JumpinMacFlash

I was at the grocery store the other day, in the meat department. I was browsing for a nice beef tenderloin, when I overheard an exchange between a mother and daughter regarding their dinner. Mother: "We could get some ribs..." Daughter: "Ribs are like Star Wars, they both suck!" If one of my sons ever said that to me, a small piece of my soul would die.

New Year's Eve is also the mother-in-law's birthday. The last three years, the wife and I have gone to her parents' house. The grandparents are usually there. This year, we hauled the kids over, chased the oldest around all night, ate some food, fell asleep at 10 with our oldest in my lap, got woken up at 11:45 to drink a glass of bad-tasting champagne and eat some bad-tasting cake. I was in bed by 12:20.

I've been trying to figure out what to say about this; here's what I've come up with. I turned on ESPN to find out who won the Heisman. I see the Bottom Line and read the news on Braun. My reaction was muted, I simply let out a "wow." My wife asks me from the other room who the winner was, and I just blurted out "Ryan Braun tested positive for steroids." My wife, somewhat of a novice when it comes to baseball, wasn't very affected simply because she never really like Braun's demeanor or attitude, and I have to admit, I wasn't shocked either. I've gotten to a point where I'm no longer surprised when a player tests positive for PEDs. There were many players that have passed through Milwaukee that I assumed were juicing, but one hasn't ever been caught. It was just a flood of disappointment. I've never bought any defense that a player mistakenly took some substance that threw their numbers out of whack, and I won't start now. I really, truly hope that Braun is proven innocent. If he is, then I'll have no problem supporting him again. However, I really don't expect that to happen. I've already spent less time following the Brewers since I graduated, got married, and had two sons that I spend my free time with. I still love the team, but if tonight's news holds true, I could easily see myself getting less and less interested over time. Probably the most appealing thought I've had in my mind is teaching my boys about baseball when they're old enough and hoping that they enjoy it as much as I do. I look forward to playing catch and teaching them to hit, but I could easily see my fandom taking a hit over this incident. It just seems to be happening naturally, but it sometimes takes something like this to happen to really hit home. Oh well, in the grand scheme of things, worse things have happened. I'll still have to change poopy diapers and change my oil tomorrow.

The max I would probably go is 5 years/$110 million with a $20 million sixth year option, which vests based on plate appearances during year five. Realistically, I expect Washington to swoop in and grab Fielder with an 7-year/$180 million contract. Ted Lerner has oodles of cash and isn't afraid to give it out. I don't think they'd hesitate to move Michael Morse to the outfield to make room for Fielder.

What people might have a hard time getting used to is potentially seeing Robin Yount in a Cub uniform as his bench coach.

Speaking of "Under Pressure". I really wish we would play the David Bowie/Queen version instead of the "Ice, ice, baby" sampled version at Miller Park. Plus this just makes more sense as they normally play it with a full count or with 2 strikes on an opposing batter. This is my favorite version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he0Jus2HvA8&feature=player_embedded

It won't be Darrell Porter. He died 9 years ago. Ooof. Bad oversight on my part. I don't have any problem with them picking Suppan either, I just thought it was hilarious.

I wonder who they'll pull out for Game 4. Willie McGee? Darrell Porter?

Ready. Courage Wolf cheers for the Brewers.

I think my favorite part is the marlin on top that rises out of the abyss and spins. Is this what fans of other teams think when they see Bernie's Dugout? http://images.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/10467163.jpg

Sugar is not stored in your body any more than broccoli would be. I realize that carbohydrates will be processed or stored similarly. I'm not questioning calorie intake vs output. I just offered my own commentary on my diet and lifestyle. I don't get to exercise as much as I'd like, so I don't eat as much as I would have. I adjusted my calorie intake according to my exercise level, consistent with the advice you're giving. I'm not sure what the disagreement is. I'm not a health or nutrition expert, I never claimed to be. But I'm not an idiot either.

