SB Nation User Blog: kev

Amazing Race Season 14 Episode 8

kev — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:46:10 -0000

Jbox asked me to post the recap for this episode, I think because he was too busy with some ladies of the night (which he gave up for lent). He didn't miss much this episode, because in my opinion it was the same old crap. Team Midget Stuntmen broke the rules again and Team Sistas are so dysfunctional.

This one starts out by the teams leaving Phucket and headed to Bangkok Thailand. It must have been nice to take a 1 hour flight instead of taking 15+ hours to get anywhere, but it sucked for the first teams that had to spend the night in the airport to catch a 7am flight. After arriving they all took taxis to the first road block, and that's when hot red head cheerleader's anger came out again. I was curious why Luke and Margie didn't wait up for Cara and Jaime, unless Deaf Kid already got some and it wasn't that great. The roadblock was one of the easiest ones to date with the propeller, but it shows had bad Asian Lawyer Victor is at putting things together. Things quickly got complicated after some teams decided to grab their gear and head by boat to the next clue, while others left their stuff waiting at the dock or in the cabs. For some strange reason ugly sister Kisha decided to leave her shoes and their passports at the dock thinking they would come back to get them. Of course the midget brothers disagreed on whether to take their stuff or not and it cost them in the end. At the detour teams had to decide whether to ride in karaoke cabs or fit dentures in some old folks' mouths. Both of these ended up being really disturbing to watch. All of the teams but one decided to go with the karaoke taxis but had to ride with Thai party chicks that were seemed to be trannies. Luke and Margie chose the dentures, and Deaf Kid just kept moaning the entire time. I couldn't tell if he was moaning because he was frustrated or because he was so disgusted. Margie was methodical about the whole thing and completed it in no time to get them to the pit stop first. Team NFL Cheerleaders were second to the pit stop, and then Team Asian Lawyers third.

Team Sistas technically got to the pit stop third, but Phil broke the bad news that they had left their passports behind at the dock and could not be checked in until they got them. I kept thinking that they're screwed since last season the stupid college frat dudes left their shoes at a previous detour and couldn't retrieve them at the end of the pit stop. So they had to take a cab back to the dock, grab their backpacks, shoes and passports and get back in time. Meanwhile, Team Midget Stuntmen argued what seemed like hours trying to decide whether to go back to get their backpacks or complete the detour first. They opted to take a cab back to the docks, and had to drop a ton of money doing so. They finally met up with their first taxi and had that guy take them back to the city for the detour. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough money and Mark offered a flashlight and something else (I think a HJ) to pay for the cab. They did the karaoke and Michael loved the trannies and probably had no clue they were dudes. When they took the last taxi to get to the pit stop, they were short on cash and Mark paid with his watch. They made it to the pit stop before the sisters made it back. Then Phil dropped a huge bomb on them reminding them that they had illegally paid for taxis with items other then cash, and incurred two 2-hour penalties... four hours in total they had to wait. Stupid midgets. Finally Kisha and Jen showed up to finish fourth and had a tender moment when they cried about how stupid they are for not taking two minutes to grab their crap. Phil waited a good ten minutes and then finally decided to check in the midgets. Good news for them is that it was a non-elimination race. Bad news is that not only do they have a speed bump in the next leg, but they also have to wait out the remainder of their penalty (~3 hours) in the beginning of the next leg. Too bad they didn't know that in advance, because they could have asked Phil to wait out the delay before checking-in.

In a preview for next week's episode, Jen and Luke get into a scuffle twice and someone gets called a bitch. I can't wait.

A-Rod is of sound mind

kev — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:50:07 -0000

I'm rarely inspired to post a story unless something exceptional occurs that lights a fire in me. On my way home this weekend from a company sales meeting I heard the news about A-Rod's then alleged steroid use and almost lost my lunch on the dash. Let me explain. For those that have never attended a large corporate meeting, they usually book a "motivational" speaker with the intention to inspire the troops to aspire to go above and beyond for that fiscal year. Out of respect for the person that spoke I don't want to provide his name or website. However, I will say that he may very well be out of a job thanks to A-Rod.

Our special guest started out by saying that he's a life coach for some of the greatest athletes in the world, and has studied the psyche of these athletes and their ability to achieve amazing things. I always go into these presentations with an open mind and try to dial down the cynicism in order to appease management. However, I couldn't believe my ears when this speaker bragged about the fact that he's a life coach for A-Rod. Apparently, he talks to him daily, and has done so since he started out in MLB. I couldn't help but think that if I was a life coach for a guy of A-Rod's caliber that I would keep that to myself. Especially, when my client is not that well respected by his colleagues, fans, and family. I leaned over to my co-worker and whispered "next thing we know he's going to say he's Barry Bonds' life coach." Dude lost it, and we just checked out for about two hours straight.

