SWCAMBORNE

“When you don’t understand, think. If you still don’t understand, ask.”

Unknown

1972 was the last time that an anti-war candidate for President met a less anti-war candidate for President. And Richard Nixon beat George McGovern in a rout.

Gottlieb lost in 1971

Popular sentiment during that summer seemed to be against the Vietnam War and polls showed that McGovern would win, but when people went into the voting booth they were more likely to choose the guy with the “secret plan to win” than the one who said we had already lost. The lesson to be learned is that people are more patriotic in the voting booth than they are in public opinion polls.

Baseball players spit. It is part of the ritual. They all used to chew tobacco so spitting was a requirement. Now it is part of the tradition and if it doesn’t change it will kill the game. Spitting when you are 50 or so feet away from someone at a game is not to gross. A player spitting during a radio broadcast of a game is hardly noted.

Spitting on TV is disgusting but not horrible. But spitting in a close up on HDTV is beyond disgusting and enters the realm of “please don’t make me watch.” The pictures are so vivid you can see the color of the spit. We don’t want to see this and people will tune out to avoid seeing it. By the way public spitting is against the law.

Can baseball save itself? Can players change a deep seated behavior? Think about this: basketball players in a much more strenuous sport don’t spit. It is time to stop spitting and save baseball.

Here is a prediction:

The lead paint in toys recalls will turn into concern about all older toys. Many parents and grandparents will discard all old the the old toys that they have. As a result there will be higher than usual purchases of new toys this years. But because of increased inspections for flaws the supply chain will be less full than usual. As a result prices will stay firm and toy manufacturers and and retailers will make more money than expected.

This prediction will be testable in January 2008

Nurit and I had dinner with Cindy and Harvey Richmond on Sunday night. Cindy was a college friend of mine and we reconnected in April of this year. Harvey and I were in the same fraternity and competed to see who was the poorest member.  I promised in my blog posting in April that I would buy some of her art. She, Cindy Packard Richmond is a very talented artist and on this trip we were able to buy two of her paintings.

An oil of some garlic that I loved

And a pastel of a marsh that Nurit loved

We went to their beautiful suburban Washington DC house

and chose two painting we liked right off their walls. It felt like a very in-crowd thing and perhaps a bit illicit.

We then went to a very nice restaurant, name to follow when I remember it, nearby and Cindy bought dinner. The food was excellent and the company was even better.

Life is good.