I Guess I'm Not As Strong As I Used To Be

Yeah, that last post was kind of a cop-out. Can we just let that slide? You expect more from me, and I expect more from me. So, to make it up to you, the half-dozen or so consistent readers hailing from all over the country, I decided to give you a little extra this week. Maybe I'm getting softer in my old age. Maybe I'm actually enjoying doing this after about 3.5 years or so. Maybe I like the warmth of a laptop on my lap while I'm watching a movie. I don't know. Odds are, it's all of them combined. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this, because I slammed it all out in the space of about 20 minutes and I'm going with it.

First thing I'd like to bring up: I hate my phone. When I got back from St. Maarten, one of the first things I needed to do was get a new cell phone (side note: I kind of miss not having a cell phone. Make no mistake, my phone lies unbothered for well over 85% of the day, so it's not that I'm getting overwhelmed by call or text volume. It's the exact opposite reason why I miss not having a cell phone. I miss not having to look at the phone, and realize there are no calls or texts. Cue the cheesy rift of "Lowered Expectations"). Turns out, they're kind of critical in today's society. If you don't believe me, go on a cruise and see how much different your life is for that week. Anyway, I did a little research, and decided to go with the Palm Pre Plus. Yep. Palm is A ) still around and B ) makes cell phones. I had read the reviews and realized that it was a nice balance of what I wanted: A slide, not flip, phone; tactile buttons; camera; and email. Additionally, it would only cost me about $50. The iPhone 4 was a possibility, but a possibility that had a $100-200 tag on it (I can't remember how much, but it was noticeably more than the Palm Pre). I saw a couple blackberry options, but honestly, I didn't like the idea of a blackberry. It seemed like too much machine for me. I like things simple. Above all, I like things simple.

I spend the better parts of my day thinking of complex scenarios and situations. Needlessly mind you, but that's what I do. I look around the room and think about things like "What if there was a fire and that exit is blocked?" Or "Is there a better way to lay out the furniture?" Or "Is it worth it to try and invest the little savings I have in a business venture, or just to let it slowly grow by interest?" And those are just the not sports or girls related ones. I'd share those, but really, they'd either bore, impress, confuse or upset you. Three of those I try to avoid. 25% chance? Not worth the risk.

Back to the phone. So I've had this one for about 5 months now. And I hate it. I'm already on a replacement because the power button, which is practically the only mechanical button outside the keyboard, stopped working. Kind of an important button. Additionally, about a month back it stopped receiving picture messages. An hour or so with customer services, and it worked again. Last week, back to not being able to receive pictures. Worst of all, the ability to search the internet is spotty, and that's kind. If I'm moving at all, forget about it. It's a step above having to be in wi-fi area, and that's it. Smart phone my tuckus.

Went to the ATT store because they have that fantastic promo to get the iPhone 3gs for just $50. I was hoping I could renew my agreement, pay the $50, turn in the crap phone I have and then be done with it. I realize that my phone bill would likely increase on the monthly basis, but for the added features, not to mention the fact that it works nearly all the time, worth it. Unfortunately, they won't let me sign into a new agreement until August. Of 2012. Great. I understand exactly why. Heck, I go over this same issue on a daily basis with the people I talk to at my job. No harm, no foul. Then the guy tells me that I could buy the phone off of KSL. When people in Utah say KSL, I instantly translate that into eBay. Not that I don't check KSL classifieds, but I check eBay first because, well I know it, and I trust it. Turns out, even a used iPhone 3gs with 8gb is going to run me about $200. Even if I sell my Palm Pre over the same medium, the net cost is about $100-125. And I'm still not sure what my monthly bill would move to. A lot of questions, not a lot of answers. If you have the answers, such as how much the monthly bill for an iPhone would be, that would be great.

Second thing: Been on the dating scene now for a couple months. I can tell you this: It's exactly the same as when I left it. Handful of courageous guys (some might use other adjectives, but I'll go with this one because I know the chutzpah it takes to do what they do) willing to walk up to any and every girl in the room, engage in brief but meaningful conversation, and request a phone number. Bunch of girls always in small groups of 2-4 talking amongst themselves while also noticing whom else is in the room. And the bulk of people just milling about as though there wasn't any social undercurrent trying to steer people together.

I used to be part of that first group. Believe me when I say, there is a not a scenario that I have not asked for a girl's number in. I'm not proud of them all, but I've done them all. In a class? Of course. At church? You betcha. Those are the easy ones. How about at a party where your friends are leaving and you just noticed her on your way out? Yessir. What about while at McDonalds and ordering food? Indeed. After going through a temple session? Sure did.

