OLIVET: you ROCK

Olympics Clothing............what do you think?

I like these very much.....except for the Ralph Lauren polo horse on all the shirts...why's that there?  Can't a designer leave his insignia off even this large and important to the country?

I rather like the suit below but don't much like the hat.....why do they need hats, anyway?  I know some Americans miss the cowboy hats, but the Olympics aren't a rodeo, after all!)

The most upsetting thing is that they're made in China.   We couldn't make them in America?  HERE is the excuse.

What do you think of the clothes and why do you think they had to go to China?   If it's cost, REALLY?  We couldn't do it here for the same amount of money?  Or maybe we could have popped for a bit more if it's more expensive here?  This isn't mass production!

z

We need more people like the Stones

I HOPE YOU ALL WEIGH IN ON MY POINTS BELOW...there's more to this story than you've heard:

Shannon Stone's Mother Makes a Request of Josh Hamilton 

(Z: This is directly taken from an article by a writer called 'Duk)

With 2011 drawing to a close, the Shannon Stone tragedy at Rangers Ballpark is appearing on most, if not all, of the year-end retrospectives.
And while many of those lists will simply note the accident that led to the 39-year-old father falling to his death after trying to catch a ball thrown by Josh Hamilton, the New York Times Magazine scored an interesting interview with Stone's parents. Though neither Al or SuZann Stone get into the details of the fall or its effects on young Cooper Stone — a public stance that has been m.o. since the tragedy — they relate a story about how Al once caught a foul ball from Buddy Bell when Shannon was young.
Shannon Stone liked Bell as much as Cooper likes Josh Hamilton now and the foul ball quickly became a family treasure. Because of that, Al and SuZann knew exactly why Shannon made the effort he did — and why Hamilton shouldn't think twice about continuing the practice of throwing baseballs into the stands as souvenirs.
From the NYT Magazine:

SuZann: Shortly after the accident, there was some discussion about whether foul balls should be thrown into the stands to the fans. I wrote to Josh Hamilton, and I said: "Please, don't stop throwing those balls. Because that's so important. That's why daddies bring their little boys to the ballgame is for memories like that. Please don't stop."

As someone who immediately identified with this sentiment, I like that SuZann Stone wrote that letter to Josh Hamilton. If someone that close to Shannon Stone can identify that it was a freak occurrence, the cynics that predictably surfaced after the accident should be able to, as well.  *(end of story)


Z:   I post this for two reasons:  One is the beautiful 'absolution' of Josh Hamilton, who just might still be feeling pretty awful about what happened, and two, and almost most importantly, the ATTITUDE:   I'm very often writing about how we can't make things better all the time or protect everyone all the time, that human nature is what it is and accidents will happen no matter what.  This seems to be something the Left can't or won't grasp in their supposed hopes that everybody's always healthy and happy.  For example, it's not much of a stretch to believe that some would forever prohibit the lifelong tradition of ball players throwing balls into the stands because of this tragic story.   The Right grieves every bit as much as anyone else for Shannon Stone and his family, but wouldn't dream of prohibiting all the fun future children will have for having had a daddy catch a ball from their favorite player.   Yes, I hate to make something political out of a story like this, but Mrs. Stone's words resonated with me and I thought they might with you, too.  It shows a LOT about her and it should make us cautious about what we ban in the future for the sake of one tragic accident.
z

Just an email......but so much more

This is an email that went out to a Christian High School volleyball team here in Los Angeles.  I was so touched by it that I had a feeling some of you'd want to see it.    This is what ALL kids need.  I like to think this Coach isn't the only teacher giving young people such positive, Godly encouragement:

Ladies,

Thanks for all of your work.

You have represented our school and our traditions well this year.

We started volleyball here in September of our 1st year, after we had convinced enough girls to play.

Now, 6 years later, we are one win away from our 5th straight league championship.

We compete and practice at a completely different level than when we started. That includes when we won our CIF title 2 divisions below where we are currently competing.

It has been an amazing journey with some amazing young women who have contributed to where we are today.

You guys are a part of that tradition. You are a part of an important history. The most important thing that happened tonight was how upset you were when you lost. Caring about your teammates and caring about your school (and your own personal pride) are the things that we hope you guys walk away with.

