It's that time of year...Go Bulls! Go Red Sox!

And with the extra inning intentional walk to Big Papi then a Manny double to deep center, the Sox won the "opener" in Japan. Huh? Japan? Whatever.

It's now time for the Boys of Summer to start the season strong and open up a big division lead, slip and slide mid-season to get our hearts racing (and doubts refreshed), fall into their typical late summer/early fall slump just to make all true New Englanders cranky (always cooincides with the arrival of colder temperatures and shorter days, doesn't it) and, maybe just once more, pull off an October miracle and ssshhh...don't talk about it...you know...win the ________. Again. Stay off the juice, guys, or Jose will rat you out in book #3. As for me, I'm not ready for it all yet. I still need to savor '07.

In the mean time, I'm looking forward to the long, hot dog days and a bit of Bus League fun. You know, "Hit the bull, win a steak." That's what summer is all about after all is said and done!

To get you in the mood...

Crash Davis - I believe in the soul, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.

Bye.

'Tsup Peeps!

Hope you had a good weekend and found eggs or painted eggs or threw eggs at bunnies or ate Cadbury cream eggs or cracked eggs or ate jelly beans or squished Peeps! Thanks Easter bunny!

No wonder she's a champ...

From Chrissie Wellington’s Blog

Wow! I have suddenly realized that it was 12 months ago that I was packing up and ready to start my new life as a professional triathlete. What a difference a year makes! I looked back at the first blog that I wrote as a fresh faced, naive novice, and saw these words staring back at me……

“Had I fulfilled my potential, or did I have more to give? Had I pushed my mind and body to the limit? If not, what were those limits? What stars was I capable of grabbing? Without giving it a shot I would never know……”

“But it is not only about physical prowess, about skill or about times or distances, it is about the special something that the athlete has inside, the drive, the ambition, the determination to succeed, the ability to bounce back when faced with adversity - as Muhammad Ali says ‘the will must be stronger than the skill’. There will be good and bad sessions: good and bad races – the key is to learn from both and move on.

Physically, yes, I am getting better. Mentally, too I am learning. But there is a long way to go. I need to learn to relax, to switch off, to focus my mind when surrounded by chaos. I can only watch the others, the masters of their art, follow orders and trust in my coach and believe in myself. Hopefully then I will be able to realise my dream”.

The words from my first blog are still just as relevant now as they were a year ago. There is always room for improvement and I will not stop striving to be a better athlete, mentally and physically. I will make sure I am in the best possible shape when I toe the start line at all three races - and give it absolutely everything I’ve got, and more.

It is 5 weeks away!

I'm #632! Yeah!

OK, how funny is this. Yours truly appears as #632 on the list of Top US Men's Marathon Times in 2007 (as posted on letsrun at http://www.letsrun.com/2008/mensmarathonlist.php). My fastest time last year was no 2:08 or 2:09 run by Ryan Hall but then, again, I'm not Ryan Hall. A 2:35:01 ain't bad for a quad with a job though. Oh yeah, here's another point of fact. Wanna know why I'm on the list with runners? The Jacksonville Marathoner organizers list me as an age group finisher and not a wheelchair finisher. I'm pretty sure there aren't many other wheelchair dudes mixed in on this list. Maybe I should let the two guys who tied for #633, know that they are really #632. I "beat" them by one second. What do you think?

632
Michael Savicki
2:35:01
2:35:01
Jacksonville (FL)
Dec-16

633
Ryan Desgrange
2:35:02
2:35:02
Virginia Beach (VA)
Mar-18

Scott Schmick
2:35:02
2:35:02
Detroit (MI)
Oct-21

It's about the shoes...

So what happens when a guy who's feet never actually touch the ground finds another pair of shoes he likes? He buys 'em, wears 'em and they never wear out. Great bang for the buck! Case and point...presenting my latest addition to the stable, the Adidas Superskate Vulcan Slip. It's retro 1970's and if I wear 'em long enough, they will go from cool to not cool to cool all over again. Remember those red Converse Chuck Taylors that were so fashionable back in the day? Still got 'em. Shoes are sweet.

Be well.

Think Billary is bad, how 'bout a lifetime of Clush?

So I was thinking about something when I was in DC last week and there was all sorts of presidential election stuff happening all around me.

It got me thinking. Follow me here...

Let's go back and start when I was 21 and old enough to know what was happening on the political front. Heck, I was a poli sci major so I suppose I knew just enough to be dangerous. Anyway...

Let's say George H. W. Bush was president from 1989 - 1993, William Jefferson Clinton was then president from 1993 - 2001 and now we have George W. Bush from 2001 - 2009. Bush, Clinton, Bush. Good so far? Here's where it might get tricky (and kinda scary)...

If we soon welcome Billary (see photo) to the white House for 4 or 8 years, that would make the dates close to 2009 - 2013 (or 2017). What if Jeb Bush then decides to run, carry on the Bush tradition and break GW's record of "most presidential days on vacation" while in office? That moves the calendar out to 2013 (or 2017) - 2017 (or 2021). Not to be out done by the Bush clan, Chelsea Clinton then decides to follow in Mom and Dad's footsteps and moves in between 2017 (or 2021) - 2021 (or 2025).

See where I'm going?

So, in 2025, I'd be 57-ish and starting to freak if it looked like the Bush twins were of presidential age and ready to take their turns as the leaders of the "free" world.

Wanna know what will happen next, let's say 16 years later. Me neither. I'll be in Canada by then.

Be well.