Sit or Start?

The Fantasy Gods have given me favor this year. Aside from the early loss of Jake Delhomme, the injury bug has stayed away and Derek Anderson filled the void. Travis Henry was a bust, but Earnest Graham was gift wrapped on the waiver wire. Game day decisions where only difficult on the bye weeks, and I still don't have a loss in a non-bye week game. The most difficult decision I am faced with weekly is Derek Anderson or Matt Hasselbeck. Only once has either been a bad pick, and I nicely avoided those starts. But now, as a Championship hangs in the balance, I am forced to wonder how the ever conservative Colts will play it this week. I could start Addai. I could start Keith. I could roll the dice and go with Chester Taylor who will be running against the soft Redskins.

On paper it shouldn't matter. Hasselbeck will run his new pass first offense against Baltimore....no problems there. That gives Engram a good game and my other two receivers are number 1 and 3 among receivers this year. Oh, but T.J. is in a drought and Randy's team has clinched. Oh that my first tough decision in weeks were not on Championship week.

But then again, why am I crying. The Gods have smiled on me thus far, and I should be appreciative.

Fukudome!

The Cubs picked up Japanese baseball star, Kosuke Fukudome (KOH-skay foo-koo-DOUGH-may. He looks like a promising pick-up; he is left handed, has a career average of .305, and averages 29 dongs a year. Don't get too hopeful though, Fukudome sat half of last season with chips in his elbow...hey I thought we were trading Mark Prior. For more details check out the following stories:

Cubs Win Fukudome Sweepstakes

Here is and SI article on Fukudome before he decided to come to the U.S.

Why Fault Tinsley?

Jamal Tinsley's actions were not wrong because he chose to go to a club. No, not even Cloud 9 should be off limits to professional athletes or anyone else for that matter. Whatever a grown man wants to do with his time is his business. The problem is that I have read about him for the wrong reasons three times in the past 14 months. Plenty of NBA stars now and in years past have led very active social lives that included Cloud 9 and many other clubs like it without any headliners. The problem seems to be related to the choices he makes when he is out with his entourage. Something about the way Tinsley lives the club lifestyle gets him into the news, and he needs to evaluate that both for his public image and for his own life.

Last week the Washington Redskins put one of their players to rest. Sean Taylor's memory should inspire all professional athletes and people in general to evaluate their actions and the consequences of those actions. Jamal Tinsley is fortunate that he did not suffer a similar fate. This isn't about whether or not he, as a man, is free to do what he wants when he wants. It is about whether or not his freely chosen actions place his reputation, or more importantly, his life in jeopardy.

Ravens Dale?

This afternoon I enjoyed my weekly three hour listin in on the Drive with JMV on WNDE. I am only a little ashamed that my favorite part of the show is listening to Ravens Dale mouth off and give ridiculous take after ridiculous take. He never ceases to amaze me, but today may have topped them all.

Dale calls in, and of course he is backed into a corner because we smacked Baltimore this weekend; so, instead of his usual song and dance, he comes out with, "the Colts are the best team in the NFL without question". The most loyal Colts fan cannot grant this point. 13-0 including a win over our beloved Colts speaks for itself. After this ridiculous Colts love from a long time Colts hater confirms one of my long time suspicions. Ravens Dale assesses what is real in this world and then takes the opposite stand point. Given the Ravens tank job this year, Ravens Dale's newfound support for the home team is an insult to listeners. Does Ravens Dale really think we are the top dog? Of course not, but if he came on and spoke some sense about the caliber of team both New England and Indianapolis are this year, we would have no reason to continue speaking about his severe case of ignorance. But, what could we expect from someone who doesn't seem to know what it means to argue from the high side?

One Ref Does Not A Conspiracy Make

After watching this week's Monday Night Game, I was frustrated to hear all of the crying. While it was also frustrating to see three fourth down opportunities granted to New England on one set of downs, the calls that were made were the correct calls. Baltimore had opportunity after opportunity to salt this game away. Is Boller so bad that he can't complete a pass down field with 8 and sometimes 9 men in the box? After being gashed for three quarters, the New England 'D' sold out on the run. The simple response is to throw over the top to force them out of the box. Bad turnovers, shaky play calling, and a great opponent are the reasons for this Baltimore loss; not one way out of line ref.

Calling Sumari Rolle a 'boy' is completely out of line and if this is substantiated this ref should be fined, suspended, and put on probation. On the local radio station a college ref called in and said that he was taught that as a ref you should always keep in mind that "you can't quote silence". They teach refs this because we don't want to hear about refs. They are there to police the game, not to require policing. This said, the level of complaining, moaning, and griping seemed pretty high and might of tested those who are not strong of mind. I won't forgive this guy for losing his cool, but I don't want to exonerate his antagonists either.

