2BS Blog - This is it.

Mr Hogan,

I Brian Smith, of extreme Atlanta Brave passion, officially surrender the 2006 season to you and the New York Metropolitans. Clearly my team, the Braves, suck this year and can not compete on the level of the glorious Mets. I bow down to you.
You have the best offense in baseball. David Wright and Jose Reyes are the foundation of a wonderful left side of the infield anybody would be jealous of. Pedro Martinez still has his stuff. Billy Wagner has only blown like 2 saves.
The NL East pennant is all yours for the taking.
I can not hide behind the shadows of the superstation no longer.
It’s obvious that the Mets are the most dominant team this season, this decade, and no one has a chance to even compete against them.
So with all of this being said, and the subsequent trash talking sure to come my way during a 7-0 game in the second inning with zero outs, I bid you good luck. I want you to succeed. It’s important to me. Otherwise, as in the past, things get boring. In my opinion there is no possible way the Mets can’t win the World Series this year. They are the greatest.

Yours truly,
Brian Smith, Braves fan crying under my covers.

James draws assignment in finale
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com 07/29/2006 6:17 PM ET

It will be a matchup of lefties in the final game of Atlanta’s three-game series against New York on Sunday. Former Brave Tom Glavine takes the mound against Atlanta rookie Chuck James at Turner Field in a game where the Braves could desperately use a win.

Everything seemed to be falling in place for the Braves when they returned to Atlanta after an encouraging 7-2 road trip. They were coming off six straight series wins and had put themselves back into position to try to make a run at the Wild Card.

But any hint of momentum that Atlanta has built has been discouragingly squashed with a 1-4 start to a homestand against two teams from its own division. The Braves have all but eliminated themselves from the NL East race with two straight losses to the Mets. A 14-game deficit with 59 games left to play simply appears too daunting to overcome with a New York team that doesn’t seem to be hitting a rut.

“We obviously didn’t want to go down 2-0 to these guys to start the series and go into tomorrow to try to salvage a game,” said Tim Hudson, Saturday’s losing pitcher. “But it is what it is. Hopefully, Chuck will go out there and give us a good chance to win.”

While the players keep speaking about the Wild Card as a good backup plan, this recent skid is beginning to threaten Atlanta’s chances at even grabbing that last postseason berth. Saturday’s loss dropped the Braves to seven games behind Cincinnati and back into a logjam among numerous NL teams vying for the Wild Card.

James will be making his sixth start of the season against a veteran to whom many are already beginning to compare him. James’ career as a Major League starter has gotten off to a solid start, with four wins in five games. The 24-year-old lefty allowed only two runs in seven innings in his last start, but has been prone to giving up the long ball. In his last four starts, James has allowed seven home runs.

Glavine will be making his third start against his former club this year. After finishing the first two months of the season with a sub-3.00 ERA, Glavine hasn’t been so sharp during the last two months. He has a 4.97 ERA in five July starts and is coming off a losing effort against the Cubs in which he allowed five earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Pitching matchup
NYM: LHP Tom Glavine (11-4, 3.69 ERA)
Since signing with the Mets after the 2002 season, Glavine has faced his former team 14 times. The 40-year-old lefty would likely want to forget about the majority of those starts; he has accumulated a 3-9 record with a 5.32 ERA. However, New York is hopeful that Glavine can pull out a performance like he did against the Braves back on April 19, when he allowed only one earned run and four hits in eight innings.

ATL: LHP Chuck James (4-1, 3.53 ERA)
James has never started against the Mets, but made two relief appearances against the New York club on April 17. In a total of 2 1/3 innings, James allowed only one hit, one walk and struck out two.

Player to watch
Edgar Renteria is 16-for-41 against Glavine with three doubles and six RBIs. The Atlanta shortstop also comes into the game with an impressive .391 average against lefties this season.

Today’s Line
FAVORITE OPEN CUR UNDERDOG O/U
NEW YORK 135 0 ATLANTA —
Season Series
New York leads 7-4

If the Mets win, it will be the first three game sweep of the Braves since 1985.

