A word from "The Rocket" commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Are you an Outlier Commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Are you an Outlier?  What is an Outlier?  And, what does it have to do with success? I had never heard the term until a friend recommended I read  Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The book is a must read for anyone interested in success and what differentiates those that many consider successful. It really might not be what you think.....so maybe you should look again.  It was an eye opener for me! It aroused my interest to whether being an Outlier is applicable to those I know and me. The book, Outliers, teaches something about success that is not anecdotal.

I will say that it was somewhat relieving in the sense that my own climb up the ladder is greater appreciated from the OUTLIER perspective rather than all the accoutrements of success that most would say are a requirement for success. It isn't a story about if you do this and that this will be the result. Though those lessons are interwoven in some parts of the book, they are not the main premise. Gladwell.com "Outlier" is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience. In the summer, in Paris, we expect most days to be somewhere between warm and very hot. But imagine if you had a day in the middle of August where the temperature fell below freezing. That day would be outlier. And while we have a very good understanding of why summer days in Paris are warm or hot, we know a good deal less about why a summer day in Paris might be freezing cold. In this book I'm interested in people who are outliers—in men and women who, for one reason or another, are so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August"  

Here's what others say " A must-read for educators, recruiters, and parents......Outliers is evidence of Mr. Gladwell's 10,000 hours."------- Joanne McNeil, Sunday Times

"Outliers is a compelling read with an important message: by understanding better what makes people successful we should be able to produce more successful (and happy) people."---- Economist

"Insightful.....If enough people read and ponder the implications of Outliers, perhaps that can help begin the much needed process of turning around current counter-productive attitudes toward education and toward life."--------Thomas Sowell, Washington Times

"The thrust of Mr. Gladwell's argument is right on target.....He passionately emphasizes the need to cultivate great minds that might be limited by their circumstances or environment."--------David A. Shaywitz, Wall Street Journal

I won't go into the story but I will say that it may cause you to wonder about your own success; what factors attributed to your success, and whether intersections in your life directly attributed to your success. These are the lessons that I found here! I didn't look at this book as a how to and admittedly the book focuses on the big successes as examples (i.e. Bill Gates, Beatles, et al).

More importantly, where you start matters perhaps a lot less than you think! Or, it may have been your biggest advantage!

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is 270 pages. I read it September 2011.

Rick Rodriguez is a Entrepreneur, Avid learner, and writer and is frequently published in opinion/editorial sections in local and national newspapers. Rick, a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College lives in Danville, California with his two children.  Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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A time of turbulence Secrets of the Temple by William Greider Commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary By Rick Rodriguez

In a time of turbulence, I often think of an extraordinary book, Secrets of the Temple by William Greider, and since that time I've been hooked on Economics/Politics. The book gave me the opportunity to examine who really runs this country (Federal Reserve), and who doesn't (the President of the United States), as most people assume. Surely, I understand that the Commander-in-Chief is still the President of the United States, and is considered the leader of the free world; however, the President's/government's influence here is more related to fiscal policy predominately spending and taxation, and have we been on a tear lately (7/2011)!  However, Greider's book taught me how monetary policy plays an enormous role in our everyday lives, and how the Federal Reserve has the power to control the economy with its influence on it.

A note on Monetary Policy: "

"Monetary policy is the process by which the monetary authority of a country controls the supply of money, often targeting a rate of interest for the purpose of promoting economic growth and stability. The official goals usually include relatively stable prices and low unemployment. Monetary theory provides insight into how to craft optimal monetary policy.

Monetary policy is referred to as either being expansionary or contractionary, where an expansionary policy increases the total supply of money in the economy more rapidly than usual, and contractionary policy expands the money supply more slowly than usual or even shrinks it. Expansionary policy is traditionally used to try to combat unemployment in a recession by lowering interest rates in the hope that easy credit will entice businesses into expanding. Contractionary policy is intended to slow inflation in hopes of avoiding the resulting distortions and deterioration of asset values."

