The Road Runner

It has been a few of months since I have updated my health situation and for that I am sorry.  That being said, the last few months have been phenomenal.  Since I last updated everyone in late March, I have lost another 40 pounds bringing my weight loss total over the past eight months to 103, surpassing the number the doctor suggested I lose.  I hope to be able to lose another 47 over the next four months.  I already am at my lowest weight in the past fifteen years and hope to get back to my early high school weight by the end of October. 

I returned to the doctor near the end of April and received great news.  The doctor was ecstatic over how well I was doing and how much weight I had lost.  She officially took me off of my diabetes medication because I had my sugar right where it needed to be.  Also, my liver functions were perfect.  I can't even begin to tell you how good that made me feel to hear those things.  But one of the coolest things she told me was that she could tell that I had been exercising because I now had the heart rate of a runner.  My check-up went so well that she told me not to come back for six months instead of the normal three.

Perhaps the coolest thing that has happened over the past three months is what I was able to do on May 4 and June 8.  These are the dates that I ran my first 5Ks.  I was pretty nervous about the first one.  It was the first time I ever ran outdoors.  I had done all my running on the treadmill so I had no idea of what to expect that morning.  I made a huge mistake in the first quarter mile and was not able to recover until almost halfway through the course.  The run started off with a small hill and I hit it at a dead run and by the time I came down the hill on the other side and made the turn onto the main road, I was gassed.  It took me probably 15 minutes after that to find my rhythm.  I finished the race with a time of 42:35 and to be honest, I was greatly disappointed.  I was hoping for something in the range of 38:00.  But my wonderful wife, Kristy, reminded me that what I had done was still a major accomplishment.  I had done something I had never been able to do in my life and that was something to be proud of.  So after sulking for  a few minutes, I was able to get my mind right and appreciate my accomplishment.

I took advantage of the five weeks between the two races to change my training methods.  I had intentions of doing more outdoor running but a busy schedule and weather did not allow that to happen so I had to do all of my training on the treadmill again.  The two things I tried to work on over this time was more elevation and not holding onto the handrails of the machine.  In the end, I think modifying my strategy paid dividends.  I began the race on June 8 with a much better pace and was able to run the entire race without stopping a single time to walk.  Granted, most of the running was the "lineman's shuffle" but it was still running and I finished the race in 41:19.  Again, I was disappointed with my results but after a minute of sulking, I received a gentle reminder from the Almighty that he was with me and that I had achieved something fantastic.  To say the least it was a calming experience and one that I really needed. 

As always, I know where to go to give thanks for the miracle that is happening in my life.  I would be nothing without Jesus in my life and even though there have been times I have neglected Him, I plan on giving Him the proper praise from now on.  Isaiah 40:31 tells us, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  That is exactly the way I felt on Saturday, June 8.  I had placed my hope in the Lord, I ran a complete race like I was on the wings of eagles, and I did not grow weary.  Until next time, I hope you all keep the faith and God bless!

42

Over the weekend I was able to finally get a chance to go watch 42.  I had been looking forward to seeing this movie since I heard it was being made and that Harrison Ford was playing Branch Rickey.  Two things you can’t beat are baseball movies and Harrison Ford.  But what made going to see the movie more special was that my oldest son, Brayden, was really excited about going to watch it with me.  You see, Brayden is in second grade and he was assigned to portray Jackie Robinson at his school’s wax museum.  In studying about who Jackie Robinson was and his impact on history, Brayden became infatuated with the figure of Jack Roosevelt Robinson.  Being a lifelong baseball fan, it was a proud father moment when Brayden walked up to the microphone wearing his #42 Brooklyn Dodgers youth uniform in front of his school to say, “I am Jackie Robinson and I am famous for being the first African American to play Major League Baseball.”

Portraying Robinson in the wax museum only fueled Brayden’s fire to go watch the movie.  At first, we told him that we would have to go watch it first to make sure it was suitable for him to watch but finding a time in our busy schedules to do so was proving to be nearly impossible.  After reading a couple of reviews of the movie written by people who had taken 8-year old children to see the film, I decided to take him but warn him about some of what he would see depicted in the film. 

