Wednesday Reading

Jeremiah 29 and 30. Revelation 15.

I don't get Halloween. Dumb pagan holiday.

"OOOH, let's all play dress up and pretend to be things we should despise. Then we can act stupid and do dumb things."

Although I do like the scary movies, especially the old black and white vampire and werewoof movies. And I'll never forget being little and listening to a rebroadcast of "War Of The Worlds" on the radio, thinking for a short time that it was really happening.

Tuesday Reading

Jeremiah 27 and 28. Revelation 14.

Monday Reading

Jeremiah 25 and 26. Revelation 13.

Week 8 NFL Picks

Last week's record was 9-5, for the year 63-40. ESPN experts here. I ought to get bonus points for predicting several trap games last week, in which 3 out of 6 stumbled. Of course, I didn't predict which ones, so I get minus bonus points for that, leaving me back where I am.

Bears look to have found a little groove. They're right back in it if the week goes according to plan. New Orleans also.

Cincinnati.
Chicago.
Indianapolis.
Giants.
Tennessee.
Minnesota.
Pittsburgh.
Jets.
San Diego.
Tampa Bay.
New Orleans.
New England.
Denver.

I leave you with this- the quote of the week from Miami's Channing Crowder, who has this to say about today's game in London:
"I couldn't find London on a map if they didn't have the names of the countries. I swear to God. I don't know what nothing is. I know Italy looks like a boot. I learned that. I know (Washington Redskins linebacker) London Fletcher. We did a football camp together. So I know him. That's the closest thing I know to London. He's black, so I'm sure he's not from London. I'm sure that's a coincidental name."

Anybody know what schools this guy went to?

According to Wikipedia, that would be North Springs High School in Sandy Springs, GA and the University of Florida.

They should both be held up to national ridicule.

As Johnny Would Say

Today is a day to "wax nostalgic".

It's been 365 days since the end of the 2006 World Series.

Time sure flies.

Weekend Reading

Jeremiah 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. Revelation 11 and 12.

Friday Reading

Jeremiah 17, 18 and 19. Revelation 10.

Not to be confused with Revolution 10, which is a Beatles song that I just made up and doesn't really exist.

Thursday Reading

Jeremiah 14, 15 and 16. Revelation 9.

For you Beatles fans, that's not Revolution 9, the worst "song" ever recorded.

Wednesday Reading

Jeremiah 12 and 13. Revelation 8.

Monday And Tuesday Reading

Monday- Jeremiah 7 and 8. Revelation 6.

Tuesday- Jeremiah 9, 10 and 11. Revelation 7.

Week 7 NFL Picks

The weeks are roaring by. Last week 9-4. For the year I am 54-35. ESPN experts here.

There are a lot of "trap" games this week. By that I mean games where the winner should be obvious, the consensus is almost unanimous, but when you really stop and think about it the favorite could be on some shaky ground. Usually the prohibitive favorite is on the road. Like New England, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Indianapolis this week. If I gambled, I'd bet more than one of those six teams goes down this week, even though on paper they're much better than their opponents.

Washington.
New Orleans.
Baltimore.
Dallas.
New England.
Giants.
Tampa Bay.
Houston.
Kansas City.
Cincinnati.
Philadelphia.
Seattle.
Pittsburgh.
Indianapolis.

Weekend Reading

Jeremiah 3, 4, 5 and 6. Revelation 4 and 5.

What Is Truth?

That's for you all to try to figure out.

Since Barb tazed me, I have to come up with 7 true things about myself.

Even 77 truths could not begin to describe yours truly in all my insidious glory, but I'll oblige on one condition.

That with the 7 truths I will include a few un-truths.

Your job will be to decipher the 7 truths from the dander.

1) I once tried to dig my way to China.

2) I once tried to rewind a live radio program I was listening to, like it was on my DVR or something.

3) For a new business idea, I would like to open a chain of quality bathrooms across the country. It'd be similar to any other establishment, except its sole purpose would be to allow people who are out and about to relieve themselves without having to drive to McDonald's and pretend to be a customer in order to use a toilet. There'd just be a small fee required for admission. Travelers and tourists will especially appreciate this.

Out in the country, I'll just plant trees along the road.

4) I once proposed a time-simplification strategy that never caught on. I think our current system is too cumbersome, what with all the numbers, with both a.m. and p.m. My idea was we'd just use the terms "light" and "dark".

"What time is it, you say? Why, it's dark."

If that system is too basic for your taste, the term "almost" could be added.