The Secrets of the Temple chronicles the tenure of Paul Volcker, the Fed chairman prior to the more familiar Alan Greenspan. So, having recently read Alan Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence, another groundbreaking expose on the Federal Reserve seen from the perspective of Alan Greenspan, I thought it necessary for me to gain a perspective on another form of managing an economy--communism.

Certainly, I'm not going to declare Communism as comparable to capitalism in a superior fashion, or that it could exist in today's world; history has already proved that communism has, at best, failed in places like the Soviet Union and to some extent China.

Let's think about this for a minute! "Some critics of utopian or egalitarian socialism argue that income sharing reduces individual incentives to work, and therefore incomes should be individualized as much as possible. Critics of socialism have argued that in any society where everyone holds equal wealth there can be no material incentive to work, because one does not receive rewards for a work well done. They further argue that incentives increase productivity for all people and that the loss of those effects would lead to stagnation. John Stuart Mill in The Principles of Political Economy (1848) said:

"It is the common error of Socialists to overlook the natural indolence of mankind; their tendency to be passive, to be the slaves of habit, to persist indefinitely in a course once chosen. Let them once attain any state of existence which they consider tolerable, and the danger to be apprehended is that they will thenceforth stagnate; will not exert themselves to improve, and by letting their faculties rust, will lose even the energy required to preserve them from deterioration. Competition may not be the best conceivable stimulus, but it is at present a necessary one, and no one can foresee the time when it will not be indispensable to progress."

Frankly, that is an amazing statement and in my own life I have found that to conform with my thinking. What incentive would I have to work harder and produce more when my doing so meant nothing to anyone or I was not rewarded in any way for doing so? As a competitor, I am driven to improve in almost all facets of my life. Admittedly, this is a pain in the rear at times; it's almost like a harness that holds me in place and yet pulls me toward better experiences and feelings.

 

Here are some excerpts and paraphrases of MARX by Gil Hands:

According to Hands (2007) "Karl Marx is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers in the last thousand years. Born in Germany in 1818, he was a great philosopher, historian, economist, and social theorist. His writings led to revolution and to a total change in the political structure of the world."

Hands (2007) states " that Marx's main contribution to the development of philosophy was historical materialism: a way of studying the relationship between the material world and the world of ideas." He further states " the capitalist economy needs costly machinery to produce goods. Only those who can afford to invest capital in the economy can profit from it."

From the COMMUNIST MANIFESTO " The proletarians will eventually rise to power through class struggle: the bourgeoisie constantly exploits the proletariat for its manual labour and cheap wages, ultimately to create profit for the bourgeois; the proletariat rise to power through revolution against the bourgeoisie such as riots or creation of unions. The Communist Manifesto states that while there is still class struggle amongst society, capitalism will be overthrown by the proletariat only to start again in the near future; ultimately communism is the key to class equality amongst the citizens of Europe."

Most of us, including me, have just assumed that we can get job, start a business, make money, and someday become rich. However, there are some people that have a head start, and are in positions which according to my understanding of the book exploit others for their labor. In other words, it's always been that way and always will under capitalism.

Another key idea according to Hands (2007) is Marx's description of "how fetishisms of money, capital, and commodities alienated people." Here, my understanding is we (capitalists) are so focused on materialism that we become alienated from each other because in many ways we are competing with each other, and are always trapped by materialism; yet material possessions somehow serve to assuage our alienation.

I gained a new perspective, and though I certainly don't believe the system (communism) could ever work, some of the ideas Marx describes about capitalism, good and bad, have come to fruition. I alos learned a lot about the inculcated beliefs that I hold or I have adopted through extraneous social and cultural influences.

I leave it to the reader, learner, and individual that questions the way things are to continue the quest of discovery. I value the accomplishment of challenging my mind to gain a new perspective, and to further aid me in evaluating the world we live in.

MARX by Gill Hands is 178 pages. I read this book in May of 2008.

Rick Rodriguez is a writer and is frequently published in opinion/editorial sections in local and national newspapers. Rick, a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College lives in Danville, California with his two children.  Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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No fear of flying Highest Duty by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary by Rick Rodriguez

The book Highest Duty by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow has helped me have little or No fear of flying.   I've often wondered why the skies have always treated me so kindly. Turbulence here and there, at times extreme, but never calamitous. I've have never been involved in any rough airplane incidents outside of heavy turbulence in Australia once and having a plane unable to land in New Zealand (we turned around).  This with me strapped to a gas tank!

