Prom Weekend

Friday Will drove down to the Braves game for the first time ever. He got stuck in traffic, but he and Joel were still able to buy dollar tickets, and they both caught batting practice home runs. Will saw my friends during BP. They didn't stick around for fireworks.

Saturday I drove Will up to his game in Dalton. He got two hits, and they won 8-1. Drove back and dropped him off at the house, and drove over to Johns Creek to get in on the prom picture taking. Will and Joel went to Moes Saturday night.

I missed out on the first rounds of picture taking, at the boy's house. Met up with the other parents at Laurel Springs Country Club, in Johns Creek. Saw a couple from our old small group, who now goes to Johnson Ferry. I didn't leave the country club until almost eight, so C, M, and I ate at Chipotle on the way back.

Anna and her gang went to Waffle House after her prom, then spent the night at her girlfriend's house. Sunday she rode home with me from NP. She said there were two slow dances, and they went for refreshments during them. She was going to pay at Waffle House, but her date insisted. Sunday afternoon I posted the photos, mainly so the grandparents could see them.

C took A out shopping for prom stuff Friday night. I took M up to Kroger to get frozen pizzas, and we went back and watched the Braves.

Violence Mars Crown's Win

Saturday Will’s Crown Knights traveled north to Dalton, where they beat Christian Heritage School Lions 8-1 on a sunny April afternoon. Besides the upcoming Home School World Series trip, it very well could be the last baseball road trip I take Will on.


Crown scored one in the first, two in the second and fifth, and three more in the seventh to coast to the victory. Will led off the game with a line drive single to right field. As he led off first, both he and I remembered that Christian Heritage was the school he had taken out the second-baseman with a hard, legal slide, resulting in a push from the CHS shortstop.


Number two batter Nathan Shetler promptly hit a ground ball to third. As the third-baseman threw to second for the force, Will approached the bag, with his mind on breaking up another double play. At the last second Will saw the second-baseman bobble the ball, so he knew there would be no chance of doubling off the speedy Shetler at first.
With two out in the top of the second, and a runner on third, Will smoked a hard grounder up the middle for an RBI single. Will stole second and later scored on Nathan’s double.


In the fourth inning Will came to bat with one out and a runner on first. On a 2-2 pitch the runner broke for second. Will hit another hard line drive…right at the shortstop. An easy inning-ending double play.


Playing third base, Will cut off a sixth-inning grounder in the hole and threw the runner out at first. He also made the putout on a crazy failed bunt attempt that resulted in an extended rundown. With CHS runners on first and second, the batter missed on the bunt attempt. The runner on second held his ground, but the other runner broke from first and inexplicably ran all the way to second. Crown’s backup shortstop failed to tag one of the runners, as one of them broke back to first. The shortstop threw back to first, and the other runner broke for third. Will took the next throw, made one throw to second, then took another throw and tagged out the runner sliding into third: your basic 2-4-3-6-3-5-4-5 putout.


An ugly seventh-inning play marred the good, clean game, but the Lions didn’t let it get to them. Crown scored one run when Patrick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. With one out Franklin singled to right center, and the runners on second and third scored easily, extending the lead to 8-1. The top of the order was coming to bat, meaning Patrick would have several opportunities to score from third. But he sailed around third and kept running. The relay beat Patrick by a good ten feet. Instead of sliding, Patrick leaned forward, hitting the catcher with an extended elbow. The catcher fell backward, but held onto the ball. The umpire immediately threw Patrick out of the game.


As the on deck hitter, Will approached the plate and quietly checked on the catcher, apologizing for his teammates’ ridiculous play, and telling the catcher he’d made a good play. The game was able to continue without further incident.


In addition to the wrath of coaches and some mothers, poor Patrick had more punishment coming. He may have to miss Tuesday’s game against arch-rival Gwinnett, but the worst part was having to ride home with the head coach. That gave Will and me a chuckle as we passed them on the highway.

PROM

Saturday is Anna's prom, and she's pumped. Tonight she's spending the night at Brittany's. As usual, they'll probably stay up late, then sleep late tomorrow. Then they'll get their nails done. Dinner is being served at the country club where the prom is being held. Ceil and I will probably take pictures at Brittany's house, then all the parents go to the country club to take more pictures.

For some reason slingshot-shooting Lily is attending the prom, even though she transferred to a public school this year. She asked Anna's friend if they could share a date. I'm not familiar with Anna's date.

Will plays in Dalton at one, so I'll barely get back on time. Yesterday they won big, though Will said he struggled through his inning on the mound.

Will went to the home opener with friends…not sure who. Joel went, and maybe Kevin. It would've been nice if Mathew went, but he needed to do school. Will caught a batting practice home run...bare-handed. He got to say hello to Johnny Pierce.

I was never crazy about the old Florida Marlins' pinstriped uniforms. The huge M on the new cap is different, but ok to me. As black jerseys go, those new Marlins jerseys are above average. Haven't seen the bright red jerseys yet. Generally, I'm in favor of sleeve patches, but you'd hope they'd be significantly different from the cap. Since they always seem to fare well against the Braves, I've programmed myself to dislike all things Marlins. Looking forward to seeing the new Braves unis tonight.

Travis

Had a friend at Tech named Dave Travis. Great guy, great leader, always very motivated. Seems to have carved out a fruitful career in ministry, married the beautiful friend he met at Tech, and has raised a couple of beautiful daughters. I reconnected with him on Facebook a few years ago, and more recently on Linked In…though I’m not sure we’ve actually conversed.

On Twitter he describes himself as the “Chief Executive Officer and Chief Encouragement Officer of Leadership Network – the network for Kingdom Entrepreneurial Innovators, Atlanta, GA.” He has 2,298 Twitter followers, and follows 1,349 others…including me. Like me, he automatically posts his tweets onto his Facebook page.

After re-tweeting one of my re-tweets yesterday (The Nationals don’t steal very much, for a team based in Washington, DC), Dave sent the following tweet to his many followers:

“If you like funny, follow my old friend @iDavidMurphy via Twitter. He is just as funny now as he was 30 years ago.”

