Sunday Random Thoughts

As I sit in my office completing paperwork for Express Checkout, I thought I would accumulate some random thoughts for Sunday:

• The Brewers are nine games over .500 and have the second best record in the National League. If the pitching can keep this up and stay healthy, they are going to be tough to beat. The offense is really clicking right now. Patience at the plate is paying off.
• My little brother, Isaac, was confirmed this morning. I honored to be asked to be one of his sponsors. His statement of faith was very well-written and he spoke about possibly being a minister. That is so cool!
• Bedtime Stories is a really fun movie. If you have yet to see it and want to something that isn't too deep, but is quite entertaining, I'd recommend checking it out.
• By 8:00 PM Monday, Webster Hall will be empty. Huzzah!
  

The CC Situation

I figured that CC Sabathia would not be signing with the Brewers. When we signed him last year, most of us knew that he was a hired gun. He was a player that would give us the extra push that we needed to make a playoff run. This goal was accomplished! But you figured he would go where the money is.

There were rumors that he wanted to live on the west coast, where is building a home for his family. I heard that he wanted to play in the National League where he could bat as a pitcher, something he is pretty good at doing. I also figured he wanted some serious cash, as he is probably the most sought after pitcher in free agency.

This is what I didn't think would happen:

1. He would sign with the Yankees! Boo...the most hated team is baseball.
2. That any player would get signed for that much money.
3. That apparently what was important to him was all less important than making a boat load of cash.

Well, the Brewers can't compete with a seven year, $161 million deal. There's a recession going on?

Cool Brewers Off-Season Overview

As I have explained before, I follow the Brewers, but do not consider myself an expert. My friend Jason Bock was written a great blog entry about the future of the Brewer's players...from his perspective.

I think they could put a great team together...it would be sweet if they kept Sabathia. We'll see.

Not a Good Start

The Brewers are 0-2 going into their game at Miller Park tomorrow. I would feel better about game 3 if Sabathia had pitched a strong game. I'm not sure what we have to throw at the Phillies that will extend the series. I am envious of those of you that have tickets for the game tomorrow. Go Crew!

I see that Bucks single game tickets go on sale tomorrow. With the move to pick up Jason Richardson, I thought the Bucks might be going places. Then I read this article. Now I am not quite as excited. In fact, I am bracing myself for another season of defense-less Bucks basketball. *sigh*

A New Frontier

The Brewers will be playing their first playoff game in 26 years...they will be playing the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs. The folks at ESPN aren't giving the Brewers much of a chance. Everyone seems to think the Brewers will lose the series. Some think CC might game one game for Brewers, but otherwise it will be quick.

It's probably the correct assumption. The Phillies have more talent all around and have much more security when it comes to pitching.

The Brewers felt a lot of pressure this season. Last year, the Brewers surprised people. This year there was an expectation that they make the playoffs. They took the next step this year. The pressure is off. Let's hop they can actually relax and not tense up in the playoffs. Players are swinging for the fences...they must be patient.

If the Brewers can play relaxed and have fun...who knows they may just surprise a few people.

Turning Point

On Sunday, I was given the opportunity to lead the vesper service at the Evergreen Retirement Community in Oshkosh, WI. The pastor who regularly leads this service told me that it should be no longer than 30 minutes and let me know the items that I needed to include in the service. This was the first time I took an opportunity to lead a service that I put together myself.

The process of generating a sermon, the proper prayers, hymns, etc. wasn't all that bad. What concerned me as the retirement community/nursing home environment. I wasn't sure how I'd react or how I'd be received.

Everyone there was so nice and accommodating while Christa and I were there. I was most touched by a comment that a lady made as she was leaving. She said to someone next to her, "It was so nice to be able to go to church today."

She said that about something that I led. I wonder sometimes how people feel about the services that I preside over. She didn't say, "Well that wasn't very good." She acknowledged my service as a church service, just like any other she might attend. That felt really good! I am really appreciating the opportunities I have to help with churches in the community.

It has me increasingly excited for July 2009 when I will hopefully be starting my own church appointment.

Other News:

1. I will talk more about the Brewers playoffs prospects tomorrow. Needless to say, they are in after a 26 year drought. My parents had tickets for the game and were there on Sunday!
2. It felt to get out this morning and do some interval training on the track at Oshkosh North.
   