However, the day I saw the videotape of a Pilot landing his aircraft with his landing gear pointed at a 90 degree angle and a plane full of nervous passengers, I thought "these guys are amazing!"  Moreover, it also established a degree of comfort for me while flying and it should for you, too!  Of course, tragedy can strike at anytime but for the most part flying in general is the safest mode of transportation.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

"JetBlue Flight 292, en route to New York's JFK Airport from Burbank, California encountered nose gear malfunctions shortly after takeoff. It safely landed three hours later at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with no apparent injuries.

The pilots first realized something was wrong when the landing gear failed to retract; television footage showed that the plane's front wheels were pointing sideways, perpendicular to the plane's body. The plane was diverted to Long Beach Airport, where it tried and failed to land, and then on to LAX, which has better emergency facilities. The aircraft circled near the airport for several hours to burn fuel; the Airbus 320 aircraft is not designed to dump fuel.

Commentators predicted that the nose gear would either snap off, immediately twist to parallel upon touch down, or withstand the friction from the landing while remaining at a 90 degree angle.

At approximately 6:19PM local time, almost three hours after takeoff, the aircraft successfully managed to touch down. The pilot landed the plane first on its two rear wheels, keeping its nose in the air as long as possible until it slowed enough that the nose could be safely lowered. The front tires remained at a 90 degree angle and were incinerated through the friction. A cloud of white smoke and sparks burst out from behind the nose gear as the plane traveled down the runway. As the airplane finally stopped, the pilot had managed to keep the plane no more than 6 inches from the runway's centerline. Officials were prepared with a brigade of fire engines as well as fire retardant foam in case the front wheel ignited. The plane was evacuated a few minutes later."

So for some odd reason, I never really grasped what Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and his crew accomplished the day his lifeless U.S. Airways plane plummeted into the Hudson River. Never mind that the guy lived in my same neighborhood, two blocks over, and my town Danville threw a huge parade for the guy. I didn't get it!

Then, I read New York times Bestseller "Highest Duty...My Search for What Really Matters" by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow. While the story details a chronological history of Mr. Sullenberger's life, particularly how he came to be at the moment where he was gliding an Airbus Jet into a freezing river; the message, his message, seems of greater importance!

For me, this book brought into contemplation the things I do daily "Am I making a difference?" Will my children benefit from my example or not? What can I do to be better prepared for unexpected encounters? The book offers anecdotes for these questions for readers to consider and suggests how one man and his methods came to aid him that day. It is also an emotionally compelling story! I wouldn't be surprised if a tear or two dripped down to the pages of the book while reading this story. It did for me! I love stories like that because they relate to thoughts I've had or experiences I've lived through.

It's book like these that allow me to travel in comfort. And, perhaps,it might aid you if you have a fear of flying to take comfort in the knowledge that the guy in the cockpit is a professional. A PRO that is trained to deal with situations; a Pilot that has prepared for these situations and in fact has made it his "HIGHEST DUTY" that you arrive at your destination safely!

Highest Duty...My Search for What Really Matters" is a joy to read. The book is 321 pages. I read it in November 2010.

Rick Rodriguez is a writer and is frequently published in opinion/editorial sections in local and national newspapers. Rick, a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College lives in Danville, California with his two children.  Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer Commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary By Rick Rodriguez

I had noticed the title Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer for some time at the book store before deciding to purchase it, and frankly I was intrigued for a couple of reasons. The first is I've read Krakauer's other best sellers Into the Wild and Into Thin Air and enjoyed them immensely. The other is in seeking answers to the mysteries of life, for me, religion, and all its varieties, is one that requires ardent examination. In this case, the book analyzes a religion, specifically the Mormon religion, and Krakauer explores, investigates, and excavates deeply into the religion, from its roots including its founder Joseph Smith to Brigham Young, and up to nearly present day.  The book also introduces the contrast of Mormon fundamentalism as interpreted by a pair of brothers that leads to grisly murders committed by the pair!  As with many religions, there are consistencies with other religions, but the most poignant in this book is the contrast of Mormon Fundamentalism and what is the modern day Mormon religion.

