Lost Season Three

Posted on October 3, 2006 by Jason

So LOST returns Wednesday for Season Three. I’m uber-pumped. Ever since I burned through Season One on DVD, I’ve been hooked. The producers promise more adventure and romance this season, less mythology. Although I love the mythology, I’ll be excited to see a little more action on the island in real time. Here are a few of the questions I have heading in to Season Three:

– Who are the Others and what do they want with Jack, Kate & Sawyer?

– Season Two is full of references to individuals who are either “good” or “bad”. Will this theme be fleshed out a little more? Are the Others really the “good guys” as Henry Gale says in the finale?

– Why did the Others tell Michael they couldn’t go get the people on the list? What prohibited them from doing so?

– Who will Kate choose: Jack or Sawyer? (Personally, I think there’s no way she doesn’t pick Sawyer.)

– How is Sayid going to save Jack, Kate & Sawyer?

– What will happen back at camp when Hurley returns with the news of the kidnapping?

– Now that the hatch is no more, what happens to the electromagnetic charge that’s being built up? Should we expect more visitors being brought to the island as a result of Season Two’s system failure?

– Will Walt & Michael really make it off the island? If so, Michael is set up to be a major redemptive character in the resolution of the story line.

– Who is Henry Gale? Is he the “man in charge”?

– What happened to my boy Locke? Did he survive the hatch explosion? What about Eko and Desmond?

– Who is the father of Sun’s baby? (The execs say we won’t find that one out until the series finale.)

– Anyone wanna explain the polar bear from Season One?

– While we’re talking about unresolved mysteries from Season One, what about the monster / black smoke thingy?

– Will we finally found out why Locke was in a wheelchair in the first place?

Man, I love this show! If you have LOST fever like me click here and check out the Season Three previews.

Posted in Television | 8 Comments

MLB Playoff Predictions 2006

Posted on October 2, 2006 by Jason

I’ve given it plenty of thought and here are my predictions for the major league baseball playoffs that begin today. Later in the week, look for posts about global faith, the Buffalo Bills and my idea of heaven. Enjoy!

Now, on to my playoff predictions, beginning with the American League:

The first series pits the Oakland Athletics against the Minnesota Twins. I love both of these organizations. Ever since I read Moneyball a few years ago, I’ve been a big fan of Billy Beane and the A’s. After an early falter, the Twins have played lights out since June 1, sneaking past Detroit for the division crown on the final day of the season. In a short series, with Johan Santana pitching twice, it’ll be awfully difficult for the A’s to compete. Santana’s dominance, coupled with the strongest bullpen in the AL, should be enough to put Minnesota in the ALCS. Prediction: Twins in four.

The other AL series should be quite a doozy: Jim Leyland’s Tigers vs. Joe Torre’s Yankees. The Tigers blew their division lead late in the season and they’ll regret it sorely. The Yankee lineup is absolutely incredible, especially with Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield back in the fold. The Tiger rotation, the foundation of their quick start, looks tired and beaten down. In the critical bullpen matchup, the Yanks can trot out Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera to shut things down. I can’t see the Yankees losing this one. Yanks in five.

It really doesn’t matter who comes out of the NL. These teams are just playing for the right to be swept by the AL. But here goes anyway.

In the opening NL series, my beloved St. Louis Cardinals face off against the San Diego Padres. The Cards are hurting badly, as their late season swoon attests. Jake Peavy, San Diego’s ace, will start Game 1 and the Cards didn’t have a chance to see him last week in their series with the Pads. But the Cardinals will trot out their own ace, Chris Carpenter, who has been a bit more consistent than Peavy this season. That said, this one could go either way. I’m probably playing with my heart here, but who cares. Cards in five.

The Mets / Dodgers series promises to be great. These are pretty evenly matched clubs. The loss of Pedro Martinez will definitely hurt the Mets’ chances, but their lineup of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and David Wright is the NL’s best. If the Dodgers pitchers (Maddux, Penny, Lowe) can neutralize the top of the Met order, the Dodgers could have a chance. But in the end, I see the Mets winning in a tight one. Mets in five.

If I play out my predictions, that gives me a Yankees / Twins ALCS and a Cards / Mets NLCS. The easy one to choose is the NLCS. As much as I hate to admit it, the Mets are the superior club and will likely represent the National League in the Series. I’ll say Mets in five. In the AL, it’s a tough call. The Yankee bats are always dangerous. If the Twins can sweep the A’s, then they can possibly throw Johan Santana in Games 1, 4 & 7. But even then, they’ll have to win a game started by Brad Radke or Carlos Silva. The key for the Yankees is Randy Johnson’s back. I was originally thinking I’d pick the Twins, but the more I think about it, I think the Bombers will get it done. Beyond Santana, the Twins are a mediocre club. Yankees in six.

