I've been late in posting emails, my apologies. I've gotten plenty.
Here are the highlights.
Most emails were about my interview with Lenny Dykstra.
Daris R. wrote:
"So sick of rich people that don't pay their bills and still live rich, and often very conspicuously so. Sounds like his financial statement last year was fraudulent and he should be in jail. Clearly not enough cell space for this type of crime, though. Hope he didn't screw too many people that couldn't afford it out of their money."Sam M.:"Too bad about Lenny (Nails), I was always a fan of his but I think he let his ego get the best of him."
David in Portland:"Lenny speaks out of both sides of the mouth! His promise to refinance in 2 months for a lower payment/rate is beyond funny, especially for somebody with his financial savvy!"
Lou L:"I was a big fan when he played on the '93 Phillies team. Very sad to see his current state of affairs. He seems so confused during the interview. He has made some very bad financial decisions and has no one to blame but himself. How much money does this guy need? He should have kept the car wash business. If you gave this guy a billion dollars I am sure that he would squander it away. The old saying is true. A fool and his money go separate ways."
Kerry H.:"I knew him when I was covering the minor leagues in Mississippi. If I had to bet on any of those guys who would crash and burn in a big way, it would have been Lenny. I just didn't figure on him rising and falling so often or so far...Most of the athletes I know, both successful guys and guys who washed out in the minors, are still trying to hold onto the past in some way. They're coaching at jobs that don't pay anything or running "baseball camps." It's sad. Here's the story idea: Why doesn't MLB take some of the money they make and actually create a school for these guys so they can learn how to handle money? Geez, even just give them a radio and let them listen to Dave Ramsey once in awhile. MLB treats players like pieces of meat. Then you get a guy like Lenny who gets lucky, overextends himself, and looks like a fool. There are probably more Lennys out there, on a smaller scale."
David M.:"I would have been scared as hell to interview him, so intense. He was like a hyena surrounded by lions trying to fight is way out. You were so well prepared. You did as well as anyone could to get a straight story out of the guy. I think his goose is cooked in regard to his Player Club Magazine, how could anyone trust him for financial advice now that he has filed for bankruptcy (I mean reorganization)?"
Gary L: "Wow, is he full of it."
Meantime, is Goldman Sachs secretly running the Treasury Dept? Reader Rick A. thought so, but here's what happened when he tried to have T-shirts made using this new logo he created:
"I went to www.zazzle.comto create a t-shirt printed with the logo I created below.
24 hours after submitting my order for two shirts, I received an email from Zazzle claiming that the Treasury Dept Seal emblazoned with a Goldman Sachs logo is violation of trademark and my order was cancelled!....No joke!"
A few emails came in about my blog on Fancy Fast Food, www.fancyfastfood.comwhich turns Happy Meals into haute cuisine.
From Jason J:
"Gourmet for college kids… It is the I Want To Be A Chef Starter Kit but no oven needed."Jeanette C was not pleased: "Oh yeah, more unhealthy food to add to our unhealthy fat nation! Everyone will be bankrupt because of their medical costs from all this cheap eating!"
Regarding those cuddle parties I blogged about, FH writes: "Ok...it's better, but less useful, than Tupperware, but probably not too advisable if H1N1 makes a comeback..."
Jim A. chimes in: "Maybe Governor Sanford can open a franchise cuddle party operation. His political career is likely over. I'd call it 'I Cross the Line Parties' with a little Johnny Cash in the background."
Bill M. responded to the blog about the Gizmodo guywho stereotyped Best Buy employees: "I think the guy who wrote those character types might even have a potential career as a User Experience Architect. One of the things that we do when we are designing the user experience for a Web application or Site is to create these type of profiles so we can understand who our users are and what they want to do with the system we are designing. But I've never seen anything nearly as creative as this set of characters!"
And a few emails on Michael Jackson, the coverageand the estate.
From Gary: "When he was alive, MJ was one of the biggest jokes around. Now he's dead, he has become Joan of Arc. Nothing like a dead celebrity to bring out hypocrites."
Mark M. wrote about the estate and taxes: "Frankly, there should be flexibility. Both the Jackson estate and the federal till will benefit from not 'killing the golden goose.' And, due to the politics involved, the flexibility will be there. It is a shame that the President and Congress don't also realize the estate tax and its structure kills many 'golden geese' and the jobs their investment and savings could help save and create."
Mark F.:"Good story but you need to brush up on your knowledge about insurance trusts. If you were writing for People Magazine it wouldn't make much different but CNBC readers are a little more cognizant of the details."
Finally, Jeff J. manages to tie many stories together: "I had nothing risible earlier to add re: late MJ…until They Saved Jackson's Brain! I'm sorry (really) but this tale from the crypt is funny. Is his brain still at the coroner's office or is it gone? Is it worth more than Lenny Dykstra's house? Remember "Bloom County"? Near series finale, Bill the Cat's brain was replaced with Donald Trump's. Then there's Star Trek "Spock's Brain" powering an alien underground city. Anything similar here with MJ? Or will there be an underground Neverland tomb with only one lit item: a solid glass cube encasing his brain forever? Tourist fees can pay off his debt (and Dykstra's) and taxes without selling off the Beatles collection. It's Off the Wall, yes, but would be a Thriller to his fans. It's only Human Nature. Is that Bad?"
Questions? Comments? Funny Stories? Email