I recently saw a Dr. Pepper commercial that featured some singer doing his glamorous thing. It was clear that the assumption was the target audience would know who this star is and, knowing it, would be compelled to consume Dr. Pepper by the tanker truck load. Clearly, I am not in this demographic. Oh, I like Dr. Pepper just fine. But I don't have Clue One who the singer is.
And this made me think of my dad.
When I was but a child, Coca-Cola produced a commercial that really resonated with the young folks. So much so that many of you, based on this very general description, know precisely what commercial I'm talking about. In the ad, hundreds of young people of many nationalities and ethnic groups were standing in a field and singing about buying everyone in the whole world a Coke. I know I was eager to have a Coke bought for me. One time this ad was running when my dad was in the room and he made some remark about the song they were singing. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it was evident that he didn't know that it was a real song that had been adapted for Coke. My older sister and I were mortified that DAD DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A REAL SONG! What was he doing with his time for heaven's sake? You know, besides working 40-60 hours a week, working on our car, working on the house, attending meetings at the office, and meetings at the church, mowing the grass, raking the leaves, shoveling the snow, and visiting his parents and his in-laws weekly and some other stuff.
Like my dad, I have come to learn that there is just no time for everything and one of the things I have largely let go of is awareness of current popular culture, i.e., the People magazine beat. I watch precisely one TV program, I listen to old music and most of the books I read are not current. I like stuff that stands the test of time.
Stuff like buying the world a Coke.
11.07.2011
11.05.2011
Alou And Forsch
When I heard about Matty Alou, I was sad.
From FoxNews.com: Matty Alou, once part of an all-Alou outfield for the San Francisco Giants with brothers Felipe and Jesus, died Thursday in his native Dominican Republic. He was 72.
A two-time All-Star, Alou became the 1966 National League batting champion with the Pirates when he hit .342. He spent his first six years with San Francisco from 1960-65 and also played for St. Louis, Oakland, the New York Yankees and San Diego.
"Although he played for six different teams, Matty remained a part of the Giants family as a longtime employee and will be forever linked with his brothers, Felipe and Jesus, - as the first all-brother major league outfield," the Giants said.
Being somewhat of a baseball buff, I knew about the three Alou boys starting in the same outfield in a major league game, but this next tidbit was news to me.
From CSNBayArea.com: Felipe, Matty, and Jesus Alou were each the first batter to ever come to the plate in a brand new stadium. Two of these events happened just one month apart!
On April 12, 1966, the Atlanta Braves opened Fulton County Stadium with a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The leadoff hitter for the Pirates that day was Matty Alou.
One month later, the St. Louis Cardinals unveiled Busch Stadium, and the visitors were the Braves. Batting first, Felipe Alou.
In 1969, the expansion San Diego Padres had their first game in San Diego Stadium. The Houston Astros were their first opponent, and Jesus Alou led off the game.
Amazing.
When I heard about Bob Forsch, I was shocked.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bob Forsch, the only Cardinal to pitch two no-hitters and the third-winningest pitcher in franchise history, died Thursday at his home near Tampa, Fla., less than a week after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series in St. Louis.
He was one of 30 players to have pitched two no-hit games in the major leagues and, with his brother, Ken, a part of the only brother combination to toss no-hitters.
I don't have anything to add - I didn't know these men, but still it seems too soon and too sudden, especially in the case of Forsch. It kinda feels like I knew them. Probably because I've got these -
From FoxNews.com: Matty Alou, once part of an all-Alou outfield for the San Francisco Giants with brothers Felipe and Jesus, died Thursday in his native Dominican Republic. He was 72.
A two-time All-Star, Alou became the 1966 National League batting champion with the Pirates when he hit .342. He spent his first six years with San Francisco from 1960-65 and also played for St. Louis, Oakland, the New York Yankees and San Diego.
"Although he played for six different teams, Matty remained a part of the Giants family as a longtime employee and will be forever linked with his brothers, Felipe and Jesus, - as the first all-brother major league outfield," the Giants said.