So Saturday evening, Brayden and my wife and I all strolled into the movie theatre.  I don’t think I am going out on a limb here when I say that Brayden was one of a handful, and possibly even the only, 8-year-old white kid to got watch the film wearing a Jackie Robinson replica 42 jersey.  And if anyone gave him a funny look for doing so, I didn’t notice and if they had I wouldn’t have cared because I thought it was absolutely awesome! 

As for the movie itself, it was phenomenal.  As with any historical film produced in Hollywood, there were some straying of facts and some omissions but you just have to live with those things and accept that will happen anytime you commit to watching said films.  Harrison Ford turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as Branch Rickey, the man who was not afraid risk his career and organization to do the right thing.  But the real star of the film was Chadwick Boseman, an unknown actor who was able to make you believe that he really was Jackie Robinson and that his plight was taking place before your eyes instead of 65 years before.

While viewing the film, two scenes really stood out in my mind to embody the struggle that Jackie faced on the field and the history of racism in our nation.  The first was when the Dodgers played the Philadelphia Phillies and the Phils’ manager, Ben Chapman, began belittling and mocking Robinson as he came to bat.  He personifies the soul of the stereotypical, Southern racist and unleashes a ruthless rant on Robinson as he is trying to hit.  It was bad enough the first time he does it but by the end of his third at bat, it is absolutely discomfiting.  I was literally uneasy at the verbal abuse that he was perpetrating and I was in a theater full of people that looked like me.  But it is at that moment when one of Jackie’s teammates, Eddie Stanky, comes to his aid and confronts the bigoted manager because he knows that Jackie is not in a position to retaliate. In that scene, we ride the rollercoaster of human nature.  I can honestly say that I have never been treated with the malice that Jackie Robinson (and so many others) was and hope I never will be but I can say that if I do ever encounter it, I pray that I have the resolve that he did.

The other scene takes place when the Dodgers go on the road to play the Reds in Cincinnati.  The game was a homecoming of sorts for Brooklyn’s star shortstop, Pee Wee Reese who grew up in nearby Louisville, KY.  Pee Wee knew he would have lots of family at the game and he had received hate mail about taking the field with a Negro player.  The scene cuts to some fans in the stands who have come to see Pee Wee play and when the Dodgers hit the field, the fans begin spewing the typical racial epithets at Robinson.  One man, whose son is with him and who was just lauding Reese with praise, is one of the participants in the vitriolic chants.  His young son, looking uncomfortable and confused, clearly not sure what to do, begins to follow suit and yell the same hateful garbage he hears all around him.  But in a moment straight from baseball lore, Pee Wee Reese crossed the diamond from shortstop to first base to put his arm around Jackie Robinson, gave him a pep talk, and said, "Maybe one of these days we'll all wear 42" or something to that effect.  When it cuts back to the child, you can tell that moment had an impact on him and he was at a crossroads.  His father, whom he admires greatly, was in contrast to his hero and you got the feeling that his hero would win.  It was a great piece of cinematic storytelling and was a pivotal scene in the film. 

All in all, it turned out to be a great decision to take Brayden to watch the movie.  Brayden absolutely loved the film and came away with an even greater appreciation for what Jackie Robinson accomplished.  For me, it was very teachable moment to spend with my son and for him to learn some great and horrible events in American history.  After leaving the movie, I said to Brayden, "You know those things the Phillies manager was saying to Jackie, you don't ever say those things, right?"  He replied, "I had no idea what he was saying but I know to never say them."  I couldn't help but think that it was a great thing that he was eight and had no idea what those words meant.  I know I couldn't make that claim at that age.  It also gave me hope that things will continue to get better with each passing generation.  Besides, in the profound words of my teaching mentor, John Lynd, "There is only one race and that is the human race."  If only we could all look at others through those eyes.

Opening Day

Today is the greatest non-holiday day of the year.  Not even close.  And if I have to tell you why, then obviously you are depriving yourself.  But for those of you still lost, I'll let you in on the secret: It's opening day of the Major League Baseball season!  Now if that don't get you stoked, I don't know what will.  So, without any further chitchat, let me make some predictions for the year ahead. 

