Rafael Palmeiro: Timeline

Born: September 24, 1964

1982: Drafted by New York Mets, but did not sign

1982-85: Mississippi State University (All American)

1985: Only SEC player to win Triple Crown

1985: Drafted by Chicago Cubs

Debut: September 8, 1986 (Cubs)

1988: Traded to Texas Rangers

1993: Signed with Baltimore Orioles

1998: Signed with Rangers

2003: Hit 500th home run

2004: Signed with Orioles

2005: Denied steroid use before Congress

2005: 3000th hit

2005: Suspended for steroid use

2007: Appeared in Mitchell Report on steroid abuse

2008: Mississippi State Hall of Fame

2014: Dropped off Hall of Fame ballot (4.4%)


Accomplishments:
4x All Star

3x Gold Glove

2x Silver Slugger

Most games by a player to never appear in a World Series (2,831)

.288

569 HR

1835 RBI

1663 Runs

3020 Hits

585 doubles

1353 Walks-1348 Strikeouts

.371 OBP

.515 Slugging

.885 OPS

5388 TB

100+ Runs: 4x

203 hits (1991)

30+ Doubles: 11x

40+ Doubles: 4x

20+ HR: 14x

30+ HR: 10x

40+ HR: 4x

100+ RBI: 10x

22 SB (1993)

100+ Walks: 3x

.300 average: 6x

.420 OBP (1999)

.500 SLugging: 11x

.630 Slugging (1999)

1.050 OPS (1999)

300+ TB: 9x

Led league in runs (124): 1993

Led league in hits (191): 1990

Led league in doubles (49): 1991

Postseason: .244, 4 HR, 8 RBI, .759 OPS (5 Series)

Douche Bag of the Year (2011)

Been a good year for Douche Bags…Here are the nominees for Douche Bag of the Year for 2011...

Casey Antony & other baby killers: There seemed to be an inordinate amount of people suspected of murdering their children. Casey Anthony became the poster child for this lot. In her case, another stupid jury decided to acquit as opposed to use common sense. The Anthony Jury’s infamy ranks with the O.J, Michael Jackson, and Robert Blake juries.

Charlie Sheen: ‘nuf said.

Herman Cain: Cain served as a lesson to those looking to run for presidency without really expecting to win.

Kim Kardashian: A total waste of space.

Barack Obama: Entering the fourth year of a failed presidency, Obama decides to attack Washington and engage in bigoted class warfare…even though he’s been part of the Washington establishment for a decade. He is no longer interested in governing.

Occupy Wall Street: A vacuous movement that has railed against capitalism and big banks. While most can sympathize with the attacks on banks, the movement has engaged in a number of crimes and vandalism leading to over 5000 arrests.

Justin Bieber: Is his 15 minutes up yet?

Donald Trump: The term media whore applies here.

Eric Holder: Holder sues Arizona while shipping guns to Mexican drug cartels. He absolves voter intimidation in 2008 while attacking states for trying to ensure people’s voting rights.

Ashton Kutcher: Not quite Charlie Sheen, but he did replace him on TV.

The NBA: Anyone notice the lockout?

The Philadelphia Eagles: They dubbed themselves the Dream team…hubris.

Pedophiles in sports: Penn State, Bill Conlin, & Syracuse all had their own scandals involving underage abuse.

Congress: Osama Bin Laden may be more popular than Congress.

and the winner: Casey Anthony

Former winners: Reality TV people (2009), LeBron James (2010)

US Economic Downturns 1929-2009

Event: Great Depression (1929-1941)
Cause: Worldwide collapse, US Banking Collapse, Over extension of Credit, Overproduction of consumer goods
Government Response: The Hoover Administration attempted to pump money into businesses, raised taxes (income tax hit 63%), and raised tariffs. FDR launched the New Deal which included massive government spending, income tax rates up to 89% and new excise taxes on things ranging from gas to movie tickets.
Results: Hoover made the depression worse. FDR’s programs saved the banks, but the New Deal may have prolonged the depression. People began using a barter economy to escape taxation.
How it ended: Japan bombed Pearl Harbor

Event: Recession of 1937-1939
Cause: A series of labor strikes crippled the economy.
Government Response: More spending & a rhetorical campaign by FDR
Results: The stimulus failed.
How it ended: The economy began to recover with the increase in military expenditures and an end of the labor strikes.

Event: Recession of 1953-1954
Cause: End of the Korean War led to a cut in industrial production & fed policy
Government Response: None
Results: Economy recovered on its own
How it ended: Economy recovered and began to boom.

Event: Recession of 1957-1958
Cause: Worldwide downturn; Fed policy
Government Response: None
Results: Economy recovered on its own
How it ended: Economy recovered on its own

Event: Recession of 1960-1961
Cause: Fed Policy
Government Response: V.P. Nixon pushed for a looser fed policy to increase credit; Ike refused. JFK cut taxes.
Results: Long period of growth
How it ended: Tax cuts and later military spending led to a boom.

Event: Recession of 1973-74
Cause: Arab oil embargo, end of military expenditures with end of Vietnam War, stagnated wages as a result of the Great Society
Government Response: Wage and Price Controls
Results: Led to stagflation
How it ended: The economy came around, but remained sketchy for the remainder of the decade as a result of a number of factors including the energy crisis, government action under Ford and Carter, and The Great Society.

Event: Recession of 1979-1982
Cause: Iranian Revolution led to an energy crisis, fed monetary policy, the cost of Great Society programs, and general government mismanagement.
Government Response: Carter attacked the American people in the malaise speech, deregulation, tight fed policy, increased social spending. Reagan cut taxes and increased military spending.
Results: Carter’s policies led to hyperinflation and the misery index. Reagan’s led to an economic boom.
How it ended: Deregulation under both Carter and Reagan worked. Both deserve credit for saving Chrysler Corp. Reagan’s tax and military policies led to a boom. The energy crisis ended as the Middle East stabilized following the Iranian Revolution.

Event: Recession of 1990-1991
Cause: Cuts in military spending, a tax increase, spike in oil prices due to Gulf War, and S&L Crisis.
Government Response: Bush raised taxes and put the country on the course for a balanced budget. The private sector adapted.
Results: The recession was over relatively quickly, but the general public did not realize it until mid-1993.
How it ended: The private sector adapted. Tech boom.

Event: Recession of 2000-2001
Cause: Tech bubble burst, a series of business scandals, and 911
Government Response: Clinton did nothing. Bush cut taxes.
Results: The economy survived and boomed for a short time.
How it ended: Tax cuts kept the economy afloat.

Event: The current downturn (2007-present)
Cause: Collapse of housing market, bank failures, over extension of credit due to government interference, high energy prices, and a worldwide downturn.
Government Response: Under Bush, Fed loosened monetary policy, bailouts, and stimulus plans. Under Obama, increased government spending and tax increases.
Results: Thus far, the recession has deepened and since Obama’s election, the stock market has lost 20% of its value.
How it ended: ????