How To Waste A Saturday: A Day at the Astros FanFest

Today was the Astros FanFest, getting us all pumped for the 2016 season.  Naturally I had to go.  It started at 11:00, and I so my friend and I decided to get there just at that time.  I was surprised, as we drove past Minute Maid, at the lines of people waiting to get in.  It was my first warning sign.

After we parked and made our way past security, entering at the Diamond Club (never been there before), we came into the stadium right next to the home plate store.  They had signs there about $5 apparel and hats, naturally a good first stop.  What did they have?  A jersey with no name for $30?  Nah.  A Jed Lowrie jersey for $50?  Maybe for $30, but not that much.  A Chris Carter jersey for $50?  HA!  A Craig Biggio rainbow sleeve Hall of Fame jersey for $80?  Not that was a thought.  I picked one up and told my friend to talk me out of it.  He didn't have to.  Two things made me say no.  First, it was a CoolBase Jersey, the new fabric, not authentic.  Second, the line to checkout was too much for me.  So I said goodbye to the store and made my way to the garage sale, what I was looking forward to.

The garage sale is where they sell all the leftover giveaways from last year.  In FanFests Past I have picked up some pretty good player statues (Nolan Ryan, Jose Cruz, Jimmy Wynn).  This year, even by 11:30, there was a ridiculously long line.  I figured I had to wait in line just in case.  An hour later, I finally got to the sale.  By the time I got there all that was left was some Dallas Keuchel shirts, cheap giveaway jerseys, gym bags, Fiers No-Hitter posters, and the Evan Gattis bobblehead.  I already had the bobblehead, didn't want the cheap jerseys or shirts, so I ended up with the gym bag and a couple of posters for $7.  Decent, but definitely not worth the long wait.  I was beginning to think I had wasted the day.  About the only cool thing to that point was that I saw Colby Rasmus, but he was busy and went by too fast to get a picture.  I also saw Max Stassi.

I was hungry.  Not many things were open, and it was almost time for a Fan Forum I wanted to attend, so I settled for a definitely not worth it hamburger and coke.  By 1:15 I was regretting my day.

At 1:15 was a forum on the Astros jerseys of old with Mike Acosta, Manager of Authentification, and Rob Ford.  It was pretty cool.  A brief history of MLB jerseys.  A look at the Astros jerseys starting with the Shooting Star (mine and Acosta's favorite) to the rainbows to today.  He mentioned that the H star logo, so iconic, came from the block H of the Houston Buffs.  Then the big reveal.  The Astros will be using a new alternate Sunday jersey.  It looks a bit like their batting practice jerseys, and will be the first time they wear blue on the field during the game.  Like the batting practice jersey, it includes the rainbow pattern on the sides.  They also will start to wear an orange hat with blue brim.  Overall, it was a pretty good talk.

We then walked around the stadium a bit.  I was bummed out because when I had gone in the past they had had dozens of vendors selling baseball cards, jerseys, memorabilia, all kinds of stuff.  All I saw was one guy selling some team sets, one stand with some autographed pictures, and one with some patches and way overpriced jerseys.  But then I saw a table for SABR (Society for American Baseball Research, also known as Those Guys My Brother Hates Because They Believe In Advanced Stats) with Bill Brown.  So I had to saddle up and talk with them.  They showed me they had a book that had just come out about baseball in Houston from 1861-1961, and it was on sale that day for $30 (regularly $50).  Ok, sold.  And Bill Brown was even nice enough to sign it for me.

  The guys there also nearly talked me into joining the local branch, which meets once a month.  They did, I think, successfully inspire me to return to a project I had started years ago chronicling the sad history of Astros failures and the transactions that did (or did not) help.  We'll see if I can find the time to work on it more.

