Firstly, a hearty congratulations to the Braves for ousting the Cubs and making the Final Four. They are certainly a very solid team with an outstanding GM and extremely bright future with the core group they have in place.

Secondly, well, Dave Smitherman's outstanding pitching; Bob Altobelli's incredibly smooth, yet powerful bat; and Darnell Baker's local baseball legendary status have propelled us (Bombers) back into the Finals once again.

Smitty pitched a 2-hit shutout in game one, with Bob delivering the two big blows (a monster shot in the bottom of the first and another deep gapper later on). We played a flawless game defensively and Smitty walked zero as only one Brave even got to third base after scoring over 20 runs in last weekend's sweep of the perennial powerhouse Cubbies.

Smitty had to leave after game one for a wedding in Brattleboro, but Bobby Altobelli didn't!!!
He promptly proceeded to go yard with yet another BIG FLY and so did our own living legend Darnell Baker before riding off into the Florida sunset.

Lex pitched another stellar game as well and also could have had a shutout but the good-looking guy who plays SS made the only E of the day on an otherwise clean day defensively which allowed the Braves to score. Game two ended up 11-2 and completed the sweep as we again get set for our third Finals in a row since becoming a team.
Hopefully this year ends with a little different outcome than in prior years as we still have a little business to take care, but this run has been very good indeed >>> if causing a bit of soul searching at times... "Baseball as a Road To God; Seeing Beyond The Game" by John Sexton (The President of NYU) has been coming to mind quite a bit this year, for whatever reasons...

It's a funny world out there and we are each just blessed to be playing this little kids game at our advanced ages, and well, does it really matter who wins and loses these kid games we play each weekend?
Ironically enough, I seem to care less and less about winning and more and more about the camaraderie/friendship I feel for guys like Steve Schafer and his Braves today.
What a tremendous bunch of men ~~~ funny, competitive, talented, and kind all at the same time.
And while I sure do want to and plan on taking care of business next weekend, my respect for Stevie Lou and each and every other Giant is far more important from where I sit these days. I genuinely love some of those guys and have gotten to know several pretty well, plus it certainly promises to be a tightly wound series, and yet nobody in the world I'd rather be playing with or against...
Damn I love this game...
And damn I am lucky man...
And I have no idea why except that I trust in God to give me the real answers when all this is passed and gone...

So since this is what we all came for and it's time again for our yearly meeting, let's just and get it on baby!

To everything a season...

Ecclesiastes 3 King James Version (KJV)
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.







-- Edited by Marcus Aurelius on Sunday 2nd of October 2016 09:27:27 AM