Settled Dust

Yesterday, I posted on the chaos surrounding the Jim McElwain/CSU/Florida ordeal and the opinions developed as things progressed. This morning gave us the finality that we were seeking. Now that we have a much better idea about what is going down in Fort Collins, I have more thoughts. First, the facts;

• McElwain has been released from his contract and has been hired as the head coach of the University of Florida football team.
• In return, Colorado State will get a buyout totaling $7 million. Florida will contribute $3 million over six years, McElwain will contribute $2 million (unknown time frame), and $2 million will be paid for a future game between the two schools in Gainesville.
• The agreed-upon buyout is the largest in college football history. WE'RE NUMBER ONE!! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!! 
• Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin has assumed head coaching responsibilities in the interim, including our upcoming bowl game. 
• Tony Frank, with the assistance of Interim Athletic Director John Morris, began a nationwide search for a new head coach. According to Morris this afternoon, the athletic department had received between 40 and 50 inquiries about the position. 

Now the opinions:

• Tony Frank held strong as Jeremy Foley pressured him to reduce the buyout. The publicity of the whole matter should have provided Florida with all the leverage to negotiate down the buyout. However, the buyout ended up reducing by only $500k. That is on TFrank. What a stud. Thankfully, I did not have to lose any faith in that man. If this were Twitter, I would say #TonyFrankIsMyPresident. Jon of Jon of all Trades sent me this article, which explains the resolve of our fine president. 
• If the negotiations on the buyout had failed, I do not know how McElwain could have returned to coaching at CSU. It would have been impossible for him to recruit players knowing that he was looking to leave on the next plane out of town.
• I'm not sure that I agree with how Jim McElwain handled the whole situation. From what I could gather from those journalists following the events closely, his players were in the dark until after ESPN reported that the deal was finalized. Maybe McElwain was unsure if the buyout could be negotiated, but the players and his coaching staff deserved to know what was going on. 
• As much as I deny it to myself and others, I knew that McElwain was going to leave (despite my longing for second Sonny Lubick tenure). It was the timing that surprised me. I was shocked that the courting by a power team in a power conference happened this year. After another successful season in 2015? For sure. But not after one great year. 
• In my last post, I called CSU a "stepping stone" school. Is it really? Besides Jim McElwain leaving for the money and grandeur of the SEC, only one other coach in recent history has left for greener pastures (Tim Miles to Nebraska, at the "greener" part is debatable). Sonny Lubick was declining rapidly when he was let go. Steve Fairchild was 3-9 for three straight seasons when he was let go. Maybe CSU is not such a stepping stone school after all. . .
• This whole situation would have gone differently if Jack Graham were still at the helm. With his passionate and fiery demeanor, it may have actually been much uglier than it ending up being.
• The hiring of the next coach should be interesting for a couple reasons - first, we do not have a true athletic director. John Morris has been the interim AD since the firing of Jack Graham, but he admitted at his press conference today that Tony Frank would be leading the hiring process with Morris' assistance. The lack of stability at the AD position may be an issue for an incoming coach. Secondly, it is tough to envision a football coach search with a team that has a record of 10-2. That record makes the job a lot more enticing to those quality coaches looking for a new position. 

• I truly believe that Dave Baldwin will be retained as the head coach for next year. He has been an integral part (if not the most integral part) of our success on the offensive side of the ball. No other FBS school has a quarterback/wide receiver/running back combo that we have in Grayson/Higgins/Hart. Plus, Baldwin has previous head coaching experience and our questions at the AD position make this an easy and safe choice. Hopefully it is a smart choice as well. 
• I cannot tell you how many people stopped by my desk today to make sure I was okay. Clearly, I display my loyalties toward CSU loudly and proudly. Shockingly, I took the news far better than a lot of people I know and countless people that I do not know that I encountered on social media. Based on some of the reactions, you would have thought we were eliminating the football program like poor UAB. Poaching of your coach by an SEC team means that you are doing something right. 
• A lot of people had issue with McElwain leaving the program just months after talking about CSU as his home. I cannot blame the man for leaving - the pay increase and chance to compete for a national championship are both incredibly enticing. I wish him all the success in the world, except when they play us in a few years. If you question his motives, that is your deal. The players that were sitting in that locker room today when he broke the news to them all came out of that meeting with the same message - they were thankful for the time they had with him, they were excited to move forward toward a bowl victory, and they understood why he made his decision. 
• Let's hope that the climb continues and we continue to make strides toward national relevance on the gridiron. 
• I really hope that the person responsible for those "The Grind" videos sticks around. They are incredible. Check them out. 
• Any chance we can slide into the Pac12 or Big12 now?!!