After a break, we returned for a forum on the farm system with Director of Minor League Operations Allen Rowin and Steve Sparks.  This was really quite good.  I thought about asking him about how they help prospects from Latin America, but he covered it quite well talking about how they have a schooling process not only to teach them English but even basic Spanish since many of them do not have an education beyond, say, fourth grade.  When Sparks came around asking if anyone had questions, I had two.  Before I asked mine, I asked him if it would be okay to ask about the Cardinals hacking scandal.  He said "I would rather you didn't."  I told him I understand.  Instead I had to ask my weaker question about how it works with moving around minor league affiliations.  Oh well.  Again, overall it was an interesting talk.

Then it was time for the main attraction.  The final Fan Forum was on Clubhouse Culture with Evan Gattis, George Springer, and Colby Rasmus.  This was quite interesting since we really got to see them in a more personal setting.  Rasmus is a freak.  Springer is just a nice guy.  And Gattis is quiet.  About what I expected.  I thought about asking Gattis if there were any plans for him to get back behind the plate, but figured it was too serious a question for the forum.

So the day went from "what a waste of time" to "that was great, and now I can't wait for the season to start!"  Let's Go Astros!

My Big Star Wars Post

I finally saw Force Awakens for a second time (this time in glorious IMAX 3D), and I wanted to make an omnibus post of sorts for Star Wars.  Without a doubt, Star Wars is my favorite movie franchise.  Besides baseball, it's my favorite anything pop culture-wise.  What's funny is, I did not see any of the movies until I was about 10 years old.  But once I watched the original trilogy, I was immediately hooked.

I came upon Star Wars at what happened to be an opportune time, right around when it got a resurgence in the mid-90s.  The Thrawn trilogy, easily the best Star Wars expanded universe, was published between 1991 and 1993, and that really got the Star Wars thing going again in a big way.

  Then came a host of video games, toys, the release of the special editions, and of course the prequels.  I joined Star Wars Insider with the first edition.  I have read around two dozen of the novels, many of the comics, and played most of the video games, not to mention my large toy collection.  Star Wars speaks to my geekdom.

There's not much to say about the original trilogy.  It's nearly perfect.  Even Return of the Jedi, which many people feel is not worthy of the first two, is my favorite.  You see, I'm a Luke Skywalker guy, and that's the movie he really shines.  Before getting into my ranking of the movies, I wanted to write a little defense of the prequels, and perhaps a few legitimate complaints about them.

YES, THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!  IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN FORCE AWAKENS BY NOW, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Defense of the Prequels

Some of these points have been written about before, but I think they need to be repeated.  The prequels are not that bad.  Yes, compared to the original trilogy they are, but they still have quite a bit going for them.  Here's a few main points:

Jedi

Probably the biggest thing going for them is that we get to see the Jedi in full action.  In the original trilogy we get two old Jedi who cannot do much, a menacing Darth Vader who has seen his best lightsaber days pass him by long ago, an Emperor who does little more than talk and shoot lightning, and a young kid who's trying to figure out the whole Jedi thing.  In the prequels, we get to see a host of Jedi doing pretty great stuff.  From the beginning, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are kicking droid butt and using force powers we hadn't seen like force push and speed runs.  All that is great to see on screen.  The prequels also have easily the three best lightsaber duels in any of the movies.  As much as we love to hate on Phantom Menace, the fight between Darth Maul and the two Jedi is one of the best fights in any movie.  And I really do not get why people even hate on the climactic fight in Revenge of the Sith.  It's pretty powerful, seeing two old friends try to kill each other.  If nothing else, enjoy seeing Jedi do their stuff in the prequels.

World Building

Taken literally, we see twice as many worlds in the prequels than we got in the original trilogy.  And they're all pretty fascinating to see.  The Star Wars universe looks more like a universe thanks to the prequels.  We also get to see more of how the universe works.  We get to see how a republic can change into a tyranny.  We get to see how the Emperor manipulated everyone to gain power, proving just how powerful he is.  So much more of the universe is fleshed out.  That has to be a good thing.

