Week 475 Update

It was 6:40 am, when I stepped up on Mr. Scale and he said, "206.5 pounds!"

I have to admit, I was surprised by that number. The lowest I had been all week before was 208.0, and I was 210.0 on Tuesday. Those kinds of big jumps, usually don't stick around. But, it was nice to have one of those big drops on weigh-in day for a change.

I fought a digestive bug this week, that held on from last week. It was so bad that I finally made a doctor's appointment for Monday afternoon. Saturday night was the worst and then Sunday things turned around a bit, and by Monday morning, I was very much improved. So, I canceled the appointment, and it turned out to be the right choice, as I continued to improve throughout Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday was Father's Day, but LeRoy had to work that day. So, he asked if I would be willing to celebrate the day on Friday instead and join him for a Spokane Indians baseball game. Willing? I was overjoyed! What a treat it was to go to a ball game with my son. He and I both remember the first professional baseball game we ever attended together, in the Montreal Olympia Stadium (Stade Olympique), where the Expos hosted the Chicago Cubs. It was a rainy Tuesday back on August 4, 1992. LeRoy knew a lot of the players then, because he had a very extensive contemporary baseball card collection. Dotti and I used to buy complete sets for the year for his birthdays or at Christmas. On Friday, he mentioned one player that he really liked at the time: the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg, a Spokane boy by birth, who stood 6'2" just like LeRoy does today, and who played second base.

Because of the weather that day, which included rain, thunderstorms, fog, and a thermometer dropping to 60°F, we especially liked the Montreal transit system: Métro de Montréal. We had an entrance into the underground train system 50 feet from our hotel entrance, and those few feet were the only ones we had to spend outdoors. The silent running, rubber-tired trains, moved us from spotless station to spotless station, to do shopping and sight-seeing. It even had an exit right at the ballpark. The entrance and the ball field were indoors. The weather played no part in the game at all! In fact the only part of the travel experience that wasn't exceptionally pleasant, was as we were leaving the game, we were jammed into a train with some intoxicated travelers. They were merely loud and not hostile, so it was okay. The only reason I really remember that as that their conduct clashed with the entire rest of the experience.

That game turned out to be a good one. In the second inning, the Expos scored 4 runs. They added another in the third and carried a 5 to 0 lead into the top of the 4th. Then the Cubs struck back, and took the lead by scoring 6 runs off the starter Mark Gardner. A reliever came in, put out the fire and then went through more innings with no runs scored. In the meantime, in the 7th inning, the Expos tied it up. It was anybody's game going into the 8th. The Cubs scored two runs off Bill Sampen, and he turned out to be the losing pitcher, because no more runs were scored that night.

That game back in 1992, that Dotti had been with us to watch, was a much better game of baseball than what we saw this time round, but Friday we had fun anyway!

There was one similarity between the two games: in this one, a team (the Tri-City Dust Devils) moved to a 6 run lead, before the other team (our Spokane Indians) scored a run, but there the similarity ended, as the Indians only scored one run total for the night, and it wasn't until the 7th inning, and then the next two innings neither team scored, leaving the final score at 6-1.

LeRoy picked me up early, so we could get something to eat before the game started at 6:30. We went to Azteca, a Mexican food restaurant. It was nice, just the two of us having a change to talk and enjoy a great meal.

When we arrived at the stadium, and picked up the prepaid tickets, it was an hour before game time. We had about 5 minutes to wait until the gates opened. There was a band playing, take me out to the ball game behind us as we looked up at the stadium.

I really hadn't looked into it before, but this time around I did a little research and I found out why the Spokane Indians have such a short season and they have such a high turnover in their roster personnel.

It started when I printed out a listing of their team roster for this season. I wanted to have a list of players with us at the game, so I could identify players by their numbers and see what their stats were from last year. (Since this game was opening day for the season, there naturally were no stats for this year yet.)

