StillSecure, After All These Years

Go ahead, be a Tiger

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I stink at golf. I don't play often enough to get better and I wasn't good to begin with.  But regardless of whether you are a good golf player or not, you can appreciate greatness.  We were in the presence of greatness this weekend and yesterday watching Tiger Woods storm to his latest US Open victory. 

Of course Tiger has won these before, but this one may have been his greatest yet.  Coming off of knee surgery, limping up and down the course, Tiger made so many amazing shots that you almost expect him to make the impossible. Coming back on the 18th hole on Sunday to tie it, then a nail biter 18 hole playoff today, only to win it in an extra death 19th hole Tiger Woods has once again confirmed that he may be the best money player of his generation, if not of all time. 

But Rocco Mediate played for all of us over 40-somethings, that you can still play with the big boys and give them a run for their money.  Good for Rocco too! It is about time someone gave Tiger a run.

At the end of the day though we should all realize how special it is that we get to watch Tiger week in and out.  Much like watching Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle, we may not truly appreciate how luck we are being able to watch Tiger, until we can't watch him anymore.  So like the commercial says, "Go on, be a Tiger"!

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On braces, baseball and Fathers Day

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So it is quite an exciting Fathers Day weekend here at the Shimel house.  On Friday my oldest son Landon, 8, had braces put on his top teeth. I know that 8 is early for braces, but evidently today they do this as a "Phase 1", so that hopefully he won't need them as long later on.  Seeing my little boy come out of the room with braces was quite a sight.  Unlike the trauma that kids had about braces when I was younger, he thought it was awesome.  The picture to the left are not his braces.  Landon's are black and gold, Steeler braces. In 6 weeks they will change them to Yankee blue and white.  Braces have certainly come a long way since I was a kid.  But my son Landon has come a long way too.  Looking at him with his braces and talking to the office staff I realized that the little, fuzzy red headed baby we brought home from the hospital almost 9 years ago now has grown into quite a boy. Where is the little toddler that I would toss a sponge ball to underhand and tell him to use two hands to catch? Could this kid with the catchers mitt catching everything I throw at him and firing it back to me be that baby? 

Saturday is a day filled with both boys. I am taking Landon and Bradley to breakfast and than off to Baseball City to practice our hitting and pitching. Then Bradley has a birthday party he is invited to and Landon and I will go swimming.

Sunday Landon has a travel baseball team game at 10am.  Landon was selected for the team because of the great season he had in Little League and is now in tournaments for the next few weeks. Than we are all going to visit my Uncle and Aunt for Fathers Day at the house near the water with a pool.

I could not think of a better way to spend my Fathers Day weekend. My mother-in-law always used to say that she was the richest woman in the world because of the treasure that were her children.  When I was younger I laughed but would have taken the cash.  As I have grown older and have had a chance to watch my boys grow up and have come to understand what it truly is to be a Father, I know that she was right.  There is nothing like the love of a child and watching, helping and sharing in their adventure that is life.

To all of you celebrating Fathers Day this year whether as a Dad with your own kids or with your own Dad, congratulations and savor every minute of it. Happy Fathers Day!

I guess they just don't make them like they used too - horses that is

I am not what you would consider a huge fan of horse racing.  The last time I bet on a race was when I was 18 and on of my uncles horses was running and I bet all I had on him, only to see him pull up and stop at the top of the stretch.  I guess I was somewhat spoiled growing up though, because during the 70's when I was first introduced to horse racing, we saw 3 triple crown winners.

The first triple crown winner I saw was the incomparable Secretariat. Anyone who saw him will not forget Big Red coming down himself on the stretch of the Belmont Stakes, putting the crowning touch on his triple crown campaign. Five years later, Seattle Slew beat all comers to win the triple crown himself. He was a big impressive horse and a favorite of the crowd. Just the next year, Affirmed won all three triple crown races, each one in a neck and neck battle with Alydar.  What series that was, with Steve Cauthen pushing Affirmed to the win each time, but Alydar was the favorite of the crowd.  What hearts the both of those horses had!

if you would have told me after Affirmed won in 1978, that I would not see another one for at least 30 years I would not have believed you.  But almost every year it seems some horse wins the Derby, is able to hold on and win the Preakness, but then the Belmont, the test of champions looms and they come up short.  Either bad breaks, bad breeding or something else conspires to deprive the sport of what it needs to give it a badly needed shot of publicity.

This year it was Big Brown.  The horse looked unbeatable in the first two legs of the triple crown.  He didn't look too bad early in the race. But at the top of the stretch when he was asked to turn it on, he just had no gas in the tank. He joins a long list of horses who stood on the cusp of immortality, but came up a little short.

I guess we will have to wait to next year or maybe the year after to see if anyone has what it takes.  I sure hope I get to see at least one more triple crown winner in my life!

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This weeks Yiddish word of the week - Naches

Non-Security post to follow, stop reading now if not interested.  According to Wikepedia the Yiddish or Jewish word naches means: feeling of pride in the achievements of one's children.  Growing up, my grandmother used to use this word all the time to describe the joy she felt whenever my siblings or I would do anything noteworthy.  As I grew up I tended to put this word into the pile of other obscure Yiddish words that my grandmother used.  When she passed away I didn't really know anyone else who spoke the language and I began to forget them.  My mother-in-law used Yiddish words like that as well and I learned some more from her, but when she passed away too, that was pretty much the end of my learning the language.  Today I got an up close and personal lesson on the the meaning of naches. 

