Matthew Scores! Reds Win

Matthew banked in a shot to score his first basket of the season, and his Red team won easily Saturday.

Though he missed two shots in the first quarter and one earlier in the second period, when Ryan tossed him the ball, you could hear several people encourage him to shoot. Matthew tossed his shot high, and the ball hit off the backboard on the way down…and right into the basket. A big smile spread across his face.

Matthew played his best game, making a pest of himself on defense, and repeatedly handled the ball on offense. Several times he brought the ball up court, and got more comfortable shooting the ball. While his coach said Matthew had “4-1/2” rebounds, I only counted one. Coach might’ve been including Matthew’s three steals.

Though I found a pair of adidas Samba indoor soccer shoes that fit, Matthew chose to wear his grey velour Nike high-tops, with orange swooshes and shoestrings. Now they’re his lucky shoes, so he’ll have to wear them every week.

Ryan took the inbounds pass to start the game, and immediately hit a three-pointer. Little did we know, but the Reds would never trail. On the next possession Ethan hit a shot. After the Blacks scored to make the score 5-2, they would not score again until the fourth quarter. The poor Black team couldn’t make a shot, and it seemed like everything Matthew’s Red team put went in. The Blacks had ten players, so their best players only played half the game. They did not score in the second or third quarters.

The Reds scored 21 in the first quarter, seven in the second, eleven in the third, and eight in the fourth quarter, to win 47 - 6. When everyone on the team can score, it makes playing defense tougher for the other team. Six of the Reds’ eight players scored, and Tristan and Rolf took several shots.

Ryan…20 points, 6 RB, 8 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks

Chris…8 points, 20 rebounds, 3 steals, assist

Darryl…8 points, 5 RB, 2 steals (two 3-pointers)

Ethan…4 points, 3 rebounds, steal, assist

Matthew…2 points, rebound, 3 steals

Sam…2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Tristan…9 rebounds, 2 steals, assist

Rolf…2 rebounds

After making his first shot, Ethan was encouraged to continue shooting, often from the same spot. He’d take the ball and dribble to his right, and shoot near the baseline. On the other side of the basket, Tristan gathered several rebounds off Ethan’s misses, but couldn’t convert them into baskets. We just need the other players to position themselves for rebounds as well. Chris scored at least three times off rebounds, and Darryl once. When he has the ball, Rolf seems only interested in shooting.

After the game Chris’s mom organized a post-game pizza trip to Frankies, a local Italian place at the corner of Roswell and Old Canton. The six scorers went. Matthew and Ethan didn’t touch the big Italian pizza ordered for the boys, leaving more for big Chris. Instead they gobbled up my small pepperoni (kinda why I ordered it). The boys had a swell time, playing with the unwanted onions from the Italian pie.

Ceil missed all the excitement…she and Anna went antiquing south of town. Will ran to the game, them ran home afterward.

Matthew's Jan 7th Game

Matthew waited until it was time to go to his basketball game before telling us his shoes were too small. He’s grown a lot in the last month, but hadn’t mentioned his shoes before, during, or after his Monday practice. At first he tried to wear the white Air Jordans, but at the last minute decided to wear Will’s old silver Nike running shoes.

The bigger shoes didn’t help, as Matthew played listlessly. His coach has him chasing whatever opponent has the ball, which is good training for Matthew. He took two shots, but missed both.

After taking an early 4-2 lead, the rival Green team scored twelve points, taking a lead they would never relinquish. Matthew’s Red team answered with an eight point second-quarter run. This cut the lead to four points, but that was as close as the Reds would come the rest of the way. In the second half both teams swapped baskets. Green scored the last two baskets, to beat Red by a 30-20 score.

Ryan…12 points, 5 rebounds, 8 steals

Chris…10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals

Blondie…2 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals

Sam…2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, assist

Darryl…2 points, 3 rebounds, steal

Rolf…2 points, 3 rebounds, block

Ethan…2 points, 2 rebounds, assist

Matthew…rebound, steal, assist

Will accepts his student of the week award from 680 the Fan's Chuck Oliver, the King of College Football.

Will on the mound during his October 29th six inning, 13 strikeout performance.

In the top of the fourth, Will delivers to former teammate Ryan Tumucci. RT faced Will two times in the game, and struck out both times.

Will about to turn on a third-inning Ryan Tumucci pitch. The second-baseman was unable to handle the hard-hit grounder, and Nathan Shetler scored from third.

Matthew, Daniel, Nathan, John, and another friend ready to embark on another year of trick-or-treating. Matthew rocks the adidas Sambas.

Anna with BFF's Brittany and Emily.

Matthew and Anna pose with Rebekah and Jonathan, at Passion Youth.

Land of a Thousand Hills

The Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee House is on the right after you cross the river and climb the hill into Roswell, right next to the little Baptist Church. They have coffee and now offer sandwiches, but most people only drink coffee or cocoa. It’s mainly a younger crowd…Becky and I are two of the older ones. The “Alabama” team is also part of the old crowd. Starts at 7:30, and usually lasts 1-1/2 or two hours.

Their trivia night crowd appears to have grown over the last month or two, with 40-50 people cramming into the little house. Every week the question categories remain similar: one question each on coffee, history, sports, Georgia, the 1990’s, science, state or national capitols, food, etc.

All the anti-Alabama (Auburn) fans like Chad were rooting hard for LSU Monday night. Did you see Auburn coach Gene Chizik sporting the yellow tie and hanky? I don’t know that OK State or Stanford could’ve scored many points off of either Bama or LSU. LSU’s defense only gave up 21 because their offense was so ineffective, continually having to punt the ball back to Bama. After holding the Tide to so many field goal attempts, the finally gave up that fourth quarter touchdown.

