ROX, SOX and Cheap Laptops

SOX sweep, but Rockies fans don’t weep.
The Boston Red Socks swept the Rockies. All it took was fabulous pitching, timely hitting and the fact that the Rockies left way too many runners stranded, instead of hitting them home. It’s the second series sweep for Boston in just four years and already there is talk of a dynasty. With A-Rod on the market, and Boston on the very short list of teams who can actually afford him, they could have a long run. The Yankees won’t be a factor next year, so I won’t be surprised at all to see Boston in the series next year. And the year after that.

Two key stats that tell the story:
Team series batting average: Boston- .333, Rockies- .218
Batting average with runners in scoring position: Boston- .419, Rockies- .167

That said …
Rockies fans are down but not out. It would have been nice to win at least one game, but the bar was set so low last April that it made September and October beyond memorable. The Rockies are a very young team, with just about everyone coming back next year. Boston played fabulously. They had to because the Rockies are a terrific team with very good pitching, fielding and hitting. Of course, after this season, the bar will be set a tad higher. Opening day at Coors Field will be awesome, especially when they raise the National League Championship Pennant.

Former Rockies star Joe Girardi is set to take the helm of the New York Yankees, by the way. He was hugely popular here in Denver and has made the transition from Blake Street Bomber to Bronx Bomber easily. Former Yankees manager Joe Torre looks to be headed for the top job with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That job has a great perk: You get October off! (Sorry Dodgers fans, I couldn’t resist that one.)

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in three and a half months. I can’t wait!

If you need to reach me Sunday….
I’ll be in front of the TV watching the Patriots play the Colts . Regardless of who you are cheering for , it will be a pleasure to watch two of the best teams in football play against each other. One of them will be playing in the next Super Bowl.

World Internet Day
Monday, October 29, 2007 was World Internet Day. There are many different stories about exactly who invented the Internet. Here is a link to a lot of interesting information about something that is such a large part of our lives, including all of us here at Video Professor. A number that really caught my attention was that, according to Internet World Statistics, 1.244 billion people have access to the Internet.

Our tax dollars at work. Really.
Once in a while the Government gets things right. This week Congress voted unanimously to extend the moratorium on state and local Internet taxes. Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that surfing the Net shouldn’t be a taxing experience. The moratorium continues through 2014.

$100 laptop! Just $200.
MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte had a good idea: Produce a laptop affordable to just about everyone. His $100 laptop was the talk of the town, and third world countries. But as they say, reality bites. The machines are now priced at $200, with only Uruguay, Peru and Mongolia placing orders. Negroponte predicted he’d sell 2.5 million laptops by May. His heart was in the right place, but as with anything going to market, start-up costs, manufacturing and marketing all add to the bottom line. Negroponte’s biggest mistake was setting too high an expectation with too low a price. If he can indeed market the machine to millions of people with a $200 price tag, good for him. But that won’t be the headline.

Tech News and Notes
It’s looking like the much anticipated cell phone by Google™ will become a reality next year. Look for an announcement in a couple of weeks.

The name is weird, but look for a new video site called Hulu.com. The NBC/News Corp.-owned site is being tested right now.

Nintendo® is saying “whoo-hoo” about Wii. Third quarter revenue indicators put Nintendo ahead of the Microsoft® Xbox® and Sony® PlayStation® lines.

Inbox Open 24/7
As always, it’s great to hear from you. I get so many great ideas for products from folks just like you. E-mail me anytime at ceo@videoprofessor.com. See you next week.