The Stars Can Be Proud - The Mavericks Can’t

The Dallas Stars played with determination and drive.  They still lost.  The fact is the Dallas Stars were outmatched.  The Detroit Red Wings were just to good for Dallas.  In the end, there was no way the Stars could beat such a talented team, even though they did a hell of a job trying.

This differs from the Mavericks.  The Stars were outmatched, the Mavs were outplayed.  On paper the Mavericks had the best team.  They should have gone the distance.  Instead they underachieved, while the Stars overachieved.

Hats off the to the Dallas Stars, who went further than I ever expected.  The Mavericks still need to do some serious work before gaining my respect again.

Pictures from the Glass, Stars Win, Sharks Hurt

As I have said before, Hockey is not my first sport of choice.  That is unless, I get seats on the glass for a Stars Playoff game.  Clearly sitting in the front row not only makes for a great game viewing experience, but it also means, I am “somebody.”  Actually, my wife is “somebody,” she’s the one who got the tickets. 

The first check of the game comes in the form of reality…  It’s Amy’s life, I’m just happy to help her live it.

So is my buddy, Jay Stine.  Amy and I had to leave after three periods, because Amy has to be at work by 7am.  (You can see Jay was not happy about that) Turns out I saw less than half the game.  But I did see San Jose Forward, Joe Thornton wither in pain.  He came off the ice after a taking a big hit, and this is the series of pictures I took of him from my seat right next to the Shark’s bench.

Thornton’s reaction to pain, I’m sure, is very similar to his reaction to losing to the Stars in the 4th overtime. 

The Smart Car

 

One Look at the Smart Car makes you wonder, where are all the circus clowns that go with it?  Drive up to Canyon Creek and they all emerge.  My first response was to laugh at the tiny vehicle that looks more like a wind up toy for Dirk Nowitzki then an actual automobile.  There is no way I would be caught dead driving one of those, I have an image to uphold.  I drive a Hummer H3, which my friends are all quick to point out is actually the girl version of all the Hummer models.  Still, the Smart Car makes my smallish H3 look like an Abrams M1A1 Battle Tank.  While giggling at my good friend Joe Redmond’s sporty new matchbox, I spotted him laughing. 

It turns out he was laughing at all of us.  His new Smart Car gets 45 miles to the gallon, I’m lucky to get 16.  I figured since the Smart Car is so small it can probably only hold two gallons of gas.  I was wrong, it holds 8 gallons.  That’s still 360 miles to the tank full.  Adding the the draw, for the low low price of $14,000 this Eco friendly chick magnet will be a major hit with the ladies of Green Peace.  It’s painted with water soluble paint and it’s classified as an ultra low emissions vehicle.

Being so small, I wondered about safety, especially with the man below driving it.  Look closely, that’s Truman Casey, the same guy who recently drove his golf cart into a pond.  I did check the safety record of the Smart Car and it turns out it did very well in it’s high speed collision test.  Not one bug that slammed into the windshield at 60mph did any damage to the vehicle.  Adding to the Eco friendly image, 9 out of 10 mosquitoes used in the test survived the collision. 

Truth is the Smart Car is made by Mercedes and the company prides itself on safety.  Plus the only other car that generated this much excitement from the Gin Players at Canyon Creek was Joe Redmond’s Bentley. 

He Never had a Chin Implant

The question is why does it always take someone from the news to resolve an issue that could be resolved on its own if someone had a little common sense.  Bret Park called me insinsting he NEVER had a chin implant, yet Medical City Dallas continued to bill him for one.

Even the surgeon who performed two procedures on Bret after his throat cancer surgery agreed, He did not implant a chin in Bret.  So why do bill collectors continue to harass a man who has already been through enough?  Becasue no one will listen to Bret or his doctor.  They do listen to a newsman working on a story about the absurdity of the whole thing.

After one phone call to Medical City Dallas public relations office, the issue is now resolved.  That simple.  It only took a few hours for the Hospitol to realize it made a “billing mistake.”  Kudos to Medical City for fixing the situation, but shame on them for not listening to Bret in the first place.

If you have any wacky, hard to believe, customer service issues, email me at grant.stinchfield@nbc.com

You Have to be an Idiot!!!!

