Sports Illustrated Still On the Mark

Good article on the ChiSox perfect game…that’s why I like SI, it lets you get to know the players as people. One of the more interesting tidbits was that the OF wall mural CF Wise crashed into was a pitcher that lost a perfect game with two out in the last inning.

Liked the Tebow article as well. Interesting how most jaded journalists will roll their eyes when a player brings up religion, but two old-timers (Austin Murphy and Tony Barnhart) both can see how genuine Tebow is. I’ve never seen so much scripture and simple theology in such a liberal publication…the plan of salvation was clearly outlined. Don’t know if you saw Barnhart’s recent AJC.com college football blog, where he called out other writers for making Tebow’s virginity an issue. The rest of that blog was the better part.

Also the story about the girls who carried the injured softball opponent around the bases. Saw them on the 2008 ESPYs, but I thought they should’ve been invited to play in the MLB celebrity softball game.

The same Tebow issue Point After column told of a borderline NFL LB’s success, getting others to multiply his good deeds. Similar to when NP gave out dollar bills to everyone, telling them to use it for good.

When Ceil did get home last night she was tied up on the phone for another hour…our Virginia friend’s mother died. It was expected. We’re going to Anderson SC Sunday for the funeral.

Braves Q&A

1. Think the Mets will re-sign Francoeur? Reid says yes…and he’s willing to bet money on it. Good question, in light of the pressure once-heralded Mets GM Oscar M is currently under. I don’t know the contract situations of the other NYM outfielders, but since Frenchy is hitting better as a Met, he may indeed be offered a contract to stay. This way the GM saves face for the trade. JF has little value on the free agent market, in terms of a high-dollar contract. I would think he’d rather stay a Met than sign with the Royals…whose GM Dayton Moore used to work with the Braves. Don’t know if I’d put $100.00 on it, but I’m cheap!

Hopefully the Braves can find somewhere to move Kawakami, and keep Hudson. Like the others, KK has received little run support. And though he started slow, he seems to be pitching better recently. Seems like Brooks Conrad would be a better PH option than Norton. Kotchman will be replaced by rookie Freddie Freeman by 2011, if not sooner by Infante or Prado. Kelly Johnson could be traded this off-season. I’d sign G Anderson for next year and keep Diaz over Church. Rookie Heyward could make the team next year. McLouth & Schafer make for a crowded outfield.

2. When the Braves are on the road and have an off day before starting another road series, do they not almost always travel straight to the next city? I’m 90% sure the Braves (& most teams) would fly straight from Milwaukee to Miami.

Times like that the players might make arrangements to fly in family, or arrange golf, etc in advance…especially pitchers and announcers, who make those tee times and foursomes months in advance. Others go to the stadium for medical treatments or extra hitting/fielding/throwing.

Last year a Sports Illustrated reporter was traveling with the Brewers on the exact same itinerary…they had a day off in Miami. There was a picture of several players hanging out, playing ping pong in the shade near the pool. Standing nearby watching was an amazingly trim Bob Uecker, shirtless and tan...in a swimsuit.

Depending on which city would be more hospitable, the team might linger in a more favorable city and travel the next day. With an off day, I’ve heard of teams bussing from SD to LA, Chicago to Milwaukee, or Philly to NYC/Balt/Washington.

Facebook Primer

...Originally I got set up Facebook to view photos from a HS reunion I’d missed. Will boasted to his friends that I was on Facebook, and after last fall’s retreat many asked me to be friends.

...I try not to ask teens, especially girls, to be friends, but will accept if they ask me. Teens seem to use FB to chat with those on line…I hardly ever do. Girls post more pictures.

...Grownups use it to keep in touch, and make contact with old friends. Last week at the beach I learned that Mandy, a classmate of Lang’s we were close to, was running a half-marathon in the wine country north of SF. Sunday she saw Ceil at Costco and knew to ask about our vacation, since she’d read about it on FB.

...Missy, the blogger from Saipan, has moved back to Tifton with her adopted 2 year old. She was also in the same Lang/Mandy class.

...Interesting to see what some people will say next. Some spend lots of time taking quizzes, which I rarely do. Took the ‘which Mayberry’ character’ quiz…I turned out to be Gomer.