Ramirez gets first shot at Mets
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com 07/27/2006 6:10 PM ET

The rivalry is nothing new. But this time its players are in unfamiliar positions.

The fourth series of the season between the Braves and the Mets will begin on Friday night at Turner Field with Atlanta staring up—way up—in the standings with New York leading the way.

It’s been nearly two months since the Braves and Mets last tangoed, and boy how the picture in the National League East has since changed. When Atlanta left New York on May 7 after salvaging one game in a three-game set, the Braves found themselves eight games out of first place, but sensing that, with four months of baseball left to play, the top spot in the division was still well within reach.

Now there are just over two months left and Atlanta has dug the hole a little deeper. But even a 12-game deficit leading into the weekend series can’t deter the Braves from holding out hope that their string of 14 consecutive division titles won’t be coming to an abrupt end this year.

“Our focus is the division,” Marcus Giles said. “I know that’s a little far-fetched and stupid to say, I guess, but we are. We really are. Who knows, things can turn around so quick. Anything can happen in two weeks.”

Atlanta has jumped out to an 8-4 record since the All-Star break. The offense has also finally woken up from its June funk and leads the Majors in myriad categories, including batting average, runs scored and home runs.

So the team’s insistence that the division title is still within reach isn’t entirely unfounded, even if it is still a long shot at best. Friday’s game marks the first of nine games the N.L. East rivals have against each other during the remainder of the season.

Remember, these are the Braves, perennial winners who always find a way to quiet the naysayers just as people start to write them off. Not to get too far ahead, but if Atlanta can find a way to pull out the brooms against New York, the bandwagon just might be getting a little heftier by week’s end.

“You never know. You put a sweep on and you’re back to within single games in the division,” Jeff Francoeur said. “We’re just first worried about getting back to .500. We’re climbing there. Once we get to .500, then you starting putting a couple over .500 and you can start making a run at things.”

The Braves would need to sweep New York to pull back to within nine games and realistically step back into the NL East picture. But the Mets are going to make it tough, sending three seasoned veterans to the mound in the series, with Pedro Martinez leading the way.

New York will be welcoming back Martinez, who has been sidelined since June 28 with inflammation in his right hip and then food poisoning. But after an 80-pitch bullpen session last weekend, Martinez appears ready to go.

And the Braves are poised to go right after him.

“We just have to come out firing tomorrow,” Giles said on Thursday. “I don’t want to look too much into the weekend as a whole versus just tomorrow. We need to just focus on Pedro and tomorrow and just get it done.”

Taking the mound for Atlanta will be Horacio Ramirez, who allowed only a single run in each of his past two starts. Take away his nightmarish outing against Cincinnati on July 7, when he allowed seven runs in one-plus inning of work, and Ramirez has allowed only six earned runs in his past 34 2/3 innings pitched.

Though winning the first game of the series is pivotal for the Braves, Ramirez said he isn’t reading too much into a marquee matchup with Martinez. Instead, the Atlanta southpaw is determined to treat Friday’s start like he would any other.

“I think every series is a big series right now,” said Ramirez, who will be making his first start of the season against New York. “I’m approaching it like I’ve approached my last few games—staying relaxed and keep the ball down. If I can do that, it’ll be a good performance.”

The Braves’ current six-game homestand got off to an inauspicious start with Atlanta dropping two of three games to a pesky Florida club. The series loss snapped a string of six straight series victories, dating back to a series win against Baltimore from June 30 to July 2.

But when the Braves take the field Friday evening, a series loss to the Marlins will be the last thing on their minds. Anytime the Mets arrive in Atlanta, it’s a big-time series. And with a streak of division titles on the line, the big-time stage has been set.

“Anything can happen. A combination of them getting cold and us getting hot, and this division’s a different story,” Giles said. “We’ve got to come out playing. The character we have on this team, I don’t expect anything less tomorrow. You’re going to see a quality game out of us tomorrow.”

Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Pedro Martinez (7-4, 3.45 ERA)
Martinez will look to make it a perfect 3-for-3 against the Braves this season when he takes the mound in Friday’s series opener. In Martinez’s two starts against Atlanta earlier this season, he picked up two wins while allowing five runs and only 10 hits in 13 2/3 innings. He also had an impressive 13 strikeouts during the two appearances.

