Happy Mother’s Day

It’s cliche’ to say your heart is made of gold,

but even then the truth hasn’t started being told.

It’s a heart that has been bruised and battered,

and not a soul could blame you if it was torn and tattered.

It’d be expected for you to harvest scorned and bitter resentment,

yet for those you love you don’t waiver from your commitment.

There absolutely is no other,

I’d pick over you to be a mother.

You take incredible to a level matched by no one else,

which is why the world will be better if your daughter turns out like yourself.

 

It’s said that “to love another person is to see the face of God”,

I just never realized the scope of love could be so broad.

We’ve both been pretty guilty of doing the other wrong,

but we knew deep down we’d be here for each other all along.

True loyalty wasn’t something I’d really let myself find,

but thanks to you, words like loyalty and friend have been redefined.

I’m not sure I’ve ever known someone with whom we’ve gone through so much together,

and with that comes comfort in knowing that there’s nothing we can’t weather.

There absolutely is no other,

I’d pick over you to be a mother.

With the way you strive to keep those you love from harm,

I know that little girl can find no safer arms.

 

The trials and tribulations seem to come from everywhere,

they come in waves and my God it doesn’t seem fair.

You’ve withstood gusting winds of an angry storm,

and through it all you’ve stayed strong and true to form.

You’ve seen hell and you’ve been dragged through the fire,

but you made it out alive and that is why you inspire.

You’ve been through the gauntlet, I swear you’ve seen it all.

And despite the attempts of others you have yet to fall.

There absolutely is no other,

I’d pick over you to be a mother.

With all you’ve been able to withstand,

your sweet daughter can be in no stronger hands.

 

The manner in which you chose to stick by me,

at a time when you had every right to turn and flee,

it’s something that I personally will never forget,

and its why in my life there’s nobody I’m happier to have met.

One simple smile from you makes the world a better place,

while just one tear from you will put a thousand upon my face.

I’m lucky to have in my life the purest beauty the world has ever known,

and from the inside out, it’s a beauty that is all your own.

There absolutely is no other,

I’d pick over you to be a mother.

With the way you’ve bettered my world,

I can tell you your precious daughter is a lucky little girl.

 

So take this day and preserve it,

Lord knows how you do deserve it.

I guess all that there is left to say,

is to an amazing woman: Happy Mother’s Day.

The Fire

Some fires just never go out,
Even when the unwanted rains come from far away,
embers still burn and enable the fire to re-ignite.
Even when you try yourself to stomp it out,
there’s that last burning coal you just let stay,
and in doing so the fire burns on another night.

Interesting Braves Roster Moves in the Early 2000s

- We actually drafted Delwyn Young twice, in 2000 and 2001. We didn’t sign him either year, and for that, good. A career OPS of .709 and we liked him enough to draft him twice.

- In 2000, we actually had a rather successful draft, in terms of eventual major leaguers out of that draft. Adam Wainwright, Kelly Johnson and Adam Laroche were all products of the 2000 draft. We also drafted Zach Miner, who was later traded for Kyle Farnsworth and is currently in the Royals minor league system.

- In acquiring B.J. Surhoff and Andy Ashby for the stretch run, the Braves managed to do with Bruce Chen being the most noteworthy player dealt away.

- In September of 2000 we signed Andy Marte, a soon to be much heralded prospect who ultimately proved he was nothing but a very good minor league player

- In February of 2001, the Braves signed Martin Prado as a free agent. We know how that’s turned out. 11 years later we are counting on a bounce back year from him.

- The 2001 draft was a complete disaster. The best player we drafted, and we did so in the 46th round pretty sure he wasn’t signing was Dallas Braden. Would’ve been nice if he had. Otherwise, Anthony Lerew, Mackay McBride and Kyle Davies headline this class. Ouch.

- The big news in 2002 of course was trading Brian Jordan and Odalis Perez as part of a package for Gary Sheffield. Unfortunately, after acquiring Sheffield, we haven’t won a post-season series since.