As I have written about before my oldest son Landon's (8) baseball team is having a tough season. We have not won one game all season. In fact in many of the games we are not even competitive.  I had moved Landon up to this level of play even though he is a year or more younger than most of the other kids in the league.  The level below though was one he was in for two years and made the all star team last year.  So we moved up to kid pitch and took our chances.  Landon started off slow with the rest of the kids on the team. However, he kept working and has been pitching and playing 2b and SS most of the year.  He has also been working on his hitting.

While most of the kids on our team have shown steady improvement, Landon has really come in to his own.  Not only in raw baseball skills but in situational awareness of the finer points of baseball (knowing when to throw and where).  In today's game our other two pitchers were not at the game. I had Landon pitch the whole game.  He did great, making a bunch of great plays in the field.  He also had three hits, each time picking up an RBI.  He hit the ball hard each time. We lost again, but it was a close game.

At the end of the game, both the umpire and the coach of the other team came over and not knowing Landon was my son told me that he was a great player and the best player on the field.  Last game the coach of the first place team came over to tell me when he picks the all star team to play travel ball, he wants to pick Landon on his team.  After all these years (like the title of my blog), I finally have learned what my Grandmother meant by the word naches!  I am really proud of Landon and all that he is accomplishing in baseball.

Now batting for the NY Yankees ... Billy Crystal, number 60

Imagine Bob Sheppard's one of a kind voice booming over the PA system at Yankee Stadium.  The words echoing off the hallowed stands that Ruth built, near first base where Gerhig stood, over the green grass of centerfield where DiMaggio and Mantle roamed. Ladies and Gentlemen, now hitting for the NY Yankees, number 60, Billy Crystal. For one of my favorite comedians, a life long dream came true for his 60th birthday.

It is no secret that Crystal who grew up in Long Beach, Long Island is a die hard, crazy Yankee fan.  Today the Yankees probably made him "the luckiest man on the face of the earth", or at least since another Yankee said those words.  They signed Billy to a one day contract and let him suit up and take an at bat in a pre-season game.  Alas, the mighty Crystal struck out, but not before fouling a ball off down the line and running the count to 3 and 2. What a special event and great thing to do for a special fan.  I can only imagine the goose bumps that Billy for sure had!  Classy move by the Yankees.

This is the last year for the greatest sports venue in America, Yankee Stadium.  I very much want to take my boys up this season to see at least one game in the old stadium.  In the meantime if anyone really wants to make me happy, maybe you can finagle to get me a similar stint with the Yanks.  If not I would settle for coming and playing QB for the Steelers for a play as well.  But I guess I am no Billy Crystal, but I can dream can't I? Like Yogi says, it ain't over till its over.

Big Ben is a Steeler for life

Was happy to see the news today that Ben Rothlisberger signed a new 8 year extension on his contract with the Steelers. This will keep Big Ben a Steeler probably for his entire NFL career. The money is pretty crazy, about 102 million over the life of the deal, with 25 million up front as a signing bonus. Not a bad deal if you can get it!

It was almost 2 years ago that Ben had that terrible motorcycle accident. He wasn't wearing a helmet and suffered some serious injuries. Many thought he would never get back to the level he was before the accident. Last year he had a great year though and made the Pro Bowl. Good for Ben and good for the Steelers! Now for all of you people who make this the most popular search question on my blog, NO Ben is not Jewish!

Do they have to grow up?

Notice: This is a non-security post, if you only care about my rambling on security don't read past this. 
Today was a tough day for my son Landon's I9 Sports rookie league baseball team.  I am the coach of the team and have been coaching Landon in baseball since he was 4 years old. He is now 8 and playing in a 9-10 year old division. This year marks the first time that the kids are pitching and we play with walks, stealing, etc.  In years past, it didn't really matter if a child on the team was experienced or skilled enough for a particular position.  Frankly it was not that competitive and other than catching the ball at first base a players inexperience could  only hurt so much.  But at this level it is literally a different game.  If the pitcher can't throw the ball for strikes, if the catcher can't catch and throw runners out and if a child is not baseball savvy enough to know when there is a force or not at a particular base, it can get real ugly. 

I have a team full of kids who are younger for this division and for the last month many of them have been begging to pitch.  Each of them in their own mind knows that they could be a great pitcher, maybe even a big leaguer. So I informed the team that if we fell behind today, i was going to give everyone a who wanted to a chance to pitch to at least two batters.  The first two innings our best pitcher held the other team scoreless and we punched through a run in the 2nd to take the lead.  However in the 3rd inning, he ran out of gas and our next two pitchers didn't do any better.  Trailing 6 to 1, I decided to give the other kids a chance.  18 runs later (thats right 24 to 1in total) the umps called the game, as time ran out.  None of the kids who wanted to pitch managed to get anyone out and they walked every single batter.

Was this painful?  You bet it was.  For the kids, the parents, the coaches, the other team and everyone else watching.  However, I had to let it run its course so that each child had a chance to see for themselves that it is not easy to do.  It was a tough lesson to learn for 8 and 9 year olds, that not everyone can be the pitcher.  I had mixed feelings about doing this because I didn't want the kids to lose confidence or be hurt by their lack of success.  Even Landon who is one of the kids on the team who can pitch (picture to the left) was crying after the game that he did not want to play on this team anymore. But I felt I had to do this. I think they had to learn this lesson, I just wish it were not the hard way.  After the game I gathered the team and told them baseball is a team sport.  Each member of the team contributes in their own special way.  They each possess a unique set of talents and skills that allows them to help the team, but not everyone is cut out to be a pitcher or a catcher. I think they all realize it now. Some of the kids accepted this and told me they did not want to pitch anymore.  Other kids said they would practice and try to get better. 

