Deeply Personal, no need to read this, move on

Sometimes in life, we see ourselves for who we really are, flaws and all.  Some people don’t seem to ever see their own flaws, while others don't seem to be able to see their strengths.  Long ago, I realized that I was able to do both.  Unfortunately for me, I also realized that others had this ability to see these things in me as well.  My flaws were transparent to me, as well as others.  I felt like I was at the beach wearing a speedo (and for those of you who know what I look like, it is just THAT frightening).

See, being a Christian should mean a healthy self-esteem.  The reality that I was created perfectly with flaws should give me the ability to appreciate that God made me flawed for a reason.  This should lead to me knowing that he still loves me and created me this way and should help me accept myself, speedo and all.

Sadly, I can’t say I do.  I can’t understand why I battle every day and lose.  I should have Victory in Him and yet I seem to habitually have failure by myself.  He has given me everything, His love, wonderful family, great friends, and even a purpose that I am able to fulfill.  However, I feel so much like I fail all of them daily.  Being a Christian should mean joyful servant hood without need for recognition and praise.  For me it is miserable selfishness and sloth with need to be praised and respected despite not earning it.

The worst part is that there are solutions I seem too selfish or lazy to take advantage of.   And that is what hurts the most.  I know I need to work harder, read the Bible more, and be deeper in prayer and in my relationship with Him, yet I never seem to be able to do it.  See, I KNOW it can be done.  I can do better.  I just wish I knew why I wont.  I am sick of failing all those who love me so much, and I can't understand why I can't overcome my own lazyiness to do it for them.  I have no choice but to keep trying to change.  Keep trying to get myself to succeed.  Keep holding on to the hope that with God I can do everything.  Sometimes I think getting me to where he wants me to be will be a miracle greater than any he has ever performed.  I hope someday to read this and smile knowing that He did it.  For now, I pray daily that my kids see their father and learn not to be like him.  My only hope is that they learn to not want to be like me.  Someday, I hope to want to be like myself.

Negotiations

Well, the sports world right now is dominated with negotiations.  NFL labor, Pujols, and the list goes on and on.One thing that remains the same is the highly annoying practice of playing the PR game.  The sad thing is this game has no winners.  It is the most futile game since a computer once asked "Shall we play a game?" and Matthew Broderick almost killed us all.

SO here, I will break it down for all parties:

Albert Pujols:  NOBODY cares Albert if you are the 8th or 1st highest paid player.  The numbers are all ridiculous.  The fans of whoever you play for will love you, the teams you play against will boo you, and if you leave StL, they will cheer for you 1 time then burn you in effigy.  Also, your contract will be held over you whether you are negotiating or not.  It will be a distraction, plain and simple.  Right now you have a ridiculously great reputation.  All that will go out the window if you leave StL.  Ask Mark Teixiera!

Cardinals:  Get him signed or StL fans will never forgive you.  Period,  Dont matter if you offered him 100 yrs $50 mill a  year.......sign him or prepare to be hated by your own fans.You could deal him to Boston for Adrian Gonzalez and John Lester and still your fans will be mad.  Stop talking in the press at all... NOONE cares.

NFL Owners:  You make big money.  If you play even 1 preseason game with scrubs or cancel 1 game........ fans will turn on you,  Noone wants to hear you cry.  So stop talking and get it done.

NFLPA:  You can cart out a bunch of crippled ex-players who are millions in debt due to football related medical problems and get some sympathy.  However, in the end.....if there is a work stoppage, prepare for noone to care about any of you

I just can never understand why people do what they do when in negotiations. In the end the fans want games to be played and players to stick around.  I dont blame them all for wanting to get the best deal possible BUT stop talking in the press and sit down and get the deal done.  Sometimes, it simply comes down to stop playing games and get it done so they CAN play games.

 A few random thoughts:

The Lakers will be fine.  A team with massive current success tends to play uninspired this time of year.  Notice what happened when they went into Boston..... they will be fine come playoffs.  No trade needed.

