Memorial Day 2011; A Great Idea

[from the scranton times-tribune]

Water, Water Everywhere... We Hope!

While people in the United States have been busy looking for ways to portray those with whom they disagree as loony, I've been busy with some friends looking for water in Southern Mexico. Two weeks ago I arrived in Oaxaca again to put a drill rig we recently purchased to the test. Our task was to drill a well at the demonstration farm we have been working on in Tlacolula, Oaxaca for about two years. Here's a good picture of our team next to the rig. [dave miller along with his team, tom, mark, and jay] We started drilling on a Saturday, and at noon the following Wednesday, we had reached 20 meters. [that's about 66 feet for you metrically challenged folks] Now if you are like me, you are probably thinking that 20 meters doesn't sound like much. Especially for almost five days work. But on Tuesday afternoon another local well driller came by to what we were doing. He was drilling a well 60 meters deep and he said he was getting about a meter a day. He had been at his well for 50 days and had reached a depth of 50 meters! Once I heard that I was pretty happy. The ground where we are drilling is incredibly rocky. At one point Monday, we were measuring progress in inches, not meters. But we just kept at it. At about 16 meters, we hit a small vein of water. It is not enough to sustain our farm, but all signs point to us finding that kind of water at about 30 meters. [no, they are not resting... they are adding some weight to the drill stem...] The work is not glamourous. It is dirty, time consuming, and tedious. You start early, and you end late. Or you just keep going. But there is a payoff. Eventually. For us and my ministry with Adventures in Life, that payoff will be local farmers learning some new ways to increase their crop yields and better manage their water resources. This will lead to more food on the table, a better standard of living, and healthier lives. In an area where the infant mortality rate is over 10% for all children under five, how can we not look at this as a good investment in God's Kingdom. And a much better use of our time than bickering over politics, the NFL lockout, and why on earth Scotty is our new American Idol.

Just Stop It!

[from the LA Times] Stop it! Enough is enough. This constant carping from both sides of the political spectrum over who is to blame or who gets the credit is tearing us apart. Are we not able when we see something good happen in America to simply step back a few moments and enjoy it? Or does each side of the political aisle have to look for way to score points? It is as if people immediately fall into some type of Alice in Wonderland wormhole when their candidate, or party, is not in office. Let me give you a couple of examples. In early 2009 when Barack Obama was sworn in, GOP partisans instantly began calling the economy his, as if there had been no involvement, good or bad, from President Bush and the largely Republican Congress that had been in charge for 6 of the prior 8 years. The Democrats, feeling outraged, chimed in almost immediately that perhaps it was unfair to criticize the new President for the economic anemia that had its roots in an earlier day. President Barack Obama was about as responsible for the economic failures of the US when he took office as I was. And yet that did not stop the partisans from making that accusation. Barack Obama was almost singularly responsible for every financial problem we had and had personally wrecked this once great economy. Fast forward a couple of years and let’s look at a more recent example, the successful raid and killing of Osama bin Laden last week. I have watched the predictable back and forth since then and I am as disgusted now with the Democrats as I was then with the Republicans. Beyond the facts that are known, and they are many, the blatant rush to claim political credit for the killing of this little turd is little more than another fine example of political revisionism and convenient memory loss. It is as if, for many, George Bush and his team of people who worked tirelessly to find Osama bin Laden, streamline and connect our 12 million intelligence agencies never existed, or spent their days in office sipping margaritas on the beach. If in 2009, President Barack Obama cannot be held responsible for all of the economic woes of our country, because of the policies of the past president, it would seem to follow that he also cannot get all of the credit for getting bin Laden, as much of the groundwork that led to his demise was begun during the Bush Administration. But perhaps I am the one who has fallen into some other parallel universe. Maybe my fervent hopes that as a people, we Americans of all political stripes could set aside our ideologies for the sake of compromise, pragmatism and a mutual search for the common good are just a pipe dream. For more on this, check out this excellent piece from Tim Rutten, “Snapshot of a Split America.” And then if you need a laugh, check out Bob Newhart's excellent advice in this video to someone suffering from psychological distress and apply his remedy to our politicians.

