Playing For the Championship

I have not played fantasy football, until this season. I signed up for a free league through ESPN.com and created my team--the League City Wildcats! In the middle of the season I had a four game losing streak, but wound up on a 9 game winning streak and in first place in my division at the end of the "regular" season. Now I am in the playoffs.

I was victorious in the first round, and am now playing for the championship of our league! Having the team in the fantasy league made watching games other than the hometown boys much more fun. But now I want to WIN!

Jacuzzi Tub

Sometimes a few days of getaway end up making a bigger difference in your life than expected. Sometimes you experience something that you want to incorporate into your “normal” life. One such thing for my wife and I was Jacuzzi bathrooms uk. A condo we rented had one, now we want one in our home!

We really enjoyed relaxing in Jacuzzi tub at the end of a day. It really helped unwind the kinks in our legs and backs after cycling or hiking. Each of us thinks it would be nice to come home from a day in the rat race and spend time in a nice warm Jacuzzi whirlpool. Now we just have to find the money to cover those Jacuzzi prices!

Penn State Is VB Champ--Again

My junior high age granddaughter plays and loves volleyball. Tonight was the finals of the NCAA volleyball championships between the University of Texas and Penn State. We watched on espnU. The Longhorns won the first two games against the #1 ranked Nittany Lions. In 37 matches this season, the Lions had only lost 5 games total. So they were being challenged by UT in ways they had not all year long. But the Lions rallied to win the next three games and thus their third straight national title. It was nail-biting entertainment!

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!

Tejada on Probation

Miguel Tejada's immediate playing future was cleared up today when he received probation for having lied to Congress. He was liable for up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine for his crime, but was given leniency because he plead guilty. He will also have to pay $5000 as his fine, but now he can get on with his preparations for the season without an ax hanging over his head. Let's hope that translates into a good season for him and the Astros!

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Fantasy For the First Time!

I cannot believe I did so, but I signed up to participate in fantasy baseball on ESPN.com. I was watching a show during lunch time that was promoting the leagues and how to draft players and compete. It is all free, so I decided to give it a try. The league I joined is going to draft tomorrow morning, so I should have my initial roster by this time tomorrow and then I will start wheeling and dealing with the waiver wire and the free agents to try to upgrade my bench and pitching rotation!

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I-Rod to Houston!

I have watched the Houston Astros throughout their history. The one position for which they have never raised a star player is catcher (I know Biggio began as a catcher). The best catchers have been Brad Ausmus and Alan Ashby. Neither was much of an offensive threat. I am in hopes that the young man the ‘Stros drafted last year out of Stanford, Jason Castro, will be that star catcher we have been waiting for for all these years.

Today it was announced that the Astros have reached an agreement for a one-year contract with Ivan Rodriguez. He is one of the top catchers of all time. And I believe he will add more offense to the lineup than the departed Ausmus, even though I-rod is well past his prime. Perhaps it was a marketing move based on the horrendous record of the team in Spring Training. I hope Ivan can stay healthy for the season and have a renaissance season that makes the move a remarkable one.

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Competition in the Air

Right now there is extreme competition going on in at least a couple of realms. One is the NCAA basketball world. March Madness is just beginning and will infect the country for the next three weeks. The jockeying for a place in the 65-team tournament field is important to the athletes and to the institutions for which they play. The players will gain fame, and in many cases, fortune based on their performance in the pressure games against the best talent. And, of course, the colleges and universities that play in the tournament get to share in the revenues generated by the spectacle. Talk about competition!

And in the spring training camps for the major league baseball teams there is a lot on the line for the young players and the marginal players trying to make a roster. The money for a major league player is substantial, but for a minor leaguer, it is much more difficult to make ends meet. And for the younger guys, there is the worry that their talents may not allow them to fulfill the dream they have had for as long as they can remember.

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King James in Town

My nephew called today and said he had been given tickets for the game between the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. I had not been to a Rockets' game in a long time and I thought it would be fun to see LeBron James. The seats were 17
row from the floor at mid-court. They cost $175 per seat, which gives you a chance to see why it has been so long since I have attended a game.

The Rockets won 93-74 and LeBron had one of his worst games as a professional. He scored 19, but shot only 33% and had no assists, for the first time in his career. It was a quality win for the Rockets, to say the least.

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Beware of #5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There probably will never be a movie about it, but it was the kind of game that a young man will reflect on for a lifetime. Last Friday I went to watch my 16-year-old grandson play in a sub varsity basketball game. His team plays very hard, but they have not won many games. The first half of the game was hard to get excited about, because our team couldn't seem to find the basket with a shot. At the intermission they were trailing 29 to 16.