No offense, but taking out a 7 year car loan is a suckers move.  Somehow the banking industry is pushing it on people who can’t afford the car with a 5 year loan.  Instead they want cash strapped consumers to stretch the payments out even longer.  Sound familiar?  Did’nt something simialr happen that now caused a housing crisis?

Lets see, 7 years to pay off a car.  My guess is, by the 5th year, the day after the warranty runs out, that dream car will be your worst nightmare car.  Since the warranty has expired, everything that can break will!

If you decide to trade that vehicle in my guess is you will owe more then the car is worth.  That happened to me two years ago!  I had a 5 year note at no interest!  Three years into the loan, I needed a Hummer and found my Ford Explore had lost its value quicker then I could pay it off.

Even famed fashion designer Abi Ferrin (her fashion website here) had the same thing happen.  She was smart.  Instead of rolling the old payments into her new car, she paid her old car off.  I was not as disciplined!

But in no way would I ever take out a 7 year car loan!  Instead I lease my car.  That way I get a new one every three years!  Consumer advocates don’t recommend that either, but hey, I have an image to uphold!

Storm Brings Out Kindness, Most of the Time

The tiny West Texas Town of Breckenridge is bouncing back.  I am trully amazed how people handle themselves in the face of tragedy.

Jon Blackshear pulled his family out from underneath the debris you see above.  That pile of rubble was once his home.  His wife and two sons emerged with only scratches, bumps and bruises.  Now his community is coming to help him pick up the pieces, literally.

Dozens of volunteers showed up to help the families in need.  Clearly losing your home in an instant takes its toll financially and emotionally. 

J.C. Crawford managed to smile while just after we interviewed him in his living room with the son shining through his roof!  “I have friends,” he said.  To a tornado victim, a friend is a valuable asset.

We made friends too.  The Sheriffs Deputies gave my photographer and I each a sandwich.  The power was out in town and there was nothing open and nowhere to eat.  One store did have the lights on though, Allsups. 

The folks at Allsups, sadly, were not as friendly.  Covering the storms all day, I didn’t expect to be staying the night.  I can manage without somethings, but for a guy who wears contact lenses, contact lens solution is like water in a desert, a necessity.  Above are the two women who refused to open the door for me.  (I snapped this piscture through the locked glass door.) They only yelled, “the register is down!”  I pleaded my case, even offered $20 dollars for a bottle of contact lens solution, telling them they could keep the change.  The just shook their head no, then walked into the back room.

I must say I have been around the country covering all kinds of disasters.  From 9-11, to Katrina, to Wild Fires and yes, tornadoes in Texas.  This is the first time someone ever denied me help when I needed it.  Usually I am arguing with the small shop owner to take the money.  My Photographer asked the two women, “Don’t you have any compassion?”  They shook their head NO.

(A final note: My faith in mankind is renewed.  A woman outside Allsups heard my pleas.  She drove over and gave me a brand new bottle of contact lens solution!  It amazed me that someone at 11:00pm had a bottle to spare, it didn’t amaze me that she was willing to save a stranger.  Most people with compassion are willing to do just that.)

How I Plan on Playing Augusta National

As a six handicapper my dreams of makeing the PGA tour are slowly diminishing.  That means my chance of playing my way onto Augusta National, by making the Masters, is also slowly reaching zero.

Since reality has set in, I will have to find a new and creative way to get onto the greastest, most storied, golf course in America.  

My first thought was to just show up, slip the starter a 100 bucks and off I go.  But then I realized the members there actually blow thier noses with 100 dollar bills, so the starter may not be that impressed with my wrinkeled up Benjamin that I had been saving since my last trip to Winstar.

Sneaking onto the course is a possibility, but if I get caught the members probably take me to jail, not the Mens Grill Room. 

Befriending a member is out of the question.  They don’t talk to reporters!  And even though my Net worth qualifies me for a Costco Membership, it may not be up to thier standards.

I figured the only way I make it onto that heavinly track is to become a “Night Member.”  The initiation is free.  Of course there are some membership limitations.  Night Members can’t use the club house, and they can’t tee off on #1 or Finish on #18.  And all Night Members must tee off after dark.  Plus, Night Members don’t get any tickets to the Masters either.  Wearing all black while playing is optional, but highly reccomended.