One Last '06 Post

Happy New Year, Auld Aung Syne and all that jazz. It's the end of another year, on the cusp of 2007. 2007, folks! As someone said to me this week, can it have been 7 years since Y2K? This coming year will mark the 10th year since I've graduated college. My friends Andy and Kristi will have been married for 10 years in May (though Jim and Carmen beat them to it, hitting the 10 year mark a couple weeks back.) As the song says, "Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future."

Before we wade into the new year, though, let's take a look at how Christmas went this year for the Shoptaw clan. We had Christmas with my mother's family on the Saturday before. First off, for those of you that know my father, here's a picture I'm sure you never thought you'd see.

For those of you that don't know him, you have to realize my dad is a fairly serious person, not given to much frivolity. That's changed some with Benjamin around, as he really enjoys his grandson, which is why he had the hat on in the first place.

Anyway, we opened gifts up there. Mine was already opened, since I used the money my grandmother gave me (and some from my parents as well) to get my XM/MP3 portable. (Which I can not recommend more highly. I'm getting great use out of it and it's just a wonderful invention.) Benjamin got a number of Thomas-related things, which of course made him quite happy.

Christmas Eve brought church services. In the morning service, the kids got to open the "Gifts for Jesus" that the members of the congregation had brought. Apparently this got Benjamin inspired for present opening, because he spent the afternoon saying, "One more present? Please?" He got to open a couple that day, including (after the evening church service) one from my friend Jim's mother, who takes care of him on Sunday mornings in the nursery and is very fond of him. It turned out to be a Clifford the Big Red Dog ride-on toy. However, we opened it at 9:30 at night not knowing what it was. So I spent the next 30 minutes or so trying to get it together while Benjamin "helped". If we'd have known, I think we'd have put it together when he was in bed!

Christmas day was a lot of fun. Benjamin got up about his usual time (7:15) and we all got out into the den, opened the stocking gifts, then sorted out the presents. Someone did a little better than the others:

That wasn't all from us, of course. We got him a couple of things, then he had the gifts from Grandma Millie and from Grandpa Mike and Grandma Peggy (Millie and Mike are Meron's parents), as well as gifts from "Aunt" Shawn (a friend of Meron's). He had a great time opening the gifts and seeing what he got (more Thomas stuff, Hot Wheels, a blanket for his bed, etc.)

Meron got the first two seasons of Northern Exposure, a scrapbooking tool, and a M&Ms mug. I had a wonderful Cardinal Christmas, with the World Series Champions version of Monopoly, a World Series Champions ornament, and a new Cardinals shirt:

Later that evening, we went out to my parents. Meron got gift certificates, along with a Crock Pot. I got a very nice Busch Stadium Department 56 piece. Benjamin did well again, with the biggest thing being his Thomas Under-the-Bed Table, which was his big gift of the year, coming from my grandmother and my mother.

He's really been enjoying the things he got for Christmas. Meron and I are going to try to get a few things to make this room that is now the office into a Thomas bedroom for him, so when we move him for the new baby he'll be excited about it.

Speaking of, we go on the 11th to get the ultrasound and we'll likely know the gender then. Don't worry, I'll be sure to update the blog when we know. So keep it tuned here!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a great and joyous New Year's Eve. Have a great 2007!

Day Out With Daddy

Since I was off today, Benjamin and I got to spend the morning together. After watching TV (and waiting for mommy to get up!) we got ready and went out to run some errands together.

After stops by the gas station and the bank, we went down to the train station. A few years back, the depot was renovated, gussied up and made into an office for Main Street Russellville, which is an organization of local businesses, etc. Anyway, it was closed for the day so we didn't get to go inside, but we spent time looking at the train tracks, the empty train cars around it, and all the train stuff that goes along with it. He really had a great time and if the wind wasn't whipping (making it pretty cold) and we weren't planning on our next stop, we probably would have stayed even longer.

(He's pointing at the train cars/office space that are over by the local Stoby's restuarant, which has a train car as part of its dining area as well. That may become his new favorite restaurant if we keep going, since they've put in a train that runs overhead, so you can watch it while you eat!)

Our next stop was to the local toy store. Treasure Chest Toys is owned by a woman who used to go to our church, so we like to stop in there often, especially since she's the only place you can get the wooden Thomas the Tank Engine pieces in town. She also has tracks, etc. set up for display/play, so Benjamin loves to get his hands on that. We were in there probably close to an hour, with most of it just him playing.

Finally, we picked out a new piece (the caboose) and came home. It was a real fun morning for both of us. Now that he's up from his nap, we're going out for a Frosty here in a bit. Having free days to do things with him is so much fun!

Catching Up

OK, it's been a couple of weeks, so let's do a nice bullet point list of what you've missed.......

• We tried the Benjamin/Santa combination again, but no better results. We thought it might be better since this Santa was our friend Richard from church, someone Benjamin knows and is used to. And Richard is a great Santa--natural white beard and white hair. So it wasn't some stranger. We kept telling him it was Mr. Richard, but when push came to shove and we sat him on his lap, the crying started and we didn't even get a picture. And then, last Sunday, Richard was the nursery volunteer during service, and Benjamin would just sit on his lap and talk to him. The suit, apparently, does make the man.
• The annual PPT Shootout was a pretty fun time, even if no money came my way. I was given the President's Award by Ken due to that whole coming-back-from-not-walking thing, which I guess was worth an award. After that, we got down to playing. I actually led my table for a while in chips, and I was catching stuff like crazy. Flushes, straights, full houses--everything was going my way. Then I hit a dry spell, but still made the final table. Couple of races went the other way, and I busted out 7th of 12. On the whole, though, I was fairly content with my play. Been nice to have some money to go along with it!
• Meron, Benjamin and I made a trip down to Conway last Sunday. Benjamin loves to go to the pet store, so we went there to get Dax some Christmas gifts and spent a good hour or so looking at the birds, fish, dogs, etc. Then we went over and visited my aunt and uncle before going for an anniversary dinner (a day early) at Meron's favorite place, Marketplace Grill. Good food and, for once, we weren't disgustingly sick afterwards. Skipping the cheese dip can do that for you.
• Meron is doing well with the whole pregnancy bit. She has to check her sugar four times a day now, but the last week or so she's been having very good results with it, always staying in the normal range. Seems like after she started the new strips (which were sealed up, unlike the free ones from the clinic), the numbers dramatically dropped. Hopefully this bodes well for the rest of the pregnancy. Our next appointment is January 11, which will be an ultrasound and we will likely find out the gender then.
• I've been doing a ton of wheeling and dealing in the URL, which is starting to wind down its free agent period. We're also gearing up the fantasy baseball at the Clubhouse, as well, and it won't be long until the Friends League discussions start up again also.
• All in all, everything is good here. SO much better than last year at this time! I continue to enjoy doing the things that I couldn't do this time last year, such as when I did the lumber inventory this year, knowing how I was limping around last year. Christmas at my grandmother's is tomorrow, and last year I could barely get up the stairs. This year, I may just take them two at a time!
• Christmas time is here, and it's wonderful. As I said, we start it off tomorrow with my grandmother and my mom's family, then we have church services Sunday before finishing up on Christmas here and at my parents. My big present was my portable XM radio, which I'm loving immensely. It's also an MP3 player, so it'll be in use tomorrow for our trip, either by me or Meron. It is the most wonderful time of the year, because of the gift given to us by the Lord. So remember and give thanks this season for that gift and all the other blessings in your life. Have a wonderful Christmas!
  

One Year Ago

JENNIFER ALIEN

Then why do you exist here?

SISKO

I... I don't understand...

JENNIFER ALIEN

(confused)
You exist here.

Later.....

SISKO
I've never left this ship...

JENNIFER ALIEN
You exist here.

SISKO
I... exist here.

--Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Emissary"

While December 7 may be the day that lives in infamy for the nation, December 8 is a day burned into my personal history. Last year, on this day, I was driving to a continuing education class in Little Rock when I noticed a dead spot around my wrist. (And trust me, I know the day. I told the story so often last year it's with me forever!) By the time I got home, an apparent cramp in my leg left me hobbling. By the end of the weekend, I had numbness in my hands and toes and both legs were bothering me. As most of you know, December was a pretty rough month last year. Granted, the therapy, etc. was this year, but once I got diagosed and knew that it wasn't anything permanent, just something I had to work through, things got a whole lot better.

