Christmas Tree Cutting Trip

Its been yeeeears since I went out with the family and cut down a Christmas tree. So, this past Friday, we did just that. For effect, I summoned the weather gods for a light snow to fall at just the right time so as to stimulate some Christmas Spirit...at least meteorologically.

The Christmas tree farm also had an barn full of Emu so we sauntered over to see what Emus do in the snow two weeks before Christmas. The answer to that question, in case you were wondering, is nothing.

The pictures follow in chronological order. And yes, Nathan found some honeycombs amidst the snow and mud. (Editors note: If you would have told me that he found a hand grenade out there in the field that afternoon, it wouldn't have surprised me.)

Also, check out Nathan's letter to Santa which was in the paper a few days ago.

Search for Perfection

In this day-in-age of instantaneous information, dwindling patience, and quick self gratification so glorified on TV in the marketing of products and entertainment to the younger generation, most have lost focus on what striving for perfection is in everyday life. I guarantee if you ask a hundred people from the age of 18 to 25, most would say "perfection" means making lots of money, achieving a level of notoriety and the accumulation of lots of stuff.

Call me old-fashioned but there is so much more to life then a large bank account, a garage full of cars or a wall full of top-of-the-line entertainment hardware. Sure, imagining a Brinks truck
backing up to your front door with bag and bags of cash emptying out into your living sounds pretty exciting but that's not the point. (That said, do you know anyone who has had this happen to them? Didn't think so).

The drive toward Perfection manifests itself in every facit of daily life. In the workplace, the road to perfection is challenging yourself while creating a good product for your employer.

Your relationships with your significant other, your relationship with your immediate family as well as everyday friendships with people outside of the home are a constant work in progress. Our struggle to grasp and process the distinct human emotions inherent in each one of us that surface during our interactions only helps make those relationships at every level stronger and more fulfilling.

Our endeavor to be Perfect also lies in physical exercise, i.e. staying in shape, challenging yourself by pushing your body further while working out.

Spiritual perfection aims to solidify a deep-rooted foundation within our consciousness. It doesn't have to be attached to a specific denomination. For many, spirituality is more a philosophical or metaphysical exercise.

In general, reaching for perfection is a way of challenging yourself each day, not getting complacent while holding yourself in an ethical high standard. Its a never-ending cycle of improvement, a passion for making things better not only on a personal level but with family and friends and within our small segment of society in which we live.

Remember, according to the ancient philosophers, if the world and everyone in it were perfect, it could not improve because it would be complete. What else would there be in life?

How boring is that?

Asking this question I guess is what makes us human.

I sincerely hope that as the younger generation gets older and more seasoned, they realize this. I have a strong feeling that they will.

THE 80s ARE FADING

As a baseball fan from the 1980s, I grew up watching players like Wade Boggs, Joe Carter, Kirby Puckett, Mike Schmidt, Robin Yount, Gary Carter, George Brett, just to name a few.

Now that the 2008 season is in the books, I wanted to look back at the players who are STILL playing who started out playing in the 1980s.

THE LIST, FIRST WITH THE PITCHERS

GREG MADDUX
RANDY JOHNSON
JOHN SMOLTZ
TOM GLAVINE
JAMIE MOYER
KENNY ROGERS
TOM GORDON
KENT MERCKER
RUDY SEANEZ

NOW, POSITION PLAYERS

KEN GRIFFEY
OMAR VIZQUEL

PLAYERS WHO WILL PROBABLY RETIRE OR WON'T BE SIGNED

OMAR VIZQUEL
TOM GORDON
RUDY SEANEZ
KENT MERCKER

NOW, HOW MANY ARE GUARANTEED TO PLAY IN 2009 CONTRACTUALLY

GARY SHEFFIELD

PLAYERS THAT WILL MORE THAN LIKELY SIGN IN 2009

GREG MADDUX
RANDY JOHNSON
TOM GLAVINE
KEN GRIFFEY
JOHN SMOLTZ
JAMIE MOYER

HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 7 PLAYERS COULD BE LEFT FROM THE 1980s BY OPENING DAY 2009

THE WORST HITTER EVER

An article from Dugout Central

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Published by Steve Caimano on November 10, 2008 07:25 am

My assignment is to identify the worst hitter to ever play major league baseball. This is exactly the kind of article nobody wants to write. As soon as you pick a name somebody will argue that the player was a great fielder or that he was a clubhouse leader or an outstanding human being, and you’re just a big fat jerk who couldn’t hit a major league fastball with an oar. All of that might be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that somebody has to be the person who was the worst at every human endeavor. So with the understanding that I am making no judgments on any other aspects of this man’s life other than his ability to hit, let’s identify the worst hitter in history.

