Official Scorekeeping

Thursday night I researched the official scoring rules on MLB.com. Pretty interesting but mundane. Will has usually been the victim of hitting it right at someone who makes an error, so his average suffers. I try to be lenient if the entire rec team is weak-hitting…then I’d rule Will’s at-bats the same as the entire team. Christian, the 15-year old coaches son playing against 13 & 14 year olds, has hit two fly balls right at the centerfielder. Both times the centerfielder botched it. Another grounder hit directly at the shortstop was booted…the ball wasn’t hit that hard. Will hit one in the hole that the shortstop knocked down. Colin hit a fly in the gap that neither outfielder could run down. I just like to keep score…it beats just sitting there.

Had my eye on that Sunday Brewers game…Matthew had wanted to run the bases. Night games work out better, but since we went this past Sunday, that may be it for us. We also have the change to go to Six Flags twice…that would be a Sunday. Seeing Andruw’s last home game would be neat.

Coworker Randy just got back from almost 2 weeks in Seattle. Helped his daughter move, and visited the elderly in-laws for their 60th anniversary. At lunchtime I had to go to the bank and was stopped at a light. I was spaced out, then looked to my left and Randy was next to me in his car, spaced out. I waved him down and met him at Subway.

Meet the Saints

It’s early, but the Saints have at least four solid players and several more who should contribute regularly. I’m still getting to know the younger ones, but here’s a rundown in numerical order:

1. John Fulton (age 14) is starting to grow…Saturday he batted leadoff & played SS & 1B. Capable player…can pitch & play OF. Family is from SC, sis plays softball at Kell, dad helps out & is big into baseball. Saturday he walked, though he’s aggressive at the plate. Tuesday after a bunt he hit one over the left-fielder's head.

2. Jack (14) Curtis’s younger brother, a little lefty who’ll get to pitch once or twice. 2B & OF…can get the bat on the ball. After five games he's amoung the team leaders in RBIs.

3. Colin (14?) slight build, played with Will on the Titans in the spring. Can get the bat on the ball and does well in the field. Struggled pitching on Saturday. Dad coached Will years ago, looks like Bill Cowher…really into the games.

4. Preston (13) hasn’t played much baseball, but he's got ability…short & stout…2B & OF. Dad is a principal.

5. Will M (14) has been trying too hard, to hit HRs and throw pitches through walls.

6. Russell (15) does ok at most positions, though his arm is weak. Hits well when he’s practiced alot. Homeschooled, big into Boy Scouts.

7. Christian (15) Coach Chris’ 15 year old son, playing down a level, so he should excel. Missed spring ball due to a broken ankle. P, C, SS.

8. Curtis (15) loves CF but continues to struggle throwing strikes…also SS & 1B. Quiet. Will’s long-time teammate, agressive at the plate.

9. Kevin (13) hasn’t played much but has ability…his throws have movement. Had a big RBI single last Tuesday night. Runs fast, with long strides.

10. Patrick (13) young lefty hitter up from Bronco with talent…can hit and play the infield once he adjusts to the bigger field/opposition.

11. Joey (14) grew over the summer, lost some baby fat…could contribute this fall at the plate…singled on Saturday. Batted .400 the second half of the spring season. Dad quite knowledgeable about baseball.

12. Will G (15) another 15 year-old playing down…slow, but hopefully he’ll contribute…P, C, 1B…likes to talk. Glares at the pitcher when he gets hit, provoking laughter from all. Dad is a lot of fun.

13. Josiah (14) Saturday he lined on over LF’s head and made it to third…a clean triple! Likes to walk but sometimes watches strike three. Pitches have velocity but not movement, which is OK if he throws strikes…P, 1B, 3B. Quiet demeanor, alert/aggresive baserunner. Dad was a missionary, is fun to watch with.

14. Tanner (14) longtime teammate/opponent of Will’s, chunky…P, C, 3B, 1B…played on a competitive spring team. His dad is a great umpire…was behind the plate Saturday when Tanner was pitching.

Sept 15 Game One Win

Will’s fall baseball team won both games of their Saturday doubleheader.

Will went 3 – 3 with a walk, and scored all four times. He had a single, triple, and an inside-the-park Home Run, and had 4 RBIs. Will retired all six batters he faced, striking out the first five, then caught a line drive back up the middle.

The Saints had 13 players Saturday, so each player only got two plate appearances in each game.

In the first game Will game up to bat in the second inning with the Saints trailing three to nothing. With one out and a runner on second, Will lined a 3 – 1 pitch through the gap in right-center, past the outfielders, for an easy RBI triple. He then scored an a passed ball.

In the fourth inning Will came up with the score tied and a runner on base. On a full count Will walked. Ball four was a wild pitch, and the runner was able to score from third. When West Cobb tried to get the out at home, Will hustled to first and kept going, making it to second base on the play. Will stole third base on the first pitch, then the pitcher attempted a pickoff throw to third. When the ball got away Will was able to score. He advanced four bases on two pitches!

The inning ended with the Saints ahead 6 – 4. West Cobb was retired in order in the top of the fifth to end the game. Will caught two innings and played shortstop two innings. At short he took the throw from a catcher and tagged out a baserunner.

Game Two Victory

The Saints had an easier time in Game Two, winning 8 – 2.

Tanner’s dad Jay drafted me to umpire the bases in this second game. In the first inning I realized I might have to call whether a batter swung, and sure enough, in the top of the third the West Cobb leadoff batter tried to hold up. Tanner was catching, and he pointed to me. I waited until umpire Jay asked for help. As soon as he pointed to me I signals safe, though it was close. That batter wound up walking and scoring, but West Cobb still trailed 4 – 2 at that point. A real umpire showed up to call the last two innings.

In the bottom of the first Will came up with two out and a runner on second. He lined the 3 – 1 pitch over the centerfielder’s head. The ball rolled to the left-centerfield fence. Will had eased up just a little as he approached third, but turned on the speed when the third-base coach waved him home, and Will had an inside-the-park Home Run and two RBIs.

West Cobb played the second game with only eight players, so the Saints supplied a rightfielder. For the last three innings, instead of giving the time to one of the 13 Saints, Coach Chris sent out his son Michael, an Bronco all-star travel-ball player. When Will came up to bat in the fourth with a runner on third, Chris hollered out to Michael, positioning him defensively. Will lined a 2 – 1 pitch to right for an RBI single, but Michael almost made a diving catch on the play.

On the first pitch Will took off on a steal of second base. John Fulton hit a grounder to the shortstop. When the shortstop threw to first, Will continued on to third base. Tanner grounded out to second, and Will scored. The next inning Michael’s brother Christian came up and hit a line drive past Michael for an inside-the-parker.

Will played shortstop and caught an inning each. He came in to pitch the fourth inning, and struck out all three batters. Facing the meat of the order in the fifth, Will struck out the first two batters. The cleanup hitter then lined the ball right back at Will’s head. Will instinctively raised his glove, just in time to catch the drive in the heel of his glove.

For the fall season Will has struck out 15 of the 25 batters he’s faced. He’s allowed only one hit.

Anniversery

Decided at the last minute to take Wednesday afternoon off. Decision helped by the loud drilling in the office…they’re taking out the shower and replacing it with a second ladies bathroom…just in time for the ogre to move 4 workers back to his office down the road. I haven’t used the shower in several years and don’t expect to need it, but it was nice just in case.

Ceil and I went down to Lenox and a few other places, then ate at Canoe last night for our anniversary. Only turned on the radio once…bases loaded for Frenchy. I turned it off, just missing his big hit.

On the way home we stopped at Borders in The Avenue…ran into Mary Hurt, who had just moved to Crabapple. I never see them, though Ceil’s seen Mary recently at Living Science. Still stressed by the move. Just missed David. They were ‘down south’ for their daughter’s dance and Buckhead Kidstuf practice. They hit Yellowstone this summer…flew into Denver.

Anniversaries and birthdays. Not a huge deal for my family growing up, unlike Ceil’s family. With lots of vacation, I figure taking off helps. I’m a terrible gift-giver, which is Ceil’s love language. Ceil likes to visit the high-priced Anthropologie store at Perimeter and Lenox. Yesterday could’ve gone smoother, but it was short of a disaster.

George Ewing’s Tech roommate hopes to try out for the GT basketball team next month, says his mom. He’s in a league at the Concourse with several ex-NBA players, and averages 35 points a game. Last year Hewitt cancelled the tryout, since he gave 2 spots to Lefty Dreisell’s grandsons. Will is all set to begin basketball practice next month. They play against Smoltz’s son, who’s supposedly not too good…Joel Norman said he blocked his shot.

My old boss was great at reviews…always tried to be positive and give high marks when possible. Felt it did more harm than good to grade low, long term. But he surrounded himself with good people. Have I said that the ogre doesn’t mind a staff of low quality employees? Guess they’re easier to control, boss around, and lord over. Reviews have faded out at my company for some reason…seems like it’s coming from the top down. I’m sure HR isn’t thrilled. I don’t feel like I should have to schedule my own 20th anniversary luncheon, now over a month late.

Tuesday we got all the way out to Powder Springs and Will discovered he’d forgotten his spikes…had to play in white running shoes, but it didn’t seem to effect his play. He couldn’t dig in at the plate. At short he dove for a grounder in the hole, but it bounced just under his glove. Might’ve helped his pitching, because he didn’t stretch out and throw too hard…instead he held back some and threw strikes. I haven’t noticed where his spikes are.

Ceil and Susan’s Beth Moore study will be Tuesdays at Fellowship Christian Church in Roswell, on Highway 92 east of the Super Target. Sounds like a big crowd of women, as opposed to a small group.

My favorite is $40.00 A Day, where she goes to a city and hits a few places. That’s why I like Alton’s motorcycle show, and the new diner show with the weird host that I’m not crazy about.