...FB has actually helped me stay more in touch with my brother and sister. Several co-workers are on it, but I try to stay away from them. I did become friends with Sherry, whom I’ve mentioned before. She called me out when I told a joke at work this week, saying she’d already read it on my Facebook.

...During basketball season many of Will’s teammates (& their parents) enjoyed the game recaps I posted on FB. They’d ask if I was staying for the varsity game, knowing if I did there would be a recap to read.

...Old friend David Hurt got a FB, prompted by his wife and 2 daughters. He tried it for 2 weeks and quit.

...Luckily I can’t log on at work. I know I won’t die if I miss a day…usually if I get on the internet I’ll log on to FB and do a quick scan of what’s going on, and keep it up while checking my other routine sites…mostly just Uni-Watch, Rowland, and the AJC. I rarely enter contests any more at all.

...The Coleys appear to use it sparingly.

...Will just posted a bunch of photos from the trip that are good. Ceil snapped the camera just before Will ran over the second-baseman, and the photo on his Facebook received several funny comments from teammates.

...My sister posted several photos of me when I was a kid, so I used one for my portrait. Matthew is fascinated by it, since I look so much like him. There’s a baseball team photo, from the one year I was the star player. My dad was the coach.

...On the Facebook Braves Fan page people can submit blog posts, though few do. Then few comment on the blog posts. I submitted two over a week ago that have yet to be posted.

Ceil was exhausted last night when she finally got home from picking up Anna in Lilburn. Took her to Publix and Matthew to Moes. Now he’s to the point where a Moo Moo doesn’t fill him up.

Tebow

“Having covered Tim Tebow for three years,

I would say he’s the most effective ambassador-warrior for his faith

I’ve come across in 25 years at Sports Illustrated.”

--Austin Murphy

Tony Barnhart also posted a recent AJC.com on Tebow, with similar praises.

Anna, Jordan, & Victoria

MB2009

The first time we ever took a group photo at the beach...someone counted almost 60 in this shot. Will was missing, as was Lennie, Corine, and Bob.

That's my white cap in the back right. Ceil is rocking her new swimsuit behind the kid in red, front right. Anna is in the front middle, and Matthew is is looking the wrong way: front left.

Can Braves Take the Wildcard?

I haven’t talked as much about the Braves as I used to. Hopefully Chipper can remain healthy, of course. His numbers are down due to an early slump, but you can tell from his quotes that he knows what to work on and what to leave alone.

With Infante coming back, and Anderson and Diaz hitting well, and Prado able to play first, second, and third, there is no need to give up prospects for another bat. Hopefully Johnson can be hot the rest of the year, otherwise he won’t get much playing time. McLouth has been streaky, but he gives another veteran presence at the plate and in the field.

What happens when Hudson returns? He says he’s in no hurry because everyone is doing so well. Does he replace KK? Does KK go to the pen for the rest of the season? They would have to do something for next year, but shouldn’t be too hard. Are Gonzo and Moylan showing signs of overuse?

Kincaid likes to rail on the Braves, especially with his Phillies getting hotter. Whatever argument a caller might have, he’ll use some specific info back against them. He did agree that should the Braves get the wildcard, Wren could be GM of the year.

Felt bad last night and this AM, but better as the morning wore on. Thought it wouldn’t be a good day to go out to lunch, but sure enough, the Ogre drug me out. Chinese, which was good. Not too much work discussion. Now that I’m back we need to rework some job duties, and the Ogre started some transitions while I was gone.

Pretty quiet on the customer front, but hopefully I can get some projects finished. One big transition is almost complete…it was good that a lot happened on it while I was gone, so others would be more acquainted with it. Unfortunately another unplanned transition may have to happen, due to financial considerations. A lot of work, but we should save money in the long run…as well as get better service from our vendor.

Need to get going on some small projects at home, with no baseball for a few weeks. Made a list and was ready too go last night, but felt too bad. Ceil downloaded some baseball pictures, I just need to post some.

2009@myrtlebeach.com

Typical trip…some good, some bad. Made good time on the trip up, listening to the Maddux ceremony. He later joined Sutton in the booth, and was non-committal on his HOF cap. Several of the Braves games weren’t picked up by SC networks, and the wi-fi was slow and spotty.

