Time For Baseball

One of the benefits of our work-at-home policy is that Opening Day is actually a holiday. Even though they were calling for rain, we decided to go on over to Central Parkway anyway to watch the parade. We were only there for an hour as Kaelyn was ready for a nap and it was getting really wet. I didn't even get any pictures of the parade. Of course, we didn't get to go to the game, but at least we stayed dry. Unfortunately, the Reds lost, but considering they've won the past few Opening Days and went on to have horrible seasons, I'm OK with it. I will say, however, that if they don't get a catcher soon, I might lose it.

Since we were all decked out in red, we took a little family picture. We're ready for some baseball.

Pregame Thoughts

A little more than an hour until tip-off of the Xavier/UCLA match-up, and I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts about the game. For the past couple of days I've been watching all the national analysts and none of them give the Muskies a chance. That's fine. UCLA is a sexy pick, with all the tradition and freshman Big Love that everyone is ga-ga over. On paper, the Bruins should win this one going away but, on paper, UCLA should've waltzed through the tournament thus far.

They key for a Xavier win tonight will be swagger. They have the talent to pull this one off, but if they don't show up like they know it, it'll be a long night. I keep thinking about the way X neutralized Kansas State earlier in the year; they owned Michael Beasley that night. That's the kind of game they need tonight.

I also remember when they played Tennessee at home this year. They controlled most of that game before committing some costly mental errors which lost them the game. That was exactly what happened against West Virginia but they somehow pulled it out. Those games can go either way, but I'd say that a similar performance tonight means the Muskies go home.

Yep, they have to be pretty flawless tonight, unless UCLA comes out and shoots themselves in the foot. And I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.

Since I don't give Davidson a prayer against Kansas, this is the long-shot everyone's been waiting for. I'm hoping it all comes together tonight.

We'll find out soon enough . . .

Burning the 8pm Oil

I guess the organizers of Earth Hour aren't basketball fans. Saturday night at 8pm people around the world are being urged to turn off their lights for an hour to show how much we love the world or something like that. Since the hour would occur right near the end of Xavier's match-up with UCLA, I will not be participating.

I should note, however, that I am an Earth Hour pioneer. For years now I have been an active participant by turning off the lights in my home for hours at a time when I go to bed. And, unless it's a gloomy day, I usually participate during the daylight hours. Yet despite my previous contributions to the world, I wasn't consulted when they came up with the plans for tomorrow night's Earth Hour. If that's how they acknowledge my leadership, I'm not sure I want to be involved in the first place.

By the way, the event is sponsored by the WWF. I never knew Vince McMahon was a greenie.

Breaking Backstreet's Back

After last night's Xavier game we watched the Celebrity Apprentice finale on DVR. The final task was a fund-raiser concert featuring the Backstreet Boys. It was the responsibility of country singer Trace Adkins to take care of the group, which included fulfilling the requirements of their rider. A "rider" is a list of contractual demands that a band has that needs to be fulfilled when they perform live. I've worked a couple of these out before with Christian bands. Fortunately, none of them were nearly as involved as that of the BSB.

If you have a couple of minutes, you need to watch this video of Trace working with the group. I think what really sets him off is Nick Carter's request for wheat grass; the good ole' country boy looks like he's ready to collectively choke the entire band. This scene was just one of many things [including Gene Simmons] that helped make this one of the most entertaining seasons of The Apprentice in years.

By the way, the footage I linked to was from last week's show. I need to find some from the finale, because Trace goes on an even longer tirade about the boy band, noting how he performed a show while needing major surgery and they want wheat grass; he was absolutely killing them. If I'm the publicity agent for Backstreet Boys, I have to question if this TV appearance really helped their comeback [then again, if I'm their publicity agent, I would probably reevaluate my life's priorities and perhaps go all samurai on myself].

FYI, Trace lost the competition but surely gained a following of non-country fans in the process because the guy is a class act.

Lest There Be Any Doubt . . .

. . . I am pulling for Xavier tonight against Bob Huggins' West Virginia team. And my reasons go beyond the fact that I'm an alum-to-be at XU. Although I'm no Nancy Zimpher fan [HT: Mike] I no longer feel as if I have to support Bob throughout the rest of his career. I do own a Kansas State shirt thanks to my father-in-law, but he moved on [in one year, in fact]. I will never sport West Virginia gear, among other reasons, that they are a UC Big East rival. I'll always love Huggs, but he has a lower spot on my fan-dom pole now. I still think Mick has the potential to take the program farther than he did.

