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What are you thankful for?

2009-11-26T06:28:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting ready for our day, I did some searching for some scriptures appropriate for Thanksgiving and came across the following 2 from Colossians:

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Today, I am thankful that God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for us, to take away our sins, to save us from hell. I am also thankful for a beautiful and wonderful wife, 2 healthy children, all the rest of our family and our friendships. I am thankful for being part of a bible believing church that is not ashamed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am blessed beyond belief and give all the thanks to my savior Jesus Christ.

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving Holiday is a blessing for you!

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 31

2009-10-21T07:31:00.002-05:00

Day Number 31 - Love your parents

Look up Colossians 3:20-21 in your bible.

Pray about Colossians 3:20-21 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Have you ever been mad at your parents because they made you do something you didn't want to do? Maybe you feel like your parents have mistreated you and at that moment you feel like you don't love them. Or maybe, it's much more than just one incident, have your parents gotten a divorce and you only live with one parent right now? When these things happen, it's hard to feel love for our parents. Scripture tells us, very plainly, that we should love our parents because it pleases the Lord.

Your Challenge: Today, simply stop what you are doing and go tell your parents that you love them. Give them a big hug and tell them you love them because the bible says that loving them pleases God.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 30

2009-10-17T06:25:00.003-05:00

Day Number 30 - Love brings unity

Look up John 17:11 in your bible.

Pray about John 17:11 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Have you ever been on team? Maybe in sports or in a team working on a project together at school? If the team works hard together and everyone is in it for the same goal, you have a better chance of success. You don't win every time, but you are okay with that because you tried your best and the team worked together. Family relationships are a lot like a team. If everyone is working hard, sometimes you have failures, but you are in for the long haul... forever actually, and you can have a great family life if all members have that attitude.

Your Challenge: Think of one area in your family life where you don't agree. Use today to pray about that area as many times as you possibly can, all day long. Ask the Lord during these prayers to tell you about anything you might be able to do to help bring more unity to your family.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 29

2009-10-17T06:22:00.003-05:00

Day Number 29 - Love makes sacrifices

Look up 1 John 3:16 in your bible.

Pray about 1 John 3:16 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: On a baseball team, there is a term called a sacrifice bunt. A player gives himself up by bunting the ball in a position that will almost surely get him out, but the goal is to help advance the baserunner so that he is closer to scoring a run. The player is willing to sacrifice himself for an out, so that the team has a better chance to score a run. I'll bet this is a hard concept for you to understand. As a child, you are taught many times to win at all costs, winning is most important and don't ever give in. However, the bible teaches sacrifice in our lives and relationships.

Your Challenge: Ask your parents or brother or sister today what one of their needs is from you. Maybe they need you to help out around the house. Maybe your sister needs help with her homework. Maybe your brother needs help cleaning his room. Commit to help them and sacrifice yourself to help them achieve what they need.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 28

2009-10-14T20:37:00.002-05:00

Day Number 28 - Love's motivation

Look up Ephesians 6:7 and Colossians 3:20 in your bible.

Pray about Ephesians 6:7 and Colossians 3:20 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: What is your motivation for following your parent or teacher's instructions? I'll bet at some point, your parents have probably said, when you asked why you had to clean your room, "Because we are your parents and we told you to do it." That probably wasn't very motivating was it? Well, it's the same way with love. If we love our family and friends just because we are supposed to, it's hard to do, that's not good motivation. But what if we change our motivation? What if we love in the same way God loved us, by sending his son to die for us. What if we put all our effort into loving someone out of love for God instead of just because we are supposed to?

Your Challenge: Before you see your mom and dad, pray for them and for their needs. When you see them, simply tell them how much you love them and then do something to show it to them... in God's love, with all your effort. Then, go to God again in prayer, thanking him for the privilege of loving your parents unconditionally, the same way He loved us.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare'ing in New York City

2009-10-13T21:00:00.003-05:00

Hi folks, here's a picture of Kelly and I during a recent spontaneous trip to New York City. It's sad to some degree that we had to get away to New York to spend some time together, but I wanted to do something special. As you are probably aware if you know us, or if you have kids of your own, schedules are so hectic that sometimes you wonder at the end of a day if you even said or done anything of consequence that was meant to build your marriage!

Kelly had actually said all during the Rays season how much she wanted to go to more ball games (Yes, I do have the most amazing wife in the world). So, I decided to surprise her with a quick trip to New York to see the Statue of Liberty and catch the 1st Yankees playoff game at the new stadium.

I want to challenge you husbands on something... although your wife may say that you don't need to do anything big for her, don't believe it. She is just such a nice and caring wife that she probably doesn't want to tell you what to do!!! Realistically, you cannot do big things all the time, but your wife deserves something big and unexpected every once in a while. It doesn't have to be an expensive trip to New York to sweep her off her feet again. In fact, I was pretty cheap on this trip because the flight was covered with frequent flyer points, the hotel was covered with points and the Yankee tickets were acquired through a special contact I had.

Just surprising your wife by scheduling a babysitter on your own and taking her out to a nice dinner and movie will do the trick. Think about it guys, what extra effort can you put forward to make your wife feel like the princess that she really is.

Until next time... In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 27

2009-10-13T20:56:00.003-05:00

Day Number 27 - Love encourages

Look up Psalm 25:20 in your bible.

Pray about Psalm 25:20 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you wonder why your brother or sister or friends at school just don't do the right thing? Do you ever say to yourself, "I can do better than them." That's not encouraging, that's discouraging. You cannot show true love if you have unrealistic expectations for someone that you discourage.

Your Challenge: Today, tell someone that you love how much you are sorry for the unrealistic expectations you have placed on them. Tell them you will encourage them instead of putting them down and discouraging them.

In Christ,
- Steve

One of the greatest home runs of all time

2009-10-13T13:29:00.002-05:00

I remember watching this in October of 1988. I was a junior in high school. There is a lot of theatrics at the front of the video, but the good stuff starts at 7 minutes in.

Enjoy...

- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 26

2009-10-12T08:45:00.003-05:00

Day Number 26 - Love is responsible

Look up Romans 2:1 in your bible.

Pray about Romans 2:1 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Who is responsible for your actions? Not your mom or dad, not your sister or brother and not your teacher at school. You and only you are responsible for your actions. Today, our world makes it way too easy to blame someone or something for the things we do that are wrong. To truly love like the bible wants us to love, we need to take responsibility for our actions.

Your Challenge: Today, take time to pray about the things that you have done wrong recently. Ask for God's forgiveness and then go to your parents, family members or teacher and admit the things you have done wrong. Do it with sincerity in your heart. Ask them for forgiveness.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 23

2009-10-07T06:59:00.002-05:00

Day Number 23 - Love always protects

Look up 1 Corinthians 13:7 in your bible.

Pray about 1 Corinthians 13:7 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you have any bad habits? Bad habits suck away our love from the ones we are supposed to love. Maybe your bad habit is talking to your parents in a disrespectful way. Maybe your bad habit is that you don't do things the 1st time you are told. The bible says that Love always protects. We can protect the love we have for our family and friends by getting rid of bad habits. Bad habits make it harder to see when we need to love each other more. They blur our vision when it comes to love.

Your Challenge: Today, choose to remove a bad habit from your life. When you remove this bad habit, replace it with love for a family member or friend.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 22

2009-10-07T06:41:00.002-05:00

Day Number 22 - Love is Faithful

Look up John 13:35 in your bible.

Pray about John 13:35 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Have you ever had trouble saying that you "Love" your mom and dad or your brother, sister or a friend? Maybe they hurt you by being mean to you or hurt you in some way. The bible tells us in John 13:35 that people will know we are His disciples, Christians, if we love one another.

Your Challenge: Today, go to your family member or friend who you recently had a hard time loving and tell them that you love them no matter what, even when you are mad at each other, you will always love them.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 21

2009-10-05T12:15:00.002-05:00

Day Number 21 - Love is satisfied in God

Look up Isaiah 58:11 in your bible.

Pray about Isaiah 58:11 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Have you ever tried to do something on your own, without any help from your parents maybe, that just didn't work out? Maybe you were trying to do your homework and told your parents that you didn't need any help, but later wished you had asked them to help because it was too hard and you really needed them to help out? That's how it is with God. He is offering us help in every area of our lives, but too often, we try it first on our own, fail, and the go running to God for help. We will love the important people in our lives better, stronger and more faithfully, if we first seek God to be the center of our lives.

Your Challenge: Make a promise to God that you will start each and every day, on your knees, praying to him. Right when you wake up, get out of bed and get down on your knees and ask Him to be a part of everything you do that day!

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 19

2009-10-01T20:16:00.002-05:00

Day Number 19 - Love is from God

Look up 1 John 4:7 in your bible.

Pray about 1 John 4:7 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Have you ever failed at anything? Maybe you got a bad grade on a test? Maybe had a bad baseball or soccer game? Have you ever thought about failing at love? You are probably asking me right now, what in the world are you talking about? Well, what I want to tell you is that cannot love someone like your parents or brother or sister with only your strength. You can love them even better if Christ is in your heart and he is helping you love. You probably think that you can love them a whole lot with your own strength, but if you let Christ live through you, the love you give will be even greater.

Your Challenge: Think back over the previous Love Dares that you have done. Were some harder than others? Maybe you were trying to do those with your own strength instead of praying first to ask God to help you love even more. Pray right now and ask Him to show you areas where you love even more with his strength there to help out.

In Christ,
- Steve

Who's on First?

2009-09-30T15:31:00.002-05:00

Sit down with your young baseball fan and they will get a kick of out this. I remember when I was young trying to memorize the whole thing. Yeah, I know, I was a geek and a baseball lover... in fact, I'm still both of those things!

Enjoy...

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 18

2009-09-30T05:45:00.004-05:00

Day Number 18 - Love seeks to understand

Look up Proverbs 3:13 in your bible.

Pray about Proverbs 3:13 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you understand why your friends or relatives act the way they do? Maybe your mom and dad would like you to always clean your room because their parent always asked them to have their room clean. Maybe your friends aren't allowed to watch a certain t.v. show because their parents don't allow it. You see, we all act certain ways because of the influences on our lives. I'm sure you are exactly the same way.

We should seek to understand those that we love. We should seek to learn as much about them as possible so that we can love them even more.

Your Challenge: Ask your mom or dad if they would be willing to sit down with you today and discuss the following questions with them.

What is one thing that you ask me to do because you did it when you were growing up?
Can you explain to me why there are certain movies, t.v. shows, songs or video games that you don't want me to listen to, watch or play?
What is one thing I could do a better job at?

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare for Elementary Students - Day Number 17

2009-09-30T05:40:00.002-05:00

Day Number 17 - Love promotes closeness

Look up Proverbs 17:9 in your bible.

Pray about Proverbs 17:9 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Who's your best friend? Who do you feel the closest to? Maybe your mom or dad? Maybe a brother or sister? Maybe a friend who you enjoy playing with after school? These are the special people in your life. One day, you will have a friend that decides to ask you to pray for them, if they haven't already. Take this very seriously. They are so close to you that they trust that you will pray for them, don't take this lightly.

