Yesterday I took in my fourth Royals game of 2010. It was an interesting game to say the least as the Royals took on division rivals the Chicago White Sox. It was the first game for new manager Ned Yost after Trey Hillman was fired on Thursday. Before I go further, I want to say this. I think Trey Hillman is a great guy, I've met him in person and heard him speak. He's a faithful follower of Jesus and I still think he's a good manager. He just didn't get the best situation with having enough talent to compete with his style. I really hope he finds another chance to manage in the big leagues and with a team with the talent to compete.
With a new manager there some new hope. I will say this for about 4 1/3 innings I was pulling for Mark Buehrle because he was pitching a perfect game, then after that was given up I was back to pulling for the Royals. I was there with a group from seminary up in the "cheap seats". One thing you can be sure, if it's a group outing, chances are you're sitting in the "cheap seats". There's really not any bad seats at Kauffman so that's fine. You just have absolutely no chance at a foul ball. I did come close to having a home run ball during batting practice. Kyle, Lane, Andrew and I walked out to the Party Porch while the Sox were taking BP. Just as we get to a spot, the batter hits the ball. Kyle and I are looking at the outfielder who turns his head to look in our direction. It was like "Oh no" as we can't track the ball and all of a sudden there's a "thump" right over our heads, then it bounces down and to the right of where we are. A teenager ended up with the ball. If we had been there probably a minute before, we could've tracked the ball and ended up with it.
The game itself ended up with a win. They scored 5 runs in the 7th inning and batted around the order to get the victory 6-1. It was the first win of the year for the Royals in games I've been to (which means they're 1-3). Though for teams I'm rooting for, I'm 3-1 (I did root for the Mariners in 2 games). I was wearing my Billy Butler powder blue jersey which in the past two years has a winning record for the Royals.
After the game, it was Fireworks Friday so there was a fireworks display that lasted about 10 minutes or so. Overall, great time and a good victory and hopefully the start of something good for the team.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Running Journal for Royals Chapel 3.0
Last Tuesday, Midwestern Seminary hosted it's third (I guess you can say at this point annual) Royals Chapel. This year it was just Trey Hillman, manager of the Royals who was involved as GM Dayton Moore was unable to come due to a scheduling conflict. It was a similar format as in previous years where Dr. Roberts, the president of the seminary, asked Trey questions and did it in a dialogue format.
It started out with a funny quip as Dr. Roberts told Trey that it he was back in the hot seat of Midwestern Seminary to which Trey replied that the seat at the "K" is hot too.
Dr. Roberts asked Trey to give a quick testimony of his background for those who hadn't been to previous chapels. Trey briefly shared his testimony and also shared some new stories. One was that he grew up in a Church of Christ church down in Texas and one time when he was a youth on a Wednesday night he was over at the Baptist church leading worship with his guitar and that his parents, when asked where Trey was by those in the congregation of the Church of Christ church, told them that he was leading worship at the Baptist church. That got a pretty good laugh out of everyone there.
He mentioned that he and his family attend a Baptist church in Liberty Hills, TX where his home is (and where he lives during the offseason). He mentioned how as time went on, he felt more at home in a Baptist church and so that's why he worships at the church he's at now.
Trey then talked about one thing that has been on his heart the last ten years is that he has asked God that he be less judgmental. He mentioned how it's our job as Christians to love people and that he's trying to do a better job of that.
When talking about his job as a manager, he mentioned how he's heard words put together with his name that he couldn't even fathom.
He then talked about his time in Japan as a manager and how he was able to do a lot of mission work with the missionaries there and the great opportunities that came about from that. He said that wherever God puts him, he plans to honor God and be bold in his witness.
He acknowledged he felt the prayers of everyone from the seminary and that he couldn't wait to come back to campus to thank everyone for them.
Dr. Roberts then asked him what his typical day was like. Trey mentioned that he's there at the ballpark 12-15 hours a day. Before he discussed his routine, he said that it's important to surround yourself with people not only who encourage and support you but who you can encourage and support as well. He said that there are 2 types of people, energy givers and energy suckers and he wants to be around energy givers and more importantly around people encouraging with the Holy Spirit.
He then got into the day in the life of a MLB manager. He said he gets to the ballpark and does about 3 to 5 miles on the treadmill. He works out early in order to work out stress. He then spends about 45 minutes to an hour for video review. The early work for the players on a typical day starts at 3:00 and official stretch time starts at 4:15. He said that a lot of it is essentially "hurry up and wait". He will do two press conferences a day. The first one is prior to batting practice while the second one is 8-10 minutes after the game. He said they as managers are required by MLB to be available for those two press conferences. He then talked about meetings with players and he said usually he doesn't meat with the team as a whole prior to a game. It will usually be either with the pitchers or with the position players. He said it could be anywhere from 3 to 7 meetings a day and that "you don't really know what your day is going to be like".
When asked about using Twitter, Trey said that he's not a "twister" or "tweeter" but that he does text. He then mentioned one piece of advice he gives to this 16 and 13 year old kids "Don't text anything that you can't say to someone's face".
He then talked about this new technology he found out about recently. One of his coaches or scouts (don't remember off hand) came into his office and gave him this notebook. In it it had tracked a pitcher's arm slot release. It was color coated and had it from 2008, 2009 and this year. He said he was shocked about all that was involved in it.
Trey then talked about how he likes to have conversations over confrontations and that given how everyone is watching him, in order to speak to a player he has to go 20 feet into a tunnel. Case in point, two years ago during a game he made a joke with the pitching coach Bob McClure and then later took some time to encourage SP Gil Meche as he was coming out of the game. Trey was later accused of picking a fight with the pitching coach and punking out his pitcher. He said that his wife told him that he needs to smile more and that would help some with that.
He mentioned how part of his job is to help with players' "ego management system". He also said that he wants to be confident but not perceived as arrogant and understands there's a fine line there.
He shared a story about while he was working in the Yankees organization he ran the fantasy camp that they held. One time he was with Bobby Richardson and he told the story about Mickey Mantle came to knew the Lord while he was in the hospital just before he died.
