Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears
the Lord is to be praised.

-- Proverbs 31:30

If ever I reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there:
first, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to
miss some I had expected to see there; and third -- the greatest
wonder of all -- to find myself there.

-- John Newton

We all need love, but we need it most when we deserve it
least--when we have sinned against someone, when we have made
poor choices, when we have failed. In these situations,
ordinary love must become extra-ordinary love.

--Barbara Rosberg

First Date

A Canticle for Liebowitz

I'm not much into sci-fi novels, but this one had a particular passage that I really liked.

"There was the serpent whispering: For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods. The old father of lies was clever at telling half-truths: How shall you 'know' good and evil, until you have sampled a little? Taste and be as Gods. But neither infinite power nor infinite wisdom could bestow godhood upon men. For that there would have to be infinite love as well."

-Dom Paulo, A Canticle for Liebowitz

The Kite Runner

I recently read an amazing book for my Religions of the West class, and I wanted to write down a few of my favorite quotes so that I don't forget them. I hope they make you stop and think in the same way that they did for me.

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors." -Rahim Khan

"When a coward stops remembering who he is...God help him" -Amir

"A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer." -Rahim Khan

Wisdom is Supreme

1 Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.

2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.

3 When I was a boy in my father's house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,

4 he taught me and said,
"Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.

7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, [a] get understanding.

8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.

9 She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor."

10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.

11 I guide you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.

16 For they cannot sleep till they do evil;
they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

24 Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Make level [b] paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.

27 Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4

A crown of thorns is a crown of responsibility.

Interesting...

You know...I'm not really religious, but I'm very spiritual.

Really? I'm a compulsive liar, but you are really interesting.

HA!

Easter

Today is a day that is more than the Easter dresses and bright Easter ties. It is more than the Easter lilies on the alter, more than even the Easter smiles. Today marks a day where words took on new meaning, and a day that attested that truth, even when resigned to an Earthly grave, cannot be kept there.

There is a Moment in each Day that Satan cannot find.

-- William Blake

Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must
deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever
wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
me will save it.
-- Luke 9:23-24

My loves
My tears
My strengths
My fears
My passions
My cries
My idiocyncracies
My lies

Mostly words
Sometimes miles
Always tenderness
Forever smiles

But never a crazy little thing called love

Kill

Well, you're just across the street
Looks a mile to my feet
I wanna go to you
Funny how I'm nervous still
I've always been the easy kill
I guess I always will

Could it be that everything goes 'round by chance?
Or only one way that it was always meant to be
You kill me, you always know the perfect thing to say
I know what I should do, but I just can't walk away

I can picture your face well
From the bar in my hotel
I wish I'd go to you
I pick up put down the phone
Like your favorite Heatmeiser song goes
It's just like being alone

Oh God, please don't tell me this has been in vain
I need answers for what all the waiting after means
You kill me, you've got some nerve, but can't face your mistakes
I know what I should do, but I just can't turn away

So go on love
Leave while there's still hope for escape
Gotta take what you can these days
There's so much ahead
So much regret
I know what you want to say
I know people can't help feeling differently
I loved you, and I should have said it
Tell me just what has it ever meant?

I can't help it baby, this is who I am
Sorry, but I can't just go turn off how I feel
You kill me, you build me up, but just to watch me break
I know what I should do, but I just can't walk away

Live by the sword, and you will die by the sword.

Live by love, and you will die by love.

I would rather die in love than stay alive numb.

Barry Bonds: You are dead to baseball.

There is an indiputable fact about the game that I've come to love over the course of my lifetime. The reaction time required to hit a 90 mph fastball from a major league pitcher has easily got to be one of the most difficult things to do in sports, let alone do it well. Don't believe me? Check out this link that will test your reaction time, and this involves only clicking your mouse, let alone using your entire body to hit a small ball with a bat weighing just under a pound with great precision. There is only one game that you can fail 7 times out of 10 and still be considered the greatest hitter in all of baseball, case and point...Barry Bonds: Career Average of .300.