Your Challenge: Today, ask your closest friend or family member if they have anything that you can pray about for them. Also, if you want them to pray for you, ask for that as well.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 16

2009-09-28T09:08:00.002-05:00

Day Number 16 - Love intercedes

Look up 3 John 2 in your bible.

Pray about 3 John 2 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Throughout this study, we have been teaching you lots of new words. Today, I want to tell you about the word intercede. If you intercede for someone, it means you step up and do something for them. It means you get in the middle of something and help them out. It means you pray for them. In fact, intercede is a related to the word intercession which literally means to pray to God on someones behalf.

Your Challenge: Today, pray for your mom and dad. Pray for their heart. Pray that they do all they can to be the best parents in the world. Love them by praying for them as many times as you can today!

In Christ,
- Steve

How would you introduce our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

2009-09-28T09:02:00.003-05:00

I love this and wanted to share with everyone. Enjoy!

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 15

2009-09-25T04:57:00.002-05:00

Day Number 15 - Love is honorable

Look up Ephesians 6:2 in your bible.

Pray about Ephesians 6:2 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: The bible says we should honor our father and mother. To honor them means to respect them, to listen to what they say and to love and care about them. Honor is a word that is very powerful. The hard part is to honor someone when you don't really feel like it. If your parents have been nagging you about cleaning your room, you don't really feel like honoring them do you? That's when love takes over, we honor them because we love them.

Your Challenge: Today, choose a way to show honor and respect to your parents. It may be opening the door for your mom or helping them unload the groceries in the car. It might be helping your dad with chores in the yard. It might be just asking if there is anything at all you can do for them.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 14

2009-09-25T04:49:00.002-05:00

Day Number 14 - Love takes delight

Look up Ecclisiastes 9:9 in your bible.

Pray about Ecclisiastes 9:9 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: What's your favorite food? Is it pizza? A chocolate bar? Whatever your favorite food is, you take "delight" in eating it. That means that you love it and truly cherish the time while you are eating it. You just want more and more. We should love others in the same way. Maybe you haven't been too nice to a family member or friend lately and they need to be love on a little bit today!

Your Challenge: Today, ask someone from your family or a best friend if they want to spend some time together. Tell them they get to choose what you guys do together. They will cherish the time spent together and love will truly delight in your time together.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 13

2009-09-23T08:56:00.003-05:00

Day Number 13 - Love fights fair

Look up Mark 3:25 in your bible.

Pray about Mark 3:25 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you remember the last really big argument you got into with someone? I'll bet it had some loud yelling and screaming, pouting, hurtful words and maybe even crying. God does not say that we will not get into arguments, but he does say how we should act when we get into arguments. We should stay calm and be careful not to say something that could really hurt the other person's feelings.

Your Challenge: Today, make a list of 3 rules that you will obey during arguments. They might include things like:

I will not yell during an argument
I will not say hurtful or mean things
I will not cry
I will try to understand the other person's feelings.

Pray over this list when you are finished writing it and commit to obey your rules whenever you get into your next argument.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 12

2009-09-22T20:53:00.003-05:00

Day Number 12 - Love lets the other one win

Look up Philippians 2:4 in your bible.

Pray about Philippians 2:4 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you always want to win? Do you try your best in school or sports or even just little things around the house? It's good to try your best, but did you realize that sometimes you can win by losing? This is a really hard concept, but sometimes the best thing if you are in an argument with someone is to take a deep breath and let them win, let them be first, let yourself be willing to serve... that's what Jesus Christ did. He put His own life behind all of our lives by dying on the cross for our sins.

Your Challenge: Demonstrate love by willingly choosing to end an argument with someone by saying, "Okay, you win, I am putting your needs or wants first."

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 11

2009-09-21T15:16:00.003-05:00

Day Number 11 - Love cherishes

Look up Ephesians 5:28 in your bible.

Pray about Ephesians 5:28 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you know what it means to cherish something? It means to love it with all your heart. You love it so much that you cannot do without it. In fact, you would do anything at all to keep it. We should cherish our family. After our relationship with God, our family should come next. You should cherish your family, doing anything at all to make them happy.

Your Challenge: What do your parents need today? What about your brother or sister? Do something for that that says, "I cherish and love you!"

In Christ,
- Steve

Highlights from Cade's 1st Flag Football Game

2009-09-21T14:16:00.002-05:00

Cade ran for 2 touchdowns, threw another and caught a 2 point conversion.

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 10

2009-09-18T08:03:00.003-05:00

Day Number 10 - Love is unconditional

Look up Romans 5:8 in your bible.

Pray about Romans 5:8 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Read the following 2 definitions:

Unconditional - Not limited
Agape - Unconditional Love

Our God has Agape love for us. That means that no matter what, He will always love us. When we sin, we can ask for forgiveness and He still loves us. You probably have some family members or friends that you love unconditionally, or with Agape love. While they probably do mess up and make mistakes, you will always love them.

Your Challenge: Do something out of the ordinary today for someone. Maybe you can do the dishes at home. Ask your mom if you can help fold the laundry. Clean your brother or sister's room for them as a surprise. This shows Agape Love... doing something just because you love them, not asking for something in return.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 9

2009-09-17T09:37:00.003-05:00

Day Number 9 - Love makes good impressions

Look up 1 Peter 5:14 in your bible.

Pray about 1 Peter 5:14 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you know what it means to make a good impression? It means that someone really likes you the 1st time they see you. It also means that when you greet someone, do it nicely with a smile on your face. When an adult talks to you, smile, use your manners and speak clearly to them. That will make a good impression!

Your Challenge: When you see your parents, teacher or friends today, make it a point to greet them with a big smile on your face and show God's love through making a good impression!

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 8

2009-09-16T05:32:00.002-05:00

Day Number 8 - Love is not jealous

Look up Solomon 8:6 in your bible.

Pray about Solomon 8:6 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you ever wish that you had a bigger house? What about wishing your mom and dad had a cooler car? Maybe some of your friends have a pool and you don't have one. Or maybe they have some newer video games or a nicer bike and you'd like to have those things. These are all feeling of jealousy and the bible says that true love is not jealous and that Christians should not be jealous of what others have.

Your Challenge: Remember your lists from yesterday? The ones that had good and bad qualities of someone you love? Take the list with the bad things and crumble it up and throw it away!

In Christ,
- Steve

Nice article about Erin Bethea's visit to Plant City's First Baptist Church

2009-09-15T16:00:00.003-05:00

Click here to read the article posted on tbo.com regarding Erin Bethea's visit to Plant City's First Baptist Church this past Sunday, September 13th.

You can also access her webpage by clicking on the following link: http://www.erinbethea.com/ as well as her wikipedia page by clicking here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Bethea

Top 10 Michael Jordan Dunks

2009-09-14T23:56:00.001-05:00

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 7

2009-09-14T22:30:00.002-05:00

Day Number 7 - Love believes the best

Look up 1 Corinthians 13:7 in your bible.

Pray about 1 Corinthians 13:7 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Think about a person that you love a whole bunch. It might be your mom, your dad, a brother or sister, a grandparent, maybe a friend, a teacher. It doesn't matter who they are, think of someone you love very much. Now, think about all the great things about that person. Don't you love to think about all the great thing that person does? Maybe they help you whenever you are in need. Maybe they always hug and kiss you. Maybe they love to spend time with you. But, what about the things about that person you don't like too much? Maybe they are really strict. Maybe they sometimes embarrass you in front of your friends. True love says that you need to spend more time thinking about the good things that person does than the bad. True love says that you need to tell that person how great they are!

Your Challenge: For today, make 2 lists. One list has the good qualities of a person you love very much, the other list has the bad qualities of the same person. Tell that person today one thing from the good list and make them smile. Keep both of these lists sealed in an envelope because you will need them later.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 6

2009-09-13T20:39:00.004-05:00

Wow! What a great day in the Lord we had at Plant City's First Baptist. To the left is a picture of Jacelyn with Erin Bethea, the lead actress from the movie Fireproof. Erin spoke at our church this evening and gave a great testimony to the Lord's work in the movie producing ministry at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA.

I hope the 1st five days of your Love Dare with your children was great. As a reminder, please subscribe to the blog to receive the daily updates Monday through Friday of each week.

Day Number 6 - Love is not irritable
Look up Proverbs 16:31 in your bible.

Pray about Proverbs 16:31 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you know what it means to be irritable? Very simply, it means to be in a bad mood and let it show to others. Many times, we are irritable towards those that we love the most. People with the love of Jesus in their hearts remain calm at all times and are patient. One major reason that we become irritable is because we are being selfish about something. Remember back to Day Number 3 when we defined how true love says "Yes."

True Love looks for ways to say "Yes." It means that you are not selfish and you look for a way to say yes to someone else instead of thinking of yourself."

Love also helps us to forgive instead of holding a grudge. Has someone ever made fun of you at school? Or maybe picked on you on the playground? If we don't forgive and hold a grudge against that person, we become irritable.

Let Jesus' love shine through and do away with being irritable!

Your Challenge: For today's challenge, make a list that includes any irritable behaviors you have had this past Saturday and Sunday. Maybe you didn't use proper manners with an adult? Or maybe you are holding a grudge against your brother or sister or a friend for something they did to you. Pray about the list and ask God to help you improve in those areas. You may need to apologize to someone on your list. Ask God for the strength to give them a hug and apologize.

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 5

2009-09-10T20:47:00.002-05:00

Day Number 5 - Love is Not Rude

Look up Proverbs 27:14 in your bible.

Pray about Proverbs 27:14 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Do you know anyone who has been rude to you? How did it make you feel? Maybe they said something mean or ignored you. Maybe you asked them for help and they didn't help you. Have you ever been rude to someone? There is a good chance that at some point you have been rude to you parents or brother or sister. No one enjoys being around a rude person. Love is the opposite of being rude. Love helps you mind your manners. If you remember any time recently when you had trouble with your manners, maybe you need to love more and try to get rid of all rudeness in your life!

Your Challenge: This may be a tough challenge for you. Today, go to your parents or teachers and ask them to tell you three things that you have done that are rude or disrepectful. Then, promise to pray about those things and work hard to replace rudeness with love.

How to continue receiving the Love Dare for Elementary Age content

2009-09-09T22:46:00.003-05:00

As I said the other day, the response to this has been tremendous, overwhelming in fact. So overwhelming that I cannot manage the email distribution list on my own. Here's what I've done to try to make the content easier for everyone to access. Each day I will post the new content to this blog.

If you will simply subscribe to the blog, you will be emailed whenever new content is posted. The subscription button is on the top left hand side of the blog. In addition, you will be able to go back to previous days if you missed any content.

I hope this makes it easier for everyone, if you have any questions, let me know!

In Christ,
- Steve

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 4

2009-09-09T22:29:00.004-05:00

Day Number 4 - Love is Thoughtful

Look up Psalm 139:17-18 in your bible and read it to yourself.

Pray about Psalm 139:17-18 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Thoughtfulness is sort of like not being selfish, but taking it one step further. Thoughtfulness is not being selfish and putting that into action. Being thoughtful is recognizing when someone needs a kind word or help with something. Don't you like it when your mom or dad offers to help you with your homework? How about when you learned to ride a bike? Did someone help you? If so, they were being thoughtful. We all like it when our loved ones are thoughtful towards us.