Plus, what's not to like about this year's Xavier team? There is no one player that propelled them to where they are now. They have a great team concept going that is fun to watch. I like this team. And I like that Sean Miller hung around when he could've bolted last year. I told him so when I saw him walking across campus last year. Sure, if the Pittsburgh job opens up he'll be gonzo, but otherwise I see him at Xavier for awhile.

Hopefully Huggs will give us what we came to expect here in Cincy and fizzle out after making the Sweet Sixteen. And I really like the possible match-up against either UCLA or Western Kentucky. Could Xavier actually make the Final Four?

Go Muskies!

Suck It, Cleveland

Cincinnati is now the largest metropolitan in Ohio, according to the latest census numbers. It's nice to have statistical backing, as I always tell detractors of our city that the influence of our region is as large as it ever has been [note: Cincy is the 24th largest metropolitan area of our country]. This statistic is enlightening, but also frustrating. Citizens of neighboring counties benefit from being in the vicinity of the city, yet are quick to criticize the ills of the city itself. I've noted before that there is great benefit to living just outside an urban area because you can take advantage of all the good things city offer while never really having to deal with the problems that accompany it. That's why I always laugh when I read letters to the editor in the Enquirer criticizing things like the city's streetcar proposal, only to see a "Morrow" or "Villa Hills" locale attached to the letter.

I know this seems to be a consistent topic for me lately [the relationship between the city and the 'burbs] but it's an issue with many prejudices [not necessarily racial] attached to it; both urbanites and suburbanites need to wrestle with the way we view this relationship. The better we understand those nuances, the better our region will be.

75 Years

One of our family's favorite destinations is the nearby Krohn Convervatory. Today, the structure is 75 years old.

Kaelyn and I would've headed over there today, but it was packed for the special day. We'll hold off and go next week when people have forgotten about it again. Did I mention she thinks that the waterfall is hers?

When it was opened, the now defunct Cincinnati Times Star newspaper noted that, "a building of such enduring beauty that future citizens will reflect with thankful hearts upon the vision of the civic-minded persons who made possible this project."

Indeed, my heart if thankful for Krohns.

Take A Look

. . . at my pretty little daughter in her Easter outfit.

The Center of the Universe

My mother's family is from Maysville, Kentucky. I was last there just after Kaelyn was born. The sleepy old tobacco town just down the Ohio River doesn't see much excitement. Well, until recently, that is.

• On Saturday, the local high school basketball team won the state title.
• On Sunday, native son Chris Lofton helped guide the Tennessee Volunteers into the Sweet Sixteen.
• On Monday, George Clooney was in town [with Renee Zellweger] to screen his new movie.
• On Tuesday, Bill Clinton was in town campaigning for his wife.

I bet the editor of the Maysville Ledger Independent peed himself. His paper usually covers people saving downing puppies.

On Highlanders . . .

Students from my alma mater making the community proud: current/former Oak Hills students arrested in bust in Milan, Indiana.  One thing I think this proves is, as the area continues to change, westsiders have chosen southeastern Indiana as their new desired place to live. I wonder if it's the easy access to the casinos.

24, 24 Hours Ago [Part Two]

So before our Easter worship gathering, I returned home to pick up Kelly and Kaelyn. On the way to the church building I decided to stop at the post office to see if there was any mail in our PO box. I hopped in the car and started to say something to Kelly when this teenage kid started running down the middle of the street. He was carrying something that looked like a sleeping bag. "Peculiar," I thought, but I've seen more bizarre things. I then looked over my shoulder and saw two other guys. They were walking after the teenage kid, but one of the men was restraining the other. If you've ever seen a street fight, it was the obligatory guy-holding-the-other-guy-back scene. But after doing a double take, I noticed that the guy being restrained, who was wearing a white, long-sleeved thermal shirt, had blood all over his shoulder and upper arm. And when realizing that this was not, in fact, an ordinary street fight, I looked again at the bleeding guy to see he was brandishing a seven-inch knife.

