First, it's frightening to me that 72-year-old John McCain would entrust the vice-presidency to Sarah Palin. Incredibly, mind-bogglingly frightening on many levels.
Second, it sure is a great idea for a sitcom plot, though! I saw lots of possibilities as soon as I thought of it- sort of a higher-stakes Benson. Think about it! She has 5 kids, aged 1 to 20, which is great for all kinds of plot lines, from babysitting to dating. He husband races snowmobiles! If that doesn't scream UPN hit, I don't know what does.
I've added a new link to my link list. Someone sure moved fast. It's a faux Sarah Palin blog that had me in stitches.
a sample post:
"Getting Less Fun =-(
OK, this is getting hard now. Mr. McCain never said anything about Iraq! I mean, hes said stuff about it, or so that guy Steve just called to tell me, but he never said anything about it to me. And we talked for, like, a whole ten minutes at the fair. Worse, Alaska turns out to not be near Iraq (I always thought Iraq was closer than Russia. weird, right?). And so now im, like, CRAMMING, and it's like high school, only Todd's a bit fatter (JK honey!!!). I keep asking Mr. McCain's people to explain to me why were in Iraq, and they keep trying, but it doesnt really make any sense, and so now im worried theyre all going to think im stupid because i dont understand. And we cant leave, either, but they refuse to even tell me why not. This sucks :(:(:(:("
Saturday, August 30, 2008
I am no golfer
I played half a round of golf today with Brian, Matt, and Uncle Mark.
Then I quit on them, because that's the kind of stand-up guy I am.
Seriously, I am just so bad at the game that it's no fun at all. I've scored poorly many, many times before this year, but in the past, no matter how poorly I played, I seldom stood over my next shot with any lack of confidence.
Even if I'd hit 10 bad tee shots in a row, I had no problem believing the next one would be good.
Not now, and pretty much not all this year.
In other words, the problem today wasn't that I played poorly. The problem was that I was playing about average. I didn't have any belief whatsoever that things were going to improve.
I've practiced quite a lot this year, and until recently I believed I could turn it around very quickly. But now I've decided I either need to quit or I need help. (Help me, Jeebus!)
Since quiting golf would be the better option, freeing up time and money for more worthy pursuits, I have of course decided to go the other route. Once the Bats' season ends I will be pestering my wunderkind little brother for coaching and advice.
Until that time, I at least have college football to comfort me- it's so much fun to watch, I'm even enjoying watching Florida destroy Hawaii.
Then I quit on them, because that's the kind of stand-up guy I am.
Seriously, I am just so bad at the game that it's no fun at all. I've scored poorly many, many times before this year, but in the past, no matter how poorly I played, I seldom stood over my next shot with any lack of confidence.
Even if I'd hit 10 bad tee shots in a row, I had no problem believing the next one would be good.
Not now, and pretty much not all this year.
In other words, the problem today wasn't that I played poorly. The problem was that I was playing about average. I didn't have any belief whatsoever that things were going to improve.
I've practiced quite a lot this year, and until recently I believed I could turn it around very quickly. But now I've decided I either need to quit or I need help. (Help me, Jeebus!)
Since quiting golf would be the better option, freeing up time and money for more worthy pursuits, I have of course decided to go the other route. Once the Bats' season ends I will be pestering my wunderkind little brother for coaching and advice.
Until that time, I at least have college football to comfort me- it's so much fun to watch, I'm even enjoying watching Florida destroy Hawaii.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Prediction.
1st quarter:
Both teams struggle offensively. The quarter is highlighted by two big plays-one in the Cats favor, one for the Cards. The quarter ends with S-Krag's* team on top 7-3.
2nd quarter:
Still evenly-matched and fairly weak offensively. Louisville will outplay the Cats but somehow find themselves in a 10-10 deadlock at the half.
3rd quarter:
Here's where the 2 brand new Louisville coordinators become evident. Kentucky will grasp and respond to the half-time adjustments; Louisville will struggle- through no fault of the coordinators, but there are bound to be some glitches in their first game. 20-10 Kentucky leads.
4th quarter:
Rest easy, Big Blue Nation. Okay, bite your teeth and sweat a little, but the Wildcats will hang on. Sweltering heat, better depth, and quality running backs will overcome a premature prevent defense.
Kentucky 27
Louisville 20
...and if you cup your hand to your ear, and turn in the direction of Little Caesar's Stadium (shamelessly stolen from Matt Jones, but I will use it ever-after as my own), you will hear all the Boos in Boo'ville,
whose 'mouths will hang open a minute or two,
then the boos down in Boo'ville will all cry "Boo Hoo!"'
*Stupid? yes. But not any dumber than calling someone T-Will.
Both teams struggle offensively. The quarter is highlighted by two big plays-one in the Cats favor, one for the Cards. The quarter ends with S-Krag's* team on top 7-3.
2nd quarter:
Still evenly-matched and fairly weak offensively. Louisville will outplay the Cats but somehow find themselves in a 10-10 deadlock at the half.
