Once upon a time, long ago, I wrote a breakdown of my golf swing and throw in (article here). Here's another attempt at making sense of a couple other things....
Swing Batter
I grab whichever bat I think might give me my best shot at not just making contact but actually getting a hit. Some people like the end loaded, some the semi-ended loaded....I go with the balanced bat. The balanced bat gives me no extra pop for my swing path. It only gives me the ability for my shitty swing path to have any success rate. So I have my bat and I step up to the plate. There is a man on first and one on second, one out, bottom of the third inning, score is tied at 4. This is not a crucial at-bat by any means. A lot of ball yet to be played. But I can't go 0 for 2 to start the game. I have to earn being #2 in the order. Hands are sweating, I'm still feeling like I might yak because I tracked a ball in the outfield no more than 8 MINUTES AGO (I'm so freaking out of shape it makes me sick), and the 5 beers and half a large pizza I downed before the game are playing games with my stomach and esophagus. Concentrate. Whatever you do don't swing and miss. I dig my back foot in. I'm not comfortable stepping in the canyon someone else dug into the ground so I've set up right in front of it. Whatever you do don't step back in that hole and fall down. I angle my foot toward the pitcher. I feel it gives me better ability to drive to the ball and not fall away from it. My feet are now set. Now.....let's take a look at the rest of the stance. Hunched over? Nah....I'm pretty straight up and down. I feel balanced. Elbows up so I can make a decent swing no matter where the pitch is. Got the bat angled toward the pitcher to help me keep from undercutting the ball and popping up to the shortstop. Ready to rock n roll. The pitcher releases the ball. Don't miss it you asshole. Seems a little flat....is it too flat? Will it hit the mat if I don't swing and I'm stuck with a stupid strike? You don't need that pressure, just swing, and don't freaking miss it. I take my stride to the ball, my bat flattens (idiot!), my elbows are too low (come on....we just talked about this!) and I'm dangerously close to letting my foot fall back into the canyon (broken ankle here I come). I make contact with the ball. It's shit. Pop up to the shortstop. Nice swing you asshole. You should have just missed it.
Unleash It
Hands are still sweating from that at-bat I just messed up. We only scored one run that inning. Crap. Needed to be better. Gotta hold them. No errors. Whatever you do don't drop the ball. If it comes to you don't drop the ball. You can't do anything if you drop THAT FREAKING BALL. Let's see...how should I play this guy? He's hit the ball all over the park tonight. He watches. He figures it out. He puts the ball in places where you can't get to it. He's gonna do it again too. Dammit. I'll force him to hit it to my left. There's a man on second who isn't too fast, one out, fly ball and it's a judgment call on whether or not he's tagging up and going to third. If I force the batter to hit to my left and put it more toward right field that will give the runner a little confidence. But he's still hosed....just don't drop the ball. The pitch is a little inside....uh oh. The batter is either going to try to pull it and put it right at me or he's going to try to slice it and pop it up a little. If he pops up, and doesn't get it out far enough, I'm golden. Boom! Works to a charm. Don't drop the ball! I'm in a perfect spot. Ranging to my left I get behind the ball. I'm not the best at approaching a ball with any pace because I'm afraid I'm going to DROP THE BALL. I'll just camp out a little and maybe start to make an approach at the last second. Caught. Phew. Barely. Don't drop it now though. Don't ruin it. It's just far enough that the runner has the confidence to run on me. Feet are ok, arm's a little tingly, hands a little sweaty, but I've got it. Put a good throw on and he's nailed. You've got a great glove at third who will bail you out if the throw at least beats him there. I'm online. I've got enough behind it. He's hosed. Out by a step and a half. That hurt. If you would have dropped it your arm wouldn't feel dead now. Come on! Nice throw....but come on!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Miesner 2016
Is it time for the political parties to go away? Aren't we at that point in time where "ideals" and "beliefs" should be a person's own and not connected to politics? There are too many issues where REAL people want compromise, results, normalcy. How can we get that when no one wants to play nice?
