The Benjamin's Weblog

An East Coast Visit

thebenjamin — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 21:42:58 +0000

Moments before the pinata destruction began on July 4th.

We just got back from a couple of weeks on the East Coast. The trip involved CT, MA, NY, NJ, and PA (with most time spent in MA and PA). It was great to spend time with friends, converse for hours, and see so much green.

This year has been one to savor. If you look at Facebook or Instagram posts you can catch a glimpse of the year. Some people might say it is the groomed presentation of my year. The space between the posts has also been rich. Not because everything is perfect, but even in the mundane and chaotic there has been much beauty.

When a toddler has been pushed to his limits and has a meltdown, a real fall-on-the-floor-I-can’t-handle-it moment, it is such an insight into the human spirit. This is usually not a triumph of the human spirit that movies like to show, it is the the collapse of the human spirit that we all feel on occasion.

When a cold becomes croup, and you listen intently for each barking breath, then the fragility of life is real. You learn what it means to have a father’s heart.

This East Coast trip covered the spectrum of emotions. We celebrated victories, mourned losses, wrestled with challenges, anticipated changes, and laughed at the humor that managed to invade each crack. Life is beautiful in its messiness and complexity.

Now that we are back on the West Coast we are settling in for the rest of the summer. The main event for this summer is not a vacation; the main event for this summer is scheduled for August, when Baby Peanut is slated to arrive.

Now back to life between the posts. Making meals, changing diapers, washing dishes, and searching for the beautiful (that is right in front of me).

Baseball Clones (and a blog wakes up)

thebenjamin — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 18:33:43 +0000

This blog has been sleeping peacefully for a long time; I have not. In the silence many things happened: Dieter has been growing and developing, Baby #2 has been preparing for an August 2019 arrival, I received tenure and promotion, and life has been very rich. And thus, the blog slept quietly. Instead of writing a random thought, I read Dieter Little Bear stories. Instead of thinking deep thoughts, I tried to finish cleaning the kitchen before falling asleep. My blog might be disgruntled at this development, but life full of the sweetest mundane (and exciting) moments is one to be savored.

So what broke the blog slumber?

This morning Dieter had a dentist appointment. It went well–he was so excited to go to the dentist. After I dropped him off at preschool, while driving through San Luis Obispo, a thought crossed my mind. If I had to field an MLB team that consisted of clones of one current player, which player would I choose?

My first thought is Mike Trout. Can you imagine nine consecutive Mike Trouts coming to the plate? The offense would be crazy. But then I imagined the defense . . . I think Trout could play above average in the outfield, respectably in the infield, but the pitching would be a disaster. Could he score more than he allowed? I’m not sure.

What about an elite pitcher? A team of Max Scherzers could pitch, but what about the offense? What about everything that doesn’t happen on the mound?

Maybe it would take someone like Shohei Ohtani? Right now he is my first choice, but that seems unfair because he is not pitching right now due to an arm injury. Maybe Madison Bumgarner?

So I end with these questions:

What is the highest winning percentage a team of clones could achieve in MLB?
Would the best clone candidate be a star, or a player closer to the mean but balanced between pitching and hitting?
Who would you choose for your line up of clones?

I did a web search and found some Reddit discussions on this topic and some blogs that used WAR to answer the question (but using WAR is crazy, because it doesn’t account for the weaker side of the equation for a player).

The Closing Moments of 2017

thebenjamin — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 04:04:52 +0000

As 2017 draws to a close, I am grateful for a year to remember. In some ways 2017 was a year of chaos and brokenness. In some ways 2017 was full of the richness of life. It occurred to me today: I believe 2017 was the best year of my life so far.

The primary reason I look on 2017 so fondly, is a small fry who waltzed onto the scene in February. Life has been sweet with Dieter . Seeing him grow, discover, and learn has been so much fun. It hasn’t been all snuggles and smiles. There have been projectile poos, rages that cannot be calmed with reason, and the destruction of sane sleeping patterns. I have not felt fully rested once in 2017. The few opportunities I have had to sleep-in were thwarted by my body being programmed to wake-up at random early morning hours.

Being Dieter’s daddy has been the best adventure. It has been great to partner with Pam on this journey. I have learned lessons about patience, reliance, and love. One of my favorite passages from this year has been Psalm 131.

A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 131 (NIV)

Experiencing a little guy curled up in my arms, peacefully sleeping, has made me think about contentment and reliance.

Another aspect of 2017 that has been rich, has been the fruition of teaching preparation and research work. My classes have started to take on a more refined form, and I am excited about teaching them. I am so lucky to teach classes on topics that I love. On the research side of my job, I had three manuscripts accepted for publication in 2017, which was a goal I was striving to achieve. Those publications will make my stress level lower in 2018, when I go up for tenure.

In some respects I feel guilty about how good 2017 was for me. I am very aware of the brokenness and pain that marks 2017 for many. Discrimination, warfare, and hate have been prevalent. In this collage of life, the joy and the pain, I pray to love well.

Happy New Year, everyone!