Saturday, December 16, 2006
Something strange is going on with Blogger. I know, I know – when ISN'T something strange going on with Blogger? But this involves more and more blogs from which I seem to be blocked from commenting. And I'm not the only one. In several blogs from which I have been blocked, there are others who can't comment except by going on as "anonymous" and giving their identities in the comment. I just got through to Cooper's Corridor that way and I guess I'll have to do that more and more. [P.S. since I wrote this I've been told that "new" blogger, the beta version, will not accept comments from people who have "old" blogger. But I hear bad things about Beta Blogger and wonder if I should switch or not.]Thursday at about 11:45 I was on my way up to MIT and remembered that I'd finished all my cough suppressant. I took a quick detour to a Rite-Aid on Boylston Street near the Back Bay Fens, got a bottle and took the short cut back to my bank that goes right by Fenway Park. Suddenly I was in the midst of a huge crowd, TV and press everywhere, hundreds and hundreds of Japanese on all sides, and a helicopter overhead.
I had strayed unknowingly into Boston's huge new sports story, the triumphal entry of pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka into Fenway Park to be introduced to the public.Truth to tell, I got myself out of there as quickly as possible before the streets could get closed off or become completely blocked with people. He's already hugely popular in Boston without ever having thrown a pitch, something that was corrected on the mound at Fenway later in the afternoon when he threw a pitch to the Red Sox owner and nearly beaned him. Matsuzaka has a cute, infectious smile and an outgoing personality. He charmed everyone at Boston Garden for Thursday night's Bruins game when he did the ritual puck drop to start things off. He then sat through much of the game, not in press or celebrity boxes but among regular Burins fans, albeit ones with enough money to get seats down front. This man may not speak much English but he's a natural communicator who knows how to reach out and make connections
Boston, in return, has gone bonkers over him. Bars are now selling several grades of sake, and the food joints around Fenway were selling franks streamed in sake accompanied by wasabi mustard. Sports reporters and news anchors are learning fast to pronounce his name -- DICE-kay is the universally adopted pronunciation. Through it all, he just stands there looking adorable as he's showered with team jerseys, attention and money. Lots and lots and lots of money. So much money that nobody's sure exactly how much it really is.The Red Sox are reputedly offering him something like $60 million, but maybe more, in a package that includes salary and a whole slew of bonuses for everything from signing his name to promising not to fart on camera, for all I know. On top of that, there’s the $51 million the Sox paid Matsuzaka’s home team back in Japan just for the rights to talk to him. OK, I know it’s a dreadful cliché, but In a world so crushed by poverty and misery, isn’t there something better that could be done with close to $115 million dollars than to buy a baseball player, no matter how good, for a period of five years? Somehow along the way, we seem in this country to have slid into an obscene lack of perspective and values.
The vest pocket park next to our building has almost been finished. Last weekend Fritz and I walked by to see four roughly 14’ high dogwood trees had been planted at each of the corners and that the flagstone walk and seating area had been almost finished. The dogwoods are mature trees with huge soil balls that we learned had been rescued from the excavation for new Sloan School of Management buildings. The wildly successful Sloan is another manifestation of the Institute's continuing move more and more into "civilian" science and research. We were told that in a week—meaning today—the final two trees, thirty foot tall oaks, would be dug up with enormous soil balls weighting 20 tons each and dropped into huge holes waiting to receive them.
I saw them today and they look splendid. The crew was just cleaning up after the flatbed that delivered them had gone. It was quite a feat of engineering -- the trees had to be transported upright and the route getting them to the park was tortured due to the fact that trucks aren't allowed on the major road in the area (Memorial Drive) and that Sloan is connected to other buildings by bridges that won't allow thirty vertical feet on a flatbed truck to pass under. But they managed it and now there are just the finishing details left.The Endless Autumn continues. Temperatures in the Northeast are in the mid to upper 50s by day and mid to low 40s at night. It's strange and a little unsettling. My heating bill is going to be something to treasure, but the long-term implications are more than a little unsettling.
Thanks for the nice notes and comments on the passing of Hans in Vienna. There are tributes on some other blogs that make it more and more apparent what a generous and caring man he was.
Comments:
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I switched to Beta Blogger a while back and other than a lost 'draft', I've had no problems. Commenting on other blogs is sometimes a pain, though. The trees are beautiful, and you won't hear me complaining about our New England weather... yet. Hope you guys are having a great weekend.
# posted by 
: 8:05 AM
: 8:05 AM
My blog is in Beta....I have had to create another account in the old original blogger to make comments with. Took me a few trials and errors because the parameters and a few things different...but it's working for me now. Email me and I can help. And I'm all about dogwood trees...one of my favorites. Have on in my back yard, pink, and I love it!
Yeah, it's the new Blogger thing. It's much more customizable and simpler to set up new looks, etc. I'd originally set up mine in the new blogger, but the comment thing made it unacceptable. Once, they fix it so that EVERYone can comment on a new blogger blog, it should... should... be ok.
Man, I am so out of the loop with baseball. Sad really, but it's always been something I check in on every few months or so, if that. Heh, though, Sake in the pubs?!? I love it!
Feel better.
Man, I am so out of the loop with baseball. Sad really, but it's always been something I check in on every few months or so, if that. Heh, though, Sake in the pubs?!? I love it!
Feel better.
Last week I could not comment on any beta blog; tonight I seem to be getting through
Never a dull moment in blog-land!
Never a dull moment in blog-land!
I'm glad my blog isn't on blogger - though it has made it a bitch to comment on other blogs lately.
As for Daisuke....it seems that I brought Japan home with me since this all seems to have begun right when I returned.
As for Daisuke....it seems that I brought Japan home with me since this all seems to have begun right when I returned.
I've had some problems commenting also on yours last week and my own this week. I switched to the blogger beta a few weeks ago, there is a few more options but I have to sign in twice now. ARGH!
Discovered if I post comment a second time it usually goes through.
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Discovered if I post comment a second time it usually goes through.
# posted by : 6:50 PM
: 6:50 PM << Home