Way back when, at the beginning of time, around 1770 something, political parties were important. There was no tv, no internet, no twitter, not even radio. Seriously. People wrote letters and sent them IN THE MAIL. Unfathomable. How was a politician supposed to get his message out? Strength in numbers that's how. If there are a bunch of people who "believe" in what you believe, and want the same things for the country as you want, you needed their backing so they could spread the word. It was a trickle down. "I heard that Abe dude, the Amish-looking stringbean with a kickass hat, is pretty cool. I'll probably vote for him." That was that. Someone heard it from someone else who maybe read it in a newspaper backed by the Republican party. Strength in numbers. Get the word out for your buddies!
Nowadays information comes at you from so many different avenues. One person can have a huge effect all by himself/herself. If Tim Tebow were to run for president a couple months ago, before Kyle Orton decided to let everyone know he could still play, he would have won Florida, Denver, and probably a couple more states. Hands down. It's a popularity contest. Lady Gaga has millions of followers on Twitter, millions more fans who like her music. Her influence on the young voters especially could be exploited like nobody's business if she wanted. Bono does it but it's underplayed. Things can happen by just making it the popularity contest it is. Make it transparent as possible. Get the word out for your buddies!
Get an army hero, from middle America, who went to college in the Northeast, runs his own company fairly well, surround him with rappers, rock bands and country singers, let him judge American Idol a couple times, put him as a guest host for Monday Night Football, talk about adding jobs, lowering taxes, and how he wants to make his military brethren happy and do whatever's best for them and boom.........there's the next leader of the free world. No party necessary. It's that easy. It's just that easy. (it's definitely not that easy) Now, go get the word out for your buddies and let's get a new front-runner for 2012. "I heard on Mike and Mike about this Herb dude who is pretty cool and thinking about running for president. I'd vote for him."
Way back when, at the beginning of time, around 1770 something, political parties were important. There was no tv, no internet, no twitter, not even radio. Seriously. People wrote letters and sent them IN THE MAIL. Unfathomable. How was a politician supposed to get his message out? Strength in numbers that's how. If there are a bunch of people who "believe" in what you believe, and want the same things for the country as you want, you needed their backing so they could spread the word. It was a trickle down. "I heard that Abe dude, the Amish-looking stringbean with a kickass hat, is pretty cool. I'll probably vote for him." That was that. Someone heard it from someone else who maybe read it in a newspaper backed by the Republican party. Strength in numbers. Get the word out for your buddies!
Nowadays information comes at you from so many different avenues. One person can have a huge effect all by himself/herself. If Tim Tebow were to run for president a couple months ago, before Kyle Orton decided to let everyone know he could still play, he would have won Florida, Denver, and probably a couple more states. Hands down. It's a popularity contest. Lady Gaga has millions of followers on Twitter, millions more fans who like her music. Her influence on the young voters especially could be exploited like nobody's business if she wanted. Bono does it but it's underplayed. Things can happen by just making it the popularity contest it is. Make it transparent as possible. Get the word out for your buddies!
Get an army hero, from middle America, who went to college in the Northeast, runs his own company fairly well, surround him with rappers, rock bands and country singers, let him judge American Idol a couple times, put him as a guest host for Monday Night Football, talk about adding jobs, lowering taxes, and how he wants to make his military brethren happy and do whatever's best for them and boom.........there's the next leader of the free world. No party necessary. It's that easy. It's just that easy. (it's definitely not that easy) Now, go get the word out for your buddies and let's get a new front-runner for 2012. "I heard on Mike and Mike about this Herb dude who is pretty cool and thinking about running for president. I'd vote for him."
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Genius C.K.?
The show "Louie" has been rocking my world lately. I used my DVR to record a few shows recently and I'm hooked. (I'm not willing to write DVR'd yet mostly because of that freaking apostrophe when there should be an ed.) It's so real yet so exaggerated at the same time. It's a completely different show than anything else I've ever watched. I've never seen "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" but I can bet that it sort of feels like that just from the previews.....still never seen it though.
