AN UPDATE

Since it's been a little while since I've posted anything new I thought I would at the very least take a little time for an update. So here goes ....

.... if you read my previous post about my goals for this year then you know that one of those goals is to ride in the MS 150 in DFW this year. The ride takes place this coming weekend and I've spent the past couple of months getting geared up and ready for this 2 day 150 mile bike ride. It supports an incredibe cause that is extremely close to my heart. If you're interested in being a part of this event by donating financially then use this link to do so.

http://ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=198650

The training is going well. It's been a long time since I even got close to pushing my body towards its physical limits so it's nice to be working hard and getting into much better shape. I don't quite have the nutrition part nailed just yet ... but I'm working on it. I just love Whataburger too much though to give up on it all together.

Went to Germanfest in Muenster, TX this past Saturday. I rode in the bike rally with my friends Marshall and Elizabeth. 40 miles. Was a great ride in great weather.

Spent Sunday at the Byron Nelson in Irving. Talk about night and day from Muenster to Las Colinas. I like that I can fit in both settings pretty well though. Now here are a few pointers I'll give to anyone thinking about attending a professional golf tournament based on things I saw yesterday.

1) If you're driving a pick up truck and want to change lanes you had better look to make sure a large shuttle bus isn't in the lane you want to be in. Otherwise said bus will crush the side of your truck and it will not turn out well for you. (luckily our shuttle bus was just down the sidewalk from where it was going so we didn't have to wait for the accident to get cleaned up to get into the tourney)

2) Girls ... there are a million ways for you to look smokin' hot at a golf tournament without wearing heels. I'm not sure if you realize this but you have to walk ... a lot. And there are hills. And if you try to walk said hills in said heels (like what I did there?) you will stumble all over yourself and forfeit any smokin' hotness you may have built up.

3) Sunscreen is our friend. But try to put it on before you get there. Don't be the guy standing by the public sunscreen squirters lathering yourself up. It's not a good look.

4) I'm as big of a believer as anyone in the coolness of beer ... but drink water. That way you won't die.

5) Get there a little early ... and leave a little early.

Okay everyone. That's enough nonsense for one night. I'll update you on the MS150 after this weekend. If you're in the Dallas area and need something fun to do you should make signs and come out to the course to cheer on the riders. You should support biking and you should definitely support the search for a cure for MS. And it will be fun. You can get any info you need about the bike ride at this link:

dallas.ms150.org/dallas

... and remember to use the link from earlier to support this effort financially.

Finally, I've been trying to post pictures periodically on flickr. Someone teach me how to put a link to that page on here. Until then ... go here:

www.flickr.com/photos/craigmcclain

Until next time ...

BEST SPORTS DAY OF THE YEAR

Tomorrow is what I believe to be the best sports day of the year. First of all I'm usually pumped because the NCAA basketball finals will take place tomorrow night. However, this is the first year in my entire life that I've had a vested interest in a team in the tourney and now that they are out the championship doesn't sparkle quite like it did before. Fortunately for me there is another reason why tomorrow is important. That's right folks. It's opening day. So I'd like to take a moment to comment on what I consider to be the greatest of all the sports.

Spring Training:

I went to Rangers' spring training this year with my great friends Jaime and Ty.

I've never really considered a trip to spring training before and now I'll never consider not going. We did it over a long weekend this year and will make it a full week next year. To me it was the purest form of baseball that is played by major league ballplayers. No huge stadiums. No camera crews. No fancy pregame ceremonies. Just baseball. We were able to sit so close we could hear the players and manager talking on the field. It reminded me how much I love this game. It doesn't matter if my team stinks ... although I'd prefer they not. It was just baseball and it was great.

Bonds:

This guy is most likely going to break Hank Aaron's career home run record this year. They were talking about it on Baseball Tonight and I couldn't help but wonder what the collective reaction to this event will be. Everyone says it is tainted because he played in the steroid era and has all but been convicted of using. But I couldn't help but wonder if we're just using this steroid thing as a tangible excuse not like this guy and his breaking of the record when in reality we don't want him to break the record simply because he's probably the biggest asshole modern day baseball has ever seen. I honestly think that's why Bonds gets crucified in the media over the record and steroids. It sounds ridiculous to say we don't want him to break the record because he's a jerk. But we can all get behind putting an asterisk by his name in the record book because of steroids. It's actually some combo of both, but if you ask me the main reason why I will hate to see him break this record it's because I've known of Barry Bonds for a long time and there hasn't been one moment in that time that I didn't think he was a complete jackass that totally choked during his few times in the playoffs.

Joe Morgan:

Why is this guy still calling baseball games? I can't stand him. Would you rather hear him call a baseball game or Bill Walton call a basketball game? I know ... it's a close call.

Picks:

I know there is a game already underway, but I think it will okay to make some legitimate picks. I base these picks on absolutely no baseball expertise what-so-ever. Mainly because I have none of the aforementioned expertise. But I will throw some picks out there and totally rub it in your face when they are proved right in October. So here goes.

AL East: Boston

AL Central: Chicago

AL West: Angels

AL Wildcard: Cleveland

NL East: Mets

NL Central: Cardinals

NL West: Padres

NL Wildcard: Cubs


AL Champ: Chicago

NL Champ: Mets

World Series Champ: Mets

In closing I'll leave you with this quote from Tommy Lasorda.

"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference."

~Tommy Lasorda



Here's to the third in the middle. Enjoy opening day!