2007 MLB Uniform Rankings

I like most baseball unis, but some are better than others: . 1. Giants…classic off-white unis. . 2. Cardinals…timeless, great stirrups. . 3. Red Sox…whatever happened to the striped stirrups? . 4. Tigers…love the huge names on the back. . 5. Yankees…timeless. . 6. Braves…could be better with a few traditional tweaks: striped stirrups, off-white uni, number on front, big red names, a dark tomahawk. . 7. Pirates…classic look, except for the red vests. . 8. Athletics…simple & traditional, but the team looks sloppy. . 9. Phillies…simple and sweet. . 10. Dodgers…several tweaks have downgraded a classic look. “LA” patch, etc. . 11. Cubs…good, but see the Dodgers. Bring back the cubbie bear. . 12. Orioles…great look, but it could be better. “Baltimore” for starters. . 13. Royals…simple. Great to get rid of the black trim. . 14. Mets…need to ditch all the black. . 15. Astros…nice shade of red. . 16. Mariners…they’ve kept a consistent look over the years. . 17. Rangers…simple and clean. I like the flag patch on the sleeve. . 18. Reds…hate the new number font. They did rid of most of the black trim. . 19. Padres…I like those sand road unis, and the blue is sweet. . 20. White Sox…time for a change! Bring back a past classic: blue or red. . 21. Angels…simple but bland. Red numbers on red jersey doesn’t work. . 22. Indians…doesn’t stand out. Nice caps don’t match the navy jerseys. . 23. Blue Jays…nice colors. Unis keep changing, but none stand out. . 24. Devil Rays…I like the colors and logos, but the dark sleeves are weird. . 25. Brewers…simple but bland. Great throwbacks should be worn all the time. . 26. Marlins…Ok uni, but leave the pinstripes to the Yanks. . 27. Twins…same ugly unis for 20 years! . 28. Rockies…too much black, weird “vests.” . 29. Diamondbacks…nice shade of red, but the name on the front doesn’t look good. . 30. Nationals…nice caps, ugly numbers.

2007 NFL Uniform Rankings

1. Colts…simple, traditional.
2. Giants…great stripes on pants.
3. Steelers…hard to pull off a weird number font, but they do. Nice throwbacks this year.
4. Chiefs…classic look designed by owner Lamar Hunt.
5. Browns…returned to their classic simplicity.
6. Raiders…team has gone downhill, but the great unis remain.
7. Cowboys…great when they mix in the white helmet throwbacks.
8. Bears…love the stripes.
9. Jets…traditional uni gets points off for green facemasks.
10. Saints…the striped throwbacks are great.
11. Packers…get rid of those collar stripes!
12. Rams…great helmets.
13. Patriots…love the striped throwbacks best.
14. Bucs…unique color combos.
15. Bengals…great helmets. The unis grow on you.
16. Seahawks…love the blue, but the pants are ugly.
17. Dolphins…black trim wrecks the uni.
18. Cardinals…great helmets, and the new unis aren’t bad.
19. Lions…great logo and blue/grey colors…wrecked by black trim.
20. Chargers…love the helmets & powder blues, but number font wrecks the makeover.
21. Titans…nice colors go well with the white helmet.
22. Panthers…weird stripes on pants and helmet.
23. 49ers…great throwbacks, but the new unis have too much trim.
24. Ravens…like the colors and logos.
25. Eagles…kinda plain…the black trim isn’t needed. Interesting throwbacks!
26. Broncos…busy stripes, but the look is worse on college teams. OK helmets.
27. Redskins…wonderful throwbacks. They started the return of the white on white look.
28. Jaguars…hate the black jerseys, pants, socks, & shoes worn together. Need stripes!
29. Bills…great throwbacks, & nice blue shoulders on the white jersey. Too many stripes!
30. Texans…dull uni for a new team. OK helmets.
31. Vikings…uni redo disaster.
32. Falcons…way too busy. Ugly numbers. But nice helmets. Need a redo to escape the Vick era!

SI Pre-Season MLB Player Rankings Not Close

Interesting chatter on the DOB blog…who’s in the top 50? One guy listed his top 50. SI ranked the players before the season, with pitchers ranked separately from hitters…based on projected performance. The projections were off, in many cases…

27=Andruw, 29=Tex, 38=Chipper, 51=McCann, 96=Edgar, 120=Frenchy, 193=Johnson, 205=Diaz, 212=Thorman, 248=Langerhans, 396=Prado

13=Smoltz, 38=Wickman, 72=James, 80=Hudson, 106=Dotel, 131=Redman, 133=Gonzalez, 144=Soriano, 251=Cormier

Got involved watching the Clark Howard special last night while searching for the remote…after seeing the Wright HR we didn’t watch much else of the game, but saw Frenchy make the last out. Beltran made a few good catches.

Keep Edgar and trade Yunel for Milledge? Of the two youngsters, who’ll have a better career? DOB seemed to have the same reservations about Milledge…you wouldn’t think JS would make such a high-profile deal with the Mets anyway. Nice support on his blog for Chipper yesterday, regarding him being among the all-time best 3B.

Alton Brown

Usually an Alton Brown article would stand out to me on AJC.com, though if I don’t go straight in to a sports article I’ll go to the home page, but I didn’t notice it as a top or popular story on the website. Only late in the day did I see the hard copy in the breakroom. Said he doesn’t go out to eat much…except Moes with his 7-year old daughter. Worked on an REM video. Graduated from culinary school when he was 33, if I remember correctly.

Thomas the Tank Engine is more of a boy’s toy. An interesting thing about them was that when we got into it, Ringo Starr was the narrator. He was replaced by George Carlin. My kids were introduced to Bob Newhart as the father in Elf (also James Caan)…last night there was a Newhart marathon on TVLand…the 70’s styles worn even by Newhart were outlandish.

When we were leaving the parking lot Sunday we saw someone we knew, so I moved the van so the people behind us could pass. But eventually we were right in the way when cars were entering the lot but not turning into a row to park. I hate it when others do that to me.

When High School Musical is on (or some of the other shows the kids like) I often remind myself that these late-teens / early-twenty-somethings probably aren’t the fresh faces they portray onscreen. Will and his buds like Kimmel, who is funny. Jimmy was skewered today in the AJC.

Game 3: Struck by Lightning

It’s often said that when you think you’ve seen everything in baseball, a game like last night’s comes along. Before the game talking to other dads, I remembered that though we’d beaten Powder Springs at home, we’d never won at their place.

The Marlins pitcher wasn’t overpowering but struck out 7 of the first 13 batters. It was still a scoreless game when Joey, the 14th and last batter in the lineup, walked on a full count with 2 out in the 4th inning. Not a speed merchant, Joey stole second base and scored on young Patrick’s single to right. Powder Springs had yet to produce a hit, so I wondered if the pitching duel would continue.

But relief pitcher Tanner walked the first two batters in the bottom of the fourth, after walking two the previous inning without harm. The next Saints pitcher gave up four hits and a walk, so Will was called in to pitch with the bases loaded and no out, the score 4 – 1. Will got his first batter to hit a routine grounder right to the second-baseman, but the ball was misplayed the ball and two more runs scored. With runners at second and third Will struck out the next three batters, ending the inning.

Down 6 – 1, John Fulton led off the top of the 5th by bunting the relief pitcher’s first pitch foul. He then slammed the next pitch over the left-fielder’s head for an easy double…the longest hit I’d ever seen off his bat. Christian, Will Grey, and Preston all walked, loading the bases for Will. He promptly lined the second pitch into left-center for an RBI single. Will then scored game-tying run, scoring from second base on Colin’s line drive double to right-center.

Jack and Tanner reached on errors before the inexperienced Kevin lined an RBI single to center. As Russell and Josiah walked and advanced to third and second, you could see lightning quietly light up the distant sky far beyond centerfield. It appeared to be moving closer as Russell and Josiah advanced to third and second. The Saints had scored 9 runs in the inning without recording an out. But if the game was called before the home team could bat, the score would revert to the end of the previous inning.

Coach Chris instructed Joey to swing at everything. Russell and Josiah were instructed to give themselves up, and they were tagged out between bases. Powder Springs huddled in the infield, then with two strikes on Joey, decided to change pitchers (a stall tactic perhaps, but the previous pitcher had yet to throw the ball in the strike zone after 12 pitches). The lightning was slowly moving closer. After the new pitcher was finally warm the umpire “decided” to call the game. Instead of winning 10 – 6, the Saints lost 6 – 1.

Notes: John Fulton also walked and advanced to third, and made a sharply-hit grounder to second look routine. Josiah also made a nice play at shortstop, on a tough hop. His bases-loaded walk drove home Tanner.

FYI: The Marlins may have played an “ineligible” player. When I arrived at the field I was greeting by Powder Springs coach Randy, so I stopped to say hello. I hadn’t seen him at the Interlock scheduling meeting, and he said he was taking the fall off, as his son Corey was playing football and was only filling in. Was he on the official roster? Later I noticed Randy sitting behind the fence near first base, signaling his catcher son with a wave. Joey stole second on the next pitch. Randy had stolen our steal signal!

Game Two Loss

Will’s Saints lost a close Game Two of their Saturday doubleheader, 9 – 7. He caught and played shortstop each for an inning-and-a-half. Besides making a few strong throws to second that almost nailed some base-stealers, he didn’t see much action in the field.

Coach Maiocco scrambled the batting order in Game Two to equalize plate appearances, though eleven of the twelve Saints only batted twice anyway. Will came up in the second and was grazed by a 2 - 0 pitch. With a runner already on third, Will advanced to second on the first pitch, but both runners were stranded.

In the fourth with two-out Will worked the count full before lining the payoff pitch into centerfield for a single, driving home John Fulton. Will took second on the play when the ball got away, but the next batter popped up to end the inning.

The Saints led 7 – 2, but Coach Chris had let Powder Springs be the home team in Game Two. Colin game in to pitch and allowed six of the first seven batters to reach base. Tanner came in to relieve (and Will was moved from catcher to shortstop), but the leadoff hitter doubled to right-center, clearing the bases. Powder Springs retired the Saints in order in the fifth to win the game.

