College Baseball Talk

The tournament starts this weekend with the Horns the #4 national seed and hosting a regional at Dell Diamond. This will be the first season in recent memory that I haven't made it to a college game. I was hoping that TCU would host since I can't go down to watch Texas play, but they are headed to play in the Rice regional.

The Horns have a veteran team that has the power to slug their way to Omaha. Here is a fun fact...Texas won the national championship the year I was born, 1983, so it would be a great start for Savannah if they won the series this year too.

Be sure to check out some college baseball over the next couple of weeks, it will be a welcomed break from the hapless Rangers.

Learning about being a Dad

I'm currently reading Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker, M.D. and I thought I would share a few passages. I've really enjoyed the book so far. It has been enlightening but also very humbling to see what kind of role Dad makes in his Daughter's life. Here are some quotes from the chapter titled "Teach Her Humility."

"Many parents roll their eyes at the word humility. We associate it with weakness, and we don't want our daughters to be weak or easily manipulated. We want them strong, self-sufficient, and independent. We want them to have self-esteem. These days, humility is a politically incorrect virtue.
But genuine humility is the starting point for every other virtue. Humility means having a proper perspective on ourselves, of seeing ourselves as we really are. It also means knowing that every person has equal worth.
Teaching your daughter humility is vital but tricky. You can't simply tell her that she's the same as her brother, the homeless woman on the street, and everyone else. Your daughter needs to feel unique and important in your eyes.
Teaching humility will demand more of you as a father than that. Humility doesn't make sense unless it is modeled. If you want your daughter to love reading, you must read. If you want her to be athletic, go for a run. The same is true with humility. If you live it, she will get it. Remember, she is a dry sponge following you around, waiting to see what you think, feel, and do." (pg. 77-78)

"From what I've seen in my office, the evidence is overwhelming: girls who are emotionally solid and intellectually and morally sound are girls with humility, who understand that they have to fit into the family, and that the family doesn't orbit around them.
What many parents don't realize is that giving in to a daughter's selfishness puts enormous pressure on her. When she's the focus, when she has the power to maneuver family schedules, vacations, or finances, when she has to decide what innumerable possibilities might make her happier, she becomes not only selfish but neurotic. Your daughter really doesn't want that much power. She's a kid. You're the dad. You should decide. You should set the priorities. When you bring realism into her life, you bring her comfort because you bring limits. When you teach her always to think about other people, to put herself in their shoes, to know that everyone-her friends, neighbors, and sister and brother-is important, you'll give her the gift of friendship and living to the fullest as a caring, social being.
If you teach your daughter to be good rather than simply happy, she will become both. Teaching your daughter humility is a wonderful gift. And it can be taught only by example" (pg. 91-92)

College Football Inventory: A look toward the future

I'm thankful for the many experiences I've already had and I'm very excited to look toward the future. The passion and pageantry of college football makes the game attractive, but what makes the experiences truly meaningful are the memories made with family and friends. When I think about goals for the future I think about the places and games I want to see, but more importantly I think about the people I get to share the experiences with. I can't wait to take our first Longhorn family picture with Savannah and take her to her first game. Iowa State is the only Big 12 team I haven't seen play. I have connections with friends that go to Mississippi State, Alabama, and Florida State games. LSU, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State are close enough to take in a game. A few long term goals would be to go to every Texas game in a season and go to a different stadium every week for a season. Right now I don't have a goal to see every stadium, like the guy at Project 119 (although that's pretty sweet), but I would like to see a game at most of the major stadiums.

My top 5 destinations:
1. LSU
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Notre Dame

Anybody want to go with me?

College Football Inventory

My parents took me to my first college football game in the fall of 1988, making me five years old. Here are the teams I've be fortunate enough to see over the years.

Big 12:
1. Texas
2. Texas A&M
3. Texas Tech
4 Baylor
5. Oklahoma
6. Oklahoma State
7. Colorado
8. Kansas
9. Kansas State
10. Missouri
11. Nebraska

SEC:
12. Arkansas
13. LSU
14. Auburn
15. Florida
16. Georgia
17. Mississippi State
30. Tennessee

Big 10:
18. Michigan
19. Penn State

Pac 10:
20. Stanford

Big East:
21. Pitt
22. Syracuse

ACC:
23. NC State
24. Clemson

Other:
25. Notre Dame
26. TCU
27. SMU
28. UNT
29. New Mexico State

There could be a couple that I missed, I had a little sheet of paper on my desk with all the games I've been too and the year. Well Courtney recently cleaned off my desk and that paper in no where to be found.

The Right Way to Play the Game

Here is a great article on ESPN.com about playing baseball for the love of the game. If you are a fan of the great game I'm sure you had a few chill-bump moments in that story. The article really reminded me of the good ole high school baseball days. I loved playing Skeeter baseball, I really feel we played the game the right way. We had fun and stayed loose, but we also played with passion and I hoped it showed. That is one thing I regret about our team at Paris, we rarely left it all out on the field.

My main frustration with the Rangers is the way they play the game. I will only go out to the ballpark a few times this year because I hate the attitude of the modern day player. It blows my mind that a team can strike-out nineteen times in a game. The only way that happens is from lack of effort. The Rangers don't hit behind the runners, lay down bunts, and they almost never get a two out hit with a runner in scoring position. In baseball it's the little things that win games and the Rangers just aren't good at the little things.