MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Part of the glamor of flying is the holiday away from friends and family in foreign lands and this year I got my turn. Normally I get the hot spots like Baltimore or Albuquerque for the holidays but this year I wound up in Amsterdam. It simply is a spin of the big wheel at nwa as to where a reserve will spend a holiday as the computer assigns trips based on the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. This year, I got Amsterdam. My first Christmas layover was Fargo, which was the running joke of training. The trainers all joked that newbies always got stuff like Fargo layovers on Christmas because it was the least desirable place to be. I was also an add which meant that I was there with the plane and not the crew so I was basically alone. It turned out that a classmate was also there and she had brought her husband so I was able to hang with her which made for a decent Christmas.
This year in Amsterdam though is turning out to be fairly nice. The crew is younger so we are all still enjoying the job and the flight wasn't packed to the rafters so it wasn't overwhelming like AMS flights can sometimes be. Northwest arranged a nice buffet for dinner and we retired to the crew lounge afterward for some hanging out time. There wasn't much open today here which I guess shouldn't come as a big surprise as it is Christmas here too. The Netherlands are much like the rest of Europe and close fairly early and regularly even on normal days so I can't be surprised by it on Christmas. I hope that the grocery across the street is open in the morning before we leave as I'd really like to get some spicy mustard and some cookies before climbing back on the plane. I'm scheduled back to Detroit at about 630pm tomorrow night so I'll miss the first day of the frantic "After Christmas" sales but should be back to catch day two of them!
Merry Christmas to All!!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
All Hell Has Broken Loose In West Virginia!
WVU officials blamed for coach leaving
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The wealthy donors primarily responsible for keeping Rich Rodriguez as head football coach at West Virginia University 53 weeks ago are angry and frustrated over his departure this week for the University of Michigan.
Their ire isn't directed at Mr. Rodriguez.
It's aimed at WVU administrators.
"I tell you what, I've never seen anything mishandled as much as this was," Bob Reynolds, former chief operating officer of Fidelity Investments, said yesterday. "Here's a university that made a $200,000 decision -- it probably could've cost less than that [to keep Mr. Rodriguez] -- and it's going to cost them millions" in booster support, potential bowl money and revenue from football success.
"I've had calls from at least six major contributors to the program, and they're all done [donating] because they know the Mickey Mouse things that have gone on there," Mr. Reynolds continued. "I've been in business 36 years, and it's the worst business decision I've ever seen. I've been the COO of a 45,000-person company. When somebody's producing, you ask, 'What can I do for you to make your life better?' Not 'What can I do to make your life more miserable?' They have no idea how big this is. It's frightening."
Mr. Reynolds declined to discuss it, but one source said he informed university officials yesterday that he planned to withdraw $12 million in donations he pledged to the school.
Earl G. "Ken" Kendrick Jr., a part owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and benefactor to the WVU College of Business and Economics and other colleges in his home state, said: "I'm severely disappointed in leadership. I'm discouraged by the decision-making and lack of judgment. And the lack of respect for key employees -- because this isn't just about Rich, he's just the most high-profile one. It's a sad story. It's compelling to me as somebody who's given emotional and financial support to the university. And it makes it questionable to me as I go forward."
Mr. Rodriguez, both at the top of his program's prestige and other colleges' candidate lists, made what he considered relatively simple requests. However, his employers considered them "gun-to-the-head" demands because he already had the Michigan offer, said one source close to the administration.
All agree that the details separating the two sides had nothing to do with Mr. Rodriguez getting richer.
In separate meetings with Athletic Director Ed Pastilong, Chief of Staff Craig Walker and, finally, late Saturday night with newly installed President Mike Garrison, he asked the university to do the following:
• Allow at least an additional $100,000 in bonus money for his assistants.
• Allow scholarship players to retain possession of textbooks at the end of each term, which meant they could have sold them, as apparently happens at other programs.
• Waive a $5 ticket fee for each high-school football coach attending Mountaineer home games, a fee that generates an estimated $5,000 for the university each season.
• Hire seven graduate assistants and a new recruiting coordinator, to ease the duties performed by secondary coach Tony Gibson.
"You could do them in 15 minutes," Mr. Reynolds said of the wish list.
