Unemployed Ballplayers

In about a week and half, MLB teams start reporting for Spring Training.

Right now, there are some really good players still unsigned.  According to Buster Olney, pitchers available are starters Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Pat Maholm, Joe Saunders, and Bronson Arroyo.  Out of the bullpen comes Fernando Rodney, Andrew Bailey, Mike Gonzalez, Francisco Rodriguez, and Joel Hanrahan.  Journeymen, yes, but a nice pitching staff with three no-hitters.

The latest All-Unemployed Team has first baseman Carlos Pena, Second baseman Ramon Santiago,  Shortstop Stephen Drew, Third Baseman Placido Polanco, Catcher Yorvit Torrealba, outfielders Nelson Cruz, Sam Fuld, and Vernon Wells, plus DH Kendry Morales.

That team could probably go .500 if they played together for an entire season.  Just wondering which ones would have a huge year this year if they were signed.

So...am I off base?

Brief Random Thoughts-January 27, 2013

While I usually ignore the Pro Bowl, it was a refreshing change of pace to see the format change.

What it did to the quality of play and the level of effort was worth it.

Two tremendous teammate on teammate hits were worth the time and effort.

Maybe other sports leagues should take note.  It is a natural connection with their fans, many of whom play fantasy leagues.  It made a good show, as far as All Star games go.

-Super Hype 48 has begun.  The world of questions, including "What kind of tree are you?" is beginning.  Sure wish we could just get to the game.

Better question could be what kind of effect weather could have on the game.  Not expecting much effect, unless the weather is extreme, like the cold we are seeing right now across most of the Northern half of our country.  The NFL needs to detail their contingency plans.  I would like to see a holiday on the day after the game.  Gotta be ready for work the next day.

-As a Purdue alum, I need to ask for continued thoughts and prayer for my alma mater.  It is a unique place, urban in environment, but a distinct college campus, set apart from the local community.  That setting leads to an open environment, not just internally, but with the community.  I pray it will stay that open.

So...am I off base?

...So I Walked Away

The year was 1999.  I was 34 years old, with a wife and a young son.  I was getting more competitive with my golf game, the third year of a five year plan to get my game back.  My son had been a long awaited surprise, arriving a year before, seven years into our marriage.  The clock was ticking.

The assistant pro's life was a good one.  I did my best, and pushed the limits of what I could do for the members, and they kept me around.  I could spend a little time each day working on my game.  I was working for a veteran pro, seven years at the private club, and had learned plenty about the business.  It challenged all parts of me: athletically, professionally, personally.  My game was consistently in the 70's, the members regarded me well, and I seemed to be well liked.

My boss decided to move on.  While I had a good year, his was fraught with turmoil.  An issue at the first Pro-Am event of the year removed that from the equation.  Bickering over handicaps lead to accusations, and sanctions from the State Golf Association.  With a year left on his contract, he moved on.

Left me holding the bag until a new professional could be hired.  I ran the operation, even put together some bids for a couple of outings new to our facility.  I worked long hours, even missed my birthday to keep the facility moving forward.  I handed the keys to the new professional around the first of May.

I helped guide him through his first year.  He was a competent individual, prepared by a pro's pro, and handling his first head professional's job.  We had a good season, but my game had stagnated.  Taking care of business was keeping me from the improvement I needed as a player.  I had grown in the business, and felt stronger for it.

But when I went home, the 45 minute drive each direction, things were not as they should be.  My son had been born at the end of the previous season, and I spent a wonderful six weeks caring for him while unemployed between seasons.  Getting home at "Dark:45", he had no idea who this stranger was, if he was even awake.

Keeping up bible study, I realized I was the father of this child, and God called me to do some things for him.  Failing those would not only fail God, it would fail the child.  It would fail his mother, who I had promised to love, honor and obey.  We see the effects in the schools where God is not allowed, and in the teenagers where dad chose to throw money at kids instead of time.  I knew it would take a little of both.

So I walked away.  I had no definite professional plans, but a God who promised to provide.  I landed in the medical professions, working behind the doctors and technologists who give medicine it's eyes.  While I'm underemployed for my education level, I am providing a living for my family.  I just don't do the one thing that used to give me life.

However, I think of the people I met because of this decision.  The doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital.  The church family that took us as we were.  The children that I have coached and worked with in church.  The athletes I've coached against.  The coaches I have coached with.  The parents of their friends at school.  Now the athletic director, coaches, and athletes that I serve at school.  My heart was empty without the game I loved to play.  It has been filled with so much more.

Am I a superior father?  No.  I wonder where my kids would be without the guidance and the discipline.  My children are far from perfect, but no human is perfect.  Only pride can make you believe you're perfect.  Pride goes before a fall.

So...am I off base?

So You Think You Can Rant

As a long time Seattle Seahawk fan, I am excited for the team to be going to our second Super Bowl.  Hope the big plays end up in points instead of first downs.

