Sac Fly

I Had a Dream

2012-02-08T14:50:00.002-05:00

Over the years I’ve had a recurring dream about a spacious, little used bathroom/showers/locker room. It is ornate, tiled, and goes on forever…lots of big, open lockers, huge showers, etc. When you go around to the other side, there’s more of everything. But to get there, you had to go deeper and deeper in this dorm/hotel place. Its almost like a maze. Last night a co-worker was in my dream. When they found their bathroom full, we went on a journey to this huge, secret locker room.

In a separate dream, Mark Richt just found out a family member of someone he knew had died. He started crying, and I had to console him. We were standing in a stadium, in the walkway leading from underneath the stands. In my dream, he was chubbier than I’d seen him in the past. He was wearing grey, not red.

Monday night I saw where David Feherty’s Golf Channel show had been taped in Indianapolis. His first guest was Tim Tebow. It was interesting to watch Feherty as he interviewed Tebow. Like Alec Baldwin on the NFL Awards Show, interviewers are fully accepting of Tebow’s faith. Golf was not mentioned. I changed the channel when Joe Thiesman and Steve Mariucci came out. The Feherty show will certainly rerun soon.

In other news, this looks interesting: run a 5K through mud and blood, while being chased by zombies…http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2012/02/07/heres-your-chance-to-be-chased-by-zombies/?cxntlid=thbz_hm Too bad my son has a doubleheader that day.

2012 Super Bowl

2012-02-08T09:16:00.002-05:00

Seemed like a good Super Bowl to me. The Giants were on a roll all the way through the playoffs. Once again the Falcons had to play the eventual Super Bowl winner. People never remember that when they wonder why the got bounced from the playoffs in the first round for two straight years.

The Patriots were good, and did well just to make it to the Super Bowl. I think Brady was hurt more than he let on. I really wasn’t able to pay close attention to the game, of many commercials. Like the Seinfeld/Leno/Acura commercial, the Matthew Broderick/Honda commercial, and a few others.

Bruce Ambrose showed up at halftime, escorting Mary Hubert. They said these days David Hubert spends most of his free time holed up at home. Spent most of the fourth quarter catching up with Bruce. Updated him on all the teenagers in attendance: Will, Joel, Kevin, Haley, Margaret, Matthew, Emily, and the Toholskys. We heard Myra had fallen while walking near Chastain Park.

Watched a good movie earlier Sunday: Next, with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Beil. Friday night Anna got interested in Field of Dreams, which was on at the same time as Eight Men Out.

Saturday night we watched part of the Bob Costas Super Bowl discussion, and then the NFL Awards show hosted by Alec Baldwin, who did a good job. Will cooked breaded chicken, with tater tots.

During the Super Bowl we ate bbq chicken and pork, potato salad, green beans, salad, pigs-in-a-blanket, deviled eggs, three kinds of dip, chocolate cake, chess pie, and brownies. Will made spinach & artichoke dip. Matthew ate lots of ribs. After the game I had to drive from Milton to Peachtree Corners to get Anna.

Not much going on with us this week. Been busy at work. Tuesday I left early to take some clothes to a consignment store…so far it doesn’t seem to be a lucrative venture.

Put three more items on eBay last night: an Odyssey putter, a Dr J 76ers jersey, and a lime green Shareef Hawks jersey. With Wednesday being the big school day, we once again left the TV off last night.

Matthew is looking more like a basketball player. He finally got some baggy shorts, so he looks even skinnier. He practices harder than he ever has, though he needs to build his strength.

February Reading List

2012-02-08T09:07:00.002-05:00

The Twelfth Imam, by Joel C Rosenberg. The first in his second series of prophetic end of times novels.

Mornings on Horseback, by David G McCullough. The story of Teddy Roosevelt’s family. I’ve already learned that Teddy’s mother’s Bulloch family founded Roswell, GA. Mitty’s Tearoom in Roswell is named after her. There was an 1860’s photo of Lincoln’s coffin parading past the Roosevelt NYC house, with young Teddy peering out an upstairs window. As a child, Teddy had severe asthma…like me.

1776, by David McCullough.

Playing for Pizza, by John Grisham. An embattled ex-NFL quarterback finds enjoyment playing football in Italy.

Extreme Measures, by Vince Flynn. The ninth in the counter-terrorism agent Mitch Rapp series of novels.

The Last Patriot, by Brad Thor

I finally finished Plausible Denial, which finally got good at the end. How many Americans know there was an appeals court jury trial where detailed testimony found evidence of a E Howard Hunt led CIA conspiracy…responsible for the assassination of JFK, setting up Lee Harvey Oswald as the patsy, and Jack Ruby’s subsequent murder of Oswald.

Will's 2012 Baseball Schedule

2012-02-06T10:21:00.003-05:00

Feb 25…11:15 at Covenant Christian Academy, Loganville (DH)

Feb 28…4:30 at East Cobb vs. Covenant Christian

March 1…4:00 at East Cobb vs. South Atlanta (DH)

March 3…noon at New Creation School, McDonough (DH)

March 5…4:30 at Mt. Paran vs. Grace Baptist

March 6…4:40 at East Cobb vs. Christian Heritage School (DH)

March 9…3:15 at Tattnall Square Academy, Macon (DH)

March 10…9:00 at Tattnall Square Academy, Macon (DH)

March 16…7:00 at Home Plate Citadels, Peachtree City (game 2)

March 20…4:30 at Grace Baptist School, Hiram

March 23…6:00 at Covenant College, Chattanooga vs. Nashville

March 24…11:00 at Covenant College, Chattanooga vs. Knoxville

March 24...3:00 at Covenant College, Chattanooga vs. Chattanooga

March 27…4:30 at East Cobb vs. Gwinnett Barons (DH)

March 29...2:00 at Mt. Paran vs. New Creation & Nashville (DH)

March 30...4:30 at Mt. Paran vs. Huntsville Falcons

March 31...4:30 at Mt. Paran vs. Carolina Spartans

April 12…1:30 at South Atlanta Knights, Fayetteville GA

April 14…2:30 at Christian Heritage School, Dalton, GA (game 2)

April 17…4:30 at East Cobb vs. Gwinnett Barons (DH)

April 19…4:30 at East Cobb vs. New Creation (DH)

April 21…3:00 at Mt Paran vs. Covenant Christian (DH)

April 24…5:30 at East Cobb vs. South Atlanta (game 2)

April 30 - May 5: Home School World Series, Auburndale FL

Home games played at East Cobb Baseball Complex, on Lee Waters Road in Marietta (just past Kell High School).

Other home games played at Mt Paran Church of God, on Allgood Road in Marietta.

For more information, call me at 404.921.4841

Matthew Scores, But Reds Denied Victory

2012-02-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

Matthew played well, and his Reds led the entire game before losing on the last basket of the game Saturday. In addition to good defense and the strongest rebounding all season, Matthew scored the first basket of the game. He grabbed a loose ball halfway between the foul line and the basket and confidently put up an immediate shot, giving the Reds an early lead.

After Black tied the game at two, the Reds built leads of seven and eight. With the score 20-12 just before the half, Black outscored Red 16-7 to take the game at the end. The winless Black team had lost to the Reds by over forty points a few weeks ago, but the powers that be were determined to get them a win, by hook or by crook. Even though the Blacks suited up nine of their own players, they were also able to recruit two of the best players in the league: the tall twins from the Blue team. Had they not played, the Reds would’ve won easily.

The Reds played without their leading rebounder Chris, who was nursing a foot injury. Leading scorer Ryan hit a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, but spent the rest of the game more focused on making spectacular plays than playing solid basketball. Up only one point late in the game, Ryan turned the ball over while attempting a behind-the-back pass. He missed all four free throws: one was an air ball. Darryl also had a rough game, making only one shot while turning it over numerous times.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Red scored to put the lead at three. Matthew grabbed a rebound, but barely missed the putback. Later he was fouled, but didn’t get to shoot. Both teams played their best five players the last five minutes. The pace was frantic. Down one point, Black was quite aggressive. The referees certainly let the players play, way past the point of mugging, in my opinion. Ryan did not attempt a shot, and the Reds were unable to score.

Matthew played the entire first half, and half of the second.

RED…2…14…14…20…25…25…27…27

BLK….2…..6…10…16…20…23…25…28

Ryan: 16 pts, 10 RB, 8 steals, BLK…7-16, 0-4

Ethan: 4 points, 5 RB, assist…1-4, 0-2

Darryl: 2 points, 7 RB, 5 steals…1-5

Sam: 2 points, 6 RB, steal…1-4

Matthew: 2 points, 5 RB, assist…1-3

Rolf: one point, 5 RB…0-2, 1-2

Tristan: 7 rebounds, assist

Next weekend Matthew will miss his game, while on his church retreat.

In two weeks Ernie Johnson Jr will speak at the awards banquet, as well as at both morning services at Mt Zion UMC.

Nike Dual Fusion

2012-02-04T22:01:00.003-05:00

These are the shoes Will picked out at the Nike Outlet. There were others that looked better, even the same model trimmed in red or blue. Got them by cashing in MyCokeRewards points. Will also got a pair of running shorts.

Feb 2 Trivia: DOORHINGES WIN!

2012-02-03T14:10:00.004-05:00

After a couple of strong trivia showings, I thought we might be due for an off-week. But Joel came bopping in, feeling it was our week to win. The competition looked fierce, with at least five strong teams present. Arriving early, Will hung out at the Bama table. Erin’s questions seemed a bit tougher. All night long our wagering choices put us in binds, and luck certainly played a role.

1. 1990’s: What 1999 Keanu Reeves movie was the first DVD to sell one million copies? The obvious choice was The Matrix. I like to think through options, and briefly considered Speed. With that doubt in our minds, we only wagered three. We were right.

2. MOVIES: Which actress played leading roles in The Other Bolin Sister, Black Swann, and Thor? Usually I start jotting down the question as soon as Erin starts reading it. I often miss part of the question, but know it will be repeated. I had missed the Black Swann part of the question, and was unfamiliar with Bolin and Thor. Michael had immediately answered Natalie Portman. When I heard the entire question, Portman sounded like a good choice. Five points.

3. SCIENCE: What type of scientist studies motion, forces, and energy? Joel immediately knew: A Physicist. One point.

4. POT-POURI: The Zodiac sign Cancer is represented by what animal? I was pretty sure it was the Crab. Will concurred, but didn’t want to wager five. We settled on three.

5. FOOD: In a restaurant, if a dish is served “Florentine”, what does it mean? We didn’t know, and guessed Cream, wagering one point. Becky would’ve surely known, but she was sitting at home. Spinach was the answer. Now the pressure was on: the had to get the next question right, or lose five points.

6. GAMES: In a standard game of darts, what is the single highest score that can be obtained from one throw? Will knew: 60 points.

7. GEOGRAPHY: What is Africa’s most populous country? Joel listed several countries. We went with South Africa. It was Nigeria. Erin said that by 2050 Nigeria will be the fourth most populous country in the world. Who knew? A three point miss.

8. HISTORY: Who was the first U.S. President to be divorced? I knew Reagan was divorced, and thought he was the first. Will only wanted to wager one point. We were right, but once again the pressure was on to answer the five point question correctly.

9. MATHMATICS: How many sides does a Dodecagon have? Michael said twelve, and Will and Joel agreed. I had no idea, but wondered if the “decagon” part meant a multiple of ten. Twelve was right.

10. HALFTIME: Give the official postal abbreviation for the following states: Alaska, Wyoming, Michigan, Iowa, Arizona. We discussed it. I thought Alaska was AL, but went with the other’s AK. I thought they would answer IA for Iowa, but Will wrote IO. Surprisingly, we finished the half just three points out of first. I couldn’t believe Bama was seven points back. Still, I knew those two Iowa points might come back to haunt us.

11. COFFEE: Traditionally, which has the most caffeine: a dark roast or a light roast? Joel immediately knew: Light. Six points.

12. SPORTS: How many inches thick is a regulation NHL hockey puck? That afternoon I was helping a co-worker. Standing at his desk, I picked up the Thrashers hockey puck on his desk. So I knew: One Inch. Will thought it was thicker, but I stuck to my guns. Four points.

13. LAW: Which amendment to the US Constitution protects citizens from unlawful search and seizure? I wasn’t sure, but for some reason the Fourth Amendment sounded right. Joel said he had just read the first five amendments earlier in the day, and knew it wasn’t one of them. So we said Six. It was the Fourth. A two point miss.

14. POT POURI: How many pecks are in a bushel? Joel wondered: Eight? Sixteen? I didn’t know, but thought Four would be a better answer. It was…two points. But now we had the six and four point answers to go.