Dr. Roberts then asked him some baseball questions (and he couldn't respond with the answer Royals or any Royals players) and here was his responses:
Best pitcher: Tim Lincecum (Giants)
Best hitter: Joe Mauer (Twins)
Best athlete: Adam Jones (Orioles)
Best reliever: Mariano Rivera (Yankees) (he also shared briefly that while Trey was with the Yankees organization he got to know Rivera personally and talked about how Rivera loves the Lord and is a strong Christian)
World Series: Yankees vs. Giants
Dr. Roberts then asked Trey how to better pray for him. Trey mentioned how he was humbled and truly appreciated the prayers. He said that he would ask them to pray for wisdom, how to be best used in the platform God has given him, patience, and prayer for the families of players and coaches. He then said that he prays for the campus and very much appreciates the seminary having him come and speak.
I've found these chapels to be a blessing and I'm glad that the seminary has done them and I hope that it something that will truly be an annual event.
It started out with a funny quip as Dr. Roberts told Trey that it he was back in the hot seat of Midwestern Seminary to which Trey replied that the seat at the "K" is hot too.
Dr. Roberts asked Trey to give a quick testimony of his background for those who hadn't been to previous chapels. Trey briefly shared his testimony and also shared some new stories. One was that he grew up in a Church of Christ church down in Texas and one time when he was a youth on a Wednesday night he was over at the Baptist church leading worship with his guitar and that his parents, when asked where Trey was by those in the congregation of the Church of Christ church, told them that he was leading worship at the Baptist church. That got a pretty good laugh out of everyone there.
He mentioned that he and his family attend a Baptist church in Liberty Hills, TX where his home is (and where he lives during the offseason). He mentioned how as time went on, he felt more at home in a Baptist church and so that's why he worships at the church he's at now.
Trey then talked about one thing that has been on his heart the last ten years is that he has asked God that he be less judgmental. He mentioned how it's our job as Christians to love people and that he's trying to do a better job of that.
When talking about his job as a manager, he mentioned how he's heard words put together with his name that he couldn't even fathom.
He then talked about his time in Japan as a manager and how he was able to do a lot of mission work with the missionaries there and the great opportunities that came about from that. He said that wherever God puts him, he plans to honor God and be bold in his witness.
He acknowledged he felt the prayers of everyone from the seminary and that he couldn't wait to come back to campus to thank everyone for them.
Dr. Roberts then asked him what his typical day was like. Trey mentioned that he's there at the ballpark 12-15 hours a day. Before he discussed his routine, he said that it's important to surround yourself with people not only who encourage and support you but who you can encourage and support as well. He said that there are 2 types of people, energy givers and energy suckers and he wants to be around energy givers and more importantly around people encouraging with the Holy Spirit.
He then got into the day in the life of a MLB manager. He said he gets to the ballpark and does about 3 to 5 miles on the treadmill. He works out early in order to work out stress. He then spends about 45 minutes to an hour for video review. The early work for the players on a typical day starts at 3:00 and official stretch time starts at 4:15. He said that a lot of it is essentially "hurry up and wait". He will do two press conferences a day. The first one is prior to batting practice while the second one is 8-10 minutes after the game. He said they as managers are required by MLB to be available for those two press conferences. He then talked about meetings with players and he said usually he doesn't meat with the team as a whole prior to a game. It will usually be either with the pitchers or with the position players. He said it could be anywhere from 3 to 7 meetings a day and that "you don't really know what your day is going to be like".
When asked about using Twitter, Trey said that he's not a "twister" or "tweeter" but that he does text. He then mentioned one piece of advice he gives to this 16 and 13 year old kids "Don't text anything that you can't say to someone's face".
He then talked about this new technology he found out about recently. One of his coaches or scouts (don't remember off hand) came into his office and gave him this notebook. In it it had tracked a pitcher's arm slot release. It was color coated and had it from 2008, 2009 and this year. He said he was shocked about all that was involved in it.
Trey then talked about how he likes to have conversations over confrontations and that given how everyone is watching him, in order to speak to a player he has to go 20 feet into a tunnel. Case in point, two years ago during a game he made a joke with the pitching coach Bob McClure and then later took some time to encourage SP Gil Meche as he was coming out of the game. Trey was later accused of picking a fight with the pitching coach and punking out his pitcher. He said that his wife told him that he needs to smile more and that would help some with that.
He mentioned how part of his job is to help with players' "ego management system". He also said that he wants to be confident but not perceived as arrogant and understands there's a fine line there.
He shared a story about while he was working in the Yankees organization he ran the fantasy camp that they held. One time he was with Bobby Richardson and he told the story about Mickey Mantle came to knew the Lord while he was in the hospital just before he died.
Dr. Roberts then asked him some baseball questions (and he couldn't respond with the answer Royals or any Royals players) and here was his responses:
Best pitcher: Tim Lincecum (Giants)
Best hitter: Joe Mauer (Twins)
Best athlete: Adam Jones (Orioles)
Best reliever: Mariano Rivera (Yankees) (he also shared briefly that while Trey was with the Yankees organization he got to know Rivera personally and talked about how Rivera loves the Lord and is a strong Christian)
World Series: Yankees vs. Giants
Dr. Roberts then asked Trey how to better pray for him. Trey mentioned how he was humbled and truly appreciated the prayers. He said that he would ask them to pray for wisdom, how to be best used in the platform God has given him, patience, and prayer for the families of players and coaches. He then said that he prays for the campus and very much appreciates the seminary having him come and speak.
I've found these chapels to be a blessing and I'm glad that the seminary has done them and I hope that it something that will truly be an annual event.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Mariners vs. Royals---Day 2: Third Royals Game in 2010
Yesterday (Wednesday) I went to my third Royals game of the year, second game verses the Mariners. This game was a day game and as I don't have classes on Wednesdays, I didn't skip anything. For this game, my friend Lane and I took advantage of a deal where it was "All You Can Eat Seats". They are in the Loge section (kinda inbetween the lower level and the upper deck) and on certain Wednesdays this section you can get all you can eat hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, pretzels, and drinks from the time gates open until the 7th inning and really the cost is the same for the tickets if you didn't have that so it's a pretty good deal.