The Cast

Hate who you want to hate, the prequels have a loaded cast.  Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, are all big name stars.  Then you have some pretty impressive bit players from Brian Blessed to Terence Stamp to Christopher Lee to even Dominic West, Joel Edgerton, and Richard Armitage.  Oh yes, I have not even mentioned Keira Knightley, Sofia Coppola, and Rose Byrne, all attendants for Padme.

  There's some pretty impressive actors here.  I know what you're saying: what about the Anakin boys?  I'm not going to defend Jake Lloyd, but I can defend Hayden Christensen.  Yes he's annoying, but he's supposed to be.  He's supposed to be a whiney teenager who's having an identity crisis.  I think he does pretty well.  In fact, when looked at more closely in light of Luke (especially in the first movie), it makes even more sense.  And I will always say the look he gives after his mother dies is one of the most chilling I've seen.  While we're at it:

The Road to Vader

The prequels had one job: show us how a normal kid who's supposed to save the universe ends up being the epitome of evil.  I think they do a pretty good job of this.  We get to see the conflict in Anakin.  We get to see major events that set him on the course.  We get to see Palpatine acting as puppet master.  It's not perfect, but you can definitely see that it make sense how he turns.  In some ways it makes the original trilogy even more powerful, because we see how somewhat similar events Luke lived through but he rejected the Dark Side.  This is where I hope they continue to go with the new movies.  See Rey, and maybe even Kylo, get tempted and how she (they) deals with it.

Visuals

No, I am not defending the overuse of CGI.  I am saying that despite that the movies are very beautiful to look at.  This goes back to the world building, the planets and the scenery are stunning.  Like the original movies they are beautiful, but in a different way.  Yes they are a bit too "clean", not as gritty as the originals, but that's ok because things are a bit newer.  They get worn down as the rebellion kicks in.  I'm ok with it.

Legitimate Beefs

Phantom Menace

Let's get the big one out of the way.  The Phantom Menace is not a good movie.  Darth Maul is great.  Naboo is beautiful.  That's about as far as I can go supporting it.  It was made even more obvious trying to watch it with a 6 year old.  How in the heck do I explain a trade dispute with him?  Why is there so much politics?  Jar Jar is pretty bad.  The pod race, while I appreciate the nod to Ben Hur, goes on a bit too long.  The stuff with Anakin flying the fighter is way too convenient.  It started the problem (at least in my mind, since it was the first time I noticed it) of many big event movies where there are multiple sides of a battle going on, everyone starts to lose at the same time, everyone is going to die, then something happens and it's all resolved quickly.  This, what I call "Phantom Menacing", is the main reason why I did not like the first Avengers movie nearly as much as many people.  Watch it again, it's basically an identical end battle.  And then there's Jake Lloyd.  He's not good.  Anakin is way too young, and it makes the romance in Attack of the Clones that much worse.  I still maintain the prequels could have been even better if it started with Attack of the Clones, there was a full on Clone Wars movie, then ended with Revenge of the Sith.  In fact, I like to watch the Clone Wars cartoon that came out between the movies in just this fashion, and it works pretty well (and it's just over 2 hours).  We don't need to see baby Anakin.  It's hard to defend Phantom Menace.

The Writing

There's a considerable lack of that "something" that made the original trilogies so much fun.  Very little good banter between the characters.  Forced relationships, of course most notably the dreadful romance between Padme and Anakin.  So much talking to explain politics and economics.  Even though there's a good amount of action in the prequels, they still drag quite badly at points.  Just get on with it.

The Music

This is one that most people probably do not get.  I love John Williams.  I am not blaming John Williams.  This is squarely on George Lucas and whoever edited the movies (I don't really want to blame the wrong person).  The second and third movies are very poorly scored, especially during the action sequences.  Most of it is tracked from Phantom Menace or earlier scenes in such a way that it is obvious and jarring.  I would love to hear what Maestro Williams intended for those scenes, particularly the huge fight on Geonosis.  Why mess with the best?

