The Things That Really Matter

Another team made the effort to see Courageous over the weekend - Wyandotte HS FB in Michigan. Thus far they have the "winning" photo.

They had a great discussion afterwards.

Here below is a note from one of the Dads from a school near Chicago.

If you can, I encourage you to make the effort to bring your team and their Dads to see this.

Virtue = Strength, Lou

Coach Cemeno,
I’m writing to thank you for coordinating the “field trip” to take the entire Providence Catholic H.S. football program and their fathers to see Courageous this past weekend. I admit, the initial thought of burning a Saturday afternoon to see a movie didn’t exactly fit into my busy schedule. However, having had the experience with my sons and seeing their reactions, I can’t think of a better way I could have spent my time.

Courageous now ranks atop my list of all time favorite films, not because the special effects or cinematography are so mind boggling, but because its content is so poignant. There was a point mid-way through the movie that I feared my 8 year old wasn’t old enough to understand the true message of the story. Then, he leaned over to me, tears streaming down his face, and said, “Dad, this is the best movie I have ever seen.” His tears were of joy and an understanding, even at such a young age, that life on earth is about far more than serving ourselves. He truly began to grasp the power of faith.

The room was filled with giant burly football players, sitting next to their buddies, but you could tell leaving the theatre that every one of them had been deeply affected. While some of them may have been hiding their red eyes, I heard many say openly, “Man, I cried… that was an amazing movie.” They were right. This is an amazing movie.

Courageous grabbed a hold of me and most everyone in that theatre. It made me realize the world is moving very fast these days and I spend far too much energy trying to stay on pace with it. However, when all is said and done, the only things that really matter are my God, my family and my contribution to helping others. This is the single most REAL movie I’ve ever seen and my hope and prayer is that families across the world will invest a couple hours to experience it themselves. While the movie is certainly not gender exclusive, it speaks so strongly to every father alive. I am a better man for having seen it and I am making it a point to recommend it to anyone that will listen.

Again, thank you for your effort to bring us together. I am forever changed because of it.

May God bless you,

Dave Stolarek

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WikiLeaks

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HEROES-Dave Grohl

I'm not a huge fan of Nirvana. I love the Foo Fighters. But I have a lot of admiration for Dave Grohl. That guy is awesome in a variety of ways. Let me share them.

The first thing you learn about Dave Grohl is that he is multitalented. He is best on drums, but he plays guitar and bass as well. He can also sing pretty well. He is also an amazing songwriter cranking out a series of hits.

The second thing about Grohl is that he is amazingly humble. While being the drummer in Nirvana, he felt that he had ruined the band's sound when he joined them. He held back on his considerable talent letting Cobain do his thing. Considering what Grohl has done since Nirvana, it is obvious that he exercises considerable restraint relative to his talent. Foo Fighters have sold more albums than Nirvana. But Grohl knew Nirvana was something special, and he chose to labor in the shadows to not ruin it. Had Cobain lived, it is obvious that Grohl would have stepped up and taken Nirvana to another level. Grohl demonstrates this humility to this day by playing drums and working with many other artists in various capacities. He has drummed with Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, and others. He has performed with rock legends John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page. The guy loves collaboration.

The third thing about Grohl is that he is a survivor. As someone who had a friend commit suicide, I can tell you that is not something that is easy to get over. Grohl did not give in to depression but soldiered on with new projects.

The fourth thing about Grohl is that he has a great work ethic. The guy never rests on his laurels. While the other Foos are taking a break, Grohl keeps working. The guy is a fucking music machine.

The fifth thing about Grohl is that he is not a rock and roll drug casualty. The guy is definitely against drugs giving up marijuana and acid at age 20. He has never done harder shit like coke and heroin. His main advices seem to be alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine.

The sixth thing about Grohl is that he has a very developed sense of humor. Foo Fighters videos display this humor. The guy is damn funny.

The final thing is that Grohl makes great music. The guy fucking rocks.

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Low-Trailing and Didn't Even Know It

From the first time I rode a vintage Steyr Waffenrad in Vienna two years ago, its handling impressed me as unusual; categorically different from other classic city bikes I've tried, vintage or modern. Despite being large and heavy, the bicycle is extremely maneuverable. The cycling paths in Vienna are narrow and twisty, often requiring cyclists to make tight turns. I can do so on this bike at speed, without much effort. I cannot make the same turns on my Gazelle at home, or even on my roadbikes, in the same easy manner. Additionally, the bike feels easy to control and "place" when going downhill. In the summer of 2010 I rode it up an then down a small mountain on the outskirts of town via a winding road. I thought I'd be riding the brake the entire way down, but the bike was able to follow the curve of the road with extreme precision.

On the downside, I have already mentioned that the front end handling at slow speeds takes getting used to, requiring a very light touch. When I first start riding this bike after a long absence, it shakes so much that I always wonder whether the front wheel is loose. Then my body adapts to the handling and the shaking stops. Weird how that happens, and I even tell myself "Don't worry, remember that if felt the same way last time and then you got used to it." An hour later, I am invariably convinced that it is the best-handling bicycle in the world.

