Just Reviewed “A New American Space Plan” at SBR
Folks, I was able to finally review well-known SF writers (and scientists) Travis Taylor and Stephanie Osborn’s A NEW AMERICAN SPACE PLAN over at Shiny Book Review (SBR) this evening. This is a review you want to read, especially if you love space, space exploration, or the science that goes along with “science fiction.” (We have to get our ideas from somewhere. And a non-fiction book like this is a precious resource.)
Anyway — the science is sound, the arguments for why the United States still needs a space program (much less that it be fully funded and that its mission stay the same regardless of which President occupies the Oval Office) are first-rate, and the style is easy to read for the intelligent layman ninety-nine percent of the time.
So please. Do yourself a favor. Go read my review, then go grab the book! You will not be disappointed, as the arguments put forth are thought-provoking and interesting.
(Further reviewer sayeth not.)
It’s Official — Brewers First Baseman Mat Gamel Tears His ACL Again, Is Out for the Season
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Mat Gamel apparently has the worst luck of any major league baseball player going these days.
Not one full week into the official start of Brewers’ Spring Training, Gamel has been confirmed as having torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. This is the same ACL he tore during his ill-fated 2012 campaign while running into that ditch the San Diego Padres call an infield.
So Gamel’s now torn the same ACL two years in a row. That, my friends, is abysmal luck.
Consequently, Gamel will be out all of 2013. (See this link, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, for further details.)
There are a few odd things about this particular injury according to the Journal-Sentinel report. First, Gamel tore the middle of the ACL, not either end as is more common. Most surgical failures — which constitute about ten percent of ACL surgeries — will re-tear on either end of the ligament, rather than in the middle where the ligament should be the strongest. Second, Gamel had spent eight solid months of rehabilitation prior to reporting to Spring Training. His rehab consisted of strength and flexibility exercises, and I’m sure his therapy was of the absolute best.
Consider, please, that in order to be able to hit, run, and field — strenuous activity by any other name — a baseball player has to be able to move laterally without strain, swing a bat with full extension and run without noticeable problems. Gamel had been able to do all of this prior to reporting to Spring Training.
In addition, he’d passed two physicals, where presumably he ran on a treadmill, had to do various arcane flexibility exercises (some akin to yoga poses), and did so in front of various doctors and physical therapists. He was given a clean bill of health because he had proven that he was ready to resume his life as an active, everyday baseball player.
Otherwise, he never would’ve stepped out onto the field.
And now, Gamel won’t get the chance to prove that he has what it takes to make it in the major leagues. At least, not in 2013. And possibly not at all, as two ACL tears on the same knee within eighteen months are a huge red flag to every general manager of every team in major league baseball.
However, I had a thought that might prove useful . . . if not to Gamel, maybe to someone else recovering from such an injury. It’s a long shot, but hear me out.
Last year, I read GOOSE, an autobiography written by ex-Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Tony Siragusa. Siragusa doesn’t actually have a working ACL in one of his knees, but he was able to work around this by coming up with a unique strengthening and conditioning plan. Because of this, Siragusa was able to play for twelve years in the NFL and he never missed a game.
But you’d have never known he had that sort of durability coming out of college.
That’s because Siragusa was told that maybe he’d play two years, or perhaps three, for the NFL, all because he didn’t really have an ACL. From this article from 2001 at Philly.com by Jerry Brewer of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
(Siragusa’s) quite the story, perhaps a great symbol for the NFL today. It is hyped as a league of parity and a league in which a hardworking player can become a success without having a great pedigree.
It is a league in which a then-280-pound tackle from the University of Pittsburgh could go undrafted (mostly because he has no anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee), endure nine knee surgeries, and play 11 years in an NFL career that reaches a plateau on Sunday when he plays in his first Super Bowl.
A wise old doctor from Indianapolis once told Siragusa his knee would hold up for two years in the NFL. Maybe three.
“The doctor examined my knee, and he said, ‘You have no ACL in your knee,’ ” Siragusa said. “I said, ‘You’re a good doctor.’ “
Boiling it down to brass tacks, Siragusa set out to prove the doctor wrong. And he did — by going to one of his trusted past college coaches, if memory serves (it’s been well over a year and a half since I read GOOSE, mind you), then setting up his brutal training regimen. This is what allowed Siragusa to play, and play well, for twelve long years without a working ACL in his knee.
My thought is that if Siragusa could do this and play football, it might be possible for Gamel to do the same thing. Gamel is only 27 years old. He may, if he’s fortunate, be able to find a strength and conditioning coach that can duplicate whatever it was that Siragusa managed to do. If so, this would allow Gamel to build up his legs to the point that even if his ACL fails for an unprecedented third time, he can still play despite the injury.
As I understand it, what Siragusa did in his conditioning program was to strengthen all of the muscles around where the ACL should be. These other muscles took the place of the ACL — or at least bore the strain of a rough and tumble NFL season — so isn’t it conceivable that Gamel could strengthen these same muscles around his ACL, which might take enough pressure off the soon-to-be twice-repaired ligament to allow him to continue his career?
