We
are back. It has been two months since our last blog, this writer has many
projects (thankfully we are finished) and apologizes for my absence.
Dodger Stadium, Opening Day March 28, 2019
After
an off-season spent waiting patiently for free agents to get signed and, in
turn, debating whether baseball's economic system is broken (sure seems like
it!), Opening Day is finally upon us. I know many people think baseball is
losing it’s popularity, but to this OG baseball is still a great game.
The
big picture: Here are the trends and story-lines that could define the 2019
campaign:
Walks,
strikeouts, homers: Off the field, MLB took some major steps toward change this
spring. But the exhibition season showed us that fans should anticipate another
year of games loaded with the three true outcomes.
A
dying breed of managers: 10 of the winningest managers in history have worked
in this decade, and when Giants skipper Bruce Bochy retires at the end of the
year, only one of them (Terry Francona) will remain.
So
many pitchers: With starters working fewer innings and bullpens becoming more
specialized, a record 751 pitchers played in the big leagues last season.
Expect even more in 2019.
Baseball has problems, attendance is down three straight
years, games are too long, realistically six to seven teams have a chance at
winning the World Series out of thirty teams. But Major League Baseball is
still in my mind, America’s past time. And for a few fractions of a second, you
don't have to worry about what's happening in Washington, D.C. because you're
worried about the American League East.
Everybody
loves predictions...
The Swami
2019 MLB picks -
AL:
Cleveland, Yankees, Houston, Red Sox, Angels
NL:
Cubs, Atlanta, Dodgers, Milwaukee, St. Louis
World
Series: Yankees over Cardinals
COLLEGE
CHRONICLES – It has not been the best 2019 for many Colleges and Universities
across America. From the Varsity Blues admissions scandal, to unionization, to
student debt eclipsing one trillion dollars, to diversity uneasiness.
American
higher education is at a crossroads. Technological innovations and disruptive
market forces are buffeting colleges and universities at the very time their
financial structure grows increasingly fragile. Disinvestment by states has
driven up tuition prices at public colleges, questionable leadership, out of
touch boards, disengaged faculty, have not helped. Cost-minded students and
their families--and the public at large--are questioning the worth of a college
education, even as study after study shows how important it is to economic and
social mobility. And as institutions add layer and layer of bureaucracy and
change other business practices in search of more sustainable business models,
racial and economic stratification in American higher education is only
growing.
Want
to Fix College? Admissions is not the biggest problem. No change in whom the
most selective colleges admit would have a fraction of the good effect on the
country that increasing the proportion of college graduates would have. What's
the barrier to this? It isn't that we don't have a big enough higher-education
system. These days, about ninety per cent of young people have some interaction
with college. The problem is that not enough of them graduate, and so they
cannot reap the copious benefits that a degree provides.
NOTHING IS
ROTTEN IN DENMARK - Finland, Denmark, and Norway hold the top three spots in the
latest World Happiness Report. Meanwhile. the US dropped to 19th on the list,
its lowest ranking ever. Researchers suggested America's drop could be
attributed to the "prevalence of addictions — including gambling, watching
Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, social media use, video gaming, shopping, consuming
unhealthy foods, exercising, and engaging in extreme sports or risky sexual
behaviors — in American society." (I think they might be missing one other
little factor…)
Six
hundred sixty-one days until POTUS inauguration day.
BIRTHDAYS
THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Reba McIntyre (63),
Tara Pugliese … famous niece.
UNPLUGGED
– In
January I closed my Facebook account. I
was tired of my privacy being compromised.
By now, plenty of people have told you to stop using weak
passwords. So, let's move on to something more advanced. Last year a
groundbreaking report about how a multitude of mobile apps are tracking your
location and sharing the details with advertisers, retailers and even hedge
funds.
Creepy, right? Here's what you should do about it. Go into your
phone settings and check which apps are tracking your location. Then, to be
extra safe, delete all data you’re not using: every unloved app, photo,
contact, memo and text message. This will go a long way to keep your location
data out of the wrong hands.
MARKET
WEEK - For all our readers parlaying Duke winning the national
championship with the Fed holding interest rates steady, you're one down, one
to go.
And not only did Fed officials decide not to hike rates this time
around...the majority forecast zero additional rate hikes for the rest of the
year. That’s quite the turnaround from December, when they projected two rate
increases in 2019.
And we finally got a date (September) for when the bank will stop
unwinding the massive amount of Treasury holdings it bought to stimulate the
economy post-crisis.