Did eat a bunch…Bonefish Grill (a group of 18), Wild Wing Café (38!), Chick-fil-A several times, PB&Js, sandwiches, hot dogs, burritos, spaghetti, and home-made peach ice cream. Ceil’s relatives from Valdosta also came, swelling the ranks. For the first time ever we took a group picture…my count was at least 64, a record.

Matthew decided he liked the big waves, so I spent most of my beach time with him in the surf. Eventually I lost my cheap sunglasses in the water, though I had scratched them earlier in the week. Took Matthew to the Dollar Tree and I got three pair that should last me a while. M wanted to know how much sunglasses were next door at Wal-Mart, so we looked. He found a pair he liked that were ten bucks. Went back to Dollar Tree, and found the exact same pair for a buck…M wore them to the ball games.

One day I accidentally went in condo 101 instead of 201. With the bright beach filling the big windows, it was hard to see the couple staring at me until I was well into the condo. Only ran once, mostly due to the 9 AM high tide.

Monday I threw Will some BP, at NMBHS. There was a 13-year old team from South Jersey practicing, and an older Michigan team playing a game. Will spent Tuesday night with his team, and Ceil and I took Matthew on his annual trip to Bass Pro Shop. As usual, it was Mustang Week at the beach. Ford had a big event at the Hooters outside the Bass Pro.

I got invited to be the dugout coach, to keep the team book and help position players. In game 2 we moved the second-baseman to his left…that’s where the ball was hit on the next pitch. They won the first game, then dropped three close ones that could’ve gone either way. Won on Thursday morning, though Will didn’t reach base. He did make all the plays in the field. On the way home we ate at a local joint in Loris.

Friday AM he went 2-2 with a BB & HBP. His clutch single to left drove in two. The throw home was cut, then the immediate throw to second was off the mark. The second-baseman reached for the ball and Will ran right into him. The ball sailed into right-center and Will took third, later to score. The Connecticut team protested, but the umps had made the right call…defensive interference. On his next time up Will was hit, probably intentionally. It did put the tying run on second, and go-ahead run on first. Poor Jared, a beast in CF and at the plate, went 0-14 batting second behind Will…who reached base a team-high 7 times.

Between games we ate at the Litchfield Beach Fish House, which was pretty good. Ceil’s parents attended all 4 games, as did Ceil and Matthew. Anna hung out with cousins. Ceil’s Uncle Lennie & Aunt Corrine saw the first three, and Corrine’s brother Bob (a sports nut) got to see the Friday games, not far from his Pawley’s Island condo. Will made 2 errors in the Friday PM game, one on a roller he had to charge, another a dropped fly in the wind. Had he made those plays, they would’ve won. The offense was sluggish and the Cincinnati Patriots quelled a late inning rally with their 4th pickoff of the game.

Didn’t find out until 12:30 am that they had made the winner’s bracket, and would play at nearby MBHS at 9 AM. We had to check out, so packing took up the rest of Friday night and early Saturday AM. Will led off with a single, continued to second on the LF’s misplay, and took third on Jared’s groundout, and scored on Tyler’s single. The lead was short-lived, as Long Island moved ahead, but the Prowlers later tied the game on Michael’s double off the CF fence. The Whalers SS made several great plays, but Will and Mitch made a couple as well. Will walked with one out in the last inning, but Jared hit into a game-ending DP…bring tears to his mother’s eyes.

Will stayed with the team and returned Sunday, after an evening of putt-putt and Johnny Rockets. We left from the game and headed back, hitting the bumper-to-bumper exodus out of town. Spent too long in a Florence Borders on our lunch stop, and got home around 8 pm. Heard Uecker join the Braves radio team for an inning. I fell asleep on the couch at 9:30.

Sunday after NP we got my car from work. Ceil went to Costco, and shopped all afternoon. I napped more, and watch Newhart and MASH, since our cable is out. Got a headache last night, still have it today.

Meet the Prowlers

AJ (C, LF, P) A clutch hitter & fine defensive catcher, AJ is also a leader in the dugout. He made the play of the year, tagging out an East Cobb Cub for the final out in the July tourney semifinal win.

Audie (RF, P) Longtime teammate of Will’s, Audie hit better in the first half of the season than I’d ever seen him hit. Played great defense in RF. Also plays football at Lassiter - quarterbacked the 9th grade team.

