Wow, the Braves lost by one run because the bullpen couldn't hold a lead. ***Extreme Sarcasm Alert*** Man, that is hard to believe. They have never lost by one run this year (they are 3-18 in those games), plus they play very well on the road (7-24). ***Sarcasm End*** Tim Hudson pitched 6 2/3 innings and only gave up one run. Jorge Campillo, who is one of the few bullpen arms we can count on, got the final out of the seventh inning. Blaine Boyer gave up a home run to Jim Edmonds in the bottom of the ninth to allow the Cubs to tie the game. Jeff Ridgeway hit a batter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning to lose the game. Manny Acosta was charged with the loss. I don't know what else to day about this team. The Braves are 32-35, 7.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and 7.5 games behind the Cardinals for the wild card spot.
The College World Series starts on Saturday. Stanford and Florida State play at 2pm. Georgia and Miami play at 7pm. Here are my CWS predictions:
First two out: #8 Georgia and Fresno State
Next two out: #7 LSU and Stanford
Final Four: #4 Florida State and #6 Rice
Runner-Up: #2 North Carolina
Champion: #1 Miami
The only upset that I have is the Stanford will go farther than Georgia. LSU may sneak into the final four if they can get past Rice, but I don't think they can beat North Carolina. The possible ACC pairings in the final four and the championship game should be the best games you will see all year.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Is this 1989???
The Braves lost again to the Cubs last night. I just saw the score and I really don't want to read any of the details. The Cubs have the best record in baseball, just like in 1989 when they won the division but were defeated by the Giants in the playoffs. Of course, the Braves were dead last in their division in 1989 with a 63-97 record, 28 games behind the division winner. If things keep going this way, they may end up with that same record.
I had another flashback to 1989 when I was driving in to work this morning. I heard the new song from New Kids on the Block called "Summertime"on XM20. I also heard "I'll Be Loving You" on the XM 80's station. These guys are in their upper 30s or maybe lower 40s, should they really be calling themselves New Kids on the Block? Shouldn't they be called Older Men who Didn't Have Much of a Solo Career So They Decided to Go Back to What Worked Before? I'm sure there is a demographic that they are trying to attract, mainly the 30 something females who were screaming at their concerts in the 80s and 90s, but they could also target the daughters of those 30-something mothers as a "I listened to these guys when I was in high school, so it's something that we do have in common." The song is catchy, and it may sell pretty well, but is there anything that is original anymore? Nearly every song I hear is a remake of an old song or has some kind of sampling of an old song. Are we, as a society, not receptive to originality because it is different than what we are used to?
In 1989, George Bush was president, although it was Papa Bush instead of his incompetent son. The democrats had the first African-American man as chairman of the DNC and the first African-American governor in 1989, and now they have an African-American man running for the presidency. Pete Rose was suspended from baseball for gambling in 1989, now Tim Donaghy is running into the same gambling issues in the NBA.
If we do not learn from the past, are we destined to repeat it?
I had another flashback to 1989 when I was driving in to work this morning. I heard the new song from New Kids on the Block called "Summertime"on XM20. I also heard "I'll Be Loving You" on the XM 80's station. These guys are in their upper 30s or maybe lower 40s, should they really be calling themselves New Kids on the Block? Shouldn't they be called Older Men who Didn't Have Much of a Solo Career So They Decided to Go Back to What Worked Before? I'm sure there is a demographic that they are trying to attract, mainly the 30 something females who were screaming at their concerts in the 80s and 90s, but they could also target the daughters of those 30-something mothers as a "I listened to these guys when I was in high school, so it's something that we do have in common." The song is catchy, and it may sell pretty well, but is there anything that is original anymore? Nearly every song I hear is a remake of an old song or has some kind of sampling of an old song. Are we, as a society, not receptive to originality because it is different than what we are used to?