15. LITERATURE: Who wrote Rip Van Winkle? We didn’t know…a four point miss. Bama cheered: they got it right (Washington Irving). All the more pressure on the next question…a six point miss would put us out of contention.

16. TELEVISION: It in sitcom Roseanne, what is Roseanne’s character’s last name? Joel, Will, and Michael didn’t know, so it was up to me. Though funny, I had only watched a few episodes…and that was years ago. I knew it wasn’t Barr, and Barker didn’t sound right. I thought of big John Goodman: his character was Dan. Sarah Gilbert played one of the daughters. The other daughter was played by several different actresses. Erin’s song played, and I forced myself to think…we really needed this one. It came to me, finally: Connor.

17. ANIMALS: Which US State is nicknamed the Badger state? Will was pretty sure, and I immediately knew: Wisconsin. Knowing the last two questions are usually the hardest, these six points were also big. In addition to Bama, the team next to us contained a former trivia host.

18. AMERICA: What building is pictured on the back of a ten dollar bill? We racked our brains. Joel and Will couldn’t come up with a good answer. Michael took a phone call, and I thought we’d be disqualified. His order of cookies had arrived, and Will and Joel were playfully performing surgery to repair a cookie…with surgical masks and everything. If Andrew Jackson was on the front, I didn’t think it was the Capitol, the White House. Surely not one of the memorials. I suggested the US Treasury building, though it didn’t stand out on my recent trip to Washington. Without another good option, I strongly suggested we go with the Treasury building. Luckily, it was right. Two big points.

19. FAMOUS PEOPLE: Atlanta is one of only two cities in the world to call itself home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. Name them. We all knew: MLK Jr and Jimmy Carter. For big points. before the final question, Erin read off the standings. We kept waiting to hear our name. I was writing down the scores. Bama was near the bottom, with 42 points. We couldn’t believe it: our 61 points put us in first!

20. FINAL: Name the five most populated US cities. With the thirty point bonus for answering in the correct order looming over us, I knew our lead wasn’t safe. We debated which cities, naming several. Michael said his beloved LA was second, though I knew it at least used to be Chicago. I knew Houston was in the top five. Who was fifth? I was pretty sure Philadelphia was bigger than Washington or Boston. Along with NYC, that was the top five. We didn’t get them in order…but Bama did. Joel looked glum, but I hadn’t done the math.

Erin read the results. After reading off the eight bottom teams, only Bama and us were left. Bama 72. DoorHinges 76. We won! As expected, Joel screamed. Will joined him. Joel made a point to hug his three teammates. Embarrassed, I looked around the room, but most of our competitors seemed congratulatory. We posed for a picture, then floated outside. Will and Joel danced in the street, leaping into the air with joy.

Super Bowl Weekend

2012-02-03T14:08:00.002-05:00

Thursday night Will, Joel, Michael, and I won the trivia. I was surprised at how excited W and J were. Michael was the coach’s son on Will’s team, who I’ve mentioned in the past. He auditioned to be a baseball player in the Clint Eastwood/Amy Adams/Justin Timberlake movie that’s set to film here in Atlanta, about an aging baseball scout and his daughter. Said he might even have a speaking role.

The Coley’s babysitter was unavailable, so they dropped off their kids last night. I got to talk to Bryan. Said he hopes to finish his movie in the next month. Can’t re-film that last scene until the actors grow their beards back.

Looking forward to the Super Bowl…the food, commercials, the game, etc.

Saturday M has a game. C is going to a funeral in Augusta, riding with two or three friends. I have some organizing to do. C got the contractor to repair the dining room ceiling…looks good. Her friend from Virginia is coming for a weekend in March.

Will’s first two games are Feb 25 in Lawrenceville. Soon I will post his entire schedule right here.

Mid-Season Report

2012-02-01T14:54:00.003-05:00

Matthew has improved as a basketball player…he’s more aggressive on defense, is more comfortable dribbling, is not hesitant to shoot, and even scored a basket a couple of games ago. Don’t go out of your way, but he plays Saturday afternoons at Mt. Zion UMC on Johnson Ferry at Bishop Lake. Feb 4 @ 2:45, Feb 11 @ 1:30, and Feb 18 @ 2:45. Monday night the coach had him work on his shooting, foul shots and the Mikan drill. The coach keeps it simple, but the team has certainly progressed. They scrimmaged for less than five minutes, and Matthew scored a basket. He also beat everyone running suicides. Must be the shoes.

Things are going ok with Matthew. He almost never misses Passion City…the youth meet a couple of hours before the main service. It’s funny…my other son (18 year old Will) is known as “Matthew’s big brother” there.

Pray that Matthew is able to focus on his schoolwork (especially math). On Tuesdays he goes to a special program that supposed to help with his learning. Its been a blessing for him to be in the program, and hopefully it will continue to help.

Though I miss North Point, it appears my other four family members really like Passion. I feel like I really need to be there as well, worshipping with them.

The Manning jersey sold. I put too low of a minimum price on it. Quadrupled my money, but I’m still learning this whole eBay thing. I have a few basketball items I need to put up next. Lots of baseball stuff, but I’ll at least wait til spring training starts. This weekend I’ll talk to Mary Hurt about Craig’s List…no one bites at what I put up. I can use my iPhone to post new items and repost the ones that don’t sell.

Joseph A Bank also seems to have a lot of sales. Last year I bought a nice Pea Coat, and wore it a few times. I thought I remembered putting it away for the summer, but when I unpacked the winter clothes this fall, I couldn’t find it. A week ago I found the pea coat…hanging in my closet.

Last day of the month, and I spent two hours at the bank, clearing up THEIR problem.

Keeping Up With the Coleys

2012-01-30T17:24:00.003-05:00

Interesting Friday evening. On my way home from work I called Ceil. She said Susan had dropped by for a visit, along with Houston and Haviland. After my ClaIrmont Road focus group ended at five, my route home took me past two Goodwills that I rarely visit. Finally arrived home around 7:30, and got an update from Susan on Bryan’s movie.

You may have seen the Crackerjack trailer I re-posted on Facebook. Foxworthy, the Executive Producer (financial contributor), narrated the short YouTube video. Loved his line “From the people who brought you…nothing you’ve ever seen before.” After watching the trailer, I noticed several other “CJmovie” videos on YouTube, some that show Bryan. Anyone who’s played church softball will be able to identify with this movie…I loved how one team had a cartoon Jesus mascot. From the trailer you can tell that the movie will be nothing like the Fireproof and Courageous movies.

Susan said Bryan grew out his great grey goatee soon after he relocated to Savannah for the shooting, to “channel his inner George Lucas”. He told her he’s not a beard person, and shaved it off as soon as the filming was over. Bryan has been driving Susan crazy at home, re-running ten second bits of the movie, to get the sound or music just right. He submitted Crackerjack for the Sundance Film Festival, but only 150 films were selected from over 11,000 submissions. Bryan hopes to submit it somewhere else, unless he finds a deal to distribute it first. He’s also trying to raise money to re-shoot one key scene.

Anna had been babysitting next door, but after she returned home she played dolls with Haviland. Houston has short hair, and he and Matthew played Legos. Around Christmas they all went down to Disney, Epcot, and Harry Potter World. The Coleys still attend Stonecrest Church, where Bryan still plays Todd in Kidstuf (and in YouTube videos with Houston). Susan said they’re starting a new twelve-week Friday night small group, using Bryan’s movie-watching curriculum. She offered us a place in the group, though I doubt we’ll bite.

After the short chat, I had to leave to take Anna way up to her friend’s house in Milton. She drove, and the fifteen mile trip seemed to take forever, on dark two lane roads the whole way. We took one wrong turn, which made it even longer. Anna is progressing as a driver, but needs lots more practice. Around 8:30 Ceil called to say she was going to Willys with the Coleys. Since I was thirty minutes away, I just went home. Ceil and Matthew didn’t get home until after ten.

Will and Joel went down to a Passion college gathering in Buckhead, attended by over 400 students. He had baseball practice Saturday, and then went to Cartersville.

Saturday Ceil and I cleaned, until it was time for M’s game. He looked good in the navy Nike Hyperdunks that I’d found, though they gave him a blister. Picked up Anna and Brittany, and we redboxed Russell Crowe’s “The Next Three Days”…pretty good.

Sunday I placed some things for sale on Craig’s List, though I’m having more luck on eBay. Passion City Church was good, though I hate the traffic. We also ran by IKEA. Today they’re painting the kitchen, and installing the knobs and lights. Lots of co-workers are on Linked In, so last night I spent time updating my profile.

MLB BP: Top Ten Reasons to Go Early

2012-01-30T13:54:00.003-05:00

Most years I do good to make it to five Braves games, so I try to make each Turner Field trip an event. Instead of arriving late to a game that I may have to leave early, I’d much rather go early for batting practice.

Why do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

10. Avoid rush hour traffic. Plus you get the pick of parking spaces.

9. Fun chatting in the dollar ticket line with other true fans. The stories are always interesting, and educational.

8. Ushers don’t run out of the promotional giveaway items. Be sure to bring a bag to carry them home.

7. Its relaxing to sit in outfield stands, watching batting practice, listening to the music. Bring a snack to munch on.

6. The chance to chat with players shagging flies in the outfield. They’re much more cordial before the game, as long as you’re not screaming for them to throw you a ball.

5. The thrill of catching a BP home run. Bringing a glove helps, and there’s something about watching a game with a baseball glove on your hand that just seems right. Better yet, keep score.

4. Plenty of time to sign up as a Designated Driver. The old lady is a big fan, and has been manning the booth for years. Plus you get a free Coke, and a cool bracelet.

3. Take the long way around the stadium to your seats. People-watch, and see what’s going on. Check out the pregame radio show, with Lemke, Mazzone, and Buck. Pound fists with Crazy Darryl.

2. Extra time to spend with your son/daughter/wife/friend. Snack some more, and fill out the lineups on the scorecard.

1. Never miss ceremonial first pitch and national anthem. Often you’ll hear another interesting, heart-wrenching story.

My goal is stick around at least through the seventh-inning stretch, if not the entire game. I would never leave if a pitcher had a no-hitter going. Sticking around after the game can be fun, if there’s a postgame concert, fireworks, or kids run the bases. A postgame swing by the Varsity is always memorable, but these days the Varsity closes at eleven…often putting a damper of a postgame chili dog.

Matthew's Reds Beat Celtics

2012-01-30T08:41:00.003-05:00

Matthew played another good, aggressive game, and his Reds beat the Celtics 40-26 this past Saturday. Wearing his new Nikes, Matthew grabbed four rebounds, had an assist, and missed the only shot he took.

The Reds scored the first six points of the game, but were then outscored 8-2 by the Celtics. Then the Reds went on a 12-2 run of their own. Just after halftime the Reds built their lead to fourteen points. The teams swapped baskets the rest of the way.

R…14…26…33…40

C…10…14…20…26

Ryan: 16 pts, 3 RB, 6 steals, 6-16, 3-4

Chris: 15 pts, 17 RB, 2 S, 2 A, BLK, 7-14, 1-2

Darryl: 5 pts, 5 RB, 2 steals, 2-9, 1-1

Rolf: 4 points, 7 rebounds, block, 2-7

Sam: 7 rebounds, 3 steals, assist, 0-12

Matthew: 4 rebounds, assist, 0-1

Ethan: 2 rebounds, assist, 0-5

Blondie: 0-2

Nike Hyperdunk 2010

2012-01-28T21:31:00.004-05:00

First Matthew outgrew his Air Jordans. Then he didn't like the grey zip-up Nike running shoes. He was content wearing his grey velour Nike high-tops, with orange laces and swooshes, even though they made him look even skinnier.

Then Friday night I found a great pair of navy 2010 Hyperdunks, size 8-1/2. Matthew readily wore them in his Saturday game, and looked great. He did say he got a blister on his achilles, but hopefully he'll wear these for his last four games.

January 26 Trivia

2012-01-27T09:00:00.004-05:00

Team Doorhinges has another strong showing this week, finishing third out of ten teams. We answered 16 of the first 17 questions correctly…though two other teams did at least as well. Joel and Will broke away from Charles’ birthday celebration, but we’ve lost Kevin to soccer. This week he missed no Disney questions.

COLOR: How many colors are in a rainbow? Joel was pretty sure it was SEVEN. Three points.

SPORTS: The world’s largest one day sporting event is held in Indiana. What is it? Hoping it wasn’t the Super Bowl, I said the INDIANAPOLIS 500. Five points.

GEOGRAPHY: The US and Canada share the world’s largest body of fresh water. What is it? I knew: LAKE SUPERIOS. One point.

MOVIES: What world-famous movie was set in Georgia in the 1860’s? My third straight answer: GONE WITH THE WIND. Five points.