But the second half is a completely different story. The boys came out with the same high intensity on defense, but now they began to make some shots. One of the boys on our team got hit with an elbow just above his left eye and it began to bleed. He had to come off and get some treatment. To keep the bandage in place, his head was wrapped in a medical tape that made it look like he was wearing a sweat band. But his wound didn't keep him out of the game or cause him to be bashful. He and my grandson are the primary ball handlers for the team, so it was important for him to be on the court. In the third quarter shots began to fall for everyone, including my grandson who hit three three-pointers in that frame. Our team held the visitors to only six points in the quarter, and the score at the end of three quarters was 35-34.

The game was intense in the fourth quarter, but our defense was up to the task again and only allowed nine points in the quarter. In the midst of the battle, I was thrilled, and afterwards found out my grandson had heard and was also thrilled, to hear the opposing coach shot several times in the frame, "Beware of number 5, beware of number 5!" He didn't want number 5 to get any good looks at the basket because he was really on fire. Number 5 ended up leading scorer in the game with 25 points and his team won 55-44. Of course you know who wore number 5 for our team, don't you?

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Reading for Fun!

I have had a practice for over twenty five years of reading a book for every week of the year. I have already completed five volumes since the first of January. Most of what I read is Christian books, since I am a minister, these works keep my mind stimulated and ideas bubbling as I prepare lessons. But I enjoy other works, including western novels, suspense thrillers and historical fiction!

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HOUSE, by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker

I love to read, but the horror genre has been off limits ever since I saw the original Psycho in 1960 and was scared to walk the three blocks to my home. I was 12 and I decided then that I did not want anything to do with such movies, stories, books, or even “fun” houses at the fair!

So I was surprised to receive a novel for Christmas, House, by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. My daughter, who gave me the book, knew that I loved This Present Darkness, also by Peretti, so she thought that I would like this one too. She said it was “Christian Horror.” I never knew there was such a thing!

I want to review the book here, and I hate to give away any of the drama in the book, but I am not sure how to give a good review without describing some of the key elements, so if you think you might want to read the book, maybe you ought not read any further in this post.

I entered the book with trepidation. I met Jack and Stephanie as they were on their way to a counseling session to try to salvage their marriage. Things had not gone well for them following the drowning of their daughter a year earlier.
Their trip took a detour that led to their being drawn to an isolated house that looked like an old Southern inn when they arrived. But it turned out to be anything but a place of cordial hospitality. Another couple, Randy and Leslie, also found themselves in the place that night. The four shared a night of unmitigated terror.

As the evening unfolded, the house seemed to be alive, with a mind of its own. It seemed to know the hearts of the four trapped inside by the machinations of the house itself and the villain, Barsidious White.

The story moves at a good pace and helps the reader to get a growing awareness that the personal guilt of the individuals was contributing to the animosity of the house toward the victims. I must admit that I can think of few things that are more horrifying and painful than having to come face to face with one’s hidden sinfulness.

The story allows for redemption and a victory of good over evil only if those trapped inside would indeed acknowledge the sins they had been covering up, while blaming others for their plight in life. Though the word is never used in the book, repentance is an absolute necessity if the sinner wanted to live another day.

Good does win out for some of the four, and though it appears the story is over, we leave the book with an awareness that the evil perpetrators were far from finished with their “game”.

The book has been recently made into a movie, released last November. I promise, I will not go see it. And I hope I do not have images appear in my mind in the night!

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Challenge 27!

One of my virtual friends, via a blog community, has challenged a bunch of us form the blog site to lose at least 27 pounds in the New Year. I accepted the challenge and got off to a good start by limiting my calories and running a little bit three times a week. I only lost 3 pounds the first week and not quite two the second. I may have to check out one of the superfoods supplements like Decaslim if I slow down on the loss too much.

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Some Second Half!

The Fiesta Bowl game between Ohio State and the University of Texas was a defensive struggle in the first half, with the Buckeyes leading 6-3 at the intermission. But in the second half, Texas scored 21 points, including a touchdown with only sixteen seconds left in the game, to win over OSU by a 24-21 score. Colt McCoy, UT's quarterback, threw for two TDs and over 400 yards, and ran for the other score. He was named the game's most valuable offensive player. But he owed a lot to his receiver, Quan Cosby, who caught 14 passes, including the winning touchdown.

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