National League

East
 1) Washington (As I am typing this, Bryce Harper has just gone yard for the second time in as many at bats.  Look out for a monster season from this kid!)
 2)Atlanta (They will get the first wild card.  Let's just hope Sam Holbrook is not doing the wild card game this year.)
 3) Philadelphia               
 4) New York
 5) Miami

Central

1)Cincinnati (And they will have the best overall record in MLB.  I'm going to say 97-65.)

2) St. Louis
3) Pittsburgh
4) Milwaukee
5) Chicago

West

1) Los Angeles

2) San Francisco (San Fran will edge out the Phillies and Cards for the second wild card and will get beat in the one game playoff in Atlanta.)
3) Arizona
4) San Diego
5) Colorado

Joey Votto will win the MVP for the second time.  He may be the best pure hitter in the game.  Look for him to bounce back from a bad knee that hampered him late last season.  He will finish with 26 HR, 118 RBI, and a .332 Avg.  Stephen Strasburg will win the Cy Young as he does not have to worry about the dreaded innings limit this year.  I predict he will have a 21-5 record, 2.63 ERA, and 235 Ks.  Atlanta starting pitcher Julio Teheran will win Rookie of the Year, narrowly defeating San Diego's Jedd Gyorko.  Giancarlo Stanton will lead MLB with 48 homers as well.  The Reds will defeat the Nationals in six to win the pennant.

American League

East
1) Toronto (This team should be able to matchup with anybody in the game and slug with the best of the best as well.  Look for them to have the best AL record at 95-67.)
2) Boston (Boston will win the first wild card.)
3) Tampa (Tampa will win the second but lose to Bos in the wild card game.)
4) Baltimore
5) New York (Yes, you read this correctly.  Even if it doesn't happen at least it was sweet to type it.)

Central

1) Detroit
2) Chicago
3) Kansas City
4) Cleveland
5) Minnesota

West
1)Los Angeles (With Trout, Pujols, Hamilton, and Trumbo, many starting pitchers will either have nightmares or insomnia the night before taking the hill against this lineup.)
2) Texas
3) Seattle
4) Oakland
5) Houston

Mike Trout came historically close to winning the MVP last season only to be denied by the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, Miguel Cabrera.  Look for him to finish the deal this season.  Trout will have 31 HR, 107 RBI, .336 Avg, 133 runs, and 51 stolen bases.  Jered Weaver will win his first Cy Young, going 19-6 with a 2.48 ERA.  Tampa's Wil Myers will narrowly beat out Boston's Jackie Bradley for the Rookie of the Year.  The Angels defeat the Blue Jays in five to win the pennant. 

World Series
So the season ends as it begins for these two teams who will face off for the championship.  The Reds will win the first two games but the Angels will once again deny Dusty Baker a World Series ring as they manage to finish off the Redlegs in seven. 
(All predictions are subject to change throughout the course of the season.)

Up, Up, and LCTC Away

Many who know me know that I have an appreciation for comic books and superheroes.  I find the artistic ability and  creativity of the artists as well as the depth of writing and complex story arcs simply fascinating.  And with the success of comic movies at the box office, the superhero genre has never been so popular.  That is why when the second annual Lexington Comic and Toy Convention was underway last weekend I had to stop by and see what was going on.  Here's a list of the things that I found most interesting on the day.

5) People, People Everywhere: The convention center in Lexington was hopping with people.  They were everywhere.  We arrived about twenty minutes after the doors opened and there were already long lines for tickets and long lines waiting to enter the hall.  Once inside, there was hardly any room to turn around without bumping into to someone.  It made keeping up with three young kids pretty hectic at times but pretty much everyone we encountered seemed to be gracious and courteous.  Last year's event was attended by more than 4,000 people and this year's event more than doubled that number with nearly 10,000 people buying tickets.  Needless to say, I think the success of this event will grow each year. 