The first thing we have to do is identify how long you have to have played to qualify. It certainly isn’t enough to just be historically bad for a few at bats, or even a year or two. No, to be the worst hitter ever you need to have longevity as well as ineptitude. In order to qualify for this "award" a player has to have a minimum of 3,000 plate appearances.

Next comes the harder part: how do we measure "worst"? What I decided was that I would use career OPS+ to whittle the field down, then do a more detailed analysis on this (hopefully) small number of players. I used OPS+ because it’s adjusted for the era in which the player played and their home park and also because it only deals with hitting. The problem with using some of the advanced stats (VORP or Runs Created) is that these include stolen bases and I didn’t want to muddy the waters.

So I went to baseball-reference.com and used the "Play Index" to give me a list of the players with at least 3,000 plate appearances and a career OPS+ less than 75 (the average OPS+ is 100). What I found shocked me. There would be no need for a detailed analysis of a group of closely matched players for the title of "Worst Hitter Ever". No, the answer was clear, and his name is Bill Bergen.

Bill Bergen was a catcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers from 1901 to 1911. He played in a total of 947 games and had 3,028 at bats. His career OPS+ was 21 … that’s right, 21. The next lowest career OPS+ was the 49 posted by Hal Lanier. Hal Lanier’s lifetime slash stats (AVG/OBP/SLG) were .228/.255/.275. Bill Bergen was a far worse hitter than Hal Lanier. Bill Bergen’s BEST hitting year was 1903 when he went .227/.252/.266, which equates to an OPS+ of 41 and is worse than Lanier’s career numbers. He had four doubles, two triples and seven walks in 207 at bats.

It’s difficult for me, quite frankly, to find words that do justice to how bad those stats are and, again, that was Bergen’s best year. It was the only time in his eleven major league seasons that he managed to hit for an average above .200. In 1909 he hit .139 in 346 at bats. In 1911, his final year, he hit .132. He had four extra base hits and a slugging percentage of .154. His OPS+ was -1. I didn’t know it was possible to have a negative OPS.

CAREER STATS:

AB: 3,028
HITS: 512
2B: 45
3B: 21
HR: 2
AVG: .171
OBP: .194
SLG: .201

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama

Congratulations go out to President-Elect Obama.

The campaign was hard fought but a well-deserved victory to the former Senator of Illinois.

Looking back at the last 6 months, the campaign had the feel of the 1992 days leading up to the election. The feel-good emotions of Americans from east to west dominated the national consciousness. Many are basking in the afterglow of the big win. To be honest, I never thought I'd see a Black President in my lifetime. Whether your a republican or democrat and consider that we're barely a generation removed from the Civil Rights Movement, its been a long time coming.

For John McCain, it was an uphill battle. I'm no Tim Russert but from what I can ascertain from living this election each day at my television job, we can pinpoint many reasons for his lack of support from states that historically lean Republican such as Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado, Indiana, etc. Regardless of what his voting record is in the Senate (historically moderate; much to the dismay of his conservative counterparts), he was guilty by association. McCain distanced himself from "W" but McCain could never shake the stigma of his Republican roots which hurt him in the eyes of a public that is paying for high gas prices, job loss, foreclosure and 401K losses in the trillions. Its not his fault but he might as well as have pulled the trigger on the credit crisis himself. For many in a year of economic distress that hasn't hit rock bottom, perception is reality especially when that reality is an empty wallet. Conversely, if the stock market hadn't crashed over the last 8 weeks, the race, at least electorally, would have been a lot tighter.

Now its down to business.

All of the beautifully orated speeches now have to translate into policy that is malleable to a volatile Congress that is filled with partisan history. What worries me is a Congress that is controlled by the same party that is in the White House. While it makes policy somewhat easier to get through the Congressional gauntlet and back to the President's desk, it pushes an agenda that is inherently Parisian contrary to what each party wants you to believe. Hopefully this is tempered by the urgency of action in the midst of this economic slowdown

Unlike Bush who was a hard-line conservative, Obama will need to be a pragmatic policy initiator and not a hard-line liberal. One such area that needs this treatment is the military and our foreign policy. In an ideal world, it would be great to sit down with ALL leaders of the world. But in reality, there are power plays between nations which in most instances supersede our idealistic picture of the U.S's position in the world. Obama's advisers will make this clear to him as his administration begins. Will we see a meeting with Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? I highly doubt it.

