What’s wrong with this picture? Willie Bloomquist grinning and blinking in the glare of TV lights.

Royals third baseman Willie Bloomquist isn’t a star. He’s not flashy, and he doesn’t seek glory or publicity for himself. He’s not very exciting, so you don’t see a lot of fans wearing “Bloomquist” Royals shirts. Willie does a journeyman job in whatever position he’s assigned. He’s the ultimate team player, always there to help his fellows. But Willie isn’t a star.

So it was puzzling when yesterday, Ned Yost pulled the humble Willie out from behind the curtain and pushed him onstage to bat third in the rotation for the first time in his nine-year career. Willie batting third? Huh?

Yost’s unusual decision panned out big-time. When Willie came up to bat with one out in the 12th inning, he homered to left field on a 3-2 pitch from Alfredo Figaro. With that beautiful, soaring hit into the stands, Willie surprised everyone, including — or especially — himself. That homer gave the Royals a 4-3 victory in the last game of their three-game series with the Tigers. And by the way, the win snapped the Tigers’ five-game winning streak. Oh, snap!, indeed.

Willie made the front page of the KC Star Sports section today. The headline reads, “BOOM BOOM POW.” The cutline under the picture of Willie being mobbed by his teammates after the homer aptly describes him as “Unlikely hero Willie Bloomquist.”

Actually, Bloomquist didn’t surprise absolutely everyone. In fact, manager Ned Yost had “guaranteed” that with Willie batting third, he would get “a couple of hits” in the game. After Willie got one hit earlier in the game, Yost reminded him, “You still owe me one.” And Willie came through with that game-winning homer.

Is it possible that after all these years, Ned Yost has “discovered” Willie Bloomquist? Or that Willie has discovered himself?

In the post-game interview, Willie grinned goofily and looked a bit stunned. Until now, he’s been the kind of player commentator Frank White respects because he “doesn’t try to do too much.” Unaccustomed to media speaking as he is, Willie was characteristically humble in his comments:

“I don’t hit too many, but I assumed that one was gone,” … “I got pretty much all of it. That’s probably as far as I could probably hit one.” – Willie Bloomquist, after Royals’ 4-3 victory over Tigers.

He said it was “kind of cool” that he got to bat third. The man is a master of understatement.

So how come Willie Bloomquist was the star this time, and not just a supporting actor? Could it be because someone saw something in him that he didn’t even see in himself, and then gave him the confidence to use it?

If so, it goes to show you — even a utility player can knock it out of the park, if you believe in him and give him a chance.

BOOM BOOM POW!

Ever find yourself nodding as someone droned on and on without getting to the point — or the end of his or her remarks? Apparently, it’s a serious problem that’s cutting Chinese productivity.

Yadda yadda yadda...

Quote from an article in today’s KC Star:

“Chinese officials say they want to clean up a pollution scourge that is fouling the capital and government centers nationwide: bureaucratic gasbags.”

Just read an article on an HR website that said companies don’t want to hire the unemployed. That’s not exactly news; it’s been an unspoken rule for ages. The assumption is that if the person were any good, s/he would have a job, right? No. The world has changed. But HR people apparently haven’t.

At a networking event last night, I ran into three former co-workers, one of whom had just been laid off. Their company, which formerly had 11 employees, is now down to four. Employment status these days is no indicator of employability. Businesses have been shedding employees at a rapid rate the last 18 months just to try to keep the lights on, not because those employees weren’t competent.

Trashing resumes of people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own is not only wrong, it’s dumb. There is a rich supply of candidates who know their stuff and loved their former jobs. HR directors seeking to fill jobs ought to look at qualifications first and foremost. Looking at employment status and deciding without looking further that the candidate is incompetent or disqualified… how do they justify it? How do they sleep at night?

Ha ha. The other day, I thought this house stuff would be done in 10 days. Silly me.

The first floor *would* be done, if certain things didn’t have to be done over again. Painters miss things my decorator/stager thinks are essential. She’s much more particular than I am.

The entire second floor needs to be repainted, too. Phooey. When this is all done, the house will have been totally repainted, inside and out. Well, paint is cheap, and if it makes my house look $$$$ better, it’s worth it. Right?

Did I mention I’m getting a St. Joseph statue to bury in the yard? Sheesh. I’m not even Catholic, but whatever works…

Maybe I should start another blog called “This House For Sale.”

Did I mention I’m a photographer, too?

Rob Boston, of Americans United for Separation of Church & State, asked me to take photos of a former pastor who had lost his congregation because he didn’t think a mandatory religious assembly in a public school was right. And one of my shots of him made the cover of the July issue of “Church & State” magazine!

– NEWS FLASH! — It’s on the magazine’s website. Take a look, and read the article, too. It’s a case of a man standing up for what he thinks is right and losing his job for his trouble.

Need photos taken for an article or ad? Call me.

Just had to show you this pic the realtor took of my house for sale. The professional photo will be a lot better, but this one’s not bad. If you know of anyone who’s interested in living in a great, newly redone house in a great neighborhood, let me know.

Three Modern Myths:

1. The Titanic cannot possibly sink.

2. An offshore oil drilling platform cannot possibly blow up and spew oil into the sea.

3. Wal-Mart cannot possibly fail.

“There is business opportunity in the world, but the world is changing fast in big, disruptive, complex ways,” Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke told shareholders yesterday.

You said it, Mike. You know you’re in Bizarro World when Wal-Mart, the traditional low-price leader retailer, is losing business in a recession. But Wal-Mart is infamous for beating suppliers into submission on prices. Their margins are healthy enough. So what’s wrong with this picture?

What’s wrong at Wal-Mart has little to do with where Wal-Mart is and everything to do with where its customers are moving, economically. Which is mainly down.

Effectively, we now have two classes: the can’t-buys and the can-buys. And neither shops at Wal-Mart.

When the recession was younger, penny-pinching middle class shoppers switched to Wal-Mart from Target or mall stores. That was a good time for Wal-Mart. But then, as the recession continued, a lot of those shoppers lost jobs and sank to lower-middle-class status. Without jobs, they sank further, to lower-class. So former Wal-Mart shoppers can’t afford Wal-Mart. Now they hunt for even lower prices at dollar stores or grocery stores.

Imagine dreaming of being flush enough to shop at Wal-Mart! This recession stuff is tough.

Meanwhile, the upper-middle class (the still-employed) can afford full-price jeans, big flat-screen TVs and new cars. The things the middle class used to buy. Lucky ducks. They don’t have to pinch every penny. So they snub Wal-Mart and shop at Target or at mall stores.

The question for Wal-Mart is, do we dig down for the penny-pinching dollar store shoppers or aim for the upscale Target shoppers? My bet is on the latter. You just can’t undercut Dollar General.

Whee! Oh...

So what’s a retailer to do, when the economy is as unpredictable as a doodle bug on Ecstasy?

We can look to biological evolution. There have been millions of mass extinctions in the past. Those species that could adapt to changing conditions survived; others perished and ended up in the La Brea Tar Pits of failure.

Undoubtedly, some retailers will adapt successfully, and others won’t. The retail landscape will change in reaction to economic conditions. The questions are, “What will it change TO? And which retailers will be left standing?”

This afternoon, there’s a client meeting. But this morning, there’s nothing to do but admire the sunlit blooms on forsythia bushes and tulip trees and the budding tulips in the front of the house.

The world is painted in lively colors today, and I can only admire nature’s exceptional artistic talent.

Through our everyday choices and actions, we collectively have a huge impact on our world. April is “Keep America Beautiful Month.” And don’t forget, Earth Day is April 22.

Pick up a piece of random trash and make our environment more beautiful.