CGI

Way too much of it.  Some of it looks ok, some of it is pretty bad.  This went far from one of the things that made the originals so good.  We could see this coming with the special editions, but the prequels were way over the top.  Luckily Abrams has largely fixed this problem with Force Awakens.

There are probably other things, but those are the major points.

Defense of Force Awakens

Star Wars fans can be impossible to please.  They don't like the prequels because they're too different from the originals.  They don't like Force Awakens because it's too similar.  What do you want?  I left the Force Awakens, both times, being pumped and ready for the next one.  How could there be a better reaction than that?  I'm here to dispel some of the issues some people have mentioned, while admitting a few issues I have.

Lightsabers

            One of the biggest complaints I've heard, and honestly one that I had, was the ease with which Finn and Rey used the lightsaber.  And how easily they defeated Kylo Ren.  I went into the second viewing to pay attention to this in particular, and I have to say I was wrong the first time.  If you watch closely, they both struggle.  Finn in particular is kind of flailing around and Kylo Ren is playing with him.  You also have to remember that he got shot by Chewbacca's bolt caster, a hit that knocked others way out.  So he's hurt, but he's still playing with Finn, like a cat with its prey.  That is until Finn gets a lucky shot in, then Kylo gets made and puts him down quite easily.  After Rey gets the lightsaber, she too is not fighting very well, until she summons the force.  So you can chalk up her skill from a.) her use of her stick as shown in the beginning of the film and b.) her use of the force.  It all makes sense when you think about it and watch it again.  The one issue I do still have is where the heck did they get Luke's lightsaber?  Maz Kanata does say that's a story for another day, so maybe we'll find out some day.

Lack of Emotion

            This is especially surrounding the death of Han Solo.  I will answer that in two ways.  First, each character does get their moment to react.  Second, they don't get much time BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR!  When you're in their situation, you don't have time to pout, as Han himself said, "Escape now, hug later."

It's Just a Copy of the Originals

            My first reaction to that is, so what?  My second reaction to that is, you're not looking at the movie enough.  Yes, there is a circularity to the story, but is that not because it's a timeless story?  And anyways, it's not exactly a copy.  An orphan, who is strong with the force, meets up with an older mentor who dies, and that mentor must face an evil guy in black.  Yes, there are more similarities, but there are also a lot of differences.  Honestly, I don't really think this is something worth discussing.  People wanted to be reminded of what made them love a galaxy far, far away, and that's what they got.  The alternative was the prequels.  And we got some interesting new characters whom I want to follow.  There's nothing wrong with that.

The Starkiller Base Was Weak

            Alternately: it's just a bad copy of the Death Star.  This again is a no-big-deal for me.  It's not supposed to be a major center of the story.  It's a big bad weapon that destroys some planets and must be destroyed.  The true focus of the story is Rey, Finn, BB-8, and the search for Luke.  The Starkiller is a fairly good setpiece for the final battle.  It had to happen somewhere, and any way it makes sense since the Empire was always trying to build the ultimate weapon as we see in IV, VI, and going back to III.

CGI

            This is actually a plus and minus for some people.  Yes, there's relatively little CGI, more like the originals.  But yet Snoke and Maz, the two biggest CGI characters, are not done well.  I actually don't have a problem with Maz and don't really see why people do.  Snoke I can understand, but remember all we're seeing is a hologram.  Give them time.  It's not like the original Emperor in Empire Strikes Back looked great.

The Characters (Poe, General Hux, Captain Phasma) Weren't Fleshed Out Enough

            I think we had plenty of character development for one movie.  We can (and will) see more of them in the next movies.  The one that I really want to know more about is the "old friend" Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow).  Surely we'll find out more about him?

There Weren't Any "Iconic" Scenes

            I beg to differ.  What's better than Han and Chewie back on the Falcon?  How about that awesome dogfight on Jakku?  And then there's my personal favorite, Rey winning the lightsaber with the music going in the background!