3rd quarter:
Here's where the 2 brand new Louisville coordinators become evident. Kentucky will grasp and respond to the half-time adjustments; Louisville will struggle- through no fault of the coordinators, but there are bound to be some glitches in their first game. 20-10 Kentucky leads.
4th quarter:
Rest easy, Big Blue Nation. Okay, bite your teeth and sweat a little, but the Wildcats will hang on. Sweltering heat, better depth, and quality running backs will overcome a premature prevent defense.
Kentucky 27
Louisville 20
...and if you cup your hand to your ear, and turn in the direction of Little Caesar's Stadium (shamelessly stolen from Matt Jones, but I will use it ever-after as my own), you will hear all the Boos in Boo'ville,
whose 'mouths will hang open a minute or two,
then the boos down in Boo'ville will all cry "Boo Hoo!"'
*Stupid? yes. But not any dumber than calling someone T-Will.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Democratic Convention
I'm currently watching Bill Clinton's speech and, not coincidentally, finally feeling better about Obama's chances.
Hillary seemed to get decent reviews in the media today, but I thought she stunk. She looked and sounded like she was being forced to swallow a very bitter pill.
Bill's been fantastic, though. I had a feeling he'd come through with a big one, but he's doing even better than I'd hoped. If Obama doesn't use him extensively over the next two months, then he doesn't deserve to win.
Hillary seemed to get decent reviews in the media today, but I thought she stunk. She looked and sounded like she was being forced to swallow a very bitter pill.
Bill's been fantastic, though. I had a feeling he'd come through with a big one, but he's doing even better than I'd hoped. If Obama doesn't use him extensively over the next two months, then he doesn't deserve to win.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Matt Jones' description of U of L athletics
I get a kick out of Matt Jones every time I listen to his show. Here's an entry on his blog, Kentuckysportsradio.
The link to his blog is on my link list.
Allow me to tell you about that kid you knew growing up. For security purposes, we’ll just call him Lil’ L. This was the friend who was really fat and un-athletic, donned a seemingly permanent Kool-Aid and/or Cheeto dust mustache, and probably had a fancy set of shocks on his Huffy that made him feel cool, when all the while you knew they were simply necessary add-ons to support the fatness. His breath stunk, his cankles made you laugh, his toys never worked, and his favorite team was the one that just won the championship. In school, he wasn’t officially classified “special ed” but his classes were still in that remote corner of the school you’d never ventured and he was monitored during recess. As youth segued into adolescence, he hit a growth spurt and Lil’L became UofL. He was thinned out and even found a touch of coordination. As it turned out, there was a heap of athleticism submerged in that gravy balloon. His off-road Huffy became a candy painted Jeep Wrangler with tinted plastic and brush guards, even though we all knew it would never actually leave asphalt. He discovered breath mints, Coolwater, L.A. Looks (#8), and The Insane Clown Posse. Suddenly, the fat kid with cankles and pit-stains became a conceited douche bag with a trashy-hot girlfriend (most weekends anyway) and a chip on his shoulder. So now all he wants to do is talk about how great he is, and all you want to do is tell him, “Remember when you were a fat-ass?” I guess what I’m trying to say is, UofL is Jared from Subway.
The link to his blog is on my link list.
Football
Since comments from the coaches and speculation in the media keep pointing to more playing time for Randall Cobb as QB, I did some poking around online to find out more about him.
The recruiting sites had him listed as a three-star 'athlete' rather than at a set position. Recruiter comments (and video) indicate a strong arm, but said he was likely best-suited to receiver. This seems to be because of his size.
Cobb is from Alcoa High School near Knoxville. So what I really wanted to share was a few comments posted on Volnation's recruiting board:
"Now we can't even get the local kids to stay home."
"this sucks. KY is on the rise though and he will get more early PT"
"OMG if he dominates at KY. i will be so pissed..
that would be another steal that got away from UT"
"If we didn't pull him from Kraptucky then we obviously didn't want him all that bad. I wouldnt worry about the loss unless he can play D line"
"He'll be a receiver in a few years...and Kentucky will be back in the cellar where they belong."
"Guys, in this thread, we are starting to sound like UK basketball fans discussing UT's prospects for success in basketball."
"whatever, in about five minutes we wont be able to remember his name. KY is where good football players go to die. Yes, they had a little blip on the screen this year, but it will not last."
So I, for one, am sincerely hoping he works out as a sort of reverse-Chris Lofton.
The recruiting sites had him listed as a three-star 'athlete' rather than at a set position. Recruiter comments (and video) indicate a strong arm, but said he was likely best-suited to receiver. This seems to be because of his size.
Cobb is from Alcoa High School near Knoxville. So what I really wanted to share was a few comments posted on Volnation's recruiting board:
"Now we can't even get the local kids to stay home."
"this sucks. KY is on the rise though and he will get more early PT"
"OMG if he dominates at KY. i will be so pissed..
that would be another steal that got away from UT"
"If we didn't pull him from Kraptucky then we obviously didn't want him all that bad. I wouldnt worry about the loss unless he can play D line"
"He'll be a receiver in a few years...and Kentucky will be back in the cellar where they belong."
"Guys, in this thread, we are starting to sound like UK basketball fans discussing UT's prospects for success in basketball."
