Scooter Chronicles

Welcome to the first edition of “Ask Scooter Anything”. Thanks to everyone who asked questions. Even if they were trying to be a smarta**. Just remember: ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.

: )

Before you start reading my answers, first let me say that none of them are in any way meant to offend anyone and should not be taken that way, even if they differ from your own opinion. Remember, this site is my site, therefore full of my opinions. And even if I rant about something, it doesn’t mean that I want to upset anyone or disagree for the sake of argument. Well, accept for any cracks towards NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. But then again I don’t make any cracks at Mr. Bettman in this post. However, those may come later when I post my thoughts about the recent NHL season.

So let us not delay any longer. Here they are!

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David asked:

Why is it that bosons do not obey the Pauli Exclusion Principle?

Because bosons are bratty little pieces of matter that never listen to anyone.

Seriously, I didn’t know until I found this:

The Pauli Exclusion Principle states that identical fermions - one type of fundamental matter - cannot be in the same place at the same time and with the same orientation. The other type of matter, bosons, do not have this property, as demonstrated clearly by recently created Bose-Einstein condensates.

But knowing you David, you probably already knew this.

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Roger asked:

So far, what has been your biggest-happiest-proudest moment of being Nigel’s father?

One of the happiest moments was the realization that Nigel had gotten over his acid reflux and colic problems. I was happy because he was no longer in pain. I was also happy that Marcia and I could better pinpoint what he was crying about and comfort him, or get him what he needed, instead of it just being inconsolable crying. Of course, I was also happy that he wasn’t crying anymore for the sake of our ears.

The biggest/proudest moment so far has been Nigel sitting up on his own and rolling over. They both have happened around the same time. And he seemed to do them quickly from the time we started getting him to try them. I know we were behind with giving him “tummy time” to learn how to roll over, so he might have developed that skill sooner. But when we started pushing it, it didn’t take long for him to get it.

Heaven: Does it exist?

Wow! Tough question. Obviously I don’t have the actual answer. Do I believe it exists? I want to believe it does. I want to believe that some type of afterlife exists. I consider myself a Christian, however, I still have times of doubt. Though maybe I shouldn’t say that I doubt that God and Heaven exists. It’s more like being scared that God and Heaven doesn’t exist.

Resurrection. Will our lives in heaven be only as souls, or will it be in body as well? If it is bodily, which body type? Tattoos et al?

Back in high school, one of my cross country teammates took some of us to meet one of his grandfathers. There is too long of a story why, but he was a rather religious man. He told us that day that supposedly we will appear as we were at 30 years old when in Heaven. For some reason this has always stuck in my mind. I don’t know how he came across that information.

I kind of believe though that we would appear more as we see ourselves at our happiest of times during our lives on Earth. But that would only be a way to present ourselves to others. I would think that it wouldn’t be in a true flesh and blood body form.

Is violence ever justified?

Out right violence towards a person is really hard to ever justify. Self defense is another issue. Or when it the saves the lives of many. For instance, violently doing away with Hitler.

Do you believe in violent resistance when it comes to protecting your loved ones?

As a last resort, yes. I would honestly be scared to try. Though I wouldn’t do anything that I know could kill anyone.

Is there a hell?

Not sure. (Though I have been thinking about this since you asked these questions on your site.) Sometimes I think that hell is the absence of Heaven. Meaning that not being able to take my memories with me into an afterlife, and it just being a dark, silent sleep for eternity, would be hell to me.

Who goes there?

Not for me to judge. Though I will be honest that I have used the phrase “Go to hell!” before. I haven’t really ever meant it though.

Does suicide necessarily send you there?

My answer is that it’s not for me to judge. I know I was taught in catechism that it does.

However, this question leads me to wonder and ask another question. What about people that are on life support and ask to have the machine shut off? I remember reading about a man that had been on life support for almost (or over) 20 years. He had a nasty crash while surfing when he was late teens or early 20’s. If I remember correctly, EMS got to him just in time, resuscitated him, and got him hooked to a life support machine. He later gained consciousness, but he was paralyzed from the neck down and needed the life support system to breathe for him. He fought court battles to be able to get the machine shut off to die. How could he be condemned to hell?

I seriously don’t want to question God and His will, but it makes me wonder. After all, if those helping him had been slower, or not as good, or not as lucky, he may have died on the beach, naturally (even if by accident). And only a machine kept him alive after (he won his court case and died an hour or so after life support was shut off). He didn’t kill himself out of depression, or end his life prematurely to avoid the painful and dreadful effects of a terminal illness. For all intents and purposes, he was already dead. It just makes me wonder.

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My Uncle Steve asked:

What is your favorite summertime brew?

I have two, and one is more available then the other. First is Sam Adams’ Summer Ale. It’s a great wheat ale with lemon and spice flavors. Nice and cloudy, too. Second is Hoegaarden, a Belgian whit beer.

What is your favorite brew?

Too hard to choose one. Here are my Top Five (in no particular order):

1. Victory Golden Monkey
2. Magic Hat #9
3. Hoegaarden
4. Petrus Old Brown Ale
5. Belle-Vue Kriek (Cherry) Lambic

To be fair, I only listed those that I drink on a somewhat regular basis. This is due to availability or price. Or the fact that one of these has been given to me as a birthday gift.

What is your favorite Brewery?

If this was asked of me last year, or even about six months ago, I might have said Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. But now I would say my favorite is Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec. The only problem is that it’s not readily available around here. I can find separate bottles from time to time, while Victory is just down the street essentially, so all the beer stores have many cases to choose from.

Another one that is really close to those two on the list is Magic Hat in South Burlington, Vermont. Cases are readily available around here which helps.

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My brother Brian asked:

Do dogs and bees really smell fear?

