Little League Part 1

Its that time of year again. Another chance for the boys of summer to show they're ugly faces. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....Once again, grown men are behaving like little boys, searching for the 'stardom" that eluded them as youth. This years team draft was just another joke, in a long line of jokes for BWSLL. The entire process took only 55 minutes, but that's not the real issue. Most coaches have already held clinics and private tryouts to determine the roster. More kids are selected at the Seadog or the hockey rink, then get picked up on draft day. Its pretty sad and the kids pay the tab. The core problem appears to be the eligibility of 9 year olds for the draft. Now I'm not against 9 year olds playing in the league, we all have known a few who were impact players on day one. But these kids are the exception, not the rule. Every coach is out looking for the next Manny Ramirez or Josh Beckett and will draft any 9 year old who may have the slightest potential in year 3 or 4. So who cares? Who looses out here? A case could be made that everyone does, howeverI believe that the 10 and 11 year old boys are getting the short stick here. The 11 year olds are forced to stay in the Farm League system for some, a fifth year! I strongly believe that if a child has come through the Farm system for 4 years, and is not prepared to play in Little League, than the coaches have failed, not the kids. The League needs to take a hard look at the Farm system as a whole if this is truly the case. But, that's not really the case is it. We'll talk more on this as the season moves along.....

Well, I've been watching the City council meetings and other misc things over the past week and there's not a lot to discuss this week. Gerry Palmer is running for State Rep. Of course he is, its another job on the States dime. This guy couldn't get by without the States payroll, a true hack. I didn't catch who he was running against. It sounds funny to say that Gerry is "running" for anything. I don't think he jogs very much. On another note, the Council has been working on the school budget lately. It looks like Alan Kotchis has a pretty poor grasp of business issues to me. He couldn't answer a single question from the Council. How much is this dope getting paid? Around $100K so I hear. When the subject of the GE fuel buying program (that was going around a few weeks ago) was brought up, he had no clue if Bangor was involved in any buying program. With the cost of fuel going nutty, you'd think he'd know that one, been there, done that, but not him. Where do we get these people? How do I get that job??

I've been working hard on VOB's idiot of the month for April. OK, not that hard because it was pretty easy. Congrats goes out to Hal Wheeler. This guy loves to hear his own voice. He has no problem telling you how much he knows and how qualified he is to speak on these issues. He starts every sentence with '"When I was on the Council in 1984....." Wasn't that over 20 years ago? I dont know, but I think things have changed a bit in the last 20 years Hal. I'm regretting voting this blow hard in. Oh well, you can blame me I guess. Till next time.......

Dog Owners

I find dog owners to be a breed all of their own. Why are so many dog owners completely oblivious to the fact that some people HATE dogs?? Dogs can be quite scary to some, and just plain annoying to others. Some dogs are left on their runs all day and bark constantly for attention. The real issue is not with the pooch, but the moron who owns it. I live on a street with a lot of foot traffic. I see dogs crapping on my lawn almost daily. 75% of the time, the owner looks the other way, as if they don't notice the deed, and then walk off quickly without collecting the turd. Just yesterday I watched an old lady wearing a yellow raincoat come walking by (yea that's right, I saw you lady) and cheer her little ratdog on as he dumped on my front lawn. She was still praising the thing as she jogged off, failing to pick up the mess. I suppose I could set up some surveillance equipment and capture these scofflaws on film, call the cops, and turn 'em in. Is all that really necessary?? I hope not. I'm kinda lazy and that sounds like a lot of work. Should I confront these asswipes?? Again, I'm kinda lazy and that's a ton of effort. I've yelled at a few and it was exhausting. I'm leaning towards shooting the defecating hounds with a paintball gun. If a stray shot hit the owner in the butt, we'll that wouldn't be that bad either. So all you dog walkers who like to "shit and run", watch your back. I'm coming for ya - Incidentally, I have two dogs of my own, and as much as I hate it, I collect the turds. That's called being a good citizen for you high school drop-outs.

Speaking of dogs, it's time for the annual licence fees at City Hall. What a joke. I refuse to register my dogs and the City can kiss my ass. I already pay my outrageous property taxes, I'm not giving in to this farce. Maybe if the folks in Animal Control had some stones, they'd write more tickets to the real problem owners and not give them 20 chances. This might help with the funds and you wouldn't need to keep tapping me for cash. Maybe a few "shit-and-runners" could get a summons too. How's about a weekly spot in the BDN for the "Pooper Scooper Violator of the Week!". I like the sound of that. Expose these people!! I lived next door to a non-stop barking dog years ago. It wasn't pleasant I can tell you, and the City was no help at all. Why have these stupid un-enforceable laws anyway?? Has anyone ever been summoned? I doubt it. Lets put up a few more signs in the parks too, we cant waste enough money on this, maybe some special trash cans or better yet, a dog park. Enough! My mother taught me to clean up after myself. How about you?