A friend of mine once gave me a sweater featuring the line "The Truly Educated Never Graduate." Those who know me might think, "How right he was, and is." Since losing my job due to budget cuts, I have returned to school in order to at least start the process of acquiring another post-graduate degree.
Those who know me will laugh--or simply nod their heads and roll their eyes--when they read this, because I always seem to head back to school after being away from it for short periods of time. I tend to head back as a teacher, yes, but even more often, it seems, as a student.
I'm certified to teach English in Minnesota to grades 5 to 12 (ages 10 to 18, or thereabouts), and I've also taught English at the university level. My educational and work background allowed me to teach English and a few other subjects to high schoolers in England, as well. This time around, I'm hoping to eventually become certified to teach Literacy and Reading to both immigrant children and "struggling" readers whose native country is the U.S. I've done some of this type of work in the past, and found it rewarding.
We'll see how things go. Obviously, financial constraints and employment opportunities will play a big role with regards to how this process plays out. So, too, will the fact that Mrs. Hasslington and I may or may not stay in the U.S. over the long-term. But while I find that my collections of university and post-university degrees (along with my various certifications) continues to grow over time, and while I find that this fact often limits my job opportunities due to pay scale issues, I also enjoy the process of returning to a university setting somewhat regularly.
It's true that in some cases the "truly educated" (whatever that means) do not graduate from school, though it's equally true that many "truly educated" folks have long-since graduated. Hence, it's difficult to pigeonhole people in these regards. It was, however, my grandfather's firm belief that the more formal education you can get, the better, particularly if you "link" it with a mindset that considers informal education as equally important and complementary to formal education. So, here I go again.
Besides, yesterday I took part in a round-table talk that dealt with academic discussions and disagreements regarding what constitutes "multiculturalism" and "authentic multicultural literature," and the extent to which these discussions should "play out" across the disciplines and at all educational levels. Prior to that, I helped a kindergartener add six apples to four bananas. (We managed to get the final sum correct.)
I enjoyed both activities very much.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
A Good Man's Life
My maternal grandfather, who grew up during the Great Depression, served his country in World War II, and went on to become a successful electrician, passed away this past Saturday morning. He was eighty-seven years old. His death was expected, as he had battled multiple infections and multiple instances of pneumonia over the last year or so, and had struggled mightily of late. He had recently been transferred to hospice care.
I'm relieved regarding this situation because it has put my grandmother's mind at ease. My grandfather's illness had taken an emotional toll on her, but in the last few days she has already begun to look and sound better, and she has stated that she feels far more at ease now that her husband is at peace. They were married for nearly sixty-seven years.
My grandfather was a fiercely independent thinker. Politically, he voted for Republicans the majority of the time, but he never bought wholesale into exclusively "conservative" or "liberal" political dogma. (He considered those who did buy fully into any given political dogma to be mediocre thinkers at best.) Though he was a strong believer in God, he was nonetheless very skeptical of religious doctrines and the various reasons why people embrace them. Though he was a tireless worker, he nonetheless believed that there was always time to read--and read widely he most certainly did. Though he was a war veteran who was proud of his country, he nonetheless shied away from describing himself as a "patriot," which he considered a juvenile mindset akin to unreasonable jingoism. Though he was consistent and steady in his decisions, he often said that "...when someone says 'it's either this way or that way,' the true answer is often a little of both." Though he was happy and proud of his accomplishments, he rarely spoke of them, and he admitted that he had personal flaws, as do we all.
Though he was my grandparent, I always considered him first and foremost my friend.
My grandfather had what I (and others) might refer to as a "determined mindset." I guess you had to know him to understand fully what I mean. After I learned of his death, I found myself thinking not only of him but of some lines from Winston Churchill (another very "determined" individual, and someone with personal flaws) I memorized somewhere along the way. I don't know why I thought of those lines, except that they are famous, mellifluous, and from an era with which my grandfather was quite familiar indeed. They are the concluding lines are from the "Wars Are Not Won By Evacuations" speech of June 1940, delivered in the House of Commons. Given that they are being written down from memory, I may have accidentally altered a word or two, but as I remember them, they are as follows:
"...we shall never surrender--and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old."