It is no surprise that since his 73 home run season back in 2001, baseball has been swarmed with controversy with the emergence of rumors that players have been abusing steroids in baseball since the early 90's. Jose Conseco wrote a book in 2005 called "Juiced" in which he documented alleged use of steroids by many of the last decades greatest ball players including Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, propelling them to the much revered "home run race" back in 1998, that was a blast for the hearts of fans and for the hearts of baseball. Everyone believed that the modern superstar status, selfish players, impossible team loyalty, had tarnished the game beyond repair before the 1998 season. As a Cardinals fan, McGuire became my instant hero. I saw him play once in one of his injury laiden last seasons in the majors, the fans roared, and the cameras clicked. It was ephereal. He struck out on three straight pitches, but it didn't matter to me, he was my hero for what he did for baseball.

Since then it has been hard for me to look objectively at his role in the steroid scandal, partially because he was a big guy throughout his entire career, let alone in the year he hit 70 homers. The fact remains that he played before mandatory steroid testing was implemented in baseball, and it is no surprise that owners are just as guilty for the tarnishing of the game. Did they know that players were juicing since the late 80's? Probably. Did they do anything about it? No. Why? Because fans dig the long ball. They want to see the ball hit higher, longer, screaming out of the stadium into the distance, because it is simply an adrenaline rush. Players hitting more home runs = more fans coming to games, and baseball taking the media spotlight during the 1998 home run race. Now shortly thereafter is where Barry Bonds comes into play.

In the newest book out alleging his steroid use "Game of Shadows," that documents Bonds steroid use in detail since 1998, I believe because suddenly his 15 years of MVP play were taking a backseat to the long ball. Anything from human growth hormone to steroids used in horses, apparently Bonds took it. He ballooned from this in his rookie season:

170 pound Rookie


to a 230 behemoth


I'll leave the more complicated statistics to a great writer, Ben Alamar, who documents the change in Bond's performance before and after his alleged steroid abuse. The following table shows the career statistics of those players with number most like those of Barry Bonds as identified by baseballreference.com. All this information is taken directly from ProTrade.com and its subsequent writer.

Athlete R HR RBI BB OBP SLG OPS+
Barry Bonds 2078 708 1853 2311 0.442 0.611 184
Willie Mays 2062 660 1903 1464 0.385 0.565 158
Babe Ruth 2175 714 2217 2062 0.474 0.690 207
Frank Robinson 1829 586 1812 1420 0.389 0.537 154
Hank Aaron 2174 755 2297 1402 0.377 0.567 158
Rafael Palmeiro 1663 569 1835 1353 0.371 0.515 132
Ted Williams 1798 521 1839 2021 0.483 0.633 190
Reggie Jackson 1551 563 1702 1375 0.358 0.493 140
Dave Winfield 1669 465 1833 1216 0.356 0.480 133
Stan Musial 1949 475 1951 1599 0.420 0.566 161
Carl Yastrzemski 1689 419 1663 1683 0.382 0.469 133

"The Game of Shadows" indicates that Barry Bonds began using steroids at 34, so theoretically his numbers can be divided into pre-steroid and post-steroid numbers. The following table represents the numbers of all the same players in comparison to Barry Bonds before they turned 34, and how his number compare percentage wise.

Athlete R HR RBI BB OBP SLG OPS+
Barry Bonds 1364 411 1216 1357 0.411 0.556 163
Willie Mays 1379 453 1290 873 0.388 0.589 162
Babe Ruth 1447 470 1411 1358 0.479 0.709 214
Frank Robinson 1428 450 1377 1017 0.394 0.555 157
Hank Aaron 1519 481 1541 802 0.374 0.565 157
Rafael Palmeiro 1061 314 1079 735 0.365 0.503 132
Ted Williams 1275 324 1264 1329 0.484 0.634 190
Reggie Jackson 1051 369 1120 851 0.361 0.508 149
Dave Winfield 1045 281 1130 714 0.355 0.481 135
Stan Musial 1396 292 1253 1054 0.431 0.584 171
-
Average 1289 381.5 1273.8 970.3 0.403 0.569 163
Bonds/Average 106% 108% 95% 140% 102% 98% 100%

Now lets take a look at his numbers in comparison after age 34, the alleged year he began using steroids.

