It is a Spring Friday, late April. RIght now it's a touch under 70 degrees as the clouds have briefly obscured the sun. I'm going to my first minor league baseball game tonight, to watch the New Britain Rock Cats (AA Twins) face the Harrisburg Senators (AA Nationals). That should be fun.
For now I'm getting organized, taking stock. I'll have more to post in the coming days. Until then, Happy Weekend, everyone!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Status Update
Been quiet this week. Another great Patriot's Day, but I forgot my camera. That was Monday. The weather's been all over the place. Sending out job inquiries and getting half responses, vagaries. What can you do. . .
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
New Territory
On my way back from a wine presentation yesterday I saw a sign promoting Historic Talcotville. The sign is about 2 miles away from where I live and I hadn't noticed on countless previous trips. It was a beautiful day, I was excited about the future, I figured there was no time like the present to see this landmark.
Talcotville is, I guess, a roughly quarter mile village wedged between Manchester and Vernon, CT. It was home to a manufacturing mill that changed hands a few times before being owned for decades by the Talcott brothers before it went out of business in 1940. Their former mansion is located across the street, along with a church nestled aside the flowing Connecticut River.
The Invisible Hand of Sanctioned Extortion
Check out this video from yesterday's panel discussion on the business of baseball. As Sam Kennedy, one of the Sox reps, starts talking about a responsibility to keep tickets affordable, window washers descend over the exterior of the room to distract everyone and break the tension. A classic, "keep looking at the dancing monkey" moment. I wonder if Sam Kennedy was simultaneously bound and carried out of the room before everyone's attention went back to the stage.
First of all, Red Sox tickets are not affordable. Woe is the middle class family of Red Sox fans who want to head to Fenway. That same expenditure could probably cover 4 flight tickets to Florida (in season) or 65% of a mortgage payment. Red Sox tickets will remain unaffordable while demand is high. But the demand is a smokescreen, as the secondary ticket market is driving the demand.
The Red Sox are supposedly on this unprecedented sell-out streak. How many times over the past few years have you seen empty seats at Fenway? Even at big games, empty seats. During last year's B-team run and the 2009 collapse, there were entire empty sections. But those seats are paid for. They're sitting in a pile at an Ace Ticket or Stub Hub office. The game is a sell-out, who cares if they actually go to a fan who wants to see the game. The Red Sox don't care. Major League Baseball doesn't care, they made their revenue from the ticket.
Now, if I have a couple extra tickets to the game that I need to unload. I can go down to the park and sell them. But if I sell them over face value I am scalping and breaking the law. There's a fair chance I'll be arrested. All the tickets sold by Ace Ticket and StubHub are priced over face value yet that is somehow legal and embraced by the community. They are licensed ticket brokers allowed, by law, to re-sell tickets at a premium. They give you a guarantee that the tickets are authentic, otherwise they could lose their license pawning off bogus tickets. You don't get that same guarantee from the scalper hawking tickets out on Van Ness Street. Is that really worth paying a premium.
Sure the team avoids the headache of wondering how many tickets will be sold for each game by unloading their share to StubHub before the season even starts. They can guarantee how much revenue they'll earn and focus their energy elsewhere. But is there anyone in the front office unsettled by seeing all the empty seats in the park while they are touting their unprecedented sellout streak? We heard all types of moaning from the Red Sox last year because ratings were down and the park wasn't full (yet every game was still a sell-out). The team was considered boring by the public so they went out this year and acquired a couple of new superstars to get everyone excited. But the only money lost last year came from the lack of a post-season. Ad revenues on NESN sure didn't decrease. And, sure enough, ticket prices went up again this year.
The ticket situation is entirely bizarre to me. In a very short period It is not the fault of the Red Sox, it is sanctioned by Major League Baseball. And it certainly isn't exclusive to baseball, it's a part of all sports and events these days. In a very short period of time, the last 10-15 years, ticket brokerages have become a powerhouse industry. Yet the common person on the street ca be arrested for attempting the same deal they offer. Money talks, and big money begets big money, who cares about the fan, they are just a piggy bank waiting to be pilfered. At a time when Wisconsin's governor is inciting other lawmakers and business leaders to become union busters, why isn't there any elected official who wants to bring back vending equality? The power of the ticket brokerages also has to do with our newfound 21st century entitlement to have anything at any time. If you want to go to that show, or that game, you can, for a price. We have fed it with our lack of discipline and rationale. And now it's a business that will never go away. It makes too much money.