NATURE: A RED SNAPPER is what kind of animal? After a discussion, Joel answered a FISH. One point.

GAMES: In Scrabble, how many points are given as a bonus for using all seven letters? Joel jotted down ten…or twenty…or FIFTY. I confirmed the correct answer. Three points.

AMERICA: Erin spoke it like G. W. Bush. Which state capital is nicknamed the “Mile High City?” Both Joel and I knew: DENVER. Five points.

FAMOUS PEOPLE: Which actress played a leading role in The Stepmom, Dead Men Walking, and Rocky Horror? Will and Joel looked to me. I didn’t remember the name of the Jennifer Lopez movie where Jane Fonda played the Monster in Law, and had never heard of her being in Rocky Horror. I would never have thought of SUSAN SARANDON. A one point miss.

COFFEE: “Land of a Thousand Hills” is the nickname for what African Country? Joel immediately knew: RWANDA.

HALFTIME: Name the state of these capital cities: Lansing, Helena, Harrisburg, Dover, and Frankfurt. Joel immediately answered: Michigan, Montana, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Kentucky. We were just one point behind three teams with perfect scores: Bama, the Puritans, and My Couch Pulls Out. Will and Joel were beginning to pay more attention to their ongoing paper football game than the trivia. One time I had to remind them to turn in an answer.

LITERATURE: Which American author wrote Tender Is the Night, The Last Tycoon, and The Great Gatsby? Joel knew: F. SCOTT FITZGERALD. Six points.

GEORGIA: In Warm Springs, what US President built the “Little White House”? I knew: FDR. Four points.

SCIENCE: What does an ornithologist study? I knew: BIRDS. Two points.

HISTORY: Who led the Spanish army to victory over the Aztecs? Joel wasn't sure. I doodled “Bolivar” and Joel said no. Next I wrote “CORTEZ” and Joel said yes. Four points.

POETRY (Erin’s favorite category): How many lines are in each verse of a limerick? Joel almost answered four, but at the last second Will talked him into the right answer: FIVE. Two points. I busied myself writing a limerick. Another team turned one in first, using the same first line as me. A third team’s limerick was more like a haiku. Mine garnered scattered chuckles…

There once was a girl named Erin

Whose trivia was far from over-bearin’

Some questions are hard…

…one was about the Bard.

By the end of the night I’m usually swearin’

I was surprised that neither Erin nor Joel knew Shakespeare’s nickname. Perhaps I should’ve mentioned her red cowboy boots, or turned in the Pelican limerick (a favorite of Joel’s dad)…

An amazing bird is the pelican.

His bill and hold more than his belly can.

Food for a week he can hold in his beak

but I’m damned if I know how the hell he can!

When Erin mentioned a funny answer: “An octopus doesn’t have a heart”, it gave me a chance to add in my joke: “Well, the octopus that just broke up with ME sure didn’t have a heart!” Joel was the only one to laugh. Good kid.

OUTER SPACE: Which planet is closest in size to our moon? We discussed it a little, after making sure Will and Joel knew the question was moon, not earth. We guessed correctly: MERCURY. Six Points. Two teams were still perfect: Bama and My Couch.

ANIMALS: How many hearts does an octopus have? As soon as Erin asked the question, I looked at Joel and blurted out: “You should know…you dissected one!” I thought of another joke, but stayed quiet while the boys thought. Joel thought five, but Will answered THREE. Had Kevin been there, we might’ve felt strongly enough to wager six points. Instead we wagered two. In the end, it didn’t matter.

1990’s: In the TV show “Clarissa Explains It All”, what term of endearment does Clarissa’s dad Michael, an architect, call his daughter? We had no idea. SPORT was the answer. A four point miss. Fortunately, no other team knew, either.

FAMOUS PEOPLE: According to the book “Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness” how many nose jobs did Michael have? I guessed five. It was six. A six point miss. Going into the final question, we were two points behind the two leading teams.

FINAL: Name the five most widely spoken languages…based on how many countries that have declared that language its official language. During our discussion, Joel went with two of my suggestions: Afrikaans and Arabic. He had to leave out French, which worried Will. We got four of five correct, adding twelve points to our total. In order: ENGLISH, FRENCH, ARABIC, SPANISH, and PORTUGESE. Our 72 points placed us third. Bama won again.

Between questions Erin featured music from Georgia artists; James Brown, Otis Redding, Usher, the Black Crowes, Outcast, Elton John, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, Montreal, John Mayer, the B-52’s, the Allman Brothers, and others. But no REM. Probably before her time.

Contemporary Worship?

2012-01-26T13:10:00.006-05:00

Church praise singers often make me feel uncomfortable. It often looks like THEY are uncomfortable, especially when they’re in their 40’s and 50’s, dressed in kakis and singing songs they’re not totally familiar with. If a church is trying to appeal to people in their 20’s and 30’s (and younger), the praise band should be comprised of people in that age group. I always think those praise bands were formed by a church committee.

At Passion Church it seems like song-leader Chris Tomlin is making eye contact with everyone in the room. When the singing begins, at first I might not be completely focused on singing, or the words of the song. Then I look up and Tomlin appears to be looking at me, singing and smiling. And I’m sitting a third of the way back, on the side. After that I’m more focused on the worship.

I'm sure having familiar singers leading worship is a comfort for regular attenders. Some churches focus on visitors, and other churches focus on regular attenders. These days I'm more of a seeker church guy.

Pigs-in-blankets: they had them at the UAB reception Sunday afternoon at “The Club.” They were overcooked: the one I ate was tough. They also had other typical reception food: chicken nuggets, fried cheese balls, little pimento cheese sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and brownies. Coffee and lemonade to drink. I didn’t eat much, but others were loading up their plates.

On the drive home Sunday we listened to the end of the Pats game. Lang found a good article absolving the Ravens kicker from much blame, as the play clock was running down. Later it appeared on Yahoo. Watched the second half of the Giants/Niners. It was a great game. I was thinking it would take something dramatic, like a fumble, to win the game.

Monday Matthew had his first appointment with orthodontist Jerry Capps. Will and Matthew had practice: baseball and basketball. M’s team lost last Saturday. Ceil said Matthew played well…two shots rolled in, then out. M’s 12-14 year-old basketball practice: The star was checking his cell phone DURING the practice. Neither the coach or his dad said anything. Boys were bouncing and spinning balls while the coach was talking, obviously not paying attention. During the scrimmage the better players wouldn’t pass…they were doing things they’d never do in the game…fouling, illegally pressing in the backcourt, stepping out of bounds, etc. Then the coach gave them doughnuts after practice! Everyone took two, leaving none for the coach.

Hopefully in the long run Tech can get players to play hard against all teams, and not just Duke. Some of it is coaching, but you need players who want to play hard. Some college players seem to only play hard when they want. Kind of like on Matthew’s team.

Not much going on. Tuesday night I ran after work, stopped by Kroger, ate hot dogs, baked beans, and slaw. Watched some of Obama’s speech, then watched a good episode of White Collar.

Watched more of the Hawks Tuesday night than I have all year. Teague does seem to be the difference. Saturday Heinrich was swapping tweets with Lang, I noticed.

My Jobs Through The Years

2012-01-25T08:15:00.004-05:00

2008 - 2012 Sales Team Leader: responsible for one of Ryerson’s largest national accounts, coordinating production and product movement at numerous internal and external fabricators.

2000 - 2007 Ryerson Fabrication Specialist: developed/enhanced Work Order system, trained entire SE Division, monitored sales, troubleshooted problems.

1997 - 1999 TMP Scheduling Manager: supervised scheduling for entire plant, decreased lead times, increased customer satisfaction.

1994 - 1996 TMP Quality Manager/Auditor: first Tull district to achieve ISO 9000 certification, conducted internal audits.

1991 - 1993 AS400 System Trainer: converted Atlanta, Greensboro, and Little Rock processing divisions.

1987 - 1990 Tull Metals Processing Inside Sales (handled Westinghouse, etc)

1983 - 1986 Sepco Inside Sales: handled large contract accounts (DuPont, Georgia Power)

Alabama Birmingham

2012-01-23T08:44:00.003-05:00

Good trip to Birmingham, except for the wet ride over and back. Will interviewed for two different Honors Programs at UAB. His first interview wasn’t until 3:20 pm Central Time, so we didn’t leave home until after noon. Will felt one student in the first Experiential Learning interview (his first option, the one Kara is in) asked odd questions. Others he talked to agreed. Will thought the second interview went much better.

After dropping off Will, I stayed parked next to the building and watched the crowd disperse from the basketball game at nearby Bartow Arena, while reading my book and snacking on Cheerios. Later I bought a drink and drove past the baseball field. There were people in the stands, so I checked out the action: a baseball clinic for high-schoolers.

After the interviews Will was a little discouraged, and very hungry. We drove in the general direction of the hotel. We headed toward Flip Burger at The Summit, a tony shopping center on a hill. Traffic was jammed with shoppers trying to be cool. I took a turn that inadvertently exited me from the shopping center. We looped around and returned to my first choice: Blackwells, which turned out to be a pub / sportsbar. I had a chicken salad salad, and Will’s pimento-cheese burger looked above average. Afterward we crashed at the hotel. The Courtyard worked out fine, though the bed was too soft (for me) and the lobby coffee was bad (Will).

Sunday morning after stopping by McDonalds we attended the nearby Church at Brook Hills. Will had heard its pastor, David Platt, speak last year at the 2011 Passion Conference. We sat with three of Kara’s friends. Afterward we met Kara and two of the friends for lunch at the UAB dining hall. Not surprisingly, college hasn’t changed Kara. In addition to making straight A’s, she’s active in RUF. She stills doles out the occasional high-five.

Next was the president’s reception for UAB Scholarship Recipients, at “The Club”, a private joint on the mountain overlooking UAB and downtown Birmingham…not far from the Vulcan statue. Unfortunately, the great view was obscured by the overcast conditions. The Club was a pretty big place, and it was filled with students, parents, and faculty. The Honors Program’s Admissions Director knew Will, based on his friendships with Kara and our family friend Jordan Stephenson, who used to work in UAB admissions. We saw a family that had attended the Church at Brook Hills. A different mom asked Will about his homeschool experience: she had heard Will talking before yesterday’s interviews. We had a nice chat with them. The UAB president spoke, then introduced UAB’s first Rhodes Scholar, a young man who also works for Teach for America.

On the way back to Atlanta we stopped at the Nike Outlet, and Will finally cashed in my Coke Rewards certificate for new running shoes. By the time we got back on the interstate it was raining, which made for a fun drive home.

Jan 19th Trivia

2012-01-20T11:29:00.002-05:00

Another crowded night at Land of a Thousand Hills Thursday night, with twelve teams competing. I sat next to Joel, and across from Kevin, Will, Michael, and Jon. We answered 13 of the first 14 questions correctly, and tied for the halftime lead. Had I not gotten the one question wrong, we would’ve led by ourselves. In the end, it didn’t matter.

MATH: How many EDGES does a cube have? Joel immediately scribbled an answer and prepared to hand it to Trivia-Master Erin, but Kevin quickly stopped him. After a short discussion, we answered correctly: TWELVE. Five points.

FOOD: Dave Thomas founded what national restaurant chain? WENDYS. Jon asked me how I knew. “I’m old!” Actually, Dave used to star in his own commercials, and I heard him speak at a graduation. Three points.

RADIO: Who retired in 2009 after hosting “American Top Forty” for 39 years? The team looked to me, and I answered Dick Clark. It was CASEY KASEM. My co-workers all knew. At least we only missed out on one point.

GEORGIA: What famous hiking trail has its southern end in Georgia? We all knew: The Appalachian Trail. Five Points.

MOVIES: In the movie “Walk the Line” (one of Erin’s favorites), Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon portrayed what two country music singers? I knew: Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Three points.

LITERATURE: What two fictional boy detectives lived in the fictional town of Bayport? THE HARDY BOYS. Will, Michael, and Jon knew, having read the series. They submitted their first names, but didn’t receive extra credit. One point.

RECREATION: A swimming pool must have a minimum of how many lanes to be considered Olympic-sized? We guessed correctly: EIGHT. One point.

COMIC STRIPS: The fictional characters Mom, Dad, Peter, Paige, and Jason Fox are featured in what comic strip? Joel knew: FOXTROT. Five points.

AMERICA: Which state has the largest Native American population? Several were suggested, and we went with my vote: OKLAHOMA. Three points.

HALFTIME: Name the state capitals. Joel studied, and didn’t need help: Alaska (Juneau), Arizona (Phoenix), Connecticut (Hartford), Vermont (Montpelier), Wisconsin (Madison). Ten points. It was longtime employee Lizzie’s 21st birthday, so we all joined in to sing.

