Overstimulation

I really like the Clarinet (Bassinet) that Mrs. Pinetar bought (or was given) for the Tomster. It has these little controls on the side and it will play a little music (something they played at our wedding but I didn’t know that-was told) and it has a little “activity center” for Tommy’s “activity time”.

Anyway, it has these bears that hang on a little dry-cleaning rack and you press a button and the bears spin around over Tommy.

But you have to swing it into position first.

 So I’m admiring the thing and we put him down and I swing the thing into position and Mrs. Pinetar says, “…Wait! You can’t do that yet.”

“Why?”, I say.

“You’ll overstimulate him. It’s too much for him”, She replied.

“Oh”, I said.

How cute is it, that the three little flying stuffed bears will overstimulate him?

***

This clarinet has one other thing that I really, really love. The vibration button. You can even adjust the frequency (although not as low as I would like, but I’ll take it). It is like Tommy is at the belly of a big cat that is purring. It’s very soothing and pacifying.

There is some newer research that indicates that the vibrations that cats produce is very, very healing and beneficial to the cats themselves. They actually have been shown to HEAL faster from wounds for purring. This is verifiable data, not the global warming hooey that you see on CNN.

I went through a phase a few years ago where I read anything I could get my hands on re ‘after death experiences’ or, NDE (Near Death Experiences). They have gone on for all history but are more prevalent now due to advancing medical technology (the same amazing medical discovery and technology that Al Gore and Hillary say isn’t fair and needs to be curtailed by government intervention). What’s even more true today is that with medical tech being what it is, people are simply more inclined to entertain the POSSIBILITY that these folks come by some information that they really don’t or shouldn’t have access to, if you discount the “experience”.

The books are fascinating reading and they make you think plenty, especially about some of our downright silly religious customs and institutionalized hokum. The book, “Embraced by the Light” by Betty J. Eadie, is by far, the best book I’ve ever read in my life. I’ve read it over 10 times and it has influenced me far more than any other book, no question. There is a bookend book to it that is also amazing: “Beyond the Darkness” by Angie Fenimore. They compliment each other and should be read together, and read in the order listed. They are quite different so don’t assume…

Anyway, in the dozens of books I’ve read on this topic, one of the things that strikes you about these experiences is their diversity. All are different and highly personal. However, there are still many similarities. One is that many of these folks report on the “music” or “vibrations” that run through and permeate EVERYTHING on the spiritual side. Everything vibrates and resonates and all things are in vibrational/musical harmony “over there”. In this other dimension, these vibrations are described as “healing” and “loving” and “containing great intelligence”.

It is interesting that we are finding out that cats’ purring heals wounds. I predict that in the future, more money and effort will be spent looking into the effect of vibrations on living tissue. I don’t think enough is being done but the vibration gizmo on the clarinet is a good start.

***

We had Tommy outside a lot yesterday and like rookie parents, got him a little too warm in his fleece swaddling blanket. But on day 4, the jaundice is at maximun, so I insisted that we get him some light (indirect) to break down that bad old Billy Rueben. I also decided it was time to fly the Bunker Hill flag. You don’t see many outside of New England.

And this morning he was opening his eyes more than usual. I used a no-flash setting and it was dark so don’t worry about his color there. He is looking great. It’s just hard to get him to open the eyes. A lot of the time, he just opens one eye. It’s funny to see him fall off the feeding spout and then get mad. Unfortunately, it’s a family trait to quickly get pretty mad at something very simple in the scheme of things. Oh well.

We are baptizing him at about 1 month. This shocked the church down the street. They grilled my wife about it. That’s how it was done in the old days (25 years ago and before) but now it is wigging them out. Almost any time I have “official dealings” of any sort with a member of the church, I walk away shaking my head. I’m trying.

Since Mrs. Pinetar may not be able to make the baptism class, I will have to go alone. I told Mrs. Pinetar, “…wait until they get a load of me…”

And she basically said, “Don’t get excommunicated again!”

And that would be the second time this year! The odds on excommunication are currently running about 7-1. We’ll see.

***

For the record, Julio Franco is now 1 for 12 with the Atlanta Braves. I’ll say it again: Somewhere out there, there is a golf-course missing a guy. –fog

World Series Odds

From the Boston Office…Thanks PJ–Go Sawx

[Fog NOTE: With money considered, it only starts to get interesting at LA: Dodgers, A's, Twins, Indians, Marlins... also could take a flier on Atlanta and Milwaukee. Good payout and stranger things have happened. In fact, if I was betting this for a goof, I'd throw $100 on Milwaukee and if they run the table, I'm cashing a $5,000 ticket. Realize that it's a su[ker bet, these things. Only do it for fun and with money you never expect to see again (because you won't).]

Detroit at 5 to 1? Joke. And I don’t know what’s worse, Cubs 0r Whitesox. Of course the Cubs are worse. How long into the season before people are writing about the Cubs wasted money and another “lost” season. I mean, Lou ain’t pitching for them! The Cubs have been cursed (true curse, not like the hokey Babe curse) since they stole the 1908 pennant from John J. McGraw and the rightful owners: The New York Giants. The Cubs need to send the 1908 Woil Serious shares (with interest) to the descendants of the 1908 Giants. Then, maybe, the curse would be lifted.

If you click here, you will see the inflation / CPI calculator. They only have data from 1914 on but that’s only 6 years from late 1908 so we’ll go from there.