Those supporters, who pledged millions last December for the six-year, $1.9 million-per-year contract that helped to keep Mr. Rodriguez from accepting the University of Alabama coaching position, offered to absorb the additional costs. Their offer was denied.
"It is frustrating to me that when push came to shove, we weren't included in a possible solution," said Wheeling, W.Va., lawyer Dean Hartley, who last year donated toward VIP seating added to Mountaineer Field. "We were not asked to do anything that would bridge the divide that had developed obviously between the administration and Rich. Over the weekend, I've just been bitter over the way it was handled, especially knowing that it wasn't about Rich getting a raise."
"[Mr. Rodriguez] was flabbergasted, because this did not have to happen," said Mr. Reynolds, a Boston-area resident who also donated toward the new academic center that was part of Mr. Rodriguez's deal last December. "It just became political, and he didn't think he was supported. And I don't blame him."
Some of the items discussed were part of the contract extension signed Aug. 24, more than eight months after the details were first hammered out last December. Mr. Rodriguez's representatives maintain that university administrators agreed to other requests that haven't been met, though they decline to publicly specify them. In short, it means Mr. Rodriguez might contest the $4 million he owes WVU to buy out his contract, by claiming the university acted in bad faith or fraudulently.
The search for a new coach to replace Mr. Rodriguez, a Grant Town, W.Va., native who went 60-26 and to five bowls in seven seasons, began yesterday.
The only known candidate to step forward is former Auburn coach and current ABC/ESPN announcer Terry Bowden, son of former Mountaineer coach Bobby Bowden. Sources said Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and former Mountaineers assistant head coach Rick Trickett of Florida State may soon come to Morgantown to interview for the vacancy.
Other possible candidates mentioned include Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley; Huntington, W.Va., native Jim Grobe of Wake Forest; Central Michigan coach and former Mountaineers assistant Butch Jones; Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and former Mountaineers assistant head coach Rick Trickett of Florida State and Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
The West Virginia boosters have become close to Mr. Rodriguez and acknowledged that he grew depressed -- one described it as despairing -- over the 13-9 loss to Pitt that cost the Mountaineers a chance to play in the national championship game.
Mr. Hartley said he found it "amazing" that in the last year, WVU lost its basketball coach, John Beilein, to Michigan; the head of the Mountaineer Athletic Club, Whit Babcock, who was instrumental in last December's rally that kept Mr. Rodriguez, to Missouri; the swimming coach, Sergio Lopez, after winning the Big East title, to a Jacksonville, Fla., high school swimming program; and women's soccer coach, Nikki Izzo-Brown.
One college where she reportedly interviewed? The same place where Mr. Beilein and Mr. Rodriguez work.
"Maybe we should be a farm system," Mr. Hartley added, "until our coaches get good enough that they can coach at Michigan."
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The wealthy donors primarily responsible for keeping Rich Rodriguez as head football coach at West Virginia University 53 weeks ago are angry and frustrated over his departure this week for the University of Michigan.
Their ire isn't directed at Mr. Rodriguez.
It's aimed at WVU administrators.
"I tell you what, I've never seen anything mishandled as much as this was," Bob Reynolds, former chief operating officer of Fidelity Investments, said yesterday. "Here's a university that made a $200,000 decision -- it probably could've cost less than that [to keep Mr. Rodriguez] -- and it's going to cost them millions" in booster support, potential bowl money and revenue from football success.
"I've had calls from at least six major contributors to the program, and they're all done [donating] because they know the Mickey Mouse things that have gone on there," Mr. Reynolds continued. "I've been in business 36 years, and it's the worst business decision I've ever seen. I've been the COO of a 45,000-person company. When somebody's producing, you ask, 'What can I do for you to make your life better?' Not 'What can I do to make your life more miserable?' They have no idea how big this is. It's frightening."
Mr. Reynolds declined to discuss it, but one source said he informed university officials yesterday that he planned to withdraw $12 million in donations he pledged to the school.
Earl G. "Ken" Kendrick Jr., a part owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and benefactor to the WVU College of Business and Economics and other colleges in his home state, said: "I'm severely disappointed in leadership. I'm discouraged by the decision-making and lack of judgment. And the lack of respect for key employees -- because this isn't just about Rich, he's just the most high-profile one. It's a sad story. It's compelling to me as somebody who's given emotional and financial support to the university. And it makes it questionable to me as I go forward."