TELEVISION: What cable channel appropriately has its headquarters in downtown Nashville? Kevin was the first to say: CMT. Four points.

GEOGRAPHY: What US state’s capitol is closest to the equator? Joel started drawing a map of the United States. By then I knew he was off the mark. While writing the Expedition Skit, I researched the Galapagos Islands. This helped me deduce the correct answer: HONOLULU. Six points.

COFFEE: What country is said to be where coffee was discovered? Joel knew: it was ETHIOPIA. Erin said it’s also where humans first lived. Two points.

ART: St. Petersburg Florida has a museum dedicated to what off-the-wall Spanish artist? After licking his chops when the category was announced, noted Facebook artist Michael didn’t know. We guessed Rafael. It was Dali. A two point miss.

HISTORY: At 42, what man became the youngest US President? An interesting question. Last week Erin asked which President was the youngest to die. The question didn’t say “elected” but it didn’t stop me from immediately responding JFK. Erin did require the first and last name, which should’ve been a hint. It was TEDDY ROOSEVELT. Just the day before I checked out a book on him, but it was too late. A six point miss. Bama knew, but they had already faded from the leaders.

POLITICS: According to American criminal law, what is the minimum number of people required to be considered a riot? We said two. It was three. A four point miss, and Joel was reeling.

TOYS: What type of dolls was so popular in 1983 that some sold for over $100.00? Having stood in line for hours to get the original, hand-made “Little People” dolls autographed by their creator, artist Xavier Roberts, I knew: CABBAGE PATCH DOLLS. Four points.

SPORTS: The largest football stadium in the US seats 109,998. What state is it in? I didn’t hear Kevin mention Tennessee, and I knew two stadiums had gone back and forth for the most. We went with my answer: MICHIGAN. Six points.

ACRONYMS: What does EPCOT stand for? Another Disney question that Kevin didn’t know. Only one team did. Erin read all the amusing answers, saving mine for last: Erin Plays Crazy Old Tunes. Actually, it’s the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. A two point miss. Going into the final question, our 58 second-place points put us seven behind the leaders, the Hustlers.

FINAL: Name the four largest world religions, with a bonus for putting them in order. After a discussion, Joel submitted the right answer: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The Hustlers also got it right, so we finished in second.

What I Do (at Work)

2012-01-20T09:20:00.003-05:00

As the leader of my customer’s sales pod, my job is to ensure parts flow smoothly through all the levels of the material chain: from the mill to the customer’s production line. My customer is one of my company's largest accounts. I direct two co-workers, and work with several others to facilitate the process. What follows are the details of what I do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

Requisition raw material master coils from Nucor Charleston & Decatur. A once or twice a month chore, where I determine need based on current inventory and customer forecast. There are 18 different master coil variations that make over 250 different parts: different thicknesses, chemistries, and widths. At the beginning of February I will order coils to arrive in March. As needed, I also order five or so smaller-use sizes from other vendors.

Maintain a buffer stock of finished parts at our partner fabricators. About once a week I compile an inventory for each of the seven main vendors who fabricate parts, and more than five smaller vendors. When needed, I direct fabricators to ship parts to painters. Often these smaller partner vendors are great at making a part, but not so great at coordinating customer orders. That’s our job.

When the supply of a part falls under a designated minimum level, I initiate an internal production work order to cut the specific raw material to make more. Several parts can be cut at the same time, from the same master coil. The trick is to only cut needed sizes. These orders usually take about a week to cut, package, and ship. Other material involves two or more production processes, and require more advance planning. Some coils are stored and processed off-site; these must be handled separately, and require more hands-on attention. These work orders are also used as a vendor purchase order and a way to receive finished parts.

My company stores about a week’s worth of each part in our customer’s Augusta plant, handing over needed parts one container at a time. Our workers there are on the go all day, and they call on me and my group to trouble-shoot any problems they have. They attend plant meetings, and are the first to learn about production changes. We relay this information to our partner fabricators.

Every day my team member advises each partner vendor which replenishment parts need to deliver to our Augusta storage area. I review each day’s releases to make sure no part level has dropped dangerously low, perhaps due to a customer surge in production. In some cases it is necessary to coordinate an immediate same-day delivery. Based on various logistics, some hot-shot shipments are easier than others. Each hot shipment requires numerous phone calls to the customer, our workers, the vendor, and the freight carrier…all along the way.

I also communicate with the customer regarding forecasts, new parts, problems, and other matters. Some issues are relayed to our fabricators, and others involve my coworkers in quality, sales, purchasing, accounting, credit, or pricing. At month end I compile the total shipments and issue a steel surcharge invoice. Since this surcharge is over a hundred thousand dollars (and audited by the customer), this is a task I do not delegate.

Management expects overall inventory levels to remain low: this too is my responsibility. Since I took over these duties, I have been able to cut overall inventory in half: a drop of over three million dollars. Aged, slow-moving inventory is also tracked: these levels have also dropped, even though the customer requires us to stock slow-moving parts.

Most prices stay in effect the entire year. Some change quarterly, and others are priced by order. I am involved in the quarterly and annual pricing meetings, and when prices change it is my responsibility to make sure all current orders invoice correctly. I also make sure each part is costed correctly. If a cost is too low, large dollar variances are created. These variances show up in the pile of open work in process orders. I must make sure older work order dollars are balanced and closed out…another monthly task.

My previous position was to train and maintain the entire Southeast on these work orders. In addition to Georgia, our Atlanta office is now responsible for Florida and Tennessee. I still try to keep an eye on the various work order accounts. There are advantages to this, as sometimes favorable cost variances can be found and used for the betterment of the organization. Knowing this, my boss sends special projects my way, saying they need to be “weaseled”. Likewise, I am the Southeast’s go-to guy for work order questions and problem-solving.

When the Chattanooga contract accounts were recently transferred down to my fellow Atlanta contract sales group members, the number of training and logistical questions I’ve received increased. Fortunately a great deal of these came during my customer’s holiday shutdown, so I had the time. As usual, there’s never enough time to get everything done.

Selling on eBay: Finally

2012-01-19T16:51:00.002-05:00

My goal this year is to start selling off stuff that I buy at thrift stores. Last week I sold a Tim Tebow Florida jersey, and this week I sold a Eli Manning Giants jersey. I have a Peyton Manning 2009 Pro Bowl jersey up for sale right now. I need to sell ten items per month. I’ll try to sell whatever sport is in season. This way I can continue trolling thrift stores.

Tuesday night after baseball practice Will spoke at the Living Science parents meeting. Normally they don’t ask alumni to speak, but I suppose they needed a shot in the arm. I took Anna to Target. While we were out, we gassed up the van, and stopped by Kroger for PB&J.

Things got crazy at work around four Wednesday, but I eventually got everything straightened out. Booked a room at the Courtyard in Birmingham for Saturday night. Stopped by the library, Kroger, Sears, and the Dollar Store on the way home. I read, while everyone watched American Idol and Toddlers & Tiaras.

Looks like I’m taking Will to Birmingham this weekend. He has interviews and a reception at UAB. There’s some church he wants to go to…he heard the pastor speak last summer.

Have you seen the new Braves jersey? I heard it first from Lang. It’s similar to the 1966 jersey, the Braves first year in Atlanta. No tomahawk, with just black trim down the front and around the shoulders. Cream colored, though they’ll wear them with white pants L. Names similar to the current white jersey. Instead they should go without names, or wear the huge red names they sported earlier in the 60’s.

Unfortunately, the Braves will continue to wear the red jersey on Sunday. They’ll also wear navy on the road, randomly alternating with the grey jersey. Kevin was not aware, since I had yet to blog about it!

…I hate those nosebleed seats at Phillips.

…At the library I picked up “Playing for Pizza” by Grisham, and a book on Teddy Roosevelt.

…An older baseball fan/writer named Dan Schlossberg friended me on Facebook. Lives in New York.

Jan 5th Trivia

2012-01-19T16:40:00.003-05:00

January 5^th Trivia, with Will, Joel, Kevin, and Matthew...

LITERATURE: In the original Brothers Grimm, whose tongue was cut off? We didn’t know. ARIEL.

GEORGIA…gave the world three famous soul singers: James Brown, Little Richard, and someone sitting on the dock of the bay. Being from Macon, I knew it was Otis Redding. Five points.

LANGUAGES: What name meaning “perfect place” actually means “no place” in Greek? Joel knew: Utopia. Three points.

MYTHOLOGY: What did the Romans call the Greek god Odysseus? No idea (Ulysses).

ANIMALS: What type of bird is capable of diving 900 feet under water? An emperor penguin. Five points.

GRAMMAR: What is the word for a string of words that sound alike? Joel knew: ALLITERATION. Three points.

MEDICINE: Among Americans, what is the most common blood type? Kevin & Joel thought AB Negative, but it was O Positive. A three point miss.

CURRENT EVENTS: Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was the governor of what state? I knew: Massachusetts. Five points.

HISTORY: What 1863 battle saw 50,000 men die in three days? GETTYSBURG. One point.

HALFTIME: Name the capitals. Iraq (Bagdad), Canada (Ottawa), Costa Rica (San Jose), Scotland (Edinborough), Haiti (Port ou Prince). Thanks to Kevin, we got them all. We finished the half in 5th place (out of eleven teams), just three points behind the leaders: Rumbleroars Army.

GEOMETRY: What is a polygon with four unequal sides called? Kevin thought rumbas, but it was a quadrilateral. A six point miss.

RADIO: In 1993 which country created the first gay radio station? I guessed Sweden, but it was Melbourne Australia. A two point miss, but no one got the question right.

1990’s: What 1991 movie did brad Pitt appear in for only 14 minutes? We didn’t know. THEMLA & LOUISE. A four point miss.

DISNEY: How many of the seven dwarfs had beards? I should’ve taken over and answered six, but Joel answered four. Kevin should’ve known! A four point miss, for the fourth straight incorrect answer.

MOVIES: What children’s book did Forrest Gump keep in his suitcase? I knew: CURIOUS GEORGE. Six points.

FOOD: What ingredient is mixed with white sugar to make brown sugar? Many joked dirt. Joel correctly guessed: MOLASSES. Most got it right. Two points for us.

SPORTS: What college football team won four of the first five Fiesta Bowls? Many incorrectly guessed the University of Arizona. I was the only one to know the right answer: Arizona State. Joel cheered loudly. Four points.

RELIGION: What holy place are followers of Islam duty bound to visit at least once in their lives? MECCA. Six points.

COFFEE: Which has a higher caffeine content: Arabica or Robusta? Joel correctly answered Robusta. it’s because it grows at a higher altitude, where the bugs can’t attack…so it can grow longer. Two points. We had 52 points going into the final question, in fourth place…seven points behind the leading Family Feuders.

FINAL: Name the five most commonly used letters in the English language. because of family Feud, Joel answered R,S, T, L, and E. We got T and E, and missed on A, I, and O. Vowels are the most common, since there is only five of them, and they’re in every word. Most did well, but no one got them all.

We finished tied for sixth...kinda disappointing. The nice older lady (my age) won: team Family Feud.

This was the week a cool guy was seated at the next table: long dark hair, stubble, black shirt…and brown shoes. it confirmed my co-worker Dan’s fashion choice, which had been ridiculed by Thomas.

More Braves Uni-Tweaks

2012-01-18T11:43:00.002-05:00

I’ve got to look up the emails of Frank Wren and others in the Braves brain-trust, and offer small / minor / “needed” uniform revisions. Here’s my list:

1. Cream-colored pants to match the new jersey.

2. No names on the new cream jerseys…

…or use the early-60’s huge red letters.

3. Add the smaller front numbers on every color jersey.

4. Striped stirrups (with every uniform)

5. Only wear the navy jersey once per road series (at most).

6. Wear “Braves” on the road, instead of “Atlanta”

7. Retire the Sunday tomahawk caps.

8. Retire the red jerseys.

The navy jersey isn’t that bad, but the grey looks better.

The solid navy road caps are great.

Numbers on the front, and huge names on back, are baseball traditions, and Braves traditions.

Hypocrites

2012-01-16T17:08:00.003-05:00

Know how people say they don’t go to church because it’s full of hypocrites?

Sunday Louie said that whenever he hears that he immediately THINKS: “Well, you must not go to the grocery store, either”.

It was pretty quiet when he said it, and I was the first to laugh…kind of loud. He went on to list several places frequented by hypocrites: offices, gyms, even bathrooms. “In bathrooms there are two manufacturers: Koehler or American Standard. Two companies. Who made them? Hypocrites. Who are on the board of directors? What are you going to do?

