SOMETHING YOU GOTTA GAIN OR PROVE BY WINNING SOME SILLY FIGHT
With the regular season ending for baseball, here is the third annual Admirable Thoughts Awards.
- Code Monkey’s Jim Leyland Award
Description: Given to someone who quits on their team early in the season
Nominees: Cleveland (trading CC in early July), Manny Ramirez (on Boston in late July), Oakland (Trading Hardin and then doing nothing else)
Winner: Manny Ramirez
The way Manny played for the Dodgers, makes me think he probably quit on the Red Sox. Thus he wins. - Code Monkey’s Cubbie Choking Award
Description: Given to someone that falls-apart when it matters
Nominees: Mets (choking this year again), Rockies, and Astros
Winner: Astros
I though they did a great job in coming back this season, but then they whined so much about having to play a home series against Cubs in Milwaukee because of the hurricane. I just think they should get the choking award just for that. - Code Monkey’s Jose Canseco Award
Description: Given to the player or team who who had the worst defensive day
Nominees: Dan Uggla three error in the All-Star game, Chase Utley’s Throw in extra innings (04/13/2008), Phillie Phanatic dropped foul ball (09/22/2008)
Winner: Dan Uggla
That was one bad night for him. The award almost went to the Phillie Phanatic, but his own fans booed him so I figured he did not need this reward after all. - Code Monkey’s Terry Tate Award
Description: Given to the best home plate collision of the year
Nominees: Eric Bruntlett/Yadier Molina (6/15/2008), Max Ramirez/Jeff Mathis (7/08/2008), Chase Utley/Jesus Flores (8/02/2008)
Winner: Eric Bruntlett/Yadier Molina
When the catcher need gets carted off with a concussion, that is a big time hit - Code Monkey’s Hatfields & McCoys Award
Description: Giving for the best brawl
Nominees: Rays/Yankees (in spring training), White Soxs/Royals (8/3/2008), Prince Fielder and Teammate Manny Parra (8/5/2008)
Winner: Rays/Yankees
Though the White Soxs and Royals put on a good fight, it is hard to beat some heated fights in Spring Training especially as it looks like it helped the Rays win the division instead of being in last. - Code Monkey’s Congressional Award
Description: Given for the biggest waste of money
Nominees: Andruw Jones, Barry Zito, Kenji Johjima
Winner: Andruw Jones
Well, it was hard having only 3 nominees, but the clear winning is Andruw Jones. If the Dodgers were a small market team, they would pay for years for that mistake. - Code Monkey’s Deer Meat Award
Description: Given to weird injury of the year
Nominees: Keiichi Yabu (April – hurt by an elastic exercise band), Troy Tulowitzki (July – throw bat down, it broke and cut his hand), Brandon Inge (June – moving a pillow for his son)
Winner: Keiichi Yabu
He may never watch Christmas Story the same again. “You’ll shoot your eye out…” - Code Monkey’s Michael Jackson Award
Description: Given to the weirdest event of the season
Nominees: Rangers/Red Sox Game (8/12/2008), Maddoux is the only player on SD to steal a base in July, Johan Santana had that at-bat 8/23/2008 in which his bat hit the same ball twice
Winner: Maddoux
Ok, the fact that an 42 year old pitcher is the only player on a team to steal a base during a whole month; that is just weird. - Code Monkey’s Overcoming Hardship Award (new this year)
Description: Giving to those who had to overcome the most hardship during a year
Nominees: Griffey (got to 600+ HR despite his many injuries), Red Sox (players dealing with Manny), Josh Hamilton (overcome making bad life choices)
Winner: Josh Hamilton
Yes, it the Red Sox players had to put up with Manny, but the Hamilton story was a good one to hear.
Feel free to leave comments with other thoughts you had from the 2008 baseball season.
LikeMonkey Meditations
- Idea For Tim McClelland/Ed Hochuli Club: He Fumbled The Plate
- Tim McClelland is a Major League Umpire
- Ed Hochuli is a National Football League Referee
- In the past few months, they each made calls that San Diego did not like & helped Colorado teams
- Idea For Tim McClelland/Ed Hochuli Club: Not Welcomed in SD
- I thought my college alma mater football team’s 25 years of being undefeated would have ended by now
- They have won their first two games this year
- So the streak continues, but it is different now that they are actually playing football again
- Idea For Tim McClelland/Ed Hochuli Club: Rocky Mountain MVPs
- I feel bad for Lane Kiffin
- His team actually beat the Chefs, and he did not get fired
- So he is stuck working for Al Davis for another week
- Idea For Tim McClelland/Ed Hochuli Club: Pine Tar and Muscles
- Speaking of the Chefs, wow how bad are they?