4)Creativity Abounds: There was no shortage of creative vendors in attendance at the LCTC.  One of the most impressive was a man named Robert Love who cut aluminum pop cans into pieces and attached them to wooden cut outs to create various works of art.  Some of his creations included Spider-Man, Star Wars characters such as Darth Vader and C-3PO, and other various comic book characters.  Another vendor, Tee Minus 24, was selling unique t-shirts and pins.  The best of these were faux campaign shirts from the world of Star Wars.  The two tickets for the shirts were the Kenobi/Skywalker ticket and the Palpatine/Vader ticket.  They also had a t-shirt that featured some Hobbits as the Breakfast Club.  And the number of phenomenal artists who were selling their own sketches and independently published works was unreal.  As someone who cannot draw a straight line using a ruler, I have a great appreciation for the enormous ability these artists have. 

3) Goodies, Goodies, and More Goodies: The number of actual comic books in the building was staggering.  I would have no idea even where to start guessing.  I picked up a few items to add to my collection.  The one I can't wait to check out was graphic novel called Good and Evil written by Michael Pearl and drawn and inked by former Marvel Comics artist, Danny Bulanadi.  It is published by No Greater Joy Ministries and is a comic adaptation of the Bible.  I am looking forward to getting started on reading it.  And did I mention that the vendor gave it to me for free?  Can't beat that price.  I also picked up a stash of comics for an average price of $0.67.  But my daughter, Laura-Rae, may have come away with the best haul of any of us.  She collects pins for her denim jacket and she was in luck at LCTC.  There were pins everywhere and she was able to pick up several for roughly $1 apiece.  She couldn't have been happier. 

2) May the Force Be With You:  Two key actors from the original Star Wars trilogy were present at LCTC.  Billy Dee Williams, who portrayed the swindling, double-crossing leader of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian, and Peter Mayhew, who wore the Chewbacca costume.  I did not get either man's autograph (Williams was charging $40 and Mayhew $30) but it was cool to see them up close and see the line of people who were waiting to get something signed.  My nephew, Byron, waited in line for nearly an hour to get Billy Dee Williams' autograph and he enjoyed every minute of it.  The only problem was he wanted a picture and the lady assisting Williams with photos was sent on a pretzel run and so he was not able to get a pic with Lando. 

1) 1996 NCAA Champs: The highlight of the day for me was meeting an integral member of the 1996 NCAA champion Kentucky Wildcats, Derek Anderson.  Anderson was there selling and signing copies of his recently published book, Stamina.  In his book, Anderson recounts succeeding despite the odds being stacked against him and he encourages people to never give up and fight through adversity in order to succeed.  His appearance at a comic convention was a little unusual but for a diehard UK fan like me, it was more than awesome. 

LCTC was a smashing success and I am already looking forward to next year's event.  I know this year's event was a year's worth of hard work and organization.  Kudos go out to Jarrod and Jaime Greer, the organizers of the event, for a fantastic event.  Keep up the great work and I can't wait to see the talent you have on display this time next year!

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

I am approaching the five month mark of living a healthier lifestyle.  I must admit that to this point, it has been remarkably easier than I anticipated.  I guess having your back to a wall has a way of doing that to you.  I am now down 63 pounds and have gotten on the treadmill four times a week for the past eight weeks.  As a matter of fact, I have gotten so used to doing the treadmill that I actually make plans around my exercise instead of making excuses to not do it.  I never thought I would see the day come when I would get cranky because I had not had my cardio for the day.  I guess investing in a treadmill last summer, even though it was barely used for several months, was worth the cost after all.

Over the course of the last month, people have really begun noticing the transformation that my body is undergoing.  I have had countless people make comments about my weight loss and several who continually ask me about my progress.  I have to confess, it feels amazing that people have noticed and are taking an interest in how I am doing.  Many have even offered words of encouragement and admiration for what I have been able to do thus far.  While I have spent most of my life trying to not really be noticed and keeping personal details personal, I have found that being open and discussing what I am going through to be cathartic and necessary to being successful in reaching my goals.  After all, if people are taking enough interest to notice how  I am changing my body, the least I can do is be open about things.