Athlete R HR RBI BB OBP SLG OPS+
Barry Bonds 714 297 637 954 0.515 0.756 232
Willie Mays 683 207 613 591 0.376 0.499 146
Babe Ruth 728 244 806 704 0.465 0.653 194
Frank Robinson 401 136 435 403 0.375 0.483 145
Hank Aaron 655 274 756 600 0.373 0.533 151
Rafael Palmeiro 602 255 756 618 0.38 0.535 132
Ted Williams 523 197 575 692 0.478 0.634 191
Reggie Jackson 500 194 582 524 0.345 0.458 121
Dave Winfield 624 184 703 502 0.35 0.465 120
Stan Musial 553 183 698 545 0.39 0.514 137
Carl Yastrzemski 669 164 742 688 0.365 0.435 116
-
Average 593.8 203.8 666.6 586.7 0.3897 0.521 145.3
Bonds/Average 120% 146% 96% 163% 132% 145% 160%

Well it is obvious that his stats were very blown up, so what would his stats look like if he wouldn't have taken steroids?

Table Four: Steroid Adjusted Statistics
Athlete R HR RBI BB OBP SLG OPS+
Avg - Age 34-40 593.8 203.8 666.6 586.7 0.3897 0.5209 145.3
Bonds/Avg (34-40) 120% 146% 96% 163% 132% 145% 160%
Bonds/Avg (20-33) 106% 108% 95% 140% 102% 98% 100%
-
Adjusted Stats 628.3 219.5 636 820 0.396 0.508 145
Steroid Adjustment 85.64 77.5 0.692 133.5 0.118 0.248 86.7

"Applying the pre-steroid ratio to the post-steroid average of the ten comparable players, one can calculate adjusted statistics that might have been had Bonds not taken steroids. This calculation shows that approximately 77.5 of Bonds' 297 homeruns, or 26%, (from age 34 through 40) were attributable to steroids." (Ben Alamar, ProTrade.com)

Are you convinced yet?

I happen to be a firm believer that America's pasttime mirrors all that is good and bad about the United States, and to that same respect, American life. The corruption, the cheating, and the betting has all destroyed the heart of what our country stands for. What happened to the legends of old? The Sultan of Swat, The Iron Horse, Hammerin Hank. America is the Field of Dreams...from the greatest baseball movie ever made "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." Is this what we want to remember...cheating, corruption, for fame and a few more dollars in the players' and owners' pockets?

Barry Bonds was asked if the 2006 season was going to be his last, considering he is a mere 48 shy of Hank Aaron's all time mark. His response? "I've never cared about records anyways." The most coveted record in baseball, let alone in all of sports...and he just simply doesn't care? Thats not good enough for me, and thats not good enough for baseball.

So what about baseball's cheaters? Oh, they will be remembered as some of the best, but to quote from Sandlot: "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." So what about me? I'm crossing my fingers for Hammerin' Hank...because Barry's next 48, and the last 77.5, are null and void.

What I learned from the father of communism

"The production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, is at first directly interwoven with the material activity and the material intercourse of men, the language of real life."

-Karl Marx, The German Ideology


German people are weird.

What if we are just God's salt, and he is just waiting to eat us?

There are only three kinds of people: writers, singers, and the dead.

God has a way of putting things into context.

Colon rectum

I don't know what you were thinking, but that is the scientific name for the leiodid beetle, I'm surprised you didn't know that.