steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

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.

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Another Bracket To Fill Out

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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.

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Pastor Problems

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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.

More From Me

I forgot that a few months ago a wrote an online article for the Christian Standard magazine. They assigned me a couple of texts and I did an accompanying lesson. The two texts had absolutely nothing in common, so I got a little creative. The article is based on an idea I published on this blog a couple of years ago. Yes, I am pro-recycling.

If you're interested, it can be found here [at least until Tuesday].

Full Disclosure

We're watching Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. We're probably not their base demographic, but the combination of DVR and the continued effects of the writer's strike pulled us in. Now we can't stop.

Anyway, the two groups we've loved throughout the show are the JabbaWockeez and Kaba Modern. Unfortunately Kaba Modern almost got kicked off tonight and both Kelly and I were rather angry. So much so that we violated the dreaded "we're-too-into-reality-television" line and voted for them online.

Guess what I'm looking for here is does anyone else watch this? And while I'm at it, how about the Celebrity Apprentice? I've been thoroughly embarrassed at Stephen Baldwin's attempt to be the poster-child of American Evangelicalism. But then again, I wasn't too worried as it seems we're the only people watching it anyway.

Man, I can't wait for The Office to come back.

I Love This Election

I've admitted my love of politics here before. As of late, I've been absolutely fascinated with Hillary verses Obama, so much so that I've added The Washington Post and The New York Times to my regular reading. So with no certain prejudice, I have to link to the following article just because it could be the best title I've read during this entire campaign:

SINBAD UNLOADS ON HILLARY CLINTON

Yes, that Sinbad.

This election is awesome.

Gots'ta Get Money

With the car needing repairs, we were looking for the funds to get it fixed. Fortunately, we like tax time around here and the federal and state refunds we're due will take care of most of the costs. But still looking to defer a little more of that bill, I finally decided to get some of my money back from the state of Ohio.

When I was in high school, my father, an independent business owner, made sure his kids had their own car insurance policies. He was afraid that we'd get in an accident and someone would try to sue to get at the assets of his company [true story: my brother Chris was in an accident with some Iranians, one of which sued him for making him impotent. I guess my dad knew what he was doing].

The one thing that sucked was that, as a sixteen year-old male, the insurance was expensive. Fortunately, dad took care of the gas because the premiums were steep. As I've come to realize now, every now and then you're insurance company will kick you back some money because the company did better than they thought. Apparently, when I was not yet an adult, that money never made it's way back to me and went into some State of Ohio fund. This was one of those many "unclaimed funds" you here about the government having.

I've known a few years about this cash, a couple hundred bucks, that I never got around to claiming. But when I came across the Missing Money website, I finally got the process rolling.

But let me tell you why those funds go unclaimed: because the government makes it ridiculously difficult for you to get at it. In addition to regular ID I had to get proof of my old address [from 15 years ago], a memo from my insurance company that I was indeed insured through them back then, and get a Notary to sign off on my assertion that the money is indeed mine. Fortunately our friend Sheryl is a Notary, so she helped there, and I'll pick up a letter from my insurance company tomorrow. I'll drop it in the mail and [maybe] have that cash in hand in a few months.

Add that to the IRS letter telling me that the IRS will send me money in a future letter, and I say that I loves me some bureaucracy.

Gots'ta Get Money

With the car needing repairs, we were looking for the funds to get it fixed. Fortunately, we like tax time around here and the federal and state refunds we're due will take care of most of the costs. But still looking to defer a little more of that bill, I finally decided to get some of my money back from the state of Ohio.

When I was in high school, my father, an independent business owner, made sure his kids had their own car insurance policies. He was afraid that we'd get in an accident and someone would try to sue to get at the assets of his company [true story: my brother Chris was in an accident with some Iranians, one of which sued him for making him impotent. I guess my dad knew what he was doing].

The one thing that sucked was that, as a sixteen year-old male, the insurance was expensive. Fortunately, dad took care of the gas because the premiums were steep. As I've come to realize now, every now and then you're insurance company will kick you back some money because the company did better than they thought. Apparently, when I was not yet an adult, that money never made it's way back to me and went into some State of Ohio fund. This was one of those many "unclaimed funds" you here about the government having.

I've known a few years about this cash, a couple hundred bucks, that I never got around to claiming. But when I came across the Missing Money website, I finally got the process rolling.

But let me tell you why those funds go unclaimed: because the government makes it ridiculously difficult for you to get at it. In addition to regular ID I had to get proof of my old address [from 15 years ago], a memo from my insurance company that I was indeed insured through them back then, and get a Notary to sign off on my assertion that the money is indeed mine. Fortunately our friend Sheryl is a Notary, so she helped there, and I'll pick up a letter from my insurance company tomorrow. I'll drop it in the mail and [maybe] have that cash in hand in a few months.

Add that to the IRS letter telling me that the IRS will send me money in a future letter, and I say that I loves me some bureaucracy.

Gots'ta Get Money

With the car needing repairs, we were looking for the funds to get it fixed. Fortunately, we like tax time around here and the federal and state refunds we're due will take care of most of the costs. But still looking to defer a little more of that bill, I finally decided to get some of my money back from the state of Ohio.

