Boo

Great job Christa. You've shown a great attitude and proved your commitment. Enjoy your newfound freedom. You earned it.

Top-shelf quit. A quit that will live on and help so many who follow the guidance put forth. Great job Cristobal!

Tom Glavine....Sure, the fact that he threw one of the best change-ups in the history of the game with great movement and pinpoint location was his bread-and-butter. However, that guy was a great bunter as well. He was called on to pinch-hit in bunting situations many times and almost always delivered. And I don't care what anyone says...Bunting is not boring! In fact, watching a well laid drag bunt down the third-base line with the fielder charging and the batter sprinting towards first is just good, clean All-American fun.

Good job!

"My career started slow then tapered off." "I had slumps that lasted into the winter." "I kept my catcher's gear on during fights. One day a couple of guys grabbed my arms, pulled my mask off, while one guy cracked me in the chops. What really irritated me was: they were on my club." "The Phillies told my dad: 'we're ready to sign your son for $2500.' My dad replied: 'this family doesn't have that kind of money!'" Too many Uecker quotes for one post. On a somewhat related note...I met Phil Niekro when I was eight-years-old. Nice guy. Signed an autograph. Took a picture with me. Talked for a couple of minutes...This story has no real point, just thought I would get it out there that Phil Niekro is a good dude.

I'm hopping on the Brewer bandwagon. I was undecided, then remembered that Bob "Mr. Baseball" Uecker is the voice of the Brew Crew. That made it an easy decision. If you've never heard any of Norm MacDonald and Artie Lange's Bob Uecker stories, do yourself a favor and check those out. Funny stuff.

It's entirely possible that I wasn't paying attention, but did this storm escalate quickly as compared to other storms? It seems like we typically hear from sources tracking these storms for at least a few days before they make landfall. With Michael, it feels like it practically popped up overnight. To any of our friends on the Gulf Coast: Godspeed and be safe.

Good job!

Good job!

Quitting is simple. It could not be more simple. You don't have to do anything. You simply refrain from doing something that you once did. S-I-M-P-L-E!

Still feel a bit disappointed with the outcome of today's game. It wasn't technically over when Machado hit that three-run shot, but I heard the fat lady warming up the vocal cords off in the distance. Like you say though, a good young team in Atlanta. The future looks bright for the Braves. I miss the so-called "small ball" style of baseball. Good base running, timely hitting, productive outs...that was great baseball. And those Cardinals teams of the 1980s did it as well as anybody. I'm not so much surprised by how ubiquitous the shift is in baseball, but rather by the fact that hitters haven't destroyed the shift by now. These are major league baseball players were talking about and no one knows how to poke a little opposite field shot through those huge gaps left by the shift. C'mon guys....you're getting paid good money to do this stuff! Didn't read your response before clicking the "submit reply" button. So, yeah...what he said!

Those early days of the quit are a grind. The mental fog, obsessive thoughts, restlessness, etc., etc.. However, you will be rewarded many times over for your efforts. Guaranteed. The challenges of quitting are temporary. The rewards of quitting are permanent.

That's postseason baseball for ya! It looked good before it looked bad. Then Freddie gave us the shot we needed. And the bullpen closed things out...of course they made things really interesting before doing so, but what else would you expect from Atlanta's relievers? Vizcaino always likes to put a couple of runners on base before breaking out the nasty stuff. It's October. As long as you're still putting on a uniform...you have a chance. Keep on choppin'!

Did an out-and-back hike on the Soddy Creek Gorge Trail this morning. 13.6 miles plus a couple of short spur trails. Tomorrow, I'm going to take advantage of a three-day weekend and do some flatwater kayaking on the Tennessee River.

As others have already stated: education about the addiction is a game changer. Read the articles. Watch the videos. Commit to the quit fully. Smoking is not an option. The cigarettes are off the table. Whatever happens...YOU DO NOT SMOKE. Don't make quitting complicated. There are two rules for a successful quit: (1) Don't put anything in your mouth and set it on fire. (2) If you have further questions, refer back to Rule #1.

Those moments are where rock solid quits are built. It's easy to stay on course when all's well. It's when you face down adversity and stay the course that you know you have a quit that is built to last. "Fire forges steel." Good job Linda.

Welcome aboard Time4Change. You've made a great decision. We're addicts who conditioned ourselves for years with cigarettes. Most, if not all, of us felt some doubt and anxiety early in the process. Challenges will be faced. Take 'em as they come and stay true to your commitment. With each success, confidence grows. As your confidence grows, the anxiety and doubt fade away. Those who want it badly make it happen. Congratulations, you're well on your way.

Damn. Two games in Chavez Ravine...Eighteen innings...And not one run for Los Bravos.

Same here. Vote cast.

Did a thru-hike this morning. Hiked a new section of the Cumberland Trail, the Soak Creek Trail and 5.3 miles of the Piney River Section. A total of 12.8 miles. Putting the finishing touches on a climbing wall that me and a friend built in my new gym. Between having my own wall and being surrounded by great rock, I'm looking to do a lot of climbing this fall.

Great job WeegieWoman. The lido deck looms large.

Cute kid. Congratulations Joe. Have you taught him to count to 20 yet?

With the prices charged for food and drink at Major League Baseball stadiums...Unless someone is on fire, I ain't pouring anything on anyone.

Good job Martian5.

Not to go off on a weird tangent, but it's strange that people can't just get together at some place and hang out for a bit without there being alcohol or smoke or vape involved. As for hanging out in some place watching other people blow vape clouds...I'll paraphrase my dad here(for language purposes): I'd just as soon watch rats fornicate as to waste my time with that.