Your Challenge: The challenge today is very simple, but it will mean a lot to the person who you are thoughtful towards. Simply go up to your parents, grandparents, brothers or sisters, or even a friend and ask them how they are doing and if there is anything you could do for them.

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 3

2009-09-09T22:25:00.001-05:00

Day Number 3 - Love is not selfish

Look up Romans 12:10 in your bible and read it to yourself.

Pray about Romans 12:10 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: True Love looks for ways to say "Yes." What does that mean? It means that you are not selfish and you look for a way to say yes to someone else instead of thinking of yourself. An example might be when your parents ask you get your bath and get ready for bed. You may want to finish watching t.v. first, before taking your bath. That would be selfish of you. If, however, you immediately said "Yes" and got your bath done and pajamas on, you'd be showing love and respect for your parents.

Your Challenge: Continue your Love Dare from the 1st two days where you didn't say anything mean or disrespectful to your parents or brother or sister. In addition, your challenge for today is to say "Yes" even when you really don't want to. Put your parents, grandparents, teachers or maybe your coach before your own needs and follow directions immediately, with a smile on your face.

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 2

2009-09-09T22:24:00.001-05:00

Day Number 2 - Love is Kind

Look up Ephesians 4:32 in your bible and read it to yourself.

Pray about Ephesians 4:32 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: Love makes you kind. And kindness makes other people like you. When you are kind, people want to be around you. Don't you like to be around kind people? Think about your best friend, is he or she a kind person? They probably are. You wouldn't want to play with them if they weren't kind to you.

Your Challenge: Continue your Love Dare from yesterday where you didn't say anything mean or disrespectful to your parents or brother or sister. Also today, do something nice as a surprise for a family member or a friend. You might draw them a picture, write a note, make them a craft or even do a chore like cleaning your room without being asked. The important thing is that you do something kind as a surprise!

Love Dare For Elementary Students - Day Number 1

2009-09-09T22:20:00.003-05:00

Day Number 1 - Love is Patient

Look up Ephesians 4:2 in your bible and read it to yourself.

Pray about Ephesians 4:2 and ask God what he is saying to you through the scripture.

Read the following: No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes us to act in foolish ways. Whenever we are impatient and angry, it simply causes more and more anger. Patience stops anger immediately. If we are patient with each other, then we can't be angry! That's awesome isn't it!

Your Challenge: For today, be patient with each other and your parents. Be so patient that you don't say anything mean or disrespectful to each other or your parents.

Why do we coach kids?

2009-04-21T21:08:00.002-05:00

To quote coach Don Meyer from this video, "I love to see how a team can improve, and kids can improve, so that's why I coach. I mean, there's nothing better than that, I mean, that's, that's uh (with tears welling up), it just eats you up inside how lucky you can be coaching kids."

Wow, what a video. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Until next time,
- Steve

Records that may never be broken

2009-04-21T08:37:00.002-05:00

Johnny Vander Meer. Who is that you ask? Well, he holds a record that for all intents and purposes, may never broken. In the Major Leagues that is. You see, in 1938, Johnny threw a no-hitter against the Boston Braves, then 4 days later, he threw another no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He is the only major leaguer to throw consecutive no-hitters.

Why do I bring this up? Well, there is a high school player here in the Tampa area that just threw his fourth straight no-hitter. His name is Patrick Schuster and he plays for Mitchell High School. Of course, in high school, there are often inflated batting averages, miniscule ERA's, crazy strike out totals, etc. However, 4 no-hitters in a row must be a national record, right? No so fast, the national prep record is 6 no-hitters in a row. Mitchell will be going for the record as the district playoffs start soon. Good luck to him.

What do you think about other records that may never be broken? Here's a quick list I came up with:

Ty Cobb's career batting average of .367
UCLA winning 7 consecutive NCAA men's basketball titles
New York Yankees total of 26 World Series titles
Wilt Chamberlain's total of 100 points in one NBA game
Byron Nelson's 11 straight wins in PGA tournaments

Can you think of any more?

Until next time,
- Steve

Susan Boyle - if you haven't seen this yet

2009-04-20T09:15:00.001-05:00

No words can describe this...

EMBED-Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more free videos

How about this lineup tweak?

2009-04-18T05:33:00.002-05:00

Maybe this is why I wouldn't be a good MLB manager. I would try to tweak things too much, but this just seems obvious to me, what about you?

Put Bartlett in the leadoff spot and Aki 2nd. I think Upton is pressing too much in the leadoff spot. he has a couple of hits, and 2 of them are surprise bunts down the 3rd base line. Bartlett is a machine right now and I always thought Aki was probably better number 2 hitter than leadoff anyway.

As for the game last night, fun too watch. Finally saw those resilient Rays from last year that refuse to lose.

We will be at Saturday night and Sunday afternoon's game, so it should be a great weekend!

Until next time,
- Steve

Don't panic Rays Fans

2009-04-16T10:08:00.002-05:00

Interesting blurb from an article on TBO.com today by Joe Henderson. Here's a link to the entire article. Joe certainly has his own plan for the bullpen woes, you can find his thoughts in the article.. but he also ended with the following:

"But as we contemplate and fret over this and this, there's one other number worth keeping in mind. One year ago today, Wheeler was the losing pitcher in a 6-5 setback at Minnesota. The loss dropped the Rays 6-9 overall, last place in the American League East. Things didn't turn out so badly, did they?"

So, step in from the balcony, don't jump yet... everything will be okay.

Until next time,
- Steve

My scheme to fix the Rays' Bullpen Woes

2009-04-15T21:36:00.005-05:00

Okay, so after taking a look at some stats and some recent highlights, the bullpen is letting us down a little bit, wouldn't you agree?

I don't think you have to pressure your brain too hard based on the picture to the left to figure out one part of my plan... Percival has to go. While I love what he stands for, since his leg injury last year, he doesn't have the leg power and drive to throw the heat past hitters any more. In his heyday, and even at the beginning of last year, he was in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, but most importantly, he had movement. Today, he hit 91 twice on the gun, but they were flat pitches. Now, you might counter that today Mariano Rivera wasn't even hitting 90 on the gun, but he is throwing almost exclusively a cutter which has tons of movement.

Anyway, here's the plan:

Percival to AAA or release him
Sonnanstine to middle or long relief
Balfour to closer
Price comes up from AAA and becomes the 5th starter.

I think some of you may have a gripe regarding Balfour as the closer, and it may be well founded as he has also struggled a little bit. In comparison though, you have to believe that Balfour has a better chance of becoming a lights out closer than Percival does. If Balfour doesn't work out, then go to a closer by committee, anything, I trust Maddon to make the right moves here. I suppose you could even let Price close to keep his innings down, a la Joba Chamberlain, but look at the trouble Joba has had converting back to a starter.

Now, if I might, a little sour grapes. I was one of the few people who was not happy about the Jackson for Joyce trade. I think Jackson could have still helped this team. Joyce just doesn't strike me as a player who was going to get much playing time. Especially now that they have sent him to the minors. So, the Rays effectively gave up Jackson, who tied for the team lead in wins last year and arguably had some of the best stuff on the staff for a AAA player. Okay, I'll step down off my soapbox now.

Closing thoughts today - I think the AL East teams are going to beat up on each other the entire season. Much more than last year. I don't expect the Red Sox to stay in the cellar, and I don't expect the Blue Jays and Orioles to stay at the top. It's going to be tight the entire season, which is why, if the Rays need to make a move, they should do it early because a game or 2 lost in April, might show up at the end of the season.

Until next time,
- Steve

Longoria out for 2 days

2009-04-15T14:04:00.002-05:00

Just saw this on mlb.com... Longoria to reportedly miss two games.

Apparently he is headed home to California to deal with a private family issue. Full story can be found by clicking on this link.

Hope all is well with the family Evan...

Until next time,
- Steve

Well, that sort of stinks doesn't it?

2009-04-15T11:18:00.003-05:00

While it was nice to see Garza come back and throw a very solid game after a rough 1st inning, what in the world happened to our bullpen? That was not the Dan Wheeler we knew from last year. It was funny actually, I was all set to record the bottom of the ninth because our son Cade had to go to bed. I just knew they could come back and get a couple of runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie or win the game. But then, alas, Wheeler gave up a few hits and runs. I still hit record for the bottom of the 9th, just because our son was so mad he couldn't stay up and watch the ending. Then, 3 straight strike outs, Upton, Crawford and Longoria, Sheesh.

Maybe we were lulled into a false sense of security after last year that the relievers would always hold the opponents and as soon as we hit the bottom of the 9th, this team would deliver some magic?

I am still very happy with the team, except for one area... strikeouts at the plate. There is only one team in the bigs with more strikeouts than the Rays total of 72. That's the Indians with 79. Also, the Rays are tied with the Nationals at 72. Granted, the Rays have the 4th highest batting average in the majors after 8 games, but they are averaging 9 K's / game, a little too high in my book.

I fully expect Sonnanstine to pitch a gem this afternoon and for the Rays to take 2 of 3 from the evil empire.

Until next time,
- Steve

Aaaaahhh, the home opener...

2009-04-14T07:35:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone,

If you didn't get a chance to make it to the Trop last night, I hope you watched on tv. The raising of the banners was very moving. The military presence throughout the banner ceremony was something to see, especially the military rappelling down from the rafters while the banners were being raised. The national anthem being played by local jazz prodigy B.K. Jackson. Old Glory taking up the entire outfield. What a night, and that's before any baseball was evening being played.

As the game began, the Rays set the tone early and often by taking walks, laying down bunts, stealing bases, hitting homers, playing defense and generally just playing baseball the "Rays Way." A couple of key points from the game in my opinion were Scott Kazmir getting a 2nd strong outing in a row with a low pitch count and the return of B.J. Upton. I am sure there are not many other centerfielders in the game that could have made the catch that B.J. did early in the game on the long drive by Xavier Nady. Click here for a link to the video on MLB.com.

In addition, Carlos Pena is certainly breaking out of his early little slump. He had 3 hits and 6 RBI's last night. The Rays also used the home field advantage last night. There were several plays where the ball just seemed to bounce the Ray's way, including 2 towering infield pop ups that were misplayed by the Yankees as the ball got up into the roof at the Trop.

Now, to look at this from another angle, while the Rays won 15-5, the Yankees were not at full force. I have no idea what is wrong with Chien-Ming Wang, but this is certainly not the same player who won 19 games two seasons in a row and was 8-2 before his injury last year. He is obviously not fully recovered as of yet. Also, the Yankees spending spree on Mark Texiera got a big scare with his left wrist injury and absence from the lineup. Reports are, however, that an MRI showed that it's not too serious. Even though they weren't at full strength, any win against the Yankees feels good... especially when you have 9 runs against them by the end of the 2nd inning!

To wrap up, all in all, a great home opener, lots of action, looking forward to tonights game when Matt Garza will be facing A.J. Burnett.