Go Rams. 

I Thought He Was Like Sonny

As I sat at my desk at work yesterday, I picked up my phone to quickly check Twitter. The little bird was saturated with news of a chartered plane flying from Jacksonville, Florida to Fort Collins, Colorado. On that plane happened to be Jeremy Foley, the Athletic Director from the University of Florida. The rumors were swirling that he was on his way to Fort Collins to offer the head coaching position for his Florida Gators team to our current head coach, Jim McElwain. I was pretty much glued to social media and the radio into the evening, formulating the opinions you see here:

• Colorado State University is not part of the Power Five conferences. While the SEC, Pac12, Big12, Big10, and ACC sit at the big boy table, our Mountain West Conference gets to wait outside for whatever scraps are thrown our way. This disparity was displayed quite clearly as the College Football Playoff rankings were released this year. Despite the records of Colorado State and Boise State, three and four loss teams from the Power Five conferences were consistently ranked in the top 25 above any MWC team. Where the Mountain West does have a huge amount of value is apparently grooming the next round of Power Five coaches, the latest of these being McElwain. This whole event has highlighted yet again that CSU is considered a "stepping stone" school, only there to move on to a higher profile and more lucrative position. 

• When McElwain signed his contract, it included language for a significant buyout. At this point in time, that buyout is valued at $7.5 million. The buyout was inserted into the contract for one very specific reason. It was meant to deter other teams from trying to lure our coach away from Fort Collins. Our AD at the time of the contract signing, Jack Graham, made sure that the language dissuaded any changes to that buyout. Our coach was here to stay. During the chaos yesterday, an article appeared online that during the finalization of the contract, the President of the university agreed to negotiate that buyout amount in the event that McElwain's "dream job" became available. Again, the specifics of this are not entirely known as this information is mostly coming from Jack Graham. Should the deal with Florida go through and McElwain departs, I am interested to see what happens with that buyout. Right now, it seems like it did not accomplish what it was meant to accomplish.

• I have had a steadfast belief that Tony Frank was and is a great university President. He is engaging, active in the University, and has lead the entire campus in a positive manner. If he truly did make a handshake agreement to negate the terms of the McElwain's contract that were explicitly agreed upon to protect the interests of CSU, my respect for the man will take a hit. 

• I understand that there were multiple issues that led to the termination of Jack Graham's contract as Athletic Director. However, his indelible mark on the department was twofold: a complete change in attitude about where we should be going in terms of athletics (Bold New Era) and an uncanny ability to hire and retain quality coaches. He was directly responsible for the hiring of McElwain from Alabama, Larry Eustachy (MBB) from Southern Miss, and Ryun Williams (WBB) from South Dakota. All three hires have produced a better on-field or on-court product since before their arrival. If McElwain truly does bolt for the SEC, it would have been great to have Graham in place to hire his successor. 

• The logical next step is to start talking about who is the next coach of the CSU football team. Dave Baldwin is the clear internal favorite; he has previous head coaching experience at SJSU and has created a top-25 offense this season. 

• Another interesting name that has popped up is Bob Stitt from Colorado School of Mines. I doubt this happens because without an established AD, I don't see any risky hires being made. Hiring a successful D-II coach and noted offensive guru would be an interesting proposition. Considering he is coming from a lower tier program, he might be content to actually stick around for a while. 

• I had hopes that Jim McElwain was a reincarnation of the greatest CSU coach of all time, Sonny Lubick. They are good friends, having recruited together when McElwain was an assistant at Eastern Washington. Sonny's conversations with McElwain and his history in Fort Collins were a large reason why McElwain accepted the CSU job in the first place. During his successful tenure at the help, Sonny was also desired by other programs in the top conferences (most notably Miami, where he had been a defensive coordinator). Each time an opportunity arose, Sonny respectfully declined as he loved Colorado State, he loved Fort Collins, and his wife was not moving anywhere! At his introductory press conference, McElwain spoke about that same path that Sonny had laid out for him. Here he was in a great city with a great university heading up what could be a great football program. Fast forward three plus years and we are (potentially) seeing where the true loyalties of our head football coach lie - the SEC and cash money. This is the part that upsets me the most. Here is a guy who was given a chance to be the head football coach of a D-I school. His mentor and friend established the criteria for how coaches are judged in Fort Collins. He talked the talk and then bailed when the money came. So frustrating. 