The belief that Joseph Smith, is the Prophet is introduced.  “We do not worship [Joseph Smith] the Prophet. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood through which the authority of God is exercised in the affairs of His Church and for the blessing of His people” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Joseph Smith Jr.—Prophet of God, Mighty Servant,” Ensign, Dec 2005, 2–6).  A very strong and interesting proclamation.  However, there are more and some may draw for intriguing debate.  

I suggest the book is worth reading, but it is tough on the Mormon religion. There are some specific themes to the book that are paramount to the work, and frankly some are very violent and unacceptable to mainstream America.  

I appreciate the manner in which Krakauer annotates and cites his commentaries and writing. This gives the reader assurance that his work was not just conjecture or opinion, but heavily researched work. Undoubtedly, in examining his work, a learned reader might conclude the same.  Moreover, I took the time to read the rebuttals, and commentary from representatives of the religion, and here again I believe Krakauer lends credibility to his arguments and research. I suggest you do the same because it gives the opposing perspective, and a chance to engage in a little debate.  Read the New York Times book review to gain an even broader perspective on the book.

Under the banner of heaven is 372 pages.  I read this book on September 2007. 

Rick Rodriguez is a writer and is frequently published in opinion/editorial sections in local and national newspapers. Rick, a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College lives in Danville, California with his two children.  Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler commentary by Rick Rodriguez

 

Commentary By Rick Rodriguez

 

The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler "Stranger to the Game" is a great piece of work and for those interested in the intricacies of the era of the 1960's and baseball will find it well worth reading .I actually read the book twice! And, when I purchased the book, I was at a book signing in Berkeley, California with Bob Gibson. There, Mr. Gibson discussed many of the more poignant aspects of the book.  He described baseball, at one point, as smaller part of the trials and tribulations of a controversial time--the 1960's! 

 

Racism and the civil rights movement play a big role in the story, and Mr. Gibson, as a ballplayer was not immune to it. He details many incidents in the book that he as well as other players faced at the time, but also covers the unifying aspect of his team--the St. Louis Cardinals--that made it such a special team throughout that turbulent time!

 

I recently played golf with Les Cain, former hurler for the Detroit Tigers and a major-leaguer of the same era of Bob Gibson!  Mr. Cain, corroborated many of the stories of the players of the 1960's that I shared with him from my own knowledge of the era and he shared stories of teammates of his on the Detroit Tigers. Learn more on on Les Cain here.

I also told Mr. Cain that I was reading The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler and a smile came over his face. Yes, he was quite familiar with the legend of Bob Gibson and while I reeled off names of other players of the era it was obvious he had great respect for Bob Gibson.

 

Kevin Brotzman provided these  statistics on:  "Bob Gibson was an eight-time All-Star, and struck out 200 batters nine times. His win totals increased each year from 1960 to 1966, topping out at 21 (he missed significant time in 1967 with a broken leg). In 13 straight seasons, he completed 10 or more games. Bob dominated in every facet of the game, even winning nine straight Gold Gloves between 1965 and 1973. He was even used as a pinch hitter on occasion; his career average was .206 with 24 home runs and 144 RBI.

  

Any conversation about Bob Gibson's skills begins and ends with his ridiculous 1968 season. 22 wins, 9 losses. 28 complete games, 13 shutouts. 47 consecutive scoreless innings, and two runs allowed in a span of 92 innings. 198 hits and 62 walks in 304 2/3 innings for an absurd 0.85 WHIP. His 1.12 ERA is a live-ball era record. Toss in 268 strikeouts for good measure, and you have the National League Cy Young Award winner AND Most Valuable Player. 1968 is widely known as the Year of the Pitcher, but you could cut to the chase and call it the Year of Gibson. Major League Baseball lowered the height of the pitching mound the following year to increase offense, and #45 of the Cardinals was a big reason for that.