Until next time,
- Steve

Star Wars as told by someone who has not seen it

2009-01-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Tebow coming back for one more year

2009-01-12T10:33:00.001-05:00

Rays Sign Pat Burrell to 2 yr deal

2009-01-05T16:58:00.002-05:00

Interesting signing by the Rays today. Certainly fills the need for a right handed bat. He was of course a liability in the field, but the Rays have him penciled in at DH. He has averaged almost 28 HR's a season for 9 years with the Phillies as well as almost 92 RBI's. Would immediately become the teams 2nd best power hitter behind Pena and dwarf the Ray's DH production from 2008. The negatives are the batting average and strikeouts, but putting him somewhere around 5th or 6th in the lineup looks pretty nice. What do you think?

Until next time,
- Steve

Now, why would anyone want to go and make Tebow angry?

2009-01-04T21:51:00.003-05:00

Interesting trash talk from Dominique Franks, a sophomore OU cornerback. Here's a link to the entire story.

One of the points where I think he shows a little bit of ineptitude regarding preparation is that he says it's harder to prepare defensively for the QB's in the big 12 because you go in knowing they are going to throw 40 or more times than it is to prepare for a QB who is only going to throw 15-20 times. Seems to me it would be easier to prepare for a big 12 team that was fairly one dimensional and threw that many times than to prepare to a dual threat like Tebow and the rest of the balanced Gator's attack.

I hope he has just made Tebow a little more mad and thrown more fuel to the fire.

Just my two cents... Until next time,

- Steve

Tebow's Faith is always out front

2009-01-04T06:14:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to a recent article about Tim Tebow. Like the Gators or not, as a Christian, it is refreshing to see a true giant of the college game who professes his faith as a Christian 1st and foremost. My son and I love to watch sports and there are certain players you want your children to emulate both in the quality of their play and the attitudes they display on the playing field. Then, there are others who you hope they miss on the interviews and soundbites (or the police blotter!). Tebow's one of those guys that exemplifies Christ in all he does. The interesting thing is that Sam Bradford of Oklahoma also stands for Christ. It's probably been a while since 2 such God-fearing young men stepped up to the podium to accept college football's premiere award in the Heisman. Let's hope there are more to come for our children (and some mom and dad's as well) to cheer on to victory on the field and in life.

Until next time,
- Steve

Well, this is a sobering statistic

2008-12-10T12:43:00.003-05:00

The above graph and related article was posted on the blog boingboing. Click here for a link to the actual story and support the site. They have some interesting postings.

This graph depicts the S&P's annual returns, plotted by the frequency of occurance in ranges such as 0-10%, 11-20%, etc. As one would expect, the majority of the years fall into the 0-10% range. There were only 5 years each that fell into the 41-50% and 51-60% bracket.

Now, for the sobering statistic, until 2008, there was only 1 year each in the -31 - 40% and -41-50% columns. There was only 1 year in history with a loss greater than 50%. 2008 is currently sitting at -39%. The graph below was created a week or so ago before the S&P had a recent run up of about 130 points. Regardless, we could be looking at a historical 1 year annual loss for the S&P.

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Rays looking at some guys with questionable character traits

2008-12-09T22:45:00.002-05:00

I know Maddon did an admirable job last year with Upton and his occasional lack of effort, but this might be a bit much. Apparently, during the Winter Meetings, the Rays have talked with Milton Bradley, Jason Giambi and, get this, Delmon Young!

Let's break down each of these...

Milton Bradley is a career .280 hitter with 6 teams in 11 seasons. He has long had anger management issues, but during a lunch with the Rays this past week, Maddon feels as if he has outgrown and was quoted as saying "people grow up, people change." Last year was his 1st season as an all-star, but his splits for the season showed a major drop-off in the 2nd half of the season due primarily to an injury. He could certainly shore up the DH and RF spots, but to be honest, he could probably explode at any minute. My take - PASS.

Giambi posted pretty good power numbers last year with a low batting average of only .247. Then again, oddly enough, Pena only hit .247 as well. His average has been in decline, but the power has stayed fairly consistent regarding homers and RBI's. For some reason I have always liked Giambi and feel like he might have another season or 2 in him. He is dependable in the DH spot and would be able to fill in for Pena here and there at 1B. Of course, the steroid allegations are going to follow him wherever he goes, but I believe he's a good guy. In fact, I met him once at a Chili's in Tampa, he was very cordial to my family. My take - Risky, but make a low offer and see if he takes it.

Delmon Young - This is really an interesting one. The guys has some character issues and was occasionally disruptive. I thought that was one of the reason's why they jettisoned him to the Twins last year? That deal was a big one for the Rays as they got Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza out of it. Sure, Delmon hit .290 last season, but for a guy that played in 152 games, he only hit 10 HR's with 69 RBI's. The rumor is that the Twins are not looking for starting pitching and a 3rd team would have to be involved, possibly the Rockies. The Rays would send either Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine to the Rockets, who would send 3rd baseman Garrett Atkins to the Twins and send Young back to Tampa. The upside here is still pretty high, but here's my take - Only do this if you can guarantee I won't look back years from now and analyze the trade based on the combination of both deals. What I mean is, I don't want Delmon to stink it up and then say it was basically a deal where we lost Sonnanstine or Jackson for Garza and Bartlett, catch my drift?

Now, here's my suggestion for the Rays... GO AFTER BARRY BONDS! That's right, I said it, go sign Barry Bonds. If you are willing to bring one or more of the 3 above into the fold, why not go get the most feared slugger of our era. Steroids or not, the guys is an on base machine and would be more than willing to DH if any team would just sign him to a deal. He said last year he would play for the league minimum and donate a substantial portion to charity. The guy doesn't want money, I don't think he cares about any more records, he wants a ring. He has had a few lengthy layoffs with the knee injury from 2005 where he only played 14 games then not playing at all last year. He turns 45 in July, but for some reason, I think he could post stats from the DH position that would blow away the guys listed above. Plus, think of the opportunities to drive in runs if he is always on base ahead of Pena, Longoria, etc. Lastly, Friedman and Maddon would have him sign a clause or something in his contract that doesn't allow big comfy recliners in the locker room. My Take - take a flyer and see what happens, it would probably be cheaper than any of the 3 above and would put more butts in the seats!

Until next time,
- Steve

Shark Diving gone awry

2008-12-09T09:58:00.004-05:00

Whoa, just watched this video this morning. These guys were shark diving in a cage in Baja Mexico and a shark busted through the door of the cage!

There are 2 videos, one unedited and one that was edited. Both are below. Also, go to Youtube and click on the link to watch in high definition, much clearer if you have the bandwidth.

Unedited Original Footage

Edited Footage

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Top 10 Hardest NFL Hits

2008-12-05T15:47:00.006-05:00

In response to the fact that the Bucs defense didn't hit any of the Panthers that hard last night, I came across this video collection on digg.com, here's a link to the story on digg (the original is on askmen.com).

http://digg.com/football/The_Top_10_Hardest_Hits_in_the_NFL_w_Video

And here are the videos/pics for each one:

10. Sean Taylor on Brian Moorman - 2006

9. Hines Ward on Keith Rivers - 2008

8. John Lynch on Chris Henry - 2006

7. Roger Craig on Tim Krumrie - 1989: Current Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Tim Krumrie overcame a tremendous leg injury during Super Bowl XXIII that could have ended his career. In a nose tackle with the Bengals, Krumrie was kneed by Roger Craig, causing a shattering of both his tibia and fibula. Though video footage of the hit is rare, it’s regarded as one of the hardest – and most graphic – hits in football history. At risk of going into shock, Krumrie initially refused to leave the locker room after he was carted off the field. He had surgery to implant a 15-inch steel rod into his leg.

6. Bart Scott on Ben Roethlisberger - 2006

5. Tanard Jackson on Dallas Clark - 2007

4. Lawrence Taylor on Joe Theismann - 1985

3. Sheldon Brown on Reggie Bush - 2007

2. Darrell Reid on Chris Henry - 2007

1. Jack Tatum on Darryl Stingley - 1978: Darryl Stingley’s tragic story is necessary to mention in discussions about both the worst NFL hits in history and the most serious injuries. A running back with the Patriots, Stingley was paralyzed on a shot from Jack Tatum’s forearm during a preseason game. The hit broke two vertebrae in Stingley’s neck, making him a quadriplegic. Though no penalty was ever called on the play, it’s considered controversial because of the way Tatum hit Stingley to the head. Stingley died in 2007 at the age of 55, due to complications of quadriplegia.

If you are seated next to Willy Wonka on your next flight...

2008-12-05T15:27:00.002-05:00

If you are seated next to a man in a purple suit and top hat, please run away from him because Willy Wonka should not be on any flights due to prior convictions.

Nice huh... thought that might give you a laugh this afternoon.

Until next time,
- Steve

So, I guess we are in a recession?

2008-12-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, almost all of the gains we achieved in the shortened Thanksgiving week were erased in a measly 6 hours. The S&P dropped 9%, what normally takes a full year to happen.

If you love numbers and historical analysis of the markets, the following New York Times article had tons of great info.

Click here for the article.

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Attack of the Car Wash Water Snake

2008-11-24T10:56:00.003-05:00

These guys just wanted to wash off their Jeep...

Until next time,
- Steve

Dem's squash plans for auto industry bailout - stocks are tanking again

2008-11-20T16:20:00.002-05:00

Sheesh, what a week. As I write this, news came across the wire about 4:10pm ET, that the democrats delayed an auto industry bailout package. The broader markets were already down for the day, but then the free fall started and the Down ended the day down another 5.28% and the S&P 500 finished down 6.71% while the NASDAQ, that beacon of hope in this stock market, only finished down 5.07% (that was obviously sarcasm if you didn't pick up on it).

The stakes are high. The Detroit automakers employ nearly a quarter-million workers, and more than 730,000 other workers produce materials and parts that go into cars. About 1 million more people work in dealerships nationwide. If just one of the automakers declared bankruptcy, some estimates put U.S. job losses next year as high as 2.5 million. I honestly don't know how I feel personally about these bailout packages. Undoubtedly we all know someone whose employment might be affected by these companies (not just Auto Manufacturers) going out of business. However, the interesting thing is the corporate greed that manifested itself in the hearings earlier this week when the CEO's of GM, Ford and Chrysler made their way to capitol hill to plead their case.

Think about this... there are 24 daily non-stop flights from Detroit to the Washington DC area, but these CEO's each took their own private jets. Even if they flew 1st class on commercial flights, which would still be despicable, at a cost of somewhere north of $1,000, it would still dwarf the cost of the private jet flights which were estimated at anywhere from $10,000-$30,000 EACH.

The following is an excerpt from an article in the Washington Post (full link here) that is just one more example of why these guys and their companies don't deserve any help whatsoever!

So it was hard to feel sorry for the executives when Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), late in the hearing, reminded them again that "the symbolism of the private jet is difficult," and mischievously asked the witnesses whether, in another symbolic gesture, they would be willing to work for $1 a year, as Nardelli has offered to do.

"I don't have a position on that today," demurred Wagoner (2007 total compensation: $15.7 million).

"I understand the intent, but I think where we are is okay," said Mulally ($21.7 million).