Louis C.K. is a comedian and a damn good one. He's vulgar but somehow doesn't really cross that line of disgustation. He makes dick jokes but they're just innocent enough where most people can enjoy them. He laughs at his own jokes which dulls their effects a little bit. He's just really funny.....and his show is too. He "plays" a comedian, as himself, in the show. He has two kids, an ex-wife, and an obsession with masturbating.....and that's pretty much how the show goes forward.
A couple episodes have definitely impacted me but it's usually just a few scenes that make the biggest impression on me. One scene in particular that I recently watched was very jarring for me. Louie walks down the stairs into a subway station and there's a man in a tuxedo playing a violin. The man is killing it. Amazing stuff. Louie immediately dropped a few coins in the violinist's case and just watched as the guy just got down with that violin. In the background you can see a homeless man come down the stairs. At first he's out of focus but then you know Louie sees him and he is now in focus just behind the violinist (who is still playing beautifully). The homeless man begins to strip off his clothes and bathe himself with a bottle of water right there in the subway station, right behind the violinist, right in front of Louie. Louie doesn't know what to do. He stares at both men for a while and walks away once the violinist is finished with his piece he was playing. Just walks away. He gave the violinist money but not the homeless man showering with a bottle of water. What does that mean? What is he trying to say? Is he saying he's so disgusted by the homeless man that he can't pay him? Or that he didn't even think of giving him money because he was so grossed out? I don't know. But it got me thinking. A comedic show got me thinking. I know!!!
Another episode showed Louie and his two daughters on a trip to Pennsylvania (from New York) to see his great aunt. While driving Louie just starts getting down to the Who's "Who Are You". He plays the drums, the keyboards, sings lead vocals....all while driving the car. I mean he gets after it. He made that song his own. The man was pumped up. They showed pretty much the whole song/performance. The girls just sat in the background, staring, even when Louie engaged them with his hand microphone. Once the song ended you're allowed to just bask in the greatness of what you just saw for a few seconds of silence. The silence is broken when Louie sees a goose and tells his daughters to take a look. They get so excited and just look out the window as Louie drives on. What was the point of that?!?!? And what is he trying to say about his kids and what makes them happy? He just got weird with an amazing musical performance to a socially important song and the kids could care less. They see a goose and go apeshit. A comedy making me think again. I know!!!!!!
What I'm trying to say is that there is greater meaning in comedy than meets the eye. Louis C.K. is single-handedly bringing those greater meanings to life. Whether or not I, or any other viewer, can fully understand those meanings is up for debate. But he's doing it, man. He's doing it. And my world is becoming rocked. I know!!!
Louis C.K. is a comedian and a damn good one. He's vulgar but somehow doesn't really cross that line of disgustation. He makes dick jokes but they're just innocent enough where most people can enjoy them. He laughs at his own jokes which dulls their effects a little bit. He's just really funny.....and his show is too. He "plays" a comedian, as himself, in the show. He has two kids, an ex-wife, and an obsession with masturbating.....and that's pretty much how the show goes forward.
A couple episodes have definitely impacted me but it's usually just a few scenes that make the biggest impression on me. One scene in particular that I recently watched was very jarring for me. Louie walks down the stairs into a subway station and there's a man in a tuxedo playing a violin. The man is killing it. Amazing stuff. Louie immediately dropped a few coins in the violinist's case and just watched as the guy just got down with that violin. In the background you can see a homeless man come down the stairs. At first he's out of focus but then you know Louie sees him and he is now in focus just behind the violinist (who is still playing beautifully). The homeless man begins to strip off his clothes and bathe himself with a bottle of water right there in the subway station, right behind the violinist, right in front of Louie. Louie doesn't know what to do. He stares at both men for a while and walks away once the violinist is finished with his piece he was playing. Just walks away. He gave the violinist money but not the homeless man showering with a bottle of water. What does that mean? What is he trying to say? Is he saying he's so disgusted by the homeless man that he can't pay him? Or that he didn't even think of giving him money because he was so grossed out? I don't know. But it got me thinking. A comedic show got me thinking. I know!!!