Earlier Louie had read the dictionary definition of a hypocrite: “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.” At some point, EVERYONE acts in contradiction to their beliefs. Obviously, everyone is a hypocrite.

Louie usually SAYS “I agree…you’re absolutely right. And I’m one of them.”

I do understand where people are coming from when they give the hypocrite line. Many churches, and church people, aren’t much fun to be around. As Louie later said (and I agree), we are thankful to attend a rowdy church. Where you might hear someone accidentally cuss…someone who’s recently come into grace. Where a homeless person worships next to a CEO.

The grocery store line just caught me as funny.

Will's Essay

2012-01-16T15:47:00.003-05:00

My enthusiasm for leadership and service sets me apart. A unique contributing factor is that I have never attended a traditional five day-a-week school. Home schooling has provided me with a well-rounded education that encourages leadership and service in my daily activities. It is this symbiotic relationship between home schooling and my leadership and service experiences that have stimulated my high school career, and is what sets me apart in this program.

My elementary years were enriched by a plethora of educational experiences, such as visits to museums, historical and recreational sites, and participation in art, science, and historical activities. These all proved beneficial and memorable, as I was able to see and experience the places I was studying, and actively engage in the learning process.

When I reached middle-school age my parents enrolled me in a non-traditional, once-a-week educational program that continued the emphasis on experiential learning, called Living Science. As its name suggests, the goal was to bring science to life. This was accomplished via labs and research that inspired students to learn about science by doing, and not merely memorizing.

Living Science took annual science trips to Jekyll Island, Georgia. As a sixth grader I recall being amazed at what I was able to see and grasp, through the studies and research we conducted. We collected water and soil samples, studied specimens in and around the ocean, and recorded indigenous birds and trees. Over the course of several years, we were able to do comparison studies using the data we had collected. We learned scientific method and procedures, and we created reports and graphs based on the data.

At an early age I developed enthusiasm for learning and sharing my knowledge. I was lead to serve on the Servant Leader Team in 10th grade, to plan and implement the same week-long science trips that had such an impact on my life. Very few sophomores are chosen as Team Leaders. My responsibilities included managing each of the three annual science trips, teaching the students, and overseeing enrichment activities. Serving three years on the team was a huge responsibility that proved extremely beneficial. This developed my leadership ability and basic understanding of scientific research. As a result, I now aspire to apply these lessons to pursue an undergraduate degree in biology, attend medical school, and strive to become a general surgeon.

In addition to leadership within academic programs, I have also had the opportunity to lead and serve through several extracurricular activities. At Camp Highland in Ellijay I was the summer’s youngest counselor. For four years I led small groups at church, as well as other independent middle-school groups. The varsity baseball team named me team captain both my junior and senior seasons.

My diverse leadership experiences, passion for service, and hands-on education have uniquely prepared me for the challenges of college, and a career in medicine. This is what sets me apart from other applicants.

Matthew Scores! Reds Win

2012-01-16T09:21:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ethan…4 points, 3 rebounds, steal, assist

Matthew…2 points, rebound, 3 steals

Sam…2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Tristan…9 rebounds, 2 steals, assist

Rolf…2 rebounds

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

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

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

Matthew's Jan 7th Game

2012-01-16T07:59:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

Ryan…12 points, 5 rebounds, 8 steals

Chris…10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals

Blondie…2 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals

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

Darryl…2 points, 3 rebounds, steal

Rolf…2 points, 3 rebounds, block

Ethan…2 points, 2 rebounds, assist

Matthew…rebound, steal, assist

2012-01-15T22:28:00.002-05:00

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

2012-01-13T22:39:00.006-05:00

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

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

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

2012-01-13T22:25:00.003-05:00

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

Anna with BFF's Brittany and Emily.

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

Land of a Thousand Hills

2012-01-13T14:54:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

Chuck Oliver: Be Real!

2012-01-13T14:51:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seemed like before Christmas Andy also mentioned the equipment.

Jan 12 Trivia

2012-01-13T09:13:00.004-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Big Checks Are Always Good

2012-01-11T16:47:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anna, a Horse, & Matthew

2012-01-07T21:45:00.005-05:00

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

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

January Reading List

2012-01-05T16:45:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011 Auto Recap

2012-01-05T15:56:00.004-05:00

26,093 miles driven in the Civic

16,961 miles driven in the MPV

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$2300.29 total cost of gas, Civic

$2467.51 partial cost of gas, MPV

$4767.80 partial cost of gas, both cars

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34.7 MPG Civic, combined city and highway.

71.5 miles driven per day, Civic

46.5 miles driven per day, MPV

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$3.072/gallon: cost of gas, Civic

$3.508/gallon: cost of gas, MPV

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

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

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

Birmingham (Civic)…340 miles

Jefferson (Civic) 7 trips…2400 miles

Jefferson (MPV) 2 trips…1200 miles

Macon (Civic) 4 trips…800 miles

Macon (MPV) 2 trips…400 miles

Myrtle Beach (MPV)…1100 miles

Washington DC (Civic)…1900 miles

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

New Years

2012-01-03T15:35:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tech & UGA Bowl Losses: Same Story

2012-01-03T15:32:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

College Bowl Picks: Part 2

2012-01-03T15:19:00.004-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ball Ground

2011-12-29T17:16:00.001-05:00

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

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

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

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

The Funnies

2011-12-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas

2011-12-27T14:46:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aaron Murray < Andrew Luck

2011-12-24T13:01:00.001-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

Connor and Goliath

2011-12-23T21:55:00.006-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Student of the Week!

2011-12-21T15:30:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

Miami Marlins: Contenders or Pretenders?

2011-12-19T17:02:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NBA Top 500 By The Numbers

2011-12-19T11:18:00.003-05:00

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

0. Orlando Woolridge, Gilbert Arenas

00. Robert Parish, Kevin Duckworth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy, Dick McGuire

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

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

17. John Havlicek, Chris Mullen, Kenny Sears

18. Dave Cowens, Bailey Howell, Lou Hudson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

26.

27. Joe Caldwell

28. Quinn Buckner

29.

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

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

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

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

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

35. Paul Silas, Larry Kenon, Darrell Griffith

36. Shaq (Celtics), Lloyd Neal

37.

38.

39.

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

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

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

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

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

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

46.

47.

48.

49.

50. David Robinson, Ralph Sampson, Corey Maggette

52. Buck Williams, Terry Dischinger, Happy Hairston

53. Darryl Dawkins, Mark Eaton, James Edwards

54. Horace Grant, Luke Jackson

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

99. George Mikan

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

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

Golf

2011-12-18T21:10:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will: 41
Me: 46

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

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

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

When It Rains...

2011-12-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another Damned Christmas Letter!

2011-12-16T16:21:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winning?

2011-12-15T14:06:00.002-05:00

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

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

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

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

Comparison: Braun vs. Fielder

2011-12-15T10:01:00.002-05:00

Late Saturday afternoon I saw contract details on the ESPN crawl, then they said they’d be back with news on Ryan Braun.

Knowing free agent Prince Fielder would be signing with another team, I decided to compared the stats of the two Brewer sluggers (RBI & HR totals for the last five years).

PL…RBI…..HR…AVG..OBP..SLG..OPS

RB…531…161…312…371…563…933

PF…565…200…282…390…540…929

Both had excellent 2011 seasons…

PL....RBI…HR…AVG..OBP..SLG..OPS

RB…111…33…332…397…597…944

PF…120…38…299…415…566…981

Milwaukee’s reasons for keeping Braun and letting Fielder go:

…Prince’s next contract will be too high.

…Prince’s massive body seems more likely to break down than Braun’s.

…Braun’s batting average and slugging percentage were higher.

…Braun’s OPS comparable to Fielder.

…Braun’s HR, RBI, and OBP nearly equal to Fielder.

How does Braun’s HGH suspension muddy the Milwaukee waters? It remains to be seen whether Braun can post such significant numbers without the use of banned substances. His 50 game suspension, coupled with the loss of Fielder, quite possibly has already taken the Brewers out of the 2012 pennant race. The signing of Aramis Ramirez will help, but its more likely that the magic is gone.

Durn 23 Year Warranty

2011-12-14T16:32:00.002-05:00

For lunch Tuesday I brought leftover chicken and rice. Instead of dirtying up a Tupperware dish, I just brought the casserole dish to work. After lunch I put it under my desk. When it was time to go home I picked it up with one hand, but dropped it before I could set it on my desk. It shattered. Since my desk is in the center of the office, everyone’s eyes were on me. The dish was one of the few remaining everyday dishes we had received as wedding presents, over 24 years ago.

Last night we had spaghetti and salad for dinner. Afterwards I helped edit Anna’s paper on The Odyssey.

We are off two days for Christmas and two days for New Years. Hopefully I will be here at work every other weekday. Interestingly, Matthew’s regular Monday basketball practice is scheduled for Jan 2, during the Fiesta Bowl.

College Bowl Picks: Part One

2011-12-13T13:35:00.006-05:00

New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque)…Wyoming wins the battle of two 8-4 teams. Temple is favored, but has to travel too far. Dec 17.

Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise)…similarly, Utah State (7-5) beats Ohio (9-4) on the blue turf. Dec 17.

New Orleans Bowl (Superdome): Having faced superior competition, San Diego State bests fellow 8-4 team Louisiana Lafayette. Dec 17.

Beef O”Bradys Bowl (St. Petersburg): Local school Florida International (8-4) beats faraway Marshall (6-6). Dec 20.

Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego): TCU (10-2) beats Louisiana Tech (8-4). Dec 21.

Maaco Bowl (Las Vegas): Boise State (11-1) trounces 6-6 Arizona State. Dec 22.

Hawaii Bowl (Aloha Stadium): Southern Miss (11-2) loses their coach, but still beats 7-5 Nevada on Christmas Eve.

Independence Bowl (Shreveport): Missouri beats North Carolina. Both enter the game with 7-5 records. Dec 26.

Little Caesars Bowl (Detroit): Nearby Western Michigan (7-5) upsets 6-6 Purdue on Dec 27.

Belk Bowl (Charlotte): In a matchup of two 7-5 teams, NC State beats Louisville on Dec 27.

Military Bowl (Washington): Air Force (7-5) fought to be in this bowl. They’ll upset 8-4 Toledo on Dec 28.

Holiday Bowl (San Diego): Two 7-5 teams. Texas doesn’t want to be there, and Cal gladly supplies the upset. Dec 28.

Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando): Notre Dame beats a fellow 8-4 team, FSU. Dec 29.

Alamo Bowl (Hawaii): In Heisman Trophy winner RGIII’s swan song, 9-3 Baylor beats 7-5 Washington. Dec 29.

Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas): BYU (8-3) handles Tulsa (8-4). Dec 30.

Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium): Rutgers (8-4) crosses the river and takes care of 6-6 Iowa State. Dec 30.

Music City Bowl (Nashville): In a battle of 6-6 teams, Mississippi State outlasts Wake Forest. Dec 30.

Insight Bowl (Tempe): Oklahoma (9-3) narrowly fights off 7-5 Iowa’s upset bid. Dec 30.

Who's The Best?

2011-12-13T13:34:00.003-05:00

SLAM ran a special issue on Who's The Best. In addition to the magazine’s picks, I’ve added my pick, along with Reid’s…

Magic Johnson vs. LeBron James...Magic won more championships. LeBron is more talented. Reid: Magic. SLAM - Magic

Isiah Thomas vs. Chris Paul…Isiah won more championships, but Chris Paul is LOADS more talented. Reid: Paul. SLAM-Thomas

Kareem Abdul-Jabar vs. Hakeem Olajuwon…Kareem: more results (points/rebounds), and championships. Reid: Olajuwon. SLAM - Jabbar.

Larry Bird vs. Dick Nowitzki…Larry…greater will to win. Played through injuries, won more championships. Reid: Bird. SLAM-Bird

Elgin Baylor vs. Julius Erving…Dr J. Baylor had a better supporting cast. Reid: Erving. SLAM-Erving.

Patrick Ewing vs. Yao Ming…Ewing was a more complete player, played longer, won more. Reid: Ewing. SLAM - Ewing

Wilt Chamberlain vs. Shaquille O'Neal…Wilt had less competition. Neither was a good foul shooter. Tough call. I’ll say Shaq. Reid: Wilt. SLAM – Wilt.

John Stockton vs. Deron Williams…Stockton did it over the long haul. Can Deron? Reid: Stockton. SLAM – Stockton.

Oscar Robinson vs. Jason Kidd…Kidd has played long enough to make this comparison valid. The Big O had more results. Reid: Robertson. SLAM-Robertson.

Bill Russell vs. Dwight Howard…based on championships, it’s Russell. Dwight has more talent & potential. Reid: Russell. SLAM – Russell.

