Believe it or not, there is a real sense of autumn weather in the air in Central Texas. Cool evenings and warm afternoons make for the kind of days that turn leaves different colors. Not sure if the leaves will even bother to turn here, but the change of pace weather is welcome.
My LCS predictions look like a sure split. I whiffed on the Angels -- they never recovered from Doug Eddings' best impression of Don Denkinger in Game Two. Would the series have been different had the Angels gone up 2-0? Perhaps, but the Angels, upon returning home, did look like a road weary team. That three-game, three time zone stretch might have done them in more than Doug Eddings. Either way, Ozzie Guillen still amazes me with crazy managerial moves. Does he realize the bullpen is actually there for a purpose? Should the White Sox win it all -- the poor longsuffering Chicago sports fans are probably more in need of a baseball champion than any city -- it will be a classic case of a team overcoming their manager.
The NLCS is now comfortably in the hands of the Astros. With a 3-1 lead, the Cardinals are now faced with winning three consecutive games with the Astros trotting to the mound Pettitte, Oswalt and Clemens.
Not a chance for the Cardinals. The Tony LaRussa led Cardinals are doing their level best to equate themselves with Bobby Cox's Braves. Two dramatically underachieving playoff teams, as has been the case with LaRussa's teams throughout his managerial career.
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My calendar today reminds me that "nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm" (Edward Bulwer-Lytton). I am enthusiastic today about Rick and Gail Northen and the beginning of their journey to Cambodia. I am enthusiastic today about how God's past blessings are a harbinger of God's future blessings. I am enthusiastic about my wife and my girls. And I am enthusiastic about speaking tomorrow night at the Fall Lectureship in Kingsland.
I hope you have a great, enthusiastic day! Take a moment and pause to consider what you have to be enthusiastic about today? Once captured, that enthusiasm will rub off on the people around you, making our world a better, more joy-filled place.