• I am undoubtedly biased toward Colorado State University. My unwavering support for the Green and Gold started during my older sister's tenure in Fort Collins, continued through my time and my younger siblings' time up there, and will extend past my kids' time up there (if they are awesome and amazing as we hope them to be). My dedication to the University makes it extremely difficult to reconcile myself with the fact that one of our own wants to leave. CSU > Anywhere else

• That being said, would I turn down the pay raise that he is bound to receive? 

What are your thoughts on the chaos surrounding CSU? 

UPDATE:
Apparently Tony Frank is holding strong to the buyout amount identified in the contract. Keep doing what you do, TFrank. Thanks, Robert, for the link to the article.

Buckets are for Sissies

It started with a video, then another, then another, then another. Now you can't go on any social media outlets without seeing someone dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads in order to raise awareness for ALS.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that slowly breaks down the ability of the nerves to effectively communicate between the brain and the muscles. Lou Gehrig's disease attacks the nerves providing muscular and involuntary movements to the body. Motor and life-dependent functions like walking, talking, eating, and breathing all can be impacted by the disease. Eventually, paralysis takes over the body. Despite a single FDA-approved drug and a few clinical trials that can help slow the progression of the disease, a diagnosis of ALS is a death sentence - there is no cure.

Because of the horrendous nature of this disease, everyone must be thrilled that the #ALSIceBucketChallenge is generating so much support and awareness (and funding) for this cause. Instead, there has been some pockets of disgust. I have seen articles at Vice, Slate, and Time (among others) that question the true intent of this internet sensation. Their arguments against the campaign range from the lack of continuity in future fundraising to a redirection of philanthropic moneys from other charities to the egocentric mentality of the whole ordeal. To those detractors I say: who cares?

The end result is this: people get to have fun making jackasses of themselves by doing something stupid. Those idiots doing stupid stuff may or may not have a better understanding of what ALS is and how bad it can be. Clearly, a large chunk of those same idiot people made some sort of donation to ALSA. Donations related to the ice bucket challenge have totaled over $22.9 million, well above what ALSA typically receives in a similar time frame. That money is being spent by an organization that supports research on the disease and advocates for those stricken with it.

The viral chain finally reached yours truly through the Facebook account of my little brother. I had 24 hours to complete the challenge (and donate money because that's really what this is all about). After a fine time at the Rockies game drinking a beer and watching some truly horrendous relief pitching, I had some fun with the challenge. On my deck. At 11:00 at night. (Notice the extra care given to the Modesto Nuts hat. Priorities, you know?)

You are on the clock, John Robinson, Jason Cole, and Dan Scelza.

You owe me $100.

After the premier of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, my buddy over at EksAxis wrote a blog (found here) about this bit:

Jon's post asked: "Let's say you had just become host of your own personal Tonight Show, and got to re-create this bit with any 14 famous people of your choosing. Who would you choose?" Here's my list, in absolutely no particular order.

1. Jimmy Fallon - Let's start with the whole reason for this post. Fallon has quickly become my favorite late night TV guy for various reasons. He realizes that his job is fun and it shows in every one of his shows. The show comes up with such creative and fun ways to use celebrities (Brian Williams Raps, Lip Sync Battles) and he has fun at his wildly entertaining job. Plus he has one of the greatest hip-hop bands of all time as his house band. The Roots, Jimmy, and their guests create music with classroom instruments! That is fun. Did I mention that he has fun with his job? The guy is awesome.

2. Tim Howard - The baddest and baldest dude on the USMNT.

3. Kevin Spacey - A great impressionist, Spacey is hilarious and under appreciated.

4. Shakira - That hair. And the truth is radiating from her coxal bones.

5. Gary Allan - My favorite country artist and master of the old school twang. His first album after his wife's completely unexpected suicide, Tough All Over, is dark, melancholy, and possibly my favorite album of all time.

6. Dave Grohl - The coolest dude in music.

7. Jim Gaffigan - HOOOOOOOTTTTT POCKETS!

8. Todd Helton - My favorite living baseball player. The Toddfather is a classy, down-to-earth legend that just so happens to enjoy Igloo cups of wine and scratch tickets.

