Just in case the fact the Rangers lost two of three games to Oakland last weekend made any of you a little anxious that this AL West race might become more nerve-wracking than you might prefer, let’s step away from the race for a moment. I’m not saying there is cause for concern about our upcoming push for the playoffs, but it is never too early to start thinking or game planning for next season. Besides, do you want to be the one hit wonder team who crushed the competition one year and fizzled the next? Yeah, me neither. So let’s just tap the brakes on playoff talk and walk this way…
Slowly. Carefully. There ya go.
Now, let’s talk about something we’re more used to talking about at this time of year. Mainly, that would be next year. While CEO Chuck Greenberg said the club would pursue free agent pitcher Cliff Lee for a long-term deal after 2010, the question is whether investing in him long-term would pay the biggest benefit. Cliff Lee can pitch. And he’s not tanking it. But the question is this: If the Rangers can afford to make one major free-agent acquisition, where are the dollars best spent? There are definitely various other spots around the field where you could at least consider a major investment or at least some well calculated moves. I’ll go around the horn and point out some opportunities that the team shouldn’t pass up if it is at all possible to address them.
Catcher: Remember a year ago, when this position looked like it was stocked for years to come? Not so anymore. The Rangers had to rush to get Matt Treanor as a backup during spring, got more than they ever expected and then still felt the need to get Bengie Molina to front the position. Molina went into Monday hitting .212 as a Ranger. Anybody interested in bringing him back? Or giving the job to Treanor, who will be 35 and who has never been a starter? Or Taylor Teagarden? It’s a problem position. The Rangers will need to pursue a catcher this winter. There just aren’t many guys – if any – out there who would be worthy of a long-term deal and big bucks. The Rangers will sign or trade for another catcher this winter, but it won’t be for prime dollars. It will fall under the heading of “affordable.”
First base: Remember, like six months ago, when the position looked like it was stocked for years to come? Not so anymore. Justin Smoak was traded in the Cliff Lee deal. Chris Davis appears to have three strikes against him after three demotions in two seasons. Mitch Moreland has done a solid job since his promotion, but didn’t Davis do the same thing with more pop for half a year in 2008? Are the Rangers content to go with Moreland, considered the lowest of the three first base prospects in the system a year ago or might they want to pursue somebody like Adrian Gonzalez, a Gold Glove caliber defender and disciplined hitter? Could they bring themselves to doing that after letting him go as a throw-in five years ago?
Third base: There is public sentiment that Michael Young’s defense is regressing. I’d say his defense has been disappointing this season. Think even Young will eventually acknowledge that and pledge to do all he can to improve his range for 2011. But despite the defensive shortcomings, which extend only to range (not hands or arm strength), Young remains one of the better overall options at third. If, however, Boston’s Adrian Beltre were to test free agency, you’d have one guy who might be a better defensive fit and an equal offensive threat. It would allow the Rangers to potentially step away from Vladimir Guerrero, make Young the regular DH, but also play him at three infield spots regularly to keep Beltre and Ian Kinsler healthy and Elvis Andrus fresh. It might be intriguing, but there also might be too many moving pieces to make it all work.
Outfield : It’s rumored that Carl Crawford will end up with the New York Yankees after this season. Just as it’s rumored Cliff Lee will end up there. The Rangers have spent the whole year flip-flopping between a pair of left-handed bats in the outfield. David Murphy can produce runs and plays solid all-around defense; Julio Borbon can run and gets to everything in the outfield. Crawford does what both Murphy and Borbon do, only better. How would an outfield of Crawford in left, Josh Hamilton in center and Nelson Cruz in right, look? Expensive. That’s how it would look. But it would also look air tight on defense and multi-dimensional on offense.
So that said, where do you go? You stick with pursuing Lee and putting him atop the rotation (which I see as less and less of a need if the post All-Star CJ Wilson is going to stick around for a few years), or do you decide to take draft picks for him, let the Yankees take all the financial risk and try to address another spot on the roster?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Biblical Quandary: James, the brother of Jesus
Television shows and books refer to St. James as the brother of Jesus. In the Apostles’ Creed we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…” If St. James is Jesus’ brother, would James not also be God’s son? Were Mary and Joseph the parents of James?
“James, the brother of the Lord” has puzzled people for centuries. The New Testament refers to three men named James:
- James, brother of John the Apostle, himself an apostle and a son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21, etc.), is called James the Greater. He was martyred by King Herod Agrippa I about 41 A.D. (Acts 12:2) and is venerated in Santiago de Compostela (Spain).