At some level I guess it is part of growing up and realizing that you are not the next Nolan Ryan or Josh Beckett.  It is similar to a truth I come to grips with every day.  That is as I get older with each day, there are going to be some dreams and hopes that are going to go unfulfilled in my own life.  There are going to be mountains I am not going to climb. As I have gotten older I have come to grips with this reality and even accepted it.  Looking into the faces of these little kids today I wish they never had to realize their own limitations. I wish they could believe forever that anything is possible, people never die, they never even get really sick,and everyone can be a great ballplayer. I wish the realities of life did not have to invade on their innocent idyllic lives.  I wish I did not have to be the coach who had to show them in this painful way their own limitations and life lessons.  It was not one of my favorite days coaching for sure.  Don't you wish we could all still live in that anything is possible place of our childhood fantasies where we could be the next Mickey Mantle or Franco Harris or even Bill Gates for that matter. 

Giants-Pats? You wouldn't understand, its a NY-Boston thing

OK, it is Super Bowl Sunday and after that game how can I not write something.  Both of these teams played their hearts out there tonight.  Wes Welker has the biggest heart for a little man you ever saw.  But in the end I think the Giants out Belichick-ed Bill Bellichick by crafting a game plan that ate up the clock, kept the Pats offense off the field and set up the Giants to pull it out in the end.  The Giants defense did something that no team has done this year, that is stop the Pats when they had to be stopped. The Giants offense did something that no one has done on the Pats all year either. That was scoring when they had to score.  Congratulations to the whole Giants franchise.  Also congrats to the Pats.  Yes they are not 19-0, but they have had a magical season and just came up a little short.

But my commentary here would not be complete without mentioning the NY-Boston thing.  As many of you know, I am a huge Steeler fan.  I like the Giants and the Jets because they are from NY, but especially when they are playing Boston.  I am not a Pats fan at all because they are from Boston (they can call themselves New England all they want, they are from Boston).  That being the same Boston that the Red Sox are from.  With all due respect to fans from across the country and some of the great rivalries out there, but for my money there is nothing like a NY-Boston big time game.  I don't care if it is baseball, football, hockey or basketball. When there is a big game on the line, it just does not get any better or bitter-sweet as the NY-Boston thing. To all of my friends who are Boston fans (and I have many), hey sorry guys.  Be grateful for the Sox.  Maybe we can pick this up in the AL playoffs in October!

Mets get Santana, Yankees and Red Sox thrilled

Disclaimer: This is another nothing to do about security article.  Today's Super Bowl Sunday so lets write about baseball. The other shoe has finally dropped on the biggest deal in baseball this off-season.  They NY Mets have won the Johan Santana sweepstakes.  The deal costs the Mets dearly. 4 young prospects, including 3 pitchers and 137.5 million over six years. What did they get for all that? Maybe the best pitcher in baseball today. A sturdy 2 time Cy Young award winner, Santana will anchor the Mets rotation for years to come.  The Mets beat out the Yankees and the Red Sox to win the prize.

Here is the funny thing though.  I think both the Yankees and Red Sox are happy the Mets got him. If you look at the Red Sox they are coming off of a World Series season. Their pitching appears solid and though you can never have enough pitching, the price to the Sox would have been either Jon Lester, a great pitching prospect or Jacoby Ellsbury or both.  A steep price to pay, not to mention the big fat contract on top of that.  And who knows how the other Sox players would have reacted to another big contract. It could have upset their whole payroll order  On the other hand, the Yankees would have had to deal one, if not two of their big three baby arms.  Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain.  These three could be the rock the Yankees build their next dynasty on.  The Yankees are finally going to let the young arms develop on the Yankees. Plus even the Yankees have to worry about yet another big contract.  I think one of the things driving both the Yanks and Sox quest for Santana was to keep their arch rivals from getting him!  Now the Mets have come in and taken that problem off the table. Yankees and Sox fans know that the only time they will have to regret this trade is if they meet the Mets in the World Series. If so, I am sure they will take their chances.

Here is hoping the deal works out for the Mets, it already has for the Yankees and Red Sox!

Play Ball!

I can't help but be a little excited about the start of baseball season tonight.  Thats right baseball season.  I live in Florida, the land of the grapefruit league and both of my sons little league teams kick off practice tonight.  I know you are thinking that the Super Bowl isn't even played yet, but need I remind you it is but just about 2 weeks from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.

Of course the fact that I coach both of boys on their teams makes it more exciting for me.  My youngest son Bradley will be in modified coach pitch again, so I get to toss the balls to the kids to hit.  No outs, everyone gets up and goes out in the field.  It is hard keeping 5 and 6 year olds focused on the game.  My oldest son Landon, makes the jump to real baseball this year in the rookie league. Though only 8 he is in with 9 and 10 year olds with the kids actually pitching.  I am hoping for a great season with both of them!

As much as I love football, there is something about baseball in the air that gets the blood flowing.

Football fanatic

What a great time to be a Patriots fan!  Unfortunately I am not.  Nevertheless it is fun watching them play and hoping against hope that someone knocks them off.  I was out to dinner with a friend in Boston last week who is a big Pats fan and has a 17 year old son, who likewise is a big Pats fan.  What a great age to have your team be in the middle of a dynasty.  I was lucky enough to experience that when I was growing up and my Steelers were in the middle of their run.

On the other hand, no matter who is playing it is a blast watching football in my house.  My son Landon is obsessed with football. He takes apart every play and every situation.  At this point he has asked me for a jersey of just about every NFL team.  Of course the day he told me he was a Peyton Manning fan and liked the Colts more than the Steelers I wanted to ask him to find a new home to live in.  But I am getting over it and still hope to turn him around soon!  My younger son Bradley watches with us too.  The three of us sitting in front of the TV watching playoff football is about as good as it gets for this Dad!