How very nice…made my day. I thanked him, reminding him that it was all in the timing…a reference to the time at Tech when we were at the BSU State Convention at Rock Eagle. As I gave my testimony in front of one thousand college students, Dave and I had worked out a little joke: as Dave asked how I got to be such a funny guy, I interrupted him with the answer: “Timing!”

When I first saw Dave’s nice tweet during trivia, I shared it with Will and Joel. Seeing all Dave’s followers, Joel exclaimed: “You’ll probably get more followers!” He was right; in addition to Dave, my followers have increased almost ten percent (to 25!).

Trivia: Jinxed by Joel

After acing the first seventeen questions Thursday night, Joel asked “Have we missed a question?” Sufficiently jinxed, we went on to miss five of the next six. It was back to the sad old times at Thursday Night Trivia this week, without the Hurts, Kevin, or Michael.

1. How many horns does a triceratops have? An easy five points.

2. What is the official state song of Georgia? Georgia on my Mind. Three points.

3. What is the full name for the American version of the first book in the Harry Potter Series? Joel knew both the American and British titles of the best-selling novel: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. The British version was “The Philosophers Stone.” One point.

4. What flowers did Vincent van Gogh paint most often? Will knew: Sunflowers. Erin’s favorite flower…also Zanna’s. Five points.

5. Which character in the Matrix movies is also known as “One”, an anagram of his name? Joel knew: Neo, Keanu Reeves’ character. Three points.

6. What website, founded in 1995, did thrift store editor Al Hoff say would put an end to thrift stores and garage sales as we know them? We went with Joel’s first answer: www.eBay.com. One point.

7. What name is given to volcanoes that haven’t erupted in historical times, but aren’t considered extinct? Joel correctly answered Inactive, though Erin was looking for Dormant. Jokingly, Bama moaned to Erin: “You let the Hinges get away with that?!” Three points.

8. What name is given to the closest star to our planet Earth? My first thought was Alpha Centuri, but Joel corrected me: The Sun. Five points.

9. What computer company broke into the arcade market with the game Donkey Kong? Joel’s guess was correct: Nintendo. One point.

10. What is the baby name for the following animals?

…Duck…duckling

…Kangaroo…joey

…Sheep…lamb (or lamkin, or cosset)

…Toad…tadpole

…Horse…foal (or colt, or filly).

We were one of FOUR teams with perfect scores, which included the always dangerous Georgia Tech and art school graduates’ Pollywogs team. Four more teams were within two points of our lead. Poor Bama was in last place, a full 13 points back.

11. What spice is named because it tastes like an elixir of cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg? Spices? Who knows about spices? I thought…maybe it was an anagram of the four spices Erin listed. Then it came to me: Allspice. Six points. Brilliant!

12. What is the first and last name of the White Stripes drummer? Who? One of Erin’s favorite bands. Joel knew: Meg White. Erin added: When Meg married, her husband took HER last name. Four points.

13. What flightless bird is the national symbol of New Zealand? Joel thought penguin. I countered with ostrich. But Will knew: The kiwi. Two points. With a perfect night, this is when Joel uttered his fateful remark.

14. In what city do tourists visit the Anne Frank House? As I jotted down the question, Joel said “we’re looking to you on this one!” He went with my guess: Frankfurt. It was Amsterdam. No harm, just a two point miss.

15. In the 1990’s, what was NBC’s most popular comedy show, after Seinfeld? I brainstormed: The Cosby Show? Friends? Cheers? Joel answered SNL. No one got it. According to Erin’s trivia book, it was Third Rock From the Sun! A four point miss.

16. What rival ran up and gave Mark McGuire a big hug after McGuire broke the single season home run record? Sammy Sosa. Six points.

17. In photography (one of Erin’s favorite things) what “B” term has to do with shutter speed? Joel racked his brain, and wanted to kill himself when he heard the answer: BOLD. The setting used to photograph bright things in the dark, like fireworks.

18. What is the only real animal to regularly appear in the show Teletubbies? We should’ve know, but didn’t: Rabbits.

19. What state’s official animal is the sperm whale? I guessed Alaska. Washington state’s is the Orca. No one got it right…Connecticut.

Going into the final question, we were in fourth…ten points behind the young leaders, Rhianna’s Black Eye.

20. Name the five oldest universities in the United States. Harvard, William & Mary, Yale, Princeton, Columbia. I got three. No significant lead changes…we remained in fourth place. We were two ahead of the mighty Pollywogs. Bama edged out “The Dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide” for next-to-last place. It was Rhianna’s second straight win: the young regular and his three girlfriends.

Another Knife in the Back

Thursday we celebrated the work anniversary of two of my co-workers: Godzilla’s 25th anniversary was March first, and Arrowhead's 20th anniversary was February 24. Both are at least slightly miffed that in the past several weeks that there was no urgency to hold a five minute celebration. The always bold Dennis even openly chided his boss in a department meeting attended by the new VP. One excuse was the recent flooding and carpet replacement.

The slight has been the topic of much water cooler discussion. One 30th anniversary acknowledgement was similarly delayed, and it was not allowed to invite former associates now working in different departments. In 2007 my 20th anniversary was delayed, then scarcely mentioned by a different supervisor. There was no cake. Instead of being a time of celebration, to me it was a discouraging time that made me feel bad about my job, and me. Another long-timer felt the same way about her anniversary.

Another department is adjacent to our group, which has a morning meeting conducted by their boss. If an anniversary is missed by as much as a day, he apologizes profusely. Some supervisors take the employee out to lunch on their anniversery. In these days of limited budgets, it’s not about cake or lunch, but just not letting the day pass unremembered.

Everyone is different. Dialysis thinks Arrowhead is just dissing his boss. Its one thing to put an office full of 30 year employees out on the street in Chattanooga and in Florida. You’d think a company could take five minutes every five years to show appreciation for a long-time employee.

In January a 25-year employee left for a higher position (and salary) at a start-up competitor downtown. Just this morning ten year employee turned in his notice: he’s going to work with the same competitor . Some former Chattanooga employees have already taken contracts away from us. That’s business.