It will go a long way to adding to the woman you become.

Losses shape you. Victories are visible signs of your skill and hard work. But losses change who you are.

Don't run from it, welcome the lessons. That pain is good.

Young ladies with all the talent and potential you have could just put this loss off to the side and consider it  just another part of their day. But to deeply hurt means you deeply care. To deeply care, means you have substance and stand for something.

What you do, win or lose, is very important. You are helping build a program and a school that stands for something.

God leads the way in everything that happens at (this school). He wants a school that will have an impact on the world and stand for what is right.

This afternoon you represented that.

Thanks,

Coach X

Z: I'm proud to be associated with this school in many ways and you can probably see why!

What do you think?

z

What's 'WORSE?'

The Miami Hurricanes have a scandal on their hands; many of you might have heard about it.  I just heard about it on CNN.  Something their news reader said jumped out at me and I had to post it and ask what you thought:

A big booster of theirs had apparently offered players on the Hurricanes things like cars, cash, rides on his yacht and pricey evenings out on the town.   They were also given "bounty money to injure players"!   As the CNN news reader said, "Nevin  Shapiro offered bounty money to injure players and, "what's WORSE....Prostitutes were offered to the players"

I thought to myself "prostitutes given as bribes to young guys" is "WORSE" than giving them money to injure other players, perhaps injuring their bodies permanently and, thereby, their whole futures?  

Which seems worse to YOU.........prostitutes or injuring others?   I'd like to know..........thanks!

z

Good news to start the week with........

Well, HERE is some good news..........remember THIS post I did a few weeks ago about footballer Tom Brady's mentor, Tom Martinez?  He was told he had weeks to live but it seems to have been wrong....He's much better!  Please read the article.  Here is a snippet:

"....a second opinion Martinez received at UCLA's medical center this week revealed that the primary issue with his health may have been a pacemaker he received right around the time that the more somber diagnosis was made. "I'm feeling better and I'm optimistic after being almost completely certain that I was going to die," Martinez said after the pacemaker was adjusted. Amazingly, he felt good enough on Saturday to attend his 33^rd annual quarterback camp
Now, the man who taught Brady how to be a quarterback (the two conferred about Brady's mechanics just recently in a meeting that also included Pats receiver Julian Edelman could very well be in line for a kidney transplant. After his condition was reported on Facebook, several people volunteered to help. A donor was recently found, and Martinez will undergo further tests to insure that he's strong enough to handle the procedure. From there, a heart transplant might be a possibility as well. "Incredible, isn't it? They might try to do a double transplant if everything works," he said."

The point of my blogging this?  First, to give you the upshot to my post I'd published for the reason that I thought the guy really handled his imminent death with such dignity and love for his friends..........AND to remind us all that sometimes things look much bleaker than they really are.
May this story give hope to someone who's reading this story and that it's rewarded like it was for Mr Martinez.......you never know.
z

Tee for Two.......Obama and Biden are playing golf ...

....no, that's not the beginning of a joke!...........they're linking up to play golf Saturday.  HERE is the article on it and here are the parts I found interesting (in bold) and my comments:


WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and Republican leader John Boehner will hit the golf course on Saturday with many hoping that over 18 holes they can knock Washington's troubled debt limit talks out of the rough.
Obama and Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives, will play golf together for the first time and discuss how to reach a deal to raise the country's $14.3 trillion debt limit by August 2 to avoid the first default in U.S. history.

So........that could be interesting, huh?  It gives Boehner and Biden's handicaps in the article...check it out.  And, the article says "Traditionally, out of respect to the commander-in-chief and his guests, the scores in a presidential golf match are not publicly disclosed."  bummer!

Under the bonhomie that will be on show during the game, the stakes could not be higher. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned that failure to raise the borrowing cap by August 2 will trigger turmoil in the bond markets and economic "catastrophe."

Except some people don't think so....but they don't add the alternate viewpoint here, of course.

The White House says no debt deal will be struck during the golf outing, but the subject will be broached.

Well, there goes that sense of optimism.......why bother to suggest that no deal will be struck?  What's the point of that? 