Even the AJC has jumped on the GSU bandwagon…I’ve never seen so much coverage.

Chuck Oliver: Be Real!

I love to listen to Chuck Oliver on the radio. He sounds like he’s just sitting on the sofa talking with the guys. But when he walked into the room for the “ceremony” he seemed to turn into “personality” mode, like he had to really make the scene. He could probably be a lot more real.

There was a Collins Hill football player there accepting his award as well. Chuck walked in and after a little chit chat, recited all the particulars of both boys from memory, adding interesting tidbits about each…how Collins Hill plays in the most competitive region in the state, and how East Cobb is the most competitive place to play baseball. Chuck remembered most of Will’s facts correctly. He must have some mind.

Rented Larry Crowne Wednesday night, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Pretty good movie, but for most of the movie Roberts and her movie husband weren’t very likeable characters. Hanks was too nerdy at the beginning, and too cool at the end…too much of a transformation. Moneyball will be next.

The new cabinets, doors, and drawers look good. Ceil has to decide what color to paint them. We added a little desk area with extra cabinets above, making to easier to sit at the desktop computer. Before it was on a piece of furniture, with nowhere to put your legs. Thursday the new countertops and sink arrived. Ceil loves them, but the desktop was sized wrong. Friday the new disposal and faucet were installed. Lighting is next. Insurance denied the water damage claim, so I’m having to appeal.

I’ll have to add Unforgiven to my reading list. About a year ago Louis Zamperini spoke at North Point. Actually, after former Buckhead Church pastor Jeff Henderson told his story, he had Zamperini amble out to read the letter he wrote, forgiving his Japanese captors. Over 90, Louis wore a burgundy USC cap (he’s in the USC athletic hall of fame). After the service he walked out to the hallway, right past me, where he was mobbed by well-wishers.

Right now I’m listening to Zell Miller’s book: A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat…written while he was serving in the Senate.

Seemed like before Christmas Andy also mentioned the equipment.

Jan 12 Trivia

Will and Joel had a table full at trivia last night, so Becky, Willis, and I formed out own team. Will knows I always write down all the questions and answers, so I think he tried to peek a couple of times. In the first half we did well, answering all three 5 and 3 point questions (and the halftime question), and only missing the 3 one point questions. We were 5 points ahead of Will & Joel, and 2 points behind the leader’s perfect score.

In the second half we again answered 6 of 9 questions, but missed 2 six-pointers. Still, we finished in 4th place with 69 points, seven ahead of Will & Joel. Had we made better decisions on how many point to bet on which question, we could’ve finished third.

MUSIC: What M word describes the thrashing and dancing taking place in the area in front of a concert stage? We all knew: MOSHING. Five points.

FAMOUS PEOPLE: What kid’s show host titled his book “You Are Special?” Willis made me answer: Mr. Rogers. Three points.

HUMAN BODY: What organ houses the Arugula and Thalamus? We didn’t know, but it was the brain. We only missed out on one point.

HISTORY: What US President had the shortest life? I knew it was JFK. Five points.

FOOD: What P word stands for the measure of 1/8 teaspoon of a dry ingredient? Becky and I knew…a pinch. Three points. All ten teams got this right.

COFFEE: On average, how many beans come from a coffee cherry? We missed the “average” part, and guessed one. It was two.

SCIENCE: Name the flat image displayed in three dimensions. Willis knew: HOLOGRAM. Five points.

GEOGRAPHY: Where are the ancient ruins of Motsupichu? Willis knew: The lost city of Peru.

PSYCHOLOGY: What original term for bipolar disorder has fallen out of favor? Becky thought Skitsophrenia. Willis answered split personality disorder. It was manic depressive disorder.

HALFTIME: We put our heads together and got all five state capitals correct: Idaho (Boise), LA (Baton Rouge), Nevada (Carson City), Texas (Austin), and West Virginia (Charleston).

ANIMALS: What poisonous snake’s black, red, and yellow bands are mimicked on the harmless milk snake? Willis knew immediately: the coral snake. Six points. Several times he’s scribble an answer, then turn and reach out his long arm to hand in his answer. All the other teams had to stand up and walk.

SPORTS: What disorder did Muhammad Ali acquire after years of boxing? I knew: Parkinson’s. Four points.

GEORGIA: What Georgia city is where the Girl Scouts of America is founded? I thought Rome, but Becky knew: Savannah. Two points.

RELIGION: What country boasts the largest number of Catholics? Could it be the US? I suggested Mexico, and Willis thought that sounded better than Brazil. We wagered six points, though Becky thought we should wager less. It was Brazil.

LANGUAGE: What African country’s name comes from the Latin word for liberty? Willis immediately knew: Liberia. Four points.

MOVIES: What brand of underwear did Marty McFly wear in Back to the Future Part One? I knew: Calvin Klein. Two points. Will & Joel got it wrong, though Michael claimed he suggested it.

RECREATION: What are the pointy metal things climbers wear on their shoes? I was pretty sure it was “crampons”, so we wagered four points. It was. I was also pretty sure Will would get this…but he had a brain freeze. Joel muttered “we lost.”

SCIENCE: What element on the periodic table comes last alphabetically? I really didn’t know. Zinc comes after Xenon. Willis thought it was zinc, but I didn’t know if there was something after zinc. There was…zirconium. Again we incorrectly wagered six points, but it didn’t matter.

1990’s: What were the three Beastie Boys “MC” names? We had no idea, so I drew a picture. They are AD Rock, MCA, and MD.

FINAL QUESTION: What are the five most populated countries? We said Mexico instead of Indonesia, but guessed, China, India, the US, and Brazil.

Willis answered 9 questions, Becky answered seven, and I knew twelve.

The Leathers missed one question in the first half, but aced the second half. Abra Kadabra aced the first half, but faltered in the second.

