I’ve been buried at work for the past several months and so have not had a chance to blog about the NBA playoffs, draft and lockout, NFL lockout, first half of the MLB season, and myriad other sports issues.  Life is sane again for me and just in time for me to take issue with Cliff Corcoran’s SI piece a few days back on the MLB MVP race. 

I actually have no opinion on his central point, which is that current consensus frontrunners, Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez are not the most valuable players in their respective leagues.  It’s July, who gives a crap who the MVP is in July?  My quarrel is with Corcoran’s use of advanced metrics to determine an absolute value for all players and then conclude that this is how the MVP should be selected.

Let’s be clear: I have no problem with the use of advanced metrics to deepen the sports fan’s understanding of what is happening in baseball – or any other sport for that matter.  My problem is with the fealty to pure statistical analysis without acknowledgement that sports are played by real men and women who interact with other men and women as teammates, adversaries, counselors, inspirations and those interactions lead to the outcomes of at-bats, games and seasons.

For example, fifty years from now fans are going to look back on Derek Jeter and have no idea how good he really was and how much his presence contributed to the Yankee dynasty.  There is no way statistics could ever accurately quantify his accomplishments.  Jeter is the best baserunner I have ever seen, but no advance metrics really measure that, nor do they measure the great instincts that lead to some of his most memorable plays.  Those metrics don’t measure his leadership and class.

So you will forgive me if I am skeptical that Mr. Corcoran’s can reduce the arguments against Fielder and for Kemp to pretty much the fact that Kemp’s numbers are comparable despite his playing home games in a much worse hitter’s park.  I’m not saying it doesn’t have relevance and I’m not saying that when the time comes to seriously think about who should win MVP, the issue of ballpark effects and talent around you shouldn’t matter at all.  I’m not saying I believe the writers have gotten it right when they’ve selected guys like Juan Gonzalez and Andre Dawson for the award when other players were more impactful on pennant races.  Context matters.

Like this context: Milwaukee is currently tied for first while the Dodgers are 11 games back.  According to Corcoran, that should not matter because: “Using team performance to evaluate the candidates for an individual award is simply illogical. Player value is absolute.”  I love the use of the word illogical – it’s like we’re in a Star Trek episode.

Not using team performance is what seems illogical to me.  We are talking about Most Valuable Player, not best player and player value is not absolute even when WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player) can be calculated.  Let’s look at it this way: I owe $10,000 to the bank or they will foreclose on my house.  Matt Kemp writes me a check for $8,000, which makes him a hell of a nice guy, who helped me out quite a bit, but my house is still in foreclosure.  On the other hand, if I owe $6,000 on my car and Prince Fielder writes me a check for $6,000, the family truckster is saved.  Fielder gave me less money, but the value he contributed is greater to me because now I get to keep my car, which I will now be living in because despite Kemp’s best efforts, my house is long gone.

If Matt Kemp’s contributions help the Dodgers win 75 games instead of the 68 they would have won without him, that’s great for him, but the Dodgers are not in the playoffs, they probably haven’t increased attendance and people will be talking about the Lakers even earlier in the fall than usual.  If Fielder’s contributions take the Brewers from 86 wins to 91 wins and that difference helps them win the division, he has a greater claim to the MVP, as far as I can see.

Again, I am simply using Kemp and Fielder as examples.  There could be other players on either of their teams who are deemed more valuable and there could be players on other winning teams who are more valuable than Fielder is on his winning team.  I also concede there are cases when an individual’s contributions are so overwhelming, even on a losing or mediocre team, that the individuals would still merit MVP consideration simply for how they have raised the game.  But generally, MVPs should go to winners and if MLB disagrees, they should change it to Player of the Year, damnit.

the boys of summer, it's time to eat!!