My grandfather served in the Pacific theater, not in Europe. But, in his own way, he helped to bring into reality Mr. Churchill's wish. He was one of millions of people, from North America and Europe and elsewhere, to do that. Yet the amazing thing is that he and many of his contemporaries never fixated unduly on that astonishing accomplishment, or the horrors they saw as they brought it to life.
Each day, we lose more and more people who grew up during the Great Depression and lived through World War II. This is sad, but it is the natural way of things. It would be far more sad if we forgot the personal stories that they pass on in their own unique ways, sometimes quietly and perhaps only occasionally. I will not forget the personal stories my grandfather told me.
I'm relieved regarding this situation because it has put my grandmother's mind at ease. My grandfather's illness had taken an emotional toll on her, but in the last few days she has already begun to look and sound better, and she has stated that she feels far more at ease now that her husband is at peace. They were married for nearly sixty-seven years.
My grandfather was a fiercely independent thinker. Politically, he voted for Republicans the majority of the time, but he never bought wholesale into exclusively "conservative" or "liberal" political dogma. (He considered those who did buy fully into any given political dogma to be mediocre thinkers at best.) Though he was a strong believer in God, he was nonetheless very skeptical of religious doctrines and the various reasons why people embrace them. Though he was a tireless worker, he nonetheless believed that there was always time to read--and read widely he most certainly did. Though he was a war veteran who was proud of his country, he nonetheless shied away from describing himself as a "patriot," which he considered a juvenile mindset akin to unreasonable jingoism. Though he was consistent and steady in his decisions, he often said that "...when someone says 'it's either this way or that way,' the true answer is often a little of both." Though he was happy and proud of his accomplishments, he rarely spoke of them, and he admitted that he had personal flaws, as do we all.
Though he was my grandparent, I always considered him first and foremost my friend.
My grandfather had what I (and others) might refer to as a "determined mindset." I guess you had to know him to understand fully what I mean. After I learned of his death, I found myself thinking not only of him but of some lines from Winston Churchill (another very "determined" individual, and someone with personal flaws) I memorized somewhere along the way. I don't know why I thought of those lines, except that they are famous, mellifluous, and from an era with which my grandfather was quite familiar indeed. They are the concluding lines are from the "Wars Are Not Won By Evacuations" speech of June 1940, delivered in the House of Commons. Given that they are being written down from memory, I may have accidentally altered a word or two, but as I remember them, they are as follows:
"...we shall never surrender--and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old."
My grandfather served in the Pacific theater, not in Europe. But, in his own way, he helped to bring into reality Mr. Churchill's wish. He was one of millions of people, from North America and Europe and elsewhere, to do that. Yet the amazing thing is that he and many of his contemporaries never fixated unduly on that astonishing accomplishment, or the horrors they saw as they brought it to life.
Each day, we lose more and more people who grew up during the Great Depression and lived through World War II. This is sad, but it is the natural way of things. It would be far more sad if we forgot the personal stories that they pass on in their own unique ways, sometimes quietly and perhaps only occasionally. I will not forget the personal stories my grandfather told me.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Today, I Have...
1.) ...visited an ill grandparent in the hospital...
2.) ...witnessed two drivers lay relentlessly on their horns in a seemingly endless struggle to determine which of them was more self-righteously moronic...
3.) ...read and responded to what I found to be a thoughtful on-line posting regarding the nature of God (or, if you prefer, "god")...
4.) ...watched fans at Wrigley Field taunt their own player, Milton Bradley, for forgetting the number of outs in a particular inning and looking a bit foolish because of it... ("Way to go, Minnesota Twins!," by the way)...
5.) ...sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the silence...
6.) ...worried about various things...
7.) ...decided to just let a few other things go...
8.) ...contemplated the idea of reading a novel this evening...