BTW: The Sound of Music won’t be until this coming fall.

Big Checks Are Always Good

Here’s a photo of Will accepting his Student of the Week award from WCNN radio personality Chuck Oliver (the King of College Football). There was a Collins Hill football player there accepting his award as well. Chuck walked in and after a little chit chat, recited all the particulars of both boys from memory, adding interesting tidbits about each…how Collins Hill plays in the most competitive region in the state, and how East Cobb is the most competitive place to play baseball. Chuck remembered most of Will’s facts correctly.

Interestingly, both Will and the Collins Hill teen are going to study Biology, with plans on attending Med School.

Found out that Joel Norman has landed a role in The Sound of Music, in a production being put on at Fred O Pitt’s church on North Druid Hills Road. He plays the messenger boy, in love with the oldest Von Trapp daughter. Together they’ll sing “You are Sixteen, Going on Seventeen.” Joel said that’s the song he always wanted to sing. I’m sure Cindy Pitts is involved, as well as some of their kids. Don’t know when the performances are.

Getting the new cabinet doors and drawers put in our kitchen starting Wednesday. I think Friday the new countertops and sink are being installed. We spent Tuesday night cleaning out the kitchen for the workmen.

This past Friday we all ate at the Olive Garden in Roswell. Ceil and I had the Capellini Pomodoro (a spaghetti type dish). Anna had her usual Fettuccine Alfredo (that’s what she eats when we have spaghetti at home). Will had the Tour of Italy combo plate, and Matthew had a good-looking pepperoni pizza. We all had lots of leftovers, except for Will.

Took Anna to Chipotle last Tuesday. Ceil stayed home, ate leftovers, and watched Will’s Passion Conference on-line. When she went last Tuesday she got to hear Beth Moore speak. Hopefully Will didn’t coughing too much at his conference. Anna had to watch “What Not to Wear” so I missed a good chunk of the Sugar Bowl.

Seems like now the Hawks are playing every night. Perhaps by the time Heinrich returns, Teague will have established himself.

Really busy at work, getting pricing in place for 2012. Found out my department is moving upstairs. We’ll be sharing space with accounting. I’ll actually have less steps to climb throughout the day. I’ll miss having all the young salespeople to entertain me. There’s a decent amount of coughing here at work.

Anna, a Horse, & Matthew

Lots of pictures were taken during a recent visit to Jefferson. This horse took a shortcut through a ditch to catch up with the others, and Matthew did well to hang on.

Here's Anna in front of FBC Jefferson: the church where Ceil and I were married.

January Reading List

Extreme Measures, by Vince Flynn. I’ve read several of his books, and they’re all good.

A National Party No More: the Conscience of a Conservative Democrat, by Zell Miller.

My Life, by Bill Clinton. You never know what to believe, but I did learn many details about Clinton’s life.

Plausible Denial: Was the CIA Involved in the Assassination of JFK?, by Mark Lane. I need to limit my reading of conspiracy-theory books to one a year (though there are plenty out there). Lane just published another JFK book, and other interesting tomes have been published by Jim Marr and Joseph P Farrell.

The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon. Lots of buzz in the coaching world about this book, including Mark Richt.

The Abs Diet, by David Zincenko. I read this several years ago, and lost the most weight ever. A refresher was in order.

2011 Auto Recap

26,093 miles driven in the Civic

16,961 miles driven in the MPV

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$2300.29 total cost of gas, Civic

$2467.51 partial cost of gas, MPV

$4767.80 partial cost of gas, both cars

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34.7 MPG Civic, combined city and highway.

71.5 miles driven per day, Civic

46.5 miles driven per day, MPV

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$3.072/gallon: cost of gas, Civic

$3.508/gallon: cost of gas, MPV

I used my BP rewards for free gas, always on the Civic refills.

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749 gallons used in the Civic, so I saved over $325.00.

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We did a better job of taking trips in the newer, high-MPG Civic last year:

Birmingham (Civic)…340 miles

Jefferson (Civic) 7 trips…2400 miles

Jefferson (MPV) 2 trips…1200 miles

Macon (Civic) 4 trips…800 miles

Macon (MPV) 2 trips…400 miles

Myrtle Beach (MPV)…1100 miles

Washington DC (Civic)…1900 miles

We drove more miles last year than ever, for several reasons. Will was driving the van the first half of the year, and we had to make several trips up take him up to his camp in Ellijay. Hopefully we’ll drive far less in 2012: Will has his own car, and we’re not driving to Living Science several times per week (though other activities have taken its place).

New Years

We stayed in on NYE. The past few years we'd gone to bed before midnight, but this year we were watching a movie (Sweet Home Alabama) that ended at midnight. So then we flipped it over to Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark on New Years Rockin Eve.

Research projects can be fun. I have a Herschel project I need to finish. I wrote up all bowl pre-NYE bowl picks, but last week I was too busy to type up the rest. I didn’t do too good on my picks.

Ceil still has her cough, and Anna is finally starting to emerge from her room. Saturday Will worked out with the JV baseball team. Sunday Will came home sick, but he still went downtown to the four day Passion Conference at the dome, with 44,000 other college students. He has lots of friends there. Ceil had a pass for Tuesday morning.

NP and PCC didn’t have services, so we slept in. I watched all of the GT and UGA bowls, and bits of several others. Ate lots of popcorn. Sunday I took Ceil to Kroger, and last night Matthew had basketball practice while the Rose Bowl was ending.

Not a good start to the New Year here at work. Darryl’s dad had a stroke, and only has a few days to live. Brad’s wife has been in the hospital for two days. Last night Thomas had to take his brother to the hospital.