Perhaps the question that is most often asked of me nowadays is, "How are you doing it?" (One person asked me, "So, what's your secret?"  I resisted the urge to say, "Diabetes.  It's worked wonders for me.")  I always tell them that the answer is simple: I am eating more nutritiously and exercising regularly.  I know that doesn't sound flashy but it's true.  But after being asked that question again a few days ago, I began to think about how I had actually done it.  The answer I had been giving was true but, honestly, there is more to it than that.  When I say diet and exercise, I am leaving out the most important part: God.  If not for Him, none of this would be possible.  So, upon further reflection of how God has guided me through this time, I have pinpointed several keys to what has allowed me to be successful in restoring my body and rebuilding my relationship with God.

1)  Faith: This is where it all starts for me.  While I have always had faith in the Holy Trinity, I had gotten to a point in my life where I was relying more on myself than I was on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When you trust yourself more than the Trinity, that's when you get yourself in trouble.  After getting the dickens scared out of me in October, my eyes were quickly opened and I knew immediately where I needed to put my faith if I was going to be successful in changing my life.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20, "I tell you the truth, if your faith is a big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there', and it will move.  All things will be possible for you".  I needed to move a mountain, or (more aptly) remove  a mountain of weight from the frame of my body, and I knew I could not do it alone.  I chatted with God about getting that done and we have been in constant communication since.  If you are looking for a place to start, try renewing your faith in the King of Kings.

2) Attitude:  If you are to be successful in anything you do, you must have a positive attitude.  A colleague of mine often tells his students and players, "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right either way".  That makes a lot of sense to me.  If you expect to fail, you will.  If you expect to succeed, you will do that to.  So, I approach every day determined to be successful.  I don't just sit around waiting for things to happen; I make them happen.  Luke 12:35 tells us to "be dressed, ready for service and keep your lamps burning" and that is exactly how I have approached my situation.  I feel that God has plans for me and in order for those plans to be carried out I need to stay positive and keep the determination to follow God where He leads me. 

3) Desire: In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry encounters a unique mirror that lets him see his family who had been killed years earlier.  Harry continues to sneak around to get a peek at the mirror whenever possible.  Eventually Professor Dumbledore tells Harry about why everyone who looks into the mirror sees something different.  He tells Harry, "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts."  After getting my wakeup call in the fall, I took a look into my own personal Mirror of Erised and saw that I wanted to be around for Kristy, Brayden, Laura-Rae, and Spencer for as long as I possibly could.  I want to celebrate milestone anniversaries and birthdays and get to know my grandchildren someday.  This was not going to be possible going down the road the I had been travelling.  So now I am travelling a much better road.  Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires."  That sounds pretty good to me so that is what I intend to do. 

4) Ownership: I have taken ownership of the problem at hand because you can't resolve problems if you aren't willing to admit that you have them or admit your fault in having them.  I knew I had a genetic predisposition to be diabetic but I had taken that too lightly for too long.  No one to blame but myself.  1 Timothy 5:8 sums it up pretty well.  "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."  I don't want to be worse than an unbeliever but I do want to provide for my family so that means I must take ownership of the problem and takes steps to correct it and I have.  Going through life ignoring your problems and pretending they don't exist is not a solution, and to me it's not an option.  Own them, solve them, praise the Lord, and move on.  Simple as that. 

These keys have proven to be life changing for me and I would recommend anyone who is facing a similar issue follow them.  What do you have to lose?  Me, I had a lot to lose if I didn't change and I'll bet that you do too.  Recently, I read a book on desire by John Eldredge* and in it he says, "Life is not a problem to be solved; it is an adventure to be lived."  I reflected upon that statement and my life.  Too often when we face problems, we let them dominate our lives.  It's easy to do.  But what we really need to do is view them as bumps on the road of the journey we are on.  Sometimes we may have to take the long way around when we wanted to take the short cut, but the classic Robert Frost** poem puts that in perspective for us:

  "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

*Desire: The Journey We Must Take to Find the Life God Offers by John Eldredge

**The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

When Topps is Bottom

One of the unpleasant things about getting older is the longer you live, the more your childhood slips away from you.  It can be that you discover life is not as idyllic as you imagined it would be or the death of someone who played an integral role in your life growing up.  But most often it is little things that you cherished as a child that slip away from you.  Sometimes you watch a show or movie that you absolutely loved as a child but when you watch it as an adult, it doesn't quite measure up to your fond memory.  Or it can be your favorite athlete finally retiring leaving you to watch a game you love without your childhood hero.  Today I experienced one of these smaller things and it has bothered all day.

