New Year resolutions

My first questions is, who has made a new year resolution in the past and actually kept it? Seriously, I'm looking for success stories here.

By and large, I've pretty much come to look at NY resolutions as set-ups for failure. This is predominantly because of personal lack of success. Over the past couple years, I've made a point of not making resolutions. Looking back, I think that was weak. So I'm attempting it again, and since this is public, we'll be able to keep track throughout 2010.

Because its the system I am most familiar with, each of these are intended to be S.M.A.R.T. goals. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound)

So without further adieu, in 2010, I will:

1. Successfully RUN an organized race - I am not being specific about what race because I don't know where I'll be at different points of 2010. That being said, the Warrior Dash or the Peachtree Road Race look to be good races for a first-time runner. This resolution is in place of the typical "exercise" resolution because in order for me to run in a race, being that I am not currently in the practice of running - I will, by default, be exercising in preparing.
2. Graduate from Kennesaw State University with a 3.5 GPA. Right now, I am sitting with a 3.49 GPA. This coming semester, I have 13 hours, followed by a summer internship that counts for 12 hours. (On a side note, my GPA actually fell after this last semester, during which I made 5 B's.) The fact that I'm above a 3.0 makes me happy when I remember my GPA when I left Harding U.
3. Educate myself a little better on Biblical history. Over the past few years, I've come to feel worse about the fact that I can hold my own in a conversation pertaining to baseball, yet when a Bible study turns to the historical stories that I should remember from my childhood, I can't really offer anything because I don't know. As long as I can remember, I've been more interested in the New Testament - the nuts and bolts of how I need to live. I know this resolution isn't really specific, because I'm going to talk to my preacher about this and get his recommendation. I'll update this one within the coming week hopefully.
4. Make a final decision on whether I am going to use my guitar or sell it. I've been waffling on this for the past couple years. I bought my guitar from a church friend back around 2003 I think. I started off taking lessons regularly, but then ran out of money and stopped. Since then, I have yet to really apply myself with it. Each time I've come close to listing it for sale however, I've failed to pull the trigger because I really want to learn to play it. So if, by the end of 2010, I have not taken up a course of study with it and have not made significant ground on learning to play - I will sell it.
5. Purchase a life insurance policy. I've known about the importance of this ever since Sarah and I took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Stupidly, I've dragged my heels in actually doing it. Sarah has one through work, but right now I've got nothing, leaving Sarah unprotected if something bad happened. (Do not use this to infer that Sarah is pregnant, this is just something that I need to do, period.)

So there you have it, my 2010 resolutions. Are you making resolutions this year? What resolutions in the past have you successfully followed through on?

My thoughts on the Bowl Championship Series

This post is addressed to an old Harding U. friend, Tiffany, in response to a comment thread started on my DW's blog.

Yecke, did I ever say in my first comment that I had a workable playoff system? Nope. There are two reasons for this. 1) I've heard many different opinions on how to implement one, but I can't say that any one of them is better than the next; 2) ANY of those opinions are BETTER than what is currently in place. That doesn't mean that every opinion I've heard is a good one, it just means that the BCS is THAT BAD OF ONE!!!!

I am not in favor of subtracting any regular season games. We are in agreement that the rivals are what drives college football. (See my earlier comments regarding UF.) So therefore games must be added. Obviously we cannot create a viable "March Madness" of CF. But there must be a way where a championship is earned by defeating other seeded opponents from other regions of the country. There must also be the opportunity for a team to upset a higher ranked team. Right now, TCU, Cincinnatti, and Boise State SHOULD be pissed, because all 3 of them should have a chance to knock off Florida, Texas, and Alabama - but they won't. You and I both know that Texas will play either UF or UA for the championship because a computer decrees it.

The argument that Boise, TCU, and Cincy should have scheduled tougher opponents doesn't hold water. I know you haven't made that statement...yet?...but that's a common misconception. CF scheduling is so screwed up, because nobody knows who is going to be good 5 years down the road. In addition to that, The big boy teams aren't going to schedule teams like Boise because of the conferences they play in. Why on earth SHOULD any SEC team schedule a game against a potential "bracket buster" when they already have the toughest schedule in the country?!?! They're already paying their dues in their own conference. It's the same reason USC (Southern Cal) has to play Notre Dame, Ohio State, and other big time schools - because they can't prove themselves just by beating up on PAC 10 teams...which they can't even do that this year.

Here is the biggest flaw about the BCS. It's not in the least bit about crowning a championship. It's all about $$. All the bowls "around which the fans can rally" to use your words, will continue to pay unheard of amounts to keep it the way it is - because they're afraid of their bowl meaning less than it already does. Why is it that only 4 bowls can hold the title game? $$$. But what about all the other bowls? Are people really "rallying" around the Carquest Bowl...AutoZone Bowl...Brut Bowl...MAACO Bowl...Roady's Truck Stops Bowl...Emerald Nuts Bowl...We Actually Sucked But We Had A .500 Winning Record So We Got Invited To The "We Suck" Bowl...(all except the last are actual bowl games.) The vast majority of the bowls are nothing more than advertisements in the form of a football game. I would bet good money that the insignificant bowls would lose no more money if we moved to a playoff system than they currently make now...if they are even turning a profit.