A Lack of Variety

            All we see are X-Wings and TIE Fighters.  Where are the A-Wings?  B-Wings?  Y-Wings would have been perfect for the bombing run!  Where are the TIE-Interceptors?  What about new star fighters since Return of the Jedi?  This is probably my biggest problem with the movie.  The first time around I did not really mind it, but after hearing someone else complain about it, this really stood out to me the second viewing.  They really need to fix it, and explain it that this wing of the Resistance only had X-Wings, but others have more?  I don't know, but they do need to address it.

The Ending

            I have to admit on the first viewing I thought the movie went on too long.  I thought it should have ended when Rey and Chewie departed in the Falcon.  Now, I guess I can see it's ok to end it the way it did, since the movie was all about the quest to find Luke so you had to put a bow on it.  I did think it was cool that Luke was hiding out in the real life monasteries of Skellig Michael off the coast of Ireland.  Jedi are, after all, Catholic monks.

Again, overall I found the movie to be engaging, fun, with some really interesting characters.  I'm excited to see what happens with Rey and Luke and if they're really related like so many people think.  I'm excited to see if Kylo Ren continues to be pulled by the light side (like an anti-Luke).  I'm excited to see more Finn and Poe. 

That's not to say it's perfect.  Again, I want to know how Maz got Luke's lightsaber.  The rathtars were legitimately kind of dumb.  Finn seemed to know a lot for someone who worked in sanitation.  But these are relatively minor qualms.

Now, the ranking, worst to best:

The Phantom Menace

            Can there be any doubt?  I are pointed out most of the major issues with it.  Definitely should have been skipped.

Revenge of the Sith

            There are quite a few good things going for this movie.  But it all seems a bit rushed, particularly Order 66.  This is where a full on Clone Wars movie could have helped the pacing as the first half hour or so could have been in another movie.

Attack of the Clones

            I will not defend the romance.  I will say I love the detective stuff with Obi-Wan (he's almost a better Batman than Christian Bale).  I particularly like the space battle in the asteroids and love the seismic charges with the delayed sound blasts. 

The Force Awakens

            See my above comments.  Any movie that makes me immediately want to see a sequel has done what it's supposed to do. 

Return of the Jedi

            As previously mentioned, my favorite.  The Pit of Carkoon is my favorite scene (and favorite score) in any of the movies.  How can you argue against a movie where the entire last hour is one giant (good!) battle with three high-stakes parts to it?  And c'mon, the Ewoks aren't that bad.

Star Wars

            A revolutionary movie in many ways.  The beginning of the great new mythos.  It's not perfect, but it's darn exciting.  I still say Luke staring into the sunsets is the most iconic image in any of the movies, and one of the most iconic in film history.  Lucas knew what he was doing.  Han shot first.

The Empire Strikes Back

            Not only the greatest Star Wars movie, not only one of the greatest science fiction (though I hesitate to call Star Wars science fiction-it's a space western or space opera) movies of all time, one of the greatest movies period.  Very nearly flawless.  The introduction of probably the most famous theme in movie history.  One of the greatest lines in movie history ("I know").  One of the greatest shocking revelations in movie history.  The best cliffhanger ending in movie history.  Somehow it took me until about the fourth or fifth viewing of the trilogy to realize it is the best, but now there's no doubt.

Goodbye Mr. Rickman

Alan Rickman was one of my favorite actors.  Yes he became famous as a villain, one of the greatest in cinema history, but he had quite a bit more range than that.  Yet somehow he was never recognized by the Academy, never even earning a nomination!

I was saddened to hear of his passing.  My dream job for him had always been to be a James Bond villain.  Of course he would have stolen the show, but who cares?  He will be missed.

In honor of this great actor, I wanted to highlight what I would argue are his best performances.  There are still some I have not seen (Truly Madly Deeply, Rasputin) and some I have not seen in a long time (Michael Collins, Quigley Down Under), so they will not be found here.