Now, oh man, I wait forever to ask for a girl's number. Truthfully, I like for there to be a solid reason other than "I want to ask you out", when I ask for their number. This is two-fold: 1) increase my odds of the second date (the first date is almost a given. It's the second date that is always up in the air. However, last girl I tried to ask out, definitely said no when I first asked her out. But that's certainly more than exception than the rule), 2) allows both of us to become comfortable around each other. This is more for their sake than mine. If you read this, you likely know me. If you know me, you know that I'm more or less comfortable all the time, especially in low body count situations.

I just don't have the stamina that these young bucks do, going into the fray time and again. Nor do I have the resilience of getting on the horse and bucked off on a weekly basis. Just don't got it in me anymore. Now-a-days, I pick my spots that I feel are higher percentages. Goodness knows, I'm not always right, but I play the odds. The downside is your volume goes down. Dramatically. Let me rephrase that. My volume goes down. Some guys seem to fall bass ackwards from one relationship into another, or from one girl to another (yes, there's a difference, a rather large difference). I'm not in that group.

What I'm saying is that the dating scene has not changed in the least. I have changed in the most. Not sure why, just know that I can't go back. This isn't good because I have to relearn how to maneuver. It's like I moved from shortstop to right field. Nothing against right field, but it gets far less activity, and demands less agility and resilience than playing shortstop. Still the same game, but completely different skills.

Third thing: I'm getting a Utah driver's license on Tuesday. My Florida one expires that day, and I can't renew it by mail. I figure that I won't be going to grad school in Florida, so there's no advantage to maintaining residence there. I might attend grad school in Utah, might as well get the in-state discount. Additionally, just because I have a Utah license, does not mean I have to register my car in Utah. No emissions or safety tests for me, thank you very much. I'll keep that $35 a year in my pocket.

I am sad to let the Florida license go though. It's been with me for so many thousands of miles. I'm not sure how many because the car I drove in college had a broken odomoter. I can tell you that I've driven my current car about 52,000 miles in the 3.5 years I've owned it. Oh, and it was parked in a warehouse for 1.5 of those years. I have to figure that I at least double that amount in the other car, and then added about 40k during high school. All in all, that license has seen me through about 200,000 miles. It is probably the oldest thing I still currently own. Except for my alarm clock. Had that thing since day 1 of the mission. Alas, all good things come to an end.

Fourth: I still really like tootsie rolls. I've been working on a bag this weekend. Got about 8 left. Don't ask for them. You won't get them.

Word.

I'm Turning Off A Real Live Drive And That's Right I'm Hitting Easy Street In Mud Tires

For those of you who don't know, it's more or less been raining here in Utah since I got back from Oakland. It has cost me countless softball games, golf rounds and sunny days. Not too pleased, but since I still can't control the weather, so be it.

I guess I should talk about the fact that I went to Oakland two weeks ago. They were still on my list of teams I haven't seen at their home, and the White Sox were in town that weekend, so I dragged my brother over there. Had it been any other team, no way I would have done it. Spent more time driving then actually enjoying the Bay Area. And, in case there ever is a contest for most boring interstate, my vote has to go to I-80. And I don't think it's that close. As soon as you leave Chicago, there is nothing worth seeing until you get to SLC. From there, you have absolutely nothing until Wendover (and calling Wendover something is very generous) and then even more nothingness until Reno. After Reno, you go through the mountain range, and then its a stream of cities leading up to Sacramento and then Oakland. But for the vast majority, you just want to self-medicate the trip. I kid you not, it might have been worth it to ride a train or bus, just so you wouldn't have to be awake through that nonsense.

Once there, things went well. Yes, my White Sox lost, but they played alright. Gavin Floyd was on the mound, and I knew from the first couple batters we were in for trouble. He couldn't keep the ball down at all, and you can only survive so long throwing up in the zone. They broke through for a crooked number early, and that was during the stretch where we decided to leave all of our bats in the dugout, so we could never catch back up. I wasn't happy, but it happens. No one wins them all. And right now, we're still losing more than we win. At least we're hitting the ball again, and winning more than once a week.

