The NLDS

In the postseason you can throw out what happened in the regular season. It’s who’s hot right now that matters. Right now it appears the Brewers are the hottest team in the National League. I keep reminding myself the Braves lost 90 games just one year ago. No one predicted them to win the division title. Their rebuild is ahead of schedule.

 

Down four runs in game one, why change pitchers so much? Not enough pinch hitters on the bench. But a good move to pull Folty after two innings. Now he’s available to pitch game four or five, or even game three if needed. But leave Newcomb in longer. You still got Tuki in the pen. Why bring in Winkler when down four? Then you gotta take him out of the game, and some dude I’ve never heard of comes in and gives up another homer. Save Winkler and Venters for game two.

 

Tyler Flowers bats .227 during the regular season, only catches half the games, and the Braves give him a raise? Three straight strikeouts in game one.

 

Overheard a guy at work saying “I don’t like the Cubs because they traded Greg Maddux.” No they didn’t. Maddux left via free agency. Same when he left the Braves, when he was 38 years old. He wound up pitching five more years, winning 64 more games.  

 

TV wants to have a 30 min pregame show starting at 8 pm, then commercials, then introductions and the national anthem, then commercials, then the game doesn’t start until 8:40 eastern – 5:40 on the west coast. That’ll be the Braves game tonight. I can’t stay up either. Will is going to the Braves playoff game Sunday night.

The President is Missing, by James Patterson and William Jefferson Clinton. I’d like to read it. Of course Sports illustrated wrote an article about the book. The writer of the story tagged along when Clinton and Patterson played golf. SI slams Trump for the liberties he takes on the golf course, but says nothing when Clinton does the same thing. If you like that Patterson/Clinton book, you’d like the series of Joel Rosenberg’s fictional books. Similar stuff. Very similar to what’s happening / could happen in the real world. Some call him prophetic. Written from the Christian perspective with the end times in mind.

 

The new issue of Sports Illustrated has more stories about protesting. Kaepernick is mentioned again. Less and less about sports. Still nothing about the Braves.  

 

Our Sunday School class is starting small discipleship groups. Ceil’s women’s group starts tonight. I couldn’t be in a weekday morning group because I wouldn’t get to work until nine. I signed up for a weeknight group, then at the last minute added Saturday morning as an option. Of course Saturday morning was what I got. But it’s me and three good guys, so it should work out well. Some people call them accountability groups. Since the group is small, if one of the four members isn’t there, they are missed.  The level of accountability can be decided by the group…nothing too super strict or serious.

 

Tuesday: worked past six. Ceil didn’t start supper until late, stir fry and grilled chicken. I didn’t eat the potato dish, but brought it today for lunch. Watched Manifest, the new show where a strange force has infiltrated the lives of passengers from a flight. Some good things are happening to the passengers, but also some bad.

 

The new hospital show came on at ten, but I went to bed at 10:30 after taking Barney out. Sounds like I’ll be dog-sitting both Okie and Barney this weekend. Ceil has to go back to SC to help move her mother to a new rehab facility in SC. She’s currently in one in NC, and Medicaid will only pay for so long in another state. Or something like that.

 

Wednesday: since Ceil had her group last night, and I had such a crazy day, I worked until 7:15. Stopped by Goodwill to give things away but didn’t go in to browse. Didn’t stop for fast food and I forgot on the way home that I needed gas. When I remembered I had to go past the house to the station.

 

Got home and was going to make two quesadillas on the panini press but I only had one shell. Made nachos as well. Ceil arrived home while I was still cooking. Checked on the game and the Yanks were winning. Watched Chicago Med, played on the laptop, took Barney out, and went to bed.    

 

Thursday: went through over 130 emails before 11:30 am. Over 200 for the day. When I got a new laptop, I send stuff from my old computer to my new computer via email.

 

Not much else. Worked until 6:30. So much to do. Ceil had taken Matthew birthday shopping for a good portion of the day, and was worn out mentally, physically, and emotionally. We grabbed a small pie at Pizzeria Lucca on the Roswell Square, and brought half of it home. Nothing on TV but the Braves.

 

Lunch meeting today, catered by Jason’s Deli again. Getting the same brisket sandwich and potato salad. Tech kicks off at seven, then the Braves at 9:40. Saturday men’s group meeting is just one mile from my house. Clemson at 3:30 and UGA at 7:30.

 

Today in our office three people are wearing peach. I broke out my new Arrow short sleeve shirt with the baseball print to hopefully change the Braves luck, and the millennials loved it.