I have spent the better part of the past 30 years collecting baseball cards.  I can still remember getting baseball cards in the checkout lines of the local hardware and grocery stores, and the best part was the packs only cost a quarter.  I was never fortunate enough to get a high value card (partially because the 1980s nearly ruined collecting with mega mass production) but when I was a kid, I collected them for pure joy.  I would read the backs of the cards day after day, memorizing useless stats and facts about even the most mediocre players.  Anytime I would get new cards, I would painstakingly separate them into teams and store them in old lunchboxes and shoeboxes. 

I collected practically any brand of card I could get my hands on but my favorite brand has always been Topps.  They were so appealing to me as a kid because they were cheaper than Donruss or Fleer and much less expensive than Upper Deck when they burst onto the scene in 1989.  My favorite design of all time is the wood border of the 1987 Topps set.  I still think this design is by far the most unique design for a base set ever. 

As I got older, collecting became less regular but when I decided to buy I always went at it with such a fervor that I would nearly become obsessed with it; mainly because I was finally gainfully employed and could buy in quantities that I once only dreamed about.  A few years ago I was even able to do something I once thought was impossible: I bought a case of cards.  Twenty-four boxes, thirty-six packs per box, ten cards per pack.  It was heaven on earth.  (I sold some of the boxes and several of the cards and was able to recoup a large percentage of the cost of the purchase). 

But baseball collecting forever changed in summer or 2009 when Major League Baseball announced an exclusive deal for Topps to be the only MLB licensed brand on the market.  Upper Deck tried to battle the deal but to no avail.  Topps had cornered the baseball card market.  I was apprehensive about the deal but each manufacturer had so many products available that the average consumer would not even notice they were all made by the same company.  Topps had their base set that was released in three different series, their Bowman line, and their Allen and Ginter throwback cards just to name a few.  The quality of cards Topps was producing and the cool inserts that included legendary players were extremely appealing.  I thought Topps being the only baseball card producer might just work.  After all, they had always been my favorite.

Now in the fourth year of the exclusive deal with MLB, Topps has finally found away to ruin card collecting for me.  I am not one to usually protest, but I feel like Topps has stepped across a line that I will not support.  Their egregious decision is nothing life altering but it can be attributed to political correctness run amok and I just can't stand for it.  By now, I am sure you are asking yourself what Topps could have possibly done to upset a lifelong collector?  For some, hearing the answer may still leave you perplexed but for those who really know me, they will understand.  The egregious decision that Topps has made is to rewrite the MLB history books.  On the back of the 2013 set just released a few weeks ago, they have included a gimmick called Career Chase that tells how close the player on the card is to reaching an all-time record.  Some examples are as follows: With 260 home runs, (Prince) Fielder is 502 away from Barry Bonds' all-time record of 762; With 191 RBI, (Buster) Posey is 2,036 away from Hank Aaron's all-time record of 2,277; and With 149 runs, (Mike) Trout is 2,146 away from Rickey Henderson's all-time record of 2,297.

Ordinarily, I would think this feature would be fantastic.  It allows a collector of fan to see where the player on the card stands against some of the greats to ever play the game.  But Topps took things too far when it came to mentioning the number of hits a player has and comparing it to the career hits leader.  Here is an example of what I am talking about: With 3,304 hits, (Derek) Jeter is 952 away from the all-time record of 4,256.  There is no mention of who holds the record; a record probably to never be broken in our lifetime.  Of course, anyone with any baseball knowledge knows that the current hits record belongs to one of the most controversial players to ever suit up, Pete Rose, but to not mention him on the back of the card like his career never happened is preposterous and cheapens what Topps is trying to do.