- James, son of Alphaeus, also an apostle (Matthew 10:3, etc.), is known as James the Lesser. He was clubbed to death and is often confused with “James, the brother of the Lord.”
- The third James is the brother of Joseph/Joses, Simon and Judas of Nazareth (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3). Jesus appeared to this James after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). With Peter, he led the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13-21), is mentioned by St. Paul (Galatians 2:12) and was stoned to death in 62 A.D. on the high priest’s orders.
The third James is the presumed author of the New Testament’s Letter of James. He may have been Jesus’ cousin; other members of his family headed the Church in Jerusalem until that city was destroyed in 70 A.D.
For us, the term “brother” means a male relative sharing identical parents with the person who calls him “brother.” The term, however, in some societies can include other male relatives, even cousins. Jesus uses “brother” in an even wider sense in Mark 3:35 (“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”), Matthew 25:40, Luke 22:32 and John 20:17.
The Catholic Church maintains that Mary had only one child, Jesus, who was not biologically the son of Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:34-35). Already in the second century, the Protoevangelium of James described these “brothers of Jesus” as children of Joseph by a previous marriage. St. Jerome (d. 420) considered them cousins of Jesus. There is no scriptural evidence that Joseph was a single parent before marrying Mary.
“James, the brother of the Lord” has puzzled people for centuries. The New Testament refers to three men named James:
- James, brother of John the Apostle, himself an apostle and a son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21, etc.), is called James the Greater. He was martyred by King Herod Agrippa I about 41 A.D. (Acts 12:2) and is venerated in Santiago de Compostela (Spain).
- James, son of Alphaeus, also an apostle (Matthew 10:3, etc.), is known as James the Lesser. He was clubbed to death and is often confused with “James, the brother of the Lord.”
- The third James is the brother of Joseph/Joses, Simon and Judas of Nazareth (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3). Jesus appeared to this James after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). With Peter, he led the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13-21), is mentioned by St. Paul (Galatians 2:12) and was stoned to death in 62 A.D. on the high priest’s orders.
The third James is the presumed author of the New Testament’s Letter of James. He may have been Jesus’ cousin; other members of his family headed the Church in Jerusalem until that city was destroyed in 70 A.D.
For us, the term “brother” means a male relative sharing identical parents with the person who calls him “brother.” The term, however, in some societies can include other male relatives, even cousins. Jesus uses “brother” in an even wider sense in Mark 3:35 (“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”), Matthew 25:40, Luke 22:32 and John 20:17.
The Catholic Church maintains that Mary had only one child, Jesus, who was not biologically the son of Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:34-35). Already in the second century, the Protoevangelium of James described these “brothers of Jesus” as children of Joseph by a previous marriage. St. Jerome (d. 420) considered them cousins of Jesus. There is no scriptural evidence that Joseph was a single parent before marrying Mary.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
It's been 10 years...darn, thought it was longer
I've written about my 10 year high school reunion before, but as it is tomorrow I am going to just touch on the subject again. I initially wanted to go to my reunion since I figured that is what you are supposed to do. After getting in touch with an old high school girl friend (now friend) several years ago, she convinced me that going to the reunion would be a torturous waste of time. I stuck with that idea up until a couple weeks ago when that same friend IMed me to ask me if I would go with her and another friend to the reunion. So now I am apparently going. Luckily I planned ahead a bought a ticket, just in case, but mostly because the reunion committee kept sending facebook messages about being sure to buy your ticket so they would have the money to pay for the venue. Regardless, I am going. I still don't really feel like going, but everyone says I will have a good time (and for some reason I trust them). I know all about reunions due to what I read on wikipedia and what my brother and friends have told me about theirs.
A class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. Former teachers may be invited as well. Usually, participants nostalgically reminisce about their old school days, fondly remember their school pranks, and bring each other up to date on what has happened to each of them since they went their separate ways. Alumni are quite often concerned about how their lives have turned out when compared with the lives of their former classmates, and will sometimes feel pressured enough to go to great lengths to concoct stories about their fruitful careers, personal accomplishments and relationships with others.
In film and literature, especially crime novels, thrillers and psychological suspense novels, class reunions have been a frequent device used to show the eruption of emotions such as shame, hatred or guilt within individual characters who, suddenly faced again with their own youth, become aware of the fact that they have been unable to cope with their past. In many cases, those who used to be bullied, humiliated or in any other way mistreated by their teachers and/or classmates believe that now their chance has come to take revenge on their former torturers. Another staple of this kind of fiction is former classmates taking up with their old flame again, either because they have changed to their advantage and developed into an admirable adult or precisely for the opposite reason—because they have not changed at all in a fleeting world.