Karl Malone vs. Amare Stoudemire…Malone, based on results and longevity. Reid: Malone. SLAM – Stoudimire.

Jerry West vs. Dwayne Wade…this one may be closer than it looks on the surface. Both had help to win championships. I still pick West. Reid: West. SLAM – West.

Allen Iverson vs. Derrick Rose…Rose. The talent level is close, and Iverson’s attitude could bring down the team. Reid: Rose. SLAM – Rose.

Scottie Pippen vs. Kevin Durant…Scottie is one of the all-time greats, but he faltered without MJ. One day soon Durant could be ranked up there with MJ, even above LeBron. Reid: Pipp. SLAM – Pipp.

Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant…close, perhaps. MJ was better at elevating his teammates. Kobe tries to do it all himself. Reid: Jordan. SLAM – Jordan.

'86 Celtics vs. '00 Lakers…Boston’s team play outduels the Shaq/Kobe combo. Reid: 86Celtics. SLAM - 86Celtics.

'89 Pistons vs. '03 Spurs…Spurs rise above Detroit’s physical play. Reid: 89Pistons. SLAM - 89Pistons.

'65 Celtics vs. '83 Sixers…Philly is too athletic for Russell and Havlicek. Reid: 65Celtics. SLAM - 83Sixers.

'70 Knicks vs. '87 Lakers…LA overwhelms Willis Reed & Co. Reid: LA. SLAM – LA.

'72 Lakers vs. '96 Bulls…MJ & Scottie too athletic for LA. Reid: Bulls. SLAM – Bulls.

Second Place

2011-12-13T13:18:00.002-05:00

Sunday Will came in second in his 2-1/2 mile road race at Rock Eagle, with a time of 15:17. It was his fastest race ever, averaging just over six minute miles. In the girl’s race, Mary-Clayton finished fifth. Shortly after arriving at the 4-H retreat, Will sat down for lunch and noticed the guy next to him was wearing a letter-jacket. On closer inspection, the jacket read “cross country state champion.” That night several boys in Will’s cabin spoke of running cross country.

Ceil’s mom had gall-stone surgery Friday, but was able to go home Saturday. Her dad is doing better, but usually patients having that back surgery stay in the hospital for at least two weeks. Ceil said the new GPS was invaluable. She returned Sunday evening.

Anna spent the weekend studying. She and Matthew rented the final Harry Potter and Monte Carlo, a Disney movie. Friday afternoon I had started feeling sick, so I spent the evening one the couch. Saturday morning I cleaned up upstairs, then did laundry. After Matthew’s game we stocked up at Trader Joes. I watched RGIII win the Heisman Trophy, then “The Marinovich Project” on ESPN.

Sunday I tool M and A to NP. They had a cute little middle school rock band play several Christmas songs before the service. After a study session M and A went to the 3 pm Christmas Party down at Passion. I read the first 45 pages of a JFK Assassination book (the CIA did it) before the Passion service. Will and MC arrived late, after missing a turn on the interstate.

FaceTime

2011-12-13T11:10:00.002-05:00

Monday night supper was chicken and beef burritos, with Trader Joes corn chile salsa.

After supper Anna went off to study. Before Ceil got up, she started checking the “FaceTime” option on her iPod. Push the Facetime button, and it’s like a video phone call. Matthew took his iPad upstairs. First Will grabbed my iPhone and connected with Ceil. Then he got on Ceil’s computer, and connected up. Ceil connected with Anna’s iPad. M connected with me, then Will got connected on his laptop.

Yesterday Ceil’s mom was home recovering from her surgery, and she was able to FaceTime chat with Ceil’s dad, still in the hospital. Looks like he will be going home this Friday.

Bowl Match-Ups: The Good & Bad

2011-12-12T17:17:00.004-05:00

The BCS is solely designed to match the top two teams in the championship game. After that, the BSC bowls draft teams, with consideration for conference commitments and (more importantly) ticket sales. Matching two highly ranked teams is of secondary importance.

The best match-ups, based on lowest BSC rank and total number of wins, is somewhat surprising:

24…BCS (3) LSU vs Alabama

22…Fiesta (7) Oklahoma State vs Stanford

22…Rose (15) Oregon vs Wisconsin

20…Cotton (18) Arkansas vs Kansas State

20…Outback (20) Georgia vs Michigan State

21…Sugar (30) Michigan vs Virginia Tech

19…Capital One (31) South Carolina vs Nebraska

19…Orange (37) Clemson vs West Virginia

21…Ticket City (44) Houston vs Penn State

20…GoDaddy.com: Northern Illinois vs Arkansas State

The only other post-New Year’s game is the Gator Bowl, which managed an attractive matchup based on Urban Meyer: the former Gator coach freshly hired by the Buckeyes. This overshadows the mundane 6-6 record of each team. Three other bowls match six-win teams: Meineke, Fight Hunger, and Music City. In addition to these eight six-win teams, another five bowl teams managed only six wins: Vandy, Iowa State, Purdue, Arizona State, and Marshall.

12…Gator: Florida vs Ohio State

12…Music City: Wake Forest vs Mississippi State

The Chickfila Bowl’s magical run of highly ranked matchups ended this year. Often thought of as the best non-BCS and/or non-New Years Bowl, the CFA lost out on highly ranked teams from both its conference affiliates. UGA headed to sunny Florida. SC was last year’s SEC representative. Arkansas opted for the Cotton Bowl, who secured higher-ranked teams than two BCS teams. With its move to Jerry-World, the Cotton Bowl has positioned itself as the front-runner as the next BCS bowl in-waiting.

No New Years Eve Bowl is fielding a ranked team, though six earlier bowls landed one. Ten pre-New Years Eve bowls have win totals higher than the five December 31 bowl games. UCLA managed a New Years Eve bowl bid, despite having a losing record.

15…Chickfila: Virginia vs Auburn

15…Sun: Georgia Tech vs Utah

14…Liberty: Vandy vs Cincinnati

12…Meineke: Northwestern vs Texas A&M

12…Fight Hunger: UCLA vs Illinois

Trivia Night # 3

2011-12-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

Will and I arrived at Land of a Thousand Hills close to the starting time this past Thursday to find the place packed: there were a record ten teams competing. Soon thereafter the front door opened, and in walked Joel…followed by Becky, Charles, and Willis. Surely this week we would have a competitive team. We at least had to beat “The Foxy Four”…a team of young Pope High coeds.

1. Which star of Grease had a career revival with the movie Pulp Fiction? This one I knew right off the bat: John Travolta. Five points.

2. Narcolepsy is a sudden attack of? Joel immediately knew this answer…SLEEP. He remembered the YouTube videos of goats. Three points.

3. In British slang, what does “knackered” mean? During our discussion, Willis thought it meant “tired.” He was OK with my answer: Drunk. Willis was right. Zero points.

4. What instrument of torture had a hinged instrument of spikes? We really didn’t know the names of many torture devises, except “cat’o nine tails.” I remembered the joke from the movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and suggested Iron Maiden…and was right! Alas, we’d only wagered one point.

5. On Sunscreen, what does SPF stand for? I thought Becky’s incorrect answer was submitted, but somehow we were credited with five points. Sun Protection Factor (not Skin).

6. In what city did Jim Morrison die? I knew it was in Europe, so we guessed London. It was PARIS.

7. In what country are the most divers attacked by sharks? We used Willis’ answer: Australia. During our discussion I wondered if the obvious answer was correct. I was…the USA was the correct answer.

8. Coffee is the second most traded commodity. What is the first? Joel thought it was Rice. Wrong! it was OIL. Afterwards Becky said that was her answer.

9. What Georgia college has the world’s largest campus? Willis’ face brightened. “Bryan!” he exclaimed. Joel and I knew what he meant: BERRY. Five points. After getting 4 of the first 5 correct, we missed three of the next four. Amazingly, we finished the first half in second place.

Halftime Question: Name the capitals…

...Spain…Madrid (right)

...Turkey…Ankara (we said Istanbul)

...Peru…Lima (right)

...India…New Delhi (we said Bombay)

...Kenya…Nairobi (right)

10. Which month’s birthstone is Opal? We tried to eliminate as many months as we could, but we didn’t guess OCTOBER.

11. The Fresh Prince of Bellaire: what was his butler’s name? Will and Joel both knew: JEFFREY. Six points.

12. What year was the Nintendo Wii introduced? 2006. Our guess was one year off.

13. What was the first US city to operate a subway? We narrowed it down to New York and Washington. During the discussion, I wondered if it could be Boston. We answered NYC. It was Boston.

14. What singer from the 70’s changed his name to Yusef Islam? We had no idea. It was Cat Stevens.

15. Cashmere comes from what animal? We guessed Sheep. It was Goat.

16. Dinger, a purple triceratops, is the mascot for which MLB team? Will was pretty sure it was the Colorado Rockies, and it was. Six points.

17. Which country has more active volcanoes than any other? Willis knew: Indonesia. Two points.

18. What person has won the most Academy Awards? Streep? Newman? Hepburn? No, no, no. WALT DISNEY. Despite missing 6 of the 9 second round questions, we were still tied for third. Emcee Erin must like Joel or Will.

Final Question: According to the FDA, what were the five most consumed raw fruits in 2011? Avocado is one of the five. We guessed Apple and Banana (both right). We missed on Cantaloupe and Grapefruit.

Dr Spacetime won, with 68 points. The Grindelows also aced the final question, taking second with 65 points. Our 50 placed us fourth. We beat six teams, including the Foxy Four, who managed 19 points.

Matthew's Season Opener

2011-12-12T08:23:00.002-05:00

Saturday afternoon Matthew’s Red team lost their first game of the season. M did well, gabbing six rebounds.

The opposing Blue team took the first shot of the game, and Matthew got the first rebound of the season. The Blues had their two best players on the court, two boys that Will had scrimmaged Monday night, while M’s Red team was practicing. The Blue boys kept stealing the ball, and quickly ran up a 12-0 score after the first five minutes.

The game’s momentum turned after the subs came in when the Honey Badger, the Reds point guard, took control. He and Big Chris quickly staged a 14-0 run, giving the Reds the lead at the end of the first quarter.

Matthew started and played the entire second quarter. He grabbed two rebounds and barely missed a shot. Mixing up their lineup, the Blues only scored a single basket before subbing out halfway through the quarter. The Honey Badger again rallied the Reds, who outscored the Blues 4-2, leaving the score tied at the half. Doing his part, M grabbed another rebound.

The Reds weren’t able to keep pace, as the Blues went on runs of 8-0 and 4-2 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter the Reds outscored the Blues 10-9, making the final score a respectable 39-30. Matthew grabbed a rebound in both the third and fourth quarter, giving him six for the game.

QTR…….1………..H………..3………...F

R…..0…14…14…18…18…20…27…30

B…12…12…16…18…26…30…38…39

Chris’s mom kept score, and was concerned that the referees had called the game one way. It appeared to me that neither team was called for many fouls. One Blues player camped out in the lane, but three seconds wasn’t called until the fourth quarter. Chris was one of few players whistled with a foul, but only one, as far as I can remember. I enjoyed chatting with Chris’ grandfather, who had grown up playing basketball in Indiana.

Matthew’s Marine sergeant coach broke out a red USMC cap to match the jerseys. Older than me, he wore the cap backwards. Due to the Christmas break, the next game isn’t until January 7th.

The Reds, in order of contribution:

Honey Badger…took too many outside shots in second half.

Big Chris…dominated inside, but often stayed outside.

Young Kobe…helped with the ballhanding

Smiling Jack…made one basket, and several steals

Blondie…took several shots

Matthew…played more than HB or Chris

Little Joe…moved well without the ball

Manchurian Candidate…several turnovers

Life With the Normans

2011-12-09T15:17:00.004-05:00

Went to trivia Thursday night, and Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee was packed. Ten teams. Somehow we came in fourth. Our team was large, with Will and four Normans: Joel, Charles, Willis, and Becky. Willis graduates from Toccoa Falls College this spring.

Ceil drove to Rock Hill Friday, for her mom’s gallstone surgery. Used the new GPS. Hope she can return Sunday, or I may miss part of Monday. M is spending the day at the Normans, being tutored by Becky.

Will is leaving to spend the weekend at Rock Eagle, at a 4H retreat. This morning he practiced with Charles’ home-school basketball team.

We rented a movie...the last Harry Potter. M’s first basketball game is Saturday. He also has schoolwork to complete.

My Heisman Vote

2011-12-09T15:02:00.002-05:00

How I would vote for the Heisman Trophy:

1. Stanford QB: Andrew Luck: Should’ve won the award last year. Had a fine 2011 season. Besides highlights, I watched most of his game against Oregon. Last year he passed up being a top NFL pick to return for his senior year, which scores points in my book.

