Offseason

For most motorcyclists, this is the time of the year that we all dread...fall and winter. The end of the summer riding season. Depending on what part of the country you live in, your season could end in September or October, or maybe extend into November if you're in a warmer climate. For those lucky enough to be in Florida, Arizona or southern California, you don't have this problem, but for people who experience all four seasons, there will be a time when you have to garage your bike. When you get to December, that time is now. Some people in extreme cold climates may decide to winterize their motorcycles, meaning they drain the fluids and disconnect the battery, to keep their bike in good condition through the winter. In this case, you really are done for the season. For those in the Midwest or climates where the weather can be fickle, taking a chance against winterizing may mean you'll get a ride in every now and then if the weather cooperates. I have lived in Missouri for the past 29 years and can remember times when we saw temperatures in the 70's in January! So if you watch the weather trends and see a nice warm spell coming, get out the tender and charge that battery up...you might get a ride in! In the meantime, you may have to pass the time talking up past rides and rallies with your biker buddies at the shop or dealership, or diner. Heck, you could even check out an upgrade for next year. This is the time of the year for deals on new wheels!

Just show me the parade already!

Yesterday morning, after eating breakfast and commandeering the TV remote back from my children, I switched over to NBC to watch what I thought was supposed to be the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I had fond memories of watching this parade as a child and seeing the giant floats and balloons move down the streets of New York City. Once the commercials were over and the program returned, I saw Matt Lauer with Meredith Vieira sitting in the middle of what appeared to be a hundred or so pots of mums. They were announcing the next segment which was some Broadway production number of some kind. Where's the parade I thought to myself? I noticed a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen indicating the parade's arrival at some square. So the parade was happening somewhere, they just weren't showing it. After the Broadway number was over, there was a brief glimpse of the parade before they went to commercial. After the next set of commercials were over, I was greeted by Al Roker, who was somewhere by the parade (I could see a marching band over his shoulder), interviewing someone about their upcoming Broadway Show performances. Why can't they just show the parade, I thought again? After the interview, we went back to Matt and Meredith who were previewing the next Broadway number. Who cares about these song and dance numbers? Where is the parade already? To my amazement and chagrin, the parade was not actually shown (other than behind Al Roker or on a cut to commercial) until 9:54 AM! Virtually a whole hour went by of what was billed as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, without actually showing the parade at all! How could this be? I guess that in order to see the Macy's Parade anymore, you have to actually go to New York and watch it in person!

No love for Thanksgiving

Now that Veterans Day has past, the next big holiday of the year is Christmas. What, you ask? What about Thanksgiving? Oh sure, there will be a Thanksgiving holiday. Most Americans will take that Thursday and possibly the following Friday off to be with their family and eat turkey and watch the Detroit Lions lose to whoever they will be playing that day. But Thanksgiving is a holiday that is going by the wayside. I have already seen houses and businesses with Christmas decorations up. Bell ringers are already stationed at the local grocery stores to beg for your loose change. I even flipped through the radio dial last night and heard a station playing Christmas music already! Now I'm no Scrooge. I love Christmas and what it means to Christians around the world. I love seeing my kids get excited about what they hope Santa will bring them this year. But I think Thanksgiving deserves a little more recognition than just a day to get off work and eat some turkey and pie with your friends and family. We should reflect on what we as a nation are thankful for. Freedom of religion. Freedom of speech. Freedom to vote for whomever we choose to represent us in government. Let's wait until after Thanksgiving to hang the decorations and do our Christmas shopping. Christmas will be here before we know it anyway.

Cruisin'

