Panthersville

GSU gave away Pounce bobbleheads at their last home basketball game in March. The game was a sellout, but I didn't learn about it until the day of the game. Supposedly the bobblehead looks nice, but are only about 4" tall. Regular bobbleheads are 6" tall - seems like the dolls the Braves and Gwinnett have been giving out lately have been about 5" tall. You can pay $300.00 for a 36" tall bobblehead. One guy bought a one of a kind special edition 6 foot tall bobblehead that a hockey team had commissioned.

I checked the GSU baseball roster and found one of Will's former teammates: Christian Cook. He was a good player but always skinny. His dad always coached him. Now Christian is a 6'3" 220 pound catcher. I checked the box score of a blowout: 23 players got in the game (including two catchers) but not Christian. He played a few games against Will in high school, and their teams played many of the same opponents. His GSU bio:

AT GEORGIA STATE: Right-handed hitting catcher who adds depth behind the plate ... Joined the program in the fall of 2014 ... Tranferred from Appalachian State, where he spent two years but did not play baseball.

HIGH SCHOOL: All-region catcher at Fellowship Christian High School ... Four-year letterwinner for coach Tom Webb ... Earned second-team all-region honors for his junior and senior seasons ... Set the school's season home run record ... Hit .450 as a junior and .465 as a senior.

PERSONAL: Full name is Christian Richard Cook ... Born Sept. 5, 1993 ... Parents are Greg and Linda Cook.

www.georgiastatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=53505&SPID=5651&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=12700&ATCLID=209873278&Q_SEASON=2014

Directions from I-75 or I-85, get on I-285 East and follow to Flat Shoals/Candler Road (Exit 48). If you get to the I-20 merge, you have gone one exit too far. At Flat Shoals, follow to the first light and take a left onto Panthersville Road. Go about one-half mile past the Georgia Regional Hospital (on the right) and at next traffic light, take a right onto Clifton Springs Road. Georgia Perimeter College will be on your left after you turn. A football stadium will be in the distance with a fenced-in bus parking lot before it. Turn into that parking lot before the stadium and go all the way to the back.

<http://click.tmclient.ticketmaster.com/?qs=ea19087da2ff7e7188ddf1cc3bef241ed6c312ea46091668e36fbb82983751e1af7c6f9db07fee24>

The Braves schedule is built for a team trying to make a last season run to the playoffs, with 35 of the last 56 games at home. The schedule is not conducive for high attendance, however. Over 70% of the home games (57) are when school is in session. Only 24 games are during the high attendance months of June in July. The Braves play more road games than home games in every month of the season except August and September.

Dawgs Roast Hogs

After a rough eight hours in the office Thursday it was nice to blow out and head to Athens for a baseball game. As usual traffic on Pleasant Hill Road was abysmal, but once I got on 316 the speed increased. I cruised at a leisurely 68 MPH and stopped at a bustling RaceTrac in Bogart for a refill of Diet Dr Pepper. Cruised through town instead of taking the bypass, and arrived at Foley Field with plenty of time to spare. Unlike minor league stadiums where gates open a mere hour before game time, UGA opened for baseball two hours early, allowing fans to watch batting and infield practice.

A small que had formed outside the gate. I lined up behind a fellow in a UNC Charlotte cap. This reminded me I had swapped Facebook messages with a bobblehead addict from Charlotte a few months ago who was thinking about drinking down to Athens for the game. I thought it was just talk, but when I broached the question we quickly realized we had once traded bobbles. Matt Campbell and his dad stopped by the Ty Cobb museum on the way down from Kannapolis. We chatted for a while and they watched my backpack when I went out for a second Alex Wood bobblehead at 5:20 pm.

Few fans trickled in the first hour and a half. We noticed  several young men dressed mostly in golf shirts sitting in the stands when we arrived that were most probably major league scouts, and surmised that players were taking BP with wood bats for the benefit of said scouts. I like to where my orange Nike Kevin Durant KD7 sneakers to games but realized how they stand out when I’m exiting and entering the ballpark several times to collect bobbleheads, so for this game I stuck to my bland grey New Balance 993 running shoes, black shorts, light blue Columbia PFG fishing shirt, and Braves cap. At six I went back for a third bobblehead. There was an older gentleman at the box office asking questions that I took to be in his early 80’s. Later he was introduced on the field as a distinguished UGA alumni that had just celebrated his 100th birthday.

During BP the scoreboard took turns showing UGA baseball players who had made it to the pros, including one New York Yankee from the 1930’s. Then the scoreboard would show other famous alumni from other fields, including Alton Brown, Vince Dooley, golfer Russell Henley,  Johnny Isakson, Ernie Johnson Jr, Julie Moran, Jennifer Nettles, Deborah Norville, Jim Powell, REM, Charlie Trippi, Herschel Walker (twice, as a fighter and Heisman winner), Hines Ward, Bubba Watson (above), and most surprisingly: Seinfeld actor Wayne Knight (aka Kramer’s sidekick Newman, below).

Foley Field is a fantastic venue, surrounded by streets running down the first and third base lines, an unseen parking lot beyond the trees lining the leftfield fence, and student bleachers fronting a bannered right field walkway. Beyond the bleachers sit two old houses with nice decks to watch games, as well as a few banners. The grandstand resembles a small minor league stadium, with nice seats, a press box, luxury seats, and premium seats behind the plate. Personable retirees and other volunteers man the gates. The grass field appeared in great condition, manicured by a crew of student managers.  

With another hour before game time I noticed someone had posted three Alex Wood bobbleheads on eBay for $62.00 each. Matt and I agreed that was way too high. I decided to post one for $40.00, and in ten minutes it had sold. I also noticed an Alex Wood bobblehead photo on Facebook taken from the very same seat location as mine – the guy behind me was also in the same bobblehead club! I decided to have some fun and snapped a photo of the same seat location and post it as a comment below his post. Donald Fish from Avondale Estates got a kick out of this, and Matt and I introduced ourselves. The whole episode must’ve freaked out the Donald, because later he moved to a seat behind the plate.

