To what would you have your kids aspire?

Back when I was growing up, I remember wanting to be a soldier so I could kill Nazis and Nips ... nobody told me they made cars, computers and TVs!

Over the years, I've been indeed fortunate to have many Germans and Japanese include me among their friends.
At different times, I wanted to be an Engineer so I could blow the steam engine's mighty whistle ... farmer, cowboy, fireman, policeman, teacher, doctor, test pilot, explorer ... I wanted to be all them too!

Unfortunately, Mama made me take dancing lessons and study hard ... 'cause she wanted me to be the Mayor of Atlanta or President of the United States!

Daddy said to be honorable in all that you do and always strive to be the very best ... but, be satisfied if you are the very best that you can be!

I became an actuary ...

Kids is different and time changes 'bout everything ... including that to which they aspire ... and, what their folks want for them too, methinks.

If you're a parent what had your druthers, to what would you have your kids aspire? If you're a kid what's still aspiring, please excuse my misuse and abuse of our language and tell us what you want to be!

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All on the list pay a fair wage for an honest days work!

As you might have guessed, doctors do pretty good financially as a group ... as they rightfully should, healing folks and such ... especially surgeons.

Of course, you might want to consider Sports ... I don't know what they do to earn it but the Commissioners don't do too bad neither! Don't have the 2009 numbers but here's the skinny for 2007.

Sports Commissioners - 2007 Salaries ($ Millions)
Sport	Commissioner	Salary
MLB	Bud Selig	18
NFL	Roger Goodell	11
NBA	David Stern	10
NHL	Gary Bettman	6
PGA	Tim Finchem	5

Just drink your milk and don't worry about the "Cream" ... it'll cure what ails you kid. Forget your homework, go work on fielding them grounders and hitting sliders!

Alex Rodriguez makes but about $200,000 per game, based on 162 ... rookies make less.

Hitting sliders ain't everything kid ... drink your milk ... Roger Clemens started 17 games in 2007, going 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA ... think he made about $1.05 million per start!

Some brain surgeons make $10,000; maybe a bit more ... for an especially long, difficult and delicate operation ... think about it!

Well Alex and Roger may be special cases ... not many make more than the Commissioner, it wouldn't be fair! And like other jobs, they labored long and hard ... paid their dues!

2008 Amateur Draft - Top 25 signing bonuses ($ Millions)
6.20	6.15	6.00	6.00	4.55
3.50	3.47	3.00	2.60	2.30
2.07	1.91	1.84	1.78	1.75
1.73	1.70	1.57	1.54	1.50
1.48	1.50	1.42	1.38	1.35

It all starts with the "Amateur Draft" and then they have to work their way through the Minor Leagues ... a tough road to hoe, much the same as a doctor, accountant or lawyer ... only a little different.

The signing bonuses for 10th round picks (293-322) averaged $140,000.

Imagine starting off your career with a million or 6 in your pocket ...

The MLB Minimum Player's Salary is now $400,000 per season ... same as the annual salary of the President of the United States of America!

Our Supreme Court Chief Justice makes $217,400.

Congress' rank and file make $174,000, with party leaders getting $193,400, topped by the Speaker of the House's $223,500.

Not sure, but I think that salaries in the armed services top out at about $20,000 per month for the Joint Chiefs' Chairman ... privates make less.

Bud Selig's salary is over 45 times that of the President of the United States ... that's more than all 100 U.S. Senators combined! I love the Grand Old Game ... but this insanity has become far more that an issue facing baseball ... WHAT SAY YOU?!

Well, whatever your aspirations ... for yourself, your children or theirs ... I hope it encompasses and supports Daddy's three notions! Be Honorable ... strive to be the best ... be satisfied with being the very best you can be!

I hope too that you'll enjoy the grand old game for what it was intended to be, not the big business it's become!

Barbershop BOB

And so it goes, The Grand Old Game

Well, for us baseball fans, winter is for daydreaming about what might have been and what might yet be ... early spring hails the annual rebirth of the Phoenix when the boys of summer head south or west for Spring Training ... followed by april showers and opening day.

The summer is filled with game after game ... our'n agin' their'n ... and may the better team win, unless they're better than us! Then comes the fall and the cream of the crop face off against each other in order to determine the World Champions, just as another winter set in!

And so it goes, the grand old game!

I saw neither "Babe", the "Georgia Peach", nor the "The Big Train" play ... but, my money is on them as being the best ... they didn't know about "the cream" and "the clear" ... some boys are just better than others.

All but forgotten are the events leading to establishment of the Office of the Commissioner ... it all started with the National Agreement of 1903 that made peace between the National and American leagues and evolved from there ... we got our first "Commissioner" ... Kenesaw Mountain Landis, following the 1919 Black Sox Scandal and public perception that the sport was crooked ... a lot has changed, but the more things change ...

It's true that the Judge played judge and jury ... and perhaps "Shoeless Joe" told 'em it wasn't so ... but, the fate of the game was at stake ... as it may well be today.

We had the breaking of the BALCO investigation and scandal back in 2003, the "Senate Steroids in Baseball Hearings" in 2005 ... the Mitchell Report in December, 2007 ... then there's been the ongoing "Roger Clemens - Brian McNamee" drama, the indictment of Barry Bonds ... and all those unguided missiles aka shattering bats ... and like Yogi said, "it ain't over 'til it's over" ... and it ain't!

With such scandalous things grabbing media attention, it's little wonder that the silence surrounding the other serious issues besetting the game is so overwhelming.

The list is long ... very long, indeed ... including, but certainly not limited to, conglomerate ownership, the roles and influence of the media and advertisers, outrageous salaries and salary caps, competitive balance, ticket prices, season's length, interleague play, designated hitters, the All Star Game, unions for multimillionaire players with agent negotiated individual contracts .... not to mention $5 Cokes and cold hot dogs!

With your help, we hope to identify and discuss these issues, among ourselves and hopefully with others throughout the land ... blogging fans primarily, but sports writers, players and management ... at all levels ... majors, minors, college, kindergarten ... big cities and small towns too. We're all in this together and we hope so doing will allow us all to gain greater perspective, make some new friends, and perhaps a difference.

Fans everywhere face similar problems methinks, but many issues and situations are indeed team and location specific ... and thus different perspectives. For example, I imagine ticket prices are indeed an issue and concern everywhere ... at Turner field, the 2009 dugout season tickets run $4,316, while at the new Yankee Stadium, I understand the best seats range from from $500 to $2,500 ... per game! Like Jimmy Smith, our residing dean of journalism says ... the same, only different ... oh, the humanity!

We're on the outside looking in ... and while that shall always be, I truly believe that those who love the game have different perspectives that the casual fan to whom the business of baseball seems most concerned.

We want the issues addressed and resolved as they emerge, and in its best interests ... so as to preserve the game and its integrity for our enjoyment, and that of generations yet to come ... winning, losing and money are but parts of this complex but grand old game!

Baseball is a sport, one of very best ... but the operation of the leagues and the teams is a structured business that has become increasingly complex over the last hundred years ... few seriously question that, methinks. However, my view is that there needs to be better separation of Church and State ... the business may be well but the sport is truly sick, methinks.

It appears that the business is redefining the game in what it perceives as the best interest of the business ... and though promoted as in the best interest of the sport, is being so done at the game's and our expense!

So, from your perspective, what's the skinny regarding each of the issues with which the game is being faced? That is to say: stripped of the fat, ... "what's the real issue? ... why is it an issue? ... what caused it to become one? ... why has it not been resolved? what's being done? ... what should be done?