bon anniversaire

Rolling Stone is not my favorite media publication, but they have an interesting oral history of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which is now 10 years old.

Of course, 45 years ago, a young preacher from Alabama stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial, perhaps realizing his words would stir generations that would produce individuals as unique as a young senator from Illinois with a pastiche for background that reflects the diversity of the country he wishes to lead.

Here's the full text, which my AP kids will be oh so happy to learn that they'll be reading soon. McCain's too.

Obama's 2008 Democratic nomination speech:
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin, and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation: With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.

Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest_ a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours — Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia, I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women, students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors, found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work, and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes, and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land: enough! This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On Nov. 4, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."

Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that, we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.

The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives, on health care and education and the economy, Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his economic plan, was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."

A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is, you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president, when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000, like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job an economy that honors the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great, a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.

Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.

What is that promise?

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves, protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity, not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

That's the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.

Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the startups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will cut taxes — cut taxes for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stopgap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy; wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American — if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime, by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility — that's the essence of America's promise.

And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.

For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell, but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice, but it is not the change we need.

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans — Democrats and Republicans have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America, they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This, too, is part of America's promise, the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit that American promise that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours, a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead, people of every creed and color, from every walk of life, is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of Scripture, hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

early color photos

Photos taken with the first commercially color film available to the general public. It's interesting to see images normally associated with "black and white" time in color, like the one above of South Side steel mills in 1939.

The weather is turning brighter, and I'm finding the need to take up a new hobby. While my brain searches for distraction, my body says "get to the gym, dummy." Maybe one of these days I'll actually listen.

Only a four day week this time, because I'm helping out with something for school. Woo!

There's a Coptic Orthodox Church on the way to work, and the curiosity is increasing to go and look inside. The Coptic tradition of Orthodox Christianity developed mostly in Egypt, founded by St. Mark (the Gospel writer, whose influence is felt widely across southern Europe and northern Africa). There's so little I know about the Orthodox Christianity; it's weird to think that I know more about Judaism or Islam in comparison.

Summer plans are shaping up: retreats, vacations, hanging out with Ed, taking summer school

happy opening day

Spring break, good bye. But say yes to the Annunciation.

"The Annunciation". Henry Ossawa Tanner. 1898.

But, hello end-of-the-school-year-is-in-sight. And with it, hopefully, clarity, direction, and purpose.

(But one never does know). I could really use some before I start freaking out.

April brings us its usual greetings:

• rainy weather (check)
• the same Sox as the old Sox
• new and interesting ways to waste time: Rasterbator. You'll love it.

I want to post photos from break, just because I finally got to TAKE photos, including the one I got yelled at for taking. Sweet. Some sort of mishmash of the Art Institute (and the Homer/Hopper exhibition), walking around downtown, grading, Divine Mercy Sunday, wishing I was here, wishing I lived somewhere else, Demetri Martin, watching baseball, grading a lot, eating a lot, praying a LOT. Happy Easter.

Good bye, friends.

a very blessed Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord

"Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; he was buried; and he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3

Palm Sunday + new things I learned + baseball draft = monstrous post

Duccio di Buoninsegna. "Maestà (back, central panel): The Entry into Jerusalem." 1308-11. Tempera on wood panel. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy.

New things that I learned recently:

• Sister Raffaella told me about the Ambrosian rite, which is mostly in the Archdiocese in Milan. The Ambrosian rite (established by St. Ambrose, archbishop of Milan back in the 5th century) is actually even older than the currently widely used Latin rite. In shorthand, as far as I know, in one of the bigboy meetings like the Council of Trent, if the rite of a particular liturgical tradition dates further back than the Latin rite, but still submits to the authority of the pope, and the tenets of the Church, then it's ok.
  
  I have a friend who is a part of the Chaldean rite, which has its roots in Iraq, established by St. Thomas the Apostle in the first century. The difference in rites, from what I understand, is based on the simple fact that with the distance from the center of Catholicism in Rome, different traditions seeped into the liturgy of different locations as time passed. This page does the best in explaining all of this stuff.
  
• I learned that coaching boys is a heck of a lot easier for me than coaching girls. Geez, no contest. Granted, at least I now have a season under my belt, but seriously. It probably makes a major difference that I'm helping with the freshman boys, who are willing to follow any sort of coaching at all, so that makes life easier too.
• I learned that I need to make a decision on where I'm living/working next year, but I have no idea when I need to make it by. Which probably tells me that I need to pray more.
• I've learned that my baseball team is giving no indications that it's going to do anything but suck. Related: my soccer team sucks too, ever since winning the League Cup.
  
• I learned that when fantasy baseball drafting season comes around, I'm totally screwed. Wait? That's now?!

Speaking of which, here are the results of my fantasy baseball draft. I thought you'd never ask?!

5 x 5 Yahoo! fantasy league, 12 teams, I drafted 3rd. Max was 8th (ha).