- In the 2002 draft, our first three picks went Jeff Francouer, Dan Meyer, and Brian McCann. Well, we know which one worked out, which would ultimately fizzle, and one, you’ve probably never heard of.

- In the third round of that draft, we used our 5th pick on Charlie Morton, who last year seemed to really turn the corner and develop into a solid starting pitcher. We only had one pick though after that, so if you’re wondering why we’ve been depleted of talented position players from our system lately….here ya go.

- In December of 2002 we traded Damian Moss and Merkin Valdez for Russ Ortiz. They’ve won a combined 13 major league games since being traded from Atlanta. I’d say we won that deal.

- Which is good, because that’s also the year we infamously traded Kevin Millwood for Jonny Estrada. While Millwood would only once more recapture his 2002 form, Estrada would go on to play 155 games for us……over THREE years.

- The 2003 draft turns out it started with a bang, as Jonny Venters was brought aboard, though it would be over a year before he would sign with the team.

- The potential was there with several other picks, such as Jo-Jo Reyes and Matt Harrison.

- Once again, a dearth of talented position players occurs, and the ones taken, failed to live up to the expectations. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Brandon Jones were the only two position players drafted. Together they made 301 plate appearances as Braves. Again, if you want to know why we’ve struggled bringing up offensive talent that plays everyday, see only the drafting in this time.

- In December of 2003 we made that fateful trade with the Cardinals sending Wainwright, Ray King and Jason Marquis to the Cardinals for J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero. While Drew had perhaps his best major league season with the Braves, it was his only one in Atlanta as he bolted via free agency to Los Angeles. Marrero was a useful utility player for us, but he too was here for just the one season. While Marquis’ career has been slightly up and a bit down over the course of it, he has won 90 games since leaving Atlanta. Oh, and Wainwright?? He’s only finished in the top 3 in Cy Young voting each of the last two seasons he has pitched, that’s all.

One Day

It may make me seem a glutton for punishment,

it might make look like a sucker,

some would even say it makes me a fool,

But it’s just the way I’ve always done this.

 

I’ll definitely let someone else be the bad guy,

I’ll take my lumps and bruises,

I’ll sometimes be stepped upon,

and everyone around will ask why.

 

When I meet someone for whom I care,

someone for whom I develop an adoration,

someone that rests inside my heart,

I forget then about what seems fair.

 

There becomes nothing I won’t do,

no length I won’t go to,

no mountain I won’t climb,

nothing I won’t put myself through.

 

I’m willing to put everything on the line,

hold nothing back,

temper my feelings in no manner,

And one of these days the reward will be mine.

 

I’m only going to do what I know is right,

and do good by other people,

treat them like I’d like to be treated,

and one day it will be worth that fight.

 

But till that day does arrive,

I’ll suffer through the pitfalls,

and the many nights alone,

Till I find the person who completes my life.

There’s No Shame In Retiring Today Due to Injury Peyton

Peyton Manning has a decision to make. A very difficult decision that even the greatest of professional sports stars all to often seem to wreck up.

To play, or not to play?

For Peyton Manning, yes, he could attempt to return from what clearly is a serious injury, and threat to his well-being, and continue to showcase why he’s one of the finest quarterbacks, if not the finest, to ever play the game.

He could also return, be no longer capable of performing at the ridiculously high level he has throughout his career and beginning tarnishing a legacy. This particular possibility creates a very slippery scope, one where the pride and ego of a man who essentially has been the coach of his professional football teams may feel a drive to come back another year, and another, in a desperate attempt to prove he still “had it”. Such a downhill slide would only further remove the luster of one of exceptional career.

Worse than either of those however, he could return and suffer a debilitating, life altering injury that prevents him from doing all the things he once perhaps took for granted, besides of course throwing touchdown passes. Were this to happen, Manning would suddenly be not only unable to be a husband and father the way he always assumed he could, he’d be vilified by many as a selfish arrogant athlete who put his own ego and desire ahead of that of his family. That’s not exactly a way to be remembered.