In 1989, George Bush was president, although it was Papa Bush instead of his incompetent son. The democrats had the first African-American man as chairman of the DNC and the first African-American governor in 1989, and now they have an African-American man running for the presidency. Pete Rose was suspended from baseball for gambling in 1989, now Tim Donaghy is running into the same gambling issues in the NBA.
If we do not learn from the past, are we destined to repeat it?
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Trust, Honesty, Responsibility
I usually talk about the Braves each day, but today I would like to move away from that and talk about some other things that have been bothering me. Plus, the Braves lost again on Tuesday and they are not playing the kind of baseball that makes me want to watch them play anyway.
Responsibility - I read a news story a few days ago about Ed McMahon having to foreclose on his home. Are we supposed to feel sorry for him? Are we supposed to feel any kind of remorse for someone who tries to live way above their means? This whole "mortgage credit crunch" that we are dealing with today would not happen if people were responsible individuals. If you don't have enough money to make the payments on a straight 30 year mortgage, then don't be stupid and get an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) just so you can make the first few payments and then end up getting foreclosed upon because you can't make the subsequent post-adjustment payments. Don't you have a responsibility to your family? Don't you have a responsibility to yourself? I don't feel sorry for anyone in that situation. Live within your means. If you make $30,000 a year, don't try to live in a two-story, 3,000 square foot house. Get a ranch-style house. If you can't do that, you need to go to college so you can get a better job that pays more money that will make your life a little better. Whatever you do, be honest with yourself and own up to the decisions you have made and learn to never make them again.
Honesty - As Billy Joel said, honesty is such a lonely word. I don't lie very well. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I do not tell the truth. Does that make me a good person? Not really. To get ahead in this world, you have to be able to lie or at least spin a lie so it sounds like the truth. I can't lie, nor can I put any kind of spin on a lie. I am brutally honest, almost to a fault. Thus, I will never be management material and I am OK with that. The thing that really ticks me off is people who you know are lying, but still lie to you with a smile on their face. It is very hard to trust people when you know they are lying to you and have lied to you before. Why do people lie? Every marriage is centered around multiple lies. Sure, it makes life a whole lot easier to fudge on the truth, but is the need for ego-stroking so great that we would lie to the people we supposedly love? If you don't like something that your partner is doing, tell them. Don't just tell your friends, how is that going to help the situation? If you can't be honest with your spouse, who can you be honest with? (And no, being honest with God doesn't count, because that is just another lie that I will dig deeper into on a later post.) I've also heard that pride is a reason that people lie. How proud of yourself can you be when you know your are lying to people?
Trust - I don't trust anyone, even my own family members. In life, everyone has their own agenda and everybody else is a pawn in their little game. I know people that have cheated on their wives who deny that they have done that. Should I trust someone who can't even be faithful to his wife? I don't think so. I have cut ties with friends that I have known my entire life because of infidelity. Why should I have someone like that in my life? Sure, my friend pool is down to a small number of people, but I would rather have a few friends that I assume are good people than have many friends that have questionable qualities. Quality over quantity.
Responsibility - I read a news story a few days ago about Ed McMahon having to foreclose on his home. Are we supposed to feel sorry for him? Are we supposed to feel any kind of remorse for someone who tries to live way above their means? This whole "mortgage credit crunch" that we are dealing with today would not happen if people were responsible individuals. If you don't have enough money to make the payments on a straight 30 year mortgage, then don't be stupid and get an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) just so you can make the first few payments and then end up getting foreclosed upon because you can't make the subsequent post-adjustment payments. Don't you have a responsibility to your family? Don't you have a responsibility to yourself? I don't feel sorry for anyone in that situation. Live within your means. If you make $30,000 a year, don't try to live in a two-story, 3,000 square foot house. Get a ranch-style house. If you can't do that, you need to go to college so you can get a better job that pays more money that will make your life a little better. Whatever you do, be honest with yourself and own up to the decisions you have made and learn to never make them again.
