the death of skip caray and other matters

Skip Caray, the voice of the Atlanta Braves, died on Monday, from complications related to diabetes. He was the son of Harry Caray, the legendary announcer of the Chicago Cubs. Skip had a wonderfully sarcastic, even cynical demeanor, and was able to pontificate on the fortunes of the Braves through the good times, including the 1995 World Series championship in the midst of 14 consecutive divisional titles, and the bad (which, unfortunately would include this year, with injuries to Smoltz, Glavine and Chipper, and the necessary sending of Jeff Francoeur to the minors). His tenure as a voice of the Braves lasted 33 years; he ably succeeded Ernie Johnson and Milo Hamilton. Skip was only 68 years old.

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I am reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road. In the spring I gave a baccalaureate sermon entitled "The Path", which was itself based on a sermon that I had preached earlier in 2008. I realize in reading McCarthy that I am not always as reflective with people about the harsh difficulties of this life's journey, and McCarthy nails this. At any rate, The Road is a dark journey, and is a good corrective to my generally excessively hopeful attitude about life.

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We saw the X-Files, I Want To Believe movie last night with our older daughter, who is visiting for a few days. Years ago, the X Files was our family ritual on Sunday evenings. We called it "Touched By An Alien". I would give the movie a "B".

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Political card on the table: I am opposed to off-shore drilling as a solution to our present gasoline crisis.

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Writing news: I have five sermons in the just-released congregational resource related to Five Practices of Fruitful Congregational Congregations (see the Five Practices link to the right). Also, my "Christmas Prayer For Those Who Do Not Attend Church" will appear in the November Circuit Rider.

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Recent discovery--Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is simply amazing: complex, chaotic, melodic, at times reminiscent of the Byrds and the Beatles, alt-country, psychedelic, layer upon layer of music, unlike most anything I have heard of late. You may not like it, and some do not, but I find it fascinating. Five stars.