"whatever, in about five minutes we wont be able to remember his name. KY is where good football players go to die. Yes, they had a little blip on the screen this year, but it will not last."
So I, for one, am sincerely hoping he works out as a sort of reverse-Chris Lofton.
Oops, I think I upset a stupid, racist nut job.
Some of you may recall that I have previously mentioned a certain make-up-caked, bigoted colleague who likes to use company email to force her God upon me. Plus she is unhealthily attracted to cats.
Today during a private discussion about the Democratic Convention, I was expressing the opinion that people who would switch allegiances from Hillary Clinton straight to John McCain made no sense, because Clinton's and Obama's positions on virtually every issue are nearly identical to each other, but far-removed from McCain's.
The bigoted crazy cat lady must have been eavesdropping, because she chimed in with "That's what I'm doing! I was gonna vote for Hillary but now I'm picking McCain."
And I said (to the person with whom I was having the original conversation, but very loudly) "Like I said. People who'd do that are idiots."
Today during a private discussion about the Democratic Convention, I was expressing the opinion that people who would switch allegiances from Hillary Clinton straight to John McCain made no sense, because Clinton's and Obama's positions on virtually every issue are nearly identical to each other, but far-removed from McCain's.
The bigoted crazy cat lady must have been eavesdropping, because she chimed in with "That's what I'm doing! I was gonna vote for Hillary but now I'm picking McCain."
And I said (to the person with whom I was having the original conversation, but very loudly) "Like I said. People who'd do that are idiots."
Monday, August 25, 2008
Creationist idiots
Strolling through the office today, I happened to notice a dvd sitting on a coworker's desk. The title was "Darwin's Deadly Legacy."
I was curious, so I came home and checked up on it. I found it on youtube in 7 installments, and managed to make it through 2 full installments before my violent retching forced me to call EMS for assistance.
Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it really is obscenely stupid. The jackasses who created this idiocy basically link Darwin's theories to Hitler and the Holocaust, and all sorts of other 20th century ills.
Really.
The main argument seems to be that Hitler, and robber-barons, and others are all Social Darwinists who used 'survival of the fittest' to justify their crimes.
As far as I can tell, they conveniently don't address the fact that the scientific theory of evolution has ZERO relation to social Darwinism. In fact, the social theory they condemn and deem to be a result of Darwin's theory is actually the social behavior espoused and commonly associated with the right wing reactionaries they support.
To be fair, they might address this shortcoming later in the program-though I saw enough to know that if they did address it, it would be in a completely moronic way which made no sense.
I've made a mental note to limit my conversations with the above-mentioned coworker to the areas of weather and sports.
I was curious, so I came home and checked up on it. I found it on youtube in 7 installments, and managed to make it through 2 full installments before my violent retching forced me to call EMS for assistance.
Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it really is obscenely stupid. The jackasses who created this idiocy basically link Darwin's theories to Hitler and the Holocaust, and all sorts of other 20th century ills.
Really.
The main argument seems to be that Hitler, and robber-barons, and others are all Social Darwinists who used 'survival of the fittest' to justify their crimes.
As far as I can tell, they conveniently don't address the fact that the scientific theory of evolution has ZERO relation to social Darwinism. In fact, the social theory they condemn and deem to be a result of Darwin's theory is actually the social behavior espoused and commonly associated with the right wing reactionaries they support.
To be fair, they might address this shortcoming later in the program-though I saw enough to know that if they did address it, it would be in a completely moronic way which made no sense.
I've made a mental note to limit my conversations with the above-mentioned coworker to the areas of weather and sports.
Past predictions...
I still stand by my May prediction that McCain will win the election. I haven't seen any thing that's altered my original analysis. I hope I'm wrong, though.
and
I'm still feeling pretty confident about UK's football season. The quarterback situation is the only thing that troubles me. I'm getting a feeling that the Cats may be starting a true freshman (Randall Cobb) at QB by mid-season.
and
I'm still feeling pretty confident about UK's football season. The quarterback situation is the only thing that troubles me. I'm getting a feeling that the Cats may be starting a true freshman (Randall Cobb) at QB by mid-season.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Meet the Cardinals' new QB
If this is how Hunter Cantwell spends his offseason, it's fine by me. But I really, really, really don't want to hear any more comments from Louisville fans about the rednecks at UK.
Colds
I hate summer colds. All colds, actually.
I felt fine Friday night, but then I awoke Saturday morning to a nearly full-blown cold- sore throat, ache, runny nose, etc.
Zicam is keeping it in check reasonably well, but I haven't felt like doing anything, as evidenced by my multi-post weekend on this blog.
Every bad cold I get seems like the worst cold ever. It's like a bowl of chili in reverse, I suppose, because every good bowl of chili I eat seems like the best chili ever.
Interesting, in that bad colds and good chili both give me a runny nose.
I felt fine Friday night, but then I awoke Saturday morning to a nearly full-blown cold- sore throat, ache, runny nose, etc.
Zicam is keeping it in check reasonably well, but I haven't felt like doing anything, as evidenced by my multi-post weekend on this blog.