9.) ...contemplated the idea of heading out to the pub this evening...
10.) ...heard what I consider to be the worst popular song in at least the last several years, "Birthday Sex," blaring from a nearby stereo...
11.) ...wondered where I'm headed in the next few years, in a metaphorical sense...
12.) ...wondered where we're all headed in the next few years, in a metaphorical sense...
13.) ...walked by a display reading "Flowers," which sat empty of both flowers and people, and wondered whether that was a good cultural indicator or a bad one, or both...
14.) ...watched the Western World's reliance on oil play out, as always, in a rote and consistent manner...
15.) ...thought to myself, 'What a logical, nonsensical, normal, weird, wonderful, awful, funny, sad, content, desperate, meaningful, superficial world this is.' I'm glad to be a part of it, even on those occasions when I struggle mightily making my way in it. That, at least, I know for sure.
2.) ...witnessed two drivers lay relentlessly on their horns in a seemingly endless struggle to determine which of them was more self-righteously moronic...
3.) ...read and responded to what I found to be a thoughtful on-line posting regarding the nature of God (or, if you prefer, "god")...
4.) ...watched fans at Wrigley Field taunt their own player, Milton Bradley, for forgetting the number of outs in a particular inning and looking a bit foolish because of it... ("Way to go, Minnesota Twins!," by the way)...
5.) ...sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the silence...
6.) ...worried about various things...
7.) ...decided to just let a few other things go...
8.) ...contemplated the idea of reading a novel this evening...
9.) ...contemplated the idea of heading out to the pub this evening...
10.) ...heard what I consider to be the worst popular song in at least the last several years, "Birthday Sex," blaring from a nearby stereo...
11.) ...wondered where I'm headed in the next few years, in a metaphorical sense...
12.) ...wondered where we're all headed in the next few years, in a metaphorical sense...
13.) ...walked by a display reading "Flowers," which sat empty of both flowers and people, and wondered whether that was a good cultural indicator or a bad one, or both...
14.) ...watched the Western World's reliance on oil play out, as always, in a rote and consistent manner...
15.) ...thought to myself, 'What a logical, nonsensical, normal, weird, wonderful, awful, funny, sad, content, desperate, meaningful, superficial world this is.' I'm glad to be a part of it, even on those occasions when I struggle mightily making my way in it. That, at least, I know for sure.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Barack, Paul, Anji, And A Rag-Tag Slew Of Professional Baseball Players
THE PRESIDENT GETS A WORD OR TWO, EVEN DURING THE "SILLY SEASON"
I could go on and on (and on some more) about politics. Or not. It's the summer, so I choose the latter option.
That being said, I think The Economist--which is a fairly conservative magazine, by the way--had a very good recent take on U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy performance so far, in the context of former Vice President Dick Cheney's critical remarks.
(Like The Economist writer(s), I think Mr. Obama has done a generally good job so far, though he has not been perfect, of course.)
For what it's worth, here are a few excerpts from the article "Tough Enough?" from the May 30 issue of The Economist:
"...in fact Mr. Obama passes the Cheney test fairly well, providing a well-calibrated combination of toughness and strategic innovation. He may have abandoned Bush-era phrases such as 'the war on terror'... [but] ...he has increased the number of troops in Afghanistan by around 20,000. He has also stepped up drone attacks on what the American army calls the 'AfPak' region. Far from abandoning the war on terror, Mr. Obama is shifting its central front from Iraq to Afghanistan, and doing what he can to sell it better. That hardly counts and naive doveishness.
"Mr. Cheney concentrated his heaviest rhetorical fire on Mr. Obama's opposition to 'enhanced interrogation.' But such opposition is hardly a sign of wimpishness. Large numbers of military and former military officers, including David Petraeus, the head of Central Command, and John McCain, a man who was brutally tortured by the North Vietnamese, have come out strongly against practices such as waterboarding, for both practical and moral reasons. The information that such techniques produce is often tainted, and the damage that they do to America's image around the world is immense....