At one anniversary celebration earlier this year, the twenty year coworker seemed underwhelmed by the current state of the company. Several weeks after his celebration the employee took a job with a supplier. It would be nice if my upcoming 25th work anniversary is recognized on August third, though I shouldn’t get my hopes up. My feelings will surely be hurt if it’s not. That’s just the way that I am.

Teenage Wrecks

In the past couple of days the teenage sons of two friends of ours had wrecks. Both are fortunate to not have been seriously hurt.

My friend Lee’s 16-17 year old son Dixon wrecked the family car trying to avoid a teenage driver turning in front of him, near Johnson Ferry Baptist.

Anna’s friend Molly’s older brother Spencer had received a used two door Civic coupe on his 16th birthday several months ago. This weekend he’d returned from a JFBC youth mission trip. Not sure if it was the same evening, but he was returning home late from church. Since he was tired he wanted to get home fast, so he was speeding. Not sure if he was on Sandy Plains Road or Wesley Chapel, but he caught air coming over a hill, lost control, crossed to the other side of the road, and crashed into a subdivision sign.

Will and Anna heard the full stories, which is good. Fortunately Will is a slow driver. He just needs to learn the best route to take, and to not stay out too late, when the police are on the lookout for bad drivers. Anna still has a long way to go.

Watched most of the Braves game last night. Chipper and Pastornicky are now tied for the team home run lead, though its unlikely their critics will be quiet. Twice Pastornicky fell behind 0-2, then walked. Last night I watched more of the Braves than usual, perhaps because Houston was wearing those Colt 45s uniforms.

Friday’s Chinese was good. I was liking most of the meaty things on the buffet.

Bubba Wins the Masters

One of the greatest ever Masters, in my book. An Easter Sunday filled with lead changes, great shots, sudden death, birdies, eagles, and the first ever televised albatross. Hard to believe there had never before been one on that second hole.

It was interesting learning about Bubba Watson and his family. At the jacket ceremony the first thing Watson said was “I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”, and then he broke down in tears. It was right about then that Sportscenter lost its feed to Augusta. Later the Golf Channel aired his press conference, where he cheerfully answered every question, regardless of how personal they were. At one point he was explaining the special meaning Easter has for believers in Christ.

Sunday morning Watson tweeted “I Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” After his Saturday round he had tweeted “Thanks everyone for the support! 3 reasons tomorrow will be #awesome, 1. Jesus has risen 2. See my new baby boy & my wife 3. Masters Sunday”. His first tweet after winning was “To God Be The Glory!!! #Masters”.

Interesting how several Tour players were present on the 10th green when Watson tapped in the final putt, including Aaron Baddeley, Rickie Fowler, and Ben Crane. Baddelely and Crane are also Christians…Crane is pals with Louie Giglio. Brandel Chamblee said Watson struck a blow against all the over-coaching and swing changes, having never had a lesson. For a long time Watson would purposefully arrive early for practice rounds so he could play with Tiger Woods. This weekend Tiger broke Jack Nicklaus’ record for most cuts made at the Masters.

Apparently Watson’s wife Angie is a huge Braves fan, who follows every game pitch by pitch. Sunday she had a lot more tweets about the Braves than she did about the Masters. She is 6’4” and played basketball at UGA and the WNBA. Her height had something to do with their inability to conceive.

I got a lot done this weekend, cleaning up and straightening, doing laundry and putting away winter clothes. Saturday I about got sick again, sneezing and wheezing. Saw several decent movies:

…The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: wild what Rooney Mara did to prepare for that part: tattoos and piercings. Her family runs the New York Football Giants.

…Crazy Stupid Love…hilarious scene where all the principals come together, it caught me off guard. Loved the cast: Julianne Moore, Analiegh Tipton, Steve Carrell, Kevin Bacon, etc.

…The Rebound…another fun story with a nice cast: the sidekick from National Treasure.

…Young Adult…nice how the townsfolk didn’t reject the returning big shot jerk.

Not really worried about the Braves. The last time they lost the first three games of the season, they went on to win 101 games. The Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees also got off to slow starts. Mariano Rivera blew a save, and looked terrible.

Too Early to Panic

Hopefully Fredi has learned from last year’s Linebrink fiasco to determine which pitchers are unreliable, then not use them when the game is on the line. This may be the case with the two or three castoffs they brought in just before the season started. That’s the key. With at least five good relievers (Martinez, Medlin, OFlanery, Venters, and Kimbrell), hopefully none will wear out.

Once Hudson returns, the starters should pitch themselves into midseason form: JJ, Hanson, and Beachy. Is the number five starter one of the rookies? As the number five guy, people shouldn’t count on him as an ace, quite yet. We need a month or three to get his feet wet. Huddy says he feels better than he has in years.

Everyone says the Braves stood pat, without mentioning Linebrink and Lowe leaving, the new third-baseman. We should get more offense from Pastornicky than Gonzo. We get a full year of Bourne, and Prado and Heyward are healthy and retooled. Freeman isn’t a rookie any more, and Uggla was tearing it up this spring. Once Chipper and McCann come around, the offense should start clicking.

Chinese Buffet

Brought leftover chicken casserole for lunch Friday. Around 9:30 am I couldn’t stand it any more, so I heated it up and ate it. Around noon my boss came out and dragged me to the nearby Chinese Buffet. It was better than usual, but it wasn’t long before I was stuffed. Tonight I’ll probably skip dinner. Not much going on with me this weekend.

Thursday I worked until 6 pm, then went home and changed into shorts. Kept on my Masters shirt…I’ve been wearing a different one every day this week. Went to trivia, came in a close second. Between ten and eleven Will and Joel changed the oil in Will’s car, and of course spilt some on the driveway, up by the street.

At eleven I drove up to Milton to pick up Anna, who had just arrived back from Seaside. She talked the whole way home about her week. Didn’t get to bed until long after midnight.

Tiger sounds confident, but based on the wet conditions, this probably isn’t his year. Same with Phil.

Looks like SS Pastornicky had a good day yesterday. Johan Santana looks like he may be back to his dominant pre-injury form. I didn’t see it, but I hate it when players in the late innings strike out because they’re trying to hit a game-tying home run. Not sure if that’s what Jason Heyward was doing.