Another episode showed Louie and his two daughters on a trip to Pennsylvania (from New York) to see his great aunt. While driving Louie just starts getting down to the Who's "Who Are You". He plays the drums, the keyboards, sings lead vocals....all while driving the car. I mean he gets after it. He made that song his own. The man was pumped up. They showed pretty much the whole song/performance. The girls just sat in the background, staring, even when Louie engaged them with his hand microphone. Once the song ended you're allowed to just bask in the greatness of what you just saw for a few seconds of silence. The silence is broken when Louie sees a goose and tells his daughters to take a look. They get so excited and just look out the window as Louie drives on. What was the point of that?!?!? And what is he trying to say about his kids and what makes them happy? He just got weird with an amazing musical performance to a socially important song and the kids could care less. They see a goose and go apeshit. A comedy making me think again. I know!!!!!!
What I'm trying to say is that there is greater meaning in comedy than meets the eye. Louis C.K. is single-handedly bringing those greater meanings to life. Whether or not I, or any other viewer, can fully understand those meanings is up for debate. But he's doing it, man. He's doing it. And my world is becoming rocked. I know!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Paper, Snow, a GHOST!
Passions, habits, and obsessions have their way of finding me it seems. My mom used to say I had A.D.D. But it wasn't the same as what everyone else knows it as. A.D.D. means attention deficit disorder. My mom used to say I had attention DIFFUSION disorder. Too much attention diverted around to too many things. Totally the opposite of not being able to concentrate at all. I think my mom was on to something with that.
In the last few years I've taken up such collections/obsessions including (but not totally exclusive to) wine, cigars, Scotch, craft beer, books (Dan Brown and Jeffrey Deaver especially), Blues hockey, Liverpool soccer, and fantasy football. Typically when someone gets hooked onto something new it replaces something old. I just add to my ever growing collection. Nothing ever gets replaced. It might get thrown into the background a little more than before but the obsession is still there. The justification for growing the obsession changes, that's for sure.
Wine used to run my world for a time. A fairly long time in the overall context of my life......at least once I turned 21. There wasn't a book out there that was not on my radar. I wanted to learn it all, I wanted to know it all, I wanted to be the go-to guy. It was my passion. It was what I loved. I dove in headfirst and it took a while to come back up for air. Then I found out about cigars......and it started over again. Magazines, books, online articles, etc. The wealth of information is out there and I needed it. I craved it.
My most recent obsession would probably be Scotch. It's the most subdued though. The nuances of the different types elude me. I don't want them to but they do. I can tell the difference between a pinot noir from Oregon over one from California from time to time. But I don't think I'll ever be able to tell the difference between a 14 and a 16 year old Scotch except that it seems smoother, and not all the time. I just can't wrap my head it around it.......yet. But I might get there. Like I said before, it won't stop me. I'll continue to stick with it, to put the time in to learn about it, to try to master it. It's what I do. The attention is diffused. Now it's going to take the time to make it my own. To get to the point where I want to be with my knowledge of it.
What will be next? I never know. I'd like to know, but I never do. I'm always open to suggestions though! I think I just heard a motorcycle outside. Gotta go.
In the last few years I've taken up such collections/obsessions including (but not totally exclusive to) wine, cigars, Scotch, craft beer, books (Dan Brown and Jeffrey Deaver especially), Blues hockey, Liverpool soccer, and fantasy football. Typically when someone gets hooked onto something new it replaces something old. I just add to my ever growing collection. Nothing ever gets replaced. It might get thrown into the background a little more than before but the obsession is still there. The justification for growing the obsession changes, that's for sure.