"I'm asking about you," Roskam pressed.

"I think I'm okay where I am," Mulally said.

And don't even think about asking him to fly commercial.

Until next time
- Steve

Dow closes below 8,000 for the 1st time in over 5 years

2008-11-19T16:45:00.004-05:00

Wow, another huge down day on Wall Street.

On fears primarily related to the impending auto industry collapse, the Dow closed below 8,000. This is the lowest point since March of 2003. Same for the S&P 500.

I read an article in the most recent Time magazine regarding a possible collapse by GM. If GM were to fail, it would not affect just the 200,000 or so employees of GM, but could expand to approximately 1.2 million jobs. This is because of the extensive supply chain of parts and other jobs related to GM. With the economy continuing the way it is, I sure don't know of any of my friends out shopping for new vehicles!

Hang in there folks, until next time,
- Steve

Double Digit % Increase in Electric Bills Coming

2008-11-12T18:41:00.001-05:00

Aaaahhh, the good news of the economy continues. Tampa Electric (TECO) customers are looking at an 12% increase in January. Progress Energy, who just increased bills 11% last month, are increasing another 13% in January.

Here's a link to the story on TBO.com.

Until next time,
- Steve

Maddon wins AL Manager of the Year

2008-11-12T16:48:00.004-05:00

Rays Manager Joe Maddon was named AL Manager of Year today by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Here's a link to the article on MLB.com.

Continuing the theme from Evan Longoria's unanimous selection as Rookie of the Year, Maddon was only 1 vote short of a unanimous selection as Manager of the Year. The only other manager to get a 1st place vote was Ron Gardenhire from Minnesota.

Until next time,
- Steve

Top 10 Microsoft Moments

2008-11-11T13:40:00.004-05:00

I love these type of articles. They look back over the history of companies and dig into significant times in the company's growth. Because of Microsoft Windows celebrating 25 years yesterday, November 10th, Time.com has provided a look back at the top 10 Microsoft moments. Here's a link to the very insightful article.

Because of all the stock splits, the adjusted stock price when the company went public on March 13th, 1986 was only $0.0955. Based on today's stock price of $20.84 that is a 21,722% increase! That's even with the stock down over 60% from it's all-time high in December of 1999. No wonder Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world!

Until next time,
- Steve

Longoria wins Rookie of the Year in the AL

2008-11-10T14:26:00.003-05:00

To add to Carlos Pena's recent gold glove award, Evan Longoria has been named a unanimous winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in the American League. He was named in 1st place on all 28 ballots and was a runaway winner over Alexi Ramirez of the White Sox.

Despite missing 30 games due to a broken wrist he suffered on August 10th after being hit by a pitch, he led all Major League rookies with 27 home runs and a .531 slugging percentage. In addition, he led the American League with 85 RBI's, 60 extra base hits and 238 total bases.

Evan had 2 walk off homeruns during the season and 3 in one game on September 18th against the Twins. He played excellent defense throughout the season, finishing with a .961 fielding percentage, 6th among American League 3rd basemen.

Let's hope the awards continue with Joe Maddon's being named Manager of the Year!

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Is Jason Giambi on the juice again?

2008-11-07T09:03:00.002-05:00

Check out this pic... He must be pumping up because the Yankees released him and he needs to impress a new team since he's a free agent.

Would you all take him in Tampa? Or could we afford him?

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Check out Taggalaxy.com

2008-11-07T08:57:00.003-05:00

Here's a link: http://www.taggalaxy.com/

This is a really unique website where you search for tags of photos posted on flickr. A huge globe is then represented, or possibly other globes with related tags.

I searched for our hometown, Plant City, and here's what I got.

Until next time,
- Steve

Obama not willing to spread his own wealth?

2008-11-03T13:06:00.002-05:00

Interesting take on Obama's "Spread The Wealth" economic policy. The following cartoon was in the editorial section of today's newspaper.

Click the image below for a larger view.

Until next time,
- Steve

McCain takes his turn on Saturday Night Live

2008-11-03T09:22:00.002-05:00

McCain actually showed a lighter side on the clip that may have resonated with folks. He seemed much more at ease than even the last debate against Obama. What do you think?

Until next time,
- Steve

Best Reason Yet to Vote for McCain

2008-11-02T16:47:00.003-05:00

Last night my daughter Jacelyn spent the night with her G-Ma and PopPop (G-ma is short for Grandma because Kelly's mom didn't want to be called Grandma, G-ma sounded much more cool). Anyway, G-ma is telling me this morning in church about a conversation between her and Jacelyn regarding the upcoming election. It went something like this...

Jacelyn: G-ma, have you voted yet?
G-Ma: Yes, I voted early.
Jacelyn: Who did you vote for?
G-Ma: I voted for McCain.
Jacelyn: I like him too, more than Obama.
G-Ma: Why?
Jacelyn: He just looks like a President, the other guy doesn't.

There you have it folks, the best reason yet that I have seen to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin!

Until next time,
- Steve

Boy shocked trying to steal McCain Palin yard sign

2008-10-31T11:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, now I know this has gone too far...

Until next time,
- Steve

Shifting Gears on the blog, let's talk Politics

2008-10-31T10:16:00.007-05:00

Hi folks,

After a couple of days of recovering from the World Series, I am going to shift gears a bit for the next week or so and go into political mode here on the blog.

I make no excuses for the fact that I am a conservative republican and support McCain and Palin for this election. However, that being said, I am intrigued by the rhetoric from both sides in this campaign. Barack Obama reminds me a lot of Bill Clinton. While conservative republicans certainly didn't agree with many of the views of Clinton, he was a smooth talker who could make you believe almost anything. That's what we have to be careful about with Obama. He is very smooth as well, has a calm, cool demeanor about him, but when you take a look at the issues at hand for conservative Christians in this election, he fails on almost every issue. Here is a summary from the Christian Coalition Voter Guide for the 2008 Presidential Election. You can find more info and the entire publication at their website by clicking here. Clicking on the image below will give you the full size view.

The question you must ask yourself, is, "Does my one vote count?" Yes, it most certainly does! The following video may help you understand the impact you could have on this election.

Until next time,
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - That hurts...

2008-10-29T21:03:00.001-05:00

Feels like I just got punched in the stomach. Congrats to the Phillies. I'll post tomorrow morning when I feel like writing.

Oh yeah, why did Fox have to show the last pitch 9 times for each of the fielders to show them running to the mound, that was a bit excessive don't you think? :-)

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Game 5 delayed until Wed the 29th

2008-10-28T12:22:00.001-05:00

The last 3 1/2 innings of game 5 will not be played tonight as per MLB.com

Click here for the article.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Kelly and I on T.V.

2008-10-28T05:38:00.002-05:00

Here's the link to watch the video directly on Youtube.com. Click the link right below the video on the right to "Watch in High Quality." I also have it embedded below, but the quality is not as good.

You can see me at about 6 to 8 seconds in. I have on a white Longoria jersey, on the aisle. The homer went just to my right. You can also see me at about 40 seconds. Then, at 48 seconds, I'm right behind the guy in a plaid shirt on the left of the screen. About 51 seconds, Kelly comes into plain view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWwY6HdrDoA

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Singin' In The Rain

2008-10-28T05:29:00.003-05:00

Now we have a nice little controversy to go along with a game 5 suspended by rain. All the media outlets are saying that if the Rays had not tied the game in the top of the 6th inning that the decision would have been tougher on whether or not to suspend the game or to call it because it was official after 4 1/2 innings. At this point, it seems like Selig had already made his decision that it wasn't going to be called, no matter what. The players seem to be okay with that as well. Several mentioned in interviews that they did not want a possible clinching World Series game to end like that, called early. Selig's plan was simple, he was going to have the longest ever rain delay to make sure the game was played. 24 hours? 48 hours? Didn't matter, the game would be finished.

You see what's happening don't you... the ball is starting to bounce back the Rays way again. All season long, this team of destiny has had things happen that just defy a little bit of logic and allow them to win. Here's another example. In a game with horrible conditions, Pena and Longoria have started hitting again, Upton is running out ground balls and stealing bases in a mud pit.

Now, we are setup for the latest hero, David Price, to finish out game 5. I fully expect him to be the new "starting" pitcher when the game resumes. Then, back to Tampa for game 6 and 2 very favorable pitching matchups for the Rays with Shields and Garza as the Rays become the 5th team in history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Why is everyone in a panic?

2008-10-27T13:49:00.003-05:00

Question - why is everyone in a panic?

Is it because the normally accurate Andy Sonnanstine started walking more people in one game than he typically does in 4 or 5 games?
Is it because the historically potent offense we saw in the ALCS against the Red Sox is now a blubbering mess, striking out and not getting big hits when they need them?
Is it because they are down 3-1 and going up against a pitcher who has won his last 4 postseason starts?
Is it because an ESPN writer named Gene Wojciechowski was quoted in his column today saying, "As much as it pains me to say it, the Tampa Bay Rays are cooked, finished, done, toast, history. The only way they win this World Series is if Bud Selig declares the Philadelphia Phillies, I don't know, academically ineligible"
Is it because we are starting to doubt Joe Maddon and his decision making prowess?

Bottom line - I was discouraged the past 2 nights. I want to attend another game at the Trop. I don't want to the season to end. But, I do know this, we have been treated to one of the best season's ever in terms of the turnaround of a once doormat franchised which became a national sensation.

Whatever your reason for your panic, some of which are probably very valid, I leave you with the following list of 10 teams that have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a postseason LCS or World Series. Also, take a look at the teams, I am 100% sure the media and lots of fans had given up on them. What are you going to do tonight? Give up, or cheer your team to victory so we live to play another day?

2007 ALCS Red Sox come back against the Indians
2004 ALCS Red Sox come back against the Yankees
2003 NLCS Marlins come back against the Cubs
1996 NLCS Braves come back against the Cardinals
1986 ALCS Red Sox come back against the Angels
1985 ALCS Royals come back against the Blue Jays
1985 WS Royals come back against the Cardinals
1968 WS Tigers come back against the Cardinals
1958 WS Yankees come back against the Braves (Milwaukee)
1925 WS Pirates come back against the Senators

Here is a video to get you fired up for the Rays victory tonight!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Got 'em right where we want 'em

2008-10-23T06:50:00.001-05:00

Hey Ray's fans,

Can you believe there was a World Series game at the Trop last night? What an atmosphere. I noticed lots of folks were upset and discouraged with the loss. What a short memory we have Rays fans! Remember game 1 of the ALCS? The Rays lost to Dice-K and the hitting looked anemic. The Phillies gave us Cole Hamels and again, due to good pitching, hitting was less than exciting. There were a couple of good points, actually three... Aki had 3 hits, Zobrist got on base and scored a run and Crawford hit his 1st post season homerun. Other than that, everyone else put up an zeroes.

I fully expect the Rays to come back tonight and post some big numbers. Then, go to Philly and try to take 1 or 2 games to get homefield advantage back. I am thinking this is going to be a 6 or 7 game series. You have to think the Phillies will probably win the games that Hamels starts.