ATL: LHP Horacio Ramirez (5-3, 4.04 ERA)
Ramirez is 3-2 with a 4.26 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets. The Atlanta left-hander has given up seven home runs and surrendered 19 walks in those nine games. Ramirez will be making his first start at home since a nightmarish outing against Cincinnati back on July 7, when he lasted only one-plus inning and allowed seven runs.

Player to watch
Though he has struggled against Martinez in years past, Andruw Jones had two hits, including a two-run home run, off of Martinez in the two starts the New York right-hander made against the Braves in April. Jones had also been on a roll as of late, batting .353 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in nine games before going 0-for-4 in Thursday’s series finale against Florida.

Today’s Line
FAVORITE OPEN CUR UNDERDOG O/U
ATLANTA -110 0 NEW YORK —
Season Series
New York leads 5-4
Mon 4/17 @NYM 4, ATL 3 Recap
Tue 4/18 ATL 7, @NYM 1 Recap
Wed 4/19 ATL 2, @NYM 1 Recap
Fri 4/28 NYM 5, @ATL 2 Recap
Sat 4/29 NYM 1, @ATL 0 Recap
Sun 4/30 @ATL 8, NYM 5 Recap
Fri 5/5 @NYM 8, ATL 7 Recap
Sat 5/6 @NYM 6, ATL 5 Recap
Sun 5/7 ATL 13, @NYM 3 Recap
Jul 28, 2006NYM (Martinez) @ ATL (Ramirez) 7:35 PM ET
Jul 29, 2006NYM (Hernandez) @ ATL (Hudson) 1:20 PM ET
Jul 30, 2006NYM (Glavine) @ ATL (James) 1:05 PM ET
Sep 4, 2006ATL @ NYM 7:10 PM ET
Sep 5, 2006ATL @ NYM 7:10 PM ET
Sep 6, 2006ATL @ NYM 1:10 PM ET
Sep 26, 2006NYM @ ATL 7:35 PM ET
Sep 27, 2006NYM @ ATL 7:35 PM ET
Sep 28, 2006NYM @ ATL 7:35 PM ET

On the cusp..

2006 National League Wild Card Standings
NATIONALWLPctGBHOMEROADRSRASTRKL10
Cincinnati5448.529-27-2527-23511521Won 16-4
Arizona5150.5052.526-2625-24497503Lost 26-4
San Francisco5151.500329-2422-27484481Lost 45-5
Colorado4853.4755.524-2424-29475465Won 14-6
Atlanta4853.4755.522-2526-28536513Lost 16-4
Houston4854.471629-2419-30459488Lost 13-7
Milwaukee4854.471630-2218-32477551Lost 24-6
Florida4753.470625-2422-29463468Won 17-3
Philadelphia4653.4656.524-2922-24491521Won 25-5
LA Dodgers4755.461728-2419-31500497Lost 81-9
Washington4656.451826-2420-32473523Won 68-2
Chicago Cubs4061.39613.518-2822-33414515Won 15-5
Pittsburgh3766.35917.524-2613-40474542Won 25-5

Here is another article regarding this recent surge… Just to put this surge in historical perspective, it’s one of the greatest of all time.

Records are stacking up
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ST. LOUIS —Whenever an employee at The Elias Sports Bureau has picked up the phone over the past week, there’s a good chance Braves media relations assistant Adam Liberman has been on the other line.
While serving as the team’s media relations representative during this current road trip, Liberman has had plenty of reason to call Elias, which in turn has put the Braves’ recent offensive flurry in historical perspective.

“I’ve never been a part of anything like this at any level,” catcher Brian McCann said. “Everybody in the lineup is going up there with a good approach and getting the runners in when they’re in scoring position.”

McCann is just in his second Major League season, but veterans like Chipper Jones and John Smoltz also can say they’ve never experienced anything like this road trip. During the first five games, the Braves have hit .380 with 20 homers, a .742 slugging percentage and .441 on-base percentage.