1. David Wright, NYM, 3b - Yessss. It's nice to mix up who you get from year to year. I am excited to own JillKMeier mancrush David Wright for the first time. 30/30, prease.
2. Lance Berkman, Hou, 1b/OF - And then sometimes, you just draft the same guys every year.
3. Brandon Webb, Ari, SP
4. Carlos Guillen, Det, 1b/SS - The start of drafting a thousand guys who can play first base. Guillen qualifies for SS but will actually play 1b, which means less miles on the legs, which means more SBs, and he's hitting in the best lineup in league. Good times. 25-120, please. Also, Gat roto stalwart Brian Roberts gets picked right before me, so I'm rattled, and so I order cheese fries from the waitress.
   
5. Carlos Zambrano, ChiC, SP - Am I going to regret this? It's Max's fault. Just have to avoid the really bad starts. Still better than anyone else I could have gotten (Haren, Hamels).
6. Brian McCann, Atl, C - Hoping this works better than my Joe Mauer investment last year.
7. Nick Swisher, Sox, 1b/OF - A little early? Maybe. I think he's going to hit 35-40 at the Cell, plus it gives me a reason to care about my team.
   
8. Bobby Jenks, Sox, RP - Best reliever left on the board, I swear. Also, Paul Konerko is staring at me from the draft board. "Come on, man, we're frieeennnddsss."
9. Rich Hill, ChiC, SP - Love the strikeouts, and he surely will get better run support than last year. Also, why do I have so many Cubs. I punch Max in the solar plexus.
10. Jacob Ellsbury, Bos, OF - Am I going to regret this? Trade Coco Crisp, already. I'm desperate for speed, and I'd rather have Ellsbury rather than old Ellsbury, AKA Johnny Damon.
11. Tim Hudson, Atl, SP - Why do I have so many Braves? I almost drafted Texeira instead of Berkman, too. But what are my alternatives? Joba? Pedro? Brad Penny? Liriano? No thanks.
12. Willy Taveras, Col, OF - Speed, speed, speed. I am going to regret this. Damn you, whoever got Brian Roberts! Look what I've been forced to do!
13. Manny Corpas, Col, RP - Generic closer type who gets saves and doesn't kill my WHIP/ERA.
14. Kelly Johnson, Atl, 2b - Too many Braves. Why does my OCD pick up on that? He's the best left on a really weak board. I hate Kazuo Matsui's guts.
    
15. Jeremy Accardo, Tor, RP - BJ Ryan might be back, but Tommy John surgery takes two years to recover. Who's going to catch that beautiful butterfly? Accardo, with 30+ saves.
16. Brian Wilson, SF, RP - I'm lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did. Just get me 30 saves.
17. Ryan Garko, Cle, 1b - You play 1b? Welcome to my team. Stop glaring at me, Paul Konerko.
18. George Sherrill, Bal, RP - Closer for the Orioles?
    
19. Ryan Theriot, ChiC, 2b/SS - Too. Many. Cubs.
    
20. Heath Bell, SD, RP - The guy K-Dub should have traded for instead of Scott Linebrink. 100 Ks as a reliever? Tasty.
    
21. Frank Thomas, Tor, Util - Just for old times' sake.
    

It feels like I need more power and speed. Pitching looks good, tho.

Have a great Holy Week. But before that, don't forget this guy:

good bye, February (almost)

First things first, my soccer team has won some hardware.



My White Sox avoidance scheme is coming together perfectly.

Ever have a magnifying glass, put it in front of your eyes to look at something, then quickly take it away, then put it back in front of your eyes again, just to get yourself dizzy on the rapid change of perspective? Ok, fine, you didn't. But that seems like the feeling I'm getting from looking at my life, right about now. Sometimes I feel like I can't get past the next few days, then I think back to what I was doing a year ago, then I flash forward to what I'm trying to accomplish in an afternoon, then forward to when I get to go to Canada again, and... well, it gets to be like motion sickness.

I am secretly, secretly hoping that there will be answers to the life questions rattling around in my skull by the end of Lent. But, that's really more just a convenient time. I need something to look forward to. How can you put a timetable for a miracle to come into your life?

merry christmas

Botticelli, "Mystical Nativity" c. 1500-1501

"It is only the Child lying in the manger who possesses the true secret of life. For this reason, he asks us to welcome him, to make room for him within us, in our hearts, in our homes, in our cities, and in our societies... Let us endeavor to be among those who welcome him. Before him one cannot remain indifferent. We too, dear friends, must continuously take sides. What will our response be? With what attitude will we welcome him? The simplicity of the shepherds and the seeking of the Magi who scrutinized the signs of God by means of the star come to our help. The docility of Mary and the wise prudence of Joseph serve as an example to us...

"The love that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, brought into the world binds to himself in a lasting relationship of friendship and brotherhood all who welcome him. Saint John of the Cross says 'in giving us all, that is, his Son, in him God has now said all. Fix your eyes on him alone... and you will find in addition more than you ask and desire.'"

-- Pope Benedict XVI

"It is not enough to say that Jesus is the name we give to the Truth. Jesus is the man who is the incarnation of the Truth... We do not seek solutions to problems in life derived from religious sentiments, spiritual approaches, or philosophical convictions... In each circumstance of life, whatever it is, we seek not an answer but a Presence, the human presence that is the way to the 'Answer,' to the Truth. We do not come together as a Church to find intellectual answers to our questions about the meaning and purpose of life. This is to reduce the Church to an ideology... The Church is not 'our way' of finding answers to our religious quest for the Truth; it is the method through which the Truth becomes humanly present to us... We come together as a Church to learn how to recognize the fact of this Presence, and to witness to it any circumstance of life, especially when there are no answers. Jesus Christ is the way to the Answer. In him, way and answer coincide."

-- Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete

Fr. Edward and the Tiggers

From the sublime to the absurd. First, some words from Ed.

"Human portraits of God’s Fatherhood" 12/4/07

Dear Friends in Christ,

Considering that one's personal relation with fatherhood in turn greatly influences how one perceives God and his fatherhood, we understand the exigency for positive models of it in our society. We may hear about fathers who become so engrossed in pursuing a career or some other goal that they end up seriously neglecting their children. But fatherhood ought to be an imitation of the one fatherhood of God who created and lovingly watches over us. Above all, its purpose is to communicate the love that God has for all His earthly children.

I recently watched "The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006), a film based on a true story which beautifully portrays the essence of authentic fatherhood. It is reminiscent of Roberto Benigni's character in "La Vita è Bella", of a father who's willing to make any sacrifice in the hope of a better life for his son. The storyline is set in San Francisco in 1981 during the economic recession in the U.S. and Chris Gardner is an optimistic and intelligent African American salesman struggling to support his wife and young son, Christopher. Chris reveals not having known his own father until he was 28 years old and vows not to let history repeat itself with Christopher. So when the financial strain becomes unbearable and his wife decides to leave him, he insists on retaining custody of Christopher. Chris is vindicated in this clash when Christopher reveals that he is happy and confirms the desire to remain with his father. With a diminishing source of income, they are eventually evicted from their home to living in homeless shelters and at one point, even reduced to passing the night in the bathroom of the subway station. In the face of this difficult life, Chris has the desperate inspiration to try for a long shot, non-paying stockbroker internship at Dean Witter, where only one of the twenty candidates will ultimately end up with an opportunity for a lucrative full time position. Even in the midst of competing for this internship, Chris refuses to compromise the personal vow he has made to his son, choosing to leave work early in order to pick him up from the daycare lest Christopher be left alone. Chris demonstrates a heroic capacity to give that which is most important to Christopher: a father's presence and an unfailing love and attention. There were several dialogues and scenes which I found moving; evoking the love the Heavenly Father has for each one of us. In one of them, Chris asks his son, "You gotta trust me, alright? Cause I'm getting a better job." "I trust you." In another, Chris extends his arm to give blood at the hospital to provide for his son conjuring up the kenosis (self-emptying) of Jesus bleeding and giving his life on the Cross. Lastly, while tucking his child into bed at the shelter and completely exhausted after a long day, he receives a goodnight kiss and the words, "You're a good papa". It is all the affirmation he needs and that which makes all the sacrifices worthwhile and meaningful. Chris initially applied for the stockbroker internship because all the people on Wall Street had smiles on their faces and looked so happy, and he desired as much for himself and his son. In the end, after acquiring the coveted position, he rushes to passionately embrace his son, capturing the essence of what he knew all along. That it's not so much what you have but who you're with that really matters.

Above and beyond the example of Chris in this film, we are reminded that Our Heavenly Father lovingly keeps custody and provides for His children at every moment. That Our Father proves His willingness to sacrifice at all costs for His children, through the ultimate demonstration of life-giving love of the Cross. That Our Father too entreats every one of us, "You gotta trust me, alright?" when the uncertainties of life tempt us to doubt His providence and judgment. "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 Jn 3:1)."

May we at all times learn to appreciate and love a Father so great!

In Jesus and Mary,
Edward

***
Now to the absurd. Namely, the rest of the AL Central doing the best they can to dust the Sox, the latest example being the Tiggers trading assorted shiny goods for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, who, even more than the Santana! is the crown jewel of available MLB talent this offseason.

A stupendous claim, you say. Gat, you must be out of your mind. That is totally bogus, as my students would say. Not so. Why?

• He's driven in 100+ runs the last 4 years, and hit over .320 the last 3. More telling indicators say that he's over 150 in OPS+ (which is MVP caliber) and has an OPS over .940. The only guy of recent vintage that had better age 21-24 seasons was Albert Pujols.
  
• He's going into his age 25(!) season, which means he's still cheap and the Tiggers can lock up his most productive years under contract for less than market price.
  
• He's had all this production with a mostly average Florida lineup protecting him and a cavernous stadium to hit in, so Tiger Stadium's much maligned hitter suppression won't affect him much. Also, he'll be surrounded by the likes of Sheffield, Ordonez, Guillen, et al., and playing for a winner.
  
• His fatness (as referenced in a previous post) is becoming less of a problem, as he's motivated by being on a winner and having fellow Venezuelan compatriots Ordonez and Guillen kicking his lardy butt. "I'll want to be in the best shape of my life" says he.
  

The downside is that he sucks on defense and he doesn't help the lopsided righthandedness of their lineup, and he may not want to stick around after his arbitration years, but he's still the real deal.

