I Like Gadgets...

And because I like gadgets, I am linking to this blog in order to be entered into its free gadget giveaway contest. And the only way to be entered is to spread the word.

Now the word is spread, and perhaps the pile of goodies will be mine!
muahahaha!

yeah...

Three weeks in...

Alright, I lied - something other than baby pictures...
I promised some commentary on Fatherhood early on, so I better give it before I forget about it. My experience is limited, so my comments are merely observational at this point.

First of all, this is the coolest thing ever. This little baby is amazing! She is so great, so cute, so fun! Everything about her just continues to marvel and amaze us; from her tiny little feet and hands to her ever changing expression and litany of different sounds that she makes. She rarely cries, and is a very content little girl.

As far as my own emotional experience, I can say that I was not prepared for the range and array of emotions that I felt when I first met little Abby. I mean, I knew I would feel joy and I knew I would be happy, but I could not have anticipated the depth and the breadth of the emotions. It was like a new section of my emotions opened up that just wasn't there before. It's kind of weird actually. I just never knew I could love someone in this way before. Now, I love my wife more than anything, and this new love dos not rival that per say, but it is radically different and very intense - and I think it is so because of this next bit...

See, as I said, I was ready for a certain level of joy and happiness when I met my daughter, but what I was NOT ready for - and this really took me by surprise - what I was not ready for was the intense sense of FEAR that overwhelmed me, mingled with the joy and love that was inexpressible. I'm still not certain of the source of that fear... I know it wasn't a fear of her, of handling her, or breaking her, or anything like that... I think it had more to do with the life, and the soul, that is being firmly placed, irrevocably and quite literally, into my hands, and the knowledge that I will one day give an account for it. That is a heavy weight, but one that comes with immeasurable perks...

Her smile, for instance.

More Baby Pics

Get used to it folks... there probably won't be much else posted on here in the near future... we are head over heals over this little girl!

Welcome Abigail Joyce Gentry!

I no doubt will miss sending these to some folks, so please enjoy responsibly....
WOOO HOOOOOO

Countdown to BABY

It's hard to believe that in 24 hours I will lay my head down to sleep for the last time ever in my life as a non-parent. No matter what happens all the rest of the days of my existence, I will from Thursday (at approximately 11am) forward, be a parent. More specifically, a Father.



I think today for the first time it actually hit me that life is going to change rather drastically. I mean, it's quite strange. It's kind of like waiting for your 30th birthday, or I imagine your 40th or any other milestone day in your life. You are anticipating it, and it seems, at least from a distance, that it's going to be this huge thing, and you are never going to feel the same way again - but then they day comes, and while "things" certainly change; circumstances certainly change, you don't really *feel* any different.



I've been trying to temper my anxiety and excitement by thinking that way... However I do have a feeling that this will be decidedly different than any previous birthday or milestone. I've heard it said that it does change you - that when you see your child for the first time something really does happen. I'd like to believe that - that some kind of daddy pixie dust will sprinkle down and I will be able to be all I need to be for the wee one about to make its way into the world, or that some insta-father switch will go on and everything will just fall into place. Unfortunately I am too well versed in humanity to think that it will happen that way. Unfortunately for my daughter, I will have to bungle my way through this just like everything else...



But I am looking forward to that first moment. That first contact. Meeting her for the first time. It's absolutely mind blowing to think that you are about to meet the divine product of you and your wife. The genetic roll of the dice (sovereignly speaking) that will mix all my traits and hers into a whole other person. A person who will grow up to think and live and breath and move and have her being, so long as you remember to feed her and change her diaper once in awhile...



This is the coolest and strangest and most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. Yet in all of it's strangeness and scariness, the wonder and peace of it is so perfect, such a testament to the greatness of my God.

On Fatherhood...

Here we are, literally days away from having a new baby.
It's so weird to think about.

I'm not scared... unless I start thinking way into the future with teen years, and boys, and how many I will have to kill... stuff like that. You worry about protecting them from the world, but all that stuff comes later and it doesn't really enter into my mental equation just yet unless I force myself into it.