Meanwhile, if I want to go to a game in San Diego, I can walk down to Petco Park 20 minutes before any game and get a face value ticket from the box office and sit in a beautiful ball park (except maybe if the Red Sox are in town). The demand is not there. It's here in Boston. And it's there in New York but the new Yankee Stadium is a total miscalculation of the market. The best seats there cost $1500 at face value and are always empty. The greatest franchise in Major League Baseball history, with the most fans worldwide, and they exclude their own fans from the games on account of the fat cats, who aren't big enough fans to plunk down the money themselves. And, if I'm not mistaken, the $1500 ticket price is actually a reduction from where they were last season. But even if the Red Sox keep playing like they have for the first two weeks of this season and the demand for tickets plummets, they'll still have their sell out streak, because their tickets are already sold. And if anyone in the front office wants to talk about making going to Fenway affordable for the families who want to go and enjoy America's pastime in person, cue the window washers.
First of all, Red Sox tickets are not affordable. Woe is the middle class family of Red Sox fans who want to head to Fenway. That same expenditure could probably cover 4 flight tickets to Florida (in season) or 65% of a mortgage payment. Red Sox tickets will remain unaffordable while demand is high. But the demand is a smokescreen, as the secondary ticket market is driving the demand.
The Red Sox are supposedly on this unprecedented sell-out streak. How many times over the past few years have you seen empty seats at Fenway? Even at big games, empty seats. During last year's B-team run and the 2009 collapse, there were entire empty sections. But those seats are paid for. They're sitting in a pile at an Ace Ticket or Stub Hub office. The game is a sell-out, who cares if they actually go to a fan who wants to see the game. The Red Sox don't care. Major League Baseball doesn't care, they made their revenue from the ticket.
Now, if I have a couple extra tickets to the game that I need to unload. I can go down to the park and sell them. But if I sell them over face value I am scalping and breaking the law. There's a fair chance I'll be arrested. All the tickets sold by Ace Ticket and StubHub are priced over face value yet that is somehow legal and embraced by the community. They are licensed ticket brokers allowed, by law, to re-sell tickets at a premium. They give you a guarantee that the tickets are authentic, otherwise they could lose their license pawning off bogus tickets. You don't get that same guarantee from the scalper hawking tickets out on Van Ness Street. Is that really worth paying a premium.
Sure the team avoids the headache of wondering how many tickets will be sold for each game by unloading their share to StubHub before the season even starts. They can guarantee how much revenue they'll earn and focus their energy elsewhere. But is there anyone in the front office unsettled by seeing all the empty seats in the park while they are touting their unprecedented sellout streak? We heard all types of moaning from the Red Sox last year because ratings were down and the park wasn't full (yet every game was still a sell-out). The team was considered boring by the public so they went out this year and acquired a couple of new superstars to get everyone excited. But the only money lost last year came from the lack of a post-season. Ad revenues on NESN sure didn't decrease. And, sure enough, ticket prices went up again this year.
The ticket situation is entirely bizarre to me. In a very short period It is not the fault of the Red Sox, it is sanctioned by Major League Baseball. And it certainly isn't exclusive to baseball, it's a part of all sports and events these days. In a very short period of time, the last 10-15 years, ticket brokerages have become a powerhouse industry. Yet the common person on the street ca be arrested for attempting the same deal they offer. Money talks, and big money begets big money, who cares about the fan, they are just a piggy bank waiting to be pilfered. At a time when Wisconsin's governor is inciting other lawmakers and business leaders to become union busters, why isn't there any elected official who wants to bring back vending equality? The power of the ticket brokerages also has to do with our newfound 21st century entitlement to have anything at any time. If you want to go to that show, or that game, you can, for a price. We have fed it with our lack of discipline and rationale. And now it's a business that will never go away. It makes too much money.
