The Babaganoush Sports Beat

Well, here we go again. It looks like the Rangers are going to have to get used to playing the second best team in their division. Just as it was five days ago, this is a big series. Now that the A's are actually closer to first place than the Angels, it would behoove the Rangers to do to the A's as they did to the Angels over the weekend. All hope must be crushed.

As with last weekend's series it's easy to see why this is a big one for the opponent. For one, the A's are 7 1/2 games back and have the opportunity to almost cut that in half. These are the types of series that you read about as "statement games" if things go right for the underdog. Secondly, while there's still a lot of baseball to go, there's really no time like the present to make their ascent if they have one in them.

After this chunk of AL West-y goodness, the Rangers don't really play another block of AL West games until the last half of September. If a true challenger is going to emerge, it has to start happening quickly. Here's where it gets tricky, however. In addition to the possibility to being down only 4 1/2 games, the A's could--and probably more easily--find themselves down 10 1/2 games by Friday. That's a huge swing. These are the types of series that can end a season.

Here's why the series is big for the Rangers. More often than not, in a series such as this, because technically it is just another series after all, a team will win two games and the other team will win one. If that happens in this series the Rangers will be up 6 1/2 or 8 1/2 depending on which team wins the two games. The sky is not falling in a 6 1/2 game scenario A and I'd probably just be writing about a third consecutive second place battle four days from now if an 8 1/2 game scenario B plays out. But there are those instances where a team wins all three games in a series. I don't think I need to explain why a Rangers sweep of the A's would be big for the Rangers, but if the A's sweep the Rangers, while not a reason to panic, it will certainly provide a new challenge with a new challenger.

You'll hear tales of 1996 and the 9 game September lead that fell to 1 before the ship was righted. You'll float repressed memories of sweltering summer collapses. You'll read of six or seven game losing streaks to fall out of the race. This series is big for the Rangers simply because while they probably should feel comfortable about their chances of playing in October, they still have to win the baseball games. At the first sign that they might not win them, it's going to get scary.

The simple solution is: Play them all like they're big. I expect the Rangers to do well in this series because they have favorable match-ups, but if they lose this series, I won't be surprised. I also won't be too worried about it, either. For once in my 28 year Rangers fandom life, in any season that didn't end already by May, and while the team should play them all like they're big, the Rangers are in a position where we don't necessarily have to sweat every loss. They will all be frustrating and horrible, mind you. That's the kinds of fans that we are. But for once, each loss isn't going to be a little individual end of the world.

News on the Sale (Clustershag) of the Rangers
Mark Cuban is expected to make clear Tuesday whether he will continue to pursue his acquisition of the Texas Rangers. Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and whom Major League Baseball has cleared as a bidder, was to have made up his mind by Monday night if he will stay in the picture, his attorney, Clifton Jessup, told the team's court-appointed chief restructuring officer within earshot of reporters at the federal courthouse. Cuban may not make it to a scheduled meeting today of potential bidders in Dallas, Jessup told Snyder, who was appointed by federal Judge D. Michael Lynn. Others likely joining the gathering are Houston investor Jim Crane, Dallas businessman Jeff Beck and representatives of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg's group. Another potential bidder will not be in attendance because he has not been cleared by Major League Baseball, a source said.
Last week, Kevin M. Cofsky of Perella Weinberg Partners, a New York firm originally hired by Rangers owner Tom Hicks to find a buyer, testified that an interested party had met with the firm.

During a status hearing Monday on the ballclub's bankruptcy, Lynn said that Snyder had asked that the auction be postponed to Aug. 9. But the judge said he was sticking with the Aug. 4 date, with bids due the night before, and that the team could emerge from bankruptcy under a new owner at noon on Aug. 5. MLB attorney Stephen Shimshak argued against postponing the Aug. 4 auction, saying that the team owners were scheduled to vote to accept the auction's winner on Aug. 12, the day that the Greenberg-Ryan group says its funding commitments expire. A 75 percent favorable vote is required to approve a new owner.

The team's big lenders are waiting to see if Greenberg will refashion his offer now that the judge pointedly said that last-minute transfers of liabilities to the team and a side parking lot deal -- all seen as benefiting Hicks -- could be stripped from his offer. Greenberg may have to alter his offer to stay competitive, should others bid. The judge has openly criticized Perella Weinberg and the team's bankruptcy attorneys, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, for starting late off the block in trying to sell the team, and for apparently not trying as hard as they might. The firm, whose ouster had been demanded by the case's U.S. Trustee for possible conflicts of interest, must work to get the highest and best offer for the benefit of the ballclub, and hence its creditors, not its long-time client, the judge said.