The inflation rate from Jan 1914 to Jan 2007 is 1,924.16%

The 1908 Winner’s share was $1,317.58

A single dollar in 1914 is now worth 19.24 dollars. So (19.24 * 1,317.58)= $ 25,352.35

Let’s round up to 30,000 to make it back to 1908 with compounding and all. Hmm, let’s see, a 25 man roster plus McGraw and the coaches comes to 30 * 30 G’s or $900,000

That’s it! A bargain after what they just shelled out in subpar playersl. If I’m them, I’m trying to pay this out and lift this curse. –fog

McGraw of the Giants and the OTB

With baseball right around the corner I thought we could use a blast of baseball past. I recently reread John McGraw’s bio by Charles Alexander and at the end, they give the street address of McGraw’s palatial home, where he spends his last days dying of prostate cancer. The address was right around the corner from the Bronx office where I work. In fact, I passed it every day while going for pizza or the garlic eggplant at Number One Chinese in Pelham.

So one day, I had the digital camera and swung down his street and took this photo.

Not a big deal really but I couldn’t help but think that Casey Stengel and Bill Terry and Mel Ott all walked up that path. And in the 1920’s, that was a big mansion. And it’s just so absurdly close to the Bronx now that it makes you laugh. Pelham was THE place for the rich New Yorkers to settle but it’s proximity to the Bronx would unsettle me now.

In fact, just a half mile down the road from McGraw’s is the Bronx OTB, where I placed my last bet on Barbaro (an Exacta Box with the eventual winner)

I think that McGraw would have liked the proximity to the OTB as he was a big horse player and all around gambler.  In fact, in his early days with the Giants in the early oughts, it was not uncommon for him to leave the team in a coach’s hands and go to Belmont Park to the races.  In fact, Giants’ owner John T. Brush had to discipline him for doing just that.

In the 1905 World Series against Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics, McGraw could be seen openly betting with A’s fans down the first and third base lines.  The Giants won a classic series (the second ever as McGraw refused to play in 1904) and McGraw cleaned up on his bets.

A few things struck me while reading the book.  One, was the preponderance of Irish-American ballplayers.  Back then in the 1900-1910’s, you could probably still find signs in windows saying “NINA” or “No Irish Need Apply”.  Baseball was considered fairly lowly work and this image was only starting to be flipped by the rare college educated players like Eddie Plank and Christy Mathewson.  Otherwise, some hotels wouldn’t take “ballplayers and actors”. There were Italian immigrants pouring in at that time as well, but the names on the rosters were mostlsy Irish.  The Italians don’t get into it until more like the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

The other thing that is amazing about the era is the number of times that guys like McGraw and McGinnity and Bresnahan would get into these near riots and fistfights.  It’s a wonder they could play the games.  They’d have to dress at the hotel and ride to the park in wagons sometimes, while the home town fans threw things at them, often as big as bricks.  It was a whiskey-soaked, rough-and-tumble time for sure. 

He managed the Giants from 1902 to 1932 and with the dead ball and lively ball.  Between he and Connie Mack, you have 80 years of major league managing experience.  An interesing character in American History. –fog 

Superbowl Frequent Scores Best Box Pool Numbers-What are your odds?

This table is the result of all the quarters played in Superbowl history:

Superbowl Box Pool Number Frequency

Great stuff from someone I know at a bigtime polling/survey company (figures, right?). Thanks Toots.

Thanks and for more Click Here

This table is the result of all the quarters played in Superbowl history:

This table is the result of all the quarters played in the 2006-07 season:

For the first quarter the following numbers in the last 40 Superbowls have been: 0,3,4,6,7. That’s it. If you have those numbers, for any team, you are looking good, at least for the first quarter prize.

0 has shown up 37 times (20 times for the away team, and 17 times for the home).
3 was 19 times.
4 was 5 times.
6 was 1 time.
7 was 18 times.
Best first quarter combo? 0,0, which showed up 9 times.

For the second quarter the following numbers in the last 40 Superbowls have been: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Everyone can be a winner! Those holding 0, once again, are looking good.
0 has shown up 25 times
1 was 2 times.
2 was 2 times.
3 was 16 times.
4 was 8 times.
5 was 1 time.
6 was 7 times.
7 was 14 times.
8 was 3 times.
9 was 2 times.
Best second quarter combo? 7,0 which was 5 times. Plenty of other combos showed up 4 times.

Once again, for the third quarter the following numbers in the last 40 Superbowls have been: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.
0 was 16 times.
1 was 4 times.
2 was 2 times.
3 was 10 times.
4 was 12 times.
5 was 4 times.
6 was 8 times.
7 was 17 times.
8 was 2 times.
9 was 5 times.
Best third quarter combo? There isn’t a clearcut favorite. 0 and 4 show up 4 times.

The final score everyone shows up again.
0 was 12 times.
1 was 9 times.
2 was 4 times.
3 was 6 times.
4 was 10 times.
5 was 4 time.
6 was 10 times.
7 was 15 times.
8 was 3 times.
9 was 7 times.
Best final score combo? 7&4 showed up 4 times. 7&0 was 3 times.

The best number, clearly, was 0. It appeared 90 times: in every quarter & final for the last 40 Superbowls.
7 showed up 64 times, or 20% of the time. The worst number was 8, which appeared only 8 times. This was also the same story for 5, which hit 9 times.

[Since I am getting hits from France and the Netherlands on this topic, for those of you who don't know, most American offices sell the 100 squares in a 10 x 10 grid for money. Typically 5 and 10 dollars a box but I have heard of guys spending as much as $500 a box. After all the boxes are filled in, the digits 0 through 9 are drawn randomly and written in over each column on top and down the left side for each row. Then the team names are picked. This is so you can not choose your numbers beforehand, because, the way American NFL football is scored in 3's and 7's mostly, certain numbers are much more favorable. Payouts are for the box with the score at the end of each of the 4 quarters. The big payout (usually half), is for the end. For a 10 dollar box pool, there is 1000 to win. 500 for the end and usually 250 for the half and 125 for the first and third quarter. If the score at the end of the quater is 0-0, the person who owns the box at the intersection of 0 and 0 wins, and so on.]