This whole business of the NFL trying to sell their Network by keeping New England undefeated is a little ridiculous. Are they going to sing and dance on the way to the bank if this happens? Of course they are! But, to say that they are behind some sort of ridiculous conspiracy to allow New England to go undefeated is a more than a little crazy. The strongest point against this conspiracy theory is that if the NFL was going to affect the outcome of this game it would have chosen a much less abrasive method than having the refs taunt the opposing team. Come on!

However unfortunate it may be, New England is undefeated becasue they make plays when it counts and often when it doesn't.

Central Champs!

It is a glorious October day, and I can relax knowing that the Chicago Cubs are here to play another day. It hasn't been pretty, but we have arrived in the post season ready to vanquish the Goat for which this blog is named.

I can only relax for a day however; tomorrow begins the madness. In a weak NL, it appears that the Cubs are the most complete team, and should have a good shot at appearing in their first World Series since 1945. But it is the same Chicago Cubs franchise who boasted a 3-2 lead going into game six of the 2003 NLDS with Prior and Wood to start games 6 and 7: a virtual lock. What we have now is not near a 'virtual lock' yet we must try to climb the mountain again. Maybe Lou Piniella has what it takes to fire this thing into the Series, but tomorrow I will put down my lemonade and grab a beer. It's going to be a wild ride!

Let's Close the Discussion

If there is one thing I am tired of hearing, it is how Ryan Dempster is a terrible closer and the Cubs need to make a move. Dempster is 26 of 29 in save opportunities. He has given up only 3 Home Runs all year. Only Jason Isringhausen, Bobby Jenks, and Trevor Hoffman have given up fewer long balls from the closer role at two a piece.

The point here is that Dempster is not a bad closer. If he were, Lou Pinella would take him out and insert Carlos Marmol who seems to have the stuff to take that role. If there is a problem with Dempster, it is not with his pitching, but with his style. Typically closers are strikeout pitchers; Dempster is a contact pitcher who allows his defense to make plays behind him. If one would actually watch the games, they would see that Dempster is pitching incredibly well of late. He is hitting spots, and getting ground balls. Unfortunately, sometimes crazy things happen when the ball gets put in play. Sometimes a crappy slow roller will get a speedy guy on base, or a broken bat will yield a dumpy hit into shallow right, or perhaps a ground ball to first will hit the base and roll merrily past Derrek Lee into right field. The point is that Dempster is making good pitches and giving up runs at the same time. The good news is that things like this don't happen forever. As long as he gets good hitters to take bad swings, things will work out. Like last night for example, Mike Lamb triples to put the tying run on third with no outs. This was facilitated by another piece of bad luck as the lead off man reached when a ball glanced off of first base and away from Lee. But alas, Dempster makes a another good pitch to get Munson to ground into a game ending 3-6-1 double play.

I am not calling him Mariano Rivera, but he is a valuable closer. By the way, Mariano Rivera is 26 for 29 in save opportunities and has given up

Free Money

I moved out of my parents house and into my apartement on February 1st. It has been a wonderful time; it is a great feeling to know that I am supporting myself. That said, this little journey into self-sufficiency has come with some hard lessons. The first lesson, which is the guiding lesson for all lessons, is that most lessons in life cost money. Morover, they require you to pay fees. Fees seem to be defined by giving money to an organization for absolutely nothing.

Lesson 2: Rent is due on the fourth day of the month, not the fourth 'business' day of the month.

Lesson 3: If you don't learn lesson two, then lesson one comes into play. Lesson 1 shows up to the tune of $60.

It isn't the worst thing that has happened to me, or even my most expensive mistake, however it is still handing someone $60 for absolutely nothing in return.

I would rather break something that you own and have to replace it, because at least the exchange is money for some thing.

And finally, Lesson number 4 which should be a no brainer...never make use of a grace period if you have the money already...just scratch the check and get it paid. Laziness costs money.

Cheers!

At first I doubted; I am a lowly fan. For, the Cubs have gained the lead and seem to be on the upswing. Should I predict a NL Central title? I think I shall, but save the crystal for the dance, for now I raise my plastic flute and toast to the eventual champ. Next year is NOW! So, lets party like it's 1999 2003!

10 RIBS!!!

No, it is not the per cap on a Texas Barbeque order. Garret Anderson had 10 RBI on four hits last night against the Bronx Bombers, but who are we really calling the bomber? Among his 10 RBI were 4 coming on the eighth grand slam of his career. Don't look now, but he is is a Free Agent in the I've Got Wood Fantasy League.

Freedom?

This post is a result of a conversation on the Blog-O-Rama. It is a discussion of what it means to be free.

There are several definitions that I would like to discuss.

First: Freedom is the ability to act without external, or unconscious* internal compulsion.

In this definition, no person is truly free for every moment of his life. There are some decisions that are compulsory. If I unknowingly touch a hot stove, I will remove my hand and this action will be outside of my volition. For this reason people do not like this definition. (Stronger examples can be given, but I think the conclusion that we, at times, act according, not to our wills, but to some external compulsion is strong.)

Second: Freedom is the ability to choose among two or more choices at each time a choice is available.