I, for one, would like to see some republicans in his Cabinet. Its time to eliminate this "members only" mentality.

An Obama presidency virtually can only help to mend scarred relationships with any European leaders by his party affiliation. Bush ticked off many with his Iraq debacle. A Democrat, at least early on, will only help.

An Obama presidency will improve consumer confidence, again by his Republican non-affiliation. The US and Global consumer wants change from the status quo. This will offer some solace.

The economy hasn't hit rock bottom yet. The financial sector collapsed. The money supply has tightened. Businesses are shrinking. Unemployment is rising as is inflation. GDP is growing but its negligible. Many suggest that unemployment will rise even more in 2009 as the GDP flattens more. We shouldn't expect much from any new administration in 2009 or even early 2010 given this economy even with new policy. The market has to purge itself of the contagions that plague it which means more job losses independent of any new president.

Mark my word, people will want change quick. The after glow of "change" will fade quick as head into next summer. People must learn to be patient regardless of the party or presiident. This is hard to say but we must give it two years. Second half of this initial term will be the first big economic test.

Those are my thoughts. Let's be patient and see what happens.

Presidential Hair

Just like many of you, I am tired of seeing advertisements for each candidate. It seems as if the election season will never end. Alas, the end is near and so is the mudslinging.

Forget about who you think will right the economic ship or who will handle our future foreign policy issues in places like Iraq or North Korea or Iran. Forget who you think will create jobs or transform the health care system or who will cut/raise taxes or who will tackle the budget problems.

The real issue should be who has the better hair. McCain is first since he comes first alphabetically.

And now Obama...

Their hair doesn't exactly stand out like Bill Clinton's. In fact, each candidate's hair is quite straight, short and frankly boring.

I say that who ever is president must effort to look like one of these past Vice Presidents who, in my opinion, have the best hair of any President or Vice President in our country's history.

Meet, Levi Morton and John C. Calhoun.

Levi was the VP under Benjamin Harrison and John C. was the VP under John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson. Its also no coincidence that Calhoun was the first VP to be photographed. His scowl is second to none. Couple that with his 1840s Afro, can you think of anyone that would be more worthy as the first leader of the United States to have his portrait hanging in Washington? Imagine him staring down members of congress or Kim Jong il at a summit?

His stances on issues were not the greatest. He was a supporter of Slavery and an inspiration to the secessionists who created the short-term Confederate States of America. He also thought that the Indians were inferior. By far, one of the worst politicans in our history but his hair is second to none.

Not to be outdone, Levi Morton has the coolest beard of any politician up until that point and since. If anything, that's one hell of a "flavor-saver"'.

Who ever the next president is, he should effort to look like on of these guys or a combo of the two. Not only will the members of Congress get bills passed quicker if they are looking at an 1840s "fro" but the ruthless dictators throughout the world will bow down in fear. I ts a one-two punch that's a win-win.

So Barack and John, please consider my suggestion.

Sincerely,

An American Citizen Who Values Hair

Facebook

So now I am on Facebook. Laugh all you want.

Actually, I signed up a few years ago and had no need for it so I conveniently forgot the password.

Here we are in 2008. My brother is on Facebook, my sister is on Facebook, my grandmother is on Facebook. So as not to be outdone by a great depression-era computer junkie, I am now
on Facebook yet again.

Here's the kicker, I wasn't signed up for more than 18 hours and now miraculously, I have 66 new friends. Frankly, I didn't think I knew 66 people.

Allow me to digress a bit. Here's a snapshot of a typical day for me and my wife: Work, nap, working out, dinner, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, snack, sleep...in this
order.

Since each day is jam-packed with so much social interaction, I find it very difficult to welcome yet more friends into my universe. So memo to my 66 new friends? I don't think I can fit you in.

Yet to keep up with the Joneses, I probably should keep my Facebook page active.

I, however, fully expect 66 Christmas Cards from these friends I didn't know I had.

Its Time To Hang It Up

Over the summer while playing a home baseball game, I was chatting with one of the umpires while the grounds crew was getting the field ready for play after a brief rain shower.


