I think I'm becoming a fantasy baseball geek. Somehow I got sucked into this vortex, and I find I'm enjoying it. It does have it's quirks though.
For instance, say you have a favorite team, like, I don't know, the Boston Red Sox. And they're playing for a win against the New York Spankmees. Now I, no I mean, you have the Yanks as your pitching staff, so you really need lots of strikeouts, and a low ERA, no walks, etc. But Boston is losing by three in the late innings. Jason Varitek hits a home run, but that's okay, he's my catcher. Now it gets interesting. What I really need is a succession of fielding errors, but no hits and no earned runs...Red Sox win!
Plus, I'm really disappointed that I didn't win my first matchup. The plan was to go undefeated and trounce the entire league. Okay 19-1 is much more realistic. Besides, I'm fully expecting Carlos N. Lee to be MVP this season.
I have found that I actually watch ESPN now and then, something I haven't done on a regular basis for a while. Got to scout those upcoming match-ups.
I now know the names of more minor league players than I've probably ever known in the preceding 44 years. I know what WHIP means, and it has nothing to do with Indiana Jones, or serious porn.
I know catchers can't hit anymore. I know I'm taking this way to seriously, but it's fun.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Photo by Nick Krug
Final: 84-66.
That ass-kicking of North Carolina was oh-so-sweet on so many levels. Proof once again that the player of the year is no match for a great team effort. Consider that Kansas held the highest scoring team in the nation without a single point for 9:03 during the first half. I've never seen a team switch off on defense the way Kansas does out of a screen. The score was 40-12 at the 15:00 minute mark of the first half.
Photo by Nick KrugNorth Carolina, to be sure, was a great team. They clawed back into the game and were within 5 points several times. Then the mighty Jayhawks pulled away again like an ubermodel from a skid-row bum.
Photo by Thad AllenderI will say it again; I've never seen a more unselfish team in college basketball, (ironic since Bill Self is their coach), outside of maybe two of the Bob Knight coached championship teams.
I will have more to say on this tomorrow, but I will leave you with a photo of the biggest loser in North Carolina on April 5, 2008. And I ain't talkin' about his kid:
Photo by Nick Krug
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Something happened to me today that made me feel great.
I was on my way home from work this afternoon, and about five minutes into a 45 minute trip, I heard this awful noise under the hood and my power steering went out. I assumed the serpentine belt had broken but there was nowhere convenient to pull over. I was getting anxious, because with no fan, my engine was beginning to overheat. Up ahead, I spied a public driveway, and immediately pulled in. It was a small, run-down, Baptist Church.
I got out of the car, popped the hood, and sure enough the belt lay twined through all the pulleys at the front of the engine. Great.
I had no tools, no cash, etc. I pulled the belt out and it wasn't broken, so I decided to try to force it back on and get to the nearest garage I could find. While I was working, an older man walked up behind me and inquired about my trouble.
I explained what I was up to and I went back to work. As I was getting more and more frustrated at my inability to accomplish anything, the man returned with a complete set of wrenches, box of rags, and a stepladder. He proceeded to explain to me an easier way to do what I was attempting, and although one of the idler pulleys was the culprit, we managed together to get that pesky belt back in place in order for me to nurse it a few more miles.
The man was the 65 year old pastor of the Church, and it is what he did next that made my day. He followed me 5 miles to an auto parts store, got me a discount on the part and a tool I needed that he didn't have, and supervised me while I replaced it. (The manager of the auto parts store was one of his neighbors.)
I cannot tell you how grateful I was for this incredible act of kindness to a complete stranger, and a scruffy one at that. Had he not been familiar with my vehicle, I would have spent at least another hour in his lot, just trying to get it on the road to find a place to get it fixed, not to mention the money I was able to save by fixing it myself. It's really humbling to have something like this happen, and I am always so up-lifted when it does.
I was on my way home from work this afternoon, and about five minutes into a 45 minute trip, I heard this awful noise under the hood and my power steering went out. I assumed the serpentine belt had broken but there was nowhere convenient to pull over. I was getting anxious, because with no fan, my engine was beginning to overheat. Up ahead, I spied a public driveway, and immediately pulled in. It was a small, run-down, Baptist Church.
I got out of the car, popped the hood, and sure enough the belt lay twined through all the pulleys at the front of the engine. Great.
I had no tools, no cash, etc. I pulled the belt out and it wasn't broken, so I decided to try to force it back on and get to the nearest garage I could find. While I was working, an older man walked up behind me and inquired about my trouble.
I explained what I was up to and I went back to work. As I was getting more and more frustrated at my inability to accomplish anything, the man returned with a complete set of wrenches, box of rags, and a stepladder. He proceeded to explain to me an easier way to do what I was attempting, and although one of the idler pulleys was the culprit, we managed together to get that pesky belt back in place in order for me to nurse it a few more miles.
The man was the 65 year old pastor of the Church, and it is what he did next that made my day. He followed me 5 miles to an auto parts store, got me a discount on the part and a tool I needed that he didn't have, and supervised me while I replaced it. (The manager of the auto parts store was one of his neighbors.)
I cannot tell you how grateful I was for this incredible act of kindness to a complete stranger, and a scruffy one at that. Had he not been familiar with my vehicle, I would have spent at least another hour in his lot, just trying to get it on the road to find a place to get it fixed, not to mention the money I was able to save by fixing it myself. It's really humbling to have something like this happen, and I am always so up-lifted when it does.
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