Remembering Bill Walsh

As most San Francisco Bay Area sports fans have learned, former 49er and Stanford football coach Bill Walsh passed away today. No doubt there'll be hundreds of blogs written about one's memories of Coach Walsh's tenure with the 49ers.

Mine started in 1982. An Ohio State student at the time, my sister Cindy and I attended a Super Bowl party to see the 49ers versus the Cincinnati Bengals. As an ardent Buckeye follower and Ohio resident, we all wanted the Bengals. But the 49ers had a prominent Ohio connection. Our host Rick, a student from Youngstown, told us the 49ers owner, Eddie DeBartolo, lived and owned his business in Youngstown.

Since I was cheering for the Bengals, it was disappointing, but not heartbreaking (much more a Cleveland Browns fan then) for me to see them unable to score after a 4th and goal. I was bummed but in awe that the 49ers defense held the Bengals from scoring. Little did I know in 2 years I would be cheering for the "enemy". Oh, and my car was towed from Rick's apartment complex during the game.

When I moved to San Francisco in August, 1983, the NFL season was only a few weeks away. I found it strange at first to watch 49ers games. It was even stranger not to have Dad in the same room smoking and swearing at the TV from his favorite recliner. But as the weeks passed, I grew to like the 49ers. Coach Walsh, Joe Montana and Dwight Clark were the main reasons why I became a fan.

Once the 49ers made it into the Super Bowl in 1985, I got invited to another party hosted by one of the guys in the church basketball group I played with on Saturdays at Lincoln High School. While Buckeye football fans are among the most passionate, the 49er fans I met came pretty close. After hearing whoops and cheers throughout the neighborhood immediately after the game ended, there was no going back.

In 1989, I ended up watching Super Bowl XXIII alone. It was one of the most exciting games I'd ever seen (Ohio State versus Miami in the BCS 2003 ranks right up there). After wide receiver John Taylor scored the winning touchdown, I could hear several of my neighbors across the street screaming. This would be Walsh's last game as the 49ers head coach.

Under Walsh's tutelage, the 49ers made winning look easy. So easy many of us took it for granted. We know how difficult it was only after he was no longer coach. Just ask Dennis Erickson. Thanks for the wonderful, wonderful memories, Coach. You will be sorely missed.

photo courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle

Job opening

I found out today that my job has been officially posted at Yahoo! Hot Jobs last week. I've been told there have been a few applicants. I hope that I'll get to meet and train my replacement before my job officially ends. If you're curious about the work I do, go to Hot Jobs, type in "treasury analyst", Dallas, TX. Look for the retail posting in Plano.

Happy Birthday, Cindy!

Today is my sister's Cindy's birthday. Older by only 10 months and 3 weeks, we are the same age for 3 weeks every year. Because we were so close in age, Mom dressed us up like twins until I was about 10.

This picture was taken of us just before our trip to Cleveland to visit the Chang family (Mom's sister's family) in April, 1969. Cindy is the one on the right. As you can see, Mom succeeded very well in her goal to make us twins. Same haircut, coat, dress, shoes and socks.

But we're much, much older now. We live 3 time zones away from each other, and don't dress alike anymore. We do both have finance occupations and Dad still can't tell our voices apart. Cindy is also one of the most diehard of Buckeye fans among us all.

The Blame Game

I am seeing more and more stories of people blaming problems on someone or something else. A Reno couple blaming internet addiction on their reason for child neglect. A San Jose mother blaming the drowning of her 4-year old son on Great America. Two years ago, unofficially retired Baltimore Oriole Rafael Palmeiro claimed teammate Miguel Tejada supplied him with steroids.

STOP!

To the Reno couple, Michael and Iana Straw, do the terms abstinence or birth control mean anything to you? I hope they sterilize you while you're locked up and never allow you to see your children ever again.

To San Jose mom Yolanda Flores, yes, losing your son was terribly tragic. But where exactly were you when your son was found in the water? It wouldn't have mattered if there were 50 lifeguards on duty. Your son should have never been left alone.

And, to Mr. Palmeiro, naming another teammate as a contributor to your admitted steroid use was truly classless. Whatever respect anyone had for you is all gone. I hope every waking moment of your life you feel terrible about what you said.

Come on, be an adult and accept responsibility for your actions. You have no one but yourselves to blame.

Thou shalt not steal

Tonight I stayed late at the office for 2 reasons, the first, our cleaning person Isaurina was cleaning our condo at 5:30 p.m. She was unable to come on her usual day (every other Tuesday). The second, I caught another employee stealing from us. The employee hasn't yet been questioned, but I've done enough of these audits to know what I found is outright stealing.

As written in my previous entry in October, 2006, I understand the temptations to steal, but not much else. For me, I could never live with myself. Nor would I be able to find any decent paying job where trust is paramount. I'd have to live my life in complete isolation, which for an outgoing, extroverted person like me, is a fate worse than death.

While I would NEVER condone stealing, D.B. Cooper's stunt in 1971 is the way to go. Plan it extremely well, do it only once for a huge sum of money, and never be seen or heard from again.