I humbly submit to the greatness of the Santana!, but he's going to cost a boatload of treasure, and he still is a pitcher desiring a long term contract, and pitchers are always a risky signing because of their significant odds of injury. He's definitely not a Kevin Brown, but signing any pitcher long term, no matter how great he is, is not as "safe" a bet as signing a position player who plays everyday. Also, unlike Santana!, there is no pressure to sign Cabrera to a long-term contract immediately, since he's still in his arbitration years. Cabrera gives the Tiggers a chance to compete now AND set up for the future.

Oh, AND... they got Dontrelle Willis, who is overmatched as an ace, but a perfectly serviceable #4 starter behind Verlander, Bonderman, and Rogers in the tougher AL, pitching in a friendly ballpark and an excellent defense behind him.

Fricking unbelievable.

What does this tell me about the Sox?

• Even if they had signed Torii Hunter (who signed a ridiculous contract with the Angels, but he can be a difference maker for them), they still would be 4th in terms of talent in this division. Also, signing Aaron Rowand is still not going to help.
• Seeing the demand and availability of pitchers like Santana!, Erik Bedard, and Dan Haren helps me realize that maybe the demand for Jon Garland wasn't ever that high, and that it'll be even lower for fodder like Jose Contreras. We were lucky to get the OC.
• The Sox don't have the prospects or the talent to trade for a big name. They dangled some combination of Fields, Gonzalez, and Broadway for Cabrera, but that wasn't going to be close to the 2 major league ready players and 4 plus prospects that Detroit could offer. There simply isn't enough to talent/value to trade, which is probably why Kenny has been trying to stick with what he had as long as he could, which usually ends up being a death sentence for repeating success. Teams with continued success always add something new and always have young talent coming to the forefront. Just for the record, the Sox have holes in LF, CF, 2b, a balky Joe Crede, and the bullpen (don't comfort me with the ludicrous Scott Linebrink signing. 4 years for $19mm for a reliever? Are we the fricking Mets now?)
  
• Heck, after the Royals signed Jose Guillen and ran in the bidding for Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome, the Sox might have the least amount of talent in the toughest division in baseball. That means last place, friends. With the Cubs at least making the playoffs last year, all of a sudden, 2005 seems really far away. I'm going to get a box of tissues, some ice cream, and watch my 2005 championship DVDs now.
  

memories

My brother emailed me with a list of hilarious events commemorating my birthing (31 events, to be precise). Some of the high/lowlights (Ed's words in quotes, mine in parens)

1) "Tonka Truck incident" (Basically, I threw one of those hard plastic tires off of a Tonka truck at my brother. When he was 4. I was 11. Also, I hit him in the forehead. From about 4 feet away.)

5) "I'm sure you clearly and can resentfully recall me accidentally throwing a baseball at your face from ten feet away. 'Tanks foh bweaking mah teeth.'"

7) "I can’t recall which Los Angeles apartment we lived in during this period, but among all of the sports posters we used to have, I smothered James Worthy with all of my boogers! Poor James Worthy. Oh yeah, and sorry about that.

8) "Foam baseball" - Line drive hit above the pitchers hips would be a double, the Venetian blind would be a triple, and the little space between the blind and the ceiling would be a homerun. Grounders and the ceiling would be automatic outs. In our Buffalo Grove home, we got a little more sophisticated with taping a sheet of paper on the wall to denote the strike zone. We passed countless hours having fun which cultivated our love for the game of baseball. (this was inside, by the way)

20) "Hanging out with Todd Watermann and eating at 'the Duck.'"

22) "Watching the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment every week."

25) "Toronto World Youth Day 2002. What an awesome pilgrimage. This experience was the beginning of my conversion and desire for an adult faith. It was my first exposure to youth across the country who were normal and yet on fire for the faith!... Meeting these Catholic youth made me realize how little I knew about my faith and the desire to know more. It was great to be able to share this with you and it turned out to be our sole pilgrimage together."

29) "Your trinity of hamstring injuries. Among Mark’s life lowlights."

30) "The discovery of you being 208 lbs on the scale. 'Taanks foohhh bweaakkiing mah scale.'" (Thanks to the all-stress, no-sleep diet, I am now a svelte 195 again.)

Nothing says love like sharing life together, certainly.

prayers for the dying

Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father, who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you,
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph and all the angels and saints.

oh yeah... blogging

Back home, and back to the slight awkwardness of trying to answer questions like "how was your trip?" Not that I mind the questions, but it's still hard to answer, succinctly. I just went through the photos we took on the trip (more than 3 GBs worth) and over the MAX2007 blog, and it's a lot, but at the same time, it seems like it wasn't all that long ago that we were starting. Time is far more elastic than you think, yah?

Anyways. I think these photos are among my favs:

Missy singing one of her originals to her grandmother. A very human moment of one person sharing with another.

Jun really loves crawfish.

On Jurassic Park, er, Hilo, on the volcano tour.

Most Reverend Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, signing our cross, with all the names of the kids on it. Very personable guy; has the feel of the next door neighbor you like, or a favorite uncle.