I don't have much else to say. I may do a special edition of The Elder Statesman next week to tell ya'll about it, but I don't think I'll have that much to say. I mean really...is getting back together with the people who I spent four grueling years with ten years ago going to change anything about my life for the next ten years or more? Probably not. In fact, it will probably be a relatively expensive night on the town thinking about past glories and failures (basically the same as my early twenties). I'll let you know how it goes maybe...
A class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. Former teachers may be invited as well. Usually, participants nostalgically reminisce about their old school days, fondly remember their school pranks, and bring each other up to date on what has happened to each of them since they went their separate ways. Alumni are quite often concerned about how their lives have turned out when compared with the lives of their former classmates, and will sometimes feel pressured enough to go to great lengths to concoct stories about their fruitful careers, personal accomplishments and relationships with others.
In film and literature, especially crime novels, thrillers and psychological suspense novels, class reunions have been a frequent device used to show the eruption of emotions such as shame, hatred or guilt within individual characters who, suddenly faced again with their own youth, become aware of the fact that they have been unable to cope with their past. In many cases, those who used to be bullied, humiliated or in any other way mistreated by their teachers and/or classmates believe that now their chance has come to take revenge on their former torturers. Another staple of this kind of fiction is former classmates taking up with their old flame again, either because they have changed to their advantage and developed into an admirable adult or precisely for the opposite reason—because they have not changed at all in a fleeting world.
I don't have much else to say. I may do a special edition of The Elder Statesman next week to tell ya'll about it, but I don't think I'll have that much to say. I mean really...is getting back together with the people who I spent four grueling years with ten years ago going to change anything about my life for the next ten years or more? Probably not. In fact, it will probably be a relatively expensive night on the town thinking about past glories and failures (basically the same as my early twenties). I'll let you know how it goes maybe...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Babaganoush Sports Beat
Southern Methodist Football
It took coach June Jones just two seasons to turn SMU from a joke into a bowl team. The Mustangs improved from 1-11 in Jones' first season to 8-5 last season, capping it off with a 45-10 rout of Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. It was SMU's first postseason appearance since 1984 and just their second winning record since resurrecting football in 1989 after an NCAA-imposed "death penalty." The turnaround doesn't look like a fluke. The Mustangs return 15 starters, and though the schedule is difficult, another bowl bid looks likely. SMU hopes to take the next step this season, which begins Sept. 5 at Texas Tech. The Mustangs are aiming for the Conference USA title – though Houston is more commonly considered the preseason frontrunner. But really, who is afraid of Houston? Not the Mustangs. One trademark of a June Jones-coached team seems to be an absolute absence of fear. SMU lost a lot of talent from last year's team, but the players and coaches seem positive their system will work better and better as the talent and depth improve and the players get more and more familiar with the intricacies and nuances of the offensive and defensive systems.
STRENGTHS:
1. Coaching: June Jones has had something of a Midas touch wherever he has been. He lifted a long-dormant Hawaii program to new heights during his tenure on the islands, and in just his second year in Dallas, he led the Mustangs to their first bowl game in 25 years. Jones is renowned as an offensive genius, and rightly so, but his most important gift might be that of master psychologist. He and his staff have changed the culture around a program that had had just one winning season in the previous two decades. Jones believes in positive reinforcement and has instilled a new level of accountability in his team, from freshmen to fifth-year seniors.
2. Quarterback Kyle Padron: With exactly six starts on his college résumé, Padron already is one of the clear-cut leaders on the team. He has a 5-1 record as a starter and set an SMU single-game record with 460 passing yards in the Hawaii Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. His passer rating of 159.9 was the fifth-highest mark in the nation.
3. Defensive ends: Starters Taylor Thompson and Marquis Frazier completely changed the effectiveness of the defense last year, playing solidly against the run and the pass. Coupled with backup Margus Hunt — who, in his first year of playing football came within one of the all-time NCAA record for blocked kicks in a single season — the Mustangs have the best trio of defensive ends in more than 20 years.
4. Offensive tackles Kelvin Beachum, Jr. and J.T. Brooks: the bookends of the Mustangs' offensive line are big, athletic and technically solid. Beachum earns more accolades, but by the end of the 2009 season, Brooks was the offensive line's best player. These two were key reasons why Padron barely got any pressure at all in the Hawaii Bowl.
