Texas Rangers Opening Day 2012

It's Baseball Time! The Texas Rangers opened their 40th Season in Texas today, verses the Chicago White Sox. The Rangers defeated the Sox 3-2.

Starter Colby Lewis struck out 9 in 6 innings. Alexi Orgando struck out the side in the 7th. Mike Adams pitched a scoreless 8th and Joe Nathan struck out the last batter to close out the 9th and earn his first save of the year!

Josh Hamilton drove in the first RBI of the season scoring Ian Kinsler (pictured), who got the first Ranger hit (a double), in the first inning. Ian Kinsler hit the Rangers first HR of the season in the 3rd and then Michael Young scored the game winning RBI by singling in Josh Hamilton in the 7th.

GO RANGERS!!!

I'm Ready for some Baseball, Ranger Style!

With just a few more days until the start of Spring Training: I am ready for some baseball. I don't watch football much any more, and I am not a big fan of basketball at all. Hockey doesn't interest me, neither does NASCAR, so I'm ready for some Texas Rangers baseball.

I am excited about the new season. It will be interesting to see how Neftali Feliz and Yu Darvish will fit into the rotation. Can Colby Lewis keep the ball in the park and can Matt Harrison and Derek Holland improve on their best seasons yet?

I am hoping Joe Nathan returns to form in the bullpen and that Scott Feldman, Alexi Orgando, Mark Lowe, Mike Adams and the others have great seasons as well.

Can Mitch Moreland recover from injury enough to help us forget we even thought about signing Prince Fielder? To help with that question we still need team leader, Michael Young to play like the true Hall of Famer I believe him to be. If Mike Napoli and Adrian Beltre play like they did last year then I will be very happy. Now that Ian Kinsler is 100% healthy he should be an even better lead off hitter. Elvis Andrus need to improve on his defense to make me feel better about him.

If we can keep Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz healthy the entire season, we will have an outfield to be reckoned with. I love David Murphy as our "super outfielder" and Craig Gentry should mature into a more complete center fielder this year.

Under the capable leadership of Manager: Ron Washington, Pitching Coach: Mike Maddux, and the rest of the coaching staff, the Rangers should beat out division rivals the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, again at least this year, to win the division again and hopefully make another trip to the World Series. Win it this time!

Day 11 -- Opinion about Baseball Hall of Fame and Steroid Users

With the results of the most recent voting on the baseball Hall of Fame, there has been a lot of discussion about what to do with next year's ballot. What do you do with suspected steroid users? Here is a short opinion on what I would do, IF I could vote for the players on the 2013 ballot.

If we voted on Hall of Fame players based on character alone, then Ty Cobb and many others would have never been elected to the Hall of Fame. Cobb, among others, was a racist and a bigot. Other current members of the Hall of Fame also have other "off field issues" that would make conservative Christians blush; yet, they are in the Hall of Fame. So election to the Hall of Fame should not be based on character or integrity alone. Besides, Cobb has already been excluded from playing on the Field of Dreams because, "Ty Cobb wanted to play, but none of us could stand the son-of-a-bitch when we were alive, so we told him to stick it!" At least according to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

If allowed to vote for 10 players next year...here is who I would vote for: Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, Alan Trammell, Dale Murphy, Lee Smith and Fred McGriff would get my votes for those held over from the 2012 ballot. That leaves 3 votes left for the newcomers on the 2013 ballot. These votes would go to Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and possibly Curt Shilling. Bagwell, Biggio and Piazza have never tested positive or have admitted to using steroids. They have outstanding credibility from former teammates and other players who will testify that these players never used steroids; at least according to their knowledge of these players.

As for Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro; they have all tested positive for, admitted to, or appeared on either the BALCO list of those who purchased steroids or the Mitchell Report from Congress that, list players who have used steroids. In my opinion, if you used steroids to enhance your performance then you cheated; and if you cheated, then you will fail to get my vote as a Hall of Fame player. Plain and Simple!


 I realize that Bonds and Clemens had Hall of Fame numbers before they started using steroids; however that argument doesn't hold water for me. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson had Hall of Fame numbers, before he and seven other teammates of his accepted money to throw the World Series. It didn't matter that Pete Rose had Hall of Fame numbers before he started betting on baseball. Both Jackson and Rose are banned from election to the Hall of Fame. They broke the rules and they are out.