10.  Blue Caterpillar, Alice in Wonderland

            A fairly minor role, but he still gets to show off his magnificent voice.

9.  Richis, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

            Again a relatively small role in a movie that's sadly not well known in the United States.  If you like slightly disturbing European cinema, you need to see this.

8.  Judge Turpin, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

            Can he sing well?  Not really.  But he still chews up the scenes like few other actors can.

7.  Metatron, Dogma

            Can you think of anyone else who would be better as the Voice of God?

6.  Harry, Love Actually

            In a movie full of engaging stories, his is perhaps the most compelling and tragic.  He and Emma Thompson are an incomparable pair.

5.  Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

            A slight guilty pleasure of mine, he is by far the best part of this movie nearly taking it over.  "I'm gonna cut your heart out with a...spoon!"

4.  Alexander Dane, Galaxy Quest

            In a fantastic movie with a nearly perfect cast, Rickman stands out as the worn out thespian.  Plus, he gets one of the greatest catch phrases ever.  "By Grabthar's Hammer, you shall be avenged!"

3.  Severus Snape, Harry Potter series

            Again, a movie series with nearly perfect casting, his is one of the most perfect standouts (second probably only to Kenneth Branagh in a role practically written for him).  I cannot read these books without thinking about Rickman.  The fact that this is third shows the strength of his resume.

2.  Hans Gruber, Die Hard

            Wait, this is second?  The role that made him famous?  Probably the second best villain in film history (to Darth Vader, naturally).  As much as I love him in this, there is another role that is more him, at least to me.

1.  Colonel Brandon, Sense and Sensibility

            To some people, I'm crazy for thinking this. For others, I'm right on.  I remember watching this movie for the first time in AP English IV and being completely wrapped up in the story, but especially his character.  I was Colonel Brandon.  He blew me away.  When thinking of Alan Rickman I may think of other characters first, but this will always be his best.

Hall of Fame Vote 2016

Hall of Fame voting will be announced on Wednesday.  In preparation, I wanted to share my (unofficial) ballot for this year.

Jeff Bagwell - 2315 hits, 488 2Bs, 449 HRs, 1529 RBIs, 202 SBs, 1401 BBs, 1558 Ks, .297/.408/.540

A leader for one of the great teams that never won anything.  Steroid link is flimsy.  Arguably the best all-around first baseman of all time.  One of the greatest baserunners I've seen.  Home runs would have been in the 500s if he did not spend a majority of the his career in the Astrodome.

Ken Griffey, Jr. - 2781 hits, 524 2Bs, 630 HRs, 1836 RBIs, 184 SBs, 1312 BBs, 1779 Ks, .284/.370/.538

A no-brainer.  Was elected to the All Century Team before the age of 30.  Yes his production went way down after going to Cincinnati, but he was basically constantly injured.  Basically as good in the field as at the plate.  And for what it's worth, one of the sweetest swings you'll ever see.

Trevor Hoffman - 61-75, 2.87 ERA, 601 SVs, 1089.1 IP, 307 BBs, 1133 Ks, 1.058 WHIP

The greatest National League closer all time.  As dominant as Mariano Rivera in his prime.  No doubt in my mind.

Edgar Martinez - 2247 hits, 514 2Bs, 309 HRs, 1261 RBIs, 1283 BBs, 1202 Ks, .312/.418/.515

Sure he was a DH for the majority of his career, he just happens to be the best at it all time.  Overshadowed by bigger names on his team, he was a steady performer.  5th highest lifetime on base percentage post WWII.

Fred McGriff - 2490 hits, 441 2Bs, 493 HRs, 1550 RBIs, 1305 BBs, 1882 Ks, .284/.377/.509

How much did the 1994 strike hurt his HOF chances, since he definitely would have hit at least 7 more home runs and reached that magical number.  Sure there were a number of other great first basemen during his career, and sure he moved around a lot, should that hurt his chances that much?