The crowd was finally beginning to thicken, so at 6:45 I couldn’t resist sneaking out for a fourth bobblehead. Instead of sneaking out the third base gate I went out the special pass gate behind home plate. Last week I had bought two $5.00 general admission tickets in advance and the third at the box office with my credit card, so I paid for ticket four with cash. This time I went in the third base gate, which was now more crowded than before. By game time the stadium was about three-quarters full, a nice crowd for Athens considering school had let out the previous week. There were even a decent amount of students, including one hilarious loudmouth whose witty banter could be heard throughout the ballpark.

The game definitely had a college feel, much more so than Tech games I’d attended in the past. The teams and crowds were into the game, and each time a Bulldog scored “Glory to old Georgia” was played. In the top of the first UGA rightfielder Skyler Weber went all out trying to catch a foul pop, hurting his foot to the point he limped the rest of the game. Most of the player’s walk-up music was of the hip hop variety (including Kanye) but pesky second-baseman Trey Logan’s tune was a worship song sung at Passion City. This led to a discussion about walk-up music between Matt and me. When I mentioned the Gwinnett Braves’ backup catcher’s walk-up music for two straight years had been Justin Beiber (and “Never Say Never” at that), Matt asked “You mean Jose Yepes?” Quite a fan, that Matt.

Five UGA players grew up in Marietta, and another in Woodstock. Three graduated from Walton High School. Arkansas had a player from Hawaii. Both teams made risky, un-needed pickoff throws. One skipped past the Arkansas first-baseman for an error and several others required diving catches to prevent further miscues. On another pickoff play at second base the Razorback shortstop did something to warrant the umpire to award the Bulldog baserunner third base. Perhaps a fake tag or extended arguing – not sure. The visiting third–baseman gave way to the shortstop on a grounder in the hole, giving the batter the extra time he needed to beat the throw to first. Later the pitcher made an error, which led to another UGA run. I wish I had kept score – the nice game program handed out was loaded with information and even had a scorecard in the middle. I wish other teams did this.

In the end Georgia prevailed 10-1. Matt and his dad left after the top of the fourth inning for their long drive home. Needing to pick up Matthew in Cumming, I only stuck around long enough to watch UGA bat one more time. The inning went quick, and I actually saw Matt drive off from the parking lot. I stopped by RaceTrac and Wendys on my way out of town. It was only then I realized the adventure had been the perfect antidote for the stressful week I had.

I took 316 to Highway 20, then made most all the lights while passing CoolRay Field and the Mall of Georgia. The tall row of condos going up beyond CoolRay’s right field fence will make for a more urban feel this year. I like it. After one more RaceTrac refill I picked up M at McKinnon’s, a 60 mile trip from Athens. He wanted to make a Burger King run, and we made it the 23 miles home at 11 pm.

Before bed I posted a second Alex Wood bobblehead on eBay – this time for $60.00. The three $62.00 bobbleheads had yet to sell. My $60.00 Alex Wood only took two hours to sell. And during the game I worked out a trade of my fourth Alex Wood for the sweet Luis Tiant bobblehead the Red Sox are giving away. So for $21.00 in tickets, $4.00 at Wendys, and less than half a tank of gas I got two different bobbleheads, two great cheeseburgers, a small Frosty, three RaceTrac refills, $100.00 in my pocket – and a relaxing evening at the ballpark.

New Hawks Unis

The Hawks will have new uniforms this year, and they might be trimmed in lime green like they were back in the Pistol Pete era. Read about it on Uni Watch. The NBA released pictures of the 2015 Christmas Day uniforms and the Hawks had the most bizarre unis of any team. This might be a reflection from what the new unis will look like. I’m glad they’re changing – the current uni is kinda bland. Wish they’d use the old Dominique unis and break out the royal and lime unis from time to time.

On Christmas Day many players will wear special shoes as well – giving a completely different meaning to the old song. As opposed to last year's NBA commercial where the players dribbled a Christmas carol.

Left work yesterday for a meeting at M’s school. Then I took my time getting home, checking email and making work calls and making seven stops: Value Village, Goodwill Roswell, Salvation Army, RaceTrac, the library, Dollar Tree, and Goodwill East Cobb. Didn’t do much last night. Ceil cooked grilled chicken pasta and salad. Watched The Voice, some Cavs/Bulls, GT/UGA, Braves/Reds, old US Open highlights on the Golf Channel, top college football traditions on ESPN Classic, and The Middle on Lifetime. Also Celebrity Jeopardy – Packers QB Aaron Rodgers missed on Final Jeopardy but still beat an astronaut.

Ate at Moxie Burger Wednesday night. I always forget that their BBQ sauce is bad, but at least they don't put too much on it. Moxie is one of the few places that put ordered condiments on both the top and bottom bun, which is nice. The burger and fries are great. Rings are stringy and oily.

On the way over there I found a Dan Uggla bobblehead, giving me another low-value trade bait item. At home I worked Facebook trying to make a trade, and actually pulled off two trades at basically the same time. One of the big wheeler dealers is going to trade me this year's two nicest Brewers bobbleheads: Hank the Ballpark Pup Mother's Day Edition and the talking Bob Uecker as Harry Doyle from the Major League movies. And a kid just starting out his collection is trading me last week's Carlton Fisk bobblehead. The Uecker and Fisk are the two 2015 bobbleheads I want most, so my year is made. Fisk is in the historic pose waving the ball fair after hitting the home run in the World Series.

I also bought a pair of limited edition Ryan Moore True Linkswear Phoenix Open golf shoes. Only 250 pair were made. Last Saturday my brother in law Rusty and I went to the PGA Superstore. The latest golf shoes hardly have spikes at all - they're more like waterproof sneakers. Lots of nice models.    

Yesterday was Matthew's last day of school, so he attended an afternoon party. Today is Anna's last day. M wants to go to Six Flags today after his 9 am doctor's appointment. He is going to concerts on Saturday and Monday. Will had a long day at work Wednesday.