Will finished the day 3 – 3 with a walk and HBP, two RBIs and runs scored, and a stolen base…the only player on either team reaching base five times or with three hits.

Four Strikeouts In One Inning!

Will’s fall team split a season-opening doubleheader Saturday with the Powder Springs Braves. He was the only player on either team to reach base five times, and he struck out four batters in one inning.

Will walked with two out in the bottom of Game One’s first inning. With a lefty on the mound, Will was given the steal signal on the first pitch, and he broke for second when the pitcher started his windup. But the pitcher threw to first. Picked off, Will kept running, and slid into second headfirst, just ahead of the tag. After resting a pitch, Will broke for second on the 1 – 0 pitch to Colin. Colin alertly pulled the ball, grounding it through the hole vacated by the third-baseman. Will was able to score easily.

Will had caught the scoreless top of the first, and was playing shortstop when summoned to pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the third. He got one batter to pop up into the Infield Fly Rule and struck out their starting pitcher to end the frame.

With two out and two on in the bottom of the third Will pulled a hard grounder through the hole into left to drive in John Fulton. After Colin was hit with a pitch Will advanced to third on Tanner’s grounder to short, and trotted home with the go-ahead run when the throw went to first-base.

Will pitched a nice twelve-pitch top of the fourth…striking out the leadoff hitter looking, getting the next batter to ground the first pitch to third for an easy out, then striking out the next batter looking as well.

In the fifth the next-to-the-last batter in the order walked on a full count, and he advanced to second when the catcher’s pickoff throw sailed past first. Will struck out the next batter looking, then the leadoff batter swung and missed an 0 -2 pitch to strike out. But the ball got away from the catcher, and the batter reached first on a dropped third strike. The next batter grounded to second, but the toss to the shortstop was late, and all hands were safe: bases loaded and one out…with the three and four hitters up. No problem…Will struck them both out to secure the victory. It wasn’t until Monday morning that I realized Will had struck out four in one inning.

In the bottom of the inning Will lined the first pitch deep, but just foul. He hit the next pitch deep into the hole. The shortstop was able to knock the ball down, but Will easily beat the throw to first. Colin grounded the first pitch to short, and the umpire ruled the toss to second beat Will’s headfirst slide into the base, though he looked safe to me. The Saints won easily, 9 – 5, with Powder Springs only threatening one inning.

Will was credited as the winning pitcher, and he struck out 7 in 2-2/3’s innings pitched.

Pacific Ocean Seal Rocks

More Stuff

Susan had been looking around for a Beth Moore Bible Study for her and Ceil to join. Some kick-butt study all the women are doing. They only last eight weeks or so. Johnson Ferry had one that had started a couple of weeks ago, but Susan and Ceil are going to start one on East Piedmont Wednesday night. It started last week. Ceil will probably go Wednesday for that reason, though Wednesday is our anniversary. Will has games Tuesday and Thursday, so it’ll be a busy week.

The young couple that had joined our Small Group is going to take over being leaders, and just sent out an email outlining the entire year. They want to meet every week instead of every other week...not a bad thing. I’m not sure of anything regarding if all the couples are coming back, or when we start…could be this Friday.

Tech seemed to do what they needed…play the first team for a quarter and then let backups get time, and win big. Nice that Bennett was 8 for 9 passing, and a backup RB ran for over 100 yards. Clemson had the same opportunity but let their weak opponent score too much. The new Clemson QB threw five TD’s, which tells me they continue to get develop the passing game, since they’re confident in the running game. Boston College didn’t beat lowly NC State by much, but next Saturday’s GT/BC game won’t be easy. FSU struggled with UAB, and Miami got killed in Oklahoma (Nebraska outlasted Wake). Interesting year…would be nice to see GT take the ACC, but who can challenge USC and LSU?

Anna At The Bat

Anna took a turn at the Tooner Field plate, Sunday before the Braves game.

Another Busy Weekend

Friday night Ceil and I got a little time to ourselves, tripping to Publix and Blockbuster. Rented The Devil Wears Prada. Ceil liked it enough to stay up past midnight to watch it to the end, but it didn’t seem to be her favorite. Didn’t start the DVD until after Smoltz had given up the hit.

Will played a doubleheader in the heat. When I coached I let everyone play infield and rotated the batting order, but played every game to win. I kept the best hitters at the top of the order, and managed the pitching staff based on game conditions instead of set rotations. By the end of the season all the pitchers but one had about the same number of innings. This fall Coach Chris scrambled the batting order. This means Will may not score as many runs or steal as many bases, based on who’s on base and hitting behind him. Tanner only needed 28 pitches in the first two innings, retiring 6 of 7 hitters, but was replaced. Good pitching strategy in the Game Two loss, though the batting order may have squandered some runs. Only three LOB (Will twice). But the Saints only managed four hits, three walks, two HBP, and one reached on an error.

After the games I got the Civic washed and hit Kroger, QT, and Blockbuster, before driving Will and Joel 30 miles north to a Ball Ground birthday party. Halfway between 575 and 400, it took and hour to get there on back roads. Went by the Hurts new house near Crabapple on the way home, but they weren’t there. Took Anna and Matthew for a refreshing swim, then they watch High School Musical 2 again. Listened to parts of the Tech win and UGA loss in the car. It was late before I could catch up on college football. LSU routed Virginia Tech, but the Auburn loss was compelling…the South Florida kicker missed four easy field goals and they still won. Will and Joel stayed up late watching goofy YuTube videos.

Good NP sermon completing the ‘How To Be Rich’ series, along with a Candi solo. In UpStreet Matthew made a list of wise people: mom, dad, Andy Stanley, his Coach Turner, Solomon, God…and Chipper, Moo Cow, “me!”, Will’s teammate John Fulton, scarecrow, and High School Musical’s Ashley Tisdale and Zac Efron. KidStuf didn’t last long, and we ate at Moes on the way home. Quick change and we were on the way to the Braves game.

Though we were running late, ballpark traffic wasn’t bad. The crowd shots of the dogs were entertaining, and the heat wasn’t overbearing, though Will was exhausted from his big Saturday. Ceil snapped at bunch of pictures, and Matthew spent time down next to the dugout, but he didn’t get a ball. Chipper and Tex homered, Willie Harris doubled, and McCann and Francoeur had hits. Neikro was there, though we were too late for the autograph session. Stayed to the end, as Matthew wanted to run the bases…but discovered the line to be endless and left.

Stopped by Harry’s on the way home. Then Anna, Matthew, and I hit the pool again, then Kroger. Will had a yard to mow, and I cooked waffles. Just when we thought we’d get to bed early Anna discovered ants in her very messy room. We cleared out a bunch of stuff in her room and closet, but tonight there’ll be more cleaning out of clothes, sorting out of old toys, etc. Never ends.

Opening Day

Will shakes off some rust on the mound in Saturday's season opener. This fall's photos come courtesy of Ceil's new camera.

Not On My Game

Dropped Ceil’s new Razor phone on the driveway and cracked it…it still works, but it’s just another thing. Last night I broke the glass globe cover for the light in the master shower, after changing the bulb…two breaks in two days. Wednesday night I took Will to church, then took the kid’s old play table to sell at a consignment sale. No room for anyone else to go with me. It sold!

The season is about over for the Braves, but they did ok considering the injuries to the pitchers and Edgar. Hard to question Cox on sticking with Harris, considering the 14 straight division crowns. And with the lack of quality pitching on the trading block, you can’t fault JS for failing to trade for pitching. Even Dontrell would’ve been a shaky proposition, with the first-half he had. JS stocked up on pitching before the season, and had Hampton, Gonzalez, James, Wickman, Davies, etc get hurt/flame out. Can’t catch lightning in a bottle every year. Let’s see the Mets win three straight divisions…though money helps.

McCann vs. Salty…BM is the proven .300 hitter and he plays hurt, but how long will his body last? Salty slumped last year and was struggling in Texas…his rookie year. Like everything else, we’ll see. It was nice to get in the car and turn to the postgame report and hear what happened Wednesday. Funny postgame comment by Chipper…while laughing, said the officiating Wednesday was great.

Two At The Game

Two official Braves jerseys in his closet, and instead he wears a Red Sox tee to the Braves / Nats game!

College Football Recap

Thought Tech looked great. Bennett looked ok, didn’t make many mistakes…no turnovers. If the offense can play like that, they should do well…with Virginia Tech and UGA at home and Miami the toughest road game. They appear to have a team that won’t play well some weeks and not show up other weeks…hopefully. Bennett just missed on several throws…Calvin would’ve made him look better.

I didn’t soak up the UGA game like I did the Tech game, but they looked ok as well. Caught some of the Cal/Tennessee game, and had to watch the end of the Auburn game to see if they could pull it out. Usually I’m not so into football. It was distracting that there were so many commercials and the games took so long.

Will and Ceil were fired up about the Clemson game. They looked good for a quarter, then decided to pass instead of rely on their great running game…even late in the game when they needed to run. Great idea to adopt the Arkansas direct-snap offense, even with one RB handing off to the other. But they quit using it! They didn’t need it in the second quarter, but they should’ve brought it back when FSU threatened late in the game. FSU looked terrible, as bad as last year. The defense jogged, and Weatherford held the ball too long…even late in the game when he needed to step up. They still came close to pulling it out. Clemson will probably be undefeated when they play at Tech.

Didn’t watch much Braves this weekend…didn’t realize yesterday was a day game. Saturday I was flipping back and forth between the Braves and the Tech game. Big day yesterday with SD winning, Clemens hurting, Ichiro homering, Pedro back, and the Saturday no-hitter. At ECPC the chunky catcher Andrew came in, and his mom the BoSox fan was raving about the no-hitter.