Russell Wilson is a soft spoken leader who wears his Christianity on his sleeve.  He should be credited because more heralded quarterbacks aren't even close to going to a Super Bowl.  They had the best record in the NFC during this past season, due to Wilson and a defense that makes Scrooge look like Winston Churchill.

Richard Sherman has been a huge part of that defense.  He lead the NFL in interceptions this season, and generally kept the other team's best receiver under wraps.  He is a film junkie who puts in the preparation and the work every week.  Leaders do that.

The immediate post game rant has turned off a lot of people and should have.  As someone on Facebook put it, he put the ass in classless.

I didn't like it, either.  I expect better, especially from a Stanford grad.  However, I kept hearing echoes from the past...

"I am the Greatest."

I didn't like Muhammad Ali either.  He was a 70's equivalent to today's trash talker.  He didn't always win, but we made sure we were watching.  Some just wanted to see him fail, but he put in the preparation and the work.  You couldn't win like he did without it.

Once I figured out Ali wasn't talking to us or his opponent, I was okay with him.  Maybe Richard Sherman is in that class.  We can hope so.

So...am I off base?

Random Questions-January 19, 2014

Some random questions running through the single hallway that is my mind.

-Can Peyton drag another group of average players past the best team builder in the NFL?  He's only batting about .250 doing it.  Of course, in MLB that's worth about $11 million a year.

-Does Russell Wilson come of age today and take the Seahawks to the Super Bowl?  He is the best rounded of the young quarterbacks, but not the best overall, thanks to Andrew Luck.  However, Wilson is still playing.

-Does Tom Brady have one more bit of magic in him?  Or is Father Time closing in on the Patriots?  They don't do anything special, they just do it better.

-Can Colin Kaepernick really show himself to be a leader today?  It may take someone to stand a bit taller today, and he may have to do through an earthquake, thanks to the 12's.

-Can A-Rod prove he's a man and not just male?  Surely denial and poor choices shall follow me all the days of my life.  And I will dwell in the house of maleness (and not the Hall of Fame) forever...

-Will anything be surprising in College Basketball this season?  Indiana wins a big game against Wisconsin, then loses to Northwestern.  Must be that youth thing: they're still around twenty years old.

-How many days to Opening Day?  Oh well,gotta go shovel the driveway.

So...am I off base?

Championship Football

The teams who get the honor of playing in Super Bowl XLsomething will be determined on Sunday.  It has the makings of one of the most memorable days of football ever.  Will the games live up to the possibilities?

New England at Denver- Another round in the decade long battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  Brady has most of his receiving corps intact and a running game that is still racking up yards against the Colts.  Manning has his experience and guile, and a pretty good offensive line.  Barring an epic failure by either quarterback, the game comes down to who has the better running game on Sunday.  If the Bronco defense can contain the Patriot ground game, and the Patriot defense keeps the good Bronco ground game a potential, the offense that runs for the tough yards and sets up play action wins.  Sounds pretty simple for a game generating hype, but simple things are always the best.

San Francisco at Seattle- Seattle is going to the Super Bowl.  I said this in early December, but they will have to play better than they did last Saturday against New Orleans.  Seahawk defense will hold the keys to the reward (?) of playing in New York in February.  The ability to defend the read option is the key to victory.  One big play triggered by a quarterback's legs could be the difference between victory and defeat.  Marshawn Lynch should run well, something the 49ers will rely on Frank Gore to move the ball.  Time of possession is key: he who keeps the ball, keeps the other's big plays off the field.  Big plays will win this game.

I'm looking forward to a great day of football.  It will be fun to see how this one plays out.

So...am I off base?

A-Rod, MLB: We're Still Waiting

A decision has been reached involving Alex Rodriguez.  He gets a season long suspension, worth $25 million to A-Rod, and shame enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.  A-Rod's lawyers will be filing more legal paperwork this morning.  His statement afterwards reeks of denial and Axe body spray.

Major League Baseball produced their smoking gun last night.  Mr. Bosch is not the most reputable character, but he says he shot illegal stuff into A-Rod.  He claims his life was threatened by A-Rod associates.  He seems to have the knowledge and capability to design a program to beat the testing system.  He's paid a price, and gotten paid, for producing the goods, not just to A-Rod but to MLB.

However, Baseball seems to have the hubris to speak publicly about a situation that may not be resolved.  Rob Manfred and Bud Selig spoke on camera, instead of hiding behind anti-trust legislation.  Not the smartest move.

I'm coming of the opinion that both side stink here.  A-Rod still needs to man up.  His statement after the decision is still full of denial, and it doesn't make you a sympathetic character.  While you are an employee like the rest of us, you are closer to the rich than the working class.  We're not gonna spend the night with Madonna any time soon, so quit thinking you're just a working stiff.  You should have entered the halls of privilege with integrity.