Willie Parker, just not a "Steeler" running back

For those of you who don't want to read non-security blog posts, stop right here and come back for the next one.  For those still reading, let me say that as much as it hurts me to say it, Willie Parker is just not a Steeler-type of running back.  Yes he is very talented, yes he certainly is fast and yes he did break that big run in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago.  But he is just not a Steeler kind of back.  He breaks a tackle about as often as Blitzburgh's defense does not blitz on a 3rd and long.  Unless his blockers give him some separation between him and the defense to turn on his speed and run away from the defenders, he is useless. I have seen him get knocked down at the line or behind it far too often. 

Tonight another hallmark of Parker's running came to the fore.  Willie Parker is a fumbler.  It happens to the best of running backs, but it happens with Parker way to often. When you are a team that grinds opponents down by playing smash mouth football, you can't afford your every down back to a be a finesse player who fumbles.  This is a franchise that has had great runners like Franco Harris, Rocky Blier, Jerome Bettis, heck even "Bam" Morris and Sidney Thornton and Barry Foster.  All of them were known as punishing, smash mouth runners who gave a hit as good as they got.  They may not have been the fastest players in the league, but running the trademark trap plays that the Steelers use, they got the job done and then some.  When the Steelers had a lead you could give it to these guys and they would run it down the throat of the defense, wearing them down and running out the clock.  Willie Parker just ain't that kind of back.  I think he makes an excellent 3rd down back to come in and give a change of pace, but he is not an every down back that fits the Steelers scheme.  We need to bring in a banger who holds on to the ball!  Anyone see the bus?

Dark days for Knick fans

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about what a great time it is to be a Boston sports fan. With the Red Sox championship, the Pats running away from the rest of the NFL, Boston fans don't even have the time to focus in on how great their Celtics are this year.  Good times if you are a Boston sports fan for sure.  On the other hand I just grow more depressed every time I read anything about the NY Knicks. This once proud franchise, the home of warriors like Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas, Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley is being run into the ground by the twin headed leadership of James Dolan and Isiah Thomas. 

The Dolan's who own Cablevision, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Musical Hall, the Knicks and the Rangers, seem to think the basketball team is a hobby for the owners son.  Since they have taken over ownership the team has consistently underperformed with one of the highest payrolls in the league.  The biggest mistake seems to have been hiring Isiah Thomas.  He may have been a good player, but he is not a great basketball coach or exec and based on recent court cases, is not a very nice person either. The team is beset by internal fighting with Thomas and point guard Stephon Marbury involved in a fist fight.  A guilty verdict in a sexual harassment suit and odd personnel moves that leave fans scratching their heads in wonder if anyone there has a clue. They have not had a winning season in longer than I can remember.

The shame of it all is that the Knicks are a terrific draw.  In spite of sky high ticket prices, Knick tickets are still a hot item in NY.  In the face of all of the recent bad news, the Dolans refuse to do anything about getting rid of Thomas.  I think it is time Knick fans start speaking with their wallets and boycott this team until either the Dolan's sell or bring in someone else to run the team!  In the meantime, I am ashamed at being a Knick fan and find it impossible to encourage my kids to root for this sorry sack of a team.

A-Rod back with the Yankees?

I got home late tonight/early this morning (after a flight from Denver in which the woman sitting next to me had a little 2 year old boy who decided he wanted to sleep on Uncle Alan's lap for the 3 hour plus flight) to the news that A-Rod has approached the Yankees without his agent Scott Boras about coming back to the Yankees and basically owning up to miscalculating the market and not doing right by the Yanks.  Supposedly he wants to finish his career a Yankee.  He and the Yankees are reportedly close to a 10 year, 275 million dollar deal.  Only the Yankees can provide such drama (and it would appear such money).  So in spite of the Mets, Dodgers, Angels and Boston being mentioned, it looks like the best statistical player in the game will be coming back to play in pinstripes.  Red Sox fans I am sure will be up in arms over this one.  I think they like talking about what the Yankees do and don't do, more than they like talking about their own team.

In the meantime, I don't know what to think.  My son Landon is a huge A-Rod fan, but even he recognized a money-hungry, selfish move for what it was and Landon is only 8.  Do we just chalk it up to bad advice from his over confident, svengali like agent and hope that he will start hitting in the post-season?  Should we open our arms and welcome him back to the fold, knowing that one day he and Derek Jeter will have plaques next to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle?  Hey, man we are the NY Yankees and why shouldn't the best hitting regular season player be on our team.  So Sox fans, eat your hearts out! Looks like you will have 10 years to boo A-Rod in pinstripes.

Do you remember when you first rode a two-wheeler?

Do you?  For many of us riding our first two wheeler without training wheels was an important right of passage to being a big boy or girl.  It may not be as significant as our first acceptance letter to college or even a first kiss, but being able to ride that two wheeler is an accomplishment that any little one can be proud of. 

Today I took the afternoon off after a busy week and ahead of a overseas business trip next week.  I went to down to the basketball/tennis court area of our development with our two sons Landon (8) and Bradley (6).  I took Bradley's two wheeler with me, though he refused to get on it after a spill the first time he tried it without training wheels.  After a few minutes of shooting baskets and watching Landon ride his RipStick (if you don't know what that is you are old!), I called Bradley over and put on his helmet.  After some initial reluctance (OK he took a temper tantrum) he got on the bike.  I held on to the bike the first time around and then let go.  Before he had a chance to complain about letting go, he realized he was riding on his own and just took off from there.  When he finally came to a stop the look of accomplishment and joy on his face was truly priceless.  It is one of those moments when being a parent is the best thing on the earth.  I don't think Bradley will ever feel happier or more proud of himself. 