Mr. Rodriguez, both at the top of his program's prestige and other colleges' candidate lists, made what he considered relatively simple requests. However, his employers considered them "gun-to-the-head" demands because he already had the Michigan offer, said one source close to the administration.
All agree that the details separating the two sides had nothing to do with Mr. Rodriguez getting richer.
In separate meetings with Athletic Director Ed Pastilong, Chief of Staff Craig Walker and, finally, late Saturday night with newly installed President Mike Garrison, he asked the university to do the following:
• Allow at least an additional $100,000 in bonus money for his assistants.
• Allow scholarship players to retain possession of textbooks at the end of each term, which meant they could have sold them, as apparently happens at other programs.
• Waive a $5 ticket fee for each high-school football coach attending Mountaineer home games, a fee that generates an estimated $5,000 for the university each season.
• Hire seven graduate assistants and a new recruiting coordinator, to ease the duties performed by secondary coach Tony Gibson.
"You could do them in 15 minutes," Mr. Reynolds said of the wish list.
Those supporters, who pledged millions last December for the six-year, $1.9 million-per-year contract that helped to keep Mr. Rodriguez from accepting the University of Alabama coaching position, offered to absorb the additional costs. Their offer was denied.
"It is frustrating to me that when push came to shove, we weren't included in a possible solution," said Wheeling, W.Va., lawyer Dean Hartley, who last year donated toward VIP seating added to Mountaineer Field. "We were not asked to do anything that would bridge the divide that had developed obviously between the administration and Rich. Over the weekend, I've just been bitter over the way it was handled, especially knowing that it wasn't about Rich getting a raise."
"[Mr. Rodriguez] was flabbergasted, because this did not have to happen," said Mr. Reynolds, a Boston-area resident who also donated toward the new academic center that was part of Mr. Rodriguez's deal last December. "It just became political, and he didn't think he was supported. And I don't blame him."
Some of the items discussed were part of the contract extension signed Aug. 24, more than eight months after the details were first hammered out last December. Mr. Rodriguez's representatives maintain that university administrators agreed to other requests that haven't been met, though they decline to publicly specify them. In short, it means Mr. Rodriguez might contest the $4 million he owes WVU to buy out his contract, by claiming the university acted in bad faith or fraudulently.
The search for a new coach to replace Mr. Rodriguez, a Grant Town, W.Va., native who went 60-26 and to five bowls in seven seasons, began yesterday.
The only known candidate to step forward is former Auburn coach and current ABC/ESPN announcer Terry Bowden, son of former Mountaineer coach Bobby Bowden. Sources said Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and former Mountaineers assistant head coach Rick Trickett of Florida State may soon come to Morgantown to interview for the vacancy.
Other possible candidates mentioned include Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley; Huntington, W.Va., native Jim Grobe of Wake Forest; Central Michigan coach and former Mountaineers assistant Butch Jones; Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and former Mountaineers assistant head coach Rick Trickett of Florida State and Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
The West Virginia boosters have become close to Mr. Rodriguez and acknowledged that he grew depressed -- one described it as despairing -- over the 13-9 loss to Pitt that cost the Mountaineers a chance to play in the national championship game.
Mr. Hartley said he found it "amazing" that in the last year, WVU lost its basketball coach, John Beilein, to Michigan; the head of the Mountaineer Athletic Club, Whit Babcock, who was instrumental in last December's rally that kept Mr. Rodriguez, to Missouri; the swimming coach, Sergio Lopez, after winning the Big East title, to a Jacksonville, Fla., high school swimming program; and women's soccer coach, Nikki Izzo-Brown.
One college where she reportedly interviewed? The same place where Mr. Beilein and Mr. Rodriguez work.
"Maybe we should be a farm system," Mr. Hartley added, "until our coaches get good enough that they can coach at Michigan."
Saturday, December 15, 2007
When A Trip Goes Bad!
I had the opportunity this week to go over and visit my cousin Sheri in New York. She was working over there and had a hotel room that she was willing to share and I thought it the perfect opportunity to get to hang out in a city that I really can't afford to go to on my own. She was staying at the Marriott in Brooklyn Heights which is only a couple of train stops into Manhattan.