Meanwhile, if I want to go to a game in San Diego, I can walk down to Petco Park 20 minutes before any game and get a face value ticket from the box office and sit in a beautiful ball park (except maybe if the Red Sox are in town). The demand is not there. It's here in Boston. And it's there in New York but the new Yankee Stadium is a total miscalculation of the market. The best seats there cost $1500 at face value and are always empty. The greatest franchise in Major League Baseball history, with the most fans worldwide, and they exclude their own fans from the games on account of the fat cats, who aren't big enough fans to plunk down the money themselves. And, if I'm not mistaken, the $1500 ticket price is actually a reduction from where they were last season. But even if the Red Sox keep playing like they have for the first two weeks of this season and the demand for tickets plummets, they'll still have their sell out streak, because their tickets are already sold. And if anyone in the front office wants to talk about making going to Fenway affordable for the families who want to go and enjoy America's pastime in person, cue the window washers.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Chipping Away
As the rain began to fall last night, I went out to Chicopee to follow up on a liquor store I'd stumbled upon two weeks ago. Walked out with a sale. When I arrived the proprietor was speaking on the phone in a language I don't understand. I had to interrupt him just to show him a brochure before, I figured, making my way for the door. Turns out, he was on the phone with a relative who lives in San Diego County, and we had a good discussion and did some business. You never know.
Wishing everyone a great day.
Wishing everyone a great day.
Some Recent Food
I'm in a cooking slump. It started a week ago with a so-so dinner I made for my parents. Since then I've ended up with bland sauteed vegetables, rubbery scallops, and undercooked chicken...undercooked chicken! I'm trying to break it up a little but I realize it's just a rut that will pass. Until then, here are some shots of recent successes, including a killer Jacques Pepin recipe for chicken in balsamic vinegar-shallot sauce, a Mexican breakfast crepe, and poached cod loin.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Caminando se aprende
There is a Spanish saying, "caminando se aprende, walking is learning," which I've always taken to heart. Today I went into Hartford for a job fair, which was depressing and unprosperous. But afterward I went walking around downtown and discovered a few new places that will be great client targets for wine sales. Hadn't been down those streets for a couple years probably and found some exciting businesses. Along the way I also discovered the fine art museum, which was closed today, but I felt a bit more connected to my new area. Best of all, I did not have that trapped, angered feeling I used to feel in Hartford. It may not be the nicest city there is but, like everywhere, it has beauty in it. And compared to Springfield, MA, Hartford is like Manhattan.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday Morning
Looking at the forecast, every day is expected to be over 60 degrees. Excellent.
It's a bit overcast, but hopefully a Celtics win in Miami followed by a Red Sox victory in Fenway should make this day an exciting one.
My morning exercise and cleaning was set to the soundtrack of Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms and Making Movies. As a metaphor for my career, and for everyone's stability and success, I share "Solid Rock."
It's a bit overcast, but hopefully a Celtics win in Miami followed by a Red Sox victory in Fenway should make this day an exciting one.
My morning exercise and cleaning was set to the soundtrack of Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms and Making Movies. As a metaphor for my career, and for everyone's stability and success, I share "Solid Rock."
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Springy Saturday
It is a beautiful early Spring Saturday. The sun is out, and the temperature is just over 60 degrees. Lovely day.
Went for a run earlier and then ran errands, including a stop at the Post Office, which always makes me think back fondly of going to the Post Office with my grandparents.
The Red Sox finally pulled out a win yesterday. My favorite moment of the game came in an email from my mom who wrote, "Lackey SUCKS!!!!!" So true. Reading the paper today, another funny moment, perhaps even some psychological warfare we're waging against our rivals, "The Yankees were unable to shower after the game because of a plumbing problem in the visitors’ clubhouse." Great move.
In other news, very sad to hear of the passing of Sidney Lumet. Lumet's book on filmmaking is an invaluable and hugely entertaining resource. Lumet seems to have done it all, big-budget, small-budget, tv, theatre, live television, musicals, and he had an undying excitement for making movies. In the last few years he was engaged in the digital medium and the openness it allowed for longer takes. RIP Sidney Lumet.
Went for a run earlier and then ran errands, including a stop at the Post Office, which always makes me think back fondly of going to the Post Office with my grandparents.
The Red Sox finally pulled out a win yesterday. My favorite moment of the game came in an email from my mom who wrote, "Lackey SUCKS!!!!!" So true. Reading the paper today, another funny moment, perhaps even some psychological warfare we're waging against our rivals, "The Yankees were unable to shower after the game because of a plumbing problem in the visitors’ clubhouse." Great move.
In other news, very sad to hear of the passing of Sidney Lumet. Lumet's book on filmmaking is an invaluable and hugely entertaining resource. Lumet seems to have done it all, big-budget, small-budget, tv, theatre, live television, musicals, and he had an undying excitement for making movies. In the last few years he was engaged in the digital medium and the openness it allowed for longer takes. RIP Sidney Lumet.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Fenway Opens...