However, if what Siragusa did is not able to be duplicated, perhaps Gamel would be better off to consider coaching. Or figure out some other passions to cultivate along with baseball to help him pass the time.
As of right now, it surely seems to me that unless Gamel is able to duplicate whatever it was that Siragusa did, Gamel’s body is telling him that it’s time to make other plans. Gamel has heart, moxie, and drive — everything you want in a major league baseball player — but if his body won’t hold up, he just isn’t going to be able to continue.
That’s why I hold out at least a slight amount of hope that Siragusa’s regimen may work for Gamel. Because it seems to be the best hope Gamel has.
And any hope beats no hope at all. Especially if you’re the unluckiest Brewer this side of Brad Nelson (Mr. “0-for-21” himself).
————
Note: Corey Hart has said publicly here that he will help Gamel all he possibly can. Hart, who is truly a class act, said he feels for Gamel and will encourage him to continue to pursue rehab. The Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak quoted Hart as saying:
“I’m just going to hug him and hope things work out. He’s going to have to have support everywhere. This is a tough situation. The biggest thing for him is suport (sic) in here. I told him to move in with me and I’ll help as much as I can. I’ll be leaving before him (to go on minor-league rehab) so I’ll let him stay at the house.”
(This is just one more reason why Corey Hart is my favorite current Brewers player. Just sayin’.)
Books I’ve Read While I’ve Been Ill
Folks, I’ve spent most of the last three or four weeks sicker than I don’t know what . . . but I have read a number of very good books. Some are new, some aren’t, but all kept me interested and focused.
And as I really didn’t want to have to blog yet again about how terrible I feel, I figured I’d concentrate on the books instead.
The one author who consistently has entertained me during this time — aside from my old standbys — is Regency romance novelist Judith A. Lansdowne. Ms. Lansdowne’s last book, JUST IMPOSSIBLE, was published in 2004, and is about the unlikely pairing of William, the Duke of Berinwick, and Lady Julia Delacroix. Julia has a secret that’s likely to take her life if she’s not careful, and Berinwick decides to mix in mostly because there’s something to the stubborn set of her chin that intrigues him. (Julia also doesn’t like men very much. There’s a reason for that. Which makes this unlikely pairing all the more compelling, as Berinwick is a decidedly strong man in more ways than one.) How these two meet and eventually end up together is very intriguing . . . one enjoyable read from cover to cover.
Anyway, you want to read Ms. Lansdowne’s work primarily because there’s a lot of humor in it. But there’s also pathos, genuine emotion, and some rather complex situations . . . really fine writing. (I hope Ms. Lansdowne will soon put her work up as e-books, providing the rights have reverted to her. Her writing is way too good to be left in obscurity.)
The other three or four books I’ve read that I’ve really enjoyed during this time were mostly new ones. First, I read Victoria Roth’s INSURGENT, the sequel to DIVERGENT, both starring Beatrice “Tris” Prior and her love interest and combat instructor, who goes by “Four” but whose real name is Tobias. These books are about a dystopian society that split into five factions and shut off the city of Chicago, apparently to see what the five factions were likely to do in an enclosed space. It is unknown whether Chicago is the only place these factions exist, but what is known is that you have one chance to change factions — when you turn sixteen and take part in a “choosing ceremony” after taking a whole battery of assessment tests.
Roth’s work is absorbing, and as such I really enjoyed reading INSURGENT even though there’s a great deal of violence and some really awkward situations for the heroine, Tris. (Tris’s brother, in particular, is a rather ambivalent character. I still can’t figure him out.) The romance between Tris and Tobias is quite strong, with some believable tension between them that’s not all sexually related. And the action scenes are first-rate.
I’ve read K.E. Kimbriel’s FIRES OF NUALA, which I hope to review soon over at Shiny Book Review. (I must have more concentration than what is currently available to me in order to do so, as it’s a complex plot that deserves to be explained as well as I can without giving away all the plot-points.) Let’s just say that Ms. Kimbriel’s novel is excellent, and it kept me riveted. And if you like science fiction novels where there’s great, unexpected romance with believable complications along with intrigue and a subplot about how only corrupt people deserve to be taken (“con only other con artists,” in brief), well, you will love FIRES OF NUALA as much as I did.
I’ve also read Travis Taylor and Stephanie Osborn’s A NEW AMERICAN SPACE PLAN, which is just as it sounds — a rationale for what the United States of America needs to do in order to stay in space and create many new jobs. This is an absorbing piece of non-fiction written in a compelling and likable style — and is yet another book I hope to review, and soon, over at SBR. (Why this illness just refuses to leave is beyond me. But it definitely has cut down on my reviewing.)
I also read Ally Condie’s REACHED, the third book in a dystopian trilogy about yet another failed society and how they try to control everyone. The characters of Cassia and her two love interests, Xander and Ky, are interesting. There’s a vicious Society which kills off everyone at age 80, a rebel group called the Rising, which opposes the Society, and a third group made up of Aberrations (people the Society didn’t really plan on having, so they denigrate them, marginalize them and exploit them whenever possible).