Part of me, though, feels like Benjamin Sisko. In "Emissary," the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine, Sisko confronts [start sci-fi gobblygook here] non-linear aliens who tap into his memories, etc. for communication [end gobblygook]. What he keeps coming back to, though, is the death of his wife. Though the process, he realizes that he's never really moved on with his life, that he still exists in the moment where he tried to rescue her, though it was too late.

That's kinda how I feel about the whole Guillian-Barre bit. I mean, part of me is glad that I still think about how neat it is to walk, to tap my toes, etc. I'm glad that I don't take it quite as much for granted as I have in the past. To appreciate all that God has given me is a great gift, I think.

And yet sometimes I wonder if I should move past it. I mean, look, I'm posting on anniversaries. I still visit the rehab center on occasion to say hi to the therapists. (They had a Christmas party last week--was fun, even if I didn't get to see many of the patients that were there when I was.) Maybe, like Sisko, I exist here.

I don't think so, really. I just know that this was a formative experience, one that I'll keep coming back to time and time again. Besides, as my wife knows (and it drives her crazy), I'm always doing the "well, two years ago at this time we were doing x" bit. She's really going to love this December..... :)

OK, enough of the prior year junk. What's happening now?

Well, it's Shootout time for the PPT again, at least almost. A week from tomorrow is the big game. I hope to play like I did last week, but step it up when I need to. Last week, I made it to the final four, where three were being paid out, and had the second-most chips. Two hands later, I was out after some really stupid play. The final hand, I had a 10-rag in my hand with a 3-3-x-10 on the board. Bobby went all in, and I decided to call, even though I knew, knew he had a three. Turns out he had two of them, which totally sunk me. On the whole, it was a good night, but the ending really had me kicking myself for quite some time.

Meron's still battling her sugar issues. They've got her testing it four times a day and really working on the diet. If this doesn't improve, I think this will be the last child. It's so rough on her to try to keep this up.

No huge plans for the weekend. We are ringing the Salvation Army bell Saturday afternoon. Benjamin's going to go with us, at least for a bit. I think he'll have a lot of fun ringing the bell, even though he probably won't have the attention span for a two-hour stretch. Parent's Night Out is Saturday evening, though I don't know if we will be dropping him off or not. He's been pretty clingy lately. Not sure if it's a reaction, somewhat instinctively, to the pregnancy or not.

Darn cold here this morning. Too bad there's no rain in the area, or we'd get a ton of snow. It was 11 on my way to work today! That's just not normal for us down here in the South. Must be that global warming thing......

That's probably enough for today. Hope you have a good weekend!

More Details

Just wanted y'all to know, if you've not looked, that Meron has a post up with the ultrasound picture. She'll have updates on her blog throughout the whole thing, so be sure to keep up over there as well.

Back to work tomorrow. So hard after these four day weekends! I'm glad I'm in the office and don't have to get a real full steam ahead start by being out of town. And it's a closing day in the URL, so we can get back to the important business of rotisserie!

Thanksgiving and Some News

We'll give you the news first off, in case you start reading this and fall asleep halfway through. (It's possible--I did while writing it.) Meron and I are expecting our second child next spring. The due date is June 1, but they've already decided on a caesarean, since that's the way Benjamin was delivered, so it'll likely be a week or so before the due date.

We actually plan to find out this time the gender of the child. We didn't with Benjamin, but right before we confirmed that Meron was pregnant, I had this strong feeling that 1) she was and 2) it was a girl. So to make sure we are in the right mindset before the baby comes, we'll find out what it is. If it's a boy, it'll be Joseph Christian. If it's a girl, well, the girl names aren't coming quite as easily, at least not ones we can both agree on.

So now that that is out of the way.....Thanksgiving weekend has been going pretty well. The big day itself was spent with my parents and some of my mom's family out at their house. We ate, Benjamin and I took a nap, all was good. Then Benjamin stayed with my parents that night and went with them on Friday to take my grandmother back home, so Meron and I had a little peace and quiet. I think Friday may have been the first day I've slept in since before I went into the hospital!

Then I got to hang out with my high school friends on Friday, which was great. A group of us (Andy, Shively, Chad, Tim and I, if you know who they are) watched the Hogs and LSU at Andy's parents' house. They had a large projection screen TV (116" diagonal, I believe his dad said) and it was a good game to watch. Would have been a great one if the Hogs had pulled it out.

Last night, we had a poker tourney, as most of the guys above (not Andy, then add Foshee) played out at the PPT shed. Ken, the owner of the shed, and Russell, the owner of the chips, played with us. I finished next to last as A-K suited, something that beat me in the last PPT game, didn't hold up this time. Can't say I was shocked.

After helping Meron with the six boxes of Tastefully Simple product that had come in from her large party that she had to sort, label and bag, I went out with the guys to one of the truck stop restaurants. We were out there until 2 in the morning, just talking general stuff. They got me started on the baseball leagues, and I love to talk me some baseball! Made it a bit painful when Benjamin woke me up at 7 this morning, but it was worth it.

Now I'm about to go prepare stuff for Bob and Wendy's reception. Should be another good time. Hope your weekend has been just as good!

Birthday Parties Galore

It's been a week for birthday parties. There were a number of kids in Meron's mommy group that were born within two weeks of one another. So Benjamin went to a party Thursday night and a party this morning. I didn't make either of them, but apparently he didn't take to them too well, though he did settle down and enjoy himself this morning.

Last Saturday, though, was his birthday party. That one went over pretty well. We had it down at the church, and used the JoJo Circus theme. Meron rigged up a tent (she really did a great job with the decorations) so the kids could watch the TV show in there.

Benjamin got a number of nice presents, had a lot of fun running around with the kids that came, and generally had a good time. What more can you ask for out of a birthday party?

Not a whole lot else going on, now that we survived the onslaught that was last weekend. Meron had another good Tastefully Simple party on Sunday, which was good. She also found out that if you have a party over $1000, you can get your name into the Tastefully Simple newsletter, so we'll be looking for that as well. I don't think she's going to have any more parties before the beginning of the year (but, of course, you can always order from her web site!)

Got to play poker last night, and it turned out OK. There were nine of us, including my friend Chad who joined us for the evening. I wound up fifth when Charles went all-in with A-K and I called him (with one $100 chip to spare!) with pocket 8s. 'Course, an ace came out on the flop and that was all she wrote. Still, my general play was OK and I can't say I got backed into a bad all-in, which is typically what happens.

Thanksgiving is coming this week, of course, and that's always fun. We always have a lunch meal at my parents with her side of the family. We don't see Dad's side as much, though he has a brother that lives up the road that we'll probably go visit while we are out there.

Then it's the traditional Thanksgiving big-plan weekend with my friends. It's dwindled since college, with people getting married and having other things to do over the holiday, but we still have a good time. Watching the Hogs vs. LSU is a given, especially with the Hogs season so far this year. We're having a small poker tournament Friday night, then a reception for my friend Bob and his wife Wendy on Saturday. As I've mentioned before, Bob and Wendy met via Internet while Wendy was living in the Phillippines. They got married while she was still there, and it was over a year later when she finally made it to the States. Since many of our friends haven't met her, we figure it would be a good chance for her to realize what kind of circle she married into. She may be looking for a plane ticket back after this!

Anyway, hope you have a wonderful holiday week. If you are traveling, stay safe and may you have a safe return as well!

More Benjamin and Other Stuff

OK, the birthday post was a little long for other Benjamin neat stuff, and most people know I can talk about him all day. So we'll start another one, and see if we can work in some non-son stuff as well.

This is him in my World Series championship hat. I got that and a shirt earlier in the week, and he seemed to enjoy having the hat. It's called training him right. He knows a lot of the teams around MLB, including which one is mommy's (the Indians), Grandpa Mike's (Reds), Uncle Nathan's (Rangers), and of course, daddy's. He'll also say the Cardinals when you ask him his team.

He is also finally getting the whole bit of Wooo Pig Sooie down. He loves to do that, to say Razorbacks, and now also throws in a Go Hogs! It drives his Yankee mother to distraction, I do believe. Not that I encourage him or anything.....

