Late, Random and This Just In...

1. How about those Mets? The ghost of Gene Mauch can now rest peacefully. The 1964 Phillies will never again be the standard for complete and total collapse. The 2007 New York Mets were 7 games up with 17 to play. And they are not participants in this year's tournament. How ironic, the Mets were caught-and passed-by the Philadelphia Phillies! Some serious cosmic justice at work there.
At least, for once, it seems like a manager will not be held responsible for this sort of thing. Irony #2: it may very well have been Willie Randolph's fault that this clubhouse fell apart.
2. I found no pleasure in the fact that it was Tom Glavine who surrendered the 7 runs in the top of the first on the last day of the season. Tommy deserved better than the torrent of booing that accompanied his last trip from the mound as a Met. I would like nothing better than to see him come to an understanding with John Schuerholz and complete his career as a member of the Atlanta Braves next year. And even at 42, he can be a better 3 or 4 than anyone else that the Braves have available. And if Mike Hampton should actually be able to pitch next Summer...
3. The Cubs staged darned near as dramatic a late season charge as the Phillies--well, if you pare it down to a NL Central-level charge, and collapse by the Brewers. But, baseball gods be praised, the Northsiders then proceeded to remind us all why it has been, now, a FULL CENTURY since they took home the World Series Title. The Cubs crapped out in three games against a very ordinary Arizona Diamondbacks team with an average age of about 6 months short of puberty. A couple of the high school students who ran for the Memphis City Council would be senior members of the D'backs, but Lee, Ramirez, Floyd and DeRosa, etal, couldn't do a doggoned thing with them. And with Lou Pinella's brainfart in pulling Zambrano early in Game 1 so that he could start Game 4 on three days' rest...well, they aren't having a Game 4. Yes, the Cubs are still the Cubs. Sorry, Ron.
4. How much would this Memphian enjoy seeing Manny be Manny in this postseason the way that Papi was Papi in '04? More than I can put into words! I've never seen as great a player take so much crap for reasons other than being a complete and total jerk (Barry Lamar!). Yeah, Manny's a big kid. So what? Who wouldn't want his numbers in their lineup? Anyone...Anyone? He got one hell of a start with the bottom of the ninth walkoff onto the Mass Turnpike last night! Keep it up, Big Boy!
5. Memphis was so disgusted with our 4 term mayor that a grand total of 38.6% of the registered voters even bothered to cast a ballot. Something around 56% of those voting wanted someone else, so that reads to me like 38.6% of those showing up voted for him and a whopping 61.5% of the registered voters were content enough to stay home. The numbers seem to reveal a good deal less anger with the incumbent than the local media would have us believe.
6. George W. Bush is an idiot. Latest evidence: following the Great Occupier's veto of the children's health insurance bill, stunningly conservative Sen. Orrin Hatch, from Utah of all places, used some uncharacteristically foul language. When asked if he would support an override, Sen. Hatch replied, "You bet your sweet bippy!" [Rowan and Martin Live!] I hate that the Senator was moved to vulgar language, but for once, it seems that his heart (apparently he has grown one) is in the right place. Or, perhaps, it's the LEFT place?
7. Thank God for a sensible District Superintendent. It seems that a member of my flock named Anonymous wrote a letter with a whole pile of allegations about my inadequacies. Among them: I preached the Bible real well when I got there, but now all I do is talk about baseball and my children; I have spent all of the church's money; I'm never on the job; I've killed the children/youth programs and so on.
In point of fact: I have not made a baseball reference in worship this year. The church is in such financial position that the Council voted to put last year's 13% budget surplus and this year's parsonage rent in savings, and we're STILL $16,000 ahead of last year. The church has miraculously doubled since I arrived...and all without me being around. Amazing, ain't it? The young woman who graduated from high school at the end of my first year never had a youth group to participate in until her Senior Year. We've made the obligatory Lake Junaluska trip, and will again next summer, and have a weekly youth meeting with more than a dozen regularly attending.
The dear sister who wrote the letter is a life-long malcontent who is miserable with her life and needs for everyone else to be as miserable as she. My dear, the truth is not in you. Go and sin no more!
8. I am now an enormous Travis Hafner fan!
9. The TBS studio show is outstanding! The work that the great Ernie Johnson, Jr. does as host, Cal Ripken, Jr. does as resident expert, The Big Hurt, Frank Thomas does as second analyst, and the delightful Curtis Granderson brings in enthusiasm add up to what Fox wishes their sad Saturday attempts could be. Their segments on base stealing and bunting have just been tremendous. Cal takes charge of those segments, Ernie allows the players to lead, Frank brings gravitas and Granderson steals the show. With all apologies to Jim Leyland, I hope the Tigers never make the playoffs again if that will allow Granderson to be in studio. He's 26 years old and right now has an incredible broadcasting future. And not a bad one as a player for the next 10 to 15 years, either.
If you haven't seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to watch this program.
10. Congrats, Vols, on handling Georgia. I just don't know if that'll be enough to save the coaches' jobs.
11. Run, don't walk, to the music store of your choice, and buy Steve Earle's new album, Washington Square Serenade. Pure gold from first song to last! Thank me later.
12. Two out in the bottom of the sixth in Denver, and at this moment it appears that there will be no National League games tomorrow. Just the Red Sox in the early game, and the MFYs in the late game.
Time to close here and wrap up tomorrow's sermon.
Preacher's Joke punchline of the night: What do you do during the offertory?
13. This Just In...Bud Selig won't have to worry about that nightmare scenario that would have pitted the #3 (Chicago) and #5 (Philadelphia) television markets in the country. No, now he'll have the dream ratings that will come with a Colorado Rockies-Arizona Diamondbacks National League Championship Series. So he'll really be praying for a Red Sox-MFY ALCS! Well, he's going to get half of that.