WEAKNESSES:
1. Depth: Since Jones' arrival, the Ponies have collected some quality starters, but are dangerously thin at many positions.
2. Uncertainty in the running game: transfer Shawnbrey McNeal was a pleasant surprise last year, running for more yards than any back June Jones has ever coached in college, but he is in San Diego now, trying to make the Chargers as a free agent. Chris Butler, Zach Line, Bryce Lunday and Ryan Moczygemba return, but many expect a pair of true freshmen, Kevin Pope and Darryl Fields, to compete for significant playing time — if not a starting role — right away.
WHO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
The Mustangs are coming off their first bowl appearance since 1984, and returning to the postseason will depend heavily on QB Kyle Padron. He was pressed into starting duty as a true freshman in Game 7, after Bo Levi Mitchell was injured, and Padron performed so well down the stretch that Mitchell -- a two-year starter -- decided to transfer to FCS member Eastern Washington. Padron threw for 1,922 yards in seven games, and 3,000 yards is an eminently reachable goal this season. Padron is the latest quarterback off the assembly line at powerhouse Southlake Carroll High, in the Dallas suburbs.
PREDICTION:
Since coming back from the death penalty in 1989, SMU has finished with a .500 record or better three times. How have the Mustangs fared before and after those seasons? Before and after each of those winning/even seasons, the Mustangs had losing records. Some of those were as bad as 1-11 like in 2007 after Phil Bennett lead SMU to a 6-6 season in 2006 or as innocuous as 5-6 like the 2005 season where Bennett lead the Mustangs to 5-6. If I had to make a gut prediction based on what I know, I say the Mustangs go 6-6 this season. The Mustangs lost a small senior class, but that class included a lot of key performers, including WR Sanders, SS Rock Dennis, CB McCann and C Mitch Enright. Jones and his staff are building the program the right way, stockpiling young talent, but while that talent base grows, the Mustangs will call on a lot of young players to fill key roles.
Now, if you are asking me as an alumnus and SMU homer…I say we come back with another 8 win season, starting with an incredible upset of Texas Tech at Lubbock. Kick ‘em Stangs!
It took coach June Jones just two seasons to turn SMU from a joke into a bowl team. The Mustangs improved from 1-11 in Jones' first season to 8-5 last season, capping it off with a 45-10 rout of Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. It was SMU's first postseason appearance since 1984 and just their second winning record since resurrecting football in 1989 after an NCAA-imposed "death penalty." The turnaround doesn't look like a fluke. The Mustangs return 15 starters, and though the schedule is difficult, another bowl bid looks likely. SMU hopes to take the next step this season, which begins Sept. 5 at Texas Tech. The Mustangs are aiming for the Conference USA title – though Houston is more commonly considered the preseason frontrunner. But really, who is afraid of Houston? Not the Mustangs. One trademark of a June Jones-coached team seems to be an absolute absence of fear. SMU lost a lot of talent from last year's team, but the players and coaches seem positive their system will work better and better as the talent and depth improve and the players get more and more familiar with the intricacies and nuances of the offensive and defensive systems.
STRENGTHS:
1. Coaching: June Jones has had something of a Midas touch wherever he has been. He lifted a long-dormant Hawaii program to new heights during his tenure on the islands, and in just his second year in Dallas, he led the Mustangs to their first bowl game in 25 years. Jones is renowned as an offensive genius, and rightly so, but his most important gift might be that of master psychologist. He and his staff have changed the culture around a program that had had just one winning season in the previous two decades. Jones believes in positive reinforcement and has instilled a new level of accountability in his team, from freshmen to fifth-year seniors.
2. Quarterback Kyle Padron: With exactly six starts on his college résumé, Padron already is one of the clear-cut leaders on the team. He has a 5-1 record as a starter and set an SMU single-game record with 460 passing yards in the Hawaii Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. His passer rating of 159.9 was the fifth-highest mark in the nation.
3. Defensive ends: Starters Taylor Thompson and Marquis Frazier completely changed the effectiveness of the defense last year, playing solidly against the run and the pass. Coupled with backup Margus Hunt — who, in his first year of playing football came within one of the all-time NCAA record for blocked kicks in a single season — the Mustangs have the best trio of defensive ends in more than 20 years.
4. Offensive tackles Kelvin Beachum, Jr. and J.T. Brooks: the bookends of the Mustangs' offensive line are big, athletic and technically solid. Beachum earns more accolades, but by the end of the 2009 season, Brooks was the offensive line's best player. These two were key reasons why Padron barely got any pressure at all in the Hawaii Bowl.
