2011 MLB Preview: AL West

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Jason

I was preparing to write my AL West preview when the tornadoes moved through this area on April 27. Afterward, a variety of factors kept me from writing the review: no power, disaster relief, lack of motivation. Now that it’s June, it’s probably pointless, but it’s bothering me that I never made this post. So here goes:

1st place: Texas Rangers

When the season started, the Rangers came out of the gate like gangbusters. After their 10-2 start, some pundits were calling them the best team in the game. Time has proven that to be a bit of an overstatement, but this club is still solid enough to win the division easily. Losing out on Cliff Lee kept the Rangers from being one of the league’s elite teams, but Alexi Ogando has been a revelation transitioning from the bullpen into the starting rotation. CJ Wilson, Matt Harrison, and Colby Lewis have also been solid. But the team’s true strength is a deep, pliable lineup littered with veteran bats: Kinsler, Hamilton, Young, Beltre, Napoli, Cruz. There just aren’t many easy outs to be found here. In a ho hum division, Texas should cruise to a second straight division crown.

2nd place: Oakland Athletics

I consistently overrate Billy Beane’s clubs, but I just love the moves he makes. I love the addition of David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui, Connor Jackson and Josh Willingham, low cost veteran bats brought in to help reinvigorate a sleepy offense. I love the influx of veteran relievers, specifically Balfour and Fuentes. In fact, these two have helped stabilize the end game during Andrew Bailey’s recovery these first two months. I love the fact that this team can catch the ball well. And the A’s true strength comes from an emerging crop of young starters (Anderson, Cahill, Gonzalez) who could carry the A’s to wild card contention. That is, if the A’s can scratch out enough runs to contend.

3rd place: Los Angeles Angels

There’s plenty to like about a club that can boast a rotation fronted by Jared Weaver and Dan Haren. But some of the Angels’ moves are simply perplexing. Assuming the Vernon Wells contract was just a joke, as his 2011 production attests. Now Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu are starting to show their age as well. Additionally, Kendrys Morales is out for the season, further impairing an already weak offense. The bullpen should be OK, but far from dominant. Until wunderkind prospect Mike Trout gets the call, there won’t be much excitement in Anaheim.

4th place: Seattle Mariners

I know they’ve been the hottest team in baseball lately, but this team has little chance to contend. They boast perhaps the best up-the-middle defense in the majors with Franklin Guitterez, Jack Wilson, Brendan Ryan and Miguel Olivo. Throw in Ichiro in right and this team is saturated with Gold Glove caliber defenders. Another two-headed monster sits atop this club’s rotation: King Felix, whom we’ve come to expect greatness from; and rookie, Michael Pineda, who has been drawing comparisons to his elder teammate. But — like most teams in this division — the M’s are completely lacking in offensive punch. What does it say about a club when your Opening Day #3 hitter is Milton Bradley? That tells you everything you need to know about this team’s chances.

All-Division Team

C Kurt Suzuki

1B Justin Smoak

2B Ian Kinsler

SS Elvis Andrus

3B Adrian Beltre

OF Josh Hamilton

OF Ichiro Suzuki

OF Torii Hunter

DH Michael Young

SP Felix Hernandez

SP Jered Weaver

SP Dan Haren

SP Brett Anderson

SP Dallas Braden

Closer Neftali Perez

Manager Mike Scioscia

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Theology of Bird Poop

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Jason

Tonight I was out on the back deck watering our plants and Jackson, our 3 year old, joined me. Jackson wanted to drive around his little “Cozy Coupe” car while I worked. I had my back turned to him while I was watering our wisteria; I hear Jackson get in his car and then I hear him yell (at full volume), “EEEWWWWWWW!!!!!”

I turned around but he had his back to me. “What’s the matter, buddy?”

Again, this time with his hands out to his sides flapping about wildly: “EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!”

I walk over to find my son — eyes bugged out, jaw dropped, back arched — staring directly at the steering wheel of his Cozy Coupe. That’s when I saw it: a massive glob of bird poop on the steering wheel. I looked back at my son and the look on his face said it all. He had no idea exactly WHAT this was, but he innately knew that it was foul (or should I say, “fowl”) and it had no place in or on his Cozy Coupe.

Even when we can’t “name” that which ought not be, something innate is triggered within us. We cry “EEEWWWWWW!!!!” and flail our arms and snarl our noses, even in the midst of some pain that need not be named. This, it seems, is part of what it means to be human.

Posted in General, Kids, Theology | Leave a comment

MyPod: June Edition

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Jason

We’re at the midway point of the year, so it’s time for a quick review of the year in music thus far. The past two years have been chock full of great releases by some of my favorite artists: U2, Arcade Fire, The Avett Bros, The National, M Ward, Vampire Weekend, Mumford & Sons…to name only a few. Understandably, 2011 has suffered by comparison; while a few releases have captured my attention, I’m still looking for that one “great” album for 2011. (A heavy contender drops next week when Dawes releases “Nothing is Wrong”. If you’re unfamiliar with the awesomeness of Dawes’ soaring harmonies and SoCal vibeage, check out the video below of their signature tune, “When My Time Comes”.)