Boehner told reporters on June 1 that the White House rarely telephones him, while administration officials privately gripe that Boehner has refused invitations to state dinners.

That was my favorite part of the article......Boehner would like the White House to call him to try to get business done (as Speaker of the House, you'd think they might?) but the White House is griping he won't have dinner with them?  


Do you think this golf game could help? 

z

Tom Brady's friend and Life Lessons.........what would you recommend?

Tom Martinez, who coached New England Patriot (and very handsome, I might add) Tom Brady when he was in high school at San Mateo, California, and was still giving him tips up till very recently, is dying of complications from diabetes.  I saw this and wanted to share it because I thought what he says about LIFE LESSONS is so important.  I hope we can all leave behind life lessons which help others and keep us alive in that way....

Here's the announcement he wrote this weekend upon getting the terrible news:

We have received some bad news that I wanted to share with all of you. I have been given a week to a month to live, depending on my body's response to medication. I want to thank you for the relationship that we shared and the friendships that allowed me to have a very successful career. As much as I would like to talk to you each in person, that is not feasible so please respect my family's need for some privacy now. If the number of lives that I've been involved with are in the thousands, then it isn't possible to talk to each and every one of you. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to teach and coach you all and I ask that you take one or two of my life lessons and pass them on to your family and friends and that will keep me alive forever. With much love and appreciation, I wish all of you a very successful and fulfilled life. TM.

What a class act he is.  What LIFE LESSONS would you say might benefit others?  If you would, I'd like you to share some.  Thanks.

May God grant peace and comfort to Mr. Martinez and his family and huge family of friends.  And may he not suffer as he goes to meet Him.

By the way, speaking of sports;  I got to love soccer through Mr. Z and flipped when I happened to see what might be called 'the goal of the year'......and it was just another awakening to me that I couldn't say "Hey, honey, look at THIS!" and see his pleasure from watching it.  (by the way, that was a nasty life lesson for me, believe me).  SO..Anybody here appreciate soccer?  Check THIS out and please share what you think with me....! I miss that. I never thought I'd miss someone to talk soccer with until Mr Z and I went to some amazing games in Germany, believe me!
Z

Sports and Money...............

SPORTS PEOPLE GET TOO MUCH MONEY and don't know how to divide it up?!.  Only people who cure cancer should get more than 10 million a year....guys who throw or kick a ball around shouldn't.   Thus spake Z.

Here's my thinking:   We set caps on players' income.  They can hassle with lawyers and contracts over whether they get 1 million or 10 million a year (which I think is still too much, but...) and then that's it.   But, then the owners would get all that extra money, you ask?  NO.  They have caps, too.  After that, the money goes to CHARITY.   Let them hassle about which charity instead of how they can all have a piece of the NINE BILLION DOLLARS at stake in my linked article. Yes, I'm a free market Conservative and think we all should financially do as well as we can but when you hear numbers like those in the article, one begins to think.........Earn all you want!  But..........maybe divide it up with those much less fortunate?

What do you think? 

z

Wrestle with this story and tell me what you think!

Please READ THIS about an Iowan who won't wrestle a girl even for a State wrestling match he had his heart on winning. 
Sometimes I let you good people tell me what you think before I weigh in on information I post but I have to say I ADMIRE THIS KID SO MUCH I COULD PINCH HIS CHEEKS but he's a wrestler so I have to restrain myself because you know how teenaged boys like older women to pinch their cheeks :-)  I'll just say "Joel Northrup, you impress me"

So, what do you think about this?  Should teenaged girls be in the same wrestling competition with boys?

z

SUPER BOWL FOOD

Please go to Mac'n GeeeZ, which I may be putting in full force again (or half force, which would be a step in the right direction after so much time off!).......tell us (here or there)
WHAT ARE YOU EATING WHILE YOU WATCH THE SUPER BOWL TOMORROW?  
And, tell us which team you're rooting for in my post below!  Thanks..

Super Bowl Advice?

Before anybody jumps on me for this, I don't really care which team wins except my sister and her husband are flying this afternoon to Dallas and the Super Bowl game,  rooting for the Packers, and my buddy Elmer's Brother is a BIG Steelers fan, ...but I thought whoever wrote this was pretty clever and I thought I'd pass it along!  


