I Was Stupid

What's in a name? Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco and now Alex Rodriguez. All of these names have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Names that took a life-time to build now tarnished by scandal. Names that were once larger than life, reduced to finger pointing, excuse making and embarrassment.

By now you've probably heard that reports came out over the weekend that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Today, Alex Rodriguez spoke with Peter Gammons and admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-2003 while playing with the Texas Rangers.

Alex Rodriguez, a three-time MVP, will now have to deal with the backlash of public opinion. In New York City they are calling him A-Roid. It won't be pretty. Kudos to Alex, if even under duress, for coming clean. Perhaps Alex will be an example that others will soon follow.

And now the debate rages on regarding the Baseball Hall of Fame and if these player from the steroid era should and will be considered. Commentators and analysts are already calling the Baseball Hall of Fame hypocritical for keeping Mark McGwire out. The argument goes that you should only measure what goes on between the lines.

But the critics overlook one important piece of information. The Hall of Fame ballot says "a player's record of achievement, contribution to the team, the game, their character, longevity and sportsmanship should be considered."

You see, the Hall of Fame is "old school." They think that sportsmanship, character and teamship count. And they weigh these "intangibles" as heavily as achievement. What a novel idea!

What's in a name? Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

A good name is to be desired and esteemed. A good name along with a record of achievement makes you eligible for Cooperstown. A good name means you don't have to worry what informants leak to the press. A good name means you don't have to defend decisions you made in the past.

In 2008 Alex Rodriguez made $28 million playing baseball for the New York Yankees. Alex Rodriguex has fame and fortune. But I'm certain after watching the Peter Gammons interview today, that Alex Rodriguez would gladly trade it all in exchange for getting his good name back. Alex said it best when he said, "I was stupid."

Kindle2

Jeff Bezos and Amazon unveiled the new Kindle 2 electronic book reading device today at a press conference. I wrote about the Kindle in 2007 in these two blog posts.

The updated Kindle has a slimmer design (just 1/3 of an inch thick), longer battery life, faster page turns, over seven times more storage, sharper images, and a new read-to-me feature. In case your not familiar with the Kindle, it utilizes electronic-ink display technology, which gives the same appearance and readability of printed paper. Reading on the Kindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically.

Presently there there are 230,000 books published in the Kindle format. Bezos vision is "every book, ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds!" Wow!!

So what's the big deal about a digital book reader?

• Efficiency - The Kindle is 10 ounces and holds 1500 books in memory! You can have your entire library at your finger tips! Have you ever tried to find a quote from a book you read but can't remember which book its from? No problem, just type in the key words and the search functionality will find what you're looking for.
• Cost - Kindle books cost less than their print counterparts. I usually read 20-25 books a year, meaning a Kindle would pay for itself in about two years. In years to come, the price of electronic books will continue to decrease while the cost of print books will continue to increase.
• Convenience - You don't understand the meaning of a word or phrase and you're too lazy to go find the dictionary? No problem. Just put your cursor over the word and the definition is displayed at the bottom of the page! A friend recommends a good book to you that you want to purchase. Just use the free whispernet wireless EVDO network and it will be downloaded ready for reading in 60 seconds! That's convenience!

The electronic book is here to stay. So dust off your print books and keep them for your grand kids. Some day you can tell them how you used to read print books curled up in a chair in your family room as you listened to music on your CD player. Your grand kids will laugh, and say, "Grandpa, tell me another story!"