Johnny Neun Quote!

I just read a quote by a man who was in his late eighties and still swinging his fungo in spring training at the time. Johnny Neun had played in the 1920's for Ty Cobb and managed the Yankees and Reds. Young players today would do well to listen.

"It is important to remember how careful you have to be about the way you live your life. It's to your advantage not to do too many things off the field that interfere with your life on the field. You turn on the TV and you hear that some committee or other is investigating things out of someone's past and lives get ruined. When you play this game, you're in the public eye. I once heard a great poet say that if you're going to go public with your life, your life belongs to the public. Be careful with our life. In the long run the thing that's going to be the most precious to you, the thing you're going to treasure all your life, is your peace of mind."

Dig in and make sure you get the full benefit of your natural ability. Only a few of you are going to make the Big Club. But for the others, you ought to be able to leave saying. "I gave it my best." Don't worry about tomorrow. Don't worry about things you have no control over. Do it this way and someone may walk up to you and say, 'you're the one."

Perfect Night at Minute Maid

Being at a ball game anytime is a great joy, but Tuesday night at Minute Maid was almost as perfect as one could ever expect. The April temperature was about 70 at game time, and not a cloud in the sky. The roof was open and the breeze was blowing gently.

To make things better, we saw the return of Lance Berkman to the line up for the first time, following his time on the disabled list. He was one for four with a double and two runs batted in, giving hope that the offense will be improving in the days ahead. Even Carlos Lee had a hit, also a double, sparking hope that his slump will end soon. J.R. Towles had a couple of hits! Things are looking better.

After giving up hits to the first four Florida hitters, Brett Myers pitched tough enough to keep the Astros in the game. Matt Lindstrom came in and closed out the come from behind win over the Marlins.

It would be hard to find a better day at the ballpark!

Opening Day At Minute Maid '10!!!

Opening Day has been a huge part of life for my wife and I. We have celebrated 43 anniversaries, 42 of them at Opening Day for the Astros. The only time we missed was when we celebrated our 35th in New York City. We just returned from the 2010 edition.

Roy Oswalt started for the 'Stros against Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants, the reigning back to back Cy Young winner. Oswalt pitched creditably, but not well enough to avoid the loss. He gave up three runs in his six innings of work, while Lincecum did not allow a run in his seven innings of work.

Houston did not hit the ball hard very often tonight. Carlos Lee had a line drive off the wall in left, but the next well struck ball was in the 9th inning when J. R. Towles had a double to left center field to drive in the second run of the evening for Houston.

There were not too many bright spots for the over 43,000 in attendance. I wonder how many fans will be in the stands tomorrow.

Farewell, Mike Cuellar

When I was reading the sports section of the paper this morning I was saddened to read of the passing of Mike Cuellar. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 72. Seeing his name again reminded me of what a great pitcher Cuellar was, and that he was part of the worst trade in the history of the Astros.

Cuellar came to the Astros in 1965, as the team was moving into the Astrodome and became know as the Astros, after their first three seasons as the Colt .45’s. Mike was a left handed pitcher with a truly wicked screwball. I loved to sit in the bleachers in center field next to the tunnel when he pitched, just to watch the ball dance! Cuellar was a 16 game winner for one of the most woeful teams in the league, in those days after the MLB expansion that brought them into the National League.

I the winter of 1968 the Astros traded Mike Cuellar to the Baltimore Orioles for a first baseman named Curt Blefry. I was outraged at the time. And time only confirmed that the trade was worse than any in team history, worse that Joe Morgan going to the Reds, worse than Kenny Lofton for Eddie Taubensee, the absolute worst! By 1970 Blefry proved to be so worthless that he was traded for a washed up Joe Pepitone!

Cuellar went on to help take the Orioles to three World Series appearances and to be a part of a staff that had four 20 game winners in one season. If Mike had been with the Orioles his whole career he would be in the Hall of Fame.

Farewell, Mike Cuellar.

Too Funny!!!!!!!!!