After the game, we realized that the San Jose Earthquakes, local MLS team, was playing that night, and that San Jose was only about an hour away from Oakland. Why not? Nothing else really going on in the Bay area, so we trekked down there and caught the game. Side note: Northern California has substantially different weather than Southern California. I had packed a pair of jeans because I knew jeans worked in all situations. What I should have packed was my snow board pants, a sweater, a jacket and a beanie. So cold. Got a hot chocolate, which helped a little, but not enough. Went to their merchandise trailer (yes trailer. The field was a college's field, and the stands looked like they were from some high school football field. It was ridiculous knowing one team played here, and another team in the same league played at Rio Tinto. Like having one twin look like Reese Witherspoon, and the other look like Rihanna after Chris Brown let the hands go on her) and asked if they had a beanie. The only thing they had close was a beanie-scarf. It's exactly what it sounds like. And I wore it. And it kept me warm. No complaints.

On the drive home, it started snowing outside of Sacramento. I'm told it snows in that region maybe once or twice a year. I guess this was that once a year. We ended up having to put chains on. Now, I've heard of this practice, and I know people have done it, but I've never even seen it happen, much less had to do it myself. Thankfully, my brother's car had chain in the trunk, and some guys were there willing to put them on for us for only $25. (Huge rip-off, but we didn't know how to do it, so we figured better safe than sorry. Trust me when I say, save your money. This ain't hard to do. I can walk you through it over the phone if you need it) We had to drive about 25 mph up the canyon for about a half an hour. All in all, added about 3 hours onto our travel time. Ridiculous. Just another reason why I don't like the snow.

Also, this trip was done so close on the heels of the cruise because I was going to start teaching an MCAT class shortly thereafter. This is the one that they assigned me after the first one was canceled because no one signed up. The first session was last Wednesday night. I show up about 20 minutes early to prep and what-not. With about 1 minute to go, two people walked in. That was it. Yesterday, I was told that the class was canceled again because only three people total had signed up. So now, I'm more or less back in a holding pattern. I do have a potential GMAT course coming up in a month or so, but who knows now. It's getting to the point where all the re-scheduling is more than the job's worth. I'm not using this job to pay rent, I'm using this job to play golf.

So yeah. This post, not too exciting of a read, but I figure two weeks was a long enough absence. I'll probably throw something up again soon. Have a BBQ tomorrow, and have to get a new Driver's License on Tuesday. Turns out, those things expire. Who knew?

Word.

You'll Be My Sunny Day, I'll Be Your Shade Tree

[Second Editor's note: Turns out, Blogger.com revamped their site for whatever reason. To do so, they need to pull every post that had been put up between Monday and Wednesday. And then they decided to take out all the pictures I put in along with the captions I listed under them. So, now I'm having to re-do them. Lovely.]

[Editor's note: This first paragraph was written chronologically after the rest of the post, and then added once I remember to write about it. Hence the second paragraphs has it's own opening and the first paragraph doesn't flow at all with the rest of the post. I'm sure you all would have been outraged had I not explained all this. You're welcome.] First, and most certainly foremost, after almost two years of searching and collecting, I have finally completed the my collection of the entire 2005 Chicago White Sox World Series Roster Signed World Series baseballs. Timo Perez was the last holdout from all the 25 guys on the roster and Ozzie Guillen. Who is Timo Perez? Glad you asked. He was our fourth outfielder for the series and recorded one at bat, never reaching base. He played his last game at the major league level in 2007, so finding his signature was tough enough, but then to get it on the 2005 World Series baseball was quite the treat. I forgot to take a picture of the completed case holding all 26 balls as well as the official WS patch, and the replica WS trophy, but just picture it in your mind. Makes you smile doesn't it. Sure makes me smile.

There are some things I just don't mess around with. I don't drink 5 hour energy because it scares me. I don't watch anything with Matthew McConnaughey because I will leave more stupid than I entered. I don't ever touch a thermostat unless I'm the only one it affects because too many arguments have started over it.

I also don't mess around with sunburns. Spent a week or so in Florida and then on a cruise through the Caribbean. Brought about a dozen friends or so, and many of them were interested in getting a tan. We'd get to the beach or head out to the pool deck and they would gingerly put on a coat of SPF 15 or 30 and go about their day. Me? SPF 90 if could please. I would have gone with the 100, but it was the sport stuff that burns your eyes for about five minutes after you put it on. I don't care if I'm whiter than a cotton ball. I want no part of skin cancer. It runs in the family and I've already logged enough sun-hours growing up in Florida. So now-a-days, when I go to the beach, I put on a healthy layer of strong sun block.