"[Still], Mr. Obama needs to fill the gaps in his administration as quickly as possible. He also needs to lower expectations about what can be achieved by replacing one American president with another...."
For the text of the entire article, please go to the following web address:
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13743258
OH, "ANJI," WE HARDLY KNEW YI!
My favorite musical artist is Paul Simon, who will turn 68 this coming October, the same month I turn 34. (I'm not ashamed to admit that my favorite musician is approximately twice my age.) Simon and Garfunkel were great, as was Paul's solo "Graceland" album, but he's done a whole lot more than those two things over his 50+ year career (!). For instance, the web address directly below this paragraph will send you to a clip of Paul and his look-alike brother Eddie doing their take on a classic instrumental piece. "Graceland" it ain't.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBONNx8cvZ4
FANTASY BASEBALL IS NOT ALWAYS FANTASTIC
My fantasy baseball team is awful. Well, that's not entirely accurate. It would be far more accurate to say that my fantasy baseball team was awful. Now--by which I mean the past two weeks--they actually seem to be holding their own.
Playing in any sports fantasy league is fun when you are one of the original members of the league in which you play, because you can "work the rules" in order to allow yourself particular "keepers," who are players that you can keep on your team from one season to the next.
The scenario is quite different when you join the league a few years into its operations, as I did this past spring. I joined because I follow the Minnesota Twins, my favorite Major League Baseball team, in an almost religious manner every year. This also means that I follow quite closely the American League Central division, of which they are an integral part, as well as the entire American League. However, over the past few years I've lost interest in the other roughly-half of the MLB world, the National League (of which the Twins are not a part). I've found myself only really catching-up with them during the last few weeks of the regular season and the post-season.
Hence, I thought that joining a fantasy league would help me to keep interest in the whole of Major League Baseball. It has, and for that I think I made the right decision in joining.
Yet there is a problem with this situation, at least for me: I joined a fantasy league a few years after its inaugural year, which means that most of the other members had "keepers" from last year, such as Albert Pujols, Johan Santana, Mark Teixeira, etc., etc. The best of the best were already taken; I was playing from behind from the start.
This meant that on draft day I was going to have to be very savvy, in order to make up a little ground prior to opening day. Yet things started to go south immediately with my pitching strategy, because my first choice, Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays, was taken just before I had the chance to select him. Never mind, I thought, I'll select Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, who I was sure would have a great year. People might snigger that I took him so early in the draft, but I'd have the last laugh. But then someone took him, too, just before I could select him for my team.
It's still pretty early in the season, but as of right now, Halladay and Greinke are the best starting pitchers in the American League. One of them will probably wind up winning the Cy Young Award. (My choice as of today would be Halladay by a hair, but as I say, it's too early to speculate in earnest.)
So, with some other great pitchers having already been selected, I settled for Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies as my first starting pitcher. He won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award last year, and he deserved it. However, my contentment with this choice fell to pieces when he was almost immediately injured and started the season in awful fashion. Then, when he overcame this injury several weeks later and started to pitch well, he sprained his ankle, which set him back another few weeks. Thankfully, he's finally healthy and pitching superbly at present, so I'm happy that I didn't trade him. Still, his godawful early performances hurt my overall fantasy team as much as his solid current performances are helping it.
He wasn't my only pick that went awry in these first two months of this season. I selected an ostensibly "healthy" Lance Berkman as my first baseman (Pujols, Teixeira, and Morneau were already taken). His production tailed off in the final few months of last season, but overall last year was a huge success for him. That has yet to translate to this year, however, as he has started off cold-as-ice at the plate. (His batting average is under .250 right now, and it was under .200 for quite some time; his home run total is 10, which is good for a lot of players but only so-so for Berkman). This may be due to the suggestion that he is, according to a few little birdies who have picked-up some possibly-true information of late, evidently "working-through a few wrist problems early this season." If true, I'd have appreciated knowing that prior to selecting him....