More Cars I Like

Earlier I had listed my very favorite cars. Here is a list of most all the cars that I like, in alphabetical order. My favorite car color is white, but some models look better in black. I favor a black interior to better hide dirt. But I’m not choosy – I’ll take any car, any color – new or used.  

Acura MDX SUV (above)

Acura RDX SUV

BMW hybrid sedan

Chevy Camaro

Chrysler 200 sedan

Dodge Challenger

Dodge Dart

Ford Edge SUV

Honda Accord 2 door coupe

Honda Civic 2 door coupe

Honda CRV SUV

Honda CRZ hybrid

Honda Ridgeline pickup

Hyundai Elantra sedan

Infiniti SUV

Jeep Wrangler 4 door SUV

Kia Optima sedan

Lexus hatchback hybrid

Lexus sedan

Lexus SUV

Mercedes C class sedan

Mercedes SUV

Nissan Leaf

Nissan Maxima sedan

Porshe Macan SUV

Subaru wagon

Telsa 4 door sedan

Toyota Avalon sedan

Toyota Camry sedan

Toyota Highlander hybrid SUV (top)

Toyota Prius hybrid 4 door

Toyota Venza crossover

Vintage VW Beetle convertible

Vintage VW Bus

Vintage VW Carman Ghia

VW Beetle

VW CC sedan (below)

VW Tiguan SUV

Volvo sedan

Volvo SUV

Volvo wagon

Guilty

I reckon Tom Brady is guilty, so he will miss the nationally televised Thursday night season opener against Pittsburgh - but he will have four fewer games of wear and tear on his creaky body when the playoffs roll around. Doesn't seem like his Sportsman of the Year public image will take much of a hit. He has few endorsements, unlike Peyton Manning. The Patriots might not get a first round bye, but they should be able to get past any opponent who barely makes it into the playoffs. How many other teams cheat? The Falcons were guilty of piping in loud noise over the speakers. But in general the NFL works hard to maintain their squeaky clean image.

Photos of Todd Gurley in a lighter blue number 30 Rams jersey suggest St. Louis might be returning to their blue and white Fearsome Foursome uniforms from the late 1960's. There have been other rumors to that effect.

An old boss I had that is now retired that was collecting autographed balls from all the 500 home run club members. And a month or so ago Lang sent me an article about a guy who has the world's largest collection of Sports Illustrated issues autographed by the cover subject. Every week he has a new autograph he has to get. He said it was often hard to track down some of the cover subjects, and some don't want to sign. He said the joy and adventure was in the hunt, and I agree. Otherwise it's easy for a rich person to buy any memorabilia they want. This weekend I found a talking Duck Dynasty Jase Robertson bobblehead and a Braves Hank Aaron 715 HR bobblehead, swelling my collection to 145.

I like skyline photos and have been posting a few to my blog. There used to be a good photo of SPdL with the Buckhead skyline in the background on Google Images, but the last time I looked for it I couldn't find it. There is a good picture of Passion City Church at night all lit up with the Atlanta skyline in the background. Also pictures of Grant Field are great with the downtown skyline in the background. The new downtown ballparks in both Charlotte and Greensboro feature great views. When the new ballpark is built the skyline photos of that location will be fun to see.

Cleveland is heating up and the Hawks are struggling. Not a good combination.

So last Friday with the plane crash the concern was traffic on the way home. We had determined the cause of my car overheating was the radiator fan wasn't turning. I knew Holcomb Bridge would be jammed so I took the more northern Pleasant Hill/Old Milton Parkway. Whenever I hit a red light I turned off the car, but all things considered I made good time and caught more lights than usual. I knew Highway 9 traffic southbound through Roswell would be jammed so I took Kimball Bridge across 400 then cut down to the Westside Parkway all the way across Mansell and Holcomb Bridge to the roundabout, then through downtown Roswell to Oak Street, then Atlanta Street to the square and 120 west home.

Ceil and I cleaned the next hour, then drove up to Matthew's school's year end worship service in Roswell. M's choir sang and we had a gluten free communion. Afterwards we raced home to clean more, then C went to the grocery. M spent the night with several classmates, and Anna was down at a Grace Midtown gathering. At ten I went upstairs and took a nap until Ceil's brother's family arrived at 11 pm.

Saturday morning I met the other party dads at FBC Alpharetta to load up tables and chairs for the party. Then we drove over and set them out at the Hargreaves. Afterwards I picked up M from his sleepover. Anna and her cousins went out to the Hargreaves to decorate, and Ceil drove separately to arrange flowers. Matthew napped and I took Rusty over to the PGA Superstore to look around. Back home we watched the Players Championship.

I was sore on Sunday morning. Anna had to study and M wasn't ready, so Will, Ceil, and her mother left at 9:15 for the 10 am service. I got A and M ready to meet them for lunch at Panera in the Avenue East Cobb. I had a turkey sandwich, but the salads looked good as well. Later I drove M down to PCC. I got caught with a dead phone battery because I wasn't driving my car. After the service M and I hit some thrift stores and ran an errand to Barnes & Noble at Perimeter Mall, the gas station, and Kroger. At one store several men were huddled around the TV's watching Cavs/Bulls. When I left the store I turned on the radio to hear that I had just missed seeing LeBron's game-winning shot. We took my car up to the shop in Roswell around 10:30 pm.

Monday morning Will shadowed at an East Cobb orthopedic practice. M had a test at 10 am. Anna also had an exam. Monday night Ceil baked chicken in a cream of mushroom sauce. Also rice and green beans. Will was out with Joel and Kevin after a round of golf.