Spent earlier this week at a technology conference for CPAs. It was great learning tips for using the current stuff we have plus the new stuff that's out there and is interesting and cool. The instructor for most of it was a CPA out of Knoxville named Brian Tankersley. (He was often talking about the Google rankings with hits and links, so we'll give him one.) He was really good and realized that he was in potentially hostile territory with the big Arkansas/Tennessee game this weekend!

The two things that I thought were the neatest were a digital pen and the U3 drives. The pen, when used on special paper, has a camera inside that continually takes pictures. Then you dock it with your computer, and everything you wrote shows up in your hand writing on the screen. Great for paperless audit stuff, especially since my dad is still a big paper-and-pencil guy. The U3 drive allows you to run some applications directly from the drive, leaving no traces on the actual computer. You could run Firefox off of it, even if the computer you were on didn't have Firefox installed. Really neat, and it's also a thumb drive, which means it's going on the Christmas list.

Meron had some great Tastefully Simple parties lately, always getting bigger. She had one last night for close to 30 people and sold close to $1100 in product, which is just amazing, really. And she has another one on Sunday, plus people at each of these parties that are interested in having one. Hopefully this is really taking off. She has to stay in it, if only so I can keep my Twisty Grahams supply!

All right, I better wrap this up. Benjamin's birthday party is tomorrow, so we ought to get some rest. I'll try to update with party pictures this weekend if any turn out well!

Birthday Boy

Today was Benjamin's second birthday. It was a big day for him, all in all!

First, he got up this morning and found that he had a Elmo toolbench waiting for him, courtesy of Meron's dad (with assembly by me). As you can tell, he went straight for it, and played with it quite a bit throughout the day. He really liked picking up the screwdriver and let someone know what it was. It made lots of sounds, all of which were amazingly loud. Just one of the many benefits of parenthood.

(Speaking of parenthood, last night was one of those typical TV scenes--after he went to bed Meron and I put together the toolbench--easy--and his toy riding car--not so much. And we'll probably be doing it again here in a month or so!)

Anyway, after that he got a Thomas train/flashlight from Meron's mom, which he really enjoyed. He was running it around the room and turning on and off the light.

The big event for the day, though, was something we were fairly sure he'd enjoy, given his big interest in trains.

A member at our church works for the railroad here in town, so we were able to arrange for a short train ride for Benjamin. The three of us met Mr. Gerald at 19th Street and waited for the engine to arrive. Benjamin kept looking around, pointing out the railroad crossing signs and the tracks. He seemed not to know quite what to make of the train as it slowed and stopped where we were. We all got on board and were up with the driver and the conductor. It wasn't big, but it was enough for all of us.

We took off and started down the tracks. Benjamin kept looking around, seeing what we were passing, just seemingly amazed at it all. I didn't realize how much the train rocked, as we kept rolling back and forth down the line. I was holding him and bracing myself against the floor to stay on the stool they provided for us!

We went down to just past 4th Street, then got to where they had the train cars. We spent a little time there as they hooked up about seven cars to our engine. Benjamin kept pointing out the "brown choo-choo" (the cars we were picking up) and the "black choo-choo" (some cars off to the side). While we were stopped, they even let Meron and him sit in the driver's seat.

After hooking up the cars, we drove back up to 19th Street. As the driver had told us, it didn't rock quite as much as when we were running empty. As we got closer to our stop, I tried to tell Benjamin it was about time to get off. "No," he said. I was afraid we'd have one of his wailing fits that he has sometimes when a fun activity is over. But we got to our stop and he got off with no fussing. He said "thank you" to the people on the train and to Mr. Gerald, and waved bye-bye to the train as it pulled away.

All in all, I think this picture sums it up:

There was more to his birthday--his toy car, which he loved, VeggieTales and related videos, a dinner trip to Taco Bell--but I think the train ride will be what he'll remember for a long time to come.

Fall Fun

OK, here's the post everyone really wants to see, because it's the one with pictures of Benjamin.

Yesterday was a full day for the Shoptaw clan. It started off early, with the annual Downtown Fall Festival held here in Russellville. The first stop is the omelette breakfast at the American Legion building. You pick up your ingredients and they make the omelette up for you right there. Good, tasty stuff. Of course, the political candidates this year were the ones doing a lot of the cooking. Doesn't hurt to feed the voters!

Outside there are numerous booths, tents, etc. set up to show off wares and other things. One of the highlights is a chili cookoff, so there are a lot of groups set up cooking chili and giving it out. I could have been one of the chili judges one year, but it didn't work out. I may have to see if I can do that again sometime!

The big thing for Benjamin this year, though, were the pony rides. Last year, we paid our money and put him on the horse, but he immediately started crying so they refunded our money and we got him off. This year, though, he seemed ready to get at it.

As you can see, he really wanted into the ponies. I wasn't sure he'd like it, because he had a chance earlier in the morning to get on a big horse, and he didn't want to do that. I guess that one was too big for him, but the ponies were just the right size. When it was time, he picked out a pony (whose name, we found out, was Taffy) and got on board.

Meron walked around with him, keeping him on, but he really just seemed to enjoy it without stress. They went around in a circle probably for 5 minutes or so, which was a good ride in my opinion.

Unfortunately, the problem with him enjoying it is that when it was time to get off the pony, he was not happy at all. He wailed for a bit, wanting to go again. It's a good thing that we had a distraction opportunity. A woman that used to go to our church owns a toy store that was right by where we had parked. Her big selling item is Thomas the Tank Engine, which Benjamin is really starting to get into. We went in and let him look at all the toys and bought him a Percy toy, which is really enjoying.

While he settled in for a nap, Meron had a Tastefully Simple party to do. It turned out to be her biggest party ever, both in number of people and in orders. She's had two this week and they've both been very good. I'm hoping she's starting to turn a corner with this. (Also, if you've not done so, feel free to follow the link and order something. Great stuff there, really.)

When she got home, it was time to get ready for the Halloween Carnival at church. We did this when I was in youth, but it died out for a while. When it returned four or five years ago, it was a little different. We start out with Trunk or Treat, which is when everyone sits at their cars in the parking lot and the kids go around to each one getting candy. After that, there are games inside, then there is a "hayride" around the church. It's a four-wheeler with a trailer of hay attached, but everyone loves it and they go around again and again. It's always a blast.

This year, Benjamin went as Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales. His cousin Zachary from Ohio had worn this costume when he was about Benjamin's age, so Meron's mom borrowed it and sent it on down. He was extremely cute in it, as you can tell.

Now, I said a few entries ago that I was more of a Bob man myself, but since he had the better costume, I got a Larry the Cucumber shirt, put on a long sleeve green shirt and some green pajama pants, and went along as his sidekick. I think the costume worked a lot better on him!

So that's what's been going on around here the last week or so. Benjamin's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I know we'll have a ton to talk about then. So keep checking back!

Champions!

If you are reading this blog (and haven't stumbled across some strange link or misplaced address), you know that I've followed the Cardinals since I started following baseball, which was about '87 in the passionate form that I have today, though I do have a few earlier baseball memories.

What I didn't have, until this week at least, was a memory of the Cardinals winning the last baseball game of the season. And when this postseason started, I wouldn't have thought this year would have been any different.

And yet it was. So wonderfully, wonderfully different.

My initial Series wrapup can be found at the Clubhouse, and I've promised Roark over there that I'll do a more comprehensive view/summation of this improbable season and post-season later on. I've not sat down to do that yet, but this entry may be my jumping-off point.

This was a team with only 83 wins to its credit in the regular season. Its two immediate predecessors had won 105 and 100 regular-season games, respectively, but then were swept in the Series and lost in the NLCS. So why, how was this team able to succeed when other teams weren't.

One of my good Clubhouse friends and moderators makes the argument that the reason they hadn't won in the past was they were too tight, that Tony LaRussa's stiff style of preparation took the fun out of things and had them pressing. Perhaps. They did go into this postseason in the underdog role, which was a first for a LaRussa squad. They knew they had nothing to lose, and so they weren't worried about losing it. That may be part of it.