And so it goes. Please let it suffice to say that my team has been awful this season, with a few exceptions. So I dumped a few of my original players and acquired a few other players who have generally helped my team. But--let the sunshine in!--a few of my original players who I've kept have started to really come around of late, too, to the point where I basically tied my opposition of two weeks ago and beat my opposing team of last week. I could still use some starting pitching help, but my relievers are solid and my hitters have woken up of late.
I'm "in the game" again.
The following is my rather rag-tag fantasy team, and how they've done for me so far....
Catcher--JASON VERITEK (Boston). I initially selected Ryan Doumit, but he almost immediately got hurt badly. So I scrambled to get Veritek, who only plays about four or five days a week, but is fairly solid. GRADE: C+
First Base--LANCE BERKMAN (Houston). You've already heard about him. I'm hoping he turns it around. He's certainly capable of doing that. GRADE: D+
Second Base--FREDDY SANCHEZ (Pittsburgh). I tried to take a chance on Mike Aviles, and that proved a bad move. So I switched to Asdrubal Cabrera, who was having a great start to the season, but then hurt his shoulder and is currently not playing. It was pure luck that the talented Sanchez was available, but this is the first week I've played him, so I have to give him a GRADE of INCOMPLETE.
Short Stop--DEREK JETER (New York Yankees). He's always a good choice, and his numbers this year are strong once again. GRADE: B+
Third Base--AUBREY HUFF (Baltimore). He got off to a spectacular start, but he's cooled off considerably of late. Still, he's been openly angry at himself for his recent performances. If he can channel that energy, he should be fine. GRADE: B
Outfielders--ADAM DUNN (Washington, D.C.); CARLOS LEE (Houston); BOBBY ABREU (Los Angeles Angels). Dunn's batting average hardly inspires confidence, but it never really did, so that's par for the course. Anyway, his other numbers are great so far, and that's what matters. Lee is a bit of a mixed-bag, as his average is very strong but he could drive in a few more runs. Still, I'm content with him so far. Abreu seems to have lost (almost completely) the ability to hit for power, but he's made up for it, at least to a certain extent, with his solid on-base-percentage and stolen base numbers, so he's doing fine. DUNN: A-; LEE: B; ABREU: B-.
Bench Players--JASON KUBEL (Minnesota); MIKE NAPOLI (Los Angeles Angels); PABLO SANDOVAL (San Francisco). Kubel is off to a very good start to the season, but he's bothered by knee troubles at present, which is not a good sign. Napoli is in a slump at the plate; I hope he shakes it off. Sandoval is a talented youngster in his second season at the Major League level. KUBEL: B+; NAPOLI: C+; SANDOVAL: B+.
Starting Pitchers--ZACH DUKE (Pittsburgh); COLE HAMELS (Philadelphia); UBALDO JIMENEZ (Colorado); JASON MARQUIS (Colorado); TIM WAKEFIELD (Boston). Jimenez and Marquis are recent acquisitions, though they've pitched fairly well for me in the short while they've been on my fantasy team. We'll see how it goes with them. Duke has been a pleasant surprise so far. Hamels was awful due to injuries, but is now pitching very well. (He's basically gone from F-level to A-level over the past month.) Wakefield plays on a team that wins a lot, which is why he's in my starting rotation. DUKE: A-. HAMELS: C+. WAKEFIELD: C. JIMENEZ and MARQUIS: INCOMPLETE.
Relief Pitchers--RYAN FRANKLIN (Saint Louis); JOE NATHAN (Minnesota). They're both putting up consistent, solid numbers. (Franklin's performance is a bit of a surprise, Nathan's is not). My only complaint is that Nathan hasn't had enough save opportunities, but that will probably turn around in the coming months. FRANKLIN: B+. NATHAN: B.
Bench Pitchers--BRETT MYERS (Philadelphia); ANDY PETTITTE (New York Yankees); RAFAEL SORIANO (Atlanta). I blame myself for selecting Brett Myers, which I felt was a bad idea at the time and still do. I don't know why I selected him, to be honest. Pettitte is solid as always but battling back problems, so his numbers aren't as good as they could be. Soriano is a pleasant surprise, at least so far. MYERS: D-; PETTITTE: C+; SORIANO: B+.