What it all means:
Well, it shows Fed Chair Jerome Powell is slightly worried about
slowing economic growth, specifically household spending and business fixed
investment. And he’s right, we couldn’t make the slip ’n slide work
financially.
But with a strong labor market, wages on the way up, and inflation
close to the Fed’s sweet spot, “The U.S. economy is in a good place,” Powell
said.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell for the sixth consecutive
session Wednesday, its longest streak since early December, when the yield fell
for eight consecutive trading days. It closed at 2.374% Wednesday, a new 15-month
low.
If commodities continue as the market's best-performing asset
class, this year will mark the first time they have led the market since 2002,
according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
ON
THIS DATE - in 1985, after 193 years, a sitting U.S. President
visited the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for the first time when Ronald
Reagan went to ring the bell that opens trading.
SUBSCRIPTION
FATIGUE - In the U.S., there are 300+ over-the-top video options. And the
average U.S. consumer has to remember their passwords for three video streaming
services, per Deloitte research.
The biggest players include—inhale now—Netflix, CBS All Access,
Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Premium, HBO, Showtime...and (soon) Apple,
Disney, WarnerMedia, and NBCUniversal.
It’s getting to be a bit much. 47% of U.S. consumers are
frustrated by the number of services required to watch what they want, Deloitte
found.
“Consumers want choice—but only up to a point...We may be entering
a time of subscription fatigue,” Deloitte Vice Chairman Kevin Westcott said.
Seems like an opportunity for larger players to “reaggregate”
these services in a way that creates a better experience for the consumer,
Variety suggests.
We may have reached peak subscription service with the NY Mets’s
new “Netflix-style subscription deal.” The $39/month service allows fans to
download standing-room-only tickets on their smartphones...right up until the
start of the game. Stop the madness!
EXPENSIVE
CITIES - Singapore was named the most expensive city in the world by the
Economist Intelligence Unit, which compared over 400 prices across 160 products
and services.
While Singapore topped the list for the sixth year in a row, it
has company at No. 1 in 2019:
·
Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore (tie)
·
Zurich, Switzerland
·
Geneva, Switzerland, and Osaka, Japan (tie)
·
Seoul, South Korea; Copenhagen, Denmark; and New York
City (tie)
·
Tel Aviv, Israel, and Los Angeles (tie)
Strong economic growth in the United States in 2018 led to a sharp
appreciation of the dollar and a rise up the rankings for 14 of the 16 American
cities.
The top three cheapest cities: Caracas, Venezuela; Damascus,
Syria; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
TED
LINDSAY – The pride of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Ted Lindsay, passed away on
March 4 at ninety-three. Mr. Lindsay was a fierce competitor, a founder of the
National Hockey League Players Union, a community advocate, and above all else
a caring man. From helping high school athletes to reach their potential, through
his foundation raising money to battle autism, to playing ball hockey in the
driveway with the neighborhood kids, Ted Lindsay will be missed.
SWAMI’S WEEK
TOP PICKS
–
NHL Game of the Week – Saturday 3/30 7:00 PM PT CBC; Montreal
Canadians (41-29-8) visit Winnipeg Jets (45-28-4), a must win for Les Habitants
who are battling for an eastern conference wild card playoff spot. Jets win 4 – 2. (Season to date 8-3)
College Hockey Game of the Week – Regional NCAA hockey tournament games are
this weekend, we like St. Cloud State Huskies (30-5-3), Notre Dame Fighting
Irish (22-13-3), Minnesota State Stompers (32-7-2), and Minnesota Duluth
Bulldogs (25-11-2) to head to the Frozen Four in Buffalo April 11, 13.
2019 Season
to Date (12 - 8)
Next Blog: Jack Ass of
the Month, Words of the Month, the usual.
Until
next time, Adios
Claremont,
California
March
29, 2019
#IX-19-387
CARTOON OF
THE WEEK – The New
Yorker
RINK RATS
POLL –
What is your favorite ballpark food?
___ hot dog
___ cracker jack
___ Ku Ku fries (Seattle)
___ bacon wrapped chicken wings (Texas)
___ pretzel
___ peanut butter and bacon sandwich (Minneapolis)
___ belgian waffle
___ donut burger (Philadelphia)
___ bratwurst
___ peanuts
QUOTE OF THE
MONTH
– “Baseball is like church. Many attend
few understand.” – Leo Durocher
Rink Rats is a blog
of weekly observations, predictions and commentary. We welcome your comments
and questions. Also participate in our monthly poll. Rink Rats is now viewed in
Europe, Canada, South America and the United States.
Posted at Rink Rats The Blog: First Published – May 3, 2010
