APRIL 24 2008 UPDATE
MARGO JONKER STADIUM
SPY published a story, datelined Saturday, that Central Michigan had renamed its softball stadium to honor their long-time coach. The story only appeared yesterday, thanks to our publishing problems. Today SPY received the official release and photo.
President Michael Rao, Senior Associate Athletics Director Marcy Weston, Coach Margo Jonker and Athletics Director Dave Heeke.
COMMITMENTS
Kelly Nolan - Catcher - 2009 - Explosion Gold/Glendora High School - verballed to Ole Miss
Jasmine Horrell 09 Pitcher has verbally committed to Virginia Tech University.
Shelby Simmons 2009-SS-Texas Glory Gold (Bell) -verbal to East Central University -Ada, OK
Dallas Escobedo '10 P/1B - Arizona Hotshots Gold - Gatti verbal to Arizona State University
Evan Sallis, SS, Muskogee OK signed NLI to attend University of Oklahoma
TALLAHASSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Brooke Borecky '08-UT- Florida Seminole Gold
Becca Mills '08 -Pitcher- Richmond (Va) Diamonds
Lindsay Taylor '08- IN- Lightspeed (Fl) Gold
Lady Sharks Gold – Piper
Michelle
Pitts --- Chapman University
CC Daly --- Chapman University
Ari Welch --- San Francisco State
Amanda Banducci ---- Claremont McKenna
Kelly Kiefer --- Oregon Tech
Kendra Vanek ---- Willamette University
Jessica Belluomini ---- Sonoma State
Stephanie Lacek --- Sonoma State
Arianna Roach ---- Pitzer College
Regina Sena ---- Centre College
AZ HOTHOTS GOLD ROUND ROBIN
The Arizona Hotshots Gold - Gatti will be hosting its annual Round Robin tournament on May 17th & 18th in Phoenix at Rose Mofford Sports Complex. This tournament will be for 14U,16U, 18U and 18 Gold. The 18U &Gold will be held at Rose Mofford, and the 14U & 16U at Tempe Sports Park and Kiwanis Park.
This tournament will benefit " Breast Cancer Awareness".
If you are interested in playing, please use this entry form or go to our website and download a copy. www.azhotshotsgold.com Thanks Blaize GattI Arizona Hotshots Gold
DANICA
Who cares that it took 50 races. Danica won an Indy car race. Hard to believe she’s only 5 feet tall, weighs about 100 pounds. Congratulations, girl. You worked hard for it.
A GOOD READ
Speaking of working hard, there is an excellent story in this week’s Sports Illustrated, not just retelling how the Colts won the 1958 championship behind Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry, but, how hard Berry worked to hone his skills as a wide receiver – and particularly not just his physical workouts but his mental homework, studying all the cornerbacks, linebackers, safeties which he would have to beat. I know the workouts which Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott pursue to stay in top form. But, for absolute dedication to perfection, my nod still goes to Lisa Fernandez. Two weeks before the 1996 Olympics, I hosted a clinic featuring Lisa and Dot Richardson. After a long day, Lisa was practically asleep at the dinner table. Suddenly, she popped up and informed all of us she was not happy with her drop curve, as she had demonstrated it to a packed gym. She asked me to find two or three college catchers, then we all went to the Shamrock warehouse where Lisa threw nothing but drop curves for two hours. Meanwhile, Dot wanted to practice throwing from the shortstop position to a net at 1st base with a cutout; I hit fungoes to her for the same two hours. And that, boys and girls, is why they were great Olympians.
HOW SPY GOT PUBLISHED
Friday night and every night since, articles were written for SPY – all of which were finally published yesterday. Every day, SPY received emails informing that the problem in publishing had been resolved. Yet, every night, staying up until 1 and 2 am to monitor college scores, Front Page was uploaded – and I would click on the “publish” button. But, nothing appeared on the Web site.
The problem began with a new computer using Vista Business; Microsoft assured me Front Page 2003 was compatible with Vista. As soon as I hit the “publish” button, the whole web site collapsed. Called Tech Support, and learned that my long-time ISP, Interland, had been sold to Web.Inc, which had grown not through proven performance but by taking advantage of the loose credit market to buy out competitors. Improved service was not a goal. Web immediately contracted with a Colombian company with offices in Bogota and Barranquilla to handle all former Interland accounts, including the vital technical support for which Interland was known.
After several calls Friday night, a Colombian advised that they would do nothing until I paid a fee through Web.Inc, which would not be open until Saturday. The $149 was paid at 930am Saturday, and Web in Atlanta sent an email to Bogota advising them to begin restoring SPY’s files. For three days, SPY received emails saying the files had been restored – but nothing appeared on the Internet. On Monday, Web advised that the files had been permanently destroyed by me. Nonsense; part of the contract with Interland required Interland to keep a backup of all material posted on SPY. I finally raised enough hell with the Colombians that a supervisor in Atlanta got onto the problem and said the files did in fact exist in an Interland account – and on Tuesday, the files appeared on the web site – but only through April 16. None of the material which I prepared over the weekend and through Monday night had surfaced.