Do the writers who vote for Hall of Famers have the right to pass judgment on players? Yes they do! It may not always be a fair judgment; however, it is within their rights to do so. In my opinion, if the writers fail to elect steroid users to the Hall of Fame, then, let the Hall of Fame’s, Expansion Era Committee decided their fate. This committee is made up of veteran players who are already members of the Hall of Fame, baseball executives and selected veteran media members. It is there job to decide if players (managers, umpires and executives), who played from 1973 to the present, who are no longer eligible to be on the BBWAA ballot, deserve enshrinement into the Hall. If the writers refuse to elect players who used steroids into the Hall of Fame then, let those who are already in the Hall of Fame decide if they want to share membership in the Hall of Fame with steroid users. It's only fair.

Day 9 - Baseball Hall of Fame 2012

Today Major League Baseball announced that former Cincinnati Reds shortstop, Barry Larkin was elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame. Congratulations to a deserving player. I was sort of hoping that Jack Morris would make it this year. Jack Morris signed my baseball glove in between double-header games between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers. It would be cool to have a Hall of Famer's autograph on my glove.

How About Those Texas Rangers!

How About Those Texas Rangers?

My favorite baseball team, The Texas Rangers, have now won 11 games in a row. They now have a 4 game lead in their division and I am hoping they are on their way to another trip to the World Series.

I have been a Ranger fan since they first came to Arlington in 1972. I remember going to games with my dad, sneaking into a game to keep my ticket (just autographed by Rickey Henderson) from being torn in half, skipping college classes to watch Nolan Ryan pitch and going to games with my family.

Keep it going Rangers!

Go Roughriders!

Today the family and I went to see the Frisco Roughriders (The Texas Rangers' Double A Team). As part of Friends and Family Deal we got four tickets, four Roughrider baseball caps, and four $5 dollar food vouchers, all for under $50. The manager of the Roughriders is Steve Buechele. He is a former third base man for the Texas Rangers. I remember watching him play when I was in college.

We let my son Caleb drive part of the way to Frisco and back to get him some experience in driving in "Dallas" traffic. He has his learner's permit and he hopes to take his actual driving test for his license later in June.

The Roughriders defeated the Tulsa Drillers 9-3; however, we did not get to stay for the entire game. My daughter, Rachel, got sick during the game and we had to leave during the 5th inning. We still had a good time being together as a family though.

The Love Dare

In an effort to reconnect with my bride, Jamie, I have started The Love Dare. I am praying that it changes our relationship for the better. With God's Help I know it will.

On a totally different note; Pitchers and Catchers reported to their Spring Training Camps today. Baseball is back!

To Arkansas and Back Again

Yesterday my family and I returned from our last summer vacation at Hot Springs, Arkansas. (The childhood home of former President Bill Clinton.) We had a wonderful time and we can't wait to return again sometime.

We started our Hot Springs vacation by taking a Hot Springs National Park Duck Tour . This tour gave us an entertaining tour of the Historic Downtown Hot Springs area as well as a short cruise around St. John's Island on Lake Hamilton. Our "Captain/Guide" was nicknamed "Bubba" and he was very interesting and funny as he gave us an education about the history of Hot Springs.

As part of a package deal with the Duck Tours, we also purchased tickets to The Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum. The wax figures of many famous Americans and world figures are on display here. Although the tour of the museum was very interesting, many of the figures look like they have been slowly melting over the years without any upkeep. The figure of former President Jimmy Carter was especially scary looking. The best two figures in the museum were Jack Sparrow, from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and President Barack Obama. They are the two newest figures on display. I'm not saying, not to tour the Wax Museum, but just be prepared for what you see. (see the above link)

After visiting the wax museum we visited the last part of the package deal we purchased with the Duck Tours. We did wine tasting at The Winery at Hot Springs. Their locally blended wines can be shipped to any address in the U.S. that has a state that allows alcohol to be shipped by mail. We tasted 8 local wines and almost purchased a bottle or two, but alas we were limited on our vacation budget. I had never tasted wines before and it was a treat for me to so. I will have to do it again sometime.

We then went back to the hotel (Howard Johnson) to swim a while before heading up for me to watch Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby. Although I fell asleep watching it, I found out the next morning that the Rangers own Nelson Cruz finished 2nd. Way to go Cruz!

