Thinking of Joey Votto

Joey Votto is the offensive firepower of the Cincinnati Reds. He's only 25 years old and he's having an exceptional season ... maybe one of the best in the league. He's hitting .357 and has an unbelieveable OPS of 1.091. Everything you read about the guy is that he is a gamer ... the first to arrive for a game ... takes the most infield practice ... works hard to get better everyday.

OK ... quick question ... what does he have in common w/ Dolberry?

(Yep, we share the same birthday ... September 10th.)

May has been a tough month for Votto. Not hitting, but health-wise. He's had to come out of the game three times this past month because of dizziness.

The first time he was diagnosed w/ the flu. When he'd ostensibly recovered from the flu, it happened again and nobody knew what was wrong. The team doctor checked him into a clinic in San Diego and put him through a battery of tests. Eventually, they concluded he had an inner ear infection and cleared him to play. In his first game back, he mashed two homers, but then was in and out of the lineup over the rest of the week. Finally, on Friday he came out of another game in the 2nd inning.

After the game, the Reds put him on the 15-day DL w/ stress-related issues and noted that Votto asked for privacy as he worked through returning to help. Here was a quote from Votto last week:

"After all the tests I went through, it's been pretty scary the past few days,"

I really have no way of knowing, but I think Dolberry and Joey Votto have one more thing in common ... not sure what the medical term would be ... or if there's even a real medical condition like this ... but I think we both came down w/ EAFA (early-adult finiteness awareness). Simply put, it's when you go through the first 20 years of your life pretty much w/o any significant hardship and then one day ... all of a sudden ... you don't feel very good and you realize that one unknown day in the near or far future ... you are going to die.

It was the day of the OKC bombing that I had to go home from work early and see a doctor. I had been feeling progressively worse over the previous month ... basically having no energy. The tests showed high counts of mycoplasma and a case of pneumonia. I got antibiotics and you'd figure that was that. But it wasn't. I didn't really feel any better over the next two weeks, eventually getting to the point where I couldn't walk around our appartment building complex w/o becoming exhausted (& this was when I was in shape). Over time, my fingers and toes started to go numb from time to time. The doctors did more tests (EKG type stuff), but didn't really see anything wrong. I went to the ER one night w/ absolutely nothing wrong w/ me ... aside from a certainty that I was dying of something. One doctor prescribed some Xanax to reduce my anxiety and while that helped temporarily ... I started really getting worried about getting addicted to them ... think I had 1-2 refills. Many a time during that stretch I felt like I couldn't go out of the house w/o a Xanax. In the end, I never took the last 5-6 pills I had ... very strange ... but I couldn't bring myself to throw them out in case I ever needed them again. I finally pitched them one day down here a few years ago ... figuring they were probably expired anyway. The whole episode probably lasted 3-4 months before I broke out from the spiral down.

Four things helped me get out of the undertow:

1) tbKMD (& my family) were unfailingly w/ me every step which had to be hard, because I went from carefree Dolberry to neurotic Dolberry pretty much w/o any warning.

2) I eventually got routed to a great doctor in Naperville who just let me talk one time for about 45 minutes. Not a psych doc, but an internal medicine guy. He somehow made me feel better about myself in one appointment ... saying 'hey, stuff like this happens'.

3) Mary B (tbKMD's mom) gave me a prayer card that said "Lord, help me remember that nothing will happen today that You and I can't get through together." While I did throw the Xanax out eventually, I've kept that card on my desk ever since.

4) Softball. Eventually, when the weather in Chicago got nice (you know that one week every year), I remember thinking finally, I don't care if I am dying, I'm going to play some ball today.

So, I don't know if this is what's bothering Joey Votto or not. Either way, I just hope that people come alongside of him that care for him, let him talk it out w/o pressure, remind him that his life is part of something way bigger, and let him get back on the field doing what he loves. Hang in there Joey.

Just a Shadow

Good day today.

After interminable rainouts and conflicts ... got out on the ballfield tonight and went 3-3 w/ three doubles. (Their LF plays me too deep.) Also, threw a guy out at 2nd from LCF. We were down 7 zip early but rallied to win 15-12. Last game of the Apex season is tomorrow and the tournament starts Friday ... hopefully at 9pm. We're probably looking at the #3 seed.

We had our church car wash today and it wasn't a disaster. We only washed about 15-20 cars in three hours, but it was a lot of work. Last night, we had about 50-60 people in for our "Trinity Rocks" event. That was kind of a leap of faith ... not knowing two of the three bands ... but everyone was supernice and aside from the mild hearing impairment for three hours of 105 dB, there was no major damage to personnel or property. The last in the trilogy of church events of which Dolberry is at least partially responsible is next Friday (hopefully done by 8:30p ... see above) when we're having a chicken BBQ dinner to support a cool charity. Hoping to sell 200-250 dinners, but that may be wildly optimistic. After that ... a break. Looking forward to a workbreak at the end of June at the beach w/ the D'berries and Lalliberries.

APD is done w/ school. He went to a 5 hour end of school party yesterday at a classmates house. Crazy social skillz. Tonight we watched probably half of Monty Python and the Holy Grail via YouTube clips and were both laughing until we had to catch our breath. Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti.

Going back to basics for my lyrical encouragment these days. Nobody does it better than the kilt-wearing men who invented the seagull.

It went so well for you
With a place right where you wanted and the ones to fill it to
But some blows break the spell
That it hits you every day until you need to hit as well

It's just a shadow of the man you should be
Like a garden in the forest that the world will never see
You have no thought of answers only questions to be filled
And it feels like hell

It all seemed fine for you
Till the struggle of ambition turned in violence upon you
Sometimes a landslide comes
If you're hiding in that avalanche you need a place to run

It's just a shadow of the woman you should be
Like a garden in the forest that the world will never see
And you have no thought of answers only questions to be filled
And it feels like hell

I know there is no need for what's been done
I know there is enough for everyone
Frustration brings a heavy hand to bear
And there's never been a hand

Did we ever have it good
While we lived in Eldorado did we find the gold we should
If it really was the truth
Why are faces filled with anger that should only shine with youth

It's just a shadow of the people we should be
Like a garden in the forest that the world will never see
You have no thought of answers only questions to be filled
And it feels like hell

I know there is no need for what's been done
I know there is enough for everyone
Frustration brings a heavy hand to bear
And there never is a hand outside that cares
Still the promise comes of living fit for all
If we only get our back against the wall
I look at backs that pushed the wall for years
Scarred by many knives and too much fear

Dolberry makes a clown out of himself

There's a picture of APD's (from the school newsletter) getting ready for a vocal performance. They were really good this year. Probably did 6-8 performances. Not sure where his bow tie is there.

Ugh. Awful night tonight. I had a church commitment that I couldn't get out of and thus had to miss most of APD's game. Got through that meeting w/ a bad attitude on the inside ... rushed to the park ... catching every red light on the way ... to get there w/ APD up in the top of the last. Down 5-3, runner on 1st, one out. He fouls off three pitches and then gets called out on a pitch that was at his eyes. His coach got thrown out for coming out of the dugout and arguing the call ... the only ejection I can ever remember seeing in 6 years of youth baseball in Apex.

I was in a spectacularly foul mood at that point & yelled out from the bleachers ... "Blue, there is NO WAY that is a strike. NO WAY!" The game was over 4 pitches later and I managed to compose myself when the ump walked past to head to his car.

So now I guess I'm one of "those parents". After years of never criticizing umpires, always encouraging kids on both teams, thanking scorekeepers, deruffling other parents ... I feel like I ruined it all in 3 seconds.

I don't like who I'm becoming ... things have to change.

The Blog is Back (& more boring than ever)

Hey, sorry I've been out of the blogosphere for so long. Like most of you all, I suppose, Dolberry's has his arms full keeping up w/ things in the troposphere. Here's a update ... more like an upmonth ... for those of you who care at all about Dolberry and his crazy shenanigans.

Travels w/ Bono, pt. 2: APD's school had their awards program last week and he won for the 6th grade in the categories of Math, Science, Computer, Bible, and Christian Character. The last one is like the Heisman for GCS. There was one winner for each grade and the principal announced the winners from 11th, 10th, 9th, 8th, and 7th grades. Then he started to close the ceremony down ("There is cake along the wall ...) Dolberry didn't hear anything after the cake announcement ... what w/ the jostling for position and all, but tbKMD said that someone from the back of the stage came up and reminded the principal that there was a 6th grade winner as well. So, he announced "the 6th grade Christian character award goes to Alexander Dol ... which?" It's easy to stay humble when your last name is Dolberry.

My life as Stuart Adamson: Just as Big Country was forever in U2's shadow ... so it goes for Dolberry who won a gold medal for something this year as an EPA drone. I think it was for most improved worker or something like that. I do get to go up to DC for the awards ceremony. There had better be cake. And Administrator Jackson, if you are reading the DCV it's "DolBERRY".

Softball upmonth: Teams are doing fine. One is 8-4 and one is 7-3. Dolberry is actually having one of his better campaigns. Been hitting the ball well for the last couple of weeks. We ran out of outfielders one game a couple of Sundays ago (due to injuries ... i play w/ a lot of old fat guys) and in my first inning out in RF, I totally ran over the RCF who was attempting to catch a ball hit right to him. Ha. I still have a bump on my knee some three weeks later.

Life in General: Is really tiring me out. Yesterday and today were the first days in I can't remember how long that there were two consecutive days on the calendar w/o any obligation. Nothing's on the calendar for Monday either, but I have work stuff to do. (Sunday's are the busiest days of all ... which I don't think is the way it's supposed to be.) I've moved into climate stuff now ... w/ the new administration ... and it's a bottomless pit of activity. Oh, and I've gotten horribly out of shape. Haven't been to the gym, rode my bike, or ran in probably two months. I get winded simply running over fellow outfielders anymore. It's pathetic.

Ah, there's probably other stuff, but I'm getting grumpier and prumpier trying to recall this last month, so I'll stop there. Hope all is well for you.