No Arbitration for Miggy

I am not surprised that the Houston Astros have decided not to offer Miguel Tejada salary arbitration. He would surely win at least $12 million and they do not want to pay him that much next season.

That said, I hope they will be aggressive in negotiations for his services, he has been a positive influence on the team for the two seasons he has been in Houston. His joy at playing the game and his deep desire to win is needed on a team that features Carlos Lee and, to some degree, Lance Berkman, who are both pretty "laid back."

Plus if Miggy is willing to move to third, the Astros could get a better defensive shortstop and become a better team right away.

Claiming My Blog!

This post is a part of the process for claiming my blog for payperpost assignments. I am required to place this random sentence in my blog. The effect hides any country reject into my economics. I then must go back and let them know it is done.

Back On Track!!

When I went to my doctor recently, he told me I needed to become more active in order to have better control of my blood pressure. He said he was not so much concerned about my diet as he was about my inactivity. My job is very sedentary, so I have to make a conscious decision to get enough exercise.

When I began jogging again, I realized that my running shoes were in pretty bad shape. If I'm going to be committed to running, I need to make sure I have shoes that will protect my feet and back. I decided to go online to see if I could find a place to order shoes without having to get out and go shopping. I found is Zappos.com
.

I have had pretty good luck with the Nike
brand, though the brand really doesn't make a difference to me if the shoes are not of the right quality at the right price. Zappos close has a wide selection of Nikes from which to choose, including all of the latest arrivals. Shopping there is very easy, and if you order before Christmas, shipping is free.

So I have no more excuses, I have to get back on the track.

My 39th Year Recollections

The year I was 39 turned out to be the last of nine years in one location as youth minister, though at the time I turned 39 I had no idea that I was going to be making a move, and certainly not to the pulpit. I had been successful and happy in my ministry is expected to continue in that place for considerable time to come. I did not have any aspirations to preach.

But our preacher had left for greener pastures, and in addition to my youth ministry duties, I preached twice a week for 13 months, which covered a good portion of my 39th year. When the elders had found our new preacher, and told me the date that he would be arriving, I had a realization that I was not through saying all that I thought needed to be said. It was my first inclination that I wanted to preach.

A few months later, while it summer camp with our teens, I was approached by one of the elders at the congregation at which I now preach. He wanted me to consider coming to work with them. I was intrigued, but scared as well. I was not at all sure I had what I believed it would take to carry out a long-term preaching ministry. Through the "courting process" it became clear that I was the kind of man that the elders here were seeking. When they made the official offer, I told them the only doubt I had was that, "I am not sure that I want to work for a group of men that would hire me to preach."

Between the time I accepted the offer and actually made them live, I had had my 40th birthday.

Getting High Definittion!!!!!!!

For a long time I would not even look at a High Definition television. The reason is that I knew I would like it and I could not afford to buy a High Dollar toy.

My downfall came when my favorite neighbor invited me in to see the World Series on his new set. I was sold; it was like seeing TV for the first time. He had a 42 inch LCD TV, and I was jealous.

I now own a 39 inch screen, LCD in my family room. Of course, I had to also add a Home Theater system, so that I can get the full effect of sound to go with the fabulous picture!

Wandy Was Wonderful!

It is always fun to go to the ball park, whether or not your team is doing as well as you might want. But it is lots more fun when your team plays well. Last night the Astros played well as a team and Wandy Rodriguez was wonderful.

Playing the World Champion Phillies and facing Cliff Lee may could have presented a much bigger problem, but the 'Stros got nine hits in the four innings that the lefty lasted. The biggest blow came off the bat of Wandy--as unlikely as that sounds. With the bases loaded in a scoreless game, Rodriguez took the first five pitches he saw and found himself with a full count. He fouled off four pitches before lacing a line drive into the right filed corner for a two run double. He scored moments later on a hit by Kaz Matsui. The four runs was more than enough.

Wandy had the Phils under his heel for the night and the Astros wound up with a 7-0 win! It was all topped off by a huge fireworks show sponsored by Marathon Oil. Very nice night at Minute Maid.

Miggy on Fire!

Miguel Tejada came into the game tonight with a .353 batting average, leading the National League in hitting. Then he was on 4 times tonight, including a game winning home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning. The Astros won the game 3-2 for a four game winning streak. That is a modest streak, but it is a step in the right direction.

Hard to Be Excited!

The Houston Astros are playing so poorly that it is hard to be excited about what the dog days of summer will bring for the team. Their history indicattes that they will not give up and just be washed away by the competition. But just a few days ago I was sitting in the stands watching a game that if they won would have put them only one game under .500 for the season. Roy O. was on the mound with a lead. Relievers could not hold down the Brewers and the offense could not score again, so the game was lost. Followed by a string of losses that has put the 'Stros in the cellar and not showing any signs of getting better. Yesterday they gave up eight unearned runs and lost 8-5 in Cincinnati on a day shen the team had 14 hits. Yuk!