9. Stan Kroenke - The guys owns the Colorado Avalanche, 63% of Arsenal, the Denver Nuggets, the St. Louis Rams, the Colorado Rapids, the Colorado Mammoth, the Pepsi Center, Dicks Sporting Goods Park, and probably you and me. (Although because of the NFL ownership rules, his son Josh technically owns the Colorado clubs.) I want to work for this guy.

10. Taylor Swift - Mostly, I would like Taylor to be on my show because she is a super talented musician whose songwriting is unmatched. (I dare you to watch this and deny her talent. And her head flinging capabilities.) But besides that, it would drive my family nuts that I would include her on this list. My brother might blow a gasket. And that makes me smile. :-)

11.  Sheryl Sandberg - Having a daughter changes the way you view the world. I would love nothing more than to show Mackenzie there are no limits to what she can accomplish in her life. Sheryl is proof that being a strong and successful woman is not a bad thing and it is possible to succeed in a man's world.

12. Joe Mauer - My favorite active baseball player. Just watch that swing. . .

13. Justin Timberlake - Talent for years.

14. Robby Gordon - My favorite racer. The guy has competed in NASCAR, IRL, SCORE, King of the Hammers, and the toughest race in the world: the Dakar Rally. He owns his own race teams, builds his own cars and trucks, restarted the Stadium Super Trucks Series, and competes at the highest level of any type of racing in which he dabbles. He also threw his helmet at Michael Waltrip after Waltrip wrecked him under caution.

So who do you choose?

Until the next post,
Mikey

Exponents

It was bound to happen. I ended 2013 on a high note on this blog, cranking out more posts than I have the years prior. Even more than that, I boldly publicized that I had several posts in the hopper. Then 2014 started and the posting stopped. Seems sketchy.

At least I have somewhat of an excuse. For the past four years, I have been working almost exclusively on one project. One. For four years. In the engineering world, that is damn near eternity. My involvement started during the pursuit phase of a major design-build project; I spent countless hours updating at-grade crossings to more accurately estimate the construction costs. After we had won the project, I got the opportunity to leave my home office and be a civil designer in a project office, cranking out InRoads designs and producing roadway plans. As the project evolved, my role followed suit. Slowly responsibilities were added to my plate and my experience and resume grew to what there are today. I understand that this last paragraph does not explain my lack of posting, hang with me.

Right before the end of 2013, I had a few discussions with my various bosses about my next project. After all, my life on that project had to end at some point (maybe?). It was during these discussions that another project popped up. It was smaller in size, but similar in style - we were teamed with a contractor to pursue a design-build project here in Colorado. And the boss men wanted me to work on it. After everyone reemerged from their cookie and pie comas that first week of January, I had some more sit downs with my managers. The thought of leaving my comfort zone that I had resided in for the last four years was becoming a reality. On January 6th, my boss and I met with Jason and Mike to let them know it was happening and to start the transition of handing them the reins to the tasks under my watch. On January 20th, I officially moved back to the Denver office to pursue this new project.

When I left my office to start my life on that project, it was the second half of 2010. Between then and now, my company moved to a new building and hired a crap-ton of people. When I rolled into my new digs on that Monday, I was the new guy. Between meeting all the new people, getting reacquainted with all the old people, learning my new office, and that little thing called "doing my job," things have been a bit crazy. And THAT is why I have neglected the old Flickerblogger site. No longer.

When you are a young engineer coming out of school, you feel like the knowledge base that you are absorbing is massive. I felt like every day I was learning something new or becoming better at something - design, production, whatever. However, it was during the last four years that I realized how linear my growth during the previous five years truly was. I was learning and growing in a steady and constant manner, but it was slow in comparison to what the last four years provided. Those years showed me what real career growth could be: it could be exponential. As more and more tasks were thrown my way, my learning was steep, fast, and consistently increasing. It was a crash course in engineering; a trial-by-fire method of learning the ways of our industry. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that were presented to me and there are a crew of people who helped me along the way. To Karen, Charlie, Scott, John, and Ken: thanks for giving me opportunity after opportunity and thanks for being receptive to the myriad of my questions along the way. And to the rest of you jokers (especially Jason, Alana, Mike, Nate, Sally, and Anthony), thank you for making my work life fun. Now let's go win the next one.