As fantastic as Gibson was in the regular season, he was on another plane in the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.  His first post season exposure came in 1964, and he was immediately up to the task. After faltering in the ninth inning of an 8-3 Game Two loss, he roared back to pick up complete-game wins in Games Five and Seven. For the Series he struck out 31 in 27 innings and took home MVP honors. But Bob's work in 1967 dwarfed the 1964 Fall Classic. Having just returned in early September from a broken leg, he allowed three total Red Sox runs in three complete game victories. 14 hits allowed vs. 26 strikeouts. Two-for-two, MVP-wise. Back for a third World Series in 1968, Gibson put an eye-popping capper on his monster season. In Game One, he struck out 17 Tigers to set a Series record. Game Four was a five-hit, ten-strikeout, 10-1 complete game victory. In Game Seven, Mickey Lolich out-dueled him in a 4-1 Tigers win. But Bob added eight more K's to set a World Series record of 35. For his post season career: 7-2, 8 CG, 1.89 ERA, 92 K/81 IP. Wow!"

 

 

I knew who Les Cain was the day I met him.  He is the ballplayer in this baseball card.  And, like many of my friends at the time, I enjoyed the treasures of the era--baseball cards! These cards gave me the knowledge that allowed me to regurgitate countless names of the 1960's that amazingly impressed Les Cain.   Yes, I grew up in the era of the Bob Gibson's, Hank Aaron's, and Willie Mays'. And even though the name of Les Cain, will be recollected by few outside of the Motor City (Detroit) it is by me and those that appreciate the era that produced him and the great Bob Gibson! 

 

The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler is 286 pages. It is a joy to read!   The authors entwine the larger issues of the era into the basic fabric of Bob Gibson's life as well as tell a story about a time when teams were more like families; players made sacrifices for each other while others held onto the ways of the past but they played with common goals.  The book is detailed, relevant, pertinent, and an excellent investment of your reading time.  Read more about the Author Lonnie Wheeler here. I read this book in1994 and again in 2010!

 

 

Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College  Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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I had a Hammer by Hank Aaron with Lonnie Wheeler commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary by Rick Rodriguez

It was with great pleasure that I read this story "I had a Hammer by Hank Aaron with Lonnie Wheeler, about Hank Aaron's life and upbringing in Mobile, Alabama! It is the familiar story about a typical upbringing of a kid, any kid, that someday would become a star in a sport. First, the kid comes to the game, learns it from others, or perhaps an older sibling or a parent, and then the game becomes part of life. It's played daily! Usually, the future star exhibits uncommon extraordinary skill or talent and this creates a name for the player. Like many others, this story is about a kid, Henry Louis Aaron!

The story plays out in the south (Mobile), and in the north (Milwaukee)and finally back in the south (Atlanta); in a segregated discriminatory era, and Aaron, like so many others, suffered the indignities, vile, and harsh treatment of the ubiquitous racism prevalent at the time (fifties and throughout most of the sixties). His story is a civil rights story. A story about the atrocities of racism. It's also a story of amazing success, by Hank Aaron, not only for his success on the baseball diamond but also for the remarkable human accomplishment of fighting disrimination throughout his baseball career!

At times, the writing is severely abrasive, but seems appropriately told by Aaron. Hank Aaron, admired Jackie Robinson, the man at the vanguard of desegregating baseball. Here, Aaron discusses what his hero, Jackie Robinson, faced playing baseball. I had a Hammer P. 116 Aaron & Wheeler "His enemies were cruel and ubiquitous. There was all but mutiny on the Dodgers before the 1947 season, a band of Southern players preparing to sign a petition declaring that they would never appear on the same field as a black man. The Cardinals threatened to strike if the Dodgers brought Robinson to St. Louis. Whenever Robinson ran onto the diamond in a Brooklyn uniform, he became the target of bean balls, spikes, tobacco juice and unconscionable verbal abuse" The abuse is so vividly described that I cringe at even paraphrasing it! But, Aaron and Wheeler, do not hold back and reading it today (2011), it almost seems like a horrible nightmare!

Moreover, it is a story about a man that was a driven baseball superstar that neither his critics nor Aaron ever really believed would achieve iconic status; however, as the story plays out the possibility becomes evident and then a reality.