Or, Manning could just acknowledge that his time has come. He could hang it up today, and nobody will ultimately really remember that ultimately it was indeed injury that forced him out of the game. They’ll remember that even in his 13th season at age 34, Manning threw for more yards than he had in all but one season prior, and threw for as many touchdowns as he had in all but one previous season. In other words, they’ll remember Peyton Manning in his final year being just about as good as Peyton Manning ever was.

In taking that route though, Manning must accept he has to leave the game on terms other than his own. He must accept that injury, the laws of age, and physics, have taken a toll, and it’s time to move on. Such acceptance is hard for many of us to accept in many aspects of our own lives. You take the egos and pride of high profile superstar athletes, and those who can do it become few and far between.

In fact, the number of athletes who weren’t able to accept it is rather depressing. Instead of retiring and walking away at the top of their games, they hang on, and become trending topics on twitter. And not for adoration and praise, but because they’ve become the punchline of thousands of jokes across the internet.

They become the player our kids look at and laugh, unaware of their former prowess on the playing field. To a generation they became a joke, a nobody. To an entire generation, there is no thought given to the fact that at one time they had reached legendary status of almost mythical proportions. Nope, they’re just the old guy that stinks and needs to be replaced by the new young superstar.

Manning need only look no further than two former superstar quarterbacks with similar ties to see the pitfalls of failing to realize when it’s time to let it go.

Remember the guy who Peyton Manning once wore black high tops to memorialize for? That Johnny Unitas fellow? Of course you do. But do you remember the way his career ended. Let’s hope you don’t. While Unitas struggled at the tail of his career, throwing just 10 touchdowns to 22 interceptions in his final three years, that’s not what the end of his career is remembered by.

Unitas did something nobody thought he would ever do. He did something nobody could have envisioned Peyton Manning do. He put on a helmet with something besides a blue horseshoe on it. No tale of Unitas’ career is complete without that little footnote at the end reminding us that he ultimately did not finish his career with his Baltimore Colts, but rather flailing around unceremoniously as a San Diego Charger.

Just because Baltimore Colts fans had to deal with seeing such an fathomable sight, it doesn’t mean the Indianapolis version must suffer the same fate.

But there’s an even better lesson to be learned from someone linked a bit stronger to Manning.

While not from Louisiana, Brett Favre, like Manning, is a native of the Bayou region in general. A Mississippi kid, the same state where Peyton’s father, and perhaps soon to be more famous younger brother played collegiately, Favre replaced Archie Manning as the hero of the gulf coast region, only to be replaced by Peyton.

Unfortunately for Favre, a lot of the reason Manning has supplanted him is because of…well…Brett Favre.

Favre memorably retired his way out of Green Bay, and into another shade of green in New York with the Jets. There he proceeded to injure his shoulder and along the way lead the entire NFL in interceptions thrown.

Yes, Favre bounced back in 2009 with a season for the ages, but little of that is remembered. What’s remembered his how he had managed to snake his way out of Green Bay into the arms of bitter rival Minnesota through his detour with the Jets.

What is remembered, that with a Super Bowl appearance in his grasp, Favre made one of the dumbest throws in NFL playoff football history. Coincidentally enough, this took place in Peyton’s home town of New Orleans against Archie’s Saints.

During that particular NFC championship game Favre was hit, and hit often. Injuries to his ankle likely would have left him unable to play in the Super Bowl had he not given the football game away (much like he had given away his last opportunity to win an NFC championship game in 2008, against, ironically enough, Eli’s Giants) so maybe the interception was a moot point.

WHat wasn’t though was a once proud warrior, a legendary folk hero, laying on the Superdome turf, beaten, battered, defeated, and through largely the fault of his own.

There was no way Favre would go out that way, everyone knew that. Thus began that slippery slope. Favre tried again one more time with Minnesota. Only to again, be besieged by injury and ineffectiveness.