Who has retired the most number of times: Favre or Armstrong? 

The NHL should take this time to rid itself of the thugs.  More suspensions, more penalties, and lets get rid of all the violence which takes a very exciting sport and turns it into the WWE on skates.  PLayers with no skill but great at fighting need to go to UFC and put more players who can play onto the ice.  (maybe this will keep guys like Savard and Crosby ON THE ice)

It is sad that there is not a single ALL star game I care to watch.   NBA should be the best but it is the same joke the other sports are. I would rather see the NFL have the Pro Bowl be the worst NFL team vs the best players coming out of the draft with the same pro bowl rules to avoid injuries.  That might be worth watching.

Diana Taurasi is someone I want to believe but did she test positive or not?  WHo knows?!?

If you have kids around 7-10 years old, try watching Jeopardy with them.  If your name isnt Ken Jennings, I bet at some time you will feel mighty unintelligent.

In life it is always worth a few bucks to go to someone you trust.  I am blessed to have 2 mechanics, a doctor, and an eye doctor that I trust.  It is so very important.

Try saying thank you to someone who is "just doing their job".  We take for granted people who do their job very well because we think they should.  It is only when you run into someone who isnt as good, that you realize it and by then you missed your chance to thank the person who did it well.

Please comment here, on facebook, or on twitter.  Always interested in people's opinions.

What I love.....

The things I love:

Jesus, who died for my sins.
My wife, who is way out of my league but still loves me.
My kids, who are awesome in so many ways.
My family, who are amazing in their ability to love me.
My friends, who I can depend on always.
My bosses at work, every one of them.  They are amazing people who I am proud to work with/for.  My bosses include an administrator who is patient and kind, teachers who are amazingly talented and loving, parents who are dedicated to quality education, and students who amaze me at their ability to show me maturity beyond their years even though they are still kids.
Kisses from my kids!
Valenitnes from students.
Seeing people like past co-workers, fellow adoptive parents, a former PCCS teacher with her newly expanded family, and PCCS parents when picking up takeout.
The Patriots, Red Sox, and even Celtics and Bruins.  (you didnt think this would be sports free, did you?)
My pastor and his wife.
My CH family.  If you arent part of it, you wont ever understand.
Artwork from my favorite artists.... Donald, Monet, and Renoir.
Poker.  I love the game and the time I spend playing it with my friends.
Snow, but not ice and not the roads here when we get a ton of it.
Politicians who tell the truth and vote their conscience, leagues that do their negotiating behind closed doors not in the press, great tasting low calorie desserts, and Santa Claus (ok, these are things I WOULD love if they existed)

There is a ton more I love, but that is all I got right now.  Have a happy valentines day!  Mine was happy because I woke up to 3 kids, 1 amazing wife, and headed to a job that I am blessed to have!

Open Note to the NFL and NFLPA

This blog entry could be simply 2 words: WAKE UP.  It most likely would be just as powerful and informative as blogging out an entire entry on this topic.  However, like my friends to whom I direct this blog entry, I am choosing the longer and more excruciatingly painful way of getting things done.

As a sports fan, I have been through replacement players, missed games, strikes, lockouts, and even a missed championship.  While my life's focus is God and family, these events were emotionally taxing for me. People might tell me to get a life, but I am sorry, sports isn't my life, but my life does involve sports.


Now, here is your warning:  RANT IS ON. 

What exactly are you all thinking?  You have 3 choices.  Get a deal done, take some time off from playing, or disband the NFL.  After the most watched Super Bowl in history, a very successful and PROFITABLE season, and a bright future ahead, is it not in everyone's best interest to get a deal done?  So, what in the world are you all waiting on?  Get it done now!!! No more posturing, no more threats and hyperbole in the media, no more wasted time!!!!  Find a place to get this done, lock the main negotiators in, and do not let them see their families until a deal is in place.  You all know there are parameters that will get this done, you all know that EVERYONE loses if you miss even 1 game, and you should know that even an off season lockout is going to annoy/anger some fans.

