Obama / Biden

Did you see the AP column about the Barack's choice for a VP? Take a gander at this title:

"Biden pick shows lack of confidence".

Here's what Ron Fournier had to say: (Here's a hint ... it wasn't a favorable column.)

"The candidate of change went with the status quo.

"In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office and on foreign policy — rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.

"He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate — the ultimate insider — rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn’t even make his short list.

"The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn’t beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. The Biden pick is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative — a strategic decision that may be necessary but threatens to run counter to his image.

...

"So the question is whether Biden’s depth counters Obama’s inexperience — or highlights it?
After all, Biden is anything but a change agent, having been in office longer than half of all Americans have been alive. Longer than McCain.

...

"And there’s the 2007 ABC interview in which Biden said he would stand by an earlier statement that Obama was not ready to serve as president.

"It seems Obama is worried that some voters are starting to agree."

You can read it all here.

I'm not going to do a whole Barack-bash here, but I will say this: The Senator's campaign has gotten more and more off-track, which could be because as he realizes that there really is no track when your only platform is "change".

And the Biden pick, while helping in one sense, as stated above really hurts in another sense. It's an illogical logical pick. In one move, Obama both strengthened and weakened his ticket. Not what you need when you dwindled to a one-point lead.

Barack's fading fast. And Biden won't be able to save him.

"In Christ"

Just a quick good word from John Murray, author of Redemption Accomplished and Applied. I thought about this chapter cited below as I read - and was moved by - Galatians 3:26-29 this morning.

The incredible news of the gospel - All the blessings that come to you as a Christian come because you stand "in Christ", that is, so deeply connected in the Son of God that as the Father looks on Christ you are seen in Him, that all the love and blessings the Father gives to Christ are given to you because you are so deeply one with Christ.
(A side note - this has major implications on our view of other believers -- race, social status, etc... every dividing wall of man is broken down based on this... Gal 3:28)

Murray:
"... Nothing is more central or basic than union and communion with Christ.
"... union with Christ has its source in the election of God the Father before the foundation of the world and it has its fruition in the glorification of the sons of God. The perspective of God's people is not narrow; it is broad and it is long. It is not confined to space and time; it has the expanse of eternity. Its orbit has two foci, one the electing love of God the Father in the counsels of eternity, the other glorification with Chrst in the manifestation of His glory. The former has no beginning, the latter has no end. Glorification with Christ at His coming will be but the beginning of a consummation that will encompass the ages. 'So we shall ever be with the Lord' (1 Thess. 4:17). It is a perspective with a past and with a future, but neither the past nor the future is bounded by what we know as our temporal history. And because temporal history falls within such a perspective it has meaning and hope. What is it that binds past and present and future together in the life of faith and in the hope of glory? What does the believer entertain the thought of God's determinate counsel with such joy? What can he have patience in the perplexities and adversities of the present? Why can he have confident assurance with reference to the future and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God? It is because he cannot think of past, present or future apart from union with Christ. It is union with Christ now in the virtue of His death and the power of His resurrection that certifies Him to the reality of His election in Christ before the foundation of the world--he is blessed by the Father with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ just as he was chosen in Christ from eternal ages (cf. Eph. 1:3, 4). And he has the seal of an eternal inheritance because it is in Christ that he is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise as the earnest of his inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession (cf. Eph 1:13, 14). Apart from union with Christ we cannot view past, present or future with anything but dismay and Christless dread. By union with Christ the whole complexion of time and eternity is changed and the people of God may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

"Seminarians" as Healthy Church Members

Thabiti Anyabwile (who will speak at the SEBTS chapel service on Tuesday, Sept 23) recently gave an interview on his new book, What is a Healthy Church Member?

In the interview, he answers one question that stood out to me in particular, "How can seminary students be healthy church members?"

Here's Thabiti's response:

"Seminarians should think of themselves primarily as church members, not 'seminarians.' I think a lot of men see themselves as ‘tweeners levitating somewhere between their previous church and the church or mission field they’re headed towards. They’re in a kind of suspended animation. And often a seminarian can suffer spiritually as they float out their in academic space somewhere. The church suffers too without their gifting and service.

It will be tempting to think of their studies as a special status that obviates their relationship to and responsibilities in the local church. But they are primarily Christians, and as such should be active in a local church body as members not seminarians. We don’t excuse other college students from the expectation that they should be active in a local fellowship; and we shouldn’t do it with seminarians either. So, they should join a local church and plant roots. They may be leaving in a few years but learning to love a church quickly will help them learn to love new members quickly when they’re pastors or when serving in highly transient areas.