WEAKNESSES:
1. Depth: Since Jones' arrival, the Ponies have collected some quality starters, but are dangerously thin at many positions.
2. Uncertainty in the running game: transfer Shawnbrey McNeal was a pleasant surprise last year, running for more yards than any back June Jones has ever coached in college, but he is in San Diego now, trying to make the Chargers as a free agent. Chris Butler, Zach Line, Bryce Lunday and Ryan Moczygemba return, but many expect a pair of true freshmen, Kevin Pope and Darryl Fields, to compete for significant playing time — if not a starting role — right away.
WHO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
The Mustangs are coming off their first bowl appearance since 1984, and returning to the postseason will depend heavily on QB Kyle Padron. He was pressed into starting duty as a true freshman in Game 7, after Bo Levi Mitchell was injured, and Padron performed so well down the stretch that Mitchell -- a two-year starter -- decided to transfer to FCS member Eastern Washington. Padron threw for 1,922 yards in seven games, and 3,000 yards is an eminently reachable goal this season. Padron is the latest quarterback off the assembly line at powerhouse Southlake Carroll High, in the Dallas suburbs.
PREDICTION:
Since coming back from the death penalty in 1989, SMU has finished with a .500 record or better three times. How have the Mustangs fared before and after those seasons? Before and after each of those winning/even seasons, the Mustangs had losing records. Some of those were as bad as 1-11 like in 2007 after Phil Bennett lead SMU to a 6-6 season in 2006 or as innocuous as 5-6 like the 2005 season where Bennett lead the Mustangs to 5-6. If I had to make a gut prediction based on what I know, I say the Mustangs go 6-6 this season. The Mustangs lost a small senior class, but that class included a lot of key performers, including WR Sanders, SS Rock Dennis, CB McCann and C Mitch Enright. Jones and his staff are building the program the right way, stockpiling young talent, but while that talent base grows, the Mustangs will call on a lot of young players to fill key roles.
Now, if you are asking me as an alumnus and SMU homer…I say we come back with another 8 win season, starting with an incredible upset of Texas Tech at Lubbock. Kick ‘em Stangs!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Communion of Saints
This is going to be a short one, more for me staying sane by not doing tons of research than for ya'll to not have so much to read. As I was sitting in church Sunday morning I said the prayers that we always say, but I was being really pensive. I began to think about each little thing we prayer and about. At one point in the Mass, the priest calls on the intercession of the communion of saints and as I looked around the room, there were some puzzled looks (as always). Today we will investigate the idea of the communion of saints.
Catholics believe in the "communion of saints." Even though people die, we stay in touch with them and they with us. How is this possible? It is possible through Baptism by which we enter into the death and resurrection of Jesus. Even though Jesus died, he rose from the dead, remaining even more present than when he was on earth to all who believed in him. We live in Christ. Those who have died believing in Christ remain alive in him.
Therefore, whether dead or alive, we are connected in love. So when your grandmother who loved you very much dies, we believe that she now continues in heaven to love who she loved on earth, but with much greater intensity and depth and selflessness.
The saints play an important role in Catholicism, because Catholicism recognizes how people come to know and love God through others. Parents and family play a key role in your development in everything, including faith. Later in life, all sorts of other experiences, especially friendships, have a deep influence on how we grow in our faith.
The communion of saints is a network of friendships that connects us to the love of God. Saints function like windows through whom we can see the shape of God's love. Saints don't point to themselves, but to God. It is impossible for saints to take the place of Jesus, for their whole lives and all their energies were and remain focused on him, and on us in him. If we look to the saints, we will be led to Jesus.
Catholics believe in the "communion of saints." Even though people die, we stay in touch with them and they with us. How is this possible? It is possible through Baptism by which we enter into the death and resurrection of Jesus. Even though Jesus died, he rose from the dead, remaining even more present than when he was on earth to all who believed in him. We live in Christ. Those who have died believing in Christ remain alive in him.
Therefore, whether dead or alive, we are connected in love. So when your grandmother who loved you very much dies, we believe that she now continues in heaven to love who she loved on earth, but with much greater intensity and depth and selflessness.
The saints play an important role in Catholicism, because Catholicism recognizes how people come to know and love God through others. Parents and family play a key role in your development in everything, including faith. Later in life, all sorts of other experiences, especially friendships, have a deep influence on how we grow in our faith.