REACHED shows what happens when the Society is overthrown. But it’s not as easy as all that to get rid of old habits overnight, much less the people who were the actual movers and shakers of the Society — which all three teens find out.
Mostly, the story is gripping but incredibly downbeat. There’s a plague to be fought against, which is why the character who does the most and actually grows and changes the most is Xander, a medic (called a “physic” in this universe). Which is rather odd, because this trilogy started out in Cassia’s point of view.
Anyway, it held my interest, but it was definitely one of the most disturbing books I’ve read in quite some time.
Finally, I’ve been reading a book by Carl Sferrazza Anthony about a forgotten First Lady, Florence Kling Harding, called FLORENCE HARDING: THE FIRST LADY, THE JAZZ AGE, AND THE DEATH OF OUR MOST SCANDALOUS PRESIDENT. Mrs. Harding was a trailblazer in many respects; she was honest, forthright and opinionated, and believed that women should have the same rights as men — including the rights to vote, play in any sports and work in any job.
However, Mrs. Harding’s husband was the weak-willed and amoral Warren G. Harding, a man who definitely could not “keep (his) legs closed,” as the saying from the MAURY show goes. (Usually about women.) In fact, Harding slept with so many women that his own father, according to author Anthony, once told Harding that if he’d been born a woman, Harding would’ve been constantly “in the family way.” (I laughed out loud at that one.)
President Harding himself is the main reason why Mrs. Harding gets knocked down on the various First Lady rankings, even though as First Lady (for two-plus years, until her husband died in office), she did many good things.
And that’s just not right.
Mrs. Harding’s only real crime — if you can call it that — was to fall in love with Mr. Harding. She was brilliant, and he definitely wasn’t; in a later age, she would’ve been the politician and probably would’ve divorced Harding many times over due to his rampant infidelity (as she apparently knew about at least three of his affairs, with two of those affairs resulting in illegitimate children that she may or may not have known about). She had no children with Harding, and only one child overall by a previous, common-law marriage.
Anyway, Mrs. Harding was the first divorced woman to become First Lady. She more or less created the modern “photo-op.” She talked with journalists, which before she became First Lady wasn’t a regular occurrence (or even a semi-regular occurrence). She helped her husband understand legislation and deal with various legislators, as she could keep it all straight — and he definitely couldn’t.
But with all of her good qualities — and I believe she had many — she also had some bad ones. She was so loyal that she actually burned many documents after her husband died, mostly because she wanted to shield her husband. (Laudable, but I wish she hadn’t done it.) She trusted the wrong doctor, a family friend she’d known for many years, when a different (specialist) doctor told her flat-out that Harding would die if he didn’t rest and that even if he did rest, he still might . . . yet because of her trust in the family friend, her husband died sooner than he might have on a grueling coast-to-coast trip. (They even went to Alaska.) And she’d been known to use corporal punishment on the newsboys she supervised as the business manager of her husband’s newspaper, though to be fair many people used corporal punishment at that time and very few people batted an eye at it.
Anyway, it’s very easy to see that Mrs. Harding should be classified right up at the top of the list with Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. (Eleanor) Roosevelt, not at the absolute bottom of the list of First Ladies. Mrs. Harding was a very strong, tough and smart woman who helped her husband quite a bit. She was an excellent First Lady up until her lone bad choice — that of the family doctor rather than the specialist — spiraled into her husband’s passing while in office, then compounded the problem by burning a whole lot of records needlessly (possibly to help shield her husband’s fallen reputation). She has been unfairly maligned by history, mostly because her husband was a failed President . . . and I think that unfair treatment deserves to end.
So in that respect, I’d say that the two books that have captivated me the most during this three- to four-week stretch of illness have been JUST IMPOSSIBLE and the book about Mrs. Harding.
And really, when you’re ill, isn’t that the best you can possibly ask for? Some books that take you away from it all?
U.S. Senate Filibusters Defense Sec. Nomination of Sen. Chuck Hagel
Folks, sometimes I truly do not understand Washington, DC, whatsoever.
Former Republican United States Senator Chuck Hagel, of Nebraska, who has been nominated by the Obama Administration to become the next Secretary of Defense, has been effectively filibustered by the U.S. Senate on a 58-40 vote in favor of Hagel — with one Senator, Orrin Hatch (R-UT), only being willing to vote “present.”
Sixty votes were needed in order to end this stalemate. And the Senate could only muster 58. (Plus Hatch’s “present” vote.)
My word.
Here’s the four Republicans who voted against the filibuster and for Senator Hagel: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Only four Senators voted for their former colleague, a well-respected, decorated military veteran. And a member of their own political party.
(Plus Hatch, who voted present — thus proving he was unwilling to vote against Hagel even if by doing so he looked timid, at best.)
What is wrong with the Senate, if they can’t even vote to confirm a respectable, responsible guy like Senator Hagel?
Look. I lived in Nebraska for several years. I know Hagel to be a political conservative, but he is honest and principled and understands the military extremely well. He has the courage of his convictions.
Hagel will make an admirable Secretary of Defense, as he would most likely be mighty unwilling to spend lives needlessly. And having a former military veteran as the Defense Secretary has to help, doesn’t it?
