Not a Very Good "Blogger"

So as I was informed yesterday that it had been over 20 days since I posted anything, I guess it would be a good time to have a nice update. So here goes:

Thursday Feb 14-Catchers and Pitchers reported for spring training meaning the Cardinals are starting their run back to the top of the NL Central. Now I know it's going to be tough without Carpenter or Mulder, but I think the capability is there. I'm excited about Troy Glaus, I think he can bring something new to the team and also for whenever Colby Rasmus does become the Centerfielder-a young and talented player who will ease the "loss" of Jim Edmonds. As for the concerns with Mr. Pujols elbow- I have none, he knows what he can (which is limitless) and cannot do.
"Pujols said the "best thing" that happened last year was the jolt the Cardinals received from a wave of younger, newer players. He said the worst thing that can happen this year is if they feel "like they belong here." That's why Pujols repeated Saturday what he says every spring. He's here just playing to "make the team."And he won't let elbow concerns impede him."Just going to go with the flow," Pujols said. "How I feel that day. How I feel in the spring. I'm going to keep doing what I do to get myself ready for the season. ... We're going to see in the next couple months, doing more baseball stuff, how it feels. Hopefully, it feels like it feels now.""

The Illini continue to struggle and be in every ballgame, but just can't find the magi or some way to win. Against Indiana they had it led by freshman Demetri McCamey's 31 points, but in the end poor, and I am not exaggerating, poor free-throw shooting doomed them as they lost again by four points to those stinking Hoosiers 83-79 (Glad I had a nice conversation with Coach Sampson before he bites the dust-I heard if you use your cellphone it blows up on you-I wonder how many he has gone through?). They bounced back rather nicely at Minnesota defeating the upstart Gophers 84-60 to continue an 18-game winning streak against them. Well they followed that up with a dissapointing loss at Penn St. 52-51. This sums up the season quite nicely: "I think we're cursed or something," Illinois forward Brian Randle said. "I don't know what it is. Somebody made a deal with a higher power.""

As for student teaching, it is going great. It's a lot of fun being the teacher and not the student. One thing I like in particular is the interaction with students and knowing you have an effect on them. Sometimes it's more important that they feel good about the teacher and classroom so you can build a relationship with them. At the end of the day it's exhausting, but it feels great and I get this adrenaline rush from it.

Lastly, I would like to end with this message from Pope Benedict XVI on Lent and the Power of Prayer:
In his homily, the Pope reflected on the themes of prayer and suffering. "Lent", he said, "precisely because it invites people to prayer, penance and fasting, represents a providential moment to revive and strengthen our hope". Prayer "is the primary and foremost 'weapon' with which to 'face the struggle against the spirit of evil'", said the Holy Father, indicating that "without the element of prayer, the human 'I' ends up by closing in on itself and conscience, which should be the echo of the voice of God, risks being reduced to a mirror of the self. In the same way, interior dialogue becomes a monologue that gives rise to many forms of self-justification. "Thus prayer is a guarantee of openness to others", he added. "Those who free themselves for God and His needs, open themselves to others, to the brothers and sisters who knock at the door of their hearts and ask to be heard, who ask for attention, for forgiveness, and sometimes for correction, but always in fraternal charity."True prayer is never centered on the self but always focuses on others. ... True prayer is the motor of the world, because it keeps us open to God. For this reason, without prayer there is no hope, only illusion.

Congrats to Deron Williams for winning the All-Star Skills Competition where he literally left the competition in his dust! He took the title with the closing round record of 25.5 seconds defeating Chris Paul (just another time D-Will beats CP3, but still doesn't get any recognition for it) in the final round, after beating out Jason Kidd of the Nets??? and Dwayne Wade of the now Shaqless Heat.







This is downright amazing...