Another Subway Series. I’m not sure the Met rotation sans Pedro can stand up to the fearsome Yankee lineup. I see this one ending with Mariano Rivera striking out Carlos Delgado for the Series win. Yanks in six.

All you baseball afficianadoes out there, feel free to chime in with your own opinions.

Posted in Baseball | 5 Comments

2006 Baseball Awards

Posted on October 1, 2006 by Jason

Amid all the Mommy M.I.A. posts, you might have gotten the impression I’d forgotten about the final weekend of the baseball regular season. You’d be mistaken. This was a great weekend of baseball with plenty of playoff spots up for grabs. You had the Twins pulling past the Tigers for the AL Central crown (a move yours truly predicted back in April). The Dodgers and Padres squared off for the NL West title while my beloved Cardinals limped into the playoffs thanks to Houston’s loss to Atlanta today. I’ll be making my postseason predictions tomorrow, but until then, here are my awards for the 2006 season. (I’m still waiting for the baseball writers to extend me an official vote. Someday…)

AL MVP: 6 weeks ago, I’d have voted for David Ortiz. 2 weeks ago, I’d have voted for Johan Santana. Now that the season is over, I’m torn. I refuse to buy the media hype that Derek Jeter is the league MVP. Take him off that club and they’re still an offensive juggernaut. I’ll make my case for Justin Morneau, the Twins power-hitting first baseman. His 129 RBI ranks second in the league. His .321 average is good for 6th best in the AL. He became the first Twin in nearly 20 years to hit more than 30 home runs. His power bat was the dominant force in the middle of the Twins lineup. I’m still tempted to vote for Santana, but after thinking it over, Morneau’s contributions are impossible to ignore.

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana. Hands down, this is the most dominant pitcher in the game today. He’s nearly unhittable at home and his second half stats from the past 3 seasons are absolutely amazing. That he even factors into the MVP debate only proves his greatness.

AL Rookie: Justin Verlander. Francisco Liriano, Jonathan Papelbon and Jered Weaver each had great rookie seasons, but Verlander was the only one to spend the entire season on a big league roster. His meteoric rise to co-ace of the Tigers rotation has been nothing short of remarkable. Look for this filthy righthander to anchor the Tiger staff for years to come.

AL Manager: Jim Leyland. Another Tiger. A case could be made that no person has been more valuable to his team than Leyland has been to Detroit. His presence has been the key factor in the Tiger resurgence this season. An early season tirade let his young club know their skipper meant business. Honorable mention: Ron Gardenhire. The Twins, once left for dead thanks to the Tigers hot start, made a late season push, winning the division on the last day of the season. Because of his unassuming attitude, Gardenhire may be the most underrated manager in the game today.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols. Ryan Howard had a great season, no doubt, and I wouldn’t fault anyone for voting for him. But Pujols had a similarly fabulous season with several key hits down the stretch to help the Cardinals to their 3rd straight division championship. In the first half, it was Pujols, not Howard, who the talking heads predicted would break 61. Despite missing 18 games with an injury, Phat Albert hit .331 (3rd in the league) with 49 HR (2nd) and 137 RBI (2nd). He led the league in slugging percentage and ranked 2nd in on-base percentage. Compared to Howard (another first baseman), Pujols is also the superior fielder, sporting a .996 FP to Howard’s .990. Granted, Howard has had a remarkable season in his own right. Ideally, the two could split the honor, for they’re both extremely deserving. But if I’m forced to pick one, I’ll choose the one whose club is in the postseason.

NL Cy Young: This is another toss-up. There are plenty of deserving candidates, like Roy Oswalt, Brandon Webb and Chris Carpenter, last year’s winner. It’d be nice to honor Trevor Hoffman, the new all-time saves leader. A vote for any of those candidates could hardly be disputed. But you can only pick one and I’ll go with Webb. He had a dominant first half and even though he faltered down the stretch, he was tied for the league lead in wins pitching for a mediocre Diamondbacks team. Plus, he was on my fantasy team. Sure, I’m playing with my heart here, but there’s honestly not a freckle’s difference between these guys.

NL Rookie: As with the NL Cy Young, there are a plethora of quality candidates here with no clear cut favorite. Prince Fielder appears to be following in his father’s girthy footsteps in Milwaukee. The Marlins have a trio of great position player rooks in Josh Willingham, Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez and a rookie pitcher in Josh Johnson; all are worthy choices. But for my money, Ryan Zimmerman has been the class of this year’s rookie crop. 20 homers, 110 RBI, a .351 OBP and Gold Glove-caliber defense make him the clear choice for freshman honors.