Social Event of the Season

Anna’s graduation party was a resounding success. She has been best friends with Emily, Brittany, and Caroline since Eighth Grade, so naturally they had their party together. The girls had attended the same schools, studied together, attended the same churches, and hung out together for the better part of five years. The Hargreaves offered their house for the party. Us four dads have gotten to know each other over the years, and we had fun setting out the ten tables and 40 chairs in the cool Saturday morning breeze. At 4:15 Will drove Matthew out to the party to man the valet party duty, then Anna drove Ceil and cousins Katherine and Jordan out around five. I drove Joan, Rusty, and Kelly to the party, taking the scenic route past Anna and Matthew’s schools, Crabapple, and the Hurt’s house.

After we said our hello’s at the party so many people kept arriving that the small valet parking group was quickly overwhelmed. Will and I helped out along with Caroline’s dad Robert and Emily’s dad Ken. Brittany’s dad Randy directed traffic. Party-goers would drive up the hill to the party, where five of us would drive the cars back down the hill and park the cars out in the field. Then Matthew or Caroline’s younger sister Mary would shuttle us back up the hill in a small four-wheeled tractor vehicle. The cars just kept coming and coming and we worked as fast as we could to keep the cars from backing up. Will would run and jump onto the back of the tractor, but the rest of had to climb up on the wheel. At one point Will told Matthew to keep driving while Will tried to jump on the moving tractor. It didn’t work, and we turned around to see Will on the ground. I didn’t count, but we had to have parked at least 40 cars. While some of the cars were nice, most of the cars driven by students made me feel better about my fleet: several had the check engine light or low coolant light on, and most of the cars were full of trash – a little worse than Anna’s or Will’s. Several had RaceTrac Sodapoolza free refill cups. The plan was to place the keys on top of the windshield wipers. Of course the first car I drove was keyless, but I found the keyfob. I didn’t want a car to get keys locked inside.

Tons of high-schoolers showed up, and a few parents. Joshua arrived nattily attired in a suit and bow tie, with a small gift for Anna along with the classiest note I had ever read. Then the notorious drove up, and I parked her car. Later I told Lily I had wrecked her car, and she believed me for a second. In ninth grade Lily had been part of Anna’s pack – sort of the fifth Beatle - before transferring to Cambridge High in Milton, where she ran cross country and played tennis. I keep reminding people that in ninth grade Lily actually brought a slingshot to school and shot Thomas Gilbert in the head with a rock, sending him to the hospital for stitches. Next year Lily will attend Auburn, with Caroline. Later Lily’s parents showed up. Years ago her mom and I were chaperones on a Living Science Jekyll Island Expedition, and her dad and I had a nice chat.

The delicious BBQ came from a place in Milton called ‘Cue. Beef, chicken, beans, slaw, macaroni and cheese, tea, lemonade, water, and tiny cupcakes with graduation caps on top. I sat with the Millers and told them about the few people I actually knew. Brittany’s mother Krista teaches at Veritas (Anna’s school). She is a leader, like Rusty’s wife Kelly. This made for a funny but awkward moment when Krista was introduced to Kelly, but Krista took three tries to catch Kelly’s name. Krista then complimented Kelly on her Southern accent. Nancy, Noelle, and Reid came, along with Joel and Charles Norman. I introduced budding musician Joel to Emmy-winning composer Reid, and they had a good chat about music. Matthew hung out with Mary and Brittany’s younger sister Bridgette.

Anna and the girls stayed busy chatting with friends. They were delighted that several of their favorite boys showed up. I hadn’t seen the Moran family since our Living Science days. Son Josh will be a senior at Milton High, where as a football player is a college prospect. Here are some of his highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1270075/highlights/174649375/v2  

Noelle wanted to thank the hosts before she left, so I was going to introduce her and Reid to the Hargreaves. We’re all about the same age, all with kids going off to college. Robert took one look at the Halls and said “Now where did ya’ll get married? I went to your wedding.” Turned out Noelle and Trina had several mutual friends. The whole time I was going “Stop it! You don’t know each other. Y’all are all just pulling my leg!” When Noelle got home she pulled out her wedding album and found the Hargreaves in a picture (below, left).

The weather was beautiful and it wasn’t too hot (unless you were parking cars). The sun finally set as the party was winding down. It had been a long day, and Julie Morton – the youngest of the eight parents – said her back was beginning to hurt. Wearing her daughter’s dress and fashionable cowboy boots, Krista said she was also weary. In my best Billy Crystal voice I exclaimed “But you look marvelous!” But I knew what she meant: I was aching all over, and my feet would’ve felt much better in sneakers than the loafers I wore.

As the evening wound down some of the remaining kids headed down to the pool and photo booth, and us parents were able to clean up. As we wearily loaded the tables and chairs back on the trailer Ken gave us some good news: he had forgotten the key to the church so we didn’t have to unload them that night. Will and I made our leave, and not too long thereafter Ceil brought home Anna, Katherine, Jordan, and Matthew.

ALSO: Sunday night I saw Kevin at PCC after the service, and we caught up on things. He had just hit town from Auburn. This summer he’s interning at a factory 45 miles north of Charlotte before returning for his senior year.

Sac Fly: 4 in One Inning

There have been four times in baseball history when a team recorded three sacrifice flies in the same inning. For this to happen an error has to be committed on a fly ball/line drive that in the official scorer’s opinion would have scored the baserunner. Three of these rare occurrences benefitted the Yankees. In 2000 the Bronx Bombers pulled off this feat twice in three weeks.

7.01.1962 White Sox vs Indians 5th Inning

7.29.2000 Yankees vs Tigers 4th Inning

8.19.2000 Yankees vs Angels 3rd Inning

6.24.2005 Yankees vs Mets 2nd Inning

In the August game a most interesting sequence of events took place to allow the three sac flies.

1. Glenallen Hill walked.

2. Tino Martinez doubled to left, advancing Hill to third.

3. Jorge Posada reached second on an error by leftfielder Ron Gant. The former Brave dropped the line drive, allowing Hill to score and Martinez to advance to third. The scorer ruled that Hill would’ve scored even if Gant had caught the ball.