Over Favre’s final three years, plus one game, the memories are of two blown Super Bowl appearances, two sub-par seasons, and an injury prone old man. Not how you endear yourself to the younger generation.

Beyond that, the ridicule that came with the ever-lasting Favre saga each and every offseason had become so much a part of everyday life, it finally became un-noticed. You think Tim Tebow coverage is a bit excessive now, I think we all know the Favre love-fest and obsession was far worse.

But in reading what you’ve just read, where was the talk about the gun slinger, care free kid who played football, played it damn well, and had a ton of fun doing it? Oh, right, it wasn’t mentioned, it’s long a distant memory.

Don’t let what made you great become a distant memory to a side-show circus where you undermine what was one of the finer careers in professional football.

Pretend There’s Nothing Inside

Do I let this one know,

do I let it all go,

and just tell her how I feel?

Or is too big a risk in which to invest,

do i keep it all kept close to the vest,

and pretend there’s no way that it’s real?

 

I can’t be expected to hide,

or to sit here and try to deny,

all the things I feel inside.

Some may tell me that’s wise,

that I should wear a better disguise,

but I can’t lead a life of lies.

So just don’t expect me to hide,

all that I feel inside.

 

Part of me says be bold and listen to my heart,

while yet another says just to do what’s smart.

Since smartest rarely coincides with bravest,

sometimes you gotta take a leap and do something outrageous,

sometimes just blindly do what seems courageous,

though it’s much easier to go the route that’s safest.

 

I can’t be expected to hide,

or to sit here and try to deny,

all the things I feel inside.

Some may tell me that’s wise,

that I should wear a better disguise,

but I can’t lead a life of lies.

So just don’t expect me to hide,

all that I feel inside.

There’s no way for me to hide,

not a chance that I can deny,

impossible for me to disguise,

incapable of telling the lies,

trying to pretend I feel nothing inside.

Your College Football Viewing Guide

Early Games

1. Oklahoma vs Texas 12:00 ABC

This is THE game this weekend, per many of the national media experts and pundits. Personally, I’m not sure I’m drinking the kool-aid. I don’t particularly find Texas a very impressive football team. Perhaps they’ll prove me wrong this Saturday afternoon, but I would actually be very surprised if they were able to play with Oklahoma for four quarters.

That said, it’s still the Red River Shootout, it’s still a rivalry game, and it’s still two of the nations most polarizing programs. So it clearly takes the cake as the early game to watch on Saturday.

Who knows, the Texas pass defense has been outstanding this year, will it be enough to slow down the prolific Oklahoma passing attack led by Landry Jones? It’s going to have to be. Otherwise Oklahoma will win this one going away.

2. Maryland at Georgia Tech 12:00 ESPNU

Maryland has one of the weaker run defenses in college football, while Georgia Tech possesses one of the most dynamic ground attacks in recent memory. You put the two together and we should see quite a few points put up by the Yellow Jackets.

The question will be how many will they allow Maryland? Since their season opening victory over Miami the Terps have been anything but impressive. They scored a mere 7 points against Temple, and only 28 against the mighty Towson Tigers. They will certainly need far more than that to keep pace with the Yellow Jackets. Don’t count on it. Expect Tech to creep closer to the top ten this week.

3. Florida State at Wake Forest 12:30 ACC Network

The Florida State national title campaign is no longer in play, but the Seminoles still are hoping to contend for the ACC. Granted, Clemson getting past Virginia Tech puts Florida State in a very unenviable position in still needing two more Clemson losses.

First things first though, Florida State needs to take care of a Wake Forest team who is an overtime loss to Syracuse away from being unbeaten themselves. The Demon Deacons have shown an ability to fling the football all over the field, throwing for 316 yards per game. Having seen what Clemson’s attack did to Florida State’s defense, Wake Forest quarterback Tanner Price has to like his chances to put up some points.