Now, some of you might be thinking "If he put on all that sun block, how did he come back a little bit darker than when he left?" Golf is the answer my friends. For whatever reason, I usually forget to put sunblock on when I tee it up. So, after spending a weekend at the beach, a week on a cruise that went from beach to beach, the only sun I really got was at the golf course after all of that. And if you think I'm kidding, know that I wear a glove on my left hand when I golf, and believe that my right hand is noticeably darker than my left. Not a coincidence.

All in all though, the cruise was great. I love them. They're a hotel that travels to different places while you sleep. Oh, and they let you eat as much as you want. They'd deliver the menu and without fail, I would get 2-3 appetizers (really enjoyed their Ceasar salad, to the point that I had it every night), 2-3 entrees, and 2-3 desserts. Never went for the Trifecta of 3-3-3, but often wound up mowing through 8 total plates. And out of all of those plates, they all were delicious, except for the turkey. Just bad. Not dry, just without flavor. Yuk.

Annnnnd... here's the photo dump.

This is the whole group outside the house. Why we took the shot across the street and not in front of the house, I'm not sure. I'm guessing sun position, but there are still quite a lot of shadows.
If you thought I was kidding about finding the shade on the beach, you're dead wrong. There are about 60 beach loungers in front of me, most of which were empty. Me? I'm taking the wooden stool on the covered deck. And, as my sister pointed out, that sign was temporarily incorrect. If I'm there, there is a lifeguard on duty.
Just chilling at the Indialantic Beach boardwalk. I'm using boardwalk loosely, because the entire thing could be carried by a seven iron. And still, it's was the closest thing to a boardwalk outside of Cocoa Beach.
Best Billboard ever. I say, they shrink it down to business card size and hand them out at YSA activities. I realize we preach abstinence, but just in case, they should know to Protect Ya Tings.
Sometimes you really want to go swimming. And you're wearing a suit. And you don't see those two as being mutually exclusive. Side note: chlorine will change your suit forever. Not in a radiation-cloud-turned-johnny-storm-into-the-human-torch kind of way either.

Yes, that is the whole group throwing handstands. I'm just right of center. Still on the way up, hence I haven't locked my knees. However, my toes are still pointed. Thanks high school diving.

Get Your Towels Ready, It's About To Go Down

Sorry about the layoff since the last entry. Things got busy. Deal with it.

I don't really have a lot right now to talk about. I mean, work is going well (just got my first commission check and it made me question my testimony on tithing), baseball season is in full swing (let's not talk about the horrible start my White Sox have made), and my TV shows are all closing out their seasons. There's really only two things worth bringing up.

The first is that this is my first post on my Mac laptop. My previous laptop was getting too finicky. When you have to restart every time you try to access a document, your computer has serious issues. I figured I would have to spend something like $150-200 to take it into Best Buy and have them tell me that 1) it's old, 2) it's running Windows Vista, 3) they would have to completely re-install the OS just to fix it. So, I decided to look around and see if I could get a used Mac laptop for a comparable amount.

About a year after I bought my previous laptop I decided that there was no way I was ever going to buy another PC again. It's not that I don't like them. I actually have no problem with them. It's just that I feel the Mac product is better all the way around, save the price. I knew I couldn't afford a new one as they start at $1000, but I figured if I was willing to take a model that was a couple year old, I should find something in my budget. Spent a couple weeks, and after a couple failed attempts, landed one on ebay for just under $250 with an extra battery and a fancy carrying bag. Well, the bag came with it. I wouldn't have paid extra for it, but since they were sending it that way anyway, I'll guess I find a use for it. I do really like it. I like that it works the way it is supposed to work. I like how the OS is just as simple as I remembered it being. And, I like the aesthetics of a titanium cased laptop. For those interested, it's a PowerBook G4. I read the specs, and knew that it can't get snow leopard because of it's Intel processor, but the way it is now is more than good enough for me.

The other thing is that a week from now, I'll be back in Florida and getting ready to board a cruise to the Bahamas. Pretty stoked about it. 5 day, 4 nights, leaving out of Port Canaveral, which is about 20 minutes away from my parents' house. There's a dozen of us going. We all fly in Saturday and stay at my parents' house until Monday afternoon. When we were setting this up, Mike asked me if it would be Ok to have that many people stay at the house. I said it should be fine, but I asked my mom anyway. She said "Only 12?". I told Mike I wasn't going to get worried about space until we hit 20 people. Then I might worry. Sure, some people will have to sleep on a couch, but the vast majority will be in a bed. Most will be sharing a bed, as they are all Queen sized or larger. I, however, will not be sharing my bed. Sorry guys, I draw the line with my hospitality at sharing my bed with another guy. If we hit 20, I might think about it. But if everyone is positioned, and we still have couches available, I'm sleeping solo, thank you very much.

