Blitz softball

So I had the opportunity to play with Blitz tonight for a doubleheader. Good thing it was against an easy team as we won both games. I was actually pretty nervous going in because I was playing 2nd base and I knew I was the worst player on the team. All the other guys were so good, but I knew that all I had to do was make the right plays and keep the screw ups to a minimum. I did make a few mistakes here and there, but for the most part, I played solid. I also learned a lot by watching how the guys field, bat, and communicate (which was probably the most important thing I got tonight). One other thing I learned was that no matter if you are the best or worst player on the field, there is always something you can improve on. Therefore, you need to always work on various things (technique, positioning, mental confidence, etc.) and continue until you excel at the position (i.e. perfection). I'm so glad for the opportunity to play with Blitz (hey, it could be the one and only time I ever play on Blitz), and I hope I can carry the knowledge I received tonight for SG.

J.P. Ricciardi = worst GM in the history of baseball

Take a look at this Sports Illustrated article.

Basically it's an article that talks about the worst contracts in baseball. What it really explains is why the Blue Jays have been so bad for the past 7 years or so since J.P. Ricciardi became our GM back in 2002.

I love the last few sentences:
(talking about Vernon Wells' ridiculous 7-year, $126 million contract, the worst contract ever)

This deal, to be honest, is not the sort of thing that leads to a general manager getting fired. It's the sort of thing that leads to entire villages getting pillaged. And that's what I mean about Ricciardi. I mean, this contract alone should be enough to put him in the Bad Contract Hall of Fame. But when you look over the whole body of work...he IS the Bad Contract Hall of Fame.

In fact, we should just start referring to bad baseball contracts as "Ricciardis".

"The Shack" and "Going All The Way"

I read two books recently, and interestingly, they're quite different from each other, but somehow I connected with both of them. I'll talk about "The Shack" first. I borrowed this book from Sharon because she said it was a good book and I decided to read it. Initially I wanted to read it because it had an interesting idea. God sends some dude a message telling him to go to this shack in the wilderness, the location of where his youngest daughter was kidnapped and murder previously. Preposterous, yet somehow I won't be surprised if this really happened. So this guy, in a span of a weekend, meets God and his life is changed. I won't go into further detail, but I do recommend this book to read!

Next is "Going All The Way". Bern suggested that I read it. First glance at the title made me laugh, and Bern told me to not think of it the way you're all probably thinking right now. This book actually talked about how to prepare for a marriage that will "go all the way"...thus, a fulfilling marriage that will last forever. Interesting book to read because it really makes you think about what you are doing now in terms of preparing yourself for your future spouse. I really liked the ending how the author provided 7 "habits of the heart":
1. I will deal with my past
2. I will grow with good people
3. I will learn to be a listener
4. I will guard my heart
5. I will practice facing and resolving conflict
6. I will be financially responsible
7. I will invest in my relationship with God
This is all stuff to keep in mind...you know...for the future! =)

After one week...

(This is an excerpt of what I wrote on my small group's forum regarding prayer requests)

To everybody, thanks for the prayer support. I actually thought this week was gonna be rough, but turns out, it was only that Friday when I had a really sad day. I'm really thankful for people praying for me and giving me words of encouragement, and honestly, I feel stronger by all of it. I would've never expected to be like this, but I feel strengthened by God through these times of change. It's been a great learning experience and I know I'll continue to learn more as God continues to teach me. I've been calling her every day and I actually feel even closer to her because now that we are separated, we don't have any clue about what's going on with each other, so we both tell each other pretty much everything that has happened each day. Through these conversations, I feel like we are getting even closer. Kinda ironic how it took a separation like this to bring me and her closer together, but God has His ways. I really treasure the phone calls now more than anything before!

Anyway, if possible, please continue to pray for her as she's looking for jobs over there. She's had some stuff already and will have more stuff in a few weeks (I'm not gonna go into specifics here), so there are things up ahead for her, but she definitely still needs prayer support, as I'm sure we all would appreciate if we were in her position. So yup, thanks in advance!

Formosan 2009

Just want to leave a note saying...
Team NIICE...FORMOSAN 2009 CO-ED REC CHAMPS! =)
3-1 round robin, then win in semis and finals!
DRI-FIT T-SHIRT!!! =)