Until the next post,
Mikey

2013, We Hardly Knew Ya

Our New Years Eve celebration is getting out-of-hand. It started with me taking down the Christmas lights from outside our house. As I was carrying them into the basement, I missed the last step, fell down hard on the concrete floor, and totally raged my ankle/foot. I also ripped a gigantic hole in the crotch of my jeans. In order to avoid the same issue, Carson is no longer wearing his pants. He's down to his shirt and onesie. Mackenzie keeps pulling off her sling in protest. Sarah has downed a half of a glass of wine. I've iced my foot, finished my wine, and opened a beer.

Crazy, I tell you.

If you can remember back to January, this is what I wanted to work on: writing on my blog, getting healthier, and taking more pictures. Let's see how we turned out.

The pictures have been taken, mostly of our two little people. Did I take as many pictures as I had hoped? Of course not. I don't have enough time to do such a thing. But I did a better job of capturing moments from our lives during this year. With two little people to photograph (and a smoking hot wife), I had plenty of opportunities to take pictures and I feel like my effort in 2013 was a huge step up from the previous year. I'll consider this a win.

My health is basically the same as when I last wrote this. I did take a step in the right direction - I had my brother (certified personal trainer) to give me a workout that would be effective and quick. I did try some of the exercises one day. I'm going to be slim and trim in no time. Workout resolutions are a waste of time and I knew it from the beginning. Glad I joined the majority in this failure. Maybe in 2014. . .

As for the blog, I was striving for twelve blog posts during the year. Not including the introductory resolution blog and this one, I managed to crank out nine blog posts. Since I set the rules can change them at any point, I will allow the resolution blogs to count. This puts me at eleven for the year. Crap. Still short. Maybe if I break this blog into two posts. . . The point of this goal was to get my writing going. In 2012, I wrote a total of two. TWO!! That is awful and pathetic and horrendous and whatever other descriptive word that is similar. I am excited that I managed to crank out nearly a blog post a month. Truly, sitting in front of a computer putting my thoughts into words that are enjoyable to other people is a cathartic experience. I hope to keep this trend going (or improve) in 2014. This should be easy as I have four (yeah, four) blogs in draft mode. Game on, people.

So if you are keeping score at home, it looks like I won the pictures, lost the workouts, and tied the blog posts. (I don't care if 11 is less than 12. My blog, my scoring.) Not too shabby.

I hope any of you who are reading this are closing out 2013 with grace and style, just like the Flicks are. May your 2014 be full of excitement, successes, and happiness.

Until the next post,
Mikey

Update: After I posted this blog, my AMAZING cousin Terri reminded me that I had posted a story of Carson's arrival on our family blog. This puts me at 12 blog posts for the year. Let's call this a WIN!! Thanks, Terri!!

When Will It Stop, Colorado?

When the news came over the radio, my head dropped in disbelief. It happened again; Colorado felt the collective breath of the state escape from its lungs. Another high school; another emergency; another troubled student looking for solutions through violence. Again, a multitude of questions flooded our brains.

I wish I had the answers.

When you start listing off the places: Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Washington Navy Yard, and now Arapahoe (plus the multitude that I am missing), it is evident that there is a problem. Troubled people are using violence to attempt to solve their internal issues. All of these instances only have one singular thing in common: innocent people were brutally and unjustly murdered because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other than that, every scenario contains its own variables and conditions that make it impossible to determine a common denominator. Each gunman was troubled, but in different ways. Each shooter had their own motives and rational behind their actions. Each shooter came from a different background. The characteristics of each tragedy and their perpetrator splash across every corner of the spectrum. If there is so much diversity in the people doing these heinous acts, what can we attribute for this insanity?

Do we blame media? Violence (and gun violence specifically) in video games, movies, television, and music is a topic that is discussed as a source of the problem after each of these tragedies (most notably after the Columbine tragedy). The argument is that a submersion into these make-believe and violent worlds could numb a person towards actual violence in the real world. A person might start believing, after being immersed in these fantasy worlds, that violence does indeed provide an avenue to solve problems. While this is entirely a possibility, I have a hard time believing that violence in the media caused these people to make the decisions they did. Every friend of mine at some point has watched 'The Boondock Saints' or 'Die Hard,' anxiously awaiting the next episode of 'Breaking Bad' or 'The Sopranos,' listened to Eminem talk about Kim, and played every violent video game on the market from the cartoonish 'GoldenEye' to the fantastical 'Halo' series to the realistic 'Grand Theft Auto' or 'Call of Duty'. Yet they are not violent people. In fact, millions of people are exposed to these same forms of media. How is it that only a few people are unable to maintain an appropriate gap between the fantasy world full of violence and the world we actually live in? The media is not the source of the problem.