However, Baseball was in tacit complicity, trying to rebuild it's image after a poor period of labor relations.  To hear Mr. Bosch say "It's part of baseball" is disappointing at best, heart breaking at worst.  Everyone else who dealt with him took their suspension, and knew what they were doing.  Baseball might need to let us know when they knew what they knew.

Maybe an independent study Mr. Bosch's treatment plan, and comparison to the testing program would settle a lot of this.  A-Rod, you should be amenable to this, the science of the situation.  Baseball, you shouldn't be afraid of this answer either.  As a medical person, I might even believe the Mayo Clinic or similarly respected institution.  If you both believe this, you should have nothing to fear.

So...am I off base?

Random Thoughts- January 11, 2014

A couple of random thoughts while waiting for the NFL to kick off later today...

-Saints at Seahawks.  I drank the Seahawks Kool-Aid a couple of weeks ago.  I stand by that pick.  However, if there is one quarterback with the experience, skills, and desire to pull a road upset in the NFC, it's Drew Brees.  I'm not sure the Saints have the supporting cast and running game to pull off the upset.  Interesting how some young quarterback is going to come of age during this playoff season.

-Colts at Patriots.  The Colts are one more opportunity away from breaking through.  I still see the Patriots winning, and Tom Brady having a big day against the Colts defense.  The Colts' best chance lies in Andrew Luck putting the team on his back and willing them through, like he did last week.  Next time they meet in the playoffs, it will be different.

-49ers at Panthers.  Two young quarterbacks, but one has a lot more playoff experience.  I think Cam Newton will get there someday, but Sunday isn't it.  The Panthers win any defensive struggle, but when the score gets over 24 points, it's the 49ers day.  Look for Vernon Davis to put up big numbers, and if Kaepernick runs for over 100 yards, the Panthers will have a short postseason visit.

-Chargers at Broncos.  Round Three is always the hardest.  There are no surprises hanging out for either team here.  The Chargers were impressive in how they put the lockdown on the Bengals last week, but Andy Dalton is not Peyton Manning.  The Broncos defense needs to execute solidly, and Peyton needs to be Peyton for a Bronco win.  The Chargers best hope lies in continuing to force turnovers, usually a tall task against a quarterback of Manning's experience and ability.  After last year's disappointment, it's Peyton Manning's turn.

-A note of local interest: Plenty of empty seats last night at North Side Gym for the Plymouth-Elkhart Memorial game.  It's been a common theme this year at North Side, one of the great high school venues in the country.  Maybe kids have too many options, maybe the presence of great high school games on ESPN, maybe class basketball has decreased interest.  Whatever the case, it's sad to see.  High School Basketball is Indiana's biggest showcase, but Anderson closed down the Wigwam, and it may be time for something smaller than North Side Gym.

So...am I off base?

A Great Game

When the day is Thursday, Monday is ancient history.  That's the way it works in our information saturated society.  I wonder how the greatest sportswriter of our time, Grantland Rice would have covered Monday's BCS National Championship Game.

Don't look at me to attempt that feat.  I'm not that good.  However, I want to give the players that earned it their due.

Florida State did an incredible job of making the best of their opportunities.  After a good opening drive, they spent most of the first half as confused as if someone had just put a Thermodynamics exam in front of them: maybe one or two could handle it, the rest would score zero.  Jameis Winston was one of the zeroes.

The adjustments called for shorter range passes.  Those changes set up the fake punt that turned the game around.  Jimbo Fisher and his assistants get full marks for the job they did.  It was worthy of a Championship Trophy.

Auburn's defense was looking at that Thermodynamics exam in the fourth quarter.  Winston showed some maturity, and Auburn's defense went the other direction.  I couldn't discern any real adjustments, and the amount of finger pointing and yelling late in the game spoke of a loss of teamwork.  Gus Malzahn still had a masterpiece season, and the expectations will be high next season.

The win is still not without controversy.  Some would like to see Michigan State, who played a strong, smashmouth game against Stanford in the Rose Bowl, get their shot.  However, Michigan State's only loss was to a slightly above average Notre Dame team.  It would have been a clash of styles, but the loss of State's best defensive player probably would have rendered them inert.  A general lack of team speed would have made it hard to watch.

Florida State are the champions.  We finally have a playoff to find one next year.

So...am I off base?

Thinking Football

A few football thoughts while watching Northern Indiana become hockey country...

-Tonight is the BCS National Championship Game.  Through most of the season, the expectation was that one of the participants would be Alabama.  A poor decision and an incredible return squashed that and put the other Alabama school, Auburn, in the game.  Florida State waltzed through a schedule that included such perennial heavyweights as Idaho and Bethune-Cookman.  Auburn has been tested in the strongest conference in the country, and that preparation will make the difference tonight.  I haven't seen too many Heisman Trophy winners do well in their Bowl Game.  The target is on Jameis Winston's back.  After the game, the monkey may very well be, too.