The next morning, I went to one of the only two active Hot Springs bath houses to take in one of the famous baths Hot Springs is famous for; The Buckstaff. I got the Whirlpool Mineral Bath package and enjoyed it very much. While I was soaking in the relaxing and healing hot mineral waters, that God and I had a talk about my current job hunt and some other life issues in general. I think I left a lot of worries in that water. I have been very relaxed since then. I hope it lasts. (Jamie, my lovely bride, took her bath the next morning.)

After the hot bath and spa; we visited Magic Springs/Crystal Falls. All of the large roller coaster rides at Magic Springs were out of order during our visit. They were waiting on parts to come in so they could finish the maintenance they needed to operate properly. Oh well, the kids came to swim anyway. We spent most of the afternoon at Crystal Falls enjoying their wave pool, lazy river and a few of their water slides. (Their wave pool had nothing on the waves at some of our more local water parks in Texas.) Surprisingly no one was sunburned despite record temperatures in the low 100's.

We returned from Magic Springs/Crystal Falls and decided to eat some local Arkansas Bar-B-Que. Sadly we overpaid to eat at a place that made almost all of us a little sick to our stomach. I would mention the place by name, but maybe it was just a bad batch of Bar-B-Que and I hate to bash a place over one bad visit.

That evening, we went to see a local magician called Stonehenge. He provided us with a great show filled with amazement. All of his magic was up close and personal and his show was very family friendly. He (or at least his sound guy) was a Christian and Christian music played before and after the show. He called several members of the audience up to the stage. Caleb, my son, was called to help with a pretty nifty card trick. The two hour show was worth every dollar spent and we will definitely go see him again next time we visit Hot Springs. I'm still not sure how he cut his nice assistant in half! He and his assistants provided autographs and photo opportunities after the show and seemed very interested in learning about the audience and where they were from, etc.... Sadly I missed MLB's All-Star Game during the magic show, but it was worth it to see a magician who did not have all the cult references many magicians have today. I recommend Stonehenge as a must see if you go to Hot Springs any time soon.

Wednesday morning, we went to visit a local rock dealer who sold a wide variety of locally earthed volcanic rocks and crystals. We got a free "Arkansas Diamond" (a polished crystal) just for stopping by. After the rock dealer we went to tour Garvan Woodland Gardens. This would have been so much better if it were not for the intense heat and our still slightly upset stomachs from the previously mentioned Bar-B-Que from the previous day. Still, the gardens offered many beautiful examples of waterfalls, local plants and wildlife and we enjoyed our shortened visit, before heading back home to Longview, TX.

We did drive by the boyhood home of former President Bill Clinton and did see the High School he graduated from; however, I think we enjoyed swimming the hotel pool more than we cared to stop and visit these historic sights.

I am glad to be home, although I could use another hot mineral bath.

Hot Springs Here We Come!

My family and I are about to embark on our last vacation activity of the summer. We are going to Hot Springs, Arkansas. I actually look forward to finding a place where we can relax in the healing waters of the natural springs. We plan to visit Magic Springs/Crystal Falls, Amusement/Water Park, a Botanical Garden and maybe do a few other things together as a family.

I hope I get a chance to watch MLB's All-Star Game at the hotel Thursday evening. I might just set it to record at home and watch it when I get back. Go Texas Rangers; they still hold a slim 1st Place lead in the Western Division. Maybe, just maybe, we will make the playoffs again this year.

A Great Start to the Baseball Season

The Texas Rangers had a great start to their 2009 Baseball Season by dominating the Cleveland Indians 9-1 on Monday. We will see if they can continue that level of play tonight, when they play their second game of the season.

I really need to work it into our, now very limited, budget to go a game and get me a Josh Hamilton Shirt.

Go Rangers!!

Baseball Season is Coming!

The 2009 Major League Baseball Season is almost upon us and I am excited. I have been keeping up with the Spring Training games and my Texas Rangers are looking good. They may not be division winners (or Wild Card contenders) yet, but I think they have enough to hold onto their 2nd Place finish from last year.

They have an exciting crop of young pitchers waiting to make their marks on the team. If the "recovering wounded" pitchers heal completely, then we will have a pretty good pitching staff this year. Of course our offense will sizzle, and I can' t wait to see how Josh Hamilton does this year. I read his book, Beyond Belief, in three days last week. I highly recommend it to others.