The reader comes to know the pursuit of breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. How assiduously Aaron pursued it and the obstacles he contended with just to do what his god given talent allowed him to do!

The story gave me a broader perspective of what many of the superstars in baseball and all black and minorities endured playing baseball in the south and in the major leagues in this era. It was a disturbing time in American and Baseball history!

So, where did the pleasure come from in reading this book?

The pleasure won't be found in the book, it will be found in perspective and in contemplation. It will
come in appreciation of the human will and might of a man and men that integrated baseball and sport and our society. It will come from reading about the growth of a kid into a man that seemed to play the game with a chip on his shoulder but perhaps was always battling a cause that an entire generation of players, and a race(s) were fighting at the time in this country, and perhaps still fight today!

Hank Aaron is to be admired for his accomplishments on the diamond. On a grander scale, Aaron, and others of his generation were much more than Superstar Baseball players; they were humanitarian heroes! Hank Aaron, baseball's home run king hammered 3,771 hits including 755 home runs.

Pictured here is Hank Aaron's 1971Topps Baseball card. It is my favorite Hank Aaron baseball card!

I had a Hammer by Hank Aaron & Lonnie Wheeler is 457 pages. I read it in April/May 2011.

Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco East Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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A Well-Paid Slave "Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports" by Brad Synder commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary By Rick RODRIGUEZ

A Well-Paid Slave "Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports" by Brad Snyder is the story of Curt Flood, a baseball player, who in the 1969 forfeited a $90,000 salary when he refused to be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Flood, subsequently sued Major League Baseball and contrary to what I believed lost that lawsuit. Flood, however, is widely recognized as the player at the vanguard of the fight for free agency, and as a result of Flood's efforts, others prevailed in the abolishment of the reserve clause. The end result is that players were able to negotiate for better contracts and make a ton of money!

Having read excellent biographies of baseball stars Bob Gibson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax and Roberto Clemente. We can now add Curt Flood's name to that list with author Brad Snyder's effort entitled A Well-Paid Slave. As Flood stated, "A well-paid slave is nonetheless a slave."

Flood's contention was that he was not property nor was he owned and therefore could not be traded without his consent! Thus, he challenged the anti-trust exemption; inter/intra state commerce; and what was widely recognized as the baseball's reserve clause.

The book is very detailed and the reader comes to know the man Curt Flood; the history of baseball's reserve clause; idiosyncrasies of baseball in the 1960's, and many more tidbits of baseball history. Some of that history is not a feel good story and undoubtedly Flood played a big part in changing the game forever.

The question is did Flood et al change Baseball for the better? Certainly, from the player's viewpoint and from a societal vantage point an employee should have the right to control whether he/she works here or there. Imagining life any other way is not practical, fair, and the system works best this way. At the time, Bowie Kuhn, the commissioner of baseball said (Synder P. 179) "Without the reserve clause, Kuhn predicted, the rich teams would sign all the star players, the poor teams would go out of business, and the operation of a league would be impossible. Major League Baseball would devolve into an "exhibition business."

Was Kuhn right? While I sure enjoyed baseball of the 1960's and 1970's where you knew the players of your local team would be there year in and year out! Eventually, sky-rocketing salaries were inevitable and have come to fruition in all sport. Has this been for the better? And, how has this impacted society and aspects of it including youth, affordability of games, cheating, gambling, and all other sectors that are influenced by our national pastime?

I took this photo at Curt Flood Field on Outlook Avenue near Freeway 580 in Oakland, California. Somewhat strangely the field sign is so close to the chain link fence that this is the best photo I could take; a strange anomaly in the life of Curt Flood.

A Well-Paid Slave "Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports" by Brad Synder is 352 pages. It is very detailed and describes among other things the process of taking a case as far as the Supreme Court; landmark decisions (Baseball vs. Toolson), and concepts such as Stare Decisis. I read it December 2010.

Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco East Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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Going Low by Patrick Cohn, Ph. D commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary By Rick Rodriguez

After reading Going Low by Patrick Cohn, I played golf with golf professional & long-drive champion Vince Howell longdrivers in Houston, Texas. This wasn't the 1st time I've played golf with Vince Howell. In fact, I've played golf with him hundreds of times over the course of our twenty-year relationship. Watching Vince Howell do spectacular things on a golf course doesn't surprise me; however, seeing him walk on the 1st tee on a never before seen course, and shoot 68 is pretty impressive!

Going Low By Patrick Cohn (Cohn P.27) "To play well, you first must be confident in your ability to play, rather than wait to play well so you can be confident. The sport psychology adage "you must believe before you can achieve" is certainly true and required for great golf!" This is a great definition of confidence, but when it comes to confidence there are varying degrees of it. It can range from no confidence to complete confidence in any given task." The author goes on to detail the 4 levels of confidence, and I won't expound here on the Author's instruction. In the Houston round, I noticed that Vince Howell plays the game from a "knowing" standpoint. Even though we went from the Airport to the 1st tee, Vince didn't spend much time analyzing his swing or taking practice swings. He swings the club from a knowing standpoint!

Going Low by Patrick Cohn (Cohn P.128) "To perform to your full potential, you must change how you usually think about your golf game and how you perceive yourself. You must overcome the barriers that impede your performance. Your point of view of the world around you and of yourself needs to change. In short, you must play beyond "the box." Easier said than done! I know it's difficult to magically convert thoughts for strong golf performance, but it is exactly those limiting thoughts that have limited the development of my game. Check out Peaksports to learn more about Patrick Cohn!

Going Low by Patrick Cohn (Cohn P. 124) "Do you have trouble taking compliments? Do you downplay even small accomplishments? Are you an extreme pessimist? The first behavior that prevents you from developing confidence is when you "disqualify the positive." The tendency to disqualify the positive, such as when you downplay achievements, is often a side effect of perfectionism. Perfectionists are very hard on themselves. Even small successes are not recognized as a positive step, because perfectionists demand so much from themselves." Yikes! How's that for brutal honesty! When I struck that tee shot that landed some 300 yards from it's origin, I looked over and saw Vince just on the other side of the fairway, in no way could that moment happen by affirmatively answering to the above questions. However, Mr. Perfection catches up to me often enough to prevent me from breaking through! And, perhaps there is the lesson for me and why I came to this book back in 2002, and why I chose today to put it's lessons back to use.

Going Low by Patrick Cohn offers many anecdotes, advice, and instruction about the game of golf. However, perhaps its greatest value may be the contributions it offers to the mental side of golf and for that matter any sport. I recommend reading and putting its lessons to use. The book will go along way on helping overcome the barriers that may be holding you back from your best golf game. And, of course, having a great Pro like Vince Howell as a friend doesn't hurt, either!

Going Low by Patrick Cohn is 161 pages. I read it in April of 2002.

Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco East Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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Beyond Survival by Gerald R. Coffee commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary By Rick Rodriguez

I've always been attracted to stories where the element of survival is stretched to the extreme. Beyond Survival by Gerald R. Coffee is all about that and then some. It's the story of Captain Gerald R. Coffee, a POW, in the Vietnam War. It's the true story of Captain Coffee's capture and fight for survival in a POW camp. It's also the story of the human will to fight and survive under the most dire circumstances.

I first learned of Gerald R. Coffee's story at sales retreat that I attended. There, Gerald Coffee, entertained us with his story but also shed the light on the risks posed by those in our armed forces. He chronicled his experiences including torture, starvation, brain-washing, and every other atrocity the mind can imagine under these hostile conditions.

Beyond Survival Gerald R. Coffee " The only real security we have is the certainty that we're equipped to handle whatever happens to us. Too often we try to build strength through position, possessions, family and friends, social and religious rituals--all the outer trappings by which we form our identities. Stripped of them all, we have to draw on what is left: our basic sense of identity as human beings. From there true security is born." Often, I think back to when I scribbled these words down in my journal (1993), and how they became important when I slipped and fell in one of the many pitfalls I confronted. It's especially important in these times where possessions seem to be where we draw our strength from. Strip of them all! What's left? Just me and frankly that's all I need. With this knowledge, I can focus on the problem at hand and know that I've got what it takes to confront it!