Playoff Baseball

I have said before that I don't follow the Brewers all that much, but I have kept tabs on the team and recently have been checking the score and catching games when I can. Lat night, Christa checked in on the game while playing Rock Band 2.

It is scary how close the Brewers are to actually making it into the playoffs. With a win this afternoon and a Mets loss, they are in. They are one game up on the Mets in the wild card race.

If they do make the playoffs, they wouldn't play the Cubs in the first round (thanks, Jason). So, it could be interesting. I won't get ahead of myself. But it would be nice to see a Milwaukee team in the playoffs again in my lifetime. The Bucks get to the Eastern finals in 2000. I am wondering when something like that will happen again.

Small Victory

Thanks to a strong performance from Phillip Rivers, I managed to eek out a victory in fantasy football this week. Even at 1-2 I am now again in the cellar of the league. Four of my players are on a bye this week, so it might get even uglier. At least I have gotten any thoughts of an winless season out of the way.

Other News:

1. The Brewers start up against the Pirates tonight. This is a team that they could easily sweep. If the Mets continue to struggle against the Cubs, they might be back into it. I should be more excited about the Brewers still being in the hunt for the playoffs. What curbs my enthusiasm is the fact that even if they do make the playoffs, they will play the Cubs right away in the first round. Ouch!
2. I am trying out the Group Fitness classes at the SRWC Center this afternoon. We'll see how that goes.
   

What I'm Looking Forward to This Week:

Here is a list of things I am looking forward to this week:

1. Getting preparations ready for gaming on the 4th of October. Maybe I'll finally get a post on the blog. People are curious.
2. Seeing what the Brewers can get done this week. The playoffs are still possible. Can they do it?
3. Seeing how the Packers do against the Buccaneers this Sunday. The Battle of the Bays is back! :)
4. I do my first church service at the Evergreen Retirement Community. Their vesper service is at 4:30 PM on Sunday.
5. On Thursday we are having a Staff Development which will consist of us gathering together and enjoying pizza. How fun is that!?
6. After a break today, I will get back to running. I am hopeful to keep these workouts out for the rest of 2008 and see how my fitness and weight change. I am sprinkling in a few exercise classes at the Rec. Center as well.
   

Go Crew!

I must admit, now the NFL has begun I have not maintained as clear a fix to the Milwaukee Brewers. When last I checked, they are 4.5 games behind Chicago in the Central Division in the National League. It is a shame the Brewers have been playing crappy when the Cubs have been playing crappy. This would have been a great time to make a run.

The Brewers are playing a four game series against Philadelphia, a team only four games behind them in the wild card race. Now would be the time to put them away. Be careful for Houston, who has won five games in a row and is also only four games out of the wild card race.

There are only 16 games left and the Brewers, if they keep winning, can make it to the post season. Twenty five years since they made the playoffs. I will be seeing the Brewers play the last week of the season. Let's hope the game is meaningful!

Move-In Day #1

Today is Early Move-In Day here at UW Oshkosh. We have greeters, Odyssey leaders and desk workers moving. They get to avoid the rush of move-in days so that they can help us move in all of the residents of Webster Hall.

So far, everything has gone pretty well...no major issues with the move-in process. This means Jim gets to spend a lot of time in his office getting things done. :)

Other News:

• The Badgers won today...against Akron. Seriously...they always have such a cream puff non-conference schedule. But, their Big Ten schedule is rough. They can probably use all the victories they can get!
• The Brewers won! They are 22 games over .500. That is crazy. ESPN.com lists them as having an 89% chance of making the playoffs. Yes, these are the Brewers we are talking about.
• ESPN does not seem to have all that much faith in the Bucks. They have them set to place 12th in the East and finish under .500.
  

A Mid-Week Update

I thought I would let everyone know the news at the middle of the week. As I have mentioned several times already, I leave Sunday for License to Preach School. The weekend was busier than I anticipated, but I got a lot of work done. Other this week in the evening, I am reading my last book and putting together the final drafts of my papers. I should be able to have everything done and still be able to spend some time with Christa, including seeing The Dark Knight.

The Brewers have won their first two games against the Cardinals and are only one game behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Let's hope they keep this up. The last two games against the Cardinals have Sheets and Sabathia pitching. We should fair well!