I liked the story I read about Jim Edmonds starting the practice of giving out game balls after Ronnie Belliard's amazing bases-loaded dive and stop of a ball in Game 1 of the NLDS against San Diego. A little extra leadership, bringing the team together? Maybe that was a portion of the difference.

The biggest part, I think, was that the injured players were out of the way. LaRussa didn't have to worry about bringing in a hurting Jason Isringhausen in a key situation and hoping he could get out of it. Izzy was on the DL and not available. They didn't have to try and see if Mark Mulder had anything left. Mulder was on the DL. They got Scott Rolen to get a cortizone shot and then, intentionally or not, got him riled up with a benching. He got a hit in every game after that Game 2 sitdown and I personally thought he should have been named MVP, though David Eckstein did a great job as well.

Without those injuries and ineffectiveness, the Cards might have been more of a 90-92 win team, which is nothing to sneeze at. Even that last losing streak of the year, when they were conjuring up comparisons to the '67 Phillies, they were playing competitive baseball and having something go against them, unlike the long losing streaks earlier in the year when they were just getting shelled.

The pitching won this for the Cards, which is appropriate. The Cardinal tradition is not big home run hitters, Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols excepted. The Cardinal tradition is pitching and defense, the fundamentals, and that's what won this series for them.

This is their 10th World Series win. And all of them have come since the Cubs last won one of their own. Not that Cardinal fans are counting, of course.....

Wooo Pig Sooie!

OK, first of, likely, three posts today, since I've got a number of pictures to put up and the Cards deserve a post of their own, without question. So let's take the events in order, starting with last Saturday's trip up the hill to Fayetteville.

A week ago Friday night, I got a call from a member of our church who has season tickets to the Razorback games. He and his wife weren't feeling well and wanted to know if I wanted his tickets for the next day's game against Ole Miss. After consultations with The Powers That Be (the wife, who had been planning a scrapbooking day), I called him back and took the tickets. I wasn't able to find anyone else to go with me on short notice, though, and I wanted to leave my good car here in town so that Meron and Benjamin could go out if necessary (which it usually is with that kid!).

Enter Bobby and Elizabeth:

Bobby and Elizabeth are both members of our church and Bobby's one of the rounders at the PPT. I had called Bobby to see if he wanted the extra ticket. Turned out that they already had tickets to the game, but they said if I couldn't get anyone to go with me, to let them know and they'd let me ride with them. That's an offer I couldn't turn down, and we had a great time on the way up the mountain. (And, for those of you who know me well or are longtime readers, we didn't take the Pig Trail, and after I mentioned that I'd made it from Fayetteville to Russellville that way in under two hours, Bobby commented that "I don't want to ride with you." Yeah, like that's a short list.)

There was an accident that slowed traffic on our way and between that and where we had to park, we were still walking up to the stadium when the game started. It's been two years since I've been to a football game (and, since that one was in a skybox at the stadium, I was well and fully spoiled so it's a good thing there was a gap) and, being more of a baseball guy, I kinda forgot a basic rule: you don't know who is going to start off the game. Even in PlayStation, I always kick off first and let the other team start on offense. And, of course, in baseball the other team hits first.

So I wasn't quite prepared for the loud roar that went up as I was getting close to the gate I was supposed to go in through. Someone with a radio behind me, though, enlightened the rest of us trying to get in that the Hogs had run back the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Later on, that was named the Play of the Day on the Jumbotron. Always nice to know the game can only go downhill before you even get to your seats.

This is the view from the seats. Tenth row, just off the end zone. Close to concession stands, bathrooms, etc. Great place to watch a game or, in this case, more of an all in all beating.

This was just one of the many times the Razorbacks scored on Ole Miss's defense. The final wound up to be 38-3 and one touchdown was called back due to penalty, though I believe they scored on that drive anyway. The running backs, especially Darius McFadden, looked very good to this untrained eye and there were some nice passing moments as well.

The Hogs are having a great year, sitting on their 7-1 record and leading the SEC West. Tough games against South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU remain, but it's been a successful season already and I am glad that I got a chance to be a part of it.

World Series, Baby!

Talk about improbable. The Cardinals backed into the playoffs, and here they are going to Detroit for Game 1 of the World Series. Before the season was over, there were some fans that thought it might be best that the Cards not make the playoffs, that that kind of embarrassment would force management’s hand and make them have an active off-season to improve the team. While this team still isn’t perfect, I doubt there are too many Cardinal fans who would rather have sat out October.

I didn’t watch a lot of Game 7. This postseason, I’ve tried to follow the mantra of “no expectations.” After all, with the lackluster regular season performance, there was not much anticipation for October. However, as the Cards have progressed, my nervousness and tension levels have as well, so it’s usually better that I don’t watch the game in its entirety.

Meron and I instead watched a couple of fifth-season Smallvilles, since a friend of my brother’s has lent it to us. However, I would stop it occasionally to check the game. I saw the bottom of the sixth, where they continued to replay Chavez’s amazing catch of Rolen’s home run. I flipped it back later to see two on and one out after Rolen’s error, which made me feel like things had turned toward the Mets. As lboros said in today’s VEB entry, “it looked like fate had gone all-in for the Mets.”

So it was with great relief at my next check to see it was still 1-1. Back to Smallville. Then, in the middle of an episode, I had to check again. Rolen was up and slapped a single to left just as I turned it on. Then Molina’s drive was in the air, and I was cheering it on and the remote wound up in Benjamin’s tent/stuffed animal area.

The two run lead was nice, but the story of the ’06 Cardinals, at least one of the story lines, has been their ability to blow things, especially the bullpen. So even though I thought Wainwright could get the job done, I wasn’t able to watch.

However, the second episode of Smallville finished and I flipped back to the game, to see bases-loaded, two outs and, of course, Cardinal killer Carlos Beltran up. After Wainwright got to two strikes, I said, “Keep the curveball down!” The curveball was sharp, down, and a strike, and the Cardinals were going to Detroit.

Nobody in the media will give the Cardinals much of a chance in the Series, and I don’t really blame them. The AL has been a stronger league for the last couple of years, Detroit’s a great story and a very strong team, etc. I do think, though, that this team may make a better showing that some think. After all, they weren’t given much chance against the Padres and definitely not the Mets, and we see how that turned out.

Lots of ifs, but if the ‘pen stays as strong as it has been and if the starting pitching shows up like it did down the stretch and in the first two series, the Cardinals should be competitive. Hopefully they’ll be able to hit some of these young Tiger hurlers, and use the experience of being there just a couple of years ago to their advantage.

They haven’t won a Series game since Game 5 of the 1987 Series. The NL hasn’t won a Series game since the Game 6 clincher in 2003 (when the Marlins beat the Yankees). It’s time for those streaks to end.

And there’s a PPT tie-in as well, since Charles is a big Tigers fan. Good luck in the series, my friend! Don’t know when I’ll be able to get back to the felt. I’m missing this weekend, so I won’t have played since the end of last month. The plan is to make it to the first one in November, but plans always seem to change.

The weather is getting fall like around here, which is great. It was lovely to put on my Clubhouse sweatshirt (one of the most comfortable sweatshirts I’ve ever owned—I highly recommend them!) and my Razorback flannel pants and just enjoy the coolness. Can’t beat that, at least at this time of year!

Looking forward to the town’s fall festival next weekend. One of the fundraisers is an omelet breakfast, made with the ingredients you pick out. It’s always tasty and we’ve gone the last few years. Don’t know how Benjamin will take to it, but we’ll find out.

Next weekend is also the church’s Halloween carnival. We have trunk-or-treat, games, a hay ride (well, a four-wheeler pulling a trailer full of hay) and generally a lot of fun. Hopefully Benjamin will keep his costume on the whole time. Last year we had to take off some of the Vader costume (his hat and cape, mainly) since he wound up a little too warm.

We’ve gotten the stuff for Benjamin’s birthday party, which will be held on the 11th of next month. It’s a JoJo’s Circus party, which he used to really enjoy watching until Playhouse Disney moved it to 5:30 in the morning, and even he’s not up by then. Still, it should be a fun time for him. His big present from us will be a toy car that he can sit in, drive, etc. As much as he loves to play with keys and try to drive the real car, it should be a big hit.