And ... students should be humble and patient, avoid judging others and asserting unimportant preferences. They should see the church as the main classroom of Christ, and the classroom as an auxiliary. Given that, they should seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And by God’s grace, they will as they humbly receive the word (Jam. 1:21), receive grace through the various administrations of God’s gifts (1 Peter 4:10-11), and are equipped for service until they reach maturity in Christ, the Head (Eph. 4:11-16)."

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Clemson Football, Revisited

Here's the question: can someone change what he wrote in this blog-world of ours?

I'm going to be man enough to say I made a mistake. I went the easy way out in my last post in regards to Clemson football, and essentially was called out about it by my boy Patrick. I looked at the Tigers' team, didn't think they could pull out an 11-1 year, but also didn't really know who they'd lose to. I don't really think that the Purple and Orange will lose to the Crimson Tide, and I was very unsure about it when I posted the prediction.

It seems more likely that Clemson will be Clemson, they'll lose to someone they shouldn't lose to. They'll scare the Clemson faithful, Bowden will be on the hotseat again, but he'll pull through.

Sound familiar? It should. That's Clemson football. That's what they do best.

Only this year it will be different. This year the Tigers are going to take the ACC. This year is their year. The conference is weak. They've got a great QB in Cullen Harper. They've got CJ Spiller and James Davis, "who may be the best tailback combo in all of college football," according to Tony Barnhart of the AJC. (Of course, the unknown is Caleb King, UGA's number 2 behind Knowshon. These boys, as long as they can stay out of jail, may give the Tiger tailbacks a run for that distinction.)

Clemson this year will go 10-2, win the ACC and play in a BCS bowl in January.

But who will the boys fall to? Duke? Virginia? South Carolina (Gasp!)?

I'm saying it's going to be Wake Forest. That's going to make it a tough go for the Tigers to come out of their division to the championship game, but in the mess of the ACC, Clemson will get help from outside to make sure FSU and WF don't get to Tampa.

So, the revised look:

Clemson, 10-2:
vs. Alabama (Atlanta) .... Win
vs. The Citadel ................ Win
vs. NC State .................... Win
vs. SC State ..................... Win
vs. Maryland ................... Win
at Wake Forest ............... Loss
vs. Georgia Tech ............. Win
at Boston College ............ Win
at Florida State ............... Loss
vs. Duke ........................... Win
at Virginia ........................ Win
vs. South Carolina .......... Win

ACC Championship, Dec 6, Tampa:
vs. Virginia Tech ............ Win

And on the Alabama game, my suggestion is take Alabama against the spread, but Clemson wins.

Hope my "flip-flop" isn't too much of a blunder. If it is, then I guess I only lose three readers. 100% of my audience, yes, but still a small number.

Football Free-For-All!

In response to the AJC's Mark Bradley, here are my football picks for the Falcons, Jackets and Dawgs (plus Clemson and USC) for 2008, "The Year of the Dawg."

Atlanta Falcons, 6-10:
vs. Detroit ...................... Win
at Tampa Bay ................ Lose
vs. Kansas City .............. Lose
at Carolina ...................... Lose
at Green Bay .................. Lose
vs. Chicago ...................... Win
at Philadelphia ............... Lose
at Oakland ..................... Win
vs. New Orleans ............ Lose
vs. Denver ...................... Lose
vs. Carolina .................... Win
at San Diego .................... Lose
at New Orleans .............. Lose
vs. Tampa Bay ............... Win
at Minnesota .................. Lose
vs. St. Louis .................... Win

Georgia Tech, 5-7:
vs. Jacksonville State ... Win
at Boston College .......... Lose
at Virginia Tech ............ Lose
vs. Mississippi State .... Lose
vs. Duke ......................... Win
vs. Gardner-Webb ....... Win
at Clemson ..................... Lose
vs. Virginia (HC) ........... Win
vs. Florida State ............ Lose
at North Carolina .......... Lose
vs. Miami ....................... Win
at Georgia ...................... Lose

Georgia, 11-1 (Reg Season):
vs. Georgia Southern .... Win
vs. Central Michigan ..... Win
at South Carolina ........... Win
at Arizona State ............. Win
vs. Alabama .................... Win
vs. Tennessee ................. Win
vs. Vanderbilt (HC) ....... Win
at LSU ............................. Win
at Florida (Jville) ........... Win
at Kentucky .................... Win
at Auburn ....................... Lose
vs. Georgia Tech ............ Win

vs. Auburn, SEC Championship Game .... Win
vs. Ohio State, National Championship ... Win

