Walk Off

There’s a special tie to Baseball history that continues to thrill fans of the game, especially in October.

This year I’m torn. Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, or Astros? If you’ve been watching the 2017 MLB playoffs it’s been a treat so far. Readers of this blog know by now I’m a dedicated Cubs fan, however . . .

First of all, there’s Jose Altuve, the Astros 5′ 6″, 165 lb. sensation, what a joy to watch. He plays the game with reckless abandonment. Will he hit a home run, steal a base to manufacture a run, or simply fly around the bases from first to score the winning run? He’s currently batting .466 in the playoffs and has captured the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. Don’t believe me, just tune into any ALCS game this season and listen to the broadcasters revel in his accomplishments.

In complete contrast is the Yankee Rookie sensation Aaron Judge, 6′ 7″, 282 lbs., built for power and speed. With an unassuming smile, and calm demeanor he goes about his business professionally. Criticized by the press for batting .172 in the first two ALCS games against the Astros. His attitude is best summed up with this quote, ”To a certain extent," Judge said, "I enjoy failure. It's part of the game. There's always room to grow, there's room to improve. So it's been a fun ride. And it's my first year, still pretty crazy.”

Judge, an All Star in his rookie year, the Home Run Derby Champion for 2017, and American League Home run leader, with a record 56 (eclipsing Mark McGuire’s record of 50 in 1987). Star credentials for the historic Yankee franchise already being compared to Babe Ruth with gargantuan blasts.

And how about the Dodgers? Exactly 29 years to the day from Kirk Gibson’s memorable walk-off, fist pumping home run, Justin Turner launches his first walk-off home run to seal a Dodger victory over my Cubs in Dodger Stadium! What a season for the Dodgers: 104 Wins and just 58 losses. The previous record setting, World Champion 1955 Dodgers had 95 wins and 55 losses. Are the Dodgers destined to win another World Series this year? We’ll see.

And what about my Cubs? Well, with last nights loss to the Dodgers they are currently 3-0 in the NLCS. But there’s still hope. Lets’ get Ben Zobrist, the 2016 MVP of the World Series, on base in the lead-off spot. Then have Bryant and Rizzo drive in the runs the Cubs need to win the next three games this Post Season. Remember, it’s the best of seven. If the Cubs win we could be in for another exciting game seven!

As you can probably tell by now, being a Cubs fan all these years, it’s not really about who wins the World Series (Go Cubs). It’s the thrill of victory for the team that provides the most suspense and entertainment for the fans and proves once again that Baseball is the greatest game of all.

Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, or Astros? Who are you rooting for this year?

Comments

Boy on a Beam

In this special bonus episode, Boy on a Beam. In a world long ago, when the days moved quite slow, Before buzzes and beeps and the fast things we know, A boy sat quite still on a very fine day, Just staring at nothing . . . and thinking away. No tablets! No gadgets! No screens shining bright! No earbuds stuck in from morning till night. No lists, no charts, and no chores to be done. He just sat there thinking—that's quiet-time fun! His name was Young Albert. He sat in his chair, Thinking of things that weren’t really there. “Suppose,” said Young Albert, with eyes open wide, “I ran super fast with my arms by my side! Suppose I ran faster than anyone knew, And caught up to sunshine that zoomed past me—too! If I hopped on its back for a light-speedy ride, What secrets would I find tucked away deep inside?” “Would stars look like sprinkles, all shiny and small? Would UP feel like sideways? Would BIG feel like Tall?” He giggled and wondered and thought, and he dreamed, Till his head fel...

Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way

🎩 In this special episode. How to Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way It’s 2026! Yes— this is the year! A different kind of start—you feel it right here? No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws! No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws! Those resolutions? Bah! Dusty and dry! We’ve tried fixing everything —so let’s ask why. Why rush and correct and improve and compare, When noticing quietly gets you right there ? So here’s a new project—no charts, no clocks, No boxes to check in your mental inbox. It’s bigger than busy and smaller than grand, It’s called Un-Working —now give me your hand! Un-Working’s not quitting or hiding away, It’s setting things down that shout “Hurry! Hey!” The hustle! The bustle! The faster-than-fast! The gotta-win-now or you’re stuck in the past! That’s the work of Un-Working— plop! —set it free! The titles! The labels! The “Look-At-Me!” The crown that kept sliding and pinching your head— You never looked comfy . . . let’s try this instead: Pick up a tel...

The Thought Experiment–Revisited

In this episode. The Thought Experiment–Revisited The Boy on a Light Beam In 1895, a sixteen-year-old boy did something we rarely allow ourselves to do anymore. He stared into space and let his mind wander. No phone. No notes. No “Optimization Hacks” for his morning routine. Just a question: What would happen if I chased a beam of light—and actually caught it? That boy was Albert Einstein . And that single act of curiosity—a Gedankenexperiment , a thought experiment—eventually cracked open Newton’s tidy universe and rearranged our understanding of time itself. Not bad for an afternoon of daydreaming. Imagine if Einstein had been “productive” instead. He would have logged the light-beam idea into a Notion database, tagged it #CareerGrowth, and then promptly ignored it to attend a forty-five-minute “Sync” about the color of the departmental logo. He’d have a high Efficiency Score—and we’d still be stuck in a Newtonian universe , wondering why the Wi-Fi is slow. In a post I wrote back in...

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . . (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...

On The Fly

Search This Blog