Of course along with the excitement of that, there was the game. I was of course wearing my Griffey jersey again and cheering on the Mariners. This game was interesting as it was more scoring. It was 5-1 Seattle into the 6th inning before the Royals came roaring back to tie it up. Then the M's took the lead again getting to the Royals bullpen and ended up winning the game 6-5. Along with that, I got to see the #1 Web Gem on Baseball Tonight (the Jack Wilson snag and jump throw to get Kendall out).
After 3 games I've attended, the Royals are 0-3. However, in 2 games I've attended the Mariners are 2-0. I'm hoping that the next game I go to the Royals win. I'm also hoping to go to St. Louis in June and catch the M's play the Cards in interleague play.
Of course along with the excitement of that, there was the game. I was of course wearing my Griffey jersey again and cheering on the Mariners. This game was interesting as it was more scoring. It was 5-1 Seattle into the 6th inning before the Royals came roaring back to tie it up. Then the M's took the lead again getting to the Royals bullpen and ended up winning the game 6-5. Along with that, I got to see the #1 Web Gem on Baseball Tonight (the Jack Wilson snag and jump throw to get Kendall out).
After 3 games I've attended, the Royals are 0-3. However, in 2 games I've attended the Mariners are 2-0. I'm hoping that the next game I go to the Royals win. I'm also hoping to go to St. Louis in June and catch the M's play the Cards in interleague play.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Mariners vs. Royals---Day 1: Second Royals Game in 2010
Yesterday (Tuesday) night, I went to my second Royals game of the year, though I was cheering for the other team. Yes, my "home" team, the Seattle Mariners were in town. There were in Kansas City for the only time this season and I wanted to see them twice (since that's how many times I saw them last season) and so I got tickets back to back nights.
I got asked several times why I still root for them and I tell people because I still consider Seattle my second home. I will root for Kansas City because I'm here now but deep down I'm a Mariners fan and will continue to be even though I don't live in Seattle.
Onto the game, I got there early to watch batting practice. When I lived in Seattle I believe I saw them take batting practice once in three years. So I went down by the dugout and watched. I saw Ichiro, Griffey, and the rest of the guys up close. It was really cool. And I was this close to coming away with an autograph. Mike Sweeney, the backup DH and former Royal, at one point saw some old friends of his and stopped to talk to them. He literally jumped the railing and came into the stands to talk with them for a few minutes. He was probably ten feet away from where I was standing. I thought to myself "Hey I'll wait and see if I can get an autograph. And I was literally standing right next to an usher who said nothing to me while BP was ending and Sweeney was standing there. Unfortunately, another more stricter usher came down another aisle nearby and started to shoo people away. This in turn made the one standing right next to me ask me "Do you have a ticket for this section?" I sighed, shook my head no, and then grabbed my backpack and made the long walk back to my seat. It was kinda disappointing but oh well. Sometimes that's how it is.
It was Zack Grienke pitching for the Royals which meant more than likely it was going to be a low scoring game. And sure enough it was. It was fitting of the promotion of the night, buck night (1 dollar hot dogs, peanuts, Twinkies and small drinks) as runs were low. It was 2-0 Royals through 7 innings as Grienke was pitching in a manner that was reminiscent of his Cy Young year last year. The M's were gutting it out as the pitching was keeping it close. Then it became a game of bullpens...and has been proven through the season so far, Mariners have a bullpen, Royals don't. Royals gave up 3 runs in the 8th inning and then M's shut them down in the bottom of 8th and 9th to get the victory.
It's a weird feeling to be heavily outnumbered by fans and your team wins. I walked out of that stadium wearing my Griffey jersey after the game ended on a fluky double play hit into by Podsednik and I felt bad for my friends Kyle and Lane but at the same time excited for my team and my friends and M's fans back in Seattle. In games I've been to seeing the M's play since I moved to K.C. after last night's game, they were 2-2. For the Royals they were 0-2 after last night's game of this season of games I've been to.
I got asked several times why I still root for them and I tell people because I still consider Seattle my second home. I will root for Kansas City because I'm here now but deep down I'm a Mariners fan and will continue to be even though I don't live in Seattle.
Onto the game, I got there early to watch batting practice. When I lived in Seattle I believe I saw them take batting practice once in three years. So I went down by the dugout and watched. I saw Ichiro, Griffey, and the rest of the guys up close. It was really cool. And I was this close to coming away with an autograph. Mike Sweeney, the backup DH and former Royal, at one point saw some old friends of his and stopped to talk to them. He literally jumped the railing and came into the stands to talk with them for a few minutes. He was probably ten feet away from where I was standing. I thought to myself "Hey I'll wait and see if I can get an autograph. And I was literally standing right next to an usher who said nothing to me while BP was ending and Sweeney was standing there. Unfortunately, another more stricter usher came down another aisle nearby and started to shoo people away. This in turn made the one standing right next to me ask me "Do you have a ticket for this section?" I sighed, shook my head no, and then grabbed my backpack and made the long walk back to my seat. It was kinda disappointing but oh well. Sometimes that's how it is.
It was Zack Grienke pitching for the Royals which meant more than likely it was going to be a low scoring game. And sure enough it was. It was fitting of the promotion of the night, buck night (1 dollar hot dogs, peanuts, Twinkies and small drinks) as runs were low. It was 2-0 Royals through 7 innings as Grienke was pitching in a manner that was reminiscent of his Cy Young year last year. The M's were gutting it out as the pitching was keeping it close. Then it became a game of bullpens...and has been proven through the season so far, Mariners have a bullpen, Royals don't. Royals gave up 3 runs in the 8th inning and then M's shut them down in the bottom of 8th and 9th to get the victory.