Durham (LF, P) Injured much of the year, his go-ahead bases-loaded triple blew open the big win over the Cubs. Parents are from Chester SC…dad went to the Citadel, mom scrambles for foul balls (& was tackled by Spencer).

Jared (CF) The best youth centerfielder I’ve seen, and gets great jumps on balls. Very fast on the bases as well. His little sister often serves as the team bat-girl…she came out and said she likes Matthew, who avoids coming to Will’s games. Made the Lassiter varsity as a freshman.

Michael (P, 1B, LF) Fine pitcher and nice guy. Had a complete-game shutout on his birthday at East Cobb, against a very tough team. Step-dad recently played Augusta National.

Mitch (P, 1B, 3B) Fiery competitor and big game pitcher, Mitch is as his best when the game is on the line. Fundamentally sound in every area of the game. Great, fun parents…dad Fred loves the ChiSox and bows to baseball superstitions like me, like not changing when you’re on a streak.

Parker (2B) Made several fantastic defensive plays at second. Hilarious brother Spencer jumps on fences, leads cheers, and battles kids and parents alike for foul balls. During a recent rain delay Spencer entertained the crowd by sliding headfirst, shirtless, across the tarp-covered home plate, channeling Rick Dempsey.

Ryan G (C, P, LF) Early in the season I saw what a complete ballplayer RG is. A fine catcher with a strong arm, a strike-throwing pitcher, a playmaking leftfielder. Behind the plate he goes old school, wearing a flapless batting helmet backwards and old-school catcher’s mask. Also wears some weird brand of spikes that are supposedly super-comfortable. Dad David helped coach, another fine, fun baseball guy.

Ryan T (3B, P, 2B, SS) I enjoy watching both Ryans play. RT makes all the plays, and can handle the bat as well. He was impacted the most when Will joined the team. His likable dad makes smart, sensible decisions as the Prowlers manager. Sweet mom and family, including his little brother.

Tyler (1B, P, OF) The lanky sweet-swinging lefty quietly racks up extra-base hit after extra base hit, and his pitching motions takes advantage of his long limbs…well-schooled by his coach/dad. Made the Lassiter varsity as a freshman, and he plays football and basketball as well. Both parents teach.

Will (SS, C) Tough season for Will, playing shortstop and batting leadoff with & against players superior to any in his career. Made some great plays he shouldn’t have, and missed some he should’ve. His three homers weren’t cheap, and he led the team in hits, times reaching base, total bases, stolen bases, games played, and plate appearances. He was second in homers, triples, HBP, runs, and at bats.

My Peachtree "Cheating" Story

My Peachtree “cheating” story: Back when I used to qualify every year for Time Group One (not a hard task back then), I was able to cross the start line less than a minute behind the Kenyans. One year as I passed all my SPdL friends at the two mile mark, young Chris Irwin, saw me and shouted “How’d you get in the front? Cheater!” Hey, I earned it!

Another Facebook story…the other night I swapped quips with Jeff Schultz, regarding the degrees of separation between the Beatles, Wings, McCartney, Michael Jackson, and McCauley Caulkin. Guess you can throw Elvis in there.

Will says several of his teammates and opponents are trying to line up an even stronger “non East Cobb” team for next year. They just need the coaches to sign on.

The game tonight: All the Maddux stuff should be interesting, although he’s pretty low key. The luncheon would be fun if he told some stories, though many of his wouldn’t be so family friendly, I hear.

Just about got everything ready for the trip…with my customer being shut down the last 3-1/2 weeks, and limited activity next week, I’m as caught up as I’ve been in 1-1/2 years. Working late every night has helped. When I return it will be busy again, I’ll be behind, and there are still several projects and reorganizations that have yet to begin. One team member continues to disappoint and underperform. I’ve given him warnings, but he just doesn’t get it. I think the Ogre understands that if he lays off the slacker, he will need to be replaced. One replacement he has in mind would be a good fit…good with details and following up.

It was easy to write when it was just me and Will in Knoxville, but perhaps harder with the whole family in tow. Or not.

Midsummer Classic - First Pitch "Coverup"?

