Intentional Walk: June 2007

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Retraction

Just back from a wonderful stay in Cambria, I notice that the Angels have been swept by the worst team in baseball. Now, as my baseball-savvy wife pointed out, the Kansas City Royals do this to us all the time. For whatever reason, they seem to have our number.

But this time it's different. This time it's my fault.

And so I officially retract the overly-effusive post in which I went into great detail about why the Angels are so awesome. Were it possible, I would speed into the sky, Superman style, flying so fast we all went back in time (ignoring every law of physics that would seem to demand we all be flung out into the cold of space were our world to suddenly turn the opposite way). I'm sorry I ever said anything and I now would like to recognize the sheer stupidity of it all.

In other words, I take it all back.

What I meant to say was, "The Angels are fun to watch right now. They're playing with a lot of confidence."

Am I too late?

Monday, June 25, 2007

Don't Say It!

I watched a Tigers game recently in which their starting pitcher hadn't given up any hits through six innings. Both Tigers announcers were baseball guys, which means that they knew the unwritten rule. There is a hyphenated word that goes along with such masterful performances on the mound and neither one of these guys was going to say it. Nor were any of the pitcher's teammates about to utter that word. In fact, as the game went along, and the zeroes kept going up on the scoreboard, the pitcher, Justin Verlander, found himself more and more alone in the dugout. His teammates had seemingly abandoned him for fear of slipping up, saying the wrong thing, and jinxing the whole works.

In the ninth inning, the crowd on its feet, the last out was recorded and both announcers simultaneously yelled, "NO-HITTER!!!" Verlander was mobbed by his team as he completed one of the most difficult tasks in all of baseball.

Superstitious? You betcha. But why tempt fate?

And that's the reason I haven't been writing much about the Angels lately. See, they've never played ball this well. Ever. They have the best record at this point in the season, 49-27, that they've ever had. They have more wins than any other team. So why tempt fate by writing about it?

Could it possibly be a good idea to mention that they were 14-4 in interleague play, taking 5 of 6 from their crosstown rivals? Or to point out that they have won nine consecutive series? I don't see how that would be smart.

It would smack of reckless abandon to say anything about the offense (17 or more hits in 7 of the last 18 games, three walk-offs in the last six, .291 team Batting Average), the pitching (3.83 team ERA and seven quality starters), the defense (Cabrera has made more plays from the hole than Jeter this year, Vladdy keeps gunning 'em down and keeping 'em from running), or other intangibles (such as a league-leading 74 steals).

I could take the safe route. I could limit myself to writing things like, "They're fun to watch right now," and "They're playing with a lot of confidence." Or I could send this into the ether for all the world to see. I could tempt fate and call it an experiment.

Okay. I'll click "Publish Post." But so help me. If they start losing, I'll take it all back and claim insanity. I'll blame my evil twin.

Here goes nothing.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Firsts

Parenting is a series of firsts. First sights, first tastes, first times. One of the things I'm enjoying the most about watching James grow up is getting to share the things I love with him. Yesterday I got to add a new thing to both lists...Lisa and I took James to see the new Fantastic Four movie. It was the first time I went to the movies with my boy and we got to enjoy some good ol' fashioned superhero fun together.

Now, I'm no movie critic, although I am often accused of over-analyzing my movietime fun. And it's a good thing because, if I were, I'd rip the new FF movie apart. Lisa is constantly reminding me that most people aren't the comics geek that I am, and they wouldn't really care that the movie made a mockery of issues 48 through 50. So I've decided instead just to enjoy the fact that we all went to the movies together, were entertained, and had some fun things to chatter about as a family later.

The movie wasn't even over before James leaned over and asked me whether he could watch it on DVD by himself. I explained that we'd have to wait awhile but that he would be able to later. It's a big deal for James to get to watch movies by himself and he usually fixates on one at a time. Currently, it's all about "Flushed Away" which he would watch in a continuous loop if we let him. Instead we encourage him to tear himself away and draw, color, ride his bike, play a game, work a puzzle, play with his Hot Wheels, or any of a hundred other things. Our neighbors are out of town for a month and have given us access to our pool, so we've added one more thing to the list of "Stuff to do With James other than Watch Movies." It's exciting.

One week into summer and it couldn't be greater. Tonight Lisa and I are going to have dinner alone (YAY!) and see "Ocean's Thirteen."

I am, for the record, not ready to go back to school yet. I'll keep you posted on that condition.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Lack of Postiness

Yeah, that's the first time I've gone a week or more without posting for quite some time. Wrapping up the school year, graduation, preaching, teaching class, finding teachers for July/August, working on curriculum with them, planning classes for Wednesday nights, and trying desperately to stay up with the Angels games will do that to a guy.

