Grand Final set

The AFL this week announced the Grand Final will be held October 24 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Unfortunately, this will be a Saturday night game, meaning the game will start too late to go to have a Grand Final watch party in the US. It also means the Cats have to hope that either Port Adelaide or Brisbane lose one of their remaining games to avoid a first week match with Brisbane in their own stadium.

Cats punch their finals ticket

Geelong smashed Essendon 75-16 and clinched a finals berth in October. They are currently second with Brisbane yet to play this round. A win over Richmond would give the Cats a top four finish and a double chance. Unfortunately, because of the Wuhan Flu, the Cats cannot get a home game. Victoria is virtually shut down, so the ten Victorian clubs are playing at hubs, rotating between Perth, Sydney, and Queensland. The best the Cats can hope for is to win out and hope they avoid playing Brisbane in their home stadium.

For only the second time since the bye was re-introduced in 2011, the Cats won after a bye week. Their record for futility after a week off is legendary. But since it is only a nine day break, instead of a normal 12-14 day break, does it really count as a bye?

Open Door Policies.

I was hired by Walmart in April as a temporary part time employee.  In nine months, they have to make a decision on whether to convert me to full time, part time permanent, or let me go.  That date is around New Year’s day.  Since I am unlikely to make it that long, I have been thinking about where Walmart will rank among my many employers.

Companies talk about their open door policies, but they mean different things to different employers.  At the bottled water company I worked at for 20 years, we had a bottler/forklift driver ask the Secretary of the corporation how she kept her job in derogatory terms.  The CEO of the corporation was standing right next to her when it happened.   The story that got out was the CEO wanted the guy fired and the management team refused because the guy was telling the truth.  He got into a lot of trouble for the way he said it but kept his job.  Their idea of an open door policy was you could say almost anything to anyone as long as you were right.

At my last job before Wallyworld, the company had an open door policy, but chain of command could not be broken, and the location manager always kept the door locked.  At Wallyworld, the managers’ office is always open, but no one is in the office.  They are scattered around the store, and even at a smaller store, finding one is a matter of luck.  At the cabinet company I worked at when I first moved to Kansas, the foreman would refer you to the person who could get things done for you or answer your questions ,who was usually not the manager in charge.  If I look confused when someone mentions Open Door Policy, this is why.

Job hunting

Walmart was supposed to be a temporary job until I could find something permanent.  It may be a little more temporary than I hoped.  I was hoping to get through the Christmas season, but that is increasingly unlikely.  I have been in the workforce for 40 years and have never seen a company that demands productivity, yet does not ensure people have the tools and training they need. 

The only coaching we get from management is “be faster”, but they give us no idea on how to be faster.  I am supposed to talk to a supervisor who is never around to talk to and is too busy when (s)he is. Time to see about getting another job. Convenience stores are starting to pay more than Wally World.

Still not a soccer fan….

…but I have to admit watching Tulsa FC lose to Sporting KC 2 was a decent game and would have been the worth the eight bucks to go watch.  Instead, I helped put up signage on the field and got in for free. 

This was a USL game, which is the second tier of pro soccer in the US.  A few of these guys are really pushing for a promotion to MLS next year.  The game was pretty physical, with 30 fouls and four yellow cards handed out and four more yellow cards could have been handed out.

In extra time of the second half, Tulsa apparently scored its second goal, tying the game. Unfortunately, Tulsa was called for offside and the goal was disallowed. The game ended a few minutes later 2-1 Sporting KC. 

The crowd was officially announced at 2195. All I know is the stadium was about 3/4 full and loud every time Tulsa did something with the ball. If I lived in Tulsa, I would go watch a game or two, but I am still not a soccer fan.

Supporting local footy.

I hate soccer with almost as much passion as I love aussie rules. Tonight, I will go to Tulsa not to watch the Okies, who are unable to play due to the WuFlu, but to help them raise money to cover the fixed expenses that occur whether they play or not.

Tulsa FC, a minor league soccer club, has a program that allows sports teams to set up their field in exchange for a contribution to the club. Okies get some money, and Tulsa FC saves money on set up costs. 

It is a shame the Okies couldn’t quite come up with a full crew. This is a disturbing trend in recent years.  People are not supporting their local institutions, and are losing them. When I moved to Coffeyville in 2006, the high school had one of the best winter tournaments in the area.  Teams would come from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma to play. The tournament was shut down four years ago due to lack of support. Local fair attendance is also down. Coffeyville cut its fair from eight days to four two years ago due to declining support.

All I can say is if you don’t support your local institutions, you will not have them for long. If you don’t know how to help, ask one of the leaders. They would appreciate the help.

The run home

Now that the Australian Football League has released the remainder of its 2020 schedule, it is time to think about finals. While Geelong has not clinched a finals berth just yet, they are currently third and hold the tiebreaker over any other finals contender. Except for the travel, the remaining schedule is not particularly challenging. Only the Sept. 11 tilt with fifth place Richmond should provide a challenge.

The biggest challenge is the travel for the ten Victorian based clubs. With Victoria virtually sealed off, these clubs play three games in two weeks at a non-Victorian location, rinse and repeat. While this is hard on the Cats, their next three opponents are in the same boat. Only the Sydney Swans will have a home state, but not necessarily home field advantage.

Only the Adelaide Crows have been eliminated from the finals, but Sydney and North Melbourne should be eliminated by the end of the month.