I haven’t watched the Falcons much all year, but Sunday Tampa Bay couldn’t do anything right in the first half. Two punts, two interceptions, and a lost fumble. Another lost fumble was mercifully overturned. The Giants are playing well, and I don’t know if the Falcons can go up there and win.

Tech & UGA Bowl Losses: Same Story

With the game on the line, both Utah and Michigan State discarded what wasn't working offensively. GT and UGA TRIED to rely on the running game to run out the clock. Late in the fourth quarter when Utah was scoring twice to tie the game, Tech's two "three & out" offensive possessions were compromised of three quarterback keepers, one fullback dive, and two option plays.

Georgia was unable to run the ball all day, especially when Michigan State was expecting it. Just like the Tech game, when UGA needed to run out the clock, the opposing defense stuffed the run. Perhaps even a few short passes would've loosened up the defense. Aaron Murray was lauded as a future Heisman candidate by College Game Day and announcer Jon Gruden. Murray played a great first half, but his two second-half interceptions turned the game the Spartans way.

It's crazy how an all-American kicker like Walsh could go from being so automatic as a sophomore and junior to being so unreliable this year. Bradley's column after the Tech loss was spot on...so many coaches say special teams are one third of the game. Time and again, it's special teams play that loses the game for Tech.

Kickers these days go to several kicking camps a summer, and have their own personal coaches, like golfers. Former UGA all-American Rex Robinson coaches young kickers. As a former kicker, I know from personal experience that a 42 yard field goal should be little more than an extra point for a major college kicker. Tech's kicker missed two in the Sun Bowl, and Walsh missed one with the game on the line.

Tech's last punt, from deep in their own territory, went for 35 yards. It was returned 31 yards. With the game on the line, special teams has got to perform. If Wisconsin can have a good kicker, there's no reason why most major colleges in the South can't have above average kickers.

College Bowl Picks: Part 2

Meineke Car Care Bowl, New Year’s Eve in Houston: In a game of two 6-6 teams, Texas A&M won. I picked Houston.

Sun Bowl (NYE in El Paso): Utah upset Georgia Tech in OT. Both teams are now 8-5. I picked Utah.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (NYE in San Francisco): Illinois (7-6) beat UCLA, dropping them to 6-8. I picked UCLA.

Liberty Bowl (NYE in Memphis): Cincinnati (9-3) upsets 6-7 Vandy. I picked Cincy.

Chick-fil-A Bowl (NYE in the Georgia Dome): Auburn beat up Virginia, giving both teams 8-5 records. I picked UVa.

Ticket City Bowl (New Years Day in the Cotton Bowl): Houston (13-1) blows out Penn State (9-4). I thought the Cougars would lose momentum after losing their coach, and the Nittany Lions would rally. I was wrong.

Gator Bowl: Another matchup of 6-6 teams. Florida did better without offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss. John Brantley was healthy, and the Gators took out some frustrations on the Buckeyes for taking their coach. It was the first seven loss season for Ohio State in over 100 years. I picked Ohio State.

Outback Bowl (Tampa): Both teams were 10-3 going in. Both teams had strong defenses. UGA broke off several big plays, but then the Spartans picked off two Aaron Murray passes. After Blair Walsh missed a game-winning field goal in the first OT, his game-tying try was blocked in the third OT. Wrong again.

Capital One Bowl (Orlando): South Carolina (11-2) celebrates its first-ever eleven win season, beating Nebraska (9-4). I picked SC.

Rose Bowl: A matchup of two 11-2 teams. Oregon comes from behind to beat Wisconsin. I picked the Badgers.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Phoenix): Going in, both teams were 11-1. Number 3 Oklahoma State comes from behind to beat # 4 Stanford. I picked OSU.

Sugar Bowl: Number 13 Michigan (10-2) will beat # 17 Virginia Tech (11-2) on Tuesday, January 3rd. Correct!

Orange Bowl: Number 14 Clemson (10-3) will beat # 23 West Virginia (9-3) on January 4th. Usually when I pick Clemson, they lose. Wednesday, January 5th. It wasn't even close...another wrong pick.

Cotton Bowl (Cowboys Stadium, Arlington): A matchup of two 10-2 teams. Number 7 Arkansas (10-2) will beat # 11 Kansas State. Thursday, January 6th.

BBVA Compass Bowl (Legion Field, Birmingham): Pittsburg (6-6) will beat Southern Miss (7-5). Saturday, January 7th.

GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile): Arkansas State (10-2) will beat Northern Illinois (10-3). Sunday, January 8th.

BCS Championship Game (Superdome): Number one LSU (13-0) rolls over # 2 Alabama (11-1). Monday, January 9th.

Ball Ground

Not working on Friday. Look like I’ll be taking Matthew somewhere. Saturday I hope to watch Tech, probably while folding laundry. Supposed to go to a party one night, via surface streets for 30 miles north in Ball Ground.

The other party is in Milton, 15 miles north on the same surface street route. Ceil still has her cough, and Anna feel pretty poor.

Wednesday night Ceil and I ate at PF Changs. I had the Sweet & Sour Chicken and Ceil had Buddha’s Feast. We also had spring rolls.

I ought to tell where the young crowd goes for lunch every day. They talk about it all morning, and it’s always an adventure. Wednesday it was Five Guys. Thursday it’s a Chinese buffet.

The Funnies

Do you still read the comics? They aren’t as good as they used to be. I used to read a bunch of them. Sometimes I’d get interested in Steve Canyon, usually when the boys were playing football. I’d usually LOOK at Dick Tracy more than I read it. Dagwood was one of my faves. Started reading Mary Worth after another comic strip made fun of it. I never really like Pogo, but I formed that opinion as a kid, and never gave it a second chance.

There is one antique shop just down from the fire station that Ceil likes to frequent, but I’m sure there are others.

