Tim Ellsworth

Daniel certainly has fun at his T-ball games. We only have three games left, and I’m going to be sorry to see the season end.

I’ve added a new feature to the blog that I hope might be useful. When you leave a comment, you can now click a little box that will allow you to be notified by email if someone else comments in that thread.

There have been many times on other blogs where I’ve left a comment, but then forgotten to go back and see if anyone has responded to what I’ve said. I hope this little feature will help with that.

If for some reason it’s not working, or if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Sammy Sosa jacked career home run No. 600 last night, and the response from baseball fans can only be described as apathetic. Here’s a feat that’s only been accomplished five times in baseball history, and yet nobody seems to care. Of course, there’s a reason for that, as I’m sure most people are pretty convinced that Sammy’s a juicer. He’s most definitely a bat corker.

Sosa has a career .273 batting average, with 2,361 hits, 1,628 RBIs and 234 SB. He’s a seven-time All-Star and won the MVP in 1998.

Sammy Sosa: HOF or not?

Discussed previously:
Tommy John
Jim Rice
Curt Schilling
Gary Sheffield
Jeff Bagwell
Mike Mussina
Pedro Martinez
Jim Edmonds
Fred McGriff
Juan Gonzalez

From AP:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s practice of flying from his Chicago home to the Capitol in Springfield and back for daily budget negotiations is costing Illinois taxpayers more than $5,800 a day - roughly $76,000 since late May and climbing.

An Associated Press analysis of state flight records shows Blagojevich made nine round trips on state airplanes from May 22 to June 7, and he appears to have made at least four more since then.

Several of those flights came while the governor’s aides were admonishing lawmakers for not spending enough time in the Capitol working on the budget.

From the stupid parents file, courtesy of AP:

A woman was charged with manslaughter in the death of her 4-month-old son after she told authorities she taped a pacifier to his mouth to keep it from falling out.

This is something I’ve been wanting for a long time. From Baptist Press:

With a goal of letting consumers choose which cable channels are appropriate for their homes, legislators have introduced the bipartisan Family and Consumer Choice Act with a possible a la carte system that would let viewers pay for only the cable networks they want while blocking those they don’t.

This would be fantastic.

If you’ve ever started a book and know from the outset that it’s going to be exceptional, you know what my thoughts are about the new John Newton biography from Jonathan Aitken, “John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace.”

I’m only about 60 pages into the book. Although it’s possible I’ll end up being disappointed with it, I highly doubt that, based upon what I’ve read so far. It’s one of those books that I can’t wait to pick up and continue reading.

Of course, given the compelling subject of John Newton, it’d be hard to write an uninteresting book.

I may have more to say about it after I finish reading it, but I wanted to go ahead and put in my plug. If you’re not familiar with Newton (author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”), he was a slave ship captain who was miraculously converted. God certainly saved a wretch like him. He became an influential pastor in London and was instrumental in the life of William Wilberforce — and thus, instrumental in the abolitionist movement.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming and soulwarming biography to devour this summer, I highly recommend this one to you.

Tired of the antics of catcher Michael Barrett, the Chicago Cubs supposedly shipped him to San Diego in a trade.

Some new stories posted on BP Sports:

Liberty athletics program presses on after Falwell’s death

AIA camp teaches athletes to apply biblical principles to sports

Richts share faith, futball with poor in Honduras

Ward hired as high school coach

Baddeley fortified by deep faith

Major League Baseball suspended Chicago’s Derrek Lee and San Diego’s Chris Young five games each for their role in a brawl June 16.

If you haven’t seen the video, go here, then click on the June 16 date and select “Top Plays.”

I realize that the penalty for Young won’t end up being as severe as Lee’s, because Young will only have a start pushed back a day or two while Lee will miss several games. But was it right for MLB to suspend each of them for the same number of games? Were they each equally guilty?

The judge who has filed a ridiculous lawsuit against a cleaners who lost his pants (see here and here for more) may end up losing his job over the whole ordeal.

It’d serve him right.

Hat tip: Owen

Tim Challies writes about why he won’t be watching Evan Almighty.

And when people walk away from Evan Almighty they will not love God more. I don’t think they will have a greater understanding of the Bible. In fact, I suspect they’ll see the biblical story of the flood as being as fictional as this movie–a quaint plot but completely unrealistic and implausible. Mere fiction. This movie will not and cannot bring anyone closer to God. Rather, it will necessarily project a false image of God, a false understanding of Him. And we’re being told to watch this, to enjoy this, and to bring our families to see it so they can laugh with us.

No thanks.

I’m back home after a really long week in San Antonio. I was terribly disappointed in the quality of the Mexican food there, as none of it was anywhere near as good as the local Don Pancho.

It’s good to be back. Next week I return to more regular blogging.

The words “natural family,” “marriage” and “union of a man and a woman” can be punished as “hate speech” in government workplaces, according to a lawsuit that is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hat tip: misawa

Can someone explain to me why I can stay at a Motel 6 for $40 a night and get free wireless, but when I’m at a Hilton that costs four times as much I have to shell out an extra $10 a day for high-speed internet?

Heck, if they’re going to charge me $10 a day for internet, I’d prefer for them to raise the rate $10 and not even tell me about it — the whole “ignorance is bliss” thing and all.