Well, apparently not if you’re a Republican Senator. Even when it comes to one of your own retired colleagues.
Now we get to wait ten days until another vote can be taken.
All I can say is, I remain unimpressed by what I’ve seen out of both houses of Congress this year. And I echo what Harry Reid had to say as quoted by this article via the Huffington Post:
Reid decried the outcome immediately after the vote Thursday evening, emphasizing the need to relieve outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta of his obligations and confirm Hagel at a time when the country continues to face military challenges.
“There is nothing going to change in the next 10 days about the qualifications of Chuck Hagel,” Reid said.
“I’m going to go call Chuck Hagel when I finish here and say, I’m sorry — sorry this has happened. I’m sorry for the president, I’m sorry for the country, and I’m sorry for you, but we’re not going to give up on you,” he added.
One final thought: Hagel will be confirmed, and deserves to be confirmed. So all of these machinations merely make most of the Republicans look foolish (save the four who voted against the filibuster, thus for Hagel). And that doesn’t give me a whole lot of hope for our country whatsoever.
Four Words I Thought I’d Never Write: Pope Benedict Steps Down
This morning, after I saw the headlines that Pope Benedict XVI plans to step down as of February 28, 2013, I knew I had to write this blog.
Now, why is this such a headline-making event? It’s simple: Most Popes die in office.
In fact, Pope Benedict is the first Pope since 1415 to voluntarily step down, according to Sky News. And the reason is simple: he is a frail man now at age 85, and he says a younger and stronger man is needed.
According to the article from Reuters (found via Yahoo.com):
In a statement, the pope said in order to govern “…both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.
Pope Benedict had the unenviable job of following John Paul II as Pope, and for the most part did a good job. While not perfect (he angered many Muslims with some ill-advised comments), he visited Auschwitz, prayed with Jews and Muslims, and was active in trying to root out pedophile priests (and those who covered for them) in the Catholic Church, paying close attention to Ireland and the United States in particular.
Whenever a major religious leader steps down or passes on, it’s a solemn occasion. But it’s less solemn when someone actually realizes his time has passed and steps down rather than dies in office.
Good for Pope Benedict for realizing that he’s older now and not up to the task of the heavy workload of a modern-day Pope.
My hope for him is that he’ll enjoy the remainder of his life as a retired Pope, odd as that sounds, and that he’ll continue to work to remove pedophiles from the priesthood even in retirement as best he’s able.
Post Office Tries to Cut Saturday Delivery — Will Congress Stop Them?
Earlier today, news broke that the United States Postal Service (USPS) wishes to eliminate mail delivery on Saturday. (Supposedly, packages will still be delivered, but nothing else.) This is despite the fact that Congress, as a whole, has opposed eliminating Saturday mail delivery as it would be disastrous for rural communities, as many of the US Representatives have said — including Republican Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) — along with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont, a long-time US Rep. before ascending to the Senate) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).
I picked these three members of the US Congress for a reason — none of them, not one, are Democrats. (Yes, Sanders caucuses with the Ds. But he still isn’t a D.) Which shows there’s bipartisan support to keep the Post Office open six days a week, both a sensible and logical decision.
It may not seem like it to those of us who live in cities, but post offices are desperately needed in smaller communities. There are places with only one post office for the town or municipality (and that one being the only one for miles around). There are states that are largely rural (Nebraska, for one). Having mail get delivered only five days per week would be incredibly harmful to Nebraska, much less Alaska . . . especially as in the latter, people get oil mailed as well as food, medication and paychecks.
For that matter, those of you who believe all checks are electronic need to think again, too. There isn’t always a viable alternative to a paper check, especially if you’re sending in a bill. Many companies charge you a “convenience fee” to pay by debit card or other electronic means, which is why checks are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. And if you think your car company, for example, is going to be more likely to give you a break due to your payment being late due to a postal service cutback, think again.
Senator Sanders was blunt about the impact of these potential cutbacks, especially considering how a bill he’d proposed last year passed the Senate with ease — but was never taken up whatsoever by the House:
“Providing fewer services and less quality will cause more customers to seek other options. Rural Americans, businesses, senior citizens and veterans will be hurt by ending Saturday mail,” Sanders added.
Amen, brother! Amen.
While the Los Angeles Times article about the proposed cutbacks pointed out another possible reason for the USPS to make this announcement at this particular time:
The announcement came with little advance notice to lawmakers, who were preparing to renew an effort to pass postal legislation this year.
Though many members of Congress insist they would have to approve the cutback, Donahoe told reporters that the agency believes it can move forward unilaterally. The current mandate for six-day delivery is part of a government funding measure that expires in late March.
“There’s plenty of time in there so if there is some disagreement” with lawmakers, “we can get that resolved,” he said.
Or in other words, the USPS did this to force the Congress to act.
Here’s the main problem with the USPS, folks. It’s that the Congress requires the Post Office to pre-fund retirements and health care fees for seventy-five years. (No misprint.) No other company in the world is forced to do such a thing, yet the Congress put this onerous burden on the Postal Service because it helps the Congress mask the deficit a little bit.
