GOAT

Fans compare Greg Maddux to Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martenez, and Nolan Ryan as if they're equals. Not even close. Who won 15 or more games a record 17 times? Who won more games than any righthander since the end of the Dead Ball Era? Maddux's 1.8 walks per 9 innings were markedly lower than his contemporaries. Strikeouts might be cool. Some pitchers may have been lights out for 2 or 3 years. But the object of the game is to win. No one was as consistently great as Maddux. 

W/YR..W.YR.BB9.streak of 15+wins

15.43 355 23 1.8 17 Greg Maddux

14.95 284 19 2.0 06 Fergie Jenkins

14.93 209 14 2.2 04 Don Drysdale 

14.78 266 18 4.1 06 Bob Feller 

14.76 251 17 3.1 05 Bob Gibson

14.75 236 16 3.1 05 Whitey Ford

14.75 354 24 2.9 07 Roger Clemens

14.11 268 19 3.0 05 Jim Palmer

14.09 324 23 2.3 08 Don Sutton

13.77 303 22 3.3 04 Randy Johnson

13.75 165 12 3.2 04 Sandy Koufax 

13.71 329 24 3.2 07 Steve Carlton

13.30 266 20 2.5 03 Justin Verlander

13.25 318 24 3.0 07 Phil Niekro 

12.78 221 18 2.4 04 Max Scherzer

12.39 223 18 2.2 03 Clayton Kershaw

12.17 219 18 2.4 04 Pedro Martinez 

12.00 324 27 4.7 03 Nolan Ryan

Monday: productive morning: (1) played golf, (2) gassed up my car, (3) hit the gym for an hour, (4) visited the AT&T Store, (5) picked up two things at CVS, and (6) picked up my dry cleaning.

AM golf: Took my time getting started, but the professor was a no show. Even played the first hole twice while looking out for him.

1. Decent 6 iron off the old first tee box. Then another nice long 6 iron to just short of the front right bunker. Chipped just over the green. 

1. From the new 1st tee box I hit driver. Went a little further than my earlier 6 iron. Hit two good 5 irons, first into the front right bunker, then a mulligan that landed just a short of the green. One of my 3 chips stuck on the green. Two putt for bogey.

2. After a flub I hit one straight, but short. Hit about 5 chips, none that good. Double.

3. Hit two straight 8 irons off the tee. Both short, but at least that didn't roll down off the green. A couple of good chips. Took me 4 tries to sink the par putt.

4. Hit one short, then hit two good 5 irons. One settled on the front right fringe. Hit several nice lag putts to within inches. Par.

5. Hit four tee shots, not that good. Hit several chips, a couple to the front fringe. Hit a couple of good lag putts. Couldn't sink a bogey putt.

6. Hit two pretty good drives off the tee. Only one of my three fairway shots was good. Hit one real good chip, out of four tries. Took me a couple of attempts to sink the par putt. 

7. Hit a drive right, flubbed one, then lined a drive into to the hill. It managed to roll part of the way up. Two decent 6 irons, the first further than the mulligan. Chipped one to the front of the green, and a second to the back. Putted two close. Bogey.

8. Hit two high drives to the middle of the fairway. Not much roll or distance. Hit one great chip, three others were just okay, and only one flub. Hit like 4 birdie putts to within inches. Par 

9. Just before i walked to the last tee, a grandfather had taken his two young grandsons off the adjacent bike trail for a little adventure. Maybe one had to pee. But they hung around to watch me tee off. I hit a decent hybrid up the right side of the fairway. With a tree branch in my way, none of my chips were good. One did hit the branch, or it might've been good. Hit three uphill putts past the hole, and left one short. Just so hard to putt on this green. Double 

SHOHEI OHTANI [B-R Bio] is the only major leaguer to win MVP unanimously more than once. Playing for the Angels, Ohtani won the AL MVP in 2021 & 2023.  After signing with LAD, he won the NL MVP in 2024 & 2025. All 4 times, no other nominee ever got even a single first-place vote. He was ROY with LAA in 2018 with 25 of the available 30 first-place votes. Pitching for LAA in 2022, he finished 4th for the Cy Young Award, behind Justin Verlander’s unanimous vote

Denison: in Reinventing Liberal Christianity, the British theologian Theo Hobson describes the three marks of a revolution:

1. What was universally condemned is now celebrated.

2. What was universally celebrated is now condemned.

3. Those who refuse to celebrate are condemned.

As a means to advancing such a "revolution," the first step is to normalize "what was universally condemned." We are reticent to celebrate what we consider aberrant, so we must be convinced that what we thought was aberrant is actually normal.