The cruise should be a lot of fun. We're planning on a lot of snorkeling, a lot of beach sitting, and a lot of eating. Maybe some other stuff, but that's all I'm sure of. However, afterward, I'm going to start watching what I eat a titch. Got on the scale the other day. Last January, 2010, I came back from med school and weighed in at 150. Granted, that was a bit low, given that I hadn't figured out what to eat in that foreign land, and hadn't settled into a study-eat-sleep schedule, but nevertheless, I was at 150 pounds. Jumped on the scale the other day: 180. Not even kidding. Most I've ever weighed. I realized this isn't anywhere near a problem. But, I figure if I don't take it off now, I might not ever. So after the cruise, the goal is to get back down to 160 by the end of 2011. It'll be about 8 months, so 2.5 pounds month.

Here's where I turn to the handful of people that read this. Is this a reasonable goal? I've never cared about my weight, so I've never set a goal to gain or lose it. The only time I've seen people do it is on "The Biggest Loser". I've seen people throw off nearly 20 lbs in a week. Sure, they originally tipped the scales at 450+, so I understand that for me to lose 20 in a week could only be explained by amputation. But is 2.5 lbs a month for 8 months reasonable? I feel that it is, but I'm not sure.

Don't ask me how I'm going to do it, because I'm not sure. I figure I'll start with going to the gym more often than once a month. (Side note: went 8 times in the past two weeks. Impressed myself with that run.) Then, once that plateaus, I'll have to examine what and how much I eat. Right now, I have this problem where every night, I become starved at like 9:30. Like, painfully hungry. Was on a date with a girl and we were driving back around 10 pm, and I was absolutely starving, but we had just eating dinner at like 7. I asked if she was hungry, and she said no, so I figured I would just bide my time until I could eat some food. Drove the rest of the way to her place trying not to wince as I passed by Krispy Kreme, McDonalds, Wendy's, and even the gas station, which I knew had delicious peach rings inside. After I took her home, I went straight back to McDonalds, had a spicy chicken sandwich and double stack from the drive through, and ate them both before I pulled into the driveway.

Every night, I feel like this, and if I don't eat then, I get painfully hungry around 10 am the next morning. The other day I tried riding through the night, and then eating a breakfast to see if that did the trick. Not really. Just pushed back the morning jonesing until 11 am. Longest hour of my life between that and when I take my lunch at noon. I have no explanation for any of this, I just know that it's true, and that I don't particularly like it.

And, man, are my White Sox looking grim these days. Just when I thought it was safe to pull my Gordon Beckham jersey out of the back of the closet...

Word.

You Know It's You That Calls Me Back Here Baby

For the faithful, your patience is now to be rewarded. This is the time that I unfold unto you the mysteries of the 2011 Baseball season.

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies- Hard to pick against the 4 aces (Ok 2 aces and a pair of kings), however, with Utley to miss extended amounts of time, Rollins not what he was a couple years ago, Werth gone and Howard stuck in a decline, these guys are going to need to win a lot a of one run games. Add in that Lidge is going to miss the first month and the closer duties are falling to Jose Contreras, and this division is going to be extremely tight over the season. Still, I'll take great pitching and mediocre hitting over just about anything. 96 wins

Atlanta Braves - A lot riding on whether Chipper can be productive. Still have good arms around Hudson and Hanson, and even Jair Jurrjens is a decent back end of the rotation guy. They should be competitive, but they're going to fall short when Chipper has to walk away around the All star break. 92 wins.

Florida Marlins - This is the team that needs to decide quickly what it's future is going to be. They're in a a division that next year is going to become really strong with Philly, Atlanta and, gulp, Washington battling it out. I like Johnson and Nolasco, and Stanton can rake the ball. They have young talent, and need to decide whether to stick with this set, or keep building for later. Even though I have them third in the division, I feel they have the second best shot of winning the division. They have the best and most chances to catch lightning in a bottle for a season. However, you still have to catch it, and I don't think they will catch enough. 87 wins.

Washington Nationals - 2011 will just be a preview of what's to come. They added Werth, are taking their time with Strasburg and Harper, and preparing for a massive 2012. I love this team for next year. This year, not enough firepower with Werth being the only start making the opening day roster. 79 wins.