The new life project of marriage

I attended the wedding of my cousin this weekend and was confronted with a question I’m sure many people have, yet few people voice…what is marriage? It may seem that a bachelor is not the one to answer that question. I am not married nor have I ever been married - which doesn't exactly qualify me to talk about marriage. Yet marriage is certainly a worthy topic for discussion. It is something that needs to be more clearly understood and more deeply appreciated. But as Catholics, it is not about marriage, it is about the Sacrament of Marriage.

Although I am not married myself, I have experienced the Sacrament of Marriage. I have witnessed the marriages of friends and family. I have participated in the wedding ceremony many times. Even before my infant Baptism I was born into a Christian marriage. What I am going to say about the sacrament is drawn from my experience of my parents and the many married couples with whom I have discussed the meaning of the sacrament. These couples have often told me of the meaning which they find in this sacrament. Marriage involves embarking on a new life project.

A new life project
We each have something that we want to do with our lives: something we want to become. It may take us a while to find out what that "something" is, but eventually a life project forms, either consciously or unconsciously. And it seems to me that as people pursue this goal, whatever it may be - to be a skilled surgeon, to be the best kindergarten teacher that ever lived, to own a farm or whatever else they may see their life to be about - they sometimes encounter another human being to whom they are so attracted that the love of this other person supersedes all other life goals and ambitions. They undertake a new life project.

Little by little they decide that first on their agenda is now going to be the life, the happiness, the holiness of this other person. The good of this other takes precedence even over the desires and dreams they have for themselves. And when that other makes the same decision, together the two embark on a whole new adventure. It seems to me that this is the basic meaning of the

Sacrament of Marriage.
The sacrament reveals the religious dimension of marriage. Besides the human, social and legal dimensions of marriage - the public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person - sacramental marriage is also a public statement about God. The celebration of each of the sacraments reveals something of this ultimate reality: who God is and who God is for us.
In the Scriptures the relationship between God and God's people is often described in terms of a marriage. The early Christians, reflecting on Christ's love for us, also used this image. Christ and the Church embrace in mutual love and self-giving, even as do husband and wife (see, for example, Ephesians 5:21-33). "'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:31-32).

What makes a marriage
Sometimes you can learn a lot about something by looking at its opposite. We can learn about the marriage sacrament by considering what leads the Church, in the case of annulments, to see that two people never were truly married.

"An annulment is just a Catholic way of getting a divorce." I have heard this said by many people in many different circumstances (and there are times when I feel that there is an element of truth in this statement). Yet I remain convinced that an annulment is a very different thing from a divorce. Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage. An annulment is the legal declaration that a valid sacramental marriage never existed.

In order for a Christian marriage to take place the man and woman must be capable of entering into such a sacrament. The individuals must have the capacity to give such a gift. This capacity develops gradually. When we were children our parents taught us little by little to be generous - first with things, then with ourselves. We were taught to share toys, playthings, bicycles and birthday cake. Little by little, we learned to share our time and ourselves.

This gradual learning to give of ourselves is the necessary preparation for marriage. A person who has not journeyed sufficiently on the road to maturity and generosity is not capable of a true marriage, even though he or she may be quite capable of sharing an apartment or conceiving a child.

There are many reasons why two particular people cannot join their lives in the marriage project. It is not always a culpable lack of generosity. Sometimes it becomes apparent only years after the wedding ceremony that there was no marriage there in the first place. To declare publicly that the marriage never existed is what Catholics call an "annulment."

Our marriage covenant with God
In each of the sacraments a window opens and we can glimpse the mystery of God and God's plan for the salvation of the world. In Christian marriage we see that God was not content to be alone, but embarked on a whole new life project. Out of love God created us and all that is. God is faithful no matter what. Whether we are faithful or faithless, God is faithful; whether we wander away in sin or remain in the embrace of love, God is always there and is ever ready to embrace us.

This sacramental sign, which the husband and wife give to each other, they also give to the entire community of witnesses. I too have made commitments to God and God has made commitments to me. There are times when I wonder if God will be faithful. I have never seen God, but I can see the fidelity of Christian husbands and wives. Their love for each other is a sacramental sign and witness of God's love for me. I believe that our human lives are interconnected, like a fabric, woven together by many commitments. The fidelity of their commitment strengthens my own commitments.

The Return of the "What-a-burger" Blog

If you are reading this off my actual blog at theelderstatesman.blogspot.com then you have noticed that I'm posting this a little late. If you are reading this on facebook then you will notice nothing. The truth is that I been traveling for the past twenty-four hours and didn't have time to create a new post for today. Hence, I am bringing back one of my old favorites. Considering I have traveled someplace where there is no Whataburger, this seems appropriate.

