Rare Love for the 209

"If it wasn't for my family, my friends, my dog and David's Pizza... I might never go back." -Me

Those are actual words that have left my mouth when discussing my hometown, Stockton, California. I mean this in the kindest of ways but... my hometown sucks. It seems as though every time Forbes Magazine comes out with a new negative top ten list (foreclosures rates, violent crime, most miserable, etc.), Stockton's on it. Tough times have lead to my old stomping grounds being a pretty rough place to live.

It's hard for me to be all negative; I loved my childhood and my upbringing. I've also traveled enough to know that every city has it's own downfalls. I totally understand and hold no resentment towards my friends and family that still choose to call Stockton home.

However, as you may have guessed, true Stockton pride can be tough to come by. Fortunately, there is still some genuine hometown pride from one up and coming local hero. Attached is a really cool story I found last night on MLB.com. It's about a pitcher for the Oakland A's, Stockton native, Dallas Braden. The dedication and hard work from people like Dallas is something that this city could really use.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090625&content_id=5526578&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak

No Holds Barred... Church Style

This morning Bri and I were getting ready for church. We have a church down the street from us that we've been attending (when we're in Gilbert on a Sunday morning) for the last few months. During a text conversation with her brother, Nick, he invited us to the church he attends and works at. We'd been a few times before and decided to go because he was playing guitar in the worship band. We headed to the 11:59 AM service (I know Dad... we're slackers). Bri was really excited to see her big brother play.

When we got to the service, one of the staffers got up for the welcoming message. He started off by saying something you never, I mean never, hear in church. He said, "please take out your cell phones and turn them on... we're going to use them today." The church was trying something new; they were having Q&A with modern technology. Church goers could text a question they had to a computer in the back. Nick, the Media Arts Pastor, would hand pick some questions, forward them to two pastors on stage who would read the questions and give their answers.

I had never seen anything like this before at a church service, and was really intrigued. Questions from the audience were all over the place: from whether or not Christians should be pro-life, to whether or not the Suns should have traded Shaq (not kidding).

Talking about it after, Bri and I both really enjoyed the service. We thought the pastors on stage did a great job handling some very tough Q's with some quality A's. They discussed their stand on gay-marriage and their view of the overall sin of homosexuality. They talked about how even though he is a God of Love, the fact is that a "good person" without a personal acceptance of Christ can still be sentenced to eternal damnation. There were many other interesting questions answered; these were just a couple.

This was a fun and different experience for me and I would recommend it as a cool idea to those close to me that work at churches (Stockton, Santa Barbara). It can be very helpful to shine a light on what a church is all about. Also, it's a great way to hear some honest insight from people you want to hear honest insight from.

Gotta go. The Yanks need to get out of the 7th still holding onto this lead. I think facing the anemic Mets lineup may have been just what Chien Ming Wang's confidence needed.

The Gift of Baseball

Last night my brother-in-law, Nick, and I took his two boys, Jake and Eli, to the Angels-DBacks game. The tickets were a gift to Jake for his Kindergarten graduation. This was the first time I had ever attended a baseball game with my nephews, and I was really looking forward to it. The game went about as expected, the Angels worked over their struggling counterparts for the DBacks most lop-sided defeat of the season... so far. The only reason that we would have even stayed around to see the end was the fact there were fireworks right after. We ended up leaving around the eighth inning because Nick had been fighting a major tooth-ache all day and he was ready to be gone. The boys and I were all cool with that; fireworks were no new phenomenon to me and it was about two hours past the boys' regular bedtime.

The game itself was just any other game to me. I've been blessed through my lifetime to see quite a few Major League games, and hundreds of other baseball games on top of those. However, this game will be a memory I will keep around. It has been no secret to my new family (my wife and I haven't even been married two years yet) that baseball is an important part of my life. Over the last few months, however, I think they've started to see that it is a lot more than something I just played for 18 years.

Baseball was a big part of my father's upbringing. He played baseball through high school (hitting over .500 his junior season isn't bad for someone with a bad leg from the time he was a young boy). Baseball was one of the cornerstones of the awesome relationship that he had with his little brother. They became Yankees fans together at a young age. With no local team to root for in Idaho, the only teams consistently televised were the Yankees, Pirates and Dodgers (they chose wisely).

My dad knew no better way to help raise his kids then with the valuable lessons of this humbling sport. My two older siblings and I all played baseball (softball for my sister) at least into high school. It was something we could do together, learn together and cheer for each other. It was as good for family bonding as anything else I can remember from my early years (one would play, mother would keep score, father would coach, siblings would cheer). This general formula continued, for me, all the way through college. It is very, very real to say that I would not have played baseball as long as I was able to without my family's support.

The beauty of baseball is that the overall way the game is played has undergone very little change for the last 100 years. So one generation can relate with the game and pass it on to the next. In a recent radio interview I heard self proclaimed "baseball nut" Alyssa Milano describe it as one of the greatest generational gifts. There is no better way than that for me to explain it.

I am not a baseball fan because it's just something to watch and cheer for, I am a baseball fan because it is something I can be a part of with those close to me (to this day, it is rare for me to have a conversation with my brother that doesn't touch on the Yanks). I do not have kids; although I try to love and treat my nephews and nieces as though they were my own. My wife and I have decided to leave our parenting decision up to the LORD. If I am someday blessed with children, they will not have baseball "pushed on them". It will be there as something they can experience together with their father if they choose to accept that gift. Easy to say, I'm glad I accepted it from mine.

Welcome

My name's Brett and this is my blog. I've never done this before, and have no idea how it will turn out. I just find times in my life where I feel as though I would enjoy putting my thoughts on paper (or in this case, on a keyboard). I don't know if I will post, daily, weekly.... bi-yearly. I just kind of like the idea that if I have something I want to discuss, I now have a place where I can do that.

I also want everyone to know that this blog isn't necessarily for you, as much as it is for me. However, if you find yourself logging on and reading something that interests you, feel free to join in. If not, no big deal. Hopefully I won't become some self-centered blow hard that thinks this thing is way cooler and more important than it really is.

So... here it goes. Enjoy.