Back to 2011, a few albums and songs have been in heavy rotation lately. Here they are, with brief commentary:

  • Eddie Vedder, Ukelele Songs – I don’t know who came up with this idea: Pearl Jam frontman Vedder playing a handful of originals and one or two covers accompanied by nothing more than a ukelele. Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is. But it works. You’d think after a couple of songs, the uke would get a little old; and who knows, maybe it will. (This album was just released this week.) But several listens in, this record is really growing on me. Coupled with Vedder’s always impressive vocal range, the ukelele lilts, sways, even jams on occasion, making this the perfect late-summer album.
  • Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues – I’ve written a bit about the new Fleet Foxes album, but it’s the one release from the first six months of 2011 that has the chance to claim the top spot in my annual album review. If you’re a fan of lush, harmony-driven indie rock, then you’re probably already into Fleet Foxes. If you’re not, you should be. This is a great record.
  • The Strokes, Angles – Since their first album came out over 10 years ago, I’ve been a fan of The Strokes. They came along at a time when the rock scene was desperate for fresh meaning and relevance and The Strokes were (unfairly) tabbed as rock & roll saviors for the new millennium. What young band could hold up under such lofty expectations? We’re probably better served to take these guys for what they are – a sporadic, dysfunctional rock band. Leave the salvation to some other band. This is finally the follow-up record they should’ve made on the heels of Room on Fire. Blending Julian Casablancas’ signature vocal style and Nick Valensi’s classic rock guitar riffs with a retro synth-pop backdrop gives this LP a throwback sound. Which is fitting, since the album was two years in the making. There’s still plenty of the bravado and self-loathing (sometimes in the same lyric) that we’ve come to expect from The Strokes. But there are moments (like “Under Cover of Darkness”, for instance) that remind you why you liked these guys in the first place. A solid album.
  • Radiohead, The King of Limbs – I’m not ashamed to admit that most of the time, I don’t get Radiohead. I know that makes me some form of a “lesser” rock aficionado or something, but it’s true. This stuff is just way too obtuse for me. I’ve tried. I really have. After LOVING In Rainbows, I was really excited about this album. But it seems like they mailed it in on this one. I’m just sayin’.
Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Ronald F. Thiemann on the Christian story

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jason

Christianity basically claims that the truth about God and the world is to be found in the story of the execution of a political prisoner at the hands of the Romans. This itinerant preacher who now becomes the crucified victim of the state is, nonetheless, declared by Christians to reveal the loving being of God. Moreover, Christians further assert that this crucified man now lives through the resurrecting power of God — that the one who died by crucifixion now lives as exalted Lord of the universe. In its more radical christological traditions, Christianity claims that in the death of Jesus Christ, God engaged in a remarkable exchange, that in Jesus’ death God became a curse for us in order that we might become righteous like God. Even more astounding is that Christians go on to claim that through this extraordinary act of exchange God takes on our fate, the destiny of death, and transforms it into life everlasting in God’s own presence.

Posted in Jesus, Quotes, Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Luther on the Cross

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jason

He deserves to be called a theologian…who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God, seen through suffering and the cross. The “back” and visible things of God are placed in opposition to the invisible, namely, his human nature, weakness, and foolishness….Now it is not sufficient for anyone, and it does him no good to recognize God in his glory and majesty, unless he recognizes him in the humility and shame of the cross….For this reason true theology and recognition of God are in the crucified Christ….He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering….God can be found only in suffering and the cross.

Posted in Quotes, Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Moltmann on the Cross

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jason

From Jurgen Moltmann’s “The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God”:

The cross is at the center of the Trinity….No Trinity is conceivable without the Lamb, without the sacrifice of love, without the crucified Son.

And from “The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology”:

If one conceives of the Trinity as an event of love in the suffering and the death of Jesus — and that is something which faith must do — then the Trinity is no self-contained group in heaven, but an eschatalogical process open for [all] on earth, which stems from the cross of Christ.

Posted in Quotes, Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Bybee Family, May 2011

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Jason

20110531-103947.jpg

Posted in Family, Kids, Sunny | Leave a comment

What I’m Lovin’: May 2011

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Jason

It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these. Just a few of the things I’m really into right now.

  • MyFitnessPal – A few weeks ago, Sunny downloaded this app for her phone. A friend of hers told her about this calorie counter called “MyFitnessPal”. Basically, you enter in your food selections for each day and tabulate your caloric intake. Pretty simple. But the app also keeps score of your cardio and strength training as well, thereby tracking your weight loss. At first, I scoffed at the idea of having to type in each meal and keep up with everything. (I know; I’m lazy.) But I gave it a try and now, 6 weeks later, I’m hooked. I’ve never counted calories; I’ve really never even watched what I’ve eaten. So I have 30 years of bad eating habits to undo. But I’m now more aware of what I’m eating; I’m exercising more than I have in years; and, best of all, I’ve dropped 20 lbs. If you’re looking for some motivation to lose a little weight and get in better shape, give MyFitnessPal a shot. I know I’m starting to sound like an infomercial, but I really don’t think you’ll regret it.
  • The Daily – Yet another app, but it’s become an essential source of news for me. I had a free one-month trial a few months ago and I instantly fell in love with it. I’ve tried several tablet-based news apps, and The Daily is hands down my favorite. Great pics, quality journalism, seamless video content…The Daily has it all. It’s a bit pricey ($39.99 for a one year subscription), but I don’t mind paying it for daily content like this. Check it out.