4. Scott Brosius hit a sac fly to left, scoring Martinez.

5. With one out, Bellinger fly out to deep left. Gant thought there were two out and leaned against the wall – allowing the alert Posada (nicknamed “Cinder Block Feet”) to score from second on what was ruled the third sacrifice fly of the inning.

The 2008 Sporting News Record Book reports the record for sacrifice hits in one inning is four, in the 8th inning of a 5.21.1913 game between Pittsburgh and Brooklyn.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/2116

Contrastingly, a pitcher has struck out four batters in one inning 73 times. The feat has been accomplished the past seven straight years, often multiple times. Braves pitchers Craig Kimbrel, Mark Wohlers, Paul Assenmacher, and Phil Niekro have accomplished the feat. Only four Hall of Famers have struck out four batters in one inning: Niekro, Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, and Walter Johnson. Knuckleballers Tim Wakefield and Charlie Hough are on the list. Chuck Finley struck out four batters in one inning three separate times, including twice in one season. Orval Overall is the only pitcher to achieve the feat in the World Series. No account of four strikeouts in one inning between 1916 and 1956 is on record.

As a teenager my son Will once struck out four batters in one inning. Will is the only player in baseball history to strike out four batters in one inning and turn two unassisted triple plays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_pitchers_who_have_struck_out_four_batters_in_one_inning

Five strikeouts in one inning has only happened once (in spring training) and three times in the minors. In 2012 Minnesota high school pitcher Eric Veglahn struck out five batters in one inning. Veglahn went on to pitch college baseball at St. Thomas and once pitched against Emory (he lost).  http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/minnesota-pitcher-sets-record-striking-5-one-inning-172319870.html

End of an Era

Great article on the top ten moments on Letterman’s Late Show. Besides Letterman who do you like? Fallon is hilarious but I like Kimmel as well. I like Jon Stewart but am just so so about Colbert. That Late Night guy is making his mark getting guys like Tom Hanks and Arnold Schwarzenegger to act out every movie they’ve done in one shot. And Conan might inherit the goofy/weird title from Letterman. Fallon does so many funny things, but I’m not a fan of the thank you notes.

Will has been watching Seinfeld every chance he gets. I’ll have to tell him about Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, since Will is a coffee snob. Ceil has me hooked on The Middle, which is a little like my family’s life. Jerry Van Dyke sometimes appears as the father/grandfather, and recently Dick Van Dyke appeared as Jerry’s brother – the uncle everyone liked. Blackish is also funny.

I remembered what I did last Friday night. M and A went to the grocery store for ice cream. Ceil and I went over to our small group friend's house. Their son was taking the daughter of our other small group friends to prom. But we gathered to pray for the daughter's dad, who is leaving on an overseas mission trip to a country that doesn't allow missionaries.

 

Two more days of driving around everywhere on Monday and Tuesday, after what I'd already told you about Saturday and Sunday. Sunday night we took Anna's Jeep back to the shop to make sure it would pass emissions. Monday afternoon I left work at five to pick up the car before six. I paid for the Jeep and got the keys but left it at the shop in Roswell. C had to run to Kroger to cheese to make pizza. A was babysitting. M needed help in math, but waiting until after eating his usual one slice of pizza to get ready to go for math help. That meant his usual 30 minute shower. Math help was of course in Cumming, so I didn't get home until 9:45. On the way back through Roswell I swapped cars: picking up A's Jeep and leaving mine for repair. At ten I watched the David Letterman special, which was great.

Tuesday I drove the Jeep to work. Ceil went to the tag office to switch the title and get a new tag. Then at lunch I drove to east Roswell to meet her and switch tags. Also hit a thrift store and RaceTrac. Left work at 5 again but the traffic had me worried I wouldn't make it to the shop by six. I paid over the phone, and they locked my keys in the car. That meant I had to drive the 5 miles home to get a key. I changed into shorts and Anna drove me back to the shop. Then I had to drive back to Cumming to retrieve Matthew. Stopped by three thrift stores on the way. Found a nice Kennesaw Owl bobblehead. Picked up M and let him get a $5.00 Cinco de Mayo Moes burrito on the way home, so it was 8:45 before we got home. Watched some Braves and Hawks and went to bed at ten.    

Wednesday I was in an Accounts Receivable meeting all day. I’m usually not involved in AR but I knew it was expected of me. It was a working meeting, and since I was away from my phone all day I actually got more of my regular work done than had I been at my desk. Took our customer to the Duluth Diner, where I had a triple layer club sandwich on toasted wheat. Will moved some stuff home from Athens and was shadowing this morning at a medical clinic before returning to Athens for work. Ceil fixed BBQ and cole slaw. Will spent several hours helped Matthew cram for his algebra final.

I trained a new employee on Thursday. She played on Villanova’s water polo team. Tomorrow I have to work on a new customer web portal all day, and attend a 1-1/2 hour all employee meeting. Three straight days not doing my regular job during my customer’s busy season. Meanwhile 450,000 pounds are a month late from the mill, one processing machine is shut down for three months, and another more crucial machine is going down for two weeks.  

Thursday night I blew the driveway and washed the deck furniture, which was filthy. Watched the ESPN 30 for 30 on Mississippi State's Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro. Very good.

This morning the Civic overheated on the way to work and again at lunch. With the plane crash I fear traffic will be bad on the way home. Probably will leave at 4 pm. Co-worker is out today, leaving me with several must-do items. Three other co-workers are also out. Customer also not working, except for the office people.

Right now the house is a mess. When it’s that way it’s hard for me and Ceil to think. Will comes homes and leaves his stuff everywhere, and Anna's room is always a mess. Guess we gotta enjoy them while we can - they'll be gone soon.