Open Thread: 8/17, Padres vs Phillies

kev — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:32:42 -0000

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday dear Dex.

Happy birthday to you.

My gift to Dex is posting this open thread two innings too late. Go Pads.

Frequent Friar Rewards Scam

kev — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:55:48 -0000

I'm sure all of you read the opening day post by jbox, and his take on the demise of the old Compadres Club and launch of the Frequent Friar Rewards Club.

Just prior to posting that story, jbox and I met for lunch at DZ Akins (a fine jewish deli with the best chopped liver on rye and matzo ball soup). After he told me the story of how his old Compadres card of 10+ years was worthless, and how the Padres tried to sign him up for their new rewards club for $10, I just about spit up my brisket and pickle all over Ted Leitner's likeness.

Is it just me, or is this new program insulting on so many levels? After carefully reading through the new program rules, I quickly realized that the Padres have eliminated an excellent socialist-esque program for one that promotes a capitalist system of rewarding the fans that spend the most money on tickets with the Padres, and not necessarily those that attend the most games... there is a difference in these two demographics, so let's explore that idea. Considering the general economic sentiment in this country is growing more negative, you would think that a multi-million dollar organization would be sensitive to the fact that the "average fan" is stretching their dollar even further to enjoy a baseball game.

It is good news for all fans and the best part is that each program is tailored to its specific audience, said Overton (Padres Executive Vice President for Business Operations).

Season Ticket Holders are the lifeblood of the Padres and we’re rewarding them for their investment. Similarly, the Frequent Friar Rewards Club rewards Friar Faithful for their ticket purchases.

I understand why the Padres would value season ticket holders above the rest, and offering them a free exclusive Compadres Program for those that commit their money in advance. What I don't understand is why you would not offer a similar free program for those that purchase single-game seats. I get the rationale for differentiating the spending levels of fans, but I don't get why we must eliminate a program that recognized the attendance frequency of fans.

Under the new Frequent Friar Rewards Club, I could attend a single game this season and spend $250 to sit behind home plate in order to receive an award to watch batting practice on the field. But, in order for jbox to get the same reward, he would need to attend ~25 games if he typically spends $10/ticket. You're probably thinking that both kev and jbox spend $250 in tickets, so the reward is equal. What this program doesn't take into account is the other part of one's spending habits while in attendance (i.e. food, drinks, souvenirs, programs, etc). Maybe someone can confirm this for us at GLB, but it seems that one of the main goals of this new program is to tap into the spending habits of their fans. If this is true, and they want to truly reward the amount us fans spend at a game, then why not expand the program to include everything we purchase while in attendance and not just the tickets? And what about fans that attend because they were given free tickets from a friend or company? Are they not considered to be Friar Faithful just because they didn't pay for their tickets?

The other part of this program that is disappointing is that the points are only cumulative over a season, and do not carry over from year to year. In other words, to all of you Compadre members of 10+ years ( we mean you, jbox)... sorry. The entire program reminds me so much of frequent flyer programs. Except that most frequent flyer programs are free to join and are based on how frequently you fly and not how much money you spend. There is a difference there, and not necessarily a direct correlation. In other words, the Frequent Friar Rewards Club is a scam. Unless I'm missing something, this program places less value on frequency, and has everything to do with incentivizing fans to spend more per ticket.

I certainly don't claim to be an expert on the subject of customer loyalty programs and which criteria are most important. There are tons of marketing reports out there on this very topic. I'm also guessing it's a complex process for a business to leverage the buying power of all their customers through incentive-based rewards without discriminating certain groups of customers. To me, the idea of loyalty is not only an economic connection, but an emotional connection with a business or product.

The Padres organization really missed the mark on the launch of the Frequent Friar Rewards Club. Not only is their timing bad, but the program itself is flawed. They have devalued and insulted the fans, and I intend to respond accordingly by letting every Padres employee that I meet aware of my extreme discontent. I have requested an emergency meeting for the GLB Board of Directors to address this issue, and we will inform this community of our decision to take the appropriate actions.

Open Thread: 9/25, Padres vs. Giants

kev — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:20:25 -0000

Let's see if my one open thread for the year makes a difference in this playoff race.

Go Padres? Experience It?

Open Thread: 9/25, Padres vs. Giants

kev — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:19:49 -0000

Let's see if my one open thread for the year makes a difference in this playoff race.

Go Padres? Experience It?

