The Tao of Pooh

I know this is supposed to be a baseball card blog, but it is my blog and I feel like posting a book review. To be perfectly honest, it really is not a book review. I am not a reader at all; nor am I a writer, an airplane pilot, doctor, lawyer, professional athlete or anything really worthy of anything. I am however a self-proclaimed Winnie the Pooh "aficionado".

That's right I like Winne the Pooh and all of his friends in the hundred acre wood forest. Winnie after all is the Bear with very little Brain and I can relate to that.

The book I now have read several times (ok I know what you are thinking but it IS a book for "adults") is titled The Tao of Pooh written by Benjamin Hoff. Hoff also wrote a second book called the Te of Piglet which is a natural continuation of the understanding of the connection between Taoism and Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

Hoff takes us on a journey that each of us can relate to. In actuality we all possess personality qualities of Pooh and all his friends; some more dominant than others and in understanding the basis for each of those traits we find a better understanding of ourselves.

Some of the Chapters are titled: The How of Pooh, Spelling Tuesday, The Pooh Way and Nowhere and Nothing. Who can pass up a book with chapters like that.

The back cover of the book sums it up perfectly; ". . . in which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters is not Chinese or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other that that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear; A A Milne Winnie the Pooh".

". . . while Eeyore frets . . and Piglet hesitates, Rabbit calculates, and Owl pontificates . . . Pooh just is". To the right is a poem written to help you find your way.

I recommend everyone finding a copy, reading this book and finding out how closely each of you resembles one of thee characters. For me I am a mixed up combination of Piglet, Rabbit and Pooh.

Thanks to all for reading my blog and allowing me to review this book.

Happy Birthday Cal Ripken Jr

Born in 1960 on August 24th, Cal Ripken Jr turns 50 today. The second "Iron Man" of major league baseball, Ripken deserves to have a special birthday.

Ripken's baseball feats are almost endless. Not withstanding the record that never will be broken of playing in 2632 consecutive games. The 1982 Rookie of the year who actually began his career as a third baseman was shifted to shortstop, played in 19, yes nineteen, consecutive all-star games, has one world series ring (1983), a member of the 3000 hit club and played his entire career in Baltimore, naturally having his # 8 uniform retired and inducted into Baseballs Hall of Fame as a first ballot inductee in 2007.

This 1982 Topps Future Stars Card #21 was one of my very first "big" purchases in 1984 when I bought five of these. If my memory serves me correctly they were less than $ 5.00 each at the time. I have since donated (gave away) two of them over the years, holding onto three of them for no apparent reason. If anyone out there is interested in a trade for one of them - let me know. I am still more of a Cubs fan !

Originally listed as a third baseman and sharing future star status with Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider (each of whom had incredibly short stints in the major leagues), Ripken certainly made up for it.

Happy 50th Birthday wishes go out to Ripken. Being a fellow 1960 baby, I feel slightly embarrassed in even having one thing in common with the "Iron Man".

a third time

For the third time in three years my beautiful daughter is off on an adventure.

Two August's ago she embarked on the Rotary Youth Exchange program and headed to Finland (yes Finland) for ten months. Upon returning home last summer she then went off to start her college life (freshman year) at Flagler College in St Augustine Florida. While both of those experiences were positive (and not so positive) in many ways, my daughter was craving something different . . . again.

Just the other day she left again, for Chicago, our old home town, to attend Columbia College and pursue her creative writing aspirations. I wish her the very best in everything, am so proud of her and look forward to visiting her and taking her to a Cubs game.

Below you will find a song sung by Winnie the Pooh to Piglet that I have now sent my daughter three years in a row. Maybe this year it will inspire her to be "big" !

You can be a guiding star,
If you make the most of Who You Are.
And the sensitivity,
That you are now discovering to see
Can be developed even more,
So you can find the hidden doors
To places no one’s been before.
And the pride you’ll feel inside
Is not the kind that makes you fall -
It’s the kind that recognizes
The bigness found in being Small
as Pooh sings about Piglet in The Te of Piglet pg 51

Baseball "Lifer's"

I recently came across a list that intrigued me.

The list was of ALL current Major League Baseball Players that have been with the same team for ten years or more (thanks to ESPN).

Here are the only eleven players currently that fit that category.

Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves 16
Mariano Rivera New York Yankees15
Derek Jeter New York Yankees 15
Jorge Posada New York Yankees 15
Todd Helton Colorado Rockies 13
Jason Varitek Boston Red Sox 13
Eric Chavez Oakland Athletics 12
Vernon Wells Toronto Blue Jays 11
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 10
Mark Buehrle Chicago White Sox 10
Michael Young Texas Rangers 10

Not sure how that number compares to other years but it seemed rather small to me.
With my heart still being stuck in the era of the sixties and seventies I do wonder how this compares to other years ? Anyone out there able to calculate this for the year 1970 ?

Three quarters (Santo, Kessinger, Banks) of the Chicago Cub infield were "lifer's" (that is from a long time ago)! It is a shame no Chicago Cub made this list this year ! Who will be the next Cub to play for Chicago for ten years ?

While I understand that baseball has changed drastically over (in so many ways, both for the good and bad) the commitment and loyalty of the game (from the players and owners) is one thing I wish would change back to the days of yester-year.

The Twenty Dollar Bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by:

holding up a $20.00 bill.. In the room of 200, he asked,
' Who would like this $20 bill? '

Hands started going up.

He said, ' I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, ' Who still wants it? '

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, ' What if I do this? '

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

' Now, who still wants it? '

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,

but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special
-
Don't EVER forget it

you may never know the lives it (this lesson) touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring.

Count your blessings, not your problems...

' And remember: amateurs built the ark .. professionals built the Titanic.