Every Red Blooded American should jump in line to support the Green Bay Packers! The Packers defeated the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon thus earning them the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl. By doing so, they saved the Hard-Working, Red Blooded, Taxpaying Americans literally several million dollars of tax money. How, you say? Simple... we were told that, if the Chicago Bears had won, President Obama (and probably his family) would probably be attending the Super Bowl to cheer on his hometown team. Since the Bears lost...the President won't be attending. The money saved from not using Air Force 1, the limousines, all the additional security, and let's not forget  Michelle Obama's entourage, is probably literally several million dollars!  Therefore, every American should cheer on the Green Bay Packers at the Super Bowl to show them our gratitude. Oh...and let's not forget to thank Chicago Bears Quarterback Jay Cutler for his role in the Packer's success! With that said... cheer for America's team...the Green Bay Packers!

Z:  Who are YOU rooting for?

Swimming in hot water.............Fran Crippen dies

THIS happened today.  A swimmer, Fran Crippen, died while swimming in the United Arab Emirates.
Here's the AP opening paragraph:
"Fran Crippen, a medal-winning open-water swimmer on the U.S. national team, told his coach he wasn’t feeling well late in a race before he died in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday."
"The 26-year-old from a family of prominent swimmers in suburban Philadelphia was competing in the FINA Open Water 10-kilometer World Cup in Fujairah, south of Dubai, but failed to finish and was found in the water two hours later, according to Swimming World."

He wasn't feeling well, did they discuss his stopping? Did he insist he go on? nothing said about that......here's more from the article:

"In addition to Crippen, Maglione said three other swimmers - two U.S. women and one Brazilian - were taken to a hospital.  The magazine said the water temperature was in the mid- to high-80s, and several swimmers were treated for heat exhaustion after the race. “They are not in any kind of problem,” he said."
They weren't in any kind of problem but were taken to the hospital?  And, more:

"Competitors all described the conditions as unusually hot, but would not comment about Crippen’s death.  “These are very hot conditions for swimming,” said Thomas Lurz of Germany, who won the men’s race.  Evgeny Drattsev of Russia, who came in second, admitted he had never competed in such warm conditions before.  “The water was really hot and it was a kind of new experience for me here,” he said.
Crippen’s death has raised the possibility that a 15-kilometer open-water grand prix that is supposed to be held at the same venue Wednesday could be canceled."  Ya THINK?

Z: I'm not one to think all has to be called off, or a sport should be eliminated from competition, because of one awful accident, but this terrible death's kind of haunting to me.  The fellow said he didn't feel well, and his body was found two hours later in the water?   Don't they at least have helicopters or something hovering above open-water swimmers?  Meanwhile, a terrific, talented 26 yr old kid's dead.  This breaks my heart.

What do YOU think of the details of this story??
z

ROOT FOR GERMANY PLEASE!

Yes, I know most of you don't care about World Cup, but for Mr. Z's sake, please root for Germany Wednesday against Spain! Thanks!

Clinton fondles Couric!? (ya, well it's a cheap title but it got your attention, right?) :-)

Terry McAwful (McAuliffe), Mick Jagger, Bill Clinton with his hand on Perky Katie Couric's head.
All in a box at the World Soccer Cup in South Africa.........
GOT A CAPTION FOR ANY OF IT? Heh!
z

SOCCER MIRACLE!

USA BEATS ALGERIA...1:0 in the last five minutes. WHAT a game! GO, USA!!

Manute Bol, basketball player, dies at 47

This guy was 7'6" (some reports say 7'7"), the second tallest player ever in the NBA. I feel really sad that he's died so young. Just thought I'd mention it. Rest in Peace, Manute.

AND THE LAKERS BEAT THE CELTICS!!!!

As far as I'm concerned, this one was for you, Mr. Z.......Way to, Lakers!
z

White tennis clothes....we saw this coming...

This is what happens when you give an INCH.
Bring back all white tennis clothes, please......What was wrong with tradition?.....I don't WANT to see Venus Williams in black and red corsets.

I SO don't want to. You agree?

z

The Lakers beat Los Suns ....again :-)

but I don't want to gloat. much.