(For those of you who are casual fans at best and may not know, Pete Rose has been banned from the game of baseball since 1989 for betting on games.  The evidence at the time was circumstantial but enough to ban the Hit King and years later Pete finally confessed his sins.  It has now been nearly a quarter of a century and Pete has never gotten a sniff of being reinstated.  The greatest pure hitter to ever play the game, a man who embodied his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is not in the Hall of Fame and will not be any time in the foreseeable future.)

But this is not about Pete Rose still being ostracized for a sin that he has already paid a severe price for. This is about the audacity of the executives at Topps to make the holier-than-thou decision to exclude any mention of Pete Rose from their baseball cards.  Who gave these guys permission to rewrite the history books?  And if the execs are holding players to certain standards, then why is Barry Bonds mentioned on the Career Chase for homeruns?  I know Barry never failed a drug test, mainly because baseball was making tons of money at time when they needed it more than ever off roid-ragers and turned a blind eye to what was going on, but anyone who watched the man play or has read Game of Shadows can tell you that circumstantial evidence on Barry is just as damning as what MLB had on Pete.

If it were my call, however, I would not exclude Bonds name from the card because it is asinine to pretend that a player's career never happened.  Yet, I have another question for the sanctimonious yahoos in charge.  I can concede that nothing was proven of Bonds but how about Alex Rodriguez?  He is an admitted steroid user and has once again been linked to a PED mill in Miami.  If the decision makers at Topps are the morality police, then why does A-Rod have several different cards in each of their sets?  And what about the freshly minted Lance Armstrong of baseball, Ryan Braun?  How many times does he have to deny, deny, deny before Topps holds him accountable?

Whether you love or hate any of these players is irrelevant.  But to pretend that someone's career, especially a player that played at such a level to set a near unbreakable record, it's just ludicrous to say the least.  Clay Luraschi, a Topps spokesman, characterized it as a "simple decision" but would not elaborate on what was so simple.  I agree that it was a simple (minded) decision.  To ignore history is never a good idea.  Would we do justice to the Holocaust if we ignored Adolf Hitler's role?  Would we do justice to the civil rights movement if we ignored slavery?  Now, I am in no way comparing the stats on a baseball card to the loss of lives and atrocities suffered during the Holocaust and slavery.  I am merely making the point that when we try to change history years after the fact, we put ourselves on a slippery slope that once you start down, who's to say where it will end.

For the record, I am a big fan of the way that Pete Rose played the game.  I remember watching him get hit  number 4,192 on September 11, 1985 to break Ty Cobb's 57 year-old record.  (Ty Cobb was a unapologetic racist and generally regarded as one of the dirtiest players ever, yet Topps doesn't shy away from putting him on cards).  I saw him a play in person a few times when he was in the twilight of his career while also doubling as the manager of his beloved Cincinnati Reds.  I admit what Pete did was wrong and deserved punishment.  But he has served his punishment.  It's time to move on.

So that is what I am doing.  Topps, I am moving on from you.  Unlike Topps decision to rewrite history, my decision was not so simple.  With the current stranglehold Topps has on the card market, this appears to be the death knell for my card collecting hobby.  I know I am not the only one who feels this way.  But also unlike Topps, I will not omit my history of collecting their cards.  For me to do so would be robbing myself of  part of my childhood.  For Topps to omit Pete Rose from the hits record is to rob loyal fans of the integrity of historical accuracy.  How can we ever move forward in society if we aren't willing to address facts?  After all, if we aren't willing to discuss and recognize history, aren't we doomed to repeat it?

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

Today is one of my favorite sports days of the year.  Sure, it doesn’t rival opening day of the MLB season, the opening rounds of March Madness, or the Super Bowl but for a day in early February, it’s something for college football fans to get excited about.  Of course, I am talking about National Signing Day!  Today is the day in which thousands of young men all across the country sign to play college football and in so doing give each fan a glimpse of what their favorite program will look like this coming fall.