It made me think back to when I first learned to ride and how great I felt about it.  Do you still remember when you learned to ride a two wheeler?  Certainly a small but significant milestone in growing up.  Congratulations to Bradley!

The true nature of Yankee fans

With the Red Sox and the Rockies in the World Series, many of my friends who are either Red Sox fans or who live in Colorado and are Rocky-crazed have been trying to needle me over my Yankees not being in the series. The Rockies fans especially expect me to naturally want the Rockies to beat the Sox.  After all, any one other than the Sox right.  I tried to explain to them that Yankee fans don't think that way.  I am not sure if they truly understand what I mean.

The Yankee fans attitude can best be summed up by an incident I experienced this weekend.  I was out with my wife at a dueling piano bar with about 20 other people in our party.  One couple was from Cape Cod, but living down in Florida now.  The Sox game was on the big screen TV at the bar and every time the Red Sox scored or did something good, they would jump up and down and get all excited.  Then they would look over at me (not sure if the fact I am a Yankee fan is written across my face or if someone told them) and say sorry for being so happy about the Sox and hope I didn't take it too hard.  Finally, after about the 6th time they did this I called them both over to my table.  I told them I was going to do them the favor of letting them in on a little secret that all us Yankee fans know.  They eagerly asked me to share this secret with them.  So I told them, if the Yankees are no longer in it, frankly we don't give a crap who else is and who wins or loses.  It is the Yankees or it doesn't matter as far as we are concerned.  Of course I used a different word than crap, you can guess the word.  They were so taken back they didn't know what to say.  They looked at each other, backed off and I didn't hear another peep from them the rest of the night.

That I think is the fundamental difference between Yankee fans and Red Sox and for that matter Mets fans.  For Mets and Red Sox fans, who have not tasted the sweet nectar of success quite as often as Yankee fans, if their team is not in it, they adopt an "anyone but the Yankees" attitude.  It just makes no sense to me.  If your team isn't winning it, who cares who does win.  I think they get more joy out of the Yankee's not winning than they do out of their own teams winning.  Yankee fans are just not wired that way. My only guess is that it comes from having won as much as the Yankees have.

So I sit here watching this World Series and not really rooting for one team over the other.  I enjoy both teams doing well and am looking forward to some good baseball.  I don't begrudge the Sox having an amazing offensive team and some great pitching.  My friends from Colorado have certainly been on an amazing ride with this Rockie team and I hope it does not end too early for them.  I hope the series goes 7 games and both teams play great baseball.  I will enjoy the games for the great sport baseball is, not because of any cheap animosity that if my team can't win, I don't want the other team to win either.

Sure, blame the hackers

I had to laugh when I saw this article in ChannelWeb about the Rockies blaming "hackers" for their servers being brought to their knees with people trying to buy World Series tickets.  Brad Feld wrote about the servers going down the other day.  When I read it I commented to one of my StillSecure co-workers (who are crazed out of their minds about the Rockies making the World Series, but will it be enough to make them go to a few games next year?) that it was probably some disgruntled Arizona fans or maybe even part of Red Sox nation trying to make sure they could get more Red Sox fans at the games.  I guess it was only a matter of time until the Rockies took the usual bogey man out of the closet and blamed the unknown, malicious "hackers". 

Come on guys, just fess up. Your system was not up to handling this kind of load.  You have never been to a World Series and Paciolan (the ticket vendor) was not up to the job.  Put some more servers on this and lets act like a major league operation.  It is the World Series you know!

That hurt!

It seemed for a while at the end of the baseball season that this was going to be a special year for the Yankees.  After a dismal start, fortune seemed to smile on them and they rode their talent and payroll to the top of the AL wild card hunt. They even made a run at the Red Sox.  But alas it was not to be.  The Yankee's fought valiantly, but when the time to come through came, the Yankees did not.  You could blame it on the bugs, some bad calls by the umpires or anything else, but Jeter, ARod, Posada and the rest of Yankees bats fell silent. As they have for the last three years now, they lost in the playoffs and did not make the World Series. They hit some home runs, but not the kind of clutch hits that defined the Yankee championships of the 90's.  Where was Paul O'Neill, Tito Martinez, Bernie Williams, even f*^$ing Aaron Boone. 

Have the Yankees lost their magic?  I think not. I think though that it ithis s a clear signal that it is time to retool.  We have some great young arms coming up.  We need to supplement that with some hitters who come through in the clutch.  Maybe Joe Torre needs to retire after a great run at the helm here.  Shake things up.  This is still the proudest and most storied franchise in sports and they will rise again I am sure.  But this version of the team has had its turn and it is time to turn the page.  Wait till next year!

My own pilgrimage to a football Mecca

For those of you not interested in my personal interest posts, you can stop reading right now.  For those still reading, let me share with you the fulfillment of a life long fantasy this weekend.  As I have written about many times, I am a big Steeler fan and have been since I was about 10 years old.  In all of these years, I have seen the Steelers play in person only once.  That was in NY when they played the Jets one year (actually it was NJ, at Giants Stadium).  Though I am a die hard fan, I have never seen them play in their home stadium in Pittsburgh.  For many years my wife Bonnie has tried to get me tickets to a game, but has been unsuccessful.  Steeler tickets in Pittsburgh are hard to come by. 

