Month: July 2017

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Cubs give Steve Bartman a World Series ring and I don’t get it

Do I need to be a Cubs fan to understand this?

The Cubs today announced they have given Steve Bartman a World Series ring. Bartman as you know was a goat for the team’s 2003 World Series dreams being dashed with his attempt to catch a foul ball. It’s a shame what happened to him in the years since.

Here is the release from the team:

“On behalf of the entire Chicago Cubs organization, we are honored to present a 2016 World Series Championship Ring to Mr. Steve Bartman. We hope this provides closure on an unfortunate chapter of the story that has perpetuated throughout our quest to win a long-awaited World Series. While no gesture can fully lift the public burden he has endured for more than a decade, we felt it was important Steve knows he has been and continues to be fully embraced by this organization. After all he has sacrificed, we are proud to recognize Steve Bartman with this gift today.”

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My life-changing mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico

From July 22-28, I joined my home church on a mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico. This was my first time on a mission trip and my first time in Mexico. I didn’t go into this trip with many expectations since I wanted to experience this without high or low hopes. It ended up being a trip with a lot of challenges, lots of changed plans on the fly but also rewarding to be able to serve the children of the city.

My perception of a mission trip (along what is most commonly understood) is that a church group will go into a different country and spread their Gospel message to those who don’t know it. This trip was slightly different. We were partnered up with a sister church in the city so the foundation of sharing the Bible was already established. But in a sense, the seed was already planted. We were just there to water.

The trip consisted of serving the children and orphans of this small little area in Ensenada. The ages ranged from four years to preteens. The plan was to offer the children a week of VBS, which is essentially a week of Christian-based activities such as skits, crafts and games. It was a very simple week but there were plenty of challenges that came along the way.

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Nike is off to a rough start with the new NBA jerseys

I didn’t get a chance to address this while I was on vacation but after catching up with all the news, I wanted to ad my two cents on the Nike jerseys that were revealed earlier this week.

Let’s take a look at the Warriors’ new jersey for the upcoming season. I knew that Nike wouldn’t make any major changes to the jersey but there is still a significant change to the collar. The gold has been nearly eliminated, making the collar look very plain. Additionally, the number has been moved more toward the center. Both these moves are downgrades to the overall aesthetic the Warriors used to have. The piping along the side also has changed. Instead of the shoulder loop trim going all the way, the piping interrupts it. This is a lateral move but it seems like it’s change for the sake of change.

The Warriors don’t look too different, but these changes are not necessary.

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Being an A’s fan is tough

I know how this goes. The A’s trade away players because they can’t keep them for financial reasons. It’s a cycle that continues over and over. It hurts seeing fan favorites go. But also it’s so commonplace that it is just normal.

The only way the A’s can win is if they get more money or they catch lightning in a bottle. Sean Doolittle was part of that bottled lightning from 2012-14 where the A’s were serious contenders for the championship. But that time has come and gone and now keeping any player with any trade value would be foolish.

And once again we have to see what’s next for the A’s. Will this new core catch lightning in a bottle again or will this be another lost season?

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It’s going to be weird to see Patrick Marleau not in a Sharks uniform

I’m still getting over the news that Patrick Marleau is not coming back to the Sharks.

The news hit me and even though I knew there was a chance he might leave, I didn’t know how I would be able to handle the reality of it.

It’s an off feeling because I had been preparing myself for this for a while. It seemed like every offseason for the past decade was filled with rumors whether or not the Sharks would blow up the team, thus moving on from Marleau. But every year the team kept him around and I was hopeful that they would win the Stanley Cup last year. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Still, I always thought that if Marleau were to leave the Sharks, it would be a front office move. I never thought Marleau would leave on his own accord. I always believed that he would want to stay here for the remainder of his career.

But here we are and Marleau has taken a deal with the Maple Leafs that would pay him some good money the Sharks couldn’t compete with. (His new teammate Auston Matthews wasn’t even born when Marleau was drafted in 1997.)

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