Battle In The Bleachers

                         Picture this scenario. You are from Queens, New York on a trip with a friend, and are on your way to Australia. On your way there, you decide to just drop by AT&T Park in San Francisco to catch a quick came. You and your friend purchase $13 dollar tickets and take a seat in left center amongst other bleacher goers. In the 5th inning, you catch one of the most memorable moments in history, seconds later, you catch the ball as well.

                          As home run ball number 756 sliced the San Francisco air, dead silence broke over the center field bleachers. Pummeling down into the mass, the ball was engulfed within a sworm of diehard Giants fans, and Matt Murphy. After encompassing the ball with his body and repeling attacks and scrapes, Murphy was proudly escorted by multiple security guards away from the warzone. Tatterted and raising his arms in victory, Murphy came out on top in the battle to take home history. Surving cuts, bruises, and even losing his shoe, Murphy walked away with the prize.

              Estimates put the price of the piece of cowhide at anywhere between 500,000 and 1 million dollars. Not bad for someone just stopping by on their way to Australia. Murphy declined to associate with the press regarding his historic capture of the ball. Bonds was later asked his thoughts concerning the ball, “I just hope he didn’t get hurt,” he said,

“I don’t want the ball, I’ve never believed a home run ball belonged to the player. If he caught it, it’s his.”

Read Full Post »

Bonds Stands Alone As Home Run King

               It seemed only fitting that Barry Bonds would hit number 756 at home, a place where he is accepted. A monstrous crowd gathered last night in San Francisco, exchanging their tickets for a chance to witness history being made. For those who attended; they were not disappointed. The atmosphere could not have been more inviting to Bonds, who grew up down the street from the park itself. Like a family that never ends, thousands of Bonds supporters cheered while very few jeered throughout the game. The moment of destiny would come in the 5th inning on a full count pitch from Mike Bacsik, as numerous chants of BARRY, BARRY, BARRY erupted from the crowd. When the curveball was delivered Bonds new it, stretching his arms in glory at home plate and beginning a trip around the bases like no other.

            A surprise video from Hank Aaron capped off Bond’s night, flooring the expectations of everyone in the ballpark. Although the Hammer had made a statement by keeping quiet about the record, he definitely showed some respect and class to make his presence known. If anything the moment was a bit surreal to Bonds, filled with a slew of emotions and energy. As he trotted his way towards home, Barry threw his arms toward the sky and thanked his Dad for always being there, clearly on the verge of tears. It was a historic night in baseball no doubt, the shattering of a record that stood for over 33 years is quite an accomplishment. But of course there is another side to the story.

            The saga of Barry Bonds has always been similiar to a coin, two sided. While many praise Bonds for his triumphant accomplishment, others slander his image and point to steroid abuse as the true culprit behind the hitter. Bonds has always been under a watchful eye from the steroid bandits, but snapping the record for most home runs in baseball history has “injected” new life into the controversy. Many claim that the facts don’t lie, citing statistics that show a clear increase in home runes from one season to another. Bonds had also been known to beef up significantly in a very short time, although he has consistently dismissed this as simply due to a stronger training regiment and earlier weight lifting. Barry is the only one that knows for sure.

          Whatever the truth really is behind the cameras, media and national acclaim, one thing does not change. Barry Bonds has broken one of the most prestegious records in baseball history and sports in general. Rampant roid user or misunderstood victim of the press, he still deserves some form of recognition.

Read Full Post »

Humid Hell

                      The slow rasp of the swamp cooler drizzles its way down the hall. Flowing briskly through the air ducts, streams of uncilled air lace the house where I dwell. With two fans and an open window, mother nature still has one up over the swamp cooler. As monsoon season in Arizona has been raging, those without the luxury of air conditioning have been left to bask in the musty suffocation of humidity. With Arizona’s monsoon season in full swing, the air is moist, heavy, thick and highly discomforting. The heavy amounts of rain allow water to be trapped in the air, as if the miserably hot sun wasn’t menacing enough.

                      For the fortunate souls with air conditioning, Arizona’s stormy season is no problem. But the swamp cooler goonies are left with nothing but a useless pad and steamy air. Yes, you heard right, the all famed swamp cooler is all but a useless box when the air is humid, providing no use except for the soothing sound of a fan. Oh how I have longed for the comfort of AC, wishing the serene air waves of the automobile world would thrust their chilled hands into my abode. The evercool atmosphere, relaxing chill, and sweet bliss of cooling power that rests in the homes of so many. The ultimate foe to weather, air conditioning laughs in the face of monsoons and steals humidity’s lunchmoney. Oh yes humid cretin, there exists one stronger than your powers of heat! I just don’t own it yet!

                      In any event, I lie dormant, melancholy, bathing in sweat, waiting for the humidity to retract its shadow. I can only wait until the weather changes and swamp cooler has the upper hand, saving money and energy over air conditioning! Oh but how I must wait, how I must toil inside, my humid inside. I guess I will just stick with my fans for now.

Read Full Post »

The Secret Of Happiness

               Dan Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard, recently gave a talk at the most recent Technology Entertainment Design (TED) conference. I had the chance to see the video in which Gilbert dissects the concept of synthetic happiness, or happiness made by the mind. I found the talk extremely interesting, and a very poignant view on the idea of true happiness. The idea of synthesizing one’s own “false” happiness seems to contradict what humans generally percieve as real satisfaction. Gilbert’s point comes from asking the question: why is self-generated happiness deemed less fulfilling than “natural” happiness, that is, attaining happiness by getting what we desire. The argument is quite compelling to contemplate.
               

               The key is to understand the boundaries and natural desires that arise in everyday life. Humans are obviously constantly in search of fulfillment, meaning, purpose and ultimately happiness. The desire to get what we wish for, attain what we aspire to be, and live up to our own expectations has always been the assumed route to being happy in life. But, as Gilbert emphasizes, if we look deeper, research has shown that when given fewer options that what we initially want, we end up more satisfied. If that just flew over your head, let me simplify the equation. Person A is offered one free ipod case from a group of 3 different ones, and cannot change his mind once he picks the one he wants to take home. Person B is offered the same group of cases, but has 3 days to change his mind if he does not like the case he originally chose. Nearly 70% of the time, person A ends up more satisifed with their decision, but why? The answer is the deliberation factor, or as Gilbert calls it, the factor of boundaries. If we are offered the chance to change our decision, our brains tend to put too much importance on the different possible outcomes. When there is no turning back, and we are forced to stick with it, we inevitably end up more satisfied in the end.
              

                 This concept of placing too much importance on the different possible outcomes of our decisions is the foundation of synthetic happiness. The ability to be subconsiously more fulfilled with something based on the simple fact that there was “no turning back,” or no way to reverse our decision. Many times the irreversible desires prove much more fulfilling, despite the average assuption that being able to “fall back” on other options invites happiness. When we get what we originally want, we may end up regretting it.

Read Full Post »