THE OTHER SIDE OF SPORTS (TOO) 2013 Wrap Up

 Well fans this will be our annual end of year wrap up and thoughts of this past 365.  So read on it might be interesting.

     A while back we reported about Tex Simone of the Syracuse Chiefs becoming semi-retired to a consulting position with the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

    Just a note here in that the Chiefs are a Community owned team like the Green Bay Packers

    Soon afterwards it came out that the team was a half a million bucks in hole for 2013 after being 200K behind in 2012.  That led to the final straw as far as Tex’s son and daughter (GM and Merchandise Manager) were concern as they were shown the door.  This led to the Board of Directors President and a couple of concerned individuals putting up a half of million to keep the baseball ship afloat.

    If the news wasn’t bad enough at the annual stockholders meeting in mid-November it came out that the teams actually debt was almost a million bucks in the red.

    Now things are starting to look up as the Nationals have another four years in Syracuse and a new and improved management team is in place.  Gee if there is any humor here I don’t see it especially when my next graph appears

    Yours truly spent six years covering the team and knew the way it was run so I wrote another writer who was covering the team during my tenure and I ask him if John was collecting NYS unemployment yet?  Well his response was he didn’t need it as he got enough from the parking revenue and the merchandise sales which never seemed to make a profit.

    Well to end this segment as I am wondering how the GM of a community owned baseball team could  lose $1.2 million over two seasons and no investigation take place?  Fans it is unheard of in all of minor league baseball.

    Now to an aside to the above, since this story first broke www.milb.com and www.mlb.com have yet to report it in any way shape or form.  Yes fans it’s true that the major and minor leagues are trying to control all news going out especially negative so we the fans will be those suffering.

    As a note here I see that Tex Simone actually moved out of his office at NBT Stadium in Syracuse just before Christmas.  Tex was an unpaid consultant for the Chiefs and also VP of the International League.

    I see that Australian Grant Belfour had his contract torn up by the Orioles even after a couple of doctors said his shoulder was okay.  Gee I wonder if the Orioles have something else just waiting on the back burner as only time will tell.

    So fans let us close the book on another year especially before I get in trouble, so until then…

 Things that struck me a bit funny this past year.

1-I actually saw a guy in a Publix Grocery Store  buy a bag of ice with a credit/debit card, his only purchase.  Also the temperature that day never got over 60.

2-I was finally apologized to by two friends concerning an incident that happened over four years ago.  It seems they finally believed me concerning an individual stealing them and a veterans post blind.

3-Did I actually see an NFL team win a game in December without scoring a touchdown, six field goals.  Amazing eh!

4-I see the Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is in a bit of a pickle looking towards the 2014 season.  Maybe the ownership should have had Ruben Amaro Sr. running things when they had the chance?

5-It appears normal for me to be accused of things I don’t or have never done and this year is no exception.  You see fans in the media the sports teams don’t like it if you are on the honest side of the street, have had a real job, are a veteran (Vietnam) wear flowers on your press pass (VFW Buddy Poppy) and are a conservative republican politically.  Another of my faults is I lack tunnel vision so you see things are less than copasetic in my life but it is interesting.

6-This past year I actually saw a local policeman sit in his patrol car and watch a driver run a red light when everyone else at the intersection was stopped.  No wonder we need red light cameras.

7. The way Phillies 1B Ryan Howard’s house is progressing out on Bellaire Beach he might be retired before it’s completed.

Painting and the roof appear to be progressing at Ryan Howard’s new home on Bellaire Beach. (EDDIE MICHELS PHOTO)

8. I actually saw an individual riding a motorcycle and dialing his cell phone, he didn’t appear to be texting thank goodness.