"I have just indulged in one of my weaknesses. It is perhaps the greatest feeling in the world. Possible, it could be a cure for depression, boredom, and most importantly…hunger. It is one of the few places that still offers to serve it “just like you like it” without taking an eternity to make it. It is a Mecca for late night drinkers and all hours workers. It transcends cultural and economic boundaries. The only fast food place I go to on a regular basis where the buns taste fresh and delicious. It is where they push the taste envelope with sandwiches that include peppercorn ranch dressing or, dare I say it, A-1 Thick and Hearty sauce. The only place that I will wait for the 11:00PM breakfast switch over, just to go. Literally a piece of heaven on earth, this is the place where I would go if I could choose the place I would go to when I die. I’m talking about Whataburger. Some, who are in to the brevity thing, refer to it as W-burger. But, if you truly revere the atmosphere, the food, and the history, then you have to say the whole name.

Whataburger was established almost 60 years ago, yet it is still relevant today. Whataburger is a Texas tradition, and if you believe it, a landmark in some small Texas towns. It’s a tradition, need I say more. The first Whataburger was founded in 1950 by Harmon Dobson on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had a simple goal, to serve a burger so big that it took two hands to hold and so good that with one bite customers would say, “What a burger!” He succeeded on both accounts and turned that one little burger stand into a legend known throughout Texas and the South (taken directly from the Whataburger website). More than half a century later, with Harmon’s son, Tom, at the company helm, Whataburger still remains family-owned and operated. Employees at Whataburger are even referred to as Family Members and it is the privilege and promise of each and every one to uphold the tradition that Harmon began. So now with more than 700 Whataburger restaurants across ten states, road-trippers and hometown folks alike continue gathering under the big orange and white roofs for the fresh made to order burgers and friendly service. You need only ask yourself one question, “Do I love Whataburger enough to sport some Whataburger gear?” if you do, then you can go to the Whatastore on the website and order shirts, hats, mugs, and computer/home accessories. I am trying to decide which shirt to buy.

How pronounced is the love for Whataburger? Ask my friend Fernando, who came into town last weekend from Atlanta. There are no Whataburgers in Atlanta. So what is one of the things he said he had to do while he was here? Go to Whataburger, of course. I went with him one time, but I didn’t ask how many other times he went while here. If I had to guess, I’d venture to say three. He was only here three days. Or how about this example…there are no Whataburgers near my house. I have to travel at least fifteen minutes in one of three directions to get to one. I do it…at least once a week. And let’s not forget my other Whataburger loving friend Jon. There is one right by his apartment. There is also a Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Sonic, and Wendy’s within the same distance. But, when we’ve had a few adult beverages and want to satisfy our hunger, there is only one place we go. You guessed it, Whataburger.

This is not to say that I don’t go to other fast food joints when I’m out and about and need to get some grub. When I’m at work, I get my lunch nearly every day from Subway. I like the value menu at Wendy’s because you can get a lot of food for not a lot of money. I, like former wrestling superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin, have been known to stop at Sonic and get a SuperSonic Jalapeno Cheese Burger. And, of course, I’m a slave to McDonald’s McChicken. But, if I want to really, and mean really, enjoy my fast food meal, then I have to find myself a Whataburger. Let us not be confused here. I am referring to places that I often drive through, so Dairy Queen, which I go in and sit down at usually, is not included in this discussion. Everyone knows DQ is the Texas stop sign, and I treat it with the dignity it deserves, by going in and having a seat to enjoy my steak finger basket. Or I order it inside and go and eat it on the tailgate of my truck, if the weather is nice enough. That is neither here nor there though. The true happiness of my fast food dealings lives and dies with Whataburger. Enough said."

The Babaganoush Sports Beat

What a game Monday night. And I say that in something less than a good way...a win is a win, but the first 12 or so innings of that game were maddening, frustrating, irritating, and just quite ridiculous. And yet, after all that, the Rangers won, the team is now 5 games up on the Angels, and Texas has clinched a winning road trip. I can’t count how many people I talked to via facebook and text that were screaming at their TVs for the game to be resolved in the Rangers favor. More than five hours after the first pitch, second baseman Ian Kinsler had the appropriate analogy for the Rangers' marathon win on Monday night. "This game was like the movie '300,'" Kinsler said, referring to a film about the ancient Spartans. "Take no prisoners. Give them nothing. Take everything." (one of the reasons why he’s The Franchise in my eyes). The Rangers were able to do just that in the top of the 14th inning when Nelson Cruz hit a 1-2 slider off reliever Enrique Gonzalez just down the right-field line and over the wall for a two-run home run that gave the Rangers an 8-6 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park. The home run allowed the Rangers to win their fourth in five games since the All-Star break, snap an 11-game losing streak at Comerica Park and up their lead to five games over the Angels in the American League West.