That way, instead of an overwhelming number of different times during the day, there'd only be 4 times of day- light, almost dark, dark and almost light. There would be no more pressure to get anywhere on time anymore. Wouldn't that relieve some stress?

5) I could spend all day and night critiquing and designing sports uniforms.

6) I believe I don't spend enough time blogging. It's like golf. The more you do it, the better you are at it.

7) I was frequently asked to "go play outside" as a child.


8) My nose would bleed a lot of the time when I was a child, sometimes for no apparent reason.

9) I saw my first game at the new Busch Stadium this year.


10) Every time I go across the Missippi to St. Louis, I fear the New Madrid fault will misbehave and plunge all of us motorists into the waters below.


11) I've written a "Do It Yourself Guide" to medical procedures.

12) The prototype "Scottius Maximi" were a Roman in a toga, a frog and an alligator with sunglasses, before I settled on the ape prior to launch in November 2004.

How Yankees Of Them

Just as the attention of the baseball world has turned away from them to teams more deserving, the Yankees and their willing accomplices at ESPN turn the spotlight back on themselves with this Joe Torre announcement.

Who outside of Yankees fans care? And yet ESPN pre-empts one of my favorite shows, Around The Horn, yesterday, to have a 30 minute show on Joe Torre.

I'll bet eleven donuts that the announcement of a new Yankees manager will occur next week as some other team is on the verge of winning the World Series, drawing attention back to them again. And if not a new manager, some other big news will come out of the Bronx to capture the gaze of fawning sports reporters.

Friday Reading

Jeremiah 1 and 2. Revelation 3.

Thursday Reading

Isaiah 65 and 66. Revelation 2.

Wednesday Reading

Isaiah 62, 63 and 64. Revelation 1.

Tuesday Reading Assignment

And I forgot yesterday's reading assignment. Isaiah 56, 57 and 58. 3 John.

Today's is Isaiah 59, 60 and 61. Jude.

NFL Picks Week 6

Last week 9-5, overall 45-31. ESPN experts here.

More coin toss games this week: KC/Cincy, Eagles/Jets, Redskins/Pack, Titans/Bucs.

Just by the law of averages, I should get some of these this week. A couple weeks ago I lost them all.

But then again, by the law averages, the Chicago Cubs should have won at least 4 World Series in the past 100 years, too, but they haven't. Maybe I'm doomed again to go ugly.

Kansas City.
Jacksonville.
Cleveland.
Chicago.
Philadelphia.
Baltimore.
Tampa Bay.
Washington.
Arizona.
New England.
San Diego.
Seattle.
Giants.

Weekend Reading

Isaiah 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55. 1 John 5. 2 John.

Friday Reading

Isaiah 48, 49 and 50. 1 John 4.

A&A Cropdusting Service!

If you know what movie this little family business reference is from, then you are either a fan of this great movie or you are trivia royalty.

This movie came out during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school. It was my favorite movie of all time then. And maybe now, although I don't really consider such things much anymore.

It has everything a great movie could possibly have.

1) Great acting performances.

2) A great cast of actors. Hal Holbrook. Sam Waterston. James Brolin. Brenda Vaccaro. Elliott Gould. Karen Black. Telly Savalas. David Doyle. OJ Simpson.

3) Great speeches. Hal Holbrook's at the beginning is dramatic and sets the entire premise of the movie. Both of David Doyle's monologues in the second half are hilarious.

4) A government conspiracy theory for a plot.

5) Good guys being hunted by bad guys.

6) An aerial chase scene near the very end that rocks.

7) Brenda Vaccaro and her voice, probably the finest in movie history.

8) OJ. Any movie with the pre-murderous (allegedly) and pre-insane (allegedly) OJ in it is an instant classic. Fortunately he has but a few lines.

9) Creepy cool music.

The abuse Elliott Gould, as the likable schmuck reporter, takes from almost everyone else in the movie makes for some of the funniest scenes ever.

And yet, it's not a comedy.

A suspense- yes.

Sci-fi- nah, not really.

I would sum up this movie as something Alfred Hitchcock could have made- a suspense thriller with lots of drama, yet lots of funny moments. Sam Waterston's character keeps the one-liners coming.

If you haven't seen the movie, the following scene won't make much sense. But after 29 years it still cracks me up. I never liked Telly Savalas much...until I saw this movie.





If you haven't guessed I'm talking about "Capricorn One" by now, you're clueless. Why is this movie rarely on TV anymore?

