Baseball kills

And apparently, so does softball. Two deaths a day apart. Sad and very unusual.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A 12-year-old softball player was knocked unconscious when a ball hit her in the head during practice, and she died a day later, police and family said.

Margaret Ruth "Maggie" Hilbrands was hit by a ground ball during a routine infield drill on Monday — a day after the death of a minor-league baseball coach who was struck by a line drive in Arkansas. The girl died Tuesday at DeVos Children's Hospital.

"She missed the ball. It appears it hit her in the wrong spot. She never regained consciousness," her mother, Jan Hilbrands, told The Grand Rapids Press.

Maggie stopped breathing but her heart was beating after the ball hit her, Lowell Police Chief Jim Valentine told The Associated Press. He said coaches and others at the scene tried to revive her before she was taken to a hospital.
...
On Sunday, Mike Coolbaugh, a 35-year-old coach for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, died after being struck by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game in Arkansas.

On Tuesday, Pulaski County (Ark.) Coroner Mark Malcolm told the Tulsa World that Coolbaugh died from a loss of blood to the brain after the foul ball hit him on the left side of his neck, rupturing an artery.

Coolbaugh was given CPR on the field, but Malcolm said there was nothing medical personnel could have done to save him.

Office Space humor from my wife

She sent me this email the other day. It was another reminder of how Office Space (funny, but not a movie I'd necessarily recommend) is way, way too true....

From: My wife
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 4:16 PM
To: Me
Subject: Why you should always remember to use this box...

"the only thing is you forgot the subject line" - Melissa

"there was something wrong with the weekly reports... oh I remember, there was no subject line on it" - Paul

"Hi - don't forget subject line (I know - details, details!)" - Cynthia

"Just a reminder for next time, you will want to put a subject on the email." - Stephanie


It reminded me of Office Space...[This is the scene where Peter is being interviewed by the consultants - the "Bobs" - who everyone says are going to simply downsize the company.]

Peter Gibbons: You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Slydell: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my @$$ off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime. So where's the motivation? And here's another thing, I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Porter: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.

One less tooth

I went under the knife on Wednesday and lost tooth # 18. I found out it was cracked back in December. I'd had major problems with infection and swelling in October and had taken antibiotics to get rid of the infection. I was getting married in February and wasn't exactly rolling in lots of money. (Not that I am now, but...well, I'm in a better position to afford it.)

I wasn't put under when I had my wisdom teeth pulled because they were pulled by a general dentist, not an oral surgeon. I made sure I didn't repeat that mistake! It was a much better experience. Normally, when it comes to teeth problems, I wind up with at least 3-4 shots per tooth as the dentist tries in vain to numb me. Yeah, not fun.

So, now I'm one less tooth and, within the next few months, I guess I'll be adding some titanium to my jaw. I can't wait!

But Yahoo! doesn't like Edwards

Can he look more happy-go-lucky? I think he's doing the hokey-pokey.

Fox News hates Hillary

Or at least someone at Fox News does.

I caught this last November and saved the screenshot of their homepage because I thought it was so funny and outrageously biased. I just found it while digging through some old photos.

Here's the shot of the webpage, followed by a closeup of the photo of Hillary.




Somehow I have a hard time believing this was the only picture this photographer had of Hillary eating breakfast in the firehouse.

American stupidity: the "income gap"

I just read a "new poll" that shows Americans' feelings on the income gap in America.

WASHINGTON - Income differences in the U.S. are too stark, and the government should provide jobs and training for those having a tough time, according to majorities in a national poll released Thursday.

Yes, because the government can magically come up with the money to provide jobs that don't previously exist. (Actually, they really do a pretty good job of that as it is.)

About seven in 10 said discrepancies between income levels are too large, a sentiment voiced by nearly two-thirds of those from households earning at least $80,000 a year, the survey said.

These are the same people who accepted the raises that brought them into $80,000+ territory. I also wonder why these wealthy individuals can't just scrape off some of their income and donate it? Why does the government have to do that for them?

Further proving America's schizophrenia:

In the survey, 58 percent said large pay differences help get people to work harder. Yet 61 percent said such discrepancies are not needed for the country to prosper.

And again:

Two-thirds said the government should make sure there is a job for everyone who wants one. ... Even so, nearly two-thirds said it is not the government's responsibility to ease income differences.

I don't even know what to say to those results. I think if I were running the poll, I'd conclude one of two things: my audience was really screwed up or I've got some staff that need to be fired.