This definition seeks to rule out harmless compulsory actions so that the general ideal is that choices that I have are not taken away by some external source. For example, I could prefer country music to reggae and no one will make country music illegal to broadcast and listen to in a way that would limit my decision to listen to country music.

The general ideal of freedom as a qualifier of actions seems to be incorrect however. Human beings are communal beings. We live in communities, and so these communities will invariably affect our choices and in some ways our freedom as it is contrued in the first two definitions.

This thought brings us to the Third definition: Freedom is the ability to act in accordance with that which brings about the good of the whole community.

This seems nice for altruistic people, but we are not all altruistic and even those of us who are cannot live this definition. This definition requires one to consider whose it is to decide which action is for the good of the whole. If it is to each his own then there are a few problems. For brevity's sake, I will focus on the one that I think is the biggest problem. If I am to decide for myself what actions are good for the whole and freely live them, then I proclaim myself to have the right, guaranteed by my freedom, to perform any action. But, does freedom include the right to perform an injustice(I define justice as giving to each person what they are owed in all respects). I argue that it does not, inasmuch as performing "freely" an injustice acts to impede the freedom of the person harmed. I know that here I assume an ethical code, but insofar as the discussion that prompted this post criticized a government for impeding rights, I feel this assumption is granted in this forum.

It seems then that freedom should not be defined in the third way as it is too vague.

Here is the problem that I am attempting to get at in an abridged way(I have much more to say, but I figure I shan't take too much of your time). Anytime that a government exists, it limits freedom. Governments are given power by the people to inforce and agreed upon set of rights(hopefully). It is the very nature of the creation of a government to have a code of what is right and what is wrong. In a proper democracy then, the people decide amongst themselves what this code is. If you disagree with the code, then you are not free to act against the code. The government is given power over you. Even if you assent to every object in the code, your freedom is limited for you do not have the ability to change your mind and act accordingly.

The alternative is anarchy. Anarchy limits freedom inasmuch as those who are stronger in some way will invariable limit the rights of those who are for whatever reason defenseless.

The only definition of freedom that makes any sense to me is that freedom is the ability to not sin. I don't you to take that without a grain of salt and you could argue well against it. But if you are willing to assent to something greater to yourself that is ordered to your happiness, then you will likely find happiness and that is a lot like freedom to me.


*For awhile, let us not argue about whether humans can be affected by an unconscious state.

Friday Night!

For the first time since 2000, I am going to walk on to the field for the LC vs. LN football game courtesy of my friend who is a coach. I am pumped to get back to the hysteria that happens when two high school rivals get together on the gridiron. In fact, Friday nights hold some of my greatest high school memories.

I began to reflect about who I was then and who I am now. I recalled an editorial that I wrote for the Cub Reporter. I called for free admission for students to home games. I argued that fan support was important to the teams and that the school would draw just as much revenue, if not more, from concession sales. I also exhorted the students to attend the games. I thought it was reprehensible that a school of 2000 students could not put up more than 800 for a football game or more than 400 for a basketball game. Fan support, however, is not the crux of the argument. High school sports give students the opportunity to unite towards a single goal. So many small communities are drawn together because of high school athletics. It is a time for everyone in the community to put aside their differences and pull for the home team! I felt so strongly about this that I neglected to go to a single LC sporting event for the first seven years after my graduation.

You could judge me for my idealic portrayal of high school sports. You could draw attention to all of the negative things that come from high school sports: bitter rivalries, cheating, special treatment for athletes, or non-inclusive, athletic cliques. You could talk about how people over-emphasize winning. Nevertheless, high school sports have provided structure and support for many athletes who have become solid men and women in our society. Attending high school athletics supports a good cause and creates unity within communities. You could focus on all the things that it doesn't do, or you could get involved, go see a game, and have a lot of fun!

When is next year?

It is mid-august and the charging Chicago Cubs are in a familiar place: right in the middle of the chase. It looks like we have about fifteen days to fulfill our destiny. Will the dawn of September bring tidings of another year that we almost won the division.

Everything looked wonderful and then, Soriano goes down, Ramirez won't be 100% for the rest of the year, Piniella calls a team meeting, and so many Cubs fans cringe at the pattern that is emerging. Unable to take the Division lead from one game down in the midst of a four game Milwaukee losing streak with the Cardinals acting like they want a piece of the action, the Cubs seem to be losing the July/August steam that is known to so many of us.

Eternal optimists, do not fear. Kerry Wood has returned and looks very good. Jim Hendry continues to tell us that Jaque Jones and Cliff Floyd will hit home runs, and Soriano says he can play hurt.

Piniella said earlier in the year that this team has a losing mentality. It looked for a time like he got them to shake it, but we are back in the rut at the first sign of adversity.

Maybe it is the result of 18 straight games, maybe it is the torment of years past, maybe I ought not think of that little man with his headphones, maybe we will be alright. We certainly have the talent, but haven't we heard that before.