The whole darn thing is on Google video. Watch it tomorrow at work. Only 2:04.

And remember..."KEEP YOUR G--D--- HEAD DOWN SO I CAN SEE!"

Thursday Reading

Isaiah 45, 46 and 47. 1 John 3.

Wednesday Reading

Isaiah 43 and 44. 1 John 2.

Weekend Thoughts

This week brought to you by the bicycle-lawnmower hybrid.

Peddle your way to a healthier, greener lawn.

The great thing is it looks like it's endorsed by Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

The Hitman would make a great name for a mower like this.

Let's move on to this past weekend, shall we?

1- A more unexciting baseball post-season could not be discovered if we drilled for it in Alaska. The only drama was in Friday night's Indians-Yankees game.

2- Speaking of which, what got God so mad at Jacob's Field? He sure let loose with the insect plague. Do not take your firstborn there.

3- If words can start "sp-", how come we don't have more words that start "sb-"?

4- TBS did not do a good job with the playoffs, did they? I hope the games move back to ESPN next year. Why did the Indians-Yanks get 4 announcers (3 in the booth and 1 in the stands), and others only get 3? Are the Yankees really deserving of more coverage?

5- My two adopted teams for October are still alive.

6- Even though they are called gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are really full of a lot of law. At least to me. A lot of the things Christ says are brutal. I guess the take home theme then is that Christ fulfilled all the things He says we are supposed to do, so the underlying message is gospel even if there are a lot of expectations placed. Or am I just way out there?

7- Don't answer that last question.

8- I'm glad I'm not a gambler, because I'd have lost my shirt on the NFL these past two weeks.

9- It's weird that I'm not having withdrawal from watching the Cardinals. I think it all stems from not making the post-season. If your team makes the post-season, you're never ready for the season to end. There is always hope the season will continue. Then, when it ends abruptly, you don't know what to do with yourself for days afterward. This year, I had a couple weeks to become interested in other things before they went away for the winter.

10- I loved Saturday night's game between LSU and Flordia. What a comeback by LSU. Although I've never been there, I'd love to someday go to a Saturday night game in Baton Rouge. Tiger Stadium they call it. Loudest stadium on Earth. Scariest stadium on Earth. Caused an earthquake once when a game winning TD was scored.

11- Sets up a great SEC matchup this Saturday when LSU visits Lexington to play Kentucky.

12- Didn't watch a lot of football Sunday. Went to sleep and missed the Bears beating the Packers. Or I should say the Packers beating the Packers. I'm not sure.

13- Dallas reminds me a lot of the Bears last year. Young quarterback, throwing a ton of interceptions, undefeated start, yet winning a game on Monday Night they had no business winning, like the Bears-Cardinals last October.

Tuesday Reading

Isaiah 41 and 42. 1 John 1.

Monday Reading

Isaiah 39 and 40. 2 Peter 3.

Week 5 NFL Picks

As I had a feeling, last week was ugly. 5-9. Overall 36-26. ESPN Experts here.

Arizona.
Tennessee.
New Orleans.
New England.
Washington.
Kansas City.
Houston.
Giants.
Pittsburgh.
Indianapolis.
San Francisco.
Denver.
Green Bay.
Dallas.

Weekend Reading Assignment

Isaiah 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38. 2 Peter 1 and 2.

Train Wreck Friday Reading

IF you have time to waste today...





IF you know who the Chicago Cubs are...





IF you understand their history...





IF you understand how obnoxious a large portion of their fan base can be...





THEN YOU HAVE to click here and read the game 2 NLDS game thread. HILARIOUS! It's a complete freak out. A total meltdown. Like a trainwreck, it's hard to look away.

This is a good website. I'm not in any way making fun of the blog at all. Lots of good, well thought out and intelligent posts.

But a lot of the commenters are INCREDIBLE! They act like they have never been involved in a post-season before (ooops...most probably haven't):
-Hating on their own players. Many now seem to think Soriano, Lee, Jones and Aram "suck". Some want to bench their best players for not performing...FOR THE PAST TWO GAMES! I guess not hitting home runs or getting a key hit in two straight games is grounds for benching.
-Hating on their manager. Lou Piniella, who was a hero, is now an idiot!
-Hating on their whole team. I love the "they're not trying" cry! Some are planning on booing their team Saturday!

To be honest, I really don't have anything against the Cubs as a team. I wouldn't even care if they up and won the World Series some day...if it weren't for one little problem.

