Not Just A Hat Rack

Plenty To Read This Week...

Beginning with the tragic... a triathlete met the ultimate predator north of San Diego this week. The shark won. Triathlete dies in shark attack.

Onto lighter triathlete stories, ex big leaguer Jeff Conine is taking to the art of swim, bike and running:
He wants to be an Ironman!

Congrats to Deena Kastor who won the US Marathon Olympic Trial last weekend. And how about Ryan Hall? He ran a 2:06:17 in London last week - third fastest time EVER by an American!

Switching to baseball, Doug Glanville writes in today's NY Times about the moments when a baseball player goes from prospect to veteran to washed up. I'm sure it seems like a blink of an eye: It Gets Late Early Out There

RSL fans will be interested to know that the Guatemalan national team defender was offered a contract as the international transfer window closed. The MLS team low-balled him, however, and he can make much more at home in Central America for now.

Do you realize RSL is 11-4-2 with 41 goals (27 against) in all-time HOME Reserve League games? I'm impressed. In case you missed it, read my story on the Regal Rapids Reserves - two-time defending champs! Thanks to John Murphy for a great interview.

Who else misses RSLFM.com?

More next week on the RSL Exiles. They were live at Midday in Paradise today. Great to see the band members again. Good times.

Here's to Earth Day: Go plant tomatoes

Great article from noted food journalist/conservationist Michael Pollan from the New York Times. It's long, but worth the read.

On another note, I had the chance at work to edit a letter from the former Beijing bureau chief of the New York Times, Christopher Wren. Talk about daunting! Would you edit the writing of a 30-year NYT veteran writer?

Anyways, read on:

Why Bother?

Once Upon a Time in the West...

The 50th anniversary of baseball coming to the West coast has been a central theme of April in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Personally, I think Salt Lake City missed the boat. When the Dodgers and Giants relocated from New York, the AAA Hollywood Stars were forced to flee California and landed here. The city helped renovate and expand Dierks Field and Utah once again was a meaningful part of the baseball landscape. I have not been to see the Bees yet his season (but at 13-1, they must be worth watching), so maybe there is come commemoration at the ballpark. Anyways, here are a couple of images (care of SFGate.com) of Opening Day, 1958 in San Francisco.

Random thoughts:
Utah's soccer community is far worse off with the demise of RSLFM.com. She did yeoman's work to bring daily, sometimes hourly, updates and a broad range of perspectives and opinions to RSL fandom. Here's an open invitation to her to share her satire, analysis and criticism on the 'Hat Rack.

Several people have asked me what coverage of the FLDS raid in Texas is like in Salt Lake City... 2-4 pages daily. Ugh. Poor kids. What a country.

If I remember, I'll add my thoughts later to this story... Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin offered a quick critique of SLC's skyline in today's Salt Lake Tribune

How China Chose the Beijing Olympics Logo

I know some people who take Tibet/China relationship pretty seriously. One of them passed this along.

Free Nepal! Free Nepal!

Enjoy this press release :)


For More Information:
Steve Pastorino
Vice President / Marketing


Snow Lion Expeditions Invites U.S. National Security Advisor on Fall Journey to Nepal and Tibet


(Salt Lake City, Utah – April 15, 2008). Utah-based adventure travel company Snow Lion Expeditions today issued an all-expenses-paid invitation to U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on one of its fall departures to Tibet and Nepal.

On a Sunday appearance on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Hadley referred to Nepal at least six times during a discussion of President George W. Bush’s visit to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Hadley said the ongoing situation in Nepal had “nothing to do” with heads of state decisions to attend the Games’ Opening Ceremonies.

He was right! China’s policy towards the region of Tibet, however, is causing several global leaders much consternation.

In a letter sent to the National Security Advisor today, Snow Lion president Ron Barness suggested, “It was probably a slip of tongue, but why don’t you let Snow Lion give you a quick tour of the Himalayas to make sure you don’t confuse the two again? By the way, since Mr. Stephanopoulos didn’t correct you, we’ve invited him as well.”

Since 1992, Snow Lion Expeditions has (www.snowlion.com ) offered multiple trips per year to Nepal and Tibet, in addition to dozens of other Asian destinations. Mr. Hadley and his wife, Ann, were offered two of the last remaining spots on the Journey to the Roof of the World expedition, which departs September 30 from Kathmandu, Nepal.

Tibet and Nepal are historic, distinct, neighboring Himalayan kingdoms. Tibet was largely independent from the 17th century to its occupation by China in 1951, which led to the exile of its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in 1959. Nepal, on the other hand, has maintained its independent status for more than 200 years, despite its tenuous position in Asia between China and India.

“Being keenly tuned in to the Tibet situation is of paramount importance to us every day at Snow Lion,” Barness said. “We hope the National Security Advisor will come away from our trip with us with the same awareness.”

Since 1992, Snow Lion Expeditions has been a pioneer in Asian travel, creating enchanting itineraries to 15 Asian nations. Snow Lion now offers more than 40 different itineraries include World Heritage Sites like the Kathmandu Valley, Mt. Everest and Angkor, plus less-traveled spots like Burma and North Korea.

Snow Lion Corporation
Tel: 801-355-6555
www.snowlion.com

Something other than soccer tomorrow, promise!

Busy, busy morning.

Off to run a half marathon or so... just a training run. Did about 16 on Sand Flats Road in Moab last weekend... Ogden is approaching soon!

Here's a link to my story this week on USSoccerPlayers.com naming MLS teams: Sounders Already Scoring,

Here's a link to my story this morning in the Salt Lake Tribune about DC United, the most prolific team in MLS history when it comes to international play.

Finally, I write about the Earthquakes return to the Bay Area for the Reno Gazette Journal.

But this big news overnight is the departure of John Guppy, general manager at the Chicago Fire. I saw him just last week when the Fire was in town, and we talked about the rigors of the job and how much it can suck the life out of you. Considering his close ties to Philadelphia president Nick Sakiewicz, I wonder if he'll resurface there - or at Red Bull, whose president resigned this week as well. Guppy has deep ties to the NY/NJ area, and wasn't a great match for Chicago in my opinion. I wish him well - we'll hear from him soon enough. John, if you read this, take some time off and appreciate your family. It worked wonders for me 11 1/2 months ago!

What I Miss About Chicago

This is good stuff. Considering Mayor Landek gave me one of the warmest receptions of anyone I saw when I returned to Bridgeview in 2006, the 'Hat Rack is on the record as saying "Leave 'im alone! He did nothing wrong!"

Click Here to read about allegations dropped against Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek.

A flurry...

OK, to answer last week's question... that story referred to the new Washington Nationals' baseball stadium. Apparently they had about 20,000 fans for their second home game... that's a really bad sign. What a waste of money!

I spend a long weekend in Moab and am just catching up. Sorry for the lack of original posts here.

However, look for new content from me today on USSoccerPlayers.com (MLS team names), and Saturday in both the Salt Lake Tribune (DC United and international soccer) and the Reno Gazette-Journal (a Quakes' preview). Reno?! How 'bout it.

No Joke - What does this paragraph refer to?

It is also a colossal symbolic failure with national and international import. At a time when the United States is losing a global argument about freedom and democracy, when China and countries along the Persian Gulf are proving to an attentive developing world that top-down leadership is the best and most efficient route to prosperity, the capital of the so-called free world built a monument to its national pastime that gets a C-plus.

More tomorrow.