The game had its roller coaster moments between the first pitch and that miraculous homerun. For instance, Manager Ron Washington was kicked out of the game in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes, reliever Dustin Nippert had to leave the game in the sixth inning when he took a frightening line drive off the side of his head, and the Tigers lost third baseman Brandon Inge for 4-6 weeks after suffering a broken left hand when hit by a pitch from Scott Feldman in the third inning. It was quite a tussle, but the hero of the night for the Rangers was reliever Matt Harrison, who pitched four scoreless innings and 80 pitches in relief to get the victory. With one reliever at the hospital and three others already used up, Matt Harrison was going to keep pitching until the game was decided. The left-hander entered a tied game in the 10th inning and kept it that way over four frames. Along the way, he got out of a bases-loaded jam and somehow kept the toughest part of Detroit’s lineup from beating him. He also gave the toughest part of the Texas Rangers’ lineup continuous chances to win a game, which Cruz succeeded at.

The game came to a sudden halt in the sixth inning after Nippert was struck on the right side of his head on a liner by Tigers rookie and Denton native Austin Jackson. The ball caromed into left field for a double. As Jackson was heading toward second base, catcher Matt Treanor sprinted to the mound to aide Nippert, and assistant trainer Kevin Harmon also ran onto the field. Nippert was eventually helped to his feet, and he was steadied by Harmon as he walked off the field. Darren O'Day replaced Nippert and stranded Jackson at second base. Nippert was taken to Henry Ford Hospital for a precautionary exam. The results of the CT scan came back negative, and Nippert, who came back to the ballpark, was listed day-to-day. However, Tuesday morning he was placed on the disabled list and Doug Mathis was called up to take his spot in the bullpen.

Tanner Scheppers to bullpen at Triple A Oklahoma City
Right-hander Tanner Scheppers has been moved back into a relief role at Triple A as the Rangers attempt to create more depth in the bullpen later this season. Assistant general manager Thad Levine said that the Rangers view Scheppers in the same light as they did Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland last season. While the Rangers believe Scheppers will be a starter, his first exposure to the big leagues will likely be out of the bullpen. He struck out 19 and didn't walk a batter while posting a 0.82 ERA over 11 innings with Double A Frisco to start the season. His relief numbers at Triple A weren't as dominant, but he still had a 1.89 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 19 innings. Manager Ron Washington said he would be surprised to see Scheppers with the Rangers before the roster expands in September.

Molina honored
Life is pretty sweet for Bengie Molina. He hit his first homer with the Rangers on Thursday, hit for the cycle Friday, figured out an equipment issue Saturday, and his tight right quadriceps muscle felt much better Sunday. On Monday, he was selected the American League player of the week. The veteran catcher went 5 for 12 with two homers and six RBIs in three games after the All-Star break. Molina should be back in the starting lineup tonight. He said his leg feels much better after two games off, and the Rangers have fashioned a pair of shin guards that eases the level of pressure on the sore area.

Cruz control
Nelson Cruz can admit that he was a tired right fielder before the All-Star break. He had pieced together a modest three-game hitting streak, but his body was drained and his swing was out of whack. But that streak was extended by four games, all multi-hit efforts, against Boston after Cruz took advantage of the break. He fished at an Arlington lake. He sat around his house. He soaked up some air conditioning. When the season resumed, he worked to make his swing shorter and quicker. Cruz had a busy four days in Boston, especially Saturday and Sunday. He was the Rangers' defensive star Saturday behind Cliff Lee, and he used his legs to create a run in the finale. After creating the go ahead runs for Monday night’s game and acting out a fake that kept Detroit’s Johnny Damon from scoring their winning run, it seems like Cruz is back into his groove.

Additional notes
- With increasing concern over First Baseman Chris Davis’ ability to produce offense, a source said that Florida third baseman Jorge Cantu could fill the Rangers' need for a right-handed-hitting corner infielder, but he is not a primary target. The Miami Herald reported that the Rangers have interest in Cantu, the Marlins' starter at third base.
- Infielder Andres Blanco rejoined the team in Detroit after spending the weekend with his wife and their son, who was born Saturday.
- Elvis Andrus had a three-hit game on Sunday to snap an 0-for-26 slump. The only other player in the past four years to snap an 0-for-25 or worse slump with a three-hit game was Tigers catcher Gerald Laird. He did so on May 16, 2009.
- Of the top 25 American League pitchers in ERA, the Rangers have faced 17 of them this season and have at least one victory against 13 of them.

*Dallas Cowboys report to training camp on Saturday, July 24. It's football time in Texas again!