My work neighbor drove to SE Missouri on Wednesday. He’s been buried trying to handle the Whirlpool account. Tuesday I was helping him, and Wednesday I had plenty of work to do.

Tuesday night I took Ceil to Perimeter Mall, to return some things she’d bought. I was starved, so I cashed in a kids meal coupon at Chickfila. Then I traded the toy for an ice cream cone.

Watched some of the Kennedy Center Awards. They were honoring Meryl Streep, Neil Diamond, Yoyo Ma, a jazz musician, and a lady Broadway singer from Atlanta. Lots of stars took part: John Lithgow, Bill Cosby, Kevin Klein, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Glenn Close, Lionel Ritchie, etc. Interesting to hear some actors sing, that normally just act.

Will and MC went to David Norman’s birthday party.

Found out a young guy here at work lives on Greenwood Avenue, down in Virginia Highland. I used to live on that street as well. Another guy lived just down from Greenwood, across from Grady High.

Christmas

Thursday night I left work shortly after 5 pm, but traffic was gridlocked in Roswell. I circled around the Centennial High Kroger, where traffic was worse. Everyone in the right turn lane was going straight, passing the hesitant drivers in front of me. No Christmas spirit at all. Pouring down rain when I stopped at the stinky Kroger and El Porton. Took five minutes to change clothes, then drove the mile to our small group party. That total commute took two hours.

We watched the Las Vegas Bowl at the party. Will drove back from Cartersville to attend. Ham, turkey, mac & cheese, cheesecake, and lots of fixins. A buddy told the joke of the guy who didn’t get into heaven because he loved money: he even married a girl named Penny.

Friday we woke up, packed, and left for SC around nine. Went up 85 so Will could shop the Nike Stores for shoes. Neither the Commerce and Gaffney outlets had what he wanted. Ate at the Cook Out in crowded downtown Gaffney: BBQ sandwich (with slaw), rings, chicken quesadilla, and cherry cobbler shake. Arrived in Jefferson around 5:30.

Saturday I went grocery shopping with Ceil, and visited her aunt and cousin. Her cousin was distributing $60.00 worth of chocolates and other sweets into everyone’s stockings. He said he loved that stuff. Then he introduced us to his new girlfriend…named Candy. When we left, I had to call my friend to tell him.

The kids went over to Uncle Lennie’s to mess around. Will and Anna wanted to shoot his pistols, but they couldn’t without me or Ceil there. Will hit golf balls on his backyard driving range. Saturday night we had chili.

Sunday we had turkey, ham, chicken salad, shrimp, salsa, artichoke dip, spinach dip, pimento cheese, tossed salad, and two congealed salads (cherry and lime). Desserts included apple pie, ice cream, ambrosia, coconut pie, chocolate cake, brownies, and pecan pie. We had at least 23 for the late lunch. I hardly ate any supper.

Monday morning I packed up my stuff, and as much Christmas stuff as possible. Did some laundry, and organized everyone else’s stuff. Will went over to Lennie’s to shoot. Anna played with her cousins, and C and M went shopping in Charlotte. I left Jefferson around 1:30, and arrived back in East Cobb at six.

Plenty to do here at work this week. It took over two hours for Thomas to removes the virus from my laptop this morning. Ceil was sick most of last week, and W and A aren’t 100%.

Aaron Murray < Andrew Luck

One of my pet peeves is hearing “experts” on sports talk radio throw out comments as if they are fact. Few call them on it, but actually the statement couldn’t be further from the truth.

Friday Chuck Dowdle was talking with an ex-UGA lineman whose spate of injuries ended his fledgling NFL career. He wants a post-football career in radio. He’s getting off to a good start, saying UGA sophomore Aaron Murray had stats equal to Stanford’s Andrew Luck. He also said Murray will be a “front-runner” for the Heisman Trophy next year.

I decided to compare. Luck’s numbers held a substantial edge in EVERY statistical category. Since Murray was only in his second season as a starter, to be fair I compared Murray’s stats to Luck’s second-year stats. Once again, Luck’s stats dwarfed Murray’s.

QB…yards..TD.INT..comp..att…avg…rating…comp%.rush…avg
AL…3170…35…9…261…373…8.5…167.5…70.0%....153…3.6
AM…2861…33..12...218…371…7.7…146.4…58.7%...116…1.5
AL2...3338…32…8…263…372…9.0…170.2…58.0%...453…8.2
DG….2924…22…8…218…379…7.7…137.3…70.7%

I thought it would be more applicable comparison to compare Murray’s stats to those of record-breaking UGA QB David Greene, when he was a sophomore. Even though more passes are thrown in today’s game, this comparison proved more “equal.”

Connor and Goliath

Had a good time at the Saint Francis/McCallie high school basketball game Tuesday night. We went to see Will's former teammate Connor. I knew McCallie would be a tough opponent…the prep school in Chattanooga. Connor's dad told me one McCallie player had signed with SW Missouri State (tourney MVP CJ Reese, above), and another has a few offers from Division 1 schools.

In the first half St. Francis played very sloppily, turning the ball over way too many times. After falling behind 4-2, McCallie went on a 22-1 first-quarter run, hitting four three-pointers. Connor was playing ok, but the McCallie defense was guarding him tightly. He grabs two rebounds and dished an assist, but missed two three-pointers, plus another shot.

Up 24-5, McCallie was able to coast the rest of the game, emptying their long bench. For the most part, St. Francis stuck to their regular rotations, and actually outscored their more talented opponent 46-40 over the rest of the game…thanks to a 15-3 run to end the game. They outscored McCallie 24-9 in the fourth quarter.

After being held scoreless in the first half, Connor came alive in the second. After a three-point attempt rolled out and a drive also missed, the senior was fouled making a sweet move to the basket. Connor made both foul shots, and later sank a three with 20 seconds left in the third.