It's a weird feeling to be heavily outnumbered by fans and your team wins. I walked out of that stadium wearing my Griffey jersey after the game ended on a fluky double play hit into by Podsednik and I felt bad for my friends Kyle and Lane but at the same time excited for my team and my friends and M's fans back in Seattle. In games I've been to seeing the M's play since I moved to K.C. after last night's game, they were 2-2. For the Royals they were 0-2 after last night's game of this season of games I've been to.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Twitter, Sports and Opportunities for Encouragment
I've thought about writing on this for awhile and finally have found the time to do it. One of the trends in the past few years is the use of Twitter. For those who don't know what Twitter is, it's a form of social media that people use 140 characters to convey messages about where they are, what they're doing, or what they're feeling as well as conversing with others. It has grown in scope and usage to where people from a variety of places and popularity use it. It has become a place where people get their news (I found out the death of Michael Jackson's death from Twitter first), some promote products or connect with other people. This is particularly the case with celebrities/athletes as many have Twitter accounts and regularly tweet (write a message).
Back in January there was an ESPN.com article written by Amy K. Nelson that touched on the access that Twitter has given to fans and athletes regarding Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) and a fan of his who passed away and the tribute Chad gave to the fan last season. I would recommend reading the article and you can find a link to the article here.
I personally initially did not get into Twitter but I eventually did get an account and have regularly tweeted since then. Of course most of what I've tweeted about has been either about my faith, what's going on in my life and about sports. I follow friends of mine along with following athletes, coaches, sports reporters, analysts, and other "famous" people in the arena of sports. From this, I've found it a great way to learn more about my favorite teams and players and people that I watch on TV. A great example of this is Mark Schlereth. He is an analyst for ESPN for the NFL. He was an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos and on Super Bowl winning teams with both franchises. Along with tweets on the NFL and his chili that he promotes, he regularly talks about his faith. On Sundays, he shares a "churchy thought" which consists of sharing a Bible verse and a thought along with it. I've found it to be a nice source of reflection and a blessing to read as I'm out the door to church or back from church.
One of the cool things that Twitter allows people to do is a thing called at reply. Basically you put the @ symbol along with the username of someone on twitter and you can communicate with them. I use that a lot to talk to friends. I also use it to communicate with those athletes, coaches, reporters and analysts. It is a opportunity to communicate in ways that previously weren't there. And what I've tried to do along with expressing my opinion on sports is to also send a word of encouragement. I'm sure many of them get thousands of messages or more a day. But just as I'm called to encourage those I come in contact with in real life, in reflecting Christ to them, Twitter is a way to encourage and reflect Christ not only to those you know but also to those you don't. In some small way, I hope that word or two is an encouragement to them. I truly believe that God can use you through Twitter just as He can use you through other means of communication.
The cool thing is God has gifted each one with talents and passions to use for His glory. When we're doing that, He's being glorified and we're doing what He's called us to. So whatever your passion and talent, see how you can do it for God. For me, that's blogging and tweeting about Jesus and sports. :)
Back in January there was an ESPN.com article written by Amy K. Nelson that touched on the access that Twitter has given to fans and athletes regarding Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) and a fan of his who passed away and the tribute Chad gave to the fan last season. I would recommend reading the article and you can find a link to the article here.
I personally initially did not get into Twitter but I eventually did get an account and have regularly tweeted since then. Of course most of what I've tweeted about has been either about my faith, what's going on in my life and about sports. I follow friends of mine along with following athletes, coaches, sports reporters, analysts, and other "famous" people in the arena of sports. From this, I've found it a great way to learn more about my favorite teams and players and people that I watch on TV. A great example of this is Mark Schlereth. He is an analyst for ESPN for the NFL. He was an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos and on Super Bowl winning teams with both franchises. Along with tweets on the NFL and his chili that he promotes, he regularly talks about his faith. On Sundays, he shares a "churchy thought" which consists of sharing a Bible verse and a thought along with it. I've found it to be a nice source of reflection and a blessing to read as I'm out the door to church or back from church.
One of the cool things that Twitter allows people to do is a thing called at reply. Basically you put the @ symbol along with the username of someone on twitter and you can communicate with them. I use that a lot to talk to friends. I also use it to communicate with those athletes, coaches, reporters and analysts. It is a opportunity to communicate in ways that previously weren't there. And what I've tried to do along with expressing my opinion on sports is to also send a word of encouragement. I'm sure many of them get thousands of messages or more a day. But just as I'm called to encourage those I come in contact with in real life, in reflecting Christ to them, Twitter is a way to encourage and reflect Christ not only to those you know but also to those you don't. In some small way, I hope that word or two is an encouragement to them. I truly believe that God can use you through Twitter just as He can use you through other means of communication.
The cool thing is God has gifted each one with talents and passions to use for His glory. When we're doing that, He's being glorified and we're doing what He's called us to. So whatever your passion and talent, see how you can do it for God. For me, that's blogging and tweeting about Jesus and sports. :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Playoff Hockey...Nothing Like It
Growing up in Tennessee, it may not look like it but I'm a huge hockey fan. I've mentioned before how as a teen I grew to love hockey and even more so when the Predators came to Nashville. I have been to a few games since the Preds started back in the fall of 1998, including one this year when I was home for spring break (which they won in a shootout against Phoenix).
But as great as regular season hockey is, it's even more so in the playoffs. I hope one of these days to go to a playoff game but in the meantime I watch it on TV.
To me, there's nothing like watching playoff hockey. The action is intense and even more so if it goes into overtime. If you've never seen a hockey game before, the playoffs are a great time to start. And if you'd like a team to root for, you can jump on the Predators bandwagon :)
But as great as regular season hockey is, it's even more so in the playoffs. I hope one of these days to go to a playoff game but in the meantime I watch it on TV.