E.J. Manuel though will be back at the helm for Florida State, and that might be the difference that elevates Florida State past Wake Forest. However, a loss, which is possible on the road, would leave the ‘Noles below .500, and leave fans realizing Florida State may still be a lot further away from being “back” than they thought when the season began.

Kentucky at South Carolina 12:00 SEC Network

Connor Shaw takes over for the beleaguered Stephen Garcia at quarterback for South Carolina, but it really shouldn’t make much of a difference. Kentucky is a really bad football team who faces serious offensive challenges. Yes, the Gamecocks might still be suffering a late down from blowing their 4th quarter lead against Auburn last week, but it shouldn’t keep them from easily disposing of a bad Kentucky team.

Louisville at North Carolina 12:00 ESPN2

The Tar Heels will look to move to 5-1 by taking on a Louisville team that has losses to Florida International and Marshall. The Cardinals are one of the worst offenses in the country, and going up against North Carolina’s front seven doesn’t figure to cure what ails Louisville. Expect the Heels to roll, and possibly make an appearance in the top 25 next Monday.

Afternoon Games

1. Florida at LSU 3:30 CBS

This one tops the list for reasons similar to Oklahoma and Texas being the must see game of the early games. It’s simply put, two huge programs going at each other. The problem is, it’s not two equal teams.

With Jeff Brantley out, the LSU defense is absolutely salivating at the thought of welcoming a young freshmen quarterback who looked completely lost and out of place at home last weekend against Alabama. Jeff Driskell should be better than he was a week ago, but that won’t be enough.

The Tiger defense is downright nasty, and Tiger Stadium isn’t the place for a freshmen to make his first start. The Gators will be lucky to make this a competitive game in the 2nd half, and a loss here will leave their SEC title hopes on life support, as they still have to play Georgia and South Carolina.

For LSU it seems more and more like theirs is a one game season, the Alabama game. This tilt with the Gators should not be anything more than a small speed bump on their way to an epic showdown with the Tide.

2. Miami at Virginia Tech 3:30 ABC

The Miami Hurricanes season quite possibly hangs in the balance in this matchup with Virginia Tech. The Hokies were the chic pick to win the ACC, but have been less than impressive thus far in 2011. The loss to Clemson last week seemed to bring to light the fears Hokies fans may have had about their team.

Offensively they could do nothing right, and while they weren’t bad defensively, they weren’t good enough to keep their team in the game.

The key will be which Jacory Harris shows up. If it’s the good Jacory Harris, Miami has a real chance to steal an upset victory and re-enter the ACC title race, despite their early season troubles.

However, if Harris doesn’t play well and the Miami offense can’t get them a lead early, the lack of confidence permeating throughout the Miami program and team could spell trouble for the Hurricanes, and Miami could find itself at the very bottom of the ACC before the second week of October gets here.

3. Air Force at Notre Dame 3:30 NBC

Notre Dame is arguably a far better football team than their 3-2 record would indicate. Turnovers are killer, and nobody knows this quite like Brian Kelly’s Irish squad.

Defensively Notre Dame has held their last three opponents to 13 points or fewer, so the defense has begun to turn things around lately as well.

However, if there’s one thing the Irish are susceptible to it’s a lack of discipline. And a lack of discipline can get you hurt badly by an option offense such as the one Air Force runs. If Notre Dame can avoid defensive lapses, and protect the football, the Irish should win, and win easily.

But that’s a couple large ifs, ifs I’m not sure Notre Dame is ready to consistently answer to.

Arizona State at Utah 3:30 FSN

The Sun Devils have separated themselves from the rest of the Pac-12 south crowd, however, if there’s one serious hurdle for them to clear, it’s likely going to be the Utes of Utah.

Utah gave USC all they could handle in a losing effort, but the Utes are still 0-2 and seeking their first conference win. Playing at home could be a huge benefit for the Utes, so don’t expect Arizona State to just march through them like they aren’t there. However, do expect the Sun Devils to move to 3-0 and further elevate themselves in the Pac-12 race.