I got into JFK on Wednesday night and took the subway to Jay street where the hotel is and hung out with Sheri. Thursday we got up and went to lunch near the hotel at a really good Indian restaurant. We got some banana appetizer that was excellent. It was breaded like a sweet hushpuppy stuffed with banana. YUMMY!
Later that afternoon, as Sheri slept before her work, I went into Manhattan and met up with the old roomie, Sal. It was great to see him for a few hours as we always seem to have a good time even when we're doing nothing of note. We walked around and looked at the windows in all the big stores, Macys, Bergdorff-Goodmans, Sacks, and Lord & Taylor plus walked over to Rockefeller Center. I was surprised at actually how small "The Rock" really is, it looks much larger on TV.
We were wandering through the streets of New York looking for a Lebanese restaurant but realized that we were going the wrong way so we just decided to find something as we walked and happened upon a Cuban restaurant. It was very good. I got the baked chicken special and we had a couple of fresh made sangria! Afterward we walked up to Rockefeller Center and treated ourselves to a dessert and some nice hot tea!
Thursday was when the mess began. The weathermen had been talking about a late Thursday ice storm that would be tough for the city to deal with so I made arrangements to be on a plane out of LGA early Thursday afternoon, a 1230 flight to be exact. I got a message early Thursday morning that the 1230 flight had been canceled because of maintenance so I made a decision to go to Minneapolis and back into Detroit. I raced out of the hotel, grabbed some money out of the ATM, got a Town Car and headed to the airport...where I realized that I had left my ATM card in the machine at the hotel!! I now had to manipulate all of the following on cash.
The airports in New York are famously bad about backing up and when weather is added into it all bets are off. I got to the airport and loaded the plane where we closed the door on time but sat for about 30 minutes before pushing back and going to the deicing pad. This is where we sat for three hours and two deicing attempts. Finally, we gave up and returned to the airport where the flight was canceled. I was able to write a check to the company for cash because one of the ladies had sold a good bit of snacks and liquor during her trip which was very fortunate and I thank her again for doing that for me. I was stuck and going on call and had to get back to Detroit. There wasn't anything going! Fortunately, one of the guys in my crashpad was also trying to commute to Detroit and I went back to his apartment to coordinate the next step. We both bought interline tickets on American (these are reduced fare tickets for airline employees to fly on other airlines, they are also called ZED fares). We checked the loads for the flights and realized that our chances of getting out were slim so we both began thinking about what we could do.
After a great nights sleep (which I needed as I have been fighting off a cold!) Todd, the crashpad mate, had a great idea. His family all lives in the Buffalo are and his Grandmother has a car that she is unable to use so he figured out that we could take jetBlue from JFK to Buffalo and then drive to Detroit which is what we wound up doing. Unfortunately in the rush to get out of his apartment, I left my phone charger and my phone died half way to Detroit. We finally arrived back in the Motor City two days late at about 130am Saturday morning.
It was a heck of a trip, I'm not sure I'll be going back to NYC anytime soon as that was a whole lotta drama! The fortunate thing is that we made it back here before Detroit gets hit with this huge storm that is coming our way this afternoon. At any moment we are expecting the skies to open up and the snow to begin to fall. The area is expecting around a foot of snow so getting back to base was of utmost as we will all probably be called out to get the airline back on its feet. BRACE!
So, I'm hunkered down in the hotel, BRING IT ON!
I got into JFK on Wednesday night and took the subway to Jay street where the hotel is and hung out with Sheri. Thursday we got up and went to lunch near the hotel at a really good Indian restaurant. We got some banana appetizer that was excellent. It was breaded like a sweet hushpuppy stuffed with banana. YUMMY!
Later that afternoon, as Sheri slept before her work, I went into Manhattan and met up with the old roomie, Sal. It was great to see him for a few hours as we always seem to have a good time even when we're doing nothing of note. We walked around and looked at the windows in all the big stores, Macys, Bergdorff-Goodmans, Sacks, and Lord & Taylor plus walked over to Rockefeller Center. I was surprised at actually how small "The Rock" really is, it looks much larger on TV.
We were wandering through the streets of New York looking for a Lebanese restaurant but realized that we were going the wrong way so we just decided to find something as we walked and happened upon a Cuban restaurant. It was very good. I got the baked chicken special and we had a couple of fresh made sangria! Afterward we walked up to Rockefeller Center and treated ourselves to a dessert and some nice hot tea!