NL Manager: Joe Girardi. This is the easiest of the NL Awards to handicap. Shortly after Girardi accepted the Marlins job, management purged the squad of much of it’s upper tier talent, leaving the new manager with little more than a AA ball club. After a dreadful April and May, Girardi righted the ship, leading the Marlins wild card charge in the second half. His likely reward: a pink slip due to his public conflict with Marlins ownership. No worries; he’ll have his choice of managing vacancies for 2007.

Posted in Baseball | 7 Comments

Mommy M.I.A. Day 4

Posted on October 1, 2006 by Jason

Church went well this morning. Shockingly, we arrived early to worship. Several women were amazed that I was able to keep the children by myself all weekend. “Yes,” I said, “they still have all their fingers and toes.” Barely. I impressed several people by putting a little bow in Abby Kate’s hair, too. The kids did well in worship and class. After yet another meal of chicken nuggets, the kids went down for their afternoon naps without event.

At approximately 1600 hours, Operation Outnumber Daddy came to an official end as Mommy arrived home safe and sound from a refreshing weekend at the beach. Let the record reflect that she walked into a quiet, napping house.

Needless to say, there was much rejoicing! Joshua & Abby Kate were very happy to see their Mommy. And I guess Daddy was happy to see her, too! I’m anxious for her to read my Mommy M.I.A. posts. Maybe she’ll see how much she’s loved.

Mommy’s home!!!!

Posted in Humor, Kids, Mommy M.I.A., Sunny | 4 Comments

Mommy M.I.A. Day 3: An Update

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Jason

This is seriously becoming the stuff of sitcoms.

The Wal-Mart trip was surprisingly uneventful. Taking a page from Sunny, I made my list before we left so I knew exactly what I needed. Granted, it wasn’t a very long list, but this seemed like the responsible thing to do. We zipped in and out in about 20 minutes. Our twin stroller doubled as my shopping cart. I started thinking, “This is a piece of cake.”

That’s where the trouble started. I got cocky. We got home and I was feeling so good about things, I decided to take the kids down to the neighborhood playground. The dog got all excited when he heard the word “outside”, so I put his leash on him and he came, too.

We get to the playground and things are great. I let the kids run around a little and I hook the dog’s leash to the kids’ wagon. Joshua takes his ball to the basketball pad to shoot some hoops. Abby Kate plays ball for a few minutes, but she gets bored quickly and decides she wants to swing. I leave Joshua on the basketball pad to take Abby Kate to the swingset. I can push Abby Kate in the swing and still keep an eye on Joshua at the basketball pad some 50 feet away. Everybody’s happy. The weather’s great. Birds are chirping. All is bliss.

Until…

…a blurry streak of fur gallops past me, heading straight for the playground trash can.

The dog has chewed through his leash.

I kinda stand there for a minute, not sure what to do. Andy starts rummaging through the trash for anything edible, beginning with a discarded Starbucks cup. I instinctively start to call out the dog’s name, but then I stop. I know he’ll never come back anyway; calling for him will only let everyone else know he belongs to me. But I can’t leave the kids to go get him and I can’t just let him run wild through the playground. I hastily grab Abby Kate and pull her from the swing. Immediately she starts pitching a fit. I run to get Joshua, truncating his ball game. He too begins to convulse and rail. Based on the screams, onlookers must be thinking I’m subjecting my children to some kind of Chinese torture or something. Thankfully, Andy’s trash excursion doesn’t yield much more than the Starbucks so he rejoins us in time to make the journey home, marking his territory in every yard between the playground and our house.

I’ve decided to never leave the house again.

Posted in Humor, Kids, Mommy M.I.A., Sunny | 2 Comments

Mommy M.I.A. Day 3

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Jason

I’m about to do something I swore I’d never do.

I can handle keeping the kids here all weekend by myself. We’re having a lot of fun, a lot of tickle fights, a lot of wrestling matches. I can handle feeding both of them — so far the weekend’s menu has consisted of a sumptuous bounty of chicken nuggets, fish sticks (made from minched fish, whatever that means), pop tarts, pretzels, Eggo’s, cheese & Oreos. I can handle the constant refereeing . I can handle changing some of the worst diapers I’ve ever smelled. I can handle bathing both children by myself. I’ve even done a load of laundry this weekend. I’m becoming a regular Mr. Mom and I’m cool with all of that.

But I’m about to have to do something I swore I’d never do.

I’m about to go to Wal-Mart with both children.

By myself.