My XBox 360 made its way to Mesquite, TX and is currently sitting in the customer service station waiting to be fixed. From this point, they say it will take 2-3 weeks to be fixed. No matter what, I will be sitting in Dubuque when it finally gets fixed.

I found out today that I will be representing the Oshkosh Placement Exchange along with a A/RHD to be determined. We will be traveling to North Carolina A&T to present about OPE along with job searching in the field of student affairs. I am willing looking forward to this trip!

A Few Sports THoughts...

The Bucks continue to make moves in the off season, as they will be signing Tyronn Lue. This move makes sense to me. You can never have too much depth and Lue provides some depth at the guard position. I still feel as though the Bucks have some work at the Power Forward position, as I'm not sure that Villanueva is the long-term solution. Even if they are done, I feel as though the Bucks have a shot at being in the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference. Every time I get my hopes up, however, the Bucks manage to get injured, tank the season and make Buck fans depressed.

I am really nervous about the second half of the season for the Brewers. I appreciate that the owner is willing to make trades to win now. As I've said before, this is a major change in strategy. The bullpen is still highly suspect and I'm now sure if it can carry us through the season. Our starting pitching is great and our offense will be better once everyone starts to click. I want to believe they can finish strong...and this may be the year they have to do it. With Sheets and Sabathia being free agents...I doubt they'll be here. Hart, Weeks and Fielder (among others) will want new contracts. Will they have enough to sign them all? Are we willing to wait to see prospects develop?

Favre is really starting to tick me off. In the end, the Packers are smart to not release Favre. I don't buy the argument that the Packers "owe" him anything. You're not letting a franchise player go for nothing because he retired when he wasn't ready to retire. Maybe he'll end up back with the Packers...but you won't see Favre anywhere else.

We Never Win Anything...

My Mom picked the right day to watch the Brewers play and also picked the right seats to watch the game...she also picked great weather! ;) The Brewers won the game 9-1, despite some shaky pitching from Ben Sheets. In addition, we another special bonus...

Earlier in the game, there was a give away which happened to take place in our section of the stadium, section 211. Christa overheard that there would be a giveaway later meant for our section, but I missed this.

In the eighth inning, it was announced that those in section 211, rows 11-15 and seats 4-13 were winners of a Brewers tailgate. All four of us were in the designated area! This was a first. I had never won anything at a Brewers game before.

We made our way to guest relations and claimed our prize. My Dad signed off for our prizes. It includes:

1. 8 tickets to the September 24th, 2008 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2. 8 tickets to a tailgate before the game.
3. Retail value: $400

What was already a pretty special day got that much better. Hopefully, the Brewers will continue to play well and this game may make a difference for the playoffs.

A Trip to Miller Park

My parents invited Christa and I to watch the Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park today. This is the first Brewers game of the season that I will see live, and I think the last time I saw a Brewers game was around this time (with my parents and Christa). If they can win today, I would be on a two-game winning streak for watching Brewers games.

The last time I went to see a Brewers game with Jason Bock, the Brewers lost and I think I had accumulated a losing streak with games I went to with him. Hopefully, I can string a few wins together so that we might be able to catch a game. I'm sure right now, my overall record is around .500.

I do have some fond memories of watching the Brewers in Miller Park:

1. My dad and I watched the second regular season game ever in Miller Park. They played the Cincinnati Reds...and won!
2. My friend Nick and I went to see the Brewers play when they were in an awful losing streak. By our game, I believe it was at 13 games. We saw Mark Loretta hit the winning run. They played the Halleluia Chorus at the end of the game!
3. I remember watching a game with Nick wher Gary Sheffield hit a home run against us right after her were heckling him on his way to the plate. We didn't win that one.

I'll keep you posted on today's game. The weather looks gorgeous! Happy Fourth of July to all!

Ok, I'll Admit It...

...I am a fair weather fan of the Brewers. This team is 17-9 and playing entertaining baseball. They lead their division and are among the top teams in baseball. How could you not be excited about this team?

I will admit that I have been, at best, a casual fan of the Brewers for much of my life. I could tell you starting line-ups each year and could hold a reasonably detailed conversation about the Brewers. If the game in on the radio, I'll listen in. If the game is on TV and I'm at home, I'll watch. But, when you lose...a lot...it's hard to stay motivated as a fan. The Bucks and Packers have had success in the last ten years, the Brewers have not.