New York Mets - My goodness, how far they have fallen. Let me put it to you this way. Three years ago, Johan Santana was going in the first round of fantasy drafts. In my last draft, he didn't get picked. In a deeper draft I was in, with 14 teams, he went in the 300's. He isn't what he used to be, but who is going to drive in any runs for him? Just a train wreck from top to bottom here. I genuinely feel bad for David Wright at this point. 68 wins.

NL Central - Much like the AL Central, a truly weak division. When the Cardinals can lose their #2 pitcher and are still very much in contention, you're division is weak.

Cincinnati Reds - Nothing broke here, nothing to fix. I do look forward to seeing Aroldis Chapman more, because, well 105 mph heat with a 97 mph slider is just jaw-dropping. It's like watching Jimmer hoist up 28 foot bombs. Gets me out of my seat. Out of the two drafts I was in, he was the only RP I picked up out of choice, not just to fill a roster spot. 96 wins.

St. Louis Cardinals - Pujols. In a contract year. I don't know if he thinks along the lines of big dollars, but if he does, give him the triple crown right now. Carpenter is pitching well, but behind him there isn't much depth. Still, weak division, so they might just steal this one. 90 wins.

Milwaukee Brewers - Fielder is going to rock the ball in his contract year, and Greinke should be able to continue feasting on mediocre teams like he did in the AL Central. At least, once he gets off the DL from his pickup game of basketball. 88 wins.

Chicago Cubs - Not much to like here. Aramis Ramirez laid a turd last year. Alfonso Soriano is battling Jason Giambi for worst contract ever. Zambrano pitches well, when he's not going crazy. Sitll, 4th in their division. 80 wins.

Houston Astros - Even less to like here. 76 wins.

Pittsburgh Pirates - I think I would be willing to pay $1 a game to be a season ticket holder for them, but only if I could renew at that price every year for the next 100. 1 penny more than that, and I would pass. 64 wins.

NL West

San Francisco Giants - Another team with great pitching, but they also have good hitting. I think they'll take this division, but it will be a close one. Favorite part about my fantasy drafts: getting Buster Posey in both of my leagues. 93 wins

Colorado Rockies - Good pitching behind Jimenez and De La Rosa, and you have to feel good about having Tulo and CarGo in the lineup. Personally, big fan of Dexter Fowler. I like my CF speedy with solid batting averages. 91 wins.

Arizona Diamondbacks - Just another year in the desert for this team that seems to have no clue what it is trying to do for it's future. 83 wins.

San Diego Padres - Could turn things up, but probably won't. 77 wins.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Kershaw and Billingsley would make you think that this team has a decent chance, but they don't. No pop in the lineup, and a front office that is in complete disarray. 75 wins, and I'm being generous.

AL East - It ain't what it used to be. It used to be that this division was far away the best one in baseball. It just isn't so anymore.

Boston Red Sox - I went back and forth between the Yankees and them for the top spot, and might even switch it again before this posts, but for now, I'm taking Boston and here's why. Lester is pitching great. Beckett is still pitching well, but not what he used to be. Lackey is a 3 starter, and pitches like it. While I don't trust Papelbon, he still gets the job done. (PS I love that they picked up Bobby Jenks, but I only love it because it means my White Sox don't have him anymore. Was great in 2005-2006. Has slowly scared me more and more each year since.) They added Adrian Gonzalez, who will have a big year, but knowing that they more or less had to cut Beltre to get him, the added production from that move will not be that drastic. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Crawford signing may put them over the top, even though he's horribly overpaid. 97 wins.

New York Yankees - Had they landed Cliff Lee, they would be the favorite for the entire American League. Since they didn't land anyone, they land themselves here in the 2 spot. When you're season is hinging on AJ Burnett returning to form, and don't kid yourselves, it really is at this point, you're in trouble. CC is great, and I am believing more and more in Phil Hughes. The offense is still there, and Granderson might just have a great year if he continues hitting like he did after the all-star break. Still, too many question marks and a very shaky back end of the rotation and bullpen. Just like every year. 95 wins.

Toronto Blue Jays - Why them and not the Rays? Mostly because I think they can put it together, and the players they traded away won't be as detrimental as the ones the Rays lost. Don't think they'll contend, but they might look like it during the first month. 88 wins.

Tampa Bay Rays - Just lost too many pieces to be considered contenders again. And that stadium, my goodness. I do discount them because they play in a dump that never sells out. Not even for the World Series. 85 wins.

Baltimore Orioles - Lot of young talent and Showalter can work magic. Just don't think this is the year for it to happen 80 wins.

