Smart Phone. Smart Owner?

I was on the bus the other day, minding my own business, overhearing some people talking.  (okay, I wanted to mind my own business, but they were sitting right next to me and talking very loudly)  What really caught my attention, other than tales of drunkenness, was that one of them claimed his cell phone bill was more than 200 dollars.

More than 200 dollars!  Is that really possible?  Was he calling the International Space Station?

Granted, we are talking about a smart phone, so this bill includes some sort of data..... but still.  Is everybody out there running up these whopping phone bills?  Are all of you paying hundreds of dollars for the convenience of sending text messages, and checking twitter messages?  (Couple this with the cost of some of these smart phones, at least I can understand why we call the phones smart......)

Honestly, I am not a big fan of cell phones.  I am not unaware of their advantages.  I am also not unaware of their coolness factor.  My problem is less with them and more with the owners.  Is the information being conveyed really worth hundreds of dollars?  Is what you have to say, and who you have to say it to, really worth so much money?  Just asking.

Running Free in the Toy Store or Liquor Store

Sometimes when you go to a store, you see kids running amok.  They race from aisle to aisle, from item to item.  It can be pretty intense.  Most of the time I don't mind it, unless I have a headache--but then what in the world am I doing shopping. 

When the store in question is a toy store, I really can't blame the kids.  They are in childhood paradise, and they should revel in it.  Since I can easily channel my inner child, I can see how stimulating the experience is.

There are times when I wonder what their parents are thinking, though.  I watched the same scene that was wonderful in the toy store take place in a liquor store.  Call me judgemental, but somehow I don't think a child running wild in a store full of glass is really a good idea.  I have even seen some people let their children push the cart.  I can't be sure, but maybe the children were in better shape than the parents (it was a liquor store after all.)

When I was a child, we weren't allowed in the liquor store.  Of course, child abductors and the general decline of our civilization has made leaving children in cars or alone in front of stores a rather bad idea.  In fact, it was probably always a bad idea (like riding tail gunner position in the back of the station wagon) but we did it anyway.

I wish I could say that things are better.  Sadly, I think that though children are more computer and technology literate, they aren't better behaved. 

Optimism? Really? Really!?

Another day on hockey?  I didn't really mean to do it.  I had planned on attacking some other group of hapless  do nothings, but I was forced into this position.  And besides, it isn't the NHL that I am going after today.  It's the media.

I opened up the paper and was greeted with the words that there was optimism amongst everyone involved that this lockout could be solved quickly.

What?

Who are these people with optimism?  It couldn't be with the two sides that aren't talking to each other.  It couldn't be with the media people who were busy high fiving themselves due to their success (ahem) in predicting the lockout.  It couldn't be with the fans, because their emotions are more closely akin to disgust and rage.

I then wondered if this was a cheap ploy to sell more newspapers.  Ridiculous, in fact, because I was reading this in the free commuting newspaper.  I suppose it might help sell advertising, but my anger over the whole mess doesn't really put me in a shopping mood (and that will include any future purchases of hockey paraphernalia when the sport resumes--I have a long memory and I won't forget this time)

So who's optimistic?

at least someone is happy

Players who are Europe bound might be optimistic about a diet of Swiss chocolate, or fine German beer.... but optimism for this mess?  I think not.

I could forgive the media (but I won't) for putting us through this, but I am sure that when they finally get to report on the thing being done for real they will try too hard to make themselves look like geniuses.

No Sympathy

The NHL locked out the players this week.  Big surprise.  We all saw it coming, we all knew it was inevitable.  Like the hockey fans we are (or maybe now were) we tried to pretend that it wouldn't happen.  We tried to pretend that much like our beloved teams, they could stage a late rally and win it all.

Foolishness.

My thoughts on this are many.  I sympathize more with the players than the owners.  While the players make more money in one season than I will likely make in a lifetime of work doesn't bother me as much as I think it should.  There are lots of overpaid people (Gary Bettman for one) in all industries, not just pro sports.  If only we could lock out some political leaders or senators.

Hockey players want to play the game of hockey.  They've been doing it all their lives. and now that simple thing is denied them (along with their large salary)  Some will go play in Russia or parts of Europe.  Hopefully some of those games will be broadcast on TV for me to watch.

Watching the owners of well to do teams sign players to long term deals on the eve of the lockout seems to me to be dealing in bad faith.  You know that the players are eventually going to have to take some kind of rollback, so if that was calculated in the contract....that seems a little dishonest, or at least a little nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more kind of way.  I can't really stomach them claiming that they have no money when they sign these contracts.  The hypocrisy is mind-bending.  Maybe they need to learn a little thing called restraint.

It is like watching an obese person claiming they want to lose weight while overeating.  Yes, there might be psychological problems that cause this behaviour--the desire to win is a strong one, but in this analogy the players are the super extra large pizzas.  Neither the food, nor the players are to blame.  Bettman's idea is to lock the fridge, but that won't change the behaviour.  It didn't work last time, why would it work this time.  You're going to unlock the fridge eventually.

Some teams are too poor, or play in markets where they don't draw a crowd.  There are only three choices.  Fold, relocate, or get the richer clubs to share their revenue.  Bettman doesn't like the first two because he keeps hoping that hockey will get the same ESPN deal that the NFL got.  As far as pipe dreams go, that is a pretty good one.  As for sharing revenue.... the rich owners certainly don't want that.  However, it can be don.  If they paid a 100% luxury tax for exceeding the cap, the money that they overspent could be sent to teams that qualify for financial support.

I would love to hear what everyone thinks.  As you know, since there won't be any hockey on television, I have plenty of time to talk about it.