The BCS is also CASH COW for the NCAA, which I'm sure you are aware, many in education consider to be one of the most corrupt non-profit organizations out there.

Another flaw in the BCS. Last season, Florida played Oklahoma on January 8. Prior to that game, Florida's last game was on December 6. (That's one month and two days in between games for those of you keeping score at home.) Oklahoma's last game ALSO took place on December 6. Seriously, are all of the Insignificant Bowls so important that fans and the actual teams PICKED to play for the championship have to wait more than a month to play one final game? Could we maybe use those 4 weeks in between to work on letting the teams themselves determine who should play for the title? I say yes.

You noted the potential for "career threatening" injuries. I would submit that the risk for injury is greater with a month off in between games and coming in cold, vs. staying in the competitive grind. Plus, who's to say that the top teams couldn't have some sort of "first round bye" in a tournament play system in order for some knicked up players to rest? While we are talking about careers, the teams that currently play for the BCS Championship play a maximum of 14 games. Subtract 1 for teams that don't have to play a conference championship. If a player goes into the NFL and his team makes it to the Super Bowl - you're talking about potentially going from a 14 game CF schedule to a 20 game NFL schedule if a WIld Card game is played.

So here is one suggestion that I think is worth a conversation (I'M ACKNOWLEDGING RIGHT NOW THAT THERE ARE FLAWS): First require all Football Bowl Subdivision conferences to hold a conference championship game, so that all conf. champions end with 14 game schedules. Then begin bracket play. As pictured below, out of the 12 conferences, award a first round bye to the 4 conference champions with the best overall records. Proceed from there. At the most, the title-winning team plays 17 or 18 games.



Flaws with this suggestion:

• The Independents - there are 3 teams not affiliated with a conference, Notre Dame, Army, Navy. Either create new conference with those 3 and additional schools, or absorb those 3 teams into current conferences and go with 11 conferences. Either way, big mess created.
• Season length - potentially longer than NFL; at the same time - helps more more players get acclimated to a longer season
• Needs to ensure motivation of schools to schedule tough out-of-conference opponents - How about this: Suppose UGA and UF tie for the lead in the SEC East to go to the conf. title game. Take the total number of wins of their opponents, not including each other, team with higher of opponent victories goes to conf. title game?

Opportunities:

• 11 games for Bowls to be included in National Title Tournament
• All of the other Insignificant Bowls can invite who ever they want and keep their conference allegiances.
• NO COMPUTERS, NO POLLS. Just wins and losses.

OK, that's enough for now. Discuss.

a quote I really like

"It's not the critic who counts. It's not the man who points out where the grown man stumbles, or how the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who actually is in the arena, who strives violently, who errs and comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who if he wins knows the triumph of high achievement; but who if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so his place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt

Same eyes - different view

I realized today that I really do look at things differently than I used to. Here's how I know.

Exhibit A:
Chevrolet Silverado

Those who know me well know that more than any other car, I have wanted my own Chevrolet Silverado. I have always loved them, always will. So following golf class today, I allowed myself a bit of fun and pulled in to the Chevy dealership next door - to look at the new Camaro. After taking in the eye candy, I wandered over to the used lot to look at the trucks to see what prices the dealerships were looking for on used trucks. Of course I was approached by a salesman and I quickly let him know that I wasn't looking to buy and that I didn't want to take his time if there were other people there to work on. Being a rainy morning though, I was the only one. So as we were talking, he pointed out this beauty. It's a 2009 model, 5.3 liter V8 engine (highest level engine without getting the SuperSport edition). Plenty of bells and whistles including remote start, MP3 adapter, on-board vehicle computer, and the best part - only 9,000 miles. All this for $17,900. Knowing I wasn't looking to buy, he asked if I would want to take it for a spin, so I did. And I loved every second of it. When we got back to the dealership, I thanked him for his time, and of course he asked if I wanted to talk some numbers, but I refused, thanked him again, got in my car and left.

And that is when the wheels in my head began to turn...but not the way they used to. In the past, I would allow myself to go home and spend hours trying to come up with a way to make it happen, to find any way possible - any justification that I could come up with to buy that truck.

But before I had reached even 1 mile after leaving the dealership, I knew that while I would love owning and driving that beautiful red truck, I was happier and would continue to be happier in my simple '03 Ford Taurus.


Don't get me wrong, driving my Taurus is nowhere near exciting, especially compared to what's under the hood of that truck. But from the day I bought the Taurus, there has been a pain of guilt that has accompanied that car because I am not only making payments on it, but also my previous car.

See I was already upside down on my previous car when it died and I traded in for the Taurus. So if I were to go back to that dealership today and trade in for that truck, I would then be paying for THREE CARS which would be one of the worst financial decisions I could ever make.