Wine used to run my world for a time. A fairly long time in the overall context of my life......at least once I turned 21. There wasn't a book out there that was not on my radar. I wanted to learn it all, I wanted to know it all, I wanted to be the go-to guy. It was my passion. It was what I loved. I dove in headfirst and it took a while to come back up for air. Then I found out about cigars......and it started over again. Magazines, books, online articles, etc. The wealth of information is out there and I needed it. I craved it.
My most recent obsession would probably be Scotch. It's the most subdued though. The nuances of the different types elude me. I don't want them to but they do. I can tell the difference between a pinot noir from Oregon over one from California from time to time. But I don't think I'll ever be able to tell the difference between a 14 and a 16 year old Scotch except that it seems smoother, and not all the time. I just can't wrap my head it around it.......yet. But I might get there. Like I said before, it won't stop me. I'll continue to stick with it, to put the time in to learn about it, to try to master it. It's what I do. The attention is diffused. Now it's going to take the time to make it my own. To get to the point where I want to be with my knowledge of it.
What will be next? I never know. I'd like to know, but I never do. I'm always open to suggestions though! I think I just heard a motorcycle outside. Gotta go.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Made in America
Hot dog or bologna sandwich? Shorter distance with stop lights or longer distance on the highway? Go to sleep or stay up to watch a shitty movie? These are some of life's toughest decisions.....ever......period. There's an easy answer every time but every time it alludes us. You pick one after deep thought, you're happy about it for no minutes, and you long for the other decision no matter how well your original choice panned out. There's no way around it. This is how it was for me growing up being a fan of both Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
Andre was the bad boy. He was, seemingly, the rebel without a cause, the anti-establishment poster boy, the image is everything playboy. He had the mullet, the bandanna, the jean shorts, the neon colors, and even wore black (OMG). He was Bon Jovi with a racket. Pete was the goody-two-shoes. Plain white clothes, naturally curly hair, and the dimpled smile. The understated gentleman. Both men's games were nothing like their styles though.
Andre's rock n roll image didn't match his methodical play. He was a grinder. A defensive genius. He'd run and run and make you hit shots. He could return anything you had. He would pick times to wear you down instead of just winning the point on an easy shot. He wanted to own you. He made you know he could take your best shot and you still didn't have enough to beat him.
Pete....he didn't even want you on the same court as him. He served huge. He sprinted to the net. He dropped a shot that is utterly unreachable. Then he'd do it again. And again. And before you knew it you were asked to try to serve against one of the best forehands of all time. Good luck. He ran people off the court. End the point. Next!
As a kid I never could really figure out who to root for, especially when they played each other. I loved the grit and determination Andre had, but Pete's polished efficiency was something to admire. I loved Andre and was in awe of Pete. When they played......awe usually took over. The best returner of the generation going up against the best server. Black vs. white. Bad vs. good. Rebel vs. corporate. They were marketers' dreams come true. So many storylines. So many things to compare and contrast.
There were times in matches where I would totally switch who I was rooting for. Hell....there were times in long points that I'd flip flop. They were the coolest guys ever. American tennis was inspiring. What happened to that? Andy Roddick looked to be the next best thing. Nope. One major and then a guy named Roger showed up. Then a guy named Rafa showed up. Now there's a guy named Novak. You hear about some of the kids coming up in America rarely. The men's game is so stout right now. It's hard to break into the top 10. Competition is fierce.
A few years ago a kid named Donald Young was supposed to be the next up and comer. Now they're talking about Ryan Harrison. Harrison might be legit but it's looking more and more likely Young might not ever reach the potential he was once thought to have. If Harrison gets to the top will he stay? Will there be another American who pushes him? Who beats him from time to time? American tennis needs another guy to hook onto. We're not meant to have just one star. People are stars because of who they're compared to. Peyton and Tom. Tiger and Phil. Kobe and LeBron. America loves that comparison. We thrive on it. Roddick was nothing but grilled cheese. Bring on the hot dog and bologna sandwich. America awaits.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)