It was then that I thought that it would be a good idea to drive away.

It took me a few seconds to realize that I should probably call the police. I wasn't sure who wronged whom, but one of my beliefs is that a guy shouldn't be walking down the middle of the street in our community while holding a knife, looking like he's ready to kill someone. I'm sure that by the time the cops showed up he was long gone.

This incident, combined with the fact that our neighbors had their house robbed this week, reminds me that this is still a far from perfect place. But even with these events, we're even more settled here, and it feels so much like home.

Speaking of home, my parents are on vacation this week, so we're staying with my grandmother at night [she has a caregiver who is with her during the day]. After church we headed over to the westside and spent last night there. And Kaelyn seemed to enjoy it; she loves the ranch-layout over there as she can run all over the place without stopping. We woke up this morning and headed back to Walnut Hills where we'll be spending our days. We'll be right back there again tonight. So our home-office now feels more like a real office.

All that to say that the past twenty-four hours have been crazy.

But at least our lives aren't boring.

24, 24 Hours Ago [Part One]

I've had a crazy day or so. Thought I'd get it written down so I don't forget it. Apologies if this isn't the most riveting recap, but I promise it'll get interesting in Part Two. I'll preface this by noting that since Thursday I've been battling some sort of virus I can't quite get over. I might have to see the doctor soon. So all of the following happened while I've been functioning at less than 100 percent.

Kaelyn and Kelly were in Lexington over the weekend so I spent some considerable time on the couch watching basketball. I woke up early yesterday morning to drive out to New Richmond for a little Sunrise Service action. It was an interesting drive out as I travel along the Ohio River which was flooded. The fields where I've played soccer the past couple of summers were submerged under a few feet of water.

I haven't written much about the little church I've been preaching at on Sunday mornings, though eventually I will. The 150+ year old church consists of about seven people now who were excited at the thought of their first Sunrise Service in years. For those who have never been to one of these, it's a Protestant chance to get up at the butt-crack of dawn [when the empty tomb of Jesus would've been discovered] and then continue the celebration through the consumption of breakfast. Attendance swelled for this service, with fifteen people in attendance, highlighted by the guest singer who was American Idol-reject worthy. More interesting was the fact that the singer and her family were Seventh-Day Adventists, who believe that the Jewish Sabbath is the true day of worship and Sunday Christian worship is of the devil. I guess those rules fall by the wayside if there are pancakes being served.

I spent almost five hours at that little church yesterday and actually enjoyed myself. I returned home in the afternoon, still not feeling good, and fell asleep on the couch. Kelly and a very-sleep-deprived-Kaelyn made it back later, so I went off to church without them. Tim, Dale and I made sure things were set up for the service and I went home to pick up the girls.

Switching up the time-line for a second, we had a good Easter service. Since we're a church that meets on Sunday nights, the emphasis on the major holidays at Echo is less than at most churches. Attendance is usually lower. Still, we had a great worship gathering. Tye and Andrea played/sang together and the musically worship was amazing. I wasn't very good, but I enjoyed the message I prepared and had a great night worshipping with our community.

But it was when I picked up Kelly and Kaelyn that things got interesting. I'll pick that up in the next post.

Weird

I guess it's everybody's holy day today.

Don't Hate The Game

This week I have to prepare four different sermons. I like a good challenge, and Easter is the Super Bowl of the Christian calendar, so I feel I'm up to the task. As an orator, I respect people who are able to stand in front of crowds and be articulate and brilliant. While flipping through channels I'll occasionally linger on people giving speeches, even if I don't particularly like them. There's something about crafting words to persuade the masses that fascinates me.

That said, I was in shock yesterday when I discovered that Barack Obama's speech on race was written all by himself. In case you don't know, no one at that level writes their own speeches. He took a huge gamble on the biggest speech of his political life and he won.

Whether or not you like the man's politics, take ten minutes and watch the speech. It was amazing.

I'm still not sure, in the wake of his brutal conflict with Hillary, that he'll be able to take out McCain. Regardless, it's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Why Do I Watch This?

American Idol, that is. I guess it's because we like music. But if we didn't have DVR, I couldn't stomach it.

