Citi Field? It's not Shea Stadium but it could have been worse. Imagine Wal-Mart Park? Too bad Metropolitan Life did not buy the naming rights. Then it could have been called Met Stadium or just "the Met".

"Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,

But there is no joy in Metsville—mighty Carlos has struck out."

I still can't believe that the Mets season is over. But even more amazing (no pun intended) to me is that I am not more upset. I hope this lack of feeling is not another manifestation of the aging process or just that I am tired of losing.

The passionate sports fan invests so much emotional capital into his or her team. What causes this phenomenon? Is it an escape from the humdrum and anonymity of our daily lives or does it go deeper? Does identifying with a winning team someone make us feel that we are winners? Conversely, does being a fan of a losing team make us feel that we are losers as well? During the baseball season over the last 40 years, my whole demeaner changes based on whether the Mets win or lose. My wife always knows when the Mets lose as I have what she not so affectionately calls "Mets face". Can the fate of a baseball team be a clinical cause of manic-depression? But somehow in the playoffs this year, the passion waned. I found myself changing the channels at critical points in the game. Twice I just TIVO'd the game and only watched when I found out the results the next day. I just couldn't take the emotional hit if I watched them lose. Am I now less of a fan or a just more normal person?

This is our wonderful new cat Lucy. She chose us when she was vacationing at the Jackson Animal Shelter. She is very loving not only to us but to the Boy. They are terrific friends. They even groom each other! We miss Pushkin but Lucy has become a wonderful addition to the family.

Three Texas surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed.One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident, I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."One of the others said, "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident, I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal in field events in the Olympics."The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train traveling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States.

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Originally uploaded by edlmann.

Running still gives me the most satisfaction but I never thought I would find another activity (don't think it!) that would be close. Kayaking is very much like running. It is an individual sport that you can share with others. It allows you to get away both physically and mentally. The main difference is that I did not have to take lessons in order to run. Kayaking is a constant challenge.

Wedding-family picture

Wedding-family picture
Originally uploaded by edlmann.

Next week is our 22nd anniversary. First one without my Dad. I was going through some photos of our Wedding day and found this one. This was probably the last complete family picture that I have. Even though my Mom was in a wheelchair, it was still an incredibly happy day.

First Dave DeBusschere and now Bob Murphy. All my youthful illusions that I will live forever are finally ended. They were part of the fabric of my life and now there are many large holes.

I always remember one of Bob Murphy's sayings when a pitcher was in trouble. He would say the pitcher is facing "nine miles of bad road". Well I know that the road that Bob is now on is always smooth and trouble-free.

There are still some people in this country that delude themselves that they are somehow better off than they were before this President took office. We are now in an unnecessary war and are either hated or mistrusted by most of the world. None of the public justifications for the war were true (ie. WMD, links to Al Qaeda, make this country safer from terrorism). Even the most cynical and least public rationale of supplying our country with cheap oil did not pan out. Finally, the most noble reason of removing Sadam Hussein and bringing freedom to the Iraqi people is exploding into a possible civil war.

There are many people that think that the President's tax cuts have improved their financial lot. The extra few hundreds of dollars in their tax returns makes them feel that the President is returning their money back to them. Somehow they don't see their money going out the door in a myriad of ways. Their state and local taxes are are on the rise. Local muncipalities, faced with diminishing revenue from the Federal government, are forced to radically increase property, water and sewage and even sales taxes. College tuitions rise every year and are way beyond what an average family can afford even after saving for 15-18 years. Medical insurance costs are out of control and are a leading cause for offshoring of American jobs.

An article in today's NY Times Money section demonstrates how the President's financial policies have failed miserably. Canada, a country with many of the same characteristics as our country, has added nearly one million jobs since 2001 while the US is down nearly two million. A research group called the Center for American Progress has blamed the President's tax cuts as partly to blame for the nation's weak job performance. It noted that Canada's tax package in 2002, focused on rate reductions for the lower and middle class households while the President's cuts were primarily for the very wealthiest of individuals. They concluded that smaller tax cuts targeted toward middle income taxpayers is more stimulative than large tax cuts to upper income taxpayers.

The article also pointed out that the Administration has not done much to relieve the burden of the soaring cost of medical insurance. Employee health insurance costs have climbed at double digit rates the last few years, raising labor costs and disincenting companies from hiring. Canadians receive health care from the government not their employers. This health care certainly costs money but it does not affect a company's decision to hire or fire and it covers everyone not just those people with jobs.

