Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Braves: 6-1 Start

So far so good with the Braves. Monday night was a tough start but they came back again. Co-worker Tim went to the game but left during the second rain delay. Tuesday Cahill did bad in his first start so all the experts are acting like they knew this would happen all along. Had Cahill pitched well nothing would've been said. Looks like Rob's prediction that the pitcher from SD would be called up will probably come true.
ABOVE: Jaime heads off into the sunset with his bags packed. Guess when the team followed their recommendation to dump Jamie that gave those fans a boost of confidence. Funny that a 6-1 team dumps the player that lost the one game, but he had always been wild. Guess last year those AAA hitters couldn't resist the high cheese.

Hopefully the Hawks can turn things around and get their mojo back. Will the Hawks make it to the Finals? Earlier in the season it was a forgone conclusion. I liked the zombie Hawks treet.

ROB: Did you see the disastrous start that Gattis has gotten off to?  0-12, with 12 K's going into yesterday's game.  MLB had a highlight of a Justin Upton catch yesterday - he took a bad route on a ball and ended up having to dive for it. 

It looks like the Wisler kid picked up in the Kimbrel trade could be up around midseason. It sounds like Wisler is ready for the majors, but I think they want to keep him in AAA until late May/early June to hold back his service clock for arbitration and free agent purposes.  I think they have already cleared the free agent hurdle - now they just need to keep him down a little longer so he won't be a "super 2" arbitration eligible player.

Folty will be in AAA a while longer this year - it sounds like he needs some more work on his control. Jamie was wild in the minors as well.  You can teach someone to throw strikes -  you can't teach them to throw 98 mph.  I think they were hoping to hide him on the major league roster and have McDowell work with him, but they finally accepted that they needed 7 relief pitchers who could contribute now.

The Hawks concern me - I hope they did not screw around and rest too much down the stretch.  The Thabo/Antic thing did not help either.

ME: Monday: Two long conference calls, a rejection, and two projects were due. Then I was volunteered to be a tour guide at our open house on Friday. Worked past six and spent little time on my real job. C and A when to a planning meeting for their graduation party. Party is to be May 9 at the Hargreaves for Anna, Caroline, Brittany, and roommate Emily. Supposedly mostly teenagers and few adults. So we have four straight weekends with big events: April 24 prom, May 2 trip and May 3 prom, May 9 party, and May 15 graduation. Plus Will will be moving home from Athens, road tripping to OKC to move MC home, and starting work in Roswell.

I stopped by Wendys on the way home. The computer was running slow so I didn't do much. Watched some Braves and Seinfeld. Ceil returned and wanted to watch The Voice. I went to bed at ten.

Tuesday we had our monthly account review meeting, where I was able to make a few good points. I went to an interesting focus group on packaging. Three other older guys were in my group. Stopped by some thrift stores on the way home. Ceil cooked burrito stuff. M and A went to a guitar lesson. Watched some Braves and The Voice. Went to bed at ten. Lately work has been wearing me out and I sleep deeply. Had a busy Wednesday. Didn't bring my lunch so I hit Taco Bell. Slower service than usual. Friday we have Dreamland BBQ.

Very interesting story about a man who gets every SI cover signed. http://www.mademan.com/obsessed-scott-smith-signed-si-super-collector/ Funny the obsessions people get. The adventure is in the collecting, like he said. I have 99% of all Sports Illustrated issues since 1983, but they're boxed up here there and everywhere. I wouldn't mind selling them if I could. Some guys have as many sneakers as Emelda Marcos had shoes. A few years ago I started collecting bobbleheads and now I have 140. Get them at Braves games, thrift stores, eBay, and trade with other collectors on Facebook. My son Will says he'll take them when I die. I stopped collecting Coke bottles and need to get rid of them. Getting to be a decent seller on eBay.

M went to Cincinnati this past weekend with his friend McKinnon and her mom for a downtown home school conference, just a block away from the stadium. He saw Jason Heyward and a teammate at a yogurt store. Matthew wants to work but struggles so with completing his homework that we haven't let him get a job. The lady at the Roswell Chickfila really gave him the runaround, always saying to call but she would never return the calls. In person she kept putting him off for a month or two at a time. Not sure he was always well groomed when he went in there, though. He wants to get a job this summer at El Felix at the Avalon. He knows the owner's son.

Anna's prom is April 24 and Matthew's prom is May 3. Weird to have a prom on a Sunday night but supposedly it's a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant. Luckily these proms aren't quite as high maintenance as public school proms. Ceil's mom paid for Anna's dress and M will wear his sport coat and bow tie. No limos or hotel rooms for Anna, just a nice dinner beforehand and maybe Waffle House or a sleepover afterwards. Anna's prom is at the Chattahoochee Nature Center near us. Not sure how that will work but I hear I'm supposed to chaperone. Last year I think the Varsity catered it. Anna won't have a date but will just go with friends.

The worst part about being a prom parent is having to post those 90 pictures of the same couple on Facebook. Guess I shouldn't post that last sentence on social media.

The financial thing that worries me is if Anna signs up for sorority rush. So many events that require so many fancy dresses, event T shirts, etc. What if Emily gets invited into the sorority of choice and Anna doesn't? It's like elite ballet all over again. But I won't want her to miss out on something she wants to do. Anna has done a great job in high school balancing her social life, church, and a heavy class load. At UGA the temptations will be greater, making it more costly and harder for her to keep her Zell Miller scholarship. Ceil won't have to work at Anna's school any more, hopefully freeing her up to get a paying job somewhere else. M would need a car to go with his tuition, insurance will be going up, Will will still be in school this fall, there will be wedding events. God wants us to trust in His provision, but He also wants us to be prudent and save and plan ahead.

No comments: