A month or so ago, I found a sem-sophisticated stat tracker and popped it on this bad boy to see just how many people were really coming around. Considering that the only real point of the blog has nothing to do with the blog itself and the content is somewhere between fun at best and garbage at worst . . . where are all of you coming from? Are you THAT interested in my thoughts about sports, music, and working in a dvd warehouse? A friend or family member who feels like you HAVE to read or you're not being a "good" friend or family member? Are you some random stranger who's never met me but finds something strangely compelling about a skinny Christ-follower who links to metal bands and 1,200 calorie a plate restaurants?
Why have random computers in, say, FL, PA, NY . . . not to mention Germany, Austria, and India come to Flogging, But with a "B"? Who ARE you people, and seriously -- why do you come here? I have to be honest, it's creeping me out just a little bit . . . .
Monday, July 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Hit Me Baby, One More Time!
So my family was here and I was preaching twice in a row at Life Pointe, so I was pretty busy. That's over now . . . except that Jamey's going to be taking one more week, so I get to go on again on Sunday! I don't know if that's good or bad for you, but it's exciting for me and I have a great time with a captive audience. It means that I'm scrambling and busy again, though, so while I'm off to find something helpful to say, go ahead and click here one more time, baby!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Getting K(raz)Y
It's a busy week. My parents from South Dakota are coming in, as is my sister from D. C. Add to that pastor Jamey's on vacation and I'm speaking (again) on Sunday, and it's a busy week. In other words, I might not be updating for several days. What will you do?
The choices are boundless. You can go back and re-read my previous entries. You know, commit the sports criteria to memory and what not. You can get crazy and start clicking all of the links and bring yourself up to speed on those. Holy Blood has not only audio but even video on their site, plus it's the off-season so the Lions site is probably all optimistic. Or maybe it's time to mess around on the actual Life Pointe site and try to find all the ridiculous hidden links that Whigham's tossed on that bad boy. All good times, all wastes of time, and all done without getting up off of your office chair.
The choices are boundless. You can go back and re-read my previous entries. You know, commit the sports criteria to memory and what not. You can get crazy and start clicking all of the links and bring yourself up to speed on those. Holy Blood has not only audio but even video on their site, plus it's the off-season so the Lions site is probably all optimistic. Or maybe it's time to mess around on the actual Life Pointe site and try to find all the ridiculous hidden links that Whigham's tossed on that bad boy. All good times, all wastes of time, and all done without getting up off of your office chair.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Historically Bad
Moments ago, my beloved Phillies suffered their 10,000 defeat. They are the losingist franchise in sports history, and of course the first to reach such a sad stratosphere of suckage. The Braves are 2nd in the history of the world, and they're over 300 "behind." It's not that cool, I've gotta say.
Congratulations to Charlie Manual for subbing like mad to get 17 Phillies some game time for their historic day. That's nice. Also nice is that reigning NL MVP Ryan Howard made the final out. And equally unjust is that THIS team gets saddled with the stigma. They're not world-beaters at this point, but they're 46-45. That's over .500. It's not all that impressive, but it's certainly not historically bad. It's average! But so it goes.
Really, the worst years of the franchise weren't even in my lifetime (although the late 80's -- early 90's sure did have their down-side). It's the 30's and 40's that REALLY put them behind the curve. At least I wasn't alive then -- not only would the news each morning have been bad, but it would have been delivered by the pony express and about a week behind. And I thought it was bad when I had to wait for the morning paper for a final as a kid!
10,000. That's just a big, big number. There are 162 games in a year, so it's like losing EVERY game for over 61 straight years. It's like losing 100 games a year for 100 straight years. It's like losing EVERY SINGLE DAY for nearly as long as I've been alive. That's just bad, kids.
In around 24 hours I'll bring their beautiful red background back, but for now, it's time to mourn. Time to wallow. Time to bask in the bitter irony of finally winning . . . for losing.