In the fourth quarter Connor helped lead the late rally. He sank two more foul shots, forced a turnover, and scored off a rebound, and St. Francis cut the lead to twelve. Connor finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, going 5-6 from the charity stripe. Connor was named to the all-tournament team, helped by his 18 point effort the previous night.

Connor had a big cheering section: Joel, Kevin, Haley, Preston, Lee, Will, and two other pals. Before greeting us after the game, Connor spoke with the coach at Oglethorpe. I also noted coaches from Clayton State and Reinhart watching the game.

I had a busy Tuesday...didn't get to work until 10:30. Stayed home to meet the insurance adjuster about the damage from the leaky pipe. Not good news.

Went over to the Hurts Wednesday night. They're all doing well. Will's classmate Alyssa and her family were there. She only got to play in one tennis match for West Point before she suffered a concussion.

Student of the Week!

This past Friday Will was named “student of the week” by WCNN-AM, an Atlanta radio station. He was chosen based on his extracurricular activities and community involvement. Friday afternoon another one of the 15 weekly winners was chosen as the Student of the Year.

Monday night Will and I ate Trader Joes orange chicken, with rice. At lunch Monday I had leftover vegetables and beef. Monday we watched the NFL Network, then two Seinfeld episodes.

Tuesday MC and Will rang the bell for the Salvation Army, at a WalMart in Cartersville. I made a to-do list, but only did one thing. Tuesday I have leftover roast beef. For dinner I had turkey chili.

When our neighbor moved out, he gave us a wall unit air conditioner. Will and I posted it on Craig’s List, along with several other items. No phone calls yet. Now I’ve got Craig’s List set up on my phone, so I can take pictures of an item and post it for sale. I need to post at least one item per day.

I hate riding with a co-worker driving too fast. I always remember riding across the Mississippi River bridge to lunch in Memphis with a co-worker driving fast because “there’s no police between the states.”

Miami Marlins: Contenders or Pretenders?

Recently I’ve heard several “fans” proclaiming the Marlins will be contenders next year, for the mere fact that they signed free agents Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell. While the Marlins always give the Braves fits. Making a pricy splash in the free agent market doesn’t assure them a pennant run. Several points to remember:

Reyes won the NL batting crown last year with a .337 average, but it’s the first time since his 69 game rookie year that he hit over .300. Not that a career .292 average is shabby, but his career OBP is relatively low: .384 in 2011, and a mere .341 career. Reyes doesn’t walk much…just under 7% of his plate appearances. He strikes out more…11% of the time. Health is always an issue for players with huge contracts. The last three years Reyes missed an average of over 30 games a season. His lithe frame and headfirst slides make the shortstop an injury threat every time he steps on the field.

The addition of Reyes has caused current shortstop Hanley Ramirez to grumble: someone will have to change positions. Like ARod and Cal Ripken before him, Hanley’s career may be lengthened by a move to third base. But since management went out and signed another shortstop, Ramirez is mad. Only time will tell if this wound will grow into a clubhouse cancer.

Buehrle has been a good pitcher for eleven straight years: he’s won at least ten games and pitched over 200 innings every year. His 3.59 ERA was his lowest in the last six seasons, though his 3.83 career ERA is above-average (though far from HOF worthy). The long-time White Sock has a good strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a decent 1.282 career WHIP. In today’s market these stats guarantee a pitcher like Buehrle a significant payday, particularly when there are hungry teams like Miami in the mix. But Buehrle has won 15 games only once in the past six seasons, and his WHIP has been higher in the past two seasons. Is he beginning a downhill slide? Even if not, just because the Marlins give him an elite contract doesn’t mean he’s an elite pitcher. Buehrle is above-average, at best.

Will the pressure of living up to these big money deals cause these three to press? Reyes seems easy-going, and Buehrle is a vet. By virtue of his job, closer Bell seems the most likely to crash. He has a larger-than-life ego, so perhaps his psyche can be salvaged. But will his body hold up? At 34, he has averaged over 70 appearances in each of the past three seasons. Like Buehrle and Reyes, the possibility of injury can never be discounted.

Just because Miami had the money to spend doesn’t mean the Braves need to “respond” by immediately signing an elite shortstop or outfielder. None of the free agents or trade possibilities are attractive enough for Wren to pull the trigger on a deal. Both Prado and Jurrigans are rebounding from injuries Both could again post All-Star years, either would be enticing bait at the trade deadline next July. The braves have two shortstops moving up in the minors: should Pastornicky not pan, Simmons is just a year behind him. If Wren throws money at anyone, it should be centerfielder Michael Bourne.

For most of the 2011 season the Braves owned on of the four best records in baseball. This with a rookie first-baseman, two slumping sophomore outfielders, three injured outfielders, and a slumping second-baseman. There’s no reason they can’t go all the way in 2012.

NBA Top 500 By The Numbers

SLAM once ranked the top 500 players in NBA history. Some time ago I arranged many of the top 500 by their uniform number.