We’re out of milk. We’re out of diapers. The milk we could do without. We’re well stocked with apple juice…I could probably wait them out. But diapers…
I seriously considered duck taping some old newspapers around them just to avoid having to go to Wal-Mart with them. But all the books say that’s bad parenting or something. Stupid books.

I don’t even go into Wal-Mart by myself, much less with two toddlers. This should be great.

Have I mentioned how much we miss Mommy?

Posted in Humor, Kids, Mommy M.I.A., Sunny | 5 Comments

Mommy M.I.A. Day 2

Posted on September 29, 2006 by Jason

We’re barely 26 hours into Operation: Outnumber Daddy. Here’s an update.

– Woke up this morning with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Probably has something to do with the fact that it was 48 degrees outside and we have no heat or air here at the house.

– Got Joshua out of his bed to find out he has a runny nose. Already been through 4 Kleenex with him.

– Let Abby Kate pick out a shirt to wear. She picked out a long sleeve shirt, wore it for an hour, then pitched a violent fit when she wanted to take it off. Let her pick another shirt out. At this rate, we’ll burn through her entire closet by dinner time.

– After getting the kids ready, I hopped in the shower. As I’m showering, Abby Kate proceeded to turn on the water in the bathtub and go through all of Mommy’s makeup paraphernalia while Joshua banged his basketball up against the shower door until I was done.

– The air conditioning dude came out to look at our unit. I come back inside after talking with him to find one of those tags that says “Under penalty of law, this Tag is not to be removed except by the consumer” lying on the kitchen floor. I have no idea where this came from.

– As I’m searching for any now-tagless items in our house, Joshua comes running up to me with a mouthful of batteries. He’s decided to dissect the VCR remote and devour it’s innards. Yes, I’m a proud father.

– Abby Kate continues to torture her brother by ripping the ball cap from his head and running away. She enjoys this way too much.

– As I type, the children are pulling Baby Tad from both ends. It’s like he’s being drawn and quartered. I’d use my “cut the toy in half” joke if they understood it.

We’re now going to take a walk. Desperately need to get out of the house. Sunny deserves a raise.

Posted in Humor, Kids, Mommy M.I.A., Sunny | 13 Comments

Football Friday Vol. 3

Posted on September 29, 2006 by Jason

Well, after a few weeks, I’m standing at 36-10 with my picks for the season, a winning percentage of .782. Not bad. I’ve been better at picking the SEC games (34-5) than the NFL games. But it’s time for yet another installment of my Football Friday picks. I think I’ll start with the SEC games this time:

Last night, Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks gave Auburn a fight. I picked Auburn to win, although I thought they’d run away with it. Auburn’s offensive performance in the 3rd quarter was impressive.

On Saturday, there are a couple of yawners and one potentially good game. Here are the out of conference quick hitters: I have Vandy over non-conf Kent State (the state that’s not a state). Tennessee should whip cross state rival Memphis (although they always play us tough). I even have Kentucky picking up a W against Central Michigan on Saturday.

Now for the conference games: Georgia — after a weak performance against the woeful Colorado Buffaloes — travels to Ole Miss to face a wretched Ole Miss squad. Early on, I thought this one might have some bite to it, but I’ve been really unimpressed with Ole Miss so far. This one could be surprisingly tight, but I’m picking Georgia to walk away victorious.
Mississippi State travels to LSU. The only question here is how many points LSU will score. Tigers in a landslide.
The game of the day looks to be Bama / Florida. I really don’t think it’ll be that close. I know Bama came out last season and absolutely crushed Urban’s Gators, but that’ll only fuel the fire more as the Tide travels to the swamp to play a fast, athletic Florida team. Bama’s running game has looked suspect thus far, and although JP Wilson looks like the real deal, I don’t think Alabama will have the skill players to compete in this one. Expect Meyer to exact some revenge for last year’s debacle. The Gators will prove they’re a national force. Florida wins easily.

The NFL games are a bit harder to handicap. Here goes…

I’ll begin with the Monday Night game: Green Bay at Philly. I love the fact that Favre came back for another year. He knows his team stinks, he knows they have no shot to win squat, yet he’s the ultimate gamer. The dude just loves to play. This isn’t about breaking records; it’s about a love for the game. That said, the Iggles will roll.

Sunday night’s game is shaping up to be a preview of the NFC Championship Game. This is the game I’m most looking forward to this weekend. Seattle and Chicago are looking like the class of the conference and this early season showdown — as crazy as it sounds — may go a long way toward establishing home field for the NFC playoffs. The loss of Shaun Alexander seriously impairs the Seahawks ability to move the ball against the vaunted Bears D. But Seattle’s D is underrated and Rex Grossman — although he’s played well thus far — is far from a proven winner. Playing in Chicago without Alexander makes me want to pick the Bears, but I have a feeling that Seattle is the superior team. I like Matt Hasselbeck to get it done in a close one.