On Tuesday night, my patience was exhausted. I talked to a woman in Barranquilla who admitted she knew nothing about Windows XP, which I had been posting on all weekend, and nothing about Front Page. Then, I received yet another email from Web informing me that the site was operational and, if I did not know how to operate Front Page, I should talk to Microsoft. This, after 10 years of publishing SPY virtually every day using Front Page on their system. I sent back an email which would take paint off a battleship.
On Wednesday, I hired Geeks-in-your-home and that afternoon a Somali arrived who assured me he was a master at Front Page. He performed diagnostics on all three SPY computers and said the problem was in Atlanta and Bogota. He then danced the same Spanish fandango that I had been experiencing since Friday, and talked by cell phone for almost two hours to the people in Bogota, taking them step by step through the process they used which allegedly restored the SPY web site.
Then, we learned that (1) the inexperienced Colombians had inserted Microsoft extenders for Front Page 2000, not Front Page 2003 (when Microsoft made major changes) into my system and (2) had changed the remote file address which I had used for 10 years. Guided by the Geek, the Colombians and Atlanta began reloading the system and late Wednesday, SPY was published using the same formats used for 10 years.
Meanwhile, the Geek installed a different protocol for publishing Front Page on a computer with Vista Business – and it worked.
But, why should any customer have to hire an outside expert to tell a presumably American company that it had a problem with its server, a problem wholly traceable to the fact that Web had outsourced to a Colombian company which had insufficient expertise in Microsoft software – and inadequate command of the English language.
So, for $500 in fees, I got my web site back. I am looking for a new ISP, and have so informed Web. Inc’s customer service people (in unmistakable language after they called to congratulate themselves on having solved my problem). I also learned that Vista Business belongs on the same scrap heap as the Army’s new virtual battlefield system which, at a cost of $2.5 billion, does not work. Microsoft won’t admit the problems with Business Vista but service companies like Geek have been told a new format is coming.
I greatly appreciated all the emails and phone calls, most worried about my health as well as about SPY. A number of emails expressed similar frustration at trying to acquire service by telephone – when the service has been outsourced to India, elsewhere in South Asia, and Latin America. We are Americans; that is not a plea from the conservative right; it is a plea by people who have every right to be understood in their own language.
The frustration of the American public may be a joke to Leno, Letterman, even that idiot Jimmy Kimmel, but it’s not funny to those who need service. I saw a grown man cry at a US Airways counter because he could not make the man in India understand him, nor could he understand the Indian. I am still waiting for one of the presidential candidates to address this problem in a meaningful way. Well, I wouldn’t vote for one of them anyhow; I know too much about what really happened during those eight years.
WRONG EMAIL
ADDRESS
A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong E-mail address:
A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a
particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they
spent their honeymoon 20 years before.
Because of their hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their
travel schedules, so the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on
Friday, and his wife was flying down the following day.
The husband checked into the hotel, and unlike years ago, there was a
computer in his room, and he decided to send an email to his wife.
However, he accidentally left out one letter in her E-mail address, and
without noticing his error, sent the email to the wrong address.
Meanwhile ... Somewhere in Houston ... A widow had just returned home from
her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory after
suffering a heart attack. The widow decided to check her E-mail, expecting
messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she
screamed and then fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his
mother on the floor, and then glanced up and saw the computer screen which
read:
To: My Loving Wife
Date: Friday, October 13, 2005
Subject: I have arrived!
Dearest Love:
I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now, and
you are allowed to send E-mail to your loved ones.
I have just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been
prepared for your arrival tomorrow, and look forward to seeing you then.
Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
PS: It sure is freakin' hot down here!
THE HAIRCUT
From a reader
One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut
he asked about his bill and the barber replies, 'I cannot accept money
from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was
pleased and left the shop. When the barber goes to open his shop the
next morning there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for
him at his door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay
his bill, the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you.
I'm doing community service this week.' The cop is happy and leaves the
shop. The next morning when the barber goes to open up there is a
'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Later that day, a college professor comes in for a haircut, and
when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, 'I cannot
accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The
professor is very happy and leaves the shop.. The next morning when the
barber opens his shop, there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen different
books, such as 'How to Improve Your Business' and 'Becoming More
Successful.
Then, a Congressman comes in for a haircut, and when he goes to
pay his bill the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you.
I'm doing community service this week.' The Congressman is very happy
and leaves the shop. The next morning when the barber goes to open up,
there are a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.
And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference
between the citizens of our country and the members of our Congress.
end