Tuesday the Red Sox are giving away Carlton Fisk bobbleheads, where Fisk is waving the home run to stay fair. It will be tough, but I'm trying to swing a deal for one. Fisk will be expensive on eBay. I'm a member of a bobblehead group on Facebook. People are always offering bobbleheads for trade, and you can message them with an offer. It gets busier during the season. Everyone knows when a team is giving away bobbleheads. The Dodgers and Angels give away tons of bobbleheads, so they are the most readily available. Yankee bobbleheads are valuable. Not many Red Sox fans in the group. Since the Braves haven't given any away yet, I really have none to trade. One Red Sox guy wants living Hall of Fame bobbleheads in return, and Gwinnett is giving away Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz this summer, so maybe he'll trade for one of those. Besides Fisk I really want to get a Brewers Bob Uecker, which are being given away in July. 

Anna, Emily, Brittany, and Caroline Hargreaves are having their graduation party Saturday at the Hargreaves. Even Ceil has jumped on the Hawks bandwagon. A girl at work’s husband works in ticket sales for the Hawks. Young guy just out of Auburn. His group has to do things like place T-shirts on all the seats. Uni Watch has been following the big LeBron headband story.

Also a great article on what Dirk Nowitzki does with all his old Nike gear. After last season (2014) the Braves did not extend Fredi’s contract, which expires at the end of this 2015 season. After the Braves won the division in 2013 Fredi’s contract was extended. Too bad the Braves couldn’t have landed Joe Maddon when he was available, though he doesn’t seem buttoned down enough  for the Braves to hire.

A new Sports Illustrated article on Rickie Fowler pointed out he is the most famous one-win player on tour. Talks about how he flies on private jets, 910000 Twitter followers, big contract to wear Puma clothes and shoes, Ryder Cup Team, plays golf at home with Tiger Woods, dates a supermodel, wrecked his $120,000.00 Porsche roadster, has two new Mercedes on order, and missed the cut in New Orleans. Used to mark his ball with Philippians 4:13 and used to attend the Tuesday night Tour Bible Study, but no longer does either.

Meet the Gilberts

We have known Mary-Clayton’s family for several years, going back to at least Will’s ninth grade year. Since then we have been fortunate enough to visit with them several times. Here are a few details that I am pretty sure to be true – though I will not guarantee 100% accuracy.

Doctor daddy Tom grew up in Sandy Springs and graduated from North Springs High School, Furman University, and the Georgia Medical School in Augusta. He is a general surgeon in Cartersville and a big Braves fan who has attended MLB games all around the country. I met Tom and rode with him to the chilly Living Science Zoo Atlanta Overnighter attended by my Anna and his son Thomas. It snowed while we walked around the dark zoo after closing hours.

Mom Regina grew up in Greenville and met Tom at Furman University. I unknowingly followed Regina up Ponce de Leon Avenue to the Fox Theater when I was picking up Will and Holt after they saw Mary-Clayton sing in the ensemble for the Theater of the Stars production of The Sound of Music. Regina was wearing orange sweatpants and looked nothing like a suburban soccer mom. Afterwards we all ate at the Varsity.

Big sister Anna graduated from Living Science in 2010 and Bellhaven University in Mississippi. She is finishing up at Kennesaw State and plans on attending graduate school in Virginia. Anna is an accomplished dancer. She was the first Gilbert family member I met, on Will’s first Living Science Senior Retreat, to Tybee Island when he was in 9th grade.  Anna is one year older than Will.   

Anna’s boyfriend Zack befriended her at Kennesaw State. He graduates this spring and plans on attending graduate school as well. Grew up north of Alpharetta.

Mary-Clayton is the middle child. Graduated in 2012 from Living Science. Was active in 4H and was voted Miss Georgia in the Distinguished Young Women pageant (formerly America’s Junior Miss). I got to know Mary-Clayton on Will’s 10th grade Living Science Senior Retreat to St. George’s Island (or the one to the Kennedy Space Center).  

Little brother Thomas was in Anna’s class years ago at Living Science. He was the famous victim of Lily Neibur’s slingshot attack. Has played baseball and football for Johnson Ferry Christian Academy and is a statewide bigwig at 4H. Thomas will graduate from high school in 2016. Thomas was on a Living Science Spring Expedition to Jekyll Island that I chaperoned.

Grandparents – Tom’s parents live in East Cobb near Parkaire and are longtime members of Johnson Ferry. One year Will and I ate Thanksgiving dinner there on Black Friday and met several other family members.

Midtown uncle – Tom’s younger brother lives near Piedmont Park.

Roswell uncle – Regina’s brother lives off Old Alabama near the big Methodist church.

Athens uncle – Tom’s oldest brother has two college-age children.

South Carolina aunt – Regina’s sister came to Mary-Clayton’s high school graduation.

California uncle – another brother of Tom.

Persecution in America

The United States of America has the right to enact whatever foolhardy laws it wants. It is not bound by the Bible but only by the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and laws previously enacted. You would think lawmakers and supreme court justices would use the Constitution as a guideline when reviewing future laws, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case.

Followers of Christ should not expect non-Christians to follow Biblical principles. Christians should love non-Christians no matter how the non-Christian behaves. Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-45: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.…"

Normally non-Christians are not thought of as the enemy of Christians, but in these times several groups have struck battle positions in opposition to what the Bible states. Christians have become the enemy of non-Christians. Part of the reason is that some Christians have drawn a line in the sand, saying that if you commit this particular sin and live your life in this sin, you are not accepted by our body of believers. Right or wrong, that is the perception the LGBT community has of the church. Since I am no Biblical scholar I will not address whether one sin is worse than another. Other sins like drunkenness, idolatry, gluttony, lying, adultery, and others do not stand out as much in today’s ever-sinful world.

Why is this? For one thing, in their heart people committing those other sins know they are disobeying God’s Word. But for the most part people committing these other sins having banded together as a group and taken a stand against Christians for calling their behavior a sin. Alcoholics Anonymous does not exist to attack those who oppose people who ruin their life and their families lives by drink. AA was created to help people overcome a problem.