The Hurts, my old softball teammate whose daughters just started Living Science this year, are moving to Alpharetta this weekend from Mt. Vernon Road, near the Riverside 285 exit. Way up near Crabapple. David works near Bolton and Atlanta Road, so he’s going to have a long commute. They were involved at Buckhead Church, but we’ll see if they go to NP instead.

Labor Day Weekend

Ceil and I got a late start Friday night, going out to dinner. I thought it would be low key…El Porton or Chipotle, but Ceil didn’t want Mexican or BBQ. There wasn’t a crowd at P. F. Chang, so we ate there. Afterwards we stopped by Kroger to stock up on Poweraide (the 32 oz 59 cent sale ended Saturday). Ceil was looking at the magazines, so I checked out and took the groceries to the car. When I came back in I saw Ceil talking to a man I didn’t recognize, so I checked out some things before finally walking up to them. Turned out to be Bryan, buying the last inner tube boat…for himself, he said.

Bryan sold a screenplay, and is working on cutting the length. Set in Atlanta, part of it’s about church softball. He said he’d let me read it to make sure the scenes are realistic. Bryan is temporarily hosting the Buckhead Church Kidstuf while the crowd gets used to the newer actors. After that they may look for a closer church, and may visit East Cobb Presbyterian, where the Normans go. Susan called Ceil last night and I think they were talking about that.

We wound up going there Sunday, and it was ok. After NP, any church is going to be a letdown, particularly a smaller church. NP is comfortable for me because I can go and be anonymous. At ECPC several men came up to introduce themselves, and some figured me to be “Will’s dad”. Ceil enjoyed being with Becky. The preacher was ok, at times humorous and also thought-provoking. Before the service he approached with his hands in his pockets and introduced himself, explaining he didn’t want to shake hands because he had a cold. People say he’s a better relationship guy than preacher, but his sermon may have been more applicable than the Bible-story type sermons Bryant Wright preaches at Johnson Ferry. Saw Will’s former teammates David Bartlett and his brother, the great Willie. Their parents seem to be getting involved at ECPC in a low-key way. We like the Bartletts…Coach Henry and mom Kristie, who is crazy.

Will had practice Saturday morning, basically a scrimmage game like we did in the spring. Afterwards Will wanted to hit more, so Coach Donnie pitched to him and three others. Everyone then left, but I threw two more bucketfuls to Will, and his hitting seems to be coming around. Will also pitched well. Saturday afternoon Will went with Joel and another boy to Conyers for a huge Christian concert. Since it was free (and it had rained) I figured it would be a zoo, but Will said they had a good time. He spent Saturday night at the Norman’s…that factored into why we went to ECPC, along with no NP classes for the kids.

Saturday afternoon I swam with Anna and Matthew. They like to throw the tennis ball in the pool, so I had them jumping in and catching it. Anna would stand and jump, so she had more success. Matthew would take a running start, and the way he’d crash into the water had me cracking up. He finally got to where he’d catch it more often than not, but he must’ve jumped in twenty times.

Sunday after church I took the kids to Macon. My mom wanted to make sure they liked the food. Will was ecstatic over the ribs, Anna loves mashed potatoes, and Matthew got his beloved hot dogs. My dad’s centipede lawn was in good shape. Will cut the front and I cut the back (in sandals, so my feet are now itching), and I blew off the driveway. My dad can do small sections of lawn before getting worn out, so he usually does a little every other day.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time cleaning upstairs, putting up piles than had accumulated. Ceil wanted to go to a thrift store to look for an old bedspread, so we hit a few in Roswell, then TJMaxx. Will and I fixed a ceiling fan, then we all went to see Pirates 3 at the Picture Show. I had forgotten that only Will had seen it, so we all enjoyed it.

The Nanny Diaries

When we went to NYC a couple of years ago, a thunderstorm stuck us at the airport for a long time. I was reading anything I could get my hands on, including that day's NY Times. There was a story about a nanny who revealed too much on her blog about the family she worked for, as well as lots from her personal life. This was before I blogged, but I googled and found her blog on Blogspot, before it was taken down. Don't know if that was the first article about her, but she was the basis for the new "Nanny Diaries' movie that's just out. I didn't know it was also a book. Since that was one of the first blogs I ever read, a tiny bit of my style/form comes from her.

Not really a great surprise that Frenchy would have a 5 strikeout game, or get thrown out. Hopefully he won't have too many more. He's really had a good year. You wonder if Orr got in the way of Andruw on that double in the gap last night. Hated to see Oscar walk the leadoff hitter. I thought it was funny after Diaz caught that deep sac fly inthe 11th, he appeared to throw to third.

Heard Boyer was starting in Richmond. Fun to hear Bill Shanks in 680 in the afternoons. Guess he’s on the radio in Macon as well.

Family Matters

Now that the kids are older it’s a different dynamic. I’m proud to see Will getting involved at his school and with the ECPC youth. Anna has friends she likes to spend time with, but she also plays like a child. Matthew is different, but he gets wrapped up in playing with toys, drawing, outdoors, and occasionally sports, like I did…so he’s fun to watch and play with. I need to play more baseball, basketball, and Wii with Will. Anna doesn’t like baseball, so I need to do different things with her…she’s the hardest. She actually likes to wrestle. Matthew is still huggable…I need to read with him like I did with Will and Anna.

We need to talk everyday, not just about that day’s activities, but also plans and finances. She wants to talk about feelings and stuff first, which I’m not good at. Neither of us are big talkers, and we both expect the other to carry the conversation. As a couple we’re going to go back through the Intimate Encounters book, but we need to start. We have been going out on more dates, since we don’t need a sitter any more.

I have to remember what intimate Encounters (and Andy) have stressed…I don’t need to focus on changing Ceil, but instead accepting her for who she is, and instead focusing on how I can serve her. Selfish as I am, that last part is hard. Ceil is quite similar to me in many ways…strengths and weaknesses wise. We both wanted to get married and looked forward to raising kids.

Friends…it’s interesting the old Second-Ponce crowd has kept up with each other. It’s mostly been once or twice a year…some keep up better than others. I actually don’t keep up as good as some. The recent deaths of Steve and Ginny brought people together, and there have been some other deaths of parents as well.

There’s really no one from high school I keep up with that much. I went to three high school reunions before I figured out that my best friends weren’t going to the reunions, so I doubt I’ll go to my 25th reunion in October (but this year they’re having it at a football game). I’m a much better emailer than phone caller. One friend has had some health issues and I haven’t done a good job of keeping up.

Fall Ball

Had a good time last night riding to the Kennesaw scheduling meeting with Chris, the whiffleball coach. He works at UPS in mergers & acquisitions. We basically have eight weeks to play games this fall. The league director suggested we schedule 12 - 14 games, but Chris and I were on the same page...the more games the better, especially with 14 players. The actual scheduling went well...just a bunch of guys gathered around scheduling games, usually on a one to one basis. The faces are starting to become familiar. Since it's be hard for both of us to schedule at the same time without duplicating dates, while Chris was negotiating with one team I'd be lining up the next person for him to talk to, feeing them out for open dates.

Chris made all eight Saturdays a home doubleheader, so we wound up with 23 games...even more than we played in the spring. (Update: The Park Director said we couldn’t play 23 games, so Chris had to cut it back to 18…just fewer doubleheaders. Bad thing is, we usually don’t make up rainouts. Maybe we can try harder to do that this fall). Only two 7 pm road games...no 8 pm games, and 19 home games. Will only has one conflict...the Saturday we're on his retreat.

My only concern is pitching...there are four Thursday games leading into Saturday doubleheaders. Will has a hard time pitching on one day's rest. We have at least eight pitchers...maybe more. On the drive home Chris and I talked about who could pitch and play what positions, and I was able to give him a lot of input. Will said they didn't hit much again last night, but that'll change tomorrow.

Will’s team scrimmaged last week (so everyone only took ten cuts instead of the 50 they all needed. Will had to play third, and was frustrated because his team had the worst players. Pretty much a life lesson for him…that life isn’t fair, it’s how he reacts to it. Playing catcher with a right-handed mitt (as opposed to my lefty glove) I dropped a couple of close plays, though I happened to make a couple of good plays…against Will’s team. So Will was mad at me…funny. I manage one season and I think I have all the answers!

My Civic MPG is down, and the only real change was new tires. Coworker Mike checked them out. They're harder tires than I'd had before, so they should wear slower and provide good traction...but that causes less MPG. On the highway I went from 40 to 37. In the city it's down from 32 to 30.

Work Work Work

When SDA was my boss, we were in the same office. He included me in meetings where my input was valuable. After he moved to Florida my real boss was a VP I never saw or spoke to...I just sent him reports. I had a dotted line report to young DS, who's great. He sticks his head into complicated issues and can figure things out. This is good, but that means he needs me less than SDA. Now I rarely see my new VP boss CK, though he's certainly more hands on than the last VP. SDA suggested I send regular updates of what I'm doing, and the first one worked out well.

Had meetings over at CK's office and also with the Ogre...my office manager friend who thought I'd be a good replacement for him. We really think alike, he's just way more methodical than me...has to understand every issue, and everything must be done his way. He suggested I get an assistant to help take away some of my paperwork, since the new people in the office aren't close to taking it over. Probably a temp to perm. This would be great, freeing me up to review costs more, as well as do more training, and get out to learn SAP...what CK wants me to do. May also take a green belt class.

When I managed the scheduling department of our processing division, I derived extreme satisfaction in vastly improving our office’s Q-rating with the other offices, and seeing employees that I hired/brought in do a great job. JS did so well she was promoted to second in command in the department, and people around the company raved about her work. She lives close by, so she likes her commute. Due to the recent reorganization and business level she was demoted (and her boss had to start doing more work). She sounded ok the day she told me, but I was there in her department where she couldn’t open up. When I was in Orlando they were saying she wasn’t real happy with the demotion.

The ogre hangs on to people in his department. There’s another good long-time employee who’d been held back like JS. Then there’s lots of other worker bees who can’t figure out problems. SDA was better about recognizing good employees and rewarding them, though he was better in the 90’s than he was the last few years.