The fact that you are even debating calorie reduction for someone who wants to lose 30+ tells me I'm wasting my time with this. I don't think Danny is debating the merits of cutting calories. Your debate is only what kind of calories to consume. You're both saying that people need to do what works for them. One of you consumes more carbs. One of you does CrossFit. Yet you've both been successful and healthy. You're both presenting valuable information to people that seem to be eager to take it in. There's nothing wrong with presenting your suggestions. Ultimately, it's up to anyone here to experiment on themselves a bit and find what works for them. Some will pick sides on which advice to take, but the important part is that there are people who are interested in changing their lives and are looking for help. I'm a mix of both ideologies. Personally, as a result of having a 1 year old and another baby on the way, I have less time to spend on myself. I make my workouts shorter and more intense. I do enjoy running a bit; going out for 4 mile runs a few times a week. It's not grinding cardio, but that kind of activity would probably require a higher carb intake. Since I'm not running as much and I don't want to have that sugar stored in my body, I lower my carb intake. I'm not big on added sugar or grains anyway, but I like veggies and the occasional potatoes/sweet potatoes. I'm not no-carb, I'm just different carb, what I see as more natural or efficient carbs. It took me a lot of searching and a lot of work to find something that works for me and my body. You're both providing a valuable service with nothing asked for in return. That's a wonderful concept, please focus on that.

Awesome stuff MacFlash, your training gameplan sounds excellent. Are you on a set lifting routine? I'm not really set on my lifting routine. I have some general guidelines (I don't do isolation exercises anymore, only do compound lifts, I do one bodyweight workout a week. Instead of concentrating on certain muscle groups, I may concentrate on upper body or lower body on a certain day, or I may do all pushing exercises or all pulling. I like to keep things fresh and I like to vary what I do. For example, today I went to the gym, did some kettlebell exercises, did a couple of different presses, but I was bored of it today. So after 25 minutes, I left, walked to the park, and did a routine there that included sprints, crawls, pull-ups (climbed a tree), dips, push-ups, and then ran home. Oh, I also am a minimalist/barefoot runner.

When my wife was pregnant with our son, I didn't exercise as much because I didn't want to make her feel bad. By the time he was born, I was at 198 (up 25 pounds). Afterward, I went back to my normal exercise level, but I couldn't get below 185. I did a bit of reading, trying to find something that worked for me. I changed my diet quite a bit. Now I rarely eat grains, cut a lot of the excess sugars out of my diet, decreased my dairy intake a bit (not too much, I like cheese too much). I eat a lot of veggies, lean meat, healthy fats, and fruit when I feel like it. I still eat carbs, but I get most of it from the fruits and veggies, more than enough fiber too. My energy level is up. I feel great; the best that I have since high school. I lift weights 3-4 times a week, do some light running, high-intensity stuff once or twice a week, including one day of sprint workouts. My body fat has dropped quite a bit, and I'm down to 167 lbs with more muscle mass. I'm not sure of any personal goals. I'd still like to run a marathon, but the only real goal I have right now is to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can.

I could never see myself not being a Brewers fan. I've followed the team way too closely for most of my life, and I just find every aspect of baseball too interesting, whether it's the major league team, the minors, roster make-up, offseason moves...doesn't matter. I want to see prolonged success, but I won't run away from prolonged failure. If there was another work stoppage, I would come back (probably wouldn't do that for the other leagues, sorry NBA). I have discovered lately that there are things that would make me pay less attention. My son is a year old tomorrow, and we're expecting another child. During this year with the best Brewers team I've seen, I've probably watched fewer games than I have in the last decade. Walks, play time, and bath time are much more entertaining. He doesn't enjoy the TV and doesn't stay still long enough to sit with me. I certainly hope that as he and our second child get older they like baseball as much as me (much to his mother's chagrin) and want to watch, follow, and play baseball, but if they didn't I could deal with that. If they had other interests, I could easily see myself paying less and less attention, but never fully abandoning my Brewers fandom.

Everyone who goes to the game today should take a flashlight to shine when the Cardinals are up so that they have no problem seeing the ball when the LED bands aren't on. It's the classy thing to do.

what happens if somebody comes up to an obstacle, and basically says, "Screw this" and just runs around it? I might be wrong about this, but I believe if you want to skip an obstacle you can. The event isn't timed, so there's no real winner and you pay for it, so if you want to short-change yourself, you can. I think they bank on the idea that if someone is paying to do this they're serious about it and, if not, it's their loss. I'm pretty sure that's their stance.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but there was this bit from McCalvy's most recent post: "The Brewers also discussed Nashville third baseman Taylor Green, who is having a comeback season at the plate. But “he’s a third baseman who has played a few games” at second, Roenicke said." You wouldn't think they'd even discuss him if he was on that list of players for the Mets. That should bode well.