As the Huffington Post article says:
But change is not the biggest factor in the agency’s predicament – Congress is. The majority of the service’s red ink comes from a 2006 law forcing it to pay about $5.5 billion a year into future retiree health benefits, something no other agency does. Without that payment – $11.1 billion in a two-year installment last year – and related labor expenses, the mail agency sustained an operating loss of $2.4 billion for the past fiscal year, lower than the previous year.
So because the Congress has “fuzzy math skills,” the rest of us get screwed. (How typical.)
My view is simple: The Post Office should not eliminate Saturday delivery. The main reason for this is logistical. Right now on Mondays, there’s twice as much mail to be delivered. With the possible elimination of Saturday delivery as well, there would be three times as much mail to be delivered — but with the same amount of carriers. What sense does this make?
The US Senate plan, which was passed in April of 2012, should be followed. There should be a two-year moratorium placed on the Post Office eliminating one day a week from their delivery system, while every other way of cutting costs should be pursued. (Let’s hope the Senate will include rolling back the onerous requirement of pre-funding retirements and health care costs for seventy-five years, as that’s the main reason why the USPS is so far in the red.)
At the end of two years, if there’s no other way to proceed, then a day should be picked in the middle of the week to eliminate as that would be likely to be less harmful than the elimination of Saturday delivery.
So the way to fix the current problem is this — the US House of Reps needs to act. They need to pass a bill that goes along with the bill that has already passed the Senate in order to keep the USPS from unilaterally acting in a way that would be seriously harmful to rural residents.
Or as Senator Sanders said in his press release:
“The postmaster general cannot save the Postal Service by ending one of its major competitive advantages. Cutting six-day delivery is not a viable plan for the future. It will lead to a death spiral that will harm rural America while doing very little to improve the financial condition of the Postal Service,” Sanders said.
So, the USPS has shown its hand. Many are upset about it, including Sens. Sanders and Collins and Rep. Crawford, the President of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Fredric Rolando, and talk show host and MSNBC analyst Ed Schultz.
(And if you haven’t guessed yet that I’m upset as well, you need to up your reading comprehension skills a bit. Seriously.)
Now, will the Congress as a whole act? Or will they do what they’ve generally done for the past four or five years — sit on their butts, point fingers, and otherwise be useless wastes of time and space who are getting paid for what seems like very little reason?
It’s all down to you, Congress.
Act responsibly. (Please.)
Finished and Sent Off a Short Story
While I remain more under the weather than not — and boy, am I tired of having to write those words — I was able to complete a short story and send it off to an anthology over the weekend. (For those of you also on Facebook who’ve seen my recent status updates, this is the same story I discussed on Friday evening.)
Mind you, this is the first short story I’ve written in at least four months. And as such, I’m pleased with it.
Of course, as with just about all of my shorter efforts, my story has a plot that would probably better befit a novel. And I’ve already had one offer from a friend to help me turn it into just that down the line, so I guess there must be some promise in it.
Let us hope the anthology editor thinks so as well, whether she is able to buy it or not. (I take all the reassurance I can get.)
As far as everything else . . . you might be wondering why I checked both “remembrance” and “persistence” with regards to this post as far as categories go. It’s simple: the reason I came up with this particular short story has a great deal to do with my (deceased) good friend Jeff Wilson. In this newest of my short stories, I showed an unlikely friendship between a human and an alien and how many things were left unspoken between the pair that seemed to be in complete accord.
Then something happens where the alien is no longer able to speak for himself. (I know aliens don’t have to be male or female, but in this case this particular alien is male. So let’s go with it, shall we?)
The human friend does her best to figure out what’s going on even though her alien friend is no longer available to discuss all the options with her. And she solves a mystery — or perhaps comes up with a new one — while vowing all the while to never, ever forget her friend.
As I said, this story was prompted because of how much I miss my friend Jeff. It’s not a story that I would’ve come up with otherwise, though I have had a few stories since my late husband Michael’s death that, to one extent or another, were greatly impacted by his passing. (Most of them, to be honest. Save this one.)
I’d like to think that my friend would be honored by the fact that I’ve written this story, even though it’s far from perfect. (I know I shouldn’t say that, as the story hasn’t even been read by the anthology’s editor as of yet. But I tend to think none of my stories are perfect — not even ELFY, though that one comes the closest by miles to what I’d dreamed it should be — which perhaps means I’m being overly perfectionistic again.) I also think he’d be pleased that I’d written a science fiction story — when he had to know I’m more conversant with fantasy — because it means I’m better able to let the story tell me where it wants to go, rather than go where I think it should.
(This last may make no sense to non-writers. But it is still the truth.)
I would like to think that our loved ones — friends, husbands, makes no nevermind — will live on as long as we remember them.
All I know is, I will never forget Jeff Wilson. Not ever.
I just hope he knew that.
And I hope, someday, in some faraway place, that I’ll be able to ask him what he thinks of this story. Because when I wrote it, I thought a great deal about him.
And smiled.
Down with the Flu . . .
. . . and take that any way you want.