For years, there hasn’t been much to get excited about on this day if you were a University of Kentucky football fan.  I am one of the few who I know that would pay attention to the Wildcat signees and try to learn more about them and how they could help the program.  Overall, there wasn’t much interest from casual fans.  They would latch onto the biggest names in the crop of talent and then expect them to dominate the SEC as soon as they stepped foot on campus.  Or they would bemoan the fact that UK was either 11^th or 12^th in the SEC in recruiting and go on a negative tirade about it being a loser program and why couldn’t the football team be more like the basketball team.  Well, it’s just not that easy.

But this year brings an excitement to National Signing Day that I have never seen before.  New UK head coach Mark Stoops has the fan base excited.  He has been able to do things that many have assumed were impossible at Kentucky: he has been able to sell a lackluster program to highly ranked kids and get them to come to what many consider to be the worst football program in the SEC.  He steadily preached about a change of culture and the university has stepped up to give him unprecedented support.  And for the first time in my memory, here we are in the middle of February and there is more talk about UK football than there is about the basketball program.  (Some of that speaks to the fickleness of fans.  The basketball program is 16-6, 7-2 in SEC, and many have given them up for dead.)

Just last week, the UK football team released a You Tube video promoting signing day.  During the Super Bowl, UK football ran an ad on Lexington station WKYT showing clips of past UK greats in action and featured a voiceover of former UK receiver and new offensive coordinator, Neal Brown, saying, “Come be a hero.”  The energy was pulsating across Big Blue Nation.

And now, on National Signing Day, no one could have anticipated the kind of first signing class that Stoops was able to haul in.  Eight of the kids signed were considered 4-star players by one of the major recruiting services (Scout, Rivals, ESPN).  Three of those were ranked in the top 250 of this signing class in the nation.  To put that in perspective, they had only signed one of those kids in the top 250 of a class in the past five years.  Two of these kids were Kentucky kids who had not been likely to attend UK until Stoops and his staff came on board.  Ryan Timmons, a projected wide receiver and return specialist from Franklin Co. High School, chose Kentucky over Ohio State and Florida (where he was being recruited by Joker Phillips) and Jason Hatcher, a former USC commit from Trinity High School in Louisville, will have the opportunity to leave their mark, along the lines of Tim Couch, Andre Woodson, Craig Yeast, and Jared Lorenzen, as kids who stayed in-state and became legends at UK the past fifteen years. 

Many of these kids are going to have the opportunity to play immediately at Kentucky, which certainly has to be one of the key selling points to young recruits, but any turnaround will not come overnight.  The one thing that I see from these young men that I like is that they already seem close and they already seem to have defined leadership.  Jaleel Hytche, the young cornerback prospect out of Ohio, was one of Stoops first commitments and has waved the banner proudly for UK.  He has been aggressively talking to other prospects on Twitter encouraging them to come be a part of something special.  For the first time I can remember there has been a campaign set in motion that it may not be so bad to play at Kentucky and these recruits truly seem to believe that.  They seem to understand exactly what it is going to take to be successful at UK and are helping convince others along the way.

As excited as I am about this class, I must urge caution to Big Blue Nation.  If there is to be a turnaround for UK football, it will take these kind of classes year in and year out.  Remember, most of the same fans who are getting excited about Fall 2013 are the ones who abandoned the Cats in Fall 2012.  I admit that I am as excited as anybody about the future of the program but that excitement should be tempered with patience.  I hope that Coach Stoops will get the one thing from fans that Coach Phillips never received: unconditional support.  Check your negativity at the door; there’s no place for that if this program is to move forward.  That’s all I am asking of anyone. 

But for today, let’s just enjoy the prospects that have signed and talk them all up like they are All-Americans.  The Stoops staff has done a magnificent job of going in and getting guys from hotbeds that had previously been untapped by UK.  Stoops said when he was hired that he would concentrate on the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Florida.  As it stands right now, he has three top players each from Kentucky and Ohio and nine from the state of Florida.  He has flipped kids from nationally prominent schools like Nebraska and USC convinced them to come to a lower tier SEC school.  Just think, if he can do that in just over two months of recruiting, what is the class of 2014 going to look like when he has a full year to get after it?