I'm not anxious... unless I force myself to consider all the unknowns that come with having a newborn, all the surprises that could come up. Toddler accidents, banging into things. But again, I'm not the type to dwell on what is not in front of me. So anxiety kind of goes out the window with me. Probably not so with my better half, which is actually for the best sometimes. I can tend to be a bit blase about most things, very 'take it as it comes', and she thinks ahead - granted, sometimes to a fault - but most of the time I need to hear her concerns and it helps balance me. But I'm not really anxious - not in a worrisome way anyway - but I am anxious to meet my baby girl.

I'm definitely ready... in the sense that I am ready for pregnancy to be over and ready to move on to the next step in this journey with my wife. I think she is too. Pregnancy has been hard on her, and it has been difficult for me to see her so uncomfortable for so long. But we are both ready for the new challenges, the new experiences that will come. Of course, that does not mean that we are *ready* for them, or equipped to deal with them. But we are definitely ready to find out.

And finally, I am very content. I don't like to use the word 'happy' because it's such an amorphous thing, and contentment, in my opinion, is such a better overall sentiment than happiness is anyway. Happiness is like sucking helium - everything is different for about 5 seconds, and then it's gone. Contentment is for the long haul, and while happiness is definitely in the mix with the baby coming, contentment is definitely where I am at. I am really looking forward to the relationship I will have with my daughter. I am looking forward to the family Natalie and I will be building by God's grace. And I am content in knowing that all that lies before us, and I want to take it as it comes.

Maybe in a few months I'll give an update on how I am feeling about being a Father when I actually and actively am one. And although I know, as many of my friends who are fathers have told me, that everything is about to change in a profound way - for now, it suits me just fine.

More Ultra Baby

Here are the latest sonic photos of our Baby in Utero:







































She's a cutie!!

Also, by way of update, she is still in a frank breach position and does not have room to turn around. She is already up near 9 Lbs, so the doctor has set the date for a C-Section on November 16th. Not a bad day for a birthday! Of course, if Natalie goes into labor before then, which is certainly possible, she'll be here early. Neither of us would be upset if she showed up early. We're quite eager to meet our little girl already... but it's out of our hands. Keep us in your prayers.

Funny, but how funny?

Mark, over at The Foolish Sage, posted some of these movies on his last blog post. I thought they were funny, which was his intention, but as I watched them a second time, I wondered how funny they really are - or how true - or how untrue. Comedy, especially parody, is funny because it speaks truth, or shines a light, in an ironic way, into a normal everyday reality - so I'm curious as to what folks think about what is being presented in these videos.

Watch these, enjoy them, and lets talk about them. Just for fun.



Having gone to seminary, and likely having most of the books Mr. Christian is holding on my own bookshelf, this video resonates quite a bit with me. I find myself somewhere in the middle of these two guys, which I think I am glad about. I love theology, and love to talk about it. On the other hand, I have no bumper stickers, no ichthus on my car - more out of fear of blaspheming Christ than anything else. But anyway - Christ follower definitely wins this round.



This one is interesting... I get the whole "you orthodox people are so stuffy, why don't you loosen up" part of it, and I have some sympathy in that direction. I'd love to be able to come to church in jeans and preach, or in my most comfortable sweats (which I am wearing right now). But worship is and has never been about me and what I want or like. Yes, Mr. Christian's attitude towards 'Christ follower' is not good or helpful either, but it gets under my skin sometimes when people dress down just to be 'cool' or even a bit rebellious. Worship is not about me or how I feel or how comfortable I am, I happen to believe that how I approach worship reflects what I think about God - and that can also be reflected in how I dress. Do I always wear a suit? No. But if I go to worship wearing the same thing I would wear to a baseball game, it reflects, at least on some level, what I think about God, and His worship (worth ship). Of course, God is not concerned with outward appearance, and neither am I. I am more concerned about why one dresses the way they do, than what they actually wear.