According to Elias, this is the most homers any Braves team has ever hit in a five-game stretch. Their 23 homers over the past six games is an NL record. During a six-game stretch, the Major League record is 24 homers, set by the 1977 Red Sox.

In terms of franchise history, the 65 runs the Braves have scored since the All-Star break are the most in a five-game stretch since the 1897 Boston Beaneaters. It’s the highest five-game total in the Majors since 1950, when the Red Sox tallied 66 runs in a five-game stretch.

Adding further historical perspective to the dominance they’ve displayed this week, the Braves are the first team since the 1930 Yankees to produce a double-digit run total in five consecutive games.

“We just want to play like we’re capable of playing and put the first half behind us,” said Andruw Jones, who has produced 15 of his National League-leading 87 RBIs in his past six games.

All of this power and production has followed a miserable June, during which Adam LaRoche, McCann and the Jones boys (Chipper Jones included) combined for 12 homers. During the past five games, that quartet has belted 16 homers.

“You know what they say,” manager Bobby Cox said. “’It’s just baseball, stop trying to figure it out.’”

ST. LOUIS (AP)—A few days ago, Bobby Cox would have laughed at comparisons between his sub-.500 Atlanta Braves to a 1930 New York Yankees team that featured Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and he had never even heard of the Boston Beaneaters.

Now he knows all about those long-ago offensive juggernauts, because his Braves, though they’re still four games below .500, have been matching them.

Andruw Jones was 5-for-5 with two homers and matched his career high with six RBIs, helping the Braves become the first team since the ‘30 Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games with a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Adam LaRoche, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann also homered for the Braves, who have scored 65 runs during an offensive explosion that includes two 15-run games. The last time the franchise reached double figures in five straight games was in 1897, when the Braves were called the Beaneaters and they totaled 61 runs.

“The Beaneaters keep popping up every afternoon,” Cox said. “Way back. I wasn’t around then. It’s kind of strange to be talking about those kinds of records, at all.”

The 65 runs in five games is the best by the franchise since those same Beaneaters totaled 78, including 25 in one game and 21 in another, from May 31-June 3. The Braves have 81 hits during their five-game run and 98 in their last six, going back to an 8-3 victory over Cincinnati on July 9, the last game before the All-Star break.

Chipper Jones was 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, all but four multihit efforts. He’s batting .534 (39-for-73) during the streak with eight homers and 23 RBIs.

During their six-game winning streak, they’ve outscored their opponents 77-32 and they’ve hit 19 homers in the last five games—the most for the franchise in a five-game span and only two off the major league record set by the 1977 Boston Red Sox and 1999 Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals lost 15-3 in the opener of the three-game series on Monday and trailed 13-1 in the fifth Tuesday, a two-game sequence reminiscent of blowout losses to the Chicago White Sox by 20-6 and 13-5 on June 20-21.

St. Louis had won a season-best seven straight before Atlanta came to town.

“Giving up so many runs early, it gave us all kinds of problems as far as winning the game, saving our staff, not being embarrassed, everything,” manager Tony La Russa said.

Jason Marquis (11-7) was the loser in the 13-5 game against the White Sox, giving up all the runs in five innings. This was almost as bad: 12 runs and 14 hits in five innings from a pitcher who had a chance to take the NL lead in victories.

As of right now…

2006 National League East Standings
EASTWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRASTRKL10
NY Mets5637.602-27-1829-19502426Won 27-3
Atlanta4549.47911.521-2324-26505477Won 79-1
Philadelphia4250.45713.521-2621-24455485Lost 24-6
Florida4151.44614.521-2320-28432450Lost 15-5
Washington4055.4211720-2420-31434498Won 13-7

2006 National League Wild Card Standings
NATIONALWLPctGBHOMEROADRSRASTRKL10
Cincinnati4945.521-24-2325-22472485Lost 15-5
LA Dodgers4747.500228-1819-29484446Won 13-7
San Francisco4747.500225-2322-24437443Won 14-6
Arizona4647.4952.522-2524-22455471Lost 16-4
Milwaukee4649.4843.529-2017-29438507Lost 14-6
Colorado4548.4843.522-2223-26439427Won 12-8
Houston4549.479428-2217-27431452Lost 23-7
Atlanta4549.479421-2324-26505477Won 79-1
Philadelphia4250.457621-2621-24455485Lost 24-6
Florida4151.446721-2320-28432450Lost 15-5
Washington4055.4219.520-2420-31434498Won 13-7
Chicago Cubs3656.3911216-2720-29377471Won 16-4
Pittsburgh3362.34716.523-2610-36436503Lost 14-6

