"Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical." ~ Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame Baseball Player/Manager (Elected to the hall in 1972.), Author, Commentator, and a natural born humorist/word mangler

I did make it back. Did you? I'm talking not only about work week Monday but also making it back from the fall back time change exercise. I should have reminded everyone but hopefully with it being blared all over here, there, and everywhere, we all did our duty in adjusting our clocks. Welcome to November where today we are already focused on the 3rd day here in this fast moving year of 2014. It's kind of interesting how major league baseball operates. All teams supposedly have a chance to win. Some teams have much more money to spend than others and we all know that makes a huge difference. It is expected that the marquee teams will do well. They don't always fulfill that expectation. This year's world series has not done that well in terms of ratings. The TV folks like for it to be between major market teams, like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. Of course those teams have to win to get in. They didn't. Thus, we ended up with an interesting match up between two wild card teams, the Giants versus the Royals. My wife asked early on which team was the underdog. I told her it was the Kansas City Royals. She then said she knew I would be pulling for them. She knows me pretty well. We watched some of nearly every game. While it wasn't a great ratings draw, it did go seven games, and the last one was a 3 to 2 decision. And, yes, the Giants won. Again. Their third time in the last five years. Not bad. With all the emphasis on market size it does point out what we all know to be the bottom line truth: It really is all about the money!

Going back to the time change subject, I suppose most of us are aware that here in our country we do have an official time keeper. It's the U. S. Naval Observatory, (USNO). That supposedly is where all your little electronic devices get their times from. The current atomic clock being used supposedly will not gain or lose a second within a 300 million year period. But, oh by the way, that's small potatoes compared to a newer one being tested. It was developed by the National Institute for Science and Technology. It's claim to fame? Well, it does keep time within the one second target, but get this one, the time period is projected to be 3.7 billion years. I'm trying to decide if that impresses me or not. It's like the axiom we've heard time and time again, 'We can put a man on the moon but we still can't solve most of the world's most basic problems.' The Bible has quite a lot to say about time as well. The Apostle Paul writing to the local congregation meeting in Ephesus, Greece, had this inspired insight: "...making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16, from the English Standard Version, ESV.)

I recently read an article by one of the most liberal of the flame throwers at the New York Times. He said that the election coming up tomorrow appears to indicate a 'bumpkinification' across the land. In other words, people who do not align themselves with his so called progressive ideas, well, they are bumpkins, they are dumb, and to his chagrin, they appear to be in the driver's seat. (Those pesky God fearing Americans, you just can't depend on them.) He can't imagine people not being in love with President Obama and his vision of America. I have made it clear many times that I have no ill feelings towards President Obama, none whatsoever, or his family. However, as it relates to policy, plans, programs, and the vision thing, I have this to say: Show me the line marked Bumpkins! And, as it pertains to this so called enlightened view, this verse comes to mind, "God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world--what is viewed as nothing--to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence." (1st Corinthians 1:28-29, Holman Christian Standard Bible) If you can say that word he coined, 'bumpkinifcation', three times very fast without missing a beat, well, you just might deserve a prize. But, if you are like me, there will be only one winner per voting booth, if you get my drift. Take care and may God bless us all and may He also bless America. Amen.  ...More later.