The LGBT has drawn their own line in the sand: approve of our lifestyle or we will destroy you. Bake our “wedding” cake or we will not only destroy your business but your personal and private life as well. Why such a harsh, militaristic, unloving stance? What ever happened to respecting other people’s opinions whether you agree with them or not? Muslims believe all homosexuals should be killed, but there’s no outcry from the LGBT community about that. Could it be in part because deep down they feel guilt for living the life they lead? Sure some have been personally condemned by family, friends, or other sinners – some perhaps from a person in a church. But instead of seeing those condemning them as imperfect sinners, the homosexual instead often rejects the One who loves them like no other – the One who loves them despite their flaws and sins, be it drunkenness, anger, lying, hatred, or…

Muslim bakeries have also declined to bake “wedding” cakes for homosexuals - without protest by LGBT groups or penalty by local, state, or federal government. Why? Put the shoe on the other foot. Would a LGBT baker cook a cake iced with a Bible verse calling homosexuality an abomination? If not would the government fine said baker $100,000.00? What’s the difference?

Who is being discriminated against and persecuted? It’s not the homosexuals but the Christians. This should not come as a surprise to the Church. The Bible says that in the end times Christians will be persecuted. Yet my job remains the same: to put God first and others before myself, to love others as Christ first loved me. As the verse says, to pray for those who persecute me.

I may have written similar words before, trying to figure it all out. I am a right and wrong person. It bothers me when someone cuts me off in traffic. Why is it wrong in America for a person to believe and follow what the Bible says? It may be hard, but it is my desire to love and be like Jesus, to obey His commandments, and follow His Word. Even if the world hates and persecutes me for it.

NOTE: Last week friend Andy Whorton had several challenging, loving, Christian responses to a friend's opinion about gay marriage below an article Andy had posted on the subject. I won't reprint his words here, but they are great reading. 

Lookouts Game

Saturday morning Ceil and I did a bunch of cleaning. Loaded my car with two chairs and other things for Goodwill and empty boxes. Moved some chairs around in the living room and straightened up the dining room. Later C took M to play music and run some errands. My back was starting to grow weary.

At 3 pm I headed out to Chattanooga. I’d bought two senior citizen general admission tickets on line. Beautiful day for a drive. Stopped in Dalton for a RaceTrac soda refill and free hot dog. Downtown Chattanooga was crawling with people – they really have a nice setup there with the ballpark next to the children’s museum next to the aquarium and to the river footbridge and next the row of restaurants. Just up the hill are nice rowhouse condos with balconies overlooking the entire scene – plus the sun setting over Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain to the west. After scouting out parking spaces I had time to drive east out 3rd Street past UTC to check out old Engle Stadium, where Ruth and Gehrig were once struck out by a teenage girl. The same place where 9th grade pitcher Will Murphy came within two outs of throwing a no-hitter in a high school tournament (I just had to work that in).

Found a rare free parking space and walked through all the downtown buzz to the ballpark. There was already a line of about 40 people. Checked my phone and discovered two bobblehead buddies were ahead of me in line. The college student behind me was an intern for the Tennessee Smokies minor league team up the road in Sevierville, and a Lookouts intern was in front of me. Finally the gates opened and we went inside. The stadium had about ten rows of seats in front of the walkway, then another 7-8 rows of reserved seats behind it. Then the last ten rows were general admission – even behind the plate. From my vantage point the Smoky Mountains were in the distance behind the outfield fence, with the sun slowly setting behind them. I checked my phone and discovered that my friend Johnny was also at the game. We tracked each other down and had a quick chat.

The visiting Jacksonville Suns got a hit in the top of the first, and the Lookouts erupted for three in the bottom of the inning. That meant I didn’t have to sit around waiting for a no-hitter to be broken up. A small Jacksonville batter turned on a hit and lined it over the bleachers in left field, completely out of the park for a home run. A speedy Lookout that had doubled in the first later tripled on a ball he’d hit into the gap in left field.

With a two hour drive home ahead of me, I made my leave as the fourth inning began. I checked out the street where the home run had been hit. The ball might’ve sailed into the parking lot across the street or rolled down the hill toward the river. Plenty of prom goers milled about outside the building next door. Some for the girls wore almost immodest dresses that didn’t look very fashionable to me. As I climbed the hill to my car I snapped a picture of the scene: downtown, stadium, mountains, and sunset (below).

The drive home was also uneventful. I wasn’t that hungry so the soda refill and free apple fritter at RaceTrac was plenty. Made it home shortly after ten. I’m a cheap date: two tickets, two bobbleheads, two cokes, hot dog, apple fritter, and parking for $6.50 plus about $13.20 in gas.

People Will Come

People attend a specific church for a variety of different reasons. Style of worship is a big determining factor these days. Traditional. Contemporary. Liturgical. People think their way is best, but not all people worship best the same way. Some pick a church with the best music or youth program, or where they like the preacher. Some attend where their kids like to go, or their wife. Some churches (like JFBC) do a better job of building community than others. Some churches are well organized and cater to visitors who may feel uncomfortable in church (North Point). Passion City Church may not build community or be well organized, but the worship and music is unparalleled, and the messages are good. Some churches you can walk into for the first time and feel uncomfortable and out of place, but others make you feel right at home.

An old friend from Tech attends a small country Methodist church east of town, where he plays guitar in the praise band. This week he’s been in Europe, and Sunday he attended Hillsong Church. His report:

Today has been epic. I went to Hillsong church, held in the Dominion Theatre in downtown London. I wanted to see how a well-known contemporary church works. The line for the service stretched around Oxford Street, around the block. I didn't think I'd get in, but the Dominion is where I saw "We Will Rock You," and it's where "Lord of the Dance" is playing in London. Hillsong gets the huge venue for Sundays, and I got in. It was a packed house, and I found out why. Joyce Meyer ...was the guest speaker. They don't do sermons; they have speakers. I know some of my friends love Joyce Meyer while others don't. All I know is that she is a dynamic speaker, theological details aside. The praise band was strong, but they were doing the exact same thing we do each Sunday morning. They were leading worship, driving to the lyrics on large screens, matching their skills to the overall message. If they'd asked, I would like to think I could have filled in on guitar. I liked that. I watched the lead guitarist - who had a pedalboard as big as a carpet - and I learned. And watching them made me know just how strong our praise band is: a band that is playing in Covington at the same time I'm writing this. I learned so much about how they approach worship. It was a massive venue, packed with London Christians and sinners. Several accepted Christ. The theatre was rocking. I sat among black faces, oriental faces, white faces. To my right was a woman from Zambia. Everywhere I looked, I saw youth. I honestly and feverishly looked for old people. I was one of the few. The ages were clustered around the mid-to-late 20s. I kept looking for older people. There was the preacher. There was Joyce Meyer. There was me. On the way out, I saw another grey-haired worshiper, there with her daughter. I think I saw one other person over 50. This was a youth movement, and it was sincere, and London was rocking for Christ. When I attended "We Will Rock You" at the height of its theatrical run, I didn't have to wait in line. I sat on the 2nd row. Today, I was in the balcony, thankful to get into the service, watching a packed house of worship. God has blessed this town. I am blessed and deeply moved to have seen it and experienced a coming revival among the children of God.

Sunday morning Ceil and I went to the 10 am PCC service. Left home shortly after nine. Down at Piedmont and Lindburgh I noticed heavier than usual traffic on Lindburgh. It was 9:35 so I continued south on Piedmont, hoping for a parking spot at PCC. Westbound traffic on Garson was also backed up, so Ceil hopped out of the car, but traffic sat still for minutes and minutes. When I finally rounded the curve I saw the problem: the light was out at Lindburgh and Garson. The cop was doing a terrible job directing traffic, basically only letting one of the four directions go at one time. The shuttle busses couldn’t get back to MARTA to carry the worshippers, so they were walking – creating further delays at the intersection. Westbound Garson cars went straight across Lindburgh past the station, right past Five Guys, right at Dunkin Donuts (merging with cars turning in off Lindburgh), then right into the garage.

Thinking the Gold Club lot was open, I turned right on Lindburgh – but the lot was locked up. Such a fiasco would never happen at Buckhead Church or North Point. Happens all the time at Passion City Church. The cheerful traffic team seemed oblivious. Even though the Gold Club lot was closed, I saved time making a left on Piedmont and left on Lindburgh and right into the garage. My Civic was able to park in an economy car space, saving me even more time. Mary-Clayton’s brother and sister were on my shuttle bus, which I took just to see how long the trip would take back to the church (not long). The traffic had me stressed, yet others around me chatted excitedly, with anticipation.

Made me think of James Earl Jones’ classic speech in Field of Dreams - just substitute Jesus for Baseball.

Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

The crowd was heavier than usual for two reasons: attenders to a weekend conference from over 600 churches had stuck around for the service, and music leader Matt Redman was in town from England. There were as many people worshipping in overflow areas than in the auditorium. Found Ceil by 10:10 am, but after battling traffic for 40 minutes it took me a while to calm down for worship. After the service ended at 11:45  I knew traffic would be bad. We walked the half mile back to the garage. The line of cars exiting funneled back out to the Lindburgh traffic jam, but we made it home in a little less than an hour. Some people attend church and shop for groceries and go the dentist five minutes from home. But not everyone.

Legacy Prom

Sunday afternoon I ate some soup then cleaned out, washed, and armor-alled the CRV. Drove back C and M back down to Buckhead to pick up M’s prom date Massie, whom M knew from Passion Students. A very nice girl.

Snapped some pictures then drove up to northern Roswell past the super Target to where M’s classmates where gathering for prom. More pictures and talking with parents. No fashion disasters like in Chattanooga but there were a couple of neon orange dresses that looked like they were from WalMart.

One boy wore a tux and yellow $150.00 Kevin Durant Nikes – and a matching bowtie. 

Several boys wore shoes like the new ones M wore, so I knew he’d made a good choice.

Pointing, I told a group of girls that if they needed a Kleenex while on the bus that the bus driver had a box.

One senior looks set for a career as a TV news anchorman.

The bus took the kids down to the JCT Kitchen at the Westside Market (near Taqueria del Sol) for dinner and the prom. Later Ceil and Anna went down to pick up M and his date. M had a great time.  

Will says he might get to play baseball this summer with Zack, MC’s sister’s boyfriend.  

Clogs are cool but I have never found a pair I like. Ceil wears clogs all the time. Jim Kiick of the Dolphins used to be my favorite football player and I remember reading that he wore clogs. Nowadays men wear clogs all the time. I do have some slip on Merrell camp shoes, and some Crocs that I do yardwork and wash cars in. This week I found a pair of black leather spikeless adidas golf shoes similar to the ECCO golf shoes worn by Fred Couples. Very comfortable. I wore them to work both Wednesday and Thursday. Friday I broke out my red shoes.

I just learned that while Louie Gigilo was a student at Georgia State in the late 70’s / early 80’s we worked as a clubhouse boy at the Omni in the visitor’s locker room.

Worked past 6:30 Thursday night. Ceil was out with M shopping for prom, so I picked up a Chickfila sandwich on the way home. M got a new suit (that was later returned to the store). They got home at 8 pm with PaPaJohns pizza. Watched some of the Braves, some of the NFL Draft, and then Ceil turned it to the movie 27 Dresses. I kept one eye on the movie while reading and checking email and keeping tabs on the Braves game. Went to bed shortly after ten.

When the NFL Draft came on ESPN and since Tampa had the first pick they showed a video of all the first overall picks they had taken. Many were flops and others didn’t turn out well for them (Bo Jackson, Steve Young, Doug Williams, Vinnie Testaverde). Jameis Winston served crab legs at his draft party, basically thumbing his nose at the authorities. After a series of run-ins with the law and having suffered several minor injuries throughout his career that have hampered his mobility, for a team with a history of futility and making bad draft picks to pick Winston number one overall seems like another bad decision to me. Some compare Marcus Mariota to Aaron Rogers, but even if Mariota wasn’t worth picking number one overall, the Bucs could’ve traded the pick or picked Vic Beasley or someone else.