Here's a little synopsis that Cow, self-proclaimed youngest and hairiest team member, wrote on our month-long jaunt into Toronto:

In February of this year, a small team of young adults from all across our beloved continent came together in the wilds of Los Angeles, California with the humble hope of taking over the world for Our Lady as soon as possible. And thus was formed the mighty Max007 team, which gets its name from our founding saint (Always a good way to start an organization!) Maximilian Kolbe and of course this year of Our Lord: 2007.

We've spent the last four months on the road, driving all around the United States (including that envy-causing little state made up of the Hawaiian islands) and spending the entire month of May staying here in the mighty metropolis of Toronto and all the towns and areas around it, giving retreats and talks and hanging out with the youth and trying out hardest to make sure every one of them knows the message that Pope Benedict XVI wants to share with them.

First of all we let the message that God is love, be firmly known. The Holy Father asks us youth this year to "Love one another as [Christ] has loved you." God is not a huge angry old man who is just itching to catch you breaking the rules and send you packing into eternal suffering. God really is Love. Christ gave up everything in the hope that we would be able to be loved and love more deeply.

The faith and the whole of being Catholic is about love as well, and to really get anything out of being Catholic, we all have to be willing to join in that love, and really take interest and ownership of our faith. As the Militia Immaculata, we know that the best example of Christianity is that given by Mary, and so we entrust ourselves to her care and her direction to help us follow and suffer with Christ when necessary.

Through our missionary work we were blessed to be able to follow in that sacrifice in our own meager ways, as we gave up jobs, universities, our friends and families, and came here to Canada to help the teens and young adults here. The whole month we stayed wherever we could, in the basements and spare rooms of whoever could help us, and ate when we had food.

As for the events themselves, they all went beautifully. We went to parishes, prayer groups, youth groups, Catholic schools, and met with all kinds of remarkable and holy people, including Archbishop Thomas Collins and Msgr. Robert Nusca, who is both the rector of St. Augustine Seminary and the spiritual director of the MI in Canada.

When the team first arrived here in Toronto, there were less than a dozen adults who were actively involved and interested in the MI…and several of those people were already on the team. As we leave this beautiful city, the number has been bolstered dozens of times over, due mainly to the enthusiasm of the young people. It has been said on occasion that the youth are the Church of the Future.

That is wrong.

The young people are the Church of right now. Youth are the ones on the front lines, the ones who can love the world from the inside out, the ones who know that joy is worthy fighting for. The Max007 team worked hard to minister to the youth. But the youth are the ones who are ministering to us. Thank you all for such a fantastic experience in Canada.

You guys pray for us, and we'll be praying for all the people we got to meet during this month. God bless you!

And now, back to "ordinary" time.

easter + baseball

"Resurrection," Piero della Francesca, 1463

"Christ has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying." -- Hebrews 10:12-14

In the spirit of the great mystery of the Easter season, Raised by Wolves will preview the '07 MLB campaign according to the resurrections (and the inverse of resurrections, rotting corpses) within each division. Here's hoping that your team is resurrected, and not a rotting corpse (even you, Cubs fans).

NL West
Tightly packed mediocrity is the name of the game. Can the fogies (Ari's Randy Johnson and SF's Steroid Bear) bring their teams to contention? Probably not, so the Padres will dully limp their way to the division and get swept in the first round again.

It feels like SD, LA, Ari, SF, and Col, but not much difference between them.

Resurrections:

• Steroid Bear - So everyone hates you, you're coming off gimpy knee surgery and the hardest season that even your hellfire-hardened soul has gone through. What do you do? Come back in excellent shape so you can absolutely smash through Hank Aaron's record. It would be tragic, but beautiful, like synchronized swimmers drowning, if the last 98 MPH fastball of the Unit's career bounced off Steroid Bear's noggin while the Unit's balky back snapped in two. All I'm saying is, that's a heck of a Hall of Fame plaque, way better than what they have now.
• Marcus Giles - the Braves' trash is the Padres' new treasure, as they get a decent 2b for bargain basement prices (1 yr, $3.25m), which would only have gotten you about one third of Mark Derosa.

Rotting corpses:

• Randy Johnson - So, you're 41, going on 42. This is your second offseason with surgery. You came off a bad year, albeit pitching in a tougher division. But, nobody writes you off because you've made a career out of being a freak of human physiology. Technically, you should have been DONE about 5 years ago. The Unit can just as easily be in the "resurrection" pile above, except for the fact that he looks like a rotting corpse. He'll probably get a bunch of strikeouts with an ERA in the mid 4.00s.
  

Best version of the NL West:
C - Josh Bard, SD, 1b - Adrian Gonzalez, SD, 2b - Jeff Kent, LA, 3b - Garret Atkins, Col
SS - Rafael Furcal, LA, LF - Steroid Bear, SF, CF - Mike Cameron, SD, RF - Matt Holliday, Col
SP - Brandon Webb, Ari, Randy Johnson, Ari, Jason Schmidt, LA, Jake Peavy, SD,
Chris Young, SD
RP - Trevor Hoffman, SD

NL Central
The Cardinals proved that it's not the best team in the regular season, but the one playing the best ball in October that wins, adding the corollary of "it's good to play against opponents that put up the resistance of a wet sack" (thank you Padres and Tigers). They managed to get weaker in the offseason, and the Cubs spent a pot of gold on free agents. Raised by Wolves is not buying the hype from Milwaukee, as much fun as it would be to have another Midwest team in the playoffs.

