Life...Exciting & New

I need to start packing my life with living, not surviving. Best way to do that: satisfy the three key elements of anyone's life: mind, body, soul.
Mind: Write more and learn more
Body: Exercise and eat right
Soul: Church, read, love my wife everyday
It's as simple as that...yet hard as hell to implement. Then, there are the fringes that make life worth living, such as enjoying nature, listening to music, watching baseball...I could come up with a list to crash this site if I wished. There are so many wonderful things about the world we live in that it's hard to keep focused. I understand how someone with ADD feels (Do I have ADD?)...The lists I keep and sometimes follow do nothing but randomize my life, exacerbating the lack of focus. Well, no more! As much as I love random events, these games I play with living are simply separating me from truly enjoying my life. Therefore, starting today, I will become more ritualized in my actions. Focus should result...Obviously, more on this later.

Lastings Milledge, Will You Kindly Step Off!

I just read an article posted to my Twitter from my good pal @federalbaseball that references an interview Lastings Milledge granted Jim Bowden on his Sirius/XM radio show earlier this week. Now, I know this is low-lying fruit for anyone who's been a Nationals fan for any amount of time, but I had to comment on some of the remarks from this interview. There's a snippet from Milledge's father before the interview transcript, where he states, "This is the first time I've seen smiles on his face." Two things: One: I saw him smiling plenty of times, even when he'd screwed up in the outfield or swung at a pitch two feet below the zone. Two: He's probably happy to be in a baseball market that is not as ridiculously scrutinized as the New York and Washington markets. I could be wrong, but Pittsburgh fans only seem to be concerned with the Steelers and the Penguins. Anyone who thinks I'm wrong...Prove it! In general, though, Milledge is very complimentary to the guys he played with in Washington, including his good buddy Willie Harris. Milledge doesn't seem like a bad guy...He just seems immature, just like our former GM who can't stop talking about us. Find another topic, Jim! Talk to you later...

50 Wins for the Caps!!!

I know it's not as big of a milestone as clinching first in the Eastern Conference, but winning 50 games in a season is a milestone not many teams can brag about. Now, the Caps are one of those teams, defeating the Atlanta Thrashers 2-1 tonight. Matt Bradley scored a third period goal that proved to be the game winner, a nifty backhander that may have also closed the door on the Thrashers' playoff chances. Mike Green had another solid game (including an assist) and Semyon Varlamov stopped 19 of 20 shots. However, the Caps still need to work on defensive posturing, as opponents continue to get behind our defenders at a high rate. Tonight was better in the sense that Varley didn't have to face a shooting gallery for the majority of his 60 minutes of work. But, the Caps need to focus on defensive intensity if they hope to contend for the Stanley Cup. The offense is clearly there, so here's hoping that the defense strengthens soon.

What I Think of the Julio Lugo Acquisition

This morning various sources announced that the Orioles have acquired Julio Lugo from the Cardinals for a player to be named later. No, that player won't be Matt Wieters (Very funny, April Fools pranksters...). What's important right now is what the Lugo deal means to this year's team. Besides a guy who likes to show off his pipe cleaners in UnderArmour shirts, Lugo is a fairly decent offensive middle infielder. He walks a decent amount and has okay speed on the basepaths. Unfortunately, his batting average hasn't been great in a while (particularly against righties, who slay him) and he strikes out a lot more than he should considering his lack of pop. Defensively, he's a solid meh. Two bonuses: He's usually very good against left-handed pitching (an Oriole need) and the Red Sox are still paying for his crappy contract a couple of years back (which just makes me happy on a personal level). However, this acquisition makes me a little nervous, and probably in an irrational way. Lugo plays both shortstop and second base. Could he be insurance in case Roberts' recent back troubles are a little more serious than brass wants to admit? God, I hope not...Anyway, talk to you all later...

Wizards 1-16 in March...Break 'Em Up!

So the Wizards finally broke their team record losing streak last night, beating the New Orleans Hornets 96-91. Yeah, they've been close in a bunch of games this month, but they have never looked really good. And, honestly, the Hornets are clearly punting the rest of the season, so the win wasn't a high quality victory. But, the Wiz are 1-2 in their last 3, whereas the Caps are 0-3. Yeah, that is a HUGE stretch, but it is a positive. Mike Miller was able to hit a layup, Andrae Blatche didn't become a one man gang, and the D managed to survive a late 11-1 run by the Hornets to secure the victory. Sixteen game losing streaks in the NBA are rare, but any losing streak of ten or more games is the sure sign of a team in need of major rebuilding, which is what Wizards fans have to look forward to over the next year. Well, back to work. 2 posts in a day! Later...

I'm Not Fooling...I Hate the Red Sox!

Once again, Jon Lester made the Baltimore Orioles hitters looks stupid. Yesterday was just another chapter in the mastery the lefty has against anyone wearing an O's jersey. Jim Palmer, one of the greatest O's pitchers, practically drooled about Lester, saying 'he's the complete pitcher," and "I put him in five top 5 guys in the majors." Lester is just another reason for me to hate the Red Sox. True, his story of conquering cancer to make it as a dominant starting pitcher is an inspiring tale, but that doesn't temper my venom when his team takes the field. Plus, I can't stand the Youkilis scowl everytime a lineup card is shown on the TV. Yeah, we get it...You're an intense guy. However, you don't even come close in the scary looks department to Albert Belle and Frank Martin. Well, gotta get back to work...Talk to y'all later...