peter king Archives - Lazy Man and Money

In honor of one of my favorite football writers, Peter King, running a half marathon, I am going to steal two small bits of from his Monday Morning Quarterback column.

Stat of the Week

Somewhere between 20 and 25 Dallas Cowboy football players managed to spend $54,896 on dinner recently. That’s around $2,500 per person – on average. I know they are big guys who can eat a lot, but that’s equal to eating fifty $50 dinners. I’m sure there’s some expensive wine in there, but I can’t even that scene.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

I have to give credit to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe for this baseball insight a few days ago:

“Marco Scutaro [of the Boston Red Sox] has a .721 OPS and will have to fight off Jed Lowrie in spring training. Derek Jeter [of the New York Yankees] has a .707 OPS and he’ll probably get a $60 million contract or whatever.”

For those who don’t follow baseball, OPS (on-base percentage, plus slugging percentage), is considered by most fans a very accurate measure of a player’s offensive performance (higher is better).

Travel Note of the Week

I got held up in line to go through security in Aruba on the way back to the states. A person in front of me set off the metal detector. He couldn’t figure out what it was at first. The security people noticed it watch and suggested that he take it off. Beep! He went back this time took off his belt thinking it must be the buckle. Beep! Third try is a charm? This time he took off his necklace. Beep! Finally he realized it was his cigar tin in his shirt pocket. In the confusion he forgot to pick up his suit, so he had to be tracked down by security.

At the gate, I was in line to get some food. I heard a man and woman discuss the optimal pastry to order for 10 minutes (it was a slow line). When I got my food, I turned around to find it was the metal detector guy and his wife. As we were boarding the plane, I heard him say to his wife, “I think I’m on some kind of watch list.”

As the place landed, the flight attendant wished us all a great day… but also took time to announce, “Mr. Bird please don’t forget your suit.”

Mr. Bird, you are a walking sitcom.

Money Writers:

Brip Blap presents 3 strategies to increase your lifetime earning potential.
Digerait Life discusses age discrimination in the workplace.
Frugal Dad with radical thoughts about our culture of debt.
Generation X Finance shares five sources of easy money that can be found in your home.
Million Dollar Journey talks ways to track your spending.
Money Smart Life explains reverse mortgages in Reverse Mortgages 101.
My Dollar Plan writes sell an unwanted timeshare or purchase a timeshare at a severe discount.
The Sun’s Financial Diary asks should you use your cell phone for credit card processing?

Top PF Posts:

Free Money Finance explores creating a richer life while living on a tight budget.
The Smarter Wallet asks can you get government mortgage assistance from your state?
Mighty Bargain Hunter says “conservative”
is not the same thing as “prudent”.
Frugal For Life posts how
to make your car last forever in summary.
PT Money with 10 guaranteed ways to limit your earning potential.
Not Made of Money explains haggling, negotiating, and the art of getting a better deal.
Darwin’s Finance asks financial advisors keeping you in the dark?
Money Ning shares tips for shipping
for less ““ saving money year round and during the holidays.
Don’t Mess With Taxes says state tax collections have improved; Wait, no they haven’t.

With apologies to Peter King, I’m going to borrow his shtick for this round-up.

I think watching fewer than ten seconds of Usain Bolt was every bit as amazing as anything that I’ve seen in the Olympics thus far. That includes two of Phelps medals by the narrowest of margins. To see him slow up after 80% of his race, pump his chest, and still set a world record is amazing – no fancy swimsuit needed.
I think that I want to recognize Michael Phelps as the best swimmer ever. Some say he’s the best athlete ever, but I have a hard time bestowing that title on someone that only swims. It’s comparing apples to transmissions, but a lot of Olympic athletes’ sports don’t lend themselves to achieving multiple medals. Walsh/May seem to dominate the sand as much as Mr. Phelps does the water.
I think that I’m going to have fun taking care of my friend’s two dogs this week. I bet they are going to enjoy their new home and run around for at least the first three hours – until they realize that it’s nothing very special.
I think that Chad Jackson has to show he’s turned a corner later today. And if the Patriots are going to represent the AFC again, the offensive line has to step up as well.
I think I’d like to thank my wife for being a designated driver yesterday as we showed my friend the vineyards of Napa…
… I think I’ll be biting my tongue when I try to compare how much wine she bought to an equivalent amount of money spent on Two Buck Chuck
I think that my friend visiting us had one of the most aggravating 24-hours of travel I can think of. He’s on a 2.5 day trip from NYC and had his flight out here delayed 8 hours. The next day, we pick up my car at the shop, only to find they didn’t leave enough gas to get more than three blocks. After walking a mile to get gas and figure out the gas can mechanism (no easy feat), my car wouldn’t start without getting the battery jumped. He was good-natured about the whole experience, much more good-natured than I would have been.
I think that if anyone comes within 50 yards of our home, they are going to have a cantaloupe tossed in their car. We had to bring a dish to an event on Friday and grossly overestimated how much one space one cantaloupe takes when cut up. I’m not sure what we’ll do with another four.
I think if you read about a gorilla escape in San Francisco, you shouldn’t worry. I’m going to try to get a hair cut on Tuesday.
I think that I’ve done an horrible job announcing Frugal Dad as the newest edition to The Money Writers team. I’ll have to try to make it up to him next week.

Here are some links from The Money Writers:

Digerati Life posts on make money blogging: top bloggers and how much they earn. The stats are incredible. It will be some time before I earn that much.
Now is the time to start a landscaping project – deals on perennials and equipment abound. Learn more over at Generation X Finance.
The Sun’s Financial Diary is creating a virtual all-EFT portfolio? It’s a great way to practice your investment skills.
Brip Blap writes how your education and lifestyle keep you from changing.
Money Smart Life writes for great tips on college student savings ““ how to get the most out of student discounts.
Why cash back mortgages are a bad idea by Million Dollar Journey.
My Dollar Plan writes back to school savings challenge— a great post to read as schools are getting back in session.
Frugal Dad gives some tips to the aspiring frugal student.

And here some links from outside of the The Money Writers world.

Mighty Bargain Hunter presents seven of my favorite ways to save money on driving expenses “” and one I don’t use.
For the second most deadly sin in the 7 deadly sins of personal finance read Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Consumer Commentary asks can you eliminate $500 of your expenses each month?

Lastly, I’d like to thank all four of these carnivals for including me this week.

Personal Finance Links (Peter King Edition)

Ten Things I Think I Think (and Some Links)