Using (and abusing) the Bible through interpretation

For centuries the Bible has been used in many different circumstances to promote one idea or another, to justify one action or another. It provides a convenient text for such purposes. It is, after all, God’s Word. A higher authority is hard to find. Especially in hard times such as these, we see an increasing tendency to invoke the Bible for all kinds of issues. Sadly, in many instances the Bible is not being used properly. In fact, it is being abused. Today we will explore how Christians can properly use the Bible and how, all too often, they misuse it.

The Bible Speaks, Everyone Listens?
At the heart of many examples of the use and abuse of the Bible is the question, “What authority does the Bible have?” All Christians accept that the Bible is God’s inspired Word. That invests it with a reverence accorded to no other literature. The Bible is a sacred canon (from the Greek, kanon, "measuring stick"), a means of determining how we measure up to God’s standards. But Christians are split on just what this perspective means. Biblical fundamentalists interpret it to mean the Bible is inerrant, containing no errors whatsoever, whether scientific, historical or spiritual. Catholics and many Protestants, however, acknowledge that the Bible might contain errors in historical or scientific data, but not in matters of faith or spiritual teaching.

The former position promotes a literal interpretation of biblical passages. The latter recognizes that the literal sense does not always apply in every age in some one-to-one correspondence. For example, during the 1970s, some suggested that the Watergate affair during the Nixon presidency was predicted in the Bible on the basis of the mention of the "water gate" (see Nehemiah 3:26; 8:1). Such a reading is not only inaccurate, it trivializes the Bible into some sort of ouija board or crystal ball. The Bible’s authority stems from the Church’s belief that while we do not know how biblical inspiration works, the Bible, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can guide our lives in areas of faith and morals.

Context, Context, Context
The real estate maxim is, "Location, location, location." Where your property is situated is its most valuable asset. In biblical interpretation, the biggest danger is ignoring the context of a passage.
Context means three different things. I will use an example from the tradition of St. Paul. Some Christians interpret a passage on marriage in Ephesians (5:21-24) as a divine universal model to justify why men are superior to women in a marriage relationship. It might even be used to justify abuse of women in marriages. How can context put the passage in perspective?

First, most narrowly, context means what goes immediately before and after a passage. Paul writes that "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22). This may seem like a universal principle. But he says in the verse immediately preceding, "Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ" (5:21). The same verb is used. One cannot validly make verse 22 into a universal principle without searching out how it relates to the entire passage. How does the same verb apply in both circumstances?

A second level of context is the larger context of the individual book of the Bible. The passage is part of a larger presentation. The entire chapter five of Ephesians is directed by a principle that goes from more general to more specific notions. The general principle is found in the first verse: "Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us..." (5:1). The most important challenge for all, women and men alike, is to imitate God in the way we live and love. As the chapter proceeds, what is meant by this narrows to more specific examples. It leads to Paul’s use of marriage as an important image of how Christ loves the Church. Not only is this the chapter’s context, but the entire Letter to the Ephesians is largely about how Christ relates to the Church. This larger context, then, helps direct our understanding of the more specific issue, how marriage reflects this relationship.

The third level of context is the context of the Bible itself. Ephesians is not the only place in the Bible to use the image of marriage. How its particular use of the image connects with other biblical texts is important. Overall, we learn that marriage in the Bible is structured largely according to cultural norms that existed in different time periods. For example, in Genesis, the patriarchs had multiple wives and sometimes strange customs associated with marriage (e.g., Gen 12:10-12; 16:3; 25:1). The Song of Songs provides a very different Old Testament picture. It exalts the love of man and woman as modeling God’s love of Israel. This is similar to Paul’s use of marriage as a model of Christ’s love of the Church. In this case, two different images from two different time periods seem compatible. Only holding in tension the larger context of the entire Bible, or the entire canon of sacred Scripture, helps us see this truth. The Church ultimately makes decisions about the relative relationship of one passage to another, but paying attention to this larger context helps us avoid misreading the Bible.

The most damaging way to interpret a biblical passage is to rip it from its context. Taking a passage literally and cutting it out of its natural "home" almost always leads to abusing the Scriptures. The late Father Raymond E. Brown, S.S., one of the greatest Catholic biblical scholars of the 20th century, used to say, "A biblical passage is only biblical when it is in the Bible." You can’t go wrong looking carefully at the context.

Interpreting the Bible Faithfully
How then can you read the Bible for your own personal enrichment? You can read the Bible faithfully and be nourished by its teaching, but I also caution that interpreting the Bible is not a mere one-to-one correspondence between the sacred text and our day. Modern interpretation still requires that we honor the nature of the text we seek to understand. Let me give a few general principles.