Every bad cold I get seems like the worst cold ever. It's like a bowl of chili in reverse, I suppose, because every good bowl of chili I eat seems like the best chili ever.
Interesting, in that bad colds and good chili both give me a runny nose.
Porky
UK football
Though I'm a fairly avid UK fan, I've never been too interested in recruiting news. I've never been one to scour the recruiting sites and fret over whether Kentucky will get this or that high school phenom, whether in basketball or football.
But I have to admit I'm pretty excited about the verbal commitment from Morgan Newton, the QB from Indianapolis (who had a big win on ESPN yesterday, though I did not see it).
I don't think one player can greatly improve a program. But getting a 5-star quarterback can sure help a school sign other good players. Newton might be excellent himself, but I think the big impact will be in getting other quality recruits in his class and the next.
Incidentally, Newton said he went to the UK-UofL game last year as a guest of the UofL, and became interested in the Wildcats as a result. Thanks, Cards!
But I have to admit I'm pretty excited about the verbal commitment from Morgan Newton, the QB from Indianapolis (who had a big win on ESPN yesterday, though I did not see it).
I don't think one player can greatly improve a program. But getting a 5-star quarterback can sure help a school sign other good players. Newton might be excellent himself, but I think the big impact will be in getting other quality recruits in his class and the next.
Incidentally, Newton said he went to the UK-UofL game last year as a guest of the UofL, and became interested in the Wildcats as a result. Thanks, Cards!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Olympics
The origins of nearly all Olympic track and field events seem plain to me. They clearly began far back in the mists of time when one person said to the other "I bet I can run from here to there faster than you can," or "I can jump higher (or further) than you can jump," or "I bet you can't throw this rock (or spear) as far as I can throw it."
But the triple jump just baffles me. It's a pretty neat event, but who in the heck came up with the idea?
But the triple jump just baffles me. It's a pretty neat event, but who in the heck came up with the idea?
Friday, August 22, 2008
One more thought...
The rumors that Obama is secretly Muslim just refuse to die.
Hasn't anyone noticed that Muslims aren't known for being very secretive about their religion? Can anybody name a single other person in history who was 'discovered' to be Islamic?
Closet homosexuals, I've heard of. Same with closet drinkers and drug users.
I guess Obama was just thinking ahead. He's probably had it all planned out since he was 18; he knew, as he entered Columbia University, that in Ronald Reagan's America he (Obama) was a can't-miss future candidate, slated to be the next in a long line of black presidents from Hawaii. So all he had to do was start covering his Islamic tracks, and then, when the inevitable happened and he became the leader of the free world, he could spring his surprise, forcing us all to give up alcohol and bow to Mecca 5 times a day.
Hasn't anyone noticed that Muslims aren't known for being very secretive about their religion? Can anybody name a single other person in history who was 'discovered' to be Islamic?
Closet homosexuals, I've heard of. Same with closet drinkers and drug users.
I guess Obama was just thinking ahead. He's probably had it all planned out since he was 18; he knew, as he entered Columbia University, that in Ronald Reagan's America he (Obama) was a can't-miss future candidate, slated to be the next in a long line of black presidents from Hawaii. So all he had to do was start covering his Islamic tracks, and then, when the inevitable happened and he became the leader of the free world, he could spring his surprise, forcing us all to give up alcohol and bow to Mecca 5 times a day.
Inside political information
Thanks to a scoop obtained exclusively by this blog, I can definitively report that Louis Farrakhan will not be named tomorrow as Senator Obama's running mate.
Farrakhan has often been mentioned as a possibility. His status as a resident of Chicago was deemed useful because Obama has few ties to the Illinois area. Also, his leadership position in the Nation of Islam is widely regarded as a possible useful counterweight to Obama's Christian faith, which has been a source of suspicion in the minds of many voters.
Other possible candidates include David Duke, whom pundits believe could help Obama make some inroads into the African-American community, and Barbra Streisand, who of course would be an attractive candidate for the NASCAR voters.
Softball
When I set up my softball blog I included this picture. But since I scrapped the separate softball blog idea I decided to go ahead and share it.
Team Klump (that's us in the Metro Parks league) was eliminated from the tournament tonight. We were beaten badly. The other team was excellent, and 6 of our players were unavailable, all due to other softball commitments. I don't blame them. This team was originally in a Monday night league, and a lot of guys play in Friday leagues or go out of town for weekend tournaments. Plus the tournament started a full month after our league season ended. If I was playing elsewhere on Fridays I wouldn't have been available, either.
Other softball news:
The Yogis played two games at St. Helen's last night, winning one, losing the other. We trailed 10-1 after five innings and came back for an 11-10 victory in the first game. We were shellacked in the 2nd game.
We don't play again until next Thursday. I have 5 consecutive days without a softball game! It appears my season actually is winding down after all.
That's fine by me, except that I've had a really hot bat this week.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Softball
Even before last week, I was getting a little burned out. I was more or less ready for this season to end.
I had every night free this year with no real obligations, so I thought, "Yeah, lots and lots of softball sounds fun!"
It was, and is, but I'm finding it a little more difficult to get excited about going to the ballfield now. It was easy in May and June.