Sorry for the somewhat short post today... but I have to get some work done today!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Kazmir to Start Game 1

2008-10-21T22:31:00.005-05:00

Hi folks, looks like we have Scott Kazmir starting game 1 of the World Series. Sort of ironic if you think about it. Scotty got the win in the All-Star game which gave the Rays home field advantage in the Series. This could prove very pivotal as the Rays had the best home record in baseball this season, winning at a .703 clip. Also, another point of irony is that Brad Lidge, the Phillies dominant closer was the losing pitcher in that all-star game.

On a separate issue, I also wanted to ask you to compare the following pictures. My buddy Smitty thinks I looks a lot like Scott Kazmir. Even some of our friends who we sit near at the games thought I was his brother. What do you think? I included a couple of my pics for comparison. Oh yeah, Scotty's picture is 1st.

I wonder if I showed up at the game in a Rays uniform if I could sneak into the clubhouse or dugout or something? Obviously, something would be up when I started throwing right handed, but maybe I could get on the field? Naaahhhhh, forget about it, I don't want to get kicked out of the stadium for game 1 of the World Series!

Now that we are off topic and talk has shifted into sneaking into sporting events, how many of you have heard of Barry Bremen? Here's a link to his page on Wikipedia. Barry has snuck into all sorts of sporting events over the years. From his Wiki Page: From 1979 to 1986, Bemen posed as a Major League Baseball Umpire in the World Series (maybe we'll see him tomorrow), a player in the MLB All-Star game, a player in the NBA All-Star game, a referee in the NFL, a professional golfer, an emmy award winner accepting an award on someone else's behalf and my personal favorite, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader!

That's it for now, look for an in depth analysis soon on the series and our real chances.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Post game live video

2008-10-20T15:17:00.002-05:00

Hi folks, another quick post with a video from the post game after last night's win.

I zoomed into the both dugouts as we had friends sitting behind each dugout.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Rays Rally Video

2008-10-20T12:38:00.001-05:00

Here's my best attempt to capture the 9th inning rally video that they play at Tropicana Field. I am going to try to recreate it for our Little League Team's next video.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - World Series Here We Come

2008-10-20T08:40:00.005-05:00

Last night was the single greatest sporting event I have ever attended live. We got to the game about 6pm, plenty of time to catch the end of batting practice. Then my buddy Rhett and I and spent some time in the Ted Williams Hitter's Museum at the Trop. If you have never spent any time there, check it out, you will enjoy the history and memorabilia they have.

When the game started, you could tell Garza was pretty hyped and the adrenaline was flowing. It was very depressing to give up the homer to Pedroia in the 1st. That guy is a pesky hitter and will probably win the AL MVP. After that, however, Garza settled into the game was really hitting his spots. He was jumping out ahead and the curve was dropping off the table. He had the Boston hitters off balance the whole night. I was pleasantly surprised as the game progressed that until the 7th inning, the only hit he had given up was the homer to Pedroia in the 1st.

Getting a double by Longoria down the right field was huge. This was the 4th inning and his double drove in the tying run - we had finally gotten to Lester. Lester also threw a tremendous game. He threw over 70% of his pitches for strikes and was around the plate the whole night. This hit was big for another reason, which was maybe not as obvious. I noticed that in the past couple of games, Longoria seemed to be hitting a lot of weak grounders to shortstop. He was probably pressing a little bit, trying to hit the ball out of the yard every time he came up to bat. The pitchers were throwing him away, but he wasn't trying to go with the pitch, which caused the weak grounders to short. Seeing him go down the right field line showed that he is learning how the pitchers are throwing to him and he's taking whatever he's given and working the pitcher.

Then, Baldelli knocks in a run and Aybar hit's a solo homer as we go up 3-1. At this point, Garza was still in the game mowing down batters. We were anxiously watching his pitch count. I think there was one at bat where it seemed like Varitek had about 12-15 pitches. Then, something exciting happened. Garza came out for the 8th inning. Everyone expected him to be taken out, but Maddon surprised us by letting him come out for the 8th inning. He already had over 100 pitches, so this was a big vote of confidence for Garza.

I have to be completely honest, I got a nasty, sick to my stomach feeling when Bartlett booted the ball to start the 8th. That's 2 errors in the last 2 games for him. Then, Maddon did something else very uncharacteristic of him. When he came out to talk to Garza after that at bat, he didn't take the ball from him. He left him in. Normally, Maddon is calling for the reliever by the time he's at the top step of the dugout. He left him in for 1 more batter and after that, the 8th inning was like a blur. 4 more pitchers took the mound, Howell, Wheeler, Bradford and then, the legend that is now, David Price. The guy had pitched all of 14 innings this year as a late September call up from Triple A. Granted, in the minors he had an awesome year, but this was game 7 of the ALCS and he was coming in with the bases loaded. But, that's Maddon, never know what he's got up his sleeve!

What happened next is how legends are born. Price strikes out Drew to finish the 8th and then comes out for the 9th, after giving up a lead off walk, he sets down 3 in a row to save the game. Then, bedlam ensued... cowbells, loud music, screaming, grown men hugging other grown men who they didn't know, pure insanity!

To wrap up, Smack Apparel has some great shirts already out. Here's one I am going to send to my co-worker in Boston who I had a little side bet with. Whichever team made it farther, the other guy had to where a shirt of the opposing team all day long. I think this will go over well in the Boston office!

Enjoy it folks, talk to you tomorrow,

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - This is what we dream about!

2008-10-19T11:20:00.004-05:00

If I would have told you this past April when the Rays broke from Spring Training to start the season that they would be in the LCS, playing game 7 for a chance to go to the World Series, no one would have believe me.

Fans - we have to forget the other night in Boston, we have to forget last night. We have one game, one chance, to make a dream turn into a reality for Tampa. I believe that the Rays are going to play loose tonight, they are going to come out on fire and they ARE GOING TO WIN TONIGHT!!!

Now all of a sudden, we are the underdog again, which plays nicely for us. I encourage you to go out tonight to the game if you can, pay whatever you can for the tickets. If you can't make it, sit at home with your family and watch this momentous game.

To get you fired up, I am including a video below of some friends of ours that were chosen last night to yell "Play Ball" before the game. Pretty cool...

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Coming Home for Game 6

2008-10-17T11:54:00.005-05:00

I am finally able to sit down and write about last night. You just knew that the Red Sox still had some punch left in them. While I was almost physically sick to my stomach after it ended, I had a sort of smile on my face because this is what it's all about in the post season. Sure, you can 2nd guess Maddon's decision to bring Balfour in early and the Dan "Deer in the Headlights" Wheeler decision to leave him in so long, but you know what... those guys have done it the whole season. The old adage is "you dance with what brung ya" (is that a word, brung).

Anyway, I think the odds are still very, very high that the Rays can win 1 out of 2 at home and go to the series. I look for them to continue to hit and bounce back just like they have done all season long. Big game James Shields is going to throw a great game and the hitting will continue. The place is going to be REALLY LOUD. There will be over 41,000 there and we will see the return of Thunderdome. Remember when the Lightning were playing there and they set an attendance record at the time of 27,227? I don't think the Red Sox really know what the Tampa fans have in store for them when they step onto the field Saturday night.

My wife and I are going to the game as my son Cade and his buddy Jacob have a double-header they are playing in. For your viewing pleasure, here's a pick of the boys and the signs we had at the last home game. Check out the Red Sox fan in the background. Click for a larger view.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Buster Olney discusses decision to start Kaz tonight

2008-10-16T11:10:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of Buster Olney discussing Maddon's decision to start Kaz tonight.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - 9=8 in more ways than 1

2008-10-16T06:12:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine who I recently re-connected with on Facebook sent this too me...

9=8
Game 2 was 9 to 8
Game 3 Rays won by 8
Game 4 Rays won by 9

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Gross and Zobrist Take Their Faith to the Plate

2008-10-16T06:07:00.005-05:00

Check out this article regarding Gabe Gross and his theme song when he comes to the plate, "Blessed Be The Name of the Lord."

We have noticed this all season long and the boys love singing along when he's coming up to bat.

Also, Ben Zobrist has a song played by Toby Mac called "Ignition" when he goes to bat. I read a recent article about Ben Zobrist and learned that his wife, Julianna is an aspiring Christian Music Artist. Here's her myspace page, check out some of the music.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Tarps coming off!

2008-10-15T09:57:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to an article on TBO.com regarding the addition of about 5,700 new seats at the Trop that will be made available for the "If" games 6 and 7 of the ALCS and all possible World Series Games.

The caveat is that some are obstructed view and of course parking, lines, etc. will be worse, but being able to add another 5,700 or so fans... it's gonna be loud!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - 1 More Win to close out Boston

2008-10-15T08:41:00.003-05:00

Well, here we go again... lots of runs, lots of homers, good starting pitching. Same story again, right folks? Maybe, but I saw something a little different last night than the past 2 games. In game 2, the runs scored were out of desperation, meaning that they had to keep scoring to keep pace with the Red Sox. In game 3, it was almost like it was on accident. I know that's not the best analogy, but they were just scoring almost at will and things were breaking their way. But, in game 4, it seemed like there was an aggression on the basepaths, hitting to the opposite field, putting the ball in play, moving runners over, taking walks, etc. In game 4 they systematically took apart the Red Sox and never really let up. Now, I know this game of baseball is a pretty crazy game, and they could hit a road block with Dice-K tomorrow evening after a day off, but I really believe they can sweep in Boston and finish off the series. If they do it on Thursday night, they would then have 6 days of rest until the World Series opens up in Tampa on Wednesday the 22nd.

Some other notes from the game...

Did you see how hard Jackson was throwing? He hit 99mph a few times. I wonder if maybe a setup role or even a closer role might be the thing for him? Sonnanstine was even hitting 90-91 on the radar gun a few times, which makes his off-speed stuff that much more nasty.

It seems like 5 is a magical number today for the Rays... consider this:

Longoria now has the most homeruns in the post season as a rookie with 5.
BJ has 5 as well.
Crawford had 5 hits yesterday.
Aybar had 5 RBI's
And, dare we say it, they only need 5 more wins for a World Series title!

Until next time... Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Ray-Hawk Boy to be on ESPN

2008-10-14T11:02:00.004-05:00

I'm sure most of you have heard by now about the 12 year old middle school student from a Manatee County school who was suspended for sporting a Ray-Hawk. Well, he has really hit the big time. In addition to getting to meet the players and get on the field, he is going to be on ESPN's First Take tomorrow (Wed 10/15) at 9am ET. Here's a pic and link to the story on TBO.com.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Rays up 2-1 in ALCS

2008-10-13T20:20:00.002-05:00

Now be serious... did you really think the Rays would destroy Lester and the Red Sox the way they did today? I was confident that they would play tough over the next three games, but what happened today was just a continuation of the magical summer of baseball.

The announcers on TBS were saying that the Red Sox HAD to win this game. And honestly, it looked good for them. They had Jon Lester going for them. The guy hadn't given up an earned run in his last 3 postseason outings (including game 4 of last year's world series and the 1st 2 games he pitched in the ALDS this year).

But these Rays just keep coming at you. It is really uncanny the way they are playing in these pressure packed games. Then again, maybe we don't need to remind them they are are 2 wins away from the World Series.