And the other thing is the mention of Saturday... is 'Christ Follower' an SDA? I wonder who made this vid now...

For the record, I am against all things WWJD.



Now this one I am pretty much with 'Christ Follower'. Not much I like in the way of Christian Contemporary anything. Though it seems that we are making some headway in that department. Some of the young people in the church I am serving in have offered me all sorts of CD's to borrow to see if I can change my mind about CCM as a whole. Personally, I think I can respond just as worshipfully listening to TOOL as I can listening to Third Day, or PILLAR (a new CD I have borrowed to check out) - ok, maybe not TOOL (though I do like them). What we need to understand is that God's common grace has gifted even the most rebellious rock musician with the gifts that enabled them to make their music. So I as a Christian can listen and give thanks to God for their gifts, even if they do not. I am far more interested in professing Christians who make good music (like Chevelle), than anything with the label "Christian Music". And as a side note - who Christened U2 as the ambassador of Christian Coolness? I actually saw a book entitled "Preaching through the U2 corpus" -- I mean, come on... yeah, Bono used to look like Jesus, but let's not get carried away...



This last one I am not really sure about. I can't tell if they are making fun of the non-traditional move towards more multi-media in worship or what... I always thought that was not a trait of the "Christian" church, and more a trait of the non-traditional side of things. Seems like they are mixing their metaphors or something... I don't think worship gets any more traditional (in reformed circles) than it does where I worship, and multi-media would be a foreign language there... who knows...

I guess what I am curious about is, apart from taking a cool APPLE ad and making it their own, what is the goal of these videos? What are they trying to poke fun of exactly, or rebuke? Does "Christian" really exist? Of course he does, sadly, but how much of who he is (as reflected in these movies) is bad? And how much of Christ Follower is good?

ah well.. discuss.. I don't have the answers... that's why I preach instead of run companies... my answers are given to me by someone else...

It's Official!

FOOTBALL SEASON HAS BEGUN!

Yes, I know it's week six, but I have been so wrapped up in the end of a great season for the Mets that I haven't really paid all that much attention to the New York Giants. That will now change, at least a little.

Football season is very different than baseball. It's just not the intense daily battle, it's not as constant. Baseball is a very long 162 games, and the 16 game football season flies by almost instantly. On the other hand, with such a short season, each football game is that much more meaningful, and that is why football is so much more popular in our country (at least in my opinion). No other professional sport has as much meaning wrapped into a single game of regular season play. In baseball, you can lose ten games in a row, or maybe even more, and not have it significantly effect your overall season. But in football, a single game can completely change the complexion of your season. And forget losing streaks... more than two in a row and in most cases you may as well pack it in and set yourself up for next years draft... ok, ok, it's not quite that dramatic - but compared to baseball it may as well be.

And yet for all its excitement, I still don't like football nearly as much as I like baseball. But that won't stop me from enjoying the Giants season this year. Especially when they do things like they did tonight in Dallas. Monday Night Football, in Dallas, in front of a National audience, and the Giants made the 'Boys look kinda silly for the majority of the evening. Making a statement in the NFC East, taking first place, and showing that last year was not an aberration and that this team has finally come together after a pretty rough start. They clearly had the most difficult schedule in the NFL, and so far they have come out smelling like roses, even though alot of their first few games stunk like something else... But they are 3-0 in a very difficult NFC East and have gone 4-2 over a frightening opening 6. Unfortunately things don't get any easier looking ahead, but if you told me before game 1 that the Giants would be 4-2 after these first six games, I'd have signed up for that on the spot.

I was tempted to spend alot of time talking smack and rubbing this win in the faces of my many friends who are Dallas Cowboy fans -- But the Mets loss in the NLCS is too fresh, so I know the feeling. I'll just let the score speak for itself.

36-22 NYG

Hopefully the rest of the season goes at the same pace. a .750 winning percentage will do just fine towards a Super Bowl birth... but I'm getting ahead of myself... there is still a lot of football left to play... or is there?!?