Chi, StL, Hou, Mil, Pit, Cin. Yes, I'm actually picking the Cubs to win it. They have less holes in their pitching in a pitching-thin division.

Resurrections:

• Derrek Lee - the real engine for the Cubs' offense, since new acquisition Soriano will only exacerbate the team's weakness, plate discipline. Anybody who goes through that much undeserved personal tragedy, you root for.

Rotting corpses:

• Cubs bullpen - So with the sackful of cash spent (on a CF and 2 SPs), none of that was spent on a closer? Do we really need to recount the Ryan Dempster experience?
• Mark Mulder - Cards are hoping he regains his mojo, but his shoulder might be done. Sad thing, he's only 29.
• Milwaukee Brewers playoff hype (?) - No. They're not as consistently good as the Phillies, and the Phillies haven't made the playoffs since '93.
  

Best version of the NL Central
C - Michael Barrett, Chi, 1b - Albert Pujols, StL, 2b - Adam Kennedy, StL, 3b - Aramis Ramirez, Chi, SS - Adam Everett, Hou (only for defense)
LF - Jason Bay, Pit, CF - Alfonso Soriano, Chi, RF - Lance Berkman, Hou
SP - Roy Oswalt, Hou, Chris Carpenter, StL, Carlos Zambrano, Chi, Rich Hill, Chi, Aaron Harang, Cin
RP - Francisco Cordero, Mil

NL East
Last year was the Mets' year. End of story. Can they get over the hangover from losing a tough series? More importantly, can they overcome losing Pedro? Phillies fans will hate it every minute, but they're the favorites coming in.

Phi, NYM, Fla, Atl, Was. The Nationals are going to be historically bad.

Resurrections:
Miguel Cabrera - Now that he's finally coming in with the understanding that he has to actually stay in shape during the offseason, all the Pujols comparisons might come true. What is it with young millionaires and McDonalds, anyway?

Rotting corpses:
Pedro Martinez - The most dominant pitcher I've ever seen in a 5-6 year period (Clemens and Maddux never had a run like Pedro did from '97-'02), but he's probably done. Sorry bro, there's no bounceback from a torn rotator cuff.

Best version of the NL East
C - Brian McCann, Atl, 1b - Ryan Howard, Phi, 2b - Chase Utley, Phi, 3b - Miguel Cabrera, Fla
SS - Jose Reyes, NYM, LF - Pat Burrell, CF - Carlos Beltran, NYM, RF - Andruw Jones, Atl
SP - Cole Hamels, Phi, Tom Glavine, NYM, John Smoltz, Atl, Dontrelle Willis, Fla, Brett Myers, Phi
RP - Billy Wagner, NYM

AL East
NYY, bye, bye. Raised by Wolves can't get behind the Yankees winning the division again with a starting rotation that includes a broken Andy Pettitte, a crappy Carl Pavano, and gas-guzzling Japanese import Kei Igawa. It's unfortunate, though, that Boston had to become the very Evil Empire that they despise to reach the summit, just like Yoda said would happen if you embraced the Dark Side. The lesson as always, don't mess with Yoda's lunch.

Bos, NYY, Tor, TB, Bal.

Resurrections:

• Daisuke Matsuzaka - Dice-K comes in with better stuff and pedigree than Nomo did in '95, when Nomo led the LAD to a division title and won ROY. Matsuzaka has the same slow-whip, funky delivery but more heat on the fastball, a splitter, and the "gyroball," the firm existence of said pitch residing somewhere in the area code of Amelia Earhart, my vertical leap, and El Chupacabra.
• The good thing about the Yankees falling out of contention is that it means ARod will be a fantasy force again. Hugs and kisses for everybody!
  

Rotting corpses:

• Yankee starting rotation - "Geez, I can smell you from over here." - Texas Ranger, from "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"
• Curt Schilling -Admits that he didn't pay attention to his conditioning because he was devoting more time to his... video game company. By the way, you're 40 years old, way past whatever statute of limitations there is on miraculous bloody anklets. Fattiness aside, Schill's blog is a pretty great read, particularly the analysis of his pitch sequences.
  

Best version of the AL East
C - Jorge Posada, NYY, 1b - David Ortiz, Bos, 2b - Robinson Cano, NYY, 3b - ARod, NYY
SS - Derek Jeter, NYY, LF - Manny Ramirez, Bos, CF - Vernon Wells, Tor, RF - Carl Crawford, TB, DH - Jason Giambi, NYY
SP - Roy Halladay, Tor, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Bos, Erik Bedard, Bal, Chien-Ming Wang, NYY, Mike Mussina, NYY
RP - Jonathan Papelbon, Bos

AL West
The Angels, after signing good free agent deals (which have gotten worse over the years), have had their window of opportunity quashed by unwilling to part with prospects that never seem to pan out, while the gestalt-minded A's grind to 90 win seasons no matter what the personnel loss (the overrated Zito, this time). Actually, you can insert "Rangers" or "Mariners" in the that first sentence, but the outcome is always the same: A's win. Raised by Wolves is sad that superstars like Vladdy Daddy and Ichiro! are wasting away their prime in loser outposts, and invite them to a happy summer on the south side of Chicago, some time soon. Just putting that out there.