When I was in high school, my father, an independent business owner, made sure his kids had their own car insurance policies. He was afraid that we'd get in an accident and someone would try to sue to get at the assets of his company [true story: my brother Chris was in an accident with some Iranians, one of which sued him for making him impotent. I guess my dad knew what he was doing].

The one thing that sucked was that, as a sixteen year-old male, the insurance was expensive. Fortunately, dad took care of the gas because the premiums were steep. As I've come to realize now, every now and then you're insurance company will kick you back some money because the company did better than they thought. Apparently, when I was not yet an adult, that money never made it's way back to me and went into some State of Ohio fund. This was one of those many "unclaimed funds" you here about the government having.

I've known a few years about this cash, a couple hundred bucks, that I never got around to claiming. But when I came across the Missing Money website, I finally got the process rolling.

But let me tell you why those funds go unclaimed: because the government makes it ridiculously difficult for you to get at it. In addition to regular ID I had to get proof of my old address [from 15 years ago], a memo from my insurance company that I was indeed insured through them back then, and get a Notary to sign off on my assertion that the money is indeed mine. Fortunately our friend Sheryl is a Notary, so she helped there, and I'll pick up a letter from my insurance company tomorrow. I'll drop it in the mail and [maybe] have that cash in hand in a few months.

Add that to the IRS letter telling me that the IRS will send me money in a future letter, and I say that I loves me some bureaucracy.

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Speaking Of Cars . . .

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I really don't want to talk about the mistake the governor of New York made, but one thing must be noted. On tonight's Daily Show they showed the prices said escort service charged to "rent a friend" for a day. It ranged anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000.

Seriously.

You could buy a car for that. Or a lot of other stuff. Or give the money to charity.

And you think gas prices are high.

Don't make me close the comments on this one . . .

My Ride

In 2001 I realized a dream and purchased a truck. OK, it wasn't exactly a truck.

It was a 1999 Ford Explorer. I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it.

But it's basically a Ford Ranger with a truck cap.

We've been through a lot, me and that rig.

Had some issues with the engine not turning over in cold weather and found out it [thanks to my mechanically-inclined friend, Micah] it was the IAC. They're substandard on the Explorer, so a few years later I keep a ratchet set in the car with me and you tap on it to make it run.

Making a left turn onto Tylersville Road one snowy day I was t-boned by a careless driver and had to get some major front end body work done on it.

Right after we sold our house and were living in a friend's basement, the crankshaft inexplicably fell out of the engine. Fortunately, for the first time in my life, I took the extended warranty out on it and they replaced it with a rebuilt engine.

But through three dwelling places and as many jobs, that car has stuck with me. And we paid it off a few years ago which even makes it nicer. So even though the temperature/compass console no longer works, and my washer fluid won't come out, I've grown quite fond of that vehicle.

Last Monday night I could really feel that the Explorer was shaking in the rear. It had been getting progessively worse the past few weeks, but I chalked it up to all the potholes around the city. I finally got it into the shop and it needed major suspension work, new tires, and some minor exhaust work.

And they weren't going to do the work for free.

We discussed the possibilities of going to one car, but it just isn't feasible now with Kelly working and me in school. We briefly pondered if it was worth the investment to fix this car or if we should get a new [used] one.

But, in the end, we decided to put the cash into the vehicle. So they fixed it up, we picked it up right before the blizzard, and it sat on a sidestreet for a few days. I finally drove it around on Monday and it rides like a dream.

I'm excited about a few more years of my and the Explorer traversing greater Cincinnati and beyond.

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A Little B-Ball

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I'm excited about March Madness. Three weeks ago, I would've said that UC could make the tourney and UK was out. Now the Bearcats need to be taken out back and shot while the Wildcats are playing for a higher seed. That should make me miserable.

I will say that, except the past couple weeks, I really enjoyed watching UC play. The kids were playing over their heads all year. I think it'll be realistic for UC to make the NIT next year, with an NCAA bid a long-shot. Still, after the death sentence imposed on this program [much like what IU fans will face the next couple of seasons] Mick Cronin has done an incredible job.

Snow Recovery

I didn't much like the snowstorm that hit during the past few days. Even though my office is out of the home, and we weren't caught out in the blizzard, I felt as if my productivity declined. Nary a blog post was produced as I just didn't feel like it. We only had about nine inches on the ground. Unfortunately the wind caused some drifts of close to two feet outside on our deck, so I spent the past few days shoveling. Still, it's pretty amazing to look outside now, as all the snow is melted, and realize our deck was fully covered just 72 hours ago.

By yesterday afternoon the roads were fine. One of the benefits of having church on Sunday nights is you have plenty of time to decide what you're going to do.

I'm so ready for spring.

Must See [Local] TV

If you didn't catch it this past Sunday, those in the Cincinnati audience should set the DVR for our PBS station, WCET, on Saturday March 8 at 4pm. The show Sacred Spaces, filmed in HD, examines the history of houses of worship in our city. Watch it and learn a little about architecture and local history. It is most excellent.