While I've felt these things on Jacqueline from the beginning, it was only later that I made the connection between these characteristics and low-trail geometry. I asked Wolfgang, the bike's owner about it, and while he does not recall the exact figure, he does believe it is a low trail bike. He also agrees that the Steyr Waffenrad bicycles have unique handling compared to other seemingly-similar city bikes. As someone whose cycling experience ranges from the velodrome to climbing the Grossglockner, he prefers this model as his own city bike and owns at least half dozen of them from different decades.

Jacqueline's being low trail would certainly explain why I was not surprised by the handling of the Randonneur we made: having already gotten used to some of the same characteristics, I now considered them within the range of "normal."

I will be leaving Vienna soon, and Jacqueline has already been returned to her owner. Wolfgang has an extra Steyr Waffenrad frame that can be mine if I want it, and I've been toying with the idea of building one up to see how it rides in Boston. I don't know though, it almost seems "wrong" somehow, as if Jacqueline belongs in Vienna. Of course the Boston version would be Jacqueline II... Funny how every now and again I think that I'm "done" with experimenting! But I do need to learn how to measure a bike properly - including angles, rake and trail.

On a side note: For anyone interested in pictures of Vienna's city center, I've posted some here - to give you an idea of what I meant earlier by the white Historicist buildings.

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Activist athletes and modern sensibilities

Gerard Magliocca at CoOp argues that NCAA reform will come when one of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament finalists refuses to play unless the players receive a share of TV revenues. He continues:

Now this kind of strike would not be easy.  Most of a team would have to agree and risk expulsion from school and the loss of a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play for the national championship.  They would be called all sorts of nasty names by fans and alumni.  On the other hand, Curt Flood went through something like that to create free agency for professional athletes.  Who will be the Curt Flood of college sports?

It's a great point and I agree with Gerard it could work. A few broader thoughts.


First, there is precedent for a group of players achieving union goals by refusing to play a major televised game. NBA players achieved their first significant collective victory  when they refused to play the 1964 All-Star Game, deciding to strike in the locker room right before game time, with ABC ready to broadcast. Bill Simmons has a nice discussion of this in his Book of Basketball and righly says there ought to be an HBO Sports Documentary on it.

Second, Gerard is right that such a move would require group solidarity among the entire time, including, probably most importantly, the stars of that team. It worked for the NBA players in 1964 because that game featured Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor. Gerard says that the players would "be called all sorts of nasty names by fans and alumni," comparing them with Curt Flood, the man often (although not entirely accurately) credited with bringing about free agency in baseball by refusing a trade to a new team, and who was similarly criticized and shunned for his efforts.

But I am not sure that is true in modern times. Sports reporters and columnists in 1970 were incredibly conservative and old-school, very cozy with the owners and the league's establishment, and therefore very critical of anyone who dared to challenge the league's dominance and control. They took the owners' side in all of these disputes and the "spoiled players" meme was largely a media creation. Most of the criticism directed at Flood came from those reporters. Sports media today are far-more diverse, far-less pro-establishment, and seemingly more progressive. There are more voices being heard in more foca (hello, bloggers), and at least some of these voices will do more than give a knee-jerk rejection of the players' point of view. The same probably goes for fans. Fans dislike the NCAA and many polls show support for players receiving some form of compensation and some right to control the games they play. Fans are more diverse, more progressive, and (importantly) more well-informed about the business and economic side of the game (as a result of the greater number of media writing on these issues). My speculation is that a substantial percentage of fans would be behind the players--certainly more than were behind Flood in 1970.

Third, it also is worth noting that, while Flood was certainly criticized for his stance, he was not blackballed or denied opportunities to play. As the recent HBO documentary showed, Flood came back in 1971 (paid $ 110,000), but only last 13 games, his skills having faded from his one-year layoff and, perhaps, from the pressure and stress of his stance and the criticism he endured. We also have another modern comparison--Maurice Clarett, who unsuccessfully challenged the NFL's draft eligibility rules by trying to leave college and enter the league following his freshman year at Ohio State. After losing his antitrust suit, Clarett was drafted in the third round and signed a four-year contract, although he was waived before the end of training camp because he was out of shape, rusty, hurt, and generally not able to play at that level by then.

These two historical points are important because, as Gerard correctly notes, such a boycott of the Finals only works if the entire team, including its best players, is on board. But that superstar player not only has to worry about losing a "a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play for the national championship;" he also has to worry about hurting his NBA prospects, either by not being seen on the big stage or by being seen as a troublemaker. The former is not a real problem; given private workouts and the other processes teams use in settling on draft choices, performing well in the Final Four is less essential to getting drafter. The latter also is not a real problem, given that the NBA will accept that "troublemaker" if he can play.

Update: Gerard is not the only person talking about this today. Deadspin reports on a petition by the National College Players Association signed by more than 300 football and basketball players, calling on the NCAA to institute a host of reforms, including increasing the total value of scholarships and putting TV money into a trust fund for athletes. The Deadspin story links to a piece by Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel calling for a team to boycott a lower-tiered bowl game, which would not require the same level of sacrifice as boycotting a BCS bowl or Final Four game, but still will be high-profile enough to get people's attention.

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Ron Paul 2012

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