Meet the Knights

Adam…P, CF…hard thrower, working to pitch in college. Decent hitter, tries to hit singles, and not kill the ball. Former 6-4-3 player. Attended Living Science. Clemson fan. Dad scores games on GameChanger, and organized Crown’s recent fund-raising tourney.

Andrew…P, OF, 3B…tall, slender, hard-throwing pitcher. Excellent fielder, can play any position well, except catcher. Good hitter…just started switch-hitting. Played Flight basketball. Also plays golf. Dad a longtime volleyball player.

Braeden…1B, RF…leads team in home runs. Has pitched in the past. Traveled to Texas to work with a hitting coach. Dad is an assistant coach.

Casey…3B, OF, SS, P…first year at Crown, leads the Knights in hitting and OBP. Singles hitter, with a sweet swing. Can play any position except catcher. Dad played for Liberty University.

Charlie…1B, RF…devoted hitter, the redhead looks great with his new goatee. Has grown taller and has lost some baby fat. Attended Living Science. Dad coaches Crown Middle School team. Lives near Nathan.

Eric…CF…excellent hitter and outfielder, whose great play has earned him more playing time. Dad is a fun guy to watch games with.

Franklin…2B, P…good hitter, excellent at turning double plays. Has played East Cobb Baseball. Attended Living Science. Dentist dad is a Bruce Ambrose look-alike.

Nathan…2B, C, P, OF…speedy switch-hitter, wants to play in college. Arm injury has limited his 2012 duties to designated hitting. Attended Living Science. Dad is an excellent scorekeeper.

Patrick…C, OF…hard-playing, usually hustles. His own worst enemy, sometimes takes himself out of ball games. Great arm, likes to show it off. Plays East Cobb Baseball. Wants to play in college. Attended Living Science. Dad passed away last year.

Perry…SS, P…excellent fielder, has had tough luck at the plate this year. A fast, knowledgeable baserunner, should be hitting third in the order. Lives in Decatur Alabama, played on Chattanooga home-school team last year. Will play for East Cobb this summer. Signed to play college ball at UAB. Dad very knowledgeable about hitting and pitching.

Ray…P, OF, 3B…excellent pitcher, has also been hitting well this year. Has played for East Cobb Baseball. Lives in Jasper.

Ryan…2B, OF…good hitter and fielder. Has also pitched. Needs to replace his red spikes.

Sam…OF… Excellent defensive outfielder. Homered last year at East Cobb. Streaky hitter, sometimes tries too hard. Grew up playing at Sandy Plains.

Will…3B, P, SS, C…2011 Team MVP, 2010 Armor Award Winner. Led team last year in most offensive categories. Struck out 22 batters in one 9 inning stretch last fall. Has played at East Cobb Baseball. Attended Living Science.

Frustrating Trivia

At trivia this week the question-asker was Erin’s usual replacement, who had performed adequately in the past. He mentioned that, unlike Erin, he wasn’t cool enough to have prepared a musical theme.

1. GoogleX released a video showing that they are working on what product? David thought glasses. Kevin first thought goggles. Joel answered “vision”, which the lenient trivia master accepted. One point.

2. What is the complimentary color for blue? After a little discussion, I drew out a color wheel. Orange is opposite blue on the wheel, but does that mean they are complimentary? With no other reasonable answer, we went with orange. Five points. I have no idea why yellow was also accepted.

3. How many total dots are on three dice? David and Joel tried to count in their heads. David calculated 60. I wrote down the numbers and added on paper. Joel and I got 63. Bama was singled out for showing their work, though supposedly they answered wrong. Three points.

4. What fictional character lived at 221B Baker Street in London? Joel knew, as did several others…and every other team: Sherlock Holmes. Five points.

5. The first four books of the New Testament are known as what? Easy…for most of us: The Gospels. Three points. Mary’s mind was on the Old Testament.

6. Including this year, how many years has Chipper Jones played for the Braves? Big discussion. The championship year was his first full year: 1995. In 1994 he was injured in one of the last spring training games, and missed the entire season. Kevin was sure he had a cup of coffee in 1993. I demurred, and as usual, Kevin was right: 19 years. Twenty was also accepted. One point.

7. To correctly brew a French Press, you need to use coffee ground on what setting? Joel’s guess was right: coarse. Three points. Had we wagered five, we would’ve won.

8. In 1819 Spain gain the US what? Here’s where the evening went downhill. Kevin and I both heard 1891…that’s what I wrote. Mary suggested Florida, but 1891 was much too late for such an eastern state. Kevin mentioned the Spanish and Indian War; fought much earlier in the 1800’s (my historical reading is finally paying off). I was thinking California, even though the gold rush was almost fifty years earlier. Kevin thought Cuba, which for a time was a US territory. The answer was Florida. We had wagered one point. Later the trivia master was convinced of his mistake, and gave every team equal credit. Fair? My Friday morning thought: teams that wagered 5 or 3 lost more than us, who’d only wagered one. Now we had the opportunity to score eight in the round. Other teams could only score six or four.

9. Obrigado means what in Portuguese? We guessed welcome. It was thank you. Having the five points to wager cost us the game. Indeed, our 21 point halftime score was three points behind the eventual winners. We led Bama by three.

10. In what country or city are the following landmarks?

…Mt Everest…Nepal…two points.

…Christ the Redeemer statue…Rio, in Brazil…two points.

…Mt Kilimanjaro…David had been to Kenya, but Tanzania was the answer. Is this right?

…Giza Metropolis…Egypt. Kevin thought Lebanon, but who knew?

…Victoria Falls… Zimbabwe.

…The Summer Palace…I shouldn’t have suggested India. Russia was right.

11. What does P.S. stand for? We didn’t hear the question, and had to ask. Post Script, of course. Six points.

12. What river runs through London? The Thames. Four points.

13. What movie featured the famous line “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”? When this question was asked, everyone in the house groaned. Joel was ready to write, and asked me for the answer. Without thinking (clearly) I replied. Still, before he turned it in I had David check what Joel wrote. Hurt looked up and exclaimed “Casablanca!” Margaret couldn’t believe I got that wrong. I was totally thinking about “Here’s looking at you, kid.” Of course, we answered correctly: Gone With the Wind. Two points.