Congratulations to Charlie Manual for subbing like mad to get 17 Phillies some game time for their historic day. That's nice. Also nice is that reigning NL MVP Ryan Howard made the final out. And equally unjust is that THIS team gets saddled with the stigma. They're not world-beaters at this point, but they're 46-45. That's over .500. It's not all that impressive, but it's certainly not historically bad. It's average! But so it goes.
Really, the worst years of the franchise weren't even in my lifetime (although the late 80's -- early 90's sure did have their down-side). It's the 30's and 40's that REALLY put them behind the curve. At least I wasn't alive then -- not only would the news each morning have been bad, but it would have been delivered by the pony express and about a week behind. And I thought it was bad when I had to wait for the morning paper for a final as a kid!
10,000. That's just a big, big number. There are 162 games in a year, so it's like losing EVERY game for over 61 straight years. It's like losing 100 games a year for 100 straight years. It's like losing EVERY SINGLE DAY for nearly as long as I've been alive. That's just bad, kids.
In around 24 hours I'll bring their beautiful red background back, but for now, it's time to mourn. Time to wallow. Time to bask in the bitter irony of finally winning . . . for losing.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
What I've Seen at the Scene
Have you ever been to a hardcore show? Most of you probably haven't. I went to a hardcore show last night, and I have some thoughts.
The bands were fantastic. I LOVE War of Ages, and I like Seventh Star a lot, too, so it was a great bill for me. They're fun, energetic, and have great sounds -- plus War of Ages has a shredder guitarist who's just flat-out cash money. Love 'em.
The hanging out between bands was a lot of fun this time too, because there were several people there that I knew. That's completely strange for me -- I'm half used to going to shows alone, and maybe with one buddy at the most. With loving the bands AND hanging out with some cool cats (no "Catts" though) I think I may have come as close as I ever have to experiencing what "the scene" is supposed to be like. There's the rub right there, though. Here's what I mean.
My buddy Kyle found the venue a few minutes before I did, and called me to say I'd better hurry up because everybody was looking at him like he was a grandpa. We didn't really talk about it, but here's what he would have been experiencing:
He didn't look like everybody else. His clothes were a little different, his tattoos were few and covered by his sleeve, he had no piercings, and his hair was the same length all the way around.
He didn't know everybody else. In fact, he knew nobody.
He didn't talk like everybody else. He wasn't ready to make instantaneous conversation about the latest Zao line-up change or how Avenged Sevenfold has sold-out or the last August Burns Red album as compared to their earlier works.
He didn't dance like everybody else. If fact, he couldn't even SEE the invisible monsters that everybody else seemed determined to kill (if you've never been to a hardcore show, click here and laugh yourself silly)!
He didn't live the lifestyle of everybody else. He does crazy things like eat burgers and drink milk. Yep, he's a real radical.
Now how do I know what he was going through? Because I've been there a hundred times myself. It's pretty uncomfortable (and I'm NOT typically uncomfortable!) and can make you really feel like an outsider. You feel awkward, ignorant, unwanted, and generally out of place. Not the kind of experience that you really want to pay for again (unless you REALLY like the bands!).
You know what it makes me think of, though? I wonder if it's like that for people when they go to a church for the first time. Everybody else knows how to dress, how to talk, where to go, what to do when the music starts, and a lot of the other people. What if nobody greets them at the door? What if they're made to feel like they really don't belong? What if they were driven to church as a last resort because they were desperate for something, and it was just all they could think of . . . and then they experience something like that. The band may be great, the message might be really legitimately helpful, and the printed materials might be first-rate, but the entire experience is uncomfortable and awkward. They're not coming back. Neither would I.
Two thoughts, then, in conclusion.
1) If you're reading this and considering -- even a little bit -- coming to Life Pointe, please do so. Every single week we make every effort that we can to make everybody -- but especially first-time guests -- feel like they are important, valuable, wanted, and welcome. Because you are. One of my greatest personal passions is making sure that you know you're wanted and made to feel as comfortable as possible.
2) If you're a part of a church -- Life Pointe or otherwise -- consider what it's like to be a visitor with new eyes. What would it be like for somebody coming by themselves for the first time? You're an "insider" and probably don't really remember anymore. I assume you're there because you think something worthwhile's going on, and that people would benefit from it. I've heard WAY too many stories about people visiting churches and being completely ignored, and if nobody else will do something about it, maybe it's time that YOU did. Look outside of yourself and find somebody who doesn't know what's going on -- it takes a LOT of guts to step into a situation like that, and they're there for a reason. Help them to know that it was the right decision and not walk away just that much more jaded about a church culture that has forgotten to open itself up to those who have been on the outside.
The bands were fantastic. I LOVE War of Ages, and I like Seventh Star a lot, too, so it was a great bill for me. They're fun, energetic, and have great sounds -- plus War of Ages has a shredder guitarist who's just flat-out cash money. Love 'em.
The hanging out between bands was a lot of fun this time too, because there were several people there that I knew. That's completely strange for me -- I'm half used to going to shows alone, and maybe with one buddy at the most. With loving the bands AND hanging out with some cool cats (no "Catts" though) I think I may have come as close as I ever have to experiencing what "the scene" is supposed to be like. There's the rub right there, though. Here's what I mean.
My buddy Kyle found the venue a few minutes before I did, and called me to say I'd better hurry up because everybody was looking at him like he was a grandpa. We didn't really talk about it, but here's what he would have been experiencing:
He didn't look like everybody else. His clothes were a little different, his tattoos were few and covered by his sleeve, he had no piercings, and his hair was the same length all the way around.
He didn't know everybody else. In fact, he knew nobody.
He didn't talk like everybody else. He wasn't ready to make instantaneous conversation about the latest Zao line-up change or how Avenged Sevenfold has sold-out or the last August Burns Red album as compared to their earlier works.
He didn't dance like everybody else. If fact, he couldn't even SEE the invisible monsters that everybody else seemed determined to kill (if you've never been to a hardcore show, click here and laugh yourself silly)!
He didn't live the lifestyle of everybody else. He does crazy things like eat burgers and drink milk. Yep, he's a real radical.
Now how do I know what he was going through? Because I've been there a hundred times myself. It's pretty uncomfortable (and I'm NOT typically uncomfortable!) and can make you really feel like an outsider. You feel awkward, ignorant, unwanted, and generally out of place. Not the kind of experience that you really want to pay for again (unless you REALLY like the bands!).
You know what it makes me think of, though? I wonder if it's like that for people when they go to a church for the first time. Everybody else knows how to dress, how to talk, where to go, what to do when the music starts, and a lot of the other people. What if nobody greets them at the door? What if they're made to feel like they really don't belong? What if they were driven to church as a last resort because they were desperate for something, and it was just all they could think of . . . and then they experience something like that. The band may be great, the message might be really legitimately helpful, and the printed materials might be first-rate, but the entire experience is uncomfortable and awkward. They're not coming back. Neither would I.
Two thoughts, then, in conclusion.
1) If you're reading this and considering -- even a little bit -- coming to Life Pointe, please do so. Every single week we make every effort that we can to make everybody -- but especially first-time guests -- feel like they are important, valuable, wanted, and welcome. Because you are. One of my greatest personal passions is making sure that you know you're wanted and made to feel as comfortable as possible.
2) If you're a part of a church -- Life Pointe or otherwise -- consider what it's like to be a visitor with new eyes. What would it be like for somebody coming by themselves for the first time? You're an "insider" and probably don't really remember anymore. I assume you're there because you think something worthwhile's going on, and that people would benefit from it. I've heard WAY too many stories about people visiting churches and being completely ignored, and if nobody else will do something about it, maybe it's time that YOU did. Look outside of yourself and find somebody who doesn't know what's going on -- it takes a LOT of guts to step into a situation like that, and they're there for a reason. Help them to know that it was the right decision and not walk away just that much more jaded about a church culture that has forgotten to open itself up to those who have been on the outside.
Friday, July 6, 2007
"Human Element"
So this is NOT a sports blog per se, and I'm not trying to make it one. I apologize if I'm alienating my non-sports loving reader(s), but this is where I am right now.
Late Tuesday night, the Phillies lost a game that they would have won if the 1st base ump would have made the correct (and not terribly difficult!) call on what was, in fact although not in history, a double-play ball hit by Carlos Lee. The correct call would have effectively ended the game right that very instant, Phils win. Instead, the tying run was allowed to score, and we lose in extra innings. I don't want to come off as TOO whiny -- we still had plenty of chances to win that we didn't cash in on -- but nonetheless, a blatant bad call opened a door that never should have existed. And of course I hate it, and of course my manager got thrown out arguing.
Here's the deal, though -- afterwards, he said one of my most hated sports "maxims" -- that he still opposes use of replay, because it takes out the "human element."
Let me say that I LOVE the "human element" of sports. This drama is real, kids! Those players are out there living out the culmination of years of blood, sweat, and tears; dreams, challenges, and victories. But there they are RIGHT NOW -- living in the moment with no idea what may be about to befall them, before thousands of people in the building, millions via television, and now the untold billions throughout history with the advent of youtube. The tears are real, the heartbreak is real, the triumph is real. The game is meaningless in and of itself, but it has been invested with omni-importance, and there will be one who rises above and another who crumbles. On occasion, BOTH will rise to the challenge, but even then there can be only one (unless it's something lame like Olympic swimming -- ohh, they tied so there are TWO gold medals!). THAT, to me, is the "human element." Officiating blunders and screw ups -- how does THAT qualify as the "human element?" Isn't it more of the "random screw-up that can completely reverse a noble and just outcome element?" Honestly, who can really be FOR that?
Look, I'm not trying to blame the ump -- he screwed up. It happens. But don't all REAL fans just want the call to be right? Or how about this -- click here and read about Stanley Cup winning goals that occurred with illegal skates in the crease (that's what we call "hockey" in the Great White North, Nick), helmets being mistaken for footballs on fourth down at the goal line (a coach probably lost his job because of that one!), and even fifth down being mistaken for fourth down on the last play of a game! Really, when the wrong team wins, how can we applaud the random screw-up element that makes it possible?
Hmm. What if the next time there's a mistaken identity or a racially-motivated police shooting it was just chalked up to the "human element" and the newspapers would have to find a different ax to grind? How about if the mail just randomly mis-delivered or lost sight of a handful of packages on occasion? Let's have them KEEP doing it -- it adds that "human element" to walking to my mailbox. Or -- most incredulous of all -- what if our presidential elections kept re-counting and coming up with different numbers. Oh my, could you imagine the uproar that would be silenced by simply applying the "human element" logic to such a situation!
Late Tuesday night, the Phillies lost a game that they would have won if the 1st base ump would have made the correct (and not terribly difficult!) call on what was, in fact although not in history, a double-play ball hit by Carlos Lee. The correct call would have effectively ended the game right that very instant, Phils win. Instead, the tying run was allowed to score, and we lose in extra innings. I don't want to come off as TOO whiny -- we still had plenty of chances to win that we didn't cash in on -- but nonetheless, a blatant bad call opened a door that never should have existed. And of course I hate it, and of course my manager got thrown out arguing.
Here's the deal, though -- afterwards, he said one of my most hated sports "maxims" -- that he still opposes use of replay, because it takes out the "human element."
Let me say that I LOVE the "human element" of sports. This drama is real, kids! Those players are out there living out the culmination of years of blood, sweat, and tears; dreams, challenges, and victories. But there they are RIGHT NOW -- living in the moment with no idea what may be about to befall them, before thousands of people in the building, millions via television, and now the untold billions throughout history with the advent of youtube. The tears are real, the heartbreak is real, the triumph is real. The game is meaningless in and of itself, but it has been invested with omni-importance, and there will be one who rises above and another who crumbles. On occasion, BOTH will rise to the challenge, but even then there can be only one (unless it's something lame like Olympic swimming -- ohh, they tied so there are TWO gold medals!). THAT, to me, is the "human element." Officiating blunders and screw ups -- how does THAT qualify as the "human element?" Isn't it more of the "random screw-up that can completely reverse a noble and just outcome element?" Honestly, who can really be FOR that?