I’m always a sucker for the All-Star game and pregame. Will wanted to watch the derby…I had been sneezing all day Monday & fell asleep before the end. Also fell asleep before the end of the game last night. I asked Lang’s dad if he saw how many times LaRussa/Torre/Manuel/Madden changed pitchers. At least McCann finally got an AB.

Can’t blame the president for wearing a ChiSox jacket (but wasn’t it 90 degrees?) Guess it was to hide the bulletproof vest he surely wore. Might’ve been more savvy to wear an All-Star jacket, or Cardinals jacket, but it was nice he stuck to his team. There are some sweet CWS throwback jackets he could’ve worn. Were it me I would’ve wanted to wear a Braves throwback jacket.

Saw that first pitch from three angles (one later on a replay), and none of them showed where the ball went, or Pujols catching it. Then Buck strangely said something about the ball “making it to Pujols”. Weird. Monday I heard Buck on the radio, talking about all the security, how he didn’t know which inning Obama would be in the booth.

I did wake up for the Celebrity Softball Game…nice catch by Nelly, and Bobby Knight was entertaining. They should’ve brought in the college softball players who carried the HR hitter around. I liked Kenny Mayne and Harold Reynolds better than those Mike & Mike radio guys. Fred Lynn is too much of a gamer, and Goose doesn’t add much pizzazz. Nice touch for Winfield to pull a kid out of the stands to run for him.

We need a new dishwasher…or a second opinion.

Cheaters That I Know

In Mark Bradley’s post-Peachtree blog, a poster linked to the AJC results page, wondering how three Group Nine runners could run a sub-37 minute race. That’s hard to do from the front of the pack, and close to impossible from the last group, where you’d be weaving through walkers the whole race. The poster thought it likely the runners somehow cheated, though the timing chip would only work if it also crossed the starting line. I clicked on the link to discover I knew two of the three runners, a husband and wife between 35 and 42 years old. They’re athletic, but it would surprise me that they could run six 6-minute miles. They must’ve sold their numbers, as later I learned mom was at the hospital on the 4th, with a sick child. I won't name names.

Befriended Bryan on Facebook, though it took the busy guy a while to accept. He made a six minute Indiana Jones video starring Houston and Haviland, complete with musical score…pretty funny. His church softball movie appears to be going forward…he posted another YouTube video with financial backers/technical consultants Foxworthy and Paul Byrd discussing the movie. I think Susan told Ceil they will film in Georgia, so Foxworthy can be in it. Guess guys are lining up to be in the softball sequences.

Lots to do at work and at home before leaving for the beach. Will plays twice next Friday in Pawley’s Island, 40 miles away from N Myrtle Beach. That’s usually the beach getaway day…don’t know if anyone will stick around. Thursday they play in Loris, only 20 miles away but off the ocean, so it’ll be hot.

Prowlers

Front: Michael, Audie, Ryan G, Jared, Parker, Durham

Back: Tyler, Will, Ryan T, A.J., Mitch

Game of the Year

Friday I left work right at five, and picked up Will at the Normans. Was listening to Kincaid on the way. When we got back in the car from getting Will at the Normans was when I heard about the trade. Ceil was in SC when she heard and she called, wondering if we’d miss Francoeur. She (& her father) weren’t aware he was doing so bad, that the trade was good just because now Diaz could play more. Getting Church was a plus…sounded like both needed a change of scenery. Didn’t take Kincaid long to say that SportsSouth would need new rain-delay programming…they could never show the Francoeur special again.

I changed and we headed to the field, for a cleanup day for the tourney they were hosting. Afterwards we went to the CFA across from Sprayberry, where an old coach / friend works. He was out in the parking lot, so we talked baseball for a long while, then got free CFAs. Rented Volkarie, which Will enjoyed.

Saturday I had concession duty at 8:30, which was fun…not busy. Had just enough time to go home and get Will for his game…he went 2-2 with 2 walks in a 15-0 win. Before these games the dads had field duty, raking, chalking, watering, etc.

Will led off game 2 with a smash that kicked up chalk behind third…for some reason the ump ruled foul. Two pitches later he smashed a line drive over the fence. The Prowlers lost, despite Will’s HR. That night we rented I Am Legend.

