work. Continue reading America’s Workaholic No Longer Trendy: Take a Nap

From Blitzkrieg to Voltron; Local CEO Plans European Domination

Sitting through a State of the Company address when you work for a successful corporation can be interesting and off-putting at the same time. Just recently I was privy to one of these gatherings. And over the span of four hours, my demeanor gradually transitioned from bored to appalled.

As most CEOs like to start out, this particular head honcho decided to crack a few jokes. None were interesting enough to remember, but all of his cronies laughed, as I am sure they were instructed to. Finances, product changes, future plans and the history of the company were all covered in great length, hence the four hours. But my eyes were prompted to grow wide in shock when a few points were hit:

Shock Point #1: One of the CEO’s right-hand men proclaimed that the company is planning on changing the cultural landscape of Europe and steamrolling across the continent. This comment struck a chord in my brain and I was reminded of a German-style military tactic called the Blitzkrieg. I turned to a co-worker on my right and inquired, “what is this the Third Reich?” He looked back at me with the same wide-eyed expression I adorned and said, “I was just about to say the same thing.” Continue reading From Blitzkrieg to Voltron; Local CEO Plans European Domination

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