For as long as I remember, I have always loved baseball. I wish I had the talent to play professionally, but alas I do good to try and play softball on occasion or throw the ball around with my kids. I am seriously considering using the money from a travel reimbursement check to to have a Rangers Weekend with my best friend, and buying tickets to a 3 day weekend series at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. We would stay at a hotel nearby and just soak up the Rangers for a few days. (I still need to bounce this idea off my bride, Jamie, first.)

I am so ready for Baseball!

What Major League Baseball Should Do With Admitted Steroid Users

Should we erase all of their achievements or should we keep them? Should we ban them from the Hall of Fame or should we let them in? Should they be suspended or let them play?

These questions plague those who are so very disappointed in our "heroes" who have "cheated" to play the sport of baseball.

Here is my solution! First of all stick to the agreements that have already been established by the Baseball Players Union and Major League Baseball. The only exception I would make is for those who have just recently admitted to or been proven (in court) to have used illegal performance enhancing substances. If a player has recently admitted or been proven to have used illegal drugs or substances (such as Alex Rodriguez and ? Miguel Tejada), they should skip the first step/phase of punishment and move straight to the second phase. They should skip the first phase because they lied and got caught. They should at least move to the second phase, which I think involves some kind of suspension from playing the game. That way the players who were punished already don't feel like these players get to skip the punishment phase just because they came clean on their own.

As far as their records or accomplishments are concerned; It's hard to decide what to do here. They were competing against other players who were also cheating, but they still cheated themselves. You can't go back and alter the final results of the games they played in...so I think we should leave the records as they stand. You can put an * or two by their names if it makes you feel better, but what else can you do? Mickey Mantle played drunk, Doc Ellis pitched a No-Hitter while using cocaine, and Gaylord Perry cheated big time with his spitballs and no one is taking their performance numbers away from them. Mantle and Perry are in the Hall of Fame for crying out loud.

Should they be banned from the Hall of Fame? I think they should! Baseball banned "Shoeless" Joe Jackson from the Hall of Fame after he took a bribe to loose the World Series. Baseball banned Pete Rose and he didn't cheat by betting on baseball until after he was a player. These players knowingly broke the rules of the game and tainted the sport. I don't' care how good they are, they should be banned for life. Go back and take Gaylord Perry out if you wish to take out all cheaters. Just think though, the all-time hits leader (Rose), one of the all time strikeout leaders (Roger Clemens) and the Home Run leader (Barry Bonds) and possible future Home Run Leader (Alex Rodriguez) all banned for cheating the game. Wow!

At least the sports writers are punishing the steroid users with their votes on admission to the Hall of Fame. It looks like Mark McGuire will never make it. (Although I think you could make an argument that his playing career does not compare to the best.) It's a sad day in sports when one of the top 10 all-time strike out leaders, who didn't cheat, (Bert Blyleven) hasn't been elected to the Hall of Fame, but Roger Clemens, who did, probably will.

I am just sad that players have to feel they must cheat to win. I just hope they are happy knowing their names will go down forever as shamed players; at least in my book.

This and That and Miscellaneous Stuff!

Over the past few weeks, I have found it hard to find topics to blog about. Finally, I just decided that I would do a potpourri of various topics until something just stands out.

While driving through the Dallas/Ft. Worth area recently, my wife and I kept seeing the billboards with pictures of people saying, "I am Second!", with the web-site IAmSecond.com underneath. We finally looked this site up. It is a site dedicated to people who are in recovery from various addictive behaviors. These recovering addicts tell their stories about how they realized that they needed God to help them in their lives. By putting God "first" in their lives and putting themselves "second" they are working to overcome their problems and stay on the road to recovery. It is a cool site. I really like the story of Josh Hamilton, who currently plays outfield for my Texas Rangers.

Speaking of the Texas Rangers, baseball season is almost upon us. This is my favorite sport by far of the major 4 (Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Hockey) in the United States. It seems the Rangers are going to have to rely heavily on their young pitchers to step up and perform well. I agree with the Rangers strategy of not "breaking the bank" to sign big name players, and I hope our young guys, with some veteran support can do well this year. If I get to attend any Ranger games live this year, I will have to get a Josh Hamilton t-shirt.

Other news from the baseball front. It seems the ever so wonderful, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroid use back in 2003. Well, well, what a surprise! It seems baseball's golden boy did a little juicing himself. What is really sad, because of this recent scandal, one sports writer has resorted to calling the Rangers the worst abusers of steroids in baseball. The nerve of that guy. I am not going to sit here and say none of the Texas Rangers have ever used steroids, but to call them the worst abusers in the league; Come on man!