The URL has started its free agency period, and we had our first update of the bidding process yesterday. Some of the bids were a lot higher than most people were expecting, so I don’t know if there will be some adjustments on all sides for the first signing group on Monday or not. I would expect there would have to be. I’m glad to start getting some activity in the league, though. I have high hopes for this one, so starting out on the right foot is pretty important.

Nothing big planned for this weekend, though there are some friends of my parents that are coming up that we’ll go out and see. Hope your weekend is more exciting!

Family

First off, let's get a fresh Benjamin picture. It's been a while!

That was him out in the back yard yesterday. He loves to go play outside, and since the weather has finally cooled down, it's not something we discourage (as it was when it was hitting 100 on the gun last month or so). He'll run around, get in his swing, swing the bat and throw the ball, basically just having a great time. The laughing he does as the dog takes off running or starts chewing on her stick is priceless as well.

Also on the family front, the wife is taking a stab at this blogging thing. Mainly to get pictures of the boy up as well as to keep some of the friends and family, mainly the Ohio bunch, caught up with things down here as well. So you can always check her blog out as well for a different perspective on things.

They had a great day at the zoo, and I had a nice day at the house. Did some straightening, got some Playstation time in, and got a couple of episodes of Alias watched. All in all, not too bad!

Just a short one to plug the family. Hope you have a great weekend!

Postseason Fun

So the Cards made it into the postseason by the skin of the teeth. Ask the Padres if it makes them feel any better.

The Cards are in the NLCS for the third time in a row and the sixth time since Tony LaRussa took over as manager in 1996. Facing the tough Mets, though, is going to be a tall order, but there are encouraging signs from last night's 2-0 loss.

One is that Jeff Weaver kept them in the ballgame. I was afraid that the Mets, especially Carlos Delgado, would jump on him for a number of runs. But save the mistake he made to Carlos Beltran, he was darn good. If the Cardinals get starting pitching like that the rest of the series, they are going to surprise some people.

The bullpen is holding its own as well. Looper struggled some, but it was his return to New York (and he was lustily booed for it) and he hadn't pitched in a while. Add in the fact that he's probably not going to see crunch-time minutes and that isn't too concerning. Watching Johnson and Thompson getting outs is a good thing to see.

The Cards hit some balls hard last night, which, with their record of success against lefities this year, was surprising. They had some bad luck, so if that turns around and evens out, well, they have that going for them at least.

And Pujols is now 0-10 in his last three games. He tends to bust out of slumps, so if he starts hitting in the next game or so, watch out.

The Cardinals thrown Carpenter tonight, and it really is a must win for them, because they can't afford to lose any Carpenter starts and have a chance to win this. If they do win, though, they go back to St. Louis tied at 1 and have the advantage in most of the pitching matchups going forward. Should be fun to see what happens tonight.

Closer to home, it looks like I get my "day off" tomorrow as Meron and Benjamin are headed to the zoo in the morning with another mom and son from the mommy group Meron is in. I don't have any big plans, but it'll be nice to have some peace and quiet, even for just a few hours.

Last weekend, Meron went to the Women of Faith conference (and loved it), so I took care of the boy. We had a good time hanging out, playing, etc. It was the first time I've had him by myself for an extended time, and I was a little concerned about it, but it went over fine. We even went to the homecoming parade last Friday, and he loved seeing the fire trucks, horses, and bands.

His birthday is less than a month away, which is just hard to believe. Almost 2! Time really does fly by.

The URL starts its free agency period Monday. We moved it up due to various issues, and I think that'll help. Once we start getting players, we can start talking trades, seeing how the payrolls are going to look, etc. Should be a lot of fun.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ancient Wisdom

There's a saying that I've heard floating around the last couple of years. Don't know where it came from or how long it's been around, but it's amazingly accurate.

"Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher."

When Jason Marquis is that pitcher, the momentum is not the good kind. Marquis, assuming he doesn't pitch again this season, will finish with a 6.02 ERA, the worst in Cardinal history (among players who qualified for an ERA title). I advocated trading Marquis after his first season in St. Louis, on the basis that he'd really overachieved and, with the pitching market the way it was, the Cards could really get something for him.

That said, he's shown flashes, at least in the past, of being potentially at least a good pitcher if not a dominant one. But this year, when he's been off, he's been off, as in when you see the Cards down 7-0 in the third you think, "Ah, Marquis must have pitched tonight."

Of course, Houston had to continue to win, so now the lead is half a game and the magic number stands at 4. I'm guessing Houston loses at least one game this weekend, and the Cards win at least one. Unfortunately, that's not enough for the Cards to get into the playoffs. They still have the lead, but they don't have the momentum, since Houston's starting pitcher today is Roger Clemens and the Cardinals have the enigmatic Jeff Weaver. Another of those that can turn in a good start, but can also have some rough outings, especially against left-handed batters.

Momentum is not in our favor right now.

El Hombre

Last night Albert Pujols proved why he's not just the 2006 MVP, but most likely will wind up the best player in Cardinal history. Now, he still trails Stan the Man, Bob Gibson, maybe Rogers Hornsby, but he's gaining and gaining fast.

Seven game losing streak, and the Pads are up 2-1. Two outs in the 8th, and even though there are a couple of runners on, it continues to look like the season is slipping away. The Padres bullpen has been a strong point, and if they get out of the 8th, the all-time save leader, Trevor Hoffman, will come in and likely turn out the lights. Houston is tied with Pittsburgh, so there's still a chance they will win and cut into the Cardinal lead. And the magic number will be again stuck on 5, as it has been for a week.

All--well, most, since Houston did pull out a 15-inning win--of that changed with one swing of the most powerful bat in baseball. A shot into Big Mac Land made Cardinal Nation across the fruited plain delirious with joy and the release of a week's worth of tension.

My father saw Musial play, and I know that he was Dad's favorite. I have a feeling it was similar to watching Pujols play. AP should play long enough for Benjamin to remember seeing him play, but I'll be telling the grandchildren about him for a long time to come. He's the perfect counterpoint to Musial. Then there was The Man, nowadays it's El Hombre.

And now for something completely different.................

On the radio as I'm getting to work, the news is talking about this group of 100 cheese workers in Wisconsin (surely it was Wisconsin, otherwise it's just strange!) who pooled together and won the $200 million Powerball lottery. Great story, could see that it could cause some major problems for the company since if 100 of your workers quit at one time, that's noticeable, but nice story. But then they played a quote from one of the people who one. Seems that the group rubbed the stomach of a Buddha statue (PPT guys, no ideas!) before buying the ticket. Harmless, right? Maybe, but then this quote really struck me wrong:

"I don't know if rubbing the Buddha statue brought us good luck. I don't know if our prayers to God were answered."

Hang on, there. You are equating a superstitious "good luck" action with your prayer life? How honest can these prayers be? It seems to me that at least this person was trying to play all possible covers. "Let's see, I've got my rabbit's foot, my four-leaf clover, and, oh, yeah, I'll pray about it as well."

God is not intended to be a good luck charm. That's not what He's there for.

Pick a Word

Let's see, how can we describe the last week or so of Cardinal baseball? Drawing from our deck of vocabulary, it looks like we've got a full house, frustrating over pathetic. Depressing and aggrevating were live cards as well, while promising was drawing dead.

So the Cardinals a week ago had an 8.5 game lead and the magic number had ticked down to five. Some were hoping for a clinching celebration in Houston over the weekend, while others (including myself) thought it more likely to be against San Diego early this week, say Tuesday.

A week later, the Cards have a 2.5 game lead over Houston and the magic number has not budged. A sweep in Houston, punctuated by two walk-off wins for the 'Stros, was just par for the course for this frustrating season, which has already shown us two eight-game losing streaks and, unless Carpenter steps it up and pitches like the Cy Young award winner he is (and could be again), we may have another one on our hands.

Resigned is a word that is going around as well. Most of Cardinal Nation realizes this is an extremely flawed team. Right now, with Edmonds out (though he did make a dramatic entrance in last night's game), Rolen slumping ("Slumping" might be too mild. "Hitting like me" might be more like it.), Eckstein just now coming back, and the motley crew of the should-be bench players that are starting, it's hard to believe that the offense will put up more than 3-4 runs a game. Pujols is about the only option this team has, and if he sees a pitch with a runner in scoring position in the postseason, the other team's manager should be investigated for gambling.