My problem is with a large portion of their fans. I grew up around too many of them.

They (generalization here) act like the world revolves around the Cubs when in reality it hasn't revolved around them since 1908. That's an almost impossibly long 99 years ago. Yet they walk and talk like they are the New York Yankees. Like we're supposed to be impressed by the Chicago Cubs.

News flash- non-Cubs fans either laugh at you or feel sorry for you. And this comment thread is just fodder for both.

Anyone who has sat through a baseball game in their own team's ballpark with the Cubs in town knows what I'm talking about. Cubs fans show up, talk trash (why?), and act like the place is their own.

Listen, Cubs fan, take a deep breath and realize the series is still going on. Winning 3 straight post-season games is not only not impossible, but it happpens a lot. Show some maturity and act like you've been there before. Even if you haven't.

The worst part is if the Cubs do come back and win, these same people will be commenting on how great they are.

And lest you get the impression I think all Cardinals fans are above this, go here and read this quitter's words just before the end of the season in 2006. Not the kind of guys you want having your back.

Get a grip! It's baseball!

Sad or hilarious? You make the call!

Friday Reading Assignment

Isaiah 31, 32 and 33. 1 Peter 5.

Hey Gerry, What Say You?

"Well...our long national nightmare is over."

I agree, Mr. President.

Here's what I mean- the St. Louis Cardinals' 2007 season.

A brief rundown:

1- Manager LaRussa is arrested for DUI in March.

2- Chris Carpenter pitches 6 innings opening night, looking surprisingly hittable. He goes on the DL before he can make another pitch. He never pitched again the entire year after he had surgery. He probably won't pitch again until the middle of next year.

3- Josh Hancock kills himself in his automobile. His father loses his mind and tries to sue the restaurant that served him drinks and the poor driver of the car he hit for having mechanical problems.

Sheesh.

4- Due to injuries to Juan Encarnacion, Jim Edmonds, Chris Duncan and Preston Wilson, the outfield was often a combination of Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and So Taguchi. Servicable for short stretches, but not for considerable chunks of the season.

5- C Yadier Molina couldn't stay healthy enough to play more than 111 games or get more than 353 at bats.

6- 3B Scott Rolen couldn't stay healthy enough to play more than 112 games or get more than 392 at bats.

7- SS David Eckstein couldn't stay healthy enough to play more than 117 games.

8- 2B Adam Kennedy, the big free agent signing this past off-season, managed to play 87 games and hit .219.

9- Rick Ankiel gets called up, and, true to his life's history, shows tremendous promise before letting accusations of HGH get inside his head and throw him off.

10- After climbing back in a race they had no business being in, they then 1983ed the season down the toilet bowl.

As you can tell, we have a heck of a medical staff on this club.

Now comes the firing of GM Walt Jocketty. Many are shocked that a man who was the "architect" of seven division winners, two pennants and a World Series title would get canned.

I am not and I am kind of glad.

I have very little problem with this. His last big move was in 2004, to trade Danny Harren, Kiko Calero and Daric Barton for Mark Mulder. Which has worked out terribly. He didn't produce at all the last 3 years, and that is a fact.

Despite all the problems and injuries as noted above, he did nothing this year to improve the team this season outside of adding Mike Maroth, Joel Pineiro and Miguel Cairo.

Yeah, that's right. Like they'll be confused with the US Cavalry.

We fans all felt like King Edward I Longshanks speaking to his useless son in the movie Braveheart, as William Wallace invaded northern England and sacked York:

"The word, my son, is that our entire Northern Army has been annihilated. And you have done nothing."

My words, exactly, your highness.

The fact that his name kept coming up in other teams' rumors for a GM position, while still under contract with St. Louis, makes me even more convinced this was the right move. There is one thing that must be demanded of any employee and that is loyalty. Anyone that has ever worked for me has been told I expect two things- I don't like surprises and I hate dishonesty. Add to that disloyalty. Any question of loyalty, to me, is grounds for dismissal. Period.

This promises to be a great off season. Lots of drama to come. Next up will be the departure of LaRussa and Duncan. Good but over-rated baseball people. I will say this- they have provided stability.

The only thing that is lacking in yesterday's firing of Jocketty is that they didn't fire the entire medical staff of the club with them. What a bunch of hacks.

It's all going to be exciting enough to keep me from Baseball Mogul for at least a few more days.

Thursday Reading Assignment

Isaiah 29 and 30. 1 Peter 4.

