We had an Easter egg hunt last night:
March, 2013
30
Mar 13
The baseball Iron Bowl, game three
With the weekend series tied 1-1, Auburn and Alabama met again to decide the three-game set. Ryan Tella doubled down the right field line in the first inning and probably has a sore neck for his troubles. Mikey White probably has a bruise on his leg:
Will Kendall, still returning from last year’s Tommy John surgery, had another solid outing under his rehab pitch count. He went three innings and allowed only one hit and one run. He walked two and recorded two strikeouts. That’s Austen Smith leading off first for Alabama:
Daniel Koger was solid in long relief. He pitched six innings, walked three, allowed only one hit and one run:
Auburn’s second baseman Jordan Ebert beats a throw back to first. Not that it mattered much. He’d be out on a double play soon after:
And despite pitching a two-hitter, Auburn was down two runs in the ninth inning. Alabama’s Spencer Turnbull was pitching a complete game, with a great defense behind him. Auburn would not get a runner to second base after the first inning.
Auburn hit into four double plays today.
Ryan Tella lined out in the ninth inning:
Auburn lost 2-0 today and have now dropped the first three series of the year.
The biggest problem right now is the bats. Only two players in the lineup are hitting over .300. (To be fair, in conference play they’ve faced five incredible starting pitchers.) The Tigers left two on base today — a statistical anomaly because of all of the double plays. Auburn is stranding eight runners a game so far this season.
The Tigers are 10-44 against the SEC in the major sports – football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball – since the 2012 SEC baseball tournament.
29
Mar 13
The baseball Iron Bowl, game two
Alabama’s second baseman, Kyle Overstreet who is really quite good, committed an error in the sixth inning tonight. Naturally the helpful fans at Plainsman Park pointed this out.
By then Auburn had the game under control. They found their first lead in conference play, which came in their 66th inning of conference play. The Tigers’ bats came alive again in the fifth, putting four more runs on the board and Auburn finally won one, 6-3.
Check out the highlights, particularly the gem in the ninth inning at the three minute mark:
So, now, Auburn is 10-43 against the SEC in the major sports – football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball – since the 2012 SEC baseball tournament. It has been the worst year ever since Title IX in terms of a cumulative conference record.
But a beautiful day otherwise. Got out for a quick ride on the bike and was about seven miles from home on a quite road that has been closed because the bridge two miles down was out for construction. I heard a nice ting!-ting!-ting! doppler off to the left and behind me.
It seemed important to stop, to see what had just fallen off my bicycle. And I was happy to realize that the brakes were still working and the wheels weren’t falling off.
Finally I realized it was the metal clamp that holds my bag to the seat post and saddle rails. So we spent a while looking for the parts. I’d hit a bump and something felt loose, so up and down the shoulders, stomping on plumes of grass and bending over to peer at ever dark piece of material near the roadway.
After about an hour I found the metallic piece, realized that was the only part I was missing, so that’s a win. I only have to replace two screws. And get home in time for the baseball game, managing only an impressive 10 miles for my troubles.
But I had a turkey burger for dinner, we closed down a restaurant with our friends Adam and Jessica and that somehow makes it all better.
It was a good afternoon as we head into a great weekend. Hope yours is even better!
28
Mar 13
The baseball Iron Bowl
Alabama visited Auburn for a three game series, starting tonight. Things did not go well for the Tigers.
Ryan Tella was 1-of-5 with three strike outs:
Garrett Cooper had one hit in four at bats and struck out once:
Between the two they stranded five of Auburn’s eight base runners as Alabama won 6-2.
In the major sports – football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball – Auburn is now 9-43 against the SEC since the 2012 SEC baseball tournament. I’m keeping count because someone has to.
Other things: Nineteen percent of Alabama are on food stamps.
Then there’s this most depressing lead:
In Hale County, Alabama, 1 in 4 working-age adults is on disability. On the day government checks come in every month, banks stay open late, Main Street fills up with cars, and anybody looking to unload an old TV or armchair has a yard sale.
[…]
As far as the federal government is concerned, you’re disabled if you have a medical condition that makes it impossible to work. In practice, it’s a judgment call made in doctors’ offices and courtrooms around the country. The health problems where there is most latitude for judgment — back pain, mental illness — are among the fastest growing causes of disability.
[…]
In Hale County, there was one guy whose name was mentioned in almost every story about becoming disabled: Dr. Perry Timberlake. I began to wonder if he was the reason so many people in Hale County are on disability. Maybe he was running some sort of disability scam, referring tons of people into the program.
After sitting in the waiting room of his clinic several mornings in a row, I met Dr. Timberlake. It turns out, there is nothing shifty about him. He is a doctor in a very poor place where pretty much every person who comes into his office tells him they are in pain.
“We talk about the pain and what it’s like,” he says. “I always ask them, ‘What grade did you finish?'”
What grade did you finish, of course, is not really a medical question. But Dr. Timberlake believes he needs this information in disability cases because people who have only a high school education aren’t going to be able to get a sit-down job.
It is an enlightening piece, and worth your read.
28
Mar 13
The historic marker series
We return again to the regular routine of documenting historic markers, found via bicycle. This is the 25th installment in the series, and so like the best rides, we’re picking up momentum.
What’s the story behind this building? You can see the details here. You can check out the full run here. Click through the pins on the map in the banner and explore some of the other local historic locations.
Enjoy, happy pedaling and happy reading!