AL Central - Otherwise known as the weakest division in all of baseball

Chicago White Sox - Not just because I'm a homer for them, but because Danks, Buehrle, Jackson, Floyd and eventually Peavy make the best rotation in this division. We added Adam Dunn to provide the power we lost from Jermaine Dye (Who still hasn't signed with a team since we released him after the 2009 season) and Jim Thome. Hopefully, Quentin can finally rebound, and Konerko can come close to the career year he had last year. Either way, in this land of the bland, the one eyed man is king. 89 wins.

Minnesota Twins - The first time I saw Liriano pitch was back in 2006. I remember watching this big guy dominate batters. And then they would cut to Johan Santana in the bull pen. All I could think was, glad we won it all in 2005, cause we're screwed for the next decade. A trade of Santana and some injuries to Liriano erased that nightmare, but Liriano is back in top form, and with a resurgent Carl Pavano, the Twins are going to be nipping at Chicago's heels all season long. I just don't think Thome is going to have the year he had last year, and Morneau is one dink on the head from retirement. Mauer is still the best catcher in ball, but you need 8 other guys in the lineup. 86 wins.

Detroit Tigers - Verlander still has the prettiest pitching motion I've ever seen, and Cabrera figured out the weight thing, not quite the DUI thing, but one at a time for the guy. Problem is, there isn't a whole lot beyond those two on this club. A couple young guys that might break out, but nothing to bet on. 81 wins.

Kansas City Royals - One of the few teams where finishing fourth is going to be considered a great success. Such a young talented team, they're bound to do something this year. For their sake, I hope they're able to develop a young nucleus and keep them for a decade. I doubt it though. 78 wins.

Cleveland Indians - Name me three Indians right now. Jake Westbroook, Grady Sizemore and... exactly. 67 wins.

AL West - Or the "We used to be good" division

Texas Rangers - Even without Cliff Lee, these guys have to be the favorites. Nobody in the division got better, and no adding Vernon Wells's massive contract does not in any way make you better. Plus, they still have the young hitter, even Michael Young, but he might be a little disgruntled after all the trade talk. 90 wins.

Oakland Athletics - I don't have a lot of logical reasons for them to be here. I just couldn't pick the Angels. 82 wins.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Not much to see here. However, of all the picks, I feel this one is easily the one most likely to be wrong, because there won't be much separating them from the Athletics. 81 wins.

Seattle Mariners - Ok, they're still bad, but they can't be as bad as they were last year. That was the worst team hitting since the DH. Still, they'll be last in the west. 70 wins.

To recap: (Playoff Teams)

NL East: Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Nationals, Mets

NL Central: Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs, Astros, Pirates

NL West: Giants, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Padres, Dodgers

AL East: Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays, Orioles

AL Central: White Sox, Twins, Tigers, Royals, Indians

AL West: Rangers, Athletics, Angels, Mariners

Phillies over Giants, Reds over Braves; Phillies over Reds

White Sox over Red Sox, Yankees over Rangers; Yankees over White Sox

Phillies over Yankees

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez

NL MVP: Pujols, Votto, Fielder

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Jon Lester

NL Cy Young: Halladay, Cliff Lee, Lincecum

AL All Star Starters - Adrian Gonzalez, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Joe Mauer, Carl Crawford, Curtis Granderson, Ichiro, Felix Hernandez. (If there's a DH - Teixeira)

NL All Star Starters- Albert Pujols, Utley, Reyes, Beltre, Buter Posey, Werth, Victorino, Mike Stanton, Roy Halladay. (DH- Joey Votto)

There you have it. This is what you should have put down if you wanted to have a chance at winning my money. I look forward to collecting all of your pretty signed dollar bills.

Word.

Nothing Like The View From the Cheap Seats

Contest deadline- March 31st Noon EST. Make sure to submit by then.

Word.

His Eyes Are Cold And Restless, His Wounds Have Almost Healed

About two weeks ago, we were all taking in the Jimmer show. It was during the regular season, and the game was being carried by Versus. We came out victorious and were reveling in our success. Meanwhile, Versus switched to their normal programming of the Professional Bull Riding tour. Yes, there are professionals, and yes, they do have a tour. Well, at some point during this I say "That looks awesome". Mike hears this and tells me that he knows a guy down in Payson who rides bulls. He then tells me that they have an open night where anyone with $40 can ride a bull. I say "That sounds awesome". He asks if I would do it if he could raise the money. Of course I will.