0. Orlando Woolridge, Gilbert Arenas

00. Robert Parish, Kevin Duckworth

1. Tracy McGrady, Kevin Porter, Chauncey Billups, Penny Hardaway

2. Alex English, Mitch Richmond, Larry Johnson, Joe Johnson

3. Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Dennis Johnson, Chris Paul

4. Dolph Schayes, Dumars, Chris Webber, Adrian Dantley, Sidney Moncrief

5. Jason Kidd, Neil Johnston, Carlos Boozer, Danny Manning

6. Bill Russell, Julius Erving, LeBron, Walter Dukes

7. Maravich, Kevin Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, Lamar Odom, Kelly Tripucka

8. Kobe, Walt Bellamy, Deron Williams, Andy Phillip

9. Bob Pettit, Richie Guerin, Marques Johnson, Randy Smith

10. Walt Frazier, Rodman, Nate Archibald, Joe Fulks, Tim Hardaway, Bob Love

11. Isiah Thomas, Bob McAdoo, Paul Arizin, Jim Pollard, Detlef Schrempf

12. Dwight Howard, George Yardley, Gene Shue, Fat Lever

13. Wilt Chamberlain, Steve Nash, Mark Jackson, Glenn Robinson

14. Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy, Dick McGuire

15. Earl Monroe, Hal Greer, Vince Carter, Carmelo, Latrell Sprewell

16. Jerry Lucas, Bob Lanier, Cliff Hagan, Pau Gasol, Peja Stojakovic

17. John Havlicek, Chris Mullen, Kenny Sears

18. Dave Cowens, Bailey Howell, Lou Hudson

19. Willis Reed, Lenny Wilkens, Vern Mikkelsen, Don Nelson

20. Gary Payton, Maurice Lucas, Phil Smith, Manu Ginobili, Doug Collins

21. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dominique, Dave Bing

22. Elgin Baylor, Clyde Drexler, Dave DeBusschere, John Drew

23. Jordan, LeBron, Calvin Murphy, Frank Ramsey, Jeff Mullins

24. Moses Malone, Rick Barry, Sam Jones, Bobby Jones, Bill Bradley

25. Gus Johnson, Chet Walker, Mark Price, KC Jones, Jimmy Walker

26.

27. Joe Caldwell

28. Quinn Buckner

29.

30. Bernard King, George McGinnis, Terry Porter, Reggie Lewis

31. Reggie Miller, Jack Twyman, Shawn Marion, Cornbread Maxwell

32. Magic Johnson, McHale, Karl Malone, Billy Cunningham, Bill Walton

33. Bird, Jabbar, Pippen, P. Ewing, David Thompson, Alonzo Mourning, Grant Hill

34. Shaq, Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley, Paul Pierce, Charles Oakley

35. Paul Silas, Larry Kenon, Darrell Griffith

36. Shaq (Celtics), Lloyd Neal

37.

38.

39.

40. Shawn Kemp, Bill Laimbeer, Mike Bantom, Marvin Webster

41. Wes Unseld, Dirk Nowitzki, Glenn Rice, Thurl Bailey

42. Nate Thurmond, James Worthy, Lucius Allen, Kermit Washington

43. Brad Daughterty, Mickey Johnson, Jeff Ruland, Grant Long

44. Jerry West, Elvin Hayes, Maravich, George Gervin

45. Rudy Tomjanovich, Phil Chenier, Purvis Short, AC Green

46.

47.

48.

49.

50. David Robinson, Ralph Sampson, Corey Maggette

52. Buck Williams, Terry Dischinger, Happy Hairston

53. Darryl Dawkins, Mark Eaton, James Edwards

54. Horace Grant, Luke Jackson

55. Dikembe Mutombo, Kiki Vandeweghe, Steve Stipanovich, Albert King

99. George Mikan

I see several of Lang’s favorites, including Ken Norman, Gerald Wilkins, Tree Rollins, Drew Gooden, Eddie Johnson, Spud Webb, Jason Terry, Stephen Jackson, Chuck Person, Steve Smith, Mahmond Abdul-Rauf, Kevin Willis, Theo Ratliff, Doc Rivers, Dan Roundfield, Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Even at 486, I think Manute Bol was over-ranked.

Golf

After attending the 9 am service at NP, we drove downtown to play golf at Chandler Park. We hadn’t been there in several years. With a cloudless sky, the crisp sunshine made for a great day.

Arriving just after eleven, we feared encountering a crowd. But the lone car belonged to the cashier, who spend a great deal of time on the putting green. For the first seven holes we had the course to ourselves…so we took plenty of mulligans. I needed them.

1. Poor drives. Great approach. Sweet chip. I didn’t putt well all day. Both: double bogies.

2. Will: two poor drives. My first drive was great, but short. While Will looked for his ball, I completely flubbed several chips. Finally popped a nice one close. Both: double.

3. Wonderful drive hit close, and rolled to the fringe. W: double. D: bogie.

4. Nice drive, though it landed past the green. Again my chipping escaped me. Both: bogies.

Discovered the vast open area between 4 and 5 had been transformed into a natural wetland and lake.

5. Great drive, just short of the green. OK lag putt. Both: bogies.

6. Good straight drive that just missed traversing the long wetland. Had I known, I might’ve aimed right. Around this time my game left me. Will had his “best drive ever” at Chandler Park, and hit two decent approaches just off the green. W: par. D: triple.

7. Hit a couple of decent approach shots, and a nice chip. W: double. D: triple.

8. OK drive. Will’s drive wound up within putting range. I flubbed my approach, but it still wound up rolling all the way downhill…to within 15 feet of the hole. Will just missed his eagle putt. W: birdie. D: par.

9. Will hit another good drive just off the green, but he missed his par putt. Another flubbed approach rolled close to the green, and my long putt rolled close. W: bogie. D: double.

Will: 41
Me: 46

It was 1 pm when we drove away, giving us plenty of time to eat at the Vortex. It was our first time. The staff looked Little Five, but the patrons looked normal. Perhaps we should’ve split a humongo burger, but the regular-sized burgers were great. My tater tots were plenty, and perfect. Will’s fries were hot, but not very crispy or tasty.

When I walked out I ran right into Rich Morris. We immediately recognized each other, and had a nice chat. Walking away, I reminded Will that Rich had visited us at Piedmont when he was born. Before heading home we browsed a few stores.

Stopped for gas on the way home. Will blew the drive, showered, went to PCC, and then to a Christmas party.

When It Rains...