Look, I'm not trying to blame the ump -- he screwed up. It happens. But don't all REAL fans just want the call to be right? Or how about this -- click here and read about Stanley Cup winning goals that occurred with illegal skates in the crease (that's what we call "hockey" in the Great White North, Nick), helmets being mistaken for footballs on fourth down at the goal line (a coach probably lost his job because of that one!), and even fifth down being mistaken for fourth down on the last play of a game! Really, when the wrong team wins, how can we applaud the random screw-up element that makes it possible?
Hmm. What if the next time there's a mistaken identity or a racially-motivated police shooting it was just chalked up to the "human element" and the newspapers would have to find a different ax to grind? How about if the mail just randomly mis-delivered or lost sight of a handful of packages on occasion? Let's have them KEEP doing it -- it adds that "human element" to walking to my mailbox. Or -- most incredulous of all -- what if our presidential elections kept re-counting and coming up with different numbers. Oh my, could you imagine the uproar that would be silenced by simply applying the "human element" logic to such a situation!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Get 'Cher Dead Weight Here!
All right, in light of the absolutely underwhelming response to my last NBA related post, I figure that the only reasonable decision is to post another one. So here we go!
There are a LOT of reasons that the NBA isn't what it used to be, but I've recently gained an extra-acute awareness of one of the more subtle but ultra-ridiculous ones. If you're making a trade or looking to sign a free agent, guess what one of the BEST things to have available is? Dead weight! "Expiring contracts"! When the Celtics traded for Ray Allen last week, every article mentioned that the absolute BEST part of the trade is what they kept -- Theo Ratliff's contract. In short, he's an completely un-productive 80 year-old guy making like 400 million a year . . . for one more year. Which means that everybody wants him! Why? Because that means that after one more year, that 400 million turns into salary cap space which they can then use to turn around and spend on . . . yep, you guessed it -- Frank Stallone! No, not Frank Stallone, but some other player who's going to be under a massive contract until he's also 80 years old and completely un-productive, at which time they'll be counting down the days until they're able to get out from under yet another "expiring contract."
Ok -- if you didn't get all of that, let me just hit you with the base-line fact: one of the "best assets" to an NBA team is an old, bad, ridiculously overpaid player -- the older, worse, and more overpaid the BETTER! Now, just wrap your head around THAT fact, and ask yourself if there's any wonder that the NBA isn't anywhere near as fan-tastic as it used to be.
There are a LOT of reasons that the NBA isn't what it used to be, but I've recently gained an extra-acute awareness of one of the more subtle but ultra-ridiculous ones. If you're making a trade or looking to sign a free agent, guess what one of the BEST things to have available is? Dead weight! "Expiring contracts"! When the Celtics traded for Ray Allen last week, every article mentioned that the absolute BEST part of the trade is what they kept -- Theo Ratliff's contract. In short, he's an completely un-productive 80 year-old guy making like 400 million a year . . . for one more year. Which means that everybody wants him! Why? Because that means that after one more year, that 400 million turns into salary cap space which they can then use to turn around and spend on . . . yep, you guessed it -- Frank Stallone! No, not Frank Stallone, but some other player who's going to be under a massive contract until he's also 80 years old and completely un-productive, at which time they'll be counting down the days until they're able to get out from under yet another "expiring contract."
Ok -- if you didn't get all of that, let me just hit you with the base-line fact: one of the "best assets" to an NBA team is an old, bad, ridiculously overpaid player -- the older, worse, and more overpaid the BETTER! Now, just wrap your head around THAT fact, and ask yourself if there's any wonder that the NBA isn't anywhere near as fan-tastic as it used to be.
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