I have a couple of friends. I don't know a single one of them that if asked "Would you pay $5 to see Rick get thrown by a bull?" would say no. They all would say either yes, or "Only $5?" I think he had the money raised in surplus within about 10 minutes and 3 mass texts.

So, this past Monday, we had an unofficial FHE at the Spanish Fork fairgrounds. I say unofficial for two reasons: 1) the official activity was swing dancing lessons with two other wards, and 2) the turn-out for this activity was about double what we normally get at FHE. I go to sign up and they look at me in my hoodie and tennis shoes and ask if I'm the first timer. Not "a" first timer, but "the" first timer. I say yes and ask if there are any other first timers. "We usually get one a night. But they never come back." Greeeaaat.

I go down to the pen and there are about 15 or so other guys shooting the breeze, prepping for their ride and picking out their bull. I show up and start talking with anyone who would listen. I had two questions that I needed answered. The first was how do I make sure I don't die. I felt that was an important question. The second was whether I could use someone's vest and helmet. Both were answered simply and I had things set up. I then spent about 40 minutes getting advice from a couple different guys about how to do well. They probably could have told me all of it in 15 minutes, but since every third word was some bull-riding jargon, I had to keep saying "I don't know what that word means. Please explain it to me." Soon though, I had my confidence and my gear and they had more or less assigned me a bull to ride.

One of the guys who helped me out a lot put the ropes on the bull and told me how to mount him. I was waiting my turn and my bull was next in line. Thing is, the bull that was first in line wasn't ready. So they asked if someone was ready, and next thing I know, all the handlers are moving towards my bull and I'm told I'm going right then. A little rushed, but not too worried because I had received enough of the same advice from a different sources that I felt comfortable in what I was going to do. I didn't think I was going to do great, I just felt comfortable that I would put on a decent show and live to tell about it.

So I'm on the bull, I've got the rope in my hand and I'm posturing the right way, when the guy outside the gate tells me to "Go with the bull when the gate opens". This threw me for a loop because I hadn't heard that before, and couldn't imagine any other option. When that gate opened I was going with the bull no matter what. He jumps I jump. He turns I turn. I'm going with him. (Turns out, what he meant was that some people don't lean in to the turn out of the gate. Like riding a motorcycle and you have to throw your body into the turns, same with the bull. Some people try to stay upright and they get tossed into the walls. Not good).

Next thing I know, I'm nodding my head and the gate opens. The bull takes a couple quick steps out of the gate and I lean with him. Then he sits down. Not even kidding. Took like three steps and went to the ground. I knew what to do if the bull went right or left, kicked with the front or the back, but no one told me what to do if he sat down. So I paused for a second and thought about getting off when I hear one of the bull fighters tell me to stay on. Just as I'm gearing back to staying on the bull stands up and jostles me off balance. A quick leap from him and I'm flying off. I crash on my right hip, and then hop up to my feet, scrambling for the nearest wall to climb. Above all else, everyone told me to run to a wall as soon as I left the bull.

I hear my cheering section going crazy for me and I think I gave them a wave. I honestly don't remember because the adrenaline was finally coursing through me at this time. I have this condition where the adrenaline doesn't really kick in for me until after the task is done. I keep things calm and collected all through whatever ordeal is happening, but then once it's over, I have to regroup. I felt like vomiting from the biochemical rush. I sat up on the fence and took a couple deep breaths until the feelings passed. The guys who I spoke with all told me I did a great job for a first time. I told them all thanks for all the help and after I realized I wouldn't have time for a second ride (Oh, did I tell you my friends paid for me to ride twice, regardless of the outcome of the first ride? Yeah. They're great friends), I headed back to my group. Right about then was when I started to feel my hip. It was sore like I haven't been before.

I could barely go from sitting to standing or vice versa. I walked with a pronounced limp for the rest of the night. Tuesday morning, I couldn't put any weight on it. I had to sit down to put my pants, socks and shoes on. It took me three times as long to get into and out of my car. And if I tried to push laterally, a sharp pain shot through my hip letting me know that it wasn't an option. I had to plan how I was going to roll into and out of bed. Wednesday was similar but not as bad. By Thursday the limp was gone, but I still could feel the pain if I stressed it sideways. Finally today I'm at the point where it only hurts if I push on it. I feel it a little getting in and out of the car, but nothing bad.

On Wednesday, Megan who is in nursing school texting me asking if I took any medication for the pain. I told her I hadn't taken anything. She asked if I liked pain. I told her "The hurt reminds me that I did something awesome."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZBgNjqxTIs

Word.