Oak, LAA, Tex, Sea, just like last year.

Resurrections:

• Mike Piazza - the Ahn Fantasy Baseball Favorite. Muhahaha. Plus, those blond tips will go over waay better in Cali then in NY, Mikey. 30 bombs and 100 RBI, Comeback Player of the Year, here we come.

Rotting corpses:

• Rich Harden - the A's really, really think that THIS will finally be the year he stays healthy. Really. They promise. Why not trade him and let someone else deal with the headache? Two straight years of substantial injury time is not bad luck, it's Kerry Wood.
• Eric Gagne - dude, it was a great run. Thanks for the memories, if only for bringing back goggles into professional sports again.
• Gary Matthews, Jr. - Angels sign him to 5/$55m after a career year, then find out that this 180-lb looking dude is accused of steroid use. Sweet.

Best version of the AL West
C- Mike Piazza, 1b - Mark Teixeira, Tex, 2b - Ian Kinsler, Tex, 3b - Chone Figgins, LAA
SS - Michael Young, Tex, LF - Nick Swisher, Oak, CF - Ichiro, Sea, RF - Vlad Guerrero, LAA
DH - Raul Ibanez, Sea
SP - John Lackey, LAA, Dan Haren, Oak, Felix Hernandez, Sea, Ervin Santana, LAA, Rich Harden, Oak
RP - J.J. Putz, Sea

AL Central
In the toughest division in baseball, the Sox can finish anywhere from first to fourth. Considering the issues around an old/overused pitching staff and an offense that is bound to regress after a stellar year, it looks like closer to fourth than first. But, Detroit looks like they have World Series sweep hangover. Minnesota wins with a proven formula of Santana + defense + tough homefield, but they've lost Liriano for the year. Raised by Wolves thinks the Cleveland Native Americans are ready to take their turn, but can't stomach their awful bullpen and field manager. Even KC is playing guys with actual talent, now. It'll be another wild finish, with the top two advancing to the post season.

Min, Cle, Chi, Det, KC

Resurrections:

• Gary Sheffield - Great trade, paying just for a year, and addressing an obvious on-base percentage deficit in the lineup. This has "Thome traded to the Sox in '06" written all over it.

Rotting corpses:

• Scott Podsednik - Despite being OddTodd's favorite, he seems to have ceased to do anything well on a baseball field, the proof being perennial rotting corpse Darin Erstad (DARIN ERSTAD) looking like an all-star in comparison. Winning is great, but Raised by Wolves thinks the Sox playing only 8 in the field might be too prohibitive. My kingdom for an Ichiro.
• Cleveland bullpen - You underperform by 11 wins (according to Pythagoras) in 2006, mostly due to relief pitching, so naturally you pick up Joe Borowski and Roberto Hernandez, and invite Keith Foulke to spring training for 2007, maybe accidentally thinking this was 2001? or 1999?
• Kenny Rogers - please get this overrated ragarm soft-tosser out of my house, please. Cuz he kills my team. Blood clot? Maybe it's all that "resin" you have on your hand.
  

Best version of the AL Central
C - Joe Mauer, Min, 1b - Justin Morneau, Min, 2b - The Gooch, Sox, 3b - Joe Crede, Sox
SS - Carlos Guillen, Det, LF - Gary Sheffield, Det , CF - Grady Sizemore, Cle, RF - Jermaine Dye, Sox, DH - Jim Thome, Sox
SP - Johan Santana, Min, Jon Garland, Sox, Jeremy Bonderman, Det, Justin Verlander, Det, C.C. Sabathia, Cle
RP - Joe Nathan, Min

Baseball's back! Happy Easter!

good friday

"Crucifixion" by Masaccio, 1426.

"See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights. As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before." -- Isaiah 52:13-15

brother and baseball

Thursday, April 5

Dear Friends in Christ,

One day during my ethics class last semester, we were discussing the theme of friendship. More specifically, what the goal of friendship is: to love or to be loved? For Christians, the response is obvious in Christ's supreme love culminating on the cross by which He commands us, "Love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 15:12). And yet I was faced with a dilemma: If the goal is to love, in being altruistic and in seeking the good of the other, why do I instead often find myself seeking to be loved? Like all persons, I have the vocation to love and of being a man for others, and yet in examining my relationships (especially in THE relationship par excellence with God) I am aware of the constant tendency in seeking to be loved first by others. How then am I to evolve from seeking to be loved into loving first?