Technology To Do's

Luckily I have the kids around to help with technology.

1. I got a cell phone a month ago, but haven't taken the time to figure it out...no handbook.

2. Two buttons on our old TV have fallen off...to turn it off it has to be unplugged. Guess it's time for a new one.

3. At home my laptop can't get on-line, because the plug in broke (I shouldn't have left it in the laptop...it bent!) Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a new plug-in.

4. Ceil has problems with her email that BellSouth can't resolve.

5. Our new garage doors are great, but we need to get the installers back for a tweak. And my remote needs a new battery, as does the remote for the van's door opener...but I can't unscrew it to get to the battery!

Tuesday Stuff

Monday must be the Braves night to hit. Nice that Cormier got the lead and didn’t have to worry about baserunners.

There’s a Murphy playing SS for Oakland, I saw him PH in Houston. Now I see a Murphy playing for Texas…I’ll have to look him up. Also need to get an update on the Red Sox David Murphy.

Still plenty of stuff going on at home and work. I was thinking I might not make it to another Braves game this year…both Will and I have only been to two apiece. But Matthew hasn’t been this year, so I’ll have to make sure he gets out to a game…to keep up his ‘streak’. I’ll check the teams coming in to see if there’s a team he hasn’t yet seen. We’ll see.

See in today’s AJC living section a lawyer wrote a baseball book…he’ll be at the Decatur Book Fair.

Was just confirmed as a chaperon on Will’s five day senior high Science trip in October…probably to Florida. The spring trip to Jekyll is for middle schoolers, so we won’t go next spring. But it’s conceivable we’d be going for several years after that with Anna. Will would also be going back to Jekyll as a leader in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Hurt girls are taking classes at this school this year…I hear the Hurts are selling their house near Mt. Vernon Baptist and are moving out towards Woodstock/Alpharetta, to be closer to the girls’ school/activities.

With these new people handling the day to day affairs of the two big accounts I work on, due to the June reorganization, problems continue to arise. Today one item had four individual problems, and we had another problem that effected eight other items. In late September ‘we’re’ taking a physical inventory of the parts at the multiple locations. No big deal for me, though it’ll be a lot of work. We’ll gain on some and lose on others…it’ll be great to get inventory correct, though many will stress out at the results. The Ogre may want to write off 700,000 excess pounds ($200,000.00)…luckily I’ve got variance dollars that can offset this hit.

Golden Gate Bridge

Better photos of the bridge may follow.

One With Nature

In the 13 years we’ve lived in our house, the creek in the backyard had never been dry…until the last few days. Saturday I went down to clean our any junk/branches, etc, and found dozens of fresh-water clam shells in the creek bed. Also saw a small fish swimming around in a section that still had water.

Interesting about the release of Wickman...guess it was negative posts from last Thursday.

Orlando was ok…they thought we accomplished a lot. Good to talk to my old boss. Also ate with the Florida GM again, who’s flying me down for the GT / Miami game.

Now that school has actually started, Ceil is beginning to feel a little better / less stressed about everything. Will is at his Living Science school from ten this morning til seven tonight, though he has several off periods.

Will’s baseball coach, the whiffleball guy, has me helping out with organizational stuff…tomorrow we go to the meeting to make up the schedule. That’s good, because Will has more other commitments than ever. I did the uniform numbers, so Will got his usual five. As usual, there are several decent dad/coaches helping out…they just don’t spend much time on hitting and pitching. Then Saturday afternoon Will went to tryout for a spring team, and same thing…lots of fielding and throwing, but little hitting/pitching. I’m not a great BP pitcher, but I’ll start taking my bucket so they can get some swings.

Finally finished the SF recap and posted it to the blog…haven’t emailed it to anyone yet. Ceil put all the pictures on her PC and I’ve just got a few…having a problem emailing them from her PC, or loading them from her PC to the blog.

Cablecar Closeup

Standing in the long cablecar line, there was plenty of time to snap photos while waiting for the loaded cablecar to make it's way up the hill.

Not the best vacation phot...just the first (I'll try not to go overboard).

Will's going for the Zac Efron look, if you haven't noticed.

Bob Wickman, the man who ate Dan Kolb

Bob Wickman, the man who ate Dan Kolb...great comment by Jeff Schultz. Wickman isn't getting any slimmer, and he's been struggling lately. Kolb was the Braves closer in 2005...kinda chubby, and he struggled bad. Wickman was doing ok, but has gotten bigger it seems. Perhaps when he ate Kolb, it made him pitch worse.

Interesting comment in last week’s AJC interview with Kyle Davies…he thought the team was uptight, not relaxed. Could definitely be a factor as we approach the September wild-card race. With the momentum from the Teixeira and Dotel trades putting pressure on the Mets and Phils, the Braves should relax and play. Seems like it’s the pitching staff (besides Smoltz and Hudson) that is pressing…can we blame Roger?

Good that McCann is tearing it up, which was noticeable before today’s ALC article. But even though Andruw seems to be getting one big hit a night, he still appears to be struggling in his other at-bats.

My Civic MPG is weird…need to check to see if my new tires are 15 instead of 14. Could be something else. Finally cleaned my car after it got all dirty on the camping trip.

Went to north point mall Saturday for the opening of the American Girl store...the line was a quarter mile long to get in, with half of the line stretched outside. The line wasn't moving, so we didn't stick around. (Ceil took the kids back Monday...no line). We had to go to 'build-a-bear'...that's where everyone else went who skipped American Girl. I'd never seen the line there that long...stretched well out into the mall. Wouldn't have been so bad had I figured out after you stood in the 'stuffing' line, you had to get in an equally long line to pay. I could've had Ceil stand in that line instead of shopping in other places!

Wickman Finished?

Wickman struggled again. Chip and Lemke were defending Wickman on the pregame, saying he had just given up the first earned run at home all year…that the fans should cut him some slack. It was a save situation, and it was a Cox like move to put him back out there the night after he struggled, but I thought he could’ve used some rest. Chip was right that if one or two things go bad for Wickman he doesn’t collapse, but is still tough mentally. I don’t know if he always falls behind hitters, but that’s what he was doing Tuesday night.

The Braves crowd seemed into the game against the Giants…when Cox was thrown out, and Klesko, and when they got on Angel Hernandez when Ortiz tossed over to first after the two balks. Nice that Andruw came through once, and he hit the ball hard a few other times…pulling it each time. Angel Hernandez looks like that actor who gets lots of bad guy roles…like the Harrison Ford / Jack Ryan movie set in Central America involving drug cartels.

I really like Diaz. Weird, but I think they're letting Harris steal too much...he keeps getting thrown out. At least Cox finally came to his senses and dropped Andruw in the order...were he to sign with the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, or Astros (big money teams) - Andruw wouldn't be batting 3 or 4 or 5th in the order. Seems like the pressure of being in a contract year is getting to him. Sounds like Chuck James has a tired arm.

The AJC said the Braves' bullpen catcher says Moylan has some of the best stuff of anyone he's ever caught. Reid does have a point about 5 pitchers having to be on (hopefully the starters goes at least 6, so it is more like 4). Just remember, that most other managers do the same thing...it's the exception for any MLB reliever to go more than an inning. Cox has pitched that new Mahay guy >more than one inning more than once. Interesting reading about when Hank was breaking the HR record...when he hit 714 on opening day, Niekro pitched a couple of innings in relief. The 715 game had starter Buzz Capra pitching a few innings in relief.

Since the kids went to SF, where we ate was influenced by them. It turned out to be cheaper places overall, and many choices were based on where we were at the time, and what we could find. Had it just been me and Ceil, we would've hit more corner cafes and such.

Yes, Vick appears to be guilty of a lot of things, including having the wrong friends. He should've hung out with Warrick Dunn more.

According to Uni-Watch, Frenchy had his name misspelled on his jersey the other night - http://jmcweb.sjsu.edu/craig/baseball/francouer.jpg One thing about the Office…not really that big of a deal about the comments…quite often posts come and go without anyone commenting.

It was just time for a brake job on the Civic…it was just a different sound than I was used to, and it sounded like it was coming from a different place. In Orlando this week...the BoSox and A’s are in Tampa, but that’s such a long trip I don’t know that I’d make it again…perhaps there’s a minor league game closer, but those seasons are wrapping up.

Shoes

In college I mostly wore court shoes, because we played a lot of basketball (though not in high school, because not many white kids did…though my sister played on the varsity team). Had several pair of leather high-tops in the late 80s/early 90s…Reeboks and Nikes…still have some. Seems like I switched to running shoes in the early 90s…I can be on my feet longer without getting as tired in the running shoes. High-tops are good for the ankle support…I like to wear my old pair when I’m working in the woods or on a ladder…could’ve used them camping. The other dad was wearing basketball shoes. He said he still plays several times a week…at the Y, I think.

Will has always preferred running shoes for some reason, though you’d think as active as he is that he’d like court shoes better. I got him a nice pair of Nike high-tops back in January…they were on the big side, and he says he’s saving them for this next basketball season. I’ll wear my more bizarre shoes to the movies…I have some yellow Reeboks I bought at Just 4 Feet I’ll wear as houseshoes, because they slip on and are warm…my feet get cold in regular houseshoes because there’s not much of a sole. I digress. I also like plain shoes, but I like grey better than white, usually with navy trim. I’ve been looking for the perfect pair of red or red-trimmed shoes, though I’d never wear them much.

Before I forget, I have this link in my favorites that I happened to check a day or two ago, because I forgot what it was. The guy is crazy about getting baseballs at games, and writes books and a blog about it. But note the recent posts and pictures on how crowded the outfield bleachers got when ARod was coming to bat, sitting on 499… www.snaggingbaseballs.mlblogs.com He is off about it being easy to average 15 wins over 20 seasons…not an easy feat, or more than 23 pitchers would’ve done it.