[1]     ABC KITCHEN: Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s farm to table restaurant may be his best yet. Great for lunch and excellent at dinner, ingredients come locally when possible. We consider it the best in town right now. It’ll be quiet at your table on occasion, not for lack of conversation – but stunned silence while tasting the food.

$$$$ 35 East 18th St (b/t B’way & Park Ave), 212.475.5829

www.abckitchennyc.com/

[2] GRAMERCY TAVERN: Locals consistently come back again and again for the American style spot. Chef Michael Anthony has brought an attention to detail and a knack for slow food style cooking churning out great dishes including Braised Lamb shoulder and Smoked Trout. Dine in the cafe or get on the list for a barstool for shorter waits and better pricing.

$$$$ 42 East 20th St, b/t Park Ave & Broadway. 212.477.0777

www.gramercytavern.com/

[3] LACONDA VERDE: “You’ll have time to rest when you’re dead” said Robert De Niro. Good for us foodies, he’s kept busy with this latest Tribecca taverna featuring Italian and American fare. The star here is the food and environment for diners, and not the aspiration for James Beard recognition. Start off with the wealth of small plates.

$$ 379 Greenwich St, @ N. Moore St. 212.925.3787

www.locandaverdenyc.com

[4] FREEMAN’S: There is none better for those who like hidden spots. At the end of one of the city’s few alleys sits this perfect blend of low key – highly gratifying spot. Wood plank floors, taxidermy work on the walls, farm-style food.. a cocktail menu that makes picking a drink easy for those who have difficulty making decisions. Understatement is a lost art in our city, hopefully Freeman’s will make it trendy.

$$ Freeman’s Alley, off Rivington b/t Bowery & Chrystie. 212.420.0012

www.freemansrestaurant.com/

[5] SAKAGURA: Whaaa? Midtown!?! Incredulity noted. After getting over the shock, foodies wind their way thru a maze in this high-rise building to this hidden Japanese restaurant touted for it’s Sake list (over 200). An inventive non-traditional menu focuses on small plates. The best dishes are the one’s you can’t find elsewhere so skip the sushi/sashimi choices. And try the bathroom that has the super-advanced toilet that would have coaxed godzilla into a pacifist.

$$ 211 East 43rd St (Basement), b/t 3rd& 2nd Aves. 212.953.7253

www.sakagura.com

M & M, it's on again.. time for food fun!

cafe muzio via flicker ny eater photostream

With that in mind I cautiously celebrate a re-birth. The owner of Choptank has scrapped the overpriced and underwhelming seafood spot for an Italian flavor. A collaborative idea with a Dell’Anima alum. In this case, nearly any change would constitute an improvement.

NY Eater puts it best, titling its post “Muzio opens in the Bones of Choptank.”  From the outside, a meat slicer is the window dressing. And because it’s new, it is drawing a crowd of nyer’s who like being first to try a new place. even tho most things about the place are old. Here’s a copy of the menu, designed for smaller portions, big on flavor. Sure, while everyone has to have Chicken Liver Mouse, like everyone wanted Stoli in the 90′s.. there are some savory original choices..

a favorite recommended to RL and I by a graceful and lovely bartender (Natalia) was the Spicy Calabrian Sausage. Imagine a sausage served cold with a touch of tartness, it works.

Another dish we tried was this eggplant with chili’s mash. Enough heat on it to exhale a little fire afterwards..

On an unabashed deep-fry kick lately, we also went with the Arancini braised goat/saffron/tomato filling. While they were out of braised goat that day, the substitute was fine.

I’ve got a few more dishes on deck for my next visit.. including their Bone Marrow Sformato, and a Blood Sausage. If those are a hit – coupled with the potential of any dining spot with as nice an outdoor space as Cafe Muzio has, it might lift the ‘curse’ status of the space that has now seen the ‘bones’ of both Choptank, and of Bar Q before it, tossed into trash bin.

ps.check the hours before you go, ripe as an all day spot.. right now they only open at 4p. That is expected to change.

Sapa Vietnam, via TripAdvisor

People want to see Sapa so badly; we endure a lot to get there. An overnight 9-hour sleeper train is just the start. Most cabins have 4 beds, some have 6. Sleeping in a box with 5 strangers are accommodations most of us softies just aren’t used to.

In fact it can get pretty comical. No food on the overnight train means you bring your own stash. Solids as well as liquids. Some immediately dash to the bathroom to rate its cleanliness.. Other’s check whether the light bulbs in their cabin work. The stops along the way are faaaaar from soft landings, but screeching halts – a subtlety that had me laughing at the perfect metaphor: Vietnam as a machine has endured so much, now it’s fully immersed in developing as an economic engine. It’s all sex, no foreplay – make money, finesse is a luxury. If the train needs to stop.. just slam on the brakes.