So far, 2013 has shaped up to be a year full of illness, frustration and pain. I haven’t enjoyed it, but I have continued to do whatever I can despite all of the various things that have cropped up.
I saw my sister last week, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, she came up with a particularly nasty case of the flu and let me know she’d been diagnosed with the same on Monday.
Despite all of the various things that have hit me within the last two or three months, I haven’t yet had an “official” flu diagnosis. (Merely “flu-like symptoms” or a secondary infection — usually a sinus infection, occasionally a respiratory ailment as well — but not an actual diagnosis calling for Tamiflu or any of the other drugs that can help minimize a case of the flu.) And it’s possible that this isn’t the flu either, though it assuredly feels like it as it came on suddenly within the last twenty-four hours and has disorganized my thinking like no one’s business.
So my hope is that it will leave suddenly, also.
If so, it wouldn’t be the flu — it might instead by that Australian norovirus I’ve heard about, which has a duration of 48-72 hours of nastiness for most people, then runs its course — but that doesn’t mean it’s any less distressing to deal with.
Topping it all off, I was midway through a story that I’d planned to submit to an anthology in a few days. I don’t know this particular editor (I won’t name her), though I do know her writing . . . anyway, I’d introduced myself, told her a bit about my story and she said she’d look forward to reading it.
Now I may not be able to finish the story, which really bothers me as it shows a lack of professionalism. (And to me, being anything less than a pro in every area is deeply disturbing.)
This particular anthology has a deadline of February 1. I’ve known about it since early October — just before I took on the Bleacher Report internship, in fact — and thought about what I wanted to do that would meet the requirements of the anthology. I had finally come up with what I thought was a winning idea . . .
. . . and am now too ill to finish the dratted thing up.
I do have tomorrow to make a stab at it, and if I can finish it up and believe it’s credible, I will try.
But the chances to do so do not look promising.
I know, however, that if I can finish this story, albeit more slowly than I’d like — providing I can do so before March 31, that is — I can try the Writers of the Future contest one more time as ELFY still isn’t out (I’m still going over copy-editing changes and have been asked to make one, last pass of my own in addition), not even in ARC format (that’s “advanced reader copy” to thee and me). I may still be eligible even for the June quarter (though I’m unsure); I do know I’ll be eligible for the March 31 quarter.
So maybe not all is lost, no matter how it looks right now.
In the past few days, I did do some editing on some paying projects and a little bit of writing (I got all of 300 words into it yesterday before stalling, again). So it’s not that I’ve done nothing whatsoever this week . . . far, far from it.
I just haven’t been able to get this done when it counts. And that vexes me.
Sorely.
Copy-Editing Internship Ends, and Other Updates
As of yesterday — Friday, January 25, 2013 — I am no longer a copy-editing intern at Bleacher Report.
Now, this is not a bad thing. Not at all, in fact, because it means I have successfully completed my twelve-week internship.
During this time, I have fought illness and had some other family health issues that came into play. My energy levels have been low, particularly in late December and all throughout this month. I haven’t played a concert for the UW-Parkside Community Band since last May due to everything going on (though I have played several for the Racine Concert Band) and my writing definitely hasn’t been where I want it to be.
But I have continued to persist.
I also learned a new “house style” — for non-editors, this is what Bleacher Report expected articles to look like and what ways terms were either capitalized, hyphenated (or not) or otherwise emphasized. This was the first time I’d had to learn a new stylistic language in at least fourteen years, so that in and of itself is an accomplishment.
And, of course, every site is different. Some places want you to write “website” as all one word with no capitalization. Some want you to write it in my preferred way, “Web site.” Some write “Website” with a capital W.
It’s the little differences that set different sites apart. Which is why learning “house styles” can be either a blessing or a headache, take your pick. (Even though sometimes, it’s both.)
Finishing up my internship without being able to call my friend Jeff and let him know what happened (as I’m sure he’d have been up on it) was difficult. I have always felt bittersweet when something ends . . . many of us do, I know, so I’m far from the only one. Still, he understood me quite well (as I understood him) and he’d know this was a major accomplishment.
I really wish he’d have been alive to hear me talk about it.
Of course, had my husband Michael still been alive to this date, he and I would’ve gone out to celebrate in some way or another. He’d have told me that doing something like this to maximize my chances at a paying job in the only section of the publishing industry that seems to possibly be expanding (or at least not contracting, as sports is a big business, I love sports and understand ’em, so why not?) was a shrewd career move whether it pays off in the short run or not. And he’d have told me over and over again how much he admired me for doing this when I’m hardly fresh out of college (not even fresh out of my Master’s program) . . . even though I know what he’d have said, I wish he had been here to say it. (Michael was uniformly encouraging and believed very strongly in me and my abilities as a writer and editor. Even when I didn’t believe in myself, he always believed. That’s why I will love him forever.)
And of course I really wish Michael were still alive, too . . . goodness alone knows what we’d have done as writers and editors had he survived the four heart attacks in 2004, but I’m sure it would’ve been amazing.
I like to think that everything I do will matter, both to Michael and Jeff, whenever I see them next. And I do think I will see them again, and know them, and be able to continue on as before in whatever way the soul goes on in eternity.