Honesty - As Billy Joel said, honesty is such a lonely word. I don't lie very well. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I do not tell the truth. Does that make me a good person? Not really. To get ahead in this world, you have to be able to lie or at least spin a lie so it sounds like the truth. I can't lie, nor can I put any kind of spin on a lie. I am brutally honest, almost to a fault. Thus, I will never be management material and I am OK with that. The thing that really ticks me off is people who you know are lying, but still lie to you with a smile on their face. It is very hard to trust people when you know they are lying to you and have lied to you before. Why do people lie? Every marriage is centered around multiple lies. Sure, it makes life a whole lot easier to fudge on the truth, but is the need for ego-stroking so great that we would lie to the people we supposedly love? If you don't like something that your partner is doing, tell them. Don't just tell your friends, how is that going to help the situation? If you can't be honest with your spouse, who can you be honest with? (And no, being honest with God doesn't count, because that is just another lie that I will dig deeper into on a later post.) I've also heard that pride is a reason that people lie. How proud of yourself can you be when you know your are lying to people?
Trust - I don't trust anyone, even my own family members. In life, everyone has their own agenda and everybody else is a pawn in their little game. I know people that have cheated on their wives who deny that they have done that. Should I trust someone who can't even be faithful to his wife? I don't think so. I have cut ties with friends that I have known my entire life because of infidelity. Why should I have someone like that in my life? Sure, my friend pool is down to a small number of people, but I would rather have a few friends that I assume are good people than have many friends that have questionable qualities. Quality over quantity.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
This is why they do not play the games on paper
The Braves had the day off on Monday, almost like the three days that they took off when they played the Phillies over the weekend. Atlanta goes to Chicago to play the Cubs in a three-game series. Tonight's game starts at 805p. Tom Glavine will pitch for the Braves, Ted Lilly for the Cubs.
The College World Series field was filled last night with LSU and Fresno State completing the field. LSU blew out UC Irvine 21-7. On Sunday night, LSU was behind 7-4 in the ninth inning and were facing elimination. They scored five runs in the inning to win that game. That momentum carried into Monday's game when LSU didn't give the Anteaters a chance at all. In the other elimination game on Monday, Fresno State beat Arizona State 12-9. Arizona State was the #3 overall seed in the tourney. Fresno State was the fourth seed in their region, which is like being a 13 seed in the NCAA basketball tourney. This is the first time that a #4 regional seed has made the trip to Omaha.
My super regional picks were average. I missed Fresno State and Stanford. My confidence score was 72%. I will have my predictions for the CWS later on this week.
The College World Series field was filled last night with LSU and Fresno State completing the field. LSU blew out UC Irvine 21-7. On Sunday night, LSU was behind 7-4 in the ninth inning and were facing elimination. They scored five runs in the inning to win that game. That momentum carried into Monday's game when LSU didn't give the Anteaters a chance at all. In the other elimination game on Monday, Fresno State beat Arizona State 12-9. Arizona State was the #3 overall seed in the tourney. Fresno State was the fourth seed in their region, which is like being a 13 seed in the NCAA basketball tourney. This is the first time that a #4 regional seed has made the trip to Omaha.
My super regional picks were average. I missed Fresno State and Stanford. My confidence score was 72%. I will have my predictions for the CWS later on this week.
Monday, June 9, 2008
I think I have heard this one before
There is a team in major league baseball whose starting pitchers can't go more than 6 innings. The problem is that the bullpen isn't very deep, nor are they very good. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 Atlanta Braves!!!!
If you haven't figured it out by now, the Braves were swept by the Phillies yesterday by a score of 6-3. Jorge Campillo started and pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs. Will Ohman threw two innings of scoreless relief, but Blaine Boyer gave up 3 runs while only getting one out in the ninth to break the tie game and take the loss. Chipper Jones was out with a small tear in his quadricep muscle, but Mark Teixeira was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer to pick up the offense. The Braves are now 32-32, 6.5 games behind Philly for the NL East lead and 5.5 games behind the Cardinals for the wild card.