To me, there's nothing like watching playoff hockey. The action is intense and even more so if it goes into overtime. If you've never seen a hockey game before, the playoffs are a great time to start. And if you'd like a team to root for, you can jump on the Predators bandwagon :)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Dueling Pitchers: First Royals Game of 2010....in Review
It's the time of the year where spring is in the air and baseball teams are on the field. Yup, it's baseball season and with that comes going out to the ballpark and yesterday was the first opportunity of the year for that. I almost went the entire first homestand of the Royals without going but I ended up going because A) it was the Red Sox they were playing, B) it was a pitching matchup between Josh Beckett and Zack Grienke and C) it was free jersey night.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temp at first pitch was around 70 degrees which is probably 30 degrees more than it has been the last two first games I've been too in the previous two years. It felt like a late May day and definitely no complaining. Normally I'm wearing layers and trying to stay warm whereas this time around it was this time around wearing short sleeves and shorts.
At the game was me, my friend Kyle and a friend of his from class. The seats were in the outfield, out in left field, to the left of the Red Sox bullpen. It was a good game....unfortunately for the Royals...the Red Sox won 8-3. Some highlights:
*It was a pitcher's duel for probably about 5 innings. Beckett was pretty much on for most of the game. Grienke wasn't as much but held on a lead until giving up some runs. Beckett ended up winning the game and is still undefeated against the Royals.
*It was the first Red Sox game I had been to since 2008. That game I also saw Josh Beckett start and win the game.
*Sitting out by the fountains, you can't hear as well as normally can around the stadium...which is kind of to be expected.
*The fans in the outfield are a lot more rowdy than they are in other parts of the stadium. I learned this some last year at the first game of the year and it was confirmed again. There was some drunk guys who were yelling out at Rick Ankiel (the new CF) when he would make plays like "You're awesome Rick!" and stuff like that. It was almost like reverse heckling. Of course there was some regular heckling of Red Sox players and Red Sox fans. I was glad I went with the Royals gear and not with the Red Sox gear.
*There was also an "incident" that happened during the game. There was one drunk guy who sat below us who kept getting up and leaving every so often (mainly because the vendors didn't walk through the outfield as much as other areas so to get beer one had to get up and get it). I can't remember it it was in the fifth or sixth inning but I was looking out towards right field and all of a sudden I feel somebody just come crashing down on me. It startled me more than anything. When I turn around, I see it's this drunk guy from below us. He was trying to step down on the seat to try and get to his seat but he stumbled over the rail and fell onto me. He was all like "I'm sorry dude. Are you alright dude?" I answered I was fine, I was shocked more than anything. I felt bad for the guy as he was wasted. He ended up finally making it to his seat but then about an inning later he was gone again and never came back.
The Royals are now 0-1 in games I've been to this year. Hopefully, they'll win the next time I go and see them.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temp at first pitch was around 70 degrees which is probably 30 degrees more than it has been the last two first games I've been too in the previous two years. It felt like a late May day and definitely no complaining. Normally I'm wearing layers and trying to stay warm whereas this time around it was this time around wearing short sleeves and shorts.
At the game was me, my friend Kyle and a friend of his from class. The seats were in the outfield, out in left field, to the left of the Red Sox bullpen. It was a good game....unfortunately for the Royals...the Red Sox won 8-3. Some highlights:
*It was a pitcher's duel for probably about 5 innings. Beckett was pretty much on for most of the game. Grienke wasn't as much but held on a lead until giving up some runs. Beckett ended up winning the game and is still undefeated against the Royals.
*It was the first Red Sox game I had been to since 2008. That game I also saw Josh Beckett start and win the game.
*Sitting out by the fountains, you can't hear as well as normally can around the stadium...which is kind of to be expected.
*The fans in the outfield are a lot more rowdy than they are in other parts of the stadium. I learned this some last year at the first game of the year and it was confirmed again. There was some drunk guys who were yelling out at Rick Ankiel (the new CF) when he would make plays like "You're awesome Rick!" and stuff like that. It was almost like reverse heckling. Of course there was some regular heckling of Red Sox players and Red Sox fans. I was glad I went with the Royals gear and not with the Red Sox gear.
*There was also an "incident" that happened during the game. There was one drunk guy who sat below us who kept getting up and leaving every so often (mainly because the vendors didn't walk through the outfield as much as other areas so to get beer one had to get up and get it). I can't remember it it was in the fifth or sixth inning but I was looking out towards right field and all of a sudden I feel somebody just come crashing down on me. It startled me more than anything. When I turn around, I see it's this drunk guy from below us. He was trying to step down on the seat to try and get to his seat but he stumbled over the rail and fell onto me. He was all like "I'm sorry dude. Are you alright dude?" I answered I was fine, I was shocked more than anything. I felt bad for the guy as he was wasted. He ended up finally making it to his seat but then about an inning later he was gone again and never came back.
The Royals are now 0-1 in games I've been to this year. Hopefully, they'll win the next time I go and see them.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Reflecting on Video Games and College Basketball
Last Saturday, I participated in a video game tournament that made for a really good story and one I thought I would share with you. To preface, in January I started listening online to a sports radio show out of Nashville called 3 Hour Lunch. I spend my middays working on homework and listening to their show. Well, I found out that they were holding a video game tournament and it just so happened to take place while I was back in Tennessee for spring break from seminary. So I signed up and looked forward to it.
The tournament was held at The Score which is a video game store in Cool Springs. Not only do they buy, sell & trade games but they have places where you can play games including the "arena" which is in the middle of the store and has like stadium seating and two big screens projecting games. It was pretty cool. So I got there kinda early and just kinda hung out and looked around. It was to start around noon but didn't officially get going until around 12:15.
The rules were then laid out for the tourney. It was a single elimination tournament playing NCAA Basketball 10 on XBox360. The brackets were just like the real brackets. Each participant would draw the name of a school from a box in the order in which they signed up online. The team you drew was the team you played with. There weren't 64 participants so if there was a matchup and there weren't two participants then you got a bye. It was to be 5 minute halves on varsity and played on neutral courts.
So each person's name was called and drew a name. I was probably the 10th person or so to be called. I went up drew a name and got....East Tennessee State. Yup, a 16th seed from the Atlantic Sun Conference. I wasn't the only one who got bad draws. A lot of the ones who went early got bad draws. At the end 3 of the 4 #1 seeds finally got picked and I think only 1 of the #2 seeds. There were a lot of high seeds that were pulled.