I refuse to comment on the goings on with our nation's government. If you have read any of my past blogs, I think you know I feel about throwing out billions of dollars to agencies, businesses, and even the common tax payers in an effort to stop the current financial crisis we are in. Hey, I am not about to turn down free money, if it comes my way, but I think we brought this crisis on ourselves by not being good stewards of the boundless blessings God gave us. Throwing more money our way will not help us learn the lessons we need to learn to prevent this from happening again in the future. I guess I commented after all! Sorry!

Sunday, our preacher, gave us an excellent lesson about. "Flying Stand-By!" Have you ever flown stand-by? I have not. People who fly stand-by have to wait to find out if someone else has cancelled a flight or if their will be any unbooked seats on a plane in order to board that particular flight. It creates lots of uncertainties and stress because they do not know if they will be able to board the plane or not. People who have already booked their flights and have their tickets can arrive at the gate with a more relaxed attitude because they know they are going to get on the plane.

As Christians many of us live like we are on "stand-by" when it comes to our eternal salvation. Despite the many promises of God and the gift of Grace through the death of Jesus, many Christians have not accepted God's "free ticket" to get into Heaven. We still believe we have to earn our way into Heaven. We live a life of uncertainty, as if we are unsure if we will get into Heaven or not. Those Christians who have fully accepted the Grace of God through Jesus, can live a life focused on the important things we have to do while still here on this Earth. We can relax (to an extent) knowing we are going to going to live with our King forever. All we have to be concerned about is fighting the battle against darkness and making sure others know that God has give them a free-ticket on the plane to Heaven.

Also just to catch you up on the recent concerns regarding Jamie's health; read her recent blog about what is going on with her health.

I Think My Rangers Are a Little Crazy!

My favorite baseball team, The Texas Rangers, may be on the verge of losing one of my favorite players, Michael Young has requested to be traded. It appears the Rangers have "told" Young that he will be moving to 3rd Base this season in order to allow a talented young rookie, Elvis Andrus, to play Shortstop. I realize that the Rangers need a steady 3rd Baseman and I realize that Andrus is a talent that can't be wasted much longer in the minors; however, Young is the backbone of the Rangers' fielders and he is one of my favorite players. I would like for Young to stay with the Rangers, but I can understand his frustration. He is an All-Star at his position and he had already changed positions once before. Maybe the Rangers are going a little crazy!

If the Rangers do trade Michael Young, they had better bring in some serious pitching help AND a talented young 3rd Baseman.

Unbelievable...Josh Hamilton!

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton put on a spectacular show at this year's MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby. Hamilton hit 28 home runs in the first round, 4 more in the second, and then hit 4 more in the final round. I was practically yelling for joy for Josh every time the ball sailed over the fence. To bad for Josh that fellow AL All-Star Justin Morneau, of the Minnesota Twins, hit 6 in the final round to become the 2008 Home Run Derby Champion. I really thought it was great that Josh Hamilton thanked, "My LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ," for his success in overcoming his life's problems and success in the Derby. Way to go Josh! (Hamilton is pictured on the left in the photo, Morneau is on the right)

On a more personal note: I have a "third and final" interview with the Longview Wellness Center about the job as Healthy Marriage Outreach Coordinator. Keep me in your prayers.

Congratulations Texas Rangers All-Stars

The Texas Rangers are sending four players to this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game!

Josh Hamilton finished 2nd in the fan voting to become a starter in this year's game. This is his first All-Star appearance.







Ian Kinsler was elected by the players to be a reserve player at 2nd Base. He finished 2nd in the fan voting. (He should be starting!)







Michael Young was also elected by the players as a reserve player, after finished 2nd in the fan voting, for Short Stop. Even though this is not his best year, he is still one of the best short stops in the game this year.






Milton Bradley finished 5th or 6th in fan voting this year as an Outfielder, and he was also elected by the players as an outfield reserve. He is a strong candidate though to start the game as the Designated Hitter, due to the injury of David Ortiz, who was elected by the fans as the starter for that position.





Congratulations guys, you deserve it.

My Votes for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game

Next month is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game (VOTE NOW)

As we all know the starting lineups for each league is determined by vote from the fans! Fair or not here are my current votes for the league starters. I try my best to fair in how I vote based on the performance of the players.

