5.26.2007
*sigh* missing my cruise buddies
Jon Wilburn sent us a CD of all their photos from our cruise. (ahem, hint hint Stanleys) I like this group photo taken in Roatan, Honduras (in the town of Coxen Hole hahahahahaha) which was for me the prettiest place we visited. I watched a show on either HGTV or Travel Channel the other day about a couple that sold a house on Lake Minitonka, or however you spell it, up in yankee land - to purchase a home on Roatan. MUST BE NICE! The man is an IT person that can work from anywhere, and she has opened a tour guide company. I need to do some research....
This was taken just before Ben, Jon, Jenny, Walt, & Brent did the Zip Line Jungle Canopy tour... Lisa, Dwayne, and I hung out at their ending spot, bonding. :0)
This was taken just before Ben, Jon, Jenny, Walt, & Brent did the Zip Line Jungle Canopy tour... Lisa, Dwayne, and I hung out at their ending spot, bonding. :0)
5.21.2007
CHAMPS
University of Texas Baseball clinched the Big 12 regular season championship this past Saturday against those pesky "Aggys" of Collie Station. They play a split series each year alternating Fridays - then Saturday and Sunday at the other's venue. This year it was Friday night in Collie Station, Sat & Sun in Austin. Texas won Friday night 6-4, after being down 4-1. Saturday was just as close - see photo of the scoreboard here... but Texas won 3-2. A little video of the end of the game is included. I didn't take many photos - it was very crowded at the Saturday game and I didn't go on Sunday. Plus I didn't feel like smuggling my Nikon in. The Kodak doesn't do well at that distance, at dusk. Texas won on Sunday as well - score was 9-1.
Very short video: Big 12 Champs right click & save
Next up - Big 12 Tournament in Okra City starting on Wednesday, and our regional tournament which will be held at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock this year... All on the ROAD TO OMAHA! HOOK 'EM!
Very short video: Big 12 Champs right click & save
Next up - Big 12 Tournament in Okra City starting on Wednesday, and our regional tournament which will be held at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock this year... All on the ROAD TO OMAHA! HOOK 'EM!
5.07.2007
Disch-Falk Follies
Okay, I think I'm the only person that found this hilarious, but I don't care. I'll share it anyway.
Disch-Falk, where the University of Texas plays baseball, is under heavy renovations. There are no "club houses". I don't think UT has a locker room either, but I know for sure the visitors don't. There are port-o-potties down by the visitors' makeshift bull pen. So, yesterday two Missouri players (one may have been an assistant coach, but whatever) were ejected from the game after getting highly ticked off at a bad call at first base. (they were right, but you can't touch an umpire...)
So... they get ejected. Problem is, where do they go? There literally is no locker room. So here is where they went:
The mini score board sits on their portos. That fence he is jumping leads to dangerous territory - the right field crazies:
I don't know how they made it safely, but just a couple of minutes later, the ousted players were spotted by the left field fence: (black jerseys)
Now come on. THAT'S funny. At one point the head coach for Missouri came walking out of the porto with his drawers half down and undone trying to hurry and get back to the game. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture, but probably should have.
I hope the fans that sit close to the visiting team's dugout calm down some. They are getting ridiculous with the taunts. Not even funny anymore, just mean. Then they get mad when a player reacts. By flipping the bird. As one did... but anyway. They are just boys, people. Leave them alone. Root for your team, don't harrass the opposing team. *tap tap* *steps down*
Disch-Falk, where the University of Texas plays baseball, is under heavy renovations. There are no "club houses". I don't think UT has a locker room either, but I know for sure the visitors don't. There are port-o-potties down by the visitors' makeshift bull pen. So, yesterday two Missouri players (one may have been an assistant coach, but whatever) were ejected from the game after getting highly ticked off at a bad call at first base. (they were right, but you can't touch an umpire...)
So... they get ejected. Problem is, where do they go? There literally is no locker room. So here is where they went:
The mini score board sits on their portos. That fence he is jumping leads to dangerous territory - the right field crazies:
I don't know how they made it safely, but just a couple of minutes later, the ousted players were spotted by the left field fence: (black jerseys)
Now come on. THAT'S funny. At one point the head coach for Missouri came walking out of the porto with his drawers half down and undone trying to hurry and get back to the game. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture, but probably should have.
I hope the fans that sit close to the visiting team's dugout calm down some. They are getting ridiculous with the taunts. Not even funny anymore, just mean. Then they get mad when a player reacts. By flipping the bird. As one did... but anyway. They are just boys, people. Leave them alone. Root for your team, don't harrass the opposing team. *tap tap* *steps down*
5.04.2007
The cruelty of Baseball
August "Augie" Garrido came to be the coach of the Longhorn Baseball team in 1996. He is only the third baseball coach in the University's history. He had the unfortunate task of replacing our beloved Cliff Gustafson, who left the university in a cloud of controversy. The details of that have faded, but suffice it to say he had HUGE shoes to fill, especially in the hearts and minds of the die-hard Texas Baseball fans. And... he was from CALIFORNIA! He came from Cal State-Fullerton; an outstanding baseball program. The first couple of years at Texas were tough for him, and the fans were not pleased. While Coach Gus was a Texan, gritty and of few words, here came Coach Garrido - the Zenmaster. He talked of karma and such. We thought he was weird. His first trip to the College World Series, which is a must for us spoiled Texas fans or the season is a failure, was in June of 2000. (Not HIS first trip, but his first at Texas) He went back in 2002 and the Longhorns came home National Champions. We started to like him.