First-baseman Tyler committed 3 errors in the first inning of Sunday’s 10 am game, the same umpire blew another obvious call, but Will made a sweet catch with his back to the plate (I don’t think he made an error all weekend). Down 3-0, they finally came back. Will drove in the tying run with a seeing-eye single to left, and later scored an insurance run. Mitch came on to quell a last-inning rally, beating the fourth best team in the state.

After lunch at 5 Guys (& more between game groundskeeping), they played a semifinal at Lassiter against the 27-3 East Cobb Cubs, the number 2 team in the state. Their starter shut them down pretty good. Key play…in the bottom of the 6th RF Audie fired home, but the AJ was accidentally hit by the runner as he moved to catch the throw. Both fell, then AJ tagged the runner, but the ump ruled safe.

With one out in the top of the 7th Will singled to left, and scored on Jared’s triple. Jared scored on a WP to tie the game. Tyler reached, Mitch doubled, and AJ was intentionally walked. Durham tripled to left center, making the score 9-6.

In the bottom of the 7th, the Cubs rallied, scoring twice and placing the tying run on second with two out. On another single to right, Audie charged and fired home…a perfect throw to AJ on one-hop, beating the sliding runner by a step. The ump made the correct call, despite later arguments by the East Cobb coach, which were drowned out by the celebration.

Ceil made it to the 8 pm championship game against Fellowship, who they’d beaten twice before. Will singled in the first and made a couple more good defensive plays…but the rain came and didn’t stop. Spencer, 2B Parker’s brother / Lassiter Trojan mascot, pulled a Rick Dempsey, sliding headfirst (shirtless) across the tarp covering home plate. The game was called, and Will’s Prowlers were declared the winners, by virtue of their higher seed.

We may go see the Pelicans Wed week with Will’s team after all.

Saw Lang’s wife Isabel on Iron Chef Sunday night (& last Thursday). It will rerun Thursday night. She was sitting next to KeyShawn Johnson.

At work they have recently let one inside and one outside sales person go…more to do with their performance than layoffs?

C, A, & M went to SC for a wedding this weekend…her cousin’s son. Think the kids had a good time.

…house still a mess from the attic cleanup.

…dishwasher quit working

…today the fridge started leaking.

…we have been too busy to go out for a while.

…I’ve been too busy to get a haircut or go to the library.

…both cars need oil changes.

…we leave for the beach Friday

…my dad is having another heart procedure Tuesday and mom would like me to come down.

Bad News Good News

Wednesday a long crack formed on the garage ceiling, from stuff in the attic that someone had moved off a board and onto the unsupported ceiling. Our house had been clean from our recent company. Now it’s a complete mess. The good news is yesterday Ceil and the kids completely cleaned out the attic. Now there’s a bunch of stuff to go through. The kids enjoyed the video of Will’s first birthday…all the Normans attended. Will found some shoes, hats, and tees he liked, including an old Hawks/Doc Rivers tee. Matthew enjoyed the comic strips I’d drawn for my high school newspaper.

Didn’t bring lunch Wednesday. Every time the Ogre takes me to Fuddruckers I’ve been getting the loyalty card stamped, so yesterday I went and cashed one in…got a $10.00 burger meal.

Roswell fireworks…we parked at the Publix, near the exit, and hoofed it to the parking lot about 30 yards from the stage. Had to walk all the way back there when we discovered Anna wasn’t among the 15 that left at the same time. Both M and A went up to the front to dance during one song, though they didn’t know the electric slide. Did I say that you could see the fireworks reflected in the windshields of the eight cars parked behind the stage? Looked like eight big screens playing the same show.

Ryan, one of the catchers on Will’s team, will miss the beach tourney, so last night they had Will filling in at practice. Two months ago he was OK not catching, but now he’s excited. Monday night we went to work out, and a bad hop gave him a black eye. Mitch, the team’s best pitcher, heard something pop in his throwing shoulder last night…not good.

Of the three most recent losses, Will played an integral role in the defeat:

June 27th…three fielding misplays in one inning (2 errors).

June 28th…another error (& 2 more misplays) were quite costly in the championship game loss. Then he hit the first pitch he saw in the last inning into a DP (though 7 of 9 teammates also had first pitch outs, including 2 more DP balls).