Iowa at Penn State 3:30 ESPN

With home games looming against Northwestern and Indiana, followed by a road trip to Minnesota, this game is exceptionally huge for Iowa. A win here, and it’s extremely likely they will enter the Michigan game at 7-1 with an unblemished Big Ten mark and find themselves squarely in place to contend for a division title.

Penn State owns one of the best defenses in all of college football and they know they need all the early season wins they can get. They close the season with the likes of Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The possibility exists, that despite the greatness of their defense, the Nittany Lions could lose their final four games. Having already been beaten by Alabama, a loss to Iowa could leave Penn State staring down the barrel of a .500 season.

Night Games

1. Auburn at Arkansas 7:00 ESPN

Auburn’s surprising victory over South Carolina last week in Columbia enabled the Tigers to serve notice they’re still going to have something to say about who wins the SEC West. That said, the task this weekend may be even tougher.

Auburn’s defensive shortcomings are no secret, and only the ineptitude of South Carolina’s offense was able to mask them last week. Arkansas does not suffer from a lack of offense and will force the Tigers to try and keep up in what should be a high scoring affair.

Arkansas thrashing at the hands of Alabama may have made them the forgotten team in the SEC West race, but a victory over Auburn would enable them to keep hope alive. A home loss though to the Tigers and Arkansas’s season will be off the tracks before the weather turns cold.

2. Georgia at Tennessee 7:00 ESPN2

The Auburn victory over South Carolina coupled with the Alabama throttling of Florida was the perfect medicine for Georgia. Georgia now enters the rest of their SEC slate in a great position to still win the SEC East.

However, losing in Knoxville would end those dreams just as quickly as they flared back up. Georgia is still a young team, and playing on the road in Knoxville will not be an easy task for a team that is remarkably inconsistent from quarter to quarter.

The Georgia defense has shown great improvement under Todd Grantham, and will almost surely make Tennessee one dimensional. If Georgia can get out to an early lead they will be able to unleash the pass rush on the Volunteers and ultimately pull away.

However, if Georgia’s forced to try to use their offense to play catch up at any point to Tennessee, that may be a task too daunting.

3. Ohio State at Nebraska 8:00 ABC

The Buckeyes are quickly becoming a major dumpster fire, and it will likely get worse this week on the road against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are one ticked off bunch after the egg they laid against Wisconsin. They know their Big Ten championship hopes can ill afford another loss, so expect a fired up Nebraska squad to come out to the “Sea of Red”.

As for Ohio State, their season has already begun to see the wheels fall of, and it figures to get worse. The mess that has become their athletic department has certainly trickled down to the on field product as well. With Illinois on the road, and Wisconsin to follow, the Buckeyes mess may just be beginning.

Texas A&M at Texas Tech 7:00 FX

The Aggies desperately want to get back in the win column, suffering consecutive close losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas. Both are fine teams in their own right, and there is no shame in losing to either team. However, for A&M, the fear of a hangover from two tough losses is very real, and it’s amplified by the fact that they are on the road in a conference game.

Texas Tech is a quiet 4-0, perhaps it’s because they weren’t exactly impressive in their wins over Nevada and Kansas, but 4-0 is still 4-0, and the offense is still averaging over 47 points per game. They’re probably going to need all 47 to hang with Texas A&M, but a victory over the Aggies would be a huge boost for Tommy Tubberville’s team.

TCU at San Diego State 10:30 CBS College Network

The Aztecs don’t just have goals of making a bowl this season, they firmly expect to compete for a conference title. TCU’s loss to SMU further illustrated that these Horned Frogs aren’t the same ones of years past, and aside from Boise State, leaves an open space at the top of the Mountain West conference.

With Boise positioned for a BCS bowl bid, the number two team in the Mountain West could be primed to slide into their place in the bowl pecking order. A win at home over TCU would point San Diego State in the right direction and serve notice to Boise that there fiercest competition might just be from southern California.