Two things Coach Garrido is quoted as saying, over and over: Baseball is a mental game. Baseball is a cruel game. Hang with me - this is going somewhere.
Tonight the cruelty of the game presented itself - loud and clear. One of my favorite players on this year's team is the catcher, Preston Clark. He is an outstanding ball player. And I'm a little partial to catchers since my brother was one. The cruelty of the sport hit him smack between the eyes tonight in Texas' loss to Missouri in 11 innings. Texas was down 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning. Two guys were on base when Preston came up to bat. He smashed the ball to the outfield, driving in the tying runs. "PRESTON! PRESTON! PRESTON!" So into extra innings the game went. Here's the cruel part. In the top of the 11th inning, Preston overthrew the pitcher on his routine throw back to the pitcher. He's made that toss tens of thousands of times. That error scored what proved to be Missouri's winning run. Augie's words of baseball being a cruel game rang in my ears.
I can't imagine how Preston felt - but I hope he realizes that they would not have been in that 11th inning without his great hit.
After the game, driving home, I was listening to Augie's post game interview. I don't believe I've ever heard a shorter Augie post game interview. I think he said a total of 5 words. The interviewer said something about the Longhorns rallying back. Augie's last word was "Whatever." The interviewer was wise enough to say goodnight.
Glad I wasn't in that locker room after tonight's game.
The nice thing about regular season baseball? For the most part, there's always tomorrow!
Two things Coach Garrido is quoted as saying, over and over: Baseball is a mental game. Baseball is a cruel game. Hang with me - this is going somewhere.
Tonight the cruelty of the game presented itself - loud and clear. One of my favorite players on this year's team is the catcher, Preston Clark. He is an outstanding ball player. And I'm a little partial to catchers since my brother was one. The cruelty of the sport hit him smack between the eyes tonight in Texas' loss to Missouri in 11 innings. Texas was down 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning. Two guys were on base when Preston came up to bat. He smashed the ball to the outfield, driving in the tying runs. "PRESTON! PRESTON! PRESTON!" So into extra innings the game went. Here's the cruel part. In the top of the 11th inning, Preston overthrew the pitcher on his routine throw back to the pitcher. He's made that toss tens of thousands of times. That error scored what proved to be Missouri's winning run. Augie's words of baseball being a cruel game rang in my ears.
I can't imagine how Preston felt - but I hope he realizes that they would not have been in that 11th inning without his great hit.
After the game, driving home, I was listening to Augie's post game interview. I don't believe I've ever heard a shorter Augie post game interview. I think he said a total of 5 words. The interviewer said something about the Longhorns rallying back. Augie's last word was "Whatever." The interviewer was wise enough to say goodnight.
Glad I wasn't in that locker room after tonight's game.
The nice thing about regular season baseball? For the most part, there's always tomorrow!
HOOK 'EM! BEAT MIZZOU!
Stormy Weather and other updates
Tis thunderstorm & tornado season - and we've had our share already. Well, stormage anyway. Thankfully no tornadoes in our immediate area. I took this picture the other night - it was after 9pm and very dark outside. The sky was lit up by all the lightning.
Here's a couple of videos. Right click and save. The first one is short and taken from the front porch - the second was taken from inside the living room looking out the back windows. The electricity went off in the middle of Lost, so there was a 15 minute gap in the TiVo'd show for Ben.
storm video
more storm video
And if you are wondering... DISNEY BOUND! Woo Hoo! My brother and his family want to go, and want us to go with them. I told him it had to be during the cheap season, also known as hurricane season... so we've reserved 2 rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter for 4 days 3 nights in September. Ben so far is not scheduled to go. If I can sell enough of our "stuff" on eBay & Craig's List, I may be able to talk him into it.
Elway had another checkup this past Wednesday, and he continues to be the wunderkind. Good cells up, bad cells down... blood pressure normal. He also gained almost a pound, which his doctor said was good. That means when he eats he's feeding himself, not the cancer. He has graduated to every 3 week appointments now... which will be a bit scary but I think he'll be fine. His oncologist had a little tear in her eye over it - said she didn't know if she could last 3 weeks before seeing Mr. Incredible again! :-)
Here's a couple of videos. Right click and save. The first one is short and taken from the front porch - the second was taken from inside the living room looking out the back windows. The electricity went off in the middle of Lost, so there was a 15 minute gap in the TiVo'd show for Ben.
storm video
more storm video
And if you are wondering... DISNEY BOUND! Woo Hoo! My brother and his family want to go, and want us to go with them. I told him it had to be during the cheap season, also known as hurricane season... so we've reserved 2 rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter for 4 days 3 nights in September. Ben so far is not scheduled to go. If I can sell enough of our "stuff" on eBay & Craig's List, I may be able to talk him into it.
Elway had another checkup this past Wednesday, and he continues to be the wunderkind. Good cells up, bad cells down... blood pressure normal. He also gained almost a pound, which his doctor said was good. That means when he eats he's feeding himself, not the cancer. He has graduated to every 3 week appointments now... which will be a bit scary but I think he'll be fine. His oncologist had a little tear in her eye over it - said she didn't know if she could last 3 weeks before seeing Mr. Incredible again! :-)
Labels: beagle, Disney, home, ice storm