Hot Stove: Babe Ruth's Great Grandson

Special guest at the Hot Stove meeting: Brent Stevens, Babe Ruth’s great grandson. Maintains the website www.BabeRuthCentral.com and has written a book titled Out Of The Mouth of Babe. Lives in Roswell. He brought a framed letter written in 1947 by Ty Cobb to the Babe. Cobb, more of a singles hitter, didn't like how home run hitters like Ruth were changing the game. Little did he know. 

Old Tom Curren was born in 1941, and remembered seeing the newspaper headlines when Babe Ruth died in 1948. I need to get some conditioner to oil my baseball gloves. Next meeting will be March 22. The Jonathan Harris look-alike brought several of his old gloves, and offered to oil up mine. 

The Hot Stove guys recounted the hostage situation in the school, years ago. All the Forsyth County schools were on lockdown all day. Johnny took the gun away from the boy. Johnny had his old collection of Hanna bats set out. Made in Athens Ga.

Jeff Hullinger did a feature story on the black little league team back in the 60's, coached by the  legendary Southwest Dekalb football coach. 

On the way home I bought a Savannah Bananas cap for two bucks. If you can't beat'em, join'em. Kinda tight.

For valentines, last night Ceil cooked me burgers, and a steak for her. Big baked potatoes. And she baked an apple pie and bought vanilla ice cream. 

After a month of retirement, I'm wondering about the future of this blog. I post every day. I really don't have time to sit in front of the computer and type up things that I am trying to think through. It is helpful and therapeutic. Perhaps after supper I can peck out my thoughts on my phone. Not sure what I am gonna do. Not as many TV shows that I am interested in either. Best Medicine. Georgie & Mandy. Peyton's Places.  Only Murders in the Building. I quit watching Elsbeth and that other detective show. Too much work to watch when C doesn't want to watch. I don't really watch much baseball on TV, though the Braves will be airing 15 spring training games in March. When I watch football, I spend a good deal of time working on my laptop. Thought about mounting a flatscreen in my office, but I'm not sure why. I've been listening to the radio, but even that can be distracting.    

MIKE TROUT  [B-R Bio] has a higher career WAR than any of these MVPs / Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell, Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Joe Dimaggio, Ken Griffey Jr, Chipper Jones, and Robin Yount. When Trout won his second All-Star Game MVP in 2015, he joined Willie Mays (1963, 68), Steve Garvey (1974, 78), Gary Carter (1981, 84), and Cal Ripken (1991, 2001) as a 2-time winner. From 2012 thought 2016, Trout led the league in WAR, with: 10.5, 8.9. 7.7, 9.5, & 10.4. Led MLB 4 times. Only Led the AL in 2015. 

Player    WAR  MVP             HOF Vote%

Bagwell*  79.9   NL 1993           2017 86.2

Bench*    75.1   NL 1970,72      1989 96.4

Carew*    81.2   AL 1977           1991 90.5

DiMaggio 79.1   AL 1939,41,47 1955 88.8

Griffey     83.8   AL 1995           2016 99.3

Jones      85.3   NL 1999           2018 97.2

Yount      77.4   AL 1982,89       1999 77.5

Trout       87.5   AL 2014,16,19  

Traps To Avoid

Clay Smith JFBC
Ecclesiastes 4:1-8
What's the Point?

The old canary in a coal mine test. Toxic gases can kill you. Many things in life can be traps. So often we don't discover until it's too late.

Solomon is in despair. He is in a fog. Live can be like that. God is there but you can't see him. There is value in hard work and achievement, but there is a shadow side. There are traps. There is a price to pay.

What is the point? The pursuit of more often costs us what matters most. Solomon gives us areas to examine. Three traps...

1. More power. More authority. What do you do with the power you have.

Verse 1: no one to comfort the oppressed. True of government, of social networks, workplaces. Humans are capable of unspeakable evil.

What do you do when such bad things are happening? When power becomes the thing we are after, we treat others badly.

Question: am I using power for myself, instead of for other people? What's it like to be with me? Help others.

2. More image. How people think of you. God is concerned in how people think about you. So should you.

Verses 4-6 people want to be seen as successful so others will think highly of them.

Solomon responds in verse 5: don't be a fool. Doesn't mean you should just drop out and do nothing. What is the remedy? v 6 better to be balanced, work hard but be content. Enjoy Christ and rest in Him. Working too hard is vanity.

Who am I trying to outdo? Why? When image is what drives us, when we are obsessed with our image, it costs us what matters most.

3. More Money v 7-8. The lonely rich guy. No one in his life, no heirs, but he keeps seeking more - why? Ebinezer Scrooge. Elderly Ted Turner was eating alone. Nicoli Tesla was a scientific genius but at the end of his life he died alone, isolated. Pursuing money can be a trap.