Take, for instance, the past two weeks. When they opened up the Beatles catalog I was worried. I didn't want these kids butchering some of my favorite songs, but they did amazingly well. I remarked to Kelly that it was one of the best weeks I've ever watched. Apparently the producers enjoyed it too, as they decided to stick with the Beatles for a second consecutive week.

Big mistake.

Tuesday night's edition was some of the worst two hours of television I've ever witnessed. Absolutely horrible.

And the tonight the Irish chick [I refuse to learn their real names until it's almost over] is in the bottom three? That's just ridiculous.

With new episodes of other shows ready to start up [see: The Office], I could drop A.I. like a bad habit.

Don't make me do it, Seacrest.

O-H-I-O

Coming off a second demoralizing National Championship loss, Buckeye football fans needed something to feel good about. It felt good that linebacker James Laurinaitis said he'd come back for his senior year. But it felt even better today as the number one high school recruit in the nation decided he will play next year at Ohio State.

Terelle Pryor is a running quarterback who is Troy Smith with twice the athleticism. He has a better arm as well. While Todd Boeckman will most likely start again this year, I'm sure Coach Tressel will plan on using Pryor the way Florida used Tim Tebow his freshman year.

Another shot to the groin for Michigan, especially since new coach Rich Rodriguez was hardcore recruiting Pryor.

Go Bucks!

Bracket Advice

I always wait a few days before filling out my brackets. Gives me a little time to reflect on the season that was. So even though I have yet to fill mine out, here's some food for thought:

• Beware trying to strike gold twice with George Mason. They're a good team, but not as talented as their Final Four squad. Plus, Notre Dame has some decent guards and one of the best big men in the nation. I'm just telling you . . .
• There were no 5v12 seed upsets last year so I think you gotta see one this year. Since I already discounted George Mason of Notre Dame, and I'm feeling good about Drake, it's either Villanova over Clemson or Temple over Michigan State. Since I don't have confidence in Oliver Purnell teams in the tourney, I'd go with Villanova.
• Sorry my Kentucky friends, but I'm not sure they can beat Marquette. The Golden Eagles usually only struggle against teams with dominant big men and without Patrick Patterson, that's not Kentucky. Against UC [who had no big inside presence either] they had their way. So congrats to Billie G for making the tourney, which was enough to keep you from getting run out of Lexington.
• Additionally, don't buy into the Georgia hype. Everyone looking at their SEC performance should remember what team this is. Sure, it took a lot for the Bulldogs to win four games in 3.5 days, but it was against competition that they were familiar with. I think Xavier matches up well [Stanley Burrell will neutralize Sundiata Gaines] and have a nice Elite Eight run in them.
•  I don't remember where I read this factoid but since 1985 there have been 30 different teams enter the NCAA tournament with 30 wins or more. None of them won the championship. So if you think this year things will follow like they have in the past, don't pick any of the #1 seeds to win it, because they all have 30+ wins.
• That, among other reasons, is why I like Georgetown to win the whole thing. I'm not excited about them having to play Kansas in the Elite Eight but, like Oliver Purnell, I'm just not sure Bill Self can put it all together in the tourney. Plus, I think North Carolina won't make the most of their home-cooking and doesn't get by Tennessee. UCLA should go far, but I don't like them to go all the way. That's what brings me to Georgetown. No one is really concentrating on Georgetown right now [losing in the Big East final keeps people from seeing them as dominant], and they have all the makings [great defense, Final Four experience] of a national championship run. The Hoyas win the NCAA tournament.

At least that's how I see it.

Another Bracket To Fill Out

Apparently there's still more UC basketball to watch. The Bearcats will participate in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational tournament. It's sorta like the the N.I.T. to the N.I.T., if that makes sense to you. That reminds me of what my friend Alex always used to tell me, "you can't spell 'Cincinnati' without 'N.I.T.'" I guess now he'll have to say, "you can't spell 'Cincinnati Bearcats' without 'C.B.I.'"

Not sure I'll be able to get a CBI pool going. If you're interested in participating . . . you probably have a gambling problem.

***UPDATE***

Apparently UC will be playing on the road at Bradley on Wednesday. It'll be tough for them to travel to that gym, but I guess we'll get a good sense of how playing the Big East schedule improved the Bearcats. Their early non-conference embarrassments, which kept them out of N.I.T., happened without Jamal Warren running the point so this is a better team at the end of the season.