Posted in Football | Leave a comment

Mommy M.I.A.

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Jason

So today Sunny left for the beach (again). She’ll be going with some girls from our Sunday school class. She absolutely deserves a break. She gives so much of herself to our children. I hope these next few days will be a chance for her to recharge her batteries and develop deeper relationships with some of her friends from church.

But that leaves me here at the house with the kids all weekend. What was I thinking?

It’s supposed to be nap time right now.

Joshua is standing in his bed, jumping up and down and singing at the top of his lungs.

I’ve threatened to spank him, but I think he knows I’m bluffing.

I’m starting to think I might’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

I have no idea how I’m going to make it by myself with them during worship on Sunday.

HELP!
________________

Mommy M.I.A. Update

One child napped all afternoon.

One child never napped, jumped up and down in the bed and created the most foul-smelling diaper of all time.

Fed the kids a wholesome dinner of Pop Tarts, cheese & apple juice before going to my church softball game.

Arrived at the game and realized that — as the sun was going down — my children were grossly underdressed for the chilly wind blowing through the rec park.

After the game, had to drive across town back to church to retrieve my cell phone charger. Kids feasted on half a pack of raisins and pitched a fit when they were gone.

On the way home, Joshua said, “Daddy, are you happy?”
“Yes, son, I’m happy because I’m with you!”
“I’m happy, too, Daddy.”
My day had subsequently been made at that point.

Get home, unload van & let kids feed themselves out of huge bowl of Chex Mix on the living room floor. Bad idea. Chex Mix diaspora occurred.

Said our prayers, tucked in kids, Daddy eats dinner at approximately 9PM.

Man, I miss Sunny.

Posted in Humor, Kids, Mommy M.I.A., Sunny | 10 Comments

A Night to Forget

Posted on September 25, 2006 by Jason

Some 393 days ago, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. Category 5 winds and waves crushed the city of New Orleans, her residents forced to flee, strewn across the nation like so much wind-tossed debris. Katrina’s impact was at once great and incomprehensible, leaving behind a wake of death and devastation. Even now, 13 months later, the images come rushing back to us all too easily: people standing atop their roofs as helicopters passed over; the corpses floating down vacant city streets; houses completely reduced to sawdust and rubble; government officials clumsily passing the buck back and forth. We asked ourselves, “This can’t be happening here, can it? Not in the United States.” But as the nightmare continued, we became cognizant of a grim reality: Mother Nature’s worst only served to bring out the worst in humanity. The Superdome, initially an evacuee haven, quickly deteriorated to a prison of sorts, her 30,000 tenants exposed to theft, drug abuse, rape, even murder. Those were dark days, indeed.

But hope was also found in those days. Americans opened their doors, their wallets, their communities to aid the displaced and the broken. The Red Cross was on the frontline, dispensing assistance on many fronts. Where the local and federal governments failed, many churches and civic groups responded, providing water, clothing, and labor. But the road to recovery was long and arduous. Indeed, it is still long and arduous, as the work continues to this day.

Tonight, the New Orleans Saints returned to the Superdome for their first home game since Katrina. The Crown Jewel of the New Orleans Skyline has received a $185,000,000 face lift — new scoreboards, new roof, new seats. The team itself spent liberally in the offseason to bring in a new quarterback (former Pro Bowler Drew Brees) and a new franchise tailback (Hesiman Award winner Reggie Bush). But all the money in the world will do little to erase the painful memories that will always be attached to the Superdome. And yet, tonight’s Saints / Falcons matchup represents something this city has lacked for 13 months now: some semblance of normalcy. As Doug Thornton, regional vice president of the private management company that runs the Superdome says, “The citizens have lost so much, the last thing they wanted to lose was their football team and their stadium. If we can rebuild this place, there’s hope for the neighborhoods.” And so tonight, New Orleans welcomed the return of her beloved Saints.

Let’s face it: it’s just a football game, right? The Saints 23-3 shellacking of the division-rival Falcons will do little to assuage the pain this city continues to feel. The rebuilding process will begin again tomorrow, just as it has every day for the past 13 months. But then again, it’s never just a game, certainly not on a night like tonight. Not in a place like New Orleans. At least for one night, this beleaguered city could forget about all her pain and tragedy and enjoy a few hours of football & fun, Brees & Bono, pigskin & pageantry. Drink deeply, New Orleans. Tomorrow will come soon enough. Tonight, you deserve a night to forget.

Posted in Devotional, Football, Social Issues | 4 Comments