When I first walked in, my goal was to make the Sweet 16. When I saw a lot of teenagers there, I adjusted my goal to not getting embarrassed. I found myself playing in the first round against a kid who was probably 8 or 9 years old. He was wearing a Kentucky jersey and was there with his dad who was also wearing a Kentucky shirt. Needless to say, there was irony in the kid drawing Kentucky.
So it was Kentucky vs. ETSU in round 1. And I met my first goal....I didn't get embarrassed. In fact, I ran the kid right out of the gym. Even with him having John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, me and my Bucs beat the Wildcats and advanced into the 2nd round. How do you ask? Well I did the only thing I could do with a team that wasn't that talented or had great 3 point shooting, I played an up-tempo game and ran, ran, ran. I would get a rebound and sprint down the court and get a layup. I'd inbound the ball and get it to my point guard, who happened to be my best player, and just went coast to coast with a layup. He couldn't ever stop it so I kept doing it. I was like, well if it works, keep doing it.
So, I got one win. I was happy and waited around until the next time I played. In the 2nd round I matched up against Texas. This was an interesting matchup as I was going against one of the hosts of the show, Brent. He had never played the game and so during the loading time, he asked me a few questions and I told him what to do (like what's the shoot button, what's the pass button, etc.). This was a tough game as he got ahead on some quick buckets. But I just went with the same gameplan as in the 1st round and it worked according to plan. I sped up the game and in the end pulled out another victory. 2-0 for ETSU and onto the Sweet 16.
So I made my original goal, at least make it to the Sweet 16 and I earned it with two victories. Now I had a matchup with Temple. This game was with one of those many teenagers that were running around. I was kinda worried but I was like, I'm playing with house money, I got nothing to lose. So again, played same up-tempo style...and it worked again. I got so far ahead that in the game the fans started chanting "Warm up the bus". 3-0 and onto the Elite 8
It was getting nervous time as I got ready to play in the Elite 8. I went up against a guy who had West Virginia. This was going to be hard because 1) he was a good player and 2) he had a talented team. So I had to buckle down and play well. In the first half I got ahead but then went cold and he was head by a point at half. In the second half I got down at one time by 6. I then switched up how I was playing defense and that coupled with him missing shots crawled back into the game. With 8 seconds left, I was down by two. I went the length of the court and tied it up with 3 seconds left. He then inbounded the ball went the length of the court and hit a shot at the buzzer to win the game. It was a tough way to lose but in gracious fashion I shook his hand and congratulated him on the victory. He later ended up winning the the whole thing so I lost to the champ.
In the end, I didn't do too bad. I took East Tennessee State, a 16th seed to the Elite 8. I was the highest seed to advance to the Elite 8 and did so winning 3 games with no byes. I was even complimented on two occasions including the guy who beat me as saying that I was "one of the best ones here". And though I didn't win a prize, I did a pretty good job and I have a great story to tell.
The tournament was held at The Score which is a video game store in Cool Springs. Not only do they buy, sell & trade games but they have places where you can play games including the "arena" which is in the middle of the store and has like stadium seating and two big screens projecting games. It was pretty cool. So I got there kinda early and just kinda hung out and looked around. It was to start around noon but didn't officially get going until around 12:15.
The rules were then laid out for the tourney. It was a single elimination tournament playing NCAA Basketball 10 on XBox360. The brackets were just like the real brackets. Each participant would draw the name of a school from a box in the order in which they signed up online. The team you drew was the team you played with. There weren't 64 participants so if there was a matchup and there weren't two participants then you got a bye. It was to be 5 minute halves on varsity and played on neutral courts.
So each person's name was called and drew a name. I was probably the 10th person or so to be called. I went up drew a name and got....East Tennessee State. Yup, a 16th seed from the Atlantic Sun Conference. I wasn't the only one who got bad draws. A lot of the ones who went early got bad draws. At the end 3 of the 4 #1 seeds finally got picked and I think only 1 of the #2 seeds. There were a lot of high seeds that were pulled.
When I first walked in, my goal was to make the Sweet 16. When I saw a lot of teenagers there, I adjusted my goal to not getting embarrassed. I found myself playing in the first round against a kid who was probably 8 or 9 years old. He was wearing a Kentucky jersey and was there with his dad who was also wearing a Kentucky shirt. Needless to say, there was irony in the kid drawing Kentucky.
So it was Kentucky vs. ETSU in round 1. And I met my first goal....I didn't get embarrassed. In fact, I ran the kid right out of the gym. Even with him having John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, me and my Bucs beat the Wildcats and advanced into the 2nd round. How do you ask? Well I did the only thing I could do with a team that wasn't that talented or had great 3 point shooting, I played an up-tempo game and ran, ran, ran. I would get a rebound and sprint down the court and get a layup. I'd inbound the ball and get it to my point guard, who happened to be my best player, and just went coast to coast with a layup. He couldn't ever stop it so I kept doing it. I was like, well if it works, keep doing it.
So, I got one win. I was happy and waited around until the next time I played. In the 2nd round I matched up against Texas. This was an interesting matchup as I was going against one of the hosts of the show, Brent. He had never played the game and so during the loading time, he asked me a few questions and I told him what to do (like what's the shoot button, what's the pass button, etc.). This was a tough game as he got ahead on some quick buckets. But I just went with the same gameplan as in the 1st round and it worked according to plan. I sped up the game and in the end pulled out another victory. 2-0 for ETSU and onto the Sweet 16.