The communion of saints is a network of friendships that connects us to the love of God. Saints function like windows through whom we can see the shape of God's love. Saints don't point to themselves, but to God. It is impossible for saints to take the place of Jesus, for their whole lives and all their energies were and remain focused on him, and on us in him. If we look to the saints, we will be led to Jesus.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
S...L...E...E...P...Y...
“All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own.” – Plutarch (Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist)
I haven’t just rambled incoherently in a blog in quite some time. Since I’m a little tired and unfocused, now is probably a good time to do that. I don’t know why I’m tired. I got a relatively good amount of sleep last night even though I really couldn’t convince myself to go to bed till almost 4 in the morning. Why is that? Well, I was having a stimulating conversation with a special lady friend of mine and we didn’t get off the phone until almost 2. I could have gone to bed, but I was watching the Colbert Report which I had taped earlier and wanted to finish it. Yes, I could have skipped it, but he was in the middle of one of his WORD segments, so I had to watch. Ok, it only took about fifteen minutes to finish watching that, but then I got a little hungry, so I ate some wafer-crème cookies (one of my dad’s favorites). While I was eating those I started watching Laws of Attraction, the movie with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. I’ve never seen it before, so I got wound up in watching it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for romantic comedies. I got about an hour and a half into it when I realized that it wasn’t that good a movie and decided to go to bed.
Like I said, I got plenty of sleep, by which I mean I got my normal amount of sleep. I haven’t been sleeping well the past few months. Sometimes I sleep like a rock, lights out minutes after my head hits the pillow and straight through till morning. But there have been nights where I haven’t slept well at all. I’d wake up constantly, being asleep for an hour or more, but then sort of shocking myself awake. I’ve even had some pretty terrible nightmares, about one a week for the past month or so. One involved a serial killer chasing me, one involved being attacked by a zombie-like goliath, and the last one involved being mugged and shot in the head (and surviving…with brain damage). I didn’t have any dreams or nightmares last night. I slept like a rock, waking up in almost the exact same position as I fell asleep. I’ve been told I don’t move much, if at all, while I sleep, but last night into this morning was the first time I have actually noticed it. I usually fall asleep flat on my back with my arms to my side (soldier style) or with my arms folded over/near my chest (corpse style). Mom said there were times when I was younger where she felt she needed to check to make sure I was still alive.
Why am I talking about all of this? Sometimes, I feel, a blogger needs to bare themselves completely to their audience in order to gain their trust, but also to humanize themselves. I am not standing in front of you telling you my conclusions, theories, and opinions, so it can become a case where you stop believing what you are reading is coming from a living person, but rather begin to expect it to come and either entertain or disgust you as if it materialized out of nowhere. So, yeah, I am real and I am writing these things every other day just for you (well, considering there are so few of you actually reading this, then maybe it is more for me). So, if you are reading this right now, know that I am really tired, I wanted to take a nap but was interrupted by a friend’s phone call, and now I am even more drowsy/tired and I have to leave for my night class in thirty minutes. I am a complex person…
I haven’t just rambled incoherently in a blog in quite some time. Since I’m a little tired and unfocused, now is probably a good time to do that. I don’t know why I’m tired. I got a relatively good amount of sleep last night even though I really couldn’t convince myself to go to bed till almost 4 in the morning. Why is that? Well, I was having a stimulating conversation with a special lady friend of mine and we didn’t get off the phone until almost 2. I could have gone to bed, but I was watching the Colbert Report which I had taped earlier and wanted to finish it. Yes, I could have skipped it, but he was in the middle of one of his WORD segments, so I had to watch. Ok, it only took about fifteen minutes to finish watching that, but then I got a little hungry, so I ate some wafer-crème cookies (one of my dad’s favorites). While I was eating those I started watching Laws of Attraction, the movie with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. I’ve never seen it before, so I got wound up in watching it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for romantic comedies. I got about an hour and a half into it when I realized that it wasn’t that good a movie and decided to go to bed.
Like I said, I got plenty of sleep, by which I mean I got my normal amount of sleep. I haven’t been sleeping well the past few months. Sometimes I sleep like a rock, lights out minutes after my head hits the pillow and straight through till morning. But there have been nights where I haven’t slept well at all. I’d wake up constantly, being asleep for an hour or more, but then sort of shocking myself awake. I’ve even had some pretty terrible nightmares, about one a week for the past month or so. One involved a serial killer chasing me, one involved being attacked by a zombie-like goliath, and the last one involved being mugged and shot in the head (and surviving…with brain damage). I didn’t have any dreams or nightmares last night. I slept like a rock, waking up in almost the exact same position as I fell asleep. I’ve been told I don’t move much, if at all, while I sleep, but last night into this morning was the first time I have actually noticed it. I usually fall asleep flat on my back with my arms to my side (soldier style) or with my arms folded over/near my chest (corpse style). Mom said there were times when I was younger where she felt she needed to check to make sure I was still alive.
