Church Person

Today at Church was one pastors last sermon. Mrs. Bubba and I are glad this person is leaving, we don't care for this person. Does that make us bad Christians? I tend to disagree with this person's, shall we say, Biblical interpretations and I'm not too keen on this person's politics. But I also think I should have no clue about this person's politics by just listening to this person from the pulpit. I don't want to be preached to about political things. Just the Bible. I'm old fashioned.

Aggie Baseball

One more sports, o.k. two if you count the soccer update, but that is more about racism and how people react to things than sports.

Former Aggie Baseball Coach Mark Johnson has a new job. He has been named the head coach at Sam Houston State University. While at A&M his won / loss record was 876-433. Of the 272 players that went through the A&M baseball program while he was head coach, 227 of them graduated. That's 84%. If you count the 25 more that are on their way to their degree, the percentage climbs to 93%.

Man, I'm glad A&M got rid of that guy...

Sports World

First soccer. So the French dude, Zidane, head butts his way out of the World Cup Final. Why? Well, it appears the Italian dude, Materazzi, called him a name. What is funny about this story is the media spin, it is apparently o.k. to head butt your way out of the World Cup Final if provoked by name calling. What happened to "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?"

Next baseball. So, Bud Selig (baseball devil) decides that the All-Star game should be important and it will determine home field advantage for the World Series. We won't go into how the All-Star game is not decided by the best All-Stars, who have started and have been pulled by the late innings. So, in said really important All-Star game they take a break so baseball devil can stand at a podium at home plate and talk about Roberto Clemente. Nothing against Clemente, but is this really the place for that, in the middle of a really important game for two teams in that will play a little thing called the World Series in October? Is this an exibition or is it an important game? Come on baseball devil, make up your mind.

UPDATE ON SOCCER:
Kevin Blackistone, of the Dallas Morning News writes:

If soccer believes, as do many of its fans, that Zidane's expulsion from the biggest game cost France the 2006 World Cup trophy, the game should even consider stripping Italy of the golden award.

In fact, if fair play is as integral to soccer as the corner kick – what with the traditions such as a team voluntarily stopping play when an opponent goes down in pain – Italy should even consider surrendering the most coveted award.

But he has a history of "playing the race card." I still think that the only reason it was said was to bait someone into doing something stupid that would get them red carded. It worked. What happened to rising above someone calling you a "dirty" name? I don't think you should have to forfeit a game because one of your players called someone else a dirty name. Aren't we all adults?

Still the Land of Opportunity...

Mrs. Bubba and I were flying back from Dallas on Sunday and took a cab home from LGA. Our Cabbie was from Bangladesh and had been in the US for 25 years and was a citzen. He lived with his wife and two school aged kids in a studio apartment, that's one room. He knew our flight was from Dallas and was quizing us on Dallas. How much was rent there? Was it 110 degrees everyday? What do you pay for electricity running your a/c all the time? What would a factory job pay there? What was the cabbie business like there? He had two friends that moved from NY, one to Dallas, one to Atlanta that were telling him how easier life was down south.

This made both of us thankful for what we have. But it also reinforced that despite what the doomsday folks say, this is still a country of opportunity. He said that he wished he had a college degree but it was tough for first generation immigrants to get a degree. He was sending money home when he first moved here.

We also found it interesting that he felt that he could have an easier life for hime and his family by moving to Texas, our home state. We hear so much about how NY is the melting pot and people move here from all over to live the American dream. But just like us, they are finding a city that is too expensive to live in and real opportunity lies elsewhere in this country. This man was also not concerned with racism in the South or not being welcomed.

So, on this July 4th lets celebrate our Independence and celebrate the fact that America is still a place where people come to make life better for them and their families. Not just in NY, but over the entire country.