2. Baylor QB Robert Griffin III: Exciting. Excellent student. Set the NCAA record for passing efficiency. Also averaged over 70 yards per game rushing. Elevated his team, both on and off the field. Also a world class track athlete. I watched bits of a couple of Baylor games, including Texas. A very close second.

3. Alabama RB Trent Richardson: the most talented RB in the nation, but just another cog in the Crimson Tide machine. Another junior. I saw him in action against LSU and Auburn.

4. Boise State QB Kellen Moore: A senior, Moore has compiled one great season after another, despite being slight of stature.

5. LSU DB/KR Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu: Only a sophomore, his nickname has undoubtedly helped elevate his status as an elite defensive player. I watched LSU’s games against Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia.

6. Wisconsin RB Montee Ball: great stats, first as a sophomore sharing the load, then this year as the featured back. Along with transfer QB Russell Wilson, he led the Badgers to the Rose Bowl. Racked up the Midwest vote to become a finalist as a junior. Should be a leading candidate again next year.

7. Houston QB Case Keenum: great body of work, though he mostly played against lesser competition. Offensive system helped pad his stats. I watched some of Houston’s loss to Southern Miss.

8. OK State QB Brandon Weeden: as the record-breaking QB of a high profile program, the redshirt senior couldn’t quite lead the Cowboys to the big roundup. I watched the fateful loss to Iowa State.

9. Michigan QB Denard “Shoelace” Robinson: The junior was so good that his new head coach eventually tailored the system for him. I watched several Michigan games, including Notre Dame and Ohio State.

10. USC QB Matt Barkley: Junior. Good student. Devout Christian. Played at Andrew Luck’s level this year. Its gotten harder and harder to succeed in the position he’s in. I saw some of the Stanford game.

I didn’t do tons of research, actually I did no research at all. I’d be the first one to say that the player’s year should not matter: while their “body of work” still matters, the Heisman should go to the player having the best season. Should two players have great years, the player with the better college career should win out. Thus Luck trumps RGIII.

Kruck

2011-12-08T09:41:00.002-05:00

Not long ago co-worker Steve celebrated his 20th work anniversary. His boss made a decent speech, telling how years ago he’d hired him down in Jacksonville. When his corporate quality job went away, his boss thought enough of him to bring him back on his purchasing staff, even though he didn’t have an open position. Over the years we’d played fantasy football together, and occasionally lunched together. At the celebration an anticlimactic air hung over the room, for some unknown reason. At one recent lunch Steve shared his dismay that the good old days were gone, when the office was filled with employees with decades of service. This week he gave notice: he’s going to work for a vendor. Hope it works out well for him.

Ceil’s dad is still in the hospital. Wednesday night Ceil’s mother fell ill, and they had to admit her. Gallstones. Ceil may need to go back.

Johnny Pierce, my Braves batting practice friend from Macon who writes for a Baptist publication, is having a recent article admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Though its doubtful the article will ever be displayed, its still a huge honor for a big fan like him. His basement is pretty much a smaller version of the HOF.

Bought a Philadelphia 76ers Dr. J jersey Wednesday night. Will loved it. This past weekend I saw several throwbacks for sale over near the Big Chicken, but they were priced too high. There was a Chicago White Sox Frank Thomas jersey, and a lime green Pete Maravich Hawks jersey. I have long coveted that Maravich jersey, but I just couldn’t fork over the money for it.

A and M like the HP movies. I’ve watched bits and pieces, just enough to tolerate it. Not my genre. Neither was Avatar. Recently they rented Transformers…robots fighting each other. I couldn’t tell the good guy robots from the bad guy robots. Most of the comedies are so crude, and not really funny. I’m hearing good things about Super 8, which recently came out on video. Kids battle aliens. By Spielberg.

My iPhone is fully operational, except it transferred over the contacts from my work computer, which I rarely use. Had to go through and clean those up, and transfer any of the 200 contacts from my old phone. I’ll do a letter a day…today was C. When I tried to update my contacts I wound up duplicating them.

On the way home from work Tuesday I bought a protective case for the phone. Also swung by the library and WalMart. When I walked in the door Will exclaimed “The iPhone is home!” The kids all fight over playing with it, even though they have phones/iPods/iPads. Will downloaded a few apps, and Anna tried to fix the cover that Will had messed up. I’m still looking forward to downloading books on it.

Tuesday night we had spaghetti, spinach, and grilled squash. Everyone had schoolwork, so I cleaned up and edited Anna’s paper.

Quote of the Day

2011-12-06T08:19:00.002-05:00

“Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity” – Colin Powell.

This was Monday’s “Don’t Quote Me” puzzle in USA Today. Made me stop and think. This may have been me at one point, but I don’t think it’s me now.

Clarks Romme Boot

2011-12-05T22:23:00.003-05:00

These are more what I'm looking for, thought they're out of my price range. Not crazy about the toe cap, though.

Me? In Boots?

2011-12-05T22:00:00.004-05:00

I've been shopping around, with my eye on a pair of plain dark boots to wear with jeans like those cool musicians at Passion City Church. Not sure this cheapo pair from Payless would pull off that look. Haven't found any at a thrift store. A broken-in pair would have much more character.

Dabo to Bama? Eventually

2011-12-05T17:11:00.005-05:00

We watched the SEC game, then the ACC game. Wild how Clemson woke up and played like they had earlier in the year. To me, that’s all coaching. When Nick Saban steps down, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alabama doesn’t call on Dabo. You heard it here first.

Friday Will had to drive from our house to Stone Mountain and back, then later to northern Cartersville, down to Kennesaw for a salsa dancing class, back to Cartersville, then home. Saturday he ground up leaves and but them in the flowerbeds. I cleaned the upstairs, did all the laundry, and bought Will a nice pair of golf shorts.

Walking into NP Sunday, along with a bulletin, I was handed a kazoo. To start the service, three musicians came out and played “The Nutcracker Suite” on tiny toy pianos, like Schroeder on A Charlie Brown Christmas. Later several more musicians came out, all with various toy musical instruments…including a tiny drum set. They played a Beach Boys Christmas song, then we all joined in on Joy to the World.

NP is having services Dec 23 at 6 pm, and Saturday Dec 24 at 9, 11, and 12:30 pm…nothing on the Christmas Day. Andy said he was prepared to get blasted by the media. In 2012 they’re adding a 6 pm service in Alpharetta. Buckhead Church already has a 6 pm service.

After church we used a BOGO coupon at CiCi’s. Much better than Thursday, but it was still CiCi’s. I let him off to walk the last mile home. Then I passed two kids with a sign: they were selling toys. Will had to walk past them, so he bought a little teddy bear for a dollar.

Watched Costas interview Neikro on the MLB Network. Later he interviewed the Lions’ Stafford and Johnson: the first UGA QB to throw a NFL TD pass to a GT receiver. We went down to Passion, and sat with Becky and Joel Norman. Ceil didn’t arrive home from Charlotte until 8 pm…about the same time we got home.

We watched the bowl selection shows as well. Doesn’t seem like anyone is happy with the process (or results). The BCS thinks that if people are talking about the system, then they’ve done their job.

My nephew’s team lost their state championship game, 10-0. Anna went to the game in Columbia, with her three cousins. C and M spent most of Friday and Saturday at the hospital. Her dad’s surgery went well, but was most extensive than they thought going in. He lost lots of blood and had lots of painkillers, so he wasn’t eating much. Still, he could go home Tuesday.

How Georgia Could've Won

2011-12-05T11:11:00.008-05:00

Georgia

could have beaten LSU, had they played a just a little more error-free football. Had just a few of the following few plays gone the other way, the outcome could’ve been quite different.

The Dawgs dropped at least six passes. Had they caught the two first-quarter touchdown passes, UGA would’ve led 21-0. Instead they were only up ten.

Heisman Trophy candidate Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu scored on a spectacular 67 yard punt return, and another set up a second TD with another long return. The replay official admitted the TD should’ve been overturned, but he didn’t request to replay angle showing Mathieu flip the ball to the official BEFORE he crossed the goal line. Should’ve been a touchback, and Georgia’s ball. Had Georgia done a better job on special teams, they could’ve prevented two LSU touchdowns. So instead of 21-0 Georgia, LSU led 14-10.

In the third quarter Aaron Murray lost a fumble and threw an interception, setting up two short LSU touchdown drives. Take away these two turnovers, and UGA leads 21-0. Instead the Bayou Bengals lead 28-10.

Deflated, things got worse in the fourth quarter. Bulldog back Brandon Boykin missed several tackles, and fell down returning a kickoff (he did, however, make several nice plays). A horse-collar tackle negated a sack. Dawg defenders tried to strip the ball instead of tackle the ballcarrier. After a Drew Butler punt backed LSU up inside the ten, LSU continuously ran the ball up the middle, methodically breaking off runs for huge chunks of yardage. When Alfred Blue ran the final 48 yards practically untouched, Georgia free safety Bacarri Rambo hardly moved. Yet another preventable touchdown.

Many think Murray is Georgia’s savior, but I continue to have doubts: too many of his passes are floaters. His last pass of the day was overthrown, and Tiger DB Morris Claiborne easily covered the 45 yards for LSU’s final score. Another costly Bulldog mistake.

Announcers Vern Lundquist and Gary Danielson went out of their way to commend Georgia for their first half play. Even as LSU continued to build their second-half lead, they continued their praise of the SEC East Champions. As I rooted for the Dawgs, I felt these CBS announcers went out of their way to praise the Georgia. I saw where other UGA fans felt the announcers (and officials) were biased AGAINST Georgia. I don’t know what they were talking about.

Isaiah Crowell disappointed yet again, leading Bulldog coaches and fans to search all the more for high school backs to take his place. Despite hobbling on his injured ankle, Crowell was held in check by LSU’s vaunted defense. Crowell couldn’t bring down a wayward pass from Murray. But he negated a LSU pass interference penalty with an unsportsmanlike penalty, and another promising drive ended with a punt. As the broadcast showed Richt gently admonishing the freshman, Lundquist and Danielson spun the scene in Georgia’s favor: not all freshmen achieve maturity at the same time. They contrasted Crowell with fellow Dream Team recruit Malcolm Mitchell, who says “I’m a freshman. I don’t know anything.” Sunday night Richt was in the North Carolina home of Keith Marshall, the top running back recruit in the country.

The SEC Championship Game could’ve been billed as the battle of the NCAA’s two best punters. Both put on an eight punt show, with UGA’s Drew Butler narrowly besting LSU’s Brad Wing: 51.5 to 50.4. Guess Wing held the edge in net yards.

To their credit, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and David Pollock predicted that UGA would start strong and show well. But both felt LSU was too powerful for Georgia to hang with for sixty minutes. Lee Corso didn’t curse, though a sign remembering his slip of the tongue was quickly removed from view.

On a side note, the LSU band has joined the “Sweet Caroline” bandwagon. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (on a side-side note, last week Neil Diamond sang on NBC’s Lighting of the Rockefeller Center Tree. He’s moving slower than ever, and Anna quickly changed the channel).

Eight key plays led to the 42-10 final score: five by the offense and two on special teams. Under the conditions, Georgia’s defense played a whale of a game, not allowing a first half first down (a feat no other SEC team had achieved in over a decade). The Dawgs didn’t need all eight to go their way to win. Had the two passes been caught, the turnovers limited, and turn a few touchdowns into field goals, and Georgia could’ve actually won.

Bob Barker

2011-12-02T17:10:00.002-05:00

I had an interesting evening Thursday. Worked a little late, then stopped by and shopped on the way home.

A hilarious “How I Met Your Mother” had Neil Patrick Harris going on “The Price is Right” because his mother told him that Bob Barker was his father. Harris aced the show, guessing every price to the dollar, winning both showcases. He’d run over to the camera and make faces, like a football player.

Met Will at “Land of a Thousand Hills” Coffee for Trivia Night. After his classes from 7 am to noon, he and George Ewing mowed seven yards in five hours. Then he fell asleep in the parking lot.

When trivia finally ended after 9 pm, we drove to CiCi’s Pizza for their special $2.00 buffet. Even at that late hour, the place was packed. Will must’ve been hungry from his long day, because he ate a lot. When we got home we watched National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

J Edgar looks good, especially since I’ve read a book or two about him.

Trivia Night 2

2011-12-02T13:21:00.006-05:00

Thursday evening I joined Will at the Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee House for Trivia Night. This time the host was Erin, a 26 year-old St. Louis native. Before she began, Erin recruited a helper and performed a short rap ditty. There were six teams of mostly regular trivia buffs, pretty stiff competition.