So, here is my solution.  It is simple.  I live in a small town, few distractions.  Fly in both parties and rent a few rooms at our Quality Inn.  Every day I will come and check in on you all.  I will be happy to help mediate on a few items.  Noone gets to see family or friends until the deal is done.  Our town has tons of fast food, but only a couple decent places to eat.  We have a small movie theater and a bowling alley but otherwise no distractions to getting a deal done.  I love living here but I doubt these guys will love it here and hopefully it will force a quick resolution.

Now, I am not privy to all the details but here is what I think needs to happen: 

1.  Stay at 16 games.  Fans don't need or want more games and your entire record book becomes history instead of current events if you change the season to 18 games.
2.  Expand rosters 3 spots (2 more active per week) and also add the ability to add an emergency kicker instead of QB if a team wants.
3.  Make a rule saying that a player can only be franchised 1 time IF HE PLAYS AN ENTIRE SEASON.  If the player sits out even 1 preseason game for contractual reasons, he can be franchised the next season.  The next season, the player become a restricted free agent.  (legit injuries would count as playing)
4.  Make sure your retired players are covered medically for life.  (I dont know if this is already done, but it should be!)
5.  Take the large pile of profits and divide it up!  Give the players a little more and call it a day.

Here is your warning NFL.  I used to love the NHL.  I still love hockey, but I rarely watch a sport that used to be my #2 sport.  As I got older and the novelty of legalized fighting on skates got old, the league imploding and then not adjusting to make the game better has made me divorce my #2 and turn to other ones that I don't love as much.  The NFL is in danger of following this path if they choose petty squabbling and public posturing over getting it done and keeping their fans happy.

I dont care how far away you all say you are, I don't want to hear any more rhetoric, and I do not care to hear millionaires and billionaires cry.  I just want to hear about progress, hear about getting closer, and finally hear a deal is done.  Otherwise, lock your mouths shut, lock your focus on getting a deal done, and LOCK yourselves in and get er done Mater!!!

So guys, after all this, I will summarize the way I started:  WAKE UP!

Super bowl rants

Admittedly, being a Patriots fan clouds my judgement on everything NFL. However, one comment the commissioner made this week has stuck in my head as quite bizarre. When asked about Michael Vick hosting a party at the super bowl, the commissioner said he had talked to Vick 3 times about it and was assured Vick was not any part of it. Quite innocuous normally, but coupled with a lack of comment on another super bowl story, seems very strange.

Why exactly was the commish so worried about a player hosting a party who has been out of trouble for years and who has not had a problem with drinking? 3 times? Really?

So one would assume that a player who has had problems stemming from drinking and was seen out getting drunk would have got how many calls? 5? 8? 50? I guess none are needed. See, don't get me wrong, what Vick did YEARS ago was horrible but partying/drinking was not part of the problem. Does the commish feel like Vick has to be perfect?

Meanwhile millions of people will be rooting tonight for a guy who doesn't get it. He raped at least 1 girl and almost ended his life in an accident years ago both due to having alcohol/judgement issues. Yet, being out drinking the Tuesday before the Super Bowl isn't a problem? Why does Vick have to be spotless and Big Ben can continue this behavior?

I didn't root for Wilfredo Cordero and I hope some Pittsburgh fans will stop rooting for Ben until he at least shows a willingness to do something to change his destructive lifestyle.

Alcohol isn't the problem, Ben's inability to safely partake responsibly is.  I have a ton of respect for Mike Tomlin, so I hope behind the scenes, Tomlin is trying to help his star QB grow up before he does anything ELSE destructive.

So, enjoy the Super Bowl. I am taking GB 34-13. Injuries make me think this game won't be as close as it should be. Raji vs a backup is a huge problem.

This is my first blog here, so comment away.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7