Mike Piazza - 2127 hits, 344 2Bs, 427 HRs, 1335 RBIs, 759 BBs, 1113 Ks, .308/.377/.545

Can someone explain to me why the greatest hitting catcher is not in the HOF?  Just look at those numbers at a premium position!  His 1995-1997 are three of the best in a row for anybody.

Tim Raines - 2605 hits, 430 2Bs, 170 HRs, 980 RBIs, 808 SBs, 1330 BBs, 966 Ks, .294/.385/.425

The most confounding non-HOFer.  The second greatest leadoff hitter of all time, who just happened to play at the same time as the greatest ever.  People knock him for not getting 3000 hits, but how about the fact that he got on base more than Tony Gwynn (whom I love)?  I just do not understand people who do not vote for him.

Alan Trammell - 2365 hits, 412 2Bs, 185 HRs, 1003 RBIs, 236 SBs, 850 BBs, 874 Ks, .285/.352/.415

Half of the greatest double play duo in history.  His numbers are virtually equal to the more flashy Barry Larkin (who also played in a more offense friendly era).

Billy Wagner - 47-40, 2.31 ERA, 422 SVs, 903 IP, 300 BBs, 1196 Ks, .998 WHIP

Did you know that he has the highest K rate and the lowest WHIP in history?  One of the most electric fastballs ever on a tiny body.  Does not get as much love as Rivera and Hoffman, but just as good in his prime.

Larry Walker - 2160 hits, 471 2Bs, 383 HRs, 1311 RBIs, 230 SBs, 913 BBs, 1231 Ks, .313/.400/.565

Sure, Coors inflated his numbers.  That does not take away from him being one of the best all around players of his generation.  Nearly as good on the basepaths as Bagwell and one of the best outfield arms of his era (probably just below Vladimir Guerrero).

If I had more than 10 votes, I would also include:

Curt Schilling - ace with great playoff numbers

Mike Mussina - solid starter

Jeff Kent - one of best offensive 2B all time

Feel free to agree, disagree, and debate with me.

Fourth Wednesday of Advent

12/23, Fourth Wednesday of Advent

A child shall be born for us,

and he will be called God, the Almighty;

every tribe of the earth shall be blest in him.

Two things that stand out here for me.  First, the reminder of the juxtaposition of the Almighty God coming as a lowly baby.  Second, every person shall be blest.  Sometimes we forget that all people are called to be Christian.  We try not to talk about it because we do not want to offend others.  There's another religion that has no such qualms and is growing much faster because of it.  If only we had their zeal, without the methods of forced conversion.  God, the Almighty, came in peace as a baby for all people.  We should likewise spread His message in peace and love to all peoples.

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

Fourth Tuesday of Advent

12/22, Fourth Tuesday of Advent

O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher ancient doors.

Let him enter, the king of glory!

Our Eternal King is coming, are we open to him?  Have we chosen to accept or reject Him?  This is something I often wonder about atheists and others who reject the Gospel message.  Are they deliberately closed to hear the Good News?  What can we do to help them be open to it?  Ultimately we are reminded that it is a personal choice.  Whether we like it or not, God is there, waiting to enter into our hearts.  It is our choice to accept or reject Him.  What are we Christians doing during the Advent season to embrace God in our lives and in our hearts?

O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart;

O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from dust.

Fourth Monday of Advent

12/21, Fourth Monday of Advent

The Lord and Ruler will be coming soon,

and his name will be called Emmanuel,

because he will be God-with-us.

Do we ever stop to think about the true meaning of Emmanuel, God-with-us?  That God came lowered Himself, taking the body of a man, to live with us?  That He was like us in all things save sin?  What an immense concept!  So difficult to truly comprehend all that that means.  But that is what we are anticipating this week.  God came to be with us, and He will again.

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:

come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.