1) The Bible is God’s word in human words. Calling the Bible God’s inspired text does not alter the human dimension of that word. Remember that culture, historical setting and means of expression all influenced how the Bible came to be and needs to be read.

2) Not every passage is equally applicable in every age. The Bible contains apparent contradictions (compare, for example, Isaiah 2:4 and Joel 3:10 which give opposite advice). God’s word in a given circumstance may not apply in exactly the same way at another time in history.

3) The literal meaning is not the only meaning. The meaning of any given biblical passage is multilayered. The literal meaning cannot legitimately be ignored or contradicted, but to get to the deeper spiritual meaning of some passages requires a more thorough understanding of the historical and cultural background.

4) There is no one foolproof method of biblical interpretation. Each passage must be handled on its own in its various contexts.

5) Your personal interpretation is not the interpretation. This is why Bible study is so important and why it is necessary to consult respected commentaries for guidance.

6) The Bible does not contain every detail for living an ethical life. Strict fundamentalists would disagree with this statement. But from a Catholic perspective, the Bible alone does not give us every detail of God’s revelation. Many modern ethical dilemmas (nuclear arms, genetic engineering, cloning, etc.) are not specifically addressed in the Bible, even if it contains basic principles from which we can deduce proper ethical directions. The Church, through its magisterial teaching, provides an authentic guide to discerning God’s will through the Bible.

7) The Bible concerns as much what happens in this life as what takes place in the next. Despite the popular urge to speculate about heaven and hell, angels and devils, end-of-the-world timetables and catastrophic events, these issues are treated in only a small percentage of the Bible.

8) Some biblical passages reflect an earlier moral perspective no longer acceptable. The acceptance of slavery or the total annihilation of an enemy, essentially genocide, is not part of our moral fabric today even if the Bible assumes or condones such practices in some passages. As the faith has grown, so has our moral perspective.

9) Nothing in the Bible justifies hatred of others. Even passages that speak of God’s destruction of Israel’s enemies (Joshua 8:24-29) or of condemnation for sinners (Jude 7) do not permit humans to act violently against one another. Nor can the Bible be used to justify the superiority of one race over another, such as some hate groups have asserted. Controversial passages, such as those on homosexuality (like Romans 1:27), also do not justify intolerance and persecution. Jesus’ command to judge not, lest we be judged (Matthew 7:1; cf. Romans 2:1-2), takes precedence over any such warped interpretation. In instances of true sinfulness, we are still called to hate the sin but love the sinner (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32).

10) Some parts of the Bible remain a mystery. Even for scholars, the wording of some passages is so ambiguous, or the background so obscure, that no one can be said to have the final word on interpretation. If a passage does not make sense to you, move on to an easier passage. We need to apply the sacred text faithfully to our own lives, but we must do so with careful attention to context, history and literary form. To use the Bible is admirable, to abuse it is to wield a weapon to achieve our own warped ends. There is a fine line between these two poles. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance and a willingness to expand our knowledge, we need not worry about which pole will be our guide.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for

It’s summer time and as I was trying to get myself in shape (or kill myself, depending on how you look at it) the other day running in the 97 degree heat (heat index of 105 degrees), I couldn’t help but start thinking of ice cream. Summer and ice cream go hand in hand like baseball and hot dogs or peanut butter and bananas. I don’t eat quite enough ice cream, if you ask me, but when I do get around to it, I like to enjoy it whole heartedly. I’ll eat it any way I can get it too. Ice cream in a bowl or cone, ice cream sundaes, ice cream sandwiches…if it has ice cream in the name and comes in a cold form then I will probably eat it. My desire and love of ice cream has even gone to the point where when dining at The Cheesecake Factory restaurant instead of getting cheesecake (would make sense) I get a bowl of ice cream. There is no denying it, ice creams are one of the most popular frozen food items which anyone could have in the world. Ice cream is a food item which delights both the old and the young alike.

There are different types of ice cream which are produced throughout the world. The variety of flavors in which ice creams are available is one of the reasons why it is so popular. I think the most common flavor of ice cream that is made is vanilla (also one of my favorites). Some other popular ice cream flavors include chocolate, strawberry, peppermint (for the Christmas season), and apparently someone make a black currant ice cream (huh?). Let’s not forget all the combo flavors out there like cookies and cream, rocky road, chocolate chip cookie dough (also a favorite), and neapolitan (three flavors in one place, who can argue with that?). Then there’s the crazy ice cream flavors brought to us from Ben & Jerry’s and several independent brands. I won’t go into those because honestly they are less like ice cream and more like a mixture of candy pieces suspended in an ice cream like substance (who wants to eat something named Chubby Hubby?). For a purist, such as myself, the only chunks of anything in your ice cream should be chunks of the item the ice cream flavor is derived from (pieces of cut up strawberries in strawberry ice cream, for instance).