The train rolls into a town called Lo Cai somewhere after 4 in the morning. Moving like zombies, everyone is awake as the conductor has spent the last 25 minutes walking down the halls and slamming on the cabin walls as a prison guard drags his baton across the prison bars to make noise. Lo Cai might be okay, but it’s about an hour from Sapa, so as I approach the exit of the train station I look for the shuttle bus counter. On the right side of the bottleneck of backpacks and pulled luggage, I find the desk my friend told me to look for.. $3, not too shabby compared with the other prices I was quoted.

$3 and an hour later, the shuttle pulls up into a driveway and we all come pouring out. Sapa is an isolated town that sits in northwest Vietnam, bordering China. Known for its stunning scenery

Sapa, Vietnam

(infinity rice fields) and its ethnic diversity of hill tribes.. my first impression was “they’re out here already?!”  It’s 5 in the morning for chrissakes. As I wander around town without a hotel reservation but with a crude map I’ve lifted. I start getting the questions “Hellooooo, where you from?” “You go on trek? I take you on trek,” “You want buy things? You buy from me?”

In the back of my mind, a whisper as I take long strides on the muddy road – what if all the hotels are booked?! If it’s some local holiday? If, for instance, the tribecca film festival is being held here this week?! Is anyone going to be working at this hour or am I going to have to answer all these questions all morning long?! F*@% this solo traveling crap! I should have just booked that $60/night room I saw on-line!

“You need a room?!” booms a voice as I meander in my own type-a panic. The guy’s eyes remind me of the gypsy cab drivers inside the arrivals terminal at JFK. I brush him off as quickly as possible by fudging, “No thanks, am already booked at Cat Cat.” He replies with a very stern look, “oooh, Cat Cat hotel very far!” I walk past him. 90 seconds later, I am standing the lobby of Cat Cat hotel. I negotiate a room with a fireplace for $20/night.  Solo traveling is suddenly cool again.

my 'victorious' view from Cat Cat hotel

The Hmong and Dao ethnic tribes that live near Sapa are known for their fabrics that they produce clothing and blankets that they sell to you. I don’t like crowds (New Yorker) and I don’t like negotiating (American). But having spent some time out here I’ve begun to realize it’s a cultural hurdle for me to overcome. I’m not an artist at it, but I can keep it exciting.

trekking thru Sapa

Shopping aside, other tourists seem to be preoccupied with taking pictures of every single tribesman they see.. including the snot-nosed kids. But the main events in Sapa are the treks you can take to soak in the scenery. The closest village is Cat Cat (thus the name of my hotel). And the first thing I notice is that some of the rice fields have been left unattended, the second thing I notice is the gauntlet of retail vendors you walk thru as you first enter the village.. stall after stall after frikin stall selling the very same merchandise! Perhaps hoping you’ll have changed your mind after walking 10 meters but are too lazy to return.

The result of these two observations should be alarming for the leaders of Sapa. The economy there has converted into money becoming the “drug of choice” as some called it. The tribes are leaving their farming traditions to compete is selling identical merchandise which means who can hook into a tourist better wins/sells. It also undermines their bargaining power when the person next to them may be hungrier and willing to undercut their price.  If this continues, they will be saps for ruining precisely what it is that tourists have come to see.

muddy trek outside Sapa

Nonetheless, for now, there is still enough of Sapa there that makes the journey worthwhile. And I sign up for a longer trek with a guide to try to get further out of town to see it.

Chao, a guide in Sapa

Chao is a boppy 18 year old who could pass for 12. She’s considered a veteran as children in Sapa start working when they’re just 5 years old. She’s considered an independent woman as they usually start marrying at the over-the-hill age of 15. “I don’t want to get married!” she chirps, “if you get married have to have children and take care of husband.. too much work!!”

The trek is an adventure that begins with a posse of tribeswoman who follows you and tries to befriend you. “where you from?” is their gateway conversation. I don’t take the bait, I don’t want to be bothered and I just know you’re up to something. I think to myself: You didn’t get up at 3 this morning and hike 2 hours into town to learn more about my New Yorker ass. “I’m from Sapa” I say with a brisk tone, they leave me alone.