Ceil came across this storefront called something like “Beans” near the new Target at JF & Upper Roswell, down from the Starbucks, Pool Supply, and Used Bookstore. They make fancy meals you can take home and cook…supposedly owned & run by Amy.

Good Seinfeld about scalping opera tickets and the crazed clown, and Letterman had a Top Ten about blog titles. The van was in the shop because the emissions failed, and the Civic is making a bad noise, so it’s next. First problem I’ve had with it. Matthew exhibited decent fishing skills, casting the $12.00 rod & reel I got him at Wal-Mart. Perhaps he and Will will start fishing in a nearby pond.

Junkin

I’m a sucker for collecting junk on vacation…pamphlets, maps, etc, and we may have set a record this time. I’m trying to go through all the stuff here at work, and it’s taking away from writing the recap, though I was counting on the info to help…details on what we did, etc. I forgot all we saw at Yosemite, and what all those things were called.

Had a great trip…no big complaints except Monday. Tuesday we were all worn out. I got to work late and tried to catch up. In the afternoon I learned I had to be at Carrier Athens Wednesday at 8 am, so that took up most of the morning. At lunch I took the van back to the shop and the emissions passed, so the repairs are all done. Friday I took the Civic to the shop…it’s making a bad grinding noise, and I can’t keep Ceil from driving it around…guess I should’ve left it at a shop while we were gone (it was just the brakes).

The kids are still on Pacific time…they slept most of Tuesday and stayed up late last night, then slept late Wednesday morning.

I know online banking is cheaper and efficient, but I’ve never gotten around to doing it. I tell myself that writing checks and recording it on my spreadsheet helps me better track expenses, though I know I need to move on. I never write checks in stores, though every now and then Ceil has written a check for parking. I don’t carry much cash, but I’ve never been stuck in a parking lot without money. I don’t know why she writes checks when she has her hair done, unless the place doesn’t take credit cards…which would be weird.

Soggy Camping Weekend

Decided to go camping at the last minute with the boys, Matthew’s baseball coach, and his sons…just came up. Not my cup of tea, but Matthew was excited. Drove up to Amicalola Falls Friday afternoon and pitched our tents, and we could still we the sun as we finished up fishing. But driving back up the mountain it started to sprinkle, and that turned into a full fledged downpour. We drove over to the Lodge and ate dinner there, though we didn’t have the Friday night seafood buffet. We found our tents to be too wet, so after we roasted marshmallows on a fire we left for home at 11:15. Will and Matthew spent the night at their friends’ house, but I went home.

Saturday morning we drove back to the campsite and cooked breakfast, then took down the tents. Matthew and the younger boys enjoyed running through the woods and playing in the creek. Then we drove to the Lodge to see the end of a snake show, then played football in a field. It was hot, and early on I fell on my side trying to make a tackle. My elbow slammed into my side, bruising my ribs pretty good. It hurt bad yesterday, but today it’s starting to feel a little better.

The kids played whiffleball games Saturday and Sunday nights…the Norman boys played as well. There were over 40 kids and parents there last night. I watched and listened to a lot of the Mets game last night…nice for Glavine to have his moment in the sun, though right now we need the Mets to lose every game possible.

Saturday night I started sneezing…the hot/cold thing. The sneezing was painful with the hurt rib, and NP is usually so cold (I always wear socks and long sleeves), so yesterday I didn’t go, though everyone else did. I usually watch TV while folding clothes, but there wasn’t much on except Sunday morning ESPN…SportsCenter and Between the Lines stuff.

Will and Ceil came home with new Volunteer T-shirts, so I guess we’re staying at NP for a while. All the families in our small group seem to have taken vacations all on different consecutive weeks…one week we were gone, the next week another family, then the next 2 weeks another family…for at least 8 straight weeks, it seems.

Summer Whiffleball and Matthew

When Matthew plays in an organized ‘official’ Little League game, he certainly recognizes the “importance” of an at-bat, and he going up to the plate looking for a hit, and will swing if it’s close…sometimes even it’s a low pitch he should take. His athletic ability allows him to make contact most times, though sometimes he hits foul balls…popping them back, some pulled in foul territory behind third, some behind first. He may swing and miss on strike three, or get thrown out at first…though he immediately drops the bat and heads to first after he hits the ball, he’s not exactly Thorman going down the line…Matthew is probably only going 85%, so sometimes he’s out when he could’ve beat it out. But making an out in a real game has never been that troubling to him…he just goes back to the dugout.

These neighborhood whiffleball games are different. There are several boys his age, and Matthew seems to want to excel. He hits the ball hard, but many times older boys make the play and throw him out…just as they do for other boys his age. To Matthew, it’s bad if he makes an out, no matter how hard he hits the ball. I think it’s the peer pressure. Last night he hit some shots, and lined one to left field for a hit almost impressive as one of Will’s hits. He also wants to play key positions like second base and catcher, but only one of the little guys can play there an inning. Interesting difference between whiffleball and baseball.

Matthew is an interesting case study, it will be interesting to see how his behavior changes as he grows and friendships become more important to him. Boys seem to want to have Will as a friend, and Anna has several good friends as well. Friends are starting to become as or more important than family members, and we think most of their friends are good kids from good families, but you never know. We’re not that crazy about them spending that much time with their SC cousins, though. Harder to pick baseball teammates, but most have been ok.

Chris always coaches his two baseball playing sons, and has coached Will numerous times. They live on a cul-de-sac a mile away as the crow flies, but at least four miles if you drive…Anna and Will have walked there several times. They put up a sign by their mailbox as to when the games will be…usually Sunday and Wednesday nights. The kids call Will/Anna, to make sure they know when the game is. But bunches of kids show up from the neighborhood, as well as a few dads. Mostly boys, but occasionally a girl will play as well. All different skill levels, ten or 12 to a side, with real plastic bases. Pretty organized, but keeping score hasn’t crossed my sick mind (good one!). Halfway through the game they have a Kool-Aid break. Two other dads/sons families from near our neighborhood occasionally play. Usually I’ll drop off our kids if I drive them and go back home, but I’ve stuck around the last two times.

They’ve been going to Johnson Ferry 3 or 4 years (Will likes going to the S.S. class Chris teaches), but they actually keep their kids away from the activities. The Murphys are liberal compared to them (TV, etc). It’s not like they preach at the whiffleball games, but they use it as a way to get the kids outside, exercising, and build relationships. The games are competitive and fun. They keep score in their head, which I cannot do.

When I got home one recent evening three Norman boys were they…they had been swimming together and were playing Wii. They all went to the whiffleball game.

August Braves Notes

Thursday Aug 2nd Braves game: Pretty bad inning, the eighth. Saw Soriano come and thought that this would be a good situation to get his groove back, up four. Then one just out of Tex’s reach, Edgar gets hurt, Harris makes an error and runs into the wall twice, and Lamb hits a grand slam. I fell asleep going to the 11th, and woke up and saw we lost on the ESPN crawl. Getting ready the next morning I realized the score was 12-11, thought it had been 9 – 9 going to the 11th…meaning the Astros scored, then the Braves tied it up.

Saturday night the third I turned it over to the SF/SD game an inning after Bonds hit 755, and between dozing off I saw his other three at bats. Now he has to go homerless for three more games before we see him on Friday night. Ready for the SF trip…just need to do a few last minute things.

Sunday the fourth ESPN was listing great Wrigley moments so I got out my laptop. I thought Hank’s 3000th came there, but it was Crosley Field in Cincy, which also had the brick backstop. Did you know that when Aaron passed Mantle on the HR list that Mantle had been third on the all-time HR list? So I guess he had been second to Ruth before Mays passed him.

One stat that came out was Barry and one other player were the only ones to have more than 30 HR in over 10 straight years…Hank had 30 HR in 15 of 17 seasons, with the two other seasons with 24 and 29. Hank had 20 straight years with more than 20 HR, but Barry only had 15 straight.

680’s Perry L…seems guys like him will take a side on an issue just to incite reactions. I do like Rude and Dimino. Interesting to hear the Reds wanted Reyes and Escobar, which was too high a price. Buddy said he had this hyperextended elbow before, and it shouldn’t be a problem. Nice win last night…I was flipping over to the end of the Mets game. Though they won, the Brewers had the tying run at the plate when the game ended. And the Cubs beat the Phils on a walk-off wild pitch.

Couldn’t believe DOB said the Mets series would be crucial…most times the Chipper/Cox types don’t say one series is more crucial than another.

The Rowland’s Office blog published an informative article by Sac Fly reader Rob. I’m jealous! I hadn’t looked at the Office since lunch Tuesday, but had read where they were taking submissions. I had thought of him, but that comment on stats made me think they might not like his work. I just added a quick comment…thinking that if his post generated comments, they’d want more of his work. On the plane I was reading this year’s SI baseball issue from April, and was reminded SI listed the Office as a go-to site for Braves talk.

Think Wickman has anything left? He’s fine if he doesn’t fall behind the hitter. Only saw the end of Tuesday night’s game.

Interesting Glavine article, on how he reinvented himself as a pitcher after slumping as a Met…pitching inside.

San Francisco Vacation 2007

We took our first big family vacation, to San Francisco. Kinda like Chevy Chase and family going to Wallyworld. I posted each day in starting with the last, so the reading would flow.

Ceil and Anna took hundreds of pictures...eventually some will show up here.

Days later, and everyone's still operating on Pacific time, which is killing me.

Tuesday Night August 7th

Saw the first two Bonds at bats before falling asleep on the couch. When I woke up I noticed ESPN wasn’t showing when Bonds would next bat underneath the score. The Giants had six runs, so I figured he must’ve hit 756. Went to bed and didn't find out all the details until the next morning. Going upstairs I realized I hadn't gotten out the baseball tickets yet. I looked in the dark for a while, and left that drawer open with papers scattered about, to be sure to remember in the morning.