Wednesday night we discovered a water line had split in our master bath. Water has dripping down through the dining room ceiling. We had three buckets catching the water. Thursday our kitchen contractor came out and fixed it, but he had to rip a big hole in the ceiling, as well as the shower. Some of the wood is rotten, underneath the tile bathroom floor.

Will was leaving to go to a party, and we heard a terrible grinding. On his way home that afternoon his car and konked out. Still moving on a busy street, he tried to shift to neutral so he could re-start his car. He shifted too far, and for a second the car was in reverse. There was a terrible noise as the transmission grinded. Now his car won’t go into reverse. Repairing the transmission will cost more than the car is worth. When it rains, it pours.

Thursday Ceil picked Anna up from a sleepover, and took the kids Christmas shopping at Perimeter Mall. Last night I met them at the Outback Steakhouse near Claire’s house. Ceil and the kids were starved. I’d eaten chocolate/peanut-butter cheesecake at work, so I drank a lot of Diet Coke (I hardly ever drink it anymore). We got the spinach & artichoke dip. Will and I ordered hamburgers. M got the ribs, Ceil a steak and baked potato, and Anna a chicken sandwich. Last night I couldn’t sleep all night.

Bought a linen Masters vest, and a navy Ebbets Field Flannels wool baseball cap. Both very nice.

Friday we had a Christmas Luncheon at work. Turkey and ham from HoneyBaked Ham, plus mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, sweet potato soufflé, green beans, and iced tea from JR’s BBQ. Lots of home-made deserts: key lime cake, carrot cake, peach cobbler, and lots of chocolate.

Tonight C and A have tickets for the Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker. Anna’s longtime friend Molly is in it this year. With her parents in poor shape, Ceil will probably spend next week in Jefferson, along with A and M. Due to school and Ceil’s parents’ surgeries, we have yet to even decorate.

Another Damned Christmas Letter!

Our family wishes you a most Merry Christmas, with the hope that you had a wonderful year. We Murphys are doing well. It has certainly been a year of change for us.

Matthew turned 13, giving us three teenagers in the house. He continues to dabble in guitar and cartooning. He has become so involved at Passion City Church that people there consider Anna and Will to be “Matthew’s siblings.” He took up basketball, and returned to the diamond after a three year layoff from baseball. He and Anna worked with the homeless. In addition, Matthew has become somewhat of a fashion plate.

Anna is now 15 years old, and is learning to drive. After watching a musical in January, she decided to audition for “The Wiz” and landed a featured dancer role. Anna took art classes and babysits, and spends lots of time studying. According to my calendar she spent at least 55 nights away from home, on sleepovers, retreats, and vacations. On Mother’s Day Anna was baptized, at North Point Community Church. She participated in the world’s largest flash mob at Panama City Beach, with the NP youth.

Now 18, Will flew the coop for the summer, working as the youngest counselor at Camp Highland in Ellijay. There he became an outdoorsman, traversing the high ropes course, rock walls, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, and the like. This spring Will was named MVP of his high school baseball team, setting the single-season record for the highest batting average. In October he struck out 22 batters in nine innings. This year Will took trips to northern Kentucky, Orlando, Birmingham, and Mississippi. Currently Will is a dual-enrolled student, taking freshman classes and applying at colleges for next fall.

Once again Ceil did a great job home-schooling the kids and keeping the household running. She started back painting, while continuing to knit and sew. She worked one day a week at both the Veritas School and Living Science. Ceil was able to spend a week in Fredericksburg with her longtime friend, and is spending time in South Carolina helping both parents recover from simultaneous surgeries.

Dave enjoyed another year of scorekeeping, writing, and chaperoning the kid’s trips. He helped coach Matthew’s baseball team, worked backstage at “The Wiz,” and attended several Braves games. On Independence Day he ran his 24th Peachtree Road Race (Will’s eighth). Dave accelerated his reading hobby, devouring about forty books this year.

After attending North Point for eleven years, we have begun worshipping at Passion City Church. All three kids feel more at home there, as does Ceil. Will and Anna continue to teach at NP, and sometimes Dave tags along to worship.

After seven years of taking classes at Living Science Home Studies, in April we went on our last Spring Expedition to Jekyll Island and Cumberland Island. Will led, I chaperoned, and Anna and Matthew were Explorers. It was Will’s 16th trip, and my eighth. Anna and Matthew continue to be enrolled at Veritas. Of course, there’s always the chance we could return to Living Science.

In addition to the coastal Expedition, we took several other trips this year. The highlight was a June week touring Washington DC, with many thanks to the Virginia Broadwells for their gracious accommodations and hospitality. In July we joined the extended Miller family for our 19th annual Myrtle Beach vacation. We returned and headed to North Georgia, to visit Will at camp. There were additional trips to Macon and Jefferson, which included horseback and ATV riding, and panning for gold.

We look forward to more adventures in the new year, and hope to stay in touch with good friends like you.

Winning?

Seems like every little private school wins a "state championship"...when they really are only involved with a conference made up of less than ten schools. That's the way it was with Will's home-school baseball and basketball. They would play several teams that were greatly overmatched, that could scarcely field a team.

Will's baseball team will be playing a more competitive schedule, which is a good thing. One coach took a few other players and formed a new team. One player batted near the top of the order all year, but had the worst statistics of all the regulars. Don't know if parents complained. A big deal was made about all the stolen bases he had, but most were against inferior teams that had no chance of throwing him out. This year he would still have had to play outfield. This fall the new team was playing less competitive teams.

Guess it's similar to Matthew playing intramural basketball at a church, instead of sitting on the bench in a more competitive league, like Flight.

Some people take off 11-14 days at Christmas/New Years. I would go crazy. There's so much "stuff" I only get to do at work.