Thursday was when the mess began. The weathermen had been talking about a late Thursday ice storm that would be tough for the city to deal with so I made arrangements to be on a plane out of LGA early Thursday afternoon, a 1230 flight to be exact. I got a message early Thursday morning that the 1230 flight had been canceled because of maintenance so I made a decision to go to Minneapolis and back into Detroit. I raced out of the hotel, grabbed some money out of the ATM, got a Town Car and headed to the airport...where I realized that I had left my ATM card in the machine at the hotel!! I now had to manipulate all of the following on cash.
The airports in New York are famously bad about backing up and when weather is added into it all bets are off. I got to the airport and loaded the plane where we closed the door on time but sat for about 30 minutes before pushing back and going to the deicing pad. This is where we sat for three hours and two deicing attempts. Finally, we gave up and returned to the airport where the flight was canceled. I was able to write a check to the company for cash because one of the ladies had sold a good bit of snacks and liquor during her trip which was very fortunate and I thank her again for doing that for me. I was stuck and going on call and had to get back to Detroit. There wasn't anything going! Fortunately, one of the guys in my crashpad was also trying to commute to Detroit and I went back to his apartment to coordinate the next step. We both bought interline tickets on American (these are reduced fare tickets for airline employees to fly on other airlines, they are also called ZED fares). We checked the loads for the flights and realized that our chances of getting out were slim so we both began thinking about what we could do.
After a great nights sleep (which I needed as I have been fighting off a cold!) Todd, the crashpad mate, had a great idea. His family all lives in the Buffalo are and his Grandmother has a car that she is unable to use so he figured out that we could take jetBlue from JFK to Buffalo and then drive to Detroit which is what we wound up doing. Unfortunately in the rush to get out of his apartment, I left my phone charger and my phone died half way to Detroit. We finally arrived back in the Motor City two days late at about 130am Saturday morning.
It was a heck of a trip, I'm not sure I'll be going back to NYC anytime soon as that was a whole lotta drama! The fortunate thing is that we made it back here before Detroit gets hit with this huge storm that is coming our way this afternoon. At any moment we are expecting the skies to open up and the snow to begin to fall. The area is expecting around a foot of snow so getting back to base was of utmost as we will all probably be called out to get the airline back on its feet. BRACE!
So, I'm hunkered down in the hotel, BRING IT ON!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Life Update
I haven't been very active with keeping everyone informed on what is going on so I should take a second here and speak to that.
My time in Charleston seems to be winding down. I've been renting from a buddy of mine that I've known since college while I tried to make some decisions. I was also trying to keep my expenses as low as possible for my big trip that I'm taking in the spring to see Jay, Heidi and the kids in Sarajevo. Unfortunately, Billy has hit a tough spot of his own and made a decision to give up his townhome. That has left me without a home for the time being. After some serious thought and a brief attempt at finding an area in this part of Michigan that I like I've decided that the best thing I can do right now is to take a base transfer to Minneapolis and relocate there.
In all reality, Billy leaving Charleston has probably been a good thing for me as it has forced me to make some decisions that I needed to make. The plan is to be in Minneapolis by February. Once I get all settled in, I'd love to have everyone come visit me! Minneapolis is a great city and there is plenty to do. Hope that everyone gets out that way to visit me!
Happy Holidays All, Be in Touch!
My time in Charleston seems to be winding down. I've been renting from a buddy of mine that I've known since college while I tried to make some decisions. I was also trying to keep my expenses as low as possible for my big trip that I'm taking in the spring to see Jay, Heidi and the kids in Sarajevo. Unfortunately, Billy has hit a tough spot of his own and made a decision to give up his townhome. That has left me without a home for the time being. After some serious thought and a brief attempt at finding an area in this part of Michigan that I like I've decided that the best thing I can do right now is to take a base transfer to Minneapolis and relocate there.
In all reality, Billy leaving Charleston has probably been a good thing for me as it has forced me to make some decisions that I needed to make. The plan is to be in Minneapolis by February. Once I get all settled in, I'd love to have everyone come visit me! Minneapolis is a great city and there is plenty to do. Hope that everyone gets out that way to visit me!
Happy Holidays All, Be in Touch!
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