I found that of the entire list of 31 players, only 4 of them were here last year. I expected a turnover, but that was huge. So, I dug a little deeper and I found that the Spokane Indians play in the Northwest League, and that league is the bottom of the barrel for Class A ball, a "Class A—Short Season" league. I found that from the top down, here is the way pro baseball stacks up:

• Major League Baseball ("The Majors," "The Bigs," "The Show")
  • National League (Senior Circuit) - 16 teams
  • American League (Junior Circuit) - 14 teams
  
  
• Class AAA (Triple A Ball)
  • International League
  • Pacific Coast League
  • Mexican League
  
  
• Class AA (Double A Ball)
  • Eastern League
  • Southern League
  • Texas League
  
  
• Class A—Advanced
  • California League
  • Florida League
  • Carolina League
  
  
• Class A
  • South Atlantic League
  • Midwest League
  
  
• Class A—Short Season
  • New York Penn League
  • Northwest League
    
    

    NORTHWEST LEAGUE
    Team	City	State/Province	Stadium	Affiliate
    Boise Hawks	Boise	Idaho	Memorial Stadium	Chicago Cubs
    Eugene Emeralds	Eugene	Oregon	PK Park	San Diego Padres
    Everett AquaSox	Everett	Washington	Everett Memorial Stadium	Seattle Mariners
    Salem-Keizer Volcanoes	Keizer	Oregon	Volcanoes Stadium	San Francisco Giants
    Spokane Indians	Spokane	Washington	Avista Stadium	Texas Rangers
    Tri-City Dust Devils	Pasco	Washington	Tri-City Stadium	Colorado Rockies
    Vancouver Canadians	Vancouver	British Columbia	Nat Bailey Stadium	Oakland Athletics
    Yakima Bears	Yakima	Washington	Yakima County Stadium	Arizona Diamondbacks

  
  
• Advanced Rookie Leagues
  • Appalachian League
  • Pioneer League
  
  
• Rookie Leagues
  • Arizona League
  • Dominican League
  • Gulf Coast League
  • Venezuelan League

The competition is huge for those minor leaguers to fight and claw their way up into the major leagues, before some young super-talented new guy climbs over their backs to get there first. Each one of the guys we saw play on Friday was hoping that he would make it. Some had more doubts than others, but they all were dreaming that same dream I had that day so many years ago in my living room.

Unfortunately for them, there are only 30 teams in Major League Baseball. While that is nearly twice as many teams as there were when I was a kid, the population of the US has exploded, and it is certainly no easier to make it today.

Throughout most of the season the major league teams can carry 25 men on their rosters. It is boosted to 40 players on September 1, but the players who are used in the playoffs and World Series have to be part of the 25-man squad on August 31. So, effectively, at any one time there are only 25 x 30, or 750 Major League baseball players, with another 15 x 30, or 450 players held in reserve, for a total of 1200 men. (These reserves are usually tucked away in Triple A ball clubs.

The really top notch picks for a team in the majors might go directly to Double A ball or even Triple A ball, jumping right over the Rookie, and Class A leagues. That puts even more pressure on the Indian and Dust Devil players to stand out above the other players.

It also means that they will not hang around long! The Indians only held on to 4 of their players from last year. That means 27 of them, or 87% of the roster, either were let go, or they were sent up higher in the organization. At this level it is sink or swim. Seeing someone struggle here is painful to watch, because the ax is hanging over his head. On the other hand, at least he made this far, something I never did, and even if he is cut tomorrow, he will know—for the rest of his life—he made it this far.

While we were waiting for the gates to open, I snapped this picture of LeRoy and I. The sky was mostly clear, and it was going to be nearly 4 and a half hours before the bright sun would be sinking below the horizon. It was about 70° in the shade, but shade was going to be hard to come by for the next few hours.

When we got inside, we found that our tickets were for just a few rows back from the field, and we were on the visitor's (3rd base) side, and just short of the bullpen. The sun was still well above the seats and radio announcer's booth behind home plate, and forced us to squint to see the batters in the early innings. Before the game the grounds crew were out watering the infield, to keep the dust down. They also dragged the surface to keep it smooth and even, so balls would take true bounces when hit through the infield. One of their tasks was to chalk the lines so they would be clearly marked. They did an excellent job and left things in good shape.