Knowing that, some days, is all that keeps me focused.
Aside from that, I thought I’d pass along a few other updates. I’m still going through ELFY, part 1, with my publisher’s blessing, but I hope to have all changes back soon. (Yes, that’s my coy way of saying ELFY is to be split without actually saying it. Though I just did anyway, so all that coyness really didn’t work. Ah, well.) I don’t know if there will be different names given to parts 1 and 2 at this point. I do know that ELFY is coming out only as an e-book, but that’s fine with me as it’s miles better than where I was a year ago.
I’m taking another week off from reviewing anything over at Shiny Book Review, but Jason Cordova reviewed Sarah A. Hoyt’s DARKSHIP RENEGADES a few days ago. So do take a look.
And in a non-personal update, Corey Hart did indeed end up having knee surgery after he got his second opinion. Most sports sites (like Hardball Talk) have Hart penciled out of the lineup until May. My hunch is that Hart, if he heals anything close to as quickly as he did the last time, will be back by mid-April at the latest.
In closing . . . while the internship is over, life goes on. I’ll continue to do whatever I can to write, edit, comment and figure out what happens as best I’m able . . . and if there are further updates in this quarter (one would hope there would be at some point with either writing, editing or life in general) I’ll keep you posted.
And who knows? Maybe by next week I’ll have enough energy to write a book review or two. (I have several hanging fire, one a non-fiction book about space from Travis Taylor and Stephanie Osborn, three great books from K.E. Kimbriel and two books by Veronica Roth to get to, among others.)
Here’s hoping.
Remembering Earl Weaver, Plus a Corey Hart Update
This past Saturday (January 19, 2012 to be exact), news broke regarding the passing of Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver. Weaver managed the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career and had a 1480-1060 record, good for fifth-best among 20th century managers who managed for ten years or more.
But that’s not what I remember most about Weaver.
Nope. I remember Weaver as a firecracker, someone who loved to bait the umpires and held the record for most ejections in a career (with 91 regular-season ejections by most counts) until Bobby Cox later came along and broke it. (But don’t fret, Weaver fans; he still holds the American League record for ejections.)
Weaver was a great manager, don’t get me wrong. And he certainly beat my Milwaukee Brewers team more often than not, though we did win against Weaver and his Orioles in 1982 in the final game of the season. (Don Sutton out-dueled Jim Palmer in Baltimore. Had the Brewers lost that game, the Orioles would’ve advanced to the 1982 ALCS and the Brewers would’ve gone home, there being no wild cards back then.)
Here’s how Sports Illustrated described Weaver:
Anointed as “Baltimore’s resident genius” by Sports Illustrated‘s June 18, 1979 cover, Weaver was a 5-foot-7 spitfire whose irascibility was exceeded only by his tactical acumen; imagine Ozzie Guillen’s profanity crossed with Lou Piniella’s explosiveness, multiplied by Tony LaRussa’s mastery of roster usage. Weaver’s tirades against umpires were legendary; he holds the AL career record for ejections with 94. In 1969, he became the first manager thrown out of a World Series game in more than 60 years. In 1975, he was run from both games of a doubleheader in by umpire and longtime nemesis Ron Luciano, the second time during the exchange of lineup cards, then ejected again by Luciano the next day.
Mind you, Ron Luciano was one of the most colorful umpires in MLB history, and wasn’t likely to get along with someone as equally colorful as himself.
Not that Weaver was easy for any umpire to get along with. Don Denkinger said this in an article by the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports):
Former umpire Don Denkinger said he called one of Weaver’s last games in the majors.
”He comes to home plate before the game and says, ‘Gentlemen, I’m done.’ He told us the only way he’d ever come back is if he ran out of money,” Denkinger told The Associated Press by phone from Arizona. ”I told him that if he ever ran out of money to call the umpires’ association and we’d take up a collection for him. We’d do anything, just to keep him off the field and away from us.”
But Weaver had a slightly softer side. Again according to Denkinger (from the above-mentioned AP article):
Umpires found out just how demonstrative Weaver could be. Denkinger remembered a game in which the manager disputed a call with Larry McCoy at the plate.
”Earl tells us, ‘Now I’m gonna show you how stupid you all are.’ Earl goes down to first base and ejects the first base umpire. Then he goes to second base and ejects the second base umpire. I’m working third base and now he comes down and ejects me,” Denkinger said.
Much later, after they were retired, the umpire asked Weaver to sign a photo of that episode.
”He said absolutely. I sent it to him, he signed it and said some really nice things. It’s framed and hanging up in my office back home in Iowa,” Denkinger said.
I remember many games where I sat in the stands at old Milwaukee County Stadium, watching the Milwaukee Brewers play Weaver’s Orioles. Weaver was a brilliant statistician, something I didn’t fully appreciate at the time (especially as it always seemed whenever I went to a Brewers-Orioles game, the Brewers were going to end up on the short end of the stick). But he was an even better motivator, which is why he knew how to get the best out of such players as Mark Belanger (a defensive specialist who regularly hit below the “Mendoza line”), John Lowenstein and Terry Crowley.