An even better NLCS Game 7 Diary

The Sorts Guy at ESPN is a pro, and is way better, and way funnier than I am. Although we had some very similar calls here and there...

Unfortunately, the game he watched ended the same way as the one I watched.
The Mets/Cards rivalry from the 80's has just been re-ignited, and they are now the new Braves in my eyes.

I'll leave you with my most hated baseball phrase, which I happen to actually mean: We'll get 'em next year.

NLCS GAME 7 DIARY

Ok, here we go – Game 7, live from Shea Stadium.

It’s 8:15 and we are about 4 minutes away from the first pitch, and I am already tired of Tim McMarver tonight.

Who will it be? Mets or Cards? We’re about to find out, baby. A trip to the World Series in on the line.

8:16 – first commercial of the night – T-Mobile’s ad for their “5” campaign. Pretty stinkin’ funny. Best use of the song “secret lovers” I’ve ever heard. In fact, I believe that commercial is the reason the song was written… I can’t think of another one, can you?

8:19 – by my clock… last night commercials cut off several pitches.. if they do it again tonight I’ll be pretty upset. But we’re back, and apparently running a bit late. Still time for Joe Buck to tell me that State Farm insurance has everything I need. Well, I need a Mets win.. can they give me that?

TOP FIRST

Perez starts off with ball one, but Eckstein flies out harmlessly, one out. Is anyone else sick of the stupid Budweiser select commercials? “there’s a party over here, so you might as well be here, where the people care.” – Did Tim McCarver write that song?

Preston Wilson strikes out on three pitches – oh baby, Perez looks sharp. Strike one to Pujols too…. 4 in a row.. make that 5!!! Pujols pops-ups, but once again Delgado makes Perez have to work harder with an error on a routine pop-up.. UGH – he did the same thing last time Perez pitched… Pujols is on second.

Encarnacion pops out – inning over, Great job by Perez to put aside the error and go right after Encarnacion. If he continues like this its going to be a long night for the Cards.

BOTTOM FIRST

Whether its smunchy, cerfelty, or cruncheweesy, the Mets better come up big early against Suppan. Let’s see if the experts were right and Reyes has another big game tonight. The Mets line-up is sick. I would not want to face them if I were a pitcher. Suppan was awesome in game 3, let’s see how it goes…

strike one to Reyes, make that foul, strike two. (I think I have to change my approach here, no one wants to read my play-by play.) Anyway, Reyes grounds out…

Suppan has thrown first pitch fastballs right down the pipe and so far no one has swung at them… these guys better get a bit more aggressive on him… two down… another first pitch strike to Beltran… Suppan looks sharp too.

Oooooh bad call on strike two – it was pretty low. If that pitch is going to get called all night it could be trouble.

Beltran rips an opposite field double down the left field line. Close play at second though, and here comes Carlos Delgado who has had a tremendous post season so far.

McCarver: “This guy can pitch.” Thanks Tim. Full count to Delgado.

The crowd at Shea is going nuts as Delgado takes Ball Four and David Wright comes to the plate. Man... I was so close to being at this game tonight… it would be so awesome. Strike one to Wright. Man I love this kid!!! – a flare down the right field line for a base hit and Beltran scores, Delgado to third. He got jammed and stilled muscled it to right field. He is so good. Gonna be a breakout game for Wright I think. Here comes Shawn Green with men on first and third and the crowd is absolutely crazy…

OH – line drive right at Scott Rolen, but it was hit hard. That ends the inning, mets up 1-0. Not a bad start, we’ll take it! LETS GO METS.

TOP SECOND

Jay-Z is back apparently… did he go somewhere?

I love this commercial with the sharks and the guy who sinks his boat… good stuff.