You cannot have it both ways. You cannot be a vehicle AND a pedestrian. If you want to be treated like a vehicle and ride in the road then you need to obey traffic laws and pedal faster than 4 mph. I love riding my bike too and I've been doing it more lately as well, but you're absolutely right. Someone riding a bicycle on the road should act as a vehicle, and they have a responsibility to follow traffic laws. The biggest reason being their own safety. I understand that most cyclists can't maintain a 25 mph speed, and that's fine. I understand that at some points they'll have to move into lanes of traffic because of parked cars. I don't understand when cyclists aren't paying attention to traffic and riding in the middle of the road. If my wife and I ride, we'll ride two-wide on less busy roads, but quickly get in line and off to the side as traffic approaches. Really, co-existing isn't hard, but it really amazes me how much conflict there is. A lot of drivers don't get it, and a lot of cyclists just seem ignorant. I'm really understanding toward the plight of cyclists, but I can't condone simply irresponsible biking habits.

I debated doing it, and now that it's over I really wish I had. It looked like a lot of fun. I'm sure it was painful at times, but I think that'd be incredibly rewarding to finish.

I'd echo a lot of what BUC said. I also have border collie (also insane) and he requires a lot of exercise. Our success came early because my wife and I are both runners, so we didn't have too many problems keeping the energy level in check. Also, Frisbee, Frisbee, Frisbee. We don't live on a farm, don't raise cattle, so we needed to find work for our border collie, and fetching a Frisbee was the best type of "work" we could find. Whether behind our apartment building or in the park, he loves to do it and (since it's work to him) he stays incredibly focused on the Frisbee and ignores any other distractions. Whether it's other dogs or people, he avoids them completely and we can keep him off a leash (going for walks is another story). The best thing about border collies and Aussies is also the worst thing: their intelligence. Our dog is absolutely brilliant, to a frustrating degree. He's quick to learn and very willing to learn, but he tests our patience by pushing boundaries and seeing if we'll keep him in line. I know our dog doesn't react well to negative training. Raised voices make him nervous and he cowers. Instead, sharp "no's" or whistles work well along with keeping a firm, yet even-keeled tone. They require so much effort, but they're incredibly rewarding dogs to have.

I had this exact thing happen to me. My stone was only 6 mm in diameter, but it wouldn't come out on it's own either. The initial pain was the worst. First it was in my stomach, then in my back. However, after a couple of hours I wasn't in any more pain. The next day I was in the hospital to have the stone removed, and when I woke up they told me that they couldn't get the stone out because of swelling in the urethra and that a stent was put in to keep the passage open. You shouldn't have any pain from the stent (at least I didn't) but most likely it will feel like you constantly have to go to the bathroom. The doctor had to prescribe me codeine to take away that "urgency." It was the only way I could make it through classes. Went back a week later, they got the stone out without any trouble but left the stent in for two more weeks. Afterward, they gave me a lot of fluid to get rid of any blood clots in the urethra. Yes, the whole thing is as unpleasant as it sounds. Some were the size of a quarter. If the stent is left in after the procedure, just wait until they take it out. For me, it was an out-patient thing and wasn't knocked out for it.

I was originally planning on taking the day off and introducing my son to his first Opening Day, but I couldn't get the day off. I'll be listening to Bob and Cory for most of the game. Might take a late lunch and watch the first couple innings at Mo's in 'Tosa.

In regard to the second part, I'd go with Utah State. They're a No. 12 seed in probably the most open region. I think the safest bet for a double-digit seed would be Michigan State, but they're only a 10-seed. My third choice would be Bucknell as a No. 14 seed.

I can't believe Bautista is getting that much. He's actually getting more per year than Alex Rios did at the time. I suppose if he has another .950 OPS season and then hits free agency, there's no way they'd be able to afford him and someone would give him well above that amount. It's a big risk, for sure. The Blue Jays must see something in him that gives them an incredible amount of confidence. Alex Anthopoulos has done a nice job so far. The fact that he traded Vernon Wells means he'll probably be given the benefit of a couple hundred doubts from Blue Jay fans and ownership.