The United States is one of the countries where many of the popular ice cream manufacturing companies are located (where else than the land of the opportunity). Australia, New Zealand, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, UK and India boast some of the world’s best ice cream manufacturing companies (perfectionist foreigners). Most popular ice cream brands can be found around the world because they are the ones that people enjoy the most. Also, popular brands provide the widest range of flavors. For example, Baskin Robbins is one of the most popular ice cream producing companies and they have a presence in more than 40 countries. Ben & Jerry’s is also a popular brand along with the very reputable Haagen-Dazs and Stroh’s and Yeo Valley ice cream brands.

All of those are minor blips on my ice cream radar compared to the nearest and dearest ice cream manufacturer to my heart…Blue Bell. Blue Bell Creameries is the manufacturer of Blue Bell brand ice cream, which was founded in 1907 in Brenham, Texas. The company, which produces the third-best-selling ice cream in the USA, sells its products in only 17 mostly Southern states, although Blue Bell ice cream has also been eaten aboard the International Space Station and at Camp David. Corporate headquarters are at the "Little Creamery" in Brenham, Texas, which hosts tours (and if you haven’t been on a tour of the Blue Bell Creamery, you should). As of 2007, the company operates three manufacturing facilities, the largest (53,880 square feet) facility in Brenham, with auxiliary facilities in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Sylacauga, Alabama. There are also 45 sales and distribution centers spread throughout their 17-state market. These facilities employ a combined 2,800 employees, with 850 of the employees working out of Brenham. In 2006, annual sales exceed $400 million. In 2001, Forbes Magazine named Blue Bell the best ice cream in the country (and they use that as their slogan to this day).

Blue Bell produces over 250 different frozen products. Of these, 66 are flavors of ice cream. Twenty of the flavors are offered year-round, while an additional two to three dozen are offered seasonally. In addition to ice cream, the company produces frozen yogurt, sherbet, and an array of frozen treats on a stick. Blue Bell offers a "true" half gallon (64 oz/1.89 L) container, a fact it mentions prominently in its advertising. R.W. Apple, Jr. of The New York Times claims that "[w]ith clean, vibrant flavors and a rich, luxuriant consistency achieved despite a butterfat content a little lower than some competitors, it hooks you from the first spoonful. Entirely and blessedly absent are the cloying sweetness, chalky texture, and oily, gummy aftertaste that afflict many mass-manufactured ice creams." If you grew up in Texas then you probably had Blue Bell ice cream at one point or another in your life (depending on your lactose tolerance). I can remember several times looking in the freezer of my house and seeing several half gallons of Blue Bell to slake the ice cream hungers of my dad, brother, and I.

Blue Bell introduced its flagship flavor, Homemade Vanilla, in 1969 and claims to have invented the flavor Cookies 'n Cream. Although the company at one time made Cookies 'n Cream from Nabisco's Oreo cookies, buying ordinary retail packages, today they bake their own cookies (you can see the baking process as part of the tour). As of 1997, Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla was the best-selling single flavor of ice cream in the United States. How can you argue with that? Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla is my favorite ice cream ever. If you really like vanilla then you will really like that stuff. It is jam packed with vanilla flavor due to the fact that they use real vanilla beans in the manufacturing process. This gives their Homemade Vanilla the distinctive brownish/black specks. There is nothing better than two scopes of Homemade Vanilla in a bowl that you let sit for about two or three minutes (to soften up). Man, I’d like some right now, but I don’t have any in the freezer and I am just too darn lazy to go get some (plus the Rangers game is on). I’ll put it on my shopping list.

So, that is what I was thinking about while running today. Not necessarily Blue Bell’s sales numbers and the year they were founded, but the rest of this stuff. I think of the weirdest things when I am out running. But, I guess that benefits ya’ll because I end up writing most of it down in this blog. Anyway, go grab yourself some ice cream. There’s no ice cream happy hour (though there should be) so no matter when you are reading this just get up and go get some ice cream and remember the glory of how ice cream can not only cool you down on a hot summer day, but also change your mood. It’s just that magical.

All the Stars were out, except one

Well, it’s the middle of the week, which means it is time for my sports beat. I already explained last week that my sports beat during the summer would be almost completely Texas Rangers talk and that’s where I’m heading right now. So, sit back, grab a beer and a hot dog, and relax as I catch ya’ll up on the local baseball franchise.