The starting pitching has been decent when they want to be. They have a 24-19 record. However, the bullpen is 8-13 with 10 blown saves. We really need our starting pitching to get us into the seventh inning to take some pressure off of an already over worked and injured bullpen. The offense is OK, but without Chipper in the lineup it becomes very easy to pitch around Texieira and take your chances with the rest of the team. We have a month until the All-Star break, I would like to see the team within 3 games of the division lead by then. Maybe those three days during the break will refresh the team and get us headed in the right direction.
Five more spots for the College World Series were won on Sunday. Georgia, North Carolina, Miami, Rice, and Florida State all won to join Stanford in the final 8 at Omaha. There are two games today to fill out the rest of the field. UC Irvine plays LSU at 7pm. Fresno State and Arizona State also play at 7pm. The College World Series starts on June 14th on ESPN.
If you haven't figured it out by now, the Braves were swept by the Phillies yesterday by a score of 6-3. Jorge Campillo started and pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs. Will Ohman threw two innings of scoreless relief, but Blaine Boyer gave up 3 runs while only getting one out in the ninth to break the tie game and take the loss. Chipper Jones was out with a small tear in his quadricep muscle, but Mark Teixeira was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer to pick up the offense. The Braves are now 32-32, 6.5 games behind Philly for the NL East lead and 5.5 games behind the Cardinals for the wild card.
The starting pitching has been decent when they want to be. They have a 24-19 record. However, the bullpen is 8-13 with 10 blown saves. We really need our starting pitching to get us into the seventh inning to take some pressure off of an already over worked and injured bullpen. The offense is OK, but without Chipper in the lineup it becomes very easy to pitch around Texieira and take your chances with the rest of the team. We have a month until the All-Star break, I would like to see the team within 3 games of the division lead by then. Maybe those three days during the break will refresh the team and get us headed in the right direction.
Five more spots for the College World Series were won on Sunday. Georgia, North Carolina, Miami, Rice, and Florida State all won to join Stanford in the final 8 at Omaha. There are two games today to fill out the rest of the field. UC Irvine plays LSU at 7pm. Fresno State and Arizona State also play at 7pm. The College World Series starts on June 14th on ESPN.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Frustration
The Braves lost another game to the division-leading Phillies last night 6-2. The bullpen failed again with a little help from a non-existent offense. Jo Jo Reyes started the game and pitched 7 strong innings, only giving up 2 runs. However a walk and a triple in the eighth pushed him out of the game. Royce Ring came in and could not strand the runner at third. Jeff Bennett relieved Ring and gave up 2 runs in an inning of work. The Braves offense could only muster 5 hits, with the 2 RBI in the game coming off of a Chipper Jone homer run. Chipper is batting .420 for the season. This is the farthest into a season that a player has batted over .400 since 1994. The teams play at 135pm today. Jorge Campillo will pitch for the Braves against Adam Eaton.
Stanford earned its place in the College World Series with a 2 game sweep of #5 seed Cal State Fullerton. There are three winner-take-all games today. #4 Florida State plays Wichita State at 1pm. #8 Georgia plays North Carolina State at 4pm. #1 Miami plays Arizona at 7pm. Four other series had their first games on Saturday. UC Irvine upset #7 LSU, #2 North Carolina had no problem with Coastal Carolina, #6 Rice defeated Texas A&M, and #3 Arizona State crushed Fresno State.
Stanford earned its place in the College World Series with a 2 game sweep of #5 seed Cal State Fullerton. There are three winner-take-all games today. #4 Florida State plays Wichita State at 1pm. #8 Georgia plays North Carolina State at 4pm. #1 Miami plays Arizona at 7pm. Four other series had their first games on Saturday. UC Irvine upset #7 LSU, #2 North Carolina had no problem with Coastal Carolina, #6 Rice defeated Texas A&M, and #3 Arizona State crushed Fresno State.
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