What 11 in 11 really means

11 in 11 was a catchy phrase someone thought of as the St. Louis Cardinals approached the 2011 MLB season. This team had 10 World Series Championships, so getting their 11th in 2011 would be 11 in 11 for short. While it was catchy, it seemed at first far fetched. Before the season even began, the Cardinals learned that they would lose one of their top starting pitchers, Adam Wainwright, to a season ending injury that would require surgery. Hopes for an 11th World Championship were quickly dashed. On top of that, when the season was not even a week old, they found out that Matt Holliday would be on the DL for a few weeks after needing an emergency appendectomy. What else could go wrong? Much of the season went on with the Cardinals not playing as well as fans felt they should, even with the injuries. They made too many errors. They hit into too many double plays. Their bullpen had problems. They blew too many saves. Even their marquee player, Albert Pujols, was having an off season. He wasn't even hitting 300! At one point in the season, the Cardinals found themselves in 4th place in their own division, considered the weakest in baseball! By the end of August, they were 10 1/2 games out of the wild card race. It was a foregone conclusion that the Brewers would win the division, which they did. But something happened. Tony La Russa said it happened one day as the Cardinals were playing the Cubs. The fans still cheered. Cardinal Nation still loved their Cardinals, and that gave them hope. Tony La Russa instilled a mantra into the players that this team would always play a "hard nine". They would never give up and throw in the towel. This team would play out the season with respect for the game and respect for the fans and the city they played for. They would do their best for their coaches, front office personnel and their owner. This team would not give up. Mike Shannon said after a game in late August, "You never know what can happen win you start to win and build some momentum!" And so the Cardinals began what will go down into the history books as one of the greatest comebacks of all time. They caught the Atlanta Braves on the second to last day of the season to clinch the Wild Card berth into the playoffs. They then went on the beat the mighty Philadelphia Phillies and the beasty Milwaukee Brewers. They found themselves in the 2011 World Series with a chance, a chance to win 11 in 11. Of course now they faced the feared Texas Rangers, the returning American League Champions. A team that lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants the year before and wanted to taste the World Championship in the worst way. Through five hard fought games they found themselves back in St. Louis down 3 games to 2, but with the home field advantage. But game 6 would not seem to go their way. Facing elimination and down 7-4 they fought their way back to tie the game in the ninth, only to lose the lead in extra innings, twice! They were down to their last strike...twice! But they didn't give up! An unlikely hero in the form of a St. Louis native, one of the lowest paid players on the team. A kid, named David Freese, who made the team as the 3rd baseman after suffering injuries and personal problems in the past, but developed into a confident hitter as the season progressed. This hometown hero would drive home the winning runs with a walk off home run in the 11th inning. But the Cardinals still had to win game 7. Down 2 runs in the first inning, the Cardinals tied the game on a hit by, you guessed it, David Freese, the hometown hero! They were bolstered by a strong pitching performance by Chris Carpenter, pitching on three days rest, and the Cardinals went on to win the game, game 7, by a score of 6 to 2 and become the 2011 World Series Champions! 11 in 11 had been accomplished. Yes, 11 in 11 means the 11th Championship in 2011, but what it really means is, don't give up! Don't count yourself out. Keep fighting. There is still a chance to win! Anyone can come back. You can dream of winning the World Series and being the MVP, as David Freese did. This Championship was for the underdogs. The unsung heroes. The people who beat the odds and made something happen that wasn't expected. The Cardinals did it. You can do it too! Whatever your dream is, don't give up. Who says it can't be done? Make it happen. You can be a winner!

Rain gear

Rainy days and rainy nights

After last night's storms and the weather forecast for more rain today, I will definitely not be riding my motorcycle to work. While there are more experienced motorcyclists who will ride in the rain, it is not one of my favorite aspects of motorcycling. While riding a bicycle in a rain shower might be fun for children, riding a motorcycle takes on an entirely different element. Instead of a nice pitter patter of raindrops on the check, rain while riding, feels more like small needles hitting you in the face. Your vision is impaired by the raindrops and mist as well, so safety becomes a factor also. Like any vehicle, stopping distance is greater on wet pavement, so greater distance must be maintained between your bike and the cars ahead of you. Like any other motorcyclist, I keep rain gear in my saddlebags in case I get caught in an unexpected summer rainstorm, but I sure don't plan rides when I know I'm going to be heading into rain. Having been caught in a few showers before, the riding experience is not what one thinks of when contemplating a motorcycle ride on the highways and byways of America. No, I'll leave the rainy conditions to those hearty souls who are more comfortable with the challenge and are more experienced in bad weather conditions than I. So I'll take my Mustang to work today and hope that better conditions will prevail in days ahead. We've certainly been blessed with great weather in the Midwest lately. One thing is for sure. I'm not looking forward to winter!