So I made my original goal, at least make it to the Sweet 16 and I earned it with two victories. Now I had a matchup with Temple. This game was with one of those many teenagers that were running around. I was kinda worried but I was like, I'm playing with house money, I got nothing to lose. So again, played same up-tempo style...and it worked again. I got so far ahead that in the game the fans started chanting "Warm up the bus". 3-0 and onto the Elite 8
It was getting nervous time as I got ready to play in the Elite 8. I went up against a guy who had West Virginia. This was going to be hard because 1) he was a good player and 2) he had a talented team. So I had to buckle down and play well. In the first half I got ahead but then went cold and he was head by a point at half. In the second half I got down at one time by 6. I then switched up how I was playing defense and that coupled with him missing shots crawled back into the game. With 8 seconds left, I was down by two. I went the length of the court and tied it up with 3 seconds left. He then inbounded the ball went the length of the court and hit a shot at the buzzer to win the game. It was a tough way to lose but in gracious fashion I shook his hand and congratulated him on the victory. He later ended up winning the the whole thing so I lost to the champ.
In the end, I didn't do too bad. I took East Tennessee State, a 16th seed to the Elite 8. I was the highest seed to advance to the Elite 8 and did so winning 3 games with no byes. I was even complimented on two occasions including the guy who beat me as saying that I was "one of the best ones here". And though I didn't win a prize, I did a pretty good job and I have a great story to tell.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Reflecting After First Weekend of March Madness
I can safely say that this first weekend of March Madness is probably one of the craziest in my lifetime (30 years). The first day alone saw buzzer beaters, overtime, upsets galore and lots of excitement. Most of my brackets are busted (thanks to Northern Iowa's win), the only ones that aren't are homer brackets (meaning go UT and U-Dub!). Several things that stood out this weekend...
*The two teams I root for made it to the Sweet 16 and potentially could make the Final Four. Going into the tourney I thought only one had that chance (U-Dub) but Tennessee played well their first two games and were helped by upsets in the toughest region. Both will face the #2 seeds in the Sweet 16 but don't be surprised if these two underdogs make the Final 4
*A new phrase has joined the English language..."Going sharpie". This was coined by CBS analysits Greg Anthony and Seth Davis on their tweets. It means a team is pretty much going to win so they write in permanent marker on their brackets (Sharpie). I like the phrase. I will say this...my college roomates and I did something like this as a tradition starting back a decade or so ago (wow...can't believe it's been that long ago). Instead of a Sharpie, we used highlighters to mark our brackets we had posted on our living room wall. Orange or Yellow= correct pick, Green or Pink=incorrect pick. So if you hear me using the phrase "going sharpie" now you know the context.
Hopefully next weekend will live up to the standard that the first weekend set. If it does, then it should be a doozy of a weekend.
*The two teams I root for made it to the Sweet 16 and potentially could make the Final Four. Going into the tourney I thought only one had that chance (U-Dub) but Tennessee played well their first two games and were helped by upsets in the toughest region. Both will face the #2 seeds in the Sweet 16 but don't be surprised if these two underdogs make the Final 4
*A new phrase has joined the English language..."Going sharpie". This was coined by CBS analysits Greg Anthony and Seth Davis on their tweets. It means a team is pretty much going to win so they write in permanent marker on their brackets (Sharpie). I like the phrase. I will say this...my college roomates and I did something like this as a tradition starting back a decade or so ago (wow...can't believe it's been that long ago). Instead of a Sharpie, we used highlighters to mark our brackets we had posted on our living room wall. Orange or Yellow= correct pick, Green or Pink=incorrect pick. So if you hear me using the phrase "going sharpie" now you know the context.
Hopefully next weekend will live up to the standard that the first weekend set. If it does, then it should be a doozy of a weekend.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Reflections on March Madness 2010
It's Wednesday and it's the eve of March Madness. The next four days starting tomorrow is one of my four favorite days of the year, especially Thursday and Friday. I love watching the tournament and the excitement that comes with it. I have filled out brackets but before breaking down the brackets, here's some random reflections on college basketball.
*I'm not the first to say that the selections committee did a not great job and I won't be the last. It's a tough job but they could've done better than stacking the Midwest region with the overall #1 seed and the East with the #2 seed and making the South and West lighter. Also, Tennessee should've gotten higher than a 6th seed in the Midwest, you beat the #1 and #2 overall teams in the country and that gets you only a 6th seed in the toughest region?
*With all the talk about raising the amount of teams to 96 and such...I'm neither for nor against that yet. I will say this, if I was running the show this is what I would do. I would make the 31 automatic bids the top seeds (so roughly 1-7 or 8 seeds). That way A) it doesn't penalize the teams that won their way into the tournament like the mid-major schools and B) you still have the top teams in the top conferences as the 1 or 2 seeds because typically if they're that good they'll win their conference tournament. You then have your remaining 34 at large teams be the lower seed 8-16 with the last two "bubble" teams play in the play-in game. Of course that will never happen but it's a nice thing to think about.
*One thing that I have been reminded of in recent weeks is something that I talked about a while back in one of my video posts. I talked about how at least I am trying to talk positively about the teams I root for and not talk negatively about teams that are rivals or those I don't necessarily like. And for the most part, I've done a good job. If my team has won, I was excited and said great things about my team but I didn't denegrate the other team. If my team lost, I said they put up a good effort and gave the winning team their due. What has disappointed me is that I've seen, read and heard those friends of mine who haven't done that. They have made it a point to say bad things about the other team for no reason it seems like. Case in point. I have several friends who root for Kentucky. In the last few weeks when Tennessee played them in basketball, they made it a point to make snarky (a word I use sometimes that means like a sarcastic putdown) comments both when Kentucky lost and when they won. I don't know why they felt they had to say those things, maybe they're around Tennessee fans who make those kind of comments around them and they feel they need to respond in kind, I don't know. I know my tendency deep down is to respond like that if people are saying those kind of things and I kinda wanted to respond to them like they were responding but instead I thought about what good that would do and instead chose to say good things both about my team and theirs. I think definitely those who are pastors and ministers like myself need to be reminded that our words do mean something and they have an impact like our actions, and that includes being a sports fan. One cannot separate being a fan and being a follower of Jesus, because it's all wrapped into the person God has made you and called you to be. I'm not perfect in this but I'm trying and hopefully that will end up being edifying to God.
