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Personal Finance Link (Joe West is a Disgrace Edition)

August 1, 2011 by Lazy Man 12 Comments

I’m fully ensconce in baseball season having caught almost all of the first 6 Red Sox games. That streak should end tomorrow as the game is scheduled to start around the time I grab lunch at work. Probably some of the biggest news to come from the first six games is that Umpire Joe West called the Red Sox-Yankees games a “disgrace to baseball” due to the slow pace of their games.

His exact quote was:

“They’re two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?” West asked the New Jersey Bergen Record. “It’s pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play.”

I’m going to join the party and call Joe West a disgrace to baseball. When you become an umpire, you sign on to be in the background of the entertainment, not the foreground. Putting that aside, maybe he should take a minute to think about why the games are slow:

  • National Television = More Commercials – The Red Sox-Yankees games, as baseball’s biggest rivalry, are almost always on national television. Several players have said they were ready to bat, but they had to wait for commercials that aren’t part of local television.
  • High On-Base Percentage – I heard today that the Red Sox-Yankees are tied for having the two best on-base percentages over the last few years. More base runners means longer games. Each guy that reaches base is one that didn’t get out… and the pitcher has to start again with a new hitter. Pitchers also work slower with men on base.
  • Hitters are patient – The Red Sox and Yankees have some of the most patient hitters in the game. They take a lot of pitches until they find the ones they want. Combine that with the high on-base percentage and pitchers are going to get tired by throwing a lot of pitches… cue the pitching change and more commercials. The Red Sox – Yankees games of last week saw each team average using 5 pitchers a game.

In the end, if Joe West wants quick games of baseball, he can umpire me and a few friends play against either the Red Sox and Yankees. I guarantee they’ll strike us out quite quickly. There’s a reason why games of chess between two great opponents take time.

Money Writers:

  • Brip Blap talks about learning how to let go of clutter.
  • Digerati Life blogs on financial literacy: learn about money, boost your finances.
  • Frugal Day says parents should teach kids finances, not just schools.
  • Generation X Finance posts The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Bill of 2010 to expand Roth 401(k) conversions.
  • Million Dollar Journey looks into the fear of money some individuals face.
  • Money Smart Life discusses online bill pay benefits.
  • My Dollar Plan says use your tax refund to purchase I Bonds.
  • The Sun’s Financial Diary provides last minute tips for tax filers.

Top Personal Finance Posts:

  • Free Money Finance asks are you middle class?
  • The Smarter Wallet writes learn how to budget & save 40% of your income.
  • Dough Roller presents 5 habits of financially successful people.
  • Fire Finance shares 10 smart iPhone apps that will save you money. I personally also like this list of iPhone Money Apps.
  • Kiplinger’s Magazine has an interactive tool that provides a line-by-line breakdown of a college financial aid letter.
  • One Frugal Girl says the more I purge the less I buy.
  • Finance For Youth talks about long roads to recovery in cases of debt.
  • Wealth…Uncomplicated presents the case of the $13,000 telephone line – prime example of inefficiencies at work.
  • Budgets Are Sexy says get your cash flow up, baby!
  • Saving Advice offers up 8 ways to save money on wedding catering.
  • Stop Buying Crap writes how I made most money ever made in life but felt miserable.
  • Darwin’s Finance asks how stupid (or lazy) do they think I am?
  • Five Cent Nickel gives five simple habits that will help you avoid the debt trap.

Filed Under: Links Tagged With: joe west, red sox, yankees

Random Thoughts and Personal Finance Links

August 1, 2011 by Lazy Man 2 Comments

I’ve got lots on my mind this week, so I’m going to skip the introduction. As usual, there are links to personal finance articles that I liked at the end of this post.

