10 Reasons the Chicago Cubs Will Win the World Series in 2011

With the start of Spring training this last week,
I feel like this blog is a must.
Hear me now: the Chicago Cubs will win the World Series in 2011.
And here are 10 reasons why:

1. They haven't won the World Series since 1908. They deserve at least a pity trophy.

2. Mike Quade represents the American Dream and winning the world series would jump start the American economy.

3. Kerry Wood is back. That's got to be worth 15 wins.

4. The Cardinals lost their best pitcher (arguably) to a season ending injury. As much as i hate good players getting injured, this increases the Cubs chances at actually winning the anemic NL Central.

5. The All Star game is in Arizona this year. Why is this relevant? Because the majority of the Cubs players have Hispanic ancestry. And because of Arizona's crazy immigration laws, the Cubs will play extra hard to make the all star team only to spite the entire state of Arizona.

6. Albert Pujols will be a free agent. The Cubs really want him. And, where would he rather go than a World Series winning team?

7. If they don't win the World Series, the Matt Garza trade will look really bad, blemishing Jim Hendry's immaculate trading record.

8. The Pirates and Astros may be the 2 worst teams in all of baseball and the Brewers don't have the pitching to be consistent.

9. Carlos Zambrano will spend more time playing baseball than in anger management.

10. It may be their last chance... the world will end in 2012.

"The Art of War" Review

I recently finished the Barnes and Noble edition of

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
The classic composed by a Chinese war legend
Helped continue feudal conflicts throughout Chinese history.
Containing a blue print to successful army management,
It presents principles to follow for both leading an army
And leading anything else.
Although some points are irrelevant outside of the context of war,
Many ideas and rules translate to managing a team.
It was thought provoking, interesting, and a quick read.
It didn't really meet my expectations,
but I would like to share a story from an introduction:

(paraphrased)
Sun Tzu was born into a family that owned knowledge about war.
Much like an apprenticeship,
Sun Tzu grew under the guidance of war strategists.
Unlike his priors, he took the time to record his nontraditional principles for generations to come.
A king heard about his nontraditional management style and asked to test his principles.
Sun Tzu agreed.
But, the King wanted to test the principles with women rather than a proper army.
Thus, Sun Tzu was given an army of women,
Composed of the kings concubines and servants to teach how to march.
He assigned each company of women a leader from among the ranks.
He explained to the leaders and the army of women
The commands of facing straight, turning right and left, and turning around.
He then gave the women an order to "about face."
The women simply giggled.
So, Sun Tzu wrote the King addressing the issue:
"When an army fails to follow the commands,
It is a result of poor leadership.
Therefore, the leadership must be executed and new officers established."
The King tried to protest such an action
Because his favorite women were in the leadership.
However, Sun Tzu wrote that favoritism must not be shown to an army.
So, Sun Tzu, in plain sight of the entire army,
Beheaded each woman in leadership.
He then assigned a new leader to each company of women.
After reviewing the marching orders, he gave his first command.
The women marched perfectly.
He then wrote to the King:
"Your army is ready, sir."

"Justification" Review

N.T. Wright and the "New Perspectives"
Frankly, I am less interested in age
and more inclined toward accuracy.
A thousand years of Church tradition says one thing,
Modern theologians say another.
Let's find out who's right.
There's comedy in the fact that this debate rages
From the interpretation of a single Greek word.
Pistis Iesou Christou.
The faithfulness of Christ.
Or
The faithfulness in Christ.
Two very distinct understandings of Pauline theology.
Therefore, NT Wright pens "Justification"
to defend his stance (the faithfulness of Christ)
against the aggressive works of John Piper.
Wright does well to acknowledge both Piper's shortcomings
as well as his own potential blunders.
He recognizes that 20% of what he writes could potentially be wrong
(although he knows not what 20% that is).
Wright establishes his understanding of justification in terms of the Abrahamic covenant.
He argues that through God's promise (covenant) with Abraham,
The same promise that eventually establishes Israel as God's people,
The same promise that eventually delivers rebellious Israel into the promised land,
(There may be some allegory in there)
The same promise that produced the lineage of Jesus,
Through that promise, God did not plan to save "humanity from the world,
but to save the entire world."
Or as he simply puts it:
God's-plan-through-Israel-for-the-world
Covenant Theology.
I like that through this interpretation God isn't baffled
by Israel's sin causing him to move to plan B.
Instead, he establishes one plan for humanity.
Wright also describes being "justified" as a status rather than a conditional characteristic
through the imagery of a law court.
Being morally pure or ethically evil has little bearing on our status of justification.
God's declaration transcends morality.
We do not earn justification through morality.
We are simply justified by the Judge.
(Yeah this touches on the faith vs. works debate as well).
All in all, N.T. Wright communicates well his (post-modernism)
understanding of justification. Did he persuade me?
At least, he made me an admirer.
At most, he made me include parts of the "New Perspectives" (gasp)
into my understanding of Pauline Theology.
It was a good read. I recommend it if you want something scholastic.