Now...onto the brackets. Just like last year I filled out 14 brackets (10 on ESPN, 3 on Facebook and 1 on Yahoo). I went with a variety of ways of filling out the brackets. Some were scientific (Strength of Schedule, Average of RPI and Strength of Schedule, Records vs. Top 25) and some were simply not scientific (Mascots, Numbers out of a Hat, Completely Random, First Impressions). Here are some thoughts on the brackets:
*I'm not buying some of the easy upset picks that a lot of the "experts" are going with, and not just because I'm a Tennessee guy. I don't think Tennessee or Vanderbilt will be upset. In fact, I think Vandy will be a sweet 16 team. Some sleeper teams I'm picking are Utah St., Washington, Minnesota and Cornell.
*I have seen a lot of Big 12 games living in Kansas City. It is a tough conference and Kansas is a very tough team. They have talent + experience which to me is a deadly combination. I think a lot of people think that Kentucky is the top team like a lot of other people think Kansas is the top team. I've seen both teams and there's no question, Kansas is better. Kentucky does have talent but Wall is too much of a kamakaze point guard who has a propensity to turn the ball over and have a Kobe Bryant mentality of shooting shots. Cousins is a player who could just as easily take his team out of a game as well as keep them in it with his attitude. Their best player to be honest is Bledsoe. When you're top three players are all freshmen, I do think that's not a formula for tournament success (see Michigan in 1993 with Fab 5). Kansas has the depth and talent with Collins, Aldrich, and the Henry twins. Along with that talent they have experience with Collins and Aldrich being seniors. That will play a factor to me as the tourney goes on.
I have two brackets in which I'm thinking are my best. In my first bracket I have in my final four: Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Villanova and in my second bracket I have the same with the exception being Baylor instead of Villanova. I have in the championship game in both brackets Kansas and West Virginia with Kansas taking the title.
Good luck to everyone filling out the brackets and hope you enjoy watching some basketball!
*I'm not the first to say that the selections committee did a not great job and I won't be the last. It's a tough job but they could've done better than stacking the Midwest region with the overall #1 seed and the East with the #2 seed and making the South and West lighter. Also, Tennessee should've gotten higher than a 6th seed in the Midwest, you beat the #1 and #2 overall teams in the country and that gets you only a 6th seed in the toughest region?
*With all the talk about raising the amount of teams to 96 and such...I'm neither for nor against that yet. I will say this, if I was running the show this is what I would do. I would make the 31 automatic bids the top seeds (so roughly 1-7 or 8 seeds). That way A) it doesn't penalize the teams that won their way into the tournament like the mid-major schools and B) you still have the top teams in the top conferences as the 1 or 2 seeds because typically if they're that good they'll win their conference tournament. You then have your remaining 34 at large teams be the lower seed 8-16 with the last two "bubble" teams play in the play-in game. Of course that will never happen but it's a nice thing to think about.
*One thing that I have been reminded of in recent weeks is something that I talked about a while back in one of my video posts. I talked about how at least I am trying to talk positively about the teams I root for and not talk negatively about teams that are rivals or those I don't necessarily like. And for the most part, I've done a good job. If my team has won, I was excited and said great things about my team but I didn't denegrate the other team. If my team lost, I said they put up a good effort and gave the winning team their due. What has disappointed me is that I've seen, read and heard those friends of mine who haven't done that. They have made it a point to say bad things about the other team for no reason it seems like. Case in point. I have several friends who root for Kentucky. In the last few weeks when Tennessee played them in basketball, they made it a point to make snarky (a word I use sometimes that means like a sarcastic putdown) comments both when Kentucky lost and when they won. I don't know why they felt they had to say those things, maybe they're around Tennessee fans who make those kind of comments around them and they feel they need to respond in kind, I don't know. I know my tendency deep down is to respond like that if people are saying those kind of things and I kinda wanted to respond to them like they were responding but instead I thought about what good that would do and instead chose to say good things both about my team and theirs. I think definitely those who are pastors and ministers like myself need to be reminded that our words do mean something and they have an impact like our actions, and that includes being a sports fan. One cannot separate being a fan and being a follower of Jesus, because it's all wrapped into the person God has made you and called you to be. I'm not perfect in this but I'm trying and hopefully that will end up being edifying to God.
Now...onto the brackets. Just like last year I filled out 14 brackets (10 on ESPN, 3 on Facebook and 1 on Yahoo). I went with a variety of ways of filling out the brackets. Some were scientific (Strength of Schedule, Average of RPI and Strength of Schedule, Records vs. Top 25) and some were simply not scientific (Mascots, Numbers out of a Hat, Completely Random, First Impressions). Here are some thoughts on the brackets:
*I'm not buying some of the easy upset picks that a lot of the "experts" are going with, and not just because I'm a Tennessee guy. I don't think Tennessee or Vanderbilt will be upset. In fact, I think Vandy will be a sweet 16 team. Some sleeper teams I'm picking are Utah St., Washington, Minnesota and Cornell.
*I have seen a lot of Big 12 games living in Kansas City. It is a tough conference and Kansas is a very tough team. They have talent + experience which to me is a deadly combination. I think a lot of people think that Kentucky is the top team like a lot of other people think Kansas is the top team. I've seen both teams and there's no question, Kansas is better. Kentucky does have talent but Wall is too much of a kamakaze point guard who has a propensity to turn the ball over and have a Kobe Bryant mentality of shooting shots. Cousins is a player who could just as easily take his team out of a game as well as keep them in it with his attitude. Their best player to be honest is Bledsoe. When you're top three players are all freshmen, I do think that's not a formula for tournament success (see Michigan in 1993 with Fab 5). Kansas has the depth and talent with Collins, Aldrich, and the Henry twins. Along with that talent they have experience with Collins and Aldrich being seniors. That will play a factor to me as the tourney goes on.
I have two brackets in which I'm thinking are my best. In my first bracket I have in my final four: Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Villanova and in my second bracket I have the same with the exception being Baylor instead of Villanova. I have in the championship game in both brackets Kansas and West Virginia with Kansas taking the title.
Good luck to everyone filling out the brackets and hope you enjoy watching some basketball!
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