Why am I talking about all of this? Sometimes, I feel, a blogger needs to bare themselves completely to their audience in order to gain their trust, but also to humanize themselves. I am not standing in front of you telling you my conclusions, theories, and opinions, so it can become a case where you stop believing what you are reading is coming from a living person, but rather begin to expect it to come and either entertain or disgust you as if it materialized out of nowhere. So, yeah, I am real and I am writing these things every other day just for you (well, considering there are so few of you actually reading this, then maybe it is more for me). So, if you are reading this right now, know that I am really tired, I wanted to take a nap but was interrupted by a friend’s phone call, and now I am even more drowsy/tired and I have to leave for my night class in thirty minutes. I am a complex person…
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Babaganoush Sports Beat
Texas Rangers
The Rangers have gone out of their way to protect Joaquin Arias. When he couldn't break into the lineup at shortstop, they moved him around the diamond. When he couldn't throw for two years, they waited patiently. When he ran out of minor league options, they created injuries for him so they wouldn't have to risk losing him on waivers. One place they can't protect him: When he's on the field. As a late-game replacement Monday in a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay, Arias once again demonstrated why he so perplexes management. He helped them get their first lead of the game at the plate, then promptly went into the field and opened the door for a four-run Tampa Bay eighth inning. It was enough to leave manager Ron Washington pacing his office and pinching his lip in frustration before tossing aside his hat and throwing his pack of Winstons on the desk.
We have got to get our heads out of our butts and play better baseball. We gave them too many outs. Cliff Lee should have faced only four hitters in the inning. We made too many mistakes. There were two in particular. Arias was smack-dab in the middle of both. In the field, Arias looked like an about-to-be-thrown bull rider. When B.J. Upton lifted a soft fly ball toward right, Arias wandered out after the ball in a tentative and circuitous route, but it was still shallow enough he came within six inches of catching it. Instead, Upton wound up at second with a double. After Jason Bartlett reached on a single, the next batter was Carl Crawford. He's kind of known for being fast. Word gets around when you average 50 stolen bases for the last seven years. But when Crawford dribbled a ball toward second, Arias stayed back on it, then tried to hurry a throw to second to start an impossible double play.
Asked if Arias played a role in the bizarre feeling of the inning, starter Cliff Lee declined to pass judgment. But if you were watching the game last night, you could see how Lee felt about the debacle. The heat merely appeared to be pouring out from inside of Lee as he seethed in the dugout. And this wasn't the first time the Texas defense let him down. Washington, however, did judge…righteously. He was far more direct and stinging in his assessment of the plays, quite out of character for a manager who loathes saying anything critical of a player. Then again, Washington has seen this before. Last August, with the Rangers trying to catch Los Angeles, Arias stepped in for a pair of starts at second while Ian Kinsler was on the DL. Arias bumbled through two games, both losses, and was promptly banished from the big league team. He was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, using up his last minor league option. This time, it only took one inning for a problem to surface. This time, if the Rangers decide he can't help them, they aren't going to be able to protect him. This time, that might not be a concern.
On a note dear to my heart, Rangers manager Ron Washington said the team will wait until Ian Kinsler (left groin) resumes baseball activities until making a decision on the second baseman. Washington and team officials will evaluate Kinsler in Baltimore during the Rangers' four-game series against the Orioles or when the team returns to Texas after the seven-game road trip. Kinsler, who was placed on the disabled list on July 29 and eligible to come off it Aug. 12, mentioned before Monday's game against the Rays that he feels healthy and is just waiting on the team's decision.
Dallas Cowboys
Now training in Oxnard, CA, the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive players walked off the field when practice ended Monday, a clear indication they received the message coaches sent the day before. The whole crew “stayed after school,” as team owner Jerry Jones put it, because of a sloppy workout Sunday. They recovered nicely on Monday, drawing plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, especially on touchdown catches from Jason Witten and Miles Austin during a 2-minute drill. Tony Romo was sick Monday, although not as much as he had been Sunday. Jones praised his quarterback for being out there anyway as did coach Wade Phillips.