Speaking of the Angels...and isn't it sad that of all that, I choose to speak of the Angels...Lisa and I got to see them play at Dodger Stadium Friday night. It was the only game of the series that we lost, but WHAT a game! The pitchers dueled for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Derek Lowe struck out a career-high 11 batters. Ervin Santana carried a no-hitter into the fifth, giving it up shortly after taking a come-backer off the ankle. And, of course, everyone in the crowd complained because it was such a boring game. After all, no home runs were hit. Boo hoo. The guy behind us actually was complaining about the lack of foul balls! See, it's hard to hit a foul ball when you swing and miss that much.

I also neglected to post anything about my nephew, Avery, of whom I couldn't be prouder. He graduated from high school and is planning to attend ACU with his sister come fall. We celebrated his 18th birthday on Saturday, and there was much rejoicing. I can't say that Avery has become a fine young man, because the truth is that he hasn't changed much at all for years. He has long been the same intelligent, kind, funny, hard-working, humble person he is now. Avery is already the kind of man I hope my son grows up to be like.

So, as usual, there won't be as many posts during the summertime. But I'll be around. Stay tuned.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

...and No Thanks

He's a highly touted rookie.

He made his long-awaited major league debut yesterday, giving up only five hits over five innings and earning the win.

He is, by all accounts, a great guy.

But I don't want Homer Bailey on my team either.

Friday, June 08, 2007

No Thanks

In the wake of Curt Schilling's brush with no-hit greatness and on the precipice of a weekend clash between the Angels West and the Angels East (otherwise known as the St. Louis Cardinals), here is a list of pitchers I couldn't possibly have on my team.

Jamie Walker (BAL): "Walker?" Really? Is that what you're looking for in a pitcher?

Marcus McBeth (CIN): "To be or not to be?" Wait...2 B? That's BB! Base on Balls! D'oh!

Renyel Pinto (FLA): Hit a comebacker and he might blow up.

Brandon Duckworth (KC): Nobody wants a pitcher who has to duck.

Jimmy Gobble (KC): A real turkey.

David Riske (KC): Self-explanatory. And is it any wonder there are three Royals on the list?

Dave Bush (MIL): Trust me. In baseball, bush league is bad.

Kevin Slowey (MIN): Now if you can find me a Kevin "Fastey", that'd be a different story.

J.J. Putz (SEA): I know he's good. Still.

Carlos Zambrano (CHC): Nothing against the name. I just don't like the guy.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Clarke on God

God is the eternal, independent, and self-existent Being; the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence; he who is absolute in dominion; the most pure, the most simple, the most spiritual of all essences; infinitely perfect; and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that he has made; illimitable in his immensity, inconceivable in his mode of existence, and indescribable in his essence; known fully only by himself, because an infinite mind can only be fully comprehended by itself. In a word, a Being who, from his infinite wisdom, cannot err or be deceived, and from his infinite goodness, can do nothing but what is eternally just, and right, and kind."
-- Adam Clarke

You can critique those words all you want. You can snark about the phrase "infinitely perfect," insisting that perfect is perfect and needs no modifier. You can even tease about the descriptive word promised in the last sentence which is, in fact, many words. But you can't deny the power of the paragraph, nor can you fail to give credit for the attempt to describe the indescribable. The only thing missing is the one word which truly can sum up our Father.

Love.

Monday, June 04, 2007

The Joy of Being God

Think about those things that bring you joy. Then multiply them by, oh, say a hundred billion or so. You are getting closer...not close, but closer...to understanding the joy of being God.

You watch an aquarium full of fish, focusing on one in particular which is vibrant in color and activity. God watches oceans and sees everything from the coral reef to the murky depths. You move from cage to cage at a zoo, amazed at the diversity and intricacy of life. Or, better yet, you see the animals while on safari, tuned into their natural lives. God sees microbes, spiders, aardvarks, and pelicans all at once.

You find joy in recreation? Video games, movies, and sports of all kinds must pale in comparison to the kind of play in which God can indulge. We create works of art and poetry and music. We go to our workshops and build with wood and metal. We tend to our gardens while God tends to his jungles. We create birdhouses. God creates nebulae.

Your joy comes from the time you spend with your family. Surely there can be no greater joy than simply watching our children. Until you consider that we are all God's children and that He watches us constantly, not with punitive eyes but with loving ones. God savors us.

Perhaps the only joy we experience that God cannot share a millionfold is the joy of worshiping Him. But what joys does He have that are beyond our understanding?

"We should think that God leads a very interesting life, and that He is full of joy. Undoubtedly he is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of His love and generosity is inseparable from His infinite joy. All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness."
-- Dallas Willard