The latest on the sale of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club
Claiming its deal is being "derailed" and "hijacked," the prospective new owners of the Texas Rangers, including team president Nolan Ryan, filed suit against the ballclub Monday, asking that a bankruptcy judge approve the sale agreed upon in May. It was the latest twist in a messy drama being played out in federal bankruptcy court in Fort Worth. And the lawsuit is probably the most bizarre development to date…with Ryan suing his own club. In Monday's suit, the Greenberg-Ryan group accused the club of breaching the purchase agreement the group struck with owner Tom Hicks on May 23, which it claims still gives it exclusive rights to negotiate the team's purchase. Two Rangers partnerships to which Snyder serves as chief restructuring officer responded to the suit Monday night by saying the action was aimed at limiting his assigned duties, and urged Lynn to consider them defendants in the action. Separately, Lynn scheduled a hearing for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to hear the Greenberg-Ryan group's demand that the Rangers honor its May 23 deal. But Thomas Lauria, the group's attorney, told the judge Tuesday he would not argue for that suit if some bidding procedures and other issues could be resolved. He said his clients' only goal was to buy the team. And on Tuesday the judge ruled the proposed auction would go forward with a date of August 4.

If things weren't complicated enough, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Lynn confirmed on Monday that the man he appointed to determine the best course for the ballclub, business turnaround specialist William K. Snyder, has been on the receiving end of telephoned threats from over-zealous Rangers fans. Snyder declined to comment on the threats. Security was stepped up at the federal courthouse Friday, when Snyder attended a Rangers bankruptcy hearing. A Federal Protective Service vehicle was parked conspicuously in front of the entrance, and the number of guards on duty was more than doubled. Although a source close to the case said the calls were serious enough to alert federal officials, Lynn downplayed any potential danger. No one would describe the content of the threats or say how many have been received. I know for a fact there have been at least two: one from me and one from my brother (allegedly).

Michael Young’s second chance All-Star bid (and maybe third?)
The Texas Rangers are so hot they're making news even when they're not involved. American League manager Joe Girardi said Monday that Michael Young would replace Boston's Adrian Beltre in the All-Star Game. There was just one little problem: Beltre plans to be in the game. Girardi's announcement, made on national television, sent Major League Baseball into scramble mode. Beltre, who has a left hamstring strain, worked out Monday and plans to play. If he can't, Young is still on hold. He was in Texas on Monday. There are already six Rangers at the All-Star Game, and the initial news that Young had been added caught them off guard. Having Young on hold isn't unprecedented. Last year the American League added Chone Figgins to its roster the day of the game.

The All-Star Game
Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero hit back-to-back in The AL’s batting order for the All-Star game, although the order was reversed from how the Rangers use them. Josh Hamilton batted fourth and played center field. Guerrero hit fifth as the team's designated hitter. That meant an adjustment for Hamilton. Shortstop Elvis Andrus and closer Neftali Feliz were doing all they could to soak up their first All-Star experience. The other four Rangers All-Stars had their own podium during the news conference, with the first-timers sharing a stand. They didn't seem to mind.

The game was all about pitching, with the AL opening the game with five consecutive starters. The most impressive of the lot may have been Rangers left-hander Cliff Lee. Lee, who allowed six runs in his Texas debut Saturday against Baltimore, went through a much more formidable lineup. Lee came on in the fourth inning against the heart of the NL lineup and finished off Martin Prado, Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard on just six pitches. Half of those pitches went to Pujols, the two-time NL MVP, who struck out swinging. Five of the record six Rangers All-Stars saw action, with rookie right-hander Neftali Feliz the only one not playing. Josh Hamilton went 1 for 3 with a single off Roy Halladay. He was also robbed by Milwaukee's Ryan Braun of extra bases on a fourth-inning sinking liner. Hamilton was the only Ranger with a hit. Vladimir Guerrero went 0 for 2 after receiving a rousing ovation during the player introductions. Apparently fans in Annaheim are having trouble letting go. Elvis Andrus came in as a pinch runner to replace Derek Jeter, who singled in the bottom of the sixth. Andrus stole second but was tagged out by Brandon Phillips after he went past the bag. He grounded out in the eighth. Kinsler drew a walk in the seventh inning but was forced at second. That inning was also the AL's last real threat. Kinsler's walk followed a one-out double by John Buck. Kinsler thought he had a chance to extend the game in the ninth as he came up with two outs with a man on first. Ian Kinsler then drilled a Jonathan Broxton pitch to right center, but Arizona's Chris Young tracked it down for the final out. See what the American League gets for not adding Michael Young to its roster.

Odds on
The acquisition of Cliff Lee has shifted the betting line on the Rangers. According to bodog.com, the odds for the Rangers winning the American League West are 1-8. The odds of the Rangers winning the World Series are 15-2. Only the Yankees, 3-1, are more of a sure bet.