I do think that a majority of people are awakening to the facts. More and more former supporters of the President are changing their minds. Many do not feel safer from terrorism and blame the President's policy in Iraq for diluting the effort to capture Bin Laden and destroy Al Qaeda. They worry about their financial future and feel that the President's domestic policies ignore them and their needs. Imagine if we used the $80-100B we will spend on Iraq to cover people without medical insurance? How many jobs could be created if we used this money for research on alternative fuel sources? Would we care as much about the Arab countries in the Middle East if they did not hold us hostage with their oil?

Sad night for me last night. The last game for the legendary Bob Murphy, the voice of the Mets. My wife couldn't believe that I was teary-eyed watching the pre-game ceremony honoring Murph.

I think you reach an age where suddenly you start looking back instead of just living your life day to day. You dwell on the good times and try to hold onto them for as long as possible. It's as if holding on to the past will somehow keep the future at bay.

Hearing Bob Murphy's voice will always mean spring to me. The first time you heard him on the radio announcing a Spring Training game in March was magical and a much better indicator of an early spring than Groundhog day. Who else could describe "some harmless cumulus clouds" and provide a perfect vision of beautiful day for baseball. You could just the see the batter in you mind's eye "cat-tailing the bat around" waiting for the pitch. You knew that pitcher was in trouble when he faced "nine miles of bad road".

Hearing his voice instantly transports you back to the '86 World Series and you can experience the excitement and disbelief over and over again. There was his most famous call of Mookie's grounder going through Buckner's legs "ground ball...trickling...gets by Buckner...rounding third is Knight...the Mets will win the ballgame...the Mets win!".And " struck him out, he struck him out. The Mets have won the World Series. The dream has come true". Unfortunately the dream is over and we must finally wake to the reality that Bob Murphy and the Mets championships are now part of our past.

Yogi Berra on the huge salaries in Baseball today-"If Casey Stengel was alive today, he'd turn over in his grave!"

The pain continues! The wettest June in history and another Mets season under water as well!

Benitez does it again! Actually I'm glad that he melted down again as now the Mets have no excuse but to trade him. I'd rather have a young guy lwho learns from his mistakes than the pig-headed Benitez who never learns and always makes the same mistakes over and over.

Another piece of my youth died yesterday when I found out that Dave DeBusschere suddenly passed away at the age of 62. Dave was the power forward for the great NY Knick teams of the late 60's and early 70's. The Knicks were really the first sports team that I followed religiously. They personified everything that was good about sports. Basically, you were rewarded if you worked hard and worked as team towards a common goal.

I still remember the day in 1968 when the Knicks traded for Dave DeBusschere. As he played in for the lowly Detroit Pistons, I really did not know how good he was. He immediately turned a mediocre team into a powerhouse that lasted for more than 5 years.

Games at the Garden were unbelievable. The rafters would literally shake when fans would stomp their feet and shout "Dee-fense, Dee-fense!". Their passing skills was so amazing and well coordinated that there were many times when the ball would come up court without touching the floor. All five players were like the fingers of a glove. Separate but always working as one.

More importantly, the Knicks gave me a way to reach out to other people. I suddenly developed a core of friends who shared a common passion. We would sleep out at the Garden waiting for playoff tickets. We roll-played during our playground basketball games. I was Dollar Ed due to my love for "Dollar Bill" Bradley.

The leading Indian IT outsourcing company is TATA consulting services. It is named "TATA" because you can say goodbye to all the high paying technology jobs that are going to India and will never return. Who will be left to buy the products of all the American companies that are outsourcing all these jobs?

I just love this quote from Tom Friedman from the NY Times on the Imus show this morning referring to our strategy for the future of Iraq.

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there"

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail that included bible quotations that predicted certain future events. Similar quotes from both King David and Jesus of "O Lord why have you forsaken me?" took place several hundred years apart. This predicted the lament muttered by all Mets fans after every loss!

We finally get a beautiful weekend and the Mets have to ruin it! It must be some cosmic joke being played on all Mets fans. How can a team with supposed hall of fame superstars with a payroll of $120M lose to teams with making 20% of their salary. Ecch!

Jay Leno "Turkey has voted not to allow U.S. troops into their country and Saddam Hussein said 'You can do that?'"


Jay Leno A lot of students around the country protested the war today. The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition sponsored an anti-war organization called 'Books Not Bombs.' President Bush said, 'Why do you want to drop books on them?'"


Jay Leno "Experts say that if we go to war with Iraq, oil could reach as much as $80 a barrel. Of course, after the war it will be free."


Jay Leno "Saddam Hussein also challenged President Bush to a debate. The Butcher of Baghdad vs. the Butcher of the English language."