Weekend Thoughts

Better late than never.

This past weekend was sponsored by...



The Sumo Wrestler End Table. Capable of holding practically anything you want to lay on it. And a perfect match for the rest of your Sumo furniture.

Now, on to the thoughts...

1- Notre Dame continues to keep hope alive- 'cause they're 0 and 5! I really think, with a little luck, they can run the table.

2- What a great weekend for Scottius Maximus college sports. Kentucky is now up to #8 in the country. Go SEC! LSU is coming to Lexington 10-13-07 at Commonwealth Stadium. Go Wildcats. Watch Thursday night's game at South Carolina.

3- SIU beat Indiana State 72-10 to raise their record to 5-0.

4- Two of the most contrived sports competitions reared their ugly head. The first was golf's President's Cup. Just a competition to fill in the gaps until next year's Ryder Cup. Second is the college football poll. Poor USC. How does a team go from #1 to #2 in one week, despite winning? Easy. It's all contrived. But we don't need playoffs, right?

5- The Mets finished their tank job. Too bad because if they hadn't they would have won it all. Their Cardinalian swoon lacked one thing- pulling it out at the end, then getting hot (which naturally follows a cold spell) and winning it all like St. Louis last year.

6- Which is why anyone who entered the playoffs as a "hot" team will almost certainly hit a cold spell now, ending their season. The playoffs are such a different animal than the regular season. Everything starts over. Everyone's 0-0. Sorry Colorado.

7- Now that the Brian Griese experiment is off to such a Grossman like start, how about the analysts revealing the real reason why the QBs stink. Because ownership is cheap and let Thomas Jones go to make room for...Cedric Benson?

8- Looks like it's time for Baseball Mogul again to keep my interest until Spring Training starts in February.

9- The Rams are the best 0-4 team in the NFL. Of course, they are the only one also.

10- I thought the Giants D was deficient this year according to the experts. If that's the case, a real team would have sacked Donovan McNabb 20 times instead of just 12. McNabb, I predict, is the next Rex Grossman. Great one week, terrible the next.

11- It's time to revisit my July predicitions for how the baseball season would turn out. TO THE ARCHIVES!

Wednesday Reading Assignment

Isaiah 27 and 28. 1 Peter 3.

Endorsement Deals

In order to stay interested in October baseball, I have to have a dog in the fight. Not having one this year, I decided to create one.

Wow, what a ball game last night! I'm already losing my allotment of October sleep. It had everything, including a blown call at the end. Not quite Denkinger-esque, due to what was on the line, but it still ended a team's season. The Padres got jobbed, meaning the city of San Diego is now a useful ally in the Cardinals argument that an umpire cost them the 1985 World Series title. And vice-versa.

But I digress. Because I'm actually here to throw the considerable weight of Scottius Maximus Enterprises behind two teams in this year's playoffs. This is actually the first year I've been able to do this, since the Cardinals are out for the first time in 4 years.

National League

Four new teams in the playoffs this year. No one with any playoff experience, really.

Being a Cardinals fan automatically eliminates the Cubs from contention.

After careful consideration, I'm throwing my support behind the Rockies. You gotta love a team that steamrolls it's way to winning 13 of its last 14 games just to get in. And has to win a 13 inning squeaker of a game by coming from 2 runs down in its last at bat. Way to finish! They are the anti-Mets.

Plus, Colorado is my wife's home state. I'd be a fool to go against that.

Next, should Colorado falter, come the Phillies, who score points for knocking out the Mets and also finishing strong. Plus, it's been 27 years since they last won a World Series.

American League

This is much easier. The Yankees and Red Sox are in it every year, so I cannot fathom pulling for either team. And the Angels have been a frequent flier this century also.

Which leaves us with Cleveland. Although I've never visited, I feel a kinship with the city due to favorite bloggers Barb, MarieN and Quipper. Which makes it easy for me to throw my support behind the Indians. (Rick, I'll forget that little Mets thing you tried to pull last year!)

Besides, I fear my blog being burned down if I don't pull for them.

Just kidding!

Actually, it's been 59 years since they've won the World Series, second longest streak besides the Cubs' 99 years.

If they don't make it, I'm in for the Angels. Anything but the upper right hand corner, a.k.a. Boston or New York, in the World Series.

Go Rockies! Go Indians!

Tuesday Reading Assignment

Isaiah 24, 25 and 26. 1 Peter 2.

Monday Reading Assignment

Isaiah 22 and 23. 1 Peter 1.