Do we blame the lack of gun control in this country? The argument is that restricting access to guns would end these types of crimes. Would tougher gun regulations have stopped Karl Pierson? In this particular case, Karl walked into Arapahoe High School with a shotgun and shells that were legally purchased in the days preceding the tragedy. Stricter gun laws would have had no effect on Karl's purchase as he had no prior history of illegal activity that would have raised a red flag. The only way to stop this purchase would be to ban guns completely. No one with an ounce of common sense would think that this is a viable solution. If you make guns illegal, people will still own guns. Period. Self-defense, hunting, and our historical protection from oppressive government will always be used to provide a legal means for owning arms. Lack of gun control is not the source of the problem.

Do we blame the decline of religion in our society? The argument is that more people are moving away from religion (20% of Americans list their religious affiliation as "none") and this movement is causing a degradation to the societal mores that once were held sacred. This argument clearly draws a line separating good and evil, with religion siding with good and everything else siding with evil. Doing the math, this equates to mean that non-religious people are not good; even evil. That statement is ludicrous. Human beings across the globe respect the lives and property of others with or without an organizational structure telling them that they have to do so. I would go so far as to argue that people inherently are good toward others, regardless of their belief structure. Humans are social animals who rely on human interaction for their emotional needs. It is in our nature to operate and function as a group in a society, religious or not. National decline of religion is not the source of the problem.

Blaming external causes for these inexplicable tragedies is a waste of time. The individuals committing these heinous acts are acting the way our society allows them to act: as individuals. This is where the problem gets scary. How do we as a society identify and fix the problems of individuals for the greater good of the group when the group numbers over 317,000,000 in just our country alone? A minuscule minority, for whatever reason, believe that violence solves problems. That violence is a negotiation tactic. That violence can replace open and honest conversation. That violence is THE SOLUTION. Who are these people making the conscious decision to let violence solve their problems? And how do we convince them that their solution is not right?

I wish I had the answers.

I will not even pretend to understand what the Davis family is experiencing this holiday season. Their 17-year-old girl was taken from them suddenly, unexpectedly, and brutally. I do know that I spent a few extra minutes with my little people after the news broke. I can only hope that tragic story of Claire Davis heightens our concern for our fellow man. Kindness, empathy, and humanity will most likely not eradicate evil from the world, but it won't hurt to give it a try.

Empty Lanes

Nearly every element of a highway is intentional. Signs, pavement markings, barriers, shoulders, signals - they all have a purpose. I feel like most people understand this concept.

Also, I am not an asshole.¹ Really, I am not.² However multiple times on my daily commute, people automatically assume I am.

I design roads for a living. A professional roadie. As is true of any person in their chosen field, my career path has given me a greater understanding of the "why's" associated with my chosen profession. "Why is there guardrail in that location?" "Why does the traffic light operate that way?" "Why are roundabouts showing up everywhere?" "Why is this road construction lasting as long as it has?!!" (Obstruction in the clear zone, because of the interconnect with the adjacent signal, because they are 1000x more efficient than a signal a lot of cases, and road work takes time impatient people!)

On this divided highway, the median guardrail was installed between opposing traffic lanes to maintain separation of the vehicles in the case where a vehicle were to drive into the median. Easy.

Roadway design isn't that hard, is it? (No joke, every other type of engineer tells us this all the time. We apparently do the easiest engineering ever created.)

There is, however, one element that people refuse to understand its purpose. This element shows up everywhere on normal streets and in constructions sites and is misused 100% of the time. This confounding element is an ending lane of traffic.

Picture yourself in a construction zone. Traffic is backing up entering the cone zone. At the front of the line is a flashing sign with three chevrons telling you that the left lane is ending. What is the natural reaction of every human on the planet? Get into the right lane immediately.

Picture yourself on I-70 westbound approaching I-25. There are four lanes of traffic as you near the interchange. The left lane and left-center lane are through lanes continuing on I-70 WB. The right-center lane allows through movements to WB I-70 and turning movements exiting to I-25. The right lane is an exclusive exit lane to I-25. Which lanes does every single westbound I-70 vehicle use? The two left lanes.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG!

