Cold Medication and the Countdown

With the beginning of a new school year, some things are certain. The crushing of young souls with actual homework and the inevitable cold are just a few. Both have already taken place. In only the 3rd week of school...it felt as though my throat had been attacked by South American Flesh Eating Ants! After taking the day off, getting around 18 hours of shut eye, mega doses of OJ and cold medication and contemplating the fact that we are merely 96 hours away from kickoff, I have decided to make some observations about this years Texas Tech Football season.

1st and 10

A new season. A fresh start. When last I was seated in a football stadium it the last day of 2005. Now the term "stadium" and the Cotton Bowl are two terms that usually don't go together, but it was my Red Raiders, back in the Bowl since 1995 (I hate Keyshawn Johnson). It was the culmination of a great year. It ended with the weak, end over end field goal that most in the stadium were cheering as a sure miss...and victory for the good guys.
After waiting what seems like an entire afternoon picking out paint with the wife...we are here again.
The start of something great....

Volcanoes

Since March, I have been honored to be the head coach of the Frenship Youth Baseball Shetland team, The Volcanoes. Our Spring season was less than stellar during the regular season.

The team is made up of 5 and 6 year olds who, on our team anyway, had never played anything other than t-ball. This league plays coach pitch, in which the players must hit a thrown ball from their own coach. Most of the teams in the league were all ahead of the Volcanoes, having played not only in the Fall the year before but then had a whole season of spring ball under their belts before this season started. Needless to say, the Volcanoes went down 0-15.

But in a miraculous turn of events, every team is then a part of an end of season tournament. Being the cellar dwellers, we got the honor of playing the play in game...something similiar to the NCAA March Madness. We were the Monmouth getting our chance at Duke...or in this league...the Express, which had 20 and 10 run ruled us in the regular season. Taking only a 3 run lead into the final inning, the Express went on to defeat the Volcanoes sending us to the losers bracket where we would play out nemisis, a team that we had lost to 3 times by a combined 5 runs!
Not only did we win...but we went on to rattle off 3 wins in a row in the tourney before going down...ending up in 5th place!

So at the end of this summer, the league has a shortened season known as Fall Ball...which really should be called "Hotter than Hell Summer League"! After a glitch in getting the team together, I took the helm of a mixed team of former Valcanoes as well as kids just looking for a place to play...some had never played before and most had only t-ball experience again. We were going up against teams that were simply tuning up before they advanced to the next level...machine pitch.
We are still winless...but I have never enjoyed anything as much as being a part of this team. The kids are having a blast...they are getting better every game.

Finding joy in the midst of absolute failure is a theme that seems to be going around these days. I'm not sure what is in the water but it seems that bad times have settled over a couple of my amigos. Although going winless in coach pitch is not really the same as losing a job or being in a soul sucking job, we all make the choice on how we handle the adversity that kicks us in the groin from time to time. Are we to sit and allow these things to define who we are? It seems that when you are going out of your way to give back to others, even in the midst of failure...you are rewarded with something that changes who you are.

Giving time to teach a kid to keep his head in when swinging a bat...staying down on that groundball and following through when they throw the ball...all simple things but so rewarding at the end of the game to see that one sparkling catch or clutch hit, even if we are down 10 runs in the last at bat! I think the main reason I LOVE baseball so much is that you have to continually deal with failure. Think about it, if you go 3 for 10...which in other words you FAILED 7 out of 10 times...you are pretty much a hall of famer if you continue on that pace for your career. If you cannot mentally handle adversity, baseball will eat you alive...and I love it!

So to my amigos who have been kicked around recently, don't be the one on the bench that's given up. Be the one buggin me to put you in...wanting to get that hit or make that play in the outfield! Put me in coach...I'm ready to play!

Boooo....schoolboard....HORAAAY VAN HALEN!!!

Texas School District Bans Cleavage
(CBS) ARLINGTON, Texas With a new school year about to begin, some female students in one Texas school district may have to rethink their wardrobes.

Teen fashions often leave parents a little disgruntled. Arlington Independent School District parent Frances Henson said, “I'm thinking that our daughters are growing up a little bit too fast these days.”

Arlington School Board members agree with parents and this summer, they adopted an unusual amendment to the student dress code.

The new dress code reads, in part, “The display of cleavage is unacceptable. Low cut blouses, tops, sweaters, etc. with plunging necklines are not allowed."

“It's gotten bad enough that, unfortunately, our young males are looking at more than their English book, their speech book, their science book,” says school board president Sherri Wade. “And it's kind of nice to have something left to the imagination.”

Even some teenagers agree there is a problem. “I think it's good that they're doing it,” said student, Tyler Edwards.

Others students say it makes back-to-school shopping more difficult. “I just have to be more careful with what shirts I buy. Change my style a little,” said student, Maria Lopez.

While most parents support the new rule, some worry that enforcing it could be a challenge. “I think that's going to be a little tricky, because it puts a little bit of a policeman approach to the educators, and they really need to focus more on teaching,” said Tom Pederson, AISD parent.

The school board president says they'll do both… and in time, she says, the no cleavage rule will be no problem.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

How Long....

Tick tock....

Rebels Rise Up...Leader Feels Fluish

Lawmakers worked into the night Tuesday as the United States government began mobilizing to possibly aid a transition towards democracy in Cuba following word that Fidel Castro has fallen ill.

Although the Bush administration appeared "suprised" to hear of the failing health of the Cuban dictator some believe that the CIA was directly involved in the situation.
In what is being called the "Pollo de Invasion" translated The Invasion of the Chicken, thousands of chickens believed infected with the Avian Bird Flu were dropped by crop dusters flown by CIA trained rebels over the capital of Havana.

Some locals were thrilled by the sights."It looked like the 1st of May...except with chickens!", said Andy Morales who described the almost festival atmosphere in the streets as the birds drifted to the ground. But by later in the evening, the sounds of joy turned to sadness as many of the Havanaites turned deathly ill.

It is still unknown whether these birds made their way into the Presidential compound but reports have come in that the heaviest concentration of chickens were near Castro's 1,200 sq. ft. hacienda.

Felipe Pérez Roque, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba commented that if this was a preemtive strike against the soverign nation of Cuba, there could be serious reprecusions. Cuban baseball players have already been alerted to defect only to Columbia or Venezuela if these attacks continue.

Feeling Old

Do you remember 25 years ago today? I actually was blessed enough to have a 7 foot satellite dish in my backyard on that day.

Another example of feeling old....

Tetris for Life

2 Florida teens who were recently sentenced to death row for a killing over an xBox video game received worse news this morning.
In a suprising act, Florida governor Jeb Bush overturned the decision made in the St. Augustine courtroom. The teens will no longer have to face the horrors of the needle but to a life of hell....
In what some judicial experts are referring to as the Nintendo Act, the two boys will be required to spend 18 hours a day for the rest of their lives playing Tetris.
Attornies for the boys are appealing the ruling arguing that this is a blatant violation of the 8th Amendment.

Back From the Cave

After a long slumber from the site...Helmut, like the morning after a Mel Gibson smackdown, will be returning.