If Upton keeps this pace up, he may hit more homers in the postseason than he did in the regular season. Longoria is back to being locked in and Pena is crushing the ball. Nice to see Baldelli go deep tonight. All that hitting is great, but the story of the game, I think, was the pitching. According to the announcers Garza fell behind on 19 of the 27 batters he faced. He only three 63 pitches for strikes out of 116 in 6 innings. So, obviously, he wasn't on his "A" game. However, he showed that he could be a grinder in a critical postseason game and get his team a quality start when he didn't have his stuff. Of course, Howell did his normal great job and the the manager we just can't seem to predict, Joe Maddon, let's Jackson close out the game. I think Maddon is doing a great job of getting these guys some postseason experience so they can be ready for anything as they continue to progress.

We have tickets for game 6 at home, but to be honest... I'd happily watch them sweep in Boston and rest up for the series. Can you believe what I just wrote, I can't... "Rest up for the Series!!!"

Wow! Go Rays,
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Whoa...

2008-10-12T09:08:00.004-05:00

Nice title huh?

Is this what every game was like when Boston and the Yankees had those momentous series over the years?

To put some perspective into our fun-filled sports day yesterday... Of course it started when we didn't arrive home from FRIDAY's game until almost 2am Saturday morning. Then, up about 7am, played golf with my son and and my dad, back home around 2:15pm. Then, left at 3:45pm to pick up Smitty and his son to head to the Rays game. We got there about 5pm. We were there very early and watched a ton of batting practice and got Garza to sign for us... pretty sweet. Here's a pic of him signing a ball for us.

Then, the game started. Back and forth, back and forth, what an amazing game. We had some pretty cool Red Sox fans who had driven the entire night before from Hickory, NC to come to the game sitting behind us. I remember commenting to them in the 5th inning about how long that single inning took. Turns out, it was 53 minutes. I googled all over this morning and could not find a refernece for the single longest inning in baseball history, but I'll bet that would be up there on the list if there was one!

Last night was the single loudest, craziest game I have ever been a part of. Over 5 and 1/2 hours of intense screaming, yelling, throwing our hands up in disgust and finally throwing our hands up in victory.

As I said yesterday, I don't think either team thought they would waltz in and sweep this series. I think it will be imperative for the Rays to take game 3 in Boston against Lester. That would be a huge momentum boost and get home field back in the Rays favor. Then, if they can knock off either Wakefield OR Dice-K, we could get in a good position to win in 6 or 7.

The big question mark in my book is, "What's wrong with Kazmir?" The guy had 98 pitches in 4 1/3. He had 39 if I remember correctly in the 1st inning. I don't know if he was joking with us or not, but when we were at the game early, George Hendrick was talking with some fans and he actually said that he had no idea what they would get from Kazmir today because he showed up at the game in his suit, ready to travel with his suitcase. Did he not even know he was pitching? It seemed like Hendrick was serious, but he could have been pulling our leg.

Anyway, again, I can barely talk again today, couldn't wake up and make it to church after getting home at 3:30am. It's 10:45am and Cade is still sleeping...

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - We Still Have Some Fight In Us!!!

2008-10-11T07:12:00.008-05:00

Hi Fans,

Well, last night is a classic example of what happens when you run into good pitching. Dice-K was off enough to keep us thinking we could get to him, but we just couldn't get the timely hits when we needed them. If anyone in the Ray's Organization or the fans thought we were going to waltz into the World Series by sweeping the Red Sox, they were sadly mistaken. This is a good, maybe even great, team we are playing that has won 2 of the past 4 world series. Not too mention the teams just don't like each other that much.

If you read back on my preview for game 1, I suggested that if Dice-K was wild AND we could get to him early, we might pull ahead for the entire game. Well, he was wild, but then clamped down just enough to keep us at bay. Hats off to him, good game.

I thought it was interesting on the ride home after the game how some fans were calling in bashing Maddon for letting Pena and Longoria swing at 3-0. But ya know what, hands down he is the AL Manager of the Year and has been doing things his way all season long. I say he probably knows what he is doing.

My son and I are going to make a poster for tonight entitled... "We Still Have Some Fight In Us!!!" We'll include the following pictures, hopefully it gets you fired up as well!

Click on the pics for a larger size.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Game 1 of the ALCS

2008-10-10T08:35:00.003-05:00

Can you believe we are actually talking about Rays baseball in Tampa on October 9th? Well, believe it, because it's true.

I just stopped in Publix to pick up a few things and bought this shirt. Click on the image for a larger view.

I love shirts by these guys, http://www.smackapparel.com/

I have a little bet going with one of my co-workers. Our company is based in Boston and we agreed that for whichever team makes it further in the postseason, that team's apparel would be worn by the other fan for a day. I'm thinking the shirt above would fit nicely on my friend Dave in Boston.

It really is a neat time here in the Tampa area. It reminds of the Super Bowl run by the Bucs in 2002 and the Stanley Cup run by the Lightning in 2003-2004. The entire city is really behind one cause, and that's the Rays. It's hardly even being mentioned around that there is a huge college football game on Saturday in Gainesville between the Gators and LSU, the Lightning home opener Saturday night, the Bucs big division rivalry game Sunday against the Panthers... it's all Rays, all the time.

Doing some quick analysis of the game tonight leads me to believe that we can probably jump out quick against Dice-K as he does walk a lot of batters. With our speed, if we can get 1 or 2 on early, we can probably get ahead. I don't look for Shields to have many jitters, he seems like a big game pitcher and shouldn't have any problems with the magnitude of this game.

We are going to try to arrive as early as the gates open today and take it all in... I'll provide an update tomorrow morning on the atmosphere of the game.

Go Rays!!!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - What trouble with the economy?

2008-10-08T07:59:00.005-05:00

Seems to me like a good investment vehicle in these stressful times are Rays playoff tickets!

To put it in perspective, the Dow's all-time high was 14,164 almost exacly 1 year ago today on October 9th, 2007. As of yesterday's over 500 point drop, the Dow is off 33% from it's high. The NASDAQ is an even worse story. It's high was right before the dot com bust of 2000. In February of 2000 the NASDAQ was at 4696. Today, the NASDAQ will open at 1754, a drop of over 62%. From it's 1 year high last October 31st of 2859, the NASDAQ is off over 38%.

Now, let's talk about Rays' playoff tickets. Check out this article from yesterday regarding playoff tickets at the Trop going for $19,999! I checked on stubhub.com and could not find any priced that high, but did see some for $17,500. I am pretty sure that there is some serious profit taking going on there. Oh, and by the way, the scalping law was repealed by Governor Jeb Bush back in July of 2006, here's a link to an article describing it. (Thanks to my buddy Smitty for the link).

To dig deeper, I decided to compare to our seats and see what they were going for. We sit in section 143, row CC, seats 1-4. Row CC is about 10 rows back in left field, sort of near the State Farm sign on the left field fence. The face value for our seats in the ALCS is only $25.00. Tickets in section 143 for Friday's 1st ALCS game are going for $159.99 to $350 each. I looked closer and there are 2 sets of tickets that are considered better that ours, on the 2nd row, so let's leave those out (they are $249 and $350 each, respectively). All the rest, I would consider not as good as ours, they top out at $175. That's a 700% profit. As I look deeper, the profit is even great in other parts of the stadium.

But, here's 2 things to consider...

1) Do you really want to miss these games? Not us, I'm perfectly happy as long as I have my seats and will be there sitting next to the guy who paid $175 for the same seat I paid $25. But that's what free economy is all about I suppose. Now, if they make it to the World Series, the face value on our seats goes up to $150, who knows how much they would go for!

2) If you do indeed decide to sell any tickets, which I certainly don't fault you for doing in these rough economic times, you absolutely must make sure you are not selling to any Red Sox fans! You can determine this with some easy questions during the selling process. Questions such as:

Do you like clam chowder?
What does 9=8 mean?
Do you like the song Sweet Caroline? (they play it at Fenway before the bottom of every 8th inning - I suggest a parody song at the Trop called Sweet Sonnanstine).
Ask for their response to Tom Brady's injury because if they are upset about that, they are probably Red Sox fans as well.
Ask if they have eaten any free Dunkin Doughnuts this season?
Ask if they have been to Kane's Furniture to get a free Papa John's pizza this season?

I'm sure you can come up with many more on your own.

Bottom Line - okay to take some profits on your tix, but choose wisely on who you sell to so we can show Red Sox Nation what Ray's Nation is all about!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - VICTORY !!!

2008-10-06T20:17:00.002-05:00

Congrats to the Rays Organization, Fans, the Tampa area, etc., etc., on the Rays progressing to the American League Championship Series.

I was just trying to explain to my son Cade the history he was watching tonight. Some people go 10, 20, 30 years, or even more, in a lifetime without having their favorite team get to the Division Championship Series.

Many times, a team will catch fire at the right time and get lightning in a bottle and go all the way. Simply put, it may not happen again next year, or for many years after. Look at Colorado last year. They won 21 games in a row at the end of the season to get in the playoffs. Then, they made their way to the World Series, but ended up losing to the Red Sox. How did the Rockies do this year? They finished 74-88, 10 games out of 1st in the somewhat weak NL West.

I could sit here and say that this Rays team is different, they were flirting for, or in 1st all season. They are built for the long haul. They have the youngsters in the minors ready to continue the tradition. But, the reality is that we just don't know.

What I am trying to say is this... Let's not take this for granted. If your kid says he wants to stay up late to finish watching the game with you, let them! If you have a chance to score tickets to a home playoff, or if all goes well, a world series game, then go. Even if you are sitting on the last row in the nose bleed section... GO !!! If you can't go to the game, get the family on the couch and watch the playoff games in your Rays gear. Support this team and what they have done.

As a brief review of tonight's clinching game, I love Balfour. The guy just wants to throw as hard as he can. Stomping around on the mound, pounding his fist, throwing nothing but heat. BJ was big tonight with 2 homers and his typical great defense. Carlos was on base regularly, Crawford stole 3 bases. Sonnanstine threw great, only giving up 3 hits, 2 of which were solo homers.

Now... on to watch the other ALDS series. Who are you hoping we play? The Red Sox or the Angels? If it's the Red Sox, we get home field advantage. If it's the Angels, they have home field. What do you think, let us know in the comments.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Rays up 2-0

2008-10-03T21:42:00.002-05:00

Well, I thought my throat and head hurt after last nights game, tonight it's even worse! During some parts of the game, Rusty (he's the guy who is always up on the screen doing the contests, etc.) had a handheld decibel meter. The highest it ever got was about 130.1

I decided to some searching online to see really how loud that is... here's what I found (you can find all sorts of interesting stats by clicking here).

At 115 dB, it's comparable to sandblasting or a loud Rock Concert
At 125 dB pain begins
We were only 10 dB away from 140 dB. Listen to this: Even short term exposure can cause permanent damage - Loudest recommended exposure WITH hearing protection
140 dB would be comparable to a Jet Engine blast at 100 feet or a gun blast.