Who is paying the price for your priorities? Someone is. Is it your family? At funerals, no one talks about possessions. They talk about God, and people. Money can be a trap.

There is brokenness, but there is hope in Jesus. He was tempted with all these same traps. But Jesus defeated temptation. He will bless us with his righteousness. We are not free without Jesus. Others are in bondage.

Luke 4:18-19 Jesus wants to set us free.

41 in Sunday School.

Four Baptisms in this service, with more in the other services. More baptisms on Palm Sunday.

Saturday In The Park

Friday: the workers didn’t leave until 6 pm. They came back Saturday morning. They tiled the shower and put shelves and racks in the closet. Plus shelves in my new shoe closet. Three rows for about 18-21 pairs of shoes.

Our dinner with missionaries tonight was cancelled, and I had already cancelled the dinner reservation at Houstons. Went to Moxie Burger. I splurged and ordered a Coke Zero.

It's Saturday, but I went to the gym for 1-1/2 hours. Came home to Ceil’s breakfast: hash browns, bacon, eggs 

Left the house at noon. Took Winnie on a 2-1/2 mile walk on the boardwalk down by the river. A 15000 step / 7 mile day. Then to Perimeter Mall. Stopped by Publix on the way home.

When I retired I was worried that I wouldn't be very productive, but for the most part I have been able to get needed stuff done just about every day. So much to do. My routine is to not wake up early, go to the gym in the morning, run any errands while I am out, come back and email Reid. There's usually stuff to do here in my office, plus I have gotten a list to refer to if needed. Not trying to work myself to death, just a slow steady knocking at least one or two things out every day. 

I need to read more. The book I am reading is so interesting - The Iowa Baseball Confederacy. Not much baseball but mystical like the movie Field of Dreams was. 

I do have more t-shirts than I need. Thought about selling a bunch of Braves t-shirts but I've already said how time consuming that is. Once all this construction is over and I have a place of my t-shirts again, maybe I'll wear a wider variety to the gym. Since I retired I have been wearing more t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and warmup pants. Far fewer "normal" clothes. 

Johnny Cash: The Outlaw Who Came Home

JIM FREGOSI [SABR Bio] was born in San Francisco on 04-Apr-1942. When he managed the California Angels in 1978 & 1979, the ace of his pitching staff was Nolan Ryan for whom Fregosi, as a player, had been traded in December 1971. The trade sent Fregosi from the Angels to the Mets in exchange for Ryan, Leroy Stanton & two prospects. Fregosi was the manager of PHI from 1991-1996, including the 1993 WS & the oft-referenced World Series game 6 when Joe Carter hit the walk off home run to win the World Series. Fregosi finished his playing career as a shortstop for the Pirates in 1977-78. Fregosi and Barry Bonds are both alumni of Junipero Serra HS, San Mateo*, California, but a full generation apart.

The 60 year war against the US that most Americans never even knew was being fought.

Friday the 13th

Last week I posted several bobbleheads and Braves / UGA / Clemson / and GT garments for sale on my Facebook bobblehead group. Man that's a lots of work, communicating back trying to set up deals with guys who are busy, and maybe aren't the best communicators. Not sure I'm ready to spend so much time wheeling and dealing right now. Too much other stuff going on right now.

Earlier this week I ran into a sharp looking young guy at a thrift store who had quit his job to sell stuff on eBay full time. I should've asked him a few questions. Gotta have a big space to store items until they sell. Then you gotta box and package and ship. Lot's of work.   

It's almost easier to post items for sale on eBay or Poshmark, but then they take a cut, and you have to ship. Poshmark sends you the shipping label, paid for by the buyer. Easier. Bobbles are better to meet up with people, and they don't seem to sell as fast on eBay. But no one seems to be buying bobbles any more, especially older bobbles.

We did clear our some of Ceil's stuff in my office. Eventually I'll be able to display some stuff in there, starting with my Olympic torch. 

A grammar school classmate passed away in Macon, Kim Williams. 67 years old. A neighbor passed away as well. Brian Hunt. 77 years old. Old Man Winter isn't kind.

Not much going on with us. This morning I moved the cars, walked Winnie, read my book, than hit the gym. Forgot my watch so I couldn't log my workout. Lifted weights. Stretched. Sauna. Treadmill for 30 minutes. Then Publix and a visit to LA Fitness to see if Medicare gets me in there to work out. Trader Joes for Valentines stuff. And Chickfila. Dropped a package off at a neighbor's house. 

Ceil is having lunch with a friend, then getting her hair done. I gotta go back out to mail something. 