- Really, two games into football season and their fans only have one thing to look forward to
- Royals Springs Training 2009
- Idea For Tim McClelland/Ed Hochuli Club: Like You Could Do Better
- So after losing our softball game in the last inning, I started wondering
- Is it better to get blown out early in the game
- Or is better to have your heart pulled out at the end?
HEAD OUT TO THAT OLD GOLF COURSE
What a blast! This was second year my company, Admirable Consulting, Inc., sponsored the Faith Christian Academy 4th Annual Golf Tournament at Hiwan Golf Club. It is a benefit for the school’s scholarship fund that helps more than 50 students be able to attend the school.
This year, I did not want my team to come in last, so I decided it would be good to dump the dead weight from the team. Then I realize, that would probably be me, so I decided to replace Bill and Mike. Actually, Bill sold his soul and moved to OKC for law school and Mike was unavailable. So this year, besides Abe and me, Randy (my softball coach) and Ian (my old roommate) joined us for the fun. I am so glad they did.
The format was a little different this year. Instead of a scramble (where you play the best ball hit by any of the players on every stroke), we played shamble (where you play the best drive by anyone but after that you play your ball than the person with the best score is your team score). So shamble was not about how we played, but it could have been how I played. Really, it was probably one of my worst days of golf (not that I am ever good) in a long, long time, but I still had a good time.
Beautiful, Glorious, Spectacular, and Near Perfect are how I would describe the weather. It was just another beautiful Colorado mountain day. It was a good day not to be working on a server somewhere or building a website or programming code or working on a database and be outside.
Team wise, we did not finish in last (we were 18 of 21 with an 81). The score and the team place were improvements from last year. Abe and I just got better from last year. Ok, that may not be true, but I know Randy and Ian will want too much money to resign them if I give them lots of credit.
The Admirable Consulting, Inc. hole this year was #15. We had some elk near the hole when we were on it, which was very cool. The shot of the day from the team has to be Ian on #16. His tee shot was about a foot and half from the hole. We could not see it till we got to the green, but it was nice. Too bad it was not closest-to-the-pin hole. He had another great shot earlier in the day that was impressive.
All in all, it was so much fun. You can view some photos of the day, by clicking here.
WE WERE MOSTLY YOUNG YOUNG, YOUNG YEAH
There is a lot of pressure on this entry. You see there will be two other members of the Monkey Pen writing about the same night. Can I come up with a funnier, more entertaining or more useful story than Rick or Todd?
It was the annual DITr Designation Committee’s field trip to watch the roxs at Coors Field. This year, we decided not to attend the 163 game of the season and went early to the 148th game of the year. I think the rockies players took it hard, that we did not have enough faith in them that they would have another play-in game this year. They lost 7-2 and they have no shot of getting there capital r back this season.
It was a special night at Coors Field, I mean besides the committee being there, as it was Eric Young night. He took time away from ESPN Baseball Tonight to officially as a Colorado rockie. It was nice to see EY and his family and his son EYJ, who is the rox minors, was there as well.
During the Dodgers batter practice, a first happen for me, I got a foul ball!!! Sure, it was not during the game and it was the from the bat of a Dodger player, Andruw Jones, but I got one. So maybe it is Goatember after all?
What is Goatember? See in my fantasy baseball league the playoffs have started. My team, the Big Mountain Goats, in the first round of the playoffs played Todd’s team. Well, I needed a theme for the the playoffs teams and Goatember just felt right. Then in round one, I swept Todd’s team, 10-0. Sadly, it looks like I am going lose in the second round. However, Goatember got me a foul ball and a sweep of Todd. Not bad.
I’LL NEVER FORGET THE GOOD TIMES
Sadly, there has been a few deaths of late and I wanted to mention them so their lives are remembered a little more.
Virginia Soderquist
She was Mindy’s aunt. She had been battling Leukemia again since early 2007. Every time it seemed she was getting better, then she would take another step backwards. On September 8, 2008, the pain ended and she went to be with the Lord. She will be dearly missed.
Paul Sefcovic
Paul was a professor I had in college. I had him for one elective class, but .one of my roommates actually majored in Automated Industry Engineer, which Paul was a professor of. He was a very nice guy and great professor. He passed away in August 2008 after he contracting West Nile.
Jerry Reed
No, I did not know Snowman, but I did like him in the Bandit movies and in Waterboy. I have nothing really else to say about him, but David Crowder said some nice things about him in his blog, so I thought I would link to it.