14. How long is the term of a US Supreme Court justice? Life…six points.

15. John Lennon married what video artist? Yoko Ono. Four points. David mentioned that they were most probably never actually married.

16. What is the only mammal that cannot jump? Joel relied on several reliable sources for his answer: kid’s TV shows “Arthur, Scooby Doo…” The Elephant. Two points. Having answered six straight second round questions, we were feeling good about ourselves. Then it was announced that ALL teams have answered six straight.

17. What are the colors of the Olympic Rings? Joel thought Gold, but I corrected him to Yellow. Margaret knew five, but said white. Red, Blue, Green, and Black. Six points.

18. This Easter, what candy will sell enough to circle the world twice? Joel was sure it was Peeps, and it was. Four points. The trivia master shared a weird story of microwaving peeps with toothpicks, so they would joust. David wondered if he left the door open, and was exposed to the radiation.

19. Beans grown at higher elevations are known as what kind of coffee? Having heard several coffee trivia questions over the past few months, I offered Joel helpful information: higher elevations means no bugs, making for a longer growing season, making for higher caffeine content. I didn’t remember that the quality was better. Joel answered Robusta, but the answer was Arabica: the only coffee served at Land of a Thousand Hills. A crucial two point miss.

Going into the final question we were two behind Dubai, the twentysomethings who had already won at least two straight weeks.

20. Name the element for the following periodic table symbols:

…Cu…Copper

…Mn…Manganese

…U…Uranium

…K…Potassium

…C…Carbon

…F…Fluorine

Kevin quickly knocked out the answers. Unfortunately, the top six of the seven teams also got this easy question right, so the order of finish did not change. Once again we finished two points out of first place.

April Reading List

Ball Four, by Jim Bouton. A classic piece of baseball literature. I’ve owned the book for years, but never read it.

Voodoo Histories: the Role of Conspiracy Theories in Shaping Modern History, by David Aaronovitch. Seeks to debunk several famous historical conspiracy theories, including several I was unfamiliar with. The Kennedy Assassination, the death of Princess Diana, Dan Brown and the Priory of Scion, and others.

Spoken From the Heart, by First Lady Laura Welsh Bush.

Protect and Defend, by Vince Flynn. Another of his Mitch Rapp novels.

Crown Wins Hot-Tempered Game

Will’s Crown Knights won an exciting, nearly bench-clearing game this past Saturday morning, besting the Nashville Monarchs be a 9-6 score. Nashville was one of the top three teams in the tournament, and came into the game with a perfect 3-0 tourney record. One thing that impressed me about the Monarchs was the way all nine fielders always hustled on and off the field.

With the Knights playing the part of the visiting team, Will was the first batter of the game. As he stepped in the box, Tanner’s dad Jay’s deep, professional voice boomed out over the loudspeakers: “Batting first for the Crown Knights, the third-baseman, number eleven, Will “Cuddly Bear” Murphy!” Fans and players from both sides erupted in laughter.

Crown got off to a great start, scoring six runs in the first, and another run in the second. Nashville was not playing well, committing two errors in two innings. The Knights could’ve scored more had they not had two runners picked off base in the first. After walking in the first, Will was hit in the back while leading off the second. After stealing second, Will watched as Nathan flew out and Braeden struck out.

This is when the complexion of the game began to change. As the pitcher peered in for a sign from the catcher, Will broke for third and stole the base while the pitcher held the ball on the mound. The play was close, and perhaps Will was out, but the umpire signaled safe. The Nashville fans voiced their displeasure.

On the next pitch Perry dribbled a grounder toward the shortstop. The third-baseman cut to his left and made a sweet play spearing the ball. He then had to turn his body to fire to first, with his momentum still headed toward second base. As Will trotted home to score, the throw rolled about 15 feet away from the first baseman as Perry crossed the bag. Though this wasn’t far enough away for Perry to advance, he took off for second anyway. The throw beat Perry by ten feet, and as the second-baseman applied the tag the eight other Nashville fielders characteristically began their sprint off the field. Perry had tried to slide around to the right of the tag, on the centerfield side. Then he stood up, brushed himself off, and took several steps toward the Crown dugout. The second-baseman joined his teammates as they dashed of the field. Then it happened.

The field umpire, positioned on the pitcher’s mound side of second base, dramatically signaled safe. The Nashville crowd roared. The rotund Monarchs coach ambled out to the umpire and LOUDLY voiced his displeasure. Crown led 7-0 as the teams changed sides, but the cheerful mood that filled the stands at the beginning of the game had disappeared.

Andrew had been pitching well for Crown, allowing just one manufactured run as he pitched through the Monarchs batting order for the first time.

Then things grew worse in the top of the third. Crown’s hard-playing catcher led off the inning. Patrick hadn’t been playing well since his father passed away last year, from an extended illness. On Twitter he often boasted of getting thrown out of games and starting brawls. But two straight doubles had Patrick’s mind on playing hard again. Now working the concession stand, I noticed stickers on the back of Patrick’s batting helmet. I moved in for a closer look: they were several sets of four tick marks, with the fifth tick mark across the other four. I asked what they stood for, and several joked that they were the times he’s been tossed, or fights he’d started.

Patrick worked the count full, walked, and stole second. The next two batters had both singled in the first, and the speedy Patrick would have no trouble scoring on a hit. Though Franklin struck out, with one out Eric stepped in with three straight hits to his name. With no need to steal third, Patrick took off anyway. He was a dead duck. The third-baseman took the throw and applied a normal low tag, in front of the bag. Because he slid in headfirst, Patrick was first tagged on his hand, then on his chin. Though the third-baseman had done nothing out of the ordinary, Patrick took offense. I’m not sure if he pushed his opponent or just had harsh words, but soon Crown third base coach Rosemond was physically pushing Patrick off the field. The Nashville fans jeered their displeasure. Moments later Eric struck out, and the Nashville crowd had more to cheer about.