The other day, I confessed to someone that I was getting a little tired of it after having played approximately 60 games so far this summer. He said "I guess you couldn't have been a professionaly baseball player, since they play 160 games a year."
My answer was "Yeah, but they don't spend 8-10 hours in an office every day before their games."
After last week's St. Martha tournament(s) fiasco, I was really quite ready for softball to start tapering off. Then I find that I have potentially 7 games in 4 nights this week. That's not tapering. Not at all.
Shucks, though, it's been fun so far. Last night, Yogis won our first fall league game 19-9 after getting behind by 6 early.
Tonight was the start of the parks leagues tournament for all the teams who finished first or second in the various parks leagues. We won two games, both after falling behind by fairly substantial amounts.
All that's left this week is a doubleheader with the Yogis tomorrow, and potentially two games in the parks tournament Friday.
I had every night free this year with no real obligations, so I thought, "Yeah, lots and lots of softball sounds fun!"
It was, and is, but I'm finding it a little more difficult to get excited about going to the ballfield now. It was easy in May and June.
The other day, I confessed to someone that I was getting a little tired of it after having played approximately 60 games so far this summer. He said "I guess you couldn't have been a professionaly baseball player, since they play 160 games a year."
My answer was "Yeah, but they don't spend 8-10 hours in an office every day before their games."
After last week's St. Martha tournament(s) fiasco, I was really quite ready for softball to start tapering off. Then I find that I have potentially 7 games in 4 nights this week. That's not tapering. Not at all.
Shucks, though, it's been fun so far. Last night, Yogis won our first fall league game 19-9 after getting behind by 6 early.
Tonight was the start of the parks leagues tournament for all the teams who finished first or second in the various parks leagues. We won two games, both after falling behind by fairly substantial amounts.
All that's left this week is a doubleheader with the Yogis tomorrow, and potentially two games in the parks tournament Friday.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Funny
I saw a list of rejected religious slogans today. Didn't save it and can't remember all the good ones, but here are a few.
*Jesus loves you...but then again, He loves everybody.
*My megachurch is bigger than your megachurch.
*I worship better than you do.
*You suck. You need Jesus.
*Jesus loves you...but then again, He loves everybody.
*My megachurch is bigger than your megachurch.
*I worship better than you do.
*You suck. You need Jesus.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Okay, here's this week's softball.
We stunk.
Gosh, I could have posted that earlier. Two words convey about everything there is to report, and it hardly took any time at all.
Actually, I was feeling under the weather the last couple of days, and I have quite an ache in my back, or my shoulder, or under my shoulder blade, or something- it's sort of hard to pinpoint, but feels like probably a muscle strain. But I no longer feel sick, and my back/shoulder pain has dropped from a discomfort level of 7 or so to about a 3, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
So more details on softball. Tuesday, we beat Jock's in the winner's bracket final, which was a much-too-early high point of the Yogis' night.
Jock's won the loser's bracket final while we watched, then they beat us twice in a row to win the tournament.
We stunk. All three games, really, except that they just played worse than us in the first one. I don't mind too much losing to them; they're a more talented, better-hitting team, and we won three of six games against them this year. That's about all I can ask for.
What I did mind was our pathetic performance, we hit poorly, made stupid mistakes in the field and on the basepaths, and (especially) that we quickly developed a rotten attitude. Too many people were griping at each other.
That kind of thing really pisses me off.
The Wednesday night league tournament is over next week, but it doesn't involve us. For a brief summary of our two losses Wednesday, see above re: pathetic performance.
One personal bright spot: though I hit every bit as poorly as my teammates, I played excellent defense all three games Tuesday. I'm not easily impressed with my own glove, but after the games that night I thought I'd done a darned good job.
Others agreed, I heard compliments from my teammates, from the other team, and from non-players who were watching. The next night one guy told me it was the best night he'd ever seen a 3rd baseman have at St. Martha, and he's been playing there a long time.
That was nice to hear. But we still stunk.
Fall league at St. Helen's starts next week!
Gosh, I could have posted that earlier. Two words convey about everything there is to report, and it hardly took any time at all.
Actually, I was feeling under the weather the last couple of days, and I have quite an ache in my back, or my shoulder, or under my shoulder blade, or something- it's sort of hard to pinpoint, but feels like probably a muscle strain. But I no longer feel sick, and my back/shoulder pain has dropped from a discomfort level of 7 or so to about a 3, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
So more details on softball. Tuesday, we beat Jock's in the winner's bracket final, which was a much-too-early high point of the Yogis' night.
Jock's won the loser's bracket final while we watched, then they beat us twice in a row to win the tournament.
We stunk. All three games, really, except that they just played worse than us in the first one. I don't mind too much losing to them; they're a more talented, better-hitting team, and we won three of six games against them this year. That's about all I can ask for.
What I did mind was our pathetic performance, we hit poorly, made stupid mistakes in the field and on the basepaths, and (especially) that we quickly developed a rotten attitude. Too many people were griping at each other.
That kind of thing really pisses me off.
The Wednesday night league tournament is over next week, but it doesn't involve us. For a brief summary of our two losses Wednesday, see above re: pathetic performance.