2006 Major League Standings
MLBWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRASTRKL10
Detroit6231.667-29-1633-15484357Lost 26-4
Chicago Sox5834.6303.533-1425-20539442Won 15-5
Boston5636.6095.530-1326-23507445Won 26-4
NY Yankees5536.604631-1724-19514424Won 59-1
NY Mets5637.602627-1829-19502426Won 27-3
Minnesota5240.5659.535-1117-29454412Won 56-4
Toronto5241.5591032-1920-22498452Lost 15-5
St. Louis5241.5591030-1922-22469460Lost 27-3
San Diego5043.5381225-2725-16431417Won 27-3
Oakland4945.52113.524-2225-23416418Won 15-5
Cincinnati4945.52113.524-2325-22472485Lost 15-5
LA Angels4845.5161424-2324-22444433Won 89-1
Texas4846.51114.525-2523-21472453Won 16-4
LA Dodgers4747.50015.528-1819-29484446Won 13-7
San Francisco4747.50015.525-2322-24437443Won 14-6
Arizona4647.4951622-2524-22455471Lost 16-4
Milwaukee4649.4841729-2017-29438507Lost 14-6
Colorado4548.4841722-2223-26439427Won 12-8
Atlanta4549.47917.521-2324-26505477Won 79-1 (yikes!)
Houston4549.47917.528-2217-27431452Lost 23-7
Seattle4450.46818.524-2420-26446444Lost 42-8
Baltimore4452.45819.527-2417-28459527Lost 15-5
Philadelphia4250.45719.521-2621-24455485Lost 24-6
Florida4151.44620.521-2320-28432450Lost 15-5
Cleveland4152.4412123-2318-29510478Lost 52-8
Washington4055.4212320-2420-31434498Won 13-7
Tampa Bay3955.41523.522-2017-35394491Lost 52-8
Chicago Cubs3656.39125.516-2720-29377471Won 16-4
Pittsburgh3362.3473023-2610-36436503Lost 14-6
Kansas City3261.3443019-2313-38422562Lost 23-7

BRAVES score 36 runs over the weekend to sweep the Padres. Excellent! Brian McCann, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, and Adam LaRoche all go deep to help the cause!

Here is an article about Disc Golf and the local course here.

A different kind of par
CMU’s disc golf course draws ‘hundreds’ on sunny days
By Mike Ellis, Staff Reporter, July 06, 2006

This is the last in a six-part series showcasing ways to have summer fun in Mount Pleasant.

His first shot of the day landed perfectly in the water – not a good thing for Mount Pleasant disc golfer Leon Reed.

Reed waded in three feet of water and retrieved the disc out of the pond near the first hole on CMU’s disc golf course, located in the Center for Applied Research and Technology area, south east of CMU’s campus.

Reed and friend Mike Weidner, also of Mount Pleasant, played a round of disc golf Thursday. They said they play disc golf about three times a week.

“It’s better than work,” Reed said.

Players stand on a rubber mat and throw the discs at metal and chain targets that range from 179 feet to 456 feet away. Score is kept in much the same way as golf, with a recommended number of shots per hole, or par.

Unlike traditional golf courses, however, disc golf courses often take players through hazards like stands of trees and bushes or even into more heavily wooded areas.

Weidner said the game is good exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise.

“(On) a beautiful day like (Wednesday), a couple of hundred of people use the course,” said Laurie Braden, associate director of facility operations.

University Recreation runs the disc golf course, which has 18 holes and its own parking lot, located just off West Campus Drive on University Park Drive, south of Fairfield Inn. It is free and open to the public.

