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Saving Marriage...

I am usually a Fox News guy, but I will check out CNN from time to time. I found an interesting commentary by Roland Martin on how saving marriages needs to be a priority of our nation. It is an interesting read and you can check it out by clicking here.

What makes a MLB manager a legend?

Over the past week, the topic of the "legend" that Joe Torre was as a manager has come up a lot. It got me thinking about what is the criteria for what a manager is measured by. Is it World Series titles? Division titles? Overall wins and winning percentages? Does a manager actually have a lot to do with a team's success?

We will use Torre as an example because of the relevance of what has occurred recently. Before Torre became the manager of the NY Yankees, he had three stints will other teams (Mets, Braves, and Cardinals) totaling 15 years. During those years his teams finished above .500 only 4 times and never even made the playoffs once. After joining the Yankees, they made the playoffs all 12 years he was manager, went to the World Series 6 times and won it 4 times. How much of this was due to Torre? We all know that the Yankees have a payroll that allows them to have players on their team that other teams could only dream of and it does take a certain type of person to handle all of the egos that players have. But was it Torre that made the Yankees who they were? Has Torre been given too much credit for the Yankees success, when the years before he could never make it to the .500 mark?

So what is the criteria for measuring MLB managers? Sparky Anderson led teams to World Series victories in both the NL and AL (Reds and Tigers), as has Tony LaRussa (A's and Cardinals). Jim Leyland has taken clubs that were terrible (Pirates and Tigers) and turned them around. Bobby Cox led the Braves to 14 straight division titles, but only won one World Series during that run. Let's go back in the day and mention Connie Mack, who many believe was the greatest manager of all-time. He managed for 53 years (that's ridiculous) and won a record 3731, but his overall winning percentage was .486.

For you baseball fans...what do you think?

Anyone looking to buy a new home?

If anyone is looking for a new home, vacation home, or perhaps a weekend getaway home, read the description below from ESPN.com of Michael Vick's home that he recently put up for sale in the Atlanta area.

Vick purchased the sprawling lakefront home, which is in the exclusive Sugarloaf Country Club gated community in Duluth, Ga., and sits on a 1½-acre tract, in April 2005 for $3.8 million. It carries a monthly mortgage of $23,063 and the annual property taxes are $26,700.

The European-style home features a white, stucco exterior, Cathedral ceilings, eight bedrooms, 8½ baths, two fireplaces, hardwood floors, a two-story foyer and a garage for at least four cars. The home was built in 2004.

A monthly mortgage of $23,063!?!?! Stupid.

The Return of Christ...

A few nights ago I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I was still half-asleep and groggy when I got up and Valerie was fast asleep (or so I thought). After I was finished in the bathroom, I shut the light off and walked around the bed to get back in. When I was crawling back under the covers, I suddenly saw a flash of light. When the light flashed, I could see that Valerie was not laying in our bed anymore. For some reason, the first thought that ran through my head was this:

"Oh crap, the Lord just came back and I got left behind."

Fortunately, I have not been left behind. What had happened was while I was stumbling back into bed, Valerie had gotten up and went into the bathroom. Boy, I was rattled there for a second.

Are you kidding me?!?!?!

Here's what you apparently do in Saudi Arabia for fun...oh and they are going about 60 mph.

Jack Bauer behind bars?

Hey Jack, its going to be hard saving the world when you are behind bars. Click here to find out more.

Cowboys-Bills

I don't know how many of you saw the MNF game last night between the Cowboys and the Bills, but that was one of the craziest games and endings I have seen in a long time. Not only did Tony Romo throw 5 INTs and fumble once, the Cowboys rookie kicker, Nick Folk, had to kick a 53-yd field goal with no time on the clock twice. The first was waved off by a last second timeout by the Bills. All of that after, the Cowboys failed on a 2-pt. conversion to tie the game with 20 seconds to play, only to recover an amazing onside kick. Crazy stuff.

Who is this?

That would be my beautiful wife!!!

Others...

I was reading through the Salvation Army's 2007 Annual Report and on the opening page was a paragraph that really struck me. It said:

One life at a time. A society is best transformed when it is lifted from the bottom: when one elderly man is given warm shelter for the evening; when a struggling mother is offered support; or when a troubled youth recieves key guidance at a critical moment.

Throughout the nation, The Salvation Army is helping transform society one life at a time, leading as it serves. It's a story as old as the Army itself. Older in fact: Perhaps it started when a good man washed His friends' feet.

There is also a story of the founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth, who on his death bed wanted to get a message out to all of the soldiers of The Salvation Army to encourage and direct them in what to do when he was gone. He said one simple word, "Others." The call to serve others is nothing new to those of us that are Christians, but you know what...sometimes it's good to be reminded.

Be about others.

A New Experience

Last night 2 of my good friends and I went to LoneStar Park here in Grand Prairie for a night of horse racing. This was the first time that I had ever went and done something like this and it was awesome. Not only was it a challenge trying to pick the right horses, but the races themselves were intense and exciting. Unlike the Kentucky Derby, these races were 330-400 yard sprints between 7-10 horses. Let me tell you, those horses are incredible animals and fast!! One of the coolest parts of each race was the rumbling of the hoves as the horses got closer to where you were sitting and then through the finish line. Didn't hurt when you bet right too.

Hawkeyes...why do you do this to me?

I was in the airport the other day flying back from a work meeting in Houston and was looking over the college football schedules in the USA Today. I was looking at the Iowa State schedule and suddenly became quite sick to my stomach. Here is their schedule:

vs. Kent St (L)
vs. UNI (L)
vs. Iowa (W)
@ Toledo (L)
@ Nebraska (L)
@ Texas Tech
vs. Texas
vs. Oklahoma
@ Missouri
vs. Kansas St.
vs. Colorado
@ Kansas

What made me sick was the fact that Iowa St. has a very good chance of not winning another game the rest of the season. They could end the season at 1-11...with the ONE win being over the Hawkeyes. Sickening. Just sickening.