I'm still torn as to how excited I can be about following UC in the CBI.

Pastor Problems

Barack Obama has been backpedaling this week because of his relationship with the pastor of his church in Chicago. If you haven't heard yet, the mainstream medium picked up on Jeremiah Wright's more controversial sermon statements, including the US deserving 9/11 and proclaiming, "God Damn America." His campaign handled the controversy head-on with a media blitz, in some way diffusing the situation. Obama claimed that he heard of most of these statements for the first time this week. He then asked Pastor Wright to resign from one of his advisory committees.

I'm not sure of the legs this story, whether or not it will last beyond the Democratic Convention, but it does raise some interesting thoughts in my mind:

1. The "Obama is Muslim" rumor should go the way of the albatross with this controversy. But I'm not sure if that's necessarily better for him. I doubt you would ever hear the rhetoric of Pastor Wright from an American Muslim [not including, of course, Farrakhan's Nation of Islam]. Therefore, Obama attackers have much more ammunition to work with the rogue Christian angle now and won't emphasize his middle name as much as before.
2. Obama better not be lying when he claims never to have heard [in person] any of Wright's outrageous statements. I guarantee every major media outlet is researching his family's church attendance and cross-referencing with these sermons. I'm not convinced this was the best defense Obama could've come up with in this instance. But it's now his Alamo and he better be prepared for the consequences that would come if he indeed was in church when Pastor Wright went off. As is, he's fine, but if they prove he was there, it would cost him the Presidency.
3. Despite good old Gerraldine Ferraro's "he's lucky he's black" statement earlier in the week, the Wright incident demonstrates how much more difficult it is for a black man/woman to ascend to America's highest electable position. Just belonging to a black church can be problematic for the candidate. The black pulpit in America is a very unique rallying point that, in most instances, goes beyond the gospel message to social/political issues facing the community. For almost one hundred years, it was the only voice the African American community had and, therefore, wasn't limited to Biblical exhortation. As all American churches have become more media savvy, recording services in audio and video form, the voice of the black pulpit is now accessible to those beyond its community. Many in white America, who have no exposure to the nuances of the rhetoric that originates from the black pulpit, find it frightening. I predict that when any future black presidential candidates emerge, the media will immediately reference iTunes to listen to the person's pastor.
4. This incident does make me wonder to what extent the thoughts of a pastor are supposed to represent his congregants. Those critical of Obama for attending Pastor Wright's church, because of Wright's opinions, should first ask themselves if they're 100% behind the statements made by their own pastors. As a preacher, I'm not sure I want my church to think exactly like I do about every social/political anyway. When I preach, I try to clearly delineate between Scriptural mandate and my opinions, i.e., not everything I say from the pulpit is the Word of God. At Echo, our most important doctrinal issues are articulated in writing [all of which, by the way, are based on the Scriptures]. Anything I say authoritatively from the pulpit should fit within those parameters. And if they don't, it's just my opinion. And people are free to disagree with my opinions. Just ask my wife [har, har].
5. Summing the last two points up, people of faith should really use this incident as an opportunity to examine what your church/pastor really believes. You might be surprised.*

There's much more I could say about the black church in America, but it wasn't necessarily the point of this post. I would assume that the same brand of controversial statements made by Pastor Wright have been made in pulpits all over the United States, by both black and white pastors. I wonder if this will lead to some sort of political inquisition where politicians are critiqued for their religious connections. For instance, John McCain has allied himself with Rod Parsley and John Hagee, evangelical leaders who have some interesting theological positions as well.

Because the church in America is so fractured, ranging from conservative evangelical to liberal mainline congregations [even Scientology is considered a church!], these kinds of stories will become more and more prevalent in the years to come.

*Personal note: I should add that I am not THE pastor, but ONE OF THE pastors at Echo. We believe the Biblical model is for a plurality of elders that lead the local church. Therefore, if I say something authoritative from the pulpit, then WE say it. And if I personally say something wrong, I'm in submission to the other leaders to keep me in line.

If Anyone Cares . . .

Manchester United is back on top of the Premier League. Ironically, my favorite professional soccer team is also the name of my fantasy baseball team.