And, of course, the pitching staff isn't much better. Carpenter has been pretty good, though he did lag his last start. (Personally, I'd have taken him out before Berkman's second HR, but hey, it's easy to manage from the couch.) Marquis hasn't given much, not even one of those outings that entices you to think he's gotten it all together (before he bombs the next three). Reyes is a young guy, so he's going to be inconsistant. Suppan has been very good in the second half, but it's really saying something when he's your #2 going into the postseason.

The bullpen is starting to show signs of overwork, blowing games or letting them getting out of hand. Izzy's gone, but there's not been a save since he left. Not having a solid end of the game presence could be something that will haunt the Cards. I mean, if Wainwright's first chance at closing a close game comes in the playoffs, is that really a good thing?

All that said, the Cards are still going to make the postseason. I mean, even if they play .500 the next 6 games, Houston has to go 5-0 to catch them. And even then, the Cards have a makeup game to play with the Giants, who will probably not be fielding a top-notch team since their season is over. And after that, assuming that game somehow is lost, you go into a playoff game in Houston. Which, granted, if they get to that stage, I think Houston is favored, but that's a long way to go.

I don't expect much when they get to October. In one way, it'll make watching the postseason much easier on me. The last couple of years, I'd get so worked up I'd have to turn off the game or flip the channels a bit during tense times or when they'd be trailing. This year, it's all bonus. I mean, I expect them to lose. This is a deeply flawed team. However, when I watch them this year, I can just enjoy what is there without worrying about missing an opportunity or worrying about the outcome. That could be an interesting change, and if they are able to do what the last couple of powerhouse squads couldn't, well, so much the better.

Looking ahead to 2007, it looks like some more of the same, as the Cardinals most likely enter a downward portion of the general team cycle. A lot of this comes back to being so successful the last decade or so. The team hasn't been able to draft high in the order, so it's not be as able to restock a minor league system that has been used effectively to get talent from other teams.

So trading for help is likely out. The talent on the field is getting older. While they'll still have Pujols and Carpenter, filling out the team around them could be a problem. If Rolen can snap back to where he's usually at, that's a start, but there still are a number of weaknesses in the lineup and, most definitely, in the pitching staff. The free agent market, though, is not a strong one, even if the money is there to pay for them. Jason Schmidt and Barry Zito are both very intriguing names, but they are going to cost a lot of money, and by the end of their deals, they probably won't be worth it.

Obviously, we'll have to see how things pan out. There may be more options out there than can be seen at first glance. However, this last offseason was a weak one for Walt Jocketty. He'll need to have a better one in '06.

And now that I've rambled on about the Cardinals for way too long, for stuff that's completely different!

Got to play some poker this weekend. There were a small number of players there this week, only 6 instead of our normal 12-14. I tend to play better in smaller groups, so that was an advantage for me. I was also more aggressive to some degree, as I probably went all-in more in that game than I have all year combined. It basically paid off, though, as I finished runner up. I went all in with a pair of 6s, but ran into a pair of As and the board was no help.

My wife and Benjamin were going to the zoo in Little Rock this weekend, but it stormed on Saturday and they weren't able to go. Which was too bad for them, of course, and I had been looking forward to a day by myself around the house. I'm not much of a zoo person, but if Meron can't find anyone to take them this weekend, I'll be going down there with them. Benjamin's all ready to go and we've told him he is going to, so we can't just let it die. Should be good weather and I'm guessing it won't be too bad.

My wife is going to a Women of Faith conference next Thursday through Saturday in Oklahoma City. I think she'll have a great time. It'll be the first time I've been at the house overnight with Benjamin by myself, but I think we will be able to manage.

Benjamin is getting closer and closer to two years old. Meron has ordered his party stuff, which is going to be JoJo's Circus (from Playhouse Disney), which he likes. He never would really make up his mind on what he wanted, so we went with that. Next year will likely be Thomas the Tank Engine, since he's so big on trains nowadays.

That's about it. I'll try to post a picture of him soon. I know that's the only reason people keep checking this out!

Where Were You?

The guy only worked here a little over a year, but I'll never be able to forget him. Because I heard him telling my dad (who is in the office across the hall), "A plane hit the World Trade Center."

It's the question of the day. Where were you? It's a "don't forget" moment. I always thought it was interesting but slightly strange the way everyone of the last generation knew where they were when they heard about Kennedy. After that day, I understood completely. My memory is often terrible, with details and things fading quickly, but I still remember most of that day.

I remember the main web sites of CNN, Fox, etc. were crammed with traffic, making it impossible to find out news that way. I remember logging on to Fanhome.com, the baseball board I frequented before I ran across the Clubhouse, visiting the general discussion area to get updates from people around the nation. It turned out later that one of the posters on there worked at the WTC. His last post was dated at the same time the first plane hit.

I remember listening to the radio and getting a little concerned as well. Normally you wouldn't think that anything would happen around here, but being a town with a nuclear power plant, you realize that there is a target there. It wasn't likely, but the thought did cross my mind.

I remember getting the call that we were going to gather at church for a prayer meeting that night. It's the only called prayer meeting I can ever remember, which just underlined the seriousness of the times.

I remember going out to fill up the car as gas prices spiked to $3. (Little knowing they'd be there five years later on a more regular basis.)

I even remember some of the trivia: 9/11 was the first day the news stations used their bottom-of-the-screen ticker. I remember reading afterwards that they had all had the technology for a while, but were afraid there'd be a backlash from irritated viewers. There was so much news that day, though, they had to get it out there. Of course, now it is a common thing on numerous stations.

As we think back on that day five years ago, with the news stations reairing their feeds from that day and seeing it unfold, I hope our thoughts and prayers are with those for whom the question "Where were you?" is more painful and immediate than the rest of us.

All About Bob

No, this doesn't have to do with my friend Robert, though it was good to see him and his wife Wendy this weekend. Also spent some time with my friend Jim. It was the first time we'd seen each other since my first steps in the hospital, so needless to say I was looking better than the last time! Don't get to see Dr. Jim (he's a vet) much, but it's always good to when the opportunity arises.

Right now, though, I'm referencing a couple of comedy acts named Bob. Benjamin's been watching VeggieTales, which features (along with Larry the Cucumber) Bob the Tomato. Personally, I'm a big Bob fan, even though I've only seen a couple of the videos. Bob seems to be not only the "in-charge" type of guy, but also the sane one in a bunch of crazies, which is always fun.

That makes me think of another Bob, who also knows that feeling. I've often thought about picking up one of his comedy CDs, but never have gotten around to it. And Newhart is a show I wish they'd rerun more often. I mean, really, what's happened to Nick at Nite? "Modern TV Classics" my foot! Sure, Cheers works, and The Cosby Show as well (even though it's on basically every cable channel) but really, Fresh Prince of Bel Air? Not a bad show, but a classic? Personally, I love Mad About You, but I wouldn't call it a classic. (And I never see it on, anyway.) 'Course, I still remember the days when Nick at Nite was Donna Reed, Dobey Gillis, Mr. Ed, etc. Wish there was a station that had some of those on. Anyway, the point of all that is that Newhart should be on somewhere often, darn it. And I wouldn't mind seeing The Bob Newhart Show, either.

To make a tie in, do you think that Albert Pujols ever gets that "Bob" feeling? Like he's the only one that is sane in that crazy Cardinal clubhouse? If everyone is hitting, the pitching is going south. If the pitching is on, they are losing games 1-0. AP just keeps plugging along, though. Home runs in his last three games, including Sunday's three HR game. Here's hoping he can smack another one against the Nationals this afternoon. Even with Chris Carpenter on the mound, they might need it.

The holiday weekend around here was good. We took Benjamin to the park on Saturday, and then on our way home stopped and watched a train go by. He's really into trains right now, and one of my fellow PKers suggested I talk to one of our church members who works for the railroad to see if we couldn't get a train ride. I'm not sure how Benjamin would react to that right now, but it's something I need to check into.