Our trek thru Lao Chai and Ta Van is at times steep treacherous and muddy.. feeling very smart about the .50-cent bamboo stick I bought, I am able to avoid the posse tribes ladies’ motive – to help you on the mudslide portions of the trek so you have to tip them later. Big travelers tip here: ret the gumboots!

how would my sneakers have fared?!

The view from the trek is stunning. The rice fields go on seemingly forever. I reminisce of the fields in Bali.

Sapa, Vietnam

“Home stay” is a term that was new to me before this trip. That is, staying with a local family. And while I’ve known people who travel that way, I’ve never seen it as advertised as it was in Sapa. In the town of Ta Van, Chao tells me there are 40 home stays. Each of them houses up to 20 people, and as I glance at the western style bathrooms, I begin to realize they’re essentially hostels. I may grumble a bit, but part of me was envious of the couple from the UK/Spain we left behind – their home stay even had a pool table! Another travelers tip, the home stays begin your dinner with a big bottle of rice moonshine, if you’re going to partake, bring alleve for the morning after.

Street vendors in Sapa, Vietnam

Back in town, for food there is really just one street, Cau May. Red Gecko is one favorably reviewed that suffers the same affliction as the others. Sapa is so poor, restaurants get by on just a handful of customers a day. Viet Emotion had 2 things going for it, a Huntsman meal that was served with sticky rice stuffed in a bamboo shoot.. and a Dai Viet dark lager – which I subsequently could not find anywhere else. My pals from Lichtenstein favored a place (on the same stretch, of course) that had a happy hour where they served a piping hot gluvine for free – we had just a few before I hoped into a packed suv for the hour trek to the overnight train back into Hanoi.

JG @ Jos

I am pleased to announce, winter is dead. And what better way to celebrate than happy hour oysters?!.. it’s the perfect storm! For one, we can get to the place without having to bundle up like an eskimo (not to imply they don’t look great).. and secondly, it’s cool enough for the oysters to be fresh, without having to put up with freezing temps ourselves (what’s that they say? oysters are better in the months that end with ‘er’.. lest you have to end up at an ‘e.r.‘ – actually, we added that last part). So here are 5 picks for oyster spots, all but one have happy hours.

[1] JO’S – Not because it’s name of one of our good friends but because it feels like the right place to meet up with your good friends at the end of a busy day. Dollar oysters (5p – 8p) and a drinks menu that has variety and authority. Flexible and stiff.
$$ 264 Elizabeth St, b/t Houston & Prince. 212.966.9640
link: josnyc.com/

[3] LURE – If you’re lured in get lured in early. Just about a dozen stools for those who hit the 5p-7p oyster happy hour ($1.50/per) during which they also have little neck clams, shrimp tempura and lobster croutons. Gets pricey at dinner in case you’re the one on the hook for the tab.
$$$$ 142 Mercer, @ Prince. 212.431.7676
link: lurefishbar.com/index.php

secret spot in point lookout

[4] FISH – Until 7p, half a dozen blue point oysters or half a dozen little neck clams + a house wine or PBR beer for $8. While you might have to pay me to drink PBR, their house wine is surprisingly good which is what makes it a great deal.
$$ 280 Bleecker, @ Jones. 212.727.2879
link: fishrestaurantnyc.com

[5] GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR – On our list out of respect it doesn’t have a happy hour, it the heart of a landmark just has history. Adding to the novelty the looping lunch counter. A decent wine and beer list, the oyster selection is as long as it is a crapshoot. Smell your oysters because they often serve up ones that have gone bad. And self shuck because its like the shucker had one hand texting while on the job.
$$$$ Grand Central Station, side ramp. 212.490.6650
link: http://www.oysterbarny.com/

A few days ago, Carmelo Anthony had a monster game for the Knicks, knocking down 6 (of 13) threes and generally dominating Indiana.  He even drained the go-ahead shot for the Knicks in the closing seconds and then blocked Danny Granger’s last second shot attempt to save the game.  I wrote a comment on probasketballtalk.com to the effect that the defensive play was the most encouraging sign for Knicks fans and that if only Anthony could refrain from jacking up 94 threes a game, we’d be fine.  Several commenters followed up by noting that Anthony is a 40+ percent 3-point shooter, so why shouldn’t keep firing from that distance?  It’s a reasonable point, and one that I did not respond to because it’s hard to create the type of response necessary in the comment section of someone else’s blog.