Jimmy Edmonds rips the first pitch he sees threw the whole on the right side, and Rolen flies out on the first pitch he sees… Molina hits the same flare David Wright did, but down the left field line. Runners on first and third, one out… Belliard bunts and the run comes home – tie score, man on second, two outs… Man, I should have made plans for dinner… I’m getting hungry, but I am not moving!

Suppan is up. He hit a home run last time he pitched, against Trachsel, but Perez strikes him out here. Inning Over.

I wonder if FOX has an anti-NY bias altogether, or if the women in St. Louis are that much better looking than the women in NY? Every girl they showed on the telecasts in St. Louis was very attractive, and so far they have only showed rabid face-painted NY chicks tonight. It’s a conspiracy.

BOTTOM SECOND

I can’t decide if Jeff Suppan sounded brilliant or idiotic in describing how he controls his emotions in a big game like this. “I try to concentrate on only two things – what pitch I want to throw, and where I want to throw it.” Is this a real game? Or a Tom Cruise movie? I thought I was watching “Days of Thunder” for a minute…

Mets go in order, and MacGyver tries to make a come back in a MasterCard commercial.

TOP THIRD

In case everyone was wondering… Samsung makes the best HDTV’s available. I have carefully compared all the major brands side by side, and no one else even really comes close to the DLP technology. Plasma and LCD aside, Samsung DLP gives the most bang for your buck. Back to the game…

Top of the Cardinal Order is up… Full count to Eckstein and he rips a double down the left field line. The pitch was up in the zone – good bit of hitting.

Preston Wilson at the dish, so of course, the cameras find his Step-Father Mookie Wilson. Tim McCarver: “There’s the Mookster” – He’s never been called the mookster in his life, I’m fairly certain. Preston strikes out… way to go Mookster.

Pujols gets the intentional pass. Can’t blame Willie for making this call. Two on, one out for Encarnacion, who is battling with an 0-2 count while Tim McCarver makes bad Elvis Costello references. 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. The IB is successful, and we go to the bottom of the third.

BOTTOM THIRD

I bet 3 million Crispy chicken sandwiches (before taxes) that there is nothing to eat in my fridge. Jousting in wheel barrels with tape measures is ingenious marketing, and John Mayer is an awesome guitarist.

Woah – I stood up for a minute and we are back in commercials – the Mets obviously didn’t do a thing in the bottom half of the inning.

My wife is valiantly putting together the playpen we got last night at the baby shower. We got quite a haul. Very thankful for all those who came out to share this wonderfully joyous time with us. Now back to baseball…

TOP FOURTH

Nothing like a cold slice of pizza to fill the belly…

Edmonds down on strikes again. Perez has already thrown 52 pitches and we’re just starting the third. I wonder how he feels going on three days rest for the first time. He still looks pretty good.

Rolen is fighting off a bunch of pitches, making Perez work. And Perez wins the battle with another pop-up in the infield.

Wow – I just learned that when I runner gets on base and scores, that it is bad for the opposing pitcher… I never would have known… Thanks, you guessed it, Tim McCarver.

Molina flies out to Shawn Green to end the inning. This guy clearly needs a smaller hat. I don’t think I have seen him make a single play in the field where his hat has stayed on his head. I wonder if the equipment manager knows about this…

BOTTOM FOURTH

Suppan’s pitching carefully to Delgado, but the count just ran full. Ball Four. Delgado’s second walk. Wright comes up and hits the second pitch slowly to Rolen, not fast enough to turn the double play.

Has anyone noticed the “trivia” type facts they have been putting up when hitters come to the plate? I get surprised every time I see them. It’s not that they aren’t interesting in their own context, but I’m not sure how knowing Shawn Green’s favorite childhood book is Curious George helps me understand the game better… can someone else explain?

Speaking of Shawn Green, he goes down swinging, two outs.

I see some raindrops… what’s the forecast??

Come on Valentin, it’s time to come up big again. He hasn’t hardly hit at all, but most of his hits have been pretty darn clutch in the post season. But he gets plunked in the mouth, quite literally, and will get first base.