Now take those same two scenarios and ride with me. Scenario #1: We are driving in the left lane as we approach a construction zone and the left lane is ending. Where do I go? Nowhere - I like that left lane. Scenario #2: We are driving westbound on I-70 approaching the I-25 exit ramp. Which lane are we driving in? The right-center lane. In both situations, I cruise past the logjam of vehicles in the occupied lanes and merge into traffic at the designated merge point. And this is why people assume I am an asshole every single day. In reality, I am not an asshole. They are just stupid.³

Just like the guardrail and the traffic signals and the signage, travel lanes are there for a reason. That reason is to efficiently move traffic from one location to another. By clogging up only some of the lanes, you are doing the exact opposite - restricting traffic unnecessarily. Since I do (pretend to) design roads for a living, let us take a look at what always happens when a lane drop appears. I, obviously, am the yellow car.

As you can see from this example, ten vehicles are attempting to go north towards a lane drop. There are six cars sitting on the side road that would like to either go north with the crowd or go E-W through the intersection. Because all the idiots got into the right lane, super idiot #1 is blocking the WB traffic from continuing on their ways, even if they have a green light. "But wait a second, Mike. No one would stop in the middle of the intersection and block traffic like that!" These words were actually uttered to me by NO ONE EVER because we all understand how IQ drops when behind the wheel of a car. Of course the intersection is blocked. Rude and moronic people do this all the time. Notice that as I am trying to get into the through lane (again, the yellow car), Johnny Jerkface in the second car is desperately trying to stop me from joining in the parade. This is also an accurate representation of humanity on the road. Even though I am attempting a maneuver that is completely legal, all other drivers do their utmost to ensure that I do not cut in line. To review this setup: I'm mad because no one will let me in. Car 2 is mad because he thinks I'm cheating. The cars going E-W are mad because they are stuck at a green light. And moron car in the middle of the intersection is mad because the cars in front of him are not moving forward and he is getting honked at. So much anger.

Now let us look at the same situation done correctly. Here we have the same ten vehicles going north and six going E-W. This time, the traffic is correctly using the dropping lane of traffic and the cars are proceeding into the cone area doing the zipper - one car per lane right at the merge point. Who ends up mad in this scenario? I am not mad because I am seamlessly merging into traffic without grumpy Johnny Jerkface trying to squeeze me out. Johnny himself is not mad because he does not feel cheated by any other drivers. The E-W drivers are not mad, because they will be able to move onward with a green light. All ten northbound drivers are happy because a fair and smooth system is in place to reduce delays. And the moron car in the middle of the intersection is not getting screamed at for blocking the intersection because he is not blocking anything.

At this point, can you possibly say that I am wrong? If you still have some doubt, I will let the Minnesota Department of Transportation close this up for me. Also, this video.

Now stop honking at me.

Until the next post.
Mikey

¹Not necessarily true 100% of the time.
²Still not exactly the truth.
³"Don't say stupid, Dad" - Mackenzie

When You Think About Me, Do You Think About Seventeen?

Seventeen years ago, I was entering my 8th grade year at All Souls. A skinny little whippersnapper, I was a nerd with big, nasty, Coke-bottle glasses and an innate ability to repel females. I was a goober. Hell, I looked like this.

My loves at the time were simple: riding my bike, golfing in my parent's yard, cutting my grandpa's grass (he had a riding mower), and baseball. Man, did I love baseball. I loved playing it. I loved watching it. I loved drawing pictures of it. I loved thinking about it during class. I loved talking about it (surprising, I know). Kirby Puckett was my favorite, as he led my Twins to two World Series titles in 1987 and 1991. I loved Matt Williams because we both played the hot corner. I loved Ken Griffey Junior because, well, if you didn't love watching Junior swing the bat or play defense, we can no longer be friends. I loved the Ironman, the Big Hurt, and Dante Bichette. I loved Devon White simply because I had over 30 copies of this card.

It was on August 2nd of that year that a young stud first basemen emerged from the Colorado Rockies minor league system to make his major league debut. His introduction to MLB was outstanding; 2-5 with a solo HR. The following year, the Rockies traded Andres Galarraga to the Atlanta Braves and Todd Helton took ownership of first base, a position he has held until this past weekend. Seventeen years after his memorable debut, Todd Helton retired from baseball after Sunday's game in Los Angeles.