With momentum on their side, the Monarchs rallied in the bottom of the third. After the leadoff batter doubled, the Nashville third-baseman was hit in the back with the first pitch. I’m not sure if Patrick was behind it, but as he went to get the ball, the third-baseman appeared to stalk after him. The tiny umpire immediately got between them and restored order, talking to both coaches and the pitcher.

The Nashville fans were loud, then got even louder as four of the next five Monarchs reached base. The next batter, Jake, doubled, then scored when the next batter’s single rolled under the centerfielder’s glove. After a fielder’s choice and a double steal Andrew seemed to wilter, walking two of the next three batters…both on full counts. Then he threw two straight wild pitches, allowing two more runs to score. Nashville had scored five runs, and the team and fans were cheering wildly. Will called time and went to the mound to settle Andrew down. Mercifully, the ninth batter of the inning grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Sam led off the fourth for Crown. After knocking in eight runs in the 9 am JayVee game, he promptly collected his third straight varsity hit. But another Crown baserunning mistake kept the Nashville fans cheering: with the hot-hitting top of the order coming to bat, Sam was thrown out trying to steal. The Nashville cheering continued as the next to batters flied out to center.

Andrew quieted the crowd by striking out the first two batters in the fourth. Next up was the tall first baseman Jake, a former teammate for Perry’s in Huntsville. When Andrew’s first pitch hit Jake, the crowd roared, and Jake slammed his bat to the ground. The rotund Monarchs coach again stormed out to the umpire, demanding to know why Andrew hadn’t been immediately ejected, since there had already been a warning. Now the game was completely out of control, and the Nashville fans voiced their displeasure. Fortunately for Crown, the next batter popped out to end the inning.

With Braeden leading off the top of the fifth, in the concession stand I told Mr. Lusk that a home run would go a long way to quieting things down. The tall Crown first-baseman granted my wish, parking a high fly ball just over the distant centerfield fence. Perry then walked, took second on a wild pitch, stole third, and scored on an errant pickoff attempt at first.

With time running down, Crown just needed to hold one more time. But after the first Nashville batter grounded out to short, Crown second-baseman Franklin missed catching a looping line drive when it faded away from him. The next batter hit a grounder to third. Even though it didn’t seem like a double-play ball, Will had plenty of time to get the force at second. Not giving up, Franklin made the turn and threw to first. Though it appeared obvious the batter had crossed the bag well before the throw arrived, the field umpire made another bad call: out!

As the plate umpire called the game over, some Nashville fans screamed. Near me, at least one dad chuckled, accepting what he could not change.

Baseball Begins

Interesting SI article on RA Dickey of the Mets. He has a book coming out that he wrote, about his life. Compared to Ball Four. Speaking of, I’ll probably start reading Ball Four tonight. I’ve had a copy for years, but only flipped through. Just finished Outliers.

Being busy the past few weeks, I haven’t been captivated by spring training, except some of the stories about personnel. But last night I listened to the game on the radio while I was running errands. Love listening to Sutton, Joe, and Jim Powell. Now I’m ready for the season.

Any thoughts on the new season? Seems like all the “fans” will expect this new third-baseman to hit 50 home runs, and be disappointed when he doesn’t. Should be interesting all year to compare his stats with Chipper’s.

Any Easter plans? Looks like we’re going to SC. Mary-Clayton is tagging along, for the first time. Not only do I not make the plans. I’m just lucky to find out what they are. Anna went to the beach this week with her friend Emily, near Seaside. No baseball for Will this week, until the 19th. He was accepted into UGA, but still wants to go to UAB.

When I read Lang’s tweets from yesterday’s NFL / Nike unveiling, I immediately texted him, asking if he saw Paul Lucas from UniWatch. Lang texted right back, saying no, but there were over 300 people there. The Falcons are one of the few teams keeping the exact same uniforms. Most are staying the same, with minor technological innovations. Only the Seahawks are completely changing.

Scott Atchison was always a character. One choir tour I roomed with him, when we stayed in people’s homes after a church concert. Once they asked him what he wanted for breakfast, and he said “quiche lorraine!” Fred O was the SPdL youth minister for a while, in the early 80’s. I think it was more than just the summer.

Work has been crazy lately…I can’t get ahead.

March 29 Trivia

Will and I arrived late to trivia last Thursday, due to his 5:15 game. We joined Mary and David, Joel, and Michael. Matthew tagged along for the hot chocolate. Erin’s musical theme: Disney Songs.

1. What year were the Olympics held in Atlanta? An easy five points: 1996.

2. Which Backstreet Boy had a romantic relationship with Brittney Spears? Justin Timberlake. Three points.

3. In The Lion King, where was Simba told he could not go? The Elephant Graveyard. One point.

4. What sport is least watched in the US, but most watched in Canada? Hockey. Five points.

5. Who directed Jurassic Park? Michael arrived in time to answer: Steven Spielberg. One point.

6. What is the term for when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly? Metamorphosis. Three points.

7. What is the two-word term for when the moon passes between the sun and the earth? Solar Eclipse. Five points.

8. What vegetable takes its name from the capital of Belgium? Brussel Sprouts. Three points.

9. Which planet is the largest? Jupiter, of course. One point.

10. Name the baby of the following animals:

…Koala Bear: Joel asked me what a kangaroo’s offspring was called. Joey.

…Elephant: calf

…Cheetah: cub

…Deer: fawn

…Seal: pup.

At the half, our perfect score gave us a one-point lead over Bama. Three teams were two back.

11. What was the first vitamin to be discovered and named? We put too much thought into it, and answered vitamin C. It was A, of course. That perfect score didn’t last long. Luckily we only wagered two.

12. What is the official language of Egypt? Joel knew: Arabic. Six points.

13. What name was given to the bits of paper hanging from ballots in the 2004 Presidential election? Mary was the first to answer: Chads. Four points.

14. If the Julliard School is to New York City, the Berkeley School of Music is to what city? Will knew: Boston. Alma mater for musicians in Wheezer, Dixie Chicks, and the Black Eyed Peas. Six points.