Last year at the end of football season, I was talking football with Jeff Lumley, who does an excellent job as a federal account manager for StillSecure.  Jeff lives in Colorado now, but is from the Pittsburgh area.  In fact he still has his season tickets to the Steelers, that he now shares with his friends.  Jeff could not believe that I never had seen a Steeler game in person and told me he was going to get me tickets.  I thought it was a nice thought and left it at that.  Well Jeff made the calls to his buddies back home and as soon as the schedule came out, he told me that he had three tickets for me for opening day against Buffalo.  I felt like a Christian pilgrim being told he is going to the holy land or a Muslim making the Haj.  I don't know if Jeff realized what a good deed he had done.

I told Bonnie about the tickets and she asked who we were going to take with us. I had to tell her there were only three tickets and I was going to fulfill this dream by taking my two sons with me to a Steeler game in Pittsburgh. I have tried my hardest to make sure my sons share my passion for football and the Steelers. Though only 8 and 6, they are already well indoctrinated in the Steelers and the Yankees.

I made airline, hotel and rental car reservations and Saturday morning we flew up to Pittsburgh.  After the usual airline BS which rerouted us through NY we arrived in Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon.  I stopped at a mall store and picked up Steeler jerseys and terrible towels for the boys (you can't get little kids Steeler jerseys in Florida).  We checked into the hotel and killed the rest of the day at a museum (at least some educational stuff to offset missing school on Monday).

We woke up early on Sunday had breakfast and then changed into our Steeler game day uniforms.  At about 10:00 we started walking down the river walk towards Heinz Field.  It was a beautiful sunny day in the 70's. We wound up taking a water ferry across the river and were on line at the stadium when the gates opened at 11.  We checked out the great hall, ate lunch and went to our seats. Looking out over a sea of black and gold clad fans, I felt a sense of belonging.  I guess sort of like a Jewish person going to Israel or something like that. When the F-16s overflew the stadium at the end of the national anthem, I had goose bumps. 

The game was a walk over for the Steelers, 26-3.  In the history of the team it will probably not be remembered too much except for the kick off of their 75th anniversary season.  They wore throw back uniforms with yellow helmets.  However, for me it was a dream fulfilled.  My sons waved their towels (OK, so did I), yelled for the Steelers and we had a great time.  In the 4th quarter my youngest son, Bradley asked me the score (he just doesn't get the scoring) and said, "Oh my God we are crushing them".  That was what it was all about for me.

We left the game with just over 2 minutes left.  I stopped when we were at field level just before the tunnel out and told both boys to stop and look at the field.  I said "guys remember what that looks like.  I don't know if we will ever have a chance to come back here and see the Steelers play again.  I hope we do, but who knows.  You boys won't be this young and neither will I.  Remember that you and your Dad came here and did this."  Who knows what the future holds, but this was a memory I will remember the rest of my life and I hope it is one they will as well. Thanks Jeff!

Like the commercial says - three tickets to the game, a couple of hundred dollars.  Airline, hotel and car, a couple of hundred more.  Sharing this memory with my boys - PRICELESS

The new Yogi Berra - Jorge Posada

I was reading this article on Yahoo! sports about A-Rod and the Yankees talking contract extensions.  The article went on to talk about two other high profile potential free agents on the Yankees at the end of the year, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada.  In the tradition of that greatest Yankee catcher of all time (sorry to all you Thurman Munson fans out there), Yogi Berra, here is Posada's quote:

Asked whether he wants to stay in New York, Posada said: "This is the only team I've known, and the only team I've played for. But if they don't want me here, I won't come back probably."

Excellent Jorge, if they don't want you, you probably won't come back.  Somewhere in New Jersey, Yogi is smiling!

Why the Florida Marlins are not a successful business

In a relatively short period of time the Florida Marlins have managed to win not one, but two World Series championships.  Unfortunately after each championship the owners of the team (two different owners) had to dismantle the team because the payroll could not be sustained due to the miserable support the team receives here in South Florida.  It is no secret that they either want a new stadium or they will leave. 

Today I had a chance to experience this first hand.  Our local little league, I9 Sports had our annual trip to a Marlins game.  Counting the 100 or so kids from our league who went to the game, there could not have been more than 2500 to 3000 people total at the game.  Growing up in NY, it was rare that you went to Yankee or Shea Stadium on a Sunday afternoon and it was not packed. It is really hard for kids and other fans to really feel part of the experience when you are so isolated in a huge stadium that probably sits 45,000 or so.  On top of this watching baseball in the summer sun of South Florida would probably be deemed cruel and inhuman punishment by any competent court.  You literally roast in your seat and we were not even in the sunny part of the stadium.

Our club level tickets cost $42 dollars regularly and we got them for $30.  However, they are doing construction on the stadium (adding new restaurants and suites) in time for football season (the Dolphins own the stadium).  So all the restaurants and facilities on our level were closed and we had to go down one level to get any food or refreshments.  No vendors walking the aisles (it is too hot I guess).  It is just not a major league experience.  Frankly, we had a better time going to a pre-season NY Met game up in Pt. St. Lucie this spring. 

At this stadium, with these prices and fielding the team they do, the Marlins don't deserve the fans support.  The question is if they did something to change it, would the fans respond?  I don't know, but this is not a way to run a baseball business.

Building a better world, one soccer ball at a time

As I have mentioned before, I am an assistant athletic director for a local sports league here in Boca Raton called I9 Sports. Two weeks ago Rob and Mindy Cannova, who run the league asked me if I would help them with a project they were getting involved in.  It seems the league was asked to participate in a match with the teams from the Islamic Center of Boca Raton.  First of all I did not even know there was an Islamic Center of Boca Raton. Secondly, my first reaction was could this be a potential issue.  Either because of the reaction of other people to being involved in this tournament or from the players and families themselves.  I was asked if I would coach one of our league teams against the ICBR teams and if both of my young sons would particpate.

