Turning in my Indians card...

The Indians traded reigning Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee yesterday to the Philadelphia Phillies. This follows their trade last season of then-reigning Cy Young Award Winner C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee Brewers. (No team in the history of baseball has traded reigning Cy Young Award winners in consecutive seasons.) One conversation that could be had at this point is how the Indians have proven that they cannot keep the superstars that they develop such as Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Bartolo Colon, Sabathia, Lee... even the lesser stars but All-Star caliber players like Sean Casey, Jeremy Burnitz, Richie Sexson were traded to bring hopeful players to the fold. But there is a tangent to this point that

Indians Fan of 2009

I believe is something that all fans of Cleveland Indians baseball need to consider at the start of each season, and this point was made loud and clear with the trading of Cliff Lee.

At owner Paul Dolan's initial press conference, the one at which Dick Jacobs essentially handed over the keys to the Indians to him, Dolan revealed his business-of-baseball philosophy: He indicated that when the fans bought tickets, he would put a winner on the field. This is entirely and completely backwards in the world of professional sports. What Indians fans can expect is this: unless all of the farm-developed talent peaks within the same season at the Major League level and wins the World Series, there will be no baseball championship team in Cleveland any time soon. And even if there is one title, there will not be a hope of a repeat because Dolan will not spend the money to keep the talent around when contract talks arise.

Further, as my barber often reminds me, Dolan said to the media, "I don't want to win just one [World Series], I want to win a string of [World Series]." What an idiot. First of all, a franchise can't win two or more until the franchise wins one. Secondly, what doofus, virgin owner talks about winning multiple championships when the franchise he's purchasing hasn't won anything for generations?

I'm tired of rooting for a perpetual farm franchise for the rest of the league. Dick Jacobs gave us a taste of what spending money on a baseball team could produce, and we got sooooo close ('95, '98). Now we've got a professional baseball team owner who's worried about the bottom line... that's so '80's. We're now in the era of Dan Gilbert, Mark Cuban and Dan Snyder (and I won't even mention John Henry and the Steinbrenner family)... guys who spend money on their team and don't care about the bottom line because either their real jobs make them more money than they know what to do with or their team's TV deal can fund the team without worrying about ticket sales. Larry Dolan just doesn't stack up. And until he sells the team, consider me a baseball fan looking for a team to follow.

Christmas in July?

Did you know that at the Gates Home we like to make plans? That's right, neither Jenn nor I are exactly spontaneous with big events, especially when it comes to traveling. That's why over the past week or so we've been talking with family and setting our Holiday Season schedule. (For friends visiting here, feel free to skip over this post. I'm only mentioning this here so our extended family can know what we'll be up to and when.)

First of all, the philosophy behind our plans: (1) Lincoln won't be as into Christmas this year as he will be next year. (2) There's a decent chance Lincoln will have a brother or sister at Christmas 2010 (no, we're not announcing anything right now). Making big trips with 2 kids, 1 being very young, will not be nearly as easy (and will be more costly) as traveling with 1 this year. So...

We're spending Christmas in Scottsdale this year. Jenn and Lincoln will fly out in mid-December and join Great-Grandparents Mullen out west. I'll fly out on Dec. 23 and we'll spend Christmas in the desert. We'll then come back to (hopefully) some snow on Dec. 27, and a GGH Christmas sometime between Christmas and New Year's (I understand the Hopwoods are still working on this one).

We understand that most extended, out-of-town family will want to see Lincoln this year, and we're sorry that this isn't going to work out for everyone. Beginning in 2010, it will be the priority in the Gates Home to have Lincoln and future little Gateses at their home on Christmas morning, and our Family Christmases will be planned accordingly. So for the out-of-towners who will be coming to NE Ohio... we'll be here.

On the subject of travel, Grandma Paulette and Grandpa Doug have agreed to watch Lincoln for an extended time so Jenn and I can go on a vacation together. As we were thinking about long term plans, it became clear to us that the best opportunity for the two of us to travel without kids is at the end of this year. Vacationing when Jenn is pregnant or after there are two kids will be very difficult (Grandparents watching two little ones will be an even bigger task, too). We're hoping to schedule a cruise in the next couple of days for the first week in November.

Finally, it's looking as though Jenn and I will be staying in northeast Ohio for Thanksgiving this year. Work primarily is keeping us here, but we're not disappointed... this will just be a more low-key Thanksgiving for us this year. (Recall parts One and Two from our Thanksgiving fun at the Hopwood Home last year!)

"Dada! Dada!"

Sometimes Lincoln will put his food in his hair.

Yesterday marked a new era in the Gates Home. Sometimes on Saturdays I'm able to sleep until 7:15 if Jenn has a later start and the dogs stay quiet (2 big ifs). But yesterday morning I woke up at 7:00 to banging on the crib and Lincoln yelling, "Dada! Dada!" So much for some extra sleep...

Walks
For those of you who have seen our house, you know that we don't have sidewalks around our place and that there's some decent traffic outside. We've found that if we drive down to First & Main, park the car, and then walk around the neighborhoods near downtown Hudson, it makes for a pleasant time, and it keeps Lincoln adequately entertained. Those are neighborhoods we could definitely see ourselves in.

New Words

Lincoln's been saying lots of words lately, and most of them consist of the first consonant and the first vowel of the word. Yesterday, though, he said a whole word and included multiple consonants: "LUNCH." Raise your hand if you're surprised his first whole word related to food. He's also been saying lots of "Mama" and "Dada," too, which is pretty neat.

Almost 2 months ago, Dave and some buddies hiked from Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon. I didn't comment on it at the time, but I went back to the photos recently, and holy cow (!), what a hike!

Tomorrow Jenn and I are going to Blossom to hear the Cleveland Orchestra play some jazz, and the headliner of the evening is Rhapsody in Blue, my favorite piece. The video below is a condensed version of Rhapsody. Give it a listen.

More about Honduras

You may be wondering why I've spent three posts talking about Honduras, especially with a child as cute as mine, when I could be spending all of my time posting photos of Lincoln. (link to the First comments re: Honduras, link to the Second comments re: Honduras) It is because the folks in Honduras understand what it means to stand up for a nation's constitution, and to throw out the despot in training before he gets too much power.

Here are some photos from a Pro-Government rally supporting the new government. You haven't seen any of this in the American press.

Constitutions aren't suicide pacts, and they're to be adhered to despite how the current leadership feels about their nation's foundational documents.

If you've found this blog from a Google search, I recommend you visit Street Called Strait for the initial true history.

#201 (or: Bath)

I've passed the 200 post mark! Holy cow. When I started this blog wayyyyy back I never thought of the day that I'd be on post #201, but here we are. Anywho...

Bath time at the Gates Home!!!

Big Fish

Want to see a big fish? Visit Emily's blog and scroll down a bit.

Funny Little Things

Nothing really big at the Gates Home, just some small things that are funny, interesting, and thought-provoking.

Lincoln is getting funnier by the day. One of the funny things he's been doing is, after I've laid him down for a nap or for bed-time, he'll stay awake for a while, then bang on his crib really loud. It almost sounds like he still has his cast on. Then, when I go into his room to lay him down or move him to the middle of the crib, he just starts laughing at me. I find myself just having to leave the room because the more I try to keep him from standing up again, the more he laughs... and if I give into the top temptation of the moment (to laugh at him), then he'll laugh even more, and this isn't the behavior I'm trying to re-enforce.

When Jenn goes to check on him, he falls down really fast to make it look like he wasn't standing up. What a stinker!

Work has been interesting for Jenn lately. There have been a number of events at the clinic that just aren't right or normal, and it has caused her to think about her employment there. I'm not giving any secrets away here... she's already had a conversation about this with the practice owner. She really enjoys her clients, but with some of the weirdness lately... it's just causing her to think long and hard about stuff. When you think about it, keep Jenn in your prayers.

Life has been kind of coasting at our place for the past week or so. That's kind of a good thing. It's also given us some time to think about our commitments for the upcoming fall and beyond. I'm meeting with the middle school minister at HCC tomorrow to discuss volunteering for him. It looks as though I'll be a small group leader, but I'll find out for sure tomorrow. It's been a while since I've given my time to a particular ministry at church beyond spending some time on our Adult Bible Fellowship's leadership team (the last time was when Jenn and I worked with the Kindergartners on Wednesday evenings) and I've really felt a calling to give my time to student ministry. Why middle school? I'm not sure... they had a need, and I need to serve, so it seemed right. I also had a couple of small experiences helping out with the middle school ministry that I've written about before.

And speaking of the ABF, there's been a decent amount of transition over the past year-plus, and that's taken it's toll on us, mentally speaking. Currently, we've got a great group of couples that seem to want to cultivate a good, meaningful, substantive community at church. We've also got a new teacher on the way, so on one hand there's a certain level of excitement, but on the other, there's a certain level of weariness given the amount of transition, specifically with friends coming and going. So I'm doing my best to leave it up to the LORD. ABF starts back up in late-August or early-September, I'm not sure which yet, and that ought to be a good time.

I'm in the middle of a very good book right now: Money, Greed & God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem, by Jay Richards. This is the first authentically Christian defense of capitalism, and so far, he's hitting the ball out of the park. It's a good follow-up to Atlas Shrugged (at least it is for me), because Ayn Rand is an atheist, and while I loved (really, really, really loved) Atlas Shrugged, there were some sticking points for me as a Christian. I remember in several parts of Atlas thinking, "Now, how can I reconcile this with my being a Christian." While a few areas of Rand's philosophy (Objectivism) are clearly not compatible with Christianity (e.g. one's highest moral calling is one's own happiness), Richards points out that the overall view of capitalism that Rand describes and espouses isn't just benign on the Christianity front, but is actually the preferred economic system... it's not about greed, but about creating an environment for entrepreneurs to think and risk and grow. Only in capitalism, Richards argues, can wealth be created, and wealth creation is the only solution to poverty.

Jenn's reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Don't hold your breath for a book review.

Real Story in Honduras, updated

I posted a link a while back regarding the untold story of the events in Honduras. I think it's quite telling that the world media still hasn't gotten it right in their reporting and analysis. It wasn't a coup, and the large group who ousted Zelaya, consisting of the Supreme Court, the military and the Congress, were all acting according the the Constitution. Only the socialists (Chavez, Castro, Ortega, Obama) are worried about this spelling doom for democracy in Honduras. No, no, no... it's the other way around. Zelaya was trying to change the Constitution unconstitutionally, and he was called on it. Sometimes despots get elected... they don't get to rule absolutely, though.

Our own Declaration of Independence says:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

And the world media doesn't seem to want to listen to the real advocates of a democratic republic in Honduras when they've attempted to "declare the causes which impel them to the separation" from Zelaya. (Namely, his opposition to following his own term limit, his attempt to alter the method of amending the constitution, and therefore breaking his oath of office.)

Further, our own Declaration states:

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

It is clear that those who favor a real democratic republic in Honduras are of similar mind to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington, etc., in that they are not inclined to scrap the whole system (as has often been done throughout the history of Latin American constitutional governments) at the drop of the hat. In this case, rather than set up a whole new system of government, which is not needed, they've decided to cut off the diseased branch before the entire tree became affected.

Who would have thought we as Americans would be able to look to Honduras as a beacon of patriotic republicanism? This may be a time for all of us to familiarize ourselves with our own founding documents. They can be found all in one place by clicking here.

(latest from 7/23/09)

Cast Off

Lincoln's cast is off, and it's kind of funny watching him crawl and walk as if it's still on. He has to regain strength and confidence in the leg, and Dr. Schrader said it can take between 2 and 4 weeks until little ones are holding and moving their leg normally again. Right now he's preferring to crawl rather than walk. So we've got a bit of a break for a few more days.

Our new bedroom furniture was delivered, and we really like it. It doesn't take up as much space in the bedroom as we thought it might, which is a very good thing. Now the only eye-sore in our house is our master bathroom... it's a pit. And our motivation to finish it is really slow because there's awful wallpaper on the walls. Both awful in the sense that it's hideous, but it's also a nightmare to remove. We'll get there one of these days.

Lincoln had his first episode with a teen babysitter this morning, and he was a champ. Erin came to us on referral from our good friend Joy, and she was very good with him. Joy has three kids, so we knew if Erin could handle three, Lincoln would be no problem. Jenn and I are glad to know a good babysitter close by. Our babysitter from Scottsdale can't make it on short notice, although she also did a great job with Lincoln for long stretches.

Grandpa Doug and Grandma Paulette arrive back home today, and I understand they're itching to see Lincoln, so we're going over there for pizza this evening.

On a completely separate subject, what's up with the cold July nights?

Daddy Day

Today was another Daddy Day while Jenn and Haley went to Cedar Point for the day. This was a fun day. He played fun, slept well, and ate like a champ. We went to the Akron Zoo for a time, too, which is always a treat. The Jaguar cubs were sleeping, but it was neat to see them whether they were sleeping or not. The best part of the trip was that two Lemurs were wrestling right in front of Lincoln. He was quite entertained.