Oh yeah, they played a baseball game tonight... As usual, Kaz struggled early and threw about 35 pitches in the 1st. Then he settled in and actually gave up only 2 runs, 1 fewer than Shields on Friday night. These guys are resilient and do not give up easily. Whenever they are down by a few runs, they just start chipping away. I think the telling stat tonight was runners left on base. Both teams had 12 hits, but the White Sox left 12 runners on base while the Rays left 5.

I was so proud of Aki tonight. He is a quiet, unassuming guy who just works his tail off. Remember, he moved to a new position this year in 2nd base. He made some great plays in the field, specifically on a couple of double plays. Then, he hits the go ahead homer to opposite field.

Click here for a link to the game recap on ESPN.com.

Next game is Sunday at 4:07pm ET.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - History was made

2008-10-02T20:42:00.004-05:00

Hi folks, this will probably be a somewhat short post tonight (at least in comparison to the last couple of days). As many of you know, I was at the 1st playoff game in Rays history tonight with my son Cade, my buddy Smitty and his son Jacob. The boys got 3 balls in batting practice, here's a pic (my son Cade is on the right, Jacob is on the left):

The game was simply put... Electric. It was the most exciting atmosphere for a sporting event I have ever been to.

Some of my notes from the game:

From a pitching perspective, Shields looked great tonight. He really only had one inning where he was off and only 1 bad pitch, the 3 run homer he gave up. Balfour was dominant when we needed him. He came in with the bases loaded and struck out 2 in a row. Even when Howell as always looked solid again. Wheeler had us a little scared when he gave up the solo homer to Konerko. The last two outings he's had when trying to close he's given up a couple of homers. His velocity seemed to be down a little on his fastball, 87-88 mph.
Hitting - Longoria, Longoria, Longoria. I know we are a little biased because he plays for our team, but the flair for the dramatic is, well, dramatic! I Tivo'd on my computer the TBS broadcast and just checked out his at-bat. Each time he came up Harold Reynolds was comparing him to Cal Ripken Jr. We can only hope we get to see a fraction of what Cal Ripken Jr. was in Longoria over the next 10 years or so.

Well, my throat is pretty dry, I have a headache, so I am going to turn in.

Rays 1
White Sox 0

Game 2 tomorrow night, see you there!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Roster is Set

2008-10-01T19:52:00.003-05:00

Hi folks, well, it looks like the roster is set. Here's a link to an article on Tampabay.com.

While it's not really official until tomorrow morning, here's what we know so far:

Starting Pitchers

James Shields
Scott Kazmir
Matt Garza
Andy Sonnanstine

Relief Pitchers

Grant Balfour
Chad Bradford
J.P. Howell
Trever Miller
David Price
Dan Wheeler

Catchers

Dioner Navarro
Michel Hernandez

Infielders

Willy Aybar
Jason Bartlett
Akinori Iwamura
Evan Longoria
Carlos Pena
Ben Zobrist

Outfielders

Rocco Baldelli
Carl Crawford
Gabe Gross
Eric Hinske
Fernando Perez
B.J. Upton

Cliff Floyd

Honestly, I am little shocked that they decided to not keep Edwin Jackson on the roster. For some reason, I have always felt like he is the kind of guy who was really coming around. My fear is that this might be a big blow to his confidence because of how fragile he tends to be. Another absence, although probably having as much to do with injuries as poor performance, is Percival. I was there for some early games in the season when he saved something like his 1st 14 or 15 in a row without giving up any runs. The heavy metal music would start blaring when he came in and it was lights out. Too bad he's not there. I do admit that I was really glad to see Crawford in there. I think he'll be somewhat of a spark plug tomorrow night being back in the lineup. I would love to see one of his patented triples down the right field line.

I briefly saw an article on MLB.com via my blackberry that mentioned the batting order, but when I got home to make this posting, I couldn't find it. It might mean it wasn't accurate and got pulled, but here's what I remember about the starting batting order (of course Shields is starting on the mound).

Akinori Iwamura
B.J. Upton
Carlos Pena
Evan Longoria
Carl Crawford
Cliff Floyd
Gabe Gross
Dioner Navarro
Jason Bartlett

I don't think I'll sleep much tonight! I'll be picking up my son Cade from school tomorrow about 10:30am and heading to the game with my buddy Smitty and his son Jacob. I honestly cannot believe we are about to go to a playoff game. What a magical summer!!!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Pitching Rotation

2008-09-29T20:11:00.003-05:00

Hi folks, day three of my bloggin' through the playoffs series.

Let's take a look at the pitching rotation for the AL Division Series, which is best of 5.

1st, a look at the stats for the 5 primary starters most of the season:

Pitcher	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K's	QS
James Shields	215.0	14	8	3.56	1.15	160	22
Andy Sonnanstine	193.1	13	9	4.38	1.29	124	13
Matt Garza	184.2	11	9	3.70	1.24	128	15
Edwin Jackson	183.1	14	11	4.42	1.51	108	15
Scott Kazmir	152.1	12	8	3.49	1.27	166	13

I think probably everyone agrees that Shields, Garza and Kazmir will be in the rotation. As I mentioned in yesterday's post Kazmir hasn't looked right for a little while throwing so many pitches early in the games, but he deserves to be there. If Maddon goes with a 4 man rotation, which I think he probably will, the 4th spot comes down to two pitchers with very similar stats, Sonnanstine and Jackson. Jackson has 1 more win, but Sonnanstine has 2 fewer losses. Jackson's ERA is only .04 more than Sonnanstines, so that's really a wash. Interesting that Jackson has 2 more quality starts, but Sonnastine walks fewer than Jackson (showing in the much lower WHIP for Sonnanstine). After that, you have to look at the intangibles. Jackson has always been a little shaky. When he's on, he's very good, but when he's not... well, let's no go there! I think Jackson has better stuff, a more lively fastball, better breaking pitches, but less control. I am just going on a gut call here, but I think Jackson might be the man. I saw him pitch in a late season game against the Twins and he pitched into the 8th inning. In that inning, the crowd was pumped up and really behind him. For the last batter he faced that inning, he pumped 3 consecutive fastballs at 96, 97 and 98 MPH. I think with the atmosphere in the Trop (if that's where he gets to pitch), Jackson could really do some damage against a free swinging team like the White Sox. If it's the Twins, they are a bit more disciplined.

There you have it, lots of analysis of stats and I go with a gut call for Jackson.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - 25 Man Roster

2008-09-28T20:26:00.003-05:00

1st off - I am glad the Rays finished the season with a win today. Feels a little better going in to the playoffs.

As for the rosters, what do you think? Which 25 players should Rays management go with to get the team to the World Series? I think most of the questions probably center around 2 areas, those that were injured recently (Crawford, Percy, etc.) and pitching. Remember, they can submit a new 25 man roster for the Division Series.

Here are my thoughts...

Infielders / Outfielders / DH (13 Players)

Dioner Navarro - A given, an all-star this season and had the team's highest batting average.
Carlos Pena - Monster comeback after his injury. After coming off the DL on June 27th, he's hitting .261 with 11 HR and 67 RBI's.
Akinori Iwamura - Steady the whole season in the field and at bat.
Jason Bartlett - He has quietly gotten his average up to .286 and contributes with the glove and some spead on the bases with 20 SB.
Evan Longoria - What more can I say, the AL Rookie of the Year.
Willie Aybar - He can play almost any position on the field. Solid reserve.
B.J. Upton - He's back from his injury and I think the mid-season attitude problems are no more.
Carl Crawford - He's taken BP two days in a row and is making his case for the postseason. Bottom line - if he can play, he should be there. He has been the face of the franchise for years and deserves the spot. Take a look at this article from today.
Michel Hernandez / Shawn Riggans - If Riggans is off the DL, we go with him, otherwise Hernandez is an okay right handed bat, you have to have a backup catcher for Navarro.
Gabe Gross - this guy is clutch. He may be the starting right fielder next season and has been great in a platoon role this season.
Cliff Floyd - Provides a veteran presence the team needs in the 1st postseason for many players.
Fernando Perez - this guy can flat out fly on the basepaths. Plus, he seems to have a little pop from the right side which this team desparately needs.
Rocco Baldelli - Baldelli gets this spot over Hinske. Call me crazy on this, but before today, Hinske hadn't hit a homerun since August 18th, that's over a month. Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that Maddon played Baldelli in the last three games in a row in Detroit. With a few days to recover, he should be ready to contribute in the playoffs.

Pitchers (12 pitchers)

James Shields - All year long, probably the most consistent starting pitcher on the team
Scott Kazmir - Something just doesn't look right with Scotty, would you agree? However, he can have electric stuff. I think he needs to get back to his slider more and then work guys up the ladder and sit 'em down.
Matt Garza - That trade before the season when we sent Delmon Young to Minnesota for Garza and Bartlett looks pretty good doesn't it? Garza seems to have the right makeup for the postseason.
Andy Sonnanstine - It comes down to Sonnanstine and Jackson for the final starting spot if Maddon chooses a 4 man rotation. A coin flip if you ask me. Jackson probably has the best stuff on the staff and did win 14 games. I was at a game last week when he pitched into the 8th inning and had three consecutive pitches 96, 97 and 98 mph. Sonnanstine seems as if he was pitching all season with smoke and mirrors, but he did get 13 wins. What do you think?
Edwin Jackson - See above note on Sonnanstine, one of these is a starter and one is in the bullpen.
Grant Balfour - 1.54 ERA and 12.7 K's per 9 innings. Get's the ball and just throws hard.
J.P. Howell - 6-1 record and 2.22 ERA. Kept us in lots of games this season.
Dan Wheeler - Great job in the closer role when Percy went down.
Trever Miller - Consistent middle to long reliever.
Chad Bradford - Great mid-season pickup, with that submarine delivery, he can come in and get some important outs to get to the later innings.
David Price - Sure, he has no MLB postseason experience. Heck, he barely has any MLB experience at all. Yes, he is the number one prospect in the whole organization. And, finally, mark my words, Yes - he will exit this postseason in much the same way Francisco Rodriguez did in 2002 when the Angels won the world series and K-Rod became a huge success.
Troy Percival - This is a tough one. He basically willed the team to wins early in the season. But the leg injuries have hurt his velocity. Maybe he gets a chance to pitch in the final game of one of the playoff series and makes a heroic exit from the game. I'm kind of sentimental on this, but if it wasn't for him, we may not be here. His last three outings, each for 1 inning, he hasn't allowed any earned runs.

Notable absences

Other than Hinske, the only other position player who maybe could maybe play a big role is Zobrist. I actually feel bad for the guy. I think he was called up at least 4 seprate times this season. As for pitchers, a 12 man staff looks pretty good, but if we went with one more pitcher, then maybe Jason Hammel or Jeff Niemann? Then, you have to drop a position player, possibly Fernandez or Baldelli. Also, if Crawford cannot go in the 1st series, you probably do add the extra pitcher. Another absence, Jonny Gomes. I wish we could have a slot on the team like they do in hockey for the resident goon. The guy you want on your side if there's a brawl. Jonny would be that guy. However, when you look at his batting average (if you can find it, it's only .182), there really isn't a spot for him.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Tomorrow we will talk about the pitching rotation.

Go Rays!
- Steve