But Endy Chavez lifts one to right center, leaving two on, and we go to the Fifth.

TOP FIFTH

Someone please tell me where Jay-Z went please? Wherever it was, He’s back and doing music videos as Budweiser commercials. Cool song, at least.

Shea Stadium is so alive tonight. Every time a pitcher gets to a two strike count, or any time a Met does anything at all, the crowd is on its feet. Belliard takes that two strike offering and puts it in left field past a diving Jose Reyes, followed by a bunt by Suppan. One out, man on Second.

Grr… Eckstein gets HBP on the toe. Perez bounced his pitch too, so I guess it was retaliation for the bouncer that grabbed Valentin on the chin.

Perez strikes out Wilson for the third time – but Pujols is coming to the dish with two men on and two out… aww man… playing with fire here… he’s going to pitch to him! Willie is nuts… HAHAAHA but it pays off!!!! Pujols pops out and the inning is OVER!

Phew…

BOTTOM FIFTH

The HP campaign has been pretty good. Guys like Pharrel and Jay-Z doing the mid-to chest shot, throwing graphics around the screen. I like it.

Has anyone ever one anything more than a small soft drink or small fires playing Monopoly at McDonalds?? If they have, I’ve never met them…

Pickles, I think, are one of the greatest discoveries/inventions to ever bless the food industry. Dill pickles, deli style…

After a busy couple of innings, this game is quickly becoming a pitchers duel. It’s going to be whoever wears down first… Apparently the rain is going to pick up in about an hour… that should get us to the 8^th inning or so… I hope the Mets can score a bit more by then, though I can’t imagine them calling a playoff game seven due to rain…

LoDuca lifts one deep to left center and Wilson and Edmonds collide going after the ball and BOTH players come up gimpy, but Wilson holds on… man, it must be SO LOUD at the stadium.. Apparently FOX is muting the crowd so that the announcers don’t have to compete… man that stinks, I’d like to share in that energy…

TOP SIXTH

I think Paul LoDuca might be the most underrated catcher in the NL. He does such a great job behind the plate, blocking balls, calling games. And he even does OK throwing guys out… but that’s his weakness. And he is the unquestioned emotional leader of this team. He’s a fire-ball and I’m glad we got him.

I wonder who decides how the outfield grass is cut and what shape they make out there. They’ve had some pretty cool designs at Shea this year. The best was the Mets NY symbol in the middle of center field.

Perez is making Edmonds look silly in this at-bat so far… but Edmonds runs the count full and eventually walks, and here comes Willie Randolph….but he doesn’t take Perez out!

And IMMEDIATELY Scott Rolen takes Him deep over the left field wall, BUT CHAVEZ PULLS IT BACK!!! CHAVEZ MADE AN AMAZING CATCH AND STOLE A HOME RUN FROM SCOTT ROLEN – Edmonds thought it was gone and he GETS DOUBLED OFF at first base, INNING OVER!!!

Oh man! That was AWESOME!! I am so PUMPED right now... WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

BOTTOM SIXTH

OK – case in point – biased announcers – any announcer with a PULSE would have been going out of their mind with that play – How about Joe Buck? Nothing… like he’s watching the grass grow… UNREAL CATCH.. Chavez lept about 4 feet from the wall and got WAY up to take away the Homer… wow… But Buck and McCarver have virtually nothing to say – no emotion… nothing… Jon Miller would have made a great call on that catch… and I can’t imagine what is happening right now in the Mets radio booth… And Chavez takes TWO curtain calls, as Beltran grounds out on a slow roller…

WOAH – Delgado nearly had his head taken off… 3-1 – NO WAY.. ball four… called a strike… ugly call BLUE… ugly call. 3-2. Ball FOUR. Delgado takes his FOURTH walk of the night… bringing David Wright to the plate…

David Wright routinely grounds to third… but Rolen air mails it over Pujols head. He must have been thinking Endy Chavez was at first… Runners on first and second, one out. And the Cards are WALKING Shawn Green intentionally to pitch to Jose Valentin… BIG MISTAKE, in my opinion.