The following pictures are of Lincoln during two of his meals.

Lunch w/ Avocado & Oats

Dinner w/ Pasta & Lima Beans

Visit Time

It's been a fun visit with Auntie Haley, Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Mullen!

A Neat Weekend

This has the makings of a very special weekend. There are a number of things going on that if any one of them were the only thing on the weekend schedule, it would be a good weekend, but they're all happening together. It's one of those windows of opportunity where you'd like for time to slow down.

First of all, Jenn drove down to Columbus on Thursday to meet up with the Parkinsons and to pick up Haley, who's visiting from Scottsdale for a couple of weeks. They spent Friday hanging out at the Columbus Zoo, which has undergone quite a face-lift in the past couple of years. They stopped at City Barbeque to get some food to bring home to me, then they stopped at Graeter's, and didn't get anything to bring home. So now Haley's staying with us for the next half-week... she and Jenn are at work right now.

Meanwhile, Grandma Gates is staying with Aunt MarySue while mom and dad are at Stony Lake. Emily and Jeremy, who arrived late last evening, wanted to have some visit-time with both Grandma Gates and with Lincoln before they left this afternoon for Canada, so Lincoln and I made our usual bakery run to get day-old bread for French Toast, and instead of bringing it back to our place, we went over to Aunt MarySue's place and planned to have a nice breakfast. Then, to our surprise, Michael was able to come (he had to delay his trip to Stony Lake because of work, so he'll be traveling with the Gates/Hopwood crew). So Grandma Gates got to have breakfast with half of her grandkids (from three states!) and her great-grandson. I was really bummed I forgot my camera!!! It was one of those events that had we tried to plan it, something would have fallen apart. The six of us enjoyed a breakfast of French Toast, sausage and orange juice, while Lincoln enjoyed some additional nectarine (a whole one), yogurt, oatmeal, cantaloupe (about a 1/3 of a melon), honeydew (about 1/6 of a melon) and pear juice. Uncle Jeremy swears Lincoln out-ate him. Then we had some relaxing visit-time, talking Cavs, work and Lincoln.

Tomorrow we'll welcome the Great Grandparents Mullen for a couple of days so they can spend some time with Haley and Lincoln. There's lots of shuffling right now, but it's kind of a cool time.

This week will be interesting for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that I'll be solo at the clinic... something interesting always happens... let's hope it's just one interesting thing!

Michael Jackson (good grief)

If you're anything like me, you're sick of hearing/seeing the coverage. I really like his music (most of it), but that's where it stops with me. Take a look at this video, because the Talking Points and the debate that O'Reilly has with the stooge at the end will illustrate something that's about to be lost. After seeing the clip, proceed below...

As long as the race card is played, we lose the opportunity at a teachable moment. The guy made great music and was a major force in pop culture. Who doesn't like to at least tap their foot to "Thriller" or "Billie Jean" when they hear it on a PA system? (Or rock out to them in their car when no one's watching?) Men and women of all races and most age demographics know what I'm talking about. Nobody was concerned about race when his music was playing. So why is the major media discussion focusing on race? Ratings. What is this teachable moment to which I referred?

It's this:

Michael Jackson was a creative genius, but that genius stopped around 1990. His plummeting genius coincided with with the time he began worshipping himself. We all saw it... it was on display for us all to see at the supermarket and on television and in the courts. He bought his ranch and stocked it with with monkeys, snakes, giraffes, parrots, etc. to create some sort of "happy place" complete with smiles, balloons, cotton candy and warm fuzzies. He pursued plastic surgery after plastic surgery to achieve greater beauty. He had his "sleep-overs" with neighborhood children. It was one move of self-gratification after another. And the irony? None of these made his life any better or gave him the satisfaction he was looking for. I don't know where his heart was at the end of his life, but it's clear by his choices from the '90's through the '00's that his quest for satisfaction was not being fulfilled. Folks, this is Biblical! There's only one thing that ultimately satisfies, but it takes focus to find and follow. This is a wonderful chance to provide instruction, but we can't have these conversations when we're marking MJ's death with discussions of race.... we can only be distracted from seeing the truth. I guess that's how evil works.

Cutest Baby in Hudson

Just in case you were wondering, the cutest baby in Hudson, if not Ohio, lives at our house.