 

photo via: everyjoe.com

photo: chumley's interior in vanishingnewyork.com

I was off to such a mixed start this morning. Got up at 5am, no good reason. It’s not like me, I don’t do insomnia. Normally, a second crack at falling back asleep would be in order But since 2007, construction starts outside my window at 7am promptly. If it isn’t against the law – it should be. Tossed in with the 2-3 times a week they actually begin before that.

I know what you’re thinking: that’s why the city has 3-1-1. But for the last 4 years, I’ve put up with it because the noise comes from the former, and legendary speakeasy, Chumley’s. A former colleague AG was the one to first tell me years ago about how the bar/restaurant phrase “86″ (when a bar patron is refused service or a restaurant is out of something) came from the historic West Village bar/restaurant. During prohibition days the front entrance was on Barrow St, the Bedford St side is number 86. So, when the federales came they would yell to “86 the alcohol,” an order to rush the alcohol out the back door. Many years ago, someone there showed me around, the trapdoor where the contraband came in straight from the Hudson River in tunnels – it never even saw daylight. A fake Batman-esque bookshelf, one push and you’re in the alley. (more of Chumley history here)

Chumley's as it has been since 2007

With a history as rich as this, I was amongst those crushed with its chimney collapse. Many in the neighborhood were pulling for its comeback, a wistfulness akin to the melancholy if one of the 4 Marc Jacobs stores on Bleecker were to close (right). Chumley’s is one of the few nyc places where a liquor license would be waiting for them. Residents want it there. After all what place have we where writers/poets including Faulkner, Cummings, O’Neill and Steinbeck visited.

Back to this morning, to make the most of being up so early – I decided to be productive and go for my run pronto. When I got back, there was a flier in the lobby, a petition that says Chumley’s will reopen as a.. sports bar. This is what it said:

I, the undersigned, assert:

————————————-

The Fireman’s Union is funding the new Chumley’s?! Well, I’ll bet getting it up to code for approval was easy. I want Chumley’s to re-open I don’t care if Donald Trump does it. But just like he would turn it into black and cheap 80′s gold, does the speakeasy from 1926 – one of the oldest bars in New York – need a new schtik to make it work? Before the collapse, Chumley’s was always busy as it is. Even years after the chimney collapse tourists have been coming looking for the spot prominently praised in the guidebook.

There’s a more poetic way to say this but I’ve been telling myself for 4 years now that the early morning hammering and clanging is worth it. I thought it meant we get Chumley’s back! But to get another sports bar that nudges the history of the great speakeasy aside – I don’t like it.

 As for those perpetual rumors of its comeback. This is a photo of the place right now. Not a chance of being done soon, it is nowhere near completion. So we have a sports bar on Bedford to look forward to, after all these noisy early mornings that I’ll wager will last a while longer. I wonder, how would Eugene O’Neill would put it?

Watch yourself. I have to begin with a warning of scams – inventive ways to prey on visitors. Two to speak of, beginning with (1) hotels: once a hotel is reviewed in, say, Lonely Planet – clones will open by the same name on the same street. One street I looked at had 3 hotels bearing the identical name. Hotels pay off taxi drivers then to bring in tourists, telling them “that’s the place! Look at the hotel name.. and the street!” tisk tisk. Solution: don’t give your driver the name of the hotel you’re going to, write the address down on a piece of paper. That ought to work until they figure out how to rename streets. By the way, even restaurants take some figuring out (we’ll get to that in a minute).