Busy weekend coming up. Meron's got a Tastefully Simple party Friday night, which hopefully will go well. Saturday morning our Fellowship Group at church is having breakfast at Cracker Barrel, so we might get around for that. Saturday afternoon is the birthday party for the son of a co-worker of mine. He's turning two and is friends with Benjamin, so it should be a good time. Then Saturday evening is Parents' Night Out at church, so Meron and I will probably drop off Benjamin, then get a pizza and watch some Lost episodes, since our copy of Season 2 should be here by then. We saw most of them when they aired, but a refresher course before the season premiere October 4 is not a bad idea.

Hope all of you have a good week. At least it's a short one!

All Too Rare

The Cardinals rallied from 4 runs down to win last night. That shouldn't be newsworthy, but it is. That was only the fourth time they have done so this year. The last few years, they seemed to come back from similar deficits with great regularity. Just another sign that the '06 version doesn't quite match up with its predecessors, but we knew that already, didn't we? Viva El Birdos has some interesting numbers regarding blowouts, both wins and losses. I started working on some similar info for the past few years, but never got very far.

Mark Mulder is gone for the year, most likely. With the way he's been pitching even after his return from the DL, the rotation is better without him, honestly. I know that the trade for him back in '04 was debated then and has been ever since, so hopefully once he leaves the Cards (he's a free agent, and if he has surgery or other health issues, the Cards aren't likely to re-sign him) that debate will cool down some. It'll flare every time Dan Haren has a good game or if Daric Barton goes on to be a star (which was almost a guarantee at the time of the trade, but has a little doubt in it now), but at least it won't be a constant drumbeat as an indictment of Walt Jocketty's tenure.

Not much going on around here. We've got an open house at TLC tonight. That's the Mother's Day Out program that my parents' church has. Benjamin is going on Tuesdays and Thursdays this year, starting next week. He enjoyed it last year, and Meron really can use the time off to get a few other things done around the house as well as getting in some scrapbooking.

Nice to have the three-day weekend coming up, even as it signals the end of summer. I mean, where the heck did the time go? Now kids are back to school, football starts up this weekend (as we root for the Hogs to pull the upset against Southern Cal) and the weather is cooling off, (hey, we'll take high-80s any day at this time of year, and that's the forecast for the next 10 days.) Before you know it, it'll be time for Christmas shopping and long sleeves.

And, as the seasons begin to change, a warning to my high school friends--I'm starting to plan for Thanksgiving. You know what that means.

Galaxy Changing News

OK, well, just the solar system. Pluto is no longer a planet. Apparently the big astronomers group decided Pluto just didn't fit in and has stripped it of that title. Pluto now gets to be part of the groupies they are calling "dwarf planets." Disney is apparently considering a lawsuit.

In other news, Major League Baseball has stripped Mark Mulder of the title "pitcher" and has relegated him to the groupie-status of "belly itcher". Last night's pasting by the Mets (Mulder was pasted, though the Cards rallied to make it close) may have been the final straw. If it wasn't for Roy Oswalt being Roy Oswalt and the Astros actually rallying against the Reds, the NL Central would be tied up this morning.

What to do? Well, from the Cardinals perspective, there is nothing TO do. Anthony Reyes is better than Mulder is right now, no doubt, but he won't be back up until September 1 and, frankly, he has some work to do as well. He's got a lot of potential and even now is probably the #2 starter, but that just tells you how bad the rest of the rotation is.

Thankfully, it's the free agent year for all Cardinal regular starters not named Carpenter. Marquis, Mulder, Suppan and Weaver are all free to pack up and go after the season ends, and most of them will. I could see the Cards trying to resign Suppan to a cheap deal to keep some experience around, but that's it. Reyes and Adam Wainwright should be in the rotation next year. (Many would argue they should be in it this year.) I'm OK with Reyes, but I'm a little concerned about Wainwright. Sure, he's been very effective in the pen (though that's slipped lately as well), but I'm not sure how well he is going to do when people start seeing him 2-3 times a game.

The Cards are going to have to go hard after a top pitcher in the offseason, I think. If they could get a Jason Schmidt, teamed with Carpenter, the two youngsters, and a middling pitcher (Suppan or someone else), that'd be an OK rotation. You have to figure out what to do with Izzy, but with his contract you are pretty much stuck with him in the closer role in 2007.

The offense is OK, though if Edmonds leaves that's a hole to replace. And the second base position could be shored up. Still, with a top starter added to the squad and the weakness in the NL Central in specific and the league as a whole, the Cards could be right back to dominant next year, most likely.

There are people that want this team to lose, so they can "know what it's like not to be in first" and to "force management to do something." I think that's darn naive. First off, if a team of professional athletes, who have had someone breathing down their neck all year and are looking toward the playoffs, can't get motivated to play their best baseball, slipping into second isn't going to give them that miraculous focus. Face it, folks, the Cards are playing as well as they can. It just doesn't seem to be very good.

As for management, I've always leaned toward the owners' side, basically because I think they've done a number of things that the Brewery wouldn't have when they owned it, and they've tried to do some other things. Remember, they were in the running for A.J. Burnett. They'd have way overpaid to get him (and, of course, be criticized by some of these same people for "throwing money around") but they were trying. Who knows how differently the offseason would have progressed if they had gotten him.

But, if you are already of the opinion that management is pinny-pinching and doesn't care about the product on the field, why would coming in second matter? The park is still sold out and will be next year. You can easily say, "This team was in first most of the year. No need for any major changes, we can just get back to par and run away with the division." So why would you root for your team to lose just to get that?

Your 2006 Cardinals. You may love them, you may hate them, but they'll give you plenty to write about.

First Thing to Go....

...apparently is your blogging ability. Hard for me to believe I've not blogged since my birthday three weeks ago, but then again, it's not like earth-shaking things are going on around here.

What is going on? Let's see. The Cardinals continue to slip and slide their way toward a possible October playoff watching party at Pujols's house. Last night's game was especially frustrating, after the Ruthian Albert hits a three-run HR and a grand slam, giving the Cards a 7-1 lead, and then they lose it, giving up a game winning 2-run HR in the 9th. Lot of people are on Jason Isringhausen today, and his body of work makes it hard to defend him. The closer is supposed to get the other team out in a close game. Doesn't matter what player X did earlier in the game to give up a run, doesn't matter that player Y was thrown out and that would have added a run, when you get into the game, all that goes out the window and it's just you and the other team. Last night, and way too frequently this season, it's been the other team. Doesn't mean all the blame goes on Izzy for the loss, but he definitely didn't do his job last night.

So the Cardinals have a game lead over the Reds, no one in the NL looks like they can compete with an AL team (the media is hammering that point home repeatedly, which means there's a good chance for the underdog NL team in the World Series to jump up and bite someone, if only for the irony), and we're heading into September. Some Cards fans in the past couple of years have wished for a pennant race to "keep the team sharp" going into October. Be careful what you wish for.

Other news: The Clubhouse has started a project that, I believe, will be a huge benefit to Cardinal fans and be one of the places Internet-savvy Redbird faithful will have bookmarked. We're not quite to the unveiling stage of it yet, but it's coming, and I know I'm quite excited about it.

Our church has proposed some large changes in how we do things, which has gotten me worked up. I'm trying not to come at this as my normal, reactionary, "let's don't change" persona and be rational about this, but the changes, in my mind, have very little upside and a large portion of downside and risk. I've been at the church 28 years now, so I guess I can get a little passionate about things that are going on there. Note to any vision team members that might actually be reading this: I trust you know that I think y'all did great work and that you feel this is the best plan for the church. You've put a lot more time into it than I have. That said, right now I just don't know that it's worth it.

Lighter note: Looks like I will make the poker game this Friday, which is good. I know I'll miss the next one because Meron has a Tastefully Simple party, so it'd be late September before I played if I couldn't make this one. My friend Shively is possibly coming in this weekend, so I'm hoping he will and he'll join us at the PPT Shed.

Benjamin is doing great. He can get out a very close approximation of "Cardinal", which is good, and loves to wear his Cardinal hat. We've not been able to go outside and play with the ball and bat much lately since the temps have been upper 90s-low 100s. Today's a washout too, though thankfully it's because of a day-long rain. Can never have too much rain this time of year, I don't think. He starts back up at TLC (a "Mommy's Day Out" type program they have at my parents' church) right after Labor Day, going on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He already knows a lot of the kids that will be in his class, so I'm sure he'll have fun at it.