Wild Card Tiebreaker Playoff Coin Toss

kev — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:27:12 -0000

With all this optimistic and pessimistic banter floating around GLB today, I thought I'd post some realistic info on the wild card situation.

If the Pads tie for the wild card with the Phillies or Rockies, the coin toss earlier this month says the following one-game playoffs would take place...

Phillies at Padres or Padres at Rockies

Just as a reminder, the Padres lost 3 of 4 vs the Phillies in SD, and the Padres lost 5 of 9 vs the Rockies in CO.

If it's a three-way tie between the Pads, Phillies, and Rockies, or possibly a four-way tie with the Mets in there, it's way too complicated for this blog.

Anyway you look at it, we're screwed.

Nevin Roid Rage, Again

kev — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:25:12 -0000

I know we're all sick of talking about Phil Nevin, and hearing him co-host shows on XX sports radio in San Diego. I've got a couple of stories that will definitely reinforce the idea that Nevin is a lot like contracting herpes... it will never go away no matter what you do and will flare up on you when you least expect it.

On the Saturday before the Padres game vs Atlanta on ESPN, XX sports radio (Darren Smith, Randy Jones & Phil Nevin) had Peter Gammons on the show. Nevin asked Gammons about the Padres taking a risk by bringing on Milton Bradley, and how it might affect the team's chemistry. It was an interesting discussion with Gammons, and he had nothing but the nicest things to say about Bradley (I stand corrected on my previous perception of MB). He said despite his past blow-ups, Bradley's misunderstood, and he was the most compassionate player while Gammons was recovering from his life-threatening brain aneurysm by always writing him to see how he was doing. Then Gammons went on to say, "besides, you don't want your team to be vanilla and without drama, right Phil?" Nevin laughed it off, but I enjoyed hearing Gammons imply that Phil's a prick.

I just heard the other day that Nevin's anger management took a turn for the worse at a Poway National Little League (PNLL) 9-10 year-olds All-star game.

My Local News:

PNLL assistant coach and former San Diego Padre Phil Nevin was ejected from the game in the first inning for arguing with the home-plate umpire.

I heard that someone called into XX sports radio claiming that Nevin was dropping tons of F-bombs to the ump at the top of his voice in front of these kids and their families. This guy is a class act.

Editor's Note: Due to the response of some readers, we apologize for the picture we previously posted. However, we should all be ashamed of an individual that uses profanity to the worst degree in front of children. This is allegedly what Mr. Nevin did, and for that, we say "Shame on you Phil."

Why Does Boston Hate Us So Much?

kev — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:59:26 -0000

I woke up this morning and I'm relieved to say that the incessant ringing of "Let's go RedSox!" is finally gone.

As Jbox mentioned, I was at the game yesterday with my Dad, and we were fortunate enough to sit in front of a die hard RedSox fan who flew in that morning to see the game. I kid you not, after the first pitch of the game the guy yells "Let's go RedSox" and my Dad turns and says "Oh no way! We're not doing that all day!" Dude says "Oh yes we are!" Turns out he was an okay guy, really knowledgeable on baseball, and not too obnoxious. But I digress.

Yesterday was brutal on so many levels. Our ace got rocked, our hitting was inconsistent as usual, and the Padres' 10th man was no where to be seen or heard. Seriously, WTF?! Going in to the bottom of the 9th as the RedSox took the field, RS Nation completely owned Petco. It was ridiculous. It started bringing back memories of the Chargers loss to the Pats earlier this year.

There was some consolation in all of this. We gave it to Big Papi good, and not the other way around. In the series, he was 1 for 11, 1 hit, 1 RBI, and 5 SOs. I was unimpressed with Ortiz, and most of Boston's team offensively. They managed to take the series on our home turf, and owned Petco Park and SD for a weekend. I'm just glad they're taking their sun-burned arses home to Boston.

Tony Gwynn on Tony Gwynn's statue

kev — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:50:17 -0000

As many of you know, the legitimacy of this blog is growing daily in the eyes of the sports community. Little did we know how much influence we could have on the Padres' front office. Dex and jbox had this grand idea for a tribute to Tony Gwynn in the form of a statue. Well, eight statues to be exact.

It turns out, the Padres have agreed to meet us half way (actually 1/8 of the way). They are going to unveil a statue of Mr. Padre himself on July 21st at PETCO Park as Dex mentioned in his parlay last week.

I managed to catch T Gwynn on XX this morning, and when asked what he thought of the concept for the statue, he laughed. He said it looks real good, and he's very happy with it.

I know we're all wondering what year of his career they chose to represent in the statue. My guess is it will be T Gwynn slapping a shot in the 5.5 hole in his early years.