Scam number (2) taxis. Getting a proper cab is a bit of a crapshoot. And when it’s crap – it be TOLtal crap! The ride in from the airport is $15 usd, but some metered cabs will take you to a museum in town for $30 usd or more. I put my foot down (after falling for it two and a half times). Meters should begin at 10k vnd, if it’s more – be nervous. Solution: the green and white cabs are currently the honest ones. Given that can change by the time the ink dries on this post – work out a price estimate beforehand,, taxis within Hanoi should cost a couple bucks to go anywhere.. If you surpass $10 usd, you should be seeing an airplane in front of you.

veterans visiting Ho Chi Minh mausoleum

look ma, no hands!

I hate to launch with scams, but that’s a part of the identity of Vietnam. Decades of fighting (the French, the Cambodians, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Americans, themselves..) has defined its people. Hard from constant fear and battle, they are also inventive and hardworking. And now that there is a moment of peace – it’s time to get paid. Vietnam is heavy on tourism.. the town of Hoi An, for example, is 85% tourism driven, And so everyone has turned their attention to tourism for commerce.. should we be surprised then that scams are so prevalent? All of it is enough to ‘P__ on your Parade.” Word hint provided on this photo.

Its colonial flavor still in tact, there is plenty to love about Hanoi. Its crowded streets and its range of phenomenal food stops. Considering it’s my first visit to Vietnam, two things jump out – my first dose of streets dense with ‘motorcycles’ (what we refer to as ‘scooters’), and the narrowness of its buildings – which is what you get when you get taxed on the width of your property.

construction workers at heritage museum

As a tourist there are plenty of things to do and go see. Ho Chi Minh is embalmed, and a visit to the mausoleum shows you just how revered he still is today. Turning down the palatial mansion and instead opting for a far more modest living quarter – still preserved (tho the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a closet makes me wonder if we’re not seeing the entire story there. I mean, where did he hang his stuff?!). The heritage museum is another plus, cataloging the dozens of different tribes that make up Vietnam. Its most unique feature sits on the grounds out back where the different styles of building from the different tribes are represented. You get to travel all of Vietnam within a few acres. These guys here are building yet another structure..

John McCain being pulled from Truc Bach Lake

The Hanoi Hilton prison represents a bit of a challenge. The place made famous when John McCain was held there during the Vietnam War. History is written by the winners, and the Vietnamese documentary there is laced so thick with propaganda, it turns the stomach of many American visitors. But one point to be made, McCain was pulled out of Hoa Loa lake nearby – and not killed. While Hanoi was getting the crap bombed out of it. In many countries, he would not have been saved by the people we were there to kill. McCain was on his 23rd Bombing run.

inside cha ca la vong, Hanoi

outside on the street, Hanoi

But best of all, Hanoi presents a warren of food choices.

lemongrass clams, Hanoi street food

Here are a few that ranked highly: We begin with street food, while the snail experience was what my friend’s father was promoting, here I rediscovered my love for clams.

hanoi street food: lady grilling snails

Cha Ca La Vong is one of a kind. Coincidentally,

complete menu at Cha Ca La Vong

the number ‘one’ also comes up when describing their menu. Here’s the menu (on the right here)– the entire menu.. CCLV is sooo good they need only make one dish. A stewed fish in tumeric with some greenery – it’s enough to convert non-fish lovers! Oh, one warning.. just like the hotel scam there’s more than one Cha Ca La Vong, so I’m including here a picture of the sign of the right one.

the one dish

grilled fish @ cha ca la vong, Hanoi Vietnam

the real cha ca la vong in Hanoi

And for lunch, there’s another favorite..

nha hang dac kim, Hanoi Vietnam

Nha Hang Dac KIm a lunch place locals consider ‘on the pricey side’ yet they go – for this.. the Bun Cha!

bun cha lunch, yummy!

Some additional places that hit the spot: Find the Apple Tart Bakery on a side street. And have a Vietnamese coffee in the hotel lobby across the street in a crowd of Vietnamese businessmen taking their drinks.

