All posts by James DeVol

Sports

Red Wings and Sharks

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Here we go again…I kind of like this short 2 day rest between series; I like even better that the Sharks have been off since last Saturday and I hope they are just a little rusty. The one thing I hate is the fact that the first two games are on Versus that I would have to pay for another 250 channels on the dish to get. What the heck is wrong with the NHL. I know they make money from Versus, but to take a lower bid and have them on ESPN would give them a much larger audience. In my opinion that is, I’m just a little irritated that I have to go out to see the game since Thursday is supposed to be a rest night.

Well… I stand by my pick of the Wings in 6 and have a lot of company from the sports writers at the Free Press…and I made my prediction yesterday or the day before, I can’t remember. So I’m first….yay!

Go Wings!!
Click on sports and look down..it was yesterday…;-)

My Life

April 29th No Onion skin today

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Well…Another night out that was fun but lost at pool again…felt like crap when I got up this morning but was okay by lunch and the bike ride. I was going to start the process of “peeling back the onion” today but I’m just not in the mood and there is nothing striking that is popping into my head. I think it will be somewhat like the next novel that I’m thinking of writing that has a working title of “Sledding on the Refrigerator Door and Other Stories of Life” that is going to chronicle life growing up in the poor, odd family that is mine. Don’t really know yet but the neat thing is, I get to choose.

My Life

April 28th

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Hmmm…it was a nice night last night with the Wings winning and I got my bike back from the shop…thank you Village bike for re-cabling it and only charging 15 bucks…took the first 10 mile run this morning and it may need just a little more adjustment but I was grinning. The Steely Dan was perfect for a cool, crisp, and extremely bright morning. Oh, you are going to hear a lot about the Dan over time…it’s my favorite group and Donald and Walter (Fagen and Becker) speak to me like no other band. Their stories of losers, love, loss, and old guys and young women (think Babylon Sisters or Hey Nineteen) resonate with me as one who considers himself at the fringes of society living a life that not many 56 year olds live. More on the old guy, young women thing later…but I have to thank G for her jumping in with both feet a few times that have caused the people around us to stare.

Well…I have to warn you that this is the space that I will be peeling back the layers of what it is to be an old guy with a young one trapped inside, and I am still not sure of how much to share but maybe I’ll just think if it would embarrass my kids, I probably won’t share it.

On that note, the plans for tonight are the same as any Wednesday…out to Ada to play pool with Tom and try to not drink too much.

Sports

Bring on the Sharks!

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Well….that was just a great game by our Wings last night…100 percent effort for the whole game for a change but I do have to say that I am concerned that they have leaned the bad habit of thinking they can just turn it on when they need it. Kudos to the Coyotes for a tough, hard fought series, and the classiness of their fans at the end of the game reminded me that, of any sport, hockey brings out the best of sportsmanship in both the players and fans. Good luck to them next year!

Don’t know how I feel about going up against the Sharks but I like the idea of a short layoff and then right back into action. Also don’t know if I believe in the notion of momentum but I think the last game did say one thing: That the Wings still have the ability to bring it for at least one game at a time…I just hope it’s not just one game at a time. Can’t wait ’til Thursday!!

Let’s go Red Wings!
Oh, forgot to put in my prediction for the next series…I will admit that I was wrong about the last one; I picked the wings in six and it went seven…going to say the same thing for this one: Wings in six!

Sports

Let’s go Red Wings

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Well…here it is going into a game seven to try to get to the second round. I really don’t know how I feel about it knowing that the Wings have not won a game 7 on the road since 1964, and the game is on Versus that I don’t get on the dish. Don’t really want to go out two nights in a row since Tuesday is supposed to be a recovery night. I don’t know what to think of that performance on Sunday or what team is going to show up tonight. I still have faith in the guys, though, and will find some place to watch.

Still feeling a little crappy so this one reflects the fog that is still in my brain…it’s not letting me be very lucid so I apologize. Come back tomorrow and it should be better; especially if we get a win!

LET’S GO RED WINGS!!!

My Life

April 27th

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Feel like crap today, as you know, it was Monday night out with G last night and we went overboard as usual. Just wanted to let you know since I’m going to stop here and go work out for an hour to get the toxins out…more later.

Okay…I’m back…it’s a few hours later and I feel much better…got the bike back and it only cost 15 bucks so I am pretty happy. Took it for a short test drive and it shifts great! So, tomorrow I get back on the fitness program…I miss the exercise.

Do have to go out to see the Wings game since the crappy dish doesn’t have Versus…go to hell NHL.

Politics

Arizona and Immigration

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Well….reading all of the furor over the new immigration law that was just signed in Arizona, and the predictable stances from the left and right, I think of one question that is not being asked: Why are the illegals there? I think it’s pretty well settled that they are there for jobs. Then, that drives you to a second question: who gives them the jobs they are there to fill? I think that question is a little more complex and the explanations have run the gamut but center on the assumption that they are there to do jobs that Americans won’t do.