Meanwhile, the Dust Devils were warming up right in front of us. The pitchers were playing a game where they kept their eyes on two balls at at time, one in the air, and one in their hand. If the one in the air headed to one of them, he had to toss the one already in his hand to another player before the second ball arrived. They were sneaky about where they tossed it, looking one way and tossing it another, trying to confuse the others. If a ball was dropped, play stopped and they all started over again. A couple of the pitchers were pure naturals at the game, or they had been doing it longer, because they never seemed to drop the ball, or even come close to it, while others struggled to keep the ball in play. It was all good natured, and they seemed to be having fun, laughing and ribbing each other when the balls dropped. The two pitchers here in the foreground are getting ready to start a round of the game, with each one holding a ball that he would toss when another ball came his way.

The players facing away from the camera were the infielders and outfielders getting set to do a base running drill, where the guy in the black shirt and shorts would take a windup from "a stretch" and they would all line up on the foul line and take off when he committed to the plate in his delivery. It was intended to give them practice getting a good jump on a pitcher if they were stealing a base or doing a hit and run play.

This young man is named Parker Frazier, and he is just a few games away from the major leagues. He had Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) just a few months ago. Prior to Tommy John, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, having this surgery, having a major injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow was a career ender. Today, a full recovery is possible, and many years of top performance can be attained after the surgery.

Frazier pitched 5 excellent innings, retiring 15 straight batters, striking out 6 of them, after giving up a hit in the first inning. He didn't walk anybody and the Indians never worked up a real threat against him. The word is that he is almost set for the majors right now. He sure pitched like it on Friday. They didn't pull him out after 5 innings because he was in trouble, but rather, it looked liked they felt he had thrown enough pitches for this outing, to help with is recovery, without over doing it.

He was in command of all his pitches, threw in the high 80s for speed and was clearly in charge of the game.

Casey Weathers, another pitcher who is in rehab coming off Tommy John surgery, and who appears to be a sure thing to reach the major leagues, pitched the eighth inning, and faced 5 batters; he struck out 4 of them! He came out throwing 94 mph fastballs at first, and worked it up to 97 mph as he progressed. He not only struck out the side, but, as I said, he really did strike out 4 batters in that one inning! One of the Indians who was struck out, made it to first base anyway, because the catcher failed to catch the pitch on the third strike, and it got away from him. It was ruled a "pass ball" and an error on the catcher. That registered a "strikeout" without a "putout." Undaunted, Weathers struck out 3 other batters, although he did give up one hit. He left 2 batters on base, but he also left the spectators in awe.

The fastest pitch I have ever faced personally was 85 mph in a batting cage. I felt really proud of myself when I got all of one those fastballs and hit it on a line drive to right field from the left side of the plate. It felt great. But I wasn't facing curve balls, or a machine that might throw at my head. I only had to worry about getting around on the ball. And it was only 85 mph. What on earth would 97 mph look like coming from the mound at you?

Right now Casey Weathers is aiming at being a closer. With that sort of power pitching, he could do it. I hope he has no more injuries and he gets his shot at the big time. I think he will do well if he gets there, and he remains uninjured in the future.

The Indians scored a run in the 7th inning, but that was it. They were never in the game. They were out hit 13 to 4, and outscored 6 to 1.

It was still an interesting game, and seeing a pitcher like Casey Weathers come in and blow past 4 batters that way was thrilling.

If you look at the final scoreboard output, you can see right above the name "TriCity" the letters MPH. Right beside that they post the JUGS radar gun output for each pitch in red letters. Seeing that number go up from 94 to 95, and finally up to 97 while Weathers was pitching was exciting. You won't see many pitchers who can throw faster than that, anywhere!

So, even though our Indians didn't win, it was a great evening. I loved spending the time with my son, and the game had enough going on to make it well worth the visit, despite the outcome.

After the game, LeRoy drove us home, and Dotti snapped this picture of the two of us. LeRoy looking young and in his prime, his brown hair and eyes filled with energy and youth. Dad's eyes are still blue, but his hair has lost nearly all of its natural color and gray has taken over. With my 60th birthday coming up in 2011, I am beginning to really look the part.

But even so, I had a great time with LeRoy on Friday, and I am very glad he shared my Father's Day celebration with me! Old men need love to. Thank you LeRoy!!!

With 26.85 miles under my belt this week I have gotten in a lot of walking, at least for me. I have found that walking is a very calming activity, holding down my stress level. Saturday I went around my 3-mile loop near our house, and I noticed that, after months of watching them work on it, I believe the house in this photo is finally done. Even the driveway leading to it is now covered with asphalt. The building process seemed to go on and on, but I think it is over finally. It has been fun watching it go up, and I hope the new owners really enjoy their home. It looks like a really nice one!

On Sunday, I walked past another field and spotted a horse nibbling on some grass. It is an interesting mix of farms, ranches, and residential housing that I pass through on my walks!

On Monday, the earth made it to the point in its orbit where the geographical North Pole was aimed as directly at the sun as it is all year long. We call that point in the orbit, the Summer Solstice, and it marks the official beginning of summer. We have come 6 months since the start of last winter, and are 6 months from the start of next winter. Generally, in the northern hemisphere, temperatures are on the rise, and it will be some months before they start to fall again. It is time for outdoor activities, and plenty of sunshine!

A side effect of reaching the summer solstice was to make Monday the longest day of the year for us. The sun rose at 4:51 am and it didn't set until 8:51 pm, giving us 15 hours, 59 minutes, and 47 seconds of direct sunlight, and another hour or so of twilight, leaving less that 7 hours for darkness.

While we tend to take note of the time of the actual solstice, as it turned out, here in Spokane, June 20, was actually within one second of being exactly as long as June 21, and June 22 was within 4 seconds of being the same length of the longest day.

The name "solstice" means approximately "sun standing still." It doesn't mean that we don't watch the sun rise and set during the day, but that we don't see it move in the sky very much either north or south at this time of year. On the days leading up to June 21, the sun is nudging itself farther and farther north in the sky. Suddenly, that motion stops completely. The next time we see it moving along the north/south line, it is creeping to the south, and it will continue to move south right up until the winter solstice next December.

WEIGHT COMMANDER GRAPHS CONTROL PANEL GRAPH FUTURE GRAPH     60-DAY GRAPH 90-DAY GRAPH 1-YEAR GRAPH 2-YEAR GRAPH

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The Weight Commander Control Panel Graph tells the story of how, at the end of May, I sort of gave up, and started coasting upwards. Up, up, and up until I started seeing numbers above 210.0 That grabbed my attention and I started pulling back. As soon as I started controlling myself, the weight started dropping.

The numbers on the left show a drop of 5.5 pounds this week, but that comes after a gain of 3 pounds, another of 1 pound and another of 3 pounds. Gaining 7 and then losing 5.5 doesn't make much progress downward.

The numbers on the right show how stagnant my whole journey has been of late.

The Weight Commander Future Graph grabbed onto the drop I had at the end of this week, and projected it out into the future, and it looks really good. If only I can keep that trend going, things will be okay.

The Weight Commander 60-Day Graph is very "noisy," with lots of ups and downs, but the trend is still upward slightly.

My Weight Commander 90-Day Graph shows a more than slight upward trend. There is a bit of a fall off at the end, but overall it is not looking very promising.

The Weight Commander 1-Year Graph shows that I was unable to avoid the bump upward this year, even though I was hoping to be able to this time around.

I seem to be plotting a sine wave with my Weight Commander 2-Year Graph! Up and down, up and down. The only very positive thing about this is that, at least so far, I have always managed to turn it around when I gain, and then push it back down again. It is discouraging however, that I can't stay the course.

On the positive side, I have been doing a lot of walking. That has to be a good thing. With all the emotions churning around me these days, I just will have to hold on, and hope for the best.


9 years, 42 days on my journey; a lifetime to follow.

-Al-
6'3" 239.5/206.5/185.0±2.5/BMI:25.81/WK-475

Starting weight: 239.5       Target Weight Range: 185.0±2.5 pounds

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