Okay, no one expected this a week ago, but what a day for a fresh start!
Very excited to see the Sox take on the Yankees today, under very arduous circumstances. But the sun is out, the grass is green, and baseball is here.
I'm having trouble finding people in the office today, but this is an unofficial holiday in New England so I hope everyone has some excitement and that this day is a little more special than a regular Friday.
Go Red Sox!!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
What The F?!
Certainly no one expected this. I haven't watched too much of the games so far, which is more a result of co-habitation diplomacy than anything else. What is worse than the Sox becoming the MLB equivalent of the Miami Heat, is that now we are the exclusive worldwide promoter and partner of LeBron James. Awkward and definitely not cool. Sad byproduct of of 21st century hypermedia branding.
On a lighter note, one thing I really did enjoy about tonight's game was the camaraderie of my favorite fellow Red Sox fan, my dad. I came up to Andover tonight and it was all worth it to be in the kitchen hearing my dad's cry of "That's bullshit!" directed at the screen in the next room. Of course, he would have said the same thing on a tough call in a win.
Get it together, Red Sox. You're real fans can't even afford to buy tickets to the games. At least give us something to watch for the second mortgage we all pay to cable.
On a lighter note, one thing I really did enjoy about tonight's game was the camaraderie of my favorite fellow Red Sox fan, my dad. I came up to Andover tonight and it was all worth it to be in the kitchen hearing my dad's cry of "That's bullshit!" directed at the screen in the next room. Of course, he would have said the same thing on a tough call in a win.
Get it together, Red Sox. You're real fans can't even afford to buy tickets to the games. At least give us something to watch for the second mortgage we all pay to cable.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Rainy Monday
So. . . Rough weekend for the Sox. Good to see that they still have a sense of humor.
Right now I'm more concerned about the Celtics. Shaq looked great last night, until he was in agony. The C's need him to get number 18.
In other news, I'm very happy to see that the National Transportation Board is authorizing a bus inspection. I've made multiple bus trips to and from NYC and Hartford over the years and, though being a bus driver may not be the best job in the world, it should never result in death. On my last cross country trip, which you know took me coast to coast and across over 3000 miles, the most aggressive driving I saw came right here in Connecticut by, you guessed it, reckless bus drivers. Truck drivers in the rain is one thing. Bus drivers are not in the same category. The truck driver has a load to deliver and no one on board. The buses are carrying innocent, paying customers. You can routinely see buses weaving in and out of lanes up and down I-95 with no concern for the other cars on the road or for the passengers on board. It's a bus, it's not a sports car; slow down and drive safe.
Right now I'm more concerned about the Celtics. Shaq looked great last night, until he was in agony. The C's need him to get number 18.
In other news, I'm very happy to see that the National Transportation Board is authorizing a bus inspection. I've made multiple bus trips to and from NYC and Hartford over the years and, though being a bus driver may not be the best job in the world, it should never result in death. On my last cross country trip, which you know took me coast to coast and across over 3000 miles, the most aggressive driving I saw came right here in Connecticut by, you guessed it, reckless bus drivers. Truck drivers in the rain is one thing. Bus drivers are not in the same category. The truck driver has a load to deliver and no one on board. The buses are carrying innocent, paying customers. You can routinely see buses weaving in and out of lanes up and down I-95 with no concern for the other cars on the road or for the passengers on board. It's a bus, it's not a sports car; slow down and drive safe.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Signs of Spring
It is a beautiful day in early Spring. Brilliant sunshine and blue skies populated with puffy clouds. A cold Northern wind is still swirling around, but it's a day of promise. Soon the trees will sprout leaves and the renewal of green will be with us.
Of course many New Englanders are seething today at the 0-2 start of the Red Sox. I'm not worried at all. They have several encouraging signs (Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz--Papi!) and a few bad breaks (you can't do anything about a seeing eye flair that lands on the foul line) so, as somewhere Bob Lobel is speaking of Adrian Beltre and lamenting, "why can't we get guys like that?"... the Red Sox are going to be great. It's a beautiful day today, on Friday it was snowing. The Red Sox will be winning soon enough.
Not that I know anything or care much about college hoops, how about UCONN making it all the way to the Finals, well done.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday.
Friday, April 1, 2011
April 1st
There is snow on the ground but you've got to love it--April Fools in New England!
Today marks the start of the Red Sox season and I know which shoes I'm wearing. Let's go Red Sox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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