The Huber Shuffle

A little personal diversion. I work with this guy. His name is Mike Huber - a real good salesman, a slightly above average poker player, friend and aspiring dancer...

Toy Yoda, Not Toyota

You may have heard of this one. A Hooters' Restaurant in Panama City, Florida was running an internal promotion where the waitress who sold the most beer during a specific time period wins a Toyota! (Or something that sounds like that!) 26 year old Jodee Berry had been working at the restaurant for less than a year when she won the contest! She was blindfolded and led to the restaurant parking lot. When the blindfold was removed, Berry wasn't looking at a new car, but a Yoda doll. Berry said she looked beyond the $40 toy, hoping to see the car driving around the corner. Blair, she said, was inside the restaurant laughing. But she wasn't.

Berry quit the restaurant a week later. She sued Gulf Coast Wings, owners of the restaurant, alleging breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation. She is seeking as compensation, the cost of a new Toyota -- the car.

G-M C-E-O O-U-T

Rick Wagoner has been asked to resign as CEO of General Motors. Why would they do this? Maybe Obama doesn't like Wagoner. Maybe it is a symbolic move. Maybe someone should ask the president? Anyway, the Obama administration requested this as a condition of its next wave of bailout loans for GM.

It will not work!

GM's expenses are too big for them to remain competitive with other automakers with less "baggage." The reasons for GM's problems are complex. The problem is simple. Expenses are exceeding profits. We are draining the bathtub faster than we are filling it! Bailout loans are simply a band aid...they are not enough. A complete restructure under bankruptcy is necessary - the sooner the better!
I predict that within 5 years, GM will have three divisions: Cadillac, Chevrolet & GM Trucks. The financial impact of this move will be massive. Massive but not as devastating as a complete shutdown of the company.

Meanwhile, Rich Wagoner, with more than 30 years at GM, gets a nice pension.

ShamWow Guy

You now "Vince" the TV pitchman for "ShamWow" towels? That's the very successful, low budget ad campaign for a reusable towel. Well, according to The Smoking Gun Web Site, on February 7th, our boy, Vince, (actually Vince Shlomi, 44) was having a drink at a Miami Beach nightclub when he meets 26 year old Sasha Harris. According to the arrest affidavit, Vince retired with her to his $750 room at the lavish Setai hotel. Shlomi told cops he paid Harris about $1000 in cash after she "propositioned him for straight sex." Shlomi said that when he kissed Harris, she suddenly "bit his tongue and would not let go." Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue. The affidavit notes that during the 4 AM fight Harris sustained facial fractures and lacerations all over her face (she is pictured, below, in mug shots snapped following busts in 2008 and 2005). After freeing his tongue, a bleeding Shlomi ran to the Setai lobby, where security summoned cops. Harris refused to cooperate with officers, who recovered $930 from her purse. "Both parties had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from their persons," police reported.

Economy & Baseball

It happens every spring! Somewhere, someone writes a story about how much it costs to take a family to a major league baseball game. Well, with the 2009 economy there is a a spin on the story. 2007 was a record year for MLB attendance. It dropped in 2008 and for 2009 an additional 5-10% drop is expected. In Detroit, season ticket sales are off by 44%. The state of California is having its money problems. Five of the 30 MLB teams are based in California. The average ticket price for a Major League Baseball game is $25.43. This really isn't too bad unless you are a real fan and you want to attend one or two games a week with, say, a wife or the whole family.

The obvious remedy is really quite simple! Buy the biggest and best television that you can. Subscribe to cable or satellite to get the games. You can easily justify these expenses since you no longer have to pay to park at the ball park. You also don't have to shell out $7-$10 for a beer! Other savings include food, travel time/expenses. Unless you team is a contender, look for their local crowd support to be "down" this season.

Three Stooges Remake

Some things should not be "redone." More accurately, some things can not be duplicated nor improved. I'd say that this is true of the Three Stooges. It doesn't matter how talented the actors may or may not be, excuse me, but Sean Penn playing Curly Howard? No way! Penn can't need a paycheck that badly! Can Hollywood be that desperate that they would need to make a doomed attempt to capture the unique chemistry of these guys? Kids who don't know about the Three Stooges simply "won't get it." The rest of the world will simply shake it's head.

Friday Foto - Brandy Dahl

A little more thought went into the selection of this week's Friday Foto. It's very easy to find pictures of fitness model Brandy Dahl. Personal information is a little sketchy. I'm told that I can get her e-mail address for $14.95! No thanks.
Click the picture for the full effect.

Have a nice weekend!

Johnny Blanchard Dies

Sad news from Minnesota. Johnny Blanchard died, yesterday. It was a heart attack. He was 76. He was, without a doubt, the best 3rd string catcher I ever saw! That's not entirely fair because Elston Howard was the Yankees' starting catcher in the early 1960's. Yogi Berra caught a few games, but he spent most of his time in left field.