Ball one to Valentin… the fans are going nuts… the “Let’s Go Mets” chant is blaring…

1-1… Valentin fooled badly by a curve ball.. 1-2.

1-2 pitch fouled off… man the tension is thick…

I hate when they show people praying in the stands….

And as if God was reading my mind... Valentin strikes out… bringing up Endy Chavez – if his amazing catch is an indication………..

Ugh… popped it up on the first pitch…. What a waste! Momentum killer…

TOP SEVENTH

The Toyota FJ Cruiser (read, wanna-be Hummer) is just about the ugliest thing on four wheels… and Dunkin Donuts really does make the best coffee…

Here comes the Mets Bullpen…. It starts with Chad Bradford, the submariner who occasionally scrapes his knuckles on the ground. He’s starting off slow going 2-0 to Molina, but there’s a strike, 2-1. After fouling off a few, Molina works the count full, and flies out to left.

Ronnie Belliard cannot keep his tongue in his mouth to save his life. And it’s not like a Jordan thing, where he sticks it out when he is actually doing something, but its when he is standing still that the ugly piece of meat lumbers out of his mouth to, I think, play with his chin hair…. And to punish him, he grounds out to Second.

Suppan grounds out and the Cards go in Order.

Time to stretch!

BOTTOM SEVENTH

The rain is picking up, and the Mets will have the top of the order after a pinch hitter for Chad Bradford. And Jeff Suppan comes back out to pitch to Michael Tucker, who I am pretty surprised is even on the team... but he’s done alright when called upon.

After painfully fouling one off the inside of his foot, Tucker flies out to center.

Man, the Ump’s strike zone is all over the place tonight… 0-1 to Reyes, who grounds out to Pujols (or Poo hole, as my wife calls him – not because she is a Mets fan or anything, but because she hates baseball, and to make the time pass, she makes fun nick names for all the players). LoDuca quickly grounds out as well, and the Mets go in order….

TOP EIGHTH

Is eighth spelled right? It must be… MS Word is not underlining it in red. (Yes, I am writing this in Word, to be transferred to blogger later – only because I have far too often trusted blogger with long posts, only to have them erased right before I finish… nevermore!

Now Aaron Heilman toes the rubber for the Mets.

Eckstein grounds sharply to Delgado at first, and Spezio, with his stupid little queer dyed red soul patch, which I’d like to rip off his face, comes to the plate. (If you can’t tell, I’m not a fan of Spezio) Quickly 1-2 to Spazio (yes, it’s childish), and the Shea faithful get to their feet… and Heilman gets him looking with a fastball inside.

Poo-hole to the dish. Doesn’t look like Heilman wants to give him anything close to the plate, so they give him ball four intentionally. Buck just pointed out that the hitters around Pujols are 0-7 with 6 strikeouts and a Double play ball… not much protection for the big boy…

Encarnacion looks like he will follow the trend, getting behind 0-2 and striking out swinging… Heilman comes through and we have the heart of the Mets order coming up!

LETS GO METS!!

BOTTOM EIGHTH

So Taguchi comes in for defense in left field, and Beltran comes up to bat. Suppan just threw his 100^th pitch of the night. 3-1 to Beltran… a leadoff walk to B-train, and here comes Delgado – and Tony Larussa runs out to get Suppan – it’ll be Flores to pitch to Delgado…

Man these games are so gut wrenching… the suspense is crazy. Game 7’s really are magical... everybody is so pumped… let’s just hope the goat tonight is wearing Red and not Blue and Orange. Maybe it’ll be Flores right here… COME ON DELGADO!!!!

Beltran keeps Flores’ attention at first, and he is ahead of Delgado, 1-2.