Being somewhat of a baseball buff, I knew about the three Alou boys starting in the same outfield in a major league game, but this next tidbit was news to me.
From CSNBayArea.com: Felipe, Matty, and Jesus Alou were each the first batter to ever come to the plate in a brand new stadium. Two of these events happened just one month apart!
On April 12, 1966, the Atlanta Braves opened Fulton County Stadium with a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The leadoff hitter for the Pirates that day was Matty Alou.
One month later, the St. Louis Cardinals unveiled Busch Stadium, and the visitors were the Braves. Batting first, Felipe Alou.
In 1969, the expansion San Diego Padres had their first game in San Diego Stadium. The Houston Astros were their first opponent, and Jesus Alou led off the game.
Amazing.
When I heard about Bob Forsch, I was shocked.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bob Forsch, the only Cardinal to pitch two no-hitters and the third-winningest pitcher in franchise history, died Thursday at his home near Tampa, Fla., less than a week after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series in St. Louis.
He was one of 30 players to have pitched two no-hit games in the major leagues and, with his brother, Ken, a part of the only brother combination to toss no-hitters.
I don't have anything to add - I didn't know these men, but still it seems too soon and too sudden, especially in the case of Forsch. It kinda feels like I knew them. Probably because I've got these -
 |
| Alou's cards are 1965, '68, and '72; Forsch's are '75, '78, and '80 |
10.31.2011
LaRussa Retires
But regardless of style, there's no questioning LaRussa's success. He's third in all-time victories as a manger, he has six pennants and 3 World Series championships. He revolutionized the way bullpens are used in baseball today. He is probably the greatest manager of his era. And in 5 years or so he will be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
And this year, as it appeared he had mellowed a bit, as I became more comfortable with his approach and its obvious success, he probably turned in his best performance. The Cardinals' journey to and through the postseason has been well-documented, and it mustn't be forgotten, for it is the context, the subtext, the atmosphere in which LaRussa did his finest work.
And we learned today that Tony had made the decision to retire about the same time as his ball club began to get busy. It was coincidental, he said, but still one can't help but try to connect the dots.
Tony's decision surprised me initially, but regarding all the circumstances (the World Series title, his age, his health, Dave Duncan's future, Albert Pujols' future, to name a few) it really makes a lot of sense.
For all the aggravation I felt about him over the years I always anticipated this day would bring me some relief. But it doesn't. Darn it, Tony, you made a believer out of me and now you up and leave.
10.30.2011
"Game 6" Or, "Only Mostly Dead"
I'll have more to say later about the Cardinals' 11th World Series championship, but I want to get this link up before it goes away forever. Game 6 of the Series was one of the greatest ballgames ever played. Too many self-satisfied commentors have questioned how good it could have been because there were 5 errors. If not for the errors, the game would not have fallen out the way it did. It simply would have been a typical game that ended 7-4, or something. The drama of the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings probably wouldn't have happened.
However, part of what made the game so special was the context of the Cardinals' well-documented journey through the post-season. This team was pronounced dead numerous times during the year. But they were only mostly dead. They weren't all dead, as the Braves, Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers can swear to.
Here, from the Cardinals' web site and for your pleasure, is the recap of Game 6, the likes of which we may never see again.
However, part of what made the game so special was the context of the Cardinals' well-documented journey through the post-season. This team was pronounced dead numerous times during the year. But they were only mostly dead. They weren't all dead, as the Braves, Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers can swear to.
Here, from the Cardinals' web site and for your pleasure, is the recap of Game 6, the likes of which we may never see again.
10.18.2011
Won't You Please?
Both our kids watched children's television growing up, as most kids did. Mr. Rogers was standard fare at our house. I think our daughter probably preferred him more than our son. So it was with her in mind that I posted this and I hope it makes her smile.
I did.
I did.
10.14.2011
The World Is His iPod
From one of my favorite bloggers, James Lileks:
Wife took (the dog) for a walk later. He was slow. Very slow. "He's not going to be with us much longer," she said. Resigned. Then hopeful: "But I've been saying that for three years."
"Where did he take you tonight?"