July 1st…tie game, next to last inning, runners on 2nd & 3rd, infield in, Will fields a grounder, eyes the runner, then catches the runner off second and chases him…without checking the runner on third, who had immediately took off and scored the winning run. Baseball is a team game, but usually Will makes those plays. Had he made half of them they’d be on a tear.

Ceil is taking A and M to SC Friday for a wedding. Will’s team is hosting a tourney, so I have duties for most of Fri, Sat, and Sun. Everyone enjoyed seeing the twins. We’re just terrible about picking up the phone and making plans.

Looks like Cox is just about through with Frenchy, and perhaps Kelly Johnson as well.

Been exhausted all week!

2009 Peachtree By The Numbers

KIRK…of all the runners with Time Group Four numbers, Kirk finished 8th. He had the added handicap of starting in Group Seven, meaning he had more walkers to go around than those actually running in Group Four. Only ONE Group Seven runner had a faster time than Kirk.

He finished 706th overall, out of the 55,000 runners (in years past, the top thousand runners to finish received a trophy), and was the 37th seventeen year-old to finish.

WILL…finished 232nd in Group Seven, out of perhaps six thousand.

DIXON…finished 282nd in Group Six, 6991st overall. He evidently dusted Will at the finish, beating Will by two seconds. That’s a long time…Will finished 7020th, 19 places behind Dixon.

DANIEL…of all 10 year-olds, Daniel finished 66th! Only ten 10-year-olds finished in less than an hour. Later I’ll see how Will and Dixon fared in their age groups.

Myron and I were no slouches, beating over 34,000 others. I told Myron he likes Costco so much, he named his son Kirkland.

Peachtree Road Race

Thursday we all cleaned up all day getting ready for company. Ran Anna over to ballet, way over on Lawrenceville Highway, way off Jimmy Carter...thankfully she had a ride back. That night we ate in, talked, and the kids played LIFE and cards.

Friday the girls went shopping, and I wore my Virginia friend out working on the playhouse. Built a door, put up two windows, finished the siding. Teens Will and Kirk helped. Finished just before the girls returned. Ate at a doctor’s house in Sandy Springs…UGA roommate of Ceil’s friend Dawn. Will and Matthew went to a party in northern Alpharetta…they watched Jaws in a pool. Movie ended at 11:10, so it was after midnight before I got to bed, exhausted.

Saturday I got up at 5 am, picked up the Virginia friends at six, parked near Mary Macs, and rode MARTA to Lenox, arriving too early for our Group Eight start. Neither Myron nor I felt great, but we were able to run the whole way. Even at a ten minute mile pace we had to weave through walkers and texters the whole way. We passed around SPdL around 9 am and saw some old friends…Heads, Mullens, Wisenbakers, Lights, Sapps, and Huberts.

Kirk broke ahead of the Group Seven pack at the start, giving him clear running for a bit. He finished with the 707th best time, with a 41:47 run. Will found friend Dixon just before the start…they weaved their way to a 54 minute finish. Myron and I finished with a 1:07 time, not bad, considering the crowd.

When looking at the AJC.com results later I realized Will and I had switched numbers, so all the youngsters could go off earlier than Myron’s group eight number. That meant Will’s good time inadvertently got posted to my name. I’ll take that!

Accurate column posted by Mark Bradley regarding all the Peachtree cheaters…many backed his claims, saying it was typical of this city’s poor drivers. Will be interesting to see if the race organizers take action. Since everyone wore timing chips, you’d think they’d have the data.

After the race we hung around waiting for the rest of Dixon’s family…dad Lee was Myron’s old roommate. We drove out Ponce de Leon and showed Kirk the Emory campus. Had a restful afternoon while the kids swam, but I didn’t doze off until just before they returned.

Went out to Roswell to see Banks & Shane and the fireworks. We had a crowd of about 30 people, including Becky, Willis, and Joel Norman. Anna didn’t see us head for the cars, so I had to walk back to get her at the end.

After NP, Costco, and lunch at the Earharts we all went bowling. With a crowd of 22 I was stressed, because people kept showing up Ceil hadn’t told me about. Afterwards we had pizza and cheesecake at our friend’s hotel, the NP Embassy Suites. The kids swam. I may be close to rested…just in time for work.

Work was stressful last week…a lot to do before taking off both Thursday and Friday. These next 2 weeks will be busy as well, before taking off for Myrtle Beach.