This guy was a throw-back; an old school guy who looked like he lives life with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. His face was weathered with deep wrinkles from years in the sun. His character, which didn't take but more than 10 seconds to discern, was a direct reflection of his appearance--rough and to the point. He was probably 60 or 65 but looked easily twenty years older.


His words were hidden with insight from an "everyone can kiss my ass" point of view. Each thought was beautifully ochestrated with an incredibly abrasive tone that made you wonder how he could hold a job. The topic didn't deviate too much from baseball,. Yet, like a carwreck on the roadside, his words sucked you in. I just stood and listended. Granted, it might have all been a show but it didn't matter. It was great entertainment as I passed the time until the start of the game.


Just when it seemed as though the conversation was getting dull, he drops this bomb on me as he walks away:


"...When ever you're ready coach, give me your lineup?"


My throat immediately sunk into my stomach.


What the hell did he say? Did I hear the word "coach" in there somewhere?


My dad was a coach not me. Nothing against my dad or coaches but I wasn't a coach.


This guy really had no idea that I was a player. His gruff nature wasn't a show; the oldtimer ump just plain didn't give a damn. Didn't he remember that I had three hits in the first game and pitched two innings...the game that he was "UMPIRING" behind the plate?


Needless to say, I was pissed. I promptly went oh for four with two strikeouts in the second game due to his slander. Although his intension wasn't to berate me, the fact that he referred to me as "coach", while having some merit, was very unsettling. As far as I was concerned, the word was in lights above my head for everyone to see! I felt like an aged Connie Mack standing on the top step of the dugout after managing for 50 years. The whole concept really bothered me.


It didn't hit me until later that day that maybe this guy was onto something. Was I getting too old, too slow to play at this level? I still contribute and my hitting is fairly consistant.


It finally hit me while driving a few nights later from another game. I really wasn't having as much fun as I used to. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't play well the game before. Maybe this will pass and I'll feel different tomorrow. No, this is more than that. I couldn't concentrate on the game like I could in the past. Fastballs seem a bit faster. I wasn't as fluid on my feet. The game itself was speeding up because my reactions are slowing down. Maybe the title of "coach"DID fit me more than "PLAYER".


All of these thoughts raced through my mind on that drive home. Yet my conclusion remained the same.


So after 28 summers playing baseball counting high school and college, its time to walk away.


My wife asked me if I was sure? She kept telling me that I didn't have to quit. I told her that this season would be my last; my decision wouldn't change. It was final.


My son will be four next summer. Tee-ball is around the corner for him. Its time to be the dad that teaching young kids how to hit and field ground balls. I still have the first picture of my dad coaching me in my first year in tee-ball. I can't wait for my first picture with my son during his first year playing ball.



Will coaching take some getting used to? Sure.



The feeling you get after getting a basehit up-the-middle on a 0-2 fastball middle-of-the-plate-in, off of the meat of the bat when the score is tied in the bottom of the ninth is something that you only experience a few times and you NEVER forget it. Coaching my son will feel like same experience only it'll happen each day.


All it took was one word for me to realize that it was time to move on and it came from a grizzled umpire who smokes two packs a day:

COACH

If I had a soon-to-be released album...

...What would I name it?

QUANTUM WEIRDNESS

A BRIEF CONCEPT OF TIME

VORTEX OF DREAMS

MAXWELL'S BEARD

MEMORIES IN MOTION

SPACIAL HORIZONS

TEMPORAL SKIES


Of course, I'm not in a band nor do I have a record for that matter. So if you need album names, I'm the guy.

The Universe is Still Here!

At last check, everthing still exists.

The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland was cranked up yesterday sending particles racing around the 17 mile long tunnel under the Franco-Swiss border and guess what, it works!

Contrary to what some alarmist who were worried that the activation of this--the largest experiment ever conceived--would recreate events mirroring the beginning of the universe, all is quiet on the accelerator front.

The last time I checked, the earth and the neighboring universe wasn't swallowed up by some cosmic vacuum cleaner.

No mini black holes formed...

No primortial plasma surged out of the collider enveloping the countryside...

The only potential casuality that I wish wasn't averted was my dentist appointment. It is still on for later this afternoon.

So get ready for the first particle collisions next month. Many scientists believe that these collisions will confirm the existence of certain particles that will unlock the mysteries of matter and ultimately the early stages of the universe.

The fun begins on October 21st at which point we should REALLY start worrying.