In the first half Will and I got the first four questions right, then missed the next four, before answering the last question of the half. Fortunately, we got all three five-point questions right.

1. The song “I Feel Pretty” comes from what hit musical? Will knew it was from West Side Story.

2. Which acid in the body is associated with the lack of oxygen in the blood? Will knew it was Lactic Acid. I knew runners suffered from it, but couldn’t come up with the name.

3. Which war was the setting for the hit TV show MASH? An easy one for me…Korea.

4. All coffee is grown within 500 miles of what? Will guessed the Equator, and it sounded right to me. All six teams got this question correct.

5. What is the second smallest US state? I guessed Connecticut, but Delaware was right.

6. In France, which letter is on the hot water faucet? Neither of us knew. Will wanted to say C, but I talked him into answering F. He was right.

7. In what year did the space shuttle Columbia explode on liftoff? I knew Reagan was president. I was working for Mr. Suggs, and that evening I met a friend at the Lenox Bennigans before heading to the Hawks game. I was pretty sure it was before I got married, but I incorrectly was thinking about the year I started at Tull (1987). Nobody got the right answer: 1986.

8. What friend rode with Huckleberry Finn on his raft on the Mississippi? My only guess was Tom Sawyer, but it was actually Jim the Slave.

9. In the US, what hospital delivers more babies than any other? Since the category was Atlanta, I knew it was Northside.

HALFTIME: We got 2/5 of the name-the capitals question right:

Venezuela: Caracas (right)

Egypt: Cairo (right)

Pakistan: Islamabad (I didn’t know)

Sweden: Stockholm (I said Brussels)

Belgium: Brussels (I said Antwerp, a state capital)

Two teams had tallied 34 of the possible 37 first-half points. Will and I were in last place, eleven points back. In the second half we answered five of the nine questions correctly.

10. When the Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968, what city did they move from? I knew, and Will said he knew as well: St. Louis.

11. What was the name of the original pink Power Ranger? Will jotted down Kimberly, which I thought absurd. I would’ve guessed Pinky Tuscadero. When the oldest team answered last, Erin laughed when she read their answer…Pinky. Interestingly, when Will and I finally got home, I flipped past Happy Days on the TV. Amazingly, Will was right.

12. From which continent did the Guinea Pig originate? We said Australia, but it was South America.

13. What southern state waited until 1995 to ratify the13th amendment, abolishing slavery? I correctly guessed Mississippi.

14. What geometric shape forms the hole filled by an Allen Wrench? Will knew it was either a Hexagon or an Octagon. I encouraged him to answer Octogon, which was wrong. When I asked handymen Brad and Darryl at work, they immediately knew the answer.

15. Hillary Clinton once tried to enlist in which branch of the military? Having recently read a Republican-sided book on the Secretary of State, I knew Hillary tried to enlist in the Marines. With her terrible vision, she knew she’d be turned down. She also applied to be an astronaut: doing both to have on her resume in case she were to later run for president. I mentioned the astronaut thing to Erin, and she was impressed (with Hillary). Out of the 24 trivia experts, I was the only one to get this question right.

16. On what vegetable did ancient Egyptians place their hands while taking an oath? Will thought squash, I thought potato. It was the onion.

17. Not counting numbered streets, what is the most popular street name in the US? Erin hinted that the most obvious answer may not be correct, so we stayed away from Main. I guessed Church, but the answer was Park. No one got this question right.

18. Technology question: What does SSD stand for? After mulling it over, Will came up with the correct response: Solid State Drive (or Disc).

Going into the final round, we were tied for last place (58-48-47-43-43-43). Thankfully, we had gotten all six of the 5 and 6 point questions right.

For the final question, five points were given for each of the four highest-grossing movies released since 1991. Erin hinted that two of the movies were released this year. We were one of several teams who guessed three of four: Titanic, Avatar, and the most recent Harry Potter. We also guessed Twilight, but the correct answer was Transformers 3.

We finished tied for next-to-last, besting only the old guys. Had we gotten questions right that we were close on, we would’ve finished tied for third. I’m sure Joel would’ve gotten us over that hump.

At least my beverage choice was better this time: instead of an orange Italian soda, I opted for cherry vanilla. A little mediciney, but much better.

Catching Up

2011-12-01T15:32:00.002-05:00

Looks like I’ll be joining the masses: I’m pretty sure I’m getting an iPhone. My company wants to switch everyone to AT&T, and my Sprint contract had expired. Last time they didn’t give me work email on my phone, which was good (one less way for them to give me work during off-hours) and bad (made checking email inconvenient). So my low-tech phone wasn’t cool.

The monthly iPhone bill is twice that of the cheaper phone, so I doubted I’d be approved. But the Ogre was ok with it, and I didn’t hurt that the CFO used to be in my fantasy league. Could have it next week. Merry Christmas to me. Hopefully I’ll be able to download books, both to read and listen to.

This year I’ve really started to appreciate the TV specials and ads that include Christmas songs about Jesus’ birth. There were several last night on the Rock Center Tree Lighting Special. Singers included Carole King, Neil Diamond, Katherine McPhee, and Justin Bieber. Guess who Anna wanted to see?

Still not much going on. C, A, and M left for SC. Ceil’s dad is having back surgery Friday.

Tonight I’ll probably go to trivia night with Will. Last night we watched Modern Family and Psych. This weekend I’ll stick close to home and clean and watch football. If I’m really good I’ll put up the Christmas tree and start my eBay career.

The Heaven Is For Real book is really good…I’m about 75% done with it. Looking for books to send to Chase has got me wanting to read/re-read several of them first.

I often count the number of people at gatherings. Thursday we had 11 for dinner in Macon…two short (my brother’s college kids).

Wednesday night we had grilled boneless chicken, leafy salad, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a vegetable medley. None were my favorites, except for the chicken. I had a little sweet potato and salad. Then I brought the chicken, sweet potatoes, and medley for lunch today, and it was all pretty good. Might grab a Chickfila on the way home.

BCS: Rematch?

2011-12-01T08:51:00.001-05:00

The Great Debate: Who gets in the BCS National Championship game? Looks like the voters want a rematch. Others point out that just a few years ago these same voters did not want a rematch, and UGA missed out on the big game. Me? I’m in favor of a rematch. I like Bama and LSU better than OK State. Stanford and Virginia Tech are OK, though they lost to lesser teams.

Guy here at work was arguing about the BCS this morning. He doesn’t like Alabama, so he was taking the opposite position. I’m sure if GT was in Bama’s position, he’d take the opposite position.

1. LSU: Seven top 25 wins. Twelve straight wins. With that body of work, should they still go to the BCS championship game even if they lose? Or rematch LSU & Bama in another bowl game. But since the BCS only matches the top two teams from their poll, the only was they get that rematch is if it’s in the title game. After that the bowls slot teams by conference (ACC to Orange, etc). Then leftover BCS teams are “drafted” to fill the holes.

2. Bama: Barely lost to #1 LSU. Three top 25 wins, including #8 Arkansas.

3. OK State: Lost their last game to unranked Iowa St. Their defense gave up in overtime. Three top 25 wins. Even beating #10 Oklahoma wouldn’t leapfrog Alabama, it seems.

4. Stanford: Lost to # 6 Oregon, missed their own conference championship game. Three top 25 wins. So the Cardinal goes to the Rose Bowl INSTEAD of the Pac 12 champion?

5. Va Tech: Have won 7 straight after losing to #12 Clemson (can avenge that loss Saturday). Only two top 25 wins. No chance at the title game, even if LSU and OK State lose.

M had basketball practice Monday night. Now there are ten on their team, with a couple of guys who can handle the ball and score. M did ok.

Went to a focus group Tuesday night, for Carnival Cruise Line. Usually there are about ten people in a group, but last night there were over 50 in the room. Watched several commercials, as well as bits of the show Modern Family. Funny commercials, about how the cruise was better than the last vacation people took.

The commercial they showed for Norwegian made them look like a party boat. Carnival appeared to be trying to hook the non-partier families, who hadn’t been thrilled with their earlier, non-cruise vacations.

Turkey Day

2011-11-28T17:18:00.001-05:00

Wednesday I drove the van to get tires. Slow day at work...I was able to research GPS units in the afternoon. Filled up with gas just before arriving home.

Thursday I got my crowd out the door just after 10 am, and we drove down to Macon. Dinner with my family, which went well. Only ate one plate, and one dessert. Left at 6 pm and gassed up there in Macon...$3.059. That night I finally watched some football: Texas vs A&M. Found an online deal on a GPS, so I didn't have to go out in the crowd to get one.

Friday night my nephew's team won their playoff game...a 21-20 thriller.

Saturday Will worked in the yard. I helped a little. A & M went with a crowd to ride horses and ATVs, eat hot dogs, and pan for gold. Others showed up to chat...right when the GA/GT game came on. Later we watched some of the VA/VT, NCST/MD, AL/Auburn, SC/Clemson games. There were few football outcomes this weekend that surprised me.

Later we went "geocaching"...using a GPS to track down a marker someone had placed in an interesting spot. We drove down an unused road to an old river bridge, than climbed down to the river to find the marker. When we climbed back I was leaning against the concrete railing, then discovered the rail was loose.

Finished "The Brethren" and started "Heaven is for Real"...Ceil read it on the drive to Macon.

Saw gas for $2.999. C, W, and M went to Passion, then to see MC and her brother sing at the Atlanta History Center. They ate at Chipotle. Anna stayed home to study. I raked leaves, cleaned the kitchen, and filled up the van.

Top Four MLB Games

2011-11-28T13:17:00.001-05:00

Sunday night the MLB Network was counting down the Top 20 Most Exciting Games of the past 50 years.

Number Four was Sid Bream's slide. Costas and Verducci watched and discussed the game with Bream, Lemke, and Van Slyke. Bream didn't say too much until then end, but was thankful the slide has opened doors to speak about God. Lemke and Van Slyke talked a lot. Andy said he motioned for Bonds to move in, but Bonds gave him the finger. As it turned out it wouldn’t have helped, since Cabrera hit the ball to Bond’s left.

Number Three was Bill Buckner's error. He's kept a low profile over the years, so I was surprised he was on the two-hour show. He made several comments as they reviewed the entire game, but seemed to grow quiet as the fateful moment approached. Seated next to him, Mookie discussed his at-bat, fouling off five pitches. Costas shared his viewpoint, waiting in the Boston locker room to interview the victors. When the Mets tied the game on a wild pitch, everyone cleared out of the Boston locker room. Buckner shared what happened, and what went through his mind. Walking off the field, he looked forward to playing in the upcoming Game Seven. Mookie shared how the play had brought him together with Buckner, and how both were strong in the Lord and family.

Number Two was the Morris/Smoltz scoreless Game Seven duel in 1991. Both pitchers had a lot to say. Costas and Morris kept talking about the great Series Lemke had.

Number One was Fisk's HR off the Pesky Pole. Bench and Fred Lynn were the guests, but I changed the channel.

December Reading List

2011-11-28T11:10:00.001-05:00

“Heaven is for Real: a Little Boy’s Astounding Story of his Trip to Heaven and Back”, by Todd Burpo. New York Times bestseller. Ceil read it on the trip to Macon, and perhaps Anna can read it as well.

“The Last Juror”, by John Grisham

“Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You – at Work and in Life”, by Spencer Johnson, author of “Who Moved my Cheese”.

“The Last Patriot” by Brad Thor. Compared by some to The da Vinci Code, the thriller involves radical Islam, Mohammad, Thomas Jefferson, and present-day character Scott Harvath, a counter-terrorism expert. I read at least one of his earlier books: “State of the Union.”

"American Steel: Hot Metal Men and the Resurrection of the Rust Belt”, by Richard Preston. The story of the startup of Nucor Crawfordsville, where Dic Dac and his buddy Mark Millett played major roles. Millett was recently CEO of Steel Dynamics, where he and Dic work.

I’m thinking about adding a “BOOKS” tab at the top of my blog, to show the books I’ve read AND want to read. That way I’ll have a handy reference point, where I can quickly looks up books on my list.

Dic Dac’s son Chase has changed his major to Philosophy and Religion, and these days is eagerly devouring books. I need to come up with a reading list for him, and perhaps take him some books at Christmas. This week I’ll mail him a copy of Andy’s little book (Since Nobody’s Perfect) How GOOD is Good Enough?”

Malcolm Mackey

2011-11-26T22:42:00.004-05:00

One of the better Georgia Tech SI covers. Malcolm Mackey looks quite nimble, considering he was actually more of immobile widebody.

He's rockin some classic kicks, Nike Hauraches.

Someone is trying to sell this issue on eBay for twelve bucks. Perhaps I should do the same.