One personal bright spot: though I hit every bit as poorly as my teammates, I played excellent defense all three games Tuesday. I'm not easily impressed with my own glove, but after the games that night I thought I'd done a darned good job.
Others agreed, I heard compliments from my teammates, from the other team, and from non-players who were watching. The next night one guy told me it was the best night he'd ever seen a 3rd baseman have at St. Martha, and he's been playing there a long time.
That was nice to hear. But we still stunk.
Fall league at St. Helen's starts next week!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Barest softball essentials
We did not win the Tuesday night tournament.
I know someone will check the blog to see (probably Mom or Dad), so I had to provide at least that much info.
Since it's 12:10, I'm very hungry, and showering and going to bed soon would both be good ideas, that's all I can provide tonight.
I know someone will check the blog to see (probably Mom or Dad), so I had to provide at least that much info.
Since it's 12:10, I'm very hungry, and showering and going to bed soon would both be good ideas, that's all I can provide tonight.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Ironic Times headline
Theironictimes.com's scrolling headlines currently shows one item that I think really hits the nail right on the head. It is this:
McCain: Obama too smart, popular to lead...
Another good one was "Bush mistakenly flies to Atlanta to meet with Georgian president."
McCain: Obama too smart, popular to lead...
Another good one was "Bush mistakenly flies to Atlanta to meet with Georgian president."
An ethical question
If one were walking along the sidewalk of say, Woodbourne Ave., and one were to notice that in a particular front yard, between the curb and sidewalk, some very productive tomato vines are growing (okay, snaking) around a telephone pole and the supporting wire which is sort of triangulary-attached to said pole, and that the vines currently hold dozens of ripe, tasty-looking cherry tomatoes, is this forbidden fruit?
I picked none of the tomatoes, but I spent the rest of my walk pondering the question.
The tomatoes are right next to a public thoroughfare, some actually hanging right out over the street. But they are planted on private property.
But the telephone pole doesn't belong to the homeowner. Are the tomatoes on his/her/their property if wrapped around the pole?
Are the tomatoes intended solely for personal consumption? It seems incredibly naive to believe that no other passerby would swipe a few, and surely the planter knows this.
Plus, did I mention they looked really tasty?
I think I've decided that it would definitely be wrong to take a large quantity, but that it would be morally acceptable to pick off one or two as an appetizer of sorts.
But I'm not quite sure.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Scramble
I guess I didn't load my team. We were just -1. Along with two other teams. The winners were -6, 2nd place was -4.
I think the teams were evenly matched. All three -1 teams were very unhappy with the way they (we) played. I know my team didn't come close to what we could have done. We blew a lot of easy birdie chances.
When I matched up the teams I expected us all to be between 4 and 6 under, and I still think that should have been the case.
I keep getting worse and worse. I think "pathetic" is an appropriate adjective for my golf swing.
I didn't play very many rounds this year. Probably fewer than any of at least the last 10 years. But I hit balls at the shag field and range fairly often and should be a lot better. It's frustrating.
I believe I'm done for the year. Maybe a few months off will help. It sure as heck won't hurt.
I think the teams were evenly matched. All three -1 teams were very unhappy with the way they (we) played. I know my team didn't come close to what we could have done. We blew a lot of easy birdie chances.
When I matched up the teams I expected us all to be between 4 and 6 under, and I still think that should have been the case.
I keep getting worse and worse. I think "pathetic" is an appropriate adjective for my golf swing.
I didn't play very many rounds this year. Probably fewer than any of at least the last 10 years. But I hit balls at the shag field and range fairly often and should be a lot better. It's frustrating.
I believe I'm done for the year. Maybe a few months off will help. It sure as heck won't hurt.
Chef: Stan, sometime God takes those closest to us, because it makes him feel better about himself. He is a very vengeful god, Stan. He's all pissed off about something we did thousands of years ago. He just can't get over it! So he doesn't care who he takes. Children, puppies, it don't matter to him, so long as it makes us sad. Do you understand?
Stan: But then why does God give us anything to start with?
Chef: Well, look at it this way! If you want to make a baby cry, first you give it a lollipop. Then you take it away! If you never give it a lollipop to begin with, it would have nothing to cry about! That's like God, who gives us life and love and health, just so that he can tear it all away and make us cry. So he can drink the sweet milk of our tears! You see, it's our tears, Stan, that give God his great power.
Stan: I think I understand.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Softball
We won 18-0.
The gravy train's over, though.
The Tuesday night tournament ends next week. We play the winner's bracket final at 7:20 against Jock's, who won the regular season (We split against them- one close win and one blowout loss). Then we play one or two more games that night, depending on how things go.
The Wednesday tournament is two more weeks. We won the league, and beat the last-place team in the first round tonight, so we play either the 3rd or 4th place team next week.
I'm apparently not done in the Monday parks league, either. Last night, I was informed that the city tournament starts in a couple of weeks.
I didn't know there was a city tournament. Oh, well.
The fall league at St. Helen's starts in two weeks. After that, I guess I'll have to find something else to do. Like get 7-8 hours sleep per night, or something.