15. What present day continent yields evidence of the earliest dinosaurs? We didn’t know, and answered Asia. It was South America. A two point miss. The teenage girls behind me exclaimed: China! I repeated their answer. After that, they stood up and left.

16. What is the name of the strait that separates the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean? Joel and I said it first: Gibraltar.

17. In which month did the Titanic sink? We didn’t know, until Michael remembered the 3D version was being released on the 50th anniversary…next week. April got us two points. Had we wagered four, we would’ve won.

18. What classic piece of literature contains the phrase “that’s the thing about girls: every time they do something…” No one knew. My guess sounded good: Cheaper by the Dozen. It was Catcher in the Rye. A four point miss.

19. What are the two main species of commercially cultivated coffee called? Joel knew: Robusta and Arabica. Land of a Thousand Hills only serves Arabica, the higher quality of the two.

Before the final question, we still led by a point. Bama was still one point back, and the Sugar Boogers were two back.

20. What painters painted the five most expensive paintings? We got one: Paul Susan’s Card Players, Jackson Pollack, Dacono’s Woman # 3, Clement’s The Kiss”, Van Gogh.

Only one team got two of the five…the team with an art major, the Sugar Boogars. For the second straight week we lost by one point.

Weekend

Typical weekend. Left work Friday and drove straight to Will’s game, which they won. We all ate at Willys afterwards. Then C took A shopping…I had just found out A was headed to Seaside with a friend.

Saturday both Ceil and I got up early and drove Anna to her friend’s house, way up in Milton. Got her there around 6:50 am. Returned home, and Ceil went back to sleep. I cleaned downstairs, then starting getting out the summer clothes from the bins we’d pulled from the attic.

Arrived at the field in time for Will’s 11 am game, which turned out to be a thriller. At noon I took over grilling burgers, and stayed at that post until after 5 pm. Will’s friend Holt played in the two games after Will’s, so I had his dad to chat with, as well as the other parents in the concession stand.

The sun finally came out around 1:30. I tried to stay in the shade, since I didn’t have a cap. Still got a little sun. Ate a few cheeseburgers and some fries. Ceil had gone to the Dekalb Farmers Market, then she came home and fixed chicken stir fry.

We had the Final Four games on, but I was so tired I went to bed around 9:30. During the night I had an asthma attack, so I got little sleep. Sunday morning I was weak. Ceil was feeling bad as well. Later I went to Kroger “medicine”: caffeine-laced diet Mountain Dew. Also got a haircut. Came home and cleaned up some more. Watched the Nicolas Cage / Nicole Kidman movie “Trespass”. After PCC Joel came over for pancakes.

No baseball this week, so hopefully I’ll get caught up at work. I’ll watch some Masters at night, as well as the men’s and women’s NCAA finals.

Will finally learned that he was accepted at UGA. he still wants to go to UAB, if he can afford it.

Did you see that in the women’s NCAA, in the Sweet 16, in all 4 regions the 2 seed played the 3 seed, and the 4 seed played the 1 seed? And all four number one seeds advanced to the final four. I was watching a good chunk of the women’s games last night.

Complete Game Shutout

Will described his complete-game shutout Thursday as the best pitching performance of his career.

The highlights:
…eleven strikeouts in 7 innings. He struck out the side in two innings.
…5-2/3 innings of no-hit pitching: Will came within four outs of a no-hitter.
…he threw a first pitch strike to 20 of the 25 batter he faced.
…ZERO walks. Will only got to a three ball count on 2 batters (both struck out).
…84 pitches, 62 strikes, 22 balls…74% strikes.
…Will allowed only three hits.
…two putouts, pitcher to first.

Additionally, combined with his last two pitching performances, in the last 10-1/3 shutout innings, Will had 18 strikeouts against one walk, and a stretch of 7-1/3 no-hit innings. One batter leaned into a pitch that barely grazed his shirtsleeve. Take that away, and it was 7-1/3 perfect innings of pitching.

Will also came around at the plate, with five hits in the doubleheader. He reached base seven straight times, scored 3 runs, and drove in two, from the leadoff spot.

Behind Will’s shutout, Crown beat South Atlanta 6-0 in the tournament’s 11 am opening game. In the bottom of the fourth Will chopped a full count payoff pitch through the hole into left field, driving in Ray from third. In the sixth Will had an RBI double to left.

After sitting out the two afternoon games, Crown’s bats woke up and beat McDonough’s New Creation Academy 13-4. Will scored three runs, reached base all five times, drove in a run, and collected a single, double, and triple.

Leading off the game for the visiting Knights, Will walked on a full count, advanced to third on Casey’s single, and scored on Perry’s single.

In the second Will doubled to right field, and in the third Will’s single to right drove in Ray. In the fifth inning Will tripled past the rightfielder, to drive in Andrew. Will scored on Casey’s double.

One of the features of this tournament Crown is hosting is having each batter announced over the loudspeaker as he comes to bat. In the first two games Tanner’s dad Jay did a quite professional job. During the second game Will rested above the concession stands and studied. He came downstairs for the start of game three, and took over the announcing duties from Jay.

While Will was announcing the game, Mary-Clayton arrived and sat by Will. When Will had to go warm up for his game, Mary-Clayton took over the announcing duties. She continued announcing during Crown’s game. As expected, hers was a polished, professional performance. Anna, attending her first Crown games of the season, sat with Mary-Clayton.

But as Will led off the sixth, Mary-Clayton broke form and announced “Leading off, my snuggy bear, Will Murphy!” The large crowd, both dugouts, and the players and umpires on the field had a good laugh. Will had to call time to compose himself. The 3-1 pitch was fired right at Will’s feet. He tried to leap out of the way, but couldn’t. After being hit in the foot, Will limped to first. He took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a single, then scored on Perry’s deep sacrifice fly.

Will made two good defensive plays at third base. He cut off a sharply hit ground ball in the hole and threw out the batter at first, and later ran far down the third base line to make a nice catch in foul territory.

Friday Crown plays the Carolina Spartans at 5:15, then Saturday plays another 11 am game against the Nashville Monarchs. All varsity tourney games are being played at Mt. Paran.