Here’s a bit from the SI article, quoting a well-known “underground” audiotape of an interview Weaver did with broadcaster Tom Marr:
Weaver was known for assembling productive platoons, and nurturing exceptional pinch-hitters who could turn a game around. In this legendary 1980 “Manager’s Corner” interview recorded with broadcaster Tom Marr as a gag after a flubbed take — unaired but widely circulated since then (and again not safe for work) — he extolled the virtues of one of his long-time benchwarmers:
Terry Crowley is lucky he’s in ——- baseball for Chrissake. He was released by the Cincinnati Reds, he was released by the ——- ——- Atlanta Braves. We saw that Terry Crowley could sit on his ——- ass for eight innings and enjoy watching a baseball game just like any other fan, and has the ability to get up there and break one open in the ——- ninth.
Weaver believed in pitching, defense and a three-run home run (one of his most widely-shared sayings). And for the most part, he had the pitchers to back up that philosophy in Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Steve Stone, Mike Flanagan, Pat Dobson and Dave McNally, among others. He also had the acumen to move Cal Ripken, Jr., from third base to shortstop during Ripken, Jr.’s rookie year.
Weaver’s managerial record is extremely impressive. His demeanor on the field was that of a fiery Napoleon, which was fitting considering Weaver might’ve been 5’7″ on the tallest day of his life — exceptionally short for a major league anything, much less a manager.
And Weaver even has a Wisconsin connection (aside from all those games against the Brewers): He managed the Appleton Foxes (now known as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) in 1960 to a 82-59 record and a league championship according to ReviewingtheBrew.com, and is ensconced in Appleton’s Baseball Hall of Fame for that season alone.
With all of Weaver’s potty-mouthed tendencies, he was also known as a devoted family man. He was married, only once, for forty-eight years.
With all of that color, and all of that style and all of those umpire-baiting moments (not to mention the chain-smoking and his well-known penchant for conducting post game interviews in the nude — back in the clubhouse, of course), Weaver will never be forgotten by anyone who ever saw him manage.
Now for something completely different: Brewers RF-1B Corey Hart has decided to seek a second opinion regarding his right knee issues, so surgery has been delayed. According to MLB.com, the MRI of Hart’s knee has been sent to Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, CO. Depending on what Dr. Steadman thinks of the MRI, the doctor may or may not wish to consult with Hart in person.
The Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash said this in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article via Yahoo Sports about Hart’s delayed surgery:
“Until we get past this step, we don’t know what the next step will be,” Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said, according to the (Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel. “Time is of the essence, so we’re hoping it won’t be delayed that long. It’s hard to say right now.”
My take? I understand Hart’s caution. He’s already endured one knee surgery on that knee already, and he probably would prefer not to have to go through another one. Plus, he’s in the final year of a three-year contract and has wanted the Brewers to give him an extension as he wants to join Ryan Braun as potential “Brewers for life.”
The Brewers will not even bother offering Hart an extension if he can’t play, no matter how much heart he showed at the end of the 2012 season while continuing to play on a ruptured plantar fascia. And no matter how much heart he showed by moving, midseason, to an unfamiliar position in order to better benefit the Brewers after Mat Gamel went down with an injury.
But unless there’s something really odd on that MRI, it’s highly unlikely that Hart will be able to avoid surgery.
What I’m guessing — and mind you, it’s only a guess — that Hart wants out of this second opinion is to perhaps endure a lesser knee surgery that will allow him to heal more quickly.
The current surgical plan would cause Hart to stay completely off his knee in a non-weight bearing capacity for six full weeks after the surgery. But Hart’s a workout fiend. He’s known for it. So being completely off his knee, unable to do any weight-bearing exercises, is likely to make him stir-crazy.
And when you add in the contract issues to the whole mix, I can see why Hart would rather have someone else look at the MRI in order to see if any other course of action will bring about a good result.
However, as a Brewers fan, I’d like to see the speedy Corey Hart of old return to the basepaths. That can’t happen unless he goes through the currently planned knee surgery, rests up, and then enjoys better flexibility and range of motion in his knee and foot thereby. (I know the plantar fascia issues seem to have improved, but I won’t really know how Hart can run until he’s able to get to spring training and give it a shot. Or get into rehabilitation, go to the minors and work his way up to the majors, whichever one is doable.)
That’s why I urge Hart to err on the side of caution with regards to this surgery. I know it may mean a lesser payday in 2014 if he really can’t play until mid-May or later. I know it may mean he’ll end up with a different team entirely if the Brewers are unwilling to give him a new contract (or an extension if he really burns it up upon his return).
But I want to see him healthy again, able to run the bases with greater abandon (and without knee and foot pain, natch) and to play at his full capacity.
As great as Hart’s 2013 season was (.270 average, 30 homers and 83 RBI), I believe he will feel a whole lot better once the surgery has been completed and the rehab done. And once he feels much better, he’s likely to hit even better and maybe even make a few more All-Star teams.
Let’s just hope the Brewers have the sense to lock him up to a new multi-year deal before his stock dramatically rises, post-surgery.
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