The last time Reed and Weidner played, the beginner (Reed) beat Weidner. Although they do not use a scorecard, they keep an eye on how they are scoring based on the par for each hole.

The discs, which are made more aerodynamic than Frisbees, enable players to throw them at long distances with accuracy.

One thing that is commonly associated with disc golf on CMU’s course is alcohol.

While alcohol is not allowed on the course, Mount Pleasant senior Kessler Valentin said he has seen beer bottles on the course.

“I haven’t seen unruly behavior or anyone with alcohol,” Weidner said.

The course opened in 2002, and a few of the target baskets, which run a few hundred dollars each, have been stolen since then.

But despite a few sparse, petty occurrences, CMU’s disc golf course still offers students a fun – and free – way to relax and have fun during a sometimes boring Mount Pleasant summer.

A fall class on disc golf will be offered and Braden said it fills up every semester.

Spring and fall tournaments are played on the course, but the date for the fall tournament has not yet been set, Braden said.

2006 National League Standings
EASTWLPCTGBHOMEROADRSRASTRKL10
NY Mets5336.596-27-1826-18473404Won 26-4
Philadelphia4047.4601221-2619-21420454Won 25-5
Atlanta4049.4491321-2319-26440449Won 27-3
Florida3848.44213.518-2020-28409420Lost 23-7
Washington3852.42215.520-2418-28407470Lost 35-5

over France to win the World Cup 2006

In other news, what was Zidane thinking?

A schlptlzer (SH-LIF-LER) is someone who fetches for information in order to better their position in the grand scheme of things.

Just beat Josh again in the rematch. 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Again, like last time it took me like 12 games to actually warm up.

Check out pics of Sage swimming around today. I even randomly ran into someone I knew. Sage had a great time today swimming and running around like a crazy girl. For those pics click here

Here is how all my teams from my top 6 yahoo ids are doing. Each graphic represents a different id. The bottom four in each one are midseason leagues and a lot is yet to be determined there. I won’t post the other 4×4 cause its not as cool as this 6×8 and cause its all midseason so maybe at a later date.

I fucking hate bad customer service.

So Sara went to the animal doctor at the beginning of last week to get flea and heartworm medicine for the pets. There is some brand that has both medications in the same thing and it actually works so that’s what we use. Anyway, the people at the animal hospital tell her that Sage needs to be checked for heartworm first because it would be bad to give her heartworm medicine if she actually had heartworm. Okay, whatever. So Sage gets to go see the vet and after a hundred dollar plus bill we get the mediciations for Sage and Nutmeg. Oh yeah and Sage got two shots and her blood drawn. She really didn’t mind it that much, but she did look a little worried. Well, everytime we go to this place it’s always the same story. After the appointment we walk out and the receptionists (THEY HAVE LIKE THREE OF THEM) practically ignore us as we get to stand their guessing what is next. I would think that if we had to wait for the doctors to drop off paperwork, which is usually the case I suppose, they should at least freakin say something. We were completely under the impression that Sage’s test results would be given to us later that day. No phone call. I just tried to call and find out what the hell is going on this morning. I’m completely sure that Sage doesn’t have heartworm and that we could give her the medication, but my god. I hate this place. They, and maybe it’s all animal hospital type places, always rope us whenever we come in into paying lots and lots of money. I just wish Sage wasn’t such an expensive date. Thinking about it, and just to let you know I can imagine, I don’t want to compare it to actual children’s doctor visit bills.