When the Brewers are on Monday Night Baseball of ESPN and are getting leading articles on ESPN.com you know that your team is relevant right now. You have more of a desire to care. So, I'll admit it, I am a fair weather fan.

I will be going to the game this Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am taking my parents and Christa to the game. I have horrible luck with attending Brewers games. They usually lose when I am there...just ask Jason Bock about that. Hopefully, my luck changes.

Milwaukee Sports Report

Ok, so the Milwaukee Bucks just suck. This was supposed to be the season that we saw a real turn around. The Bucks had picked up some quality big men to help the front court and you always have Michael Redd. A few injuries later, this team is now one of the worst teams in the league. It's painful...I don't even just the box scores the next day anymore. I know it's going to be a loss. I hope they keep this team together next year. If everyone stays healthy, they have a shot. That requires them all to stay healthy. *sigh*

Here's to the Brewers being a breath of fresh air in the Wisconsin sports doldrums...there's a club with a legacy of winning. Oh, wait a minute. It might be a long spring and summer. Then again, maybe this is their year.

Wisconsin Sports Update

Since I am having something of a burst of posting ideas, I thoughts I might offer a sports update:

Packers - At 7-8, the Packers have a shot at the playoffs. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in. Even though we are 0-6 against teams with a winning record and have only beaten crappy teams, the Packers can make the playoffs with a little help from a few other teams. Even if we did make the playoffs, I don't give us much hope of doing anything. More talk of the playoffs as we get to games that matter. The Giants/Redskins game holds the first key. Go Redskins!

Bucks - The Bucks are in the middle of a five-game winning streak and are currently one game over .500 at 15-14. It has been wonderful to be a on break, have more time to watch sports and see the Bucks winning in the process. Michael Redd is taking it to the hoop, drawing fouls and getting more points. Bogut is slowing establishing himself as a consistent post player. Mo Williams stepped up and filled the point gaurd role. This was a major concern for many folks. We gave some good role-players (Skinner, Garzuric, Blake) to complement some established and up and coming stars. At least they're fun to watch and they're competitive.

Brewers - So, the Brewers have signed Jeff Suppan to a 4-year, $42-million deal. When I first read the news, I was very excited. Adding another arm to the rotation could make the Brewers a formidable opponent. When I was home over the Christmas holiday, I was reading the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel and read more about the pitcher we are acquiring.

If you look at his overall record, he is not much over 0.500. He is also over 30. While his last few years have been really good, he also played for team in the Cardinals that gave him plenty of run support, something he will not have the luxury with the Brewers. We are also paying him more than twice what the Cardinals were willing to pay him. This is more than we have ever paid for anyone on the Brewers.

While he's a great pick-up for the Brewers, we have invested a lot of money in him. He better be healthy over those three years or the Brewers are truly going to regret this move.

Packers Chalk Up a Second Victory

Well, it wasn't always pretty, but the Packers won. A victory is a victory; plus, the schedule over the next few weeks looks favorable for the Packers as well with games against the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills coming up.

There was definitely some things to be happy about:

• Favre had a great game, getting two touchdown passes in the game. He had some throws that could have easily been intercepted, but they didn't so we'll take it.
• Ahman showed some flashes of his former brilliance as he got a TD himself.
• The defense generated some turnovers and gave the team some life. It was good to see them come out on the positive end of the turnover margin.
• Many rookies stood up and produced today. AJ Hawk gets better and better with each game.
  

Some concerns:

• The defense played better, but still struggles to truly dominate an entire game.
• We need WR help and quickly. The next few games won't be too bad, we need to get some folks healthy in a hurry.
• The quality of announcers. The crappier the Packers get the worse the announcers we get. These two today were awful. Matt Vascercian (sp?) used to announce for the Milwaukee Brewers and he was great! His transfer to football, not so great. They misnamed players, often misjudged yardage to first down and did not even understand some of the basics of the game. Jim may be switching to the radio feed and muting the TV.
• Favre can't be this risky every game, or it's gonna be ugly. He's just not that good anymore.

So, the Packers are 2-4. They have a favorable game this Sunday against Arizona. Two in a row?