Hehe, he throws his bat at a slider way outside to stay alive….but it means nothing... he strikes out trying to check his swing…

David Wright comes up, 1 for 3 on the night. Wright should get a pitch to hit, as he is now ahead 2-0…. Now 3-1…. Flores nearly balked throwing to first… but no call. Wright takes strike two… count is full… man is my hair falling out right now??

Beltran doesn’t move, and Wright strikes out swinging… 2 down, Green to bat. Green lines out to Pujols… no hits since the first inning… sheesh…

TOP NINTH

It looks like Wagner is coming in… in game two he gave up 3 runs in a tie game and took the loss… Let’s hope he has his fast ball tonight…

But no... it’s Heilman again? Hmm… Willie goes against conventional wisdom again…

Edmonds strikes out, one away.

Dang it… there is that chick praying again!! STOP IT!

Count is full to Scott Rolen… base hit to left. Go ahead run is on…. Still one out.

Heilman is pretty adept at inducing the double play – but UGHHHHHH

Not this time…. Heilman gives up the long ball to Molina… 3-1 Cards.

………………

Shea is silenced… you can hear Molina’s celebratory whoops all over the stadium….

I’m speechless…

The other two guys ground out….

Here comes the Mets last chance…

BOTTOM NINTH

Valentin works a full count to start it off…. YES – a flare to right center… lead off single!!

Chavez to the plate… my heart was in my stomach, now it’s in my throat…

YESSSSS!!! Two on, nobody out!!!!

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG – GET R DONE!!!

Flashes of Kirk Gibson streaming to mind… 1-2 to Cliffy… 2-2… UGH struck out looking with a breaking ball… he had no chance really… awesome pitch…

Here’s Reyes… 0-4 tonight… One out, two men on…

Reyes…. UGH lined out to center field.. good piece of hitting, just right at Edmonds… it’s up to LoDuca now… come on DUUUKKEEE

LoDuca… surprised by a slider down the middle… now 3-1… I can’t take this man… I think I’m having chest pains…

BALL FOUR – BASES LOADED FOR CARLOS BELTRAN

Holy cow…. I can’t even believe this is happening….

DANNGGGGIITTTTT STOP SHOWING THAT STUPID CHICK PRAYING!!!!!

0-2 to Beltran….

Strike three looking… I think I’m gonna be sick…

No happy recap tonight…. And here ends the baseball season…

At least my wife will be happy.

LET’S GO TIGERS! I doubt I’ll watch even one pitch...

To end things on a positive note - it really was a great season for the Mets, all the way down to the last inning of game 7. The way things have gone all season, I expected Beltran to come through there at the end... but the Lord had other things in mind... and that's fine by me.

Shut Up Tim McCarver

I've been pretty quiet in regards to the NLCS, which is now tied at three, with the deciding game 7 about to begin in about 40 minutes.  I am considering doing an in-game diary - butthat is still undecided...

Anyway.. I have really been angered by the broadcasters throughout the series.
Fox's team is Joe Buck and Tim McCarver and both have direct ties to the Cardinal Organization. Buck has been their long time broadcaster, following in his father's footsteps, and Tim McCarver is a former Cardinal player.  Now, I don't care who you are and how professional you think you are, personal biases always come out in competative arenas such as playoff games.

To be fair, Joe Buck isn't all that bad.  He does get a bit more excited when the Cards do something good, but I think I can handle him overall.  But Tim McCarver only has two calls - He either states something that is completely and utterly obvious to even the most 'lay' baseball fan, or he says something that is so completely WRONG that it isn't even funny.  To me he is unbearable, and if it weren't for the delay, I would be listening to Gary Cohen and Howie Rose on WFAN.

If you don't believe me, please check out this website that is dedicated to exactly how much Tim McCarver stinks! It's called shutuptimmccarver.com and it is hilarious!  Be sure to click on the McCarver Gems link to get some of his most inane calls.

I have joined their quest as stated on the website and put a link here on my blog, and I encourage you to do the same.  Enjoy the game.  My diary will follow, but I will likely only publish it if the Mets win.  ;-)  See, bias is EVERYWHERE.