Happy Birthday to the Say Hey Kid

Willie Mays turned 80 years old today. No one who has ever played the game was a better all around player. No one. And it is doubtful that in this greedy day and age that anyone will ever come close to greatness and grace that Mays exuded both on and off the field. In the early 1980's my wife was selling shoes at a little storefront in Las Vegas when a woman came in and asked to see some mens shoes. She brought them out and then the woman rather sheepishly asked if she could take them to the car and have her husband try them on. Seems he was a little shy. My wife, selling on commission said of course. And as she watched it finally dawned on her. Willie Mays was outside trying on shoes. A public star, but in real life, a shy private man. My wife got his autograph for me, which I cherish to this day. Willie, may you receive double the blessings today on your day, for all the joy you have brought into the lives of countless others. Happy Birthday.

I'm Calling for a Change Up

[One of my favorites, Juan Marichal, had a great year in 1968, but does not make the cut] That's right, a change up. We are streaking towards Memorial Day, the proverbial beginning of summer. But more than that, Memorial Day also means it is time to start thinking seriously about baseball. When I was younger, the first weekend in February was when pitchers and catchers showed up to spring training. It gave them a few extra days to get some work in before the rest of the team showed up. In that vein, today we are going to take a look at some of the best years by a starting pitcher in the last 50 years. So here's my list, in no particular order. 1. Sandy Koufax 1966 - Even though he toiled in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium, his year represents a career for some people today. 27 wins, 27 complete games. Need more? Over 300 K's, an ERA under 2.00, and only 77 walks in 323 innings pitched. All with arthritis in his pitching elbow. 2. Bob Gibson 1968 - Maybe the greatest single pitching year ever. His dominance caused MLB to lower the mound to give hitters a better chance to actually hit the ball. 22 wins, and 1.12 ERA, and 29 complete games. Over one 10 games stretch, he allowed only 2 runs. 3. Vida Blue 1971 - This Oakland A's rookie set the baseball world on fire, and then just as quick, his fire dimmed, never again matching the brilliance of his rookie year. But for one shining year, he was phenomenal. 24 wins, 24 complete games and an ERA under 2.00. All with those white shoes Charlie O made his team wear. Did I also mention that he struck out over 300 batters? 4. Denny McLain 1968 - For some reason McLain gets left off a lot of these lists. Maybe it's because his year was just so sick, it is almost hard to believe. 31 wins and 28 complete games in a not to be believed 41 starts. Sadly, he only had one more dominant year before his personal demons caught up with him. 5. Ron Guidry 1978 - Louisiana Lightning. His year in 1978 was what was needed to propel the Yankees over the hated Red Sox. Guidry was the last pitcher to pair 25 wins with an ERA under two [1.74]. This guy was money on the mound losing only 3 games all year. 6. Dwight Gooden 1985 - New York was his apple. As a lanky 20 year old, Gooden finished 24 -4 with a 1.53 ERA. Throw in 16 complete games, 8 shutouts, and an undefeated September and you have one of the best years of the modern era. 7. Steve Carlton 1972 - Unlike today, back then the Phillies were an embarrassment, winning only 59 games all season. But Carlton was on the mound for 27 of those wins. Lefty, as he was known, finished the year with one of the worst teams in history with an ERA of 1.97, 30 complete games, and 310 strike outs. Honorable mention... Randy Johnson 2002 - I can admit it was a great year. But I have always had a bias against carpet baggers. Greg Maddux 1985 - Another great year, but sorry Greg, you gotta win 20 or you don't make my list. Pedro Martinez 2000 - 20 wins baby! Sorry, but it was a dominant year for him. Martinez has possibly the strongest argument for being part of the list, but again, ya gotta win 20! Roger Clemens 1997 - Another carpet bagger, and a steroid user to boot. Sorry Roger. Wild Cards - because I grew up in Los Angeles watching the Dodgers. Orel Hershiser 1988 - 59 1/3 scoreless innings. That stat alone makes him worthy of the list. But he also won 23 games, the Gold Glove, and led the Dodgers to the World Series title. Fernando Valenzuela 1981 - Fernandomania was born that year as he threw 8 shut outs in a strike shortened year. But the importance of that year had immense ramifications in the Latino barrio known as Chavez Ravine. Here was one of there own doing battle against the established powers of baseball and winning. With his arm, with his glove, and with his bat. When was the last time you saw a pitcher used as a defensive/hitting replacement late in a game? So there you have it. Now... who did I miss?