"Well, I let him go where he wanted, and we went up the hill to the water tower, and then back down, and when we got home he didn't want to go up the steps so he went down the street, and I thought he would go up the back steps, but he looked at me, like 'I'm not done,' and we walked east and around the neighborhood again. But it was dark and he can't see anything."
"But he can smell."
Nearly deaf and nearly blind, and the world is still a story, every scent a character, every strong odor a twist in the plot. The dog walks outside and the world is his iPod, and it's always set on shuffle. So it is for us all, really. If you have a dog you know how they come to the door and stand there waiting for you to let them out. Standing at the glass door. The wall that keeps the odors out. They can see, but they can't smell. Daily life for us is just like that. If you're lucky someone opens the door and all the glories rush over you.
Wife took (the dog) for a walk later. He was slow. Very slow. "He's not going to be with us much longer," she said. Resigned. Then hopeful: "But I've been saying that for three years."
"Where did he take you tonight?"
"Well, I let him go where he wanted, and we went up the hill to the water tower, and then back down, and when we got home he didn't want to go up the steps so he went down the street, and I thought he would go up the back steps, but he looked at me, like 'I'm not done,' and we walked east and around the neighborhood again. But it was dark and he can't see anything."
"But he can smell."
Nearly deaf and nearly blind, and the world is still a story, every scent a character, every strong odor a twist in the plot. The dog walks outside and the world is his iPod, and it's always set on shuffle. So it is for us all, really. If you have a dog you know how they come to the door and stand there waiting for you to let them out. Standing at the glass door. The wall that keeps the odors out. They can see, but they can't smell. Daily life for us is just like that. If you're lucky someone opens the door and all the glories rush over you.
10.07.2011
Whatever My Lot
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."
From the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul"
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."
From the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul"
Resigning Or Embracing?
There is resigning oneself and then, there is embracing. For a while now, I have been resigned to my lot. I think it comes from a pure desire to acknowledge, to praise the Sovereignty of God but, while His sovereignty is indeed praiseworthy I, by my attitude of resignation, have esteemed it as a lesser thing, a thing that is merely endured.
From the Valley of Vision:
Jehovah God,
Thou Creator, Upholder, Proprietor of all things,
I cannot escape from thy presence or control, nor do I desire to do so.
My privilege is to be under the agency of omnipotence, righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy, grace.
The Puritan praying above sees it as a privilege to be under God's control and wisdom. He has not 'resigned' himself to it. To see it as privilege is to 'embrace' it.
"There has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty . . . The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God." (Jonathan Edwards)
May it be so.
From the Valley of Vision:
Jehovah God,
Thou Creator, Upholder, Proprietor of all things,
I cannot escape from thy presence or control, nor do I desire to do so.
My privilege is to be under the agency of omnipotence, righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy, grace.
The Puritan praying above sees it as a privilege to be under God's control and wisdom. He has not 'resigned' himself to it. To see it as privilege is to 'embrace' it.
"There has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty . . . The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God." (Jonathan Edwards)
May it be so.
10.06.2011
He Built A Lisa
Apple's CEO Steve Jobs passed away yesterday and everywhere you look folks are thanking him for changing the world. And generally, we know he did. But what, specifically, has his name on it?
Here's a list from Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/05/10-products-that-defined-steve-jobs-career/
Here's a list from Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/05/10-products-that-defined-steve-jobs-career/
Mercies In Disguise
Yesterday Charles Spurgeon pointed out the psalmist who wrote Psalm 130 may never had found the pearl of redemption had he not been cast into the depths. This kind of language causes one to think about "being cast", that is, that the psalmist was not the actor, but the one acted upon. He was not in the depths because he wanted to be, but because the Lord put him there.
There is a popular Christian song out these days that echoes this theme. It's called 'Blessings' and it is sung by Laura Story.
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise.
The lyrics that I downloaded didn't have a question mark at the end, but it's a profound question. What if God loves His children too much to grant them ease, but rather sends the rain, the storm, the hard nights (and days!) in order to leave a bad taste in our mouths about the world? What if the Christian is often led purposefully into trial and difficulty by the Heavenly Father? What if He intends to send you through a hard providence? Is it enough that He means this for His glory and for our good?