So again, I would soooooooo love to own that truck and get to drive it every day. But I would love to pay off my current car(s) even more. I wouldn't have said that 5 years ago.

New reading material

I got an unexpected treat last week - I found out that one of my favorite former ESPN personalities is now writing a blog for MLB.com, Keith Olbermann. (Pictured here with Jason Bateman of the sitcom Arrested Development, along with some other chick) Regardless of what you may or may not think of his show Countdown, Keith is a huge baseball fan and I love the way he talks about sports in general. Before Dan Patrick left "the mothership" (a.k.a. ESPN) he had a daily radio show that Keith would join in for the middle hour. I still try to listen to DP as much as possible, and I really wish KO would join in again. I love the humor they are able to pull out of sports. Anyway, I tried to add KO's blog to my blogroll, but for some reason his blog won't let me. So if you wanna check it out, click here for Keith Olbermann's blog.

Adult Survey

Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids? (no offense). Here are questions for the people who are a little older. Copy and paste into your own note, then answer the questions. Finally, tag your friends including me, please!

1. What bill do you hate paying the most? Credit cards

2. Do you miss being a child? I miss not having anything to worry about, so I guess

3. Chore you hate the most? cleaning (broad enough ain't it :-)

4. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner? Stoney River

5. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be? I would have finished college the first time

6. Name of your first grade teacher? Mrs. Corrum

7. What do you really want to be doing right now? I'm waiting for friends to arrive to play games, so I'm just what I want to

8. What did you want to be when you grew up? that changed almost every day, but all the popular ones were in there - fireman, police man, fighter pilot, pro baseball player

9. How many colleges did you attend? 3 - Oklahoma Christian U., Harding U., currently Kennesaw State U.

10. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now? comfortable and lightweight

11. What are your thoughts on gas prices? bearable

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning? "yeah, i'll go ahead and get up"

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night? "I'm not getting up until 9:00 am"

14. What famous person would you like to have dinner with? Tom Glavine

15. Have you ever crashed your vehicle? yep

16. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer? Yes, or I'd work but donate my entire salary

17. Get up early or sleep in? sleep in, but no later than 9, i really enjoy getting stuff done before noon

18. What is your favorite cartoon character? too many to choose, but Optimus Prime probably tops the list

20. When did you first start feeling old? when I went back to college at 28 years old

21. Favorite lunch meat? pepperoni

22. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart? i refuse to go to Wal-Mart

23. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual? absolutely not, but I believe that it is heavily under fire from our society

24. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about? I have no idea, I'm pretty open about my movie taste

25. What's your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper

26. Who[m] from high school would you like to run in to? Sean, Melanie, Brian

27. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now? XM radio - ESPN radio

28. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives? neither, 24

29. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back? none - those mistakes have taught me a lot

30. Do you like the person that sits directly across from you at work? I don't sit at work

31. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purposes? nope

32. Last book you finished reading? Living on the Black - John Feinstein

33. Do you have a teddy bear? no

34. Do you go to church? yes

35. How old are you? 30

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for Dave Ramsey. His message tonight on Town Hall for HOPE was great. Our country needs to restore hope, and he reminded us that is up to US to restore that hope, the government won't.

I am thankful for Carrie Prejean. I have never paid any attention whatsoever to beauty pageants. But the more I have learned about Prejean's comments about her views on gay marriage to a nationwide audience, the more impressed with her I have become. I'll admit that I don't usually give models a lot of credit. However, I am so impressed with the way she "matter-of-fact" spoke of her religious convictions and her loyalty to God. More than that however, I have been even more impressed with how she's back up her words in the days following the contest. She has been attacked from almost every angle about her refusal to be "politically correct" and give a "safe answer" just so she could win a title. To look so at peace and say, "God had a different plan for me that night," is awesome. Here's the best way I know to say it, if I had a daughter right now, I'd point her towards Miss California and have no problem saying, "There's a true role model." Please watch the interview below from NBC's Today Show if you haven't seen it yet.
(Note: the video is approx. 5 minutes in length and starts with the judge who asked her the question on gay marriage."


I am thankful for taking tennis this semester. I have truly enjoyed the class, and I've even taken to playing it outside of class now. Not only that, but Sarah now plays with me, and we now have something else to get us outside and active.

I am also thankful that I'll get to take golf this summer. I really enjoyed playing it several years ago, and working a golf tournament last Friday on a beautiful day was awesome.

I am so thankful that Sarah is a sports fan. And when I say sports fan, I mean that she really knows what's going on in sports. To put it in perspective, I can totally leave with her the responsibility of getting tickets to a a game and know with full certainty that she'll come back with awesome tickets. I know there are a lot of guys out there who couldn't trust another guy, much less their spouse, to get the right seats. Sarah always comes through. I also love that I don't have to worry about being distracted from a game to explain everything that's going on. She knows what's going on, and enjoys sports for herself, not just for me. (Notice I also didn't say "AS MUCH as me.") I'm just thankful that she embraces my love of sports and is able to enjoy sports with me. It really means a lot.