For the American League

1st Base -- Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
2nd Base -- Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
Short Stop -- Michael Young, Texas Rangers
3rd Base -- Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals (only because I don't want to vote for Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees)
Catcher - Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay Rays
Outfielders - Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers, Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox, and Maglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers
Designated Hitter - I wish I could vote for Milton Bradley of the Rangers, but with current ballot, I would vote for Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees.

For the National Leauge

1st Base -- Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
2nd Base -- Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Short Stop -- Miguel Tejeda, Houston Astros
3rd Base -- Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves
Catcher -- Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
Outfielders -- Xavier Nady and Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals.

I think these guys deserve to start in the All-Star game this year, but of course the fans of the "Big" Teams will of course elect people who are on the disabled list or are doing lousy simply because the player is on their favorite team. Oh, well so be it. At least I tried to be fair.

It's the Day Before May and the Rangers Suck!

Sorry about my poor choice of words, but it was the only word that I could think of to describe the poor performance of my Texas Rangers. There are some bright spots however. Some of them include Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley, David Murphy and Ian Kinsler. Vincinte Padilla, C.J. Wilson and Franklyn German are pitching well, but the rest of the pitching staff has not been pulling their weight. Even the star position players listed above could be doing better, especially with defense. The Rangers are one of the worst teams in fielding this year. You would think that would be a strong point. Manager Ron Washington is known for teaching fundamentals of fielding, but it seems the Rangers are not listening or they are just not doing their jobs well this year.

Many of the Rangers have been hurt, especially pitchers, and so once again the pitching staff is giving up more runs than the offense can overcome. It's amazing to me how we can have players that lead the league in Batting Average, RBI's and Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position, yet still be in last place in the division. OK, I'm not the General Manager nor am I a coach, but something needs to be done. I will always be a Rangers fan, I just want to be a fan of a winning team. Is that to much to ask?

Baseball, My Voice and Other Thoughts

Baseball Season is back and I am loving it. My Texas Rangers are 3-3 and just came off an impressive series win over division rivals the LA Angels. Tomorrow is the Rangers home opener, and if I were rich enough or dumb enough I would take tomorrow off and go watch them. How about the starting pitchers for the Rangers? They are doing great!

My voice is back, sort of! I can at least speak but it is not up to full potential. Allergies or something is still causing a little drainage back there, so there is still a squeak from time to time.

Our family has made a choice on where we will spend our "Family Date" this month. We all plan to spend the afternoon at The Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. It's been a while since we have been there. Last time we went it was still free to the public. Now there is a admission fee, but I'm sure it will be fun. We plan to go Saturday weather permitting.

Our family is also considering signing up to start a new home-based business. More details about this as it develops. Just pray that God leads us and guides us in making the right decision about this possible new venture.

Hey! I'm a Handy Man

Normally the words "Handy Man" and me don't go well together. I sadly tend to defer to my father to help me out when it comes to changing out plumbing or electric items. This has sadly also come with a price. Not only has it given my dad the "authority" to feel he can tell me what to do when it comes to trying to fix up my house or other advice about insurance etc..., it also gave me feelings of inadequacy about my own manhood. I have always felt doubt or fear when it came to even attempting to do something a "handy man" would do.

Today, I took matters into my own hands. Our kitchen faucet was leaking. Leaking so bad it was starting to run out onto the kitchen floor. I checked out the situation and determined the washers and connections to our kitchen faucet were old and out of date. So the wife and I decided to buy a new faucet. Still not sure of my own abilities I called my dad to see if he could help me take out the old faucet and install the new one on Tuesday. When I got home, however; I was determined to change out the faucets by myself, without my dad's help.

I got home, changed clothes, took out my tools and started to work. I did find out there is very little work room under a kitchen sink. After much groaning, twisting, and praying that God give me the strength to do something by myself, I finally got the old nuts/bolts/washers (whatever) loosened and the old faucet was gone. Following the "easy install" directions, I soon had the new faucet installed. After a few checks for leaks, the faucet was declared usable by me!

I (thanks be to God) did it! I was a Handy Man. This has given me a great boost of confidence (again thanks be to God), that has helped me decided to try another little project in the next few days.

The only thing that has dampened my mood about being a "Handy Man", was that while I was fixing the faucet; I was listening to my Texas Rangers getting beat up by the Seattle Mariners to start the 2008 MLB Season. They (the Rangers) are currently loosing 5-2 in the top of the 8th.

P.S. -- added 4-1-08 (The Rangers lost 5-2) Bummer!