I read this book in 1993. And, I have to say that this book along with several others I read at the time inspired me to take on new challenges and fight off others. In some ways, through Captain Coffee's experiences, the book, forced me to take a look at my own life. Instead of asking why me (?), I began to explore new ideas like "show me, lord?" Beyond Survival Gerald R. Coffee "When we cannot change a situation, resolution comes through the way we choose to handle it within ourselves. To let go is not to deny but to accept. Letting go moves us beyond the unproductive lament of "what if?" and "why me, Lord?" To the constructive acceptance of "what is" and "show me, lord!"

I never really knew the purpose of writing book reviews (hand written) in my journal (s) back in the early 1990's. But now, I guess, the reasons are clear to me. Perhaps, by re-reading what I wrote back then--I can reuse--the ideas now! My hope is that I inspire you to read this book! It's truly an inspiring story of true American Hero!

Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco East Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

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History of the Conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott commentary by Rick Rodriguez

Commentary By Rick Rodriguez

History of the Conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott is a story that most of us know, but unless you are a student or admirer of ancient Mexican history it is difficult to know it in the manner that Prescott tells it. The Author filled vacancies in my mind on the ancient history of Mexico and the Aztecs, Spaniards, Tlascalans, Mixtecs, Otomie (my Mother's ancestors) as well as a plethora of others that endured the conquest of Mexico. He also shed new light for me of the social, cultural, religious, customs, and the probable causes of the conquest. There is discussion of Christianity, it's necessary purpose in the new world; and why the abolishment of the Aztecs perhaps contributed in some manner to the betterment of mankind; that is, according to the Conquistador's viewpoint and not the writer of this blog--Rick Rodriguez! Nonetheless, it is there for you to explore, uncover, and come to your own conclusions.

Published in 1843, and considered a masterpiece; History of the Conquest of Mexico is a voluminous work that is well researched and told almost in story like fashion by its Author William H. prescott! Prescott, like many great writers, brings the reader to the discovery of the new world. He finely details every bit of the arduous plight of the Spaniards, and the amazing features of a thriving new World empire of the Aztecs. According to James Lockhart " Prescott belongs with Thoreau and Melville and is very close to someone like Washington Irving. Prescott belonged to an age in which distinction between "literature" and "scholarship" was not as stark as it is today. A romantic historian, he thought in terms of characters and plot, and was aware of his affinity to such writers as Sir Walter Scott." After reading this massive work, I can concur with this assessment and my copy is plenty dog-eared and well worn, its fate sealed after countless nights spent opening and closing the book.

More importantly, for me, the book shed a new light on my view of a conquered people; the Aztecs, and how that was accomplished and perhaps why it was inevitable? I know this NOW! And, I could take time to detail it here, but it would certainly be an elaborate explanation; moreover, I would clearly only impress upon the Reader something that could possibly be interpreted and understood differently. Of course, the journey is up to the Reader, as is always the case, but in this one--what a journey it is!

In this age, as we've moved to electronic communications and with everything moving quickly, its challenging reading great historical novels; however, it is imperative to never allow them to sink into the archives of great past works, but to continue to read, interpret, understand, and appreciate the ancient societies of the past. Moreover, as you the reader do this, you will gather a greater perspective of yourself and how you fit into this continuing evolvement of human kind. For this, Prescott's History of the Conquest of Mexico is necessary! Individuals that continue to define man's true identities through history--it is works like Prescott's that will remain pertinent and forever endure.

This was a monumental achievement for me! Not only for the personal accomplishment, but also what it gave to me and what I've come to know of my ethnicity! This book gave me a profound understanding of Mexico's history and how much of that history is still there ready to be discovered, appreciated, and expanded. I hope it does the same for you!

History of the Conquest of Mexico is 970 pages. I read this book over a long period of time and completed it in February of 2008. I read the published version of the The Modern Library Classics with an Introduction by James Lockhart.

Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco East Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.

Follow Rick at:

http://www.rickrodriguez.net/

www.RickRodriguez.typepad.com/The_Rocket

www.RickRodriguez.typepad.com/The_Rodriguez_Report