There is a popular Christian song out these days that echoes this theme. It's called 'Blessings' and it is sung by Laura Story.
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise.
The lyrics that I downloaded didn't have a question mark at the end, but it's a profound question. What if God loves His children too much to grant them ease, but rather sends the rain, the storm, the hard nights (and days!) in order to leave a bad taste in our mouths about the world? What if the Christian is often led purposefully into trial and difficulty by the Heavenly Father? What if He intends to send you through a hard providence? Is it enough that He means this for His glory and for our good?
10.05.2011
Pearls Lie Deep
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Hear Mr. Spurgeon concerning Psalm 130:
"Out of the depths" is the leading word of it: out of those depths we cry, wait, watch, and hope. In this Psalm we hear of the pearl of redemption, verses 7 and 8: perhaps the sweet singer would never have found that precious thing had he not been cast into the depths. Pearls lie deep."
10.04.2011
Encouragement: The Day After
And so, the day after being encouraged by Psalm 130.
I feel better and so the natural tendency is to let up. And it is also natural to want the feelings to come back, too. It has been my experience that, the feelings just cannot be replicated, at least, not in the same manner. God may reach down to touch me again, but not because my performance is right, or because I said the magic words, or because I am remorseful enough. No. I cannot act right and thereby cause the feelings to return. More plainly, you and I cannot make God do anything.
What I can do is earnestly seek Him again because "His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:22) I can seek Him again by faith, believing that "He is a rewarder of those who seek Him". (Hebrews 11:6) And if He touches me today, I will know He has come and has given Himself to me, and that will be the reward. God Himself is the reward. But it will not be true because I have some feeling. It would be true because He Himself is near and has let me know it. Then I feel something.
I feel better and so the natural tendency is to let up. And it is also natural to want the feelings to come back, too. It has been my experience that, the feelings just cannot be replicated, at least, not in the same manner. God may reach down to touch me again, but not because my performance is right, or because I said the magic words, or because I am remorseful enough. No. I cannot act right and thereby cause the feelings to return. More plainly, you and I cannot make God do anything.
What I can do is earnestly seek Him again because "His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:22) I can seek Him again by faith, believing that "He is a rewarder of those who seek Him". (Hebrews 11:6) And if He touches me today, I will know He has come and has given Himself to me, and that will be the reward. God Himself is the reward. But it will not be true because I have some feeling. It would be true because He Himself is near and has let me know it. Then I feel something.
9.25.2011
Psalm 130
A Song of Ascents.
O Lord, hear my voice!
I don't know if you have felt that way very often, but I have. At times I have felt that my life's footing was not firm and that I was perilously close to danger, failure, shame, or despair. I have longed for morning to come in the form of some deliverance from my oppressive circumstances. I have yearned for a deliverance that I could not see anywhere on the horizon, nor could I conceive how it might be formed, yet I hoped for it desperately.
But there is something else to be discovered in the picture of the watchman and it is the certainty of the morning's arrival. The morning will come - has it ever failed to come? This watchman not only can hope, but he can be certain. The morning will come.
And so for us who are in Christ. I don't know how long the night will last in your life or mine. But morning has never failed to come and it will come again.
9.19.2011
Where Were You In '32?
Here's a look at the hometown, very little of which I recognize. By the time I was wandering around downtown, some 35-40 years later, much had already changed.
That is Main Street that runs up the hill from the foot of the bridge - a bridge that no longer exists, though I think I remember seeing the tops of the concrete pilings standing in the water. The tan building on the north side of Main with the row of windows is the White River Hotel, I believe. Or that's what it was when I knew it. Next up the hill is the railroad, the station right across the street from the hotel. Boy, does that make sense. The tracks run left to right in the photo. After that is the old Catholic Church on the left side of Main, the first building after the green space above the train station, I think. But that all I recognize from this photo. Maybe someone else can help out.
Here's the foot of Branson's Main Street these days -
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