-Two road winners in the NFC Wild Card games over the weekend, one a surprise, the other, not so much.  I expected New Orleans to handle Philadelphia, but I thought the conditions and a dose of Aaron Rodgers would stop San Francisco.  Rodgers was a virtual no-show, and only a gutsy performance by the Packers defense kept them close.  I have gone on record, picking Seattle to go all the way, but the Saints offense should provide a test.  They didn't test Seattle very well during the regular season, and I wonder what the Seahawk defense will show Drew Brees this time around.  I like San Francisco's experience on the road in Carolina, where a young Panther team need to learn how to win in the playoffs.

-Only the Colts held home field in the opening round, and by incredible will.  San Diego played well, eventually wearing the Bengals out in the second half.  The Chargers get a third meeting with Denver and Peyton Manning for their work.  The split during the regular season involved both teams winning on the road.  I believe this game may be the biggest toss-up of the entire weekend.  Not many secrets and I see Denver winning on their talent.  Of course, how many times have we seen a Peyton Manning team have home field and go home too early?  Indianapolis goes to New England and I see the Patriots winning, unless the Colts pull another round of will.

So...am I off base?

Random Thoughts- January 4, 2013...er 2014

Some Wild Card thoughts while waiting for another foot of snow to fall...

-First Wild Card thought is that three of the four games this weekend were not sold out 72 hours before kickoff.  Unbelievably, one of them is Green Bay, where tickets are willed from one generation to the next.  If a rabid fan base like Green Bay can't sell out a playoff game, is it a comment on the state of the NFL?  In Indianapolis, Meijer bought the last 12,000 tickets and gave them to military families.  One important note: life threatening wind chills are expected starting tomorrow, and Central Indiana is due a huge snowstorm.

-Related note, lower level.  I am see large numbers of empty seats at any Bowl Game you care to watch.  I found it interesting last night that Sun Life Stadium had empty seats for the Clemson-Ohio State Orange Bowl matchup.  Maybe a sign of too many bowl games?  I bet a quarterfinal game in a playoff would be sold out...

-I expect most of the home teams to take advantage of the that status this weekend.  I think Philadelphia may be in the most trouble.  While New Orleans doesn't do a lot of outdoor practicing, this is an experienced team with  a motivated quarterback.  We'll see if they freeze out.

-Some good college basketball today on CBS: Indiana-Ohio State, followed by Duke-Notre Dame.  Notre Dame makes it's ACC debut against a pretty good opponent.  Think about how highly ranked teams have fared in South Bend in the past: not very well.  I will point out that Notre Dame has had two of their best players transfer after the first semester.  Mike Brey's program appears to be in disarray at the moment.  We'll see how they circle the wagons.

-My compliments to the PGA Tour for running their seventh event of the year in Maui this week.  Wish I was there...

So...am I off base?

New Year's Resolutions

I have never quite understood why most people celebrate like madmen on New Year's Eve.  They yell and scream, eat and drink too much, and are excited because, "It's a new beginning!"

It's a new beginning only if you change something.

Some New Year's resolutions are forced upon you.  An old college coach I've worked with was diagnosed with colon cancer the day before New Year's Eve.  Keep him in your thoughts and prayer while he adjusts to a New Year's resolution forced upon him.

Three years ago, I was just floating along with no real cares about health.  Several people I work with in the health care industry noted that I had a change of complexion as I had reached 265 pounds.  I never really felt good, but just kept soldiering on.  I had stopped watching my blood pressure and weight, but was still coaching and still active.

It could have killed me.

My blood pressure was 180/110.  For those who may not know, normal is 120/80.  Systolic, the first number, is the one when your heart is pumping blood.  The harder your heart works, the more likely for failure.  The second number, when the heart is refilling to pump again, is a real sign of problems.  If the heart is always working hard, the rest a muscle needs to repair never happens.

And it WILL fail.  It is not a matter of if...it is a matter of when.  No one escapes.  Mine hasn't yet.  I got on blood pressure medicines, and started to watch diet closely, eliminating as much salt and sugar as I could.  The weight started to come down.  By September, I was at 200 pounds.  Exercise helped bring the weight to 180 by August the following year.

I am back at 200 because I realized I wasn't going to die right away.  This year's resolution is to get back to 180.  It will take more work, and gym memberships and a renewal of dietary control will help.

Don't miss the most important element.

I could not do it alone.  I needed help.  Other people encouraged me.  It took something more.

II Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, Therefore, if anyone is in Cghrist, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold the new has come.

I urge you to not ignore the spiritual side to change.  It can make the difference to completing a New Year's Resolution.

Not up for debate today...I'm not off base...because I've been there.