I was sitting in my living room on Wednesday night watching Todd's final game at Coors Field, a place he has called his home for the last seventeen years. His daughter threw out the first pitch. The Rockies gave him a horse. The crowd honored a great baseball player. After the ceremonial fluff that is complete opposite of how Helton conducts himself, he settled in to do what he does best - play baseball. In the second inning, Roy Hobbs Todd Helton stepped into the left-handed batters box and gyrated his bat high above his head in his signature style. After two fastballs, Jake Peavy grooved an 87 mph cutter that Todd quickly deposited into the seats in right field. His career was ending just as spectacular as its beginning.

Fast forward a couple days. It was Sunday afternoon and the Broncos were doing their weekly dismantling of an NFL team and the Rockies were nursing a tight lead in LA. As I switched between the two local team games, the top of the ninth was starting. Due up third was the man that I have loved to watch since he broke with the big club. As he walked to the plate, the Dodger faithful stood to honor a man that had destroyed their team for years. A quick strikeout later, it was over. That was it. The last at-bat of the greatest Rockie of all time.

I have often tried to rationalize my love of sports, but moments like the ones we experienced last weekend make it so much harder to do. Here was a person that I have never met. A person that I have never talked with. A person that I have never exchanged a simple glance. Yet his successes and failures have felt like my own and his retirement resonated with my whole being. As a true fan of baseball and the Rockies, these last few games have been emotionally wonderful and, simultaneously, terribly sad. No longer will his name be marked in the starting lineup. No longer will his name be called at Coors Field. The saddest fact of all is that my kids will not remember watching him play.

For the past seventeen years, Todd has been the face of our beloved Rockies. He was a part of the old guard, the tail end of the Blake Street Bombers. He continued to excel as the Rockies struggled through their rebuilding years labeled Todd and the Toddlers. And it was Todd Helton who will be remembered for his involvement in the miracle season of 2007: his two run walkoff home run against Takashi Saito, his hands raised in triumph upon sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS (sidenote: I loved that it was a sliding Eric Byrnes that failed to reach first base on that play).

As my kids grow older, I will tell them stories of the great players I watched in my life. Jeter, Cabrera, Mauer, McCutchen, Maddux, Pujols, Chipper, Bonds, Halladay - the list will be long. But more than the average number of stories will emerge about a special player; a player with such ridiculous bat control that he would foul off pitch after pitch until he got the one he wanted. A player who saved runs and eliminated errors for his infielders with superhero glove work at first base. A player who calmly delivered in the few crucial moments that he was placed in during his career. A player who will soon have his number hanging in Denver and plaque in Cooperstown.

Thank you, Todd, for seventeen great years of tremendous baseball. It has been a pleasure to tag along for the ride.

Until the next post,
Mikey

An Open Letter to Jim McElwain and the CSU Football Team

Coach McElwain, Ram Coaching Staff, and Ram Players,
We are great at being the little guy. Being the underdog is easy, especially when you are constantly reminded that you are inferior. When you are told that you are not in a premier conference. When you are told that you are not a football school. When you are told that you do not deserve to even be playing schools from the BCS conferences. When a majority of the residents in the state support your rival. But those doubts unite us and give us a goal: PROVE THEM WRONG. When CU ranked in the top 10 in the country, Bradlee Van Pelt bounced a football off their helmet. When CU talked about playing their "little brother up north" on their home turf, we rolled into Folsom and stormed their field in victory. When the outside belief that we should play second fiddle to CU is constantly crammed down our throats, we elevate ourselves in the classroom and on the field. We become smarter, stronger, and better. We become Rams.

Going into Sunday's game, things look a little different from what we are accustom to seeing. Yes, CU will still be in a "better" conference. Yes, we will be outnumbered at Sports Authority Field. Yes, they will call us the "little brother" (which makes no sense since we are an older institution than they are). But this year, we are favored. As much as I love seeing our program appear to be in better shape than the Buffoons, being favored is not necessarily where we want to be. Remember, we thrive as the little guy. We use that giant chip on our shoulders as our motivation to beat a self-proclaimed "superior" opponent.

My hope is that being the favorite means nothing to you. I am ready for you to get on the field and act like we are 10 point dogs - hungry, aggressive, and physical. I am ready to win all three aspects of the game. I am ready for the west side of the stadium to be empty before the game is over. I am ready to watch the black and gold turn tail and run back to Boulder. I am ready to show them the greatness of Colorado State University.

This weekend, we continue our journey into our Bold New Era. One team. One town. One dream. Let's get after it.

Mike Flick
CSU Class of 2005