T-shirts: Based on the color shirt that I am wearing, I try to stick to a white, grey, or black t-shirt. Sometimes I mix in navy, or one of the light blue Grizzlies t-shirts that I have.     

DAVE WINFIELD  [SABR Bio] was honored as the first recipient of the Rickey Award in 1992. In 2014, Anthony Rizzo became the final recipient. In 1979, Winfield was third in MVP voting, behind Willie Stargell & Keith Hernandez. Winfield led in RBI (118), OPS (166), TB (333), & IBB (24). In Game 6 of the 1992 WS, he became “Mr. Jay” (shedding his previous “Mr. May” epithet) as he delivered the game-winning 2-run double in the 11th inning.

"Self-awareness is indispensable to seeing the lines between what you want to be true and what is actually true." —Jonah Goldberg 

How to Be a Class Act

Ways to Be a Class Act. Since it don't come naturally for me, I gotta keep reminding myself. Man do I have a long way to go. 

1. Say hello first.

2. Use people's names - and remember them.

3. Hold the door open for the person behind you.

4. Let people merge in traffic. Even the jerks?

5. Write handwritten thank you notes. They don't have to be long - two or three sentences will do.

6. Don't bad mouth people behind their backs. Doing so tells people that you can't be trusted.  

7. Compliment people behind their backs.

8. Pick up trash that isn't yours.

9. Dress appropriately, for the occasion. It's a way of saying that you recognize the significance of the occasion.

10. Be on time. It communicates that you value the other person as much as yourself. 

11. Be a generous conversationalist. Ask questions, listen intently. Give others the chance to shine. 

12. Return things in better condition than you received them.

13. Say "excuse me" and "sorry" without qualifiers. No "buts". 

14. Tip generously. Err on the side of generosity. 

15. Put your phone away during conversations. Undivided attention is a form of respect. People really aren't interested in your vacation pictures. 

16. Keep your work - even on small things. If you say you'll call - then call. If you said you'd go - then show up.

17. Don't overshare. Not every thought needs to be aired.

18. Give credit freely. If an idea wasn't yours, acknowledge it.

19. Act with dignity if things don't go your way. No public tantrums.

20. Give people an out. Don't put people on the spot. 

21. Acknowledge service workers as people, not automatons or servants. Make eye contact. It's not hard.

22. Keep your complaints private and proportionate. Don't gripe loudly in public, or turn every minor inconvenience into a moral crusade. Handle issues calmly, directly, and without an audience. 

23. Don't correct people unnecessarily. If the mistake doesn't matter, then let it go. Being right is less important then preserving the relationship. 

24. Don't brag. 

25. Act like a "host" wherever you go. Make others feel welcome. Introduce people.       

A verse that's applicable for me right now is 1 Peter 3:15-16 - but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.   

Last night small group study on Genesis 34 and 35. No mention of God in chapter 34, and terrible things happened. Jacob was silent while horrible atrocities took place. God's silence does not mean he approves. Jacob's sons do not respond in kind to an injustice. Where do I feel righteous indignation and want to react in a sinful way? Sometimes very hard to respond wisely. In chapter 35 God appears before Jacob, and cares for him in his biggest fear.

Two hours at the gym. Takes up my entire morning. Not much else to report.

Denison: Christianity Today reports that “across Western Europe, Christians report ‘discrimination and bullying’ and ‘loss of employment’ for expressing faith-based opinions in their workplaces.” Some faced repercussions for views they expressed in private conversations or posted on social media. Such persecution does not begin to rise to the opposition believers face in North Korea, China, Cuba, and parts of the Muslim world. But when evangelicals are so blatantly stigmatized on one of the most popular podcasts in America, we should take note of where things may be going. 

Another Candler Park Renovation?

Will played golf with a friend who works for a design firm who is working on a proposal to reconfigure the entire Candler Park golf course, to make it more inviting and easier for beginner and average golfers. Right now the greens are tiny and in terrible shape, despite the course having been closed four months last year to renovate the greens - with quite disappointing results. Why the course is so difficult, by hole…

1. Wide fairway, small green at the top of the hill. Highest point on the course.
2. Plenty of room on the left to miss the fairway and green, but then the scrubby trees block your approach. Miss the green to the right and you lose your ball. Behind the green is a severe dropoff.
3. Downhill par three. Small green. Severe dropoff to the left, back, and right. Easy to lose your ball on this hole.
4. A decent par three, though like many of the greens, balls will roll off the back and left side.
5. Narrow fairway. Woods to the left, street to the right. Elevated green with the biggest dropoff to the left.
6. Par four. Marsh to the left, a few trees on the right - and a hill. Elevated green. Balls will roll off the back and left.
7. Large dropoff to the left, in the fairway and on the green.
8. Gotta climb a steep hill to the new tee box. It suits my game. Easy hole, but balls can roll off the back and feed down into the creek.
9. Tough uphill par three. Wide fairway with trees on each side, that funnels up to a tiny dome shaped green. Severe slope. Putts will roll back down off the front and left.