Offensive worries have been a constant the past few weeks, from the ankle injury that’s sidelined Dez Bryant to right tackle Marc Colombo needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday, from the offense failing to score a touchdown in the first two preseason games to the line allowing 11 sacks in those games. So when the offense got sloppy Sunday, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett reached his breaking point. Phillips said off days are bound to happen. The bothersome part was that players let it keep deteriorating. Jones said he’s not overly concerned. Tight end Jason Witten noted that the starters have only played 32 snaps. Another risk-reward issue is how much Romo will play Saturday since he’ll be missing his usual right tackle. Phillips said that probably won’t be much of a factor in the decision.
The Rangers have gone out of their way to protect Joaquin Arias. When he couldn't break into the lineup at shortstop, they moved him around the diamond. When he couldn't throw for two years, they waited patiently. When he ran out of minor league options, they created injuries for him so they wouldn't have to risk losing him on waivers. One place they can't protect him: When he's on the field. As a late-game replacement Monday in a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay, Arias once again demonstrated why he so perplexes management. He helped them get their first lead of the game at the plate, then promptly went into the field and opened the door for a four-run Tampa Bay eighth inning. It was enough to leave manager Ron Washington pacing his office and pinching his lip in frustration before tossing aside his hat and throwing his pack of Winstons on the desk.
We have got to get our heads out of our butts and play better baseball. We gave them too many outs. Cliff Lee should have faced only four hitters in the inning. We made too many mistakes. There were two in particular. Arias was smack-dab in the middle of both. In the field, Arias looked like an about-to-be-thrown bull rider. When B.J. Upton lifted a soft fly ball toward right, Arias wandered out after the ball in a tentative and circuitous route, but it was still shallow enough he came within six inches of catching it. Instead, Upton wound up at second with a double. After Jason Bartlett reached on a single, the next batter was Carl Crawford. He's kind of known for being fast. Word gets around when you average 50 stolen bases for the last seven years. But when Crawford dribbled a ball toward second, Arias stayed back on it, then tried to hurry a throw to second to start an impossible double play.
Asked if Arias played a role in the bizarre feeling of the inning, starter Cliff Lee declined to pass judgment. But if you were watching the game last night, you could see how Lee felt about the debacle. The heat merely appeared to be pouring out from inside of Lee as he seethed in the dugout. And this wasn't the first time the Texas defense let him down. Washington, however, did judge…righteously. He was far more direct and stinging in his assessment of the plays, quite out of character for a manager who loathes saying anything critical of a player. Then again, Washington has seen this before. Last August, with the Rangers trying to catch Los Angeles, Arias stepped in for a pair of starts at second while Ian Kinsler was on the DL. Arias bumbled through two games, both losses, and was promptly banished from the big league team. He was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, using up his last minor league option. This time, it only took one inning for a problem to surface. This time, if the Rangers decide he can't help them, they aren't going to be able to protect him. This time, that might not be a concern.
On a note dear to my heart, Rangers manager Ron Washington said the team will wait until Ian Kinsler (left groin) resumes baseball activities until making a decision on the second baseman. Washington and team officials will evaluate Kinsler in Baltimore during the Rangers' four-game series against the Orioles or when the team returns to Texas after the seven-game road trip. Kinsler, who was placed on the disabled list on July 29 and eligible to come off it Aug. 12, mentioned before Monday's game against the Rays that he feels healthy and is just waiting on the team's decision.
Dallas Cowboys
Now training in Oxnard, CA, the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive players walked off the field when practice ended Monday, a clear indication they received the message coaches sent the day before. The whole crew “stayed after school,” as team owner Jerry Jones put it, because of a sloppy workout Sunday. They recovered nicely on Monday, drawing plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, especially on touchdown catches from Jason Witten and Miles Austin during a 2-minute drill. Tony Romo was sick Monday, although not as much as he had been Sunday. Jones praised his quarterback for being out there anyway as did coach Wade Phillips.
Offensive worries have been a constant the past few weeks, from the ankle injury that’s sidelined Dez Bryant to right tackle Marc Colombo needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday, from the offense failing to score a touchdown in the first two preseason games to the line allowing 11 sacks in those games. So when the offense got sloppy Sunday, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett reached his breaking point. Phillips said off days are bound to happen. The bothersome part was that players let it keep deteriorating. Jones said he’s not overly concerned. Tight end Jason Witten noted that the starters have only played 32 snaps. Another risk-reward issue is how much Romo will play Saturday since he’ll be missing his usual right tackle. Phillips said that probably won’t be much of a factor in the decision.
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