This week over on Facebook there is a movement to have everyone find the song that was Billboard number one on the day of their birth. I did my search and found that the #1 R&B song on the date of my birth was "I Can't Go on Without You" — Bull Moose Jackson and His Buffalo Bearcats (8 weeks). But the overall #1 that day was The Woody Woodpecker Song by Kay Kyser, introduced in a cartoon. It went on to be nominated for an Academy Award!

My how the world has changed!

Surprise for Phil!!!!!!!!!!

One day while preparing to close our donut shop for the day, my oldest daughter told me she wanted to send a thank you to Jimmy Wynn for the autographed baseball he had given her. She was only four years old and we wanted to nurture in her a spirit of gratitude, so I told her I would write down what she wanted to say, and we would mail it on the way home. I don’t remember the exact words of the note, but she thanked him for the ball and for calling her beautiful. She told him if he ever came to our little town he should come to our shop and she would give him a free donut.

We did not know the actual address, so we just sent the note to Jimmy Wynn, Astrodome, Houston, Texas. I had my doubts it would ever reach the Astros’ star, but I did not tell my little girl. We dropped it in the mailbox on the way home that night.


A few weeks later we went to another game at the Dome. As was usual for us, after the game we went to the loading docks gate, which is where the home team players exited the building. We were waiting at the base of a long ramp, maybe fifteen or twenty yards from those crowding around the door. I saw a boy from the summer league team I coached among the gathering; he was working hard for autographs. He greeted us and asked what we were doing so far back from the action. I told him we were waiting for Jimmy Wynn, so my girl could say hello to her friend. Phil had his doubts that Jimmy Wynn was her friend, and he went back to the door to obtain more signatures.


A little while later Jimmy came through the door. He had a box under one arm and a couple of bats in his other hand. He was walking fast and obviously was not interested in signing a bunch of autographs that night. Phil was trailing him all the way down the ramp, trying to get him to stop, without any luck. As he approached, my daughter called out, “hi Jimmy.”


Wynn walked directly to where I was holding my little one, switching the bats to his other hand so he had an arm free. He said, “Good Evening, Stacey, I received your card. Thank you very much.” He took her from me, kissed her on the lips and proceeded to visit with her about what kind of donut he should get if he came to the shop.

Phil’s jaw bounced off the sidewalk!

Is Arbitration In Store for Wandy?

THe Houston Astros have three players that remain arbitration eligible; Hunter Pence, Tim Byrdak, and Wandy Rodriguez. The exchanged figures are not too far apart for Pence and Byrdak and the club. But there is a significant hurdle between what Rodriguez wants and the team is offering, a two million dollar hurdle.

Wandy had his best season year, winning 14 with one of the best ERA's in the league in 2008. I think he is on the verge of being a consistent winner and being left handed, hi is very valuable. I don't really care if he makes $5 million or $7 million. My concern is that Wandy has been the most easily distracted and emotional pitcher on the staff for most of his career. I hope that he does not have to go to an arbitration hearing and listen to his weaknesses presented by the team, who is trying to save a few (relatively speaking) dollars.

Here's hoping that a settlement is reached before the hearings start.

One Month To Go!

It is getting closer to baseball season, I can feel it. Every day now there is some baseball related story in the newspaper. Two of the Astros arbitration eligible players signed contracts yesterday--Jeff Keppinger and Chris Sampson. In a month the players will be in training camp and we will see pictures on the evening news of the workouts and then Grapefruit League games. I know the football playoffs are going on right now, but for me that is just a diversion till baseball gets back underway!

'Stros Added Myers!

I was away from home and the media for the first week of the new year, so I was a bit late in hearing that the Houston Astros had made a deal with right handed pitcher Brett Myers. It was a surprised because I did not think the Astros would spend the money for a free agent.

I am pleased that the move was made because I think Myers has a chance to really improve the starting staff this year. And of course that makes there be a chance to have a better season. Myers will likely be the third pitcher in the rotation, behind Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. That is a lot better than Mike Hampton or Russ Ortiz.

I am feeling a bit of optimism.!

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!