From my experience with our dog, Molson, if he smells any fear it’s his own.

Here is a LINK with an article credited to someone named Sharon Lynn (no credentials listed) about animals smelling fear.

For those of you that don’t want to read it, here is her short answer:

It is well-documented that the fear response in most animals includes a series of visual, acoustic, and possibly olfactory stimuli which may alert a potential predator or attacker (Pruitt and Burghardt, 1977; Lorenz and Leyhausen, 1973). Therefore, while it is not possible for an animal to literally smell fear, an individual’s response to fear may include the release of certain odoriferous substances which can be detected by a nearby animal.

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Karen asked:

Why can’t anybody dethrone Roger Federer as World Number one?

I would say it’s because his overall game is so strong and complete. He has all the tools. The only sign of weakness is on clay, and he made the French Open Finals this year. And no one comes close. The talent gap is kind of big. So it’s a combination of his talent, and the lack of others’ talent.

One other factor, which Nadal may possess, is the calm that Roger has from winning Grand Slam Finals early in his career and the confidence that it creates. Hewitt has turned into a hot head. Roddick’s US Open victory has turned from promise into choking. Nalbandian and Lubicic don’t have the Grand Slam experience. Confidence can make up for talent, but when your opponent (Federer) has them both, then your chances are slim.

Do you think Nadal will win Wimbledon?

I am thinking, not this year. I would like to see how he finishes this year before I predict if he ever will. I think he may have a chance. I seriously hope he does win it and soon. It would be nice to see him battle Federer more for that top spot.

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Brian B. asked:

Aside from meeting your wife, what’s the best thing that’s come out of your internet experience?

Tough call. I love being able to find items for sale, or trade, from places like Amazon and eBay. I love having all this information only a few clicks away. The two fantasy leagues that you and I are in together are great as well. (Though my rugby team lacks right now, as you know.) But I think it’s getting to make friends with others that have common interests all over the world.

Not only Marcia, but my brother-in-law David, and many others, I have met through that Yes Yahoo Fan Club, which became SoundChaser.Org, that David started. That includes our friend Alberto from Spain. We have actually gotten together quite a few times and hung out before concerts. Alberto has come over to the US and stayed with us during some of his treks. He was even at our wedding, along with some of the others from the club. It has been great to be able to reach out to so many people. It makes you realize how well we can all get along and care about each other.

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My sister Jenn asked:

What do you deem as the most important sporting event that you were in attendance to witness?

That has to be Game 2 of the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, between the Red Wings and the Washington Capitals. And I have Mom to thank for that. She gave up her seat when Dad got the tickets to let me go. And it was a classic game!

For those that don’t remember, the Wings won Game 1 in a close, well fought game, but got behind in Game 2. At the end of the second period the Caps were winning 3-1. Not sure how far into the 3rd the Caps got a power play. While killing it off, Steve Yzerman broke away with the puck and scored a short-handed goal. Those of us at the Joe got a big boost emotionally from that, and were still all standing, waiting for Budd Lynch to make the announcement of the goal. But only seconds later, Joey Juneau scored during the remaining time of the same power play for the Caps, giving them a two goal lead again. You heard a big THUD throughout the arena as every Wings fan quickly fell back into their seat, most uttering an expletive or two. I read the following day in the newspaper that Yzerman said the Wings expected the Caps to score and felt that they were keeping themselves in the game by only being down two goals instead of three with his shorthander. (Talk about confidence.)

Soon Martin Lapointe scored for the Wings, making it 4-3. But the real excitement was just starting. The Caps’ Esa Tikkanen got a breakaway and deeked Chris Osgood out of his shorts. Tikkanen skated around Osgood who was sprawled out on the ice, almost in the left face-off circle after coming out to cut-off the angle. Then Teeks promptly put the puck wide of an empty net. With four minutes left in regulation (I believe), Doug Brown tied the game up and we were headed to overtime. The Wings had fought back from being two goals down twice, and were almost down two for a third time. About 15 to 16 minutes into OT, Draper snuck uncontested while backchecking behind the Caps’ goal, while Lapointe fought for the puck by the left halfboards. Marty fed the puck perfectly to Drapes who had the whole right side of the net open while Caps’ goalie Olaf Kolzig slid from the left side too late. It’s tough to say that a swept series had a turning point, but before that Tikkanen flub, the Caps were hanging with the Wings and had the opportunity to make it a tough series. But after Teeks’ miss, the Caps looked like another team, only scoring two goals in the remaining seven and a half periods of the series.

Do you think that the Red Wings need a new arena, and why?

After reading your question, my first reaction was “No!” The most common reason that teams desire new arenas is not really an issue with the Wings: more revenue from a nicer arena with more luxury boxes.

But then I started reading things on the internet. Since you asked, it meant that it may have been a recent news topic that I missed. And it was. Since reading some of the articles and editorials, from a layman’s point of view (meaning me), it seems that the Cobo Hall expansion is needed and is a good idea to boost the local economy. So with the lease on the Joe with the Wings expiring in three years, and the need for room (meaning razing the Joe), it makes sense. The issue that I would worry about being a citizen living in the effected areas is, who’s paying for the Cobo expansion and a new arena.

I know the Ilitch family had said before it could front part of the costs for a new arena. Given how much they are worth, I would say they could cover at least half, and they probably already own property in the Fox district that could be used. So that eliminates some issues.

From a personal and emotional point of view, I would hate to see the Joe torn down. It’s a great place for hockey that has mega-atmosphere (though the fans do create some of that themselves). But it’s inevitable that they will need a new arena. Given the issues involved with Cobo, and the fact that renovating costs for the Joe (which is almost 30 year old) would be over half the cost of a new arena, it seems to make financial sense.

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Thanks to everyone that played along!