In other news. Walmart… Hmm. Where to start. On Wednesday, June 14th, Flag Day, I went to Walmart and got an eye exam and basically ordered new glasses, which is just a really necessary thing to do if you saw my glasses. One side has had tape around the arm for at least a year, the other probably about six months. Both arms of my current glasses are broken and this is basically the only way short of cement to keep them together. Anyway, so with Sara’s most generous help I was able to settle on a pair that seemed fine. I absolutely hate picking eye glasses by the way but it’s one of those necessary evil things a completely blind person must do. If I wasn’t so blind that would be amazing. Anyway. So whatever, get them when I get them. I wanted them by my Cedar Point trip but that ended up not mattering anyway. I just envisioned myself breaking these glasses and just being completely blind for like ten hours, five hours away from home. Must have gotten the voice mail around the 22nd of June saying that the glasses didn’t pass their inspection and that they would have to be remade. I decided with the help of my parents last week that I would like to get contacts. I had thought about entertaining the possibility to I called them back and scheduled a time to come in for them. I went in there on Saturday at noon and found out that they would have to order them (as I expected) and basically didn’t even really need to come in, but that’s okay. I then asked if the glasses came in yet. She checked and brought back a case. Woohoo new glasses! And they look sharp. I put them on and Nope. Something is not right. She says that maybe they need to be adjusted and I comply. Try again and something is terribly wrong. I don’t know how to explain it well to someone who isn’t as blind as I am but imagine being able to see completely fine with one eye and completely wrong with another. It appeared that the left eye was fine, but the right eye was terribly wrong. I said No these are not right, and she double checked. It appeared as if when the lens was made they thought that the doctor wrote a -5 as apposed to a -8 which is what it should have been. So the lens was off by a big amount on the prescription. I told them they had one more strike to go on making this pair. You would think for three hundred dollars you could get something done right. But alas, I guess not.

Okay so a couple things here…

1). The Tour de France just started. It’s awesome. I love it. I really want to try and watch it this year even without Lance Armstrong in it. He won 7 in a row and it was great to actually watch a good percentage of the last couple years. The Tour is on OLN in the mornings and that is real good for me. I usually have all morning and most of the early afternoon before I have to go to work, so that works out. The big big news this year is that Ivan Basso of Italy, Jan Ullrich of Germany, Francisco Mancebo of Spain, and others were all banned from the Tour de France a day before it started (yesterday) because of their involvement in a doping investigation in Spain. So with Lance out, and these favorites to win in Lance’s absense also out, it’s anyone’s race!

2) Fantasy Baseball is nutty. I am still chugging along with my teams. All of them. Many of them are doing quite good actually. I have received stellar seasons from players like Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Zambrano, Francisco Liriano, and many more. I’ve made a lot of moves in all of my leagues and in many cases I am atop the standings sitting pretty. It’s nuts and it takes up a good chunk of my mornings. But I have the time and I dig it so whatever.

3) My quest continues.

4) Live actions sports in the morning (like Tour de France, the World Cup, Wimbledon, and others) is awesome. Whoever invented sports in Europe so I could have something awesome to watch on TV in the mornings was a very very smart man. It’s bad enough that Cold Pizza is still in the middle of a 6 week hiatus.

5) The World Cup is awesome. Looks like an all European finale. Germany vs Italy and Portugal vs France. Who do you think will win?

Okay thats all for now..

These were written as part of the Spring Implementation project that’s currently on indefinite hiatus.  Like I said, rough. My skills have been sleeping for a while so I’ve gotta work through a lotta stupid loophills inside my brain before anything decent comes out. It was tough enough to pull these ideas out. Any ideas/comments will become part of my edited thought process.


4/9/06

Spoken time, forgotten rhyme.
Minor movements, motive moments.
Sweet kisses and frosty vacancies.
Filthy hotel rooms at the back of the sprawl.
Outrageous cartoons fill the room with bafoons.

Double back holler
keep your dime for a dollar.
Cook up the food. Get out your mood.
Multiply this delay joining
I’ve got the green fevor.
99 and 99. fun.



4/10/06

Warm bluesky just one desert away.
Spinning around clowns in circles.
Dressed with rainforest rain and a touch of disdain.
Misery and pain washes down streets of temptation like
pineapple cluster atop a rock of shadowed youth.
Tiny dancers simmer while a glimmered mirrors of years slide
 deeper into the truth. Deeper into the youth.
Surrounding visions crescendo through circles of their pain.
Their disdain.
Their complaints.
Their predictions.
Their futures.
Their youths.



4/11/06

Shit hit the fan
it’s a quarter past three
my cover is blown
I’ve been compromised
with no room to run
I’ve gotta look out
that DUDE has a Gun
In one sudden motion I grab for the door
Certainly it can’t be this easy?
I’m shot. AND I fall to the floor.