Tuesday morning I played golf for the third time all year. Teed off a few minutes after 7 am. 44 degrees, but the three layers kept me warm. Wore my gloves the entire round, as well as my old wrist wrap. Would've taken some pictures, but I would've had to take off the wrist wrap and glove.

1. Good straight tee shot. After a flub, my fairway shot was good. Then I chipped onto the green. Missed the par putt. 

2. Hit a fair tee shot, then lost a lightup ball when I hit a mulligan. Two good chips, but both went too long. on hole seven i would realize I chipped the entire round with the wrong club. Georgia State professor Gee T joined me. I hadn't seen him since December. For the most part, we only hit one ball on each shot.  

3. Hit two tee shots: one left, then one right. Nice chip, followed by a poor lag putt.

4. I'm beginning to think you can't hit a good shot on this hole. Gee hit a great shot, but it rolled off the left side of the green. My tee shot started way right, but it bounced down the hill into the left rough. Then I hit a good chip - and it almost rolled off the left side of the green. 

5. I hit a very nice tee shot, that settled just short of the green. made an okay chip, but it rolled off the left side of the green. So many tough, small greens at Candler Park. But then a nice little chip that stopped not far from the hole. Of course I milled the putt.

6. My drive off the tee stayed right of the big oak, but it still carried way past it. Hit a low 5 iron that rolled down the hill way over to the left rough. Then I overclubbed, but hit two nice 9 irons. The first stuck on the back of the green. But I hit a poor par putt. 

7. My drive was just okay, as was my 5 iron fairway shot. But I poked a nice 7 iron to the front fringe. Then another poor par putt.  

8. Hit a tree with my drive. It was directly in front of me, so at least I hit it straight. Hit a good mulligan down to the middle of the fairway. Then a great wedge that hit in the front rough, and rolled onto the green not far from the hole. Missed the birdie putt.

9. A good straight hybrid off the tee. Two decent chips, but a poor par putt. Finished at 8:30.

Drove straight to the gym. Only worked out for an hour. The ladies in the sauna were talking about a good book they were reading: The Correspondent. Later I checked it out - I already have it on hold to read. 

Forgot: Monday when I was getting my oil changed in Roswell, about a mile from Centennial High School, I overheard a lady talking on the phone. She lives in the house where the Seattle Seahawks head coach used to live when he was in high school. The coach's father still lives down the street.

It happens every year: USA Today predicted the Braves to finish third in the NL East, behind the Phillies and Mets. 

TONY LAZZERI  [SABR Bio] was the first to hit 60 home runs in a season. Lazzeri did it in 192 games for the Salt Lake City Bees of the PCL. Babe Ruth’s best home run year was 1927 when he hit 60. On 03-Jun-1932, Lazzeri hit for a natural cycle, namely, a single, double, triple & HR in that order, the last hit being a grand slam. But on the same day (a) Lou Gehrig hit four home runs, (b) Babe Ruth hit his 15th home run of the season, the 2nd-best in MLB, (c) Jimmie Foxx hit his ML-best 19th homer for the Philadelphia Athletics, and (d) John McGraw announced that he was retiring as the New York Giants manager.

Article: The Relationship Between Humor and Longevity. 

Article: Kid Rock quoted Kobe Bryant. The singer shared a quote labeled "Mamba Mentality" from the late NBA legend on his social media. “Learn to love the hate. Embrace it. Enjoy it. You earned it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone should have one about you. Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”

Denison: I know that I will go to heaven when I die. I know that this life cannot begin to compare with that life and that after one instant on that side, I'll be eternally glad I'm there (Revelation 21:4). I know that I could die at any moment and find myself in Jesus' presence (Hebrews 9:27), and that he could appear at any moment in ours (Acts 1:11). But in full transparency, I don't want that day to be this day. I have more I want to do in this life. I want to see my grandchildren grow up. I want to experience more of the beauty of this incredible world and die when I have nothing more to give. And I'd rather not suffer on the way to my death, and emphatically do not want those I love to suffer on the way to theirs.

Denison has a new website article, "Should I have watched the Grammys? A reflection on cultural engagement and spiritual purity."

Ronald Reagan observed: "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid."

Article: In Defense of Trump's Second Term.