Wednesday August 8th

Couldn't sleep late, though I tried. I did find the tickets, and we had a relaxing morning getting packed and covering last minute details. There was stuff to do up to the minute Becky arrived. Getting into her van I remembered we didn't have a jacket for Matthew, which wouldn't have been fun. Pulled out at 1:20 pm.

The kids enjoyed the multimodal trip to the airport...van, elevator, MARTA train, escalator, walking, checking bags, security, tram, and more walking to faraway gate D2, arriving at 3:20 pm. Matthew seemed to get more excited on each leg of the journey. We first flew to Indy, and I had a great view of the Brickyard just before we landed. We were on the ground only long enough for passengers to deboard and board the plane.

Matthew got a kick out of the AirTran peanuts…he read the ‘how to eat’ instructions and laughed out loud. I read through four SI’s, and passed them on to Will and Ceil as I finished each one. Sitting separately, Will and I both listened to the satellite radio broadcast of the exciting Braves / Mets game. Chipper was robbed of a HR, Soriano gave up the game-winning homer, and then Andruw struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. Luckily we were about to land, because after that I couldn’t read or listen to anything else.

Our SF flight didn’t land until 8:30 PDT...12:30 our time. Our rental car turned out to be off-site, even though I checked to make sure there was an airport location. While waiting on the shuttle the kids laughed at another rental car company…Rent-A-Wreck. Then they were excited when our rental turned out to be a quite ordinary Dodge Avenger.

We crossed the lower bay bridge stretching from San Mateo to Hayward, and passed the hotel I’d originally booked. I had switched because the neighborhood sounded bad. We probably would’ve been ok and had free breakfasts for the whole trip, but it would’ve been much less convenient to everywhere we wanted to go. Good decision to switch.

All we found open was a Taco Bell, and then we completed the 1-1/2 hour drive to the Modesto hotel...halfway to Yosemite. We stayed in a nice Springhill Suites, with the ‘grand opening’ sign still up. Nicely outfitted, with Ansel Adams type photos. Again the kids were pumped, and no one had trouble going to sleep.

Thursday August 9th

Up at seven, though it took a while to roust everyone. We had the hotel Continental breakfast, and we stopped at a grocery for a cooler, ice, and a case of water. The grocery had hundreds of interesting piñatas that were fun to see.

It was a scenic drive to Yosemite, though Ceil was hurting due to all the travel and such, so she napped. We stopped in a tiny mining/touristy town for a Coke. Once in the park we took a break at a ranger station, where Ceil bought Junior Ranger Books. Ceil seemed more excited than the kids, though the workbooks were right up Matthew’s alley as well.

We stopped several times as we drove deeper into the park, at shaded streams, dramatic overlooks, at the Swinging Bridge, and in the valley. There we were surrounded with what looked like several Stone Mountains all around us. The famous Yosemite Falls was dry, as we had read it would be. It was a beautiful clear August day, but the breeze made us comfortable in our T-shirts.

We continued driving, finally arriving at Yosemite Village at lunchtime. We bought sandwich fixins and chips, then drove back and picnicked on an island in the mountain stream. Wild ducks would come right up to our feet as we sat. We tossed them bread, breaking the Junior Ranger rules of not feeding the park animals. As we ate Will and Matthew wandered barefoot up and down the stream.

Bridal Veil Falls was the next stop. The short hike was worth it, as the water gently misted down the rock face in the breeze. Nearby we stopped at the famous Tunnel View overlook. We drove to the southern end of the park, past the old Wawona Hotel to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. There we hiked around to view the huge trees.

We then drove back north and east to the breathtaking views at Glacier Point, overlooking the famous Half Dome, El Capitan, two more waterfalls, and the entire valley. We arrived as the sun was low in the sky, providing an even greater view. A deer wandered past, and two quail wandered around a few feet from the walking trail.

It was dark by the time we drove back down the mountain, so we ate at Degnans Pizza in Yosemite Village, just about our only option. Then a late, dark drive through the mountains back to the hotel. Everyone slept, and we got back at 12:30 AM.

Friday August 10th

The morning was a little more restful, until all the cars on the Interstate suddenly braked, causing a near miss accident on the way in. We drove up through Oakland on the eastern side of the SF Bay, then across the Bay Bridge into downtown SF, and down the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf. In the sea of expensive parking, I found a garage for $11.00. Ceil and Will had chowder and sourdough bread at Boidin’s, and Matthew had his beloved McNuggets. We saw the seals near Pier 39, and the kids enjoyed the Spy Shop and ice cream at Ghirardelli Square.

When we booked the trip, I picked the Friday Giants game because it was the only night game while we were there...they played day games on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I knew there was a slim chance Bonds wouldn't break the record until we got there, though he cut it close. Nice touch for Hank to deliver a message, and funny that the AJC ran his explanation of why he did it. Funny Dale Murphy came out with his diatribe to same day Bonds broke the record.

AT&T Park doesn’t have much parking, and being unfamiliar with the area, I stumbled across a $10.00 lot with a few fans hiking out for the stadium, in a hip restaurant area. Will headed straight to the crowed left field stands for BP. Ceil wandered into the customer service office…at aisle 119, just like at old Fulton County Stadium. They gave her SF “Summer of Love” 40th anniversary T-shirts for the kids.

Anna and Matthew slid down the big Coke bottle slide, and we walked over to RF stands before the game to look out over McCovey Cove and the Bay. Adam LaRoche hit a BP pitch into the water. During BP Ceil struck up a conversation with a Wilford Bremley look-alike and his wife. Their hats were covered with buttons given out every time Bonds homered this year, with the number HR it was. The 756 pin was special.

The SF leadoff hitter singled, doubled, & tripled his first 3 times up. Bonds homered onto the RF catwalk, and Ceil was excited, knowing she’d get a 758 pin. LaRoche homered toward us in LCF. As the sun set the breeze picked up and it got cold. We left in the 8th inning, drove the short 15 miles to the Courtyard Richmond just north of Berkeley.

Later I discovered there was a public memorial service Friday for 49er coach Bill Walsh, where both Joe Montana and Steve Young spoke.

Saturday August 11th

Each day we slept a little later. We found a McDonalds for breakfast and made a quick stop at Target. A big motorcycle ride had traffic clogged for a bit. Our first stop was the Giants Dugout Store in the downtown Embarcadero Center (which looked exactly like Atlanta’s downtown Peachtree Center). In addition to the 758 pins, Ceil stocked up on All-Star pins and stickers and a Giants poster and pennant. Will bought an orange & black Giants baseball for his room.

Drove down and around the crooked Lombard Street…at the bottom of the block the area was filled with tourists snapping pictures. We drove back downtown…Ceil shopped in a fabric store at Union Square on Guerry Street. Then we headed straight down that street west, past Japantown all the way to the Pacific. We parked and walked around viewing the seal rocks and Cliff House restaurant and two Oceanside parks…one overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Heading back, we drove back east through nice and average neighborhoods and ate lunch at Mel’s Drive-In, much to Anna and Matthew’s delight. The kid’s meal was served in a cardboard Chevy.

Throughout our time in the city, at every intersection I was careful to look down each street both ways at the wonderful views. The city is set up so that when you’re on a hill, you see the bay when you look both north and east. Looking west you can see the Pacific, and even looking south you’re treated to great views of the city.

After lunch Ceil found a Paper Store to browse. We drove around more, then headed through the Presidio across the Golden Gate Bridge. We then immediately stopped just northeast of the bridge to get out and take pictures, looking back at the city. We then drove north on 101, then east across a northern bay bridge, which dumped us out not far from our hotel. The kids took a short swim, then we made a quick trip to IKEA, where the kids had hot dogs and Ceil bought a pillow.

Though the A’s were out of town, I didn’t realize the Raiders played a Saturday home game against the Cardinals. I did know the 49ers were playing Monday night against the Broncos, at Candlestick.

Sunday August 12th

Breakfast was IKEA sweet rolls, and we also stopped at a Trader Joes we’d discovered next to IKEA in Emeryville, a newer Atlantic Station-type development between Oakland and Berkeley.

In SF I found a parking place on the street, a block away from the downtown cable car turnaround, at Market and Powell streets near Union Square. The wait was about an hour, so Ceil checked out the Gap, and we chatted with the older couple from Dallas in line with us. We discovered all the cable car drivers each had unique personalities…they didn’t take kindly to line-cutters or double parked delivery vans blocking the tracks.

We rode uphill and got off at Chinatown, where we checked out groceries, gift shops, and restaurants (with dead chicken fryers for sale, with heads still attached). Many people were coming and going from small Chinatown churches.

We got back on a cable car and rode past the crooked block of Lombard Street, down to the other end of the line near Fisherman’s Wharf. Matthew was now deep into collecting “smashed pennies”, and we toured the old ships that were part of the National Maritime Park. Matthew and Anna did a few Junior Ranger activities, and Ceil had the same chowder/sourdough bread lunch.

Then we hopped an antique cable car on the F line, taking us south past all the other piers and back downtown. We got off downtown near Union Station and walked uphill several blocks, past the long line waiting to board the cable cars. There we hopped on a cablecar without waiting. We rode it up the hill to California Avenue, where we hopped off the north / south line. Then we caught the next cablecar headed west down California to the end of that line (where we didn’t see the nearby Whole Foods Market next to the trendy thrift store aptly named “Out of the Closet”). We stayed on the cablecar as it journeyed all the way back to the eastern endpoint. There we caught another antique cable car on the F line back to Fisherman’s Wharf, where we went inside the National Park’s Maritime Museum to collect the Junior Ranger badges.

The crowded F line quickly carried us back to our car, and we drove west through Haight-Ashbury (no hippies) to the massive Golden Gate Park and sun-drenched Pacific Ocean…a route further south than we’d previously ventured . For several days Anna had wanted to see the “Full House houses” and I finally looked it up…they were on Steiner Street. On the way out to Haight-Ashbury we crossed Steiner, and I was able to quickly locate the quaint row houses, across the street from a grassy park.

Worn out, we rode back across the Bay Bridge and cruised University Avenue, the main drag in Berkeley. We all enjoyed dinner across the street from our hotel at Chevy’s, a Mexican Restaurant similar to Rio Bravo. Fives days on our vacation, and things had gone smoothly and fun the entire time.

But our vacation was six days long!

Monday the 13th

Slept the latest ever…8 AM. We packed all our stuff…one suitcase was almost completely full of notebooks and papers we’d collected. As we finished packing a bag Will took it down to the car. When we finally checked out and headed to the car I asked Will for the keys, but he couldn’t find them…he had locked them in the car! The nice manager at the Courtyard had AAA, and had a locksmith quickly come out. It took some time, but he got the car unlocked. The car alarm sounded until we were able to pull down the back seats, pull out the luggage, and find the keys to stop the alarm!

Then we drove north across the big I-80 bridge past the many rollercoasters at Marineworld, up to Napa. We lunched at Jack-in-the-Box, then drove back south shopped at stores near the University of California campus in Berkeley.

I pulled into a spot behind a car just driving off, and was greeted by a friendly city employee sweeping up trash. We shopped for 15 minutes, and as we got back to the car I noticed I’d parked on a yellow curb. Then I noticed a small meter maid cart next to our car, putting the finished touches on a parking ticket!

They say bad things happen in threes, so I thought we were in the clear after surviving the highway traffic jam that lasted from the Bay Bridge all the way to South San Francisco.
We had time to shop a few stores on the SSF main drag, then decided to take a restroom break at Costco, next to the rental car drop-off (and a field of several huge gasoline storage tanks).

With few good options for dinner, we decided to buy a whole cooked pizza in the Costco snack bar, in a separate part of the building. They said we’d have to wait while they cooked a new pie, though they’d just pulled a hot pepperoni pizza from the oven. Just after Ceil returned to Costco to look around, a Costco manager said the snack bar had to be evacuated, due to a possible gas leak. I convinced the help to let me have the pepperoni, and the kids wolfed it down in front of the store, watching as several fire trucks loudly race up. Luckily there were no explosions.

With traffic bad and fatigue setting in, we turned in the car and rode the shuttle and tram to the airport. Checked our bags next to a man checking his “service cat”…later we discovered the man and cat were on our flight. Could the day get worse?

It could. Also on the “redeye” flight, seated right behind us, was the proverbial screaming baby. Screamed a good part of the flight back. I think I got a little sleep. Taking off, we flew over the A’s ballpark, a sight we’d missed.

Tuesday August 14th

We landed at 5:15 am, but the MARTA train didn’t head north til 6:05. Trusty Lee arrived at the Perimeter Mall station just ahead of our crowed train, and had us home before 7:30. Everyone hit the sack, and I took my time getting to work…rolling in around 9 am.

Recent Events

Matthew and I saw 'Meet the Robinsons' at The Picture Show...more for boys, but typical Disney. A good message for Matthew, to not despair over failure. But then he played in the big neighborhood whiffleball game and smashed the ball every time...right at people for outs...so he wasn't happy.

Watched ‘Catch Me if You Can”…a VHS I had bought a year ago but never watched. Hanks is actually in a supporting role. If you have a VHS player, you can have my copy. The book would be interesting, because it would be closer to the truth. Part of the story plays out in Atlanta – it would be interesting to know what hospital. Martin Sheen is also in the movie, and is funny. Good mix between funny and technical, reminded me a little of Leo in The Aviator.

Ceil’s dad’s hip-replacement surgery went well, but Ceil may go back after he gets out of the hospital. Ceil is good about things like that.

We went to the 11 am service, because I had to get Anna to a birthday party, so Matthew and I slept in while Ceil and Will went early to teach 4-year olds during the 9 am service.

Had new garage doors installed. We'll get new gutters, which we are shopping. Ceil has to find French Doors as well...know any cheap places? We need to do all that before we get the house painted. Now I'll have to work to clear out half the garage so I can park in there as well.

Need to finish the playhouse...so I can get those building materials out of the garage. I'm looking for old windows to put on there, but that can wait...there's a little siding to finish. I'll try and get it done by labor day.

We have someone taking us to the airport, though I have been saving Park/Ride coupons. Saturday I worked on the trip a bunch, and a little on Sunday and today. Need to do more tonight, and stay in trip mode from here on out. Reconsidering taking the laptop, since it's so valuable in planning / mapquesting, etc.

Got the hotel booked, but tonight I'll probably switch the reservation, and we'll spend the first two nights east of town, perhaps Modesto - closer to Yosemite. The agenda is coming together as well. Friday I'll have my eye on my watch, making sure we get back in time for the game.

Didn't see much of the game last night, though it sounded good. Ceil had a class on digital cameras, then I went to see Spiderman 3 at the late show. Part action, comedy, romance, etc.

NPCC or JFBC or ECPC?

As much as Ceil, Matthew, and I hate it, we're considering leaving NP and going to Johnson Ferry (or smaller East Cobb Presbyterian, on 120 across from The Avenue)...for the kids. Like most decisions we're taking our time, so we'll see. I've been going to church as my life, and no one preaches better than Andy...

Will and Anna aren't that crazy about their NP classes. To me they're light years better than most normal churches. Anna may not have had the best group leader, though usually it's someone young, usually a teenager. Will has had a great group leader for several year, who will email and call, and even came to see Will play. Will likes the group leader, but doesn't have much in common with the others in his small group. Will says he doesn't like the music, which is probably a harder core version of what we have in the service.

It seems kids care much more about being in the same group/class with friends than they care about the quality of the program. Will has his good friends at EC...boys from baseball and school, including all the Norman boys. The Normans visited several churches and liked that one best. Becky was even in a small group with three couples we knew...including a couple from baseball that had also just started going there...Coach Henry. Anna and Will (and Matthew) all have friends at JF as well.

The move may be moot, as I may have heard Ceil agreeing to help in a younger class at NP.

Interesting parking / traffic dynamic at NP...the church attracts type A mover/shaker personalities (many with W stickers on the back)...which often translates to aggressive BWM-type drivers, as I call them. Going to church my pet peeve is where often a line of cars back up on Old Milton and NP Parkway...several drivers will drive past many cars to get to the front of the line (on the left on Old Milton, and on the right on NP Parkway) then signal or wedge their way in. Sometimes on NP Parkway I'll skip ahead on the right, and only merge left IF there's an opening, as there often is. If no opening I'll go on to the second drive.

Costas v Bonds: Like David v Goliath

Bonds was wrong about one thing...Costas knows more about baseball than most people...that has always been his love and specialty. Earlier in Costas' career the network he signed with was determined by what network had the baseball package. He keeps a Mickey Mantle baseball card in his wallet, and named his son Kirby after the Twins outfielder...and he had lots of analysis in Ken Burns' PBS Baseball series. I think Costas was on the mic when Marquis Grissom caught the last out in the 95 World Series.

I've always liked Costas, particularly for his love of baseball, as well as references like that Morrison one...he slips them in without being overbearing and obvious like Chris Berman. That late night show of his was just too late for me.

Since the Giants play two series on the road (LA & SD)...six straight before three more home night games...perhaps Barry will sit in two of those six road games. That would mean he'd only play nine games before my game. Sounds like they have the Pac Bell Park all rigged to go off whenever he hits 755 and 756. It would be too much to ask for Bonds to not break the record until we see him? Wednesday is a night game and Thursday is a day game, so he should play the Friday game we have tickets to. Maybe the pressure will keep him from hitting his second HR until then. That would be one HR per series.

Interesting chatter out there on Glavine. The HOF now decides what cap the Honoree wears…it’s not like if the fans boo that he’d go in as a Met. Boggs tried that in Tampa and it didn’t fly. Interesting point by Rowland, that the fans love Julio…who did the same thing Glavine did.

Braves Trades

Tex’s wife is from Atlanta, I hear, and budget-wise he’d fill the Andruw void. Just making the move would signal the team that management wants to win now, which helps team chemistry. JS thinks Salty is more valuable as a catcher-to-be-traded than as a catcher-turned-first-baseman…hence the Julio pickup and Tex talk. Hear the Dallas writer on 680, saying Tex was great in the second half, but a slow starter? Somebody with the Braves really likes switch-hitters.

Will be interesting to see Andruw get dropped in the order when Tex comes on board. Guess Cox wouldn’t drop him below Frenchy and/or McCann at the same time…Andruw’s feelings would be hurt enough just to go to the 5 spot. Like you had said…in Boston Andruw would bat way down in the order…same thing for either NY team, the Angels or White Sox. The big spenders in Houston don’t need a centerfielder…they love that kid the way Braves fans love Francoeur.

I actually found out about the trade while reading Rowland's Office 30 minutes after his 11:29 post. Didn't have to give up Reyes...seems like everyone's happy. JS is good about getting the better end of the deal more times than not, so if the trades don't go through, it very well could be because the other team was asking for too much.

DOB had it right about the lineup...to bad Cox won't drop Andruw behind McCann and/or JF. But maybe he's heating up more as well. These moves will hopefully lift spirits in the clubhouse, and darken moods at Shea and in Philly. That starts the Phils got wasn’t anything special, was he? Of course, Dotel has blown 3 of 14 saves…but he’ll be in a setup role this year.

Hear Kincaid not like the trade Monday? He thought the Braves needed pitching instead…but there were few pitchers being offered worthy of giving up Salty or Elvis for. Interesting to have Bill Shanks on there… Dave O’Brien has been on 680 at 8:30. Too late for me.

Great SB by Escobar Friday night...then later in the same inning a not bad try by Harris. Hope Lang's dad saw it...he's one of those who thinks Cox isn't aggressive enough. I did go to bed while the game was still tied...after Bond's last AB on ESPN. You don't think Escobar is older than his stated age, do you? Kinda like Furcal.

Last Wednesday's was the type game Cox would say James only made two bad pitches, though I didn’t pay that close attention.