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us… We love, because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:10,19). God loved us FIRST, not the other way around. The creative act is that which makes God the creator and us his creatures, and being the creator necessarily implies that He loved us first. It is in God's very nature to love first, and being creatures, it is thus natural for us in seeking to be loved by Him. The fact that God loves first means that His love cannot be purchased. God does not love because we deserve to be loved but because He wants to and must give it freely. During my sophomore year at the University of Illinois, one day I was at Mass in line to receive Communion. At that moment this thought occurred to me: How would I respond if Jesus through the priest, right before offering me the Eucharist were to say, "The Body of Christ… wait, not today, Edward. Come back when you are more worthy of me. When you are able to love me as I ought to be loved". I would have been terrified had I not been able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, my daily Bread, and yet it would have been completely justified had I not received Him… And in that moment after having received the Eucharist, I was so grateful for the Love that loves without limit. God beckons each one of us, "Come, come as you are", that is, come in the condition that you are in now. God does not wait for a more opportune time to love, but loves us immediately and totally, precisely because he knows that our existence depends on His love, because we need to be loved. Because without Him, we would not even be capable of loving first.

"We love, because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). The wonder of God's Love is the ennobling effect of its recipient. That God loved first and that we have been loved by Him is by no means a stagnant reality. Rather, having experienced the utter fullness of His Infinite Love (Eph 3:18), we are transformed and invested with the capacity to become authentic lovers ourselves! It is God Himself, who having loved first, enacts us to be persons who no longer seek to be loved, but who love first. This is the gospel message, the Good News: God loved us first and we are loved by Him, and as a consequence, WE too are now able to love others first! It is thus we are able to respond generously and courageously to Christ's imperative to all Christians "love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 15:12). May the knowledge of the imminent Resurrection of Christ fill you with peace and joy as well as the desire to share the love with which God has loved you with others by loving first. A Blessed Triduum and Happy Easter!

In Jesus and Mary,
Edward

Ed's gotten a lot better as a writer since going off to seminary.

It's still been strange to be at "home" but I've slowly started to allow myself a few personal indulgences after having relatively few. I was sad (but also nerdily ashamed) that I was missing out on the NCAA tournament and pretty much all of spring training, so naturally, I got up this morning, checked my email, did morning prayer with a breviary I found lying around, and drafted a fantasy baseball team (roto scoring, picking 8th out of 12). Ah, relief.

Round, player

1. Carlos Beltran, NYM, OF - Santana already taken, Howard and Ortiz still on the board, still feels too high to take someone like Chase Utley or Carl Crawford. But, I've never picked him before, so...
2. Lance Berkman, Hou, 1b-OF - a personal favorite from the All Big-Boned Team
3. Roy Oswalt, Hou, SP - he's been on one of my teams ever since he got called up midseason 2001.
4. Rafael Furcal, LAD, SS - Whoops, didn't know he was injured. Could've taken Michael Young, but wanted speed over power, and Furcal was the last decent speed guy at SS. Yargh.
   
5. Brian Roberts, Bal, 2b - Did I take him too high? Another Ahn loyalty pick from year-to-year.
6. Paul Konerko, Sox, 1b - Still good for 35-100, I think, although Delgado might've been a better choice here. The hometown thing won out. On another note, Thome is not 1b-eligible this year, and gets taken two rounds later. Grrr. But, still looking good.
   
7. Cole Hamels, Phi, SP - One of those Young Starting Pitchers with lots of Upside and good strikeout rates (TM) that fantasy nerds rave about. Kinda like the anti-Mark Buehrle.
8. Mike Piazza, Oak, C - Catcher eligible, but will mostly DH. Oakland's had great luck with getting good years out of fading hitters (i.e. John Jaha, Frank Thomas, etc). I'm pretty sure he can double up any other catcher's production, except for Mauer.
9. Ricky Bobby Jenks, Sox, RP - Why did that nickname not occur to me earlier?
10. Dan Haren, Oak, SP - Young Starting Pitcher with good Upside (TM) a few years ago, now is more like Solid but Unknown Guy.
    
11. Brian Fuentes, Col, RP - I hate it when everyone else starts taking relief pitchers so it forces you to do so, or else you're left with Bobby Thigpen and Rollie Fingers. At least I have two now, so I can concentrate on something else.
12. Rich Hill, ChiC, SP - Young Starting Pitcher with good Upside (TM), even if he is a Cub.
13. Dave Roberts, SF, OF - Noticed that everyone is fishing for stolen bases, so this is trade bait for later. I have gaping holes at SS and 3b.
    
14. Luke Scott, Hou, OF - my favorite sleeper pick for '07. I think he's Lance Berkman, Part Dos.
    
15. Joe Crede, Sox, 3b - Not bad for the 15th round, but I'd like to upgrade here. I don't think I've ever had this many Sox players on my fantasy team. He's not the best, but at least JC won't embarrass me.
16. Brandon Phillips, Cin, 2b - Should I really have taken Brian Roberts that early?
17. Barry Bonds, SF, OF - Yes, yes, I know. But the Steroid Bear is on a mission, and he looks healthy, and it's the 17th round, ok?
18. Adam Wainwright, StL, SP-RP - Young Starting Pitcher with good Upside (TM)
19. Dave Bush, Mil, SP - Young Starting Pitcher with good Upside (TM). One of the main reasons why Milwaukee is being touted as a contender, although I still don't get why.
20. Frank Thomas, Tor, Util - Muhahahaha.
    
21. Justin Duchscherer, Oak, RP - Pronounced "duck-sure," as in, "I am duck-sure that Huston Street will get injured again."
    

Also, clearly, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.