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I came across this article today.

Here’s the take-away quote:

“A-Rod opted out of his record $252 million, 10-year contract with the New York Yankees and figures to set another high—Boras told the Yankees they would have to put a $350 million offer on the table just to get a meeting with Rodriguez.”

Just take a second and re-read that. Opting out of a $252 million deal and wants $350 million. What? Are you kidding? When was the last time you went to the World Series, A-Rod? Yes, I know you hold lots of records for home runs, including being the AL MVP, but you gotta produce real results before you can demand a $350 million contract.

The owners need to put a stop to this. Decide nobody’s going to touch him. Offer him league minimum until he produces. Sure he’s got potential, but you don’t get paid for potential. You get paid for results.

You know, professional sports is not the only place I see this. Take a look at some information on CEO Compensation. It’s funny, because many corporations are going to a variable-pay/pay-for-performance model for employees. Of course the pay-to-performance ratio at the lower levels is still nowhere near the ratio at the upper levels. Go figure.

Okay, I’ll keep this one short. I went to the grocery store the other night to (obviously) buy some groceries. As I pull into my parking spot, I notice there’s a shopping cart propped off to the side up in the median/planter in front of me. A quick glance to my right reveals a shopping cart corral right next to me . Are you kidding me? This person couldn’t walk the extra twelve feet to put the shopping cart in the corral, yet had the energy to push it to the median, between cars, and prop it up on to the curb? This boggles my mind. Did you not see the cart corral one parking space over?
What’s amazing is that this is not the only time or place I have seen this. Go to almost any parking lot and you will find shopping carts strewn about like empty beer cans in a frat house. That is, of course, assuming the shopping cart retriever and his trusty cart-pushing robot haven’t come by to pick them up.

Is it really that difficult and out of your way to put something back once you’re done using it? Wasn’t that something your mother thought you when you were a kid? It’s not like there’s only one cart corral in the entire lot, is there? They’re scattered liberally throughout the parking lot.

It’s funny, and at the same time frustrating, coming across stories in the news about people suing because McDonalds made them fat or they hurt themselves when they tried some stunt they saw on TV. Really? You didn’t know eating greasy foods at every meal and not exercising would make you fat? Or sticking a firecracker in your ass and lighting it could maim you? Really? Are you really that dumb? Seriously.

Since when is it my responsibility to make sure you don’t hurt yourself or that when you do, to see to your recovery? Don’t you think you can admit when you’ve done something stupid, and now you have to live with the consequences? Take a little responsibility for your own life and your decisions, please.

This is indicitive of a larger problem. It seems like people want to solve problems by treating the symptom rather than the actual problem. Is it really McDonald’s fault that you’re fat? Is it McDonald’s fault that you don’t know that eating 1,000-calorie meals without exercising is bad for you? Is it a television show’s responsibility to tell you not to jump off your roof on a bicycle? Should we punish McDonald’s or the TV show’s producers because you lack the common sense to know better? Oh, but what about the children? Can we expect them to know better? Maybe not. But those children should have parents or other adults responsible for showing them what is right and wrong. A parent or guardian should be watching what the child eats and seeing to it that the kid gets his fat ass off the couch to get a little exercise. Further, this guardian needs to tell the kid that those stunts on TV are dangerous and not to be attempted by anyone but those idiots on TV. And maybe that is the problem we need to solve. Don’t make it somebody else’s job to look out for you or your child. The responsibility to take care of yourself and the children you raise, and to teach them to be responsible for themselves, lies squarely on your shoulders.

What is everyone’s obsession with cell phones? Everywhere I look, I see someone yapping away on their cell phone. In the car, sitting in a restaurant, at a party, a bar, or the park. What’s so important that you must talk to someone right now? Yes, I like to keep in touch with friends and family. Yes, it feels good to receive a phone call. But no, I do not need to answer the phone every time someone calls!

I do not find it necessary to talk on the phone while I am driving. It is hard enough to keep an eye on all the other cell phone and bad drivers on the road that I do not need yet another distraction. I lost count how many times I’ve seen someone do something stupid on the road, only to pass them and see that they’re talking on their cell phone. Seriously, people. Quit yapping and pay attention to the road! Sure, I’ve held phone conversations while driving, and luckily I didn’t do anything stupid. Most of the time it’s to check in, tell someone I’m on my way, or to get or give directions.

At the restaurant, carrying on a cell phone conversation is just plain rude, especially when you are sitting at the table. Is it absolutely necessary to answer your phone when someone calls? Is it that much more important to answer your phone than to continue your conversation with your dining partner(s)? Heaven forbid you don’t talk to that person right now, but have to call them back an hour or two from now. Or gasp they could leave you a voice mail. Of course, there is the occasional time when you’re waiting for someone and they’re calling to get directions or tell you they’re running late. Even then, get it over with quickly.

Sure, it’s great to stay in touch. Cell phones are a great way to keep in touch, no matter where you are. But that doesn’t mean we have to be in touch with each other all the time. If we’re always talking with each other, when will we have time to do something worth talking about?