After digging into it a little bit, I decided that yes I would let my sons play and I would coach and fully support the effort.  We had our game tonight.  It was a smashing success.  We had the local press there covering the event.  There were lots of parents from the ICBR dressed in traditional Muslim garb, as well as lots of secular people from both teams. 

In speaking to the head of the athletic department from ICBR, I could not believe how grateful he was for our participation.  It seems that they have 7 teams from the ICBR in different age groups. However, they have no one to play with other than with themselves.  No one else would play them. In fact some of the other local leagues flat out refused, telling the ICBR that they did not think it appropriate with a war going on and "you people killing our boys" to play them in soccer.

I explained to my team that we were here to have a good time and I expected them to play with the highest level of sportsmanship and have a great time.  Once the whistle blew and the games began, it was obvious that whether they be Muslim or Jew, Hindu or Christian, they were just 7, 8 or 9 year old little children running around and kicking the ball.  Everyone had a great time and afterwards we all shook hands and had some Gatorade and drinks and snacks.  We agreed to do it again really soon.

If we are going to make this world a better place for our children and their children, this kind of interaction and playing together on ball fields has to replace the interaction that takes place all to often between people of different faiths on different kinds of fields today.  Maybe making the world better one soccer ball at a time is a pipe dream, but it sure looked good to me tonight.

A Purpose Driven Life

No, I am not going born again and this is not a post about religion or anything like that.  But there comes moments in all of our lives where we stop and want to bookmark where we are and reflect on who, what and why we do what we do.  I am having a weekend like that this weekend.  I guess it says something about how "mature" I am that I at least recognize these moments.  At times like this I am always reminded of a line in the movie Wall Street.

“Man looks in the abyss, there’s nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.” —Hal Holbrook, Wall Street

Not that I am facing what Bud in the movie was, but I just feel like it is one of those times to take stock.  What is driving me to this self-reflective navel gazing?  Well first of all tomorrow is Bonnie's and mine 17th wedding anniversary.  Can it really be that long already?  Where does the time go.  So many of our friends have had their marriages fall apart over the last few years.  Those of you married or in long term relationships know that maintaining one for that period of time is not the easiest thing in the world.  My wife has put up with much from me over the years and I can honestly say that even after all this time we still are learning about each other and how to be closer than ever.  Happy Anniversary Bonnie!

Another thing driving my self-reflection was that this was playoff day in flag football.  I coach both of my sons teams in soccer, baseball and football.  We were lucky enough to win the division in soccer last season and today we won in football.  However, for the second time in 5 years of coaching I lost my cool on the field.  Just like the first time, it involved one of the kids on my team laying on the grass crying after being crushed by the other team.  Today, it was the second play in a row where on of my boys was hurt by the same player on the other team on the first two plays of the game.  Obviously this player from the other team was out to play hard and make a statement.  On reflection (that is what this post is about), I probably over reacted and made it a bigger deal than I should have.  The coach of the other team is actually one of my best friends.  Though the parents on my team appreciated that I was sticking up for their children and trying to make sure they were not getting hurt, I felt like I could have done better.  I apologized to the refs and the other coach and rallied my team and we won by a touchdown.  I will be honest.  It felt good to be the winning football coach.  I can almost imagine how Tony Dungy felt :-)  Anyway, tomorrow it is baseball for both of my boys teams so I will be coaching again all day and will try to be a good coach and keep my cool.

I look at my life on this weekend and realize looking into the abyss, I see a very lucky man staring back.  A beautiful wife who loves him, 2 great boys that I am proud of, a successful company that I feel I have helped give life to.  A full plate of activities and adventure that keep me moving forward, learning and growing. There is much still to do, but these are the things that keep me going day after day and give purpose to my life.

The Steelers get their man, a bit of a risky move

Well it looks like the Steelers did the unconventional thing in hiring their next coach.  Instead of going with the safe pick, their current assistant head coach, Russ Grimm, they reached for a 34 year old, defensive coordinator, Mike Tomlin.  Tomlin was only a defensive coordinator for one year and prior to that was an assistant coach, defensive secondary for Tampa Bay for 5 years. Prior to that he was an assistant coach for several colleges.  More disturbing to me is that Tomlin is a big proponent of a 4-3 defense and the Steelers are built for a 3-4 defense.  This spells big changes ahead.  Additionally, it means that Grimm will leave after being passed over. Dick LeBeau, current defensive coordinator and father of the zone blitz, will also probably leave, as has Ken Wisenhut the offensive coordinator.  This all from a team only one year removed from winning the Super Bowl.

I just can't help but think the Rooney family (they own the Steelers) has taken a big risk here, at a time they really didn't have too.  I feel like they just wanted to follow the formula they have followed the last two times, which was to hire a young, relatively unknown defensive coach.  But I don't think they have hired a coach while the team was still so competitive before.  It is going to take 3 years for Tomlin to change things to his liking and it will be a long three years.  By the way, I don't buy into the whole thing of mentioning that Tomlin is an African-American and give that as a reason he was hired.  With both coaches of this years Super Bowl teams African-Americans, I think it is time we stop classifying football coaches by the color of their skin. They are coaches and should be judged by their won-loss record and thats it.