  • "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes

    Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues – So far, 2011 has been a bit “meh” in terms of music releases. You had Iron&Wine back in February and that’s about it. Until a few weeks ago when Fleet Foxes finally released their much anticipated second full-length album Helplessness Blues. Fleet Foxes is a thinking man’s band, poetry set to mood rock. The core sound remains intact: lush, soaring vocals over a bed of pastoral rhythm guitar and string melodies. But don’t let the sound fool you — this is a more mature, tumultuous, plaintively reflective record, birthed by a similarly meandering and trying recording process. The disillusionment is palpable on the title track: “And I don’t, I don’t know who to believe / I’ll get back to you someday soon you will see.” This line from album opener “Montezuma” could’ve been ripped directly from the pages of Ecclesiastes: “In dearth or in excess / both the slave and the empress / will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came.” Some bands handle success quite well; others are reluctant to come to terms with their newfound fame. You get the impression Fleet Foxes are resolutely in the latter. Yet, the result is a complex throwback to the vintage sounds of Van Morrison and Simon & Garfunkel. One of my favorites of 2011 so far.

Posted in General, Music, What I'm Loving | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Birthday Girl

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Jason

Tonight I’m able to acknowledge how incredibly blessed I am. A little more than 16 years ago, a girl came into my life at just the right time. I didn’t know it then, but my life began to change the day I met Sunny Anne Shates.

Actually, I don’t remember meeting Sunny for the first time. We went to a small Christian school where everybody pretty much knew everybody else. Sunny and I both started attending Friendship Christian School in junior high, so we’d known each other for years. In our early high school days, Sunny actually dated a couple of friends of mine. Nothing too serious, but I remember one friend of mine asking my opinion of Sunny. I remember telling him, “You’ll like her. She’s different than most girls. She’s a really good girl.” I think even then, I was a little jealous that my friend was going to be spending time with such a great girl and I wasn’t.

That relationship ended after a few dates, but my impression of Sunny’s character remained intact. My senior year, I signed up for chorus as my elective arts course. Sunny, a four-year chorale all-star, happened to be in the same class. While my singing may have been sub-par, my flirting skills were top flight and I found myself spending more and more time talking with Sunny. She worked as a library aide during 8th period, the last academic period of the day. She should’ve known how interested I was the day I skipped baseball practice to spend 8th period talking with her in the library. When my coach found out, I was benched for the next game and forced to run laps…a small price to pay for a few stolen moments with Sunny.

As the years rolled by, I never stopped wanting her right by my side. To this day, there’s nobody I’d rather watch a ball game with, hang out with, play Scrabble with, fix dinner with, talk with…I could go on and on. To try and quantify the ways Sunny has changed my life for the better is an impossible task. God sent her into my life in a time when grief was consuming me. Sunny helped me laugh again, helped me believe again. I know myself well enough to know that without her constant love, I would’ve lost faith — in God, in myself, in everything. We all need people to believe in us; it’s intrinsic to being human. But Sunny has never stopped believing in me — even though she’s seen me at my best and she’s seen me at my worst. Through it all, I know that her love is hesed — faithful, patient, and true.

The Bybee family, circa May 2011

16 years in, I can say what a blessing it is to call this woman my wife. Sunny, you share yourself so generously with your friends and family, and we’re all better people because of your life. I’m just thankful that you chose to share your life with me. I hope this is only the beginning. Baby, you’re the greatest!

Posted in Sunny | Leave a comment

The World Seen Through Its Victims

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Jason

Douglas John Hall, in his excellent book titled Thinking the Faith, writes of the necessity incumbent upon disciples of Jesus to acknowledge others as “bearers of worlds”, to honor those we encounter as individuals to whom the world has uniquely presented itself. This unique experience gifts each of God’s image-bearers with “a unique face of worldly reality.”

Hall goes on to argue for a special exertion on the part of the disciple community to appreciate the world seen through its victims. He writes:

Divine grace not only frees us from self so that we may begin to see life through the eyes of others, but it would direct us to view our world in particular from the vantage point of those who are most vulnerable to its moods and its malaise: the poor, the politically and economically oppressed, the weak and disadvantaged — in short, the victims. The disciple community is required by the very liberation claims that it investigates to acquire — what most human beings prefer to avoid — a closer, more informed, imaginative, and committed acquaintance with the world as it makes itself present to those who are most susceptible to its pain.

May the church hear the prophetic call to a more immediate commerce with the world.

Posted in Imago Dei, Politics, Poverty, Quotes, Social Issues, Theology | Tagged | Leave a comment