Hard to believe September is almost here. I'm not a huge football fan, but I do enjoy the weather when it gets here. I've got the Pigskin Pick'Em for my friends organized and ready to go, and I'm working on NFL Survivor over at the Clubhouse. Of course, what really has me excited is getting closer to the free agency portion of the URL. THAT'S going to be a blast, I'm sure of it.

Pulled off one deal in my rotisserie league this week (Harden/N. Johnson/Quentin for A. Ramirez) and am working to do another. Can't keep a Cub on my roster too long, can I? Our trading deadline is coming up in a week and a half, so we'll see if the close race at the top produces some moves.

That should pretty much catch you up, I think. Hopefully I'll be back here before another three weeks pass!

Another Year Older

Well, you know what? 31 doesn’t feel that much different than 30. Shocker, huh? Now, hopefully the year of 31 is much better than the year of 30. That much I can hope for. We did some scheduling here in the office for the rest of the year this morning and it was weird to think of these jobs that we do every year in December or so that I had problems with last year or started missing when January rolled around.

Kinda strange how some things work out. While I was laid up, but before I went into the hospital, I was watching the fourth season of Alias on my mom’s laptop. When they brought me the office computer, I took the disc out and sat it somewhere. That disc has not been found to this day.

So when the wife and I were at Hastings looking for me birthday presents (she insisted I help pick stuff out, at least to give her a selection), we found they were selling Alias Season 4 by the disc. Needless to say that was part of my birthday presents this morning, which means I can rejoin Sydney Bristow on her adventures sometime soon.

I also received a new Star Trek book (the life story of Captain Pike, it appears) and a Hastings gift card. I know the last Harry Turtledove book is out in paperback, so I may go order that or see if they’ve gotten it in.

Going to Micky D’s for lunch with the wife and Benjamin, which will be nice. They opened a new one (well, tore down an old one and rebuilt it) last year and I’ve still not gone inside the place yet. Dinner’s going to be with the parents, though I’m not sure exactly where yet.

Looking forward to Saturday, when a group of the guys and I are going to see the Arkansas Travelers take on the Springfield Cardinals down in LR. It’s the last game we’ll get to go to in old Ray Winder Field, plus it’s the Cardinals AA team that’s coming in. Should be a fun time all the way around. And a lot of the guys going are in the current rotisserie league, so maybe some trades will get done.

The new league is continuing to do well. Most everyone has team names and colors, and there are a couple of team blogs. I know I’ve been pushing this a bit much and need to back off a little bit, but I’m wanting to make sure everyone stays interested. This has a lot of potential and I don’t want it to die off.

That’s about it for today. Hope you have a good one as well!

Lazy Summer Days

Well, they would be if this darn work thing didn't keep getting in the way. Other than that daily routine, there's really not much going on around here. Just trying to stay cool, so the rain today was a welcome sight. It'd been more welcome if it meant some cooler temperatures, but it's supposed to be back up to 97 tomorrow, which will make for a wonderful, stay-inside-or-fry type of weekend.

Yes, Benjamin owns clothes that aren't Cardinal related. I figure since the Rangers are an AL team, he's safe with that. It's not like I'll put him in Cubbie blue! I'd never cause my child to go through that kind of pain and misery. (Though he would become an engineer after that, apparently, right Ken and Jason?)

Actually, I figure tonight's poker game will be pretty bad on me, what with the Cards losing to the Cubs last night and getting beat again at the moment. Still, it's hard to really take the taunts of a team that's 18 games back seriously, you know what I'm saying?

Ken says he has a targeted play for me, which means I'll probably overanalyze everything and go out first. I'd say that's what he was aiming for, but if you've seen the PPT point standings, you know I'm not exactly what they call a threat. So we'll see if the situation comes up and see how badly I can blow it. 'Course, the last few times I've gone Ken and I have started out on separate tables, so it may be a moo point anyway. (Yeah, a moo point. It's like a cow's opinion. It's moo.)

The new rotisserie league is going well. Looks like we'll probably stick to the United Rotisserie League name, which is fine with me. I've got 8 teams in, which is a good number. Five of them have gone ahead and put names down and four have logos, so we are really making progress. You can check out the league home page if you are interested in seeing what's going on, or you can check out my Arkansas Cardinals at their own team blog.

It's the run of birthdays coming up, as my dad's is next Monday and mine is Wednesday. This will be the first year ever I've had to work on my birthday. Stupid hospital stay! I don't figure we're going to do any big thing for it, and it's definitely causing me a lot less thinking than last year's did.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Personal Plug

Quick note: Due to the Cardinal pitching problems, I did a little research, the results of which can be seen here. It also got me a plug on the game thread at Viva El Birdos, a reputable Cardinal blog. You can head on over there and see what they make of it. It's a knowledgable crowd, so I didn't expect it to get much attention. Glad to know I was wrong. You can also read it over at the Clubhouse as well.

The Heat Is On

When summer hits around here, it doesn't mess around. Those low-90s days are over, as the air temp for this week has been more like 100, 101. Don't ask about the heat index! The biggest problem is that the car we got for Meron a couple of years ago doesn't have air conditioning that works. So I get to drive it to and from work. To work, not so bad since it's still fairly nice at 7:30 or so in the morning. From work, well, that's a different story.

The weather pretty much is the biggest topic of conversation around here right now, besides the Cardinals. They made up for that 8 game losing streak they had at the end of June by stringing together 7 in a row around the All-Star Break. That ended last night with a drubbing by the Braves, but the team still looks a lot stronger and more capable now. It'll be interesting to see if Walt Jocketty makes any moves before the upcoming trade deadline. He obtained Jeff Weaver for basically nothing, and while Weaver bombed last night in his Cardinal debut, there's still a lot of hope in Cardinal Nation that he'll pan out and be a solid starter. We're not looking for an ace, just a solid #3 type that will keep the offense in the game. The most tantalizing name out there right now is Bobby Abreu, but he's going to cost a lot, especially in cash the next few years. Still, having that on-base machine batting in front of Pujols has a lot of Redbird fans dreaming big.

Had Vacation Bible School at our church last week. Being that it's during the day, I didn't get to see any of it except their closing program on Friday night. However, from all reports it went well and they all had a good time. The wife was the voice of the puppet again this year, as she has been the last 4-5 years. She enjoys it, the kids enjoy it, so it's a hit all the way around. The puppet changes depending on the theme--this year, it was Professor Who, the owl. I also hear he plays a mean first base.

Didn't make it to poker last week, though I'm looking forward to hopefully making it to the next one. If not, there's a ring game on my birthday, so I'll probably sneak over and play in it. Sounds like there were some, well, animated discussions at the end of it last time, but I'm sure that'll completely blow over. One way or another, we won't let it mess with the PPT, not now that we are working up a new setup.

Fantasy baseball, at least the major keeper league I'm in, hasn't been so kind to me. I've moved briefly into 7th place, but it's a very tentative lead. Made some trade offers the last few days but not a whole lot of response. On the positive side, the new league, right now called the United Rotisserie League, is starting to take off. We have 8 teams that have confirmed interest, with a possible 9th contacting me just yesterday. I've started developing that team's look, even starting a team blog for it, something I'm encouraging all the owners to think about.

In case I don't post again this week, I wanted to note that Saturday marks a couple of anniversaries for me, to some degree. It was a year ago Saturday that I started this blog, and I'm really fairly surprised that it's lasted this long. I appreciate all that have read and posted comments through the year and I hope you've been at least somewhat entertained with it.

It was a good thing I had this blog earlier in the year, which brings me to my second anniversary. Saturday will be six months since I went into the hospital for rehab. (It will be three months Monday that I was released from the hospital.) I still continually marvel at my ability to get around. I don't know when I'll get back to taking walking, getting up from the floor, and other things for granted again, but hopefully it'll be a while. I really appreciated all the support everyone showed me through that time, and I was glad I had a place to not only update all of y'all but get things off my chest. Amazing how much foresight I had in starting this thing, huh? :)

Thanks again for a great year and I hope to be doing this blog (without all the drama) for many years to come!