Bill Cowher - Thanks for the Memories

As many readers of my blog know, I am a huge Pittsburgh Steeler fan. So it is with a heavy heart I say good bye to the Bill Cowher era for the Steelers.  Bill "retired" Friday, after 15 years at the helm of the team.  During this period the Steelers only won one Super Bowl (but how sweet it was).  However, they appeared in 6 AFC championship games (record of 2-4) and one other Super Bowl (loss to the Cowboys) during his tenure.  Most importantly whether they won it all or not, you knew the team on the field was going to be well coached and competitive with Cowher prowling the sidelines.

I remember like it was yesterday, the Steelers announcing that they were going to hire a 32 year old Pittsburgh native from Marty Schottenheimer's KC Chiefs staff to succeed the living legend, Hall of Fame coach, Chuck Noll.  Noll had coached the Steelers for 20+ years and won 4 Super Bowls.  Who would have thought the young kid with the big jaw and spittle running down his chin when he got excited would stick around this long!  Ironically, Bill called it quits on Noll's 75th birthday. The Steelers have been blessed to have had these two men run the show over the last 35+ years. 

I am sure Bill is not done with his NFL coaching career, just the Steeler part of it.  I wish him well and hope he enjoys his time off with his family.  I am grateful for all of the great memories I have of the Steelers during his time.  Win or lose, they always made me proud as a tough, quality football team.  I hope that whoever the Steelers pick to succeed him will enjoy as successful a stint as the last two guys who had the job.  Good Luck Bill, thanks for the memories!

Kids and sports

Big weekend for the Shimel family in sports.  We are in the middle of soccer playoffs and today was the first day of flag football.  Our league that the boys have played in the last couple of years was taken over this season by I9Sports.  I9 is a national youth sports organization with local franchises.  Our local franchise is run by some great people, Rob and Mindy Cannova and Bobby and Jackie Spilka.  I am one of the athletic directors of the league, in addition to coaching both of my sons in soccer and baseball. 

This is about my 5th year of coaching and I get a blast out of watching the kids play and improve over the course of the season.  Frankly, one of my biggest thrills is when a child I coached a few years back comes over and says, "Hi Coach, how are you".  I love to catch up with them and see how they have grown.  It kind of makes me feel like a Bear Bryant or Joe Paterno, in my own way ;-)  Anyhow, last week Bradley's (my 5 year old) team lost in the playoffs and they are out of the race for now.  The highlight though was Bradley scoring his first goal in soccer.  He really looked good and then without any fanfare put his head down and ran back to his side of the field.  Landon's (my 7 year old) team won 5-0 in their first playoff game and play tomorrow at 11.  If we win that game, we play at 12:30 for the league championship.  The boys are real excited, so is their coach!

Bradley, started flag football today.  That is the game I played as a kid and did not realize how proud I would be watching my little guy run around playing. Landon is playing football too.  That will last for 2 or 3 months and then on to baseball season.  One great thing about living down in Florida, the kids play sports year round.  Anyway, wish us luck tomorrow, it sure would be nice to win the league title.

Like the Master Card commercial says, cleats for sports, $25.00, balls and other gear, $35.00, watching and coaching your children play - priceless!

Story update:  Well it was quite a day.  Landon's team won the league championship in heart stopping fashion.  We won the semi-final game on a penalty kick in sudden death overtime, 2-1!  Then with just 20 minutes break went into the finals.  We fell behind 1-0 early on, but came back with 2 goals in the second half (the last with just 2 minutes left) to win it all.  Bedlam broke loose as the team and their parents celebrated.  Really was priceless.

Oakland A's moving from McAfee to Cisco

No, they have not gotten rid of Intrushield for Cisco IPS or thrown out EPO and replaced it with CSA.  However, it looks like the A's will be moving from their present home, McAfee Coliseum to a brand new ballpark in Fremont, California to be called Cisco Field.  An article in ComputerWorld, details the plans for this new park.  It will be a small baseball stadium, only 34,000 seats.  However, it is going to be a technological wonder with all kinds of advanced networking enabling things like hand-held device instant reply, electronic ordering of snacks and beverages from your chair, etc.  Cisco has an option on the land that the stadium will sit on and appears to have agreed to a long time naming arrangement. 

I guess this means they probably won't have a TCG/TNC compliant NAC solution in place at the stadium :-)

Good pitching beats good hitting every time - Wait till next year!

Well it was not the Yankees year, again.  In a great case of good pitching beats good hitting every time, the Tigers won 3 in a row to send the Yankees home early.  Make no mistake this one hurt.  It has been too long since the Yanks made the series, let alone won it all.  Yeah, they spend a ton of money and have a fearsome lineup.  But, they need to get rid of the broken down, 40 something pitchers and get some young guns with live arms.  Also, the thing that made them so good in the late 90's was the clutch hitting.  You could be a former league MVP and make 25 million a year, but if you can't hit it when it counts, you are not taking home a ring.  We need clutch hitters.  Anyway, good luck to the Tigers, they deserved to win.  Also, good luck to the Mets!

Its baseball playoff time again ...

and the Yankees are in the hunt again.  Tonight they start off a best of 5 series against the Tigers.  I have come to take it for granted that the Yankees are in the playoffs every year.  I know that there are many fans whose teams  don't make the playoffs often and I should count my blessings, but it sure would be nice to see them win the series this year.  Go Yankees

How 'bout them Yankees

It must be the end of summer and fall is coming.  The Yankees are playing the Red Sox in a big series. It should determine who goes to the playoffs this year.  There is nothing like a pressure packed Yankee-Sox series to make you appreciate baseball and get the blood flowing.  Well it looks like at least for this series, the Yankees are the better team.  We won our 4th straight tonight in a typical Yankee-Red Sox extra innings, nail biter. This has turned into a new Boston Massacre. I forgot how much fun it is!  The Yankeeees win, thee Yankeees win!