Clemson, 10-2:
vs. Alabama (Atlanta) .... Lose
vs. The Citadel ................ Win
vs. NC State .................... Win
vs. SC State ..................... Win
vs. Maryland ................... Win
at Wake Forest ............... Win
vs. Georgia Tech ............. Win
at Boston College ............ Win
at Florida State ............... Lose
vs. Duke ........................... Win
at Virginia ........................ Win
vs. South Carolina .......... Win

vs. Virginia Tech, ACC Championship Game .... Win

South Carolina, 7-5:
vs. NC State .................... Win
at Vanderbilt ................... Win
vs. Georgia ...................... Lose
vs. Wofford ...................... Win
vs. UAB ........................... Win
at Mississippi .................. Win
at Kentucky .................... Win
vs. LSU ............................ Lose
vs. Tennessee ................. Lose
vs. Arkansas ................... Win
at Florida ......................... Lose
at Clemson ....................... Lose

What to watch for:
Ga Tech vs. Duke: The Blue Devils, under new headcoach David Cutcliff, are better than advertised. The Techies pull out a win late in the 4th.

Georgia - Florida: A 1 vs. 2 matchup in Jacksonville, this one won't need the buildup and hype that the media machine will give it, replaying last year's endzone dance over and over in the week prior to the Cocktail Party. Florida puts up a tough first half, but Georgia wins by 12.

Georgia at Auburn: There's no way the Dogs are making it undefeated through this schedule, but they're going to surprise most by making it this far. Toomer's Corner is rolled like never before after the Dogs lose a tight one to the Tigers (But get sweet redemption a couple weeks later in Atlanta.)

Clemson - Alabama: The Georgia Dome (now clad in Red and Black ... sorry Tide and Tigers, the Dogs own the Dome) is packed for the first annual Redneck Bowl, and Saban's Tide puts a damper on Clemson's high hopes as Alabama wins by three.

Clemson at Florida State: The elder Bowden wins his last Bowden Bowl.

South Carolina at Clemson: Clemson wins, but Spurrier's still not on the hot seat. Seems as if USC will never get over the hump. Spurrier considers retirement after the Music City Bowl.

Thoughts on the Braves

The good news is that we (that is, Braves fans) may see something like this again one day:


That was, for the uneducated, catcher Greg Olson leaping into the receiving arms of John Smoltz in 1991 as the Braves clinched a tie for the NL West pennant (later that day winning outright when the Dodgers lost to the Giants). The Braves famously went on to play in the "Greatest Series Ever Played", losing to the Twins, but becoming the first team to have the worst record in baseball in one season (65-97 in 1990) and advancing to the World Series in the next.

The good news, the only good news, from this week is that we may get to see something like that again. But it ain't gonna happen this year.

But there's light in the Tex-for-Kotchman trade. We just landed a solid defensive firstbaseman who is 25. He seems to be a .280/15-20 HR/80 RBI guy, which isn't great, but is serviceable. (Sid Bream, the Braves 1B in that 1991 season, hit .253/11/45 and .261/10/61 in '92.) And we've got Kotchman under contract through 2011.

And then there's cap space. The Braves just cleared plenty of it. Tex is making $12,500,000 this season. Kotchman? He's taking home a paltry 1.5 million.

What does that mean?

One of two things have to happen now: Either the Braves go for broke next season or we move to a serious rebuilding mode.

Option A, my favorite, is attractive because realistically we have a small window in which we can make a serious run. Here's the skinny:

Hudson's out for the rest of this year with elbow surgery, but looking to next year he's coming back fresh in July 2009 for his final few months with the Braves. That's like adding a legitimate number-1 starter at the trade deadline, ready for a possible final push.

We know Chipper's always battling injuries, but we also know that when he's healthy, he's still a force to be reckoned with at the plate. The man's a gamer, and while his days as a full-time starter are numbered, he's still got a couple more years in him. I think.

Smoltzie's gone for this year, but he's a competitor, and he's going to want to go out on his terms. That means, not retiring because of shoulder surgery. This man has altered his pitching style so many times he's probably lost count. I'm betting he'll do what it takes to make one last go at a full season. A season as a closer, no less, which means our ninth-inning troubles should be shored up next year.

We've got Kelly & Yunel rounding out the infield and one of the game's great young catchers in McCann. We've got a young guy named Jordan Schafer coming up in the outfield. And I'm hoping, hoping that Frenchy figures out how to be "The Natural" again.

That said, we've got cap space and a ownership group who has verbally committed to increasing salary, and we need a legit number one starter (Ben Sheets?) and another mid-rotation guy to go along with Jair. And we need a corner outfielder.

The Kotchman trade cleared the way for all of that.

Or, we can take Option B: rebuild.

The good news: we've got the building blocks in place. We've got good, young talent in six of the eight everyday positions. But we'll need to build some pitching. And that takes time. And so, if we go that route, it won't be long before the Braves are finishing behind the Nationals (the Nationals!).

But then, maybe one day, one glorious day, we'll see a catcher leap for joy in the arms of a young pitcher as the Braves return to glory.