The End of an Era

The snow is thawing,
The sun is shining,
And i am now employed at the
U.S. Bank near Northpark Mall.
For a while, i felt like Atlas,
Crippling under the weight of the world.
However, structure is being built around me,
While i adjust to life out of school.
Although this is temporary support,
It provides much needed relief,
Like a cool pool on a summer day.
With framing in place,
Life seems simpler.
I can study the subtleties.
I can appreciate the aesthetics.
I have something to shield me from the elements.
And as winter slowly surrenders to spring,
My life will enter a new season as well:
Full-time employment.
I'm sure this will give me stories, frustrations, and more.
But the distinctions of seasons are not boring.
The bitterness of winter,
The blossoms of spring,
The sun of summer,
The autumn leaves,
Create an atmosphere enjoyable in its time.
And that's how i see this experience.
Unpleasant, exhausting, frustrating,
Unique, fun, frantic,
But a bookmark to many memories,
Noting the next chapter in my life.

The Blizzard of 2011

We all know about it.
It's impossible to ignore.
So why not have a blog post about it?
The Blizzard of 2011.

It was Saturday when i caught word
Of the winter storm in the works.
My immediate reaction was skepticism.
This was a re-run of disappointing hype
That is the reality of mid-western "snow storms."
But this did not stop me from rumoring
The exaggerated amount of accumulation.
I spread the word like propaganda
Against the ruling tyrant in Egypt.
However, it remained unknown what this storm would produce.
Monday passed like the Thursday before a weekend trip.
As i read weather reports, hope conjured its way
Through my hardened heart.
Excitement built tension block by block,
Minute by minute.
The day concluded.
It was time to sleep.
Yet i found myself wide-eyed,
Tossing and turning, like a child on Christmas Eve.
Weather patterns drifted through my dreams.
I beat my alarm to morning. 8:03.
I didn't want to get out of bed.
Fear stirred as i thought about what was outside.
Not fear from 20 inches of snow,
But at grass springing through powder,
Reaching for the light as the Sun beat down on the ground.
Tentatively, i peered through the blinds.
With the building across the street barely visible,
The Blizzard of 2011 officially began.


















It was only hours later that i became stir crazy.
The Flight of the Conchords was a band-aid
On a wound that needed to be stitched.
So the roommates and I went on a walk before lunch
To assess the damage and the possibility of leaving the APT.
The odds were not good.
In fact, we had simply picked the scab
That protected the wound inflicted by the blizzard.
(Really bad imagery, i know).
Nonetheless, Potato Soup was not the remedy.
Neither was Gladiator.
Nor Stranger than Fiction.
And Million Dollar Baby fell short as well.
The only cure would be to get outside.
And so being snowed in was the present i had to embrace.

Before Million Dollar Baby (see above for link to Wikipedia)
I provided Dakota Kildoo with a video tour via Skype of our snow fall.
He was amazed.
Snow is ridiculous.
Anyway, that naturally led into a conference call
To make sure the world had not ended in other regions of the US.
Arizona, you still exist. Iowa, you too.
And the south side of Joplin, you too barely exist.

Anyway, on day 2 of literally being snowed in,
I escaped.
After a morning of the Flight of the Conchords,
We decided we had to risk it.
We had to get out. Or die.
So, we took our kitchen bowls outside to test our luck.
We were lucky.
Someone let us borrow a snow shovel.
We excavated Ray's car like an archaeologist uncovering rare fossils.
And went to Ozark to play some basketball.
With no problems coming or going,
I settled back into my nest while my roommates flew the coop,
Which brings us to the present.
Meanwhile, i have been working on what i like to call a "Blizzard Beard."
Pictures to come, i promise.
Anyway, stay safe and remember: The world still exists.