I can’t fault the people of Arizona for being frustrated that 6-7 percent of their population are illegals, but I think their anger is misguided; Why aren’t they mad that employers in their state are creating the problem by hiring illegals? Why aren’t these employers being held up as unpatriotic because all they can see is the increased profits that come with a workforce that is an unethical company’s dream: non-union, non-voting people who can be abused at will. But, by using the illegals, they are just passing on the costs that would come from an American workforce (higher wages and healthcare, pensions, etc.) on to Arizona’s and the U.S. society as a whole since it has been argued repeatedly by the right that illegals send their children to our schools and use our emergency rooms for their health needs. This means higher profits for the company and bigger bonuses for the managers.

I’ve always thought that business needs to be socially responsible and pay it’s employees enough for them to have the chance to do what our founding father’s codified in the founding documents; “the pursuit of happiness”.

You and I pay our fair share as members of our society. Why shouldn’t business? Geez….

My Life

Monday, April 26th

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Well…this is the first, or really the second or third episode of what I want to have as daily entry of things that happen in my life. You’ll be able to tell by the titles which will all be dates to start but may have sub-titles if there is a theme that I think is important. Or maybe not important; that’s up to you to decide.

Had to take the bike in today to get the shifter fixed…oh, you should know, there will we quite a few entries about the bike since it is one of the things that bring me joy in this life…I used to call it “the Corvette” but now I really don’t know if that truly fits anymore. Tried the new bike carrier so I didn’t have to ride it over to Village Bike stuck in one gear; I know it’s only about a half-mile but had to see if the weird shape of the thing would fit on the carrier. It’s a Motobecane 400ds with full suspension, disc brakes and 24 speeds (when they work) and it makes me grin every time I get on it. I was kind of in shock when they gave me the estimate of how much it would be to fix, since I am used to getting estimates to get the Mazda fixed and we all know that even something small on a car has the potential to get into 4 figures. This time it was a pleasant surprise…no more than 30 bucks to re-cable and adjust the shifter! I had to stop myself from grinning like an idiot when I heard that ( to keep the price from going up) and the tech thought it was no big deal. Hope to get it back Tuesday and get out for at least 10 and maybe 20 miles; but it will probably rain….that would be my luck or lack of it.

Oh, I do need to fill you in on yesterday…went out to watch the wings game with C and T at Vinny’s but with a stop at Peppino’s downtown to see K and K. It ended up being a long day but fun, too, and I was really good…only had two shots of BV and had much luck at Keno. Won 32 bucks which paid my tab and left 8 bucks in my pocket…it IS kind of nice to get paid to drink. If you’ve looked at the other post for today, you’ve seen that the Wings REALLY stunk up the place in Sunday’s game but we have one more try Tuesday but game 7′s scare the crap out of me…one lucky bounce can ruin your season.

Hmmm….oh, since this is Monday, going out with G to LC to have a few and catch up, hope the Keno luck holds up and can get through another night with no money out of pocket….oh, no money out of pocket anyway! It’s G’s turn to buy….talk to you tomorrow…;-)) There may even be some introspection and musings on what it means to be the old guy with young friends…but you’ll have to come back to find out…

Sports

That was not pretty

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Well….that was a pretty big collapse by the Wings Sunday, you never really know which team is going to show up with them this year and that is raising my blood pressure some. One of the things that popped into my head this morning was that Mike Babcock must have the nerves of a gunslinger…betting the season on an untested, rookie goaltender who has shown flashes of brilliance but has also thrown in performances like Sunday where I think I could have scored a couple on him. At this point, I don’t think he has any choice but to stay with him but is he doing damage to Jimmy by doing this? I know…I’ve never coached a game and Babcock has had nothing but success, but even the greats make mistakes at times.

The last thing I want to say is c’mon boys, let’s get going one more time! This is my team and I won’t bail out on them now. I know, I used to, but as I get older I see the value of losing along with winning and being in it together.

LET’S GO RED WINGS!!!!!!

Sports

Go Red Wings!

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Well…another Sunday game for the Wings and a chance to close out Pheonix and move on to the second round. I know I’ve not been the biggest fan of Jimmy Howard ( and who calls a 26 year old Jimmy?) but if he can keep up the performance of the last two games, I think we’ll have a pretty good shot. I am still concerned that our boys have a tendency to let up at times during the games but over the last two, it hasn’t really hurt too much.

Now I’m going to editorialize a little: been reading some of the message boards from Yahoo and other places and I guess I’m a little disappointed with the tone of many of the posts; after all, we are all hockey fans and I know Pheonix doesn’t have our history, but c’mon….Hockey is the best sport and we need to make sure new fans are welcomed with good-natured rivalry but no personal attacks please. Just my opinion….