  • I was Interviewed by The Slacker Method
  • Trip to Boston – I’m heading to Boston next week to visit friends and family. While it’s always nice to see people, some people mistaken call this a vacation. There’s typically so much running around that my wife and I are completely exhausted.
  • Saturday Night Live’s best show in years? – Neil Patrick Harris bought it last night. Almost every skit was hilarious. Taylor Swift’s reaction at the end of the song to the applause was like a 7-year old getting a Wii for the holidays. Ms. Swift, I know you are young, but at this point you have millions – in sales, dollars, and people who love you. Applause should not come as a surprise.
  • I Want a Palm Pre – I remember when the iPhone was announced some 18 months or so ago. The office at my work completely froze for three hours in awe. Early this week, I had a similar experience in my living room. Palm showed off the new phone that it’s been developing for a few years now. It looks much better than the iPhone. I don’t know if it will get developer support like the iPhone, but I’m impressed enough to probably pre-order it.
  • Yankees spent nearly 450M on players last month and ask for tax-free bonds for the stadium – This link says it all.
  • Surf the World on a Wii Fit Balance Board – This is amazing sounding stuff. I had no idea that the Wii Fit Balance Board was standard bluetooth with an open API. Very smart Nintendo. I’ve been looking for something else for the Wii Fit lately and the other games got horrible reviews. Unfortunately this looks a little too techy for me (and I’m fairly techy) and it may require a Mac.
  • Cheap Restaurant Eats

    I’ve been experiencing the wonders of a bad economy lately, with some restaurant deals. It seems every restaurant wants to save me money. I haven’t even needed my tips to save money at restaurants. Before I get to the deals though, I need to tell you about Everett Jones BBQ, a place based out of Oakland, CA. It’s the best BBQ I’ve had since I left Boston – though Boston isn’t exactly known for it’s BBQ. It’s been a 2+ year search, so I’m excited to put that search to bed.

    My wife and I celebrated New Year’s Eve at Turtle Bay Restaurant, another local gem. I mention it because it started out bad, but ended up great. We showed up for our 8PM reservation and they didn’t have a table for us. I was about to go into my Jerry Seinfeld reservations bit, when I decided that nothing good can come from that. Instead we simple voiced our disappointment once and asked if we could go to the bar to wait. I was expecting a couple of free drinks while we wait, but that didn’t happen. After sitting, we found out that the prime rib buffet was completely done. We still didn’t say anything much, but we were clearly disappointed.

    That’s when the 180 happened. The owner came by and told us that drinks would be on the house. My wife asked if there was any more of the creamed spinach that was with the prime rib buffet and if she could order a side dish. The owner gave us that on the house as well. By this time, we were so happy about the free food and drink that I didn’t mind when they forgot my caesar salad. I did mention it to them though because I didn’t want to be charged for it. Of course they felt even worse and proceeded to give us dessert. All totaled we had a three course meal, with a couple of drinks for around $55. I ended up tipping an unprecedented 50% to show my appreciation for their understanding.

    Lastly we enjoy the take out 1/2 priced burgers from Armadillo Willy’s for lunch on Saturdays. My wife and I found that for less than 8 dollars we get two large burgers and fries. We end up not eating much of dinner.

    And now for the personal finance links…

    Money Writers:

    • Free time does not translate to massive productivity writes Brip Blap.
    • Frugal Dad admits homemade laundry detergent not for us.
    • Generation X Finance explains why the recession will be good for US as a country.
    • How we feed our family of four on $100 a week posted by guest blogger over at Million Dollar Journey.
    • Digerati Life examines millionaire secrets of the super rich: the big problems they keep.
    • Money Smart Life looks into lending money to family and friends.
    • My Dollar Plan asks have you checked out Lending Club?
    • The Sun’s Financial Diary looks back at 2008 Passive Income Summary.

    More Financial Posts:

    • 5 Cent Nickel asks What are the FICA-HI and FICA-OASDI Taxes?
    • Free Money Finances writes how to get mortgage relief.
    • For some happy news, Blueprint for Financial Prosperity exclaims Disney matched an offer it didn’t need to!

Filed Under: Links Tagged With: neil patrick harris, saturday night live, taylor swift, wii fit, yankees

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