Jay Leno "President Bush announced tonight that he believes in democracy and that democracy can exist in Iraq. They can have a strong economy, they can have a good health care plan, and they can have a free and fair voting. Iraq? We can't even get this in Florida."


Jay Leno "In an interview with Dan Rather, Saddam has challenged President Bush to a live, televised debate. I think this would be fair, since English is a second language to both of them."


Jay Leno "President Bush has said that he does not need approval from the UN to wage war, and I'm thinking, well, hell, he didn't need the approval of the American voters to become president, either."


David Letterman "In a speech earlier today President Bush said if Iraq gets rid of Saddam Hussein, he will help the Iraqi people with food, medicine, supplies, housing, education, anything that's needed. Isn't that amazing? He finally comes up with a domestic agenda and it's for Iraq. Maybe we could bring that here if it works out."

Jay Leno "Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council, offering a compelling 90-minute presentation that not only furthered his case but reminded the world why America is second to none in the field of PowerPoint."


Jay Leno "I read today that the president was interrupted 73 times by applause and

75 times by really big words."


Jay Leno "This week officials from France, Russia and Germany accused President Bush of having a fondness for war. Yeah, when asked about it, a spokesman for Bush said, 'It's a one syllable word, of course he's fond of it.'"

One of the great things about baseball is the length of the season. Every day is a chance to start a new winning streak. You don't have to wait a week after a loss to get back on track.

Of course, this doesn't apply if you're a Mets fan. Every day brings new opportunities for frustration and disappointment. The length of the season just represents the length of your despair. You feel like a voodoo doll whose only purpose is to be constantly stuck with pins.

Possible future?

The year is 2050. The last non-military related factory has closed down. The USA is reconstituted as the USMILCORP-the United States Military Corporation. The entire infrastructure is now dedicated to creating weapons and training and sustaining our military. Outsourcing is no longer a function of individual companies. The entire world has outsourced military functions to the USMILCORP. Anytime a country needs an army, they contract with USMILCORP. We will go anywhere, anytime for the right price.

3/15/03

I think it's apocryphal that I am writing this on the Ides of March. I can't recall a time of greater stress and feelings of helplessness and negativity during my lifetime. Even during the '60s, with the Vietnam War and race riots, there was always a feeling of great energy and anticipation for the future. We had events, ideas and people that stimulated and challenged us. We had the Kennedy's, Woodstock, the race to the Moon and, of course, the '69 Mets. Maybe it was the naivite of youth or just the raging hormones. You were always excited and energized about what the next day would bring.

Now, we are constantly faced with events that could undermine the very foundation of our society. Everyday, we face the implications of terrorism, war, religious hatred, the Stock Market meltdown, recession, downsizing, and unemployment. New ominous sounding terms such as weapons of mass destruction, al-Qaeda and jihad have become part of our vernacular.

For the first time in my memory, our country is no longer the global beacon of hope and freedom. We are now vilified and considered bullies. Didn't we learn anything from the Vietnam War? History has shown that we can foster global change by exporting our political, economic and moral values not via military power. We need trading partners not Coalition partners to promote long term global economic stability and peace.

Our government fosters policies that ignore systemic problems in our economy. As evidenced by the high interest rates and deficits of the '80s, trickle down tax cuts do not work. Our leaders are oblivious that entire industries that we created along with the associated high paying jobs are moving offshore to Asia. A recent published report stated that the US lost over 500,000 Information Technology jobs between 2001 and 2002 alone. How long will the global hegemony of the US continue when all we produce are movies and bombs?

We now live vicariously through pseudo-reality shows on TV. Is this because our own reality is too difficult to deal with? Why are shows about death and dysfunctional families like the "Sopranos"and "Six Feet Under" so popular?

Yet, we must go on. I realize now more than ever that we can't rely on external factors for happiness. We must look within ourselves for hope. We must truly live within the moment and not worry about things out of our control.

This was reaffirmed just today. I witnessed three thousand people gladly pay $100 (it went to a local charity) to participate in the annual polar bear plunge. Entire families ran into and then quickly exited the thirty-nine degree ocean water. Yet smiles abounded. No one was thinking about war and death.

I started the day by running along the ocean under a cloudless sky with Springsteen on my CD player:

" Hard times, baby well they come to us all,
Sure as the tickin' of the clock on the wall
Sure as the turnin' of the night into day
Your smile girl, brings the mornin' light to my eyes
Lifts away the blues when I rise
I hope that you're coming to stay

I'm waitin', waitin' on a sunny day
Gonna chase the clouds away
Waitin' on a sunny day"

Bruce Springsteen-The Rising

Well it's just one Mann's opinion!