Matthew may have found his calling: working in the concession stand. I had to grill burgers for two games...a very tiring experience.

Home Grown

Then yesterday Ceil was talking about wanting to try a place called www.homegrownga.com …further east on Memorial Drive. Menu looks good, but its only open for lunch. When Ceil looked at the menu, it wasn't what she expected, but she's still like to go. They were written up in the April Atlanta magazine. When we went to Oakland Cemetery Saturday a week ago, we almost ate at Six Feet Under. There were a few good-looking restaurants down there.

Sunday I watched a bunch of the Hawks game, but the kids came in and changed the channel. Now Sunday nights everyone comes over to our house for pancakes. Joel, Mary-Clayton, and Lucy. Joel stuck around until well after 11 pm. I went to bed, but they were singing praise songs. He was playing our little-used piano and Matthew's guitar, so it was like a music lesson for Matthew. Will was in the adjoining room, studying.

Saturday night Will worked backstage at the Talent Show that MC had organized. Joel was a judge!

I didn't fill out a NCAA bracket, and now I wish I had. Then I'd be more into the tourney. More interested in the women's tourney…Delaware, Baylor, GT, etc. Haven't looked, but I guess Notre Dame, Stanford, and UConn still remain as well.

Friday I left work shortly after noon, but halfway home Ceil called to say tonight's game had been cancelled. I turned around and came back to work. The afternoon went better than the morning did.

Interesting that for our kids, and their friends, Chipper has played for the Braves their entire life. Similar to me and Hank Aaron…but without the ending on the Brewers.

March 23 Trivia: A Point From First

After two weeks away from trivia, I was ready for some action. Will was MIA, but Joel and Kevin were ready as well. The Hurts called to say they were coming, so Kevin saved them a prime table, and I answered the first three questions in their absence.
1. GEOGRAPHY: What country’s name means “Land of the Afgans”? After a second or two, it came to me: Afganistan. My teammates concurred.
2. GEORGIA: What Greek city lent its name to the Georgia town where REM was formed? After first thinking about Rome before the question had been fully read, I knew: Athens. Three points. During the song I chatted with Erin about how she’d left REM out of her list of Georgia artists. Ever the little nerd, she checked her computer. To make up for the slight, she played “Man on the Moon” after the next question.
3. POT POURI: What Scottish garmet’s name is based on the Middle English term for “fold” or “pleat”? Kilt was the only answer we knew, and it was right. One point. The Hurts arrived, but there was little time to chat.
4. SPORTS: What Japanese sport, not for the lean, dates back to the 17th century? Kevin and I looked at each other. The “not for the lean” clue gave it away: Sumo. Five points.
5. ANIMALS: What bird lays the largest egg? K & J knew first, and I agreed: Ostrich. Three points.
6. LANGUAGE: What is the world’s most populous Spanish speaking country? After a long discussion, we finally answered Mexico. One point.
7. OUTER SPACE: What is the average distance of 238,000 miles from earth? Kevin had to talk Joel out of his preprostous answer” astronomical unit”. I thought the moon was further away, but it was our right answer. Five points.
8. GAMES: What US city, and surrounding area, are the setting for the standard Monopoly board? Another long discussion. At first I thought it was NYC, until we started thinking about it. We correctly guessed Atlantic City, but only wagered one point. It would cost us the win.
9. TELEVISION: In the sitcom Friends, what fashion company did Rachel go to work for after losing her job at Bloomingdales? We didn’t know…a three point miss. It was Louis Vitton.
10. ELEMENTS: Name the element for the following Periodic Table abbreviations:
…Li…Lithium
…N…Nitrogen
…Cu…Copper
…Na…Sodium
…P…Phosphorous. Kevin had studied, and Joel knew them too.
At halftime our single three-point miss placed four teams ahead of us, including the Hurts. Two teams had perfect scores. Bama was tied with us.
11. ART: Who designed the famous collection of buildings in Oak Park, Illinois? Having been dragged on a tour during our Chicago trip, I knew the answer: Frank Lloyd Wright. Six points. Even Bama didn’t know.
12. HISTORY: Which gulf lent its name to the Gulf War? The Persian Gulf. Four points.
13. COMIC STRIPS: In the Peanuts comic strip, how much does Lucy charge for advice? Another question that predated my younger teammates. Five cents. Two points.
14. JEWELRY: What two metals form the alloy white gold? Long discussion. Kevin and Joel correctly answered gold and silver. Two points. Wish we had wagered more.
15. MOVIES: What movie gave Julia Roberts the chance to explain to Hugh Grant that “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her"? I couldn’t think. Michael arrived, so we threw the question at him. He thought it was The Proposal. I should’ve thought harder. The Hurts knew: Notting Hill. I’d never seen it, but should’ve known. A crucial four point miss.
16. AMERICA: What state’s official motto is “North to the future”? After thinking for several seconds, it came to me: Alaska. A big six points.
17. ACRONYMS: What does MRI stand for? Kevin knew: Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
18. FOOD & DRINK: Which berry had the highest antioxidant content? Michael was sure it was the Acai, a berry I’d never heard of. He was right. Knowing the last question is always a killer, we wagered four points. Good decision.
19. MUSIC: Who became a major star after dropping out as a backup dancer from a Janet Jackson tour? We didn’t know. I guessed Paula Abdul. The Hurts were the only team to get it right: Jennifer Lopez.
Going into the final question our 62 points were five behind the leaders, Godzilla. The Hurts 66 points were in second, tied with the Gnomes. With 48, Bama had a rough second half.
20. FINAL: According to Billboard magazine, name the world’s top five best selling music artists, based on combined sales of albums, singles, downloads, etc. I started jotting down artists, and came up with a list of twenty. We settled on the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, and Elton John. The second-place Hurts took a younger tack, thinking recent downloads of Katie Perry and Lady GaGa had outsold our legendary guesses. We got four of the top five, missing on Madonna instead of the Stones.
Erin was amazed at the closeness of the scores…
4th…72…the Hurts
3rd…73…Godzilla
2nd…74…us DoorHinges
1st…75…the Gnomes
At least we beat the Hurts.