ha long bay, vietnam

This brings me to our side-journey: Ha Long Bay, a stunning bay with hundreds of islands made of rock formations that jut out of the water – much like in our Krabi post. While I was in Luang Pra Bang, two Norwegians warned me not to go the cheap – they had a horrible time. Coupled with the fact that one of the tour-boats sank recently, killing nearly everyone on-board. My guide would later joke “When I stay on the boat, I sleep with the life jackets next to my bed now.” Another advisor for the trip said, “sleep on the top deck, it’s beautiful and the right place to be in case the boat sinks – and they do go down from time to time.”  So *ooookay, no skimping. A quick search brought me to Red Dragon, and I’m so glad it did. Red Dragon operates a number of junkets in Ha Long Bay, styled after the old school version; it’s as luxe as it gets for me on a boat. The rooms were as nice as the pictures on their website, and their bathroom was actually nicer than in some of the hotels I stayed in on this trip.

floating village outside ha long bay, vietnam

So on the Dragon Pearl I went, the first thing you notice is the training of the staff, all waving when you arrive, the captain comes out and gives a welcome speech. I’m sure he has to do it every time, but there’s a sincerity to it that is impossible to brush off. A guide then maps out the journey ahead (their trips run 2 days to 5 days) and you’re off. Most boat tours of Ha Long Bay travel down the western side, and from what I hear (Norwegians again), it’s awfully crowded. But our junket wound through the western islands, we were virtually alone. Cave exploring, kayaking, visiting a floating village that farms oyster pearls.. All of it isn’t to be missed.

taxis at the floating village and the girls from the village

Food-wise, the kitchen was magical, churning out 12 course stuff fests, the menu changed with every meal. And the best part, the people on my boat rocked.

Going into Hanoi, I considered skipping the long trip to Ha Long Bay – a friend talked me out of it.. A thanks is owed. Now, onto Sapa…

Fact: The NCAA sucks.

This is the first year of the NCAA’s 14 year, 10.8 billion dollar contract with CBS and Turner for basketball.  Mind you, the NCAA is a non-profit institution, so the organization doesn’t keep any of that money – except for the approximately $2 million a year it pays to new NCAA president, Mark Emmert, whatever else it lays out to keep him happy and productive, and of course, the 44 member staff of the organization.  Watch the recent PBS Frontline episode on the NCAA if you are interested in learning more about what it takes to be a modern day Don Corleone.  So anyway, the bulk of 10.8 billion dollars goes to the NCAA member institutions, so they can spend tens of millions of dollars hiring coaches to exploit their athletes.

Most popular draws for fans to this year’s tournament games:

Jimmer Fredette

Kemba Walker

Combined compensation paid to those two major draws: nothing.  Seems fair, doesn’t it?

As Mr. Emmert points out, these young men are student-athletes, who receive valuable scholarships to the best institutions in the country in exchange for their efforts on the basketball court.  And as long as they don’t try to schedule classes that end after noon or mind missing approximately 20% of their classes from October 15^th to, in Walker’s case, early April, the trade off is fair, right?  By way of comparison, Walker’s coach earns approximately $2 million per year in salary, plus perks including compensation from sneaker companies that some estimate exceeds $500,000 a year.  Well, of course.  Once the kids in the hood see Jim Calhoun sporting a particular pair of kicks…  Claiming that the athletes who work full-time to bring in billions of dollars to the NCAA and its member schools aren’t entitled to compensation because they are student athletes is like me hiring my kids for house and yard work and not giving them any of the money because they get to live in the beautiful new mansion I bought with the payments.  Until they’re eighteen.  Unless one tears an ACL, in which case it’s off to foster care.

But wait, there’s more.

I could spend the entire day lambasting the NCAA, but one of favorite parts of the recent Frontline piece was the conversation the reporter had with Ed O’Bannon.  O’Bannon led the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA championship in 1995.  For that accomplishment, O’Bannon earned, wait…carry the three…ZERO dollars and ZERO cents.  He was, though, granted the honor of signing a contract, that permits the NCAA to profit from the use of his image in a UCLA uniform in perpetuity without compensating him.  So when O’Bannon saw his likeness on an EA Sports game in 2009, it didn’t take him long to calculate his share of the royalties.  O’Bannon is now the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA over the use of those likenesses.

I don’t have a rooting interest in Butler vs. UConn tonight, but you can believe I’ll be rooting for Team O’Bannon in this lawsuit.

What a wonderful world we live in when 18 year olds can work harder than professional athletes in European leagues for nothing more than the right to sit in a class and learn how not to be exploited by an oligarchic power structure.  Or not.