Blanchard probably could have been a starting catcher for any other team in the majors. Blanchard was signed by the Yankees in 1951 and made his major league debut four years later at 22. He is one of four players in Yankees history to homer in four consecutive at-bats, accomplishing the feat over three games from July 21-26, 1961. A key player off the bench when the Yankees won five AL pennants from 1960-64, Blanchard batted .345 (10-for-29) in the World Series overall and hit a pair of home runs as New York defeated Cincinnati in the 1961 Series. I think that, given the chance, Blanchard could have hit more home runs than Roger Maris during the 1961 season! Blanchard was often seen talking with the fans. This is somethig that he didn't have to do, and many of the Yankees chose not to.
The picture is the official New York Yankees 2002 Topps Super Teams 1961 Yankees Card autographed by Johnny Blanchard.

Bob Barker Returns to "PRICE!"

Well he's back for a day! Long-time host of "The Price Is Right!", Bob Barker returns - not to emcee, but to promote his book, "Priceless Memories." Proceeds from the book will benefit the pet population.

Some stuff for the record:
-Barker hosted the show for 6,586 episodes.
-All 300 members of the studio audience got a free book.
-All of the cars given away on the show are American.

Barker's appearance was taped for an April 16th airdate.

Blood Drive

I believe in donating blood. No, it's not a pleasant thing, but blood shortages aren't pleasant, either. Giving blood is the right thing to do. It's how I was brought up and it's something that I believe.

So, should we be surprised that yours truly was selected to organize the company blood drive? I work with 50 people. Most of them are decent people with no major criminal convictions. All but a handful are younger than I am. So why did only 6 out of 50 donate blood? About half of us are on some kind of medication. Medication is the topic of an entire different post. The other half are either "afraid of needles" or just don't give a sh*t. Being lazy is a by product of not giving a sh*t. (Maybe I have that backward?) The point is that what we really need are people who have some sense of responsibility and concern and purpose and, well...you know...more givers than takers.

It amuses me to know that, at my age, I am fit enough (or care enough) to give blood while 90% of my co-workers are not.......

Bruce Willis Says, "I Do."

Bruce Willis and Emma Heming have made it legal. They've known each other for about a year. (Isn't match.com wonderful?) They actually met through mutual friends. He's 54. She's 30. His second, her first.

Well, we know him. She's a Malta-born, British model and actress. She was a spokesmodel for La Senza lingerie and walked for Victoria's Secret in 2001. In 2005, Maxim magazine placed Heming at number 86 in its "Top 100" list.

Friday Foto - Evangelina Anderson

Today's Friday Foto is a nice little shot of Evangelina Anderson. Evangelina is from Argentina and has appeared in Playboy Magazine. That's about all I know about her.

Click on the picture for the full effect.

Have a nice weekend!

AIG

Everybody's upset with AIG and the fact that they are giving bonuses to their people following the company's public bailout by our government. Here's what's really happening:

The politicians who OKed the bailout are mad as hell because AIG is embarassing them. That's right! Politicians look stupid for not anticipating this. Meanwhile, the bonuses are part of business-as-usual at AIG. It's a cost of doing business. These payments (bonuses) were agreed upon long before the bailout was considered.

The question we should be asking ourselves is "Why should the public bail out a private corporation?" Because they are too big to fail? Couldn't we take the bailout money and apply it to unemployment benefits. Then, honest, hard working, efficient companies can do the business that AIG had been doing.

Same thing with GM - do whatever you must to trim the fat. We really should observe and not interfere with the natural law of free enterprise. If a business makes serious mistakes, they should pay the consequences...even if it means going out of business. The picture is Edward Liddy, CEO at AIG. Remember, business rots from the top (CEO)down. Eddie will be writing a book.

Smart Marine!

L
ast Tuesday, as President Obama got off the helicopter in front of the White House: he was carrying a baby piglet under each arm. The squared away Marine guard snaps to attention, salutes, and says: "nice pigs, sir."
The President replies "These are not pigs these are authentic Arkansas Razorback Hogs. I got one for Senator Hillary Clinton and I got one for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi."
The Marine again snaps to attention, salutes, and says, "Excellent trade, sir."

Friday Foto - Mayra Veronica

Mayra Veronica is this week's Friday Foto! Mayra is a Cuban-born model who was raised in the USA. She's a frequent USO tour participant. Somehow, the patriotic quality seems to enhance her appearance. Well, maybe a little? Click on the picture to get a better idea.

Have a nice weekend!

Lions Headed For Peoria

Marshall, Illinois High School Lions are moving on to the State Championship "Final 4" at Peoria, IL! The team won their 31st consecutive game, tonight against a tough Olympia team in a game played at Macomb, Il. The game went to overtime with the Lions winning by three points. You may well be thinking that it's "only HS basketball." Well it is only HS basketball. Two points, here, first if you are among the best with a perfect 31-0 record, it's special. Second, when it's us - it's REAL special! The Lions play next, on Friday in the semi final game for the Class 2A Championship.

Mrs. General Tom and I were listening to tonight's game on the radio with the (nearly) legendary J.D. Spangler calling the action with his very able stat-man (and translator) Stan Raisner. Spangler's been calling the action for the Lions for the past 11 seasons. I think he was the most excited person in the arena.


There's more action, ahead. I'll probably post the details as Marshall Basketball, this season, is more exciting than (gasp) American Idol!