Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Adam's Spiritual Home in Flint Michigan

I've been on the road quite a bit lately, traveling from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Kentucky to Indiana back to Kentucky then to Tennessee to Alabama and then finally ending up for the time being in Mississippi. Pictures of this voyage are forthcoming, but before I get to that I've found my place of worship should my travels find me in Flint, Michigan.

Thanks to Church Without Walls Ministries, at 6202 Dupont St there's a church where I can fully utilize my throwback jersey collection. Rev. Martez Warren Sr. decided to relax the dress code a little and encourage his church's members to wear their finest Mitchell & Ness in hopes of drawing in some new members.

"I felt I needed to do something to entice people to come to church, but I understood a regular service wouldn't draw them in," Warren said. "So if we can get them in church and off the streets, that's the beginning of change for our community."

This got me thinking, what would be the more awkward jersey to wear into church? Ty Cobb? O.J. Simpson? Rae Carruth? Dennis Rodman?

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Matthew 10:14

"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet."

Saturday, September 06, 2008

UM v. UF Thoughts As They Happen

Since I was in an empty house during the UM v. UF game I found myself live blogging my thoughts to the game as a means of relieving my need to talk about what happened. I've included the final observations below, and if you feel that reading the entirety of my thoughts on game pertinent for some reason you can check out the first comment to this post for the full review.

26-3 Final
We saw what many people expected, we're young, we're quick, and we're good enough to hang with an elite team on the road for about 3 quarters. I'm never happy with a loss, but the way these guys played should comfort anybody who was concerned about the direction Randy Shannon has this program going at the beginning of his second year.

Here's hoping that Florida stays healthy all year and makes a run for the SEC and National Titles.

UM v. UF 2008

Anyone who has looked over the television schedule today probably knows I'll be in front of the tv by 8:00 tonight for UM v. UF. Over 20 years as a Gator before becoming a UM alum kind of dictates that nothing will be distracting me from the game.

Nobody is expecting a UM victory here. Not even the few media members and outlets usually friendly to the Canes give them a chance, and for good reason. When you go 5-7 last year and get blown out by Virginia there's really no reason to be picked on the road against a team like Florida.

Despite that backdrop I can't help but have a good feeling about today's game for the Canes. Last year's Hurricanes team would have been decimated, the difference is that this isn't last year's team. Coach Shannon informed many quitters and lesser talented players from last year's roster that their services would no longer be needed. He's also infused the roster with a ton of young talent. My hope, and the only hope that the Canes really have today is that the freshmen and sophomores that Shannon has brought in really are that good and are to young to believe what everyone else thinks; that they don't have a prayer in the Swamp.

Simply stated, today I'm feeling like the Canes are young enough, talented enough, and crazy enough to pull the major upset here. Sure, I'm picking with my heart, but what's the fun in sports if you can't hope for the improbable from time to time.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

600 People in the Stands and 1 Weirdo in Pittsburgh Watching on a Laptop

Yesterday's Marlins game was attended by only 600 people. Being one of the few, the proud, the true Marlins fans, I'm used to bizarre stories of lacking fan interest like this one. As much as I hate to admit it, I can't blame the fans for staying home.

I've been to a Summer day game at Dolphins Stadium. It was back in the Summer of 2003, at the time the Marlins were well below .500 and playing the Montreal Expos. I forgot to wear a hat and sunburned my head really bad for the first and only time. This sunburn led to a wicked staph infection on my head...I still wish I had pictures of that thing. Since I don't here's a picture that'll give you an idea of how it looked. So yeah, it's okay to stay at home for the day games until they finally get that retractable stadium built downtown. Even though I'll excuse the fans for staying home I did watch the game on my laptop, which is a really weird feeling. Is it an indication that something is wrong with me that I'm paying to watch a game on my laptop that only 600 people wanted to attend in person?

Oh well, at least they've won 2 world series...

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Loosly Related Observations Regarding Employment, Baseball Values, and Poverty

Since I graduated back in May Friday was my last day at NLSA filing bankruptcies, union rules wouldn’t allow me to stick around any longer. I loved my time there and couldn’t imagine even one negative thing to say about that place. Even the timing of my departure seems to be just right as I’m certainly ready for a geographic change.

To celebrate my last day I went to a Pirates game at PNC Park. I’ve been to a decent amount of games there, so it’s about time to give the Pirates their due. For $16.25 I was able to get really good outfield box seats (price reduced to $12 thanks to an online special), a Richie Zisk bobblehead (free to every fan) and a Pirates batting helmet sunday ($4.25). Sure, the Pirates aren’t exactly the cream of the MLB crop, but all things considered they still give a great overall value for the price. Plus PNC Park is worth the price of admission by itself.
There’s something funny to me about being unemployed on Labor Day. Monday was the first time I can remember being unemployed and out of school on the national holiday devoted to the nation’s workers. Don’t fear for me or anything though, thanks to some saving and financial planning I’m fine for a little while.

I went to Burger King for dinner tonight and had an experience with the wonderful homeless community on Carson Street. On my way in and out I had to ignore a couple people begging, but that’s nothing new. What was interesting was that just as I began my meal inside a 5 foot 5 inch homeless guy decided it’d be a great idea to hover over me to intimidate me into giving up my Burger, clearly he had no idea of my commitment to keeping my own food. I’ll use this clip from the movie Falling Down to give a moderately accurate approximation of the exchange.





Unlike the clip I wouldn’t have even the guy at Burger King my old useless briefcase. So, why not give a guy food when he’s asking for it instead of money? Simple, it’s all about the way he went about it. My guy thought that by standing over me and leering he would be rewarded with food. That’s not the kind of behavior I encourage.

Instead, if you’re panhandling I will give you money or food if you can spin a tale. Not just any half hearted tough luck story though. Nope, you’ve got to get my attention and keep it. I don’t care so much whether the story is true or not, just make it good and not obviously false. Perhaps even add some song and dance elements, whatever suits your talents. Just don’t bother me to waste my time, make it worth it for me and it’ll be worth it for you.

There’s my quasi-libertarian guide to panhandling, hopefully there’s some homeless person using the internet at some public library that can make use of this approach to panhandling.