The gravy train's over, though.
The Tuesday night tournament ends next week. We play the winner's bracket final at 7:20 against Jock's, who won the regular season (We split against them- one close win and one blowout loss). Then we play one or two more games that night, depending on how things go.
The Wednesday tournament is two more weeks. We won the league, and beat the last-place team in the first round tonight, so we play either the 3rd or 4th place team next week.
I'm apparently not done in the Monday parks league, either. Last night, I was informed that the city tournament starts in a couple of weeks.
I didn't know there was a city tournament. Oh, well.
The fall league at St. Helen's starts in two weeks. After that, I guess I'll have to find something else to do. Like get 7-8 hours sleep per night, or something.
Sandbagging...
Thank you for impugning my integrity, Brian, but no, I will not sandbag.
I will play my best Sunday, no matter who my teammates are. Unfortunately, my best is just not good at all.
Last August, my team won the scramble and I was our 'A' player. I really carried the team, too. Off the tee, I was down the middle and a modest but consistent 230 yards, and my approach shots were almost all on the green, and often darts to the pin.
This year, I'm spraying weak 190-yard drives and missing greens from every distance.
Jim, Ron, and Billy have played with me recently and know I stink, but everyone else assumes I'm a good golfer. They think I'm lying, which is kind of stupid because they all know me well and should know I'm not the type of person to sandbag in any scramble, let alone a little five-team scramble with about $20 per player on the line for first place.
I'll turn it around soon, though (which is the same thought I've had since April).
I will play my best Sunday, no matter who my teammates are. Unfortunately, my best is just not good at all.
Last August, my team won the scramble and I was our 'A' player. I really carried the team, too. Off the tee, I was down the middle and a modest but consistent 230 yards, and my approach shots were almost all on the green, and often darts to the pin.
This year, I'm spraying weak 190-yard drives and missing greens from every distance.
Jim, Ron, and Billy have played with me recently and know I stink, but everyone else assumes I'm a good golfer. They think I'm lying, which is kind of stupid because they all know me well and should know I'm not the type of person to sandbag in any scramble, let alone a little five-team scramble with about $20 per player on the line for first place.
I'll turn it around soon, though (which is the same thought I've had since April).
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
softball update
2nd round of the Tuesday night tournament....
We won 23-2. Not a lot of suspense.
In the 6 innings the game lasted, we scored 3, 3, 3, 0, 3, and 11 runs. Those numbers illustrate a key to our season; as opposed to last year, we're scoring consistently.
Last year, we lost a lot of close games in which we had a seven- or -eight run inning but only totaled 10 or 11 runs.
This season we're doing a much better job of getting runs home after they're on base.
As an aside, and I hate to bring down the euphoria caused by a Yogi victory, I heard tonight that Steve McCormick, whom Ron, Jim, and I graduated with from St. X., died from a heart attack.
We weren't great friends, but I always liked him. He was a really nice guy- he and Ron were best friends as young kids, and he played softball at St. Martha (for St. Martha's team) for several years.
He was a heavy drinker and I'm sure (well, obviously) not in the best of health, but he was young and pretty athletic and didn't look like the heart attack type, at least not yet.
We were by no means close. Not at all. I hadn't even run into him in over a year. But I was a little surprised by how much the news affected me. I think it's a combination of his relative youth and the fact that I really did like him. He was just one of those super-nice guys that always seemed glad to see me and was always genuinely interested in how I was doing.
I'm not an emotional wreck or anything. Overall, this very sad news doesn't rate incredibly highly on my personal Richter scale, but it does pretty much stink.
I don't know a lot of people as friendly as Steve. And that's a quality that I hold in great esteem, especially because I don't have it.
I'm a pretty nice guy, but I admit my interest is too often faked. I'm often friendly as a by-product of courtesy; I certainly do wish the best for most people, most of the time, but I've come to realize that a genuine and consistent interest in others' well-being is fairly rare, and I'm sad to know there's one less person around who has it.
We won 23-2. Not a lot of suspense.
In the 6 innings the game lasted, we scored 3, 3, 3, 0, 3, and 11 runs. Those numbers illustrate a key to our season; as opposed to last year, we're scoring consistently.
Last year, we lost a lot of close games in which we had a seven- or -eight run inning but only totaled 10 or 11 runs.
This season we're doing a much better job of getting runs home after they're on base.
As an aside, and I hate to bring down the euphoria caused by a Yogi victory, I heard tonight that Steve McCormick, whom Ron, Jim, and I graduated with from St. X., died from a heart attack.
We weren't great friends, but I always liked him. He was a really nice guy- he and Ron were best friends as young kids, and he played softball at St. Martha (for St. Martha's team) for several years.
He was a heavy drinker and I'm sure (well, obviously) not in the best of health, but he was young and pretty athletic and didn't look like the heart attack type, at least not yet.
We were by no means close. Not at all. I hadn't even run into him in over a year. But I was a little surprised by how much the news affected me. I think it's a combination of his relative youth and the fact that I really did like him. He was just one of those super-nice guys that always seemed glad to see me and was always genuinely interested in how I was doing.
I'm not an emotional wreck or anything. Overall, this very sad news doesn't rate incredibly highly on my personal Richter scale, but it does pretty much stink.
I don't know a lot of people as friendly as Steve. And that's a quality that I hold in great esteem, especially because I don't have it.
I'm a pretty nice guy, but I admit my interest is too often faked. I'm often friendly as a by-product of courtesy; I certainly do wish the best for most people, most of the time, but I've come to realize that a genuine and consistent interest in others' well-being is fairly rare, and I'm sad to know there's one less person around who has it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Scramble dilemma
I'm in charge of assigning teams for our Yogis golf scramble (which is Sunday, in case any paparazzi want to turn up).
I believe I have a good idea of everyone's capabilities and can make the teams fair, but my dilemma is that almost everyone there is under the mistaken impression that I'm a good golfer.
If I make the teams fair, some will assume that I've loaded up my own team, when in fact what I've done is weighed down some good players with dead weight (me).
I've been a pretty good golfer at times in the past, but I really, really stink right now.
So I've come up with a plan. I'm going to put myself where I truly belong. According to my reasonably firm rough draft, I'll be the 'C' golfer on the team with the best 'A".
Someone is certain to complain. So what I'm going to do is switch myself onto the team of the first person who raises an objection.
Ha! That'll learn 'em!
I believe I have a good idea of everyone's capabilities and can make the teams fair, but my dilemma is that almost everyone there is under the mistaken impression that I'm a good golfer.
If I make the teams fair, some will assume that I've loaded up my own team, when in fact what I've done is weighed down some good players with dead weight (me).
I've been a pretty good golfer at times in the past, but I really, really stink right now.
So I've come up with a plan. I'm going to put myself where I truly belong. According to my reasonably firm rough draft, I'll be the 'C' golfer on the team with the best 'A".
Someone is certain to complain. So what I'm going to do is switch myself onto the team of the first person who raises an objection.
Ha! That'll learn 'em!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Something that made me mad
While watching the 11:00 news, I twice saw a stupid little commercial for unionfacts.com.
The basic point of the commercial was that labor unions were evil organizations that stole hard-earned money from honest workers and used it to support bad candidates and lazy workers.
I'm not in a union, and haven't been in one for 20 years. But I wish I was, and the decline of union membership, power, and importance is terrible- for workers and for the country in general.
I feel strongly about it, I guess.
Therefore, the commercial pretty well ticked me off. I visited the site. It's exactly what I expected; a propaganda tool run by people who are far, far-removed from any need for a labor union. Or so they think.
There was no information about the site managers at that particular site- no one willing to claim direct responsibility for the idiocy, I guess. But a closely-linked site had some info.
The people so desperate to save workers from nefarious unions were graduates of Yale, Translvania, Northwestern, Michigan, Drake, and William & Mary. They were lawyers, and "public affairs" experts, and advertisers. Spin doctors. They were industry representatives, of course.
Why was I willing to waste time researching it? Darned if I know. It just pushed one of my buttons.
I get mad because people don't see the need for unions even though most of the history of the world provides ample proof that no one's going to pay a dime more than they have to for anything, and that includes both consumers buying products and employers paying (or avoiding paying) wages and benefits and disability and injury compensation, and for safety.
A common opinion seems to be that unions were useful in the past but unnecessary now, since worker conditions have improved.
My belief is that the steady decline of unions and organization is coinciding with a steady decline in worker conditions, compensation, and security, and that it's not a coincidence.
Unions might not be as necessary now as in the past, but soon they'll be every bit as necessary again.
The basic point of the commercial was that labor unions were evil organizations that stole hard-earned money from honest workers and used it to support bad candidates and lazy workers.
I'm not in a union, and haven't been in one for 20 years. But I wish I was, and the decline of union membership, power, and importance is terrible- for workers and for the country in general.
I feel strongly about it, I guess.
Therefore, the commercial pretty well ticked me off. I visited the site. It's exactly what I expected; a propaganda tool run by people who are far, far-removed from any need for a labor union. Or so they think.
There was no information about the site managers at that particular site- no one willing to claim direct responsibility for the idiocy, I guess. But a closely-linked site had some info.
The people so desperate to save workers from nefarious unions were graduates of Yale, Translvania, Northwestern, Michigan, Drake, and William & Mary. They were lawyers, and "public affairs" experts, and advertisers. Spin doctors. They were industry representatives, of course.
Why was I willing to waste time researching it? Darned if I know. It just pushed one of my buttons.
I get mad because people don't see the need for unions even though most of the history of the world provides ample proof that no one's going to pay a dime more than they have to for anything, and that includes both consumers buying products and employers paying (or avoiding paying) wages and benefits and disability and injury compensation, and for safety.
A common opinion seems to be that unions were useful in the past but unnecessary now, since worker conditions have improved.
My belief is that the steady decline of unions and organization is coinciding with a steady decline in worker conditions, compensation, and security, and that it's not a coincidence.
Unions might not be as necessary now as in the past, but soon they'll be every bit as necessary again.
Dr. Horrible
I just watched Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." Whedon fans will love it. It went straight to my links list and I'm sure I'll watch it again.
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