I could go on and on (and on some more) about politics. Or not. It's the summer, so I choose the latter option.
That being said, I think The Economist--which is a fairly conservative magazine, by the way--had a very good recent take on U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy performance so far, in the context of former Vice President Dick Cheney's critical remarks.
(Like The Economist writer(s), I think Mr. Obama has done a generally good job so far, though he has not been perfect, of course.)
For what it's worth, here are a few excerpts from the article "Tough Enough?" from the May 30 issue of The Economist:
"...in fact Mr. Obama passes the Cheney test fairly well, providing a well-calibrated combination of toughness and strategic innovation. He may have abandoned Bush-era phrases such as 'the war on terror'... [but] ...he has increased the number of troops in Afghanistan by around 20,000. He has also stepped up drone attacks on what the American army calls the 'AfPak' region. Far from abandoning the war on terror, Mr. Obama is shifting its central front from Iraq to Afghanistan, and doing what he can to sell it better. That hardly counts and naive doveishness.
"Mr. Cheney concentrated his heaviest rhetorical fire on Mr. Obama's opposition to 'enhanced interrogation.' But such opposition is hardly a sign of wimpishness. Large numbers of military and former military officers, including David Petraeus, the head of Central Command, and John McCain, a man who was brutally tortured by the North Vietnamese, have come out strongly against practices such as waterboarding, for both practical and moral reasons. The information that such techniques produce is often tainted, and the damage that they do to America's image around the world is immense....
"[Still], Mr. Obama needs to fill the gaps in his administration as quickly as possible. He also needs to lower expectations about what can be achieved by replacing one American president with another...."
For the text of the entire article, please go to the following web address:
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13743258
OH, "ANJI," WE HARDLY KNEW YI!
My favorite musical artist is Paul Simon, who will turn 68 this coming October, the same month I turn 34. (I'm not ashamed to admit that my favorite musician is approximately twice my age.) Simon and Garfunkel were great, as was Paul's solo "Graceland" album, but he's done a whole lot more than those two things over his 50+ year career (!). For instance, the web address directly below this paragraph will send you to a clip of Paul and his look-alike brother Eddie doing their take on a classic instrumental piece. "Graceland" it ain't.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBONNx8cvZ4
FANTASY BASEBALL IS NOT ALWAYS FANTASTIC
My fantasy baseball team is awful. Well, that's not entirely accurate. It would be far more accurate to say that my fantasy baseball team was awful. Now--by which I mean the past two weeks--they actually seem to be holding their own.
Playing in any sports fantasy league is fun when you are one of the original members of the league in which you play, because you can "work the rules" in order to allow yourself particular "keepers," who are players that you can keep on your team from one season to the next.
The scenario is quite different when you join the league a few years into its operations, as I did this past spring. I joined because I follow the Minnesota Twins, my favorite Major League Baseball team, in an almost religious manner every year. This also means that I follow quite closely the American League Central division, of which they are an integral part, as well as the entire American League. However, over the past few years I've lost interest in the other roughly-half of the MLB world, the National League (of which the Twins are not a part). I've found myself only really catching-up with them during the last few weeks of the regular season and the post-season.
Hence, I thought that joining a fantasy league would help me to keep interest in the whole of Major League Baseball. It has, and for that I think I made the right decision in joining.
Yet there is a problem with this situation, at least for me: I joined a fantasy league a few years after its inaugural year, which means that most of the other members had "keepers" from last year, such as Albert Pujols, Johan Santana, Mark Teixeira, etc., etc. The best of the best were already taken; I was playing from behind from the start.
This meant that on draft day I was going to have to be very savvy, in order to make up a little ground prior to opening day. Yet things started to go south immediately with my pitching strategy, because my first choice, Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays, was taken just before I had the chance to select him. Never mind, I thought, I'll select Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, who I was sure would have a great year. People might snigger that I took him so early in the draft, but I'd have the last laugh. But then someone took him, too, just before I could select him for my team.
It's still pretty early in the season, but as of right now, Halladay and Greinke are the best starting pitchers in the American League. One of them will probably wind up winning the Cy Young Award. (My choice as of today would be Halladay by a hair, but as I say, it's too early to speculate in earnest.)
So, with some other great pitchers having already been selected, I settled for Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies as my first starting pitcher. He won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award last year, and he deserved it. However, my contentment with this choice fell to pieces when he was almost immediately injured and started the season in awful fashion. Then, when he overcame this injury several weeks later and started to pitch well, he sprained his ankle, which set him back another few weeks. Thankfully, he's finally healthy and pitching superbly at present, so I'm happy that I didn't trade him. Still, his godawful early performances hurt my overall fantasy team as much as his solid current performances are helping it.
He wasn't my only pick that went awry in these first two months of this season. I selected an ostensibly "healthy" Lance Berkman as my first baseman (Pujols, Teixeira, and Morneau were already taken). His production tailed off in the final few months of last season, but overall last year was a huge success for him. That has yet to translate to this year, however, as he has started off cold-as-ice at the plate. (His batting average is under .250 right now, and it was under .200 for quite some time; his home run total is 10, which is good for a lot of players but only so-so for Berkman). This may be due to the suggestion that he is, according to a few little birdies who have picked-up some possibly-true information of late, evidently "working-through a few wrist problems early this season." If true, I'd have appreciated knowing that prior to selecting him....
And so it goes. Please let it suffice to say that my team has been awful this season, with a few exceptions. So I dumped a few of my original players and acquired a few other players who have generally helped my team. But--let the sunshine in!--a few of my original players who I've kept have started to really come around of late, too, to the point where I basically tied my opposition of two weeks ago and beat my opposing team of last week. I could still use some starting pitching help, but my relievers are solid and my hitters have woken up of late.
I'm "in the game" again.
The following is my rather rag-tag fantasy team, and how they've done for me so far....
Catcher--JASON VERITEK (Boston). I initially selected Ryan Doumit, but he almost immediately got hurt badly. So I scrambled to get Veritek, who only plays about four or five days a week, but is fairly solid. GRADE: C+
First Base--LANCE BERKMAN (Houston). You've already heard about him. I'm hoping he turns it around. He's certainly capable of doing that. GRADE: D+
Second Base--FREDDY SANCHEZ (Pittsburgh). I tried to take a chance on Mike Aviles, and that proved a bad move. So I switched to Asdrubal Cabrera, who was having a great start to the season, but then hurt his shoulder and is currently not playing. It was pure luck that the talented Sanchez was available, but this is the first week I've played him, so I have to give him a GRADE of INCOMPLETE.
Short Stop--DEREK JETER (New York Yankees). He's always a good choice, and his numbers this year are strong once again. GRADE: B+
Third Base--AUBREY HUFF (Baltimore). He got off to a spectacular start, but he's cooled off considerably of late. Still, he's been openly angry at himself for his recent performances. If he can channel that energy, he should be fine. GRADE: B
Outfielders--ADAM DUNN (Washington, D.C.); CARLOS LEE (Houston); BOBBY ABREU (Los Angeles Angels). Dunn's batting average hardly inspires confidence, but it never really did, so that's par for the course. Anyway, his other numbers are great so far, and that's what matters. Lee is a bit of a mixed-bag, as his average is very strong but he could drive in a few more runs. Still, I'm content with him so far. Abreu seems to have lost (almost completely) the ability to hit for power, but he's made up for it, at least to a certain extent, with his solid on-base-percentage and stolen base numbers, so he's doing fine. DUNN: A-; LEE: B; ABREU: B-.
Bench Players--JASON KUBEL (Minnesota); MIKE NAPOLI (Los Angeles Angels); PABLO SANDOVAL (San Francisco). Kubel is off to a very good start to the season, but he's bothered by knee troubles at present, which is not a good sign. Napoli is in a slump at the plate; I hope he shakes it off. Sandoval is a talented youngster in his second season at the Major League level. KUBEL: B+; NAPOLI: C+; SANDOVAL: B+.
Starting Pitchers--ZACH DUKE (Pittsburgh); COLE HAMELS (Philadelphia); UBALDO JIMENEZ (Colorado); JASON MARQUIS (Colorado); TIM WAKEFIELD (Boston). Jimenez and Marquis are recent acquisitions, though they've pitched fairly well for me in the short while they've been on my fantasy team. We'll see how it goes with them. Duke has been a pleasant surprise so far. Hamels was awful due to injuries, but is now pitching very well. (He's basically gone from F-level to A-level over the past month.) Wakefield plays on a team that wins a lot, which is why he's in my starting rotation. DUKE: A-. HAMELS: C+. WAKEFIELD: C. JIMENEZ and MARQUIS: INCOMPLETE.
Relief Pitchers--RYAN FRANKLIN (Saint Louis); JOE NATHAN (Minnesota). They're both putting up consistent, solid numbers. (Franklin's performance is a bit of a surprise, Nathan's is not). My only complaint is that Nathan hasn't had enough save opportunities, but that will probably turn around in the coming months. FRANKLIN: B+. NATHAN: B.
Bench Pitchers--BRETT MYERS (Philadelphia); ANDY PETTITTE (New York Yankees); RAFAEL SORIANO (Atlanta). I blame myself for selecting Brett Myers, which I felt was a bad idea at the time and still do. I don't know why I selected him, to be honest. Pettitte is solid as always but battling back problems, so his numbers aren't as good as they could be. Soriano is a pleasant surprise, at least so far. MYERS: D-; PETTITTE: C+; SORIANO: B+.
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Beneficial Sound Of A Bit More Silence
I first wrote the following paragraphs as a response to a recent post on Penigma's blog-site (http://penigma.blogspot.com/). You can check-out his site in order to see the original context in which they were written. I only occasionally double-up when it comes to posting my comments, but I thought that these particular comments also do pretty well outside of their original context. So I've decided to reproduce them--with a few changes--and here they are:
I was selected to give the best man's speech at a friend's wedding several years ago. I told the audience that the groom wasn't so much a leader as a superb follower, and this was because he wasn't so much a talker as a quiet, analytical listener.
This is to suggest that, due to the fact that he actually listens closely more often than he talks, he always seems to associate with sensible people. This also means that he avoids the trade-marked trendy crowd, and the culturally-motivated crowd, and the self-righteous people who are likely to look silly a few years from now, but who are at present so myopically attached to their short-sighted viewpoints that they fail to foresee this.
In this way, he's actually not just a great follower, but a follower after whom others can model themselves, if they wish to take a not-exactly-popular but certainly smart "long-view" look on life. So he isn't just a discerning follower, which would be more than good enough. He's also a quiet leader, at least to those who are patient enough to also be discerning.
I think most all of us could benefit by talking less and listening more in this needlessly loud, often uninformed world.
I was selected to give the best man's speech at a friend's wedding several years ago. I told the audience that the groom wasn't so much a leader as a superb follower, and this was because he wasn't so much a talker as a quiet, analytical listener.
This is to suggest that, due to the fact that he actually listens closely more often than he talks, he always seems to associate with sensible people. This also means that he avoids the trade-marked trendy crowd, and the culturally-motivated crowd, and the self-righteous people who are likely to look silly a few years from now, but who are at present so myopically attached to their short-sighted viewpoints that they fail to foresee this.
In this way, he's actually not just a great follower, but a follower after whom others can model themselves, if they wish to take a not-exactly-popular but certainly smart "long-view" look on life